Rising Star Games today announced a special pre-order package for their upcoming game, King of Fighters XIII.
The pre-order package will include a limited edition 4-CD soundtrack from the King of Fighters’ history, giving it appeal amongst those who have followed the fighting game in the past. This pre-order incentive will come in addition to the usual contents of the retail box, which includes: the game disc, a double sided A3 poster (artwork on one side, move list on the reverse), digital art disc, reversible sleeves (design specific to format).
King of Fighters XIII comes to PS3 and Xbox 360 for the PAL market this November, courtesy of Rising Star Games.
Thrones fans looking for their George R R martin fix are in luck – PC strategy title A Game of Thrones Genesis is only a week away from release, and a new trailer has been released today complete with swooping landscape shots, beefy blacksmith, and most importantly – lots of dragons!
With the author on board as a story advisor the game should remain faithful to the books, and will allow players to delve into the history of Westeros, from the very founding of the nation right through 1000 years of conflict to the War of the Usurper (where the novels/TV series kick off).
Players will take part in the race for the Iron Throne with massive armies and treacherous words alike, with the single player campaign winnable without raising a single army! Released on September 29th, A Game of Thrones Genesis looks like a promising adaptation of the original material, so here’s hoping it’s a great game that can draw in series fans and newcomers alike.
Last year we gave the ‘Golden Capsule of Multiplayer’ award to Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, so you can imagine our anticipation for this latest multiplayer trailer from Ubisoft! The squeal, Assassin’s Creed Revelations will mark the return of the newly refined and expanded Abstergo Training Program, that has been built for assassins internationally to pit their skills against one another. The multiplayer experience has returned with full force, featuring brand new and additional modes, maps and characters that we hope will provide a lengthened gameplay experience and have us coming back for more!
This new trailer which you can see below, flaunts the beautiful graphics and animation of Revelations and some epic killing moves, but unfortunately doesn’t tell us much about how the gameplay itself, but we do learn that there will be 17 maps, 12 modes and 16 characters. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see for more! It also sports one hell of a gnarly dubstep soundtrack! For more information and per-ordering info, you can find out at: www.assassinscreed.com/preorder.
This will be the fifth major content patch to hit the world of Telara in RIFT within the first six months of the game being live.
Ashes of History looks to include a new set of sinister threats to the world as well as the inclusion of two new dungeons, a new warfront and more features; listed below.
· Planar Attunement – Advance beyond level 50 with Planar Attunement. Every quest completed and planespawn slain brings you closer toyour next planar upgrade.
· Chronicles – Teams of two players (or one, if you’ve got the gear) can take on Rift Chronicles, exploring breathtaking dungeons — including Greenscale’s Blight, Hammerknell, and the Chronicles of Attunement—in fun, story-driven adventures!
· New Warfront: Library of the Runemasters – PvP combat erupts in Hammerknell’s Library of the Runemasters. Race the enemy faction to control Dwarven secrets, and rise through the ranks in this pulse-pounding new Warfront.
· Master Dungeon – Darkening Deeps now sports a Master Dungeon mode. Rebalanced for elite groups of Ascended, the Master Dungeon holds epic challenges and epic rewards.
· Veteran Rewards – Subscribers earn rewards the longer they play Rift, includingspecial gear, apersonal vendor,and aportable mailbox.
· AddOns Beta – Customize your play with new AddOns Beta, fan-created mods for yourRiftuser interface.
These are features that many players have been looking forward to since the current endgame has been reached, so they are going to be assuredly welcome by the community.
I’d consider myself to be a bit of a mobile gamer. Owning an iPhone and iPad (it’s semi mobile, right?) I’ve become rather accustomed to a lack of tactile controls, which I must say can be a little sad. At this years Tokyo Game Show, there was a wide variety of mobile games, many of which are very much the same as games I’d played before. Rather than delve into a bunch of hands on for various titles that offered nothing particularly innovative in terms of controls, I’d rather share my unique mobile gaming experiences. Experiences made unique by the use of mobile peripherals.
I have always had a soft spot for retro space shooters ala Galaga and Space Invaders. That’s exactly what I found at Tokyo Game Show. There was a few Space Invader games on mobile devices, but the one worth mentioning is an iPad version that was housed in a small arcade cabinet. While the joystick might have been a little small, the idea of having my own little arcade in my own home seems really appealing to me. The game played the same as it would without the aid of peripherals, but it did add a little something special to the game. I was so taken by this I looked through
out the streets of Akihabara for the next week looking for iPad joysticks. I was successful in the end, but it’s not the same as playing on a tiny little cabinet. Just check out those side graphics, a feature lacking very much from downloadable games – the ever important first contact between player and game – the boxart or side cabinet art.
