Those in Mexico will be receiving a separate cover for WWE 12 this year. THQ recently announced on their official Facebook page that Sin Cara (one of the Sin Cara anyway) will be featured on the cover for the region, replacing Randy Orton. As you can see above, the luchadore certainly makes a nice cover star and it may be a little surprising to some that Sin Cara was chosen over the veteran Rey Mysterio.
THQ also announced that they would provide a high res printout on their official website soon to allow for those outside the region to swap from the default WWE 12 cover they are given.
So what do you think? Will you be using the Sin Cara cover, or settling for Orton?
Piggy Adventure is named very misleadingly. MoboTap’s creation is not the adventure of a pig. It is the adventure of a pig, a cow, and a chicken, traversing several islands through puzzles and platforms to find the missing colours stolen by an evil force from their home. The way the three characters interact and work together to overcome obstacles is, by far, the game’s greatest strength. The game’s visual style and simple story present something which looks appealing to a five-year-old, but in reality, their mind-bending quest is something almost anyone can enjoy.
Gameplay:
If there is one gripe about the gameplay in Piggy Adventure, it’s that it holds your hand for far too long. You’ll easily blaze through the first twenty-or-so levels before reaching any kind of cerebral challenge. The sudden difficulty spike from the early stages to the latter is surprising at first, but, in the end, thoroughly welcome, as the game truly shines when its many parts must work together to reach the next level.
The premise is simple. Your objective is to get all three characters from the left side of the screen, to the right side of the screen. On the way to the other side switches will have to be thrown, levers pulled, buttons pushed, and chasms jumped. It’s all standard fare for a portable puzzle platformer. But it’s the way the characters are implemented that set the game apart.
The aforementioned pig, chicken, and cow all have different abilities which help and hinder their traversal of the map. The pig is an all-rounder. Of medium size, he can run the fastest and jump the highest. The chicken is tiny, and can fit into places otherwise unreachable to his travel companions. And the cow is slow and lumbering, but can push heavy objects. And all of these characters can jump on top of each other to give themselves a boost.
Yes. The cow can use the tiny chicken as a springboard.
It’s because of their different traversal methods that the game becomes a unique experience. As a basic example, the pig may have to jump from on top of the cow to a lever placed high up. This will open a passage which allows the chicken to hit a button, which in turn creates a platform from which the cow can cross a chasm.
As the game progresses through its 42 levels, the order of character movement and use of their unique abilities becomes more and more important, and towards the end there are some thoroughly mind-bending puzzles which include anti-gravity fields, swings, and the ever-dangerous moving platforms over bottomless pits.
If you do find yourself stuck there is a helpful hints button. Unfortunately the “hints” would better have been termed “the answer key” because they show you exactly what to do. Thankfully, they’re on a timer so it’s not a limitless pool of solutions (however, if you like having answers given to you, you can unlock unlimited hints for another 99 cents).
Each level also includes three drops of coloured paint the characters can pick up, and while they aren’t necessary to unlock new levels, they do add to your score, which you can share on Game Center.
Visuals:
The game’s graphic style is nothing you haven’t already seen on a platforming app. Cute characters in a cartoony world is nothing original, but the game does do it very well.
Little touches, from the pig dancing when it reaches the end of a stage, to the chicken wincing as the cow precariously balances on its head, add to the cute aesthetic the game is going for.
The environments are varied and detailed, with the adventure taking the three heroes to jungles, deserts, and pleasant green hills, making sure the game’s presentation never feels repetitive.
Audio:
This is not where the game shines. Not that the audio is particularly bad, but you won’t be feeling like you earbuds have been treated either.
A playful tune plays when you begin and finish each level and characters will have audio cues based on what’s going on around them, but if you play Piggy Adventure, you will most certainly not remember it for its sound design.
Conclusion:
Piggy Adventure would have been a good, but average puzzle game had it not implemented the mechanic of multiple characters. But the way these characters’ abilities are used so effectively in platforming and problem solving sets the game above other games in the genre. The cute art style and thoughtful level variants completely enhance the experience, making this a solid entry into the app market. I hope to see more from MoboTap in the future.
