Want to know the best way you can get people to watch the basketball playoffs even if their team isn’t one of the ones competing? Plan a major video game release sometime during one of the playoff games. Today Activision launched a countdown clock on their website here that promises that a brand new game will be revealed on May 1st during the basketball playoffs on cable channel TNT.
The teaser site itself doesn’t contain any extra hints besides the silhouette of an indistinguishable soldier in the background. With rumors circulating earlier this year about a Black Ops 2 being released this holiday season all signs point to that being the game revealed, but perhaps we will all be surprised next week when the title is revealed.
It seems that Nintendo, a company notorious for never releasing patches for its games minus once a few months ago for Skyward Sword will be releasing a patch for one more game in the coming weeks. During a Nintendo Direct briefing it was revealed by Nintendo of Europe’s boss Satoru Shibata that Mario Kart 7 will soon receive a patch.
The patch which is expected to be released through the eShop will be released sometime in “mid-May” and will contain a number of fixes including a terrible exploit in one online map that allowed racers to abuse a glitch in the game and instantly win.
Star Wars Kinect Developer: Terminal Reality Publisher: LucasArts Platforms: Xbox 360 Release Date: April 3rd, 2012 Price: $49.99 – Available here
OVERVIEW
As it happens, time and again, the release of new titles integrating motion sensor technology are often met with mixed reactions from the modern gaming market. Many of us will know the feeling all too well when we express our feelings regarding a new Wii, PSmove or Kinect title with either indifferent shrugs or moans of disdain. However, when title involves a particularly famous brand name or intellectual property, that’s when gamers get interested. Additionally when a particularly renowned and well-loved series such as Star Wars is given the motion-control treatment, the ever watching eyes of a highly devoted fanbase immediately turn to see if the game is worthy of publicising itself as a product of this much loved universe.
If you’re anything like me, than the odds are that you’ve often spent childhood days swinging around a stick, or picking up a flashlight only to suddenly name yourself a Jedi and actively attempt to move objects with your mind. So naturally, the idea of playing a game that had the potential to turn those childhood antics into virtual-reality was an opportunity not to be passed up. From the very launch of the control system itself, it was made clear to Xbox fans the world over that Star Wars Kinect would be one of the large titles to look forward to. Dreams and nostalgia value aside does Star Wars Kinect deliver on providing that quality gameplay experience fans yearn for, or does the Kinect control scheme spell the downfall or another potential winner?
GAMEPLAY
The core gameplay of Star Wars Kinect is actually divided up into 5 different control schemes for 5 different gameplay modes. In light of that, it is best to describe Star Wars Kinect not so much as a singular linear game, but more so as a collection of mini-games, each with their own distinct control styles, goals and challenges. However, odds are that any hardcore Star Wars fan will want to jump straight into swinging their lightsaber around in Jedi Destiny mode.
This first gameplay mode tells what is essentially the official “story” of the game. The plot is set after the events of The Phantom Menace, and during the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Players take on the role of one (or two) of the Jedi academy’s newest Padawans as they head for the Jedi training grounds on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk. Long story short, the Separatist forces attack and the player is sent on a mission to uncover what is going on and why in the Jedi Council’s usual ‘throw-students-into-immediate-danger’ policy. For what it’s worth, the story sticks to the canon of the universe without challenging any of the pre-established plots, which goes to show that the developers truly do care for the intellectual property they’re handling. However, the story itself is bland and forgettable. Characters are given little development and the events that take place in the game have a largely negligible impact on the player’s understanding of the universe. It feels like watching the Clone Wars cartoon. It exists, but the ultimate canon of the movies holds up perfectly well without it. An unfortunate downfall of most Star Wars game stories as of late.
The core gameplay has the player utilise the motion control scheme to move through levels using a combination of thrusts, jumps, steps and slashes to move throughout each stage. Occasionally the hack-and-slash functions are also replaced with speeder bike piloting and turret manning. Props to the developers for getting creative with gameplay and pacing, but the major criticism that most players will have is in regards to the Kinect’s control scheme. Surprise surprise. There were often too many times in my playthrough of Jedi Destiny mode where this reviewer had to wrestle with the controls to make the on screen avatar do what I wanted. For instance, attempting to perform a defensive movement to deflect blaster bolts with the lightsaber can be difficult when the associated movement is very close to that of a horizontal slash attack. Even when the player is able to grasp the controls, the only strategy likely to be implemented is that of “rush in and swing wildly at everything”. The result is the removal of any sense of control on the part of the player. This unfortunately also applies poorly to the Duels of Fate and Rancor Rampage game modes.
