A little known fact to non-Sims fans/players, The Sims games feature a wide range of real life songs re-recorded in Simlish – The Sims’ official language. In the past artists such as Paramore, Barenaked Ladies, Natasha Bedingfield, Lily Allen and Katy Perry have all had simlish versions of their songs featured in a Sims game.
And in the latest expansion pack for The Sims 3 and latest console spin-off ‘The Sims 3 Pets’ is no different. New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra has been announced as an ambassador for the game (You may know her from the hugely successful Gotye song “Somebody That I Used to Know”), and a simlish version of her song “Good Intent” will feature in the game.
The Sims 3 Pets is set to be released in Australia tomorrow and in New Zealand a day later on October 21st.
Here at Capsule Computers we were lucky enough to shoot off some questions to Sims 3 Pets Producer, Ryan Vaughan who took time out of his schedule of making awesome, addictive games to answer questions about horses, his opinion, and what we can expect in the very soon to be released Sims 3 Pets.
1. Were you one of those kids that wanted to have a horse?
I’ve always loved horses, but never really had space to have one of my own growing up. But, I do have family in Iowa and they owed horses. Every time we’d go back to see them I’d get a chance to go for a ride on a horse and that was always the highlight of my trip. My cousins would show me how to ride properly. It was a blast!
2. Speaking as one of those kids who wanted to have a horse, will you need to have a large lot size to own a horse? Or will those smaller family homes be able to own a horse as well?
Luckily for your Sims, the size of your lot will not prevent you from having a horse. It’s important to make sure you have enough room to place a Box Stall so you can properly care for them, but horses don’t need to be on your lot to fulfill their exercise motive. Running throughout the world or even practicing their racing or jumping skills at the new equestrian training venue will make them quite happy.
3. On the same note, will the horses be as expensive to upkeep as they are in reality?
Making sure your horses are well fed and taken care of is important, and it will come at a cost to you, but it certainly won’t prevent anyone from owning a horse that really wants one. Also, owning a horse can be very financially lucrative to you. It can even offset the cost of caring for a horse! Winning equestrian competitions or even using Box Stall fertilizer on your garden to grow high-quality produce can generate many Simoleons for your household.
4. Do you have your own horse prototype that you worked with in development that you’re attached to?
I worked a lot with a horse I created in-game that I named Firecracker. She was an Appaloosa that just loved to run and race. I was quite sad one day when we updated our development build and I lost my save games, but it was a great chance to start over and dive in to the really powerful tools in Create a Pet to try to rebuild her.
5. Do you think horses are the superior pet? Why or why not? (It’s okay, you can be honest)
The great thing about pets is that everyone has their favorite kind, and they always seem to really, really love that pet. Horses are a great addition to The Sims 3 and provide a lot of really cool new ways to play the game. I personally like to consider myself a dog person at heart and would have a hard time saying that horses are better! Cats, dogs and horses all provide really unique and fun new experiences for players, and it’s really up to your personal preference as to which you think is more fun to play with.
6. What was the thought behind bringing horses to The Sims? Was it simply the fans demand or was there another deciding factor?
We brought horses to The Sims 3 Pets for a few different reasons, and one of them was certainly because we knew players wanted them. They’ve been asking for them since The Sims! We also wanted to add a pet that would work well with The Sims 3’s huge open worlds, and what better animal than one which loves to run?
7. So, Unicorns. Awesome. Did you guys decide to add them in after having the design down for horses and decided to take it to the next step?
Horses in The Sims 3 Pets are a feature that has never been done before – in any Sims game ever – and we wanted to make sure players got the most out of them. When we started designing what the occult creature would be, we thought unicorns would be a great extension of horses, and it fit in well with the overall focus of the expansion pack. But make no mistake, unicorns are not horses! With a lot of really cool magical features – like the ability to spontaneously ignite random objects – they’re tons of fun to play with. That is, if you get lucky enough to catch one!
8. Is there a limit of unicorns per map? Or do they procreate somewhere over the rainbow and continue to appear at random?
There’s no limit to how many appear, and it will be different every time you play. But, if you get lucky enough to convince a unicorn to join your household, you can try and breed one with a horse with the chance of creating a baby unicorn!
9. Were there any points in development when you cursed the entire concept and wanted to scratch horses off the list of pets entirely?
