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Will Nokia and Microsoft create a new player?

Jared Hilliers
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ifizzlephone

So here is another culprit with the iPhone 4S, another one bites the dust. As someone who doesn’t really hold any allegiances to either Apple or Android and has owned both, I can’t conclusively say I prefer one or the other. They essentially both do the same things I need, and it is just a phone. I would say for everyday use the iPhone is probably more user friendly, especially with email and having arguments with Siri. But the HTC Desire was better to play around with and surf the web. Games on the other hand, they don’t really interest me on mobile phones yet, but they might in the future.

The funny thing about simply getting a new phone and changing to iOS is people made a bigger deal of it than me, like it was significant that I was shifting teams, or “turning to the darkside”. This sort of perception for rivalry between the two platforms is reminiscent of the times when it was just Nintendo and Sony in the console game, and then Microsoft came along and leveled the playing field. This is something where history may repeat itself, as the Windows Phone might take off once all the new Nokia handsets have Microsoft’s operating system.

Nokia are showcasing their first Windows Mobile Phones tomorrow at the Nokia World Event, there’s alot of questions surrounding what will be shown and Steve Bullmer has mentioned “a bunch of new devices running Windows Phone” will be unveiled. One question that interests me the most is what will Microsoft do with gaming on these new devices?

Microsoft have experience coming late to the party with the Xbox, and Nokia had it’s fair share of lessons learnt from failed platforms (N-Gage!), this puts the partnership in an interesting position at a time when the lines between portables and smartphones are blurring. Microsoft has said in the past that Windows Mobile is a gaming platform for them, but with Nokia they both have a new opportunity to shine.

It’s pretty significant for Microsoft to be in bed with Nokia, afterall Nokia used to be king of the mobile world, then Apple crashed in all guns a-blazing. But if there’s one thing Microsoft knows over Apple; it’s gaming and they already have reputable franchises to back it up. The crazy expansion of gaming on the iPhone sort of just took off by itself, Apple never invested any money into game studios for the iPhone, it seems they have an attitude of indifference. They simply provided a platform and the tools for the community, only after awhile did they care enough to hire some real guns.

If Microsoft and it’s industry “know how” could provide premium quality games and work with Nokia to get a reasonable battery life, a major issue with portable gaming (hello 3DS and Vita), it could be a real winning combo. Not to mention the possibilities Xbox Live and the Xbox brand in general can bring to the table. No one has successfully blended the mix of portable gaming and mobile phone all in one yet (Nokia already tried remember), yes you could argue that the iPhone does, but has it really? I’m sorry but the majority of games are sub-standard, the only reason people waste 99 cents on a game is to fill small gaps of time in their daily lives, like waiting for a situation not to be socially awkward or whatever else. How many people in the iPhone’s massive audience actually want to sit down and play a new release? Sure, there are some exceptions, but its no more than the amount of exceptions in the Wii’s library.

I suppose saying they’re terrible doesn’t matter, as the casual market will make money regardless, but there aren’t too many developers who look at the platform seriously yet. The price point of 99 cents is indicative of the marketing technique based around that number, they’re trying to make you feel like you’re getting more for less, but we know this enticing concept isn’t true. Obviously not every quality game is 99 cents, even if it’s $8.99, you get the point.

I don’t think gaming on the iPhone has the attention of many gamers for this reason, particularly the hardcore, and perhaps it never will because that’s not the intention. Apple emerged in an industry it didn’t really care about and accidently made it work with a micro transaction system. I don’t think they expected gaming to take off, which is evident in their attempts to adapt, such as the strangely designed game center. Its a… casino? It’s like they got two gaming industries confused.

Perhaps to make real change they need to rethink price points and perception around the platform, cheap games are nice, but you get what you pay for. This is Apple afterall; they know how to change consumer behavior if they want to. Microsoft and Nokia may be late to the table, but Apple has yet to capitalize on the significance of the iPhone/iPad in portable gaming, they’re still walking a blurry line. In this light, there might be a chance for Microsoft and Nokia to have an impact with purpose.

