Popular Sunrise anime series Code Geass is getting it’s own social game. Namco Bandai has announced the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion game coming to Japan’s Mobage gaming network, due to be released this spring.
Early sign-ups begin today, and registering early gains you a in-game present. Registering requires a Yahoo Japan ID, and this social game will have digital items available for purchase. Due to the testing phase of the game it is so far only available in Japanese, though this is one Geass fan who hopes it will be also be released in multiple languages.
When you have a main character so peppy and bright as a cheerleader, it only makes sense that the person who she will be facing off against is the exact opposite of your standard bubbly cheerleader who makes sparkles come out of her chainsaw. That exact opposite turns out to be a man named Swan, a “goth geek bastard” who one day decided he would get revenge on everyone ridiculing him and has turned everyone around him into a zombie in his plan for world domination.
Sound a bit out there? Well check the trailer below for yourself to see this crazy looking guy in action. Warner Bros. is currently aiming to bring Lollipop Chainsaw to North America sometime this year but have not given a smaller release window than that at this point in time.
We’ve seen many different types of games, but practically every game released so far has always been about keeping your player character whole and intact to complete the objective set for you. But what about when your character is completely immortal? Well then you may as well rip your arm off and beat your enemies to death with it, right?
Such is the case with NeverDead and today Konami has released a slew of new screenshots to help reiterate the fact that nothing says immortality like ripping off your own head. In the screenshots below you can see the immortal Bryce take on various demons as well as a few of his partner Arcadia. NeverDead is set to be released at the end of this month on January 31st on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire Special Editions Publisher: Deep silver Developer: doublesix games Platform: XBLA (reviewed), PSN Release Date: November 23, 2011 Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Overview:
Who Wants to be a Millionaire – answer 15 questions to win ever increasing amounts of money, use three life lines as back up along the way and hope not to crash out at an embarrassingly early stage. Put up with a slightly creepy host who insists on drawing out every last moment to create a highly artificial atmosphere of suspense. Spend more time faffing about than actually answering questions.
Thus goes Who Wants to be a Millionaire the TV show, and thus, for the most part, goes the game.
Gameplay:
If you have seen the show then you know how this game is going to roll. It’s a simple quiz game aimed squarely at the casual market, with a single player value directly proportional to how much you care about your achievements or trophies. Aside from being an easy haul of virtual kudos, Millionaire offers a decent enough party game for the trivially inclined. Up to four players can play locally, using the pass and play system if there’s a sudden shortage of gamepads. A fastest finger first round sets up the running order (arrange four answers in the specified order, as fast as you can), and each player takes turns on their own unique set of fifteen questions.
These questions scale up pretty well with the increasing amounts of money, and there seems to be a fair spread of topics that nicely cover European, Australian and American culture and history as well as standard categories like entertainment, geography and sport. The ‘Special Editions’ part of the game lets you download additional themed question packs for 240 – 400 Microsoft Points a pop, and so far offers football, music, movie and South Park themed packs. None of these were included in this review, but it’s certainly a good way to personalise the game to your own tastes, and some packs even give the game a bit of a visual tweak (the South Park pack puts Stan et al in the contestant’s seat).
As with all such games Millionaire’s success is largely down to how many people you have on your sofa. It does a good job of creating a bit of tension even if the constant repetition of the hosts catchphrases wear a bit thin with extended play. It does like to tell you things at least three times and the host sequence at the beginning is unforgivably unskippable.
There are no alternate modes or online multiplayer, so aside from personalising your question packs there’s not much to do. Once you’ve played one round you’ve seen everything the game has to offer. Millionaire is best in short bursts with as many people as you can manage, and will be one of those games that gets taken out at Christmas and parties, probably between bouts of Just Dance 3 and Wii bowling.
Audio & Visual:
On the surface Millionaire is slick and well presented with the atmosphere and setting of the TV show recreated in every detail. Fans will instantly recognise the set, the lighting, the music and more – everything is fully licensed here and there is no doubt that this is as close as you can get to a perfect imitation of the show. The interface is incredibly easy to pick up and play, so even the most technophobic party guest will be able to get in on the action. The voice acting on the host is surprisingly bearable, even if he does tend to sniff a lot he’s still better than the phone a friend callers – mysteriously limited to random verbal grunts rather than any actual words.
