This Autumn comes Mad Riders, for the Xbox Live Arcade. This Adrenaline fuelled racing game will be off the road!
The game is being developed by Techland and published by Ubisoft. The game will feature over 45 different tracks, each with their own hidden shortcuts and sections that will require precision boosting to allow the player to take the lead and come out on top.
The title will also feature online capabilities, with drop-in multiplayer, leaderboards and online races for up to 12 players. Be sure to check out the official website and trailer embedded below for more details.
Ubisoft have unveiled a new trailer for Ghost Recon Online, one which talks you through the three classes that feature in the game: Assault, Specialist and Recon.
Given the Ghost Recon series is renowned for its tactical shooting prowess, these classes should serve to please fans of the series who have yet to see the substance behind the shooting from assets and details about the game so far. Perhaps those veterans doubtful of the console return of the series on Xbox 360 with Kinect support, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, could have their needs met with this game for PC and Wii U.
Without further ado, let me introduce the trailer which explains the three classes and how to put them to use effectively on the battlefield.
The demo for Bioware’s highly anticipated Mass Effect 3 is available to download today for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. The demo showcases both the game’s single-player and multiplayer aspects. With the Earth under attack by the ancient alien race know as the Reapers, Commander Sheppard must “Fight or Die” to save the galaxy.
Currently, Mass Effect 3’s ‘Galaxy at War’ multiplayer mode is available to those who have their Battlefield 3 online pass. For everyone else, the multiplayer co-op portion will become available to everyone else a few days later on February 17. And as an extra bonus for Xbox 360 players with Kinect, the Mass Effect 3 demo also fully supports voice recognition (one of the first pre-launch demos to do so).
Mass Effect 3 is set to be released on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC on March 6.
Since the release of Resident Evil 6’s first trailer a while back, we have all been full of speculation and wonder of just what Capcom has in store for this year’s most anticipated sequel (sorry Halo). Luckily, Capcom have opened up a bit and answered some questions on just what this plot holds for Chris, Leon, and the new protagonists such as Helena Harper.
Taking place in 2013, this narrative will begin with Chris Redfield, who is now the leader of the BSAA, re-joining up with his fellow agents to investigate a bioterrorist attack at the coastal town of Lanshiang.
The main threat this time around are known as J’avo and have the ability to understand speech, work together as a group, use weapons, and regenerate their bodies from damage. This means that the player will now need to use new forms of strategy to defeat each enemy as this is without a doubt the most unpredictable foe to date.
As for Leon, well…he’s on the other side of the map serving a new president by the name of Adam Benford. After running into secret service agent Helena Harper, he soon learns that a new zombie outbreak was her doing. To make matters worse, it seems that these zombies will pack more of a punch as well, now being able to jump, run, and use weapons.
We still don’t have much information on the third man in the trailer, other than the fact that he is the key to save the world and is looking to make a buck of his new responsibility.
2013! No Ashley announced (yet). Three separate stories. It all sounds phenomenal, but I now feel like I have 100 new questions. I guess all that will come in time though, but you can at least rest easy with this dab of details until the game is given a (hopefully) grander stage at E3. To get a more detailed rundown of these events through Capcom’s official website. It’s going to be a long wait til November.
Have an old guitar laying around, just collecting dust? Well, you may very well be interested in what Zivix is preparing to unleash. Today, JAM Live Music Arcade was announced for both the PSN and Xbox Live Arcade. This title is as it sounds and will let players enjoy playing with tunes of all sorts, but with more of a sandbox styled experience.
JAM Live Music Arcade lets players choose to be a DJ, band leader, and producer and have total control of their own experience. As far as actually playing the arcade portion of the game goes, you get to take the role as a guitarist, bassist, drummer, singer and synth player and play one of 30 tracks from the start, or your own custom built songs, but with more of an emphasis on “exploring” music..rather than just trying to accumulate a high score.
