With the release of this year’s BIGGEST mech shooter on the horizon, NamcoBandai have released a walkthrough style video on Youtube that shows off some of the specific gameplay elements of Armored Core V. Entitled ‘Multiplayer, Customization and Bosses’ the video is a brief 5 minute explanation of the game’s facets described in the title. Narrated by FilthyRich of BandaiNamco games, we are first given a look at some of the various returning customization options, but more importantly, some of the brand new ones to be featured in Armored Core V. From colour schemes to emblem designs, to the different new types of weapons, including the aptly named ‘ultimate weapon’, including the almighty Grind Blade, the ultimate melee weapon. The video also includes a few gameplay demonstrations showing off the giant boss battles which are promised to be “harder than ever”.
Below is the official press release from NamcoBandai, as well as the video itself. Enjoy!
COME HEAVY OR NOT AT ALL.
In a future world where the arid lands have been ravaged by war, the resistance will rise up in ARMORED CORE V, the latest title in the renowned mech-action franchise developed by the critically acclaimed studio, FromSoftware, and releasing on March 20th in North America.
FEAR NOTHING.
FORGIVE NOTHING.
DESTROY EVERYTHING.
In today’s video, NAMCO BANDAI Games America’s Community Manager, Rich ‘FilthieRich’ Bantegui, takes a deep dive into the customization, weapons, and bosses that players will be finding in the latest action-epic, ARMORED CORE V when the game launches to on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. would also like to remind ARMORED CORE fans that when pre-ordering the title from GameStop® stores across North America, as well as GameStop.com, they will gain exclusive access to the ‘HEAVY ASSAULT PACK’ while supplies last. The pack will feature over 168 parts and powerful weapons that will help give players a competitive advantage on day one in the innovative and sophisticated online multiplayer battles of ARMORED CORE V.
Players ordering from AMAZON.com will also gain access to the exclusive ‘RECON PACK’ which includes starter and advanced packs as well as unique high-speed weapons.
It’s been a full year since Final Freeway, by japanese game developer Oyatsukai, was released for iOS and Android devices, and brought to the rest of the world through their parent company, Newtype K.K. Touted as a retro Outrun clone, it quickly gained praise from fans of the old classic racer, and left them wanting more.
And so, Oyatsukai have released FF2R, a sequel pushing the franchise that little bit further.
Story
It’s an old-school arcade racing game. ‘Nuff said.
Gameplay
With an accelerator and brake pedal on-screen for you to tap and hold as you like, there are a number of options for steering your vehicle, as well as the layout of the on-screen controls. You can use tilt, drag a steering wheel, or use left and right buttons to steer, all of which work really nicely.
While for me, most tilt-based racing games are slow and unresponsive, this game felt tight and always reacted exactly how I intended. This may be down to the face that you’re effectively strafing left and right along the road, and turning hard for corners, but in any case, it was a great experience no matter which control scheme I used.
The game features plenty of useful options, including an accelerator lock, allowing you to relax and focus on the steering.
Each time you start playing, you can shoose between 3 characters, each with their own Strength and Handling stats, as well as the colour of your car. You can also select the song playing (more on that in the Audio & Visual section), and the difficulty (Beginner, Normal, and Hard).
There is not a selection of races per se, but you aren’t stuck with one track, either. You always play from the same starting point, heading down the same road. At up to 4 forks in the road, however, you’ll be able to choose between two routes to take, giving you a choice of 14 individual and unique stages, and 3 possible destinations.
This is a really clever feature; it keeps it’s arcadey simplicity, letting you just “pick up and play”, it gives you a rich and varied experience every time they play. There is also varying amounts of traffic, and the road can be particularly windy and hilly, adding all the more to the feel of each individual area.
In each stage, there is a rival racer that appears, trying to beat you to the next checkpoint, adding a little element of competition to the already tricky task of making it to the next checkpoint in time. When you rival is near, his and your characters’ portaits appear on-screen, giving each other the evil eye and looking ever more determined, and even reacting to the events happening in your race.
The HUD is nice and chunky, keeping with the retro vibe, featuring Score, Time (which is extended when you pass a checkpoint after a fork in the road), Speed (in KMH or MPH), and Lap time.
