Just yesterday Sony revealed that their PlayStation Vita won’t be released in North America nor Europe this year as we were hoping originally. Instead these two regions of the world will be getting it some point in 2012, but at what time has never been stated, and most likely still will not be for awhile.
However Japanese gamers will still be getting the handheld sometime in 2011, and they will also know when they will be getting it in only a few months. That is because the release date for the PlayStation Vita will be revealed at Tokyo Game Show. VG247 found that SCEJ President Hiroshi Kawano says they already have a date “finalized” so this news will most likely end up being leaked out eventually.
Quakecon is in full swing, and Bethesda have already made a major announcement at the event concerning the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as the limited edition of the game was revealed. Those who decide to shell out the $149.99 for this special set will be treated to a vast amount of goodies with a statue, a 200 page art book, a “making of Skyrim” DVD. I honestly am pretty pumped as I know if you are like me, you have been waiting for this edition to be announced before placing that pre-order.
Here are the full list of details for those who want some specifics:


The Alduin statue – Created in conjunction with the IP Factory, the collector’s only statue stands 12″ tall and was modeled from actual in-game 3D digital files.
The Art of Skyrim – Featuring over 200 pages of full-color illustrations, sketches and models, the 9 3/8″ x 12 1/8″ coffee table book showcases the characters, creatures, environments and weaponry of Skyrim.
The Making of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim DVD – Contains exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage, including interviews with the Bethesda Game Studios team as they take you from concept to creation and provide insights into the story, gameplay, setting and legacy of the Elder Scrolls franchise.
Not too shabby if you have the cash for it. As you all know, Skyrim releases on 11-11-11 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, which means we are just a little over 3 months before the big release date. You also can now pre-order this set on Amazon, with Gamestop set to start taking reserves tomorrow.
So what do you think of this deluxe edition? Worth it?
Despite previously announcing that Twisted Metal would be able to make its release date of October 4th, David Jaffe is now saying that they are going to miss that date and then some because the title has now been pushed back to an early 2012 release. Jaffe says that “with this extra time for tuning and polish – the game is going to be so much better than it already is” but that is a long time to put some turtle wax on Sweet Tooth’s ice cream truck.
On the other hand it is always preferable when a company takes the time to make sure that the product they are releasing is as flawless as it possibly could be. Jaffe understands this too, as a statement on the PS Blog says that the fans “only deserve our best and we appreciate your understanding as we take a little more time to guarantee that our best is what we deliver.” With as many years as its been since the last true Twisted Metal title, I’m sure fans can wait just a little bit longer to blow each other up in vehicular combat.
It’s always a bit interesting when a publisher releases a new website and all that website is at the moment is a huge teaser. The publisher responsible for the latest teaser is Namco Bandai and it has released a new website with the name “New Title” which provides absolutely zero hints to what it could be pertaining to.
The website itself is nothing more than the image above, a beautiful looking lake at night with birds flying and very calming music. The music itself is certainly peaceful to listen to, and doing so right now makes me want to fall asleep, but beyond that we are also given a Japanese quote. The quote was translated by Siliconera and roughly says “I, who began to run, still wasn’t aware.” Any guesses as to what this game could be?
Arkedo, Pastagames and Sanuk Games are releasing JUMP!, SWAP!, and PIXEL! for the Playstation 3 soon.
JUMP! is a platformer wherein you must “collect bombs before they blow up, while avoiding nasty little bats, 2-way powered crabs, sharp stalactites, spikes from hell, and a bunch of other oddities.” Described as truly old school, the games has no continues. Once you die, you restart.
SWAP! is a match 4 game that features bonus blocks, combos and other exciting puzzle elements. A challenge mode will also be included.
The best part of this announcement is that all 3 games will have trophy support! All 3 intense game are priced at€1.99/$2.49/£1.74 each. You can also play these games now through the Xbox Live Indie service. Which game will you get?
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Supergiant Games today announced that Bastion,  is coming to Windows PC this month on August 16th. Offering high-resolution graphics and an all-new PC control scheme, the game will be available for £14.99 on Steam (currently available for pre-order) before becoming available on other popular PC portals later this month.
It’s been well decorated since its release on Xbox Live Arcade, a received a perfect 10 from us in our Xbox 360 review of the game, so it’s fantastic news for PC owners without access to an Xbox 360.
The PC version of Bastion will be available DRM-free and include Steamworks support for Cloud saves, achievements, and leaderboards (Steam version only).
2K Sports have released a reveal trailer for the latest game mode to grace the NBA 2K franchise: “NBA’s Greatest”, which will be playable in NBA 2K12
NBA’s Greatest mode will feature over 15 historic NBA teams and their greatest players, including Michael Jordon, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Larry Bird. These legendary players and classic teams can all be unlocked to create matchups against any current NBA franchise, proving for an interesting mix between contemporary and classic basketball.
Instead of taking our word for it though, check out the reveal video down below. While the video doesn’t show much actual gameplay, it’s still a great sneak peek at some of the players behind the title – and some of the graphics.
NBA 2K12 will be released worldwide on October 4, 2011, and will be available for Playstation 3 and Xbox360.
