You saw the teaser last week, now view the full thing which puts the teaser trailer in its place as the taster it was. Featuring brief shots of the gameplay and the chilling thought that a girl on a park bench could assume her secret, deadly identity in the game, the trailer is a well-shot piece of cinematography to excite those awaiting the game.
Available in stores on May 4th, Mortal Kombat for PlayStation Vita system provides an on-the-go fighting game experience with brand new gameplay features and new content developed with the handheld system in mind. Mortal Kombat delivers an all-new Challenge Tower mode with 150 missions, Touchscreen Fatalities, X-ray moves and more.
Deep Silver and 49Games today released a demo for Summer Stars 2012, a sports game for the Xbox 360 (compatible with Kinect), PlayStation 3 with PlayStation Move support, and Nintendo Wii.
The Olympics is set to be a big sporting event this year, as always, so this certainly won’t be the first athletics game to release alongside the Games. Do you think this one will be worth a try?
The trial version shows off the disciplines of 200m Sprint, Archery and Mountain biking of Summer Stars. The demo is available now and can be played with up to four players, supporting Kinect and PlayStation Move.
Teepee games, a specialist in discoverability titles for social, smartphone, MMO and flash formats have unveiled a brand new loyalty and rewards program alongside a freshly revamped teepeegames.com website and Facebook application. In particular, the loyalty program brings the whole network together and adds a gaming element to both the website and facebook page where players are rewarded for participating in various activities across the network. Individuals will start their journey as a Villager in the tribe and need to obtain various trophies in order to rise through the 6 ranks to achieve the grand master title of Wise One. Trophies are given for various achievements such as opening up games, testing various features and being as social as possible and sharing with friends and the community.
Additonally a new one click system has been implemented to login to Facebook connect, which makes games discovery and hence trophy achievements easier and more convenient. The Geronimo recommendation engine has also had a tweak and users will now have access to instant personalised game suggestions as soon as they login also adding to the convenience. Tony Pearce, CEO and co-founder of TeePee Games, comments; “We’ve gone from strength to strength since launch and it would not have been possible without the help of our dedicated users. The loyalty program allows us to show these users that we recognise how valuable their support is and reward them for it”. He adds, “Our aim for the next three months is to drive double digit percentage growth and, with the new loyalty program in place, I’m confident that we can achieve this.”
The upgraded TeePee games features
– over 3000 games including Facebook, MMO, Online Flash and Android titles
– Loyalty and reward program with over 72 trophies and 6 status levels to achieve
– 6 ways to discover games across the network
TeePee games are always on the lookout for new developers and publishers. Anyone intersted in having their game feature on the TeePee games discovery platform should contact Darren Newnham
Developer: Microïds Publisher: Anuman Interactive Platforms: iPad (Reviewed), iPhone, iPod Touch Release Date: March 15, 2012 Price: $3.99 USD/$4.49 AUD Buy it Here
Overview
Microïds is famous for their adventure games, releasing such classics such as Syberia and Still Life series. Recently, Microïds has been focusing on the iOS platform, developing new games and updating their older games. Louvre: The Messenger HD is the result of one of their updates, originally titled The Messenger in English and Louvre: L’ Ultime Malédiction in French, the game was released in 2001. How well does this game translate to iOS?
Story
Louvre The Messenger HD follows Secret Service agent Morgane tasked by a ghost to recover four artifacts named Satan’s Keys. A cult called the Black Templars looks to bring together these four artifacts and bring Armageddon upon the world in vengeance for the destruction of the Knights Templar. Morgane is able to collect the first artifact in modern time, but is sent back to the Louvre during the Medieval, Renaissance, and the French Revolution to retrieve to save the last three keys.
The story is mostly told through short cut scenes with full English voice acting. I found the story to be a little thin and at times convoluted. There are some hilarious moments in the game, most of them involving a sexual situation or the fact Morgane is a woman. This is definitely not a game to share with the young ones. Although the story is passable, I expected something stronger and more interesting from an adventure game.
Gameplay
Louvre The Messenger HD is a touch screen port of the original game. The game is spread over multiple scenes that players traverse by pressing golden arrows to move about the game. In each scene, players are able to move the camera in a full sphere around them. Objects that can be interacted with have a little golden gear to mark their position and objects that can be picked up have a golden hand print. The controls are solid for the exception of a few small hiccups and annoyances. There are moments where the control scheme can be irritating. For example, closing text boxes requires tapping the text box itself. I would have liked to see either a button with an X on it to close these text boxes or having the text box closed when tapping anywhere on the screen. Some smaller buttons did not translate onto iOS well either, as fingers are simply not as accurate as a mouse pointer. I dread to think how one puzzle would have fared on the iPhone or the iPod Touch considering I had enough grief with it on the larger iPad.
