Karma Online: Prisoners of the Dead has been given a bunch of holiday evenst from the game’s developer and publisher Joymax. Developed by Dragonfly, the creators of Quake Wars Online and Soldier of Fortune Online, players have the chance to sign up for the brand new Clan Champions League, as well as a variety of special Christmas bonuses.
The first of the Christmas KARMA events gives the top user from each country who spends the most KP now until January 3rd a Drive reward. One winner from each country will receive a 7-day Weight +100 boost, so they can carry a huge amount of armour and weapons into battle.
If you’re new to KARMA you can join in the Rookie Challenge, so if you’ve joined between December 20 and January 3, you receive four special guns (the Gold SVT-40 Bayonet, PIAT, CAMO PPSh41, a Luger) and a silver and bronze bullet.
You can also jump into a GM-sponsored contest and be the winner of a sniper match. Everyone who participates automatically gets 3-day EXP of +50% and the top sniper is granted an AWP.
Every Thursday you jump into Prison Break, with 4v4 action on all three Prisoner maps. If you’ve got what it takes to edge out the GM team in two out of three rounds, you and your mates will receive a silver bullet as well as five bronze bullets.
Head over to the KARMA site for more information on the game
Christmas is almost here, but the guys at EA Mobile aren’t giving their steady flow of deals and games a holiday.
The EA Daily Deals today see the prices of the popular FIFA 12 and the newly released Spy Mouse HD shoot down to a mere 99 cents on the iTunes App Store. Android users can also enjoy some limited time special offers with many EA Mobile games as low as $0.99 on the Android Market.
Android fans are in for another holiday treat, as several games, previously available only on iOS devices, have now been made available on the Android Market. Dead Space (Apple’s newly crowned iPad Game of the Year), Plants vs Zombies, Peggle, and Monopoly. Spy Mouse and Real Racing 2 are also coming to the Market in the near future.
iPhone fans aren’t being left by the wayside however, as EA has released a free version of BOGGLE on the App Store. Players can play the classic word game, as well as create their own custom-rules versions of word-play in Advanced modes. BOGGLE also includes achievements, challenging scenarios, and connectivity with Dictionary.com and EA’s Origin service.
Finally, EA Mobile is making its grand entrance on the Mac App store by releasing some of its bigger games onto the service. Mac users can log on now to purchase both NBA Jam and Monopoly, and soon Real Racing 2 and The Game of Life will also soon be made available.
All in all, sounds like EA Mobile has gone bonkers for the holiday season, to the benefit of anyone looking for a bargain.
Looking for a new adventure game revolving around some pirates? Or just think that sounds as cool as I think it does? Well then, you’re in luck because Wizarbox and Reef Entertainment are releasing Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle, where you play as a feisty female pirate captain in search of the treasure of the Golden Turtle.
You have to solve clues left by Buckleberry Tanner, navigating the dangerous waters of the 17th century Carribean as you try and locate Turtle Island. You have to take on fast-paced mini games, meet over 40 unique characters and try and decipher if they are your firend or not. With over 50 environments on 5 islands, awesome HD graphics, Move capability, and over 20 hours of gameplay, this game is sure to be a hit.
Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle is available on February 24 2012 on PS3, PC, Wii and DS. For more information on the game head over to the SITE or join the Facebook Page
Carnival Island Developer: Magic Pixel Games Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: Playstation 3 / Move (reviewed) Release Date: Out Now Price: $48.66 (Available Here)
Overview
The Playstation Move is quite impressive as a piece of technology. The major problem is that, despite it being somewhat referred as the core gamer’s motion controller (despite the constant Middle Age mobbing of motion control by this crowd), it has recently seem a plethora of games targeting a more casual audience. Carnival Island is one of those games. It is essentially a collection of carnival based mini games circling around the survival of a carnival. The player will play as one of two children tasked to save this particular carnival from black and white doom. So, can Carnival Island sway the casual crowd? This reviewer questions whether it can achieve such a feat.
Story
There is a story attached to Carnival Island. One sunny day, two children (one male and the other female) are playing on a wharf. Suddenly, two tickets drop from the sky. The children pick them up and travel to the local carnival. Sadly, when they arrive, it lacks colour and the ticket vendor is asleep, probably dreaming of better times. Upon awakening, the ticket vendor notices the tickets. There, the carnival comes to life in full colour glory. Also, the children are introduced to a panda, who will be cheering them on. Upon entering the carnival, those magical tickets re-colour the carnival. It is up to the children to bring the carnival from the darkness and bring back the colour of Carnival Island.
