Ubisoft have unveiled a trailer for their follow-up Your Shape: Fitness Evolved game. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 will provide all new exercises to sculpt and shape a new body for yourself. With a mixture or strength, endurance and cardio workouts, you should be able to find an exercise regime to suit your goals.
For those who played the original Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, it looks to be a more intense workout this time around, with a lot more testing exercises available from the looks of it. The trailer may only be a minute and a half, but manages to show press-ups, lunges and jumps. Get ready to burn those calories on the calorie counter.
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 releases exclusively for Xbox 360 Kinect on 11th November.
Battlefield 3 Developer:DICE Publisher:EA Platforms:PC (Reviewed), Xbox 360, Playstation 3 Release Date:Out Now Price: $58.99 (Limited Edition – Available Here) / $50.99 (Download – Available Here)
Battlefield 3 is the latest in a long line of war based shooters from DICE and EA. The game features a Single Player campaign as well as an extensive Multiplayer component, that really seems like it was the focus of the games development. Unfortunately for the game, the campaign was quite lacklustre in it’s plot and excecution while the Multiplayer was brilliantly designed and a blast to play.
Story: The story in Battlefield 3 is, in my opinion, not at all that engaging. The developers seem to have taken a cue from another popular title that was released during development (Call of Duty: Black Ops), in that your main protagonist is being interrogated by some kind of government organisation. Further, the story is told disjointedly and feature multiple main characters, some of which die in very unfortunate ways.
Throughout the story, you are a part of a small squad of marines (and by small, I mean small; less than a platoon) who seem to be doing more commando/ counter-terrorist work than any hard military jobs. For example, in one part of the story, the main character is made to cover a small group of marines as they begin to raid a shopping mall. While a marine is likely able to work a Sniper Rifle, doesn’t the army have it’s own squad of snipers for that kind of job; somebody specially trained to assist in these situations?
Throughout the campaign, I never really thought of myself as a marine. I frequently regarded myself as a counter-terrorist being made to strike tactically through dark streets and engage with scripted enemies that sometimes seemed like there was more of than in a small town. What really got to me during these tactical moments though, was when you’re required to stealthily take out an oppenent.
In this one part of the game, your squad mate tells you to creep up on this guy standing guard with backturned near a doorway. Being the stealthy guy that I am, I figured that running at him would alert him to our presence and he’d lay waste to us, so I went into prone and crawled up on him. Little did I know that being too stealthy would cause my character to suddenly drop dead for no apparent reason. The next time I did it, I sprinted at the enemy and knifed him to death; it’s amazing how stealth works in this game.
The campaign also features an abundance of cross-eyed soldiers that appear on your team throughout the game. These are men who will waste an entire clip of ammunition in the direction of an enemy and not hit them at all. Even on Easy, your team-mates are pretty much just there for show. Which was unfortunate as I recall team-mates being more effective in the previous PC Battlefield title.
The campaign isn’t all bad, even if it only feels like you’re on a battlefield a small amount of times, as you get to fly around in a jet early on. This was probably the most amazing thing that I have done in this game. It felt amazing! I had so much fun being in the backseat of the jet and missiling enemies that I didn’t care that it was on-rails. Though, I love the feel of flying outside of games, so that may be impacting on how great the section really was. The only thing that bugged me about this section of the game was how they integrated it into the story. The interrogators just bring her up randomly, the main character says he has no idea what they’re talking about, her (the planes gunner) target had no impact on the overall story and the entire set-up was just a ploy to get you into a plane. If they had’ve had a decent storyline, instead of copying the latest fad, they could have found any other significant way to include jet-flying within the game.
My biggest gripe about the story in Battlefield 3 is that none of the main characters are people that you would really care about, and just as you’re sick of not caring, they die. You can obviously tell when a character is going to die, simply by the amount of nonsense that the developers have lumped onto a character to try and get you to care about them in the brief amount of time that you will be playing them. For example, one of the main characters is given a toy by his son. This built to give the character some kind of background to get you to care about his death later. But you don’t, it feels like it was a ploy to force you to like the character and you wind up not really caring because you know he’s going to die anyway.
However big the flaws may be in the single player campaign (not including having to be online to even access it), it is still a pretty fun experience; but it is not so fun to warrant a purchase if you’re a single player gamer.
