While we all know that Luigi’s Mansion 2 is set to be released for the Nintendo 3DS sometime later this year. Online retailer Play.com has listed Luigi’s Mansion 2 for Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U console.
At this stage nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo, and this all could just be a simple ‘human error’. Though this isn’t the first time a retailer has leaked game announcements earlier than scheduled *cough cough* Target and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Yet with no official word from Nintendo, Luigi’s Mansion 2 on Wii U may seem like quite a stretch. The original Luigi’s Mansion appeared as a launch title for the GameCube a decade ago in 2001. Its sequel Luigi’s Mansion 2 was announced last year at E3 exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has revealed a teaser showcasing real life experiments based on the spells featured in Sorcery, the latest Playstation Move game. BBC science expert, Steve Mould, will demonstrate these experiments in a series of educational videos, entitled ‘The Science Behind The Magic’. There has been no indication when these educational videos will be released, but it would be between now and the release of the game on May 24. Experiments will include levitation and lightning, both spells used in the game.
Sorcery follows Finn, an apprentice to a powerful sorcerer named Dash. Taunted by the talking feline, Erline, he leaves the confines of his master’s home and travels to the Land of the Restless Dead. While there, he accidentally releases the Nightmare Queen from a spherical prison. She takes over the land and it is up to Finn to defeat her, using the Slumbering Key to aid him.
Details are now starting to pour in for a title I have been eyeing for some time now, which is none other than Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland 3D. Siliconera are now reporting that the game will feature an online store, much like that of Sentinel’s of the Starry Skies. Of course there will be rare items within, but eggs will be the prime reason to keep checking back in, and they also will have a hefty asking price.
It’s quite nice to see how much attention this DQM will have in store, and there is sure to be a lot of depth and replayability with this egg system in place as not only can players grind for levels, but also for a good amount of loot. Now if we can just get a proper western release date. Soon, my slimes, soon.
Rockstar’s latest game isn’t even out yet, but that hasn’t stopped Major League Gaming kicking off a Pro Exhibition with the Max Payne 3 Multiplayer at it’s heart. 16 of the ‘world’s best’ competitive gamers were slung into 4×4 teams to duke it out for $30,000, and you can catch a glimpse of the bullet ridden matches in the video below.
Sure there’s a lot of weirdly named guys bragging about how good they are, but it’s also a decent look at the game’s multiplayer mode in full flow. With the game due for general release tomorrow, expectations are certainly soaring, so any hint at what Rockstar has to offer is something to lap up in the meantime.
The full contest will be broadcast just a few hours before some of the midnight game launches, starting at 8pm Eastern time today. You can catch the show on Rockstar’s Newswire or on the Major League Gaming website.
Sleeping Dogs is the freshly renamed continuation of the True Crime series, coming from Square Enix London and United Front Games. It’s an open world cop drama set in Hong Kong, and as such is a dead ringer for some martial arts action. Indeed it’s definitely going for the Hong Kong cinema vibe, with players taking on the role of an undercover cop who must take on the more vicious members of the Triad underworld.
So there will be combos and kicks aplenty, as well as shoot outs and street races to mix up the action. A new trailer, or ‘gameplay highlight’ has just been released to show off the games combat, and is packed full of snapping bones, roundhouses and some extraordinarily violent takedowns: say hello meathook!
Make sure and check it out below. Sleeping dogs will be coming to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in August of this year.
Mass Effect 3 is the latest installment in the main Mass Effect trilogy of games. It follows the final journey of Commander Shepard across the galaxy in a battle against a bio-mechanical race known as the Reapers. In this battle, players are needed to be at their very best and can not be limited by their own equipment. So Razer have come in as assistance to the players needs by creating a product line built to enhance the Mass Effect experience and to ensure that players are at the very best that they can be.
Keyboards have been in use for the longest of periods as the primary input mechanism for computational devices in use by the average user, so it is only natural that the average user should want the best input device for their purposes. The Razer ME3 Blackwidow Ultimate Keyboard is designed for users whose primary motivation for owning a superior PC is for gaming purposes. This is to say that the people who will be most interested in this keyboard will be people who play video games on their Personal Computers. The gamer who is likely to get the most out of owning this particular edition of the Blackwidow Ultimate keyboard is the gamer that is the biggest fan of the Mass Effect series and also takes other games pretty seriously.