EA has released some more Sims 3 Pets screenshot to appeal to the rabid Sims fans (of which I am a part). In the last round of screenshots the focus was on horses and dogs, however this time around the focus is on the feline persuasion.
These two shots show a cat man (in the place of a cat lady), and a cat looking up at a ghost with some but not a whole lot of terror in its eyes. Knowing cats it’d probably end up rubbing up against the ghost if the ghost offered it some catnip or something.
As time gets closer to the release date, we can come to expect more of these little sneak previews. Make sure to keep tuned to Capsule Computers to keep up to date on them!
The Sims 3 Pets will be coming out on Mac/PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and 3DS on October 20.
Bandai have released a new promo for the upcoming Nintendo DS title, One Piece Gigant Battle 2: New World.
The new promotional trailer details each member of the Straw Hat Pirates in game appearance as well as showing flashes of their origin story, all set to the new opening theme for the series titled “We Go!”.
One Piece Gigant Battle 2: New World is set for a release in Japan on the 17th of November, 2011. You can check out the new trailer below for all your daily dose of One Piece goodness. Also be sure to let us know what you think in the shoutbox or comments section.
Game: Orcs Must Die! Price: 1200 Microsoft Points/ $15 Platform: XBLA – October 5th/Steam – October 11 Genre: Strategy/Tower Defense Developer: Robot Entertainment Buy it or try it here.
Orcs Must Die! is a game about Orcs. Yup, that was a tough one, I know. All right, so Orcs Must Die! is actually about you getting to kill a whole ton of Orcs with lots of cool different items. At its core, Orcs Must Die! is a tower defense/strategy game, except instead of an overhead view of the battleground, you control a single character from the 3rd person perspective.
Orcs Must Die! was developed by Robot Entertainment, which is comprised of many of the former people who worked on Halo Wars and Age of Empires III. Suffice it to say, these guys know what they are doing when it comes to strategy games. Or do they? Read on to find out!
Story
At the beginning of the game an old War Mage is narrating his own death. As he lays at the base of some steps, bleeding out of his head, he reflects on his life and the many battles he has fought to keep the Orcs at bay. The Orcs live in a wretched, dead world and they want to go to other planets. To get to other planets, the Orcs (as well some Ogres, Demon Rats and Hellbats) must pass through what are called Rifts, which are similar to teleporters. However, The Order —a band of soldiers who use traps, weapons and magic— have sworn to protect the human race from these invaders. The War Mage is part of the The Order and he has an apprentice. As he dies, he tells us that now that he is gone, the human race is doomed because his apprentice, the main character, is taking over and that his apprentice is more or less a fool. And then the scene fades out and you find out that you are controlling the “fool.” But you are no fool, are you? That’s what I thought.
All in all, the story is ok. Although there are some serious plot holes, the story generally makes sense as long as you don’t take it too seriously. Honestly, the developers didn’t mean for the story to be held up to a magnifying glass in the first place, and it is only there to provide a framework for the gameplay. Nevertheless, the story did leave me hanging in a few places and I would have appreciated a little more detail about what was going on. But I suppose I can’t have everything.
Gameplay
At the beginning the game thrusts you into the thick of it with nary a tutorial to be seen. Although you can go hunting through menus and the like, it is pretty easy to learn how to set up traps and use your automatic crossbow and/or sword.
Starting off, your goal is merely to protect one portal with a couple of traps and your weapons. Later on however, there may be multiple portals and a variety of pathways for the Orcs to get through. Making your task even more difficult however, is that your weapons will be of little use to you unless they are used strictly for mop up. Yes, this game wants you to use traps at all times. And that is great. There are many traps of different sorts (although unlocking them all is a tedious process) and when they are set up just right, it is a wonderful sight as you watch a plethora of Orcs, Ogres and other baddies meet their untimely, gory doom.
