It seems that despite the usually well-informed and trustworthy reporting of Nikkei, Kazuo Hirai has not taken a step up the Sony ladder to becoming the new president of the company. At least not yet anyways. Sony has issued a brief and to the point statement saying that currently “nothing has been determined.”
Now while this may seem like a downright refusal, the fact that Sony’s own statement fully says that they have “made no announcement in this regard and nothing has been determined at this time” makes it seem like there could possibly be something moving behind the scenes at Sony, but the company may not want it revealed just yet. Or Nikkei’s report could simply have been false. Time will tell.
Some of you may remember back when the PlayStation Vita was officially revealed at E3 2011 Sony stated that the North American version of the PlayStation Vita 3G version would make exclusive use of AT&T’s3 3G network. Both companies have been very quiet about this since that announcement but today AT&T finally came out with some information and data plans for those who will be picking up the 3G version of the handheld.
There will be two options available for those who want to play their Vita online anywhere. There is a $14.99 plan with a limit of 250MB per month, and a $25 plan with a limit of 2GB per month. AT&T also revealed that anyone who signs up for the Vita data coverage will also be able to download a free game from a certain list of titles, however that list has not been revealed. It is also worth noting that those pricing plans are for monthly payments, not long term coverage.
The hype has grown immensely for the next installment of Resident Evil because players will have a chance to take on the roles of Umbrella team. In the latest trailer, we find Umbrella Security Services team intercepting Spec-Ops soldiers. With the mentality of eliminating all survivors, Umbrella shoots to kill. While both sides are aggressively attacking each other, a zombie horde drops in to say “hello”.
If gamers can take anything away from the cinematic, it would be that this game is hardcore. Even if there is no visible gameplay in this trailer, the cinematic is unbelievably mouth-watering. Watch the entire trailer below, and decide for yourself whether or not you should pre-order immediately (here).
At CES Las Vegas 2012, Parrot, the creators of everyones favourite augmented reality quadricopter have just unveiled their new hotness in the AR.Drone 2.0. For the uninitiated, the AR.Drone is a quadricopter controlled by Wi-Fi using a smartphone or a tablet. Also, it’s from the future. With the brand new 2.0 hot off the presses, Parrot has added in an HD camera, video recording, flight data sharing, a new piloting mode, increased stability and a brand-spankin’ new look. Check out the official release below.
A FLYING HD CAMERA
While in flight, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0‘s front camera transmits, in live, what the quadricopter sees onto the pilot device’s screen.
For the first time, with a resolution of 1280×720, it shows a view from the sky in High Definition, with smooth and unbelievably clear images.
The pilot enjoys an experience like never before, as if he was on board. For gaming purposes, this camera can also recognise specific shapes and colors to show augmented-reality elements on the smartphone’s screen.
RECORD AND SHARE FLYING EXPERIENCES
Thanks to the new AR.FreeFlight 2.0 piloting application, players can record their own HD videos and watch them or share them with the AR.Drone community.
Additionally, with the “travelling” feature, the pilot can film HD video sequences like a professional! Simply select the direction of travel (forward, back, sideways) and the duration, and the AR.Drone 2.0 does the rest.
AR.FreeFlight2.0, A NEW PILOTING AND SHARING APPLICATION
Besides flying the AR.Drone, the new application AR.FreeFlight 2.0 – available to download for free from the AppStoreSM and AndroidTM Market- offers players a new interface and many options.
FreeFlight: Access to the piloting application. The player can record flights, take HD videos or photos, and save them in his piloting device. All the flight data (altitude, speed, duration and place) can be saved, checked by the pilot and shared with the community.
Guest Space: Access an overview of the AR.Drone2.0, the best flight videos and practical information.
Drone Update: Access the AR.Drone2.0‘s free software updates.
AR.Drone Academy: Get geolocation data of the best flight zones, watch other pilots’ videos and access their flight data.
AR.Games: Access applications/games available for the AR.Drone.
Photos/Videos: Directly access your own videos and photos. They can be watched or uploaded to Youtube for the community to enjoy.