I must add, I actually spotted this peripheral in a toy store on my very last day in Tokyo, and I lament not purchasing it. Sadly I had no room in my luggage at all. But I’ll always have my memories of playing it at Tokyo Game Show. At least until dementia sets in. The peripheral is known as the AppBlaster, and as you can probably tell by the photos, is a plastic gun that uses the iPhone as a gun sight. The gun itself is made by AppLism, while the game I played, Ghost Catcher, is made by Hangame. This game has you firing energy at ghosts in order to catch them. While I am pretty familiar with augmented reality titles like this, I have never experienced them using a peripheral before and really enjoyed the extra projection of narrative the device added to the game experience as a whole. The game itself was graphically interesting, and simple to play, but what really made the whole experience was the ability to connect the gun to game and take fire.
I for one am a fan of including play outside of the confines of the mobile screen, and wouldn’t mind playing more games that involve such peripherals. For more iPhone add ones visit the AppLism site and for a little more information about iPad arcade cabinets check out our article about the Nerdy Niche: Think Geek.
We all know that the Playstation Vita will be backward compatible with Playstation Portable games that have been purchased through the Playstation Store. Sony has also told the public at their TGS conference that they will look for a solution to have PSP retail games to be backward compatible. If you decide to upgrade to the Vita in the next few months and still want to play adhoc multiplayer with your PSP friends, then you will have the ability to do that.
Let’s use an example in order to understand it more. One of my favourite games on the PSP is Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy. So, if I have a digital copy of Dissidia Duodecim snuggled comfortably on a memory card for my Vita but people I play with are still on their PSP, then I can still match up with the PSP owners. This is quite excellent from Sony as there are still those reluctant to make the switch. It may also apply to adhoc Party, where PSP players can match up via the Playstation 3. A word of warning, however. It won’t apply to all PSP games, but a majority of them will use this feature.
Resistance 3 Developer: Insomniac Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Console: Playstation 3 Release Date: Out Now Price: AU$109.05/ US$36.85 (Available Here)
If you haven’t heard of the Resistance franchise, then how big is that rock you’re living under? Jokes aside, Resistance returns with the third entry in the Playstation 3 trilogy. Resistance 3 has been out for quite some time, however, it is time for the review. I have had the game for a week since this game needs a great amount of time to dissect. To put it simply, this is a well built, beautifully designed video game. The gameplay stays fresh to stand out in a cesspool of first person shooters, the story is interesting and intriguing, the visuals are top notch and the musical score is beautiful and enjoyable. It is a game which every Playstation 3 owner must have in their growing collection of games.
Story and Characters
After a recap of the ending of Resistance 2 and the aftermath, the game begins with Joseph Capelli, a former Sentinel and protagonist, helps with the organisation of the hideout and is quite well-known. When a passing Chimeran convoy passes by and catches the humans, he is forced into battle before ordering an evacuation. The reason for their presence is that Capelli has discovered that Dr Fyodor Malikov, a top lead Russian scientist who made his presence in Resistance 2, has been hiding in Harem. Afterwards, the two discover a reason to evacuate the town. A Terraformer, a satellite weapon, heads to the town and will destroy it. Using a tunnel underneath the church, Susan and Jack escape the town, with Joseph heading east to New York with Malikov. A wormhole has developed over the once great city and is freezing the Earth. Since Humans hate the cold and the Chimera can thrive in such conditions, it is up to Capelli to destroy the wormhole and hopefully end the conflict once and for all.
This is the Harem section of the story and is basically the setup for the rest of the game. I actually enjoyed the story. The action is intense and emotion is rife. You feel every heart-wrenching moment the game throws at you. When Capelli’s companions fall in the heat of battle (including a very important one), I actually felt his pain to an extent. The pacing isn’t erratic and the plot is easy to follow, so you won’t be confused at certain points. The tension is well paced as well. A great story has a varying degree of it and Resistance 3’s plot is no exception. The tension peaks at the right moments with the right amount, like fending yourself from a hoard of Hybrid Chimeran.
Now, I want to talk about Capelli as a character. I actually like his development as a character in this installment compared to his appearance in Resistance 2. Throughout the story, Capelli holds onto his son’s mitten, symbolising the loss and pain he goes through. This makes the character more human, thus more sympathetic towards him and his cause. He has changed from the rash and rude Sentinel from the second to a loving, caring family man hellbent to protect what he has established. Also, he was more prone to violence in Resistance 2. I mean, he would rush into battle, he held a heavy machine gun. He was fueled by his deep hatred of the Chimera. Of course, that hatred is still there, but there is a deeper motive on top of his hatred. What seems to be the switch is actually in the second game, which is when Capelli pulls the trigger on Hale. He is ridden by guilt of his actions. This, in turn, changes him into a self-less man, ridding of the selfishness of his past life.
