Gears of War 3 is going to be receiving its first piece of downloadable content sooner than we may think. Announced today, the Horde Command DLC package will be released on November 1st and will be available for 800 MSP or free if you have bought the season pass for Gears of War 3. The package contains a number of new things to accentuate the game’s horde 2.0 mode and a handful of new content.
The DLC will include three new maps, a few characters, namely Bernie, Big Rig Dizzy and an Onyx Guard, a few weapon skins and extra fortifications. The player will be able to build a command center now where they can call in support from the Hammer of Dawn, snipers or even mortars. Also players will be able to upgrade the decoy to a fighting robot, a sentry that shoots fire bolts and even an upgrade for the Silverback to include rockets.
So far in the Land of the Rising Sun, the plans of the Playstation Vita’s 3G have been pre-paid plans. For ¥980, a regular user of 3G would get 20 hours worth, while at ¥4,980, users will get 100 hours worth of usage plus 3 hours of high speed usage. No mention of any other plans have come to light… until now. A pamphlet detailing the Vita 3G plans have surfaced on the internet and has revealed a third plan. A post-paid plan (the green one on the right).
For the price of ¥5,460 per month, you can expect to get unlimited access on NTT DoCoMo’s 3G network. What makes it better is that it is high speed 3G. Instead of the 128Kbps/64Kbps speeds the pre-paids cards will be capped at, you will get the same speeds as the 3 bonus hours with the 100 hour pre-paid plan. This is at 14Mbps/5.7Mbps.
It is also quite flexible as it will also be available as a slider plan. There will be a minimal fee of ¥1,000 and the price will rise as usage increases to a maximum price of ¥5,985. After that, you can continuing using the “FOMA high speed” network at no additional cost. This is certainly a great plan for those who want unlimited access on the go. Just don’t expect to download large files.
Now I wonder if Australia will receive this sort of plan. Actually, the real question is who will Sony choose to deliver the 3G network to the handheld.
2K Sports have announced that they have made a deal with the Sydney Kings for the launch of NBA 2K12 which goes on sale this Friday the 7th of October.
“Off the court, NBA 2K12 gives me the chance to relax in my downtime and to get a great sense of what it might have been like to play against some of the game’s greatest legends.” said Sydney Kings player Jerai Grant.
An Australian launch party will be held tomorrow night in Sydney in which players from the Sydney Kings will be present, so be sure to check back here on Thursday for all the details. Of course don’t forget to also check back later in the week for our review to see how the game shapes up to last year’s amazing installment.
The producer of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV is going to be doing a live speech on Youtube concenring the title. The speech is believed to be about the upcoming patch 1.19 and other Final Fantasy XIV related queries.
So be sure to keep an eye on this link and the embedded video below for the live speech.
From Wikipedia –
Eorzea’s nations used to be constantly at war with each other until fifteen years ago when the Garlean Empire, a mysterious nation from the east, razed the mightiest of the city-states, Ala Mhigo. The nations decided to band together if they were to repel the invaders, but the Empire never came, leaving a state of détente throughout the land. The resulting peace has led to a wide swath of soldiers and mercenaries suddenly without a job, and so they are now forming guilds and going by a new name: adventurers.
The video is scheduled to start in approximately 30mins (at the time of writing). The current time in the US is 4:27Am so that makes the video start at approxzimately 4:50AM PST.
In the age of the internet, the safety of children has always been a troubling issue. Between March and June this year, the European Commission conducted a series of tests on Habbo Hotel, Skyrock, Dailymotion, Windows Live, Xbox Live, YouTube, Flickr, Stardoll and Yahoo! Pulsen for implementation of the Safer Social Networking Principles. The results have been surprising-Xbox LIVE and Habbo Hotel were the only ones to include default settings which make minors’ personal profiles accessible only to their approved list of contacts, and are now considered to be the safest social networks available by the self-regulatory agreement “Safer Social Networking Principles for the EU”.
The objective has been to review protection of minors online, set by the Digital Agenda for Europe to enhance trust in cyberspace. The results of implementation of the Safer Social Networking Principles will be taken into account by the Commission later this year to strengthen and protect children online.
So they claim Xbox Live and Habbo Hotel are the safest, but how do the rest stack up?
