Rising Star Games has announced that the latest game in their popular match-3 ‘Cradle of…’ series will be arriving on the 9th March, 2012. Jewel Master: Cradle of Persia will bring more match-3 puzzling exclusively to Nintendo DS, with key features including:
-7 historical epochs
-Conquer your way through over 100 levels
-Build 20 masterpieces of Ancient Persia
-Free the Genie from Aladdin’s lamp
-Unlock the wonders of Persepolis and become Caliph of Persia
“Cradle of Persia perfectly shows the evolution of the ‘Cradle of’ series by pushing the boundaries of match-3 gaming with more intertwining challenges and puzzles”, says Martin Defries, managing director, Rising Star Games. “We’re delighted to continue releasing this ever popular series and expect the fan-base to grow ever more.
The Testament Of Sherlock Holmes got a little more mysterious as Focus Home have unveiled some more exclusive screenshots of their upcoming puzzle investigative thriller, soon to hit the PC, PS3 and XBox 360 platforms. The title is being developed by Frogwares and features the famous detective in scenarios that will test his every skill. As more and more bodies are being found around the city of London, Sherlock must continue his investigations while maintaining his distance from the watchful eye of Scotland Yard, hell bent on his arrest. Even as evidence surmounts, suggesting his involvement in many of the cases, Holmes must be unwaivered in his investigations to clear his name and bring the killer to justice. With so few people to trust will Holmes still keep the faith of his most trusted friend Dr. Watson or does even he think the great Sherlock has something hes not telling us. Keep tuned for more Testament Of Sherlock news and enjoy the new screenshots showing off some more locations from the adventure.
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen Developer: Acquire Publisher: Namco Bandai (NA and EU)/ Spike (JP) Platform: Playstation Vita Release Date: 22/02/2012 Price: $39.99 (Available Here)
Overview
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen is one of the launch titles of the Playstation Vita. Developed by Acquire and published by Namco Bandai, players take control of Zen, a ninja seeking revenge while interfering in an ongoing civil war in the land of Utakata. It is a stealth action game, which means a lot of sneaking around and assassinations from behind. It also means coming down upon your enemies from higher ground. Is Shinobido 2 worth your time and money as a launch title for Sony’s next generation handheld?
Story
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen stars a ninja who goes by the name of Zen. After an encounter with another ninja, Shu, and his accompliance, Nagi, kill a close friend of Zen’s, he vows revenge over her death. Meanwhile, as Zen battles his own personal war, another war rages in the land of Utakata. Three rival clans proclaim that their clan is the ruler of the land and their forces are tested on the battlefield. Zen completes tasks sent by the leaders of the three clans while searching for information on the whereabouts of Shu so that he may complete his revenge.
The story could have been told better. This is because of the two separate tales that are running parallel. On the one hand, there is a civil war being conducted while Zen is trying to find Shu for his revenge. While I can see they are trying to weave the two stories together, it simply doesn’t work. Although easy to follow, it becomes formulaic, even when a third main storyline (which involves magic mirrors) comes into play later in the game.
Gameplay
Stealth is the core mechanic in Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen. As a ninja, being stealthy is rewarding. You will learn different stealth moves, the basic being moving up behind the enemy and grabbing them, sending your blade right through the enemy’s body. Zen can crouch and sprint throughout the maps to aid in his exploration. He also wields a blade, which he can fight with or perform a stealthy assassination. Throughout the game, Zen will gain new abilities and skills to use during missions, including the ability to glide over gaps with his Fukurou.
As Zen, you undertake various missions with the three clans. At first, only a few types of missions are available: assassination, which involves murdering an important figure of the clan (usually a merchant) or obliteration, where you must wipe out a small force of one clan’s troops in an area. As you progress through the game, more mission types open up, such as robbery, where you steal provisions or a skill book from one clan and give it to the other, kidnapping, where you will kidnap an agent or someone important to a clan for another to exploit and rescue, where one clan wants you to rescue someone important to them after being kidnapped. Completing the missions is the only way to progress the story. Every so often a story mission will pop out. Afterwards, it is back to working for the clans. Doing missions affects both your reputation towards them and their military might.
