Namco Bandai Games, Arad Productions and 41 Entertainment have announced today that they have granted the US television rights to Disney for a new animated action comedy series titled (for the moment) Pac-Man: The Adventure Begins, and is slated for Fall 2013. Chances are that title will change, at least to simply ‘The Adventure’, since an adventure can only begin for so long.
Based on that cute little circle man, the series is created in stereoscopic 3D, executive produced by Avi Arad (Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, and X-Men) and Rick Ungar (Biker Mice from Mars, X-Men Evolution and Legend of the Dragon).
Avi Arad has this to say about the possible Pac-Man show:
“I am very excited about producing PAC-MAN – The Adventure Begins, the 3D animated series, with Rick Ungar. PAC-MAN is one of the world’s greatest icons. He is funny and adventurous and will bring his tone and abilities to this beautifully executed animated series. For more than 30 years, PAC-MAN has been a household name. Having this property on Disney XD is its rightful place to be.”
Stay tuned for more information about the impending Pac-Man show as it comes! What do you guys think about this Pac-Man TV show news? Yay or nay?
The eighth installment of Gamebook Adventures is set to launch, taking the franchise on a totally new path, with a new interactive science-fiction based story, Gamebook Adventures 8: Infinite Universe. And for free!
The eighth Gamebook app leaves the player stranded in the future with no memory of the past or how you got there. You have been selected for a super secret dangerous solo mission to kill, or capture, the leader of a rebel army known as DWORF. So get your amnesiac ass into gear – the Mandelian Empire of the Tau Ceti system is in your hands!
Tin Man Games Creative Director, Neil Rennison, had this to say about the game:
“Since day one of Gamebook Adventures we’ve had fans contacting us wanting an adventure set in the sci-fi genre. Our new title by Andrew Drage doesn’t disappoint, taking place in a fully designed universe in much the same way that we have our fantasy titles set within a fully realised fantasy setting.”
The first 300 sections of Infinite Universe are available completely for free, with the last section costing you. Each of the five chapters being $0.99 each, or all of the chapters able to be unlocked for $3.99.
So, get going and grab Gamebook Adventures 8: Infinite Universe for FREE for iPhone and iPad HERE.
Players of Star Wars: The Old Republic, great news! The Australian servers are now up for everyone to enjoy. So make sure you take the time to immediately reserve any characters you want on the three available servers before they fill up completely.
For the moment the servers are only filled with players who already have the game, but this is sure to change with the Official Launch of the game in a few hours time. So make sure to jump in on the servers now and transfer your existing characters as soon as you receive your transfer email in a few days to a few weeks time.
Popular and immensely immersive RPG, Squids has been adapted for Android and Mac this week. Squids hit number 1 in the App Store for the RPG genre in 34 countries, as well as number 1 paid app overall in France. So good news for those Android people, as well as those looking to play the game in a bigger format, you’ll be able to join in on the Squid fun!
Set in the underwater world where the sea is getting polluted by scary black ooze and you have to work with a group of squids to try and save the underwater creatures. With a great range in the game that appeals to both casual gamers and more serious gamers, with some great gameplay depth and production values.
Check out our review on Squids HERE, where it received a high 9 capsules out of 10. For more information on Squids, head on over to the website HERE.
Grab the Squids on Android for FREE HERE, with the Mac version coming out on March 1.
Aksys Games has officially made a lot of fans very happy today. Earlier today they revealed that they will be bringing the sequel to 999 to North America later this year. To make things even better they revealed that not only will the title be released on the Nintendo 3DS but it will also be available on the PlayStation Vita, bringing a great puzzler series to the new handheld.
The game has undergone a name change however. Rather than being called Good People Die, Aksys is now naming the title Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, which is quite a mouthful, but a small price to pay to see the title released overseas. Gamers will be treated to fully voiced dialogue that offers both the Japanese and English voice tracks as well as 24 different unique endings as of this announcement.
If you guys have yet to grab a copy of OMGPOP’s latest app, I suggest you get in quick. With Draw Something hitting number one on the App Store charts in several categories (Free app, paid app, word game and puzzle game). The game has drawn on the super popular social aspects of iOS apps and created a sure winner. And more than a few frustrations at other’s lack of drawing skills.
Draw Something has exploded all over Twitter and Instagram, it seems sharing your drawing failures is the new cool thing do to, also gathering attention from celebrities such as My Chemical Romance and Questlove.
Definitely a game that is easier to play on the iPad (I mean, how much can you really pack into that tiny iPhone screen?), it is free-to-play with ads, both for iPhone, Android and iPad. With another ad-free version available for $0.99, with a larger word list also available.
So what are you waiting for? Grab an app, your best drawing skills, and get to it!