New Medal of Honor teased in copies of Battlefield 3

Travis Bruno
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While some people, such as myself, aren’t too keen on Online Passes, there is one thing they can sometimes be good for. Extra advertising space. On the back of Battlefield 3’s online pass printout, there is a logo on a black background that is apparently teasing another Medal of Honor title. The picture features the Medal of Honor website as well as what appears to be a shark face on a shield.

There hasn’t been any actual announcement for a Medal of Honor title after the series’ release last year. What do you think this Medal of Honor title could be about? The emblem seen below is certainly different from anything we’ve seen from the series in the past.

Battlefield 3 on Xbox 360 comparison video shows with and without HD texture pack

Travis Bruno
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It was revealed a little while ago that Battlefield 3 on the Xbox 360 would have an optional HD texture pack that can be installed that would make the game look better on the console. The feature was revealed last week by executive producer Patrick Bach where he said that the game would look like a standard definition release without the package.

With the video released today by WikiGamesGuides we see just how outstanding the difference is with this package. The reason that the texture pack was made optional for Xbox 360 owners, is due to the fact that not all Xbox 360 consoles are available at start with hard drives, unlike the PlayStation 3 and PC platforms. So check out the video below and be sure to download that texture pack because it makes an insane difference.

Sentai licenses Mashiroiro Symphony

Luke Halliday
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Proving that there is still plenty of anime that has yet to be licensed, Sentai Filmworks have announced their 5th licenesed title for the month of October, this time it is an anime adaptation of a popular japanese visual novel, Mashiroiro Symphony ~ The Color of Lovers.

Sentai will be releasing Mashiroiro Symphony in a subtitle only DVD set. It appears they do not have any intention of dubbing the series any time soon, but as long as it’s released, right?

Mashiroiro Symphony is the next in a long line of recent licensings from Sentai Filmworks and it certainly will not be the last. What do you think of this licensing? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.

Warp Shows Us How to Echo and Swap

Roger Ma
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EA Games have released a new trailer for the upcoming downloadable game ‘Warp’, which debuted at PAX East earlier this year. Part action, puzzle, stealth and strategy game – ‘Warp’ puts players in control of Zero, an abducted alien who is just trying to escape from an underwater research facility that a villainous General has taken him to.

The latest trailer shows off a few abilities that Zero can unities in the game – Echo and Swap, which can be used in a variety of interesting ways as seen in the trailer. Warp also pose two distinctive gameplay styles, in which players can either kill everyone human to progress or they can go for the no-kills stealth approach (and of cause, any combination of the two).

Warp is set to be released on Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network and PC later this year.

King of Fighters ’96 Review

Joshua Spudic
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King of Fighters ’96
Developer/Publisher: SNK
Consoles: Playstation 3 (PSN), Playstation Portable (PSN, reviewed)
Release Date: Out Now
Price: $9.99 (PS3)/$6.99 (PSP)

The King of Fighters can be described as SNK’s answer to the highly successful Capcom franchise Street Fighter. With the first game released way back in 1994, the series has featured various original and established characters of the SNK world fighting for supremacy and to be named the King of Fighters in a tournament that took place across the world. This is a first in King of Fighters ‘96, the third game in the series. It has been re-released as part of the NeoGeo Station on the Playstation Network, alongside Metal Slug 2. It is a well-developed game, with excellent gameplay, well-drawn sprites and environments and well-created music. It doesn’t offer anything new as a re-release, but that doesn’t deter from the enjoyment.

Gameplay
The King of Fighters ‘96 core mechanics emulates that of every fighting game that was conceived during the boom of the 1990’s. Players will use the face button to perform a weak and strong punch and a weak and strong kick. Each character also has their own arsenal of special attacks. Like any other fighting game, this is usually in combination of a directional button (or multiple directional buttons) and a face button. What King of Fighters ‘96 includes is the ability of charging up one’s power. When one holds down the Left Shoulder button, the fighter charges themselves and a bar at the bottom of the screen fills until it flashes blue. Another way that this bar fills is taking damage.