The Razer ME3 Blackwidow Ultimate Keyboard is ultimately a mechanical keyboard at heart, with several additions that make it incredibly appealing to the modern gamer. The first of these additions I want to talk about is the back lighting. The keyboard comes equipped with several back lighting features and options that are easily switched between from the keyboard itself. There are five back light modes for users to switch between, which are – no light, low light, medium light, high light and pulsating light. You can change between these modes by hitting the ‘Fn’ key and the sunny symbol (F12) at any time. What I found particularly awesome about the back lighting was that it comes from LEDs inside of each key, which makes each letter stand out in a bright red colour, reminiscent of the Mass Effect games.
My favourite lighting mode is the high light mode, the low light just seems way too dull and the pulsating makes it hard to type in the dark. I suppose that opinions will be different to my own, and that users should definitely fiddle with their keyboards and find the mode that suits them the best. And really, that’s what makes this keyboard awesome, it gives you the option to choose how you want to have it appear. It’s far better than forcing you to have just one option, even if it’s ugly as crap.
The second part of the keyboard I would like to mention is the Macro functionality of the keyboard. Lined along the left-hand side of the keyboard are 5 macro keys, each one labelled from ‘M1’ to ‘M5’ in a descending order from the top, or an ascending order from the bottom. Recording macros is an easy enough function, you simply hit the ‘fn’ key along side the ‘m’ (alt) key and then record your macro. Pressing the same combination will stop recording and you then assign the macro to a key of your choosing. You can do this to any key on the keyboard, but I’d seriously not recommend doing this as it can become problematic. Assign the macros to the macro buttons.
The function key is probably the most important key on the keyboard. It is this key that allows you to access all of the alternate functions of the keyboard. I’ve already spoken about the lighting and the macros, but I have yet to touch upon the rest of the functions accessible by holding this key. The next function I want to talk about are the sound options. The F1-F3 keys control the volume of the computer whilst the ‘fn’ key is depressed. Pressing F1 will mute all sound from your PC, while F2 and F3 will decrease and increase your volume levels with each respective key. I found these to be particularly handy while playing some games and watching movies. I don’t why, but the gaming industry is moving towards a more cinematic sound experience, rather than a logical one, so a lot of games have incredibly soft audio levels so that you have to turn your sound levels even higher just to be able to hear anything. Skyrim is one of the biggest examples of this.
The keyboard also has media functionality so that you are able to quickly access your multimedia programs while you are gaming. You have four options at your disposal, each one assigned to the F5-F8 keys, and they are: Play/Pause, Stop, Skip-Backwards and Skip-Forwards. I quite liked having this option as I like to play games while listening to my own music, rather than the games audio, so being able to manage these things without alt-tabbing is a great addition. However I did find a problem where sometimes programs like Windows Media Player decide to freeze when skipping songs, however this is rare and is probably a problem with the way WMP handles media functions.
One of the most useful functions of this keyboard is the ability to switch off the Windows Key functionality. How many times have you been in a moment where it was critical that you do something at just the right moment in order to brush your way to victory and then slap your mates in the face with your superior gaming skills, only to have accidentally hit the Windows Key on your way to the right key, or with your palm, thus destroying your victory and making you look like a massive n00b in front of everyone? Now you have no reason to fear such an occurrence for with the ‘fn’ key and the F11 button you enter the keyboard into gaming mode, a mode that is surely to be useful under many a circumstance. What is also useful is that whenever you want the Windows key to be useable again, you can just use the same combination to switch the Keyboard back to normal.
Keyboards are personal to the person using them and, well, what makes this Razer Mass Effect 3 Blackwidow Ultimate Keyboard stand-out and become something that people would want to be personal to them? To be honest, sure it might be all the features that I have listed already, but I think it’s got more to do with the little quirks of a device that are something that make it stand above devices with a similar offering. For me, the main selling point of this keyboard was the way that it gives a satisfying click every time you hit a key, so that you definitely feel as though you’re typing and doing something great with the keyboard. Having that feedback, for me, made the experience with this keyboard absolutely amazing. I mean sure, a lot of keyboards click when typing, but coming from a keyboard without that satisfying click, it feels like something awesome has typed its way back into my life.
