In case you haven’t heard, there is a pretty good chance you will become a Saiyan later this year. DBZ Ultimate Tenkaichi has introduced character creation into the newest title, letting you customise your own warrior and use them to fight, including online.
You can take your character through the new Hero mode, battling other fighters in an open world and unlocking new skills. This looks like it could be one hell of a game for DBZ fans, giving the series a reinvigorating new look.
Check out the video below to have a preview of what the creation and hero mode will look like and let your imagination start to ponder what your warrior will look like when you get the game.
Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi will be out October 25th for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Ubisoft today announced that a multiplayer beta will be available for download on the PlayStation Network, exclusively for PlayStation Plus and PS3 Uplay members. The beta will be playable from September 3rd until September 11th, however gamers can preload the beta tonight, ready for you to play tomorrow morning.
The following nine characters are able to be accessed in the beta.
The Sentinel
The Vanguard
The Guardian
The Vizer
The Thespian
The Deacon
The Bombardier
The Trickster
The Champion
The Knight’s Hospital, Antioch and Constantinople will be available as playable maps and the four playable modes will be Wanted, Manhunt, Deathmatch and Artifact Assault. A mere sample of the multiplayer content that will be available in the finished product.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations will be available November 15th, so if you (unlike me) are able to download the above content then go forth and give it a go and let us know what it is like!
Arkedo Series 01 JUMP! Developer: Arkedo Studios Publisher: Sanuk Games Platforms: Playstation 3 (PSN, reviewed), Xbox 360 (XBLA) Release Date: Out Now Price: €1.99/USD$2.49/£1.74
Arkedo Series – 01 JUMP! is a downloadable title developed by Arkedo Studio, an independent French game developer and published by Sanuk Games, who published Hysteria Project 2, a game reviewed by me. I did not look favourably at that game, so could they surprise me with this game. To put it simply, they didn’t surprise me… they surpass that by a great distance. This is a game where nostalgia runs free but in a very polished environment. The gameplay is simple yet fun. Visuals look great and the music sounds beautiful and retro. Of course, the game isn’t perfect as there are a few inconveniences, but overall is a well built game.
Story
Once you select the adventure mode, you are given the whole story. There is an iron crab causing terror throughout the land by leaving bombs all over the place. It is up to Jumpman, the main character, to pick up these bombs and save the day. So, a very simple story where the objective is to pick up bombs scattered throughout the levels.
Gameplay
The game is very simple. Jumpman lives up to his name as his actions involve a lot of jumping around by pressing the X button. Of course, you are moving as well with the use of the directional buttons left and right. These controls are smooth and very responsive, as any platforming game should be. As stated before, Jumpman must pick up bombs that are placed all over each level. The bombs also act as the timer of the game. Each bomb has an individual timer, so one bomb may explode sooner than that other bomb right next to you. Some levels have bombs close to exploding as part of the level, testing your skills under pressure. You also collect coins, counted as money, which is a throwback to the days of the 8-bit platformer. You may also encounter pigs with a number. These are bombs in disguise and the coins have a role. Match the number of dollars with the number on the pig and a bomb is yours to collect. You encounter crabs, bats, fire, skeletons throwing unlimited bones, falling platforms and invisible blocks.
There are two modes: Adventure Mode and Challenge Mode. Adventure is basically the story. In a linear fashion, you will move from one level to another. However, you have to finish it in one sitting as there are no save points or option. The playthrough shouldn’t take long; however, with some levels respawning heart shaped extra lives after death. Once that is done, Challenge Mode is unlocked, consisting of 31 levels where the objective is to collect all coins and other collectables throughout the levels of Adventure Mode. For those trophy collectors, there are nine trophies available, four of those hidden.
Attacking is where the game disappoints. Throughout the levels, you will find several throwing knives. You throw them by pressing square. Although I think it is a cool idea, the knives are very sparse. During my playthrough, I encountered six knives over twenty five levels, with none of them respawning after death. I think that is too sparse, but the aim of the game is to jump. Talking about jumping, this game is supposed to be a throwback to the retro games. If I can remember, I believe those games had jumping as an attack. In this game, jump on an enemy and you die. Jumping is not an attack in this game. Although it didn’t hinder the gameplay, it is usually a staple in the platforming genre, so it is a disappointment for it not to
feature.
