It’s attack of the tanooki’s with Dustin playing Super Mario 3D Land and PETA releasing a horrifying take on Mario. 3DS sales are up, we continue to gush all over Skyrim and Sony decides it’s a good idea to start a social network.
Cast: Alexis Ayala, Dustin Spencer, Michael Irving and Michael Marr
Swift and Shift Couriers Season 2 Studio: SBS Publisher: Madman Language: English Release Date: October 5th, 2011 Price: $29.95- Available Here
Overview:
It is sadly not a common occurence for us to see an Australian Comedy series. Amongst the crowded Australian television scene filled with Reality programmes and soap operas, it is easy to miss out on the great Comedy series that comes out of the country.
Arguably the most notable Australian Comedy series of the past decade is Pizza, a series created by Paul Fenech. Well, Fenech returns once again this time with Swift and Shift Couriers, which not only breaks ground that Pizza simply couldn’t but it also is without a doubt his best work to date.
Story: Pizza featured a large cast of characters with each fitting the bill of a hyper-exaggerated stereotype. This stereotype humour plays a large part in Paul Fenech’s comedic repeteur. It is a well he often goes to for humour and while he does return to said well for Swift and Shift, what makes it work so well is that it’s to a much lesser degree.
Swift and Shift Couriers, like Pizza follows a cast of characters delivering things, while Pizza was only confined to having it’s cast delivering Pizza and having the humour spring from the people they encounter during their deliveries, Swift and Shift’s humour is capable of being born from the objects they have to deliver. For example one episode focuses around characters delivering medical equipment which they are clearly not qualified enough to handle.
It’s this slight change in concept that allows Swift and Shift to break new comedic ground that Pizza couldn’t. As a comedy series it is hard to say that there is ever an unfunny moment in Pizza. No longer is Fenech constructing cut and dry hyper-stereotype characters, in their place is deep characters with deeper motivations and relationships than most Australian comedy series manage.
As for this season in particular, it featured an overall satisfying closing episode with all of Swift and Shift’s Hashfield Depot breaking out into utter chaos in a way that only they know how. It not only marked a comedic end to the series but also one that resonates with the viewer after following this chaotic cast all over the country (and even to other countries) over the course of the series.
All in all, Swift and Shift Couriers is undoubtedly one of Australia’s best comedy series it’s ever produced. But for those who are not fans of the Australian brand of humour, you will most likely find little enjoyment out of this series unfortunately.
Visuals:
When it comes to the visuals of Swift and Shift Couriers, there is such a wide variety to be seen, which is extremely unusual for a comedy series in general. With such a stunning contrast of suburban landscapes, cityscapes, deserts, snowy mountains and even the ocean, there is an utterly astonishing amount of aesthetic pleasantries to behold in this series.
It is simply an achievement from Fenech that he managed to fit in so much different sides of Australia in Swift and Shift. It not only works wonders for the series in keeping things fresh but it also conveys the beauty of Australia that most other Australian television series do not bother to do. It is clear that Fenech has a deep love of the country and by extention considers the country a canvas for his art, and that is what Swift and Shift really is – Aussie Comedy Art.
Besides the set pieces used, there is a common trend of a yellow and black colour scheme that is both instinctive of the series and in a way becomes it’s “Colours”. This is another way the series maintains a resonance with viewers. I know that I personally thought of Swift and Shift Couriers the next time I saw the colours “Yellow and Black”.
Audio: Swift and Shift features a soundtrack of songs that were not intended to be synonymous with Swift and Shift. The series does not feature an opening or ending theme song and instead features a large array of incidental musical pieces specifically chosen for specific scenes.
This makes the soundtrack difficult to comment upon but at the very same time easy to summarise. Swift and Shift’s soundtrack is not only wildly varied but also wildly original. What pushes the series beyond greatness is the way it is constantly changing. You’d be hard pressed the find a background track that reappears each and every episode.
As for the overall sound quality of the DVD itself, well there is little to say other than it sounds great. I can’t imagine there being any problems with sound for anyone watching this series.
Extras:
When it comes to special features, Swift and Shift Couriers Season 2, is no pushover. The DVD collection features a multitude of extras for fans to plow through once they have finished watching each episode. With over 80 minutes of extra footage for you to enjoy there is so much replayability for this release that it is honestly staggering.
