Hmmm… remember Level 5 announcing a certain crossover game for the Nintendo 3DS involving the cunning Professor Layton, his apprentice Luke, young defense attorney Phoenix Wright and Maya, his assistance? You mean Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney (Layton-kyōju Vs Gyakuten Saiban in Japan), revealed last year at a Level 5 event? Yeah, it has been quiet on that front… until now.
Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney will be present at the Tokyo Game Show as part of Capcom’s stage (they are co-developing with Level 5). However, they will only talk about the game from 1:40pm to 2:10pm on the 16th, which is the second media only day. There will be a repeat show on the next day (17th) running between 12:30pm and 1:00pm.
If you are a big fan of both games, tell us at the bottom and we will cover the stage event.
As a franchise, theres no denying the enormous popularity of Assassins Creed, so it should come as no surprise that Ubisoft have extended the Assassins Creed: Revelations (ACR) multiplayer BETA by a further week, much to the delight of gamers everywhere. UPlay and Playstation Plus members will now have till September 17th to further explore the Animus environment and hone their stealh and fighting skills ready to take on the rst of the AC fanbase.
Featuring 9 characters including nobles and thieves, each with unique and individual backgrounds and favoured abilities, ACR will be set across 3 finely tuned maps that allow much more varied and strategic gameplay than seen in any other title within the franchise. The 4 modes that will feature in the BETA version of ACR include the popular and well known Wanted and Manhunt from Assassins Creed Brotherhood, while Deathmatch and Artifact assault are 2 brand new and exciting additions to the title.
Many of the abilities and perks which were also seen in ACB will be more than familar to some, while many others have been tweaked and fine tuned in accordance with Ubisoft gaining valuable feedback from users. In addition to this, there are a plethora of new features implemented in ACR, so get online if you are one of the lucky ones and enjoy your extended time on AC: Revelations.
Who’s excited for Final Fantasy XIII-2? If you raised your hand in front of your monitor, then pay attention. Square Enix will reveal the release date for Final Fantasy XIII-2 at the Tokyo Game Show. Yes, the announced an announcement. Pretty common for the Japan-based developer and publisher. Okay, it a fan Q&A event in Tokyo over the weekend. Motomu Toriyama, the director, was the one who told everyone. Still, its nice that we will get an exact release date for the sequel of Final Fantasy XIII.
There was some other information Toriyama decided to give. This included the following:
He beat around the DLC bush
A limited edition could be on the horizon
Having a XIII save data will give you bonuses for XIII-2
More info on monster raising, including a number of raisable monsters (150)
Chocobos can be ridden everywhere, unlike XIII. However, you can not access them at the beginning of the game
A red chocobo will make an appearance for the first time in the series.
The Moogle Serah has comes from Lightning’s world.
The story is shorter than XIII but makes up for it with side quests and time travelling.
Character from XIII will be playable in the final game
90% of the game has been complete, so it should make its release date
Wow, quite a lot to summarise. Check out our coverage of the Tokyo Game Show over the next two weeks. We will be previewing games and giving you the latest news straight from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Are you sitting down, Resident Evil fans? A new trailer that is set to be shown at TGS 2011 for Revelations has hit the web, and fans have literally been in an uproar over what’s inside. This clip may show off a lot of actual gameplay that looks solid, but it also introduces us to a new protagonist by the name of Rachel. Now what could be wrong with that, right?
Rachel isn’t your average Resident Evil character, as she features a Jessica Rabbit style hair-do and a rather inflated front section. As expected, fans have been taking this new addition hard and are upset due to the mass amount of sex appeal that Rachel oozes. There is currently nothing known on Rachel’s backstory or motives within the game, other than she will in fact be a playable character.
Personally speaking, I don’t see much to cry over. Yes, the design is a bit over-the-top and cartoonish, but we haven’t ever seen anyone quite like Rachel in the series before. The Resident Evil games usually have strong female heroes that seem to know what’s going on and are ready to march in to any situation with guns a blazing. Rachel however seems to be a character that got wrapped up in the wrong situation and has no actual clue how to survive alone. While she also seems confident in her looks, the trailer clearly shows us that this protagonist is vulnerable in terms of her combat skills.
