It’s nearly December. It’s nearly panic time. Need some pressies for assorted rellies? Madman have unveiled their December DVD line up, and here are a few of the highlights from their ever diverse catalogue…
Skins Series 5
This collection contains all 8 episodes from series 5 of the hit UK show, and for the first time will be available on Blu-Ray. With the second generation put out to pasture, four new guys and four new girls will be taking up the mantle of ‘disaffected’ youth to love each other, hate each other, screw each other, and generally make a mess of things.
Release Date: November 30, 2011 Price: $34.95 (DVD) $39.95 (Blu-Ray)
Housos
Pauly Fenech of Fat Pizza fame returns with new series Housos, promising ‘wrongness at its finest’. The 2 DVD set follows the daily adventures of Shazza, Dazza, Frankie and Kylie, and if you know and/or love what the word ‘bogan’ implies, this if for you!
Release Date: November 30, 2011 Price: $29.95
My Sri Lanka with Peter Kuruvita
Another cooking show/travel journal, My Sri Lanka sees Sydney chef Peter Kuruvita return to this ancestral home. The show moves past Sri Lanka’s associations with social conflict and unrest to reveal the wealth of history and culture that once made the country the ‘jewel of the Indian Ocean’.
Release Date: November 30, 2011 Price: $29.95
Kill Arman Series 1
Arman is in his mid 30’s, a pampered , fast living guy who counts himself as a master tailor and fashion reporter. In Kill Arman, he abandons his socialite lifestyle and throws himself into 6 months of intensive martial arts training! With no prior experience he must take on the martial arts masters who train him in a series of ten globetrotting fights to the death finish.
Release Date: November 30, 2011 Price: $29.95
Erotic Tales Boxset
This boxset collects both seasons of Erotic Tales in one handy Christmas package. A collection of short films exploring eroticism, the series has been created by a bevvy of international directors and tackles its subject from every culture and viewpoint – from the humorous to the poetic.
Release Date: November 30, 2011 Price: $49.95
Rockwiz Series 3
Rockers rejoice, series three of Australia’s longest running rock music trivia quiz has arrived! (are there any others?) Hosted as ever by Julia Zemiro, series three features both local and international perormers pitting their wits against series regulars and Regular Joes alike.
Since launching earlier this year, Bejeweled 3 has become available in digital format on nearly every gaming platform out there. Those who crave a physical copy though are now in luck as this sequel is now available for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo DS.
These versions have all of the same modes we have seen thus far, but the console releases feature bonus games that are sure to excite those hardcore gem-smashing fanatics. On the Xbox 360, players can expect to see the highly addictive Bejeweled Blitz Live, and on PS3, both Feeding Frenzy 2 and Zuma have been included. Considering the price on all three versions is just $19.99, this new physical release makes a serious stocking stuffer and is sure to keep any puzzle fan out there busy for the next year or so.
Making it’s way to the ring, about to hit shelves worldwide this week is THQ’s WWE 12.
Ditching the Smackdown vs. Raw franchise, THQ have promised a reinvigorated, bigger, badder and better game than it’s predecessors. Utilising the all new Predator combat technology and offering a jam packed roster of almost 80 superstars, it’s pretty difficult not to get excited about getting your hands on a copy.
For now, check out the official launch trailer down below as we edge closer and closer to the release date. WWE 12 comes out on the 22nd of November in North America, 24th in Australia and 25th in the UK.
Sega US and Sega Europe are proud to announce that they are giving all iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users the chance to lead the Taira into battle against the hungry Minamoto forces by releasing a free version of Samurai Bloodshow for all to have. Featuring stunning Japanese picture scroll type graphics, Samurai Bloodshow allows players to wage war in feudal Japan and features a one of a kind mix of card based and strategic defense gameplay. Additionally the full version of the game will be available to purchase from the crazy low price of 99c in US and Australia, but get in quick as its only a limited offer.