Duels of Fate is a game-type that pits the player against several iconic and less than iconic foes in a 1 on 1 lightsaber duel. (The most iconic villains have to be unlocked, like Darth Vader). Rancor Rampage places the player in the oversized feet of an escaped Rancor. The goal of this gametype is to achieve the maximum amount of destruction as the player is encouraged to smash, slam, munch and charge through a collection of environments on planets such as Tatooine and Felucia. Both of these gametypes suffer from similar control flaws as Jedi Destiny in that the player will be in a constant struggle with the controls to perform particular actions. Duels of Fate is especially frustrating not only in terms of gameplay, but also appeal. What is usually the most epic aspect of the Star Wars movies unfortunately makes up the most bland section of gameplay. The duels are often flow in a turn based defend and attack format broken up by a simple saber-lock to let the player know when it’s ok to start flailing their arms wildly. I actually had to grab one of my own model lightsabers to help emulate my afore mentioned childhood experience. (Though a helpful tip to players who have one on hand: it helps!)
The two other gametypes: Podracing and Galactic Dance-off are much more reactive to player input, mostly a result of the simpler gameplay mechanics. As the names imply, these game modes revolve around achieving victory in the galactic podracing circuit and undertaking dance-offs against other famous characters in the Star Wars Universe. While these game types are commendably more reactive to the Kinect controls, chances are most players aren’t going to think of dancing and racing as the iconic ‘Star Wars’ gameplay experience.
The unfortunate drawback of the control schemes makes the game feel less of an epic Star Wars experience, and more of a string of Star Wars themed mini-games of differing quality. While the game has clearly made a strong attempt to emulate a motion control experience while staying loyal to the canon of the series, the Kinect’s motion control scheme has once again brought down the game’s playability. In reviewing this title, I was continually trying to establish which market this game was intended for. Old school Star Wars fans? Young Children? Families? I ultimately settled on this being a game intended for the younger Clone-Wars watching masses. This is accentuated in one of the space battles where I passed the whole level without moving my body in the slightest. I simply folded my arms and watched the level essentially pass itself. This removes any sense of challenge or incentive to continue. Very little of the original Saga is to be seen here, and the parts that are shown do are poorly executed. And while the dance and podracing game modes do work well, it’s a sad commentary on the overall quality of the game when these gametypes are the best experiences to be had in a Star Wars title. Old school Star Wars fans are unlikely to find much video game love here.
AUDIO AND VISUAL
Now, despite the letdowns of the gameplay in several of the game variants, the audio and visual quality shows off surprising attention to detail. The game features a plentiful variety of musical scores from the movies to capture the movie moments in gameplay or cinematics. For instance, adding the speeder bike musical score from Endor in Episode VI to a strikingly similar in-game situation on Kashyyyk. The voice acting of the game is relatively faithful to the characters of the movies, which can be taken as a good or bad thing. Let’s just say having to deal with C3PO every time you start up the game doesn’t stop being annoying.
One of the best, and most surprising aspects of the game is to be found in the visual quality. Despite the slightly disjointed flow of gameplay resulting from the Kinect controls, the visuals are surprisingly well detailed and extremely fluid. The entire game is quite well animated and the graphic quality is able to accommodate many different elements at once without sacrificing processing power for detail. If nothing else can be said for it, this game looks damn pretty.
OVERALL
What enthusiasm I had going into reviewing this particular title was unfortunately sucked out of me as I wrestled with the controls. This is not so much the fault of the game itself, but that of the technology that it is attempting to accommodate. That said, the game honestly felt like it contributed nothing as a Star Wars experience, at least in terms of story. It’s rather disheartening to think that the most playable section of the game is to be found in dancing, something which nerds the world around are notoriously bad at. Sometimes, it can be said that a game is not so much bad as it is disappointing, which I feel is the case here. Again, for a control system sold largely on potential, the Kinect has hardly delivered on its promises of being the future of gameplay. Certainly, there is potential to be found here, but it is expressed as a mere shell of what it could be with a bit more refinement and a better developed scheme of controls.
It looks like the rumoured Sony fighting game could be one step closer to reality after Sony registered two site domains with the name Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale. The name itself was leaked after a survey asked the public whether the name was one that Sony should use or search for another, as revealed by Playstation site Playstation Lifestyle. This latest leak brings the rumour back into the public eye after tapering off at the end of last year.
