Fresh from the Team 17 factory comes Worms Ultimate Mayhem, which will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade and Steam from today. The title is said to be a HD reimagining of Worms 3D and Worms 4: Mayhem, using highlights from those forays into 3D for this digital collector’s edition outing for the gun-toting scamps. It will have improved high-definition visuals, comes complete with 60 single player missions, challenges, 12 graphical themes, 38 weapons and utilities, full online play for up to four players and plenty of customisation options for your worm and game experience.
To celebrate the launch, Team 17 have released the ‘Enhancements’ trailer, a look at ways in which Team 17 have spent the last year in development creating Worms Ultimate Mayhem.
Worms Ultimate Mayhem costs 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Arcade, and £10.99/€12.99/$14.99 for PC from Steam.
To buy on Steam click HERE. Or you can purchase it on Xbox Live Arcade HERE.
Name: Where’s my Water?
Developer: Walaber
Publisher: Disney
Genre: Family/Puzzle
Platform: iPhone (reviewed), iPad
Release: September 22 2011
Price: $0.99 – BUY NOW
Overview
It comes as no surprise that Where’s my Water? is a Disney creation. After all, there’s a cute cartoon animal that would usually be dangerous but in this case is just cuddly, the evil poison goo is just a purple sludge that is in fact helpful, and the aim of the game is to allow the gator to take a shower. The only way it could get more Disney is if the gator was a prince.
Gameplay
Where’s My Water is an app based on physics and puzzles, which is more than I was expecting considering it is a Disney game. As I watched and listened to the intro I felt this sinking feeling in my stomach that I would be stuck in a nightmarishly simple child’s game, but that was not it at all. Maybe children have gotten smarter, maybe my expectations are horridly off, but I was pleasantly surprised by the nice learning curve that resulted in some interesting puzzles, some even took a couple tries to figure out how to do them right.
The concept of Where’s My Water is simple and cute in its little Disney way. There’s a alligator named Swampy who lives in the sewers and who likes to take lots of baths because, well, apparently he’s a little special one. However, given that he lives far under the ground getting the water to him is not the easiest task (he’s too good for sewer water you see).
You need to get the water from the source – whether that be a spewing pipe or puddle of water – to the pipe that leads to his shower. In order to do that you swipe your finger over the sections of dirt in a tunnel leading the water the right way. Along the way you have to try and collect three ducks, this is similar to Cut the Rope’s stars in that you don’t need to get them but it would be better, especially since you move onto the next stage when you’ve reached a certain number. Each level is completed successfully when Swampy has enough water to run his bath.
It sounds fairly easy, and it is to begin with, however then a range of difficulties start being introduced such as poison and moss. The moss is more of a pain than the poison funnily enough, because when your water touches the moss it makes it grow at a ridiculously fast rate and basically blocks your water flow. The poison dissolves the moss, but if it comes in contact with water it turns the water to poison also, which kills the rubber ducks and is not something Swampy wants to bathe in. What a picky one. There is also green acid that eats through everything it touches. Except Swampy. He’s okay.
The game also has platforms that move either upon activation or of their own accord. These can be helpful or annoying, depending on how much you understand of the level and if you know how to use them to your advantage. As levels go on you will find that you’ll be redo-ing levels just to tweak the timing a bit and make it run smoother to get those higher points and be awarded for time bonuses and water overflow.
The game currently has four stages with twenty levels to each stage. More stages are promised, which isn’t hard to believe since it was released less than a week ago at the time of this review.
If you are ever stuck, always read the title of the level. Many times it gave it away for me before even starting the level or seeing what the challenge was. This intuition might be lost on some, but for others they may find that the titles are a dead giveaway and detract from a possible challenge.
While it is not as challenging as Cut the Rope, the physics are good, the gameplay is freshened up every few levels, and that damn gator is just so cute. It was enjoyable, if not quite as challenging as it could have been, however I expect that to come as more levels are shipped out.
Visual/Audio
The game is cartoony which may repel some people, but it’s sweet and earnest as well and definitely family friendly. The little cut scenes at the start of stages are cute and really make you feel for this gator that is just too high class for the rest of his species.
Similar to the visual style, the soundtrack is jaunty and upbeat. You never really forget it’s a Disney creation, but that by no means is a bad thing. And if you prefer your music dark and ominous then don’t worry, you can always fall back on a music player and mute that damn cheery app soundtrack.
