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Madcoaster Review

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March 30, 2012

Madcoaster

Developer: Chillingo
Publisher: Chillingo/Apple
Platforms: iPhone (Reviewed), iPad, iPod Touch, Android
Release Date: Mar 22, 2012
Price: $0.99 USD/AUD – Available Here

Overview

Be prepared to read the word “roller coaster” alot.

I’ll be the first to admit I used to be afraid of roller coasters, something that heavy going that fast, it’s similar to the fear that comes with flying. The main difference being, you can’t actually flail your arms like a maniac on a plane, on a roller coaster it’s perfectly acceptable. That’s probably because terrorists don’t hang out on roller coasters, they don’t believe in fun. Case in point, the first time I went flying overseas, I would have been about 10 years old. Taking off was fine, but once the plane experienced some turbulence, I freaked out, arms flailing and started to yell “WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE”… Yep, I was that kid on the plane, I probably freaked a few people out with my terrorist antics, whilst pissing off my parents at the same time.

Screaming like that is acceptable on a roller coaster, that’s probably why they’re so fun, everyone’s voice muffles one another out and the sense of chaos is pure adrenaline. So, how can a little iPhone game emulate something so awesome? With a 2D platform game that has nothing to with the above description, but ofcourse! This game made me slightly disorientated, I’d recommend keeping the screen at arms length and not to play drunk, just like you wouldn’t go on an actual roller coaster drunk, would you? Or would you… hmm

Gameplay

I feel stupid for explaining how this game works; it’s quite simple, like all iphone games that ever existed, ever. A roller coaster goes along a 2D level, obstacles pop up, and you tap the screen to jump. Holy groundbreaking mechanics batman, this sh#% is off the chain, I believe there’s a swipe thing as well. Oh did I mention, you also collect coins like Mario/Sonic for a score multiplier? All jokes aside, it’s actually pretty fun once you throw in power ups and the speed increases, hence the disorientation that comes along later.

I’ve looked at what other people have said about this game, quotes like “To sum it up, Madcoaster is mind blowing!” – Wow… some people are easily pleased, I didn’t experience any joygasms like that, so you won’t see quotes like that here. Sorry guys who also published Angry Birds, but Angry Birds is better and this one won’t add anymore money to that pile you’re rolling in right now, probably naked. Did I mention you can fly in this game as well? That’s right, fly a roller coaster, what a sick joke. If you ever had a crash on a roller coaster and survived, which is statistically insane, don’t play this game. Save yourself the insult, if you didn’t have a crash on a roller coaster, pay the 99 cents don’t be tight.

Visuals and Audio

I’m literally playing the game right now; I couldn’t remember what it looked like, that’s how good these reviews are. I’m playing and typing, so you get my live thoughts directly to you, like a stream of pure consciousness. Can you handle it? I just dropped my phone…

So my multi-tasking abilities aren’t up to scratch, who would have thought. Madcoaster looks surprisingly similar to Angry Birds style, I don’t know about the themed backgrounds though, what’s that all about? The last time I checked (just now actually), Egypt doesn’t have roller coasters, so why put an Egyptian themed background in the game? Are they trying to point out that Egypt is still building democracy, and the development of roller coasters is a symbol of the people’s liberation? Maybe I’m just looking to deeply into it, they don’t look bad, but it was distracting.

“The emotional roller coaster: Egypt’s uprise” is one of the first articles I saw when I googled “egypts roller coasters”. Maybe the level design guy did the same thing, what a cool dude. There are other themes, halloween for example, but I doubt anyone is going to pay real attention to them. But the truth is, if I could paint, I would paint copies of the backgrounds and sell them for squillions.

I normally play games on silent, but just for you, I turned the sound on for about 30 seconds. Let’s just say, Results may vary, this is why I play iPhone games on silent.

Overall

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably going to buy the game right? I probably would have been better off simply giving the game a star rating in the app store, sadly that would have more effect on your purchase. Madcoaster doesn’t feature arms flailing, which is vintage roller coaster in my mind, and I didn’t see that. Instead you have these kids who just sit in the roller coaster, hardly animating at any given time, they’re like the best behaving children ever. They’re also multi-cultural and politically correct children, featuring one red head, standard white kids and a couple of others thrown in the mix for good measure. In conclusion, this game is nothing like a roller coaster, but it’s still fun. It’s more fun if you play it while you’re on a roller coaster, I don’t know that for sure, but I imagine it is. 10 out of 10 if you’re on a roller coaster.