The game offers a ranking system after the completion of the mission, whether it is a success or a failure. They range from SS (which is the highest) to an E (which is the lowest and usually obtained after a failure). Items, experience points and money are usually the rewards for each completed mission. Zen can level up with the use of experience points, where he can increase his stamina, offense, defence and the length of his grappling hook. Experience points fill up a levelling bar, while SP are used to increase Zen’s overall statistics as a ninja. Trophies are also present in Shinobido 2.
Outside of the missions, Zen has a tool belt where he can hold up to three types of items to use during missions. Items obtained as gifts from the clans or obtained during missions can be used to help Zen throughout the mission. They can also be used in alchemy. Alchemy allows Zen to create medicine, smoke grenades or sushi with enhancements for himself or ailments for his enemies. They can also be given as gifts to the leaders of the three clans to increase their reputation towards you. There are three types of items available for use: smoke grenades, medicine and sushi. Each of these items can be used by both Zen and his enemies as they can both hold status enhancements and status ailments.
The use of a mission system is fine; however, the way it is conducted is strange indeed. Every time you complete a mission for one of the clans which anger the targeted other, then the reputation should be affected as such. However, it does not end up that way. In fact, despite being considered angered when one looks at the mission brief, the reputation towards said clan is unaffected after the mission. The amount of missions with the clan you have the highest reputation with do increase throughout the game, however, it does not mean missions with the other two clans disappear. In order to reflect the reputation, the mission count should reflect the clan with the highest amount of respect with Zen.
There are touch controls added to the game but they are not compulsory to use, neither are they intruding. On the front touchscreen, the player can bring up the map by simply touching it. The map offers a basic outline of the area and a red arrow, symbolising your position. Other than that, it is a bland map with little information. One can also target an enemy when a small eye begins to appear. However, it can only be used once it is solid. Different eye colours symbolise the attentiveness of the enemy. A white eye means they have not seen you, while a red is the exact opposite. The rear touch pad controls Zen’s first person mode, used to aim his grappling hook and items on the tool belt.
Enemy AI is quite embarrassing in the game, no matter the difficulty you choose. For example, despite being a stealth kill, the enemy does make some noise as they die. In robbery missions where there is a group of enemies guarding the man/woman holding Zen’s target, there are usually six to seven enemies that could hear their dying comrade. Instead, they will completely ignore the sound the enemy makes and continue forward. The first missions will contain some of the worst enemies in the game. Players can simply run behind a corner and the enemy will stop their pursuit, despite seeing Zen run around said corner. There should have been further testing with the AI.
Visuals and Audio
For a handheld game, the visuals in Shinobido 2 are quite impressive. The main players in the story are well-detailed, looking sharp and crisp. The environments are also impressive. Buildings are detailed and quite accurate to the period of time. However, in saying that, Acquire does recycle a lot of the character models and environments, even with assassination targets. Samurai generals all look the same, so do merchants. There will be small variations to distinguish different types of units, but they would be minor. Menus are basic but easy to navigate.
The audio is quite average. The soundtrack captures the time period, but also the mood of the perils in the land of Utakata. The voice acting is hit and miss for me. Since it was developed in Japan, it would have gone through localisation. It does show, as there are some awkward or clichéd moments in the voice acting that made me cringe a little.
Overall
Shinobido 2 won’t be everyone’s favourite ninja game, but it is great for those who feel like sneaking up to someone and giving them a stab in the back. While the story could have been told better, it isn’t terrible. In fact, it is quite enjoyable. Gameplay is great, although you will run into terrible AI no matter how hard the game is. The mission format is perfect for gaming on the go. The visuals are impressive for a handheld game but the audio is average at best, with the often cringe worthy moment due to the localisation process. Nonetheless, expect great stealth action that only ninjas can pull off.
Codemasters have released the first short of a series of videos aiming to explain exactly what’s going down in DiRT Showdown. The response to earlier trailers showed fans weren’t quite sure what to make of DiRT Showdown, some calling for no nitro, others calling for DiRT 4 instead of this destruction derby.
What Goes On Tour should shed some light on what you’ll be doing in DiRT Showdown come its release in May, even if it shows near enough no gameplay. You will be able to step into the motorised mayhem on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 when it releases but, for now, take a peek at the video below:
A free downloadable content pack for Gotham City Impostors is available now on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360, with similar content packs available for PlayStation 3 and Windows PC in the near future. The download includes a match-making update which should make connecting to other players easier as it allows you to join a match in progress, as well as new maps and costumes: The 25th Floor map, the Kingmaker and Falcon Blade weapons, the Toxic Gas Support Item, and a new Fun Fact are all available right now!