Visuals
They wanted that retro look and they achieved it. They are stunningly nostalgia (if that makes sense). Each little square is glorified in high definition. Yeah, that’s what the game is pretty much made up of, squares. No matter what shape it is meant to be, each item, each enemy, even Jumpman is made of squares. It is very nostalgic. Even text is just little square blocks. Speaking of the text, it can be hilarious and very insulting (for example, teasing your death by saying “And Bam, Your Dead”). The environments are bright and full of colour; complementing each other very well. The animations are very smooth. Jumpman invokes his own original jumping animation, but still gives a hint of a very famous influence. Crabs move from one end to the other, the bones somehow semi-hone on you, but the bats can be very annoying with their animations, blocking possible jumping paths or just hover above you. Overall, the visuals are beautiful and well designed.
Music
The soundtrack isn’t numerous, with only a few tracks. Every ten levels the track will change. The first ten levels have a track of starting out on an adventure. The second track invokes a heightened sense of danger. The third track reinforces the danger that Jumpman faces and builds up to the final confrontation with Iron Crab. Each track is full of bleeps and bloops which filled the ear of gamers in the 8-bit era. They are all good to listen to; however, they are not that memorable. The tune is made of only a few notes and repeats too often. Still, they are a joy to listen to while you Jump throughout the levels. The sound effects sound cutesy. For example, bombs pop like a balloon when they are picked up. My favourite sound effect has to be the bombs exploding. It recreates that sense of failure, accompanied by a grand firestorm that really tells you that you screwed up, which is what a game should be handling a loss situation. Overall, the music is great and fits well with the game.
Overall
This is a must buy for those who are fans of the platforming games of yesteryear. The gameplay, although simple and with a few minor inconveniences, will keep you playing for hours. The visuals reflect the modernity of the game but also retain the classic retro look. The music is great to listen to, with the sound effects adding to the nostalgic factor. If you want a modern 2D platformer which reminds you of the good old days of the 80’s and 90’s, look no further.
John Tanner returns in all his brutal glory, this time exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS, complete with the franchises trademark intense and reckless style of gameplay that truly immerses you in the chaos. Being able to experience this in 3D will only add to the excitement as every crash, metal on metal scrape and burning tire on asphalt will be closer and more in your face than ever.
Drive around at break neck speed with reckless abandonment for the road or the enemies in your tow, as you take down everything that gets in your way to reveal justice. Tanner has had countless years under his belt working undercover but has now decided to turn vigilante and take matters into his own hands. His city of New York has been overrun by scum, drug dealers and pimps, and having saved Senator Ballards life, Tanner agrees to clean the city underhis own terms; off the books and without a boss.
His quest to clean the city will not be an easy task, with five major kingpins to deal with including a drug dealer, organs trafficker, pimp, arms dealer and trader. With only a few friends to aid him, Tanner brings his own brand of war to the street armed with his trusty car.
Genre: Animation Director: Jean-Loup Felicioli Starring: Dominique Blanc, Bruno Salomone, Jean Benguigui, Oriane Zani Running Time: 62 minutes Available for purchase at:Madman Online Store ($34.95)
Overview
I confess: although I’m well over the age where loving cartoons is socially acceptable, I still love watching animated shorts and full-length films. There’s something absolutely magical about how animation can create a world and capture the imagination in a way that regular film cannot, and the truly astonishing cartoons can transport any viewer back to an age where toys, playtime, and eating sweets were the most important things in life.
It’s fair to say the French are not the ones I would generally associate with creating stunning animations – that title would go to the Japanese for films like My Neighbor Totoro and The Cat Returns –, but A Cat in Paris was definitely an imaginative, fun, and enjoyable experience.
Plot
A Cat in Paris tells the tale of a little girl, Zoe, and her cat, Dino. By day, Dino lives with Zoe and keeps her company (her father was killed and her mother is constantly busy with work); however, at night he sneaks off to aid a thief named Nico in his search for treasures. One day, Zoe follows Dino to find out where he goes – in doing so, she gets caught up in a world she could never have dreamed of, and learns more about Nico, Dino, her family, and herself.
