The original Zumba was one of 2010’s most successful releases, selling over 3 million copies to date. Majesco have plans to bring the sequel back to the Wii in November, but now with even more music for users to “shake their booty” to. Today it was announced that Pitbull, Nicole Scherzinger, and Yolanda Be Cool & DCup will all have their own tracks featured on Zumba 2. While it doesn’t sound like a whole lot, this is the first time a commercial artist has appeared in the Zumba Fitness series, which is a bit of a landmark on it’s own.
Nicole Scherzinger’s track “Poison” will be featured as an “exclusive Zumba remix”, Pitbull will bring his song “Pause”, and Yolanda Be Cool & DCup’s million seller “We No Speak Americano” has also been added in for player’s to work up a sweat to.
With all the fans out there of the Zumba program, adding in commercial hits is surely a move that will please all and it will certainly be interesting to see how well Zumba 2 performs on the Wii in November as well as the “mystery platform” it will land on in early 2012. For now though, you can check out the two new screens that Majesco released below.
In the final developer diary from id Software, they talk about how they created the artwork and the sounds that we will be hearing when RAGE is released. The diary was released earlier today by Bethesda and the unsung heroes behind the sound and art of the game are here to let us know about their craft. Despite the fact that RAGE takes place in a desolate wasteland, the game’s setting and enemies are very impressive, perhaps the best of the year so far.
Of course the sound of a wasteland is just as important as the destruction that we are seeing and it seems that the developers have done a great job with that according to this diary. Everything from gunfire to the sound of your feet walking on the sand has been modeled to the highest quality. We’ll see how true these claioms are when the game is released in just a few months on October 4th for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
Just after recently announcing DLC for Worms 2: Armageddon for PSN, Team 17 has released the debut trailer for Worms: Ultimate Mayhem for XBLA, PSN and Steam. Calling it “the definitive 3D Worms game”, Team 17’s latest venture with the franchise takes the classic formula into 3D, creating a new dimension in tactics and strategies. Sporting 70+ single-player missions and challenges, both local and online multi-player for up to 4 players with 5 multi-player modes, customisable worms and weapons, fully destructible environments and of coarse, Achievements/Trophies, perhaps this game really could be the definitive 3D worms title!
To make things even better, Worms: Ultimate Mayhem is basically two games in one, as you can battle and puzzle your way through all the classic missions from both Worms 3d and Worms 4: Mayhem. It doesn’t stop there though, because Team 17 have also included HD visuals to see all of that wormy goodness we love, gameplay enhancements as well as new additional content, Worms: Ultimate Mayhem is sure to be one hell of a blast!
Worms: Ultimate Mayhem is coming soon to Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Steam.
Mad Catz Interactive has announced they have made an agreement with Harmonix Music Systems, to re-release Rock Band 3 this holiday season. The re-release will see Rock Band 3 bundled with the Rock Band 3 Wireless Keyboard Controller, Wireless Fender, Stratocaster, Guitar Controller and Wireless Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller, an instrument controller which allows gamers to learn to play real guitar and bass parts for all of Rock Band 3’s long list of 83 songs and will be released regularly as downloadable PRO-Guitar content.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Darren Richardson stated on the agreement:
“We are pleased to assume publishing responsibilities for Rock Band 3 this holiday season. Rock Band is the ultimate interactive experience for any music fan, whether they’re looking for a great party game to share with friends, playing through Rock Band’s 3000 plus song library, or seeking out a fun way to learn guitar, drum or keyboard skills using Rock Band 3’s PRO Mode.”-Darren Richardson
Worms 2: Armageddon DLC has blasted it’s way onto the PlayStation Network! From Team 17, this double dose of destruction includes the Worms 2: Armageddon Puzzle Pack and the Worms 2: Armageddon Forts Pack.
The Puzzle Pack offers 20 single-player puzzle based missions, with 12 Trophies to unlock, a new theme and a selection of new hats, gravestones and speech-banks. Meanwhile, the Forts Pack is more destruction-based, with 20 new fort based missions, 10 new forts, 12 unlockable Trophies and new team options to customise your team.
The Worms 2: Armageddon Puzzle Pack and The Worms 2: Armageddon Forts Pack have both wriggled their way to the PlayStation Store in both the U.S. and Europe, and are now currently available to download for $4.99 each.