Conclusion
The game would appeal to kids because of the design, but to adults because of the puzzles. They aren’t the most challenging, but they do make you pause and think properly. Reminiscent of a few puzzle games on the iOS, there’s no surprise that Where’s My Water is a hit. And hey, it teaches kids good hygiene so that’s always good.
Yesterday, during a press conference in Tokyo, Yoichi Wada mentioned the following words: “The Final Fantasy brand has been greatly damaged.” He was talking about Final Fantasy XIV, the MMORPG launched with major problems that made the game somewhat unplayable. The backlash of that game was universal and loud, with major critics and fans alike expressing frustration at the basic mechanics. However, with Wada uttering these words, he has recognised the problems of the game and expressed the desire to make everything right.
On the patches, Wada notes “We’ll continue with our reform work, which basically amounts to fully redoing the game, and hope to revive the FFXIV that should have been released.” For some fans, it might be too little too late. There was no mention of the Playstation 3 version.
This particular press conference focused on the online plans of Square Enix’s flagship titles: Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. There was talk of Dragon Quest X, but only as an example of this online direction. Wada did note that the Dragon Quest main series will not be online only, telling the audience, “We’re not making them all online. We’ll continue with a variety of developments, offline included.”
First, Serah had received her own weapon for pre-order, leaving her companion Noel in the dark. Square Enix, however, has given Noel fans the chance to give him an exclusive weapon via the Square Enix e-shop. The weapon will be called “Calamity Blade”, a twin blade sword which charges Noel’s ATB gauge more quickly, like the spell Haste.
However, the product page on the e-shop has an interesting fact about this sword. It is mentioned that the weapon will be effective from the beginning of the game to the halfway point. What can this mean? It could mean several things, like the weapon could be useless after a certain point of the game or not needed due to Noel’s power. Just like Serah’s weapon, Square Enix did not provide any pictures of the weapon but did promise one at a later date.
Marvel and Paramount have announced the release for the latest of the Avengers to come out on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD. On December 1 Captain America will be released onto our DVD and Blu-ray players for some hi-def butt-kicking action. Watch a buff Chris Evans in 1080p as he comes up against Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull, and fights to keep America free.
The DVD release will include one DVD which will have the feature film, commentary, two featurettes and trailers – including an Avengers trailer. This will be available or $39.99.
The Triple-Play release includes Blu-ray, a digital copy and DVD of the feature. Additionally, there will be a tonne of extras including an original Marvel short film, a sneak peak into the much-anticipated Avengers, seven behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a bunch more goodies that will surely be more than enough for any Marvel fans. The Triple-Play release will be available for $49.99.
Finishing off the Captain America releases is the Super Set. The Super Set has all the features of the Triple-Play except with the added 3D Blu-ray disc. For those of you lucky enough to own 3D TVs out there this would be a great buy, because hey, if you’re not going to use it to watch kickass superhero movies then what exactly will you use it for? The Super Set will be available for $59.99.
Keep an eye out when it hits on December 1st, this will be a great Christmas present for those superhero buffs out there.
Stark or Tully? Targaryen or Lannister? I’m sure if you’ve watched or read any of the epic fantasy a Song of Ice and Fire then you’ll have a house in mind for yourself. It’s a bit hard to avoid really, what with the banners, the motto’s, the character traits – got purple eyes and a bit too much love for your siblings? Like a good dragon? Hello house Targaryen!
Sweeping and unlikey generalisations aside, get ready for that choice to actually matter with tomorrow’s release of strategy game ‘A Game of Thrones – Genesis’. Players will pick from one of eight major houses to try and win the coveted Iron Throne for themselves, battling through 1000 years of Westero’s violent history along the way. Each house will have their own set of strengths and their own specialised unit – the Starks for example command a spy detecting direwolf, and gain bonuses to commander HP and armour.
The game is released exclusively for PC tomorrow, and Cyanide Studio’s have released some new images in support of it’s arrival. Of course it’s a big ask for the game to keep up with fan expectations, especially after HBO’s excellent TV adaptation, but there’s only one way to find out what Genesis will bring to the table – watch out for the review!
But the big question really is – what house would you choose?