Visuals/ Audio: On ultra settings, Battlefield 3 is probably one of the most prettiest games on the market to date. On high settings, it is a step above Bad Company 2 on PC. The game does throttle pretty well, so that if you have a lesser graphics card, you will be able to run it with just a little tinkering. I’m actually running an ATi 5770HD and can run it on ultra with anti-aliasing disabled with a pretty decent frame-rate (~30-40 fps, sometimes fluctuates lower). I’m not sure how you’d fare with a lesser card, but leaving the settings on auto or using auto as a guideline should help you to customise your Battlefield experience to it’s fullest.
It is incredibly evident that the developers have put a lot of effort into the graphics of the game as the game looks beautiful, in regards to the environments, and features amazingly detailed skins for soldiers and vehicles. Even the water effects are great.
In regards to audio, Battlefield 3 features an amazing array of weapon sound effects and explosions. The very few pieces of music in the game are incredibly well done and help set the mood quite well. However, I did find the music under-used in the multiplayer, in that it is only playing during the loading screens, but it did feature prominently in the story.
One of the most memorable moments for me audio-wise, is when I was gunning down enemy players in an alley-way and a rocket flew right past my ears. The sounds really added to the immersion of the game and helps draw you into the Battlefield experience.
Gameplay: In this section I will mostly be covering the generic mechanics as well as the multiplayer as I covered most the single player in the story section.
Battlefield 3 plays like most shooters, point, click and kill. But what makes this different is the way in which you conduct yourself on the battlefield. As Sun Tzu would say “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” So in order to do well on the battlefield, one must first have a plan and a method to carry out that plan; as having a method without a plan will leave you incredibly dead. What I really mean is to think about what you’re doing instead of just sprinting in a straight line from conquest point to conquest point.
In the multiplayer the game consists of a few different gametypes. These are Conquest, Large Conquest, Team Deathmatch, Rush, Squad Rush and Squad Team Deathmatch. Each of those gametypes are played across most of the maps in the game, but the playable area may be different depending on the gametype. For example, a team deathmatch map will utilise a much smaller area (one section of buildings, or a section that is best suited to the game type) compared to large conquest, which is likely to utilise the entirety of the map. I will discuss most of the gametypes in greater detail below.
In anticipation of the 18 November release of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 in the UK, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games have released a demo for the game, which is available now on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360. The PC demo is available on the LEGO Video Games page, with a PlayStation 3 demo to follow on PlayStation Network.
There’s no chance to try it on the other formats it will release on – DS, 3DS, Wii, PSP and PC – but it’s the opportunity to try what is probably the definitive version of the game on Xbox 360, PC or PS3 for free.
After developers Frozenbyte released some gorgeous stills of Trine 2 a few days ago, the internet has followed up with some media of it’s own.
Habitual game play commentators Cry and Friends have released a 50 minute video packed with footage from the online co-op multiplayer of the game. Preordering it on Steam right now will get you access to the very same thing, although minus the entertaining banter (wouldn’t that be a cool preorder bonus?).
It looks fantastic, and takes you through the opening moments of the game in tutorial style, with all three playable characters getting a look in. Narration (in game that is) abounds, and if you stick with it long enough you’ll eventually get to see some gameplay outwith the bounds of the tutorial.
There aren’t enough platformers in the world, let alone ones that look this good! And it has bouncy pumpkins, what more could you ask for?
It’s been too long since the last installment in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 franchise – Vegas 2 was released three years ago! After announcing that Patriots was in development just a few days ago, Ubisoft have released a video, although not a normal trailer. In true counter terrorism fashion, the developers over at Ubisoft Montreal claim that they have reason to believe that early footage of the game will be leaked. In order to prevent this from happening they have pre-empted the event and released the targeted gameplay video themselves.
And wow it’s full on. Tackling the touchy subject of home grown terrorism is no easy task, but from this footage, the game looks to be handling it well. The terrorist organisation involved are the Patriots, eerily similar to the Occupy Wall Street movement in their defining agenda – corrupt politicans and corporations have ruined America, and it needs to be taken back.
The footage is not finished gameplay, but includes Heavy Rain like events from an otherwise NPC point of view, a PS3 trophy being won, and of course some action on the part of Rainbow. The game is still years away, with Ubisoft giving 2013 as a release date – but the developers are taking this early release of footage as a chance to start up communication with fans of the series.
