It was put forward by video games journalist Paul Gale. At first, it was a very skeptical idea, with the public most often pushing this aside rather than accepting it and with justification. There were only words over the internet. However, it really seems that the rumour of Sony’s most iconic icons over the years will come together and duke it out in one gigantic brawl. Ladies and gentlemen, there is a strong rumour of a Playstation 3 game that will be Sony’s answer to Super Smash Brothers, which has the code name ‘Title Fight.’
These rumours really raised eyebrows after the revelation of SuperBot Entertainment revealing they are being backed by Sony Computer Entertainment America on an unmaned Playstation 3 exclusive. If it was that statement alone, it could be anything. However, there are two job listings asking for people with experience with fighting games. Very interesting, indeed.
Next is a release of a screenshot. Recognise this particular Sony character below?
This is supposedly the character model of Sweet Tooth of Twisted Metal fame. It looks very impressive, no doubt. What about this picture?
This is a shot of another character being designed. Many have speculated that this could be Nariko from Heavenly Sword.
This is certainty heating up, for sure. Of course, this is all rumours, but there are certain signs that are pointing to the fact that this could be a reality of a dream of those Sony fans out there. With hundreds of IP’s out there, I think Sony should pursue this sort of project. Sure, they might not match up at first sight, but I can imagine Nathan Drake and Joseph Capelli fighting against Jak and Ratchet.
A slew of Batman: Arkham City downloadable content is on its way. Announced through the use of twitter, The Batcave and the previously pre-order exclusives Joker’s Carnival and The Iceberg Lounge will be coming on December 20th just in time for Christmas. Asides from the single tweet:
Not many more details about the DLC pack is known. There is no word on pricing or what the else the pack contains. But going by previous Batman: Arkham City DLC packs we’ll probably see a few challenge maps, skins and maybe, just maybe a new playable character (That last ones just wishful thinking…)
In Japan, game journalists have already had a chance to get a taste of Ridge Racer on the Playstation Vita. Their findings indicate that although the game looks great, it only includes 3 race tracks and 5 cars. The tracks are: Harborline 765, Highland Cliffs, and Southbay Docks and they are playable in normal and reverse, thus TECHNICALLY doubling the amount of tracks to 6.
There will be DLC added to the game, but it is still disappointing to hear that Namco and Sony decided to recycle assets and release so little for one of their launch titles on their next supposedly premier system.
I have something I’d like to confess. This isn’t something I’m proud of, nor is it something that I feel comfortable broadcasting, but… I am now the owner of a Kinect.
But why, you ask. Why a Kinect, Jessica? You don’t have any young children under your care, and you have never really taken an interest in jumping around in your living room like a weirdo while having secret pictures taken by the Kinect that Microsoft probably hoards so they can laugh at people. So why did you buy one?
Well, firstly, I got it for cheap. It was a ‘preowned’ one that was on sale. So there’s that. And secondly, as much as no one likes to admit, those games are fun. There’s a reason that people crack up laughing while playing Kinect, and it’s cos you’ve basically let go of all your dignity and are open to pretty much anything happening.
Kinect games don’t require concentration, they don’t need you to make split-second decisions. You’re pretty much just jumping and waving your arms around like a douche. But a douche having fun.
There’s an innocence with the Kinect, you basically regress to a state before you smacked hoes and shot invading forces. It’s like the Wii, but even more so. With the Wii you can regress, but you can do so sitting down and you can also pretend like you’re too much of a cool dude for this stuff. With Kinect you have to be up in front of it and if you don’t put all your effort into it you’re just going to look sillier.
So, why did I buy a Kinect? Cos it’s freaking fun and gaming shouldn’t be taken completely seriously. That’s the point, games are meant to be for fun. So put that controller down, stand up, and wave your limbs around in a seemingly random fashion!
Check out the video below of some guys taking boxing a little too seriously thanks to Kinect. Because that is also what it provides, funny Youtube videos.