There are no words to express the amazement at the fact that there seems to be some form of story in a game like Carnival Island. With that being said, it is quite shallow and basic. However, does the story of Carnival Island have to be a masterpiece? No. It does its job well in introducing the setting and characters (to an extent). Speaking of characters, our main protagonists do not speak a single word, despite being at that age where they surely can put a complex sentence together. But the idea is a little interesting and it does appeal to a younger audience. In that light, then, one can say the story is alright. Not a masterpiece of video game storytelling, but alright.
Gameplay
Carnival Island is the average collection of mini games which have flooded the motion control market this generation. Since it is set in a carnival, games such as ring toss, hoops and mini-bowl are all featured. Each mini game is accompanied by a set of nine challenges for the player to complete. Completing these challenges is the mark of progress in the game as it unlocks both cuddly zoo creatures to cheer you on and different variations of the basic form of the mini-game. Ring Toss, for example, has a variation where the player must throw rings into rockets to score points. Usually one challenge is needed to unlock a cheerleading creature and two challenges are all that needs to be done to access the different variations of that particular mini game. There are 35 different games in the compilation, so there is no shortage there.
What seems to be the problem is that this is what the game is basically. It is quite formulaic, despite adding variations that are quite interesting and creative. It becomes really mundane and tiring to play, which is unfortunate. Of course, the intended target for this game is young children. They might find the variations quite entertaining, but the problem is that it might not last. This brings this reviewer to the actual responsiveness of the Move in Carnival Island. It can be said that the motion control is done very well. It is quite responsive and very accurate. There was not a frustrating shout within earshot of anybody, only because no frustrating shout was required. It does not screw up in any way, which is great for anyone.
Outside of the mini-games, there are extras to collect. The most prominent extra exist at real carnivals and are rewarded for the effort one gives in these type of games, whether it is at a carnival, an arcade or somewhere similar. These are, of course, tickets. Not only does the player receive a zoo animal and a variation to the mini-game, but also they receive tickets. Unlike the former two, tickets are rewarded based on the player’s score with that particular playthrough. With these tickets, the player can purchase an animal balloon or some sort of item sold by an old lady, which can be used to dress up the player’s chosen character. Here is some advice, though: the latter is a complete waste, since the character is barely seen in the game. The Playstation Eye does not miss out of the action either. There is a distorted mirror attraction, similar to those “hall of mirror” attractions. However, it is very shallow, only offering three very basic effects to the picture.
Of course, compilations of mini games always feature some form of multiplayer. Carnival Island does not disappoint at that end of the gameplay spectrum. Using single or multiple Move controllers, players will go through the same mini games present in the single player mode. Really, there is not much that can be said with multiplayer expect for that. Is it fun with others? Depends on the crowd the player usually hangs out with. Basically, a family with young children might find it as exciting as the Wiggles live, but the rest would probably ignore this game altogether.
All in all, despite how well the motion controls are, the gameplay is basically falling into the formulaic mini game compilation that seems to imbed the motion control market. Despite variations of games, the process to progress will be the same every time, which boils down to completing challenges here and there. Multiplayer offers some respite but it does use the same games. With a mundane process, Carnival Island’s gameplay offers a shallow experience that could have been something more.
Visuals and Audio
The visuals and the audio are not elements of the game to sing high to the heavens. This does not mean that they are not terrible either. They do look quite good. The models and animations are smooth and well designed. The environments (post colour) are bright and vibrant, bringing to life the setting of the carnival. The strongest point, however, has to be that animation in the cutscenes. The hand drawn animations are bright and full of life, given the right amount of detail. The audio also fits the bill with tunes to fit the carnival scene.
Overall
Despite good visuals and audio and a very responsive control system, Carnival Island seems to bring another formulaic mini game compilation that can become very mundane and boring very quickly. The extras, such as the use of tickets, offer no real reward, something that is achieved at real carnivals. Multiplayer is only fun with the right people. The story is quite basic but the younger members of the family will enjoy it. Despite it being somewhat of a solid game, Move owners with other intentions in mind shouldn’t run away to Carnival Island.
Who doesn’t love a good exorcist movie? There’s nothing quite like going to see a movie and getting completely freaked out by people’s limbs going crazy and, of course, the devil voice coming out of a woman’s mouth.
