With all the hype surrounding the impending release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, it just wouldn’t be complete without a bit of controversy and fluff ups. According to many rumours that have begun circling, some Kmart stores in the US had broken embargo and been selling copies of the Xbox 360 version of the game, way before its release. While the actions were not intentional, many of the copies have apparently found their way to EBay, selling for hugely inflated prices.
According to Joystiq, there is still one listing available at the time of print, with proof of purchase shown in the form of an original Kmart receipt. A quick check on EBay US showed many copies available, with most selling after the release date but there were many selling for price tags of $200 and over with express shipping.
In relation to the consequences of playing the game early, Stephen Toulouse, Microsofts Xbox Live main man, has stated via his Twitter that although originally there were plans to ban accounts, no action will be taken but does urge everybody to wait until the release to play against others.
Need for Speed the Run is shaping up to be a very interesting package indeed, with developers EA throwing just about every promotional and gameplay feature that they can think of at racing fans:
Fast cars with functioning doors. Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks and Sean Faris of Vampire Diaries fame. The Black Keys on music duty. Battlefield 3 engine Frostbite 2 for graphics. It’s own pair of Adidas shoes (yes, you can have Need for Speed themed feet, the world we live in).
And now a trailer from Transformers director Michael Bay. Well done EA, well done.
To celebrate EA have released a behind the scenes video that showcases Bay at work with the developers and explaining how he got involved in the first place. The director – who seems familiar with the franchise – comments on the increasingly film like qualities of today’s games, and the growing involvement of Hollywood actors and directors alike in the industry.
Unveiled just a few days ago, the rather aweseom trailer was unlocked early by an army of Need for Speed fans on the game’s Facebook page. It’s just what you would expect from the action savvy director (movie fans will be able to check off a good few Bay hallmarks), and you can’t help but wait for one of those cars to start transforming.
The game hits store shelves on November 15, and will be released on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS and PC.
Australian Bond fans need wait no longer – the classic title Goldeneye is now available on PS3 and Xbox 360 – almost a year to the day since the Wii reimagining of the Nintendo 64 original. Of course the big selling point here is that the game is in full HD, and it was even built on a brand new engine to ensure the best possible action.Daniel Craig is still on duty as 007 – a move which I appreciate but have never understood – and Judi Dench is along too as the ever patient M.
“This is the epitome of a classic reborn,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President at Activision Publishing. “We know that fans love the original GoldenEye film, so our team worked closely with the original screenwriter and film talent, along with the devoted developers at Eurocom, to create a modern reimagining tailor-made for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers around the world.”
There are other additions too, with Eurocom and Activision out to recruit gamers into Mi6 Ops missions that are brand new to the single player experience. The ever popular multiplayer is also now online, allowing 16 man matches that will no doubt see dangerous levels of addiction. PS3 fans will also be able to use the Move peripheral for some sharp shooting gunplay.
The Guild Season 1 and 2 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: Yes this was released quite awhile ago, so for someone who quit playing WoW in 2009, going back in time to the year when I first saw the guild was a bit bizarre. Maybe the guild inspired me to quit? I can’t remember to be honest, but one day after 4 years of on and off playing, I just stopped. But I still remember the lingo and understand the references, so something like this is still enjoyable to watch.
To take the idea for a show based around the community of WoW and run with it is a pretty brave thing to do, and it obviously worked rather well. It’s even mentioned in the commentary by Felicia day, “you need a target able audience” and WoW certainly has one of those. Vulnerable horny males, who cream at the thought of a pretty girl playing WoW…? No, I think just gamers in general enjoy it.
Story:
It helps that it’s really quite clever and well made; the first season is based more around the game and the issues surrounding having an addiction, while the second season broadens the appeal once the characters are fleshed out. If you aren’t a gamer or a WoW Player, I suppose the first season might weird someone out a little. The intro is charming, but a bit juvenile, and might give people the wrong idea.