Update: there are roller coasters in Egypt, my bad

Apple and Foxconn implementing new working conditions

J. Bradshaw

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March 30, 2012

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After numerous reports of suicides and many protests, Apple and Foxconn have agreed to improve working conditions at factories in China. A new Fair Labor Association report revealed that although previous accounts about terrible working conditions at factories had been overstated, there were violations of Chinese Labor Law. As a a result, Foxconn will now cut the monthly overtime hours its employees are allowed to work from 80 to 36. This is part of the Chinese and FLA legal codes and will be implemented by July 2013. Other safety and health conditions have also been promised to improve.

These actions may result in a small increase in electronic prices in the USA.

Source: FairLabor.org

Trine 2 on Sale, Gets New Hardcore Mode

Claire Phillips

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March 30, 2012

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Trine 2 has just received a new update, and with it comes several tweaks, a Steam sale, and a whole new difficulty mode. Hardcore mode, according to Frozenbyte CEO Lauri Hyvärinen, is “a throwback to the good old days”.

This is for the fans who thought the Tower of Sarek level in the first game was just right in its pre-patches state, for those who really want an extra challenge from the game. The Hardcore Mode adds a big value to replayability, especially in online and offline co-op, and really means you have to work together or face game over.”
“P.S. We take no responsibility for broken relationships attributed to the Hardcore Mode.”

Nice. There are also a few more tweaks in the update, including the option to completely disable the self levitation trick within the game that can make challenges all too easy. And if you haven’t yet tried the gorgeous puzzle platformer, now is the perfect time to take the plunge, with the game sitting pretty with a 50% discount on Steam and the Mac App Store, the sale running until April 2.

Phi Brain Season 2 Licensed by Sentai Filmworks

Simon Wolfe

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March 30, 2012

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Sentai Filmworks has announced by press release that they have bought the license for the second season of Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle. Phi Brain will be finishing its first season this weekend, with the second due to start the weekend afterwards. The second season will be 25 episodes, just as the first season had, and is set for online release as it comes out as well as for home release after it finishes its run.

Phi Brain tells the story of Kaito Daimon, a student at the Root Academy, who has been granted the title of Einstein for his outstanding mental prowess and puzzle solving abilities. After solving a Sage Puzzle and gaining the Orpheus armband, Kaito must now solve puzzles from the Givers of the P.O.G. to prove his worth to even attempt to solve the legendary Puzzle of God.

3 Incipio Cases for the New iPad Now Available

Jamie Laike Tsui

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March 30, 2012

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Incipio has announced that three of their iPad 2 cases have made the transition to the new iPad and are now available for purchase. The Slim Kickstand folio case, the Premium Kickstand case with stylus in leather, and the Smart Feather Ultralight Hard Shell Case in lime are all available. The Kickstand cases are priced at $39.99 each and the Hard Shell is priced at $34.99. For those who have an issue with having the skin of an animal wrapped around your new iPad, Incipio’s leather are vegan friendly. And if lime isn’t your thing, the Hard Shell is available in a rainbow of colours.

The Splatters come to the XBLA on April 11th

Simon Wolfe

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March 30, 2012

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Developer SpikySnail has announced that The Splatters will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade for 800 ms points. The game features unique physics, where the player tries to create the best show by performing tricks and stunts with the title characters. What kind of stunts? The kind that ends with an exploding splatter.

The video showcases the general idea of how levels work and the kind of things player will be able to do in the game. The video only has but a taste of the whole game though, as the full game will feature 69 levels to perfect your stunt making skills. As your skills develop, you’ll be able to pull off new and interesting stunts, so after the first play through there will be reason to replay and try them out on the earlier levels. Better yet the game comes with the ability to record clips of the best sessions and scores, so they can be shared with friends for bragging rights or engage in competition.

Speck’s Improved PixelSkin HD Wrap Video

Jamie Laike Tsui

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March 30, 2012

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Speck has improved their PixelSkin HD Wrap for the new iPad. It’ll be available to order next week. In the mean time, Speck has released a video showing off the new improvements to the SpixelSkin HD Wrap. They have thinned out the cover to make it lighter, replaced the gecko tape with a more secure plastic clip, and have added magnets to be compatible with the new iPad and the iPad 2’s Smart Cover system. Of course, the base features are still in tact, allowing you to prop the iPad in two different viewing angles. No word on price for the new PixelSkin HD Wrap.