I know there is a lot of whining from fans as the series means a lot to many, but lets face it. With Chris and Jill, you know what your getting. Parker Luciani is new, but from what we have seen, he is also rather bland. Rachel however catches my attention as she truly seems to be frightened….and dammit, that is what the Resident Evil series is all about and I am anticipating Revelations even more due to her inclusion.
After you watch the trailer below, let us know what YOU think of Rachel in the comments below.
For those of you suffering withdrawal from Harry Potter and are finding that Pottermore isn’t quite enough to recover, this app is for you. But this is no usual quiz app with a couple of simple questions, graphics and the resulting feeling of being dirty. Hosted by Guinness-World-record-holder quizmaster, Professor Dare, the app has over 2000 questions, 3 single player modes, multiplayer mode, lifelines, and social networking capabilities.
The app is more based off the input of Professor Dare than Harry Potter; this is the start of a quiz apps range that will be released over time. It’s a great place to start, considering the amount of background and detail that went into the Harry Potter universe.
This game is designed to weed out the wizards from the muggles, and will probably make you want to take out the series and re-educate yourself. Not that you need an excuse to do that anyway.
Check out the video for the app below! It’s available from iTunes for $0.99 – BUY IT NOW
The super popular, devastatingly realistic One Single Life (which involves you playing through a platform game with only one life, and when you lose that you get locked out of the game) has been granted a sequel by developers FreshTone Games. The levels and graphics have been given a bit of a rehaul to make it all look sleeker and play harder. The game has OpenFeint and Game Center features, supplying worldwide leaderboards and a list of those who played through the game with their single life.
Also, they’ve added an in-game purchase of infinite lives. It’s basically a purchase-able cheat for those who want to beat the game without having to uninstall and reinstall the app, but disqualifies you from leaderboard fame.
Another extra feature is ‘death-cam’, so you can relive your death in grisly handy-cam-style detail.
Single Life 2 goes on sale September 15 on iTunes for $1.99, make sure to pick yourself up a copy and fight for that life.
Can’t get enough Batttlefield? Well with Battlefield 3 not far away now, EA has been releasing a series of trailers in anticipation of it’s coming release. Now EA have released a trailer detailing Operation Guillotine.
The trailer shows of some gameplay for Operation Guillotine which features Sgt. Blackburn undergoing an operation to capture vital members of the PLR Leadership. It is indeed some impressive gameplay on display, which is in fact direct footage from the single-player campaign of Battlefield 3.
You can pick up Battlefield 3 in stores on October 27th. So get your pre-orders ready, and see you all on the Battlefield! Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think.
Alpha Mission Developer: SNK Publisher: SNK Platforms: Playstation 3/Playstation Portable (minis) Release Date: Out Now (US PSN) Price: $2.99
Man, there are quite a bit of arcade re-releases at the moment. Apparently that seems to be the business right about now. With that in mind, it’s time for another downloadable re-release review. This time, space is the setting. Get ready for a deep adventure as you, the player, divulge into different alien species, turrets and big bosses in Alpha Mission. This 2D vertical scrolling space shooter, developed by SNK, was released in arcades in the mid 1980’s and now appears as part of the Playstation minis range. It features classic space gameplay, delectable 2D graphics and retains the 8-bit music. However, how does it hold up today?
Gameplay
The objective of the game is to save the space stations from total annihilation. Now, since I have that out of the way, let’s get into the gameplay. The game is classified as a 2D vertical scrolling space shooter. This means that the main controls focus on moving and shooting. Using the analogue stick or directional button will move you around and pressing the X button will shoot a regular, infinite missile. This laser attack is used to attack the various enemies that zoom all over the screen. Players will also have a second attack available for them, which is activated by pressing the circle button. This will launch a second missile attack used to get rid of those nasty turrets or some grey boxes. Inside those grey boxes are power ups, ranging to more powerful missiles to filling up a small bar at the bottom of the screen.