Felicia Day’s performance is probably the standout, (although Zaboo’s mother is noteworthy, as well as Zaboo himself) she acts as a bridge between the audience and the show, and Felicia Day nails it. The train of thought, facing camera style isn’t easy to do, but she manages elegantly. As for her writing, it’s sharp, creating a number of wildly diverse personalities that bounce off of one another, while balancing the in-jokes about WoW with the norm.
Perhaps the three most important of the supporting roles are Zaboo (Sandeep Parikh), Vork (Jeff Lewis) and Clara (Robin Thorsen). Although the first season does focus on Codex’s problems with herself, both seasons still follow the concern of Zaboo’s obsessive love for Codex, which he expresses in strange/hilarious ways, such as moving into her house without warning. Other sexy one liners such as “I just dropped 8 gigs of ram down my pants” in an attempt to turn Codex on are pretty funny, to which Codex replies “In life, you are a starting character”. She then tricks Zaboo into moving out by telling him he needs to gain more manly attributes and “level up in RL”, Zaboo then accepts the “quest” with the hope that he’ll become sexually appealing to Codex, things like this are why the guild is so charming.
Zaboo then turns to Vork (The Guild Leader) for manly guidance, and agrees to move in with him, Zaboo pays rent in WoW Gold, instead of real money. Vork is one of the more bizarre characters of the guild, and that’s saying something because most of them are bizarre. He is an unemployed 40-something trying to run the guild, while “cutting the fat” from real life to get by. He also lives in a house without any electricity, but manages to steal that along with Wi-Fi from his Alzheimer’s-afflicted neighbor.
Meanwhile, Clara, the slightly overweight cheery, neglecting mother of three attempts to provide advice to Codex while she tries to cope with Zaboo’s obsessive tendencies and her new love interest (Stuntman). A trio forms between the girls as the new stuntman is introduced, including Tink (Amy Okuda) and the show turned into boys vs girls towards the end of the season. The WoW servers go down for maintenance (plot device?), so the Guild essentially has nothing to do, so they then decide to have girls and boys night. In the commentary Felicia Day mentioned this wasn’t intended, but that’s just how the script panned out in the end.
As such, interesting truths about females came from the shows plot that I didn’t except, such as admitting two males fighting over a girl is an enjoyable idea (Codex), or guys are just “tools to use” (Tink). Although the admissions are something that highly annoys me, you can’t help but admire the way they’re put together within the context of the show. It is after all based around a WoW guild, and those two truths are something that happened inside the WoW community, mostly because of the vast difference in numbers between males and females. Applying the social dynamics of a virtual world into the script works surprisingly well, especially if you’ve played WoW, you only appreciate it more.
Vincent Caso (Bladezzz) and Amy Okuda (Tink), in my opinion are the less-likable characters, although Bladezz does develop some positive aspects in Season 2 during guy’s night. However Tink’s dismissive manipulation of Bladezz’s does makes her the less likable character out of the two, Blades does get her back in the end by deleting her WoW character, which I enjoyed.
The seasons ending feels natural, making you wonder what will happen next, and I almost went ahead and starting watching season 3 straight away. I think that sums up The Guild’s quality, it sucks you in.
Video and Audio: Season 1’s 1.33:1 and Season 2’s 1.85:1 anamorphic wide-screen presentations look decent for a transfer of web series. The Guild’s production values up the anti in the second season, which is nice to see, especially with lighting the scenes. But this is a web series, sometimes you’ll be reminded of that as you’re watching it. Audio is Dolby 2.0, and it’s primarily devoted to dialogue, the standard isn’t too bad with minor drop outs. Despite being a low-budget DVD, this set contains English subtitles on all 22 episodes; The Guild’s theme song is also quite catchy.
The Extras: You get a wide ranging chunk of extras in the Guild DVD, which is nice. Such things as cast & crew interviews, audition footage, gag reels, audio commentaries, the scripts (in PDF), subtitles, a note from Felicia day and the gaming term glossary for the non-gamers. You can see the hard work put into this DVD and it pays off for any guild fan, as well as viewers who haven’t seen the show before.