“JAM Live Music Arcade builds upon years of our music experience and some of the successes we had with previous iterations of the JAM franchise, but takes it to an entirely new level allowing creative freedom and a closer connection to the music,” said Chad Koehler, vice president of Zivix LLC. “The world loves music, and this product provides immediate accessibility in a totally new way. If you’re looking to jam out, turn the living room in to a live show and experiment with a near-infinite bank of sounds, effects and rhythms, then this is the experience for you. If you’re interested in a more traditional follow-the-leader type of play, then we’ve included the Arcade Mode just for that purpose. With the great songs and artists we have and the wide variety refreshingly creative different play modes, JAM Live Music Arcade is the breath of fresh air the music gaming genre needs.”
JAM Live Music Arcade is a completely new approach to the music genre with a real-time live music sandbox that allows the player to immediately build and customize their very own tunes. Starting with any one of the 30+ licensed songs featured in the game (including hits from Modest Mouse, Fallout Boy, Fatboy Slim, Rise Against, Atmosphere and more), players jam with and remix all aspects of the song – guitar, bass, drums, synth and vocals – to experiment with the song and re-create it to their own personality. All of this is done with any one of the compatible guitar gaming peripherals – the entire band is in your hands! Accessible and easy to get started, yet deep and almost endless to master, everyone can touch real music across a broad range of sonic tastes. JAM Live Music Arcade offers an immersive level of musical interaction that’s inspiring, powerful and contagious.
Features of JAM Live Music Arcade include:
Allows the player to experience music in a different and creative way by controlling and remixing all aspects of the song – it’s an entire band in your hands!
Players have complete creative control over the music and are rewarded for their sense of timing by getting into the flow of the music and beat
Featuring 32 tracks from major artists to top-touring indie bands designed specifically for the JAM platform, JAM Live Music Arcade offers a wide variety of musical stylings
Compatible with any of the millions of gaming guitar peripherals on the market today
JAM’s Arcade Mode not only engages a new type of follow the leader pathway and gameplay style, but also incorporates more controller actions from an up-strum to the whammy bar, creating even more of a challenge
Dynamic visuals respond to your every move, ensuring your visual jam is just as unique as your musical one
User created content: Create a mix, replay or challenge it in Arcade Mode
With the complete death as of late to arcade music titles, JAM seems to be something rather refreshing from the sound of it and if these promises of creative control hold up, we could very well be looking at a new door opening for the genre. As of now, JAM Live Music Arcade doesn’t currently have a release date or pricing details, but those wanting to find out more can check out the official website here and the new trailer down below.
Images have leaked online revealing the character selection screen for the hotly anticipated Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations thanks to some lucky fans at CyberConnect2’s showcase event for the title. Crunchyroll leaked the images of the character select screen online earlier which caused Namco Bandai followed up the leak by revealing the entire character listing, which has brought the number of playable characters in the title to over 85.
The following characters and their transformations are playable within the game:
Naruto (with 4-Tails Awakening)
Naruto (with Tailed Beast Chakra Mode Awakening)
Sage Naruto (with 6-Tails Awakening)
Mei
Ay
Onoki
Sasuke (with Susano Awakening)
Sasuke (Akatsuki)
Sasuke (with CS2 Awakening)
Sakura
Sai
Kakashi (Adult)
Yamato
Danzo
Tobi
Karin
Jugo
Suigetsu
Neji
Lee
Tenten
Guy
Tsunade
Deidara
Sasori
Hidan
Kakuzu
Shikamaru
Choji
Ino
Asuma
Jiraiya
Itachi
Kisame
Konan
Pain
Kiba
Shino
Hinata
Hashirama
Tobirama
Hiruzen
Orochimaru
Kabuto
Gaara
Temari
Kankuro
Chiyo
Killer Bee
Kakashi (Teen)
Obito
Minato
Naruto (Part 1)
Sasuke (Part 1)
Sakura (Part 1)
Neji (Part 1)
Lee (Part 1)
Tenten (Part 1)
Shikamaru (Part 1)
Choji (Part 1)
Ino (Part 1)
Kiba (Part 1)
Shino (Part 1)
Hinata (Part 1)
Gaara (Part 1)
Temari (Part 1)
Kankuro (Part 1)
Kimimaro
Haku
Zabuza
Darui
Cee
Chojuro
Ao
Kurotsuchi
Akatsuchi
Fu
Torune
Kurenai
Shizune
Anko
Jirobo
Kidomaru
Sakon
Tayuya
That is a mighty big list, which pretty much covers the majority of the characters to ever appear in the series which makes this game the most complete Naruto video game to date. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is set for launch on the 30th of March, 2012 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
As the title states, there will be a strategy guide to accommodate the launch of the oceanic servers for The Old Republic from makers Bluemouth Interactive/ Prima Games. Titled the Explorer Guide, this book will be the ultimate compendium to the Star Wars The Old Republic player.