Eugen Systems, creators of strategy game RUSE, are busy working away on a new game called Wargame: European Escalation and have now presented the official website of the game. To celebrate the opening of the website, they have also unveiled new images for the strategy game.
It will be a real-time strategy game like RUSE, with the developers clearly sticking to their strenghts, and from the screen it’s looking good for wannabe war generals. The official website will be full of information about the game set to release later this year on PC –Â check it out here:Â Visit the official website
For someone who has never been good at real-life bowling, I always delight in bowling game apps that allow me to pretend like I can actually get numerous strikes in a row. So when I saw this combined with the arcade-fighting juggernaut Tekken I knew it was definitely worth a go.
Gameplay
There are two different games, the standard bowling video game and the puzzle mode. The standard mode has the basic mechanics of most bowling games – you move where your character is placed, adjust your aim and finally the power of the throw. You can play either one or two-player in standard mode, which gives it more value as one-player gets old quickly.
Puzzle mode adds something to an app that would have been left wanton. It has a series of puzzles in which you have to knock down all the pins with a given amount of bowling balls. It ranges in difficulty, with some puzzles requiring a few tries and others being painfully easy. The method of bowling changes with puzzle mode, in which you select where to send the ball on a radar display. It simplifies the method so that the necessary curving shots aren’t as much of a pain.
There are three playable characters that all have different power and range. Xiaoyu – as the female – has the least power but the biggest range and easier accuracy with a slow moving marker. At the other end of the spectrum, Panda has almost no range and a huge amount of power, playing with him feels like playing with the bumpers up because he still manages to knock out half the pins even if you aim at the very edge of his range. In the middle of those two, Jin has a balance of both aspects although this seems to just make him the most difficult character because he doesn’t have the ‘bumper effect’ of Panda, or the easy accuracy of Xiaoyu.
The issue I have with this app is that it seems to grant you strikes at random, some shots will be dead on and miss a few pins, others will be off and manage to knock down all the pins. The game seems to possess its own version of physics that favours people who are just slightly off in their aim.
In puzzle mode the radar-system requires some getting used to because the logical placement of a ball on the radar doesn’t always translate as well in practice. The most difficult part of the puzzle levels wasn’t the logic behind them but just managing to put those shots into practice. It involves a frustrating trial-and-error when it comes to certain puzzles and adjustments done millimetre by millimetre until hitting the sweet spot.
Audio
The soundtrack is like gym workout music on crack and doesn’t match the pace of the game at all; it revs you up for an exciting action-packed event that never happens. The characters grunt like tennis players when they take their shot, except for Panda who growls (which Tekken seems to think is what pandas do).
When you go through the menu there’s a whole range of hitting noises to accompany your selections, I guess because they thought they should at least bring the allusion of fighting to the game by inserting a few spare fighting sound effects anywhere they could. And just in case you miss hitting a pin the game won’t let you forget it because the music will cut to a comical ‘wah wahh’ to assure you that you did, in fact, fail.
Visual
The graphics are surprisingly good. The characters are recognisable, the environment has been given a decent amount of attention and almost a scary amount of time has been spent on the detail of Jin’s back muscles. Overall, the graphics are superior to most available on the iOS.
Every so often you are reminded of the fact that this is based off an arcade fighting game when you bowl a strike or finish a puzzle level and there is a short animation. Not a spare, a strike. Apparently spares aren’t worth the extra animation.
Conclusion
This has a little more weight to it than most bowling apps, but its relevance to Tekken is questionable. It was probably made to incite some Tekken nostalgia, which probably would have been more effective if more than three characters had been included. It’s the sort of game that you go into not expecting much and it fulfils that while also surpassing it to a degree. However, it is free and does make for a good time waster while on public transport as long as you aren’t too vocal about your frustration with just missing that last pin on a puzzle level. Just make sure to play it on silent.
Microsoft’s “Summer of Arcade” is in full swing, and one of the most anticipated games from the selection this year has been without a doubt the artsy Metroidvania title, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. In this title, the player must explore a beautiful landscape as a lone flying saucer, solving mind-bending puzzles and taking down a large variety of enemies along the way. This little alien controlled ship is also beaming with many useful gadgets, which all play a pivotal part in the gameplay. So how well does this little game live up to it’s hype? Here is my review for Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet for the Xbox Live Arcade.
Story
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet doesn’t really have too much of a story, but there still is enough substance understand your mission on this journey. The game starts out with a brief cutscene with an alien who watches his home planet become swept in a mass darkness. Unable to just stand around and watch this destruction happen, he quickly boards his small flying saucer and returns to fight this evil before it gets too out of control. Aside from a few brief cutscenes throughout the game, we really don’t get to know much of our brave little protagonist. With that said, I still found the main character’s small backstory to play well with the theme of the game, as the veil of mystery surrounding this little alien is just as mysterious as the stunning world you are to explore.
Even though there was no dialogue or a true personality for our little friend in his small flying saucer, I still understood his motives as Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet lets the atmosphere tell the story and succeeds in doing so exceptionally well. Much like Metroid (in which this game borrows a lot from), the sense of being alone is felt throughout the whole experience and the mystery of what lies ahead keeps the player immersed for the entire ride. It’s not exactly an original formula for a plot, but I felt it still complimented the exploration element of the game and made me want to progress further, searching every nook and cranny of each area in the process.