Not really, but there were tons of times when they looked and behaved so funny that we wondered if we’d ever be able to get them working correctly! Luckily we did, and they’re really a lot of fun to play with.
10. Is there any possibility of horses falling in love and having families? Or are they mysteriously asexual with foals appearing when wanted?
As with cats and dogs, you can breed your horses to create foals. So yes, they can definitely fall in love and have families. Breeding can actually be quite fun too, as the game uses the same The Sims 3 genetics technology to pick specific traits from the mother and father to create a whole new breed.
11. Do the horses ever come down with an illness that will lead to a depressing visit to the vet and possible loss of a horse?
They’ll never get really sick, but make sure to keep their box stalls clean! They don’t appreciate stinky surroundings.
12. Are there any career paths related to horses?
There are no formal jobs or careers for horses, but there are the brand new racing and jumping skills for horses and the riding skill for Sims. The higher you build the three of these skills, the better you’ll do when competing in equestrian competitions at the brand new Equestrian Center which can earn you a lot of money!
13. Do you think that the horses will render cars useless in The Sims 3 Pets because you can’t create cars with personalities and they just aren’t as cute?
Horses are fun to ride and are indeed a great form of transportation, but cars are still useful when you need to transport toddlers or other small pets.
So there you have it folks. A day away from release and I feel like it’s still too far away. Thank you again to Ryan Vaughan, it was fun to pick your brain and fuel the fire to my own Sims mania. I mean, baby unicorns? Come on, how freaking awesome is that?
The Sims 3 Pets comes out on PC/Mac, Xbox 360, PS3 and 3DS on October 20. We’ll also have a review on the game after it comes out, so keep an eye out!
PC gamers can start an official countdown to the release of Arkham City – the rather vague ‘November’ release date has been officially updated to November 15 for North America and November 18 for the UK. These dates are exactly one month after the console release dates, so it’s fairly safe to assume that Australia will see the PC version on November 19 – or a few days before, you never know!
And that broken console release date in Australia has had it’s consequences – gamers who picked up the game early were unable to access the content locked away behind online codes – having to wait until the official release date arrived to be able to access all the content they had paid for.
And to add to that, some gamers are having no luck accessing the Catwoman content of the game even after the official release date has come and gone. After controversially announcing that it would only be accesible via an online pass, some brand new retail copies are being delivered with mixed up codes (2 for Joker content, none for Catwoman), or a blank space where the code should be.
Over on the Arkham City official forums some users are even reporting that online retailers are requesting the entire order to be shipped back so that another can be sent out with the code included. Some Xbox 360 owners are having issues with ‘corrupt DLC’. Happy gamers this does not make. Warner Bros are at least aware of the Catwoman problem, and as you can see from the Tweet above, are working on a fix.
I didn’t think it was possible, but online pass codes just got even more unpopular!
Producer of Trendy Entertainment, Mark Singer talks about the different types of gameplay that a player can experience while playing Dungeon Defenders. You can even further your character’s growth on the main campaign by performing a number of challenges in each level. I mean seriously… who wouldn’t want to help a giant ogre as part of a challenge? Letting him die wouldn’t be fun – or would it? And by increasing the difficulty can prove to be deadly and/or very rewarding.
Adding more interesting twists to the online RPG, there will be a PVP mode for anyone daring enough to test their builds against players across the world. Survival and gauntlet matches will also be available.
The official launch of Dungeon Defenders has begun, so check the game out on the Playstation Network today or grab the game for Xbox or PC tomorrow!
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken Developer: Ratloop Asia Publisher: Ratloop Asia Platform Playstation 3 (PSN) Release: October 18 Price: US$11.99
Now, when I had heard that there will be a game where a rebellious chicken uses weapons to try and take down a government led by penguins, I have to admit my curiosity was quite high. It was an interesting and intriguing concept. Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is the end product. After such intrigue, I guess I had some expectations. Unfortunately, it did not rise to the expectations I had set it. It is by no means a bad game; it does provide entertainment if it is played in short bursts. However, there are sections of tedious gameplay, the story is overly clichéd with Hardboiled Chicken very one-dimensional, the visuals take a rather bland look and the music seems to be tacked on rather than complementing the story.