The book is set to include the following and possibly more –
Within the 256 pages, readers will be able to find the location of every hidden Datacron to augment stats, reference hundreds of maps packed with critical information to guide them through their adventure and see tactical readouts on enemy locations, from Korriban’s deserts to Ilum’s icy plains.
Each custom-made, world map includes every taxi, bind point, vendor and more – plus readers will be able to see a planetary survival guide for classes, from Jedi Consular to Sith Warrior.
That’s right, custom made maps as well as hidden secrets and more! If you’re a massive Star Wars fan and already have the game, you should pick this book up when the game officially launches over here on March 1st. If you’re a new player, you should definitely pick up this guide alongside your purchase of the game.
Be sure to check out the guides official site for more info.
The HD re-release of the arcade classic The House of the Dead 3 is now available for download on Playstation Network. Originally released into the arcades in 2002, the game has been reworked in HD, fully supports Playstation Move and trophies.
The third game in the series, The House of the Dead 3 introduced a few new features to the series such as interactive rescue events, creature-shooting roots and a ranking and grading system.
The House of the Dead 3 can be played with both Playstation Move and regular Playstation controller and is available exclusively on the PlayStation Store for $6.99.
The Australian Federal Government has finally introduced legislation to establish an R18+ category for video games in Australia, and about time too. For those of you who don’t know, Australia does not currently have a R18+ category for video games.
This means that any video game that doesn’t fit the current maximum MA15+ rating will be refused classicisation by the Australian Classification Board, thereby effectively banning the sale of the game in the country.
Banned: 2011’s Mortal Kombat
Video games such as Mortal Kombat, Manhunt and Syndicate have been banned in Australia as their content exceeds the guidelines set by Australian Classification Board.
Similarly, video games such as Left 4 Dead 2, Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV were edited down to fit the MA15+ criteria.
The heavily edited Australian version of Left 4 Dead 2 featured little to no gore
However after years of debate, negotiations and public outcry, amendments to the Classification Act 1995 and Broadcasting Services Act 1992 have today been made by Parliament, which finally brings brings gaming in line with the already existing categories for film and television.
The new R18+ Adults-Only category is expected to come into effect by January 2013.
Shank 2 Publisher:EA Games Developer:Klei Entertainment Platform:Xbox Live Arcade (Reviewed), Playstation Network, Steam Release Date: February 7, 2012 Price:800 MS Points, $9.99 Steam, $9.99 PSN
Overview
Shank 2 is a side-scrolling beat-em-up game from developers Klei Entertainment. It is an incredibly fun game that has an art-style that reminded me of classic cartoons, like Samurai Jack. The best way to describe this game would be that it’s Ninja Gaiden (The 3D ones) meets Metal Slug. The entertainment gained from this game is on those levels.
Story
Shank 2 is a tale of a mercenary like character who is traveling via bus through a war-torn country. His travels are quickly interrupted by bad-guys who seem to run half the country.
As a side-scrolling game, there isn’t too much of a story, and what there is of one is enough to drive you between segments of the game. Usually, the story has you reacting to events that have just taken place within the story, for instance at the end of one level an old friend of the main characters is kidnapped and this drives the story forward, giving the player motivation to continue on to the next level.