‘Absolute Flight’, A REVOLUTIONARY ULTRA-INTUITIVE FLIGHT MODE
After the AR.FreeFlight 2.0 pilot application has been loaded onto an iOS or AndroidTM smartphone or tablet, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 connects to the device via WiFi. Once this has happened, all the on-board instruments appear on its screen, which becomes the “cockpit”.
Press briefly the take off button and the four brushless motors turn on. The AR.Drone 2.0 takes off.
Flying is very simple. With your thumbs placed on either side of the screen, a control button automatically forms beneath each one:
Press and hold the left button and the AR.Drone 2.0 follows the movement of the pilot’s device: it moves forward, backwards or sideways when you tilt the tablet forward, towards you, or to the left or right.
Slide your finger over the right button, and the quadricopter rises, descends, or rotates right or left.
Thanks to Parrot’s patented new ‘Absolute Control’, mode, the player accesses an even more intuitive piloting system.
With a 3D magnetometer, the AR.Drone 2.0 knows its precise orientation with respect to the smartphone, which becomes the reference point. The pilot no longer needs to care about the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0’s front camera, which will accurately track the smartphone’s motions and tilts.
Experienced players will select ‘Relative Flight’ mode, the conventional flight mode. This disables Parrot AR.Drone 2.0‘s magnetometer. The pilot manages the quadricopter’s orientation, with no assistance.
SURPRISING STABILITY AT ANY ALTITUDE
The heart of the AR.Drone 2.0 contains MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems). A 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis magnetometer, and a pressure sensor give the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 surprising stability: Two ultrasound sensors analyse flight altitude up to six meters. New! A pressure sensor completes the device, and affords great vertical stability. Four blades, specially designed for the AR.Drone 2.0, make it possible to carry out particularly fluid flights. A second camera, placed beneath the quadricopter and connected to the central inertial unit, measures the craft’s speed using an image comparison system.
TWO HULLS MADE FOR BOTH TYPES OF FLIGHT
The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 has two hulls with specially designed contours. Made of EPP (a material used in creating car bumpers), they are light, highly resistant and protect the quadricopter’s parts.
For outdoor flight, the contoured hull, available in three colors (orange/yellow; orange/green; orange/blue), reduces wind resistance and preserves the AR.Drone 2.0‘s handling and stability.
When indoor, a second hull protects the blades from any impacts. The black-and-white cockpit, underlined with a red stripe, reinforces the quadricopter’s mysterious, thrilling appearance.
Finally, light-emitting diodes (green in front, red in rear), positioned on the landing gear, help the pilot track the orientation of his AR.Drone 2.0 in space for easier flying.
AN OPEN DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM In order to expand the use of the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 and its compatibility with other OSs, and to develop new flying games and applications, Parrot is providing developers and members of the AppleR and AndroidTM community with a software development kit.
By logging in at https://projects.ardrone.org and accepting the terms of the license, developers can access the source code used to fly the AR.Drone 2.0. A wiki and a tutorial are also available. A forum lets them discuss their work and share feedback with Parrot engineers.
Sierra On-Line’s Space Quest series has drawn enough attention to hail a fan-made game, Space Quest: Vohaul Strikes Back. The last Space Quest of this caliber was produced back in 1995. Appropriately named “Team VSB”, they have created this free-to-download game over a span of 10 years.
The story surrounds the many adventures of the Rodger Wilco and the vengeance declared by the supposively destroyed Sludge Vohaul. Once the aggressive space apes acquire the back-up mainframe for Vohaul’s mind, Rodger becomes the immediate target. Rodger’s task is to stop Vohaul in his tracks while finding a way to keep his own love interest alive.
Vohaul Strikes Back is a point-and-click adventure that encapsulates the old adventures of the original series and completely fan-made. Team VSB has the download available for FREE at www.sqvsb.com. Be prepared for evil scientists, mischievous janitors, and monkeys in the trailer below!
Here is an interesting development. After the PAL region completely missed out on Mega Man 5, a new rating from the Australian Classification Database has now surfaced, showing that the famed outing of the blue bomber will be heading to the Virtual Console.
The Wii’s Virtual Console has been needing some life in Australia for a while, and this new rating could be a hint of one small and final push for the service during 2012. While Capcom are at it though, Strider would also be a nice sight to see, but for the moment, this monumental chapter in the Mega Man series will do just fine.
