You’ve got to watch out for Ubisoft’s Assassins these days – they get everywhere! The latest victim of the developers premier franchise? The iPad. The world of Assassin’s Creed has been transformed into an in depth tactical board game for the tablet, and is now available in the App store for $2.99.
A tactical board game? How on earth does that work? Well first, check out the trailer at the end of the page – now, understood? If you’re like me then perhaps you’re still none the wiser, so read on.
The game offers a narrative experience up to ten hours long, taking in the entire world of Assassin’s Creed. 20 story missions take players on a journey from Barcelona to Constantinople, and the game can also be taken online to challenge other players from around the world in real time battles. It’s all about having a master strategic plan, and presumably playing your cards right (sorry).
This was something of a surprise release from Ubisoft, so there’s not much information about how the gameplay actually works, but perhaps that’s all part of the mysterious master assassin plan…
If you fancy finding out for yourself then you’re in for an extra treat – the animated short film Assassin’s Creed Embers is included free with the download. The short was also included in some of the numerous special editions of Assassin’s Creed Revelations, so this is yet another chance for fans to catch up on the final chapter of the adventures of Ezio Auditore.
Assassin’s Creed Recollection is available for download here.
The first installment in a planned trilogy of Tintin movies is finally heading to Australian cinemas on the day after Christmas. The Steven Spielberg directed motion capture blockbuster will no doubt bring the adventures of Tintin to a whole new generation of fans – but what about the gamers out there?
Ubisoft have just released The Adventure of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn – The Game. As with most movie tie ins, it’s available on almost every current gen console, and is appearing on the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo 3DS. Developed in close collaboration with the film makers, the game follows key moments of the movie (so spoilers for those who want to see the film come December), and has a big emphasis on co-operative gameplay.
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Players will be able to play as Tintin himself, the ever amusingly named Captain Haddock, the Thompson Twins and more (including Snowy of course). The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are Move and Kinect compatible respectively, so gamers with the latest kit can test out the Secret of the Unicorn with an added level of interaction. To celebrate the games release, Ubisoft have just released a brand new story trailer, so make sure and check it out below.
Want to join the console beta for Gotham City Imposters? Well your chance has come, as Warner Bros and DC have announced that they are accepting registrations for the worldwide beta. So whether you want to be a fat Batman or a tiny Joker, get on over to www.GothamCityImpostors.com to have your shot at joining up early with the Bats or the Jokerz.
Another animated short has also landed for the title, so be sure to have a look at the latest in the battle between the two gangs of Gotham.
The full game is released on January 11 next year on PSN, XBLA and PC, so if you need something to fill the Bat shaped hole in your life after finishing Arkham City, try having a look at Gotham City Imposters for a bit of a different spin on everyone’s favourite bat impersonator.
It’s been almost a month since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released, but that hasn’t stopped Activision from extending its marketing campaign to remind everyone doing their Christmas shopping that Call of Duty is the biggest game out there. Starring Jonah Hill and Sam Worthington once again, this trailer is less about action and more about Jonah Hill being, well, Jonah Hill.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 became the biggest entertainment launch in history after selling more than 6.5 million copies in its first 24 hours, and remaining top of the video games sales charts in most countries.
In a new episode of BioWare Pulse, the devs from BioWare Edmonton show off some of the new combat mechanics and abilities available to players in Mass Effect 3.
These include the Vanguard’s new ability to sacrifice his shields in order to send a shockwave bursting out from beneath him, the Engineer’s turret ability, an upgrade to Mass Effect 2’s Overload so that it chains across enemies, and the new heavy melee attacks. The video also demonstrates some of the new tactical approaches available to certain classes in unique combat situations. Biotics can pull the blast shields off of Guardians, and players with the Hack ability can turn turrets set up by the enemy Engineers against their creators.
The video also re-hashes the information released a few weeks ago about the Mass Effect 3 Collector’s Edition.
The Shinobi series has been around for many years and has quite a devoted following of fans. Now a few weeks ago Sega released their Nintendo 3DS remake of the Shinobi title, but how did the developers handle preserving some elements of the classic title that made it special while also doing what they could to bring it into modern day gaming.
You can catch the video below where you will learn about how they chose to factor in the various advantages that the Nintendo 3DS has compared to what was available way back when the title was released on arcade cabinets. You can also read what we thought about the title here in our review.