If you are a special features junkie, you will definitely get a kick out of the sheer mass of material available here. It is definitely more than your average Madman release. Needless to say, I left Swift and Shift Couriers Season 2 a very happy customer.
Overvall: Swift and Shift Couriers, is not only one of the best Australian comedies this year, but also one of the best the country has ever produced. I can not express enough how much bombastic entertainment is packed into this series. Not only that, but it is unfortunately a common trend nowadays that it’s become less likely that you can say that a television show made you laugh. I can say with a hand on my heart that I laughed many times with Swift and Shift Couriers Season 2, more than I have laughed in a very long time. If you are looking for a laugh, Swift and Shift Couriers Season 2, is the right place to be looking.
As the Playstation Vita draws ever so closer to its Western debut, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has revealed what their studios shall offer when the Playstation Vita launches in Europe, Middle East and Africa on 22 February 2012. Australia and New Zealand will receive the Vita a day later on 23 February 2012. The announcement was made at a special event in London. The Vita will be launched in two models, the Wi-Fi model will launch at AU$349.95 while the Wi-Fi/3G model will be priced at AU$449.95. The Wi-FI/3G models includes a Vodafone sim, which, when connected, will offer a free digital copy of WipEout 2048.
The lineup includes some of what would be the heavy hitters for the portable. They are:
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
WipEout 2048
Reality Fighters
Little Deviants
ModNation Racers: Road Trip
Everybody’s Golf
Escape Plan
Top Darts
Hustle Kings
Unit 13
MotorStorm RC
You may notice two new games in that list: Unit 13 and Motorstorm RC, both announced at the London preview event. It is a third-person military shooter, where players will choose from six different classes – Infiltrator, Sniper, Soldier, Technician, Point Man and Support. Objectives will be various as the player will conduct the demanding missions in the most hostile regions of the world – to stop terrorists, dictators, gunrunners, warlords and drug traffickers from destabilising the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia. Motorstorm RC is a unique blend of old-school and contemporary racing gameplay. You may have guessed that it will derive from what Motorstorm is to an extent, with a focus on RC cars rather that the usual bunch. There will be DLC and expansion packs allowing gamers to access new tracks, vehicles, and more, after the launch.
Sony is also pushing augmented reality at launch as they announced that six AR cards will be offered and compatible with free software downloadable from the Playstation Store. The PS Vita will be the first games console to utilise WAAR (Wide Area Augmented Reality) technology. WAAR uses up to six cards and allows for a much larger gameplay area. I have seen this before my eyes when I previewed the console weeks back. It’s pretty impressive. PS Vita will also support markerless AR, meaning that cards are not necessary. Reality Fighters is the best example of markerless AR.
Another feature that is coming to the Vita is cross-play. Cross-play means players can compete via challenges and leaderboards on PlayStation 3, or with the PS Vita, as well as continue their experience from one to the other. WipEout 2048, Hustle Kings and Motorstorm RC are the launch titles for that particluar feature.
Those eleven are not the only launch titles, however. They will be joined by third party offerings. However, those parties will announce their launch titles in the future. In the meantime, here are the third party titles confirmed for a release in the West so far.
Army Corps of Hell, Square Enix
Asphalt: Injection, Ubisoft
Disgaea 3 Return, NIS America
Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, Ubisoft
Dynasty Warriors Next, Tecmo Koei
EA Sports FIFA Football, EA
F1 2011, Codemasters
Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7, WB Games
Lumines Electronic Symphony, Ubisoft
Michael Jackson: The Experience HD, Ubisoft
Ninja Gaiden (working title), Tecmo Koei
OddWorld: Strangers Wrath, OddWorld Inhabitants
Puddle, Neko Entertainment
Pure Chess, RebelPlay
Putty Squad Vita, System 3
Rayman Origins, Ubisoft
Ridge Racer, Bandai Namco
Shinobido 2, Bandai Namco
Silent Hill: Book of Memories, Konami
Stardrone Extreme, BeatShapers
Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz, SEGA
Supremacy MMA, 505 Games
Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, Drinkbox Studios
The Treasures of Montezuma Blitz, Alawar Entertainment
Touch My Katamari, Bandai Namco
Troopies, Bloober Team
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, Capcom
Urban Trials, Tate Multimedia
Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition, SEGA
Orc Attack, Casual Brothers
Ben 10 Galactic Racing, Bandai Entertainment
Dragon’s Racing, Ignition Entertainment
Robot Rescue Revolution, Teyon
Mortal Kombat, WB Games
Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft
Bioshock, Take Two
Street Fighter X Tekken, Capcom
Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard
This year has been all about celebrating the birthday of Link as 2011 marked the 25th anniversary for the series. Fans have seen a ton of goodies come their way as well as 4 Legend of Zelda titles have already seen release and more videos and festivities are sure to come in the coming months. As great as Zelda is though, this is also Metroid’s 25th, and while fans of that series haven’t gotten the same non-stop treatment, they can at least rest easy knowing that Metroid II is finally ready to be released on the 3DS Virtual Console.