There are three modes of play: Team, Single and Survival. Team Mode is taking a team of three fighters through the King of Fighters tournament. Single is the same as team but the player only has control of one player. Survival is what the mode suggests, take one character and fight until your health is fully depleted. Instead of the four difficulty settings other NeoGeo re-releases offer, this is on a nine number scale. This is great seeing as the player can tailor their skill level to a more in-depth difficulty system. The game also features versus mode over ad-hoc.

King of Fighters ‘96 also features an array of characters for selection. Like any fighting game, each character has their own distinctive fighting style. Each character is separated into teams. Now, some of these teams contain original characters, but also characters that have appeared in other SNK franchises. For example, King of Fighters ‘96 features characters from Metal Slug and Ikari Warriors. This is quite different as characters that are mashed up are usually in the mash up spinoffs, like Marvel vs Capcom or SNK vs Capcom. It gives the game a different feel. Of course, if one is not familiar with the characters of other SNK franchises, then this fact will go pass them like an uninteresting conversation.

Each character has their own move set, which is common in fighting games. This gives the characters a sense of individuality. Of course, the moves range from being basic inputs to very complex. Also, each character has their own Super Moves. There are two conditions that allow the player to execute the Super Move, of which one must be met: the power bar is at the maximum level or the player’s health bar is at a critical level, signalled by the bar flashing red. However, if both conditions are met at the same time, then the player can execute a more powerful version of the move.

Overall, the gameplay, despite being much of the same of any other fighting game, is still entertaining and enjoyable. There is a certain level of excitement and satisfaction in playing this game. With a cast of great characters and simple moves, the gameplay lives up to the King of Fighters name.

Visuals
The visuals are simply amazing in terms of their age. Each punch, each kick and each move runs smoothly. I did not encounter any slow down or lag during gameplay. The sprites are well drawn. Updated from the previous two games, I would say it is a job well done. It reminds me of the other 90’s fighting games, such as Street Fighter. In fact, I would put the designs as high as those from Street Fighter. Every little detail, whether it will be their facial features and clothing is captured brilliantly. The backgrounds of the stages, as well as the stages, are well designed. Other than that, there is not much I can say about retro visuals other than they are great. I would suggest that

Music
The music of King of Fighters ‘96 is a great collection of tracks to listen to. The main theme is nice to hear. Each team has their own themes and some of them are quite awesome. As a re-release, it retains the classic sounds of the original. Most tracks fit the overall theme of the game, that of fighting. They pump the player for the battle that they must face. Of course, as with previous NeoGeo Station releases, there is a soundtrack feature where the player can listen to the whole soundtrack. This can be accessed at the main menu.

Overall
This is a great game if you want to have a nostalgic trip down memory lane… if, of course, the player did own the original copy. What makes this game enjoyable is the excellent gameplay, which caters to the fans of the fighting genre very well, the well-drawn visuals, which were updates to the previous two games and the awesome music that is heard during the fights. Of course, this is only a re-release untouched, but it is a well-built game that deserves the download.

7-5-capsules-out-of-10

Real Racing 2 HD Review

Jessica Barabas-Bui
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Name: Real Racing 2 HD
Developer: Firemint
Publisher: Firemint
Genre: Racing
Platform: iPad
Release: 12 October 2011
Price: $4.49 – BUY NOW

Overview

Who wants some silly, fake racing where you get fancy rockets, nitrous blasts, and cartoon avatars? Not I, I said as I picked up REAL Racing 2 HD. Where the racing is REAL and the graphics are highly defined. So how does it feel to race REAListically? And does it measure up to those other fancy racing games?

Gameplay

The first impression you get of Real Racing 2 is a cut scene where all these REAL, pretty cars are storming down a racetrack. And boy do they look good. Perhaps this game doesn’t have the extras of other racing games, but it does have some good looking stuff going for it.