Despite being called A Cat in Paris, Dino the cat is not the key character in this film – rather, he acts as a catalyst that is essential for the rest of the narrative to progress. The narrative is not intricately weaved with plots within plots, but the story it does tell is well-developed, imaginative, and heart-warming.
Of course, as it is an animation which is designed for a family audience, the narrative cannot house deeply dark subject matter; however, the narrative is littered with themes of murder, psychological distress. These ideas are handled in a subtle and light way as to not be too terrifying for a younger audience, but are definitely evident enough for the more mature in the audience to comprehend.
Characters
A Cat in Paris houses one of the best set of characters I have come across in any form of animation. The characters are all complex enough – think Shrek and the peeling of the onion – to make the film a sophisticated examination of humans; at the same time they all reside on one side of the good-evil spectrum. The breadth and range of characters is quite impressive, and Jean-Loup Felicioli made a good exploratory choice in choosing to include a multitude of figures as opposed to just one protagonist.
The ‘main’ character (if you could call her that) in the film is Zoe, a lonely little girl who struggles to speak to anyone. Zoe is still dealing with the grief of losing her father, and has issues with trusting and opening up to anyone. While Zoe doesn’t really speak throughout the film, her presence and her actions drive the storyline as much as Dino’s. At times, Zoe can be adorable; at others, she is simply irritating. However, with that being said, it is wonderful that (DIRECTORS NAME) created a character that holds more psychological depth than ordinary child protagonists who worry about playtime or parental restrictions.
The other ‘main’ characters in the narrative are Nico, the thief, Dino, the cat, and Jeanne, Zoe’s mother. Dino is the stereotypically loyal pet – he captures the imagination of kids, but he’s really nothing special. By contrast, Nico is an interesting one: sculpted as a Robin Hood figure, he steals but ultimately works for the greater good. One key issue I had with his character was that Felicioli really didn’t explore Nico’s character more in depth – while the other characters are well-rounded enough, Nico really had the potential to be fleshed out and his story could have added more layering to the narrative.
Zoe’s mother, though, was the exact opposite: I feel as though she was given enough psychological depth. In between losing her husband, dealing with a stressful job, and trying to maintain a relationship with her child, Jeanne was a great look at the trials and tribulations of being a parent and a widow.
As I mentioned previously, A Cat in Paris also houses characters that reside more on the ‘evil’ side of the good-bad spectrum; however, these characters are not all just ‘good’ or ‘bad’. The main antagonist is probably the closest to being wholly ‘bad’ – Cosca is a gangster who does everything only for self-gain, but even his psyche is delved into a bit. All of the other gangsters are more comedic than ‘bad’, and one even mentions he is only a gangster because “I don’t know what else I’d be good at” – an interesting reminder that not everyone or everything is black and white.
Animation/Audio
The animation in A Cat is Paris is most definitely unique and has more of an artistic treatment than many other cartoons I have come across in the past. Done primarily using coloured pencil, each image that appears on the screen has a unique style of shading and construction. The animation is most definitely a steer away from the realism of some animations, or the flatness of others – it looks much like a child’s drawings, which brings to life the imagination that is introduced through the narrative.
The best aspect of the animation is that – while the image is 2D – the pictures come alive in their own dimension, like a coloured-in picture springing to life. The backdrops of Parisian icons, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame, are brought into an entirely new light with this new treatment. The amount of detail put into this animation is also incredible: on Zoe’s wall, there’s a picture of her and her father, and the background of Zoe’s home has appliances and adornments. All of these elements bring Felicioli’s world to life.
As for the soundtrack, it tends to navigate between blues and jazz to music that can’t be described in any way other than ‘French’. The opening sequences of the film feature a smooth, blues soundtrack while the rest features pianos or violins. While the soundtrack is very subtle for most of the film, it adds a somewhat unique element and really complements the animation on screen.
The voiceover acting was on par and suited the characters; however, the real gem in the audio department was the sound effects. No matter how small of subtle the sound effects were, they were still included. What results is a detailed aural depiction of the world of A Cat in Paris, which captures the senses and the imagination.