I should get into that bar at the bottom of the screen. Throughout the stage, you will pick up pieces of spaceship armour. You will also pick up items which fill up the bar at the bottom of the screen. Once you ensemble space armour (which will appear as a icon below the bar) and fill the bar past that particular armour, pressing square will activate the armour, allowing you to access different weaponry, like the eight-way laser armour, which allows you to shoot the laser in eight different directions simultaneously.
I should get into the difficulty as well. Unlike the arcade version, you can choose to change the difficulty: Easy, Normal, Hard and Hardest. Expect a relatively tough time if you are not experienced with this genre. Most of the time, it may seem tough because, like most games at this time, there may be too many projectiles on the screen. The boss battles have that problem. Also expect to play alone as it does not support co-op. Other than that, the gameplay is fun, to put it simply.
Visuals
Considering that this is just a re-release, expect the graphics to stay true to the original arcade version. It doesn’t mean they look ugly, it just means they will look outdated. But hey, apparently being retro is cool nowadays. Beings serious, the visuals are done quite well for an arcade game. The spaceship is a mix of red and white, distinguishing it from the blue squares and light brown circles that are your regular enemies. The space stations you defend are a bright green which dominates the black background of space, complete with white stars jotted all over the place. Bosses vary in size and colour. The animations are basic but smooth. Each enemy has a pre-determined path, like most of these games. The bosses, however, just move left and right, shooting projectiles by the bucket load. Overall, I enjoy the look of the game. It reminds me of the early days of my gaming experiences (despite being born quite a few years after its release).
Music
Just like the gameplay and the visuals, the game retains the classic 8-bit style music. As for the tracks themselves, they aren’t pieces of music that will destroy your ear drums. Instead, the tracks are pretty good. The level tracks often change with each stage but they are great. They capture the sense of a space adventure as well of an impeding danger. The sound effects have that classic sound as well. Shooting lasers, missiles and their explosions will take you back to those days of youth spending too much silver into those arcade machines. Overall, the music is enjoyable.
Overall
If you do enjoy the sights and sounds of a great 2D vertical scrolling space shooter as well as a game with the basics, then I do recommend Alpha Mission. The gameplay is enthralling and fun and the visuals and the music are great for a mid 80’s arcade game. With that being said, expect a somewhat tough fight on your hands, no matter the difficulty. It is also a direct re-release, so don’t expect any additional features outside of saving the game. It even wants you to “insert coin” (which is triangle, by the way) at the title screen.
THQ have released a new trailer showing off another opposing gang, The Deckers, to the Saints which will be featured in the third installment of the Saints Row series.
The Deckers, led by self-appointed Cyber God, Matt Miller, are a group of cyber-terrorising criminals who decide to target the Saints. They apparently hack the Saints’ bank account and wipe it clean, so what better way to get back at them but to f@#$ some s*&t up in the virtual reality, Tron-like world.
Saints Row The Third seems to be really mixing up the gameplay in a whole new way, stylising the missions to the gangs in a whole new way and to a much more extreme level than they did in the second Saints Row.
But enough talking from me, just go watch the video below and see it all for yourself! Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below!
Overview
Recently when I think about vampires, I find myself seeing Alice from the Twilight saga. That’s not totally a bad thing; however, BloodRayne: Betrayal makes Twilight look like “Hello Kitty Playland.” Tell Blade he has a challenger because here comes the half-breed Ms. Rayne.
Story
The story begins with several soldiers outside a castle not ready to take on an undead army. These soldiers are part of the Brimstone Society that is hell bent on taking down the powerful vampire Kagan. Being reluctant to move forward, the guards call in an unlikely ally – Rayne. Rayne must storm through the castle to resolve a final conflict with her wicked father. Along her journey she meets a friend that transforms into a raven. After betraying Rayne’s trust, this unknown friend gives her his power of transmutation. Utilizing all of the her skills, Rayne is able to face her father one last time.
