Sony showcased three brand new Playstation Move games at Gamescom 2011, and we have the trailers for you down below. All of them feature family friendly fun with your glowing motion control wand of the future. Curiously, by waving that wand in your living room, you can SAVE THE WORLD, which is demonstrated in the video at the very bottom. On the other hand, Move Mind Benders features 3 games from past PSN releases, like Echochrome, Lemmings and Tumble. DanceStar Party is more or less self explanatory. Which game will you play on party night? The Capsule Computers Crew (if we can ever get together) will most likely play DanceStar, as we have heard there isn’t anything much better than watching Phil do his chicken dance.
If you were wondering where the simply amazing graphical demonstration that is Trine 2 was during Gamescom then you should know that it indeed is in attendance at the show. Or should I say Atlus and Frozenbyte have released a new trailer for the game which you can catch down below.
The trailer shows off the different benefits of playing with a co-op partner which can be done either locally or online with friends. The game play shows all of the three characters in play, which means if you haven’t seen much game play then now is the time to take a look at the Thief, Wizard and Knight in action. Trine 2 will be coming to the XBLA, PSN, the PC, Steam and Linux sometime in September.
Battlefield 3 or Call of Duty MW3, place your bets, pick your side and get ready for a back-stabbing, abusive war of the words in the lead up to two of the most highly anticipated FPS to date. And all this months before either is meant to be released on any platform. There’s no doubt that competition in any market is healthy, but one needs to know when to intelligently draw the line. Recently when responding to Activision Blizzards CEO, Bobby Kotick’s doubting of Battlefields console ports, “Activision are threatened by Battlefield” was the EA bosses only response. John Riccitello went further telling Eurogamer he wishes the franchise would “rot from the core.”
Activisions CEO of publishing Eric Hirschberg criticised the EA CEO’s comments, encouraging competitors to focus on development rather than talking negatively to the press. “Imagine if the head of DreamWorks …..Says he wants Toy Story to rot from the core.” It’s kind of hard to imagine right? We don’t hear other companies like Sony or Coke or McDonalds saying these kinds of things about their competitors. Saying that your product is superior and quoting specs is all part of the selling propaganda but comments such as these just sound downright childish. Hirschberg went on to say he wants nothing but the best for every company in the industry. He also believes the market is big enough to accommodate anyone capable of producing a great game. It’s not a fight someone has to lose for the other to win; both can benefit from each others success.
While I don’t side with either particular franchise I also don’t believe in childish unintelligent comments which are clearly motivated by greed, pride and market share.
Nothing spices up a potential handheld release like throwing some invading aliens into the mix. Or in this case it’s where the aliens already invaded and you are the resistance fighters struggling to survive against a superior force. The recently announced Resistance: Burning Skies for the PlayStation Vita has just had some screenshots released for it by Sony.
You can catch the screenshots below which if are anything to go by show how impressive the visuals on the PlayStation Vita will actually be. Of course there is always the chance these shots have been touched up a bit, but lets think optimistically for now. If you bought a Vita, would you want to get this game for it?
It’s a very merry half birthday for fans of new MMORPG on the block Rift, with developers Trion Worlds announcing a weeklong celebration to mark the first 6 months of the game’s life. Starting on August 25, Guardians and Kelari alike will be rewarded with special in game bonuses including extra XP and a (hopefully gift wrapped) surprise birthday present:
• Special Surprise Birthday Gift – Following the event, all active subscribers will receive a special in-game birthday surprise to commemorate the occasion!
• Bonus Experience – Your blood-lust is rewarded with bonus experience in both PvE and PvP
• Guild Bonus Experience – Swiftly level-up your guild with bonus XP granted for completing guild quests
• Big PvP Payouts – All warfronts and open-world PvP will grant extra Favor and Prestige
• A Plethora of Planarite – Sealing Telara’s rifts and combating the invasions will reward you with extra planarite
• Bonus Plaques & Marks – Increased chance for bonus Plaques of Achievement and Marks of Ascension in all dungeons and raids
Not a subscriber? No need to worry, there are goodies for you too. Namely one weeks free play for new or returning players, with no restriction on zones or levelling up. After the week is over Telara’s newest residents will have the option to purchase the game client for a reduced $4.99 (USD) if they pick up a subscription plan at the end of the week.