All 9 sites do provide a shorter, child-friendly version of their Terms of Use/Service.
In all of the tested websites, minors can be sent friend requests by anyone.
Only six of the tested websites can children’s profiles be directly accessed by friends of friends.
Most provide safety information and guidance aimed at minors, and respond to requests for help.
Only Dailymotion and Windows Live have a default option that guarantees children can only be contacted by friends.
“Young people enjoy and derive great benefits from social networking online but are often not conscious enough of risks such as grooming. Social networking sites need to take seriously their responsibilities towards these youngsters. I intend to address these issues later this year in a comprehensive strategy on making the internet a safer place for children through a combination of protective and empowerment measures.” –Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda.
Check out this week’s latest digital downloads: CATRAP, Extreme Hangman 2 and Trenches: Generals – all available for download this week via the Nintendo eShop!
Catrap on 3DS via Virtual Console
Catrap was released on the Game Boy in 1990, but now arrives on the 3DS over a decade later thanks to the Virtual Console. In Catrap, also known as Pitman, Catboy and Catgirl try to go back to their original human form by working through an underground labyrinth full of intriguing puzzles and enemies.
Extreme Hangman 2 on 3DS via DSiWare
Just as the name suggests, this squeal takes the classic game of Hangman to the Extreme! With over 3,000 words, 14 new categories, ten funny animations, four eye-catching backgrounds to choose from and three difficulty levels, Extreme Hangman 2 is sure to be a must-have title for Hangman fans!
Trenches: Generals on Wii via WiiWare
An updated iOS original, in Trenches: Generals players command the troops of the Royal British Expeditionary Force and must use rifleman, mortar men, snipers, machine-gunners, and more to defend a bunker from being overrun.
It’s all about money this week with Gears 3 selling a boat load in it’s first week and Battlefield 3 having a competition in which you can win enough cash to buy a small island. Irvo visits Planet Nintendo we talk about what gaming faction we would join and get into what we’ve been playing.
Cast: Alexis Ayala, Philip Federico, Dustin Spencer, Michael Irving and Luke Halliday
RAGE Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Developer: Id Software Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Reviewed) Release Date: October 4, 2011 Price: $59.99 – Available Here
Overview:
In the early 90’s id Software created a title that some herald to be the start of the first person shooter genre and can be seen as one of the most influential titles ever in gaming. But that was then and now nearly twenty years have passed and the industry has changed and evolved since then. Now id Software has returned with a new title named RAGE. RAGE was developed with the new id Tech 5 technology and there is a massive legacy standing behind the name of the developer. Yet in an industry where first person shooters are now released at a steady pace, how does id Software’s RAGE stand on its own?
Story:
In the year 2029 the world is on the brink of complete and utter disaster. An asteroid is on a direct course with the planet and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Still, in an effort to ensure that the human race and civilization continue after the strike the Arks have been built and volunteers placed inside in cryogenic stasis to awake years after the disaster and begin life anew.
That was the plan at least. As soon as the player wakes up in the Ark things have obviously not gone according to plan, and stepping outside you find that life has continued but things have changed for the worse. There are bandit groups everywhere and only small towns and settlements where humans attempt to scrap together a living.
To make matters worse a strange corporation known as The Authority is out for every Ark survivor and will not stop in its efforts to find and eliminate you. Now this would all be very great in theory, but unfortunately a lot of the story is very in-depth. Very rarely are things explained past the level of simply having to go here and do this and not see much in the way of actual story development. Sure there are a few places where the story kicks itself into high gear but the lackluster storyline is truly detrimental to the game.
Which is a shame because the bandit tribes all are named after specific things and perform differently. Such as a gang of Gearhead bandits who are all interested in creating mechanics and or the Shrouded Clan that controls explosive RC cars. Plus there are plenty of interesting characters that the player can stop and talk to, but none of them are even explored or given a slightest bit of story development as the character just moves from place to place following a more or less straight path.
Graphics:
Console gamers have it tough. Most games on consoles never really have that beautiful finish that some games see on the PC but RAGE is by far the best looking game that I have ever seen on the Xbox 360 or even the PlayStation 3. There is such a massive amount of detail in every aspect of the world. Most environmental aspects that are simply written off by other developers are given painstaking care that deserves to be seen.