Check out the latest trailer which coincides with this DLC:
In a very peculiar turn of events, Arc System Works has confirmed that BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend will be getting a release on the PlayStation Portable platform.
BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend is an expansion to BlazBlue Continuum Shift, the expansion adds a new character to the roster and introduces a host of new changes to the character balance and play styles. The game originally received a port on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and later released as a launch title for the PlayStation Vita handheld. So it is a bit strange that they are releasing a PlayStation Portable version after the Vita version.
This PSP version will obviously the weakest version in terms of graphics, and Arc System Works has also decided to add a BlazBlue Quiz mode where players will answer multiple choice questions related to the BlazBlue universe. The game is set for a Japanese release on 31 May 2012. You can check out the first screens below.
Plants vs. Zombies Publisher: PopCap Games Developer: PopCap Games Release Date: February 22, 2012 Price: $14.99
Overview:
If anyone were to mention the game Plants vs. Zombies to someone else, they would likely not have to explain a single thing about the game itself. You see, PopCap’s unique home defense game has become so popular since its original release on the PC that nearly every single platform today has a version of the game available. While this means that it is available on your PC, home consoles and even phones, it is also now available for Sony’s brand new PlayStation Vita handheld. With a few new features added and the unique capabilities of the Vita is this version the one for you?
Audio & Visuals:
Plants vs. Zombies retains its familiar happy-go-lucky soundtrack and sound effects as the zombies shuffle slowly towards your house and the plants defend them with the soft plopping of peas hitting zombie skin. Even Crazy Dave’s kooky mumblings return as he gives advice and tries to sell you things out of his trunk.
There has always been something charming about the art design of Plants vs. Zombies and that charming aesthetic stays as true to the original as possible on the PlayStation Vita. The graphics are crisp and colorful and look as great as ever. All of the different zombies retain the same designs as your various plants do their best to protect your home.
Gameplay:
For those who have never played Plants vs. Zombies in any form, the game is in fact quite simple in its execution, being a basic defense game at its core. Players must defend their home against waves of attacking zombies and the only way to defend yourself is through a wide assortment of plants that will gladly die for their master and knock the heads off of any zombie that gets close.
As you play through the game and make it through each level you will unlock stranger and more powerful plants that range from standard peashooters to giant corn cob cannons and everything in-between. That doesn’t mean that the zombies won’t become more diverse or stronger as they continue to find more ways to get closer to your house as they attack you from all angles at all times of the day.
Now while the formula hasn’t changed much in the PlayStation Vita version, there are a few things that have been added in to the game that help keep things a bit fresh. Most of these changes focus heavily on the fact that the PlayStation Vita offers touchscreen and gyroscopic functions, which means most of what you have seen on other touchscreen devices are also available on the Vita, which means you can tap the suns or coins you want to pick up or can plant the plants with a few taps of your finger. What is different here however is that players can also simply tilt their Vita in any direction ever so slightly and all of the suns or coins on screen will be collected instantly which is a very nice touch.
The touch screen format works well enough on the Vita, though it is worth noting that the Vita’s large screen does make it a bit difficult to plant your plants for long periods of time. There is an option to use the Vita’s normal buttons to control the game instead, however these controls feel clunky and slow compared to using the touchscreen.
Now besides the various ways to control the game, there are a number of brand new additions to the game as well. One of these new additions is the Zombatar mode which allows you to create your very own Zombie. There are plenty of different customization options which let you create the zombie of your dreams, though no matter what clothing you place on your Zombie, any clothing below the head will appear as the default brown suit and blue jeans. What makes Zombatar mode even better is that all of the zombies you created can then appear inside the game carrying the flag, which means you can kill your very own creation.
Aside from the standard main mode there are also the returning mini game modes that offer slot machine fun or bowling fun that help break up the monotony of the normal modes, as well as various survival modes and tasks to complete as well. Though you can take it nice and easy and enjoy the Zen Garden once that mode is unlocked as well.
Those interested in multiplayer of any kind will find that there is none for Plants vs. Zombies on the PlayStation Vita, however there are leaderboards for all of the various modes which allow you to scroll through the list of other players to see where you are located. These leaderboards can be found on your house, and the houses of your friends if they too own the game, which also gets decorated with various lawn ornaments for certain unlocked Trophies.