Samuria Bloodshow is set across 20 different levels and terrains, complete with fog, waterways and many other environments, with multiple different difficulty options. Players must collect game cards which can then be traded with friends to compile the ultimate deck for your own style of play. While battling Minamotos waves of soldiers, victorious outcomes will earn you 1 of 64 disctinct warriors to fortify your clan. For those who are too impatient and just want to dominate from the start, additional cards can be purchased from in-app stores. Samurai Bloodshow also has a 2 player feature where players can battle it out locally by Bluetooth or online through the game centre feature. Two player card trading can also be done through the Bluetooth connection if local to each other.
I thought video game companies were all evil and just promoted violence, with the ultimate goal of brainwashing the worlds more impressionable people to build a super army of minions to take on the masses. All jokes aside, those who do think like this would do well to take a look at the enormous amount of charity work a vast majority of gaming companies support and promote. Umloud, San Franciscos magnificent and biggest annual non -profit gaming fundraiser for Childs Play will take place at the DNA Lounge on December 8th, and this year the awesome team over at Mad Catz have put their hand up to be the primary sponsor of the event.
With Mad Catz looking after the production costs of the event, this ensures that all donations and money that is raised can go straight to the kids hospitals through Childs Play charirty. “Ümloud is an inspiring event which through it’s support of the Child’s Play charity, makes a real difference to the lives of sick children across the world.” said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. “We are proud to support such a deserving cause and look forward to joining gamers this coming December for a night of Rock Band fundraising which promises to be like no other!”
As premier sponsor and partnering with Rock Band 3, Mad Catz intend to make an impression and show off their head banging skills, even bringing along their very own house band and promising a host of suprises for any lucky enough to attend. “We’re very excited to work with Mad Catz in making Ümloud! 2011 the biggest, baddest Rock Band charity concert in the world!” said Ümloud! co-founder John “Seg” Seggerson. “Having such an esteemed partner will allow us to create a spectacular show that will draw an amazing gaming crowd, all for the benefit of Child’s Play and its partnered hospitals around the world.”
At Umloud there will be over 30 bands performing at the famous DNA Lounge, one of San Franciscos most popular live music venues as well as taking each other on at Rock Band 3 all for Childs Play, a gamers charity started by Penny Arcades Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, that delivers toys and games to kids hospitals around the world not just in America.
Check out Umloud.org for more information about the event.
If you thought Marvel Vs Capcom 3 couldn’t possibly get any better, well think again, as Capcom and Marvel have announced the release of Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 for PS3 and XBox 360, complete with new characters, a refined upgraded fighting system plus 8 new stages and modes all at a fantastic price. The next instalment in the exceptionally popular series adds 12 new challengers to the Marvel Vs Capcom fighting arena, introducing zombie slayer Frank West taking a break from Dead Rising to show off his strength, as well as Rocket Raccoon, taking a break from saving the cosmos to grace us with his prescence. Also included in the character options are Phoenix Wright, Vergil, Nemesis, Strider and Firebrand representing Capcom, and Nova, Iron Fist, Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider and Hawkeye in the Marvel corner.
There are also a whole host of enhancements and features implemented into Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 to improve the games balance and online functionality. Of particular note is the fan requested Spectator mode which allows fighters to watch online matches together, planning their next moves and exploiting their enemies weaknesses. If all that is not enough, there will also be free DLC available after launch in the form of Heroes and Heralds; a new single and multi-player mode where players can unlock new abilities with upgrade cards, customise characters, and choose whether to be friend or foe to Galactus as he tries to take over Earth and its lands.
Riot Games, the creators of the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game, League of Legends, announced today that over four million people log in to play the game each and every day. This is a growth of 280% since their last announcement about the size of the community in July.
Beyond the four million who log in every day, there are 11.5 million monthly active players in the game’s expanding community.
This growth can only mean good things as League of Legends prepares for its second competitive eSports Season. Season Two will feature a five million dollar prize pool, the biggest in the history of eSports. The Season will have a grand two million dollar finale where Riot will be able to crown the best team in the world.