DVD Extras
Luckily, the DVD is loaded with extras for us animation enthusiasts. If watching the film in French with English subtitles isn’t quite to your liking, there’s an English language version – however, something about the magic of the film is just lost in the translation. Want advice? Watch the film first in French, then return to it a few weeks later and watch it in English.
The DVD also features a Making of, and believe me – after watching the film’s animation, you will definitely want to know how it’s made. Of course, standard to all DVD releases, there is a Theatrical trailer as well.
Final Comments
Overall, A Cat in Paris is an imaginative, beautiful, and enjoyable animation that accomplishes the oh-so-difficult task of being enjoyable for all the family. With wonderful visual elements and an engaging narrative, this film is definitely one to pick up and keep on the DVD shelf for years to come.
With the release of Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten perilously close to sucking away all of your free time, NIS America has decided to take and absorb a few minutes of that free time right now. Today they released a handful of new gameplay videos which show off not only plenty of combat, but also a ship editor as well that will allow you to customize your own ship.
The battle videos you can see below and they show off the combined attacks you can perform with your allies as well as a few extremely powerful attacks. No your eyes are not deceiving you either, when a character uses an Omega level spell a character from an anime will appear in the background. In the case of Omega Heal, we are treated to a piece of artwork of Index from the anime Toaru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Magical Index.) You can check out all of the footage below and of course check out Disgaea 4 when it is relaesed exclusively onto the PlayStation 3 next week on September 6th.
While NIS America’s Disgaea 4 is just around the corner, some people can’t wait to get their hands on the next Atelier title. The Atelier series has always been praised for its amazing artwork and of course this art had to transfer to the game’s packaging as well. To the right you can see the normal box art for the game which will be available for standard purchase, but what about those who want more?
As you can see below, in full size as it would be a shame to shrink the picture, the artwork for the premium edition of Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland is simply stunning. Not only do you get the collector’s box with the amazing artwork of the title’s main heroine Totori, but also a number of other neat features as well. You will receive a full color art book with thirty more pages of the game’s amazing artwork, the game’s soundtrack and if you happen to pre-order through NIS America’s own store you will also receive a 18″x24″ double sided poster, though supplies of the poster are limited. Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland is exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and will be released later this month on September 27th.
Twisted Pixel have announced their second Ms. Splosion Man TMS Challenges this week, dubbed the Fruit Friend Challenge. Twisted Pixel have teamed up with Penny Arcade to put this one together, charging Ms. Splosion Man with finding and detonating nine evil fruit-juicing automatons as quickly as possible. Along with your time to account for your score, there is killing scientists and destroying things (but who needs the prize of points to make them want to destroy things, right?) to up your score. You’ll want to give it your all because if you manage to get onto the first three leaderboard spots you get to win real-world prizes!
The competition will end on September 11, so get in quick and ‘splode the hell out of everything!
Ms Splosion Man is available on XBLA for $10 here. For the duration of the competition, the challenge will show up in the opening menu of the game.
Nothing screams legitimate sale more than buying a fully working and unopened new Apple iPad in a sealed box so you cant see the inside contents, from two guys claiming to have overstock peddling them from your local Maccas carpark. Whats even more baffling is due to the immense embarrassment you would feel, why over $180 you would bother going to the cops. Imagine the surprise of poor Ashley McDowell, a South Carolina woman who thought she had the bargain of a lifetime, buying an iPad from 2 legit businessmen at your local McDonalds only to find out later on she had purchased a very expensive piece of painted wood.
McDowell told officers she was approached by two males who purported to have bought iPads in bulk, allowing them to pass on this wonderful savings to the customer, charging them a mere $300 a piece. Only managing to scrounge together $180, the men told McDowell they would cut her a deal, agreeing to sell her the device at the lower price.
Upon getting home to eagerly try out her new purchase, the young woman was disappointed to discover a black lump of wood in the shape of an iPad, complete with Apple logo. Just when you thought it couldnt get more amusing, the device was actually framed with black tape and included replicas of the iPad icons for Safari, mail, photos and iPod as well as a “Best Buys” sales ticket.