Do you guys have a Kinect? Or have you sworn blood oaths to never go near one? Either way, let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
Freedom Collection Studio: Sunrise Publisher: Madman Language: English, Japanese Release Date: October 19th, 2011 Price: $39.95- Available Here
Overview:
What is Freedom? That is the question posed in this 7 part OVA series designed by infamous mangaka, writer and film maker Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira). If we live in a secure society held together by a higher authority, are we still free or are we simply free to act within the rules placed upon us? These are among the many questions raised in Freedom – a deep look inside the heart of modern societal structure and the possible future of the very concept itself.
Story:
Freedom has incredibly high aspirations and with Otomo’s name attached to the series it undoubtedly has some big shoes to fill. With so much ambition and belief in it’s message Freedom transcends the term anime and gently touches down in the echelon of fine art.
Fans of the cinematic anime masterpiece Akira will definitely feel at home with Freedom, a series which contains many elements present in Akira without ever feeling too familiar. Many elements crossover from Akira such as youth culture, societal structure, upheavel, reality and the very nature of life itself.
The series takes place in a near future in which Humans now reside on the Moon, in a heavily secure and controlled society after the Earth has been deemed unhabitable following a mysterious cataclysm. We follow Takeru a young man born into the Moon society known as Eden. Takeru is extremely fascinated with Earth which feels like a mythological place of the Humans past. It’s an unreachable place that intrigues him to no end. Soon enough he discovers that Earth may not be as unhabitable as the Government of Eden proclaim.
As you’d imagine he attempts to stage an uprising in a quest for truth and freedom. The series features a valley of depth with it just begging to be explored. It raises some strong questions about our own society as well warning about what can become of such despotic governments.
There is enough philosphical meat on the Freedom bone for those who love something that will make you think. The messages and story told in Freedom are not only complex, emotive and honest but also as profound as art can be.
Visuals:
Aesthetically Freedom features all the bells and whistles of it’s anime forefathers. With the visual style being a dead ringer for Otomo’s iconic artsyle, his presence of the series is strongly felt. The style of the series itself is reminiscent of a series that Otomo did not work on, Planetes. I’m certain after completing this series that he at the very least took some level of inspiration from that series.
The series features cel-shaded three dimensional character models and environments which are entirely unique to Freedom. This was a great choice on the part of Otomo as it sets it apart enough from the anime giant Akira, and gives it legs to stand up on its own.
Freedom is just a visual treat and it’s even better on Blu-Ray which is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most beautiful animated experiences I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. If you are in it for some stunning imagery you will not be disappointed by Freedom.
Audio:
Freedom features music of critically acclaimed Utada Hikaru (known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts series of video-games) and much like her expansive catalogue of work, she has composed some amazing tracks for this series. With her effervescent opening song for the series “This is Love” each episode opens in a big way, creating prime atmosphere for the preceedings.
The incidental music and score for Freedom is provided by Yoshihiro Ike, a composer who is always on point. He has previously worked on the music for the film Dead Leaves and his talent has not dwindled since then as he has constructed a heartpounding soundtrack that backs the story to perfection.
As for voice acting, both the English and Japanese cast are electirfying. My personal highlight was Michael Sinterniklaas as Takeru in the English dub of the series. He brought Takeru to life in ways I have not seen in English language dubs in a long time.
Extras:
Madman have spoiled us once again with this complete series collection. If you are a special features junkie, you will have plenty to feed your addiction with in the Freedom Collection.
There are so many features present such as a Prologue, Freedom Digest Segments for each episode, a special short 2 part feature called Fly me to the Moon, several other in depth looks at the series itself and its creation and some trailers for the series.
This is definitely more than your standard Madman series collection. It really provides great bang for your buck and at that price all of this packed in its just the cherry on top.
Overall:
Put simply, Freedom is an anime masterpiece – it is a work of art. It will move you, take you to places you have never imagined and make you take a long hard think about the world you live in.