Kaiba Produced by: Siren Visual Run time: 290 minutes, over 12 episodes. Language:Â Japanese Genre: Experimental, Adventure, Psychological, Release Date: 22nd June, 2011 Available for purchase at Siren Visual Online Store ($49.95)
Overview:
Every once in a while, an anime series comes along that breaks down all you know about the possibilities and limitations of animation. Kaiba is one of these series. Kaiba harkens back the spirit of Osamu Tezuka’s work with astounding finesse and poignancy and all the while forming a bloodied raw heart that beats with the life and death of time and space it self.
Story: Kaiba is a journey. A beautiful, heart-breaking journey. It has been years since a story like this has been told in anime, god forbid even attempted. The simplest way to describe Kaiba is that it is a high-concept based story surrounding a future in which memories are traded like pokemon cards.
It is indeed a story that is better seen then told. Most of Kaiba’s story is told through actions over dialogue, a technique reminiscent of a somewhat similar-themed Disney animation, Wall-E. That’s not to say there is as little dialogue here as there is in Wall-E. There is definitely some talking. However the stark contrast in comparison with most anime series and in particular Siren Visual’s other “experimental” anime series The Tatami Galaxy which opted for incredibly overbearing dialogue to progress the narrative.
Thankfully Kaiba chooses the much more refined story-telling device. That being that, actions speak louder than words. A large portion of Kaiba uses dialogue sparingly, letting the brilliantly concieved animated world and characters guide the way as you follow the protagonist Warp, from body to body and across the vast universe to his final destination.
It needs to be noted that the most important them of this series is the power of memories. Each episodes continues to slowly pull back the curtain over the brutal reality of the hold our memories have over us. Whether it be the length we would go to in order to remember, the way memories shape who you are and who you will be, how your memories are the only thing that ties you to your past and above all the very nature of memories themselves.
Kaiba explores the nature of memories and the effect they have on us, in great depth and tells it in the most honest way possible. Much like Cowboy Bebop before it, Kaiba ponders not only the way memories hold us to our past but also the way it holds us together. It is clear that the big question that Kaiba is trying to tackle is “What are memories?” – a question that Kaiba passes on to you the viewer, provoking thought most wouldn’t know they were capable of. Thought of not only memories but of exisence itself. Are we just a body scarred with memories? Kaiba leaves us to ponder that.
Characters:
While there is not a large amount of recurring characters here, the ones that do regularly appear are both memorable and relatable. Warp has no memories, he is the blank canvas a lot of us wish to be. So many of us wish to start from scratch, erase the past and start fresh. Unfortunately that desire is futile. Memories make us, to have none is to be the equivalent of a new born child. A being without experiences, understanding or comprehension of life and the world you inhabit.
It’s both a lonely and wonderful feeling, The wonder of discovery, yet the loneliness of not belonging. This is the struggles facing Warp our protagonist. Warp also happens to be the bloodied raw heart that I mentioned earlier on. Kaiba revolves around him naturally as do all the other characters and his journey is truly moving.
All in all, the character development on display here is simply amazing, with characters with no more than 10 minutes screen-time being allowed to grow more than most shows are capable of achieving in their entire run. That in itself is astonishing.
Artwork:
As mentioned previously, Kaiba owes a lot to the infamous God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka of Astro Boy fame. There is a clear influence of Tezuka on Kaiba that pays tribute to the late great Tezuka while also distancing itself through creative character designs and incredible sakuga animation (fluid animation) that is extremely rare to come by.
The animation is so fluid and never feels static. Much like the memories in Kaiba things are constantly moving, there is never still moment. There is so much life bleeding out from this series that despite its simplistic artstyle which would drive most away as being “kiddy”. This quality of animation simply does not come along every day and is an achievement in animation that should not go unnoticed.
Audio:
Another tick on the checklist of points Kaiba succeeds on, I say. The audio portion of this series is perfect bedfellows with the goings on of the story and characters, making a perfect score for a perfect anime.
The opening theme is a lovely piece of music both standing alone and combined with Kaiba imagery. With pop-infused beats that promise a pleasant experience, while foreshadowing an underlying solemnity with it’s singers voice oozing ephemeral hope and impending destruction. Like the opening, the ending theme is an equally beautiful track, that makes a perfect closer for each and every episodes of Kaiba.
Voice acting is also well done, with each character being portrayed by their Japanese seiyuu with superb skill and providing what is without a doubt a clinic in voice acting. This is the benchmark that I believe most other series should strive for. Each actor plays their character with such personality and emotion, never once faltering.
