Lukewarm Media has found a publisher for its new game Primal Carnage in Reverb Publishing. Reverb Publishing is a relatively new come publisher focusing on bringing independent game developers to digital platforms like PSN, XBLA, WiiWare, and PC. Though they haven’t officially announced which specific platforms Primal Carnage is coming to yet, but come PAX East there will be a much better idea as it will be playable at Lukewarm Media’s booth.
Just what Primal Carnage is, is the kicker though. Pitting dinosaurs versus humans in team based combat, the game will feature classed based combat and modern weapons for the humans. Most akin to Team Fortress meets Left 4 Dead with dinosaurs in lieu of zombies, it features unique weapons and abilities between the 5 classes on each side, including raptors and T-Rex for the dinosaurs. Check the video below for an idea of what’s coming and gear up to take down some dinos or munch on some humans.
Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure Developer: Asobo Studio Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Platforms: Xbox 360 Kinect Release Date: March 22, 2012 Price: $48.93 – Available Here
Overview
Pixar movies will always hold a special place in my heart, as they probably do with a lot of you. Watching a Pixar or Disney film has always allowed me to journey back to a time when things were simpler, chocolate and ice cream were all I really cared about, and I could achieve pure happiness simply by tuning in to one of those awesome movies. Kinect Rush lets you not only relive the wonder of these movies, but become a part of it and interact with your favourite animated characters.
Gameplay
Kinect Rush involves five different franchises: Toy Story, Up!, Cars, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles. Arguably some of the most successful and popular animated franchises, and for good reason. My personal favourite was Toy Story, I couldn’t wait to interact and explore the world of the toys. And I was right, Toy Story had some of my favourite levels and integrated all of the control options seamlessly while also giving you somewhat of a good work out.
But first thing’s first. You are allowed to create an avatar, which reflects your own features, including eyes and turned into a small kid. Because that’s the age that this game is sort of geared towards, but whatever, it’s still an awesome game for those of us who are legally able to drink in the US. You are given free reign at the Pixar Park, an awesome adventure park with a bunch of other super friendly kids who are all eager to play games with you.
You make your way around the park by swinging your arms back and forth and turning your shoulders to turn. This sometimes isn’t as responsive as it could be, but it isn’t the worst. There isn’t much to else to do in the park apart from head to the different sections where you can play imagination games with kids and play chapters of each different franchise story. There are seven chapters for each franchise, which you unlock by earning points. Points can be earned according to the time it takes you to finish the chapter, as well as how many coins you collect during the chapter.
Excluding the Cars story, you’ll find that there is a pretty diverse mix of movements required, and a friendly reminder of how to conquer each challenge comes up if needed. It may require you to jump, balance, climb, glide, and a whole lot more. Again, the controls can lack a certain level of sensitivity. Sometimes jumping needs to be done a couple times, or done very dramatically, and climbing needs to be done as precisely and clearly as possible otherwise it won’t register. And when you’re trying to beat a clock, this can get annoying. Luckily, in most cases of platform jumping the game is a little forgiving and unless you’re way off course it will let you continue on. And in the case that you do fall or fail, you just appear at the same place immediately.
In terms of car driving though, it is surprisingly responsive, particularly in the Cars levels. The jumping in these is still tetchy, which is annoying if you’re trying to jump over an obstacle and get the timing right, but you don’t really have a health meter if you do get hit, just slow down a little. This forgiving nature of the game is clearly aimed at the younger crowd, but it also helps abate any frustration felt by the older crowd at the response rate.
There is also a guiding arrow to take you around the course, so if you ever run into trouble trying to figure out what to do next (which does happen sometimes, though not often because there usually is strong hints). This is also aimed towards the younger crowd, and is probably a good addition because patience isn’t something kids are famous for. It also helps keep the game fast, fun and removes that challenge that would honestly seem just out of place in this game. Plus, if you take too long trying to complete a challenge you are given the chance to skip it, with the only penalty being that your time clock has run unfortunately high.
At the end of each chapter you are scored with bronze, silver or gold depending on your points. Surprisingly, getting a gold is actually an effort and takes some familiarity with the controls and quick reflexes on your part.
