The UK Magazine Play is reporting that the fourth iteration of Syphon Filter will be making an appearance within the year. The fourth God of War has also been rumored to make an appearance within that time frame.
Rumors suggest that Syphon Filter will be a PlayStation 3 exclusive, will be announced in February and will come out this winter. Developed by SCE London Studio (Sony Bend), the game will see the return of Gabe Logan and his shoot’em up stealth tactics.
Rumors also suggest that the next God of War will be made by Sony Santa Monica and announced in late February.
Death, second rider of the apocalypse, has been around for a long time, as the new trailer released by THQ and Vigil Games showcases.
Darksiders II, the sequel to the hit 2010 game, centers around Death’s quest to redeem his brother, and fellow rider of the apocalypse, War and perhaps even to redeem the fate of humanity itself. The “Death Eternal” trailer below showcases that constant historical connection between mankind and Death, and mixes in a good dose of creepy for good measure.
Darksiders II rides into stores this summer for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. A Wii U version will also be available when the Nintendo system launches.
Being the Father of a 2 year old, I have seen the power of childrens entertainment first hand, so its great so see it being used for further educational purposes as well as having the amazingly lifesaving ability to keep her quiet. They dont come much more powerful than the Wiggles when it comes to Australian television, who have just announced their move onto the iPad, with their new Alphabet Adventure app available now through the app store. Designed specifically for the iPad, to allow for more interactive play, The Wiggles Alphabet Adventure is a fantastic way to keep kids aged 2-6 occupied when travelling as well as improving their comminication skills in inventive and engrossing ways. The Wiggles Alphabet Adventure app was designed by Salmat digital and takes kids on a journey through the alphabet, in that fun and addictive way that only the Wiggles can deliver.
To visit the store and check out this cool app visit here
Toshiba have given their Australian lineup of tablets and notebooks a nice revamp, unveiling some sleek looking new hardware, with the stars of the attraction being the Toshiba tablet AT200, and the Toshiba Satellite U840 Notebook. The AT200 seems to be the epitomy of ultra light portability. It weighs in at an incredibly light 535g, and with a mere width of 7.7mm, this makes it the lightest and thinnest tablet on the market, shaving 30g from the Galaxy and 78g from the iPad. It doesnt seem like a lot, but it is when you consider it to be over 10% of the the products total weight and the idea to be as portable as possible.
The AT200 runs on the Android 3.2 Operating system, and with a 10.1″ Wide View HD screen made from Gorilla Glass, which I can vouch for as being tough as nails, is perfect for everyone from all walks of life. In terms of connectivity, the AT200 includes a micro HDMI, USB2.0 and SD slot, as well as 2 dual cameras ideal for video conferencing and chatting.
Also unveiled was Toshibas new U840 Notebook, which packs quite a punch for a notebook, featuring a 14″ screen which is ample for anything from spreadsheets to your favourite tv series. Powered by Intels ULV i5 core processor, this pocket rocket also features 8GB RAM, a 320GB Hybrid HDD as well as 16Gb of internal memory. All your HD movies will look crisp and clear through the 1366 x 768 LED backlit display or through your large flat screen through the full size HDMI port. Weighing in at 1.73kg and being 19.9mm thick, the Satellite U840 is slightly heavier than most notebooks on the market but is packed with every feature to satisfy the needs of all users.
Additionally, Toshiba unveiled a revamped AT1S0 tablet, their pocket sized 7″ tablet, also running Android 3.2 and now with a much larger 16GB of memory. Still small enough to fit in a handbag or jacket pocket, the AT1S0 weighs in at 375g and also features dual HD cameras as well as dual core processors for faster web browsing and multitasking.
Exclusive to Harvey Norman and developed specifically for hardcore gamers, Toshiba have also announced revisions to their very reputable Qosmios range, with the 17.3″ X770 now featuring 16GB RAM, 1.5TB Hybrid SSD and Hard drive, and a powerful Intel i7 Quad core processor. The F750 has also been upgraded with 16GB RAM and also is powered by Intels i7 Quad cores. With a slightly smaller HDD and screen the F750 is still a very powerful notebook more than capable of peforming everyday and high end media tasks. Both are very attractive looking pieces of hardware now featuring a new Ocean Blue colour option on the smaller version.