Freedom has moved to heights that most anime never reach. It is an animated classic of the modern day and on Blu-Ray that shines true in so many ways. From the visual experience to the journey the series takes the viewer on, it is a series that people will look back on in years to come and remember how that one 7 part OVA series made a difference in the anime world, and it did.
The series breaks ground in it’s story-telling and it’s aesthetics. If you are looking for a series that will blow you away, Freedom is that series. I whole-heartedly recommend this series to anyone, it is just that good.
A trailer for the upcoming Detective Conan film has made it’s way online and you’d be excused for thinking this is the new Inazuma Eleven film at first glance. The film is titled Detective Conan: The 11th Striker and is the 16th cinematic installment of the popualr detective series.
The trailer shows off some of the plot of the film which involves a serial bomber who plans to level an entire soccer stadium filled with people. Who better to crack the case than Detective Conan?
You can check out the trailer for Detective Conan: The 11th Striker below. The film is set to strike cinemas in Japan next year.
The Guild Season 3 Directors: Jane Selle Morgan, Greg Benson, Sean Michael Becker Starring:Felicia Day, Vincent Caso, Jeff Lewis, Amy Okuda, Sandeep Parikh, Robin Thorsen Composers: Don Schiff Producers: Felicia Day, Kim Evey, Jane Selle Morgan Distributor: Siren Visual Price: $19.95 – Available Here
Overview:
The Guild is a fantastic series which captures the essence of hardcore MMORPG gamers and shows their lives in and outside of the gaming world. Season 3 starts with the characters of the guild trying to rebuild the pieces after the destructive ending of Season 2. They run into some trouble with a rival guild called Axis of Anarchy and compete with them to overcome obstacles.
Story:
Season 3 starts off with the members of the Knights of Good in line to pick up the new expansion from the game store. While waiting, a rival guild called Axis of Anarchy shows up and causes trouble for the Knights of Good, getting them sent to the back of the line. At this point, Vork (Jeff Lewis) resigns as guild leader and lets the other vote on who should lead them. Codex (Felicia Day) ends up taking over as guild leader and Tink (Amy Okuda) runs off to join Axis of Anarchy. The Guild takes a turn from here, all characters have their own self developing stories up until the end.
Zaboo: At the end of season 2, Zaboo (Sandeep Parikh) meet Riley (Michele Boyd) and started dating. This relationship is the main focus point of Zaboo in season 3, and most bizarre turn of events The Guild has encountered. He and Riley start off infatuated with one another, but things change when she starts to treat him like a dog. Zaboo despite being beaten up continues to stay with Riley up until the near the end of the season. His character also has another turning point when he and Codex confront Valkerie (Mike Rose), one of the members of Axis of Anarchy. Zaboo starts going crazy while deleting items of Valkerie’s game character, while they interrogated him. Ashamed of himself he cuts himself off from the others, while still being Riley’s lap dog. Zaboo has a change in heart towards the end of the season when he joins back up with the guild to take on Axis of Anarchy. He also builds up the courage to break up with Riley over a text message. Although being more of a supporting character in this season, he still has his comedic moments that break the tension.
Codex: Codex would have to be the main focus of season 3 with her new responsibilities as guild leader. During this season she grows the most out of all the characters, becoming a stronger person and gamer. She tries to get Tink to come back but when that fails she ends up trying to recruit a new guild member. After many auditions for the vacancy, Codex fills the spot with Clara’s (Robin Thorsen) husband Mr.Wiggly (Brett Sheridan). During this time Axis of Anarchy are causing mischief to hinder the Knights of Good, so Codex tries to sort things out with them but ends up provoking them. Fawkes (Wil Wheaton) then declares an all out war against the Knights of Good, causing even more havoc for Codex. With the guild falling to pieces, she builds up the strength and courage to take the offensive and strike back. She and Zaboo sneak into Valkerie’s work and interrogate him for info of the Axia of Anarchy. After getting the info she needs she gets everyone back together, to have an all out battle with the rival guild. During the battle she finds herself talking to her priest and has a moment of clarity when she grows into her stronger self. While beating Fawkes and Tink in battle, she manages to rebuild and fix the problems of the guild and returns leadership back to Vork. Codex emerges victorious and causes Fawkes to not take her so lightly. If only it came to all of us that easily.
