At an event held at the Luxe in Sydney, EA and Bioware hosted an event to celebrate the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic in Australia. The event itself was a small affair, with a limited number of computers to play that game on, as well as a small presentation from Gabe Amatangelo the Lead PvP Designer for the game and booze.
The presentation from Gabe went in the beginning of the event and and consisted of showing us a handful of cinematics from the game, as well as a brief run through of the some latest additions and future additions to the game. We were also treated to a short film showcasing the impressions of the first few months of playing, which featured a handful of developers, community members and some of the Red Vs. Blue guys. Gabe’s presentation was fairly interesting, but it was more geared towards those that have yet to play the game, rather than the people present that had.
After the presentation was over, we were able to move about freely and socialise with the other media outlets present. During our stay at the event we met many editors, writers and media types from various publications. Characters of note were – Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg [Mana Bar], David Halloway [Toroz] and a few others from various media outlets, like PC Powerplay, Hyper and the like. What I really like about the local media is that everyone is a pretty sensible bunch, you don’t get anyone too crazy and everyone is easy to approach and talk to.
As well as socialising, we were able to play on some pre-made accounts and make our own characters to play with. I rolled on the Aussie RP server with ‘Sexyena’, the sexy Twi’lek Jedi and demonstrated some of the game. However, as someone who already has a pretty decent toon on his own account, I didn’t find starting again as enjoyable as someone who would have been playing this for the very first time. Still it was fun enough to chat to the people who were in the server already and brag about being at the media launch event.
After our short play through and gas-bag it was time for us to begin our interview with Gabe Amatangelo, which went reasonably well. The interview consisted of Spike (Michael Marr) interviewing and myself holding the camera. Gabe seemed like a pretty nice guy and answered our questions in a reasonable manner. After that it was time to head back into the event floor.
Back at the event we poked around for a little while and chatted to some more people and watched people play terribly and decided it was time to leave. We took a survey on the event in which I responded that the event ‘needed more rising Wookies’ and ‘Twi’Lek dancers’. We then thanked everyone for inviting us and left. Fun was had by all. Especially me.
I enjoy writing articles like this as it reminds me that within this cesspit of a world we inhabit that some people are capable of thinking of someone other than themselves and willing to donate their time and money to prove it. So, it is with great pleasure that Toon Ups, cause gaming pioneer and creator of the fabulous “A Better World” Facebook game have announced a partnership with Wish Upon a Hero to grant a wish for Gracies Place, a special needs school in Sacramento. Gracies place urgently needs a new van so they can expand the invaluable help they give to children and families in need. The best thing is that anyone with a Facebook account can help out by simply signing into the FREE “A Better World” and visiting the Sanctuary of Hope. If 100000 hopes are posted OR supported, Toonups will aid Gracies with their new van.
A Better World is an awesome concept that seems to be heavily driven by its faithful users, and their March “Reach for the Stars” campaign is part of a monthy program that encourages users to to good within the game to affect real world issues. The March campaign is in conjucntion with Wish Upon a Hero, which is endorsed by Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Merino (who even as an Australian I know), and has granted almost 90000 wishes so far. Toonups wish of choice is Gracies, a progressive child care home that teaches life values and skills to kids with a variety of learning disablities and from all backgrounds. “Like A Better World, we are providing a conduit for people to help others,” said David Girgenti, founder of Wish Upon a Hero. “It’s incredibly encouraging to find companies that are succeeding in collecting and expanding the numbers of people that want to make the world a better place.”
The game is free for use on Facebook and is an upliftining experience that encourages and rewards players for doing good deeds and acts of kindness. Players can create their own character, look after a virtual pet and post all their good deeds and thoughts with friends and other users. “Our players are absolutely extraordinary in their support and desire to do the right thing,” said Gregory Hansell, vice president of product development, ToonUps. “We’re excited that this month, our players can make real world dreams come true for special needs children by sharing their own hopes and dreams inside the game.” We all wish them the best of luck with everything they do.
Nokia are pleased to announce that as of the 28th February the Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone will be available through Vodaphone and Optus, with many more providers to come in the following days. Additionally, Australian retailers, Dick Smith and Harvey Norman are both taking pre-orders on the device, with Dick Smith having units available from 15th March 2012.