Each key on the keyboard has a kind of finish that makes each key feel much different to any other keyboard on the market. They are quite comfortable to hit with your fingers as you type and aren’t prone to stainage, which is a pretty good thing, considering some keyboards can look pretty grimy after a few days of use. Even more awesome is that the lettering doesn’t rub off the keyboard as you use it, this is primarily because the lettering is LED back lighted and therefore much more resilient to that kind of abuse.
The most Mass Effect part of this keyboard, isn’t so much that it has much Mass, and Effects, but that it is Mass Effect themed. Adorning the bottom left corner of the Keyboard is the N7 logo, which is now synonymous with the Mass Effect brand and flying down across the Macro keys is the Mass Effect white and red strips that are also recognisable within the Mass Effect brand. What will make this package even more enticing is the limited edition code that unlocks new weapons and features in the Multiplayer portion of the Mass Effect 3 game. Mass Effect fans will love this.
Now the part you’ve all been waiting for, how it performs while gaming. I’m not going to exaggerate and say that my gaming skills increased by godly amounts while gaming, but the keyboards higher reaction times and LED lighting made it much easier to play games that it was previously. I noticed a slight increase in my movement (not movement speed) which made dodging incoming projectiles that much easier and responsive.
I would heavily advise any gamer that does not yet have a decent gaming keyboard to purchase this keyboard immediately, or at least, as soon as possible. This is only because unlike Mass Effect 3’s ending, this keyboard is actually good.
Even Commander Shephard agrees –
“I’m Commander Shephard and this is my favourite keyboard on the Citadel.” Commander Shephard told gaming reporters in a made up interview for the Razer Mass Effect 3 BlackWidow Ultimate Keyboard.
If you live in Europe and have been awaiting Kirby’s second handheld adventure, mark your calenders as this week – or May 17th to be exact, the pink fluff and all of his animal pals will be arriving on the Virtual Console. This news comes just shortly after another Kirby title (Kirby’s Pinball Land) was leaked by the Australian Classification Board, and is setting the mascot up for yet another big year of releases.
Dream Land 2 is definitely one of my favorite Kirby titles and even though it’s animal gimmickry is different from the norm, it still makes for one jolly adventure. For you American 3DS owners out there, stay tuned, as once a date is announced for this title, we will be sure to bring you an update.
Arc Style: Soccer 3D Developer: Arc System Works Platform: Nintendo 3DS eShop Release Date: April 12, 2012 Price: $6.99 DOWNLOAD NOW!
Overview
When you think of the eShop, you think of platformers and addictive little puzzle games. Yes, there are a few sports titles on the service, but none have ever been too eyebrow raising or worthy of much mention. To shift the tide a bit on the genre, Nintendo have release Arc Style: Soccer 3D, exclusively for the 3DS’ downloadable service. Along with 3D visuals, this title also brings about a ton of customization and cutesy graphics that give the game a pleasant, yet silly appeal. Does this balling romp shoot a goal, or should you just stick with the retail offerings on the platform for a more fulfilling soccer fix? Here is my review for Arc Style: Soccer 3D.
Gameplay
When you look at the raw, core product of Soccer 3D, there isn’t a lot there. Single player has two modes – Exhibition and World Tournament. Exhibition is as you would expect, and lets you go head to head with another team until the timer runs out, with the victor of course being the team with the most points. World Tournament plays nearly the same, but has the player take on the default World teams one after another, until a champion is crowned at the end. Yeah, it’s your standard fare for the sport, but thankfully the controls are solid enough to provide a good deal of entertainment, even if it is just for short bursts.
Speaking of movement, it’s quite easy to hop in and instantly catch on to the control scheme, as everything is pretty basic. Players run with the slide pad, which effectively moves your character around the field, and use the face buttons to perform their techniques. Passing is done using the B button while on offense, and other inputs offer a small variety of other techniques such as dashing and performing charged or uncharged shots to knock the ball into the goal. A special maneuver can also be performed, which allows for one big burst of energy to be put behind the ball in order to make a goal. Defense keeps the simplistic swing of things moving along as well, with slides and the ability to change players done at the tap of a button. Now, one could argue that there isn’t much depth to the gameplay due to the accessible nature to it all, but that seems to be the general concept of Soccer 3D. Instead of intense competition, this is the soccer game you play to simply relax.