Draw Something is available for FREE on iOS and Android. The ad free Draw Something is available for $0.99 on iOS and Android.
Warner Bros Interactive have announced that their top-ranking iOS title, Scribblenauts Remix, will be getting a new feature – Scribble Pics.
Scribble Pics is a new in game screenshot sharing system that will allow players to take a digital image of their in game creations and mayhem and share it with their friends through Facebook and Twitter.
Scribblenauts Remix is available on the iTunes app store for $0.99. Be sure to pick it up if you haven’t done so already to join in on the Scribble Pics fun.
What do you think of Scribble Pics? Do you have any funny ideas for pictures to make? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus Developer: Team Ninja Publisher: Tecmo Koei Platform: PlayStation Vita Release Date: February 22, 2012 Price: $39.99 – Available Here
Overview: The Ninja Gaiden series is one that everyone should try at least once, no matter which game they give a shot. However there has been one specific game in the Ninja Gaiden series which has been re-released by Tecmo Koei multiple times, with new additions, upgrades and polish for each system. Team Ninja first released Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox in 2004 however it has since seen a re-release as Ninja Gaiden Sigma on the PlayStation 3.
You can’t keep a good ninja from infiltrating the handheld market however, and Team Ninja has released Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus for the launch of the PlayStation Vita. Has the title seen enough improvements over the PlayStation 3 version to successfully penetrate your PlayStation Vita launch fund?
Story: The story of Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is the tried and true version that is similar to each of the past releases, so those who are looking for some type of new addition to the series’ storyline will be disappointed in finding out that the storyline is very much the same as before. However that doesn’t necessarily make the story a bad by any means.
We follow the journey of Ryu Hayabusa, whose story begins with him infiltrating his uncle’s castle in an effort to test out his ninja skills and have a sparring match against his powerful uncle. After defeating his uncle it is quickly it is quickly revealed that Ryu’s home town and entire clan is being slaughtered by mysterious invaders ready to kill everyone close to Ryu.
As he arrives on the scene he sees that his entire clan has been annihilated and a mysterious dark samurai known as Doki has stolen the devastatingly powerful Dark Dragon Sword which has been kept locked away from the world by the Hayabusa Clan. After being brutally defeated by Doku in a one-sided battle, Ryu vows that he will defeat Doku, avenge his clan and recover the stolen sword and once again hide it away from the world.
Although the story itself may sound a bit cliché it is still very enjoyable and one that will entice newcomers to keep going to see what will happen next as they follow Ryu on his path to defeat Doku and recover the sword. With more than a few plot twists and accompanying characters the story is interesting enough to keep driving you forward, even if the challenge may prove too difficult at times.
Audio & Visual: As players make their way through the game they will be treated to various story related cutscenes which are absolutely stunning to watch as they easily match what we are usually treated to on console versions of the same game. The same is true for the amount of action occurring on the screen at any given time, for Ryu’s sword swinging and bloodletting has never looked better.
There are plenty of fast paced combos used in Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus and all of them flow together perfectly with superb character animation. The same is true for Rachel and enemies as well, with enemies ranging from simple enemy ninja and soldiers to giant demonic creatures, which means as Ryu and Rachel battle across many varied environments the action will always be provided with impressive quality.
As you battle throughout these various areas you will be doing so to your standard music selection for an action game, which leaves a lot to be desired at times. Thankfully the game does have fully voiced cutscenes which provide a nice accompaniment to the beautiful visuals we are presented with during said cutscenes.
Gameplay: At its very core Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus plays exactly as one would expect an action game should play, with various light and heavy attacks, projectile weapons that can be switched around from exploding kunai, smokebombs, simple shuriken or even a bow and arrow, the ability to block, roll out of danger and even use powerful magic attacks known as Ninpo. When players begin the game they will start with just a simple katana, however they will soon acquire a large variety of unique weaponry containing everything from nunchucks to a bo staff and even two scythes to name just a few.
It only makes sense that Ryu Hayabusa is able to carry a small arsenal with him wherever he goes, because the opponents you will face off against are anything but easy. Ninja Gaiden has always been a series that has been known for being infuriatingly difficult, to the point where those who beating the original game on the Xbox was quite an accomplishment. However, although Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus retains this high level of difficulty for those who choose to take it on, there is also a mode that widens the game’s playability window to those who are less skilled in action games.
This is done through the inclusion of Hero Mode. Hero Mode can best be considered a very easy mode as it makes for a number of important changes that will keep your game going longer than you ever thought possible. While playing in Hero Mode, if Ryu’s health bar ever drops into a critical state the game will activate a Hero timer where Ryu will automatically block and dodge enemy attacks, even if he is in the middle of an attack himself. The player also can use as many Ninpo attacks as they want while in Hero mode, making it rather simple to defeat swarms of opponents.
