Looking for something a little bit different for that Vita? How about some indie blob based antics?
You may have seen Tales from Space: About a Blob on the PlayStation Network last year, and this second release from DrinkBox Studios – Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack – is set to bring new features and gameplay modes to the series that will take advantage of the Vita’s new tech. Expect to control your all-consuming mutant blob with the front and rear touch screens and gyroscope, and devour your way through frat houses and cities alike in this puzzle platformer with more than 24 levels.
It’s perhaps no surprise that the developers have found the Vita an exciting prospect, the portable set up is certainly something that suits this style of game, and Ryan MacLean, CEO of DrinkBox Studios, has even mused that the Vita has allowed this game to surpass its console counterpart:
“We are all very excited about PlayStation®Vita and to be part of the launch. The system’s next generation features have allowed us to really think outside of the box while developing Mutant Blobs Attack – it feels as though the technology has in some areas exceeded that of its console counterpart. We’ve had a lot of fun creating the game and we’re working hard to get it out as soon as possible!”
DrinkBox are aiming to have the game ready to roll for the North American Vita launch date.
Rumors just surfaced about Resident Evil 6 and Capcom has been very fast in releasing the next bit of news as soon as possible before the rumors get ahead of themselves again. As such, Resident Evil 6 is indeed confirmed for a November 20th release and this was confirmed via the official trailer which can be seen below.
The story of Resident Evil 6 takes place ten years after the outbreak at Raccoon City and the President of the United States is prepared to reveal the truth about what happened, but then a bioterrorist attack occurs once again and this time even the President is affected. Leon must now try and survive yet another outbreak in North America, while on the other side of the world in China, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance Member, Chris Redfield lands in the midst of yet another bioterrorist attack.
Catch the video below and see a number of new features, including cover based shooting, the return of classic zombies and a brand new character who has yet to be named.
The first Darksiders was a surprise hit, but since its announcement last year, news on the sequel has been sparse. Thankfully, THQ have now released a new “Behind the Mask” video which shows off not only a lot about the game’s protagonist, Death, but also some of the locations that will be visited over the course of the “more involved” storyline and some of the improvements to the overall gameplay.
The developers also promise smoother and more agile character movement in both platforming and combat, more characters, and a world that feels more alive than the abandoned, demon-infested Earth setting of the first game.
Sonic is invading the world of PC gaming with three new digital downloads available from today. The first is a new DLC stage for Sonic Generations: Casino Night Pinball. The level sees modern and classic Sonic racing to defeat the Time Eater and save their friends, and will currently set gamers back $2.99 on Steam.
Secondly comes Sonic CD, bringing the 1993 MEGA CD classic up to date and for the first time making it available for digital download on PC. This enhanced version has already seen a release on the console digital services and iOS, scoring a highly respectable 8.5/10 here at Capsule Computers.
Rounding out the trio of new downloads is Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I, a highly anticipated game taking it’s inspiration from the Sega Mega Drive Sonic games and following on directly from 1994 release Sonic and Knuckles. Episode II is due later this year.
In a bout of uncanny timing, Sonic Generations is currently enjoying a 50% discount on Steam, with the sale ending January 24. A host of other Sonic games are also enjoying a discount right now, including Sonic Spinball, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 3D Blast. If you’ve always wanted to catch up with the gaming history of the blue one now is the time to get that download queue going!
While there probably would have been an announcement later tonight from Capcom, being that today is the 15th anniversary of Resident Evil and all, nothing says big news like it being leaked out early all over the internet. GameStop employees have received promo material and it seems a few of those stores have already placed it out in view of the public and caught by IGN.
As such the news has now been leaked that Resident Evil 6 is to be released on November 20th. Also, rumors are circulating that Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield will be playable characters when the game is released. Expect more details tonight when the official announcement is meant to take place. Check the full promo material below.
Yesterday Tequila Works revealed a project which seems to have been in development for quite some time, Deadlight. Currently not much is known about the title other than the fact that it will be a puzzle platformer and is meant to be released sometime this Summer.
Today Tequila Works revealed a teaser trailer for Deadlight, which shows a very dour looking man who describes that whenever you kill a person, everything changes. This is all while he is standing over a highway with what appears to be zombies moving around. Considering the story so far is that Randall Wayne is one of the last survivors of a pandemic that wiped out nearly everyone else, this could be a new twist on the zombie genre.
Kid Icarus: Uprising is quite the hotly anticipated title here in North America. As such it only makes sense that Nintendo of America give fans some sort of pre-order incentive right? Well today they have announced that those who pre-order the game will guarantee them a downloadable code when they pickup the title.
Unfortunately, although the announcement stated that the pre-order bonus would be available from select retailers, they did not say which ones specifically. Its a bit disappointing however that Nintendo of America has had to resort to letting fans receive the title free from pre-order, while other regions received the 3D classic Kid Icarus free with a couple of qualifying 3DS games.
Some people say that video games today are too easy, that FPS are too forgiving on the average gamer. Well if you happen to be one of those people then you will be happy to hear that Irrational Games is putting a gameplay mode into Bioshock Infinite just for you. The developer announced today that they will be including a “1999 Mode” in the final product.