Story and Characters
The story follows the titular character Hardboiled Chicken as he returns to Albatropolis. However, it has been overrun with a mass penguin army lead by a tyrannical penguin. He has beef with this particular society, which is revealed during the game. After his capture by this government, he is put through torture and cloned for their own personal use. However, a cardinal offers freedom and a mission: kill the head penguin. To separate the events of the game, it is told in small chapters, although it does not add to the story.
The problem with the story is that it takes the clichés of other action stories and pastes it over a barrage of penguins, cardinals and a rebellious chicken. It doesn’t take a new direction or provide something different despite the interesting concoction of penguins and chickens. The story follows the classic assassination plot very closely, but it is told in an uninspiring way. Back story is played through flashbacks but it backfires as it breaks the flow of the present day and doesn’t truly add anything important other than the fact that he had a troubled past.
Hardboiled Chicken, the main character of this game, could have been further developed. Instead of being a well-rounded character, he is degraded to an overly clichéd action hero who has a troubled past. This has been seen time and time again and it will tire the player. His demeanour and clothing does not help his cause. Although it fits his character as a rebel, it still feels old and used. One can not connect with the struggles of this chicken. The other characteristic that is bothersome is the fact he is portrayed as vilified himself despite his cause. This will alienate the player unless they are into the ultra-violent hero, as long as he sticks to the right morals.
With a broken up pace and an over reliance of the clichés, it is hard to sympathise with the character and connect with the story. It is not a hard follow, but more effort could have been put in to create a thrilling tale of revenge and redemption.
Gameplay
The gameplay involves four main actions: run, jump, shoot and puzzle solving. Our rebellious hero travels on one screen, running to the other side in order to progress. More often than not the hero will encounter militarised penguins, hopelessly following their ruthless leader. The controls are quite simple although they are somewhat questionable.
With the mechanics of the game revolving around a few simple manoeuvres, the game falls into a state of tedious errands rather than being an enjoyable experience. At first, that is what the player will experience. However, as the player will often rinse and repeat, it is unfortunate that it takes this turn. It could have been a better experience. There are long corridors filled with nothing and puzzles that seems too tiring to solve.
The game features an array of weapons. Instead of each weapon having their own ammunition supply, Hardboiled Chicken has his own bar (coloured yellow) that is shared amongst his arsenal. This is somewhat a problem due to the fact that the weaponry may take a chunk out of that bar, leaving the player somewhat stranded. To counter balance this, the enemies drop small amount of ammunition as well as providing ammunition boxes throughout the game. Health packs are available as well. Grenades make an appearance as well as Brain Bugs, small bugs which have the power to control penguins. Sometimes it is required to use them as some puzzles rely on others to complete.
What could have been a redeeming factor for this game are the jetpack sections of the game. As a Rocketbird, Hardboiled Chicken had numerous experiences with the jetpack since the early days of penguin occupation. These sections of the game do redeem the game somewhat as they are not bad. Using a machine gun, Hardboiled Chicken guns down various penguins equipped with different weapons. The freedom of flying gives the game a break from its 2D platforming and offers something else for the player. However, do not expect some form of complex strategy as it is more of an arcade experience. Still, it is thrilling to shoot down flying penguins, something that is lacking to an extent in the rest of the gameplay.
The game does offer multiplayer in the form of a co-op mode, where players control budgies to save the general’s daughter. Since this section of the game has not been thoroughly looked at (due to a lack of a playing partner), it shall not be commented in the review. In saying that, the single player components vary, depending on what section of the game one is encountering. Despite the promise, the gameplay will unfortunately descend into a tedious grind. The aerial dogfights are a refreshing sight as it does offer variety in the game.
Visuals
All of the game’s visuals are not poorly done, but it seems that they decide to follow the current trend of creating a majority of their landscape somewhat dark in tone. Of course, most of the setting resides in areas of darkness, such as air vents and a prison. Despite this, it may have worked in their favour. Considering that, in the context of the game, the use of darker areas brings out the dreary conditions of Albatropolis, no thanks to our penguin leader.
The character models are actually designed as cut outs placed in different buildings and areas. The environments are rendered in 3D while our characters are in 2D. This is quite interesting. One can say it looks similar to Paper Mario, only a little darker. The jetpack levels are the only bright spots in the game, as they are set in the sky. Mostly because of the time of day these are set in. They do not follow the cut out style that is present in the 2D platforming areas.