Hey, are you looking for an exciting, new type of experience on your iPhone? Then XARM F.U. may hit the spot.
This new game “combines hardcore arm wrestling, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu to create the first hybrid MMA sports game blending both twitch elements and fighter management.”
In addition, XARM:FU also promises that it has several “unique” gameplay elements. Check out the game here, and let us know what you think of it. The game is free to play.
So, what do you think the F.U. in the title stands for? Yea, that’s what we thought too. On the other hand, it may stand for the FU like Kung Fu. Hmm… this one is a thinker!
In most parts of the world snow has started falling but on the tropical island of Banoi the sun continues to shine as people roam around the beaches dripping blood and losing limbs. To commemorate the holiday season, Deep Silver is holding a long running contest that will go all the way through the month of December. You can enter at the contest’s website here.
There you can answer various Dead Island related trivia questions or zombie questions and solve puzzles to gain entry into the various contests that will be held each week this month. This weeks prize collection is 10 classic zombie flicks on Blu-Ray with upcoming prizes being a PS3 with a hand airbrushed Dead Island design, a 46″ Sony Bravia 3D HDTV, and finally a 1 week vacation for 2 to a tropical island and a hand airbrushed Dead Island Xbox 360. Those not too interested in the contest should remember that the Bloodbath Arena DLC for Dead Island is available now and can catch the trailer below which demonstrates some of its features
While we may have seen a promotional poster online for the live action Rurouni Kenshin film, we have yet to see how the movie would look when images are actually taken from the set itself. That is until today when Japanese website Eiga posted the five images below which show us how Kenshin Himura and Kaoru Kamiya are going to look when the movie is released next year in Japan on August 25th.
The actor portraying Kenshin Himura is known as Takeru Satoh while the actress handling the role of Kaoru Kamiya is named Emi Takei. What do you think about these two? Do they do the manga and the anime characters justice?
Afterfall: InSanity Review Publisher: Nicolas Games Developer: Intoxicate Studios Release Date: November 25, 2011 Price: $34.90 – Available Here
Overview
Afterfall: InSanity brings together a collection of genres to entertain every sense of the word horror. Incorporating third person adventure elements as well as puzzle mini-games, the game provides an ever changing experience.
To further identify the game’s persona, Amnesty International terminated the contract signed with Nicolas Games because the charity claimed Afterfall: InSanity too brutal. This statement alone boasts the graphical intensity provided during gameplay.
Story
In the wake of a the Third World War, few have survived. The year is 2035, and some members of The Republic that were lucky enough to survive the bombs have been camped in the shelter named Glory for 20 years. However, the citizens of Glory are now encroached with an entirely different foe – darkness. Darkness can be interpreted as the physical reduction of light or even a mental void that plagues people over time. Either state can be equally terrifying but the combination of mental and physical exhaustion can make illusions seem real.
Dr. Albert Tokaj has been forced into the psychiatrist position during his 20 years at Glory. He is in charge of evaluating citizens and reporting their prognosis directly to the Colonel. Left with little choice in profession, Albert grows restless with his position and finds himself falling asleep during evaluations. He admits to his close friend Marcel that he hasn’t been feeling well.
A meeting with the Colonel propels the story forward with a problem involving the ventilation system on the other sub-levels. Albert has been put in charge of evaluating any abnormalities that may be found. Not entirely thrilled about this excursion, Albert sets off with two Republic guards to find the source of the problem. As the story continues, the darkness grows and thickens with confusion. Who is the source of the problem?
Gameplay
The inclusion of a tutorial was cleverly done with Dr. Tokaj having a sleep disorder. As the game begins you are currently sleeping in a psychiatric evaluation with a patient. Abruptly awakening from an upset patient, you are required to find your handheld computer to hack the door’s lock so your patient can leave. In order to interact or pick-up items, the default button “E” should be pressed.
Hacking into a mainframe provides a neat mini-game similar to picking locks in games like Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Not requiring lockpicks or any other tool, hacking is less detrimental to your overall experience and can be done quickly. Utilizing combinations of movement directionals (W,S,A,D) in succession, a player can unlock any hackable device. Some stations can only be accessed with key cards or by supplying electricity to the console.
