Although Black Friday may have concluded that does not mean that companies are finished with their sales. Amazon has promised to keep up the pandemonium on Cyber Monday. So far their ad has revealed a Xbox 360 250GB bundle that includes Halo: Reach and Fable 3 for $200. However, you can be sure that there will be more gaming deals on their website after the sale starts on Sunday the 27th. Have you steered clear of the sales? If you haven’t, what awesome gaming goodies have you bought? Let us know in the comments below!
Check out some of the rest of Amazon’s Cyber Monday sales here.
Over the Black Friday weekend, Riot is having a sale on several skins and champions on League of Legends. Developers at Riot have informed the public that they will be revamping several champions and actually be removing certain skins from the League of Legends Store. However, players will be able to purchase these legacy skins through Monday, November 28th. The skins may reappear during special circumstances in the future, but they will no longer be visible to players that do not own the champions. Badger Teemo and Pharaoh Amumu are only two of the many legacy skins.
The available legacy skins are available at 75% off retail price. If a player does not have the required champion, the price of the champion has also been reduced by 20%. Hurry and grab the legacy skins while you can!
Check out the League of Legends Website for a full list of legacy skins and champions, or hop on League of Legends Store to see the great deals.
Can’t get enough of Angry Birds? Well, Rovio Entertainment hear your pleas for more, and now you can have it, with the original Angry Birds and Angry Birds Rio arriving on PC at retail stores in the UK and online.
This is perfect for those of you who have an old phone and yet have always wanted to give Angry Birds a go, or just want to give it a go on a bigger screen. Along with all the challenging physics-based gameplay you can find in the mobile versions, there will be a version-checker and auto-updater providing an easy way to download the latest levels and keep your game up to date.
Angry Birds is one of the most popular mobile games, with a ton of awards under its belt, and for good reason. One of the most addictive games ever, it’s practically a staple for anyone with a mobile phone with game capabilities.
Angry Birds and Angry Birds Rio are available for $4.95 each – Grab it HERE
Halfbrick has announced that one of the biggest – and in my opinion, most awesome – mobile titles of 2011, Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots, will be available for Android devices tomorrow (Monday, November 28).
Not only that, but as part of Amazon’s Cyber Monday promotions, they will be offering Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots as the FREE app of the day. After that, it will be available for 99c at the Amazon Appstore.
Fruit Ninja takes on an especially ‘Puss in Boots’ Spanish theme with Desperado and Bandito Mode. Desperado Mode adds Magic Beans and enhanced waves and scoring while Bandito Mode involves a four-tiered challenge adventure where players work through a number of increasingly difficult and varied puzzle-styled slicing games.
Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots was highly successful in the iOS market, so its inclusion to the Android market is a great move on Halfbrick’s part. Check out the iOS debut trailer that was released a month ago.
For more information about Halfbrick and Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots visit the Halfbrick website
Christmas, a time of giving. A time of carols, and trees, and presents, and awesome meals, and of course Christmas themed games. FDG Entertainment has announced their Christmas present to all of us, with the Xmas edition of Beyond Ynth.
(If you aren’t familiar with this cute little puzzle game take a look at the gameplay trailer of the original app below.)
The Xmas edition is available for a limited time only, and lets you play 5 exclusive Xmas levels for free, and it even has its own Christmassy storybook! Instead of collecting diamonds you’ll be collecting presents and (I’m just guessing here) saving Christmas! Hoorah! Following the challenging and interesting design of the original Beyond Ynth, the Xmas edition is sure to be a hit (like most Xmas editions of things, cough, Cut the Rope).
Beyond Ynth Xmas edition is available for FREE for iPhone HERE and the HD edition for iPad HERE.
Looking for a macabre, yet cartoony, puzzle game for the iPhone or iTouch but don’t want to pay the money? Well you’re in luck! Because Synqua Games are offering their symbol- and colour-matching game ‘Chillingham Manor’ for FREE through the Daily App Dream website for a very limited time.