Audio & Visual
The music in this game (selectable in the Character Selection screen) features 3 well-made tracks in the synth-dominated retro style of the classic games of yore. They really keeping things pumping, and are great to listen to as you play. You can, however, select “None”, or even choose your own iPod track to use.
The sound effects are spot on, and feel just right for the classic style of the game.
The graphics are wonderfully old-school. Everything you see is made up of nice and chunky pixel-art-style sprites, and nothing apart from the road itself is truly 3D. Everything pops with vibrant colours and retro goodness, making anyone into the style drool.
There are even atmospheric and weather effects on certain areas, which, while being totally spot on and somewhat realistic, also have a classic feel to them, doing well to not break the illusion you are playing a game made “back in the day”.
Overall
Everything is done so perfectly – so faithfully to the style! What would an old-school be like if it was made today? Final Freeway 2R, that’s what!
A few days ago a rather interesting trailer of sorts was released by Quantic Dream, best known for their interactive drama thriller adventure for the PlayStation 3, Heavy Rain. That game showcased some amazing use of graphics and visuals to create an almost lifelike gaming atmosphere and characters. It showed just how powerful gaming technology can be, but it seems Quantic Dream are not done.
This recently released trailer showcases a new ‘technology’ for the PlayStation 3, which in my guess is a brand new graphics engine. The concept is titled ‘Kara’, and this seven minute clip shows the manufacturing process of a female robot. I won’t spoil it further as this short but powerful story needs to be seen to be believed, for it is very haunting and emotional. The graphics shown in this concept video look rather spectacular to say the least.
Quantic Dream has made it clear that this is not a trailer for an upcoming video game project. So what is this Kara?, and what is it hinting at? we don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s going to be something remarkable. Enjoy the video below.
Choppers are becoming a daily part of James Heller’s life after being infected with the Mercer virus. So it isn’t a surprise that a couple of chopper types will be included in Prototype 2 for the player to have fun with. Two types of choppers will try to take down Heller when he starts stirring up trouble: the Transport Helicopter and the Gunship. All Heller needs to do is to give them a piece of his mind. Like the first game, send Heller in with a flying kick from above or rip apart from underneath it with a fierce uppercut. You can also steal its weapon system and turn their weapons against it.
Here is some more information on both choppers:
Transport Helicopter – This transport helicopter flies soldiers into the heat of the battle … that you most likely began. Hop inside for faster and safer transportation with a primary weapon that will saturate large areas. Also don’t forget its secondary weapon–the Rocket Pod–which can be weaponized and used for decimating enemies while on foot. Try your hand at an acrobatic death blow with the Claw Finisher. Tumble along the top of the chopper while slicing off its rotor, then sit back and watch the helicopter’s inevitable and fatal decline.
Gunship – The gunship may not be the safest vehicle in the world, but it is good at one thing: finding your enemies and blowing their heads off. To spice things up, remove its Missile Launcher and incite some mass panic in the streets. But this gunship ain’t so tough—watch it fall apart when you slice it in half with your Whipfist Finisher.
You will be able to rip these choppers when Prototype 2 is released on April 24 on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Of course, if you have Prototype, you can bring those choppers down from the sky right now or check out our chopper gallery below.
Playstation Vita 8-in-1 Essentials Kit Distributor: Bluemouth Interactive Platform: Playstation Vita Release: 22/02/2012 Price: AU$29.95
Accessories always launch alongside a new console. When a new portable comes out, it seems that the amount of accessories that come out usually outnumbers those that are released for the home consoles. The launch of the Playstation Vita is no exception. Normally, you would want to purchase a game case, maybe some headphones, screen protectors and so on. You could buy them separately, or you could purchase the 8-in-1 Essentials Kit, released by Bluemouth Interactive in Australia. What they have included are usually popular choices of accessories, but is it enough to warrant a purchase?
First off, let’s look at the contents of the 8-in-1 Essentials Pack. The pack contains an EVA pouch, which is the carry case of the pack that holds four games, a silicon glove that goes over the Vita to protect it from dust, dirt and your fingerprints, a small storage case that holds two games and two memory cards, screen protectors for both the front touchscreen and rear touch pad, an anti-static cleaning cloth to keep that Vita nice and shiny, stereo headphones, bringing high quality sound straight to your ears, a wrist and neck strap to attach to the case and a 3.5mm earphone splitter, just in case you want your friend to hear that awesome track on your Vita. I have to say, this is quite a generous offering. This contains more than the official accessory packs that Sony released with the launch of the Vita.