Details on the recently announcedResident Evil 6’s multiplayer aspects have come out via the game’s listing on Xbox.com as well as information divulged from the game’s official twitter page.
It has been officially confirmed that the game will feature 6 player online co-operative play as well as regular 2 player offline co-op. Not only that but 8 player online competitive play was also confirmed. How each mode will be presented is another matter altogether however and one that is yet to be revealed.
It can be expected however that the 2 player offline co-op will resemble the same mode as it was featured in the previous instalment in the franchise, Resident Evil 5.
Resident Evil 6 has been in development for 2 years now and is Capcom’s biggest project to date, with over 600 staff working on the title across the globe. It is set to horrify the masses as they attempt to survive the zombie apocalypse on the 20th of November, 2012.
Xotic Publisher: Valcon Games Developer:WXP Games Platforms: XBLA (reviewed), PC Release Date: 11/16/2011 Price:1200 MSP – Available Here
Overview
You can’t argue it-there’s a lot of damn FPS games these days. Many of which are generic military shooters, and it’s becoming harder and harder to pick the crap from the quality due to the huge amount of titles out there right now. Sadly, it’s a rarity to see games like Xotic, as it’s titles like these that take risks and spit in the face of the cliché and offer unique and refreshing experiences. However originality often means stepping out of the general public’s comfort zones, and risks do mean there is a chance of the game being less than spectacular. This defines Xotic perfectly-for better or for worse, it’s an exotic experience.
Gameplay
The concept of Xotic is a bizarre but interesting one. WXP Games have taken an interesting concept of combining old school and modern gaming elements into one unique game. The best way to describe it is just simply take a typical FPS engine, nothing too over the top and give yourself arm cannon to shoot a lot of plants in a Metroid Prime kinda way. Then take away the levels and give it some simple arenas/mazes…I’m talking like Pacman simple…and put a strong focus on racking up combos and collecting points like you know…every 80s/early 90s video game ever! There is very little focus on shooting enemies that shoot back at you here-its more about shooting plants in a particular order to rack up combos and high scores. Hell, there’s so much of a focus on this that the leaderboard is shown at the end of every level. Chances are, you’ve never played a video game like this one before. Xotic feels very familiar in both the sense of presentation and gameplay, but in two separate ways you’ve probably never expected to witness together before.
While all these high-score chasing elements of shooting plants, gaining multipliers and scoring XP to level up in the process do become addictive, this is only a mild distraction from the painful mediocracy of the rest of the title. Combat with enemies is a huge choir, with an unnecessary and awkward covering system feeling almost unfinished. Also it’s complicated leaning system while unique, does more harm than good. Navigation in some levels can be difficult although it does seem simple, and the repetitiveness while forgivable in retro titles, only makes advancing even more boring in this game. It’s 2012. Gamers have short attention spans, we need to be entertained! Overall the concept while interesting does show promise, but nothing follows through. It sounds like a fun idea and maybe it could’ve been-but the execution unfortunately fails to deliver any fun after the first 15 minutes.
Audio & Visual
It’s really hard to judge the visuals of Xotic, because it’s hard to tell what exactly the developers are aiming for. At times it seems reminiscent of something from a Tim Burton film, sometimes it feels once again like Metroid Prime only stripped down and less detailed. Regardless of whatever theme it’s design is going for, the most important issues is the games’ visual presentation. Xotic takes a huge risk here by avoiding the typical realistic, gritty look of the modern FPS game and instead focuses on bright colours for a more retro feel. Also textures are decent, but not really to the high standard of most modern titles. This begs a powerful question: were the developers really aiming for this on purpose to claim it as old school presentation, or is this just an excuse for making a game that looks less than spectacular? Either way it feels like your playing a PlayStation 2 title. If that’s a good or a bad thing is debatable, but in the end it’s still pretty clear the game looks dated.