What does let Millionaire down is a certain something in the build quality that you can’t help but notice the longer you spend with it. The animations on the host are not quite human, the contestant is a simple silhouette . Although the theme music is present and correct it doesn’t loop smoothly at all – you can hear the lurch when the track misses the proper beat. Transitions between shots are abrupt, and in a few play sessions the visuals began to flicker constantly. Loading times are just that bit too long for something so simple, and the load screens and scripted lines run out very, very quickly.
Overall:
There are no surprises here – Who Wants to be a Millionaire Special Editions lets you play Who Wants to be a Millionaire. It looks and feels like the show despite it’s shortcomings in the presentation department, and will fit nicely into your collection of games to stick on in a moment of party crisis. Single player is pointless when you’ve bagged all the achievements (thank you Google), and multiplayer survives the collection of minor annoyances long enough to be an entertaining distraction if quizzes are your thing.
Namco Bandai have today revealed that the upcoming Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations will feature all new original animation exclusive and specifically created for the game.
The game is said to feature over 65 minutes of new original animation sequences created by none of than Studio Pierrot. The animation sequences are to be used for the games story modes, working as cut scenes between gameplay.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is set for a release on the 29th of March. What do you think of the game featuring entirely new animated sequences? Let us know what you think the shoutbox and comments section.
Namco Bandai have revealed that since the first Naruto game (Naruto: Konoha Ninpocho for the Wonderswan Color) released in 2003 to the latest release (Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact for the PSP), the franchise has shipped over 10 million copies since it’s inception.
That is no small feat, but take note that this is world-wide sales we are talking about here. The next instalment in the Naruto games franchise, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is set to release on the 29th of March in Australia and New Zealand.
What do you think of this monumental achievement for the Naruto games franchise? Did you contribute to that massive number by purchasing one of the titles? Let us know your thoughts in the shoutbox and comments section.
Silent Hill fans are about to have the best month of their lives because not only are they going to be seeing one Silent hill title coming in March, but three. There is practically a Silent Hill title being released every week of the month of March as The Silent Hill HD Collection will be released on March 6th, Silent Hill: Downpour on March 13th, then fans have a weak to recover their nerves a bit before Silent Hill: Book of Memories is released on March 27th.
The Silent Hill HD Collection will feature both Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3 with new voiceovers and HD graphics, but for those who like the original voicework Silent Hill 2 offers that option as well. Below are a batch of new images of how both Silent Hill 2 and 3 look with their new HD upgrade. March is going to be a frighteningly enjoyable month indeed.
Madman Entertainment have revealed a new acquisition quietly yesterday through their weekly newsletter. The title they have licensed is none other than the current season offering of Ano Natsu de Matteru (Waiting in the Summer).
Ano Natsu de Matteru premiered in Japan this past week and was previously licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. It currently is streaming on Crunchyroll but is not viewable to Australian users unfortunately.
There is currently not details on what Madman has planned for the title when it comes to releasing it. So be sure to stay tuned for more information as it comes to light. Let us know what you think of this acquisition in the shoutbox and comments section.
While it may never end up being released in North America, Japanese 3DS owners are about to receive quite a unique looking side scrolling beat’em up. The title is called Code of Princess and is being developed by Agatsuma Entertainment. Earlier today the developers released the first gameplay trailer which can be seen below. In this trailer they also revealed when Japanese gamers can expect to see the game on store shelves and that day is April 19th.
Some may recognize some of the gameplay features as this is the same team who developed Guardian Heroes. As you can see in the video, the gameplay appears to be quite smooth and there are a large number of playable characters available. Now all we need to do is hope that some Western company chooses to pick it up for localization. Who do you think would be best suited for this title?
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is a far cry from what most Resident Evil fans are used to, not only does it feature squad based combat where zombies are not the main focus, but it also is going to have plenty of multiplayer modes where players can face off against one another. This includes a 4-on-4 Team Attack mode, which is more or less Team Deathmatch with the Umbrella Security Service facing the U.S. Spec Ops. for the most kills.
There is also the Biohazard mode which is apparently Capture the Flag. Players must deliver samples of the G-Virus to their base and win against competing factions and Survivor mode is self explanatory, with players trying to survive against hordes of zombies as long as possible. There will also be the previously announced Heroes mode that lets players play as the classic Resident Evil cast including Leon, Jill, Ada and more. Catch the video below to see all of the multiplayer modes in action.
Popular Sunrise anime series Code Geass is getting it’s own social game. Namco Bandai has announced the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion game coming to Japan’s Mobage gaming network, due to be released this spring.
