Monster Warrior is a new iOS game from developers Sparkin’ Apps in which you seek to save some bunnies by slashing some monsters. Monster Warrior has four modes, Arcade, Freestyle, Survival and Task. These modes are pretty self-explanatory, and rely on your reaction timing and precision to slash the monsters.
There are various levels and monsters to go through, all in the name of saving the bunnies. Why exactly bunnies are so important to the main evil is not clear, but perhaps the game will reveal what nefarious plot they have been drafted into.
Monster Warrior has Facebook and Game Center capabilities, so you can compare with others and their monster slaying skills. And who doesn’t love being crowned king Monster Warrior?
Monster Warrior is available for $0.99 for iPhone and iTouch, and $1.99 for iPad – here
An Android version is due to be released soon as well, so don’t worry Android-ers, you won’t be left out of the monster slashing fun.
Roses are red, Violets are Blue, Mama’s kids went Camping, and you can go too!…
Ok, so that isn’t a very imaginative verse, but that is what we are talking about here. In celebration of the recent release of Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures, Majesco have started up a contest that will let players test their lyrical skills and attempt to create a verse for the game to the tune “Camptown Races”.
The clip (which you can find below), shows Mama’s kids going to work in Camping Mama by building fires, cooking, and performing several other outdoor activities. Now Majesco want you to take this clip and add your own lyrics that are just as fitting as what we see in the trailer. Whoever comes up with the most create new song will not only win the chance to have their lyrics featured in a new re-cut trailer, but also a Camping Mama-branded “survival kit” that includes everything you would need on your own Camping trip.
To enter or to see a full list of qualifications, head to the official site for this lyrical competition at www.campingmamagame.com/contest. You can also purchase Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures on the Nintendo DS wherever games are sold.
It’s somewhat hard to call Kid Icarus a franchise: the first game was a shooter/platformer released in 1986, with a single follow-up on the Gameboy in 1991. I’ve never played either, but a quick Wiki visit says it did reasonably well, before spending the next 20 odd years drinking at home alone, looking enviously at Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus and Kirby and wondering what happened to his career.
After a small gig in Smash Bros Brawl, it looks like Pit is getting back into the spotlight with a starring role in Kid Icarus: Uprising. This was one of the first games announced for the 3DS back at E3 2010, and we finally got our hands on it at a Nintendo preview session last week.
I suppose it’s a series reboot, but it’s been so long since the previous entries, and it’s quite different gameplay-wise, that it feels like a new series anyway. While the originals were essentially platformers with shooting mechanics – well, bow and arrow shooting – this plays much like a cross between Starfox and Zelda. In the first level I played, Pit flies around without your input, leaving you to dispatch the enemies that pop up constantly. This section, including Pit’s conversation the whole time with the goddess Palutena, feels very much like Starfox.
But where it differs is the inventive use of the touchscreen, which controls your crosshair. Simply drag the stylus around the lower screen, and the crosshair moves around correspondingly on the top. Using the right shoulder button to shoot, it’s a very intuitive method when you don’t have to worry about moving the character as well.
As we watch from over Pit’s shoulder as he flies through the skies shooting giant eyes (there’s a dodgy rap song to be had there), it acts a fantastic tech demo of the device’s 3D capabilities. The game looks great, although it is a smidge too pixelated at times. Ah well, you’ll be too distracted by the 3D to care. Hopefully.
The second level takes place once Pit lands, and you gain control over his movements via the thumbpad. The right shoulder button still shoots, and the touchscreen still controls the cursor, but now Pit can also attack with his sword using the left shoulder button, dodge enemy attacks with a double-tap left or right on the thumbpad, and turn the camera briefly with a swipe across the touchscreen. This set up took a bit of time to get used to, which I unfortunately didn’t have much of, given my short demo session with the game.
I found that the transition between moving the cursor around and swiping quickly to pan the camera was jarring. You kind of need to stop controlling the crosshair, swipe camera left or right, then swipe back and continue aiming. Potentially, an accidental slip or sudden movement could trigger a pan, causing you to lose sight of enemies.
It also only allows almost 90 degree turns of the camera as well; no slight turns here. If you want to see something slightly to your right, it’s easier to strafe that way so the camera follows you, rather than spin it 90 degrees.
That said, I really didn’t get much time with this game, so I can’t say if the controls remain clunky throughout, or if the learning curve is shallow, and you can figure it out quickly. Perhaps within an hour or so, moving Pit, attacking and controlling the camera in this way all becomes second nature, and works out to be intuitive. Controlling the cursor via the touchscreen certainly becomes very easy, very quickly – let’s hope this does too.