Gameplay
BloodRayne: Betrayal is first and foremost not a casual game. The overall difficulty suggests a gameplay designed for diehards. But the action that envelopes in each level makes the little demon inside you jump for joy.
Starting off, Rayne carries dual blades that can unleash devastating blows. Perhaps cleaving an enemy vampire’s head off is graphic enough for you? Using the blades are necessary in almost any battle and are required to off balance opponents to drain health.
A thirsty dhampir, half-breed, does not need to drink blood for survival. However, blood is the essence that rejuvenates Rayne’s life force. Off balancing opponents is the key objective in drinking their blood.
Biting can prove useful not only for health but also for creating explosions. Rayne can infect an opponent by releasing early after a bite. An infected enemy will turn green and become vulnerable to exploding. What seems to look like a miniature uppercut, Rayne causes any infected creature in the area to explode doing immediate damage to those in the area. Causing a chain reaction may result in an achievement…
Additionally, guns are added to the arsenal of weaponry. The first useable gun is Rayne’s pistol. With limited rounds, the pistol can offer quick kills without moving an inch. With continual bombardments of vampires and other creepy crawlies, a pistol offers reliable kills. Aside from the pistol, an artifact becomes available to use in later levels. The artifact is actually a laser that wears down enemies to nothingness. Taking longer than the pistol, the laser becomes useful to change switches and send walking zombies into an inevitable explosion. Standing on a corroded zombie atop of bubbling acid? No problem! Just use the laser as your navigation and move across the waste like a boat.
An unique perk to the game is the collection of ancient vampire skulls. By collecting five skulls, you are able to increase either your health or pistol ammo. You may have to play through levels more than once to obtain all of the skulls. Plus, you get an achievement by acquiring all 30 of them.
Each stage has points of interest to accrue time bonuses. A time bonus increases the overall points at the end of each level as well as your rank. Do not be ashamed of a F – “Worm Chow” performance. This is widely attained by most players. By defeating your foes quickly, you may be able to achieve a higher rank. BloodRayne: Betrayal offers re-playability in this way to challenge gamers to get an A – “Dhampir” rating.
Finally let’s discuss why the game is difficult in some areas. Boss battles are definitely hard to complete and take several attempts master – or get lucky. After dying many times, you develop strategies to overcome devastating special attacks. Facing the Crab Puncher is your first taste of death. Understanding the concept of destroying its legs without falling off its back is extremely important. Do not let its spin saw blades touch you, and perhaps you can gain a well worth achievement for being untouchable.
Bosses may be a difficult chunk of the game, but some stages are ridiculous. Level 8 is probably the most prominent memory. Upon reaching a giant saw blade, you must quickly traverse the platforms to avoid certain death. The problem exists when the platforms you cross become increasingly smaller. The first time I saw the end of the blade’s circuit I missed the platform and died instantly by acid. Previously I mentioned this game is for diehards. As you can probably tell, you will die and die hard! (Okay Bruce Willis, calm down)
Graphics/Audio
Blood… there is lots of blood. If you are not too busy sucking it from dying vampires, you are probably spreading it across the battlefield. I am surprised that a player’s controller isn’t covered in blood by all of the carnage.
There are walls in BloodRayne: Betrayal that are quite deceiving. Rayne is able to perform wall kicks to climb vertical to other sections of a level. However, not all walls are traversable and can lead to an immediate doom.
The background imagery imitates a Castlevania theme that resonates throughout the entire game. Like many other platformers, imagery becomes repetitive. If there is a staircase, I want to know where it leads to! But with the consistent combat background images fade away from focus.
Considering the in-game sound effects, character injuries and attack sounds interject an intense combative sensation. The only sound that grows tiresome after awhile is Rayne’s death scream. It tends to get overplayed.
Overall
BloodRayne: Betrayal is a hardcore game. This title is not to be taken lightly and to be played quite heavily. Perhaps there should be a disclaimer for gamers that cannot handle dying to stay away. Never-the-less, any male should be attracted to this femme fatale. If you are up for a little old school gaming, at least give the demo a whirl.