That simplicity does come at a bit of a cost though, as the opponents AI for the single player modes could have definitely seen more attention. Half of the time, the opposing team spent a good portion of a match just running around in all directions, as if they didn’t know what was going on. When my foes finally did try to play the game and go for a goal, it was right back to their “zombie land” state afterwards, playing endless games of pass the ball until our team was back on offense. This isn’t a crippling flaw by any means, as you are still performing the same objectives and there are moments when you do have to step up your game, but those looking for something with a true challenge are sure to feel disappointment before the first timer runs down. Luckily, there is a local multiplayer mode in tow that lets players go up against a real competitor and test out all of their own special play-styles.
The core game may be where the meat of the game is, but the delicious seasonings come in the form of customization. Players can create their own team from scratch and craft every detail of their team, from appearance to techniques. Want to make a team of rabid kindergartners or tall, bald businessmen? Well, you can. The color choices are very broad for both hair and eyes, and these Mii-like personas become much easier to love when you get to add your own little charms into the mix. Even the names of each individual teammate can be changed, which allows the player to then have complete control of who they want out on the field.
This editor also provides customization for abilities as well, which allows each member of your team to feel different from the next. My personal favorite of all these options though comes with the use of the 3DS’ built in camera. In just a few, short seconds, the player can snap a photo and then paste their own face to one of these custom characters. We have seen this before in Photo Dojo (which allowed for a full body image to be captured), but having a squad of you and all of your friends and family is definitely a fun addition and one that makes Arc Style: Soccer 3D stand out among all the other sports games currently available on any handheld.
Visuals/Audio
Even though “3D” is in the title, I preferred for it to stay off for a good portion of my playtime with the game. It’s not that the effect is poorly implemented – it’s just unnecessary. Even with the slider up all the way, I got little satisfaction from seeing these subpar models in 3D. You see, the presentation is decent, but the models themselves are a bit generic and blocky. Yeah, this is partly the art design for the game at fault, but the 3D seems to just make every flaw stick out. With that said, I didn’t hate the appearance of the characters and seeing the goofy “macho” and “runt” characters battling for the ball is a charming affair, but one that is better enjoyed without the extra dimension of gimmickry.
As far as music goes, small, catchy tunes make up a cheerful and “fun” little soundtrack to play to, which captures the lighthearted atmosphere well. None of these tunes are masterpieces by any means, but they certainly can be earworms and in a matter of time, you will be humming along as you run down the field to make a goal. One missed opportunity however comes in the lack of voices for the game. I know there shouldn’t be dialogue in a game like this, but little squeaks or signs of audible life would have worked really well here.
Overall
Arc Style: Soccer 3D isn’t an amazing soccer game by any means. The main game is pretty bare bones and delivers just enough of the sport for fans to enjoy. The one-sided single player mode means there isn’t a lot of challenge, but younger players are sure to love how accessible and easy the game is to actually play. The customization aspects however are enjoyable and can be fulfilling to either party, allowing one to spend hours conjuring up teams and letting their imagination run wild. Is Soccer 3D the next Fifa or Wii Sports? No. It is a charming little game with some interesting features though, which makes it easy to recommend for anyone wanting some simple soccer on the go.
It’s becoming something of a trend for developers and publishers to produce short films to sit in tandem with their games. Dragon Age, Assassin’s Creed and Halo are just some of the big name games to have received the short film treatment, even if it was only for an ad. Jumping on the bandwagon is Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier, which has seen the premiere of it’s own live action short today – Ghost Recon Alpha.
So why should you care about yet another short film tie in? Well this one features the four playable characters from Future Soldier in the leading roles, and is set moments before the game’s storyline kicks off. Players will also be able to recognise the location in the film as one of the multiplayer maps to be available in the game. In short it is a very in depth (to the tune of 25 minutes) opening cut-scene that will set things up for Future Solider.
For those interested in it’s cinematic credentials then fear not, there are a slew of talented crew behind the film, with an Oscar nominated script writer and the cinematographer from District 9.
If material gain is more your thing, then there is also a secret code hidden somewhere in the movie, which when entered via the Ghost Recon Network will unlock an exclusive weapon for the game, which hits consoles on May 24 . The network was previously home to the game beta, but has been shutdown until May 22. Of course you’ll need a Uplay account to access it, along with the full version of the movie.