Metroid II: Return of Samus released 20 years ago for the original Game Boy and proved to be one of the most iconic cartridges released for Nintendo’s successful portable. Nintendo have now announced that as of Thursday, November 22nd, fans will be able to download this sequel on the eShop. Yes, that’s just two days away. No official price has been given to this classic, but I would imagine we will see this release come in at $3.99 based on what we have seen put out for the digital platform.
This year hasn’t exactly been the biggest or most satifying celebration for Samus, but to me this game is surely enough to make fans giddy to go through all over again. Happy Birthday Samus, we still love you.
Fusion: Genesis Developer: Starfire Studios Publisher: Microsoft Games Studios Platform: Xbox Live Arcade Release Date: November 9, 2011 Price: 800 Microsoft Points (HERE)
Overview
It’s not often developers from a blockbuster company such as Rare split off and settle down to make Indie games for XBLA, but that’s exactly what happened here. Fusion: Genesis, the first brain-child of Starfire Studios, is part twin-stick shooter, part role-playing game, and part MMO all at the same time, based in a quirky, self-referential science fiction universe.
If you think that’s a lot of genres to be packing into one game, you’re right; the ambition of this game is immense, the developers have really reached for the moon with this one. Has a pedigree in larger games given Fusion: Genesis the boost it needs, or does it all come crashing down?
Gameplay
Fusion: Genesis starts players off in the not-so-glamorous shoes of a lab assistant to a researcher who’s discovered something big. As a tongue-in-cheek tutorial, where he tells you how dumb you are for needing help in the skills of basic navigation, progresses his discovery is made evident. He’s created a special Sentient, a little AI robot that accompanies your ship wherever you go (think Navi from Zelda, but actually helpful and minus the “hey, listen!”s). But there are a lot of people interested in this little piece of tech, and the researcher is killed while you escape with a crappy little ship, the sentient at your side.
You’re then told by Judah, a guy who looks remarkably like Jim Raynor, that you and that sentient have got work to do to help save the galaxy’s warring factions from the hidden evil menace, the Dark Legion. Sound familiar?
The catch is you’re going to need a better ship than your hunk of junk, so you’ll need to join one of the factions and ascend their ranks in order to upgrade to a war vessel you can be proud of. These factions are your typical sci fi stereotypes: Matriarchal zealots, a human Dominion, mercenaries, peace-keepers, and enforcers of the law. Each of these has its own unique storyline that runs alongside the events of the main story.
By this stage, you’re probably thinking how the game expects to be taken seriously when it riffs off so many genre tropes. Well, it doesn’t. The game’s quirky narrative and exposition makes it very clear that the plot is more to create a familiar envrionment in which to make constant, often obscure, references to the classics of the science fiction genre. And in that respect, the game succeeds. Never before have I felt like Han Solo racing to unite the galaxy against the Reapers while the Zerg and the Brotherhood of Nod hound me the whole way. The game brings out your favorite science fiction memories and it’s to be tremendously commended for that.
The game controls like your average twin-stick shooter, but the mechanics behind it go far deeper. When you level up you can upgrade your pilot stats, which affects how effective your ship is at damage or defence or what skills you unlock. On top of that, you can feed your sentient crystals so that it too can upgrade its statistics and abilities (though the game never really outlines what it is those crystals do). And on top of that, when your Faction level increases you can buy newer, more powerful ships which can then be upgraded with newer, more powerful weapons. The catch is, the larger your ship, the slower it is. So though large battleships can carry more cargo and use more weapons, they maneuver at preposterously slow rates. Piloting them made me feel like I was piloting a pirate ship agaisnt the wind. Though this unmaneuvarability is rewarded when you finally get to a combat zone and blast away with a ridiculous amount of weaponry and annhilate everything in sight.