The cutscenes do not follow the in-game visuals and employ their own visual style. It looks like as if someone has drawn a sketch, coloured it and animated it. It is professional looking and does look quite good. However, it suffers from a lack of colour. It relies heavily on white, with red hinted in there. It is something that does not look that appealing. However, it does fit with the overall tone of the game.
Music
As the game neared release, one of the focal points was the music of the game. It has been performed by indie band New World Revolution. Their music plays during cutscenes and during gameplay. To be perfectly honest, the context of the game seems to be out of line with the music. It feels like they decided to tack on the music instead of creating a soundtrack where it could emphasise the emotion Hardboiled Chicken had went and is going through. It does not feel natural to the world. Because of this, the story further suffers from a lack of engagement of the player. This is not an attack on the band or their music, as it is somewhat enjoyable, but they could have worked on a better soundtrack that fits the game.
There is also voice acting in the game. During gameplay, it is mostly mumbling as a speech bubble pops up, displaying the message. These sorts of conversations are quite long and unskippable if it is a conversation which moves the story forward. The in-game cutscenes are spoken in English. As to continue his one-dimensional character, Hardboiled Chicken employs a deep voice of a biker. Surprisingly, the head of the penguin government, who goes by the name of Putzin, offers a different personality. Instead of being a brutal leader, he is in fact a little comedic, if somewhat a crybaby. He second has a voice that matches his role, that of a strong bodyguard.
Overall
Despite what I have said, this is not a terrible game. However, it is not an excellent game. It is good in short burst but longer gameplay times might make the player’s enjoyment decrease. The problems lie in the reliance of simplistic mechanics, a story which will not engage well with the player, tones that are too familiar to the current visual trend and music which feels like it has been tacked on. However, players will enjoy the aerial dogfights due to how different it is and will welcome the option of multiplayer. This is a game where trying out the demo would be a good idea.
I’m sure you are all familiar with Tetris. The idea is to construct blocks into the shape of a wall to break them. Nintendo are certainly breaking walls with their latest edition to the Tetris name, “Tetris”. Simple and to the point, Tetris for the Nintendo 3DS will feature over 20 fun-filled game modes with a rich mix of both traditional and never before seen ways to play Tetris. Featured game modes include Marathon, Computer Battle, Fever and Survival. But for those of you who like a little bit more sociability in their gaming, Tetris includes party game modes such as: Stage Racer Plus, Shadow Wide, Jigsaw, Tower Climber, Capture, Fit, Bombliss, Sprint and Master Mode. Local multiplayer game modes, which can incorporate two to eight players include VS Battle, VS Stage Racer, VS Shadow Wide, VS Capture and Co-op Tower Climber. There is also the possibility to share the fun with download play game modes for two to eight players, in modes such as: Marathon with Everyone, Fever with Everyone and VS Battle. Let’s not forget the Nintendo Wi-Fi collection, which allows for four different varieties of world battle.
Making the best use out of the Nintendo 3DS, Tetris will feature SpotPass as a means of discovering new and exciting items to use in Fever. Furthermore, Tetris will be breaking down the fourth wall and extending into physical space with new Augmented Reality game modes: AR Marathon and AR Climber. As a huge fan of Tetris, I am nothing short of excited with the announcement of this game, due to be released 27/10/11.
First there was SingStar, the karaoke game that debuted on the Playstation 2 and had numerous releases since then, even some on the Playstation 3. Now, Sony has moved from the microphone to the Playstation Move as they are about to launch DanceStar Party, a dancing game exclusive to the Playstation 3. It will feature over forty titles and 160 moves to groove to.
To celebrate the launch, SCE Australia is hosting a dance-off competition on Thursday to determine who has the moves to impress the public. It will be hosted by So You Think You Can Dance US host Cat Deeley. A big time choreographer will also be there teaching you the moves to succeed in this competition. The winner will receive a trip for two to the United States to witness a taping of So You Think You Can Dance. Registration is completely free.
Make sure you are at First Fleet Park, which is in the Rocks, by 10:15 for a 10:30 start. Also, remember to wear some comfortable, loose fitting, exercise clothing. One wouldn’t want to be uncomfortable showing off those moves.
Game Name:Aliens: Infestation Platform(s): Nintendo DS Publisher(s): Sega, Developer(s): Wayforward Genre(s): Side-Scrolling Shooter/Adventure Release Date: October 11, 2011 (US) Price: $29.99 BUY NOW!