The id Tech 5 engine has created an amazing visual experience here. The water effects are also quite stunning, as players can walk near or under dripping water and have water droplets appear on the screen causing impressive distortion. Even water pipes react amazingly, as when bullets pierce them the water will pour out in the exact place the bullet struck them.
The characters you will encounter are amazing as well. The character models are all relatively diverse and you will be hard pressed to find any that look very similar to one another, this includes side characters or even those roaming around town. Now, the character animations in the towns are usually relatively stiff and are truly a shame when you compare that to the enemies. Enemy animation is absolutely amazing and polished, the AI will often have them swinging from the ceiling, running along a wall or other amazing feats you would never expect to see, often causing moments you want to simply stop and take it all in before firing upon them.
Audio:
With graphics as gorgeous as RAGE’s you would assume that the game would sound just as well as it looks correct? Well your assumption is right on the mark because RAGE would be able to win any award for atmospheric immersion no matter what you place it up against so far this year. The world feels like it is truly alive around you at times with sound effects lining up perfectly with the game’s situations. This is especially true while fighting enemies as they will often makes remarks about your fighting, saying watch out for a certain weapon you are using or yelling in desperation how they are losing the battle.
That is nothing compared to the voice acting for RAGE. One of the first characters you meet will have a voice instantly recognizable as star talent, and one that usually doesn’t take much of a role in video games. I won’t spoil it however, as it will be a big surprise to anyone who has heard his work before. The quality continues from there with every character’s voice actor performing splendidly.
Gameplay:
At it’s very core, RAGE is a pretty traditional FPS featuring recharging health (though this is at least given storyline context, with Nanotrites repairing the body over time) and plenty of gunfire. Now while this is basic at its core, the actual experience is anything but. The reason for this is that the firefights are always very entertaining and enjoyable as the enemies you encounter have impressive AI and will often fight and respond accordingly to your actions.
It is also quite enjoyable thanks to the fact that your weaponry feels like it has an amazing kick. Sure a weapon can feel powerful by having recoil or doing lots of damage, but in RAGE you will actually see your enemy react to that bullet. Hitting an enemy in the chest will send them falling to the ground, swearing and trying to sit back up and shoot you. Enemies shot in the leg will fall down as their legs get snapped out from under them, armored enemies will retreat as your bullets strip their protective coating. This creates an amazing feeling of power and exhilaration as you watch your enemies retreat for cover as you spray bullets in their direction or fall to the ground after being sprayed with assault rifle bullets and struggle to put one last round in your direction before dying.
To make matters even more interesting, players are given a number of ammo types for every gun they stumble upon in the world of RAGE. While the weapons range from pistols to machine guns to shotguns there are always interesting ammo combinations such as exploding ammunition. Plus there are a few unique weapons as well. These include a crossbow which can shoot boring generic bolts, or those that can electrocute enemies (bonus points for electrifying whole pools of water if shot into them) and even a fancy mind control one.
RAGE’s combat doesn’t end there however, as there is also an interesting engineering mechanic to everything. There are components everywhere in the game and players can put these components together to create new items or ammunition once they discover the proper schematic for that item. This means you can create your very own RC car bomb, create sentry turrets to place on a field or even a robotic spider ally. These special items are truly a joy to use, especially a deadly boomerang like weapon known as the Wingstick which can be thrown with deadly accuracy and can one-hit kill most enemies, including decapitation, severing of limbs or even being visually stuck in their heads.
Now, fighting the enemies of RAGE can be quite difficult as their intelligent AI makes them ready for anything. If you happen to go down in combat however, all is not lost. When the player dies the player can be brought back to life through a unique and well-thought defibrillator that was implanted in your chest. The player has to perform a small minigame to restore their health and also deliver a powerful electric shock to any enemies around you. However, this doesn’t make you invincible as the defibrillator has to charge between zaps and if you happen to go down again before it is recharged then it is game over.
Game overs can be quite disastrous in RAGE as the save system for the title is something that really works against the player. Now the game does feature an autosave system and will do so relatively often, RAGE does not autosave inside of dungeons. Now although player’s can save whenever they feel like it, it may come as a nasty surprise when you die for the first time and have to start an entire area over and breaks up the flow of combat when the player has to stop and save manually if they feel like the next threat may be too dangerous.