The number of things to upgrade mean that the game is sublimely addictive, despite the fact that by the time you’re halfway to the level cap the game starts to get extremely repetitive; quests are even named “More Patrols” or “Lost Again”.
The repetitiveness is alleviated somewhat by the short length of individual missions, but it’s also hindered by the fact that to unlock new story missions, you have to grind through side quests which have little personality to them. Much like an MMO, you’re given a wall of quest text, which you’ll probably ignore, and then you’re off to do something you’ve already done twenty times.
To further the MMO feel, several players can jump in and out of your game world, and if you have PvP on, players from opposing factions can jump in and try to harass you. Each zone has enemies and resources that respawn over time, and as you level up and explore zones, you’ll unlock new zones with different asthetic looks and quests. There’s also PvP battlegrounds in which the Dominion and Revenant factions of the game fight to destory one another’s battleships, and can be helped or hindered by players from each of the factions. A survival type mode is also included, where players can team up to defend a base from Dark Legion attackers. Like everything else in the game, performing these modes gives you experience to upgrade pretty much everything you’d care to upgrade.
The mix of genres works well in favour of Fusion: Genesis, but it also succumbs to the major flaws of most those genres: repetitive like MMOs, difficult to understand mechanics like RPGs, and with the simplistic combat of twin-stick shooters.
Audio
The game’s soundtrack is wonderful. The musical themes of the game provide a mood for every space setting imaginable, whether it’s the haunting sound of empty space, the wonder of exploring a massive space station, or the intensity of a battle anthem while in a dog fight. Much like the game’s story, the music will remind you of Star Wars, Starcraft, and all those space epics you’ve experienced in the past.
In terms of sound effects, lasers sound like lasers, and missiles sound like missiles. It’s not sound design you’ll be telling all your friends about, but it does a decent enough job of making you feel in the moment.
Visual
Fusion: Genesis is a looker. With a variety of environments and locations all beautifully rendered from the top-down point of view, the game really sparkles with it’s expansive backgrounds and the sheer amount of ships it can put on the screen. You’ll battle dozens of enemies while fighting amongst frozen wastes or in orbit over lava-covered planets. The larger, dreadnought-type ships definitely steal the show however. When you see a ship that takes half the screen, spitting lasers, missiles, and beam-weapons all over, it’s truly a sight to behold.
Overall
Starfire Studios set their sights high with Fusion: Genesis, attempting a game that can only be best described as an almost MMO, RPG, twin-stick shooter. The impressive thing is that they almost succeed, but the pitfalls of repetitve quests become the game’s major detractor. I’ve saved a Revenant scout named Sellen a good five times now, and she’s still getting lost. Sure, she gets lost in different locations, but that doesn’t really change the gameplay.
While it looks and sounds great, and the gameplay reaches addictiveness levels of Diablo, the game suffers through the shameful amount of mission variety. I could have done with one thing fewer to upgrade if it meant every mission in the game had a unique twist. Sadly, you’ll find your attention waning at about level 20, and the game struggles to recapture it from then on.
Regardless, this is a wonderful first effort from Starfire, and even if you don’t finish the game, you’ll get hours of addictive fun out of it, and a great nostalgia trip is just icing on the cake.
As many 3DS eShop owners know by now, we have been getting quite a few quality titles on the service as of late. By the looks of it, that trend will continue for 2012 as Nintendo have now announced that Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword will be launching on the service next year.
In this romp, players take control of a young warrior as he travels through ancient Japan to save a princess. With many enemy soldiers blocking the way, it’s your job to identify the enemy’s attack move, dodge it by a hair and counter-attack with his own mystical Sakura Sword to win the battle. Not a whole lot is known about this downloadable title other than it releasing for the eShop in the east last week under the name Samurai Hirari Sakura.
Either way though, it’s nice to see some eastern releases making their way to the west and come January, 3DS owners can learn the art of the blade themselves when Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword officially releases.
In two weeks time, Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights will finally make its long awaited debut on the Nintendo 3DS, but while we wait, Konami have decided to give players a small taste of what to expect. This demo is labeled as a “2D micro-experience” for the PC, and features a nice glimpse inside the many mind bending puzzles that the full game will offer.