Why someone would buy something of this nature from their local fast food carpark is beyond me but not to even bother checking the contents before you leave, well you pretty much deserve what you get. Either way $180 is $180 so i guess it was worth reporting.
Developer:Forze Field Publisher:Chillingo Ltd Genre:Twin-stick Shooter Platform:iPhone/iPod Touch (HD Version also available for iPad) Price:£0.69 / $0.99
In late 2005, a game was released on Xbox Live Arcade called Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved; an update to a minigame included in Bizarre Creations’ Project Gotham Racing 2 for Xbox. It’s fast paced twin-stick shooting along with neon graphics and pixels chaotically flying across the screen made this game an instant classic and one hard to put down.
In now, in 2011, Chillingo Ltd. (makers of Cut the Rope) have released a close relative to the classic, entitled Infinity Field (developed by Forze Field). It’s impressive graphics hearken back to it’s spiritual predecessor, along with the twin-stick controls. But they have also added their own flare to the genre.
First off, you’ll notice a nice little feature that I haven’t seen in any game previous; a feature named “Auto Pause”. When you release both sticks for any reason (to reposition yourself more comfortably, or you manage to drop your iPhone in sheer excitement), the game kindly pauses the game for you. It doesn’t bring up the regular pause menu options, but this feature is a welcome one, and one that will hopefully be taken on by other twin-stick-based games in the future.
The sticks are in the usual bottom-right and -left corners of the screen, but their placement feels just right. You’re never in doubt of where you’re aiming, or falling off the edge of the screen, trying to quickly maneuver away from a horde of enemies. Also, the camera view never leaves you unable to prepare for incoming bogeys; it’s just wide enough to get a good sense of what’s going on, but close enough to allow you to wriggle around the colourful shapes bent on your destruction.
Pickups appear periodically in the form of white blobs and shapes spinning around the field. They do a good job of giving you time-limited powers such as Slow Motion, or give you an extra life, but the array of weapons you’re given is well thought out and nicely varied. There is even a nicely proportioned button above your firing-stick to the right which allows you to switch between acquired weapons; a well-appreciated feature that removes the frustration of picking up a weapon you didn’t want in the first place.
There is a campaign mode, along with 6 survival modes of good variety.
Infinity Mode does what it says on the tin… you can easily play 10 minutes at a time, going against harder and harder baddies— and have a great time doing it.
Insane Mode is… insane.
Cruces Mode has an arrow-shaped enemy that just likes criss-crossing across the screen, while other regular enemies come at you from all sides.
Snake Mode does a good job of emulating the classic Snake games of yore whilst giving it it’s own unique flare.
Unarmed Mode (adorned with the peace sign) involves you moving around, dodging enemies and floating into bombs scattered across the field that wipe out the enemies nearby.
and Zombie Mode makes the enemies you encounter impervious to any weapons; just slowing them down while you make a speedy escape. You have to hold out until a nuke appears on the field for you to detonate, killing anything on the field at the time.
All these modes are unique and satisfying, honing different skills than you may be used to in a game of this genre… and in the Campaign, you are slowly introduced to the styles and concepts of the other modes available, just making want to play more and more; branching out into the other parts of the game until you’ve mastered them all.
The graphics in this game are impressive and engaging; not to mention silky-smooth! The soundtrack is of the cool, electronic variety, which goes nicely with the retro-neon aesthetic; and the sound effects, while a little obtrusive when it gets particularly chaotic on-screen, does a good job of heightening the frantic moments of the game.
It uses Chillingo’s Crystal social network, but also ties in with Apple’s Game Centre— neither of which I put too much stock in, but it’s nice if you’re into the social scene.
In fact the only minor gripe I have with this game is the set orientation. I prefer turning the iPhone over to the right (if you’re looking at it from portrait mode), which allows my fingers to just miss the speaker on the bottom. But as the orientation is set to turning the iPhone to the left, I find myself covering the speaker periodically. Not a biggy; just a pet peeve of mine…
In conclusion, this is a great game. If you get the chance, be sure to pick it up. If you liked Geometry Wars, pick it up. If you have an iPhone, pick it up. If you don’t have an iPhone, borrow some else’s and pick it up!!! (okay, maybe not) But yeah— it’s awesome!