Verdict: Considering this started out as a web series, you can’t help but feel impressed, especially since the backbone of the story revolves around online gaming (not exactly cool). The Guild is not only good, but it’ll go down in history as one of the first and most successful web series, as well as making strides for gender equality in gaming and woman’s film making. Not to mention that it could be considered a social commentary about online gaming addiction, which isn’t something that many people approach. The downside is people might already own the content of the DVD and some others won’t see the need to pay for what they can see for free online, but for everyone else, this set gets a solid recommendation.
Mild bewilderment and amused concern are spreading across living rooms today as homes across the world are infested by packs of bizarre bunny like creatures. Although friendly in nature the mysterious creatures are fast becoming a problem, wreaking havoc and stealing women’s underwear.
Freakish rabbit creature expert Professor U.B. Soft – called in to try and contain the spread – had this to say : ‘These creatures are Rabbids, part of the extended family of the Raymanus genus. They are highly flexible and resilient, and possess unlimited amounts of energy. I’ve seen people try everything to get rid of them – stepping on them, slapping them, even talking to them!”
Nothing seems to work for the affected households, who are eventually forced to compete in body building contests, air guitar duels and various other absurd competitions.
The Rabbids are native speakers of Bwaaah, and seem to enjoy the company of those who possess an Xbox 360 games console and a Kinect sensor. This is the first time that these creatures have ever been associated with the Kinect peripheral, which is being pushed to it’s limits to recognise the movements and voice commands of up to four people simultaneously trying to get rid of the pesky critters.
Professor Soft was kind enough to provide video footage of the Rabbid outbreak, and concerned readers should pay close attention to the video below.
The Black Eyed Peas Experience is the latest in Ubisoft’s line of ‘Experience’ music titles, following on from the Michael Jackson release last year. It has 30 of their biggest his included, complete with some pretty full on choreography!
The latest live action trailer for the game has just been released, and sees a group of fashionably dressed pro dancer types take over a block for a Black Eyed Peas themed boogie – with their Wii and Xbox 360 along for the ride (plenty of space for that Kinect sensor!).
Promising help for all us normal people in the form of hints from professional choreographers and the Peas themselves, Experience will no doubt have some entertaining results in living rooms across the world.
The game is released on 11.11.11, which I’m sure most people will recognise as Remembrance Day, the day the world ends the day Skyrim comes out. So if you’re after more dancing than dragon slaying be sure to check it out.
THQ have released another official trailer for Saints Row: The Third which is set for release in less than two weeks. The trailer shows off many of the new features, weapons and vehicles of the game and if you were excited before, this is going to drive you insane.
Additionally, THQ have confirmed that preorders for Saints Row: The Third have blown away the amount that Saints Row 2 managed to accomplish by over 4 times! Don’t forget if you want the special bonuses such as the Man-A-Pult, Stunt Suit and the Octopus gun then you better preorder the game as well.
Check out the trailer down below! Saints Row The Third will be out on the 18th of November.
In a disheartening turn of events, it was revealed today that Lego Universe will be no more and will close on January 31, 2012. Although the game went free-to-play awhile ago, the subscriber count was not enough to continue operating the MMO.
According to Jesper Vilstrup, Vice President of LEGO Universe, “The LEGO Universe team can take pride in having developed and launched a great LEGO experience that many players will miss. Right now, we have almost 2 million players in LEGO Universe, and we get extremely positive feedback from players. Unfortunately, we have not been able to build a satisfactory revenue model in our target group, and therefore, have decided to close the game.”
Over 115 employees, namely those of the ‘Play Well Studios’ in Louisville, Colorado and the game’s marketing function in Billund, Denmark will be laid off, although they will be offered assistance in finding new jobs. We wish them the best of luck.
Despite the shutdown, LEGO and Warner Bros. still have a strong relationship and plan to continue producing digital offerings.
Today the new European collector’s edition of Trine 2, the sequel of the successful sides-scrolling adventure game Trine, was unveiled alongside some stunning images from the upcoming title. The collector’s edition for PC and Mac includes the full game, majestic soundtrack, a gorgeous artbook featuring commentary by the developers from Frozenbyte and also the very first Trine game. The package will be sold for €19.99 (£14.99 in UK). For those of us outside Europe, we will have to be satisfied with the following brand new screenshots and the launch of a brand new promotional website, www.promo-trine2.com. The website contains information about the upcoming game, as well as plenty of images and gameplay footage.