Special Features:
You knew it was coming, the one thing that holds back this DVD collection. The one thing that holds it back from a perfect score. That one thing is the lack of any sort of extra’s what so ever. This is a consistent problem with Siren Visual releases, that really holds back their collection’s repeatedly. There are few series released from Siren that have special features and unfortunately they are way too far and few between. This time around we are given a few trailers and the usual slip cover that we have become accustomed to from Siren, which it self is quite nice. Other than that, this is the only thing that let down this release.
Verdict:
All-in-all, Kaiba is without a doubt one of the best releases Siren Visual have done, right up there with Welcome to the N.H.K. and Durarara!! if not possibly the best. It is absolutely perfect in every way, besides the noticeable lack of bonuses, leaving the collection with little but the show itself. It has been a long time since a series this good has come along that is why it pains me to not give this a perfect score. I urge everyone to go out and buy this series because if you love anime and have yet to watch this masterpiece, you are doing yourself a grave injustice.
EA Mobile has released the latest installment in the Sims series for iOS, The Sims Medieval. The Sims Medieval is a markedly different type of Sims app, allowing players to create their own hero, guild and fight their way through the medieval life. You can play mini games, go on quests, and choose a range of new avatars to play as. As always, you get to shape who your Sim is, you can make them anyone from a dungeon master, serf, jester or even a good old vampire.
With advanced graphics, combat and weapon capability and a great reimagining of the Sims – Medieval stylin’! – The Sims Medieval looks like an epic installment to the Sims series. Definitely one to pick up and install on your iPhone for hours of portable fun.
Keep an eye out on the site for a review!
The Sims Medieval is available now for iPhone, iTouch and iPad on iTunes for $5.49 – HERE
As if you didn’t already have enough reason to pre-order Super Mario 3D Land, Gamestop are looking to further sweeten the deal. Anyone who puts down a payment ahead of the November 13th release date will receive a Tanooki Mario keychain as a bonus.
Pictured above, this little Mario is quite the character as he is shown sticking his little tail out as if he were ready to smash through a block or goomba at a moments notice. Keychain or not though, Super Mario 3D Land is looking to be the first original blockbuster for the platform, and there is no doubt that all eyes will be on how well it performs this November.
Game Name:Thor: God of Thunder Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS (Reviewed), Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii Publisher(s):Sega, Developer(s): Red Fly Studios Genre(s): Action Release Date: September 13, 2011 (US) September 9, 2011 (EU) Price: $29.99 BUY NOW!
Earlier this year, Sega released Thor: God of Thunder on four different platforms (the Nintendo Wii, DS, Xbox 360, and PS3). A few months have passed since those releases and while he is a little late, Thor is back yet again and now in full 3D on the Nintendo 3DS. Baring the same plot and cast of characters, you would think this would be just a quick cash-in on Nintendo’s latest technology. That is where you would be wrong though, as I found this godly romp to be one that was enjoyable and solid throughout most of the experience. So what makes this title stand above it’s console brethren? Here is my review for Thor: God of Thunder for the Nintendo 3DS.
Story
I would imagine by now, most of you would know what to expect as far as a plot goes with Thor. Players take the role as the thunder god himself and have to save Asgard while seeking vengeance against enemies from the popular Marvel comic series. Yes, it’s the typical narrative you would expect, but told in a somewhat different perspective from the other versions of the game. Oddly enough however, I felt this version did a better job at pulling the player through the game as everything feels much more organized and a bit easier to follow overall.
Back when I played the Xbox 360 version of Thor, one of my biggest complaints was that the pacing felt so off that it was hard to actually enjoy the story. This title however fixes those gripes and uses comic-book style cutscenes to not only to give off an interesting plot, but also to provide a bit of fan service to those who remember the god of thunder before his days as a cinema star. Voice acting and small cutscenes are also present, but thankfully both of these elements compliment the overall narrative and make this trek through the Norse worlds much more exciting this time around.
Gameplay
It’s always astonishing how much a simple platform change can improve gameplay mechanics, but in Thor’s case, the 3DS feels like his one true home. Players control Thor by using the slide-pad and control attacks with a combination of the face buttons and the touchscreen. This may sound like a large task at first, but the whole scheme is honestly well organized which makes the game much easier to just pick up and play. Thor is indeed a bit of a beat-em-up action title, but it also has quite a bit of platforming mixed in as well. Thankfully, our hero can jump like a true god and effectively land on whatever platform is ahead without much problem thanks to the responsiveness of the slide-pad.