Real Racing 2 HD lets you control your car pretty much any which way you’d like, turning the device, using the subtle twists of your thumb, or tapping the left/right side of the screen (although this is not recommended, each tap results in a jerk of the wheel by the driver and there’s absolutely no finesse to it). You’ve got auto and manual options for accelerating and braking, brake assistance, sensitivity, anti-skid, the list goes on and on. Real Racing 2 obviously wants you to feel comfortable with what you’re doing. Personally, I picked the tilt-steer control, I found it was just the easiest way to move smoothly without the random wobbles or jerkiness of the other controls.

There are a few different modes for racing, career, quick play and time trial. However, you’ll probably be playing career mode most of the time. Quick play is good for a quick game where you don’t want the outcome affecting your career, while time trial is just for those of you who really want to perfect each corner. Needless to say, I pretty much just played career unless I was kinda curious as to how the other controls panned out, or I just liked seeing myself as a ghost car.

I’m not great at racing games, I think they’re fun and I will play them, but I’m not great. I’m the kind of person who laughs at the people that read Gran Turismo hintbooks to get just the right angle on a turn, sometimes I spin out and lose my edge that I’d just gotten, sometimes I crash into walls, sometimes I do all these things on purpose. And then there are the times I accidentally let my thumb rest on the edge of the screen and then wonder why my car has stopped going (seriously though, make sure you keep your thumbs well clear of the screen).

Despite all these things, I am sometimes quite good at racing games. Real Racing 2 HD was one of those games that made me feel like I was good at racing games. I started off on easy, found myself continually coming first, congratulated myself on being totally awesome, and then sought more of a challenge.

I noticed a few things when I shifted difficulty. Firstly, a bunch of the AIs took turns differently; they suddenly turned more smartly (so smartly in fact that my grammar falls apart when I think about it). Secondly, there weren’t so many first place trophies due to some not so great turns. Thirdly, I discovered that this is what a REAL racing game feels like on normal. Like you’re actually expected to have finesse and skill and not accidentally brake at the wrong time during a turn and narrowly miss hitting the wall.

Easy was fairly easy, but normal was a noticeable step up which will leave Real Racers happy. Hard was also another step up. Here’s what I think they did. For easy they made the AIs clueless, for medium half the AIs know what they’re doing and the other half remain clueless, so hanging around the middle of the pack is easy but placing is more difficult, and for hard all the AIs know what’s up and they don’t really care about playing nice for you.

You can race on tracks in quick play and time trial once you’ve unlocked the tracks in career, which depending on the difficulty may be quickly or not so much.

The game also has Twitter and Facebook connectivity, prompting you to update your social sites with each improved racing effort on your part.

Visual

The visuals are totally beautiful to look at. The cars are gorgeous, the tracks are good (considering there’s not that much to the REAL tracks), and it is a real joy to look at. Even the steering wheel in the car is done in such detail that it’s lovely to look at. Plus, if you crash against someone or into the sides you will find that you lose parts of your car.

For instance, I backended this Volkswagon on one track, knocking the back bumper loose and then a little while later it gave up and fell off completely. Although the bumper didn’t appear on the track, I appreciated the effort. A car missing a bumper will look odd, like the underneath parts have been painted onto a piece of glass that has replaced the bumper, but again the effort is appreciated.

The stats and icons act as if they’re stuck to the windscreen as you’re driving, shifting when you turn left or right, and it’s this little detail which immerses you just that little bit more in the game. Firemint have really made an effort with Real Racing 2 HD, and it is clear in the small details.

Audio

The audio is the one place I think that Real Racing 2 is let down. The soundtrack in the menu is like the thinking music you’d expect from a television game show, except slower paced. During the race the only sound is the car engines. Although, I guess that fits in with the whole ‘Real’ racing bit, a little bit of music would have been nice. Just pretend the radio is on or something?

Conclusion

Real Racing 2 HD is a pretty game with smooth controls and a good level of gameplay. It’s one downside is the disappointing music, however this can be overlooked for the rest of what it has to offer. It truly is a fun game with some gorgeous cars to play around with.

