It has been nearly one month since Nintendo cut the price of the 3DS by $80.00 in North America, and judging by the numbers released today, this marketing strategy looks to have worked. According to the NPD Group, the 3DS was the Number 2 best selling platform in August with roughly 185,000 units being sold since the price cut that occurred on the 12th. This is a 260 percent jump from July and a fantastic number to see for the once stalling handheld.
In true Nintendo form, a list of other feats for August were released to display that their other products are not too bad off, either.
Nintendo sold more than 590,000 total hardware units in August, including more than 190,000 Wii systems and more than 165,000 units of the Nintendo DS family.
For the third month in a row, the majority of the best-selling software SKUs play on Nintendo platforms. August featured five of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20.
So far in 2011, more than 50 million units of software have been sold for Nintendo platforms.
In total, 540 million units of software have been sold for the Wii system and Nintendo DS family of systems combined.
I am happy to see the 3DS turning around, and with the busy holiday season to look forward to, this upward trend looks to continue for quite some time.
We were lucky enough to get our first taste of FIFA 12 last night and we need more like the Cookie Monster needs his cookies (Picture the Family Guy clip of the Cookie Monster in rehab).
Kelly and I were entered into the EA Sports FIFA 12 Grand Tournament at Star City, competing for a surprisingly big golden trophy. With the 5 time Australian FIFA champion standing next to us, the pressure was really on to show off our FIFA skills. Alas, we were unsuccessful in our campaign, but we got a great look at FIFA 12 and boy was it impressive.
We had a quick chat with one of the media reps for EA Sports before we got our hands on a controller and she told us how excited they all were for the game’s release. She built it up, as you’d expect from an employee, telling us all about the overhaul to the match engine, precision dribbling and how different the game plays. All stuff we’d heard before, but she was genuinely excited and I couldn’t help but get swept up by it after I played it.
Obviously we’ll give you a more in-depth rundown when we get our hands on a copy to review, but I’ll give you a bit of a sniff of the thoughts so far.
First off the bat, I had to check out the new “precision” dribbling for myself. They aren’t exaggerating when they say you have so much more control over the ball. Players like Messi and David Silva will undoubtedly benefit the most from this feature. I’ve always found in previous games, even with the skill moves, you can’t quite breakdown a defensive line the same way that Messi does in real life, but this looks to have changed.
The next thing I really wanted to see was the defensive improvements. The new system is not for the faint-hearted, casual FIFA fan. As we were told around the time of E3, you can no longer just hold down the A button and expect to get the ball back. Hold the A button as a defender and all it really does is stagger his running and let the opposition dribble his way through to the box. It seems this year you will need to be a lot more tactical than previous ones.
Finally, the game looks great. I’m always a bit skeptical when basing my opinion of graphics on screenshots and trailers, but seeing the actual game in motion confirmed how good the visuals really are. Bicycle kick and diving header finishes look more realistic and epic as ever. You also seem to get rewarded a lot more for actually setting up a good cross or breaking through the defence which is always a plus.
Overall impressions for the game were great and we can’t wait for the end of the month. Big thanks to EA Sports for giving us the opportunity to get a sneak peak.
Following on from the amazing footage at Gamescom, EA are back to whet our appetites some more with a new demo for Kingdoms of Amalur, showing off more gameplay and stunning environments. In this demo Lead Designer Ian Frazier and Lead Combat Designer Joe Quadara immerse us in Brigands Hall Cavern, a last resort hang out for shadowy cultists hell bent on conjuring up Niskaru or creatures of chaos magic.
Not being brought up on a steady gaming diet of RPG or MMO’s, my interest in this title is being hugely swayed as more in-game play and information is being trickled to us by EA. Combat looks almost arcade or action like rather than displaying traditional RPG elements which should be hugely appealing to many who dont have the time to get 100% involved in every aspect of a game. Saying that the deisgners are quick to remind us that this is an RPG game and your decisions and eventual destiny are based on what items you purchase and the decisions you make regarding your inventory and path.
In an industry saturated with games from every genre, its often the small attention to detail that makes or breaks a title, and Kingdoms of Amalur looks to have enough in it to keep even the most hardcore fan and critic satisfied. Tell us what you think of the demo and keep tuned for more Kingdom of Amalur news.
Theres something about flight based games that people love, whether it be the thrill of defying gravity and nature at break neck speeds or simply that they are so few and far between I really have no idea. Either way, fans of the genre as well as fans of any arcade style game are in for a treat, as Digital Reality’s Skydrift has finally hit the PSN and XBLA marketplaces. In what looks to be as fun as Mario Kart in the air, Skydrift features 8 unique state of the art planes each with four varying skins to adorn them with, and is set across 33 living and changing reversible tracks.