Vork: Passing on his responsibilities to Codex, Vork goes onto a self discovery search while trying to find a stable, free wi-fi connection to game from. Upon his journey, he comes across a lot of people that seem strange to him but in fact find him even more weird. After his interactions with others, he realizes that not many people in real life like him but that is why he was able to be such a great guild leader. Vork may not be a major character in this season but his awkwardness and sense of timing is what makes him funny.
Clara: After kissing another man at the end of season 2, her husband finds out about it and confronts her. Clara’s focus during this season is to work on and rebuild her marriage with her husband. In finding a middle ground to spend more time together, he starts playing along with the Knights of Good. Clara is a big support factor throughout this season, and she and her husband ended working things out.
Bladezz: A victim is more what you would call Bladezz (Vincent Caso) in season 3, with being an easy target for Axis of Anarchy. After deleting Tink’s game character, she sought revenge from within the rival guild by revealing his model career to his high school. If that wasn’t enough torture for him, Axis of Anarchy planted ‘weapons’ inside his school locker and one of them even slept with his mother. He overcomes these obstacles and turns out to be a likable character after some of the things he has done.
Tink: Tink is once again a support character, and provides some drama for the guild. After having her character deleted by Bladezz, she goes off to join the rival guild. She doesn’t appear much in this season, but does show up again towards the end. In the end she comes back to the Knights of Good.
Visuals and Audio:
The aspect ratio of the DVD is 16:9 widescreen and the audio is Dolby 2.0. The picture and lighting of the episodes are excellent, well shot, sharp and felt like you were there watching in real time. The audio is crystal clear and well balanced, that it feels like the characters are right there with you in the same room. While watching this it was really easy to forget that it was originally a web series they way it has been produced. The DVD also comes with English subtitles for all episodes, for those who need them.
Extras:
The DVD comes with interviews, gag reel, script of the season, tips on how to make a web video, a Halloween special, a music video and the making of the music video. These bonus features have had a lot of work put in them to provide an insight into what the cast and crew do to make the series.
Overall:
Overall The Guild Season 3 is a very well put together DVD. If the show wasn’t enough, it’s packed with some fantastic extra features. This DVD is a must have for fans of the show, gamers or even people who just want to have a good laugh at someone else’s expense.
Despite Sentai Filmworks revealing that they had acquired the license to Dream Eater Merry (Yumekui Merry) in February of this year, they had not made any actual announcement about the series since then. Some were worried that the series was stuck in limbo but it seems that their worries were for naught as David Williams from Sentai Filmworks revealed today in the below video that the company is indeed still working on Dream Eater Merry.
Sentai Filmworks will be providing an English dub for the series and will be releasing it on Blu-ray though at the moment they have not revealed when fans could expect to see this release for purchase. For those who don’t know, Dream Eater Merry follows the story of Yumeji Fujiwara who possesses a strange ability to predict whether a person will have a nice dream or a nightmare. Then he suddenly meets Merry, a girl who has come from the world of dreams and must now fight alongside her to try and stop the Nightmares from consuming his friends.
Need for Speed: The Run Developer: EA Black Box Publisher: Electronic Arts Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Playstation 3, PC, Wii Release Date: November 17, 2011 Price: $59.99 – (Available Here)
Overview
Need for Speed games have been churning out yearly for quite some time now, but it’s been three years since the original Need for Speed team, Black Box Studios, have released a game on the market, with the two most recent entries in the series being “guest-developed”. Black Box are trying to come back with a bang: story is being brought back to the franchise, and along with it some of the most impressive set-pieces ever seen in a racing game. Does the adrenaline-fueled formula give The Run a straight shot of nitrous, or should it be dumped through a grinder?