What I really liked about the story was the use of FMVs, each one being animated in a cartoon-like manner, giving the games story a very unique feeling to it. Further these videos blended in so well to the games visual style that you essentially felt like what you were doing was continuing the cartoon while you were playing.
Gameplay
Shank 2 is, at its core, a two-dimensional side-scrolling game that is very reminiscent of both Ninja Gaiden and Metal Slug. The action in the game is very Ninja Gaiden it’s level of gore and combat, while having that metal Slug sense of humour to carry it along.
During the course of the level, you will have three weapons available to you use for different purposes. The first is a fast close-range weapon designed to build up multiple hits over a short period, the second is a larger close-range weapon designed to deal in heavy damage and the third weapon is a ranged weapon designed to attack enemies from a distance or to build up combo modifiers between attacks. This is where the game begins to feel very Ninja Gaiden. I actually found myself utilising similar tactics that I would have used while playing Ninja Gaiden in this game. That is, quick attacks and ranged attacks to buyild up the damage and keeping the combo up while moving around to get a better hit with my heavier weapon.
What’s a little action without a little variety? Shank 2 is definitely a game that delivers on this concept. Over the course of the campaign mode of the game, you will unlock access to various new pieces of equipment to better aid you in your carnage. Mixing and matching your loadout, I found, was the key to achieving the best possible score on a level while also ensuring your own survivability.
Other than the campaign, there are a plethora of other gametypes available that are survival or score based in nature. These are quite fun to play through and certainly add a great level of replay and competitive value to the game. What makes these even better is adding friends to the mix, competing for scores and the like makes this a lot more fun to play than it already is.
Visuals
Shank 2 has a very cartoon-like appearance, that almost immediately reminded me of Gennedy Tartakovskys cartoons, like Samurai Jack. The animation wasn’t lifted from sorts of cartoons, but I felt the same kind of resonance between this game and those works. So if you’re a fan of that particular animation style, you will probably fall in love with this game visually.
Throughout the game, I noticed that (what looked like) 100% of the games gameplay assets were drawn, either by hand or by hand through a computer drawing pad of some kind. This means that the levels and the assets scattered around them all blended together really nicely and that there wasn’t the same kind of graphical bugs that one might find in a 3D game, such as clipping errors or the like. All of this means that the game not only looked better, but also carried a much better presentational value across the entirety of the game.
What people will find most entertaining though, is the Ninja Gaiden-esque levels of blood spatter whenever you hit some poor goon. Unlike Ninja Gaiden though, the blood doesn’t sticky to the level (or at least I didn’t notice it doing this), but that does not get in the way of the hilarity of some of the stuff that happens. Very early on in the game there is this part where you have to fight these larger enemies near a meat grinder and, as you can probably guess, the visuals can become quite hilarious depending on how you tackle the situation.
Now I’ve talked about Full Motion Videos briefly earlier on in this wall of text, but I’d like to go into them further here. Visually speaking, these Full Motion Videos are incredibly well drawn and animated. I could seriously see a Shank cartoon being animated at some point, and if it carried this level of visual fidelity through it, it could be wildly successful. Not only were the videos fluid and well drawn, but they were also very dynamic and impactful. They also gave you a sense of accomplishment and a sense of a role in the games storyline that some games seem to miss.
Audio
Audibly, this game has a very decent soundtrack with some sound effects that easily represent whatever it is that they’re supposed to be representing. The guns sound gun-like, the knives sound knife-like and the chainsaw sounds chainsaw-like.
What works even better is when these are all blended together while you’re playing, it makes this game even more fun than it would be just watching the visuals alone. This is definitely a game where the experience is heightened by keeping the volume levels up and your own music off. At the very least, for your first playthrough or so.
Overall
Shank 2 is easily one of the most funnest experiences I’ve had with a side-scrolling beat-em-up style game in a while. It’s blend of cartoonish visual styles with dynamic and fun gameplay styles, as well as it’s insane sense of humour, gives it this incredibly fun presentation that should you keep you coming back for more and more action. I’d most definitely advise gamers everywhere to pick this up on their system of choice should they be looking for something play at any point in their lives.