This mode is still challenging however as players will be seeing themselves enter Hero mode far too often for their own liking, and death can still follow if the player is unable to recover their health quickly to deactivate hero mode or the timer runs out and they are struck down by an enemy.
One problem has returned to continue plaguing the series however, and that is the fact that the camera that follows the action is still problematic. Despite the Vita’s twin-sticks the camera is still extremely uncooperative in close spaces, which is unfortunate since a lot of action in Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus happens in tight spaces, meaning that there will be plenty of occasions where you will find it difficult to see what is happening at any given time.
One of the main features of placing Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus on the PlayStation Vita is that Team NINJA has been able to make use of the Vita’s touch and motion control systems and implement them into combat. Whenever the player chooses to use Ninpo, even in Hero Mode, the player must follow a set of instructions to cast the Ninpo which feature the use of the touch pads to cast said Ninpo and defeat your enemies.
Another new feature included in the game is the ability to tap the front touch screen at any time to go into a first person viewing mode, where players can move their Vita around to take a look at their surroundings. This can also be done with the use of a Bow and arrows to aim at your enemies in first person and fire an arrow wherever you tap the screen. While this is great in theory, it is far too easy to enter first person mode when you don’t want to. All it takes is a very slight brush of the touch screen and the game will enter first person mode which can be devastating if done in the middle of a difficult battle. This is likely something that most players will learn to avoid, but it is still extremely distracting and problematic.
Besides that the Mission mode of past games has been renamed to Ninja Trials and has also seen an increase in challenge amount from 56 to 76 total challenges. All of these challenges provide a nice distraction from the main game and offer plenty of playtime after you’ve completed the main storyline.
Overall: Despite the fact that most of us have played Ninja Gaiden in one way or another, Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus still returns to impress with a number of new additions, most of which is the fact that the title is now completely portable. With enjoyable and brutal action that will still provide a crushing level of difficulty if you so choose, players will find it hard to avoid following Ryu Hayabusa once again on his journey for revenge as they select their Vita launch line-up.
When Persona 2 was released for the original PlayStation (PSone), it comprised of two games (chapters), Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment. Innocent Sin was later ported to the PlayStation Portable and introduced a host of new features.
Even with Atlus working hard at Persona 4: The Golden for the PlayStation Vita, they still has some love left for the PlayStation Portable handheld. As Atlus recently confirmed in Famitsu that they will be porting Eternal Sin to the PlayStation Portable.
The game will be be released in Japan on 17 May 2012 and given the track record, a North American and European release should follow shortly after.
The latest Guild Wars 2 update comes from game designer Jon Peters. He provides some hefty knowledge about traits and attributes used in the game. Let’s dive into the juiciness of information.
Initially the developers where looking at a basic four attribute system which involved power, vitality, precision, and toughness. Seeing as this left players with only two offensive attributes – power and toughness, the design team sought out more offensive and supportive attributes to provide deeper gameplay. Here is what they came up with:
Offense
Prowess: Improves the damage multiplier on critical strikes.
Malice: Improves the damage done by conditions like burning, poison, confusion, and bleeding.
Expertise: Improves the duration of all conditions inflicted by the character.
Support
Concentration: Improves the duration of all boons applied by the character.
Compassion: Improves all outgoing heals that your character does, including self heals.
Additionally, individual profession attributes were created to provide yet another variable that could separate your character from the rest. For example, the ranger profession has the attribute empathy which enhances pet attributes. By finding equipment that has empathy or progressing through the appropriate “trait” line, your ranger’s pet attributes will increase.
Before discussing trait lines, the purpose of adding a trait system was to add more definition into building a character. As a player levels from 11-80, they will receive one trait point per level resulting with 70 points overall. Players will be able to invest points into five available trait lines for each profession. Check out the following trait line for the elementalist.
Elementalist
Fire Magic: Power and Expertise.
Air Magic: Precision and Prowess.
Earth Magic: Toughness and Malice.
Water Magic: Vitality and Compassion.
Arcane Power: Concentration and Intelligence.
Players can spend a maximum of 30 trait points per line. As points are spent the associated attributes will increase. Therefore, spending points in the Arcane Power line would in turn increase the bonuses of concentration and intelligence. But here’s the catch! Spending points requires training manuals to increase the amount of points spent in a trait line. An adept training manual obtained at level 11 will only allow 10 points to be spent in a given trait line (at level 40: 20 points and at level 60: 30 points).
To obtain the rest of the information check out Jon’s post at the Guild Wars 2 Website. My mouth is salivating at the sight of all this player customization. The game’s pre-order slogan should be “Guild Wars 2 – It’s Acceptable to Drool”.