So, how do each of these items fare? I’ll start with the EVA Pouch. On the outside, it is quite bland. It sports black and a small carabiner to hold the wrist and neck straps. Compared to the official Game Traveller Case, it seems soft, which does worry me a little. The Game Traveller Case was as hard as a rock, however, this is softer. I can even bend it quite easily. Inside, it is the same as the Game Traveller Case, except it only holds four games, lacks the soft screen protector and has a strap to lock in the Vita, rather than a strap below the Vita to give it a lift. That will mean that it will be a minor struggle to get the Vita out.
The silicon glove is basically there to protect the outer parts of the Vita. It leaves the controls exposed, which is good, as I do not want silicon over my buttons. Some buttons will have silicon, like the start and select buttons, but they are more secondary to the ones exposed. The colour is grey and it is rubbery. However, it does not feel flexible, which means getting the glove on is going to be a challenge. Accessories should not be a struggle to use, yet this silicon glove manages to achieve that. Besides, you will not want to keep it on anyway, as it makes the device look quite ugly.
This pack, however, does feature a few accessories that are either unnecessary or they lack what other competing accessories achieve. The storage case is too small. It only holds two games. The memory card slots are not an issue, but I have seen other accessory packs offer more space for games. The Game Traveller Case holds sixteen games, which is a very generous offer. The inclusion of a neck strap is also unnecessary. I will doubt players would want to carry their Vita around their neck. The headphones don’t produce high quality music. In fact, they are weak in terms of volume. They are too soft for the volume level the Vita currently sits on. The earphone splitter is quite useless because it drops the volume of the sound as soon as you share the slot, making the sound coming out of the headphones even softer.
While it seems generous that one gets eight accessories in one pack, I feel like it could have been better with less. They should have kept the essentials in the pack, like a better built carry case, screen protector kit, headphones, just a wrist strap and a better storage case and I would have been quite happy. I do not need an earphone splitter. The silicon glove could have been scraped as well, alongside the neck strap. Do I recommend this pack? If you want all of the above items, then yes I do, due to the fact it offers all of the items at a reasonable price. However, if you have most of these items or have already picked up a few accessories, then this isn’t an essential purchase for you.
Street Fighter X Tekken Publisher:Capcom (Tekken characters licensed by Namco) Developer:Capcom Platforms:PlayStation 3, PS, Vita, PC, Xbox 360 (Reviewed) Release Date: March 6, 2012 Price:$59.99 – Available Here
Overview
While there are many fighting games on the market today, Street fighter is probably the most well known. One of the few franchises that reaches the same level of popularity is Tekken. Therefore, when the announcement was made that these two great series would collide,
it was met with great celebration and excitement on the part of fans who loved both franchises. Finally, they would be able to pit their favorite characters from each series against one another.
This combination of licenses obviously presented problems. Both games have very different fighting styles, and they are also very different graphically. Street Fighter is set in a 2D landscape, while Tekken is built on a 3D fighting game engine. Instead of trying to force each style of gameplay into each other, Capcom decided to design the gameplay to be similar to their Street Fighter franchise, meaning that while it features sets of characters from Street Fighter and Tekken, it is set in 2D and has projectile moves such as the Hadouken. Namco Bandai is currently a developing a sequel to this game titled Tekken X Street Fighter, which will base its gameplay on the Tekken universe.
So, did Capcom succeed in balancing these two very different games? Is Street Fighter X Tekken able to overcome the challenges mentioned above and succeed as a cross-genre fighter? Or is it destined to become one of those fighting games that falls by the wayside, confined to the bargains bins at Gamestop? Read on to find out.
Story
Video games are unique in that the story usually comes second to gameplay. In Street Fighter X Tekken, this uniqueness becomes all the more true. When choosing the story mode, there is a cutscene that explains what the story is all about. I couldn’t really get into it but for you dear reader, I shall try my best to describe it.