One thing that I found didn’t work at all well, was the voice recognition. It can be used for simple commands such as retrying a chapter, or going back to the park, but it only worked once for me. The other tries just resulted in yelling in the direction of the Kinect sensor to no avail. You can still use your hands to select options, which I recommend because of the utter fail in voice recognition.
Visuals
The game lovingly recreates some awesome characters and settings, as someone who has real love for the franchises; I can say that the game did quite well in this field. There are small graphical glitches every so often, but they can only be picked up by those who are really obsessive about the tiny details. And if you’ve got kids playing then you certainly don’t need to worry about it.
Audio
The voice cast is a mix of the original voice actors and stand ins (which are mostly fairly decent), and this extra touch gives it yet another lovely sense of the beloved franchises. And you better like the voices, because the character you play alongside will be basically talking non-stop next to you as you go through the chapter. The lack of range in the phrases they use can get annoying, but if you’re focusing on beating the clock then you can usually tune it out. The soundtrack itself is a lovely rendition of the classic franchise music, and will add to the lovely nostalgic flashbacks.
Overall
Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure achieves what most franchise-based games do not, a fun and faithful recreation. It is aimed towards kids, and will be a great way to get them to exercise while playing games, but I have to say it is also fun for adults. While there are some issues due to the responsiveness of the Kinect sensor, it still remains a fun and great way to exert some energy with some beloved characters.
Avernum: Escape From The Pit HD has been released today for the iPad platform, which is Apples tablet device running on the iOS software. The game is a top-down RPG, reminiscent of more classic titles, such as Baldurs gate.
In Avernum, the overworld is ruled by a Tyrant and anyone who acts out of line is banished to Avernum, which is a small locale at the bottom of a volcano. Of course, not everyone has been broken by this system and some are taking up arms against this tyrant.
Avernum: Escape From the Pit features:
Epic fantasy adventure in an enormous underworld.
Huge outdoors and eighty towns and dungeons.
Three separate game-winning quests. Seek safety, escape or revenge. Do just one of them or all three!
Unique races and settings make Avernum different from any adventure out there.
Dozens of side quests and hundreds of magical artifacts.
Rich game system with over 50 spells and battle disciplines and a multitude of beneficial character traits to choose from.
PC gamers, I think we’ve all had this problem at least once in our lives. Many of us are probably still experiencing this today. That problem? Loud fans.
The new Silent Series R2 fans have been built to attain maximum airflow with minimal noise. The fans themselves start at 40mm, but can go up to 140mm in diameter. The fans can be assembled with both rubber and metallic screws, that ensure the best possible assembly in regards to your rig.
Key Features
Hydraulic bearing (superior to sleeve bearing)
Fully-Sleeved cables
60mm – 140mm come with both metal and rubber screws
120mm – 140mm come with a adapter to lower the speed
It’s rewards time yet again and those who have saved their coins on Club Nintendo can now choose from three new games from the Wii and 3DS eShop to download. This month, the offerings are a bit more obscure, but are sure to catch the interest of fans of puzzle-fanatics, shmuppers, and those who get excite over the bike.
The first reward up for grabs is the two-player cooperative “You, Me, and the Cubes” on the WiiWare, and is priced at 200 coins. This action/puzzle romp has players use the Wii’s waggle controls to place little creatures on moving cubes. Yes, it’s a simple concept, but You, Me, and the Cubes is still an excellent and addictive little game that is certainly worth adding to one’s digital collection.
Excitebike: World Rally really needs no introduction, as it came out quite some time ago and introduced the world to a whole new way to play the classic. Along with online play and motion-based controls, this remake revived the once forgotten Nintendo staple and can be purchased for 200 coins as well.
Finally, for those of you with a 3DS, the bullet hell shootemup Metal Torrent can be bought for 150 coins. While short as a whole experience, Metal Torrent adds an online leaderboard for the competitive and has players shoot their way through waves of enemies while dodging heavy fire.