Overview
Eternal Legacy has lived a successful life on iOS devices for a while now, and has scoredfavorable reviews. Still today, it reigns as arguably one of the most polished and prettiest-looking titles on the iPhone, and the first 3D RPG title on the iPhone. Many were blown away by the high quality on such a small device, and now the game is seeing a port to the Mac app store. However, the Mac is a much more powerful device than the iPhone, so can the magic of Gameloft’s mobile game still amaze us on our home computer? Read on to find out!
Presentation
Just as it is on iOS devices, Eternal Legacy is a pleasure to look at and exceeds in presentation. A truly well-polished game that is a pleasure to look at. However, Eternal Legacy doesn’t deliver in all aspects. Characters are mostly have one-sided personalities and are supported with voice acting that ranges from average to terrible, making it hard to fall in love the characters. While the storyline itself is interesting, it unfortunately isn’t told very well as it could’ve been, with clumsy dialogue and unexciting cut scenes. They are bearable however, and for iPhone and Mac App store standards they are wonderful, but don’t expect anything that’ll out do anything RPGS from your current generation home console.
Gameplay
Eternal Legacy is pretty simple for an RPG title, which should be appealing to casual gamers and new comers to the genre. However, it may be too simple for the typical RPG fan, depending on taste. Combat is turn-based and works like you would expect from a game like this, with the obvious choices of attack, skill, item and of coarse run away as options. A nice feature has been included to speed up the game play is that you can cue attacks in a list while waiting for your turn to attack. While this is a nice feature to have, the lack of ability to cancel a selected move in the cue can ruin your strategy in some battles, so it is ill advised. Another interesting feature that has been included to mix things up is an auto-attack system, where all members of your party are controlled by the AI except for the main character. The AI actually is done quite well, and will often do well-planned attacks and heal you at the right times. The catch to this however, game play does get quite boring when using this feature, as just controlling one character deletes almost all forms of strategy and just becomes repetitive really fast. Thankfully, there is an option to turn this off and switch to full party control, but the choice to make this the default option does seem odd, as the game is much more enjoyable without it. There is also another option to choose the class/combat style of each fighter during combat, although in all honesty it doesn’t affect the game play much. During battles, effects do look nice and there is a nice selection of moves to learn, each with interesting camera angles and combos that keep the battles adrenaline-filled and fun.
The other half of the game you’ll spend exploring the beautiful world of Algoad. There is a full 360-degree camera that is fully controllable which is a nice addition, although at some times it may seem clunky, it usually works well. Players also get the option to use either the mouse or the keyboard as for controls, which is nice; however unfortunately there are no options to edit these controls. Another stand out feature of Eternal Legacy is the monsters you battle against are shown in the world environment and are avoidable, rather than randomly generated which I’m sure some gamers will appreciate. These are swell addition and its nice to see it implanted into the game, but the way they are animated and quickly pacing back and forth like a turtle from a Super Mario game does seem odd. Of coarse throughout your quest you do have side quests, but these are generally quite simple and involved very little exploration or challenge and end up being more or less just fetch quests, which is unfortunate.
Graphics
Eternal Legacy is a pleasure to look at and provides some wonderful eye candy throughout. The game looks just as great as it did on the iPhone if not better, with wonderful textures and vibrant colors. Whilst it may not be the most realistic game out, it looks as good as one of the better PlayStation 2 titles, and rivals many early Wii games. The blend of of sci-fi and fantasy looks wonderful and both character models and environments are filled with detail. Spells and effects catch your eye and camera angles in battle highlight the adrenaline-filled attacks. Not all camera angles are as amazing though, as most talking scenes contain eye-level shots that have you face to face with the character which can feel awkward. To make matters worse, the voice acting is not synced with the characters’ lips which just loop with nodding heads, much like what you’d expect from an older PlayStation 2 title. On seldom occasions the characters’ lips don’t move at all, and their heads just nod which seem very out of place. Also, occasionally graphics may flicker, which is unfortunate, but not a big problem as it doesn’t really disconnect you from the game.
Audio
One of the biggest downsides however is the unfortunate voice acting. While a few characters are done decently, the majority of NPC’s have terrible voices. As previously mentioned, lip-syncing is also an issue, however as this was originally an iPhone title, simply including voices and lip syncing is an impressive feature to have. If this is ever a problem for you though, there is an option to turn it off which is nice, although they aren’t so bad you’ll want to. Background music and sound effects however are a treat, and sound wonderful, as there are a few tunes that are quite catchy and feel very engaging.