Nevertheless, as I kept going through the game, I couldn’t help feeling a tad disappointed. I hated how I could not save load outs and had to choose 6 or 7 traps and weapons before every level. Plus, there are hardly any other weapons to play with and although you can upgrade the traps, it is a time consuming and expensive process that often does little to change up the gameplay. Many times I felt like I was mindlessly mowing down enemies with no real strategy. Furthermore, although you do get a slight extra reward for headshotting an enemy, there is not much else to be earned in the way of bonuses. Even combo kills and kill streaks are hardly given any attention. It would have been great if there was some depth in these systems. Nevertheless, once you unlock a new trap at the end of a level and then see it in action in the next level, the game redeems itself.
However, there is one more area in which this game could have been better. One omission from the is unforgivable. The lack of any sort of coop in this game is a sin of the most maximum kind. Although Robot Entertainment has said they are looking into the possibility of adding it in, the lack of it is astonishing and makes me feel like perhaps the game was rushed out of the door before it was ready.
Sound and Graphics
The soundtrack in the game is absouluty fantastic. I couldn’t say better things about if you payed me too. There are a variety of mixes in the game, and it was evident that whoever who directed the music in this game had a creative streak in them. My speakers were jamming with the mix of rock, rap, folk and other beats. To make it even better, these different genres were often mixed together to create a brilliant compilation of awesomeness. Complementing the soundtrack was some solid voice acting. Although there was not a whole lot of dialog in the game, what little there was sounded great. In addition, nearly every statement was funny. At the beginning of every level the Apprentice would crack a joke or make fun of his now dead master. In addition, the Orcs would often say hilarious things as they died, like, “Today was my last day before I retired.”
Unlike the great sound in this game though, the graphics were unremarkable. That’s not to say that everything looked terrible, but many parts of the environment did look rushed. For example, acid pits looked like boring ponds of green water and many of the enemy character models could have had a lot more detail. In addition, although the large maps were nice to play in, they were devoid of any real details. There may have a burning cauldron here and a statue over there, but mostly I just felt like I was running around in a dank, brick building that was rearranged a bit in every level.
In conclusion, Orcs Must Die! is a solid game. The gameplay is fast, frantic, strategic and addictive. However, many times while playing through the game I felt that this game could have been a lot better if it would have had a longer development period. The lack of coop is criminal, and the graphics could have used some work. Whats more, although the story was adequate, it could have been expanded upon. In addition, combat variety could have been spiced up considerably. All in all though, this is a game that should definitely be tried, and if you have the money, consider buying it. If this game ever goes on sale, then pounce on it fast.
Firemint and EA Mobile are set to release an update of Massive Real Racing 2 after the announcement of the iOS 5. Along with upgrading the graphics and fully utilising the hardware that comes with the iPhone 4S, there will be a new Party Play mode.
Party Play mode looks like an awesome addition, allowing two to four players play split screen multiplayer on HD TV using AirPlay. An iPhone 4S or iPad 2 can act as a host, with other iOS devices. This is a great step forward for iOS multiplayer, and paired with the visual upgrades, it looks like the next major upgrade will definitely be one to catch if you’re into iOS racing.
GAMEVIL’s Air Penguin which topped iOS charts, has now made the jump from the iOS to the Android. You can now download Air Penguin absolutely free of cost in the Android Market on Android devices.
In Air Penguin you jump and fly through the Antarctic in what is simple yet addictive gameplay that you will find yourself highly engaged in.
So there you have it Android users, for such a great game to be free, there is no reason for you to not be soaring to the antarctic with GAMEVIL’s Air Penguin. You can download it for free here. Please let us know what you think of Air Penguin in the shoutbox or comments section.
This past week we reported on the highly publicised legal battle going on between Fox and the voice cast of The Simpsons. That’s right, for all of you with a hint of OCD, The Simpsons will go until it’s 25th season making it to a quarter of a century on air, instead of an imperfect “almost” quarter of a century.
Fox had engaged in a huge dispute, to which the cast has finally yielded in order to “save the show”, since according to Fox the show is no longer “profitable”, or something.