There is more to shooting enemies first person in RAGE however, there is also plenty of driving. Players are first given a ATV to drive around in though they quickly will be given a buggy which will be their main form of transportation for most of the game. The driving mechanics respond well and even when you have to drive back and forth between places repeatedly the vehicle combat helps break up the monotony.
It is a tough life in the world of RAGE and of course driving a vehicle without weapons would quickly be destroyed, thankfully machine guns and rockets are easily obtainable. Combat against bandit cars brings back memories of vehicle vs vehicle games of the past and there are plenty of bonuses which can be bought to help create the fastest and deadliest car in the land. There is more to the driving than getting missions done though, there are also the racing mini-games which must be done to acquire new parts for your car. These are a great little distraction and the races with weaponry feel visceral and exciting as you destroy the competition both literally and figuratively.
Now while there is plenty to be seen, there unfortunately isn’t a whole lot of extra to be done. There are a few places which can be explored at random and side quests that can be picked up but most of them are only meager side missions usually involving going to an area you have already been before. RAGE has an extremely linear feel to it which goes against the open world experience the game seems to portray with exploration.
Now although players can create new tools in crafting to help in battle, players will not be doing much, if any customization. Sure there are car upgrades but that is all. The first time you find new armor will be the last time you find any new armor, with only minor upgrades being purchased quickly and then forgotten. There are only two really fleshed out cities besides the small settlements which contain only a handful of characters, and even the cities are relatively small in size. This wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t for the fact that RAGE feels like it could do so much more with its resources and pull off an experience unlike any other if it wasn’t limited to simply two towns, linear play and lack of customization.
RAGE does have a multiplayer aspect to the title but unfortunately is rather weak in delivery. On the third disc of the 360 version, players will find everything RAGE has to offer for multiplayer which is an interesting competitive online mode that places players against one another in vehicular combat, making it quite similar to Twisted Metal in some ways. Unfortunately the maps they are played on are too large for the number of cars.
There is also a co-op gameplay mode that lets player’s take a friend into a Legend stage where they will fight against enemies and earn scores according to their performance. Each stage has its own little narrative but unfortunately the experience just ends up feeling derivative and not worth visiting often unless you are desperate for some co-op gameplay or need to play with a friend locally.
Overall:
RAGE is a beautiful experience. The visuals are unlike anything I have ever seen on a console and are easily in a league of their own. This also contributes to the fact that RAGE takes up two story discs and one multiplayer disc on the Xbox 360, including a 22GB install of all three to get the best experience. With a story of only around twelve hours with side quests and races the reason for the extra discs obviously isn’t due to length.
Still, players can experience a rather amazing and fun shooter with RAGE. The enemy AI is extremely enjoyable to fight against and there are a number of mechanics which heighten the fun. Unfortunately the story is quite weak and feels rushed in places, which begs the question as to why a weak multiplayer was created instead of fleshing out the story more. All in all, RAGE is a title that has satisfying vehicular and FPS combat and the world is so detailed that it is a shame that the title still falls short in many areas.
Everyone knows that pets are a person’s best friend. Except for cats. They’re more like that friend who talks to you when they need something.
Today EA released some brand spanking new screenshots for their upcoming game, The Sims 3 Pets. The game looks fantastic, and with the new aspect of pet control going on, I’m sure it’ll be a fantastic addition to the Sims series.
Take a look at the screenshots below of horses and dogs (no cats, they don’t like cameras), what do you guys reckon? Are you as excited as me about this game or am I just being an embarrassing fangirl?
Madman have announced that Cartoon Network hit, Adventure Time is coming to DVD in Australia at the end of the year.
Adventure Time is an animation that follows Finn, a young boy with a wacky (but pretty cool) hat, and Jake, a 28-year-old dog with magical powers. Originally called Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, the series sees Finn and Jake travel to the ‘Land of Ooo’. There, they meet the land’s wacky inhabitants, including Lady Rainicorn, Princess Bubblegum, and the Ice King.
Adventure Time presents a unique artistic style and those powerful surrealist elements so many of Cartoon Network’s shows are renowned for. The title is available for purchase on November 30, 2011 for $19.95.