I also can’t really tell how well the combat system works in this part of the game, but if it plays as well as the on-rails flying section, it’s likely to be hugely enjoyable. This is the Zelda-esque part of the game, but judging by the mechanics of the original Kid Icarus, maybe it will be more platformy.
If it strikes a nice balance between third person combat, platforming and flying on-rails shooting, this is set to add another character to Nintendo’s already envious first-party party. Making good use of the 3D effects, with fun gameplay to boot, this will probably earn a spot on many a 3DS owner’s rapidly-growing “must buy” list.
Kid Icarus: Uprising will be playable during Nintendo’s upcoming Connection Tour, and is due for release in early 2012.
With a name that begs for a naughty pun (honestly, the strength required to hold back was almost too much), Lap Uranus has made its debut onto iOS. Lap Uranus requires you to go around Uranus as many times as possible without being sucked off into space or smashing into Uranus (oh the strength it took). The developers don’t have as much restraint, and the game itself is rife with naughty little digs at itself, which I always love in games because it shows a sense of humour on the developer’s parts.
Lap Uranus is a free app purchase for single player mode, but includes an in-app purchase for multiplayer. The developers are also looking at adding some in-app purchases for real world merchandise, which considering the name, could end up with a pretty interesting range.
Go grab the app for FREE from the iTunes store – here
ClaDun x2 Developer: System Prisma Publisher: NIS America Platform: PlayStation Portable (Reviewed) Release Date: August 30, 2011 Price: $19.99 – Only available on PSN
Overview:
In a world where games seem to be becoming more and more complicated every month that passes, the pure joy of dungeon exploration has become something of a lost art. Though those who enjoy wandering through countless dungeons and doing battle with the creatures inside of it should rejoice because ClaDun x2 was released by NIS America to the PlayStation Network in NA just a few weeks ago.
A sequel to last year’s ClaDun: This is an RPG, ClaDun x2 does a few things different from the original title, but with a name which is short for Classic Dungeon you know that there is going to be some good ol’ fashioned crawling involved. Now with more customization than ever and a few changes to the basic structure, how does this dungeon crawling RPG fare?
Story:
The world of ClaDun x2 is one that takes place in the land of Arcanus Cella. The place seems normal at first minus the mystical portal that transports the player to various dungeons. There are a few strange things about Arcanus Cella though, namely the fact that anyone who manages to enter the world is imprisoned there due to the fact that there is simply no way to escape.
Players are introduced to this alarming fact by a strange character named Parchmin who is only the tip of the iceberg as far as strange characters go. You are informed that there is no way out of Arcanus Cella and that most people spend time going through the dungeons. Which means that there are dungeons to be explored and levels to be gained, but all the while the player must seek a way to escape from this land they have no memory of entering.
The story is unfortunately rather simplistic at surface value. However the personalities of the various characters you will meet up with do more than make up for the basic storyline. The character dialog is perhaps some of the funniest and most life-like you can find in a game such as this. As you progress through the storyline the characters become quite fleshed out and quirky. It also helps that their tiny pixelated forms are so opposite of their realistic characteristics.
While the characters are the highlight of the story, the pacing is absolutely terrible. At the begging of the game things move at a decent developing pace, however then you will stumble upon one of the bigger shortcomings in ClaDun x2… the fact that you could travel through numerous dungeons and complete them only to hear absolutely nothing about story progression.
Then after going through a drought of development, you will be slammed with a lot of information at once and details that could have easily have been fleshed out over the past few dungeons to help break up the constant exploration. Now many may enjoy venturing through dungeons for a long time without story development but others will simply be trudging through levels hoping to hear more dialog from the unique characters, which may pad the game length a bit is something of a drawback.
Graphics:
Initial impressions some may have of seeing the art design for ClaDun x2 is either falling immediately in love with the game’s retro style or hate it. Everything is designed in retro pixilation with every character looking like something someone zoomed in on in paint and drew dot by dot. While this may drive some away, those who can appreciate the art style will find that the game pulls off everything amazingly well. The pixilated characters have as much life in them as you would find in a game with modern graphics, though it does hurt a little as none of them have facial expressions besides two eyes.
The world of ClaDun X2 is quite impressive looking and there is a decent amount of variety in the dungeons that you will be spending most of your time crawling through. The enemy monsters have a large variety but do suffer from color palette changes, though the game explains this by saying certain colored monsters are stronger (somewhat poking fun at itself). For those that can appreciate the retro graphics for what they are, they will find something of a work of art, especially when they begin to dabble in creation themselves.