A 2D game giving off an eerie and intense atmosphere has been nearly unheard of for the genre since the days of Clock Tower and Metroid. Interestingly enough, WayForward have utilized both of these traits in the recently released Aliens: Infestation. Based on the hit film franchise, this 2D “Metroidvania” style game puts players in the role of one (of the many) colonial marines as they explore the dark and grizzly environments before them. The final result turned out quite well and it can easily be said that this release may be one of the most overlooked titles to come out this year. So what makes killing this batch of xenomorphs so satisfying? Here is my review for Aliens: Infestation.
Story:
Infestation starts out as fans would expect when a team of colonial marines get sent to investigate a ship in distress. This ship in question of course is the famous Sulaco from the film franchise, and those familiar will feel right at home in this fantastic recreation of the famous setting. Now our heroes of course soon run into a complete outbreak of xenomorphs and other dreadful beings and must work together to terminate the foreign life while trying to simply survive in the process.
Everything in the plot is told through text-based dialogue, which fits perfectly with Infestation’s 2D aesthetic. While I enjoyed the story told here, the most prominent sense of character throughout the game is not in the narrative, but instead through the many marines that you take control of. You see, throughout the game you can find many of your squad-mates scattered out aboard the ship that will join up with you instantly. Each one of these little soldiers are full of character and have their own distinct personality, which makes finding each one a huge reward as it is rather easy to get attached to several members of this quirky cast. Whenever a squad member dies at your control though, they stay dead until the end of the game. You might think this would be a bad thing, but it actually made myself try even harder to keep my treasured teammates alive which in turn made the whole experience feel more rewarding and complex overall. Since each marine has their own take on the situation at hand, this also encourages several playthroughs and rids the game from feeling repetitive over time.
Gameplay
Take one part Metroid, one part Contra, add in some aliens, and you have Aliens: Infestation as your result. After the player selects the marine of their choice, they then have to set out through the environment to solve various missions assigned to them. Exploration is the main ingredient of the game (like most titles from the genre), which means the player must trek through the expansive areas within to find their appropriate destination. A lot of the time most missions consist of simply trying to survive while trying to find a certain key card or object that will open a door. Other times you will have to seek out a boss to defeat to progress further. This formula really isn’t new by any means, but Infestation does a great job at making this ride an enjoyable one due to the feeling of impending doom that lies around every corner.
Part of this atmosphere I am speaking of is actually crafted by the way these marines control. Each marine can run by holding down one of the shoulder buttons, but a stamina meter keeps you from just breezing through the game to provide a more realistic feel. These marines are very slow on foot though and at first I was a little put off by how long it was taking to traverse through the game. However, after just a short time it became obvious that these crawl-like movements were actually included to make the player take in their surroundings and the effect that results allows for a much more immersive form of exploration. In reality, if you were to be in an unknown place with danger lurking everywhere, would you run through like a madman or cautiously approach new areas with extreme caution? It’s easy to see that a lot of thought went into making these mechanics blend with the gameplay, and WayForward should definitely be saluted in their efforts here.
With xenomorphs all over ready to pounce at a moments notice, you’re going to need a bit of an arsenal to get through. Luckily, each soldier comes fully equipped and ammo and extra weaponry can be found scattered about the Sulaco. These weapons include the likes of grenades, shotguns, pistols, and several other firearms and all come in use for fighting certain enemies in their own unique way. For instance, lighter enemies usually fall quickly in just a few shots, but others can stay alive and run rampant until several clips are unloaded. Ammo is not that easy to come by either, and it is very easy to be down to your pistol during a boss fight due to using your best equipment for a nasty facehugger so conservation mandatory for survival.
While the variety and limited supply of nearly everything (sans the pistol) is quite refreshing, my biggest problem with Aliens: Infestation was how battling these foes goes down. Each time an enemy makes even the slightest contact with the player, damage is automatically taken with no proper sound effect or animation displayed. These aliens are fully animated when they do attack, but even the slightest brush up against one can drain a health bar at an instant. This does assist in keeping the players on their toes even more, but since these aliens can jump out at you from nowhere, a few deaths feel flat out cheap at times. I will say that there is an effective dodge roll that can be executed to negate this effect, but when you are fighting a large boss it can sometimes feel nearly impossible to roll out of harm’s way in time. As the game progressed, I grew more accustomed to fighting at a distance and the gameplay was so enjoyable that I quickly forgot about those minor frustrations, so I would imagine that those willing to learn a few techniques of survival will not have much of a problem when it comes to making physical contact with foes.