Ya know, it’s kind of an interesting move for Nintendo to be offering up this lot as rewards, as I personally enjoy seeing the more under-appreciated gems offered up, rather than the obvious choices that most of us bought on day one. Either way though, you can log in your account and go redeem now, and come back next month for May’s update.
WWE ’12 released last year and was a bit of a dud to many fans of the series. Money talks though, and THQ are ready to give a bit more with a “WWE ’12 Wrestlemania Edition” in May, which will include all of the current DLC superstars who didn’t make the original cut for the main game.
The roster add-ins include the likes of:
The Rock
Shawn Michaels
Jerry “The King” Lawler
Jim Ross
“Macho Man” Randy Savage
Trish Stratus
Batista
Mick Foley
Brodus Clay
Michael Cole
Brie Bella
Nikki Bella
Vickie Guerrero
Kharma
Alicia Fox
Also bundled in will be alternate attires for Road Warrior Hawk, Road Warrior Animal, Edge, and Christian.
Yes, this would be a great idea, but my biggest gripe with the whole concept of a re-release isn’t the additions (which are quite nice), but the fact that WWE ’12 still suffers from several issues and bugs that have yet to be addressed, and an online mode that is barely stable. THQ have been making some odd moves lately, and this seems to be yet another questionable release that seems to be geared more to the dollar, rather than the consumer.
Paradox Interactive and Turbo Tape Games have given the release date for upcoming RTS Naval War: Arctic Circle as April 10th. Naval War is a modern day simulation using the most up-to-date technology between the NATO powers and Russian Navy. The game will feature 2 campaigns, one for each faction so that players can experience both sides of the conflict as they via for the energy potentials of the arctic’s North Sea Oil, as other sources have failed.
Combat includes radar, torpedoes, jets, subs, anti-submarine warfare, electronic jamming, and other means of trying to stay hidden just long enough to get the advantage. In addition to the campaign, Naval War has special scenarios and multiplayer to test your abilities against friends and foes online. Look for it on PC next week.
Robot Entertainment, the developer that brought us Orcs Must Die!, has announced that it will be releasing Orcs Must Die! 2 this summer. Adding the Sorceress as a new player character, the sequel will feature co-op and a brand new campaign taking place days after the original. Not to mention new enemies in addition to those you enjoyed killing so much the first time around. But, that’s not all as there will be new spells and traps to use too, harnessing a revised upgrade system.
Sorry though XBLA fans, this time around it looks to be a PC exclusive. But, those fans from Orcs Must Die! will receive bonus content by owning the original PC version. Those going to Pax East will have a chance at a playable version at Robot Entertainments booth. Otherwise you’ll just have be content with the video and wait until it drops this summer.
South Park: Tenorman’s Revenge Developer: Other Ocean Interactive Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Platform: Xbox Live Arcade Release Date: March 30
Overview
Licensed games are sometimes terrible, usually adequate and rarely fantastic, but almost always rely on the brand recognition to sell. South Park: Tenorman’s Revenge falls squarely in the middle category – it’s a satisfactory attempt at a platformer, but it’s the South Park coat of paint that will move units.
Story
To the outsider, Eric Cartman seems like your everyday spoilt brat. But South Park fans know he’s a deeply disturbed individual, and you really don’t want to piss him off.
Ninth grader Scott Tenorman found this out firsthand. After tricking Cartman into buying a bag of his pubic hair, he copped the full force of one of the most sadistic revenge plots ever on TV – basically, Cartman had Tenorman unknowingly eat his own parents.
So yeah, if anyone has grounds for revenge against Eric Cartman, it’s Scott Tenorman. This game sees that revenge exacted with a well-aimed strike – he steals Cartman’s Xbox hard drive. Faced with the arduous task of again sitting through every cutscene of LA Noire, and replaying every level of Arkham City, Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny chase Tenorman through time (for some reason), fighting his army of Ginger bots. Oh, and it’s narrated by atheist otters from the future.
Yes, it’s weird, but this story sounds on par with most episodes as far as craziness goes. Fans of the show expect unusual storylines from South Park, but while episodes will satirize pop culture, politics, celebrities or current issues, the game’s narrative lacks any real sense of purpose.