The trailer for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Alpha is attached below, and the full short film can be found here – remember you’ll need to have a uPlay account to see it. If you fancy watching the film elsewhere, then you’ll be able to catch a screening this Friday at 11.30pm AEST on digital channel One. The Collector’s Edition of the game will also come with a DVD copy of the film.
Reflexio Developer: Box Jellyfish Studios
Publisher: Box Jellyfish Studios Platform:PC Release Date: May 9 Price: $4.99 Available Here
Overview The best indie or small-scale games are built around one or two basic ideas, feature a directed visual style and a catchy soundtrack. Reflexio’s central mechanic is ingenious, but how does its execution hold up?
Gameplay
You play as a koala (for some reason) who has a magic umbrella (for some reason) that lets you reflect the world (for some reason), to collect zippers (for some reason) and aim to be eaten by a zip-faced monster thing. But don’t let the context (or lack thereof) put you off: that reflection mechanic is solid and unique.
Each level is basic platformer fare, set across a grid of blocks, with an “axis” through it somewhere, around which the environment is reflected at the push of a button. Objects and blocks move relative to their proximity to the axis. So, far left of screen becomes far right, objects close to the line move a short distance, etc. Your character stays where he is, and moves the level around him to open paths or provide platforms. Your aim is to collect all the zips littered around the level, then reach the end – which is a weird little backpack monster, or something.
To build on that, the axis can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal, and there may be more than one to choose from. These require a fair bit of lateral thinking, as you figure out which axis will rotate the level the way you need it.
All up, it’s a very interesting way to manipulate and traverse the environment, and like most “new” puzzle game concepts, it can be hard to wrap your head around at first. It takes time to learn to predict where blocks will move once reflected, and which axis to use to get them where you want them. Levels being made up of plain squares helps a little, but often trial and error becomes the most viable method. A grid laid over the whole level might have improved the learning curve – especially as being wrong by a single block can result in a restart.
If you happen to be in the way when a block is reflected into that space, it can kill you, but it isn’t consistent. Sometimes it just pushes you out of the way, or traps you inside the block. It seems the game intends for you to die if “hit” by a block, but interestingly, it’s a relief when it fails to register the hit: restarting due to a miscalculation of one block is frustrating, but when it messes up and traps or pushes you, you just reflect it back, move the character and try again. That seems like a much more forgiving system, given the complications of trying to guess where everything will move.
That’s not the only area that’s more complicated than necessary. When choosing which axis to use, separate keys are used to switch to each, depending on which direction they run. So, W and S switch between horizontal lines, A and D between vertical ones, and X for diagonals. During play it often takes a bit of finger-scrambling to select the right axis. The window to pick one is usually wide open, but it still feels awkward.
Visuals & Audio
Reflexio’s presentation sadly lacks spark. There’s nothing wrong with a simple art style, but Reflexio’s is a bit too plain. The odd hint of personality still shines through, but it isn’t quite enough to properly colour the game.
The basic blocks are useful mechanically, but they don’t look very appealing. Despite being a little too “cutesy”, the character works, and the goal of each level, that little backpack creature, is adorable. Likewise, the backgrounds are appropriately pastel to help the foreground stand out, and feature subtle, charming images that I didn’t even notice for a while. All this hints at a personality for the game that didn’t quite make it through strong enough.
Unfortunately, the audio is even weaker. The music won’t stick with you long, and the only real sound effect is a conspicuously loud jump noise. With my speakers at a normal volume, the sound had enough bass to it that my dogs actually started barking from the other end of the house, and ran up the hall to investigate. I’ve never seen them do that for anything.
To be honest, I ended up muting the game and playing other music in the background.
Overall
If I’ve come across as too negative, I didn’t mean to be. The potential exhibited in Reflexio has me very excited, even if it isn’t as polished as it could be. It feels like Narbacular Drop: its central mechanic is genius as a concept, but the project needs some work to become Portal. With a lick of paint and a bit more depth, the game, the team, or both, may be headed for great things.
It’s becoming something of a trend for developers and publishers to produce short films to sit in tandem with their games. Dragon Age, Assassin’s Creed and Halo are just some of the big name games to have received the short film treatment, even if it was only for an ad. Jumping on the bandwagon is Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier, which has seen the premiere of it’s own live action short today – Ghost Recon Alpha.