As I mentioned, each character you play as must be treated with love as a death can be permanent within this game. This little feature isn’t just for the story though as it is actually used to determine how many lives a player has. You can have up to four members in your squad at one time, with the three inactive teammates located in a save room. When you are getting low on lives…or characters for that matter, you must then attempt to hunt down another marine to join up with your team. The player can choose to swap out their present character at any save point, but once they are killed in battle, the next squadmate must be chosen to take over right where the other left off. It’s rare when you see a life system defining a game like it did here, but this innovative mechanic felt refreshing and completely complimented every aspect of the world WayForward created. This isn’t one of those games you beat and leave alone for a while, as there is always that incentive to simply perform better and try to keep more marines alive on the next playthrough.
Graphics/Audio
Even though the aliens and even marines look as they should, this title isn’t exactly eye candy in terms of visuals. When I say that I am talking about the sprites for the marines to be more specific. Each personality can easily be noticed from the next based on looks alone, but the high level of detail used seems to have worked against the sprites used and makes them look a bit over-pixelated. Now, maybe this was intended to go along with the “retro” feel of the game, but I couldn’t help but feel that the models were simply too small to carry their heavy amount of detail. I can say that they were well animated however, as each sprite possesses several individual animations which are all very fluid and realistic. Environments, as well as the large bosses in the game also look utterly fantastic and help balance out Aliens’ other visual imperfections while giving each area has a very dark and isolated aura.
Even though there is very little soundtrack and no spoken dialogue, this title utilizes it’s sound in the best way possible. Most of the time, you just hear the footsteps of your marine, slowly clanking against a steel flooring. This element, as one would expect, makes each moment tense and cranks up the anxiety ten fold. When an enemy finally makes a sudden reveal, it can be a bit jarring due to this and the screeches and roars of enemies keep the battles exciting and oddly realistic.
Overall
If this title was released in 1994, there is no doubt in my mind that Aliens: Infestation would have gone down in history, right alongside Super Metroid, Castlevania, and the many other 2D greats from the past due to it’s top notch gameplay and atmospheric presentation. This is the year 2011 however, so those looking for groundbreaking innovation or stunning visuals may not find what they’re looking for here.
With that said, I consider myself a “retro gamer”, so playing through Aliens: Infestation was an absolute delight for myself as it was honestly refreshing to see a developer put new ideas to work with an age old concept. The characters, story, gameplay, and even the “permadeath” life system blended together perfectly to create one of the richest experiences we have seen on the DS to date and the challenge level is sure to give even the most seasoned vets of the genre a nice run for their money. Go ahead, stick that SNES back in the closet, as this xenomorph-filled adventure is one not to be missed by anyone that’s craving some pixelated greatness.
If you love your casual games, or even if you hate them, you’re sure to have heard of Bejeweled. Bejeweled Twist is the latest game from PopCap to grace the dual screens of the Nintendo DS. The premise of Bejeweled is simple enough, match jewels, and they will explode. Bejeweled Twist for the DS brings together four Bejeweled Twist game modes all on the one cartridge.
Gameplay
Classic mode brings the classic Bejeweled game to the Nintendo DS. But with a twist. Instead of turning one jewel at a time, you can use the DS stylus to twist four at a time. Sadly, I find that this game mechanic, while it takes longer to line up jewels, is far simpler than the classic Bejeweled I once knew. I can manage to move a green jewel all the way across the screen with relative ease: kind of destroying the puzzle based challenge.
I will admit the addition of troublesome jewels is a welcomed addition. Locked jewels, bombs, bonus jewels that can blow up near-indestructible rocks all add a little extra challenge to the game. But not much. The biggest disappointed here was that I managed to not destroy a bomb in time, only to be given a second chance. Fourteen levels into the game I was given another second chance, and again, until finally on my fourth failure to destroy a bomb I managed to secure a game over. Classic mode is the only level based version of Bejeweled Twist, with levels being passed when you fill up the little tube on the left.