The regular, exaggerated references to Cartman as the story’s hero, and labeling him “Eric the Awesome and Cool”, has potential for the story to turn out to be a self-serving work of fiction written by Cartman, much like the Woodland Critter Christmas episode. This would excuse some of the issues of implausibility and character inconsistency, but no: this is just happening, apparently.
The worst crime Tenorman’s Revenge commits is trying to cram too many fan favourite elements into one game, and not really handling any of them faithfully.
How can Scott Tenorman, a regular teenager, suddenly travel through time, build giant mechs of himself, and run factories that mass-produce robots? Why is time travel a major narrative element, when most locations are in the present anyway? And what do the future otters have to do with anything?
With cameos from popular characters like Mr. Hankey, Towelie, Satan, and a very bland boss battle against Manbearpig, it feels like clinical fan service: throw in as many characters, locations and items from the show as possible, and they’ll be happy. Never mind that without the trademark satirical edge, and almost no humour at all, the developers have missed the point entirely.
The dialogue between the four boys also falls flat, obviously lacking input from the show’s writers. With each cutscene, little effort has gone into advancing the narrative or maintaining the personality of the characters. Dialogue consists entirely of banal comments on previous or impending events: “I’m glad that’s over with”, “let’s keep moving”, etc. It adds nothing to the story, and has no relevance to the character speaking each line.
So with uninspired, almost detrimental use of the South Park license, one might wonder if the game could redeem itself with interesting gameplay.
One would be wrong.
Gameplay
Tenorman’s Revenge follows all the rules of basic platform games, but doesn’t attempt anything deeper. Players take control of either Kyle, Stan, Cartman or Kenny, with co-op play allowing up to four players at once. All the genre hallmarks are accounted for: floating platforms, ladders, switches, doors, crates, arbitrary pickups, enemies defeated by jumping on them, you know the drill.
Very little deviates from the formula, but the elements are handled well enough to make the game fairly enjoyable.
While exploring the levels, players can’t help but collect time particles, which are littered everywhere to the point of absurdity. Time Cores are rarer pickups required to unlock later levels, and collecting the three Mega-Man figures hidden in each level will raise your score.
The level designs are decent, but far from special. Multiple paths make things more interesting, and provide a rather clever way of encouraging both repeated single-player playthroughs and multiplayer co-op sessions. Each of the four boys has a special power mapped to the B button, which lead to areas only they can access. Kyle can pass through certain barriers, Kenny can perform a high jump, Stan throws footballs to hit out-of-reach switches, and Cartman can bellyflop to bust through some walls.
Then there are powerups that let the boys temporarily take on their superhero alter-egos, from the epic Coon and Friends saga. Kyle becomes the Human Kite, which allows him to glide; Stan becomes Toolshed, allowing him to drill through weak floors; Kenny becomes Mysterion, granting him invulnerability; and Cartman embodies the Coon, letting him scale walls.
Unfortunately, none of the powers are particularly fun to use. They’re practical, for getting around, but they aren’t inherently enjoyable.
Levels can be completed regardless of which character you play as, but these abilities and superhero powers lead to bonus rooms and areas that need to be explored to collect every Time Core and Mega-Man. Unfortunately, the bland gameplay doesn’t inspire you to go back to get everything. Only the most compulsive completionists will bother.
Even playing through levels the first time, moments of tedium will set in. Combat involves either jumping on enemies, or using basic weaponry like bats, crowbars or lasers. It gets old fast, and often can’t be avoided: frequently, you must clear spawning enemies out of an area before you can proceed.
Co-op is mildly more fun than single player, but it doesn’t contribute much to the game. It allows you to access multiple characters’ secret areas in one playthrough, but levels are not designed with teamwork in mind.
Visuals & Audio
The show has a simple but distinctive art style, and the game nails it. It looks like an episode. It might have a few less frames of animation, but it doesn’t hurt the papercraft aesthetic.