Well at least this news provides a little bit of relief for Simpsons fans who were left somewhat squirmish after our last article on the matter. So what do you think about this renewal? Let us know in the shoutbox or comments section.
Developer: Visual Concepts Publisher: 2K Sports Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC, iOS Release Date: Out Now!
Last year, 2K sports gave us the best basketball game we had ever seen. After years of waiting, Michael Jordan was finally included in the game as we relived the greatest moments of his illustrious career. Doubts began to circulate for this year’s release as the lockout moved in for the long haul. With this in mind, there was no way 2K sports could improve on last year’s effort, right? Fans were quick to write off this game, expecting a simple rehash of 2k11 but then the dust began to settle and look! It’s MJ, and he’s brought some friends with him! Alright, enough back story, it’s time to see how 2K12 shaped up.
Gameplay:
The match engine is pretty similar to last year, but a bit more refined and smoother overall. Probably the biggest improvement lies in the post game. Posting up is now done with the Y button instead of the triggers, which means the triggers are now available to be used for moves such as shoulder fakes and various others. You also have much more control of your player when shooting and defending thanks to a few tweaks to the button layout.
AI has been improved, although there are still some almost supernatural moments where your shots will be blocked by a player with his back towards you or a steal will be made in similar fashion, but these are far more rare than last year so they don’t impinge upon matches too often. Following on from last year, you now have to be a lot more tactically astute to break down the AI’s defence, with fast-break points much more difficult to come by and pushing your way to the paint just by holding the R-Trigger no longer an option. Sure this will deter some casual fans but the level of challenge and subsequent satisfaction or frustration that it brings makes it a much better and realistic game.
In terms of game mode choices it’s pretty similar except the MJ mode has naturally been replaced with the NBA’s Greatest mode. The Be A Legend mode which saw players build up MJ’s career against the modern day teams has now been opened up to allow use of any current league player, so basically it’s My Player mode using non-created players. Association mode had very little changes made to it, but then again I didn’t find many problems with it last year.
Onto the NBA’s Greatest Mode. All 15 legends are unlocked from the get go, so you can start with whoever you want. Unlike Jordan’s mode last year, there aren’t any stat requirements for you to fulfill, you just have to win the game. I thought at first that this would take away some purpose to the matches, but then I was sort of relieved as I could just stick to my style without becoming a hog. The presentation is what really makes this mode stand above others, but I’ll come back to that. The player “personality” if you will, is really amazing. We saw what 2k were capable of last year in terms of player detail with Jordan’s tongue-poking-out, shoulder shrugging model, and this year is no different when using the classic teams. One of the best things about having the legends in, is that it’s not just the 15 headliners but also their teammates and the opposing teams in there as well. Want to play with Shaq and Tim Duncan when they were heading into their prime? Go for it.
My Player Mode as we were told a few weeks ago, has had a heap of additions. The summer circuit has been eliminated from the beginning and replaced with just a single rookie match. The notable absence of the real rookies is disappointing, albeit the fault of the NBA rather than 2K Sports, but we apparently will get them updated into the game once [or if] the lockout ends. The draft interviews are a great addition, despite progressing a bit slower than I would like. Some of the questions/responses are really specific to the team that is interviewing you, for example, I was asked by the Golden State Warriors how I think I (being a SG) would fit in given that they’ve already got very formidable guards in Ellis and Curry. You can basically determine which of the three teams you want to get selected by through sucking up or being a douche in your responses.
After you get drafted the mode plays out pretty much the same as last year except in terms of player skill progression due to the added specific ability building. I also really like the addition of a player salary as it gives you a bit more off-court fiddling to do and you can build your fan base and skills up through the money you receive. It may not be perfect but overall I still feel that when compared to EA’s “My Player” equivalents in FIFA, NHL, and Madden, NBA 2K12 wipes the court with them and really shows how fun this mode could be.
Visuals and Sound:
The aesthetics of this game are superb, from match presentation to off-the-court layouts. The main menu has been given a nice makeover, allowing you to jump right into your most recent My Player and Association mode straight away, but still retaining the old menu system through the flick of the right control stick.