Verdict
Eternal Legacy isn’t the greatest RPG ever made, but is a worthy addition to the genre, as a positive step towards the future of RPG’s in both the app stores of iOS devices and Mac. It’s impressive quality, length, price and polish make it a worthy title to anyone’s gaming collection, and it sets a standard for future RPG’s on its platforms. However, while its simplicity may be enjoyable to casual gamers and newcomers to the genre, it may not satisfy hardcore RPG fans. Furthermore, voice acting could use some major work in some cases and the story could defiantly be more engaging. That being said, Eternal Legacy doesn’t have that much competition at the moment, and I doubt it’ll have much to fear for a while now as it is quite a solid and enjoyable game. A wonderful port that is definitely worth checking out, and the best RPG I’ve played from the Mac App Store, but I’m sure the Mac is capable of a lot more. For under $8 though-this one’s a beaut!
PROS
-Simple, Pick-Up-And-Play Controls and Game Engine
-Decent Graphics and Wonderful Textures
-Decent length
-Well-executed turn-based combat system
-Great Polish
-Lots of Content
CONS
-Gets repetitive, especially side quests
-Storyline is decent, but isn’t told as well
-Some bad voice acting
-Plays it a bit too safe
-Can’t use spells outside of battles
More Disgaea news here, confirming that Disgaea 3 Returns, which was announced a few days ago, will be available at launch on the Playstation Vita. This was confirmed at the Akihabara Denkigai Festival, which was held today, via Famitsu.com. This was the only information released at the festival.
A teaser of the game, as well as a teaser site, has also been released, sometime after the announcement. The teaser mentions that the game will have 20 additional characters, 40 additional BGM and will support Trophies. Check it out here.
Amazon Japan is taking pre-orders of the game. They price it at 6,090yen, which is a bit higher than the standard PSP price, but that is no surprise. The release date on the page states TBA 2011.
Funimation Entertainment has released a trailer for the English dub version of Eden of the East II: Paradise Lost.
The upcoming film, is the second and final film to follow the Eden of the East anime TV series. It will also conclude the series. Eden of the East tells the story of Takizawa Akira as he becomes entangled in a high-stakes game, with the goal to save Japan.
Eden of the East II: Paradise Lost is set to be released in the US later this month. Madman will also be releasing it throughout Australia this October. Check out the trailer below and leave a comment with your thoughts.
Following the announcement of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica video game adaptation for the Playstation Portable, more details have be released surrounding the hotly anticipated PSP title.
Details surrounding the gameplay of the title have been revealed. The game will feature two sections of gameplay inter-connected, with an “adventure part” and a “dungeon part”. The latter being as you’d imagine the dungeon crawler section of the title. The former of which will feature a story which retells that of the anime series of which the game is adapted.
Also revealed where several screenshots of the title which show off the games unique visual style, which reflects the anime’s iconic imagery as well as displaying some shots of the dungeon crawling section.
Finally, also with all these details revealed was the announcement of a limited edition version of the game will be available, jam packed full of goodies. The limited edition version titled “Limited Contract Box” comes packed with the following:
Figma Model of protagonist Madoka
A special edition Blu-ray Disc
Plush Kyubei shaped pouch
HomuHomu handkerchief
Special themed card
SHAFT designed special edition Box
Or if you are more into eye candy, here is a picture of what’s included in the “Limited Contract Box”.
Madoka Magica PSP is slated for release on March 25th, 2012 in Japan and is being published by Bandai Namco Games. Pre-orders are now being taken in Japan. Please leave a comment below with your thoughts on this truck-load of information on Madoka Magica PSP.
id Software and Bethesda have released some of the more interesting panels to come out of QuakeCon onto the internet. These panels are titled: First Person Perspective, Community Managers: Unmoderated! and, lastly, John Carmack’s Annual QuakeCon Keynote.
These are some particularly interesting panels, though, of particular interest, is John Carmacks keynote. The Keynote goes through some of the most depth in game design and is a must watch for any upcoming game designer, or of anyone who has interest in how it is that their games work.
You will be able to view these videos embedded below.