Members of the community can expect extensive coverage of the upcoming season with game features such as spectator mode, ranked teams, and a competitive structure that encourages skilled players to form teams t0 go out and try to win.
Brandon Beack, CEO and co-founder of Riot said:
The incredible passion and dedication of our players is positively inspiring. Our community’s boundless enthusiasm is why they are central to every decision we make at Riot.
Since the launch of their debut title, Riot have logged over one billion matches played of League of Legends, and they promise to offer even more in the coming year to their expanding community.
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 Developer: Traveller’s Tales Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Platform: Xbox 360 (PS3, Wii, PC, 3DS, DS) Release Date: 18th November Price: $59.99 Available Here
Overview: With all the secret areas and hidden Easter eggs of the LEGO games, the magical world of Harry Potter seems like a natural choice for the LEGO treatment. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 ended with Lord Voldemort rising to power again through the story of the Goblet of Fire. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 LEGO-ifies the preparation for the final battle against the Dark Lord before it comes to a head with the final face-off between Harry and the dark wizard who killed his parents. This makes it not only more epic in scale (Hogwarts is vast and you explore many other recognisable locations) but more epic in content.
Story: Don’t get me wrong, although this second half of the saga sees the deaths of many key characters, it isn’t all as grim as it sounds. The LEGO humour is on top form; after seeming to stagnate a little in recent iterations, it’s back to its old, hilarious self, with the laugh out loud moments coming in cut scenes especially. Anyone who has seen the films will appreciate its slapstick re-enactment of events from the films (Order of the Phoenix, Half-blood Prince, Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Deathly Hallows: Part 2). While the jokes wouldn’t be nearly as funny for those who haven’t seen them, given Harry Potter is a bit of a phenomenon and one of the highest-grossing films series in the history of cinema the number of people eyeing the game who haven’t followed the films is negligible.
Gameplay: The structure of Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is much more ordered than previous games, following a linear path in keeping with the order of events in the movies. The fact that it’s in chronological order makes it seem more like an adventure than other LEGO games which have you dipping in and out of various instalments of the given saga as you please. However, what this does mean is that a certain degree of accessibility and the ability to ‘pick up and play’ is lost, as you can’t always come and go as you see fit. You have to reach a clear stopping point, as the levels are all chained together with purposeful movement through the world outside the level – in that you follow the events of the films even when outside of proper levels. Free-roaming still has an objective: to get to the next stage in the story an trigger the next fully-fledged level. What this does mean is that it can be unclear where to call it a day and switch off, as you have to wait for the auto-save icon (which, rather amusingly, is a floating LEGO Voldemort head) or risk losing some of your progress.
To guide you through Hogwarts or whatever other part of Harry Potter fantasy world you are exploring, the game gives you a ghost trail of studs to show you the way that furthers the story. This comes on top of various other glimmering and glittering effects which direct you or point out objects that can be interacted with.
However, this doesn’t prevent you occasionally running into problems and getting stuck for a short moment, especially in confined spaces where these directional cues aren’t present. The attention to detail is superb, with even smaller, less important moments from the films captured in LEGO. As with anything that tries to whittle down the subject matter to a more manageable length, though, many moments have been criss-crossed and combined. This can be confusing and lead to the aforementioned instances of getting stuck, as you aren’t sure exactly how closely it’s following events in order to judge what you’re supposed to be doing next. Many areas you will think you have gone over with a fine-toothed comb will reveal something not in the films after several minutes of being unsure what you need to do next.
The gameplay at the centre of it all is very similar to other LEGO games. A mix of platforming, action and puzzles awaits you, and these make inventive use of the Harry Potter universe with a spell wheel housing your gradually expanding knowledge of spells, potions to drink giving you extra abilities for a short time and puzzles referencing the skill sets of the franchises characters. The seamless two-player co-op returns once again, although so does the new split screen feature introduced a few LEGO games ago for multiplayer, which isn’t to my tastes. As the divide between the two players is constantly changing it can be disorientating, plus I think it shifts the emphasis away from teamwork.