Gameplay
As I mentioned, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet borrows a lot from Metroid, as the core gameplay style is based on exploration and backtracking. Using the little spaceship provided, the main objective of each stage is to find a path to the next area and simply move on while destroying any enemies that get in the way. Due to how large the map is and the vast amount of twisted paths one could take, it is easy to get lost in all of the madness, but thankfully at the press of a button one can instantly be pointed into the direction they need to go with a full stage view of the entire level at hand.
Controlling your ship is quite simple, as players can easily move around with the left analog and utilize any tools or weaponry with a combination of the right stick and the trigger buttons. Starting out, your ship has a lone scan utility that gives hints on how to overcome an obstacle or barrier. As you progress however, you quickly get new several new tools that act as forms offense, defense and interactivity. Players are eventually equipped with the likes a ray gun, missiles, a mechanical claw, and a buzzsaw, just to name a few.
While exploration is the main ingredient of the gameplay, this tool set is the most important and is also what sets the game apart from other titles of the same genre. As you would expect, the ray gun can take out several enemies that block your path, but other items in this spaceship’s arsenal have more than one use. The most prominent is the claw, which can be used to pick up rocks, items, or anything else you can grasp with it’s tiny pincher. Sometimes the game will need you to carry an item from point A to point B to unlock a certain corridor or activate a switch of sorts, but the claw can also be used to grasp onto the environment when a strong wind or current is sweeping your small ship away. The buzzsaw is a very strong tool that can take out certain enemies or dig a path to a new part of the level. I think that is one things enjoyed most throughout the game, as each time you get a new upgrade, it is both rewarding and exciting to see all of the things your new attachment can do.
Of course these tools and attachments wouldn’t be necessary if you couldn’t put them to good use, so thankfully a vast amount of puzzles can be found within each level that allow for just that. The puzzles within ITSP are usually environmental, where you must utilize a tool to overcome an obstacle or open up a new path. For instance, if a few pebbles are blocking the way, you can use the claw to quickly fling the stones to the side or use the buzzsaw to plow right through. Samus would also be jealous of the missile mechanic within this title, as the “missile switches” are usually tucked away in a narrow and twisted path. Since missiles are self-guided, the player must use full concentration to hit the said target with the right stick alone, which offers a refreshing challenge and a fulfilling pay-off everytime.
Puzzles are not all about hitting switches and opening new paths though, as certain enemies require much more thought than simply firing a few shots to a weak point to actually defeat. For example, one boss has weak points that are covered with a swarm of insect-like creatures. To overcome this, the player must get an orb, light it with an aura that projects from the walls of the level and lure the insects away. Clever mechanics like this are found throughout the entirety of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, which puts more of an emphasis on planning and strategy before the typical running and gunning.
Whether you are someone who is keen on exploration or a full blown completionist, the large amount of collectibles, hidden upgrades, and secrets beg for multiple playthroughs and with such a beautiful world to traverse, it shouldn’t be too hard for any gamer to quickly be sucked back in to this shadowy world all over again. A co-operative multi-player mode by the name of “Lantern Run” also offers a nice change of pace where players must protect lanterns from a large foe for as long as possible. It isn’t too substantial, but this mode does allow for that viewer that may be in awe of the experience to get in on the action right along side the player for some quick fun.
Graphics/Audio
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet features 2D visuals crafted by animator Michel Gagne and his hard work shows with every enemy and new environment you encounter. Each area features a somewhat different theme of sorts which provides a bright and colorful backdrop. When the shadowy figures are moving in the foreground, the combination of the black and pastel color is truly an amazing sight that is like sweet, blissful candy for the eyes.
The animation is in my opinion what truly made the visuals pop, as while you are exploring, the well-detailed environment is alive with constant movement. With nearly every aspect of each level being interactive, I spent a good time just taking my claw and literally picking at the stage’s uniquely designed fauna with new animations unfolding before my eyes. Enemies and even your dimly lit spaceship all compliment this art style, adding more depth to the overall atmosphere of the game.
While there is some impressive music to be found in cutscenes, the actual game possesses no soundtrack whatsoever. I guess this was done to help give off the feeling of loneliness to the game, but I couldn’t help but think how far a small and graceful track would have gone to add in some emotion to the experience. The ambient sounds of enemies and the world itself make up for this somewhat though. Your ship sounds as a small flying saucer should, and the sounds coming from the environment provide a nice ambient feel that tie well into the strong visuals.
Overall
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet lives up to it’s name in every single way. Players get to explore a rich environment that is simply breathtaking. To add to this, the puzzles found within are all very clever and unique to their own, giving a large variety to the gameplay and letting players conduct different strategies to overcome obstacles. A lot of the ideas may be a bit borrowed, but I honestly want to say that in many cases, this game reinvents those concepts with it’s intuitive design and mechanics. If you plan on picking up any “Summer of Arcade” game this year, mark Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet high on the list as it is one title that goes above and beyond to capture the player’s full attention from beginning to end.