“We really wanted to do something fun and memorable for this amazing milestone,” said Scott Hartsman, RIFT Executive Producer. “What better way to say thanks than to kick the doors open and add even more rewards for our subscribers?”
It’s a great chance to check out a game that has already had over a million activations since release, and if it’s free, why not?
Konami has announced a new online service called myPES, which will allow players to upload scores and results from PES 2012 to their Facebook pages.
myPES was designed and produced with argonauten G2 (you can visit their website here), and is a Facebook application that will operate with PS3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC. Players can compare match stats, set up leagues or groups with friends on Facebook, and upload results from games played both online and offline. There are also rewards for using myPES, including in-game bonuses for specific goals being reached and also ones pertaining specifically to myPES.
The app will need to be installed via Facebook, and then connected to PES 2012 via the Personal Data settings. Unfortunately, there is no report so far that the app will come to handheld or PS2/Wii gamers.
PES 2012 is slated for release on September 27 (October 14 in Australia) for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Wii, PSP, and PS2 will be released on November 8.
Nothing brightens up the darkness like knowing that Death is out there, climbing walls and wielding very large weaponry to kill denizens of the other world. To help make it even better, THQ has released a slew of new Darksiders II screenshots and in them we see large weapons, some combat, a zombie king and even Death jumping on his zombieish horse named Despair.
You can catch all of the sceenshots below and Darksiders II itself when it is released in the middle of next year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and even the Wii U as the thing should be out by that point in time. No sign of the dual-wielding scythes this time however.
Many people are eagerly awaiting any news they can come upon regarding Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. It has been many many years since the original three games released on the PlayStation 2 and although there was an HD version of the titles released last holiday season, fans have been waiting to see where Sly and the gang will go from there.
At E3 we learned about the development of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and today we have some more screenshots from the title thanks to Gamescom which you can catch below. The development team behind this one is Sanzaru Games instead of Sucker Punch, but the title still looks like it will be very similar to what we experienced in Sly Cooper 3. But we’ll know for sure when Thieves in Time is released to the PlayStation 3 sometime next year.
Trackmania 2 Canyon is the latest title from Ubisoft owned Nadeo games. It’s a massively popular racing series, with nearly 10 million registered players. Despite no new releases from the franchise since 2008, there were still 700,000 people who connected in December 2010 – a huge credit to the developers emphasis on allowing players to create their own tracks and upload them to the world.
The full game is released on September 14, and has an updated game engine, better graphics and improved support for the online community. Players who pre-purchase it can get access to the beta, instantly opening up online multiplayer, the track and car editors, and the worldwide ranking system.
Gameplay
Online multiplayer is the only mode available in the beta, but it’s a whole heap of distraction until the full title hits! There are a couple of modes available, so players can either race head to head or jump into a lap time challenge. The servers at the moment are mostly lap time, and that’s where I have spent almost all of my play hours.
The set up is simple, race through a series of tracks and set your best lap time on each. Every track gets an allocated time slot depending on its length (usually 3-5 minutes) where you are free to restart and race as you see fit.
The driving feels fantastic, and damn it’s quick! I spent a lot of my first hour just flinging the car around corners and testing out the in game physics – which are perfect. The cars have a good weight to them and the handling is spot on – realistic without sacrificing playability. For all the simplicity of the controls (accelerate, brake, honk General Lee style horn) there is still a lot depth to the gameplay, getting the hang of drifting will do wonders for your times but there’s no way it will guarantee you a win. Some of the players here have been with Trackmania since 2003, and they are insanely good. There is an in game chat which so far is spam and troll free if you want to take a breather from the action, although it usually gets most use at the end of a session when the results appear.
The leaderboards are updated in real time, allowing you to keep track of in game times as well as overall world records. It’s brilliantly integrated and provides a great motivator to shave off that extra few tenths of a second (or in my case, lets you know that being last in a competition full of guys setting close to world record times isn’t so bad). Even without the competition element it’s just rewarding in itself – the gameplay is so fun it really doesn’t matter if you’re losing.
What may disappoint some is that there are no collisions between cars, but I think it’s a very wise choice given the style of the gameplay. With so many on track simultaneously, challenge would quickly turn to frustration as a dozen cars try to hit the same apex, or land one of the many jumps. Sure it would be fun to have a massive pile up, but no one would ever get anywhere. It keeps the focus on your driving skills rather than smashing stuff up. Saying that, smashing your own car is possible, and it’s pretty cool to see your bonnet go flying off as you barrel through a jump.