What can’t be argued is the fact that whoever composed the audio for this title most likely didn’t really know what the heck they were doing. The soft, techno-ambience soundtrack while managing to capture the atmosphere of the stages, it never captures the atmosphere of the actual gameplay. For such a fast-paced game, something more upbeat would’ve been prefered. It constantly feels out of place, and disconnects the player from the experience.
Overall
Xotic for me represents the beauty of indie developers. These guys can take huge risks and try and take on ideas most developers wouldn’t even dream of. Unfortunately, risks always have a chance of flopping, and in the case of Xotic it doesn’t really pull through. It feels throughout the entire game your playing a pitch or an idea, or the foundations of great concept that’s incomplete. The entire experience feels like it’s missing it’s ‘X-factor’ or it’s major selling point as all it is really is throwing you in a small room and shooting some plants on a wall for target practice. Hardly innovative and hardly entertaining. To make matters worse it seems like even the developers didn’t know what to do with their concept, as the game feels like a combination of random ideas that don’t blend so well together, and some that could’ve but haven’t been blended well. It’s not all bad, but after about 15-20 minutes you’ve seen all you really need to. I commend WXP Games for trying something different, but unfortunately the only other positive thing I can say is better luck next time.
THQ announced today the release of the playable demo for UFC Undisputed 3, available now for free from the Xbox Live Marketplace as well as the PlayStation Network.
Gamers will be able to explore a fantasy match-up between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones middleweight champion Anderson Silva, in addition to reliving a classic PRIDE Mode bout between Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Sliva.
“The playable demo for UFC Undisputed 3 will give consumers their first taste of the virtual Octagon with four incredible fighters and unique gameplay experiences across UFC and PRIDE Mode,” said Danny Bilson, executive vice president, Core Games, THQ. “We are eager to see how our fans worldwide embrace this engaging and powerful mixed martial arts gameplay experience.”
UFC Undisputed 3 will be released on February 16 for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Yes, North America and Japan have been enjoying the HD re-releases of Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker since last November. However, European and PAL territories have to wait until February until they are able to play the HD re-releases. So, to officially launch the Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection, Konami has released the following trailer. It shows new features, such as dual analogue support for Peace Walker, as well as updated graphics and Trophies and Achievements.
Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection will sneak into stores on February 3, 2012 for Europe and February 2, 2012 for Australia. This release date are for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the collection. A Playstation Vita version has been slated for a release in 2012 and will feature transferable saves between the Playstation 3 and Vita versions.
Word is officially out from Nintendo that The Last Story will be released in Australia on 23 February 2012 for a Suggested Retail Price of $AU 99.95.
Last Story comes from Mistwalker Studios, a game development team lead and founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi, well known among gamers as the father of the Final Fantasy series.
Mistwalker originally started out as a Microsoft funded studio, and they would release Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey exclusively for the Xbox 360. However, they soon moved on to the Nintendo DS, which would serve home to their RPG projects, including some Blue Dragon sequels. The Last Story is the latest from Mistwalker, and their first major console RPG since Lost Odyssey, and also their very first Nintendo Wii title.
In The Last Story players will take control of Zael, and together with a group of mercenaries, explore Lazulis as Zael tries to achieve his goal of becoming a Knight.
The game is set to feature high levels of character customisation, and apart from a massive single player quest, it will include online multiplayer modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Co-Op. It will allow up to five players to play together.
Look forward to our full review of the title as the release date draws near.
To help promote the Playstation Vita launch title, Army Corps of Hell, the King himself has invaded Hell to reclaim what is rightfully his, the throne to the underground realm. I guess he wants the world to fear his almighty power. One small problem… it isn’t the Hell he wants. No, he ends up in a town named Hell, but it is in the U.S. state of Michigan. He even decide to video his… invasion, I guess. Watch as he complains about how cold he is and even asking locals for directions to the right Hell (which is apparently somewhere south of the U.S. border).
Army Corps of Hell will be available on February 22, 2012 in North America and Europe, so you can begin your conquest of Hell on launch day.