The motto of Skydrift is simple; Overtake your opponents or better still, shoot them down like the annoying and dirty flies that they are. Although having a heacy arcade feel, Skydrift also requires some tactics as each plane can carry two of six available powerups which can be upgraded and swapped out depending on the environment and its needs. In game graphics are vibrant and feature well known and famous locations such as the Grand Canyon, Alaska and the Hawaiian islands which create stunning backdrops for the fast paced aerial shooter.
As well as the single player mode, Skydrift allows up to 8 friends or complete strangers to compete amongst themselves to dominate the air. The three modes within the game are Power race mode with the inclusion of power up icons, Speed race mode through rings and Survival mode which speaks for itself.
Skydrift is available through the Playstation Network or XBox Live Arcade
Now that Max Payne 3 has been given an official release date (March 2012), it seems that Rockstar are more than happy to get the hype bandwagon up to speed for their latest release. The developer’s official Twitter feed seems happy to answer questions on the title, confirming that the game will use the Euphoria physics engine and that despite earlier talk of a replacement for the now older Max, voice actor James McCaffrey will be returning (in full performance capture too). Requests for a gameplay trailer have been rather less succesful, but Rockstar is hinting at the possibility of one soon, giving a non-committal response that any politician would be proud of – “We’ll have lots more on Max Payne 3 in the weeks ahead.”
The newest screenshots to surface for the game show off yet more of Max in action, whilst giving nothing much away other than at some point he gets a haircut! Alongside the pre and post haircut shots (hair = sophisticated suit, bald = ass kicker’s dirty white vest) there is also some great looking boxart showing off a bit of the new Brazillian setting. The woman on the front is presumably Fabiana, the trophy wife of the wealthy industrialist whose family Max is protecting…
“Still haunted by the memories of his traumatic past, Max begins a new life working private security protecting a wealthy industrialist and his family in Sao Paulo, Brazil. When gangs target the family under his protection, Max is forced to fight to save his clients and clear his name, in a bid to, once and for all, rid himself of the demons that have tortured him for far too long.”
With a multiplayer mode included it certainly looks like Rockstar is dragging the franchise into the modern shooter world as best it can, but the Max Payne games have always been about an atmospheric single player experience, so hopefully that will still get all the attention it deserves. So what do you think of the game so far? Can it ever do enough to knock that movie out of your mind? Stay tuned for more Max Payne 3 news as it hits.
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: EA Sports
Platform: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PS3,
Release Date: Out Now in Australia, New Zealand and Europe! (13/09/11 for North America)
“Why fix something that isn’t broken?” seems to be the line that EA Canada have attached to this year’s NHL release. Don’t get me wrong, there have been numerous improvements throughout the game, not to mention the addition of the game’s newest selling point: “Be a Legend” mode. NHL 12 is a well polished game and plays with very little to complain about, but no review is complete without at least some complaints.
Gameplay:
In terms of the actual match engine, the game runs quite similar to last year, with a few tweaks here and there to make it play through with more fluidity. Possibly the biggest improvement to this year’s AI is the use of what EA Canada is calling “anticipation”. For example, the AI won’t just wait to regain possession before ripping back across the rink. Instead, they will actually anticipate the possession change and you will see one or two players making there way down the ice, and if you’ve over-committed players to your attack then they will make you pay. It’s a great, almost unnoticeable, addition to the gameplay and will force players, especially on the harder difficulties, to play a lot more tactically.
Players are also given signature traits, something EA Sports have been doodling around with in various titles from other series. It’s something I’ve always been a fan of, and when executed properly really adds personality to the teams. Whilst I feel like these could still be amplified even more and become even more specific, it’s still a welcomed extra in the game.
Fighting appears to be as much a part of Ice Hockey as the ice itself but the fighting in NHL 12, as with previous games, is nothing to really boast about. Instigating the fight is fun (Goalies can now fight too), especially as all the other players start to get a bit rowdy as well, but once the gloves are off and you’re going toe to toe, it’s pretty boring. Your options are limited and after a while, getting into a fight just becomes a bit of a nuisance. I suppose for ratings purposes they have to keep the fighting relatively tame, but I would really like to see it refreshed and simply (obviously easier said than done) just more fun.