Still within the tutorial, you learn how to fight in unarmed and armed combat. In need of a drink, Tokaj finds himself engaging in a bar brawl. A tooltip appears to assist in learning the basics of unarmed combat, but the game fails to tell the player how to connect with multiple hits. A left mouse click will initiate a forward punch whereas a right click would administer a blocking movement. Using the left click in junction with left and right directionals creates a combo of punches. This sequence of attacks will generate a loss of fatigue and can only be continued until your stamina bar runs out. After the attack, your stamina is replenished. Once your opponent has fallen to his knees, a final blow option is available. Activating your attack button results in a visceral pounding that knocks out your opponent – they won’t be getting up anytime soon. Additional to the final blow, you may use the “V” button to kick the body that delivers the same end result.
After the bar brawl, Tokaj leaves the bar engaging in free fight mode. You are now able to pick up any available weaponry in the vicinity. That random looking pipe on the ground becomes a viable option for waylaying opponents. Lighter weapons provide faster connecting swings and use less stamina. Heavier weapons such as a monkey wrench will have less successive hits and generate fatigue quicker. Similar to the final blow in unarmed combat, final blows in armed combat are extremely bloody in a decapitating manner. You can expect opponents to become headless after continuous bashing with a metal pipe.
Beyond the tutorial players are able to pick up a pistol, tranquilizer gun, shotgun, and an assault rifle. The gameplay suddenly changes from an action game to a third person shooter. By aiming with a right click, players can use the left click to shoot. If a player does not aim, the player will punch forward with the gun instead of shooting. The melee option is viable for opponents that get too close; however, a couple well placed shots will drop nearly any enemy.
In a specific chapter, the player is able to take control of a miniature land rover to manipulate electric currents. In order to access a power grid, you must traverse through the ventilation system and avoid certain death with rotating fan blades. The danger becomes extremely real when you need to disable the fans to traverse from one shaft to another.
One of the few reservations I have about Afterfall: InSanity concerns the lack of a saving system. The entire game is based on a series of checkpoints. Dying results in a respawn to previous checkpoint and causes a loss in any progress you have gained. On a positive note, the checkpoints are conveniently located before and after major events therefore not damping the game experience.
Audio/Visual
The visuals become increasingly distracting as you progress further into the depths that is Afterfall: InSanity. Upon reaching the upper levels of the shelter, Albert believes to have reached the surface. With cannibals and bandits running rampant, the ability to discern if this place is real becomes apparent. Buildings have been recreated to match the memories of before the bombs struck. I stood outside a strip club wondering how the inside would appear. Sadly, most of the buildings are barren and present only as a standing structure. Providing more questions and fewer answers, the visuals aid in the story’s mystery.
There are many instances in the game where I found myself jumping out of my chair. I would turn around a corner only to hear only footsteps walking toward me then away. Ambient sounds provide a quiet and creepy prelude to fights in a warehouse setting. As a battle emerges the tempo is increased.
Screams and diabolical laughter were captured insanely well to add to the game’s insanity. Cannibals let out a Joker-like laugh and makes you want to kill them even more. Screams can be heard behind closed doors, and upon entering the rooms you only find dead bodies. Afterfall: InSanity makes you wonder if you are actually falling victim to the darkness.
Overall The gameplay in junction with visuals and audio offers a complex environment that keeps you immersed in the post-nuclear world of Afterfall: InSanity. The gameplay is based around the emergence of darkness to light and finding the person responsible for the deaths in the shelter. Sabotaged railways and dangerous traps provide excitement that will keep you on your toes.
While the diversity of man made weaponry is creative, I would have suggested individual kill sequences for each weapon. The final blow for weapons are the same as you are swinging the weapon at the enemy’s head – bashing it off in the process. Still brutal, but a variety in weapon kills would provide more depth.
The storyline continued to gain my attention throughout the course of the game. I felt that I understood Albert’s persona and the darkness he wanted to overcome. However, the end couldn’t have proved me more wrong and is worth finding out yourself.
In the ending scene, Dr. Tokaj is sitting in an investigation chamber. As Albert tells his story, a guard looks up the surveillance footage from the shelter Glory. The security cameras show a different reality than what the player has experienced. What do we take in as truth, and what have we truly done?