I give Real Racing 2 HD
9-5-capsules-out-of-10

New Iwata Asks shows off a very Different Kirby…

Dustin Spencer
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New Iwata Asks shows off a very Different Kirby…

Many are holding their breath in anticipation for Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, but according to a recent interview on “Iwata Asks”, this title could have taken a completely different visual approach. As you see in the pictures above, Kirby’s latest adventure almost went with a 2D cel shaded approach during it’s lengthy time in HAL’s development oven, rather than the bouncy 3D atheistic we have seen in the final product.

I completely dig the visuals we have seen so far for Return to Dreamland, but I must say that this much brighter style is just as pleasing overall. I know that Kirby’s Dreamland 3 went with a pastel design, which is far off from what we see here, but I get that same vibe from that age old SNES classic from these screenshots due to the bright colors chosen. If Nintendo and HAL partner up for a 3DS Kirby down the road, we can only hope that these old and reworked concepts will see the light of day once again.

So which art choice to you like better?

10 Lessons From Armageddon Expo 2011

Michael Irving
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Being fairly new to conventions like Armageddon and Manifest, each one brings experiences and lessons about this culture that I’ve never really been privy to. I mean, I generally consider myself a nerd, but the level of nerdiness I’ve encountered at these things makes me feel very normal. So, my fellow uninitiated geeks, here’s Ten Things I Learned at Armageddon Expo 2011.

 

1. Convention-goers are the friendliest people ever, and have an extremely high tolerance for weirdness in each other.

Although I don’t know a lot about what’s going on at these things, people are always ridiculously happy to stop and talk, and can make everyone feel welcome. This is great when you happen upon someone with similar interests or is just entertaining to talk to, but not so great when you get caught up in an excruciatingly-detailed retelling of the fifth time Goku died, or a heated debate over who is the best Doctor Who actor, with someone who is apparently unable to detect strong disinterest in the other person.

 

2. Conventions are designed to drain every last cent from rabid fans, and make nearby businesses very happy.

“Ten bucks for a tiny little figurine? No problem!” says the diehard fan. I myself am guilty of this when it comes to feeding my habit for The Simpsons merchandise, and the organizers of these events know this full well. For one weekend, everybody ignores the value of money and forgets that most of this stuff is available online for a fraction of the cost, and goes crazy. It’s the atmosphere! It’s just so intoxicating.

Any nearby coffee shops, fast food joints and bars also benefit greatly – to the chagrin of their regular patronage, when a swarm of Pikachus, Batmen and Spocks descend upon the venue.

 

 

3. Convention attendees are easily recognized from blocks away.

These swarms of Pokemon and superheroes also act as a breadcrumb-trail back to the convention venue. The few blocks between Southern Cross station and the Melbourne Exhibition Centre were populated by all sorts of characters coming and going, and must have kept the local office workers in a state of constant entertainment/confusion/terror.

 

4. Cosplay is simultaneously the greatest and most terrifying thing in the world.

Games, sci-fi and anime always have to include a token hot chick, so it comes as no surprise to find no shortage of overly-sexualized Officer Jennys, Harley Quinns and Sailor Moons. Whether or not you enjoy the source material, everybody can appreciate Lara Crofts competing to see who can wear the shortest shorts before they are more likely to be classed as underpants.

On the other hand, nobody wants to see huge Trekkie dudes strutting their stuff. Seriously, Star Trek is over. For a fair while now. Go enjoy something else.

 

5. You can spend the whole weekend trying to find your friends. And failing.

Amongst these bizarre crowds, it can be very easy to lose everyone you came to the convention with. Within seconds of entering the showroom – literally seconds – my girlfriend had vanished. I found her more than an hour later, but by then everyone else we came with had also disappeared. It became easier to just not look for people.

 

6. You will spend most of your time riding the Line Ride.

Of course, when someone disappears, most of the time they’re in a line somewhere. In line waiting to meet a semi-famous person, in line for food, or the toilets, or to get into a panel. My brother was addicted to playing the Line Game, to the point where he all but hired the rest of us to stand in lines for him while he stood in other lines.