The supporting cast of characters more or less fits into well established archetypes of literature. Dr. Malikov is the mentor of Capelli due to the amount of research he has done on the Chimeran. He played out a similar role in the previous installment, so it is no surprise there. To be honest, Dr. Malikov is only one of few characters you may invest into. I do say may because the story is focalised through Capelli. All in all, apart from a few standouts, like Herbet, who helps you escape a prison, most of the characters around you won’t be in the story for long. Even Susan, his wife, only makes an appearance in Harem. Overall, the story is excellent and Capelli is a strong protagonist but his supporting cast, with the exception of a few, could have been drawn out more.
Gameplay
When one strips the various gameplay mechanics that makes Resistance 3 so unique, what they will see is a basic first person shooter. It is no different than Call of Duty or Halo. The basic formula is running to point A, shoot some enemies, running to point B, and shoot some more enemies. It is a worn-out formula for sure. The controls of the game have shifted around since the second game to be more inline with the mainstream first person shooters. The left analogue stick moves Capelli around and holding it down will allow Capelli to sprint. You have quite the stamina as it is noticeably a longer sprint time than other first person shooter games. Shooting, as with the other games, is mapped to the R1 button and looking down the sight is mapped to the L1 button. However, there has been a change to grenade and crouching buttons. Those controls swapped so that players familiar to other first person games are more familiar and can quickly pick up and play. So, pressing O will crouch and the L2 button will throw grenades.
What makes the Resistance series stand out from the rest is the weapons. Just like the previous installments, Capelli can utilise both human and Chimeran weapons. Weapons like the Bullseye, Auger, Carbine and Marksman return in Resistance 3, alongside some new weapons. One such weapon is the Cryogun, an ice based weapon which freezes all enemies. I found it quite useful when I was in a tight spot. Then there is the Mutator, which shoots out a form of the Chimeran Virus and turns human enemies into combustable land mines. New to the series is the ability to upgrade the weapons. The upgrade system is basic and fixed. Every time you kill an enemy the weapon will gain experience and moves towards another level. Each weapon has three levels which add to the weapon. The Rossmore (shotgun), for example, will have incendiary ammunition, which will cause the target to light up. The weapons of the game do not disappoint. They all feel balanced and the secondary fire adds to a new strategy. The new weapons are also quite creative. I mean, a bio weapon with the Chimeran virus as ammunition? A freeze gun? The addition of the Weapon Wheel is also a positive. Allowing the player the freedom to choose what weapon adds to the idea of different strategies the player can employ.
An area of debate seems to be the lack of health regeneration in the game, since the other two included the mechanic. It does include it, but as something that can be unlocked after the completion of the game. To put it simply, health regeneration, without the “cheat”, is non-existent. Capelli has a health bar and, to heal, Capelli must find health packs. Now, the health packs are either laying around in the level or attached to an enemy which drops after their defeat. More often than not I was frantically searching for an health pack. Most of the time I just run over them without knowing they were there. But am i against it? Actually no, I’m not. I think Insomniac went in the right direction. In order to drive the sense of survival, health regeneration had to go. A fitting mechanic for the game.
The Playstation Move is enabled with Resistance 3 and it actually works well. The T-button (trigger at the back) acts as the primary fire and the Move button (the button with the Move logo on it) acts as secondary fire. It is a great alternative to using teh controller, but it might not be popular with the hardcore crowd since it seems they have decided to avoid the Move. The sensitivity can be adjusted to your liking. At first, however, it may be a little awkward. The design of the Move (the face buttons surrounding the Move button) made my fingers go all over the place and it was tricky pulling off a melee attack (I think its thrusting the Move forward) I would note that it still felt a little awkward with a Dualshock controller instead of the Navigational controller. I suggest you use that or the Sharpshooter peripheral rather than the Dualshock for a better experience. But don’t reject this method of control. It is responsive and fun. The gameplay of Resistance 3 is enough to justify a purchase at a local brick and mortar store. It is enthralling, exciting and varied enough that you can implement different strategies every time.