Speaking of Trophies, those looking to gain some more of these will be happy to hear that Plants vs. Zombies on the PlayStation Vita has not only the 12 original Trophies available on the PlayStation 3 but 30 brand new ones as well. This means that there are now 42 Trophies to be unlocked for those eager to raise their level and have a good time with some zombie killing plants.
Overall:
Now there are plenty of different versions of Plants vs. Zombies on the market, unfortunately a lot of these versions are also cheaper than the one that can be found on the PlayStation Vita, which runs a standard $14.99 on the PSN. However despite its higher price point the game offers everything that those versions offer and more. Plants vs. Zombies is just as fun as you may remember and this version may just be the best one available today. This of course means that those who have never touched a PvZ game before should definitely try it out as they are missing quite an enjoyable game that offers hours of addictive gameplay.
Risen 2: Dark Waters is an action RPG sequel to Risen, a game which was banned in Australia due to “sexual activity and drug use related to incentives or rewards”. Deep Silver and Piranha Bytes are nonetheless back for another round, and if the preview build of the game is anything to go by, nothing’s changed! Players take control of the nameless main character from the first game, who despite having saved an island from a giant titan in Risen, has ended up a disillusioned alcoholic: turns out there were several other titans out there who managed to trash the rest of the world while he was busy…woops.
Yo Ho, Yo Ho…
With the old world completely destroyed by the titans (even starting stronghold Caldera is surrounded by apocalyptic flames), everyone is seeking a new place to live, but is having a bit of trouble with a giant beastie in the ocean – a kraken. When called to help the survivors of a ship wrecked by the monster, the hero (from now on referred to as Jim-lad, because I can) finds an old companion washed up on the beach. Patty is the daughter of pirate supremo Silverbeard, and with a little shove from the Inquisition, Jim-lad is off with Patty to track him down and discover the secret to defeating the kraken. As it turns out, there’s a nifty little weapon that could not only take down the great sea monster, but the ring leader of all the titans- Mara. Unfortunately the Titan Spear is in the hands of another pirate, one who has betrayed his brethren to side with Mara.
Jim-lad and co must fight and persuade their way through jungles full of hostile wild life, less than happy natives, and towns full of Inquisition goons who would like nothing better than to wipe pirates off the map.
The preview build that I got my hands on is based on the beta version of the game, with the full title expected to release at the end of April this year on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Throughout I was playing the PC version, controlled with mouse and keyboard.
A Pirate’s Life For Me…
The first thing to note about Risen 2 is the way it handles its RPG elements. Your character is set in his physical appearance, and is fully voiced. Customisation fiends need not fear however as along the way you can customise Jim-lad with different clothing and a variety of suitably piratical headgear. Along with the weaponry which covers swords and guns and throwing weapons, clothing has different stats that give additional bonuses to Jim-lad’s skills and abilities.
These cover five areas: cunning, toughness, voodoo, swordplay and gunplay. Levelling up is accomplished by gaining glory points – killing wild animals, exploring the islands and completing quests all add to your total, which you can then spend on upgrading your skills. Higher skill rankings open up the opportunity to learn more talents, which can be bought from the plethora of teachers that make up the NPC’s. An imprisoned pirate will pass on his knowledge of stealing (perhaps not the soundest advice), and that lovely lady in a tavern will help you improve your um, silver tongue. But new skills do not come cheap! Risen 2 puts you firmly in pirate shoes, making you obsess over every scrap of gold that comes your way, reluctant to give it up for anything! Ever had too much money in an RPG and had nothing to spend it on? Well that certainly won’t bug you here. Should you buy a pistol so you can start shooting things? Or a pick axe to mine some gold? What about learning to pickpocket to steal back a pirate’s black pearl and complete a quest? But you need that money for a stake in a drinking contest to win a treasure map! Arrrr!
Risen 2 forces you to explore, to track down treasure and do everything that you can. Side quests and exploring are motivated by greed and the need to progress skills, so there’s always a reason to go wandering off down a beach in the hope of finding some treasure or extraordinarily hostile wildlife. Stealing too can net you valuable coin, but the NPC’s know their pirates, and will keep an eye on you if you wander into their property. Sneaking or waiting until night falls do wonders for your chances, and reading other people’s books can often reveal new quests.
