What kid hasn’t had a dream where they were Batman, or most recently the Joker. Unfortunately not all of us are backed by millions of dollars nor are clinically insane so we just have to do with being imposters of the real thing. Such is the case with Monolith’s Gotham City Imposters which will be released some point 2012.
If you don’t feel like waiting that long to play the crazy looking shooter than you may want to register for the closed beta that is going to be beginning next month. The registration for closed beta began today and you can enter here, though be warned that there are a limited amount of spots available so you aren’t guaranteed an invite. The platforms available for the beta test haven’t been specified but all three are selectable in the sign up process.
Despite what they may have said earlier, it seems that Bethesda won’t be able to continue their monthly release of Fallout: New Vegas DLC. This is because the final piece of content for the game, “Lonesome Road” which was originally meant for a late July release has been delayed due to circumstances beyond their control.
This news was revealed by senior producer Jason Bergman who explained in a Bethesda.com forum post that he wanted to let fans know that “due to circumstances beyond our control, Lonesome Road won’t be out this month.” He went on to say that they don’t have a set date at this point but they are working as fast as possible to get this content out to their fans. To make small amends they released the above image from “Lonesome Road” which shows the High Road highway as a pile of rubble.
Back when Nintendo announced the ambassador program, they also mentioned two release windows for Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land. As of today though, both titles have been given a more official date, so you 3DS owners can now start planning a pre-order.
Super Mario 3D Land will be the first out, with a nice November 13th release date. Mario Kart 7 comes just a few weeks later and right before Christmas on December 7th. With Starfox 64 3D just weeks away and Pokemon Rumble Blast hitting stores in October, it seems Nintendo certainly are banking on a big 3DS holiday season and these two big “holiday” hitters should be just enough to skyrocket sales for the handheld.
Despite there being little actual information released about Inversion, the game has actually been in development since 2009. This little blast from the past is back however because Namco Bandai and Saber Interactive have released a new trailer for the game where the control of gravity is right in the palm of your hands.
In this trailer we not only see the gravity manipulation mechanic which lifts enemies and cars off the ground and then smashing enemies with them, but we also see a bit of Inversion’s co-op mode. The multiplayer co-op mode will feature drop in and drop out gameplay which means there will be no interruption in gameplay for those hosting the game, which is a must for any co-op title in my opinion. Despite its long development process, Inversion will be released on February 7th next year on both the PS3 and 360.
In a bit of a swing from the usual multi-platform exclusivity that Microsoft and the Xbox 360 usually hold on content, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will have a multiplayer beta that will be made available on September 3rd exclusively on the PlayStation 3. The beta will be available to PlayStation Plus and UPlay members for the first week, and be available to all other users afterwards.
In the beta players will be able to play four different game modes on three separate maps and as nine characters. The game modes that will be available are Wanted, Manhunt, Deathmatch, and Artifact Assault while the maps players will be climbing and running all over are Knight’s Hospital, Antioch, Constantinople. Alongside this announcement Ubisoft also released a bit of a refresher course for the Assassin’s Creed storyline in case you forgot anything about the past three games. Catch the video below.
Looking forward to your next scary experience? Then you only need to wait a couple more weeks in America, as Hysteria Project 2, created by Bulkypix for Playstation Minis, launches on the Playstation Store on August 23, 2011. On the other hand, Europeans can buy the game now if they wish.
If your still unsure about purchasing it, check out the following video produced by Sanuk Games. Showing off what the game has to offer, the video challenges you with the following question: “Will you have the guts to take the ride?”
Will you be laying down a couple bucks to pick up this game of horrors?
Lego Universe has added a slew of awesomely epic content this week. First off, players will be able to level up to 40 in a brand new level progression system, and there is a ton of new achievements and awards to be earned as they try to achieve that rank. In addition, there are 4 new Faction kits available with “specialized Adventurer, Shinobi, Inventor and Space Ranger kits that are now available to players who have aligned with one of the four Nexus Force factions, and players are called upon to power up through three ranks to explore the new gear, powers and abilities.”
Equipment upgrades and new backpack items, plus other gear and added coop levels have also been released. Finally, a boss battle with a humongous beast can be fought in Avant Gardens. Check the screenshot above for more details on that, or check out this link for the full size picture..