Much like the other installments of Thor, the 3DS version includes enemies ranging in size and type. As always, our hero is readily equipped with his trusty Mjolnir to smash through all foes at will. This hammer attack is usually effective for close combat, but Thor can also spin it above his head with the tap of a shoulder button and lunge it at an enemy without missing a beat via a homing method. Yes, it’s just a hammer attack, but I found it to be quite satisfying for the most part as it actually felt useful this time around. New attacks can also be learned over time that allow the player to perform specific techniques based on button combination. While this bit of depth was nice to see, most attacks still felt the same as no matter which way the hammer hits the enemy, it still does about the same amount of damage. As you may have guessed, this bash and go style of combat can lose it’s luster later on, but there is still other tricks up our hero’s sleeve to at least attempt to keep the combat fresh.
As the player progresses, several powers become available at your disposal. Collecting upgrades enables these elemental based powers to be used, letting Thor shock all enemies on the field with bolts of lightning or spin out a strong tornado that will whip through foes blocking your path. Many other powers also come into play as well, so throughout the game there is always incentive to carry on just to see what new tricks this god can learn. Runes also come into play and provide boosts to powers and defense once a certain number is collected. It’s not the most complex upgrading system by any means, but I felt like the vast number of techniques available definitely helped myself better feel like the powerful persona I was portraying. Combos are equally as important, as a meter will go up upon each consecutive hit which eventually enables a much greater special attack to then be executed. As deep as this whole system is, it can still be a bit repetitive as the game progresses.
The main objective in each area is usually to fight off a set of enemies, move forward via platforming, and then run into a boss at the end before moving on. Bosses are fun to fight for the most part, but sometimes the quick time events provided can feel more of the same as it usually requires the same button combination to defeat the larger enemies, no matter what their race. I do have to give it to Red Fly for offering some new mechanics other than the “smash and go” battle system though. At times, Thor will be forced to move to a new area and the player will have to fire projectiles at enemies while flying into the new setting. These moments are rather short when they occur and don’t happen frequently, but this add-in definitely worked well and was one of the places Thor shined the brightest.
Thanks to it’s genre and working combat, most players should have no problem saving Asgard more than once as everything stays solid throughout. You can definitely see a bit of other games sprinkled in like God of War or Devil May Cry, but that really isn’t a problem as that formula works and honestly, most decent action games have followed the same formula. While not entirely original, Thor: God of Thunder is at least enjoyable and controls well up until the mighty final boss.
Graphics/Audio
Other than first party titles, I think Thor may be one of the strongest games visually on the 3DS at the moment. Each model is smooth and appears polished and the 3D function compliments the action well without blurring or ghosting. I wasn’t a total fan of the environments though, as compared to the detailed characters they can fall flat with their rather plain textures. I also noticed some minor glitches such as our hero passing through walls and enemies portraying bizarre animations at times. Little touches though like the comic-book inspired images and fonts can however make this title feel straight out of the Marvel Universe, which is definitely more than I can say about the next-gen cousins released earlier this year that bare the same name.
Thor also has a nice little score packed in, with tunes that compliment the action and assist in making bigger battles more exciting. I doubt the soundtrack will drop many jaws, but it at least fits into the Norse setting and gives players a reason to keep those speakers up. The same voice cast from the movie such as Chris Hemsworth also do well at reprising their roles and make each character feel true to their persona. Another one of my complaints with the Xbox 360 version of the game was sound effects. The 3DS version though fixes that problem for the most part though with each hit of the Mjolnir and every bolt of lighting sounding crushing and ultimately satisfying.
Overall
If Thor for the 3DS could be described in one word, it would be “surprising”. There isn’t anything too groundbreaking, but Red Fly at least delivered a polished combat system that is fun to use and the third-person perspective has never looked better with the God of Thunder. Yes, there is still a bit of monotony along the way, but if anyone wants to truly take on the role of Thor himself, there is no better way to do it than in this portable version. Unfortunately, I feel like the delay of release may make this game go unnoticed as Thor’s moment has now passed in the mainstream. Those who happen to see it on the shelf though and crave for a decent action romp that gives off plenty of that Marvel atmosphere should definitely consider giving this god another go.