What do you think? Can Rainbow 6 take on Battlefield 4 and Modern Warfare 5 in 2013?
Oh, Japan! is a weekly feature in which I chronicle the wierd, wacky and just plain crazy goings on in Japan. Because we all know, Japan is prone to doing things that make us Westerners say “Oh, Japan!”.
This week on “Oh, Japan!” we will be diving into the wide world of sports and for the Japanese what better sport than Baseball? Well, the Japanese take Baseball much more seriously then Westerners.
In this video clip, you will see the very extent these Japanese players go to for the sport they love so very much. This player in particular fancies himself as some kind of ninja. Don’t believe me? Check out the clip below and let out a gasp of shock followed by an “Oh, Japan!
Activision have released a new trailer for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. This new trailer goes into great detail about the game modes and maps that will be included in the game.
Mixed in with footage showing off the various game modes and maps, is interviews with the staff who worked on the game, including people from Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward.
You can check out the very interesting Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 “Modes and Maps” trailer below. Will you be engaging in modern warfare with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? Be sure to let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is creeping ever so closely to its November release date over in the Land of the Rising Sun (Japan). In order to celebrate the game’s release, Level-5 has come out and released three videos showcasing cutscenes in the game.
The first video is from the beginning of the game. It is Oliver, the protagonist of the game, having some breakfast with his mother. The second video is Oliver encountering the Cat King and said King speaking to one of his bodyguards (who holds a spear with a fish head) after waking from a slumber. The third video shows Oliver and a young girl in conversation, with what is presumed to be her father intervening.
Ni Ni Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is slated for a release on November 17th in Japan, which is next week. However, there is no reason to import the game as Namco Bandai will publish the game in the West for a release in 2012.
The next entry in Ubisoft’s real time strategy series – Anno 2070 – is going to the future for the first time: you can try it now!
The demo has just been released via the game’s official website, and is offering the first two levels of the campaign as a taster before the full game is released on November 17. Players will be guided through some of the fundamental gameplay mechanics in a quest to build a hydroelectric power plant – sound fascinating yet? How about a futuristic world where two factions compete over a land devestated by global warming? Getting there?
This time around Anno promises to have the most comprehensive economic management system of the series – a phrase that may kill the interest of anyone who’s not into their strategy. If however, managing resources, trade and diplomacy to the economic betterment of your city and it’s inhabitants does sounds appealing then click here to have a look at the official website.
The futuristic setting for Anno 2070 is all set to take on a bit of real life political intrigue, with players able to work on behalf of the industrious Tycoons or the environmentally friendly Ecos.
Whatever style players choose will have a direct impact on the architecture of the city and it’s surrounding environment. The featured screenshots are a fairly obvious indicator of how this will play out, with idyllic clean cut glass structures for the Ecos and neon lights and grime for the Tycoons . The Tycoons will develop quickly but soon find resources scarce, whereas Ecos will take the time to develop for a better long term future, but have to meticuously manage resources while they go.
So will you build a better future or finish destroying the world?
Unlike previous entries which have come to the Wii and DS, Anno 2070 is a PC only title.
The first thing I noticed was the moustache. As I tried to remember whether Doc Brown had had a moustache in Back to the Future, I realised it wasn’t part of the costume – this guy simply had an epic mo of his own.
Calling himself “Doc Braun”, this very enthusiastic fan has built his own Delorean – the iconic time machine from the classic time travel saga. He’s attracted the attention of fans of the films, car buffs and even the studio behind the trilogy. And he’s done it all for charity.
We had a chance to talk to him at the Armageddon expo in Melbourne, where he was displaying his Delorean for the appreciative crowd.
Assuming he was a Back to the Future fan seemed a pretty safe bet, so I went straight into asking when he first saw the movies.
“I remember exactly,” Doc replies. “It was in 1985, I was in the Perth movie theatre with a very pretty girl. And the minute I saw the car roll out from the back of the truck, I forgot all about the girl, and I just went straight into the car. And I’ve been there ever since.”
“My favourite is probably the second one, because it shows the future, the promise of tomorrow. It’s really hard to pick a favourite, they’re all brilliant. The whole thing is just absolute genius work. I doubt there will be another movie made that will rival this one.”
There’s a pretty big leap from simply enjoying a movie to building a working replica of a movie’s famous car, so I had to ask how this came about.
“Ever since I saw the movie I started migrating time machine parts into regular driving cars. It got to the point with the local police deciding whether they pull me over for it or not.