One thing to emphasise about Risen 2 is that you don’t have the ability to do everything from the beginning. You can’t just pick a lock or pickpocket without having first paid to learn the skill, so depending on what you invest your glory points in and how you spend your gold, it will probably take a while to get to the point where nothing in the game outsmarts you. Certainly learning talents isn’t the end of it, as chests and the like will vary in their level of difficulty and may still be out of reach until later in the game. Character progression in Risen 2 feels important and like a genuine achievement – there’s no careless levelling up here.
Risen 2 certainly demands a lot of thought from the player in comparison to other Western RPG’s: you’ve got to think ahead when spending glory points and gold, and there are no magic trails to objectives or hand holding tutorials. This may be off putting to some but to me it’s a refreshing change. Having to delve back into quest dialogue to figure out your next move makes you feel much more connected to the character and the world than following an arrow on a map. Indeed Risen puts you firmly in it’s lead characters shoes. Not only will you greedily horde gold and take every opportunity to make some moolah, but you’ll treasure rum and grog as well.
For anyone living in Beijing China, M.Y. Comic 3 was on today, so it was another perfect excuse for the Capsule Computers Crew to attend and cover the event. I have to say that the organizers for this year’s M.Y. Comic 3 did a fantastic job with planning and organizing the event. Everything went down without a hitch. With special media pass tickets we were able to get in and take a look at the event floor 2 hours before the massive crowds / fans and cos players were allowed it. And let me say, THANK THE ANIME GODS for that! Once the clock stuck 9am, the flood gates opened and it was on for young and old!
I said this last time and I’ll say it again, Cos-Play is very much alive in China as you can see with the pictures taken below (over 200 gallery images) a lot of effort and time has gone into some of these outfits which I must say were very interesting and amazingly well designed. Cos-Play here at M.Y. Comic 3 was as good as ComicDive 6 that happened last year in Beijing. The great thing about attending these events is you also get to know the regulars and see what new costumes they have designed, which is always very exciting if you’re a cos-play fan.
M.Y. Comic 3 was jam packed with geeks, nerds, cos-players, children, old people wanting to be cool, you name it, they were there! The show floor was organized into two huge zones, jam packed with stalls stocked with amazing Comics and Dojinshi’s, toys, clothes and a variety of other cool stuff (see image gallery for more details) If you wanted your favorite book or comic, the plan was to make sure you knew were it was by doing your research while in the queue waiting or by checking online days before and preparing your list and memorizing stall locations and high tailing it over to them to buy whatever you needed! As always if you blinked too many time or stopped to smell the roses by looking at all the stalls one at time to see what they had would certainly on many occasions leave you very disappointed when you finally made it to the stall where your favourite book or item would be, as it would of been sold out by then.
The event opened its doors at 9am and was still buzzing at 5pm with fans taking photos of cos-players and people still buying their last minute comics, toys etc before they were asked to vacate the show floor. As always with video games in mind, this was the perfect opportunity to bring along my trusty Nintendo 3DS hoping that I might pick a few more street passes, and boy I sure did. I ended up picking up over 50 + new Mii profiles, swapped puzzles in the new Puzzle Swap and also nearly finished a run through on StreetPass Quest 2, not a bad effort at all for a days work. I also brought along my PSVITA in the hope that the NEAR option would work, but alas, with lack of WI-FI internet in the area, this option did not work and I walked away empty handed in that department.
Check out all the great photos from today’s event below, let us know what you liked the most or which Cos-Play character you thought was the best dressed. Our good friends Ezio & Altair from Assassin’s Creed were back again this time it looks like Ezio found the Apple of Eden! He was very happy about that and decided not to blade me with his retractable hidden blades this time around.
If you live in Europe, you should feel lucky as The Last Story is now out for the Wii. To celebrate this monumental release, Mistwalker have produced a lengthy launch trailer, with an introduction by Final Fantasy mastermind Hironobu Sakaguchi.
After the short bit, we then get a glimpse of the gameplay, story, and the surprisingly well done voice acting. You can check out the clip in full below, and run out and grab a copy if you happen to be in the appropriate region. All of you in the U.S. however still have a wait ahead, as XSeed will be publishing The Last Story later this year.