After the original, and classic, The Exorcist, came out in 1973 it just seems like each movie seems to top that one. Whether or not they have succeeded in that respect varies from movie to movie, however I am someone who loves my classics and I still think that nothing quite lives up to the awesome atmosphere that the first movie achieved.
Here we have the latest film to take a running attack at the exorcist genre, The Devil Inside. And, not to speak ahead of time or anything, but it looks pretty damn sweet. The Devil Inside is coming in February 16 for Australia, and is sure to draw the crowds of masochistic people who love to give themselves an adrenaline rush. With the idea of mixing religion and science to bring exorcism into the modern world, the story seems pretty intriguing, with another layer to it that hasn’t been explored too much.
Check out the trailer below and let us know if it seems like something you’d be interested in seeing and why!
It’s that time of the year. Time for joy. Time for family. And time for Cooking…Mama. Majesco want you and your own family to enjoy Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate), and have shared with us a printable activity book that you can print out and enjoy while waiting for Santa.
There is a word find, connect the dots, a coloring page, and a full maze, all donning a holiday theme that the younger gamers in the family are sure to love. As you know, Cooking Mama 4 and Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures are also out everywhere, so if you are looking for the perfect stocking stuffer, bundle these activity pages along with a delightful Mama game and let Majesco do Santa’s lifting this year.
Download the full Activity Book HERE. (to save, RIGHT CLICK, then SAVE TARGET AS)
Lord of the Rings: War in the North Developer: Snowblind Studios Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Platform: Xbox 360(reviewed),PS3, PC Release Date: 25th November Available Here
Overview:
As the first M rated Lord of the Rings game, LOTR: War in the North marks a new era for the franchise. A new, bloody era. The Dark Alliance Game Engine sees lopped off Uruk-hai limbs, decapitated orc heads and goblins segmented into two right through the middle. Looking back at the films there’s actually less orc blood spraying around in them than there is here, as Peter Jackson’s depiction of battle avoided being gruesome enough to exceed a 12 rating. But the question on everybody’s lips is, does Lord of the Rings: War in the North have any substance behind the gore, or is it simply trying to cover up its imperfections with a generous coating of orc blood?
Story:
The story behind War in the North is non-canon: although Tolkein’s works did speak of people in the Northern regions of Middle Earth and their battle against Sauron’s dark forces, it was only touched upon when compared to the focus put on the Fellowship and the fate of the ring. In this sense Snowblind Studios had some freedom with it, while still having enough sceptical fans to prevent them doing anything too crazy. Their adaptation of Middle Earth takes after the style of the films. There are some locations recognisable from the works of Peter Jackson like Bree and the Prancing Pony, and areas which were never realised visually but only through description do well to stick to a style of presentation that lends itself to the Lord of the Rings universe.
Some familiar characters crop up; as far as I’m aware, it is Ian McKellen’s (Gandalf) voice doing the narrating (or at least a convincing sound-alike), which adds a fair bit of drama to proceedings. Sadly, others are rather less convincing, such as Aragorn, who sounds nothing like his silver screen counterpart. You feel the creators are on smoother terrain when making new characters that don’t have an onscreen likeness to live up to. Like, for example, Radagast the Brown, a wizard who’s in Tolkein’s literature but is never seen in Peter Jackson’s telling of events.
The alliance between the three protagonists appears to be something of Snowblind Studios’ invention; it comes together too nicely to have been written about in the books, acting only as the catalyst for the class system. The trio comprises Farin, a dwarf, Andriel, an elf, and Eradan, a ranger. Certain details could displease hardcore fans, like the ease at which Farin gets along with Andriel despite supposed hostility between the two races, or the fact that a dwarf uses a ranged weapon other than throwing axes (could you believe it – a dwarf with a bloody crossbow). Behind physical attributes, the characters personalities are bland and the performances are flat, meaning that although it’s Lord of the Rings so you are guaranteed an undercurrent of interest, the plot never truly grips you.
Gameplay:
It may be billed as an action RPG but it doesn’t always differ that much from the old hack and slashers made to release alongside the movies. The numbers indicating damage done are just an attempt to disguise the tedious activity of using a mixture of X and Y to take down the waves of enemies. Plus, due to some larger foes not having health bars, it can be difficult to gauge progress in order to know if you’re getting anywhere and doing any damage. This isn’t being completely fair to it, though; there are ranged attacks too, with the elf shooting magic at a machine-gun-like rate, and the man and dwarf firing off arrows. It does vary combat, reverting to a first-person view when using your ranged weapon, but unfortunately the auto-aim is overpowered, which makes it difficult to pick out a desired enemy from a crowd as you’ll find it will automatically guide your shot into someone else.