Gameplay
Need for Speed: The Run comes packed with quite a few things to do, but the mode that sets it apart is, unsurpisingly, The Run. This singleplayer adventure tells the tale of Jack Rourke as he races across the United States to win a 25 million dollar prize. Why? Well, he owes the mob money, you see, and the mob tend to do mean things when they don’t get their money back.
That’s about as deep as the plot goes. You’ll “meet” other characters throughout the course of The Run via a description in the pre-race loading screen, and that’s all you’ll get. The plot merely exists to serve up the intense, adrenaline packed scenarios and tracks that occur during The Run, and though the context is hazy, the game makes you feel as if you are driving for your life; that it’s all on the line.
You start The Run in San Francisco below 200th place, and each stage provides different challenges to get you up towards the top spot. Some races will simply tell you to win against the racers on the stage, others will pit you in “battles” where you have limited time to pass single racers and maintain a lead before moving on to the next racer and repeating the process, and others will pit you in one-on-one races against the aforementioned “rivals” who will drive with more skill and far more agressively than the standard, AI drivers.
The game’s stages are really quite varied, and rather than making you memorize track layouts and perform laps, you’ll race from point A to point B across mountains, plains, cities, and deserts. Each stage allows you a certain number of “resets” should you crash, leave the track, or manually reset with the Back button. The checkpoints are generally generous, but on the larger, more elaborate stages the limited number of resets can definitely be a hassle, as running out sends you back to the beginning of the race. This wouldn’t be too problematic if load times for The Run stages weren’t so long. All you want is to get back into the race, but you’re stuck with a loading screen for 30 seconds; it kind of doesn’t mesh well with the action-emphasis of the game.
The Run is also extremely linear, and it suffers both the benefits and the pitfalls of that design. The benefits being that there is nothing more thrilling than racing through an avalanche, or being chased by policemen across San Francisco, or avoiding trains in the New York subway system. It’s seriously intense, and the much toted out-of-car sequences only serve to add to the intensity. These sequences occur about four times in the game, and each time for not much over a couple of minutes, but they essentially amount to quick time events where Jack must outrun cops, the mob, or anything else that wants to beat his face. They’re actually quite well done, and being stuck in a crashed car, trying to break out as a train hurtles towards you was definitely one of my favorite moments in the game.
But, the game is linear to a fault. The developers don’t want you going off the beaten path, and sometimes very harshly so. There were times when I’d round a corner and my left tires would leave the road and roll onto a hill or some dirt, and the game would send me back to a checkpoint, costing me a reset. While these moments occur rarely enough to cause serious damage to the overall experience, they are there and they are very frustrating.
On top of that, you don’t get the option to switch cars before a race starts while playing through The Run; you have to stop at designated gas stations to change rides, and this can often have a negative impact on your race position. And while the autolog feature returns from previous title entries so that you can compare stage times with friends, you can’t simply go back to individual races to try and improve your time. If you want to, say, replay the avalanche sequence, you’ll have to start at the beginning of the mountain sequence and play through every track leading up to it.
These odd design decisions hamper The Run’s gameplay, and it seems strange that such miscues were overlooked. The Run will take you about five to seven hours to complete, and aside from some of the frustrating mechanics, the game succeeds in capturing the blockbuster action of a summer movie, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
But The Run isn’t just about The Run. The game’s other singleplayer option are the challenge maps, which unlock as you complete The Run mode. These use a variety of the locations from the campaign and twist them with new objectives and race types. Each track has 4 types of medals you can earn; the faster you finish, the better the medal. The times on these tracks are also uploaded to Autolog, and, as there are over fifty, they should provide plenty of additional game time to leaderboard addicts.