The characters walk with the jerky, bouncy movements of their television counterparts. Enemies are ripped straight from the show, with Ginger kids, the future atheists, mutant towels, and Mephesto’s genetically-enhanced, five-assed animals, among those that you’ll be fighting.
The settings for the levels will also be familiar to fans, as you chase Tenorman through the town’s sewer system, PiPi’s Water Park, Tynacorp (the company who created Towelie), the atheist/otter future, Heaven, Hell, and finally confront Cartman’s nemesis at his deranged Chili Con Carnival, where he almost exacted revenge in the epic 200th episode.
Their environments are faithful to the series, and they often feature cameos of related characters. The visual aesthetics give the basic platforming some appeal, but once you realize it’s essentially just different skins on the same gameplay, it does wear thin.
It wouldn’t be a South Park game without the original voices, and thankfully Trey Parker and Matt Stone have lent their vocals to the characters. It’s just a shame they didn’t offer their writing talents as well.
I suspect that the music was done by the same people who score the TV series, as it sounds very similar. It underscores the action in much the same way as on TV, while not being too imposing.
Overview
Tenorman’s Revenge is definitely only for South Park fans. There’s absolutely nothing here for newcomers, and even diehard fans may struggle to care enough to finish the game. It’s a very basic, somewhat flawed platformer, wrapped in a clumsy attempt to please fans, but it’s serviceable enough for a few hours’ entertainment.
Kid Icarus: Uprising Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Project Sora Platforms: Nintendo 3DS Release Date: March 29, 2012 Price:$41.00 – Available Here
Overview:
It has been 25 years since Kid Icarus was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. A quarter century later the franchise has finally, FINALLY, been given the continuation it always deserved. In that entire 25 year span since the series conception there have been 3 Kid Icarus titles, including Uprising. The second of which was a Game Boy game that has mostly been forgotten in the annals of time.
So why after so long did Nintendo decide to revive what was essentially a dead franchise? Well it all traces back to Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. When deciding the character roster for the game, Nintendo decided to include Pit, the protagonist of Kid Icarus. Defying all expectations, Pit became a fan favourite character and amongst the most played characters online (overshadowing even special guest characters such as Solid Snake). The fans wanted more of Pit, they wanted more of Kid Icarus. Nintendo gave them what they wanted, and then some.
Kid Icarus: Uprising is more than any fan could’ve asked for. It is to Kid Icarus, what Metroid: Prime was to Metroid. It has taken all the elements fans loved about the original and took it to a whole other level. Pit is most certainly back and thank the gods for that.
Story:
Nintendo have shown in the past that they are quite capable of telling deep stories in their games through multiple different methods. Kid Icarus: Uprising is possibly their most admirable story effort to date. Like Starfox Adventures and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword before it, Kid Icarus: Uprising features a complex plot, a strong cast and a remarkably deep mythology underneath it all.
Pit proves himself to be a worthy hero in his own right, but more so an interesting hero. A large portion of the plot revolves around the question of whether or not Pit’s actions are justified. Is he right in killing these creatures, because he deems them evil? Or is he the one who is evil in the eyes of the creatures? This is further amplified once Pit’s dark self is brought to life. Pit’s dark self, named Pittoo, beckons Pit to realise his darker side, to embrace that his actions will never be good in the eyes of everyone. When it comes to war, everyone is wrong.
Honestly I was shocked at the level of depth and profound meaning of this game’s plot. I expected something far more simple, what I got was instead yet another further push from Nintendo to express a message in their games. I was definitely reminded of the whole ‘animal cruelty’ plotline from Pokemon: Black and White. It’s certainly an interesting direction Nintendo have been taking and I must say that I found Kid Icarus: Uprising as mentally stimulating as much as it was pure enjoyment, striking a unique balance that Nintendo needs to keep implementing moving forward.
Gameplay:
It’s hard to discredit the Nintendo seal of approval. They have made a name for themselves that has transcended the industry itself. Everyone knows Nintendo and seeing that name tagged on the case of a game is usually all that is needed to let people know that it’s a quality title. They have just built up that mind share with quality title after quality title. Kid Icarus: Uprising is no different.
