Incipio announced not one, not three, but an impressive five new case collections for their feather series of cases for the iPhone 4/4s today. The Printed feather case sports trendy prints with a solid plastic texture. There are four Canvas based collections which is the feather style case coated in high quality nylon canvas. The Canvas feather Color Blockade collection shows off colourful art-deco styled prints, the Canvas feather Party Animal series shows off brightly coloured animal patterns like cheetah prints, theCanvas feather Linear Lineage collection shows off sophistication and elegance with solid lines of colours, and the Canvas feather Mix & Mingle collection sports an eclectic mix of patterns that really stand out. The Feather case is a form-fitting polycarbonate hard shell case that provides easy access to all buttons, ports, and camera lenses on the iPhone. All cases come with the Incipio Vanity Kit which contains two screen shields, a cleaning cloth, and an applicator card. Each case will cost $29.99 from Incipio’s website.
Ubisoft has released a new trailer for Ghost Recon Online. The trailer demos the Specialist class. The Specialist is the master of technology, harnessing some incredible gadgets to support his team while carrying the light machine gun or the shotgun into battle to keep enemies heads down or punish them for coming too close. The Specialist is able to use a portable EMP generator to deny enemies access to their electronics or shield his team mates with the active engagement gyroscopic ballistic defence system or A.E.G.I.S. This machine is capable of deploying a field that will divert enemy bullets in a safe direction while allowing the Specialist and his team’s bullets to pass with out difficulty. Check out the trailer below to see more of the incredible abilities and gadgets the Specialist has access to. Ghost Recon Online is currently in closed beta testing and is accepting applications at this time.
Always wanted a Vapor or Vapor Comp case but never found one that was just right? Well Element Case has opened up a custom case shop just in time for your needs. The custom shop lets buyers create their own colour combinations and purchase extra parts for their Vapor or Vapor Comp case all in one go. The Vapor starts at $129.99 and features a full CNC machined aluminium frame with a protective back plate available in ultrasuede or carbon fibre. The Vapor Comp starts at $99.99 and sports a CNC machined aluminium perimeter frame with a shock absorbing TPR elastomer liner that provides drop protection and grip. The case is topped off with a polycarbonate cap and a protective back plate available in ultrasuede or carbon fibre. Both cases come with a free transit kit that contains a screen protector, a molded zipper case, and a miniature speed wrench to tighten the screws on the case.
Remember last week when Konami revealed a very short live-action teaser trailer featuring a scientist and some torture and they hinted at something else being released today? Well what they revealed today was a longer and slightly clearer version of what we saw last week.
The trailer itself can be found below, and it appears to show Raiden on the operating table as he has new biotic parts being placed onto him, though he has no clue what is going on and in the end neither do we. To top all that off, there are scenes of torture from when Raiden was fully human, perhaps a flash back onto whom he will be seeking “revengeance” upon?
Sonic, his buddies and all the other Sega stars must have enjoyed racing a few years ago, because today Sega has revealed that they will be returning to their vehicles later this year for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Rather than just racing simple cars this time around, players’ vehicles will be able to transform into boats and planes whenever the situation calls for it.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will feature many returning Sega characters, as well as Vyse from Skies of Arcadia, a much loved title finally getting some notice. When Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is released this holiday season it will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Nintendo 3DS and even the PlayStation Vita. Check out the game in action below.
God of War: Ascension may be a prequel to all of the other God of War games so far, but it is going to contain something that has never been in a God of War game before… online multiplayer. As you can see in the video below, God of War: Ascension will feature competitive multiplayer where teams of players will face off against one another in brutal combat.
To top that off, it appears that these fighters will be able to interact with the environment around them, including the giant cyclops in the background of the stage shown below. Do you believe that God of War having multiplayer is a good thing? Let us know in the comments below.
If you haven’t picked up a Nintendo 3DS yet or your current 3DS has broken somehow, then you will soon have yet another color to choose from when you go to the store. The recently rumored Midnight Purple Nintendo 3DS has been officially announced today and the company has set the release date for the new color as May 20th.
It is interesting to note that Mario Tennis Open is also released on that same day, coincidence? Probably not. It is also worth noting that this purple 3DS is exclusive to Western countries as it has not yet been revealed for Japan.
Battlestar Galactica Online has almost reached 10 million players after it’s initial release one year ago and to celebrate Bigpoint have announced that players can receive bonuses and free in-game gifts for logging in every day this week. Until May 6th both sides, Humans and Cylons, can log in and collect their prizes, as well as enjoy an increased Daily Merit Cap and have the chance to purchase special in-game items.
Bigpoint also released some interesting data about Battlestar Galactica Online’s first year:
– This year, there have been 9.2 million mining ships called.
– This year, 11.5 billion loot items dropped.
– Each month, 3.7 million rewards were earned.
– Each month, 16,000 new ships were bought by players.
– Each week, PvP tournaments had 55,000 players participating.
– And each week, 1 million player ships were destroyed, almost 50/50 between Humans and Cylons.
So, be sure to celebrate Battlestar Galactica Online’s big day by checking in every day this week to see what’s going on.
Islands of Diamonds Lite has been released on the iOS AppStore, letting you sample six of the thirty islands included in the full game. Islands of Diamonds is a family-friendly physics platformer, with a selection of control methods, allowing you to play in whatever way is most comfortable to you.