“We love to challenge our LEGO Universe builders. We’re regularly adding new content and new bricks for players to continuously evolve and tap into their innermost creativity,” said Jordan Itkowitz, Design Director of LEGO Universe. “With the addition of the leveling system, we’re looking to inspire players to explore deeper into the universe, and tackle more difficult goals than they may have considered before.”
“Defeat the spiders!
Protect your property!
Save imagination!”
Will you be playing the original content soon? I know I hope to get back into it.
Overview:
Golf games have a history of being monotonous, tedious and at times just plain unexciting. Let’s Golf 3 had a lot of ground to cover, if it wanted to be a good game. It had to tear down the stigma attached to iPhone games of the sports genre as well as defy many peoples preconceptions about Golf games. Is Let’s Golf 3 up to par or is it another in a long line of mediocre golfing games?
Gameplay:
From the get go Let’s Golf 3 has something to prove, it is going to be a game with simple controls which provide a leisurely play-style that is easy to comprehend. It does so quite well with a very in depth tutorial explaining the swinging and aiming system, all of which is simply a touch away.
While the controls and overall gameplay are extremely simple and become second nature in little time, there is a great deal of unnecessary explaination and hand-holding. This is first evident in the tutorial, which lasted much longer than it really needed to be, without having an identifiable way of quitting (if there was a way I could not find it). This did not set a good first impression, but once it was over and I got to jump into the game my feeling of Let’s Golf 3 improved greatly.
That is until, I was unable to continue playing unless I either waited a few hours for my little points metre to automatically recharge or I purchased points with real currency. That is right, the game actually punishes you for investing time in the game by making you pay in either time or money. This was a complete and utter disappointment. It is completely sad that Gameloft had to throw in one of these money-grabbing tactics onto a perfectly good game.
Alongisde this disappointment is long loading screens, but they aren’t anywhere near as disappointing as the previously mention part of the game. Thankfully there are plenty of redeeming qualities here to make this atleast worth a purchase, such as an in depth character development system and lengthy single player campaign mode. Overall the gameplay is enjoyable, however it is undeniably held down by under-handed money grabbing tactics that completely halt the gaming experience and leave the player feeling more than a little exploited.
Visuals:
Graphically Let’s Golf 3 is beautiful. The environments are extremely well designed and are each interesting to both look at and play on. The characters are equally well designed and allow for much customisation of their appearance.
Overall Let’s Golf 3 is a visually impressive title for the iPhone, which matches it’s impressive gameplay. It is evident Gameloft put a great deal of effort into the development of the game. If only they did not let the game down in other areas as previously stated.
Audio:
The music in Let’s Golf 3 was a great mixture of poppy little tunes and and relaxing easy listening, that perfectly reflects the attitude and persona of the game. The sound effects are also well done, being very accuracte to real life golf noises. Also the characters voices are well acted for an iPhone game, which was a pleasant surprise. Gameloft once again do not let the player down in the audio department.
Conclusion:
In closing, Let’s Golf 3 is a solid title that would have been much better had it not relied on under-handed marketing tactics that halt gameplay completely. If it weren’t for the redeeming gameplay aspect (during the times you can play without having to pay to recharge your character) this game would undoubtedly have been a complete failure. Unfortunately though, due to this disappointment, it never breaks through into the echelon of greatness and thusly remains in the land of mediocrity. It’s a crying shame when a game as good of this is held back by such grave misteps in production.
Tank Battles Developer: Gameloft Publisher: Gameloft Genre: Shooter, Action Platform: PlayStation 3, Mac (Reviewed) Release: 11/8/2011 Price: $7.94
Overview
After some enjoyable success on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, Gameloft’s simple arcade multi-directional tank shooter Tank Battles is now seeing a release on the Apple Mac App store. Drawing heavy influence from the Atari 2600’s Combat, with a whole bunch of cool power ups thrown in. While the combat itself can be quite shallow, Tank Battles is presented beautifully, and the chaotic and hectic gameplay and extensive content should keep most entertained for quite some time.
Presentation
Tank Battles is a very polished and beautiful looking title, and it’s presentation is almost flawless. From the gameplay itself to even just the menus, everything about Tank Battles is filled with loveable character and personality. Even if the mechanics of the game doesn’t engage you, most likely you’ll at least be impressed by its presentation, as this game has been given some very attractive polish. The conclusion of each battle is a highlight, sporting a victory theme and attractive font and stats, similar to what you’d expect from Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros franchise. The best part of Tank Battles however is it’s surprisingly huge amount of content. While it only has 3 gameplay modes, it has an outstanding 50 maps, and most of them are varied out nicely so you won’t get too bored with them. Solid effort!