The puzzles are the most interesting part of Louvre: The Messenger HD. They are creative and at times rather devious. They range from simple find key and open the door puzzles to complicated puzzles requiring the retrieval of hints and the use of logic to solve. A few puzzles are limited by time, which I found was hindered by the slightly unwieldy controls and the rare glitch. Thankfully the checkpoints are extremely generous and will simply put you at the beginning of the puzzle to try again. Puzzle fanatics will not be disappointed by the Louvre.
Visuals
The visuals were not updated in Louvre: The Messenger HD and its age definitely shows. On Retina screens, the graphics are rather blurry and of rather low resolution. The cut scenes are plenty, to a fault at times. The cut scenes are noticeably even lower in resolution and are disappointing on the new iPad. Considering half the doors have their own cut scenes to show they are being opened, the skip cut scene button will become a fast friend to players. Unfortunately HD in the game title seems to be a bit of a misnomer. Compared to adventure games released for the iPad today, the graphics are a bit of a disappointment. However, if you consider the fact this game was released in 2001, it looks pretty good.
Audio
Louvre: The Messenger HD provides a solid audio experience. The sound effects are of good quality and are not repetitive at all. Ambient noises mixed with time period appropriate music provides fills the background of your adventures. There is plenty of voice acting that is surprisingly well done. Although I find it curious that none of the voice acting was done with a French accent considering the whole game takes place in France, I am extremely happy that they didn’t butcher a French accent either. I personally believe accents are a do it right or don’t do it at all sort of deal.
I did find the volume of the voices was low compared to the rest of the game even at maximum volume, requiring me to crank up the volume during cut scenes. To worsen the situation there are no options for subtitles in the game. I have a habit to keep subtitles on for games I play to make up for my less than stellar hearing. I would imagine those with more difficulties with hearing than me would have a worse time with the audio of the game considering the whole storyline is told through the audio in cut scenes.
Overall
For those die hards looking for a throwback to old school adventure games or love puzzles, I strongly recommend picking up Louvre: The Messenger HD. But for the less hard core fan, I struggle to recommend the game at $3.99 as its storyline struggles, its graphics are showing its age, and slightly irritating control schemes. Instead, I suggest picking up the game when on sale. Louvre: The Messenger isn’t a shining example of the adventure genre, but will satisfy a craving in a pinch.
Worried about your environmental impact? Concerned about the materials used to protect your iPad? Don’t worry, Power Support USA has your iPad covered! The Eco Zip is an iPad sleeve constructed from water-based materials and non-toxic adhesives and is environmentally friendly. The zippered sleeve sports 4mm thick walls and a plush interior to protect your iPad from drops, scratches, and dust while you travel. The sleeve is compatible with all versions of iPads and will fit iPads protected by Power Support’s Air Jacket case. The Eco Zip is available in black and white. The case can be purchased for $24.95 at Power Support’s website.
Max Payne, the award-winning title is now available for iOS. For anyone that has been living under a rock for the past 100 years. Here is a quick history lesson on Max Payne:
A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, hunted by cops and the mob, Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Max Payne is a relentless story-driven game about a man on the edge, fighting to clear his name while struggling to uncover the truth about his slain family amongst a myriad of plot-twists.
The groundbreaking original cinematic action-shooter, Max Payne introduced the concept of Bullet Time in videogames. Through its stylish slow-motion gunplay combined with a dark and twisted story, Max Payne redefined the action-shooter genre.
Features:
• Max Payne’s signature slow motion gunplay, Bullet Time®
• Stunningly sharp, HD quality resolution and textures
• Retina supported resolution for the new iPad
• Gameplay tailored for touch screen devices
• Highly customizable controls
• Multiple aiming modes
• Rockstar Social Club integration to track stats, unlock cheats and more
Microsoft and 343 Industries have shared some information regarding the soundtrack of the highly anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive, Halo 4. They have confirmed that Niel Davidge will be working on the production of the game’s official soundtrack.
Niel Davidge is an award winning composer, record producer, songwriter and musician, known for his work on the last three albums of famous trip hop group Massive Attack and his compositions for Hollywood blockbusters like Clash of the Titans.
“As a passionate Halo fan, I’m incredibly honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to compose the score for Halo 4,” said Davidge. “Music has always been at the heart of what makes Halo so captivating and iconic. With Halo 4, we want to build upon the franchise’s amazing legacy and create a score that captures the awe and wonder of the Halo universe, and reinforces the deeper and more emotionally impactful journey Master Chief will embark on.”
“Neil has a deep love and appreciation for the Halo universe, and the music he’s composed perfectly captures the heroic spirit and emotional power of Master Chief’s story,” said Sotaro Tojima, audio director for Halo 4. “Neil is a remarkably talented composer who has a unique vision for the future of Halo music, and I’m confident his work will spark the passion and excitement of a whole new generation of fans.”