Optus in turn are offering from the 1st March through online and retail outlets, the Lumia 800 on a $0 upfront $59 Optus cap and Business Complete Plans (24 month contract, minimum cost $1146).
To pre-order the Nokia Lumia 800 please visit the following retailers:
Madman Entertainment have announced that the Fall 2011 anime, Guilty Crown, will begin streaming in their Madman Screening Room service beginning on Friday the 2nd of March with new episodes updates weekly.
Guilty Crown is another great addition to the current Madman Screening Room line-up which also includes: Persona 4, Nichijou – My Ordinary Life, Last Exile – Fam, The Silver Wing, GOSICK, Deadman Wonderland and Steins;Gate.
Madman have also confirmed that another new series is set to premiere in the Madman Screening Room in the near future. That series being Waiting in the Summer, a Winter 2012 anime series.
What do you think of Guilty Crown joining the Madman Screening Room line-up? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
You can watch a multitude of anime episodes for free at the Madman Screening Room now here.
We have 2 copies of Robotech: The Masters Saga to give away on DVD courtesy of Beyond Home Entertainment. To win simply leave a comment on our review of Robotech: The Masters Saga and we’ll pick 2 lucky winners at random.
We’ll pick the lucky winners on the 16th of March, so you have a little over 2 weeks to enter. Make sure you leave a valid email when you post your comment so we can email you if you win.
Ubisoft have today released a trailer for the upcoming PSN and XBLA title, Shoot Many Robots. The new trailer focuses on the customisation feature of the game in which players can Shoot Many Robots (har har, see what I did there?).
You can check out the trailer below which goes in depth about Shoot Many Robots customisation features. You will be able to download Shoot Many Robots and proceed to Shoot Many Robots on the 13th of March for PSN and the 14th of March for the XBLA.
Be sure to let us know what you think of the new trailer and the game with the golden name, Shoot Many Robots, by leaving your thoughts in the shoutbox and comments section.
Want to go snowboarding but don’t have a snowboard or any snowboarding skills to speak of? Well you are in luck, EA Games have just released SSX for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 today across Australia. Oh and for you New Zealand folk, you will get the game tomorrow.
We recently got a chance to go to the EA Games SSX Hands-On event which you can see here and we also got a chance to interview legendary FMX superstar Josh Sheehan which you can see here.
Will you be taking to the slopes with SSX for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
Following the announcement made by Atlus, the recent issue Famitsu magazine shares plenty of new screens for the upcoming PlayStation Portable port of Persona 2 Eternal Punishment.
The first set of screens how off some in-game action, and just like the PSP port of Persona 2 Innocent Sin, it looks similar to the original release on the PlayStation (PSone), but with obvious improvement in resolution and presentation. The game is set to include new scenarios and other new features in similar vein to the PSP version of Innocent Sin.
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment is confirmed for a Japanese release in May 2012, you can view the gallery below.
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown is scheduled to be released as a downloadable title on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in the Summer of 2012. The game is the final version of Virtua Fighter 5, which was originally released on disc for the PlayStation 3 and later released on the Xbox 360 with online support.
Virtua Fighter Final Showdown includes new characters and has just about every character who has appeared. The version that will be released on consoles will support online play and will include a spectator mode. It will also be getting download content support in the form of costume pieces and there will be over 14,000 pieces.
Da New Guys: Day of the Jackass Publisher: Wadjet Eye Games Developer: Icebox Studios Platforms: PC Release Date: February 29, 2012 Price: $19.99 (Limited Edition CD) OR $9.99 (Download) – Available Here
*The limited edition will only be available through March 7, 2012*
Overview
Da New Guys: Day of the Jackass is a point-and-click wrestling themed adventure created as a sequel to the original title “Da New Guys”. After its release in 2005, the game had proven as a difficult puzzle for many gamers. Seven years later the guys from Icebox Studios finished with another challenging product. Let’s dive in and see how their newest creation holds up.