When you’re not in a line, it can be fun to get your group to stand in a line formation to nowhere, and see how many random people you can get to line up behind you.

 

7. Streetpassing on your 3DS is very, very time-consuming.

With all this waiting, there was ample time to regularly whip out my recently-acquired Nintendo 3DS and collect any new Streetpasses. Seriously, there were new Miis waiting at your virtual gate every few minutes, and with three of us in our group owning a 3DS, a lot of our communication involved swapping virtual versions of ourselves. Those 3DSless members of our party looked on in frustration at how often we had to usher our new Miis in, steal puzzle pieces from them and send them off into dungeons to fight ghosts. But we had to! Those hats don’t unlock themselves.

Having just gotten my 3DS a few days earlier, these were my stats:

Friday: StreetPass Hits: 4

Plaza Population: 3

Sunday: StreetPass Hits: 93

Plaza Population: 71

 

8. Special guests would much rather be somewhere else.

Once you get to the head of a line to meet a celebrity or watch a panel discussion, if you’re not blinded by the excitement of meeting said person, you can see the weary looks on their faces. Not being super invested in any of the guests, it was easy to see how tired they must be of the whole ordeal, repeated in every city with a fresh group of crazy fans. You’d feel the same if you were constantly asked about the minutiae of every aspect of every episode, worded like the asker had spent hours preparing it.

“Sorry, I don’t know why my shoes were blue that episode.”

“No, my character was not adopted. There was no hidden meaning when they referred to my father as Herbert instead of Hubert. Just a typo.”

“No, we were not high on glucose when we wrote that season.” (This question was ACTUALLY asked, repeatedly, honestly, of the Rooster Teeth guys.)

 

9. Conventions are a great way for indies to get their work known.

While the big names may be sick of the convention run, it’s a great way for indies in any relevant field to get their name out there and find an audience. We sat in on a gig by emerging Melbourne band TechnoDrome, who performed some awesome covers of classic video game tunes; we got a look at the game in progress from Swing Interactive, an independent studio fresh out of Qantm College; and of course, there’s the guy who built, from scratch, the iconic Delorean from the Back to the Future trilogy.

All these people deserve recognition for their hard work and passion, so keep an eye out for our interviews with them all this week!

 

 

10. Wrestling is gayer than two gay men having gay sex.

My final thought: wrestling really is terrible. I mean, this wasn’t a revelation to me on the weekend, but seeing it live invokes a whole new level of distaste.

We all know it’s fake, and some people don’t care. Each to their own. I can kinda understand why people might watch it if it was real – the appeal is like boxing or similar sports, where it might release pent up aggression or something. I dunno.

But if it’s common knowledge that it’s staged, I don’t see the point of watching two guys strip off to their underpants, climb into a ring and unconvincingly act like they’re wailing on each other. Since they’re trying not to actually hurt each other, all they really end up doing is cuddling until they fall on top of each other.

Ironically, the bogans who do enjoy it would probably call theatre gay. Any of Shakespeare’s work is much less gay. At least plays have far less extended scenes of man-on-man action.

That episode of South Park was dead right – wrestling popularized by the WWE and the like is just a soap opera for rednecks, and the real thing is quite gay.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

 

Mishu the Dragon heats up on iTunes

Jessica Barabas-Bui
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Runner games on the iPhone are nothing new, there are heaps of them with a range of cute little characters running around our screen searching for fruit, or coins, or whatever else that they may want. Human G&A have launched the first iOS runner game to implement live multi-player functionality. That’s right, you can race your dragons against other dragons and find out who gets to be the dragon king!

Another thing that sets Mishu apart from other runner games is the HD backgrounds. While most games don’t pay that much attention to the backgrounds, usually settling for some pretty standard graphics, Human G&A have really taken it to the next level and the backgrounds look pretty sweet.

Mishu the Dragon is now available on iTunes with a free ‘Lite’ version – GET IT HERE
As well as the standard version for $0.99 – BUY IT HERE

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