Trine 2 takes players on another adventure alongside the powerful knight Ontius, the swift thief Zoya and the crafty wizard Amadeus. The three heroes embark on a brand new adventure, filled with terrifying monsters, physics based puzzles all while unraveling an epic mystery either on your own in solo or with others in co-op. Trine 2 will be available in Europe December 2011 for PC and Mac both online and in retail stores.
Game Name: Centipede: Infestation Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS (reviewed), Nintendo Wii Publisher(s): Atari Developer(s): Wayforward Genre(s): Arcade Shooter Release Date: October 25, 2011 (US) Price: $29.99 BUY NOW!
Over 31 years ago, Atari brought us the classic game of Centipede. While the property has achieved a legendary status in the world of gaming, I really feel like many have forgotten just how much of a legacy the classic bug shooter left behind as the original’s ideas still can be seen in many modern games released today. In the past few years however, Atari have been slowly rebooting their classic franchises, and it’s time for the multi-legged favorite to shine yet again on this generation’s line of platforms. Centipede: Infestation is a complete re-imagining of the arcade classic, and sets out to add in not only a substantial plot, but also a completely re-tooled yet familiar gameplay scheme that retro fanatics are sure to go “buggy” over. The old school minded WayForward were on task to deliver the goods for this reboot, so now the question remains of how well they pulled off making Centipede relevant yet again. What is the result? Here is my review for Centipede: Infestation for the Nintendo 3DS.
Story
Centipede Infestation is set in a post-apocalyptic world that is over-run by large insects and dangers around ever corner. Players take the role of Max, an orphan, a rebel, and our hero throughout this journey, who has made it his duty to protect what’s left of this wasteland while ridding the world of the buggy creatures that are causing a considerable threat to humanity. Along the way, Max runs into a sign of hope for the doomed lands by the name of Maisy. You see, Maisy has been planting gardens and restoring life wherever she digs her shovel. These brave actions must be protected, and your new goal is to ensure the safety of both Maisy and her green creations while finding out more about your rocky past.
While many reboots attempt to just tack on some light plot to add a general narrative, Centipede: Infestation’s tale stays genuinely interesting for the entire game and I even felt as if it were inspired by the likes of Star Wars and Avatar. That may be quite a bold statement, but the similarities of the characters within are there, and Infestation those ideas and makes them original in one easy to follow story.
Gameplay
When it comes to actually playing Centipede: Infestation, the style would best be compared to that of a twin-stick shooter. Each level offers different objectives to perform, but the gameplay usually revolves around taking out swarms of insects and racking up a high score in the process throughout various playing fields. Players will do battle on top of buildings, in vibrant gardens, and even on moving trains, but even with all of this change of scenery, these stages still keep that classic Centipede feel, with even a large centipede emerging upon nearly every stage.
To control Max, players will look no further than the circle pad. This stick works well for movement and can quickly guide your character around the level and out of danger with no error. To shoot enemies, all four of the face buttons will need to be used. Each button shoots in the exact same way, but have Max instantly turn direction based on input. For instance, Y shoots left, A shoots right, B shoots down, and X shoots up. You can also shoot diagonally by hitting two buttons at once, which may sound like a bit of a chore, but is actually an easy task to execute. This control layout threw me off early on but after just a short time, everything instantly clicked and the brilliance of the game’s unique style took off from there.