Chillingham Manor has 45 different levels, which can be played over and over again because they are randomly created based on the difficulty level it is intended to have. This is definitely a game that you’ll be able to play again and again, however if you lose your game data and have to start again you might find yourself wanting to throw your phone at the wall.
The game follows Mr. Brightside, a rookie exorcist, trying to prove that he has what it takes to become a real time exorcist by beating a range of supernatural evil creatures. Can you help Mr. Brightside prove himself?
With multiple unlockable achievements, unique and useful spells, and secret items throughout the game, Chillingham Manor will surely keep you entertained for quite a while.
Chillingham Manor is also available from the iTunes store for FREE (for a limited time) – get it HERE
Attention all gamers! This is an insane deal for quite an extensive game. Originally sold for $59.99, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is being sold for only $29.99 as part of Blizzard’s Black Friday Deals. The best part about this deal is that it lasts till Monday, November 28th.
There is no excuse not to have this game now as it is finally affordable for those with empty wallets. So grab a great title for your loved ones, and give the gift of Starcraft – endless swarms of tiny zerglings. Don’t delay, and check the Blizzard Store out for this fantastic offer (here).
WWE 12 was released earlier this week on the 22nd and after 4 days, reports have been flooding the internet of a level of in game glitches not seen since the infamous Superman 64. With glitches that make the game near unplayable in most cases it was only a matter of time before fans took to twitter to adress WWE 12 director Cory Ledesma.
Ledesma has since responded to fan tweets urging WWE 12 players to make light of this unprecented level of bugs in a WWE video-game. Not only does his comments undermine the severity of the situation, but they also pass these troubling glitches off as being acceptable for a full priced retail release.
After all of these years there is literally no excuse for a game that is this glitchy. So Cory Ledesma, instead of “being cool about it” how about when it comes to WWE 13, you actually finish making the game before asking people to pay full retail price for it?
Special thanks to TheGamersFC for the John Morrison glitch video.
Konami Digital Entertainment announces new downloadable content for Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone. With the Pure Pwnage Pack players will be able to explore an underground military complex loaded with weaponry. Filled with test weapons and toxic waste, what more could you ask for except for an endless stream of zombies?
Additional to the new map, gamers will be able to enjoy playing as the original characters from the first Zombie Apocalypse as well as a new mode of play. Experience the Pure Pwnage mode and fight your way against hordes of zombies to achieve the best overall score.
If you are new to the Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone, think about blowing up zombies with teddy bear explosives in an action shooter format. Only 400 MSP is necessary to purchase the Pure Pwnage expansion. Check out the screenshots below to catch a glimpse of the new content.
The Hidden Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS Publisher(s):Majesco Developer(s): 1st Playable Productions Genre(s): Augmented Reality/Adventure Release Date: November 3, 2011 (US) Price: $29.99 – Available Here
Overview
Whether it be on late night cable television or in a famous flick starring Rick Moranis, ghost hunting has been a popular topic for years now. 1st Playable were well aware of the trend and took to using nearly every feature on the 3DS to bring their own ghost snatching romp to the public in The Hidden. As a member of an elite squad known as G.E.I.S.T. (Ghostly Entity Investigation and Strike Team), players must use the 3DS’ augmented reality feature to track down dangerous entities in several different missions located in real-world environments. Yes, it’s quite an ambitious concept, but does this unique formula work? Here is my review for The Hidden on the Nintendo 3DS.
Gameplay
Starting out in The Hidden, players literally get to be a member of a paranormal investigation squad by creating a unique I.D. card for themselves. After your picture is snapped, details are taken, and fingerprint is “scanned”, it’s then your job to set out and find entities and complete your team’s objectives. Luckily, this title shines at making the player feel like they apart of a ghost hunting organization as the menus are cleverly designed to provide them with every tool needed for whatever task is at hand. Each time you receive a new mission or side objective, an email hits your in-game inbox and you must then start a hunt to find the ghost plaguing an area while receiving constant feedback in the process.