There was a meteor that fell to Earth, but the meteor was actually a strange object, in the shape of a box. While no one could understand what its purpose was, all acknowledged that it had a special property: when people were in conflict around the box, they would gain special powers. As a result, the box was named “Pandora.” One organization of people wanted to steal the box so they could use its special powers. Of course, there were those who wished the box to be left alone. Which explains why people are fighting in the entire game.
All in all, I found the story to be rote, uncomprehensible and just simply awful in the worst way. While it explains why there are some new features in the game, and why there are two different groups of beings fighting, I think it might have been preferable to merely have an explanation beforehand, instead of bothering with even trying to have a full fledged story.
Nevertheless, I really can’t fault Capcom for the story. Fighting games have never really been known to have any semblance of a story that made sense. Therefore, it would be unfair to fault them for not having a good story in this game. However, it is important to note that you should not buy this game for the plot. Luckily, the gameplay more than makes up for any faults in the story.
Gameplay
As mentioned, Street Fighter X Tekken is very similar to the Street Fighter series. You choose two characters from either Street Fighter or Tekken and they are controlled with a 6-button system (although Tekken characters can be controlled with a 4 button system). A gauge known as the Cross Gauge will fill up when attacking, defending and taking damage. Depending on the fullness of the gauge, different powerful combos can be exectued, like EX Attacks, Cancels, Super Arts and various Cross techniques. When a player is weak, he can tag in the character in reserve and regain health. Characters can also be tagged in as a result of performing a certain combo, like a Cross Rush. Some combos even allow both characters to combine their attacks, although that requires a stocked Cross Gauge. When one character’s health bar reaches zero, that team will lose.
Street Fighter X Tekken introduces two new gameplay mechanics: Gems and Pandora mode. Gems are upgrades that can substantially change combat. In addition, gems can tremendously help gamers who are new to the fighting genre. Each character, Street Fighter or Tekken, can be equipped with up to three gems. Each gem either has stat boosting abilities, or can make certain moves easier to perform. They are classified into 6 different categories: attack, defense, speed, vitality, assist, and Cross Gauge. If a player is having trouble with a particular control for a certain character, like an EX Attack for example, one gem can be used to make the controls to start that attack easier.
Pandora Mode gives players a risk/reward gameplay element. When one of the characters on-screen has less than 25% health, he can be sacrificed. In turn, the remaing fighter gets increased strength and a full Cross Gauge. However, if this fighter can not win the match by the time Pandora Mode runs out, he will automatically forfeit.
Street Fighter X Tekken has a variety of multiplayer options. 4 player matches, Scramble mode (where four players fight fight simultaneously in pairs of two), online training modes and the Fight Request feature are all a part of the multiplayer experience. And multiplayer is, as usual, much better than single player. Playing against a live opponenet is just so much better than a computer.
Overall, the balance in Street Fighter X Tekken is top notch. Every single move, while powerful and totally cool, an also be defended against. Pitting the characters from each franchise against each other was very fun, as was going online to beat up others. Due to the variety of characters , the game feels totally different than Street Fighter, but it still retains all the great features that Street Fighter has.
Although the tutorial is better than the one in Ultimate vs Marvel Capcom 3, it is still not a great experience. It will give new fighting gamers a tiny bit of help to hone their skills, but it does little besides display the controls needed to pull off a certain move. Whats more, Capcom did not even voice the tutorial, forcing people to read blocks of awfully constructed dialogue.
Visuals and Audio
Graphics in the game are outstanding. The backgrounds of each fight are particularly noteworthy. Rather than just bland, stationary blobs of art, they are full of little details and funny goings-on. In addition to the whimsical backgrounds though, character models, fighting moves and cutscenes are also beautiful. I did not notice a small amount of freezing after the loading screens and once a fight was over, but these do not detract from the experience.
The soundtrack is well suited to the gameplay. Voice acting for each of the characters was also spot on. Other than that, there really isn’t much to say about the audio. While I enjoyed it, I didn’t hear anything too special.
Overall
In conclusion, Street Fighter X Tekken will appeal to a wide variety of gamers. Although it is certainly not a universal game, hardcore fighting nerds as well as newcomers will have a great time playing, just so long as they don’t play each other. While the basics are fairly easy to master, seeing the whole scope of the game and coming up with a preferred strategy (as well as some backups) will take a little bit of time for newcomers. The new features, like Gems and Pandora Mode, add some features that are great to play around with and base strategy on. Marrying these two amazing series together was truly an awesome idea, and I am glad that it just didn’t turn out to be a gimmick, but rather, a well exectued game.