Uprising marks yet another in a long line of brilliant Nintendo games. The game implements a unique yet incredibly addictive formula that truly feels fresh amongst the plethora of rehashes and remakes that have flooded the market as of late.
The game has a lot on offer for players. With Solo, Multipler and Training modes there is a lot to see and do. The Solo mode is where you will play through the story mode, collect different gear (usable in Multiplayer), customize said gear and receive accomplishments throughout the mode.
Jumping into this mode first of all I found it a little jarring at first. The control scheme is without a doubt a unique one and has a rather steep learning curve. While playing through the Solo mode, you will pick up on it pretty quickly though, but this could be a deterrent for those looking for something familiar. It’s anything but familiar, but it plays excellently if you can wrap your head around it.
As for the story mode itself, each level follows the same structure, a flying portion followed by a land portion and then ending with a boss battle. In the hands of a lesser developer this could become repetitive and tiresome, however here it is absolutely addictive and flat out fun. The level designs are each unique and a pleasure to explore, especially when backed by the interesting plot and character banter that overlays the experience.
For those concerned that the story mode would be short, fear not it is as a matter of fact incredibly long. There is a great deal to do and see and the plot just continues to get thicker and thicker as you go on and when you think it’s over, think again.
The Multiplayer mode is a rather enjoyable little mode, that could do with a few more match types, but the two it has are good enough to keep players enthused for quite some time. There is the Light vs. Dark match type, which is essentially a Team Deathmatch type mode, pitting (no pun intended) teams of players against one another for an allotted period of time with players eventually becoming Light or Dark Pit, who must then be killed in order to win the battle. It plays well enough, and the arenas are each creative and distinctive. My only qualm against this mode is that the inclusion of the Light and Dark Pit was a little unnecessary for what should just be a straight up Team Deathmatch. There is also a Free for All match type which is pretty much the same thing except you can kill anyone. I found this match type to be more enjoyable as the pacing was faster and much more simplified.
Finally, we have Training mode which is an enjoyable little playhouse for players to test out their weapons. It does it’s job, but could’ve used a bit more variety in enemy interaction.
All in all, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a bona fide quality game. If there was ever a reason to own a 3DS here it is. This game is pure enjoyment and is the game to own on the Nintendo 3DS.
Visuals and Audio:
For a 3DS title, Kid Icarus: Uprising does not disappoint at all aesthetically or aurally. It’s amazing to see how far handheld gaming has come and Kid Icarus: Uprising is a beauty to behold, with visuals superior to the majority of Nintendo Wii titles. The environments, character models and effects are gorgeous and really compliment the presence of Gods and Goddesses in the game. Visually it is one of the best the 3DS has to offer, second only to Resident Evil: Revelations (which looks Xbox 360 quality). Unfortunately however the 3D effect does not add much to the experience and actually becomes somewhat distracting during long playthroughs.
Aurally the game’s soundtrack and voice acting go above and beyond the call. This is not just your average voice work, this is career defining voice acting, with Antony Del Rio deservedly earning a shout out for his amazing portrayal of Pit. He perfectly conveys the moral compass as well as inner conflict that comprises Pit and carries a lot of the story on his shoulders. The soundtrack itself is beautifully orchestrated and harkens back memories of that little game on the NES 25 years ago. That little game that has finally gotten the encore it’s fans always wanted.
Overall: Kid Icarus: Uprising is a remarkable game that not unlike Metroid: Prime before it, takes a beloved 2D game and turns it into something special. Something that does not come along everyday. It’s something that so many companies couldn’t do when the 3D wave hit and that is to successfully transfer the feeling of the 2D game into the 3D realm and push it beyond all expectations.
The game itself is a revelation. It’s fresh, exciting and above all a lot of fun. It’s been a long time coming for Kid Icarus fans and it’s my pleasure to say that this game has taken the Kid Icarus franchise to the next level. This is the game to have if you are a 3DS owner. Nintendo needn’t leave luck to the heavens with this one, as they have a massive hit on their hands. After 25 long years, Pit and the Goddess of Light have finally, and I mean FINALLY, taken flight.