Ballistic Hard Core Cases for iPhone 3G/3GS Released

Jamie Laike Tsui

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March 30, 2012

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Believe it or not iPhone 3GS are still being sold as a free phone with a term contract. So as not to deny iPhone 3G/3GS owners the thrill of new cases being announced, Ballistic is now selling their Hard Core Case for the 3G/3GS models. These are seriously tough cases, utilizing four layers of protection and an optional 5th layer just in case the first four wasn’t enough. The case has a built in screen protector, button and port covers, two layers of shock absorbent polymer, a hard polycarbonate shell, and an optional silicone layer to protect your brand new phone. To sweeten the deal, Ballistic is throwing in a tough rotating holster for your phone. The Hard Core case is priced at $49.99 and comes in three colours, red, black, and grey.

Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Hands On

Jessica Barabas-Bui

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March 30, 2012

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Multiplayer is something that seems to be the most crucial part of any shooter game that comes out these days. For some the multiplayer far outweighs any entertainment or longevity of play you get from the single player campaign. We’ve gone over how great the single player mode is shaping up to be, so will the multiplayer mode play as well? Or is it just filler that is now required by the industry? I got to sit down with a group of individuals and battle it out in the varied, and unique, multiplayer modes to test it out.

Max Payne 3 thunders out of the gate straight away, with the range of playing modes available. This isn’t your standard death match scenario (though those are included, and as always, are good fun). There is also Payne Killer mode and, my favourite, Gang Wars. With each of these Rockstar have clearly worked outside the box and decided that settling for the standard multiplayer stuff, such as Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, and Free For All, just wouldn’t cut it. And it has definitely paid off.

Payne Killer mode involves everyone starting off as enemies, until the first kill. The first to get a kill becomes Max Payne, the first to die becomes Passos. Max and Passos get that edge over everyone else, getting special weapons and abilities, as well as two painkillers. Everyone else is on the same team, all out to get these two and vying for either position. However, it isn’t reliant on who finally kills Max or Passos, but more so on who has done the most damage. The winner at the end of the match is the player whos cores the most points, which is also dependent on how long you can stay alive.

Gang Wars is really the truly awesome part of Max Payne 3 multiplayer. It links in with the single player story and reacts to the outcome of each round. It feels like a multiplayer campaign, with a story line, voiceover, and that awesome Max Payne cut scene feel. You play as part of a gang, with your objectives being anything from gathering a bag, blowing something up, or defending a target. Each level is action packed and can have you on the edge of your seat as you vie against the rival gang to gain territory, money, or just be the top dog. I have never been so invested in a multiplayer mode, so determined to take down an opponent, and so entertained and intrigued by each round as it turned up. Gang Wars truly is the crown jewel in the Max Payne 3 multiplayer mode.

And, hey, what would Max Payne be without Bullet Time? And Rockstar have managed to integrate that into multiplayer too. When a player activates Bullet Time then the people caught in the players’ line of sight are also caught in Bullet Time, with their movements – and bullets – are slowed down, until they get out of the line of sight. It’s a genius way around the potential problem that Bullet Time could have been to multiplayer, and a couple of times I did suddenly get caught in it, though if they didn’t finish the job I’d usually end up swinging around and punishing them for it.

Bullet Time, along with a few other abilities such as health boosts, ability to spot enemies on the map, having stronger bullets, and stealth, are part of what are called Bursts. These are an ability that you can choose which gives you an edge in multiplayer and you can equip as part of the Loadout Customisation process. Bursts use your adrenaline up, so it is important to use them wisely and make sure to use them when it counts. And considering some of the awesome things you can do to mess up the enemy, this is definitely something you want to use when it’ll make the biggest impression.

We played three different maps in the different modes, the Bus Depot, Favela and Docks. The Bus Depot was full of buildings, random cover-friendly spots, and the perfect environment for a skilled sniper. The Favela was based in a rundown neighbourhood, full of roughly carved stairs and abandoned houses, that reminded me strongly of the abandoned, damaged houses in some of the WW2-wrecked neighbourhoods of COD. The Docks was, well the docks. Warehouses, shipping containers, water, and poorly built bridges galore. Each of the maps screamed the environment they’d been based on, and also felt fantastically genuine.

Forge of Empires Goes Into Beta

Julien Durand

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March 29, 2012

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Forge of Empires, the latest entry into InnoGames’ catalogue of browser based games, is heading into closed beta.

Prospective players of the strategy game can sign up for one of thousands of beta keys right now by registering on the Forge of Empires official website. The game itself delves through the depths of history as players begin in the Stone Age and develop through the centuries, whether by military might, technological advancement, or careful diplomacy. Aside from its long-term singleplayer campaign, the game will also feature player versus player features for those who get a kick out of destroying the civilizations of others.

For more details on Forge of Empires be sure to check out the game’s official blog page, and check back here at Capsule Computers for all your gaming news.