Gameplay
Tank Battles is a very simple, casual, pick-up-and-play game, which probably won’t appeal to your average hardcore gamer, which is a shame as Tank Battles can be quite fun. You might not of guessed this, but the object of Battle Tank Battles is to battle in a tank with other tanks. You’re thrown into an arena with three other tanks and you duke it out to the death, and the soul survivor wins and gets a nice fanfare.
There’s campaign mode is disappointing because its just a list of battles one after another until the end with no special objectives or storyline to make it any different from campaign mode, but it does give you the option to play it with a friend which is great, because the heart of Battle Tanks is it’s multiplayer which can be played both online with 4 people and locally with 2. There is a nice selection of power ups that come into play ranging from upgraded weapons to various forms of defensives, and with arenas including all sorts of twists such as conveyer belts and portals as well as land mines covering the place, a game can get pretty chaotic pretty quickly, providing an action-packed, fast-paced thrill ride which is best shared in multi-player. The chaos is further amplified by the fact that bullets can rebound of walls, so a little bit of strategy can come into play, although most of the time you’ll rely more so on reflexes than tactics.
Using your keyboard you move your tank around a field and drop land mines from a very Bomberman-styled birds-eye view, while aiming and firing your tank using either the keyboard or the mouse. The controls are very customizable, which is very useful and allows all types of gamers their own style of play, and even gives you the choice of using a gamepad, a nice addition. This is a great example of the entire package of Tank Battles-many nice additions included to make such a simple game engine appear more interesting than what it really is, which actually works well as the amount of time you’ll spend playing Battle Tanks is extended by exploring the wide range of 50 varied arenas while exploring different game types in battle mode and playing through the campaign, without feeling artificially dragged out. So if you enjoy the game, you’ll most likely spend a long time playing it as there is a lot of content to be explored. If your not a fan however, it won’t take long for you to realize that simple gameplay mechanics often means shallow and repetitive gameplay, and most likely you’ll just be playing it in short bursts rather than sitting down for long periods of time rather than having a fully engaging gaming experience.
Audio/Visual
Like the gameplay, Tank Battles’ graphics are quite simple. That isn’t to say they’re not good though. Battle Tanks is vibrant, bright and full of color, personality and charm, and is a pleasure to look at. Although you’re driving around in metallic god-fearing death machines, everything feels warm and looks pretty. The sound effects are decent, although the firing of bullets could’ve been better. The soundtrack is appropriate with patriotic trumpet fanfare throughout, with an upbeat vibe suited well to the gameplay, resulting in a fun, enjoyable atmosphere.
Conclusion
There have been a million games like Tank Battles in the past, and this title doesn’t do much to stand out from the pack, however, I’d say that this is easily the best multi-directional tank shooter I’ve played. The reason being for this is its remarkable polish and presentation. The game looks and sounds fun, so you have fun while playing it. The simple controls are likeable and provide a great multi-player experience, which is enhanced by it’s chaotic and hectic, fast-paced gameplay, and its impressive amount of maps will keep you playing for quite sometime. However, Battle Tanks is brought down sadly by its genre, as like most multi-directional shooters, gameplay can feel too simple and shallow, and can get very repetitive very quickly, especially if your playing alone. If your looking for an engaging, hardcore action title that’ll entertain you for months I’d suggest looking somewhere else, but if you’re a fan of the genre, Tank Battles is easy to recommend.
Since Capcom’s highly anticipated Resident Evil: Raccoon City shown at E3, fans of the survival-horror franchise have been eager to see more. Recently, a 30 minute video showing game play footage and demonstrating various aspects of game play has appeared on youtube via Capcom Unity’s channel, to give us a further taste of what’s to come. Check out the complete video below and feel infected by the zombie craze!
Unfortunately, the video isn’t of the best quality, but the footage does show off the game engine nicely. You can check out our impressions here and check out our interview with Product Marketing Manager Eric Monacelli here. The footage contains both cut scenes and in-game footage, so the experience is quote authentic.