Audio:
There isn’t a whole lot that can be said about the game’s voice acting, simply because there isn’t any. The game makes up for it however with some rather impressive background music. Players are given a choice in the option menu as to whether they want to listen to retro music or real music which definitely provides two different flavors.
Real music will sound like other NIS America games and have an impressive adventure feel to them while Retro will sound like something you would have heard back during the Super Nintendo days with retro renditions of the real music. The retro music does lend itself well to the overall aesthetic of ClaDun x2, but modern gamers may enjoy hearing modern music as well which makes this a great option for NIS America to have included.
Gameplay:
Now before you begin your adventure in the world of ClaDun x2, you have to create your character. Of course you will need to name your character whatever you want to choose or cycle through a random name generator which will likely be something you will end up doing later on. After picking your name or making your own you will need to pick a gender and basic appearance as well as a job class to specialize in. Each class has special strengths, affinities for weapons and special skills that can be learned.
Of course that is only a drop in the bucket of how much customization is available in ClaDun x2. While you can pick any type of hair style, skin color and clothing options for your character you can even go to the point of completely designing your very own character from scratch through the customization feature. This means you could make your very own original creation or make a character similar to something you may remember from childhood. Hell, you could even do other video game characters if you promise not to tell.
If you could only customize your character that would be enough for some people, but there is much more to create than that. ClaDun x2 contains an amazing amount of customization options which allow you to edit everything, you can change the way your weapons look and your armor even which means you could walk around swinging a giant piece of tuna while wearing garbage can lids if you wanted to design that. The creatures shall fear your fishy weapon of destruction.
Now the dungeons you enter will contain plenty of winding paths and various details which will be chock full of monsters and NPCs that you can speak with. Killing enemies is done through simple combat that can be either hack and slash or magic or even special skills that your character can learn for specific weapon types. Combat can be rather basic at times, mostly involving hit and run tactics but can be very enjoyable, if not a little frustrating at times when the difficulty spikes.
There is much more to combat than skills and hack and slash however. There is also something known as the magic circle feature. While you can only actually enter a dungeon playing as one character at a time, you will have a whole group of other characters in your magic circle which will not only provide you extra bonuses but also level up these side characters. The player will have access to the magic circle grid and can place their secondary characters, which again they create themselves, onto specific parts of that grid.
Depending on the secondary character’s position in the circle, they will take damage in that direction as well as help out your main character in a number of different ways. Plus characters can have extra items attached to the grid which will increase various stats that will help out your character in the long run. Also the characters that you bring in to fight with you as a part of your magic circle will level up as well, which will make them not only stronger for when you have to use them, but provide an extensive amount of micromanagement.
Besides the storyline dungeons, which occasionally don’t do much to advance the story, there are also other dungeons which are designed specifically for people who want to tackle a challenge or venture into an extremely long dungeon. Players can enter a randomly created dungeon which will be 99 floors long and will get more difficult the further along you get. There are also dungeons which can contain amazing loot, but also ridiculously strong monsters which can end your character quickly making the player have to balance the risk and reward for entering such a place. These dungeons are completely optional but are a very nice option to have for those who just can’t get enough dungeon crawling.
Now while the game may not sound too complicated, it is all an allusion. There is plenty of customization and deep amounts of gameplay but unfortunately the game does actually very little to explain to you how everything works. There are in-game explanations of the features but they are very shallow at best and there are a lot of details that can be left out. This means that there are plenty of things that will be confusing at first and some gamers may just never figure out as they make their way through the game which is something that is quite frustrating.
Overall:
ClaDun x2 may not be a very long game at its core, clocking in at around nine or ten hours for a basic run through of the story there is plenty of side things that can be done. Players can spend hours going through the optional dungeons looking through the best loot, or even editing their entire party of characters to become whoever they want them to be.
Sure the title is a PlayStation Network only release, but at only $19.99 it is also a very budget title which sports amazing characters and an extensive amount of dungeon crawling that has plenty of detail to keep those looking for an engrossing RPG experience happy.