Here is a brief description of what the demo holds inside:
The demo, reconstructed from the full game and adapted for the PC, will bring you into 19th century Paris and introduce you to Doctor Lautrec and his pesky and too-inquisitive assistant, Sophie. While not the full experience, the flash demo will give players a tune-up and tests their deductive reasoning, memory recollection and problem solving skills in a fun and enchanting world. Each puzzle, solved correctly, will unlock a new area for players to explore. But players aren’t alone in their search as a cast of malevolent characters are also on the hunt for the treasure.
If you have around 20 minutes to spare, do yourself a favor and give this first crack at finding Louis the XIV’s treasure a try in the link down below. Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights launches everywhere for the 3DS on December 13th.
The 3DS is going to have a good Christmas. With the release of two of it’s biggest games just around the corner, Nintendo’s latest portable will no doubt feel the benefit of the phenomenon that is the Mario Effect. Mario Kart 7 (December 3) And Super Mario 3D Land (November 24) will bring a double dose of the plumber and his pals in full 3D.
Nintendo Australia held a hands on preview event for the two titles yesterday, giving a few of the CC crew a chance to test out all the latest in platforming and karting from the Nintendo universe. Hosted at the Hotel CBD in Sydney, the venue was lined with 3DS’s ready to roll, and Tanooki was the word of the night.
A bit of Mario Kart 7 multiplayer was foiled early on – not yet! A bit of practice time ensued, including getting to grips with the new flying and underwater sections, gyroscope control from a first person view, and a few new weapons to add to all the finish line drama (although nothing will ever top that blue shell).
After a brief appearance from the man himself (actually a woman for the evening, equipped with an in suit fan and ice vest!), Nintendo started off their presentation- showing off some gameplay footage and the new features of each title. Of course the evening wouldn’t have been complete without a Mario Kart 7 tournament, and one brief race later, the CC team found themselves down one remote control Mario. Do’h!
Amidst a bevvy of spring rolls and miniature choc tops, Super Mario 3D Land was in full swing. The 3D effect took a bit of getting used to, but any game that’s a mixture of Super Mario Land and Super Mario 64 can’t go far wrong. Tanooki suit pick ups were plentiful, and the 3DS’s were (sadly but sensibly) wired to their podiums.
And then the Mario Kart 7 multiplayer began. Platters of food were suddenly of no consequence, it was competition time! The gyroscope controls were by all accounts a hit, and kart customisation definitely brings a welcome new sense of personalisation to the racing. But the most important thing? It’s Mario Kart, back and as fantastic as ever.
There’s no doubt that bringing Mario to the 3DS is going to do wonders for the handheld. Nintendo have got themselves a perfect Christmas line up, and the double whammy of the multiplayer magic of Mario Kart 7 and the classic platforming of Super Mario 3D Land will no doubt sway many gamers as yet undecided about the 3DS.
Thanks of course to Nintendo Australia, and all the promotional staff who kept a close eye on those consoles!
League of Legends offers a sneak peak look at their upcoming champion, Volibear. Most champions offer their own unique scare tactic like Tryndamere’s “Endless Rage”, but this champion’s appearance may scare off summoners. A bear is fearsome enough, but attaching a huge slab of armor on one makes it overkill.
Riot Games admits that this could definitely be a game changer for them as far as champions are concerned. They did not want to make an overpowered champion; however, an armored bear just resonates death in my eardrums.
For the 2012 summer, Blizzard Entertainment will be accepting internship applications until January 31, 2012.
Once students get through video game design school, the learning isn’t over. Getting an internship is the next step and thanks to the explosion of the video game industry, there are a lot of great ones to choose from.
Blizzard Entertainment has been home to many well-known titles other than World of Warcraft. Diablo and Starcraft have been successful franchises as well, and I could only imagine the environment where these titles were created. Applying may only take minutes of your time, but grant you a lifetime opportunity.
Here’s a quick run-down of what the program is all about:
– Applicants must be currently studying at a university or college in the United States
– Planning to return to school in the fall of 2012 after the internship
– 12-week paid opportunities during the summer
– Located at Blizzard headquarters in Irvine, CA
– Applications must be submitted no later than January 31, 2012
The internship program is all about giving college students hands-on experience in their developing fields. So whether you are working in development, quality assurance, licensing, or even publishing, this would be a great career jump start. If you are interested in applying for an internship or know someone that would be, you can find more information (here).