1999 Mode will feature various difficulty tweaks that won’t be found in the main game mode, and also all of your choices will have a more permanent effect on the game so if you ended up making a choice that resulted in a harder game later on, you need to deal with that. Player health has been modified, difficulty gets an increase and any weapon you pick up or own will be “useless” unless you already have a specialization for that weapon.
Seems like this mode is only for the most die-hard FPS fan but it is good to see that those who want a difficult challenge will indeed be receiving it. Currently there has been no word as to whether or not 1999 Mode will be available at the start of the game or will be unlocked upon completion.
Nothing says brutal by actually being able to input a kill command with a few swipes of your finger. Now earlier this week Warner Bros. revealed that they would be bringing last year’s Mortal Kombat game to the PlayStation Vita sometime this spring. This includes all of the extra content that was included in the PlayStation 3 version of the game, but at the time the company did not elaborate on what new features, if any, were to be added.
Today NetherRealm Studios Creative Director, Ed Boon, has explained that the Vita version of Mortal Kombat will have an exclusive second Challenge Tower with 150 extra challenges, some of which will use the Vita’s touch screen and accelerometer. Touch controls have also been implemented into the combat in a small way, with players able to perform Fatalaties and X-Ray attacks with just a touch or few swipes of the screen.
The genre of physics puzzler has more or less dominated the mobile gaming market ever since Angry Birds hit the AppStore back in 2009. Since then, there have been many variations on the genre, and even what could be termed “Angry Birds Clones”.
Greedy Penguins is one such variation, and one that manages to make it’s gameplay decidedly distinct from the Angry Birds franchise.
Story
As with most puzzle games past and present, the story is thin at best. The basic idea is you need to feed each penguin their favourite (matching colour) fish, afterwhich they release a pink ice-cream cone, which you then tap to deliver to the walrus, pig, or other random animal lazing around somewhere.
I don’t know why you do this, or if it makes any sense whatsoever, but you don’t play this game to learn about penguins, the human condition, or grow as a person… you play this game to excercise your brain, pit your wits against the game’s creators, and to pass the time. And it definitely succeeds in that endeavour.
Gameplay
Each puzzle provides you with a number of different coloured fish, hanging individually in ropey-net-type-things, and dares you to deliver those fish to their corresponding colour penguins. You have to roll them around the level up and down ramps, hurl them across the screen using cannons, and avoid letting them roll into the ocean below.
The controls are nice and simple. For the most part, you’re tapping on fish to free them from their nets, letting them drop, slide or fly into the gaping mouths of the greedy penguins. As you progress through the stages more obstacles and gadgets are introduced (the classic fans with switches and cannons to name a few), calling on you to put more thought into the setup and ordering of your actions to best achieve your goal.
Once a penguin receives their fish, they dive into the water, letting you send along the next fish to reach other penguins. Send the wrong fish to the wrong penguin, however and it’ll… make him “ill”, and you’ll fail the level. More on that later.
The penguin will then let their pink ice-cream cone start float skyward, which you then need to tap to send it over to that particular stage’s mascot. These mascots mainly serve as an identifier to the stage, and basically just sit in the level pulling faces and the like until you send them some ice-cream.
Once all of the penguins have been fed, you’ve completed the level, and are scored based on time taken and how many cones you grabbed. You are then presented with a fish ranking between 1 and 3, which of course go towards unlocking the next stage.
Each stage consists of 12 levels which slowly ramp up in difficulty, but largely keep things straightforward, which is a welcome change from the usual steep learning curve in these kinds of games.
The gameplay is pleasant and stays mildly challenging until only they last few levels of the final stage. That said, it is very short. There’s a total of 72 levels, but due to the lack of difficulty, you’ll be able to blast through the game in a couple of hours, tops. This won’t be an issue if you’re playing it in 5 minute intervals when you’ve got a little time to waste, but if you’ve got a lot of time to waste, you may be disappointed by the game’s length.
The time you do spend playing this game, however, will be filled with fun, mildly challenging phsyics fun.
The game can change between landscape orientations, mute buttons for music and sound effects, along with GameCentre and Crystal integration.
Audio & Visual
The game’s visual style quirky but largely stays on the cartoony side of the line. Each colour penguin and each stage mascot can be poked at any time to see a unique animation, and even have a selection of humourous idle animations and sound effects that play intermittently.
When a penguin eats something he shouldn’t, he immediately barfs it up, in a pseudo-graphic, though decidedly comical way. When a mascot eats an ice-cream, he gives a satisfied groan afterwards.
These little animations are very well put together, and do a lot to keep your interest. You even unlock new animations for the mascots as you receive more fish at the end of the levels, again, keeping you engaged with the characters and amused in general the whole time you’re playing the game.
The music, too, stays playful and unobtrusive in the background, not particularly wowing the player, but keeping you in a trance of “aww”, “teehee” and “that’s so cute“.
Overall
This game is a joy to play from beginning to end. And although it doesn’t last very long, the time you spend on it is rewarding and humourous, and serves as a great pick-me-up in the coffee break of a long day, or as an alternative to the more hardcore physics puzzlers out there.