Bigpoint, a global leader in online games has announced a partnership with the wonderful Twentieth Century Fox to develop an online game based on the massive Ice Age franchise. The game developers will have access to all the main charcacters which will add a new level of realism to the free to play browser game and enhance the overall experience for Ice Age fans and all users. “We’re excited to work with one of the most successful film franchises of all time,” said Heiko Hubertz, CEO and founder, Bigpoint. “We’re equally happy to begin working with Fox on this project and are eager to give Ice Age fans another way to enjoy the fun they’ve had at the movies.”
In Ice Age Online, players will take on the role of a sloth (dont think its the quirky and loveable Sid), that has searched and eventually found the sweetest spot of land for animals from the herd to live comfortably. As they take on the huge journey, many of the animals get lost along the way and so its up to you to rescue the lost members and build a camp for them to rest and stay. In the main adventure mode, the trusty sloth must collect as many acorns and building materials as possible to construct the valuable camps for the rescued animals. “Video games and film have an organic connection, and the online game space offers virtually limitless creative opportunities to extend the cinematic experience and the Ice Age brand,” said Jeffrey Godsick, President of Fox Consumer Products. “Bigpoint, the market-leading pioneer among online video game companies, is the natural choice for us to partner with in building the world of Ice Age Online.”
The game features many customisable attributes for the sloth, inclusing gender, fur colour, haircuts, headresses and clothes. Many social features have also been bult into the title such as friends lists, leaderboards, tracking and the ability to challenge other players and friends. There are also plenty of bonus levels to be unlocked with many allowing players to cpmete as other poipluar characters from the movies and franchise. Ince Age Online will be developed with the Unity Engine, allowing for high end graphics to be displayed in all web browsers from Chrome through to Firefox.
Square-Enix Europe has announced today that they will be collaborating with legendary mixed martial arts fighter George St-Pierre, known among his fans as the GSP, on the upcoming open-world action game, Sleeping Dogs.
With this collaboration GSP has been working closely with the developer, United Front Games, on several aspects of the game, primarily the combat system. Where he shares his insight and experience when it comes to hand to hand combat.
“Working with Square Enix has been an incredible opportunity,” said St-Pierre. “I’m really impressed to see how the hand-to-hand combat in the game is shaping up – it’s been a great experience being involved.”
“When it comes to professional fighting, names don’t get much bigger than GSP,” said Square Enix London Studios general manager Lee Singleton. “We are thrilled with the expertise that GSP brings to Sleeping Dogs”
Sleeping Dogs is set to be released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms.
Burnout CRASH! has officially been released onto the App Store, upgrading the much loved Crash mode from the Burnout series, and making it mobile for those of you who love their crashes to be accessible wherever they are.
With three combustible game modes, 18 traffic junctions, 54 events and six themed locations, Burnout CRASH! is sure to keep the crashing fun to a maximum. Plus, with a bunch of catastrophic super features, such as tornadoes, tidal waves, asteroids and UFOs, there is certain to be some pretty hectic carnage. Plus, with the benefit of Autolog, you can engage in turn-based battles and take on your friends, seeing who can top that leaderboard.
Burnout CRASH! is available NOW on the iTouch, iPhone and iPad for $5.49 – Buy it HERE!
Good news for Tetris lovers, the popular Tetris app is now available in high-def for the iPad. Not only is it sharper and crisper than its predecessor, but there are also a whole bunch of new features to play with. This includes marathon mode, galaxy multi-level mode, the ability to challenge others in Origin, and a record of every line you have ever cleared.
Tetris HD for iPad is available NOW for $7.49 – Buy it HERE!
Or do you want something with a little more meat to it? Well then, good news for those of you who also have a taste for Mass Effect, because the Mass Effect Infiltrator app is getting a new update. The update will provide a bonus mission and give you the ability to play as a captured Turian experiment victim trying to escape a medical bay, so it’s definitely worth the update.
Not only do you get that extra content but the developers, Iron Monkey, have improved gameplay by adding some new features such as manual aiming, new mission rewards, facial scars and biotic colours changing with your decisions, and smoother performance and Retina display enhancements.
Don’t have the app yet? No worries, grab it HERE for $7.49!
Burnout CRASH! has officially been released onto the App Store, upgrading the much loved Crash mode from the Burnout series, and making it mobile for those of you who love their crashes to be accessible wherever they are.
Good news for Tetris lovers, the popular Tetris app is now available in high-def for the iPad. Not only is it sharper and crisper than its predecessor, but there are also a whole bunch of new features to play with. This includes marathon mode, galaxy multi-level mode, the ability to challenge others in Origin, and a record of every line you have ever cleared.
Or do you want something with a little more meat to it? Well then, good news for those of you who also have a taste for Mass Effect, because the Mass Effect Infiltrator app is getting a new update. The update will provide a bonus mission and give you the ability to play as a captured Turian experiment victim trying to escape a medical bay, so it’s definitely worth the update.