Visuals: The likes of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and the Ministry of Magic are captivating all on their own, so you’ll be pleased to know that Traveller’s Tales have done everything justice in the visuals department, with a world that seems to be, for the majority of the game, bustling with activity. The developers have applied the LEGO effect nicely where needed – such as the way Grimmauld Place builds itself with LEGO before your eyes – but like LEGO Pirates, they seem to have gone overboard with the sheen on the characters. They’ve tried to make it look incredible by having light reflecting off of the polished bits of plastic, but even real LEGO isn’t that shiny. Also, it can be hard to register what and who some locations and characters are supposed to be, particularly in the case of the latter where the one-size-fits-all minifigure proportions make it hard to tell.
Audio: The soundtrack is made up of iconic tracks from the films or music inspired by the films’ musical score. There’s also the other sound effects from your surroundings and grunts from characters. Surprisingly, some of the grunts actually capture the personality of the real thing. Not that it makes a huge difference, others clearly don’t match the real thing, although when combined with the difficulty you can have telling who’s who because of the character models’ proportions, can cause you to have trouble working out who people are supposed to be.
Overall: Having a tighter structure that forces you to follow the order of events accurately works wonders for LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 and, in tandem with the more dramatic nature of events, manages to make the game feel more like an adventure. It’s a return to form for the LEGO games, which I felt were flagging of late; the humour’s well-executed and the gameplay really lends itself well to the fantasy world of witches and wizards, even if the irritating split screen mechanic continues to feature (to the detriment of the co-op experience). The LEGO games may not be as enchanting as they once were, but Traveller’s Tales have delivered a magical adventure nonetheless.
Looking for a Christmas gift but have absolutely no idea what to get? (Yes, this is aimed at parents who aren’t sure what to get their brood.) Well Nintendo have got you covered with their Nintendo Christmas Gift Guide. Also, for those of you who have got your eye on a console or Nintendo game then don’t threat, you can very subtly choose some items from the Nintendo wish list and share the list with your friends.
Don’t settle for a pair of socks this Christmas or some random no frills copy of what you truly want. Go to the Nintendo site here and register and share your wish list. Or just go browse what comes up under each category and take a look at the popular games to scope out what might be the perfect gift for your son/daughter/niece/nephew/neighbour/me.
It seems that the debate of whether dedicated handhelds can survive the changing portable market will continue after a survey by analysts Cowen and Company has revealed that more casual gamers continue to flock to smartphones for their portable needs, with less casual gamers looking at the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS and Sony PSP to tend to their portable needs.
“Over the last five years, the penetration of dedicated handheld platforms into survey respondents self-identifying as casual gamers has declined by 29 per cent, with the vast majority of that decline occurring in the last two years,” their report states. “We believe cellphone and smartphone gaming is significantly impacting demand for dedicated handheld devices.”
The survey revealed that They believe that US publishers will not be affected of this decline, using EA as an example of a publisher who has significantly invest in this emerging market. However, they believe that the news on the casual decline would hurt Sony and Nintendo, quoting, “However, we do view this trend as a negative one for Sony and especially Nintendo.” Sony and Nintendo are in the dedicated handheld market.
I do have to note that there are a few problems with this survey. Firstly, the survey relies on two handhelds that have been on the market for over five years and both companies have moved onto new handhelds. Second, the Nintendo 3DS has only been on the market for nine months, which is not a reasonable amount of time to assess how it has impacted on the market on a long term scale. Third, the Sony PSP main demographic was never the casual market. With exception of a few titles, most of the PSP games focused on the other side of the coin, or hardcore gamers. The Vita will also be targeting the same market, with a few casual titles no doubt.
Which leads me to another point. What these surveys by analysts seem to forget is that there will be a market for dedicated gaming handhelds. Why? Simply put, there are a group of people who don’t want over-simplistic, short experiences on the go. This may be a shock to all of these analysts, but there are a number of people who want a deeper experience when they travel on the train or bus. Hopefully we see a co-existence of both markets rather than a complete abandonment of the dedicated market.