The first domain is http://playstationallstarsbattleroyale.com/ while the second domain is the shorter http://playstationallstars.com/. Both have been registered under Sony Computer Entertainment America, which adds to the legitimacy. To raise more eyebrows, there is going to be a massive announcement from Sony via GTTV this Thursday. With all of these pieces of information falling into place, is the Sony fighting game emerge from a dream to reality?
Pandora’s Tower Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Ganbarion Platforms: Nintendo Wii Release Date:April 12, 2012 Price: $69.00 – Available Here
Overview: It’s not too far a stretch for one to state that the Japanese RPG genre has taken a turn for the worse in recent years, with the Western world missing out on a large portion of the truly brilliant Japanese RPGs and instead receiving the next ‘big’ Square-Enix game. Now this isn’t a knock on Square-Enix, they can still produce a quality title (sometimes), but they have caused an unfortunate stagnation in the genre with their overwhelming quantity of monotonous drivel that they pass off as JRPGs.
That’s where Pandora’s Tower comes into the equation. Amidst the stagnation in the genre and on a console on it’s last legs, Pandora’s Tower provides a fresh burst of a life to both the genre and the Wii itself. It’s a classic throwback to role-playing games of old, while implementing a dash of new school style that make’s Pandora’s Tower such a delight. In the overpopulated and malign market of Japanese RPGs Pandora’s Tower represents hope for the once mighty genre.
Story: Pandora’s Tower tells a simple tale that harkens back memories of the RPG genre’s past, specifically games like Azure Dreams and Guardian’s Crusade. The concept is simple and doesn’t dabble too long in overwrought cut scenes, putting more emphasis on the journey and the feelings it evokes in the player.
The plot revolves around two ‘friends’ Aeron and Elena, both of whom are on the run from the military. Why is the military after them? Well as it turns out Elena has received an unfortunate curse that is slowly turning her into a beast. The military appear to want to keep this curse hushed and plan to eliminate Elena, hence eliminating evidence of the curse. Aeron of course wants to save her, to do so he needs to overcome the trials and tribulations of 13 towers in order to break Elena’s curse.
It’s a rather simple concept, but it works excellently. The world itself and the history of the characters is slowly revealed over the course of the story without the unnecessary gameplay halting cut scenes that are commonplace in the genre these days. It’s utterly refreshing to see such a ‘to the point’ storyline in an RPG game and it would definitely remind gamers of RPGs of generations passed.
Gameplay:
Interestingly enough, while Pandora’s Tower feels old school aesthetically and thematically, it’s gameplay is decidedly new age. Instead of being turn-based like it’s fore fathers (Azure Dreams for instance), Pandora’s Tower is an entirely real time action RPG. There is no random encounters just pure hack and slash, reminiscent of action adventure games more so than RPG games. The real time combat feels a lot like the 3D Castlevania games or even like the Legend of Zelda franchise.
It is a rather nuanced experience with a large amount of attention to detail gameplay wise. As you progress through the game you of course level and unlock more equipment and items, giving more different ways to battle. But it’s not all about the battle system, perhaps the most interesting part of Pandora’s Tower is it’s dungeon crawling aspects.
Each tower in the game is essentially a dungeon with a big boss at the end (Tower Master) for you to take down. This dungeon structure doesn’t necessarily work the same way as your average RPG dungeon instead opting for a more Zelda dungeon vibe. There are puzzles to solve and a fair amount of backtracking and area memorisation to take in. Each tower in itself is largely different, which prevents any repetition one may find from a dungeon crawler such as this. The emphasis on exploration is incredible and is refreshing especially when placed alongside the linear structure of the common modern RPG.
All in all, Pandora’s Tower mixes a bit of old with a bit of new to great affect. There isn’t a lot to this game as it’s a rather simple yet emotionally rewarding game. The depth and profound journey the player takes is such a rewarding experience, that ploughing through each tower is addictive.
Visuals and Audio:
Like most good things, Pandora’s Tower has it’s let downs and that is unfortunately it’s weak visuals. Of course for the graphical standards of the Wii, this is beautiful. But visually Pandora’s Tower looks sadly very rough around the edges, this is more the fault of the Wii as a console than the fault of the game. The game looks like it does not belong in this generation and it’s messy graphics only serve as a detriment to the game. It honestly looks like a late PSOne/early PS2 RPG game and that is not a good thing, not in this day and age. It’s a crying shame, because the graphics alone will deter many as the game itself looks more than a decade old aesthetically.