As I mentioned, most levels will have players blasting away at giant bugs. This is the main theme of the game, but that doesn’t mean Centipede: Infestation is a one trick pony. Some levels are just about killing off every enemy in sight, while others offer up missions to protect Maisy from any danger or to hit switches that rid all insects from the area. Since enemies differ in type, the player must constantly change up their strategy to simply survive. For example, winged bugs such as wasps fly towards the player and can dish out damage upon contact. Other insects prove to be a bit slower, but make up for their lack of speed by lunging multiple projectiles at once. When both are on the screen at the same time, the player must dodge the enemy fire while getting in close enough to effectively destroy their target. The giant centipedes remain nearly the same from the original version of the game and must be hit in the center of their long bodies to be broken apart, with the two remaining sections breaking off and offering up a whole new challenge. Everytime a centipede popped up I would get excited as that one lengthy bug provided some of the most enjoyable action in the game. Maybe this is partly some nostalgia from my love of the franchise, but I never felt bored by any of the combat to start with and while the centipede was quite simple to take out, they usually gave every stage a nice, rewarding finish.
To take out this mass amount of foes, your going to need a lot more weaponry than the standard gun Max carries. Luckily, an upgrade system is in place to offer some new gadgets while you are in the heat of bug warfare. Max’s standard gun works well enough to kill almost any enemy, but it can take quite a few shots to take out the bugs found later on in the game. Whenever an insect is destroyed, they can drop power-ups that enhance your arsenal for a limited amount of time. There is an ice blaster that freezes foes instantly, a flame thrower, and even a powerful sweeping laser (just to name a few) that all prove to be quite useful, even the most hectic of situations. If you pick up two of the same power-up, the power of the said weapon is then doubled. This allows your ice and fire blasts to fire further, your missiles to grow stronger, and lets your laser now fire in two directions for a much more devastating (and very satisfying) effect. The plants also get into the action, as some bugs drop shrubs that are armed with the same variety of powers and can defend a certain area of the stage for a short amount of time. Even though the game is technically a twin-stick shooter, I definitely got some tower defense vibes while playing and this element allows for a more addictive experience overall.
After you complete the many levels in the game, WayForward have made sure to keep the re-playability factor high as there are good number of both achievements and collectibles to obtain. Songs from the soundtrack, concept art, and even extra skins for characters are all unlockable and provide a nice incentive to go back in for more bug bursting chaos. The achievements are also quite creative, rewarding players for using certain weapons or defeating bosses in one specific manner. Exclusive to the 3DS version is a Streetpass function that has players swap data to receive unique “grab bags” of content, which can also be purchased with Play Coins as an alternative.
Visuals/Audio
The graphics in Centipede: Infestation are by no means going to blow anyone away, but they fit right in with the characters’ cartoon designs and feel appropriate for the post-apocalyptic setting. If anything, I would say one of the best features of the visuals is the way that bugs explode in a nice and juicy manner when killed. Cutscenes are also present to explain more pivotal parts of the story, and are almost like watching a western anime film. Not all of the story is told through these scenes though, as most of the dialogue is shown in a still-animation format. This method worked to tell the lighter parts of the story, but at times the characters expressions seemed a bit un-fitting to the emotions they were meant to portray (I’m talking to you, Maisy). The 3D effect is rather subtle as a whole, but flying insects do provide a reason to keep the slider up as they can often appear to be flying right towards the screen.
The music in the game was definitely one of the finer features of the entire experience, as each tune made the action more exciting and fit well with the futuristic setting. There is quite a bit of voice acting in the game as well and aside from the graphic mix-up, all of the actors do a decent job of bringing this plot to life. Each gun you use also lets out a distinct sound, which makes the abilities sound as powerful as they perform. Oh yeah, bugs go SPLAT when shot as well, giving greater reason to kill every legged creature in sight.
Overall
Centipede: Infestation retains every factor that fans of the Atari classic remember and throws in a ton of new elements that feel very fitting to the prestigious name of Centipede. The gameplay is fast paced and addictive and hearing bugs of all types explode never gets old. As you would imagine, it seems like a daunting task to perform when giving a proper plot to an over thirty year old property, but that is why Infestation is special. Not only is the story interesting, but I feel this tale could easily spawn sequels and could very well re-start the entire franchise as a whole, which is a feat WayForward and Atari should be very proud of. Drop your gardening tools and prepare grab your ice-gun, as Centipede: Infestation is one of the best 3DS games a two legged creature can find.