If you haven’t yet noticed, the eShop has been taking off lately with the releases of Freakyforms, Pushmo, and Mighty Switch Force. Renegade Kid are looking to further this pleasing trend with their new platformer, Mutant Mudds. To catch you up, Mutant Mudds puts players in the role of Max, who sets out to take out an entire Mutant Mudd Army. To do this, Max has been equipped with a heavy-duty water cannon and H20-powered jet pack and is also able to jump into the foreground and background to fully explore his surroundings. Sounds awesome, right?
Two new trailers have now hit the web for Mutant Mudds, which you can check out below. The release isn’t too far off either, so we should be hearing an official release date sometime soon. Based on what we have seen so far, Mutant Mudd’s looks to have a fantastic soundtrack and design overall, which makes me think we might be looking at 2012’s equivalent to Cave Story..and just what the eShop has been needing.
Zelda’s 25th may have come and gone, but Nintendo still seem eager to share the treat of the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour with the world. It was recently announced that 12 more locations would be added for 2012, with tickets now on sale.
As usual, these prices range in-between the $50-$150 mark, but considering how rare this event is to start with, I would say the cash is certainly worth it. You can find the official website here and all the new dates and locations down below. If you’re interested in attending though, get on it as Dallas is now officially sold out!
Jan. 10th – Dallas
March 14th – Vancouver, British Columbia
March 26th – Seattle
March 28th – San Francisco
April 7th: Denver
April 20th – Phoenix
April 21st – Phoenix
May 12 – Atlanta
May 31 – Montreal, Quebec
June 22 – Austin
July 14 – Orlando
September 29th – Toronto, Ontario
Mega Man had a rough 2011. Three titles were completely cancelled altogether, and Capcom have taken quite a hit in the fanbase department as a result. With that said though, Mega Man fans are still big dreamers and it looks like Capcom still have the blue bomber on their minds as we head into 2012.
During a discussion about WayForward developing a future Mega Man title in the Capcom-Unity forums, Vice-President Christian Svensson stepped in and offered his own input:
I’m also a WF fan and I’m familiar with their work. I’ll never say never but there’d be a million approvals before a MM title could ever be produced in the West.
If there is any company worthy of making a Mega Man title, it’s WayForward. For those who were not aware, both companies have worked together in the past with the original Shantae on the Game Boy Color, in which Capcom of course published. WayForward have went on to create 2D masterpieces since, crafting the fantastic Mighty Series, a superb Shantae sequel, and the much loved remake of A Boy and His Blob.
As you can probably tell, this statement doesn’t mean too much as it’s simply a bit of feedback and love, but it’s nice to know that Capcom have an open mind about letting the new masters of the genre potentially give the next Mega Man a shot at greatness.
Nano Assault Platform: Nintendo 3DS Publisher: Majesco Developer: Shin’en Multimedia Release Date: November 22, 2011 Price: $39.99 – Available Here
Overview
During the past 10 years or so, we have seen quite a resurgence in bullet hell games. For those that remember, Shin’en’s Nanostray was one of the better releases we seen for the niche genre when it hit the Nintendo DS back in 2005, earning itself a sequel and a small following due to it’s frantic gameplay and stunning presentation. A few years later, Nano Assault is back and ready to revitalize the brand on the Nintendo 3DS. Does the extra dimension and new control scheme pull this ship into the same “hidden gem” status of it’s predecessors? Here is my review for Nano Assault.
Story
I really would like to say that Nano Assault has no story, as that would be doing the game a favor for the most part and I would have nothing to grade in this review in that area. This title’s main narrative sets out to tap into the player’s knowledge of science, where a deadly virus has broken out and it is up to you to go mini and purify cells before human life is wiped out completely. This may sound exciting, but the game never provides any attachment between the main player and the protagonist, which makes the little bit of story given feel unnecessary.
Yes, there is just enough to make completing your objectives worth it, but most will probably not pay too much attention as the character development and overall plot have just been forced in, providing a small sense of urgency the beautiful environments you will explore. Most stick-shooters don’t have much of a plot anyway, but those looking for something deep will walk away a bit disappointed when it comes to Nano Assault’s lackluster methods of storytelling.