Story
We begin our journey at the Wrestle Zone in a match for the championship title belt. The main characters that we meet are Brain, The Defender, and Simon who make up the team called “Da New Guys”. The match has already begun with Simon and The Defender tag teaming their opponents in the ring. Meanwhile, Brain is outside the ropes wandering around aimlessly talking to the crowd. He cannot grab the title belt while the brawl is going on in the ring, so Brain must use his own brain to knock out his opponents. Using a wooden table in junction with the ropes, he is able to spring the table into the ongoing battle. The brawl ceases, and Wrestle Zone becomes silent. Brain enters the ring and notices that his own teammates were part of the collision and were knocked out in the process. Not too concerned Brain snatches the title belt and officially becomes Wrestle Zone’s champion.
After the upset, the crew heads back to their apartment/bachelor pad. Brain’s gloating is short lived when a mob of angry wrestlers shows up at his door. The mob wants Brain to give up the belt immediately; however, no one can agree on who gets the belt. Using the confusion as a distraction, the scrawny wrestler goes back into his apartment and climbs out on the building’s ledge. Screams erupt from the window behind him, but Brain faces a new problem – getting down. He manages to move to another apartment window and enter the room unseen. By outsmarting his neighbors, he is able to navigate out of the adjoining compartment and passed the angry mob to the parking lot. Brain walks a few steps when Ice Cold – an over-sized, dimwitted wrestler – calls for him to stop. Unimportant babble is interrupted by a van recklessly running over Ice Cold. As the van’s side doors open, arms quickly snatch the champion as the vehicle leaves the scene. The only evidence left for Brain’s friends to follow is a part of a Wrestle Zone ticket.
Who is responsible for abducting Brain? And why? One thing is for sure, Simon is not overly concerned.
Gameplay
As with most point-and-click adventures, the trials faced involve environment interactions as well as item manipulation. In order to find out who is responsible for Brain’s capture, players will have to complete plenty of mundane tasks. Additionally, minor setbacks will plague the player whether that be opposing wrestlers or just being unlucky while holding an important item. Having an autographed picture stolen by a fellow wrestler is especially annoying.
Each area will have an open/exit point which guarantees a player will not become trapped. Beyond getting physically stuck in game, there are moments when your character cannot move forward because of an equipped item or puzzle that needs to be solved. While adventuring as The Defender you are able to take the remote control from Simon in the apartment. Until you are able to replace the remote, you may not leave the apartment because Simon will continue to ask you to “change the channel”.
In part of being slightly difficult, there is a constant use of trial and error which can test your patience to the max. One such occurrence begins at the prison gate’s entrance. Initially starting the level with a complex yet simple puzzle is engaging yet frustrating. The best course of action is to walk away for a couple hours and come back with a fresh mind.
Visual/Audio
The graphical content is nothing to brag about. Art assets are two dimensional and provide a classical experience. While not being new aged or well defined, the visuals work well enough for an indie game. One scene that sticks in my mind in particular is the underground wrestling scene. The Defender is pitted against his half-naked boss from the Wrestle Zone in order to get much needed information. Nothing like a little visual comedy.
The audio direction is humorous and can be see through several of its characters. Ice Cold is perhaps my favorite non playable character to see throughout the game. He has the mindset of a child and lower IQ than his son. At the moment he had a fire started in his own kitchen, Ice Cold stopped, dropped, and rolled leaving The Defender to save his home. As the dimwit’s son walked in and asked his father why he was rolling around, Ice Cold offered the wrestling ticket – dropped from the runaway van – in turn for The Defender’s silence.
Overall
Da New Guys: Day of the Jackass is humorous as well as challenging. Complicated quests keep players interested and wanting to find out who abducted Brain – unless you have Simon’s attitude. This bullheaded mentality might even prove useful for an alternative ending.
Certain aspects draw attention away from the creativeness of the game. Difficult puzzles will have players guessing with trial and error for hours. Patience is a virtue, but I hardly ever want to use it when I’m trying to have fun. Thinking outside the box comes in handy, and I felt stumped at some of the simpler tasks. Imagine my frustration. Another drawback is the game’s cost. Even as an interesting I do not believe I would fork over $9.99 for the virtual download. I am sure there was a lot of work put into this game, but I would rather purchase it as an iPhone app for 99 cents.
All in all completing the game felt like a godsend. Going back through and attaining all of the hidden awards made for a rewarding experience. For those that have played the previous version, this edition will serve great in your collection. First time buyers should try out the download-able demo and decide whether or not the game is worth the cost.