Whenever you are hunting a ghost (or “shade” as they are called here), the complete experience is done using the augmented reality function. The bottom screen is used to display all of your high tech weaponry and tools, while the top uses the 3DS’ camera to capture the environment you may be in along with the HUD. Whenever a shade is found, they will slowly appear on screen and can be scanned and then fought with the player’s upgradeable arsenal. If you think this sounds like Face Raiders, then you would be right as everything controls in nearly the same manner. The Hidden however is much more complex though as these shades must be logged as well as destroyed. This isn’t a game you can play while just sitting in one spot either as you must actually walk from area to area to seek out specific entities to complete missions. I personally didn’t mind this at all as it certainly gives a nice feeling of actual progression to the experience, but I would also imagine those who are just wanting to sit and play a game will be put off with the constant requirement of movement.
When a shade is encountered, they usually float around in all directions and the player must spin around and use the face buttons on the handheld to fire their weapons. Battles usually consist of the same kind of push and pull mechanic seen in the likes of Luigi’s mansion, where you must also use the circle pad to keep your target locked on to. Once defeated, ectoplasm is dropped which in turn can be used to upgrade weapons. It’s a well made upgrading system that offers a lot of variety, but the way players actually discover these ghosts leaves a lot to be desired. You see, the game uses a form of “wireless” technology to distinguish where the player is located so you must constantly change up your surroundings. This concept sounds fantastic, but I found it nearly impossible at times to find a shade. At first, there were no problems and one shade after another made themselves present and an intense battle followed. After that though, I walked around for a lengthy period of time just to find nothing at all. I walked outdoors, in a shopping mall (with all the shoppers in my sights), and several other locations, only to land one shade outside my own home. One can look at this in a good light as it certainly makes things feel realistic, but I did however wonder if the tracking system was broken at times as the number of ghosts I found were just so few and far between.
That isn’t to say The Hidden isn’t still clever, as there are maps that can track where you have been and a log can keep track and take photos of every ghost the player has found. Sadly, all of these great ideas felt wasted as the longer it took myself to find a shade, the less invested I became in the overall experience. I’m usually patient with any game that requires actual effort to play, but the wireless tracking left me walking for what felt like miles and I had hardly anything to show for it all in the end except for a few slightly upgraded weapons, begging to be used.
Visuals/Audio
The Hidden utilizes the 3D visuals of the handheld well and when you do find a shade, they can seem to be ready to fly right out of the screen. Due to all of the movement, I honestly expected the 3D to not work but since the player is required to hold the 3DS upright, the “sweet spot” is always in focus and no one should have any problem in getting that same “popping” effect at all times. As far as art style goes, shades appear a bit cartoony, usually resembling a colored blob or spirit of some sort. The menus are very impressively designed and the HUD being active in every area the player is in makes hunting these ghosts an interesting adventure as all of the small details make everything feel authentic to the premise presented.
The sound in the game is also well done. The music can be a bit forgettable, but all other effects such as your radar, emails, and the grimacing shades within set a nice atmosphere on top of your own real world environment that can add a ton of incentive to keep walking and searching. Weapons all have their own distinct sound when taking on a shade and the variety of satisfying blasts you can unlock is yet another factor that makes progression (and the collection of ectoplasm) more rewarding overall.
Overall
When it boils down to it, The Hidden is the most ambitious game the 3DS has seen so far. Unfortunately, even with all the useful and fluid mechanics in tact, the wireless tracking system doesn’t let the player find many ghosts to start with and the game falls a bit flat as a result. That doesn’t mean I don’t recommend this title’s unique offerings, as those who want something that thinks outside the box and that feels different are in for quite a treat. However, if your patience wears thin easily and you simply want to sit and not be bothered in taking your beloved 3DS with you everywhere, you may want to leave ghost hunting to the experts and give this one a pass.