Player models are as good as ever, with less alien-like faces appearing and most looking very lifelike. But where does NBA 2K12 really earn it’s 5 star visual rating? None other than the NBA’s Greatest mode. With black and white, sepia, technicolour and faded camera effects used depending on which team you are playing with, this pretty simple touch really adds a whole lot to the sense of nostalgia. Unlike the Jordan matches last year, it is a lot more authentic and makes you almost feel like you are playing in that decade rather than just a modern day recreation. Even more so, the commentary takes the presentation further, treating the matches as replays and recounting many facts and background information on the players and teams, educating and entertaining you while you play.
The great commentary is not just limited to NBA’s Greatest, with My Player Mode and Association modes becoming more and more realistic, especially when giving background information but also commenting on occurrences and stats around the league, improving a bit upon last year. The soundtrack is also very solid, complimenting the game experience through a good mix of genres especially rock, hip-hop and rap.
Conclusion:
Overall, if you had 2k11 you will find this game plays quite similarly and even more you won’t even be getting much of a roster update (though you do get plenty of classic teams), something which sports games are often joked about for. The former is nothing to be ashamed of given how good 2k11 was, and the latter is the result of the lockout. The main faults with the game are things that 2K had very little control of, although a few minor AI and online issues need to be addressed. To produce such an awesome game based around a league that is in disarray is truly commendable. Given the lack of competition in basketball games, 2K and Visual Concepts could easily have slacked off, rehashed 2k11 with a pretty bow on it and called it 2k12, but they didn’t. The level of detail in presentation in NBA’s Greatest, the improvements made to My Player mode and of course the smoother game play make it an excellent game for NBA and both casual and hardcore sports games fans. With the lockout still in place, this will prove to be a more than adequate alternative to the cancelled preseason as you sit and hope that the NBA can get it’s act together. And if the season is cancelled altogether? Well this will surely help ease the pain.
On Friday, Sony Computer Entertainment America’s president Jack Tretton took some time from his busy schedule to talk to the Arizona Daily Star. He was conducting a speech at the University of Arizona, where his son John attends, about the gaming industry. In this interview, he divulges into the Playstation Vita and the unfortunate breach of the Playstation Network over April and May this year.
The North American release of the Vita was asked and this is what Tretton had to say:
“We’ll be announcing that shortly. You probably know it will be out before the holidays in Japan. It will be out in the first quarter in the States. It’s something we’re very excited about.”
Now that is something noteworthy. Of course, common knowledge dictates that the Vita won’t make an appearance in the West until the first quarter of 2012, missing the crucial holiday period. However, Tretton’s revelation that we shall know the release “shortly” does raise my eyebrows. How long are we from that anticipated announcement? A week, two weeks, a month?
Anyway, he also talked about the download limit of the Vita, which was announced to be at 20MB, the same as Apple devices:
“That’s probably based on the partner and the amount of data that they’re going to allow to be fed based on the plan.”
AT&T is the network partner of the Playstation Vita. So, according to Tretton, it will be up to them to decide what the 3G download limit will be… in North America at least.
What about PS3 connectivity? Tretton also answered a question on that after it was revealed that the Vita can act like the Wii U tablet controller:
“The relationship between the Vita and the PS3 is absolutely going to be intimate. That’s something that we had hoped to do with the PlayStation Portable, but the power of the PlayStation Portable and the accessibility was limiting. With Vita, it’s an absolutely symbiotic and natural relationship where conceivably you’ll be able to build up your characters, play the game on Vita and then carry the process over to the PS3.”
I would like to see what the PS3/Vita relationship can be achieved. Can RPG’s use the Vita as a map or inventory screen? Racing games where the Vita can be a rear view mirror? All of this and more seems like a possibility.
Ok, Vita wasn’t all that was talked about. The PSN breach was mentioned, apologising for what did happen but didn’t really answer the question, which was how were the company manage to navigate out of the negativity of the press. Also mentioned was the PSN Pass, which will become a common sight of first party games.