While there isn’t much that can be done in the way of visuals due to the Wii’s limited power, Pandora’s Tower features a beautiful soundtrack as well as excellent voice acting from an entirely British cast. The soundtrack does not feature a single dark spot and features tracks that sound as though they would be at home in classic RPGs of yesteryear such as Final Fantasy IX. It is an all round great job from Ganbarian aurally, but a disappointing visual experience due to a console that has spent the last 3 years knocking on death’s door.
Overall:
In a time when most people’s Wii’s are doing nothing but collecting dust, Pandora’s Tower is released and gives the Wii that last flash of life before it will begin being phased out in place of the Wii U. The game itself is an anomaly, coming out so late in the Wii’s life span it’s a wonder why it couldn’t wait for the surely superior Wii U was released, but it also serves as a reminder that the Wii could house good games, even when it feels like the Wii has long since been written out of the equation for many gamers.
In Ganbarion’s first RPG attempt, they have certainly done a commendable job. After spending years making mostly One Piece tie-in games, they come out of practically nowhere with a brilliant and inspired game that proves that as a studio they are capable of so much more. Pandora’s Tower is a game that deserves more than a tail end release on the Wii and Ganbarion have proved themselves to be a developer that we should all keep our eyes on.
At the end of the day Pandora’s Tower is an incredibly fun and wildly addictive RPG that doesn’t bother with any tedious formalities. All it wants is for you to simply have fun and isn’t that really the measure of what makes a good game?
“Bullistic Unleashed” looks to be a cross between Angry Birds and Pinball, with generous dollop of puerile humor to bring it all together. You’ll be flinging bulls around a shopping mall, in the hopes of bringing the whole building down, or, failing that, destroying as much as possible.
The game is being developed by Millipede Creative Development, creators of the original Bullistic. After already releasing a big update to the original game, they’re gearing up to add more bull- and destruction-related awesome in the form of Bullistic Unleashed.
The game will be released on the 24th April, from the gameplay we’ve seen so far, it looks pretty fun! Stay tuned for a review coming soon!
During Nintendo Europe’s own Nintendo Direct broadcast, Nintendo of Europe’s president Satoru Shibata has revealed that the next entry of the Kingdom Hearts series, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, will hit European and PAL retail stores July 20. The European release will actually precede the North American release by eleven days.
In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, players will get to play as both Sora and Riku as they are put to the test in the form of the Mark of Mastery exam. They must traverse through the World of Sleep and defeat the “Nightmare” Dream Eaters. If they are successful, then they will be considered Keyblade Masters. The sudden exam is triggered by the return of a familiar enemy. North America will be receiving the game on July 31. The game is already out in Japan.
Many awesome announcements were made, and many great games were showcased at the Nintendo Direct live-stream conference broadcast this week. Etrian Odyssey IV for the Nintendo 3DS was one of the games showcased in the broadcast, and they streamed four minutes of gameplay footage for it.
The four minute trailer shows off the towns, the character classes, the 3D exploration where we catch a glimpse of the many areas that will be featured in the game, and plenty of combat footage. Like in past games, you will be able to draw your own maps on the touchpad, to capture the feel of old school first person and maze-driven role playing games of the 1980s. The game is also set to feature a Casual difficulty setting.
At the recent Supanova convention in Gold Coast (Brisbane), Madman Entertainment has announced some new acquisitions for 2012. These acquisitions are three new anime feature films and they will be distributed in Australia.
First off is Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, a computer generated feature film where a young girl ventures into a whole new world in search for a mirror she cherishes. Next up is Gintama: The Motion Picture, based of the popular action comedy anime series of the same name. Finally, there’s Sengoku Basara: The Movie.
This is in addition to the acquisitions announced at the Supanova convention in Melbourne last week, which included Aquarion EVOL, Star Driver, Mayo Chiki, The Legend of Legendary Heroes, Oreimo, and Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Trilogy.