Visuals
If you are into a lot of dark coloured environments, then Resistance 3 is the perfect game for you. Don’t expect a wonderfully coloured world on you journey. Considering the overall tone of the plot, then it is acceptable, even fitting. The game features a lot of brown, grey, you name it. Whether it is rowing down the Mississippi River or running through a prison, you will see the darkness blanketed over Capelli. The layout of each level differs on the locations Capelli trudge through. Throughout the game, Capelli will go through locations like prisons, caves and even a gigantic coal mine. What makes this game an experience like no other is how frightening or horrifying going through these locations are. You have to be on your feet most of the time. The layout of the levels all fit the standard of an First Person Shooter. They are all finely detailed and well designed. The character models are all beautiful. Each and every one of them are detailed in all areas. They all tell a different story and reveal the character’s personality to a certain extent. Insominac did not waste time on the visuals of the game. I applaud their effort into the graphical capabilities.
Music
There is only two words that can describe the soundtrack. Although these two words are overused and cliched, this is a moment in which I can not refuse to write them down: simply amazing. The soundtrack to this excellent game must elevate the game’s brilliance. The Resistance soundtrack, composed by does this with such elegance and beauty. The pieces convey not only the dire situation the United States and all of humanity faces, but the inner conflicts of Joseph Capelli, torn from the separation from his family in order to save not only them but the rest of mankind. The sound effects and the voice acting are all top notch. The music is something the composer should be proud of, as well as Insomniac.
Overall
If you are reading this review and have a Playstation 3, then get up, go to your local game store or department store (or online) and buy this game. It has the most intriguing, interesting and enchanting plot of this generation of first person shooters, Joseph Capelli is a strong protagonist worth caring about, the gameplay is interesting and allows different strategies, the visuals are beautiful and detailed and the music will enrich the story, with orchestral peices fitting into the mood and atmosphere of the struggles of both Capelli and mankind. Even without the ability to play multiplayer, the single player experience is fun and interesting enough to play on your own for the years to come. Forget Call of Duty or Battlefield 3, join the Resistance.
Red Bull X-Fighters
Developer: Xendex
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Platform: XBLA (reviewed), PSN
Release Date: September 14, 2011
Price: 800 MSP – (HERE)
Overview
First thought that rings through my head as soon as I look at the box is that this is just another dirt bike game. As I start playing I realize how wrong I was in my assumption. Red Bull X-Fighters transitions from the normal racing dirt bike game to strictly stunts and wheelies. Only by winning over the crowd can the player achieve stardom. Let’s discuss how the game compares to its racing cohorts.
Gameplay
Shockingly, this is the first dirt bike game in which I did not have full control. While a player may propel forward by hitting the gas, the normal directional navigation is substituted with a wheelie control.
The left analog controls the length and height of a wheelie and directly affects the speed of the bike. Performing wheelies before jumps accelerates your speed which gains the player distance and height – both are greatly needed for maximum points. After a jump, adjusting the left control accurately can cause the bike to spin faster resulting in front flips or back flips. Just make sure to land on the wheels!
Requiring players to finish a tutorial is always a good start. By providing the basics like wheelies and stunts, the gameplay is set for the rest of the game. The only aspect that is progressively shown is the development of harder stunts. However, any stunt can be performed before it is actually known not limiting the player to a small selection.
Objectives vary with the mode that is selected. In each mode, you must attain a high enough score or fast enough time to acquire a trophy. Only by getting trophies can a player gain more fans. Gaining over 10,000 fans will unlock a nice achievement!
My absolute favorite mode to play is Show Off. Giving the most freedom, Show Off provides enough time to perform any trick you can muster. Usually these stages offer high jumps necessary for chaining stunts together to collect large bonuses. I was even able to perform a sextuple jump!
Next up is the exclusive Time Trial stage. Not requiring a single trick, Time Trial is all about speed. By performing wheelies you can gain enough speed to attempt for a gold trophy.
Performer requires a player to gain enough points and perform selected stunts. At the beginning of each Performer stage, the player will be briefed with the required stunts to finish the level. Throughout the level the stunts will be shown on the bottom left portion of the screen. Once the stunt has been performed successfully, the icon will disappear.
Pressure combines aspects from both Performer and Time Trial. While requiring certain stunts to be completed, this mode also must be finished within a time frame. With the most requirements, Pressure is probably one of the harder modes to play. My advice is to chain the two stunts early on and focus on gaining speed throughout the rest of the level. This way you can eliminate one of the requirements and manage your speed to hit jumps effectively.
Graphics/Audio
One graphical feature that is good to see in any game is in customization. In Red Bull X-Fighters, you are able to customize your look and type of bike that you ride. You may not have a wide selection, but having this option definitely gives the player more power.
Since the environments are closed, graphics could be devoted to the surrounding quite thoroughly. A lot of the tracks are repeated, but the environments are very detailed. One of my favorite obstacles is actually available towards the end of play. A level known as “the longest jump” provides a hard challenge that can only be achieved my gaining a high speed. This is my favorite because of the interesting roulette table that you need to pass through in order to complete the jump.