Nevertheless, a weak story, an annoying tutorial system and an overly complicated user interface do make the game a little less fun to experience. That being said, the complex fighting system is a joy to control, and I had a smile on my face while I was playing Street Fighter X Tekken.
Rei Hiroe the author of popular seinen manga series Black Lagoon has confirmed his intentions to return from hiatus and continue the Black Lagoon manga. The manga has been on hiatus for roughly 2 years so this is good news for fans of Black Lagoon.
Hiroe stated his concerns with returning but remained resolute that he will continue the manga, “Though I’m dying to draw, I’m scared to actually draw it. If it were not this hard, I wouldn’t have had to take as long as two years off.”
Black Lagoon follows a Japanese business man who finds himself wound up stuck in a violent port town in Thailand working for a group of pirates.
There is no confirmed return date set in stone just yet, but it is certainly reassuring to know that a return is confirmed to be happening sometime soon.
The theatrical poster for the live-action adaptation of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s legendary samurai manga classic Rurouni Kenshin has been revealed. The poster features the photography of award-winning photographer Kazumi Kurigami.
The poster can be seen to the left (click to enlarge), it features Himura Kenshin in a gray scale with the infamous red ‘X’ highlight in front of him, with the tag line ‘Watch out for the Nice Guy’ blazoned besides him.
What do you think of the poster for the Live-action Rurouni Kenshin film? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section. The film is set to premiere across Japan on the 25th of August, 2012.
Another character trailer for the upcoming Spring 2012 anime series Medaka Box has been released. This time the trailer focuses on the male lead of the series, Zenkichi Hitoyoshi. You can check out the Zenkichi trailer below.
The Medaka Box anime series is an adaptation of the Shonen Jump manga from NisiOisn and Akira Akatsuki. The series focuses on Medaka Kurokami, the head of the student council as she tries to help out around her school by taking on tasks placed in her ‘suggestion box’.
Be sure to check out the trailer and let us know what you think in the comments section. Medaka Box is set to premiere on April 4th, 2012.
Mass Effect Infiltrator Developer: Iron Monkey Studios Publisher: EA Games Platform: iPhone (reviewed), iPad, iPod Touch Release Date: March 6 Price: $6.99 (HERE)
Overview
Mass Effect 3 is a game so massive that, much like blockbuster movie releases, it’s getting its own licensed video game for the iOS platforms. Mass Effect Infiltrator is a touch-based third-person shooter that puts you in charge of a Cerberus agent who turns against the diabolical, conspiracy-ridden enterprise. With Iron Monkey Studios, the developers of the award-winning iOS rendition of Dead Space, in charge of the game and the high production values associated with EA and Mass Effect, is this one of the rare licensed games that plays like a charm, or should it be left in the grisly tentacles of the Reapers?
Story
There is no “BioWare” tag associated with Mass Effect Infiltrator. If there had been, perhaps players would have felt a little duped by the promise such a tag brings with it.
The story is as basic as it gets: you play as Randall Ezno, a Cerberus agent with cybernetic implants who gathers up aliens for scientific testing. A charmer, in other words. When Randall’s partner back at the Cerberus base is abducted by her own company for testing, he gets a little angry and decides it’s time to blow up the joint and its malevolent Director with the help of the Human Alliance. That’s it.
A basic story isn’t always a bad thing, and in the few moments of dialogue of Infiltrator the writing can actually be compelling, but for the most part, as you advance through the base, you’ll mainly be hearing menacing one-liners from the aforementioned Director.
He’s evil see? Evil people say mean things while you wander through their corridors, and they do it a lot. As such, the game becomes a bit of a grind leading into the closing chapters of the story.
On top of that, there are some bits of story that don’t really seem to make sense within the established world of Mass Effect. In the very first mission, I was confused to be fighting Turian Soldiers and Geth Snipers who appeared to be on the same side. Not really what I’d call lore appropriate.
The ending is left a little open-ended, but to its credit Infiltrator tries for the same tone of loss and despair as Mass Effect 3. Though it does not come close to reaching those heights in terms of pulling at your own heartstrings, it does a good job of showing Randall Ezno’s pain at the tragedy that has befallen him.