Gameplay
The main objective of Nano Assault is to explore cells and collect three DNA strands for each area. Once that mission is complete, the player then just has to go to the next level and do it all over again. This may sound pretty standard, but it’s what comes in-between that truly makes the cell traveling found here worth the ride. As you aim to gather DNA, you must also take out organisms that are out to destroy your small vessel. Thankfully, this little ship has a jam packed arsenal and there are quite a lot of extra options included to break up any monotony during the game.
As far as the in-game worlds go, I could best sum it up by asking you to think of Super Mario Galaxy. Most of the time, the player slides around a cell in a 360 degree manner, blasting enemies along the way. This is done with a top down perspective in tow, so the player can constantly get a complete view of their surroundings. The D-pad makes this movement feel smooth as well, giving your a ship feel as if it were gliding. During boss battles or special stages, this perspective changes into a third-person view and allows the player to get a grasp on their environment as they dodge projectiles and aim to hit those harder to reach targets. I personally thought this change-up of camera angles did wonders to keep the game feeling fresh, and during the on-rails segments (which are sadly scarce), this title definitely rivals the likes of Star Fox with it’s quick and satisfying combat scheme.
While exploring the cells can be easily done, shooting is a bit more challenging due to the control layout. Even though the 3DS just has one stick, it’s best to go into Nano Assault with a twin-stick mindset. Whenever the player is moving about, they can instantly fire by pressing any of the face buttons on the handheld. This works quite a bit like Centipede: Infestation, where each input fires in a different direction. Hitting B will fire right, A will shoot south, X will fire north, and well…you get the idea. If you want to change the range of your fire, the shoulder buttons can be utilized to take on multiple targets at once. Yes, it sounds a bit complicated compared to most romps in this genre, but after a few levels these fluid controls become second nature. Secondary weapons can also be used, allowing for more powerful shots or increased defense for the much more challenging latter stages.
Those wanting something a bit more tuned to the core of a bullet hell will find their true love in Arcade Mode. This mode lets you play through previously explored stages and try to rank up the highest score possible, with an online leaderboard readily available to both rank the player and give plenty of reason to keep going back in for more. Achievement hunters are also in luck as there are quite a few to collect, with an in-game jukebox also offering up tracks from the main game to unlock and listen to at anytime. My personal favorite of all the extra perks though was the Nanopedia. This guide of sorts lets the player get details on all the enemies in the game, and uses the 3DS’ play coin system to unlock further entries. It won’t take many a long time to finish Nano Assault’s main story mode, but unlocking everything and perfecting that top score in arcade certainly added a lot of reason to keep coming back for more virus-killing greatness.
Visuals/Audio
There isn’t too many games on the 3DS that I can say the same experience can be found by turning down the slider, but Nano Assault’s graphical offerings demand attention and the 3D is definitely worthy of keeping on for the entire trip. The colors of the environments are simply mesmerizing and I had many moments where I would lose a life just trying to take it all in. The enemies and even the pickups just add to this, with each being lightly detailed and “flowing” in this beautiful microscopic art piece. Whenever the action got a bit too hectic, I did notice a bit of a stutter from the game, just trying to keep up with the chaos, but this is easy forgivable and honestly a bit rare to see.
There is plenty of reason that Shin’en made the soundtrack an unlockable extra. Each melody brings a sense of calmness or chaos to each level and helps create a new and flavorful atmosphere for each stage. This does wonders to even the most quiet of areas as even serene environments have tracks to keep the player on the edge of their seat. As far as the other sounds in the game, bullets sound as good as they look popping into enemies and the guide’s voice actress did a terrific job at simply fitting into this vacant and infected universe.
Overall
As I am writing this, the 3DS has been out for a good nine months now, and we haven’t seen many offerings for fans of shooters that have been truly worthy of any accolades. Nano Assault may not be the deepest game on the handheld, but as far as gameplay goes, there is no better twin-stick to invest in at the moment. The combat and the unique control scheme found within provide something different for the genre but remain easily accessible to all comers. The visuals are also stunning from beginning to end and the soundtrack compliments all of the eye candy with intense tunes to make everything feel much more exciting. I’m sure there will be plenty more top-down shooters during the 3DS’ lifespan, but Nano Assault stands out as it does everything right and has set an early standard for how these games should be done, period.