I just kept adding and adding and adding, but no matter how hard you try, without the real Delorean as a base, it’s really hard to get the right look. I’ve got another car with gull-wing doors, and I had a lot of fun with it, but the snag is, it’s just not the same thing. So eventually when I got the real thing, I just went for it. I had so much background information, I was ready to go.”
“It’s an original factory car, ready to go, it drives perfectly. I got it from Memphis, Tennessee, in the US, and from a very nice, honest person who helped me out from the great distance of Australia. So we imported it here, and I’ve spent the last four years part-time doing the time machine assembly.
Some of the prop guys from the movie actually heard about what I was trying to do, for charity, and they helped me out with original left over movie parts, original molds from the movie car, and inside information. But the deal was, just for charity.”
“So what you see before you is the world’s first combination Back to the Future 1, 2 and 3 car. I mean, I can do either car, but I like to make it like a museum on wheels. There’s everything there for the fans, who appreciate every detail. What I did was take all the best stuff from all the best cars, all the best scenes, and put it on the one car.”
And it’s all accounted for. The car is adorned with props and elements from all three movies: on the dashboard is the Sports Almanac that Biff uses to make his past self rich. On the seat is the Mattel Hover Board that Marty uses to escape Biff’s cronies in 2015. There are banners for the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, where Marty’s parents met. The “You’re Fired!” fax is there, as is the 1885 newspaper reporting Doc’s death. And inside, there’s a programmable date display, a key function for any time traveller.
There’s even a stuffed dog bearing an uncanny resemblance to Doc Brown’s companion, Einstein. According to our Doc, the toy is a stand-in for his own dog.
“I got him from the Lost Dogs Home in Canberra, the perfect image of the dog in the film. And his name was Albert – in the movie the dog’s name was Einstein.”
Doc proudly says that everything on display is from his own collection, which is too large to have ever found a venue big enough to show everything at once. Which begs the question: how does one find the time and money for such a devoted fanship?
“Everyone does the maths, and asks, ‘how do you afford it? How do you do it?'”, he says. “Well, I just work hard – I work very hard – and I just like doing it. I’m in my element.”
He motions at the display. “It’s like my lounge room – this IS my lounge room!”
“It’s easy for me to do this. It’s a natural thing. If I was a paid actor, if it looked fake, or I hated it, it was just my day job, you couldn’t do this. You can see there’s passion in this.”
That passion is very clear, and it’s quite infectious. While we’ve been talking, there hasn’t been a lull in the number of people walking past the display, stopping to take photos and sitting in the driver’s seat. And Doc loves the overwhelmingly positive reactions.
“I mean look, look at all these happy people. That’s what it’s all about, that’s payment. Who wants money?! I mean, obviously it’s cost me money, I’ve worked hard to pay for all this, but it’s a labour of love. I love what I do, and I love people’s reactions.”
He makes it clear that his primary goal is to support charities, and these positive reactions to his work encourage people to donate.
“With the charities, I’ll help anyone and everyone who comes to me. I do the full circuit, they’re all wonderful causes, but I’m preferential to the kids charities at the hospitals.”
Doc hasn’t been shy about telling us his stories, and his work with the charities has given him a few particularly proud moments.
He tells of one little boy who brought in his family’s money jar, and presented Doc with a plaque to thank him.
Another was the story of a Back to the Future fan who had never actually seen what the Delorean looked like.
“He was touching everything, and it suddenly occurred to me that he was blind. He felt the whole car.” He knew the movies word for word by sound, but this was a way for him to “see” the iconic car he had heard so much about.
It’s obvious our Doc Braun loves these classic films, and lives for what he does. Speaking to him, his honesty shines through: this is a man who genuinely cares more about the people he’s helping than the money he could be making from his project.
While his fandom to a twenty-five year old film may seem excessive, he explains it confidently and with heart.
“My thing with the movie is, it changed my life. I work with a lot of depressed, manic, sick, sad, unhappy people, and what I’ve shown them is that what you do today changes tomorrow. So you can sit there and be unhappy, or you can get off your backside and do something, and go for it.
And the movie concept is real. I mean, it’s just a movie, it’s just a car, but the principle is, what we do can change things. And it was such a perfect example of that in a movie. I think it’s the best example: it was entertaining, but it really made you think.”
