Despite the low price of mobile-based games, I’m well aware that gaming can be an expensive pastime. At $0.99 a game, I tend to spend hours browsing the App Store in search of more good quality games to buy. Sometimes you hit a gem, and the time searching is well worth it. What better way to celebrate than to share the news with you readers?
For a limited time the Corona Indie Bundle is a mere $0.99 over at the App Store. The bundle features five hit Indie games; with the possibility of a sixth game to be released if they break 100,000 downloads. The features games are: The Secret of Grisly Manor, Chickens Quest, Robot 99, Walkabout and Float, with no news yet of what the mysterious sixth game may be.
Check out the trailer below, and follow the links for more information or to purchase the Corona Indie Bundle. Do your bit and help out not only Indie developers, but also charity. 17% of the proceeds go to the following charities: Bliss, Child’s Play and Dispensario de Managua. The corona Indie Bundle is available on both iPhone and iPad, and will be available for download to Android devices soon.
As you may have noticed in our review column there’s a new point and click adventure in town. The Blackwell Deception is the fourth entry in the Blackwell series but that should by no means put off newcomers to the game – Deception easily stands on it’s own.
Psychic medium Rosa Blackwell and her spirit guide Joey (a sardonic ghost from Godfather era NYC) find themselves pulled into the mysterious world of street psychics when customers of these dodgy dealers start turning up as lost souls. Both of the extremely well realised duo are playable, and gamers have to take advantage of both skill sets to get to the bottom of the mystery and help the ghots move on from the real world.
It’s an incredibly well written game, with plenty of dry humour and a charming graphic style. You can see the full review fresh of off yesterday’s release here.
Adventure fans really have no excuse not to give it a try – there’s even a free demo available at rosablackwell.com
A special preorder offer has been extended until October 16, so if you fancy getting your hands on the entire Blackwell series (Deception and Convergence available instantly via download as well as in the provided DVD) now is the time to jump in.
Wadjet Eye games has a whole host of point and click adventures on offer, so if you’re into the genre and are looking for a few new stories to explore make sure and pay them a visit at wadjeteyegames.com
So… you know how in Mass Effect 2, EA justified the use of an online pass by providing free content down the line for those loyal enough to buy the game new and not rent it or buy it used? Well it seems that that won’t even be an option this time around. No sooner do we hear about Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer being confirmed do we also hear that the only way to access it is by buying a new copy and redeeming the Online Pass.
If you happen to rent the game or buy it used then prepare to drop an extra $10 on the content just like the good boys and girls EA wants you to be. The multiplayer will be something called Galaxy at War which is detailed slightly in the video below. Anyone tired of this cut and paste Online Pass system already that is being forced into any game that is made lately?
Remember when you were a child and you stumbled into your first arcade? Well Daytona USA may have been one of the machines you saw as you peered around the room full of flashing machines. Sega is looking to bring back those memories by literally bringing back Daytona USA to your home consoles.
Announced today, Daytona USA will be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network with a bit of fancier visuals, online multiplayer, steering wheel support and even a Karaoke Mode so you can sing along with the game’s extremely memorable (for being terrible) soundtrack. The title will be released on October 26th in the USA for 800 MSP and $10 depending on your platform, though Europe will need to wait until sometime in November.
Anyone who has played even one match of a Gears of War title should know that the shotgun is perhaps one of the most overused and some can say most overpowered weapon in the game. This remains true in Gears of War 3, as Epic revealed statistics of weapon kills gathered since the game was released. Now these stats are only for primary weapons, and you can see the video breakdown below.
As you can see, in the quick match mode, shotguns are used by 72% of people performing kills with the Gnasher taking 45% of that number. Epic’s Senior Gameplay Programmer Pete Knepley says that this number is “not as bad as Gears 2, where it was pretty much 10 to 1 against the lancer” but it is still extremely wide used compared to the actual lancer. The stats for ranked matches however show favor towards Lancer use, so perhaps that is the gameplay mode to try from now on.
The Studio Ghibli and Level-5 team up on Ni No Kuni has proven a great success if you take the huge hype train surrounding the series into account. Recenty an english title for the game was revealed to be “Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch“, now Level-5 have begun circulating a commercial for the title on Japanese TV stations.
Ni No Kuni was released on the Nintendo DS back in 2010 and is now making it’s way to the Playstation 3. The game features Studio Ghibli art, with Level-5 game design.
You can check out the commercial below. Be sure to let us know what you think of it in the shoutbox or comments section.
A few months ago FUNimation announced that they had acquired the rights to distribute B Gata H Kei in North America and provide an English Dub for the series. At the time of localization they also revealed that they would be changing the name of the show to Yamada’s First Time, but they did not reveal who would be providing the English voices for the characters. Until now that is.
The cast of main characters voice actors is as follows:
Yamada – Brittney Karbowski
Yamada’s Eros Deity – Alexis Tipton
Kosuda – Scott Freeman
Kosuda’s Eros Deity – Greg Ayres
Miyano – Jad Saxton
Miyano’s Eros Deity – Caitlin Glass
Kanejo – Kristi Kang
Takeshita – Cherami Leigh
Chika – Emerick Jade
Also released was a trailer for the English dub which can be seen below. The trailer highlights a little bit about the story, where Yamada dreams of having 100 casual sex friends but is still a virgin herself, expect to see lots of comedy as Yamda tries and often fails in her attempts to flirt with her main target Kosuda.
Konami Digital Entertainment have recently outlined their plans for PES 2012 3D, which as you may suspect from the title, will be on the Nintendo 3DS. The game will have full support to allow 3DS owners to play with other users online.