Zen doesn’t differ too much from the classic mode of Bejeweled twist. Same mechanics, same graphics, same goal. But no levels. While you can obtain “levels” you don’t actually progress to a new level. There isn’t really all that much to say about Zen mode that hasn’t already been said about challenge mode, except that I highly doubt it will result in any form of enlightenment from extensive hours of playing as the name may suggest.
There are two modes that can be unlocked in Bejeweled Twist, Challenge mode and Blitz. Challenge mode is by far the most difficult, but most interesting version of the game. You still play it exactly the same way, but rather than getting a certain score there are thirteen unique challenges for you to complete. Usually they require you to break a certain number of same-coloured jewels in order to beat the challenge. This can be a difficult task at times, but is a nice little break (excuse the pun) from the regular score based goals of Bejeweled Twist.
Blitz is more akin to the original Bejeweled, you have five minutes in which to obtain the best score you can manage. It wouldn’t be “twist” without twisting, so the same mechanics apply to this game. You can earn more time by catching some good breaks during the game, but five minutes is probably enough.
If you feel like I am repeating myself, then you have managed to gain some insight into what it is like to play Bejeweled Twist. The problem with Bejeweled Twist being on a DS, is that it doesn’t really take advantage of the DS to create a unique gaming experience different from any form of downloadable Bejeweled. The dual screen is lost on this game, only providing additional information at the top when necessary, or in the case of classic providing some animations. Furthermore, while the touch screen is a nice feature, the game doesn’t make full use of the stylus and ability to make precise movements. The only benefit I can see is that there is the ability to have four game modes in the one place, where downloadable content may have to divide them up.
Graphics and Audio
The graphics in Bejeweled Twist are nothing spectacular by any means. But then again, they don’t have to, nor are they expected to be. As a casual game, Bejeweled Twist takes a minimalist approach to visual presentation, having essentially only different coloured jewels as the main source of graphics. With the exception of Classic Mode, which deviates from this by employing a transitional animation of a space ship flying between planets as you progress from levels. Similarly, the audio functions merely as a “filler” so that you don’t play the game in absolute silence.
Overall
Whether you love or hate Bejeweled, or sit somewhere in between, there is one major flaw with Bejeweled Twist for the DS. That is, that it is on the DS, and it is a game cartridge. Bejeweled has a long history of being a downloadable game, on smartphones and all that jazz, you know, the usual. Given that the there is a shop for the DSi and 3DS, it seems a little wasted to put this title in cartridge form. I’m sympathetic to the DS users who can’t access the shop, but it just seems to me like owning the physical game takes away from the extremely casual nature of the game. The game plays fine, but as I started before doesn’t really utilise the functions of the portable console as well as it could. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Bejeweled, the only problem is that this game doesn’t seem to be designed for sporadic play sessions, which is one of the best features of Bejeweled. It’s simple graphics, its idiot-proof game mechanics all scream to be played while waiting for a bus, or slotted in between some other everyday life activity. If you like Bejeweled, Twist may be worth your time, if not, then I’m sure this review has managed to affirm your stance on the game.
Gamevil, developers of mobile games, have announced that they have secured a partnership deal with Koeran developer KnetP. KnetP have released titles “Legend of Master” and “LAR”, both very popular titles in Korea. This deal will allow KnetP titles see an international release. Both “Legend of Master” and “LAR” will be published under this deal, alongside any other titles developed by KnetP.
Song Chung Ho, CEO of KNetP, was thrilled with the deal, quoting:
“Partnering with GAMEVIL gives us high hopes for our most popular ‘Legend of Master’ and our other new RPG titles to have even greater success in the worldwide market. This occasion will also strengthen our overall global aspirations.”
James Song, CEO of Gamevil, had this to say on the partnership:
“We are very excited to invest in KNetP whose titles are numerous and well-received and we’re committed to ensuring continued success and beneficial synergy between our two companies.”
Gamevil had already acquired intellectual property and publishing rights to BlueGNC’s line up of their “Cartoon Wars” series as well as publishing rights to COCOSOFT’s “Colosseum” series.
A little known fact to non-Sims fans/players, The Sims games feature a wide range of real life songs re-recorded in Simlish – The Sims’ official language. In the past artists such as Paramore, Barenaked Ladies, Natasha Bedingfield, Lily Allen and Katy Perry have all had simlish versions of their songs featured in a Sims game.