While there’s no denying that slicing up orcs is fun – particularly on smaller enemies as it makes you feel more like a hero from the films when you do it with ease – the repetitive structure to gameplay quickly becomes apparent. It likes to give the impression that a vast world of Middle Earth is out there, but your path through it is fairly straight and narrow. The cycle is basic and repeats itself: get trapped in a closed off area, fight your way through the swarms of enemies, move on to the next areas and then the cycle begins anew.
The three player co-op, on the other hand, is Lord of the Rings: War in the North’s saving grace. Even if the combat is a bit dull, playing alongside another human player makes the game infinitely more enjoyable. Plus the three player niche isn’t something that’s always catered for, something to bear in mind for those of you with too many friends for two player co-op but not enough for four. Locally it supports two players and over Xbox Live it supports all three.
When playing single-player these cooperative aspects don’t vanish, though. Your AI companions are hardy fellows who can soak up a lot of damage. Although occasionally you will have to come to their rescue with the revive system, the more likely outcome is they’ll be reviving you. This essentially gives you infinite continues, at least until the harder boss battles. Your teammates are perhaps a little overpowered, but given how rapidly your health bar declines, ultimately it works out for the better and you come to accept it.
Visuals & Audio:
Graphically, it’s a fine virtual embodiment of Middle Earth, probably the most beautiful representation of it in a videogame. During your journey you see different weather conditions, times of day, and areas old and new. Aspects that didn’t appear in the films are in keeping with Peter Jackson’s vision for Middle Earth. There are some tiny visual bugs where a stray collectible gets lost on a lump of unreachable decorative rubble, or a non-playable character model doesn’t behave how it should when it gets snagged on a piece of scenery. But, these minor offences aside, it’s a convincing setting for the War in the North. As for the sound, as I said before, the voicing doesn’t do wonders for the story. Other than that, though, there’s subtle music and the typical sounds of someone smashing a melon with a mallet to accompany combat.
Overall:
Lord of the Rings: War in the North isn’t all that bad; sure, the story isn’t well-executed and the nature of gameplay means it gets repetitive, but is does a cracking co-op and visually it’s very pretty. It’s just a shame it released so soon after the rather Lord of the Rings-esque Skyrim, hence it’s likely to be overlooked. Still, if you prefer your adventures to be a bit more straight-forward then this is worth playing with a couple of mates. This extension of the franchise, however, could evoke a mixed reaction from Lord of the Rings fans, as the various pros and cons mean they’ll either be delighted or disgusted.
As you may of heardearlier this week, Starbreeze Studios’ upcoming game Syndicate has been refused classification in Australia, effectively banning the retail sale of the game in the country as Australia does not currently have an R18+ classification for video games. The developers have since responded to the decision by Australian Classification Board in an official statement.
“It’s regrettable that government policy in Australia is denying adults the right to play Syndicate. The game will be not be available in Australia despite its enthusiastic response from fans. We were encouraged by the government’s recent agreement to adopt an 18+ age rating for games. However, delays continue to force an arcane censorship on games – cuts that would never be imposed on books or movies. We urge policy makers to take swift action to implement an updated policy that reflects today’s market and gives its millions ofadult consumers the right to make their own content choices.”
So in short, Syndicate will not be released in Australia and the developers will not be appealing the Refused Classification decision as they do not want to censor any of Syndicate overall quality or appeal for the game’s intended mature audience. This is disappointing news for Australian gamers who are now missing out on play the game entirely.
New Zealanders however will be able to pick up the game in its full R18+ glory next year on February 24th, thanks to their country’s R18+ rating.
It matters not that I even own the system that Capcom’s new Resident Evil: Revelations is coming out on this February 2nd, I have just loved everything to do with the franchise since I first laid eyes on it on the original PlayStation. Well, its come a long way since those days, and despite not owning a 3DS, which has exclusive rights to the title, the storyline takes place between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, familiar to all console owners. Revelations has been specifically designed by Capcom to take full advantage of the 3DS features also allowing full compatibility with the Circle Pad Pro, and looks enticing enough to get me to go out and get one just for it.