You control Seamus the coconut, rolling him around the levels to collect all of the available diamonds before the timer runs out. Like the sound of that? Then get on over to the AppStore and download the lite version for free today! And be sure to look out for our review of the full game, coming soon!
Insane 2 Developer: Targem Games Publisher: Game Factory Interactive Platforms: PC (Windows XP+, Steam) Languages: English, German, Russian Release Date: January 24th, 2012 Price: $29.99 USD (BUY NOW)
Overview
Insane 2 is a nicely-made racer, with the now standard trappings of a boost and destructible vehicles. It brings some interesting additions to the genre, however, and reuses the dusty modes of old, making them new and fresh.
Story
It’s a racing game. If you want story, watch Talladega Nights.
Gameplay
The game is pretty much as you’d expect, really. There are championships, there are arenas, there are races within those arenas. There are cars of all shapes and sizes, put into different categories, with certain championships requiring certain classes of vehicle to enter.
You can use keyboard controls, or a controller to play. A boost meter sits on the bottom-left of the screen, which fills up over time, and can be used by holding the boost button. While you boost, the camera shakes, and the controller (if compatible) rumbles, adding to the sense of speed and excitement. The physics are pretty good, although some sections are particularly bumpy, meaning you’re pretty much in the air most of the time, leaving you at the mercy of the terrain below and how you land.
At first, the shaky cam and bouncy suspension can grate a little, but after a few races, you get used to it okay.
Each arena is looped (Matrix trans-station-style), so that if you go in one direction long enough, you’ll end up on the opposite side of the map. This is pretty useful in some of the modes, as I’ll discuss later; but it can play havoc with your sense of direction. There is a map you can view by holding a button, but as there are no set “tracks” per se, it’s pretty much useless.
Each arena has a set of checkpoints. The one you should be aiming for will be shown by a green star on the minimap, and it’s lights will also show green. This is how a “track” is made up; a series of checkpoints which light up, one after the other as you progress through the level. There will often be an orange star shown on the minimap also, showing you where the next checkpoint will be in relation to the current one. This is a nice, straightforward system that makes everything easy to see and understand; although getting used to this no-so-familiar setup does take a little time.
There are 10 modes, and they are varied, making sure anyone who plays will find something they enjoy. There are capture the flag style modes, where you have to get to the flag first, or slam into the flag holder to pick it up. There are modes where you have to reach the randomly selected checkpoint before anyone else, or even go through as many checkpoints as you can as fast as you can make it. There’s even a mode where you have to stay in the spotlight that a helicopter is shining on the ground, making for a bustling free-for-all with everyone trying to be in the same place at the same time.
While some of these modes will frustrate you no end (and I dare say which modes will cause most frustration will be unique to each player), overall they’re pretty fun. Once you get into the mechanics of each mode of gameplay, you’ll start figuring out how to better beat it next time. For example, once you pick up a flag, you’ll find that your steering goes right out the window, as if the flag was almost as heavy as your vehicle in some cases; so you’ll learn to use bigger, heavier vehicles and cautiously control your steering so as to not roll quite so much.
Every event you complete will earn you some XP, which you can then spend on upgrading different parts of your unlocked vehicles. You can also pick up skin tokens you can spend on buying new paint-jobs. Certain cars can only be unlocked by completing particular races, and as you progress, you’ll be unlocking bigger and faster cars, adding to the overall fun you can have playing.
The AI works pretty well most of the time, but being in the middle of a huge bundle of cars all trying to smash into you at the same time can be a little on the overwhelming side; though for a spectator watching over your shoulder, it’s great fun to watch the chaos unfold.
You can play multiplayer online, or locally with split-screen, a rare sight nowadays, and a much appreciated feature. The frustration tends to melt away when you’re up against a friend in the same room as you who’s having just as much trouble as you. At the time of playing there were no servers, so I wasn’t able to play online, but I’m sure as the words spreads there will be plenty of interested parties looking to play against you.
Audio & Visual
The graphics in this game are great. It doesn’t quite reach Motorstorm quality, but it’s pretty close. The environments are well made, and detailed. The models for buildings, burned out cars and other minor parts like tree trunks and signs are also nicely detailed, though some of the heavier items can make you get stuck on or in them at times.
As I said before, the boost shaky cam can be a little off-putting; it just feels like everything’s wobbling about the place, rather than feeling the force of the uneven ground beneath you. But overall, this game is really nice to look at, if your PC can take it.
Other graphics, like the minimap icons and such are very clear, and make finding where you’re meant to be going simple. The menus are just as simple, and very much feel like the menus of other racing games like Disney’s “Pure”, but there are a few oddities that leave them feeling functional, but not quite finished.
The audio in this title is just as well made, giving each vehicle a unique sound. And the music is cool, too. it’s pretty much your standard fare of original rock-type guitars and such, but it does a good job setting the mood and getting you ready to do some racing!
Overall
All in all, Insane 2 is a very fun game to play. While it has a tricky start for new players, once you get used to it’s different way of doing things you’ll have a great time playing the different modes and exploring all the arenas included in the game. And while there are some areas that could use some work, you’re sure to have a good time flying around the arenas, mastering the many modes, and playing with friends.