There are plenty of awesome moments to be had with this game, like a simple drift made sublime when you manage to slide through the tiny archway slap in the middle of it, or the huge leaps, requiring absolute perfection in the run up cornering so you have the speed to make it to the other side. Picky levels can be frustrating but there are spectacular crashes to be had as you come screaming round a corner and clip a well placed pillar, sending you spinning off track and into the canyon below.
The user made content is definitely Trackmania’s biggest selling point, and a clever way to ensure the longevity of the game. Every track is made from the included level editor, and the creativity on display already is pretty amazing. There are all sorts of combinations out there, sporting tunnels, high speed jumps, anti gravity wall runs and even a bit of platforming for good measure. Whilst it can be difficult to figure out where the heck you’re supposed to go, for the most part the published tracks are challenging and fun. Fortunately there is a level rating system which combines with the in race chat to make sure any dud tracks don’t last long in the listings.
The in game track editor is included in the beta. The full game will have a simplified version for the track building newbies, which left me with the advanced one for the moment. It’s only when you go into this and try it for yourself that you begin to understand the level of work that goes into building these tracks. I couldn’t even build a proper bridge, yet there are levels out there so complex and imaginative that it can sometimes take a minute to figure out what the heck just happened when you flew off that jump. Hopefully the basic editor will help get the uninitiated into Trackmania’s massive create and share community when the full game is released.
Also in the editing mix is the Car Painter, which allows you to do anything you like to the base car of the game. The stickers and brushes at first seem a bit basic, but if you put your mind to it you can manipulate them into anything you want using the scaling and rotation tools – there’s a full colour palette to play with too. There is currently only the one car model in the game, so it’s a nice touch that gives you a bit more ownership over your racer.
Presentation
The game looks stunning, and is easily one of the best looking racers I have ever seen. The realistic style adds to the sense of immersion, already pretty high thanks to the tight controls and great physics. Nadeo have always said that they try and keep their games optimised for everyone, and I had no trouble with graphical display or lag.
Other players are visible on track although they will disappear when a certain number is reached, and from what I’ve seen you can have around 20 players racing before this happens. A high number of vehicles can be a bit distracting, especially at the beginning of a session when all of the cars are in the same spot – you can lose sight of your own racer for a few precious seconds.
In terms of sound there is nothing particularly spectacular going on, cars crunch convincingly when they slam into barriers and the background music is fairly unobtrusive. There only seems to be one backing track, so hopefully there will be a bit more variation when the full game is released. Menus are clear and easy to navigate, and in race displays manage to handle a huge amount of information without ever getting in the way. Happily the rankings system is fully up and running, with Ladder Points that improve your overall standing awarded at the end of each course. You can see any track records you hold in-race and your worldwide ranking will show up at the end of level screens. From the game homepage you can see how you fare against other players from your country and state and there’s even a ranking table for countries- Poland rocks at this game!
Closing Comments
Trackmania 2 Canyon is fantastic fun. For a beta there are surprisingly few hiccups and the graphics and gameplay are incredibly well done. The editing tools are a great selling point which combined with the already enormous fanbase should ensure a huge amount of fresh and creative content . Nadeo also have a shooter and an RPG coming to join the ‘Maniaplanet’ and I for one can’t wait to try them out.
Now here is something interesting to consider. Do you ever get sweaty hands while you play your favourite game? It could be while you are in a middle of an intense multiplayer game or boss battle. If the answer is yes, then this might be the solution.
The guys at Bluemouth Interactive are introducing two new game controllers, one for the Playstation 3 and one for the Xbox 360 (which is officially licensed by Microsoft), are going to keep your hands cool and sweatless during those intense moments. Both controllers will feature:
• Patented Air Flo™ technology keep your grip cool!
• Built in fan with two speeds circulates up to 3.41 cubic feet of air per minute!
• Illuminated vents
• Ergonomically designed for comfort
• Dual rumble motors
The Playstation 3 will cost $39.95 while the Xbox 360 will be sold for $49.95. Check out the trailers for the Playstation 3 controller and Xbox 360 controller for more information. Also, check out the controllers below. They actually look nice. Expect a review soon.