Trials Evolution Publisher:Ubisoft Developer:RedLynx Platform(s): XBLA (Reviewed) Release Date: April 18, 2012 Price:1200 Microsoft Points – Available Here
Overview
Trials HD was one of the most successful games ever for XBLA. Over 2 million copies of the game have been sold overall, and it is well regarded as one of the most grueling, addictive, hardcore and entertaining games on the market today. Getting some of the tougher achievements in the game is a sign that you have endurance, patience and skill. The developers of Trials HD, RedLynx Studios, truly created a wonderful game. However, they couldn’t just stand on their laurels. So, they created a sequel called Trials Evolution. How can they top one of the greatest XBLA games ever? Does Evolution even come close to the masterpiece that was Trials HD?
Gameplay
All in all, the gameplay is remarkably similar to Trials HD. RedLynx has tweaked the physics engine but, other than it being much easier to crash, I can’t exactly tell you in what areas that I noticed any changes. All I know is that it feels slightly different. However, that does not detract one bit from the experience. Trials Evolution is still an intense ride that is easy to learn, but incredibly difficult to master. The game is still set in 2.5D, although the game does seem to explore the depth of the screen more often. For example, some of the tracks are set in a circle, instead of merely a straight line.
Of course, Trials Evolution is still murderously hard. While there are more easy levels in this outing than in HD, the medium levels still are tough. By the time you get to the hard levels, you’ll want to rip your hair out and throw your controller to the ground, all while while cursing the TV, the controller and anything else nearby. By the time you get to the extreme levels, you will cry for someone to just kill you already; just tear your eyes out and cut your throat already. And yet, you’ll still play. You’ll keep hitting restart, knowing that this is the time that you can get through the track without any faults. That you’ll take it slower this time and get a better medal, even if that means you won’t have the fastest time to show off on the leaderboards.
All in all, the amount of content Redlynx stuffed into Evolutions makes this game a bargain. You can spend hours trying to perfect your runs, attempting to beat ghosts, viewing other people’s replays, creating content, racing in multi-player, and trying out all the wacky Circus modes, like skiing.
One of the biggest improvements to Trials is the addition of multi-player. While I could not connect to any games, due to the intense server load that the game is experiencing currently, there are plenty of modes to experience. If you ever 100% all of the levels in Trials Evo, you’ll still have endless multi-player “fun” to satiate your addiction.
The track creator returns to Trials Evolution in spectacular form. There are two editors: a lite version and a pro one. The lite version is easier to create with, while the pro version will literally give you any option you can think of. You can even create your own FPS game with it. You can also download, try out and rate other people’s creations, which is amazingly insane.
There are only a few faults with Trials Evolution. One is that the tutorials will teach you something, like bunny hopping, but you won’t actually use that skill for another hour or two, maybe not even until you unlock the next set of tracks. Two is that you must reach a certain medal count until you can unlock more levels. So, if you just can’t attain that last medal and you are stuck at 99 medals, then you literally can’t move on. This can be extremely frustrating.
For the most part, the difficulty level does ramp up in a balanced way. However,some of the medium levels feel like easy levels, and some of the medium levels feel like hard ones, while some of the hard levels feel like medium ones. While this does give you a brief respite occasionally, it is a little weird. The fourth fault is that the the replay functionality seemed really spotty to me. Although you can view your most recent replay, I couldn’t find a way to save it. In addition, you can only view certain replays. So, if your first run was spectacular, you can’t save or replay it, but you might be able to save your 3rd retry of that run.
Audio and Visuals
Once again, the soundtrack of the game is generic, awful hard rock. However, some hip-hop and standard soundtrack music also made it into the game this time. Your rider will also still be yelling like a redneck whenever he goes off a huge jump. Overall, Trials Evolution is best sounding when you are playing your own music.
The biggest improvement in this Trials game is the graphics. The backgrounds are insanely detailed and full of life. For example, on one track, there is a jet that flies overhead. The visuals truly draw you into each track and they are incredible. This is probably one of the best looking games on XBLA. I was also really pleased this game was set in the outdoors. It made it so much more interesting than the dark caverns of Trials HD.
Overall
In conclusion, I was really impressed with the amount of creativity RedLynx put into Trials Evolution. This is no mere copy and paste of Trials HD. The entire game has literally “evolved”, and it is one of the most fun, exhilarating, addicting and frustrating games of this year. I wager that it will be on many GOTY lists this December. There is only one warning I feel compelled to give you: please try it out and make sure you won’t have a heart attack on the later, extremely difficult levels. If you don’t like being angry and frustrated while playing games, then you will not like Trials Evolution. On the other hand, if you like a challenge and you love being completely addicted, then you will adore Trials Evolution.