Resident Evil has always been notorious for its intertwining character relationships and Revelations will not fail to disappoint, featuring new locations and characters as well as franchise favorites such as Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. With Chris apparently lost on an abandoned cruise ship, Jill ventures out to find him based purely on a vague GPS location, knowing not of the T-abyss virus or the evil that is ahead of her.
This installment to the Resident Evil franchise goes back to the roots of the game, creating a truly immersive and nerve racking experience, akin to the original installments that scared to daylights out of many late night gamers. Also just to make things a bit more frustrating, finding ammunition and firepower to obliterate those zombies and meanies is just as hard as ever. Campaign mode is set over snow covered mountains and the abandoned cruise ship amongst many other environments. In the all new raid mode, you can either play in single or 2 player co-op to complete various missions and earn points with which to upgrade your character and inventory.
Incorporating the new Circle Pad Pro, Resident Evil Revelations can be explored in ways never seen before, using the extra shoulder buttons for more detailed exploration, or as a twin stick shooter. The touch screen allows players to solve puzzles, easily switch between weapons and view the labyrinthine map.
Coming soon, Resident Evil: Revelations will retail for $64.95 and the Circle Pad Pro for $24.95 in Australian markets, and especially if you played the amazing Gamecube or Wii versions of Resident Evil 4 you have to give this one a look in.
Overview:
Jetpack Joyride has enjoyed runaway success this year, using the classic one-button float game mechanic to make a simple yet addictive game. One Giant Leap uses the same mechanic, but applies a new premise.
Story:
You’re an astronaut of some sort bouncing around on the moon, collecting gems and dodging asteroids, to get back to your rocket ship and escape… on every level. Okay, so there’s not much in the way of plot to this title, but if the game’s well done, who cares, right?
The first couple of levels are simple and do a good job of easing you into the general idea of the game. But once the third level hits, you’re straight into the deep end. This isn’t really down to the complexity of the level itself, but rather the flaws in the construction of the game become more apparent.
Gameplay:
The first couple of levels are simple and do a good job of easing you into the general idea of the game. But once the third level hits, you’re straight into the deep end. This isn’t really down to the complexity of the level itself, but rather the flaws in the construction of the game become more apparent. First off, everything’s huge. Your astronaut dude takes up almost half the screen, which leaves very little wiggle room for maneuvering around the asteroids. For this reason, the levels with even a hint of difficulty about them become almost impossible to complete. I think that’s pretty much the main issue, though it presents itself in a variety of ways… collision detection feels too sensitive, floatiness feels too floaty, that kind of thing. There is only one “area”, the moon, with a total of 30 levels.
Unfortunately due to the steep difficulty curve, I have been unable to make it past level 4. There is also a “Challenge Mode”, consisting of floating through one giant level, encountering aliens and picking up special power-ups along the way. But, again, the flaws of the gameplay make it very difficult to play through very far and not rage-quit your way out of the game altogether. The game also has an Achievements system, with goals ranging from the almost impossible “Get a 3-star rank on 5 missions” at the bottom end, to the harder-than-it-sounds “Spend 2 hours playing One Giant Leap” at the top end. All I could muster was a thousand gems from dying in Missions mode, and destroyed a UFO with it’s own laser from dying in the Challenge mode. There’s a “how to play” button explaining the basics of gameplay, and a static “more games” screen advertising other Asobu Games games, in case you’re interested.
Audio & Visual:
On a positive note, the graphics, while simple, were pleasant enough, and fitted the premise well. Some of the subtler graphic elements, like the mountains in the background and laser beams were actually quite cool. It’s just a shame that things weren’t tightened up a bit more…
There are a few minor issues with the interface and menus, all of which can be overlooked if you like actually playing the game. Unfortunately, as the one flaw with the game kinda cripples it, you begin to notice the “almost finished” feel of some of the interface design. The audio was passable with the menu music featured some nicely-put-together 8-bit style beats, while the in-game music was decidedly subdued and quiet.
Overall:
I feel I have to put my hand up here and tell you I did not finish the game. I’ve tried (oh, how I’ve tried), but alas, I could not make it through all the 30 levels. In fact I almost couldn’t be bothered to finish the title simply due to the poor gameplay mechanics and the repetitive and boring gameplay that shouldn’t even be justified for an iPhone app, albeit a cheap one.