The game also comes with solid Multiplayer content, which, much like the singleplayer, sacrifices options, for simple, edge-of-your-seat action. You can choose from playlists which suit the kind of driving you want to do and what car you’ll be racing in, and the game does the rest. To encourage people playing together for a while, creating a sort of mini-community, each track offers group and solo objectives which give bonuses in XP to the players. And when the tracks in a playlist have run out, the players can vote on what playlist they’d like to go through next.
The Run features a profile levelling system to keep you into the game. Experience can be earned via both singleplayer and multiplayer, and level progression will unlock new ways to build up nitrous as well as profile icons and backgrounds which are shown off whenever you win an online race. The Multiplayer portion of the game, despite lacking the over-the-top setpieces of the campaign, can be just as intense because you’re not playing agaisnt squeaky clean AI players.
Players will knock each other off cliffs, crash through civilian traffic, and occasionally a group of five people will miscue a turn and all fly into a river at the same time. It’s mayhem, and boy is it fun. And because Multiplayer is required to unlock certain high-end cars for use in other modes, there’s plenty of incentive to keep playing.
Audio
Need for Speed: The Run seeks to emulate summer blockbuster films, and it does so excellently in the sound department. Epic orchestral themes will sweep you through the game’s major setpieces and tracks, and when those go away, they’re replaced by an outstanding array of quality music, mostly Rock, and thankfully, not a whisper of dubstep, rap, or electro. Someone at Black Box has good taste in music.
The voice acting does it’s job, not that people speak a lot. Christina Hendricks, of Mad Men fame, plays your sponsor and advisor via phone line, while Jack replies with grunts and “yes”s.
Voice acting aside, The Run’s audio effects are just spectacular. The roar of the engines, the wind blazing past your speeding car, the crash of metal on metal; it all feels real and visceral, and it just adds to the overall intensity of the experience.
Visual
There was a little game called Battlefield 3 that came out earlier this year, and it looked great because it used a powerful, new graphics engine. Well, the Frostbite 2 engine is back, baby! And it’s gorgeous.
If you can’t actually drive across America, this is the next best thing. Everything from the lighting, to the game’s grand vistas, to the way cars move on the road looks amazing. There’s occasional pop-in and some of the textures can be a bit blurry when you look closely, but overall, the game looks fantastic. And though there’s no emphasis on Frostbite 2’s destructibility capabilities like in Battlefield, there’s a very dynamic feeling to the way you’ll crash through wooden barriers and crates. The Run wants to emphasize blockbuster action, and looking this good does it a great many favours in that department.
Overall
Need for Speed: The Run is a game with issues. Some off-kilter design decisions and the frustrating linearity of it all can majorly detract from the experience, and the story isn’t something you’ll tell your kids about.
In the end, that’s not a flaw. Need for Speed: The Run is the Call of Duty of racing games. Sure the plot is paper thin, but you’ll be on the edge of your seat more often than not. As you guide your car through mobster gunfire, weave through exploding steel mills, or escape the police in Las Vegas, the game is an intense, non-stop action experience that manages to satiate the adrenaline junkie in me.
If you’re looking for a racing simulation, The Run isn’t for you. But if you’re after thrills, spills, and a driving experience that’s all about action, then you don’t have to look any further. This is the game for you.
In Australia, the economic crisis hasn’t been treating our video games industry quite well, with very few big publishers actually staying put. 2K Games have been one of those publishers, but for some time, rumours developed of layoffs at the Canberra studio. Actually, it seems that the opposite is happening. Not only has the studio re-introduced the name 2K Australia, but their experience in the Bioshock games have been rewarded as they have received work on the latest game in the Bioshock world, Bioshock Infinite.
According to MCV Pacific, this news came from an employee of the studio. The studio was working with 2K Marin, under that name, on teh game XCOM. It seems that work on that has been halted in favour of Infinite, which is turning out to be a fantastic and creative game. What section of the game they are working on is currently unknown. This is great news for the studio since those rumours emerged. Maybe those particular rumours can now be put to bed as the studio works hard on one of the most anticipated games of 2012.