Gameplay
Mass Effect Infiltrator should feel familiar to play for anyone who has played the console Mass Effect titles. There’s crates, walls, and conveniently placed benches to be used as cover while enemies pour forth from various doors in an area. From your “I’m behind the safest workbench in the galaxy!” perch you can shoot, use biotic abilities, and cloak to move around undetected.
Of course, converting shooting mechanics from the console versions and attempting to implement them with touch-based replicas of analogue sticks would have been both difficult to design well and frustrating to play, so I’m happy to say that Iron Monkey opted for a touch-based shooting mechanic instead. Players will tap the enemy they wish to target and then, using the recently maligned touch-based analogue-stick-wannabes, they can aim at a certain part of the target’s body to do extra damage (usually the head).
Ezno can switch between assault rifles, snipers, and shotguns to help in his vengeful quest, and can use the biotic abilities Pull and Leash to suspend enemies in mid-air and throw them about like useless puppets. Personally, I found Pull more effective, as it can rip the shields off of the annoying Cerberus riot troops and tear snipers out of their perches, and at later stages you can target multiple enemies with it, so you can do both the shield and sniper pulling in a manner that’s adaptive to whatever battlefield you’re on.
Infiltrator features a good deal of enemy variety. At the expense of explaining why others gunning for Cerberus aren’t working with you (you’d assume once you and the escaped prisoners realized you were both shooting the same people that you’d fight together), you’ll never know whether there’s a Krogan battle unit, Geth juggernaut, Asari prsioner, or sniper team waiting to blow your head off just around the corner.
So with all the stuff it’s throwing at you, it’s good that the game features a robust cover system. In fact, I found moving from cover to cover in Infiltrator to be far more effective than in Mass Effect 3. Sure, it can be weird that Ezno does massive somersaults to travel between distant pieces of cover, but in terms of gameplay, it just works. This is where the game truly excels, and therefore it’s a shame that though these mechanics serve you well throughout the four to five hours of the game, the two boss battles involve a lot of running and gunning. Using the aforementioned, and still much maligned, touch-based analogue-stick wannabes.
Based on your performance, the game awards you credits after every battle, and using those you can upgrade your armour, abilities, and weapons. It’s not the deepest system in the world, but you’ll definitely feel the results of your investments. You can also gather intel from defeated enemies and use this to either increase your Galactic Readiness rating in Mass Effect 3 or garner some additional credits.
You’ll occasionally find a Cerberus scientist hidden in a room and the screen will freeze and ask, “Paragon or Renegade?” Though attempting to mimic the choices of Mass Effect games, these bear no overall consequence and so mean little. I just switched between them depending on my mood at the time. The game really could have done without this as Mass Effect is about more than binary choices.
Regardless of issues, Infiltrator does a good job at being an iOS cover-based shooter, and it needs to be commended for that. Most combat arenas are challenging and fun, and the checkpointing doesn’t leave too much to be desired.
Audio & Visual
Mass Effect Infiltrator is great to look at. Though some of the environments get repetitive, the graphical fidelity always remains. It’s most definitely one of the better looking games on the platform, and, in visuals at least, it does a good job of capturing the look of the Mass Effect universe.
When a game prompts you to “plug in headphones for best experience”, you know you’re in for something pretty good, and, indeed, the sound design of the game matches the visual presentation. The sounds of guns bear the necessary impact, a few good tracks are lifted from the Mass Effect games, and the voice acting, though not spectacular, does its job well. Ezno in particular really sells a tone of desperation as he desperately searches for his partner.
Overall
Mass Effect Infiltrator is a good game. It has flaws with its controls when roaming about, but when you’re fluidly moving through cover, mowing down approaching enemies, it gives you a rush on par with some of the better shooters out there. You could take the Mass Effect moniker away from the story and probably not tell the difference, but the bonuses to Shepard’s campaign are substantial enough that you’ll feel like you’re helping your overall war effort even when you’re stuck on the daily commute.
It may not be the most fitting companion title to BioWare’s epic finale of the Mass Effect trilogy, but it is a solid game, and worth your time if you just can’t get enough of Mass Effect or third-person shooters.