The game modes are basically the same, with a few improvements scattered across season and GM mode. What is new is the Be a Legend and “Winter Classic” modes. The latter is presented quite nicely, but at the end of the day is just “Play Now” with a proverbial ribbon tied around it. Be a Legend mode is something I really like seeing in sport games. It’s something that the NBA 2K series is doing very well and something I think EA Canada have pulled off this year quite decently.
There are 9 different legends to choose from, although 8 of these are locked at the start of the game. EA have integrated the Be a Legend with Be a Pro, and therefore you unlock each legend (aside from J.R Roenick who is available from the start) as you progress through your Pro’s career. Once the legend is unlocked, you can put him into any team of your choosing and use him in a similar fashion to the Be a Pro mode. Whilst I quite like the ability to do this, what I think makes NBA 2K more successful with this is the inclusion of the legend’s team as well. I know it’s a lot more work, but it really helps you appreciate the legend.
Visuals:
As mentioned earlier, the game is really polished, both mechanically and visually. The graphics are slightly better than last year, but the small (yet brutal) extras really help the presentation of the game. Playoff beards are something that’s been included, a very trivial addition but still will please a lot of NHL fans. What I quite enjoy is the ability to knock a player’s helmet off his head after a big collision, send him bundling into the crowd, or shatter the boards. Apparently EA have integrated a new “Balance Control System”, making the bumps more realistic and sending your player bundling down with the collide-e some of the time. Although there are a few little collision bugs, the majority of the time they look painstakingly brilliant.
Sound:
The soundtrack is quite solid this year, featuring some Judas Priest, Anthrax and various others. As always I suppose it comes down to personal preference of music but the tracks are on the whole quite fitting the feel of the game.
The commentary is decent for the most part, with returning NHL pundits Gary Thorne and Bill Clement providing their opinons. It does get a bit repetitive after a while, but then again so does the commentary in most sport games. That being said I would like to hear a bit more real life statistics and biographical information about the players, especially the legends, but I suppose given the pace of Ice Hockey there isn’t too much time to chat.
Conclusion:
Overall it’s quite a reasonable improvement over last year, increasingly becoming a more polished and well-rounded game. There are still a few areas which need improving, but there is enough improvement and new inclusions for NHL fans to buy it, especially due to the lasting appeal boost provided by the Be a Legend mode.
As I’ve mentioned quite a few times before, we here at Capsule Computers are huge fans of Shantae and just about everything WayForward deliver. In some rather exciting news, WayForward have recently updated their official website with an image teasing a “special announcement” that will be coming sometime in the near future. Risky Boots from the famed series is seen bellowing out the line “Hard to Port!” in the image on the page, located right below a bit of text that reads:
“Attention Shantae fans! Keep an eye on TouchArcade for a very special announcement, coming soon!”
Now, as some of you may know, TouchArcade are completely iPhone devoted, so this very well could mean that one of the two Shantae titles are on the verge of coming to the iOS. I certainly could use some Risky’s Revenge on all of my portable devices, and once we find out just what this announcement pertains to, we will be sure bring you an update.
Something that has been on the decline lately in video game shooters is local co-op. Despite many titles nowadays being focused around co-operative play, they only cater to those who play online. What about those who want to play with their friend sitting right next to them or their brother? Well Bethesda and id Software aren’t going to be leaving you out in the cold because RAGE has not only online co-op but also local co-op modes.
In the latest trailer for the game we are treated to an entire segment of gameplay that switches between both local and online cooperative play. The video shows off a mission named Water Service where players must disarm bombs set to destroy the water supply. The title will be out in just under a month on October 4th for the PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360.
With only a week until Tokyo Game Show starts, every company is preparing their newest announcements and getting ready to show off their games. Square Enix has released a map of their booth this year so you will know exactly what to expect if you are in attendance. The map contains a number of expected titles, as well as games from Ubisoft and Bethesda as Square Enix will be distributing these titles in Japan.
The map says that the company will be showing off a number of titles such as Final Fantasy Type-0, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Kingdom Hearts 3D and Final Fantasy Theatrhythm. The most interesting part of this map however is the ??? purple area of the map. What could it be? A new unannounced title perhaps? We’ll find out next week.
If you’ve ever attended a gaming convention of any kind, or even a convention related to anything else then you know how confusing the entire set-up can be. Sure they can try to make it organized, but once you cram thousands of people into the building all hopes of organization and easy navigation fly right out the window. Things only get worse when you realize that most of the signs are going to end up being in Japanese.
Well those going to Japan for Tokyo Game Show this year will be glad to know that CESA (The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association) has released a map of the event which you can see here. Viewing the map will require some form of .PDF reader, and a lot of the booths have English subtitles below that explain what developer or publisher is going to be there.