With audio in mind, I feel that more could have been done. Throughout the game you are listening to the same announcer over and over again. Restarting stages you hear the same voice, and it can be exhausting. My fiancée asked me, “Is it saying Wilma?” And yes, yes it did. Wilma just so happens to be a trick you have to perform, and I was repeating that stage several times.
Overall
I still feel there is something missing to this game whether it is the freedom of navigation or extras like mini-games to add some unique filler. Without a horizontal movement the game lacks freedom for the player to explore. Perhaps adding some sort of multi-player with games of chance could provide further enjoyment.
However, Xendex did deliver a solid backbone of gameplay for a linear freestyle bike game. The objectives are clear and attainable. Each stage has its own levels of difficulty, and hardcore players will try to get a gold trophy to complete the game entirely. With wonderfully crafted environments, players can visually enjoy crashing head first into the ground. But even with leaderboards to compare scores, the game seems to lack re-playability. While the game was fun to play through, once the game is completed there is not much more to offer.
A new Uncharted bundle has just been announced. This PS3 bundle comes with 320GB of hard drive space, a copy of Uncharted 3, one free month of PS+ and of course, the regular accessories like a controller and cables. The entire set will only cost $299. Will you be picking one up?
In addition to revealing this new Drakes’ Deception bundle, Sony has also reminded us that the release of Uncharted 3 is only 41 days away. With 2 great games already on the market, Naughty Dog will surely make Uncharted 3 the best game possible.
At this years Tokyo Game Show, company NIS America held a press conference revealing their upcoming titles for 2011 and 2012. The coming years see NIS expanding into new territory with the move to more portable gaming, and teaming up with Aquire for a new title unlike any other game they have developed before. Well known for their RPG’s, NIS America seem to be pushing boundaries in terms of their development practices, resulting in an exciting list of titles due out within the next year.
NIS America’s franchise, Disgaea will be making its move to mobile devices with Disgaea Netherworld Unbound coming to Android. Disgaea has the same basic premise as most strategy RPG games, but uses unique features to make the game play unpredictable. Although streamlined for the Android, the game play will be the same. The only difference will be that you start off with a single character and can acquire additional skills, weapons and characters through both achievements and downloads. Disgaea Netherworld Unbound will be available in the US later this year.
NIS America will not only be expanding their Disgaea franchise to Android-based phones, but also the Playstation Vita in Spring 2012 with Disgaea 3: Absence Of Detention. Those with either a PS3 or PSP might be familiar with the third Disgaea title, but rest assured that Disgaea 3 for PSVita will have features unique to this reincarnation. The new version will have a few new characters and skills, downloadable content once you finish the game and will also utilise the PSVita’s unique touch screen capabilities. Key features of the game will also include: Geo Blocks, which are cube shaped terrain altering blocks; Geo Panels with various effects and lastly Item World, which are randomly generated battle stages that exist inside every found item.
Keeping with what they are known best for, NIS America announced the release of another RPG, Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 for the Playstation 3. This will be the sequel to the popular title Hyperdimension Neptunia, which allowed you to take control of humanoid video game consoles. The story takes off right where the original title left off, where it is up to the younger sisters of the previous games heroines to stop the evil underground criminals of Gamindustri. Rather than being a turn based RPG, this title will be more free roaming, where players can move around a battle field and attack or perform various magic attacks. Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 also features streamlined combo attacks, to execute combination attacks faster, an item synthesis system to craft items and weapons, and last but not least a guild system to take on multiplayer missions. Expect Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 to arrive on US shores in spring 2012.
Last but certainly not least, NIS America have partnered with Japanese development team Acquire on the title Clan of Champions for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Clan of Champions is a hardcore multi-player action game, in high-resolution 3D. This signals a change for NIS America who usually develop games in 2D. Players are given the option to choose between three difference races, human, elf or orc -each with their own inherent benefits. Once your character type is complete, its time to venture off and complete a load of questions, each requiring a different amount of time, and with their own unique content. Clan of Champions will be highly customizable, in terms of character appearance and stats as well as the ability to use a huge range of weapons and equipment to create your ideal warrior. Furthermore, the game features weapon mastery, where players can use a single weapon type over and over in order to gain skills and moves specific to that weapon type. The game also will have multi-player functionality, allowing teams of three people to play the came co-operatively or fight it out in a three-on-three head-to-head mode. With loads of downloadable content for additional quests, items and weapons in the future, Clan of Champions looks to be a game to keep your eyes out for. It’ll be due out in Spring 2012.