MasterAbbott is back and so is Marcus Fenix with EPIC Games GEARS OF WAR 3 Today we have another unboxing for one of the most anticipated titles for 2011 the EPIC EDITION of Gears Of War 3. Now what do you get in this EPIC Edition. Details are below :
Epic Edition PRICE : ($149.99 US – $199.99 AU) – This is the ultimate collection for hardcore fans who can’t get enough of GEARS OF WAR
A Limited Edition Marcus Fenix Statue – Designed by Epic Games Art Director Chris Perna and expertly crafted by the artisans at Triforce, this fine PVC statue collectible makes the ultimate living room centerpiece for any true “Gears” fan (like me)
The Art and Design of Gears of War by Tom Bissell – Through unprecedented access to the Epic Games team, acclaimed author Tom Bissell (Extra Lives) gives readers an incisive behind-the-scenes glimpse into one of the most celebrated sagas in video game history with 96 pages of interviews, photos, concept artwork and more.
Infected Omen Weapon Pack — Custom multiplayer skins for the game’s five starting weapons; Lancer, Retro Lancer, Hammerburst, Sawed-off Shotgun, and Gnasher Shotgun.
An Octus Award Box and Octus Service Medal – Replicas of the honors bestowed on Adam Fenix, Marcus’s father, for his work on the Hammer of Dawn.
Exclusive Unlockable Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character – Each Octus Service Medal replica is engraved with a unique Xbox LIVE code that is the only way to unlock Adam Fenix in multiplayer.
A fabric COG Flag – Proud colors that once flew above the House of Sovereigns.
The personal effects of Adam Fenix, including his “Last Will and Testament,” the initial Hammer of Dawn schematic, and other Fenix family mementos such as a letter from Adam to Marcus.
If you’re a true Gears Of War fan picking up the Epic Edition will be the only way to obtain these high-end collectibles and downloadable content. The EPIC edition will be available in very limited quantities and only while supplies last, so if you haven’t picked one up yet do it before it’s too late.
Enjoy the video unboxing below and let us know what you thought of it. – Stay tuned for some more great Gears Of War Unboxings
Hot off the heels of its release on the PSN, Burnout CRASH! has been released on the Xbox LIVE Arcade. With a cheap price tag and hours of crashing fun, who can resist this game’s charms? Instead of crashing for fun in normal driving games, this game is designed for you to crash. Substituting the totally awesome multi-camera-angle shot of the crash and then berating you for ruining your car, Burnout CRASH! wants you to take that car and cause as much wreckage as possible. Gaining points for the amount of destruction you cause? Count me in.
Burnout CRASH! is available on XBLA for $15.95 AUD or 800 Microsoft Points.
As an added bonus, EA have teamed up with David ‘The Hoff’ Hasselhoff to bring out a series of hilarious videos linked to Burnout CRASH! So, head on over to the site to check them out and see what the Hoff’s been up to lately.
Of all the crossovers on all the platforms, I have to say I never saw this one coming. Konami has announced that later this month beloved classic Frogger will be making a return, except with a twist. Instead of the usual frog attempting to cross the road, Frogger now has the ability to turn himself into a pinball and roll, flip, and of course leap, his way to safety.
There are two modes for Frogger Pinball, one shot mode where you try and make your high score count, or story mode where you play through levels to try and save your Lily from RoboCroc. Gamers can participate in pinball tournaments, competing for the title of ultimate pinball master (though not that exact title)! There are a range of unlockables and a huge amount of fun to be had in this 30th anniversary throwback.
Frogger Pinball is going to be released on iOS and Facebook. For more info go to Konami’s website here.
What do you guys reckon? Gonna grab this classic when it comes out?
Nintendo are taking their biggest upcoming releases on a tour around Australia over the next month,
The Connection Tour will begin this Saturday, September 24th at Westfield, Southland, and visitors will get a chance to try out the impressive lineup of games due out between now and Christmas, as well as take home exclusive goodies and if you’re lucky, win some prizes.
The games available to try out include:
Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) Check out our preview here
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS) Check out ourpreview here
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS) Check out our review here
There are also ten rare Ocarina of Time 3D scrolls up for grabs at each location. Attendees will receive a secret code, that can later be entered into the Connection Tour’s website.
Want to win EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE GAMES?! Who wouldn’t? The first 125 people at each location each day will go into the running to score themselves a copy of every game on show, so definitely get there early.
Get where early, you ask? Well, the tour will hit Australian cities on the dates below.
Batman: Arkham City is currently set for a release date of October 18th on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. It used to also be the release date for the PC version but for some reason the PC version was just delayed a month and will be set to release some time in November.
Currently there is no new release date for the PC version nor was there a reason given for the delay. This is unfortunate news for the PC gaming crowd as Batman: Arkham City is likely one of the most anticipated titles of the year. So what do you think their reason for delay was? More polish? Adding in some form of obscure DRM?