Not just this, but PES 2012 3D will offer unrivaled realism, allowing users exclusive entry into the recreation of the UEFA Champions League tournament and to experience the thrills of South America’s high-intensity Cope Libertadores league. Players can enter both leagues safe in the knowledge that they will have full control throughout the game, with every pass, through ball, tackle and shot left to the player. Players have the option to take advantage of the Circle Pad and buttons or the new Touch Screen control system that uses the stylus to move players.
New intelligent camera views that pan and swoop to cover the fast paced on-pitch action show off the handhelds 3D power. Not to mention the popular Master League option made famous by the previous versions of PES is now back and playing a vital role of the 2012 title. This allows players to shape and develop a team of unknown, up-and-coming footballers, molding them into a dynamic force. Similar to this the game will have a Become a Legend option that offers a more personal look at the game, charging the player with the progression of one footballer on their journey to establish themselves as a world-class talent.
Konami have released even more details, revealing new League and Cup competitions, Free Training and even an Edit Mode for players to alter team members and their kits. All of which will be supported by a strong online element.
Players can now play against a friend in one on one games via both Nintendo Wi-Fi, as well as utilising a new StreetPass system of data exchange. Players can now exchange Master League team data to other 3DS owners, with players invited to take a CPU opponent using the team of other players. Let us know what you think about the soon to be released PES 2012 3D. Have Konami managed to kick a goal with this one?
Award-winning independent Texas-based game developer Twisted Pixel today announced that they are no longer independent: Twisted Pixel has been officially acquired by Microsoft Studios in a step to continue further expand on innovative game and entertainment offerings. Twisted Pixel are the guys behind many great games including Mrs. Splosion Man, Comic Jumper and more recently, The Gunstringer.
“Twisted Pixel has an incredible track record of innovative, critically acclaimed, and most importantly, fun, games,” said corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios, Phil Spencer. “Microsoft Studios is home to cutting-edge entertainment experiences, and the incredible creativity of the Twisted Pixel team will help drive further innovation around Kinect and Xbox LIVE.”
“It is really exciting for us to solidify our long-standing relationship with Microsoft Studios, who we consider to be the leader in digital distribution and creating new innovations in gaming like Xbox LIVE and Kinect,” said the co-founder and chief executive officer of Twisted Pixel, Michael Wilford. “As part of the family of Microsoft Studios we look forward to bringing even bigger and richer experiences to Xbox and Twisted Pixel fans around the world.”
This acquisition means that this studio who have been an independent studio since 2006 will now be
better equipped to create new IP and gameplay experiences as they are now an official part of Microsoft Studios, developing games exclusive to Microsoft’s platforms. Twisted Pixel have now joined along side other globally-recognized game developers such as Lionhead Studios and the legendary Rare Ltd. Congratulations Twisted Pixel!
The Tommy Wi-Show Episode One: Mortal Kombat
Platform: Webisode (Youtube)
Release: September 24th, 2011
Oh hai Mark*.
You may know him best for being the star, director, producer and writer of perhaps the worst movie ever made, The Room. But now, “actor” Tommy Wiseau (T. W.) has gone on to create a web based series, The Tommy Wi-Show. The series proves that the man, T. W. is not only capable of making the worst film ever made, but also possibly the worst gamer as well.
“Plot”
Episode One begins with thrice establishing that T. W. is not in his house, and then goes on to explain the purpose for his alien abduction. Scans reveal that he is the best gamer on earth and must therefore prepare for Mortal Kombat. Wiseau takes his time selecting a character and then (repeatedly) kicks arse, ‘that’s for sure ah-ha’. Not much else happens. T.W. takes a shot playing as another character, and proves again that he is the “best” gamer in the world.
Wiseau has become somewhat of a pop-culture star thanks to his horrendous acting. While the episode says that it has a writer, there appears to be no script at all. Wiseau rambles his way through what can be described in a Wiseau-level pun as a “lame play” video. If you thought that pun was bad, check out the video below. Wiseau single handedly challenges my preconceptions of what can be considering both acting and gaming, not to mention the poor set construction. With barely a shred of dexterity or eloquence, Wiseau somehow manages to create an enjoyable six minutes, in a kind of ‘so bad it’s good’ kind of way. Or at least he would if taste wasn’t linear.
Bonus Content
Being a web-based series, it is rather easy to add links to extra content that didn’t make the final cut of the episode. Strange to think that those six minutes were the best takes. In the bonus content, which can be found here, T.W. faces off against Freddy Krueger. Fortunately for us, Wiseau continues to display his lack of skills, both in gaming and for delivery of lines. The majority of this clip features Wiseau laughing sinisterly as Krueger slashes away at his character. Personally, I find his laugh a lot more unnerving than any Friday the 13th film.
A second bonus clip shows T.W. testing his might, to no avail yet again. T.W. accuses the game of cheating before getting eaten by a zombie, and accusing the game of cheating again. As the man says himself, “who fail at this game?” I think we can all safely agree that T.W. failed, and will continue to for our own amusement.
Conclusion
In the words of Mortal Kombat, “Finish Him”. Sadly, they do not. T. W. will be back in episode two. In an obvious self-mocking episode, Wiseau sets a precedent that will hopefully be followed throughout the length of the series, which is sure to turn stale very quickly. While the strange alien gives him three out of seven stars for his game play, I think I’d have to disagree and go with…
*Please note: ‘Oh hai Mark’ is a common utterance in the film The Room.
Despite the low price of mobile-based games, I’m well aware that gaming can be an expensive pastime. At $0.99 a game, I tend to spend hours browsing the App Store in search of more good quality games to buy. Sometimes you hit a gem, and the time searching is well worth it. What better way to celebrate than to share the news with you readers?
