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.
In a bundle at $49.95, Splinter Cell fans will be able to purchase Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell Pandora’s Tomorrow and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory from the Playstation Network. The titles have been remastered into full HD, which should be appeasing for both the most hardcore fan, and those looking to pick up the original titles but either can’t find them, or dislike the lower visual fidelity associated with them. They are also being released with stereoscopic 3D!
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: You are Sam Fisher, the best field operative of a secretive NSA subagency, sent to carry out desperate missions.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow: Return as Sam Fisher and wage a one-man war against an Indonesian terrorist network.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory: Imagine what would happen if someone could crash the Asian stock market, blackout New York or take control of ballistic missiles with a simple algorithmic code? You must find this person at any cost or the chain of chaos will become unstoppable.
Be sure to check out the playstation network to pick up on this amazing deal.
Developer: Sega Distributor: Sega Genre: Sports Platform: PC (Reviewed), Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Price: $39AU (Buy Now\Steam)
Virtua Tennis 4 does an amazing job of making a sport, that many would argue as boring, into a fun and accessible package. Over the course of the game, players will be able to compete in tournaments, verse living tennis legends and build their own character as they battle through the ranks to become number one.
Gameplay
Virtua Tennis 4 plays as you would expect for a Tennis game. You have one team of tennis players on one side of a net, with another team on the otherside. Teams generally consist of one or two members. Player one, in any single player event, will always get the first serve. Each player on the tennis court will try and hit a ball into the opposing teams field in order to win.
Now, this seems like it would be an easy thing to do, but, some of your opponents throughout the game can be a little tricky with their handling of the ball. I found that thinking of a strategy before going into a match is a must if you intend to win on more than luck.
The game has many gameplay modes such as: World Tour, Arcade, Exhibition, Practice, Party, Online and My Club. Each gameplay mode is it’s own thing, but they all revolve around tennis in some way.
World Tour mode is a kind of Board Game that follows your journey from a newcomer to the tennis sport to your (hopeful) triumph over the tennis world. It is possible to make it to the end of this gametype without actually winning. I quite liked that aspect of the game, as it keeps you on your toes as well as allowing you to feel the defeat that so many actual tennis players feel. In World Tour mode, you must become qualified in order to compete in the larger events. This means that you will need to attend as many smaller events as you possibly can in order to earn stars. If you play particularly bad throughout the game, you will miss a lot of the minor tournaments and have to compete in the major tournaments from the very bottom. The World Tour mode is also a gametype that has you managing your own condition. Condition is basically your ability to play well within a match. As you progress through the board, your condition will worsen so you must train regularly to build your overall condition, as well as get plenty of rest in order to keep your condition at its best. The condition feature is one that I did not like about the game. I found that condition loss was too prevalent in major tournaments and that by the time you were in the finals you would have no condition left and would be basically going into the match on a broken ankle.
Arcade mode is pretty much as it sounds, you play through a series of tournaments in order to win. In Arcade mode, you can choose from a wide array of living tennis legends, or as your own custom tennis star that you have been using in World Tour mode. This gametype can also be completed with other players, which is a nice addition to the gametype.
Party mode is a group of minigames designed to be played with multiple players playing the game. The minigames seem to be centered around the training games found in the World Tour mode of the game. I actually rather enjoyed these minigames as a whole and as individual units. One minigame has you running around hatching chicken eggs while avoiding cannonballs, while another will have you playing hot potato with a bomb. The minigames are incredibly fun and offer some quick enjoyment solo, or some competitive fun in a group.
Exhibition matches are fully customisable games of tennis. In this mode you do not have to worry about completing tournaments or doing minigames, it’s just straight-up tennis. Select the gamemode, mess with the options, decide how many players are going to be in the match, select characters and then play some tennis.
In online mode, you verse other players online. What I particularly liked about about online mode is that the game will match you up against a computer controlled opponent until a challenger is found. This means that players will not be left on a waiting screen for an opponent and are also able to practice before a match.
Throughout the game players collect coins that can be used to enhance their characters play-styles and appearance. These are purchased and modified in the My Club area of the menu. There are many modifications to choose from, from apparel to different strikes. I absolutely love character customisation in this game, and it’s pretty in-depth for a game that you would not expect to even have this feature.
Okay, now we can actually talk about the important aspects of the gameplay, like the controls. Unless it is absolutely your last option, do not use the default keyboard control scheme. I recommend playing this game with an Xbox360 controller or a similar high-quality gamepad. The keyboard does not feel right at all, and I actually performed worse with the device than if I was using a controller. Of course, individual players have their own preferred playing style, I myself prefer KB/M controls most of the time, but in this case, the controller felt a lot more natural and easier to pick up on.
That isn’t to say that the controls for this game are perfect using a controller. I frequently found myself hitting the power-strike button only to find my dude was using a normal strike. I have no idea if this is expected behaviour, but, it was a little frustrating.
Other gameplay mechanics that I liked is this one where you get this guage you fill as the tennis match goes on. When you fill it, you’re able to do a kind of special strike, which may assist you in your match and potentially win it for you. Having strikes like these are a great implementation and keep matches interesting, especially if you’ve messed with the match options and you’re playing for a really long time.
Graphics
Virtua Tennis 4 is a visual delight, though, it is quite evident that it was developed with the graphical prowess of consoles in mind. I wouldn’t say that the graphical quality hurts the PC version of the game any, and it does keep the entry level for customers quite low, with players on older hardware able to play this game. Not only that, the game runs very fluidly at 60 frames per second (with the exception of some parts of the game, where it has noticibly been cut in half for what appears to be no technical reason), which keeps the flow of tennis very smooth. Like water.
One thing that I disliked in this game was that some characters in the World Tour mode have 3D images of themselves, while others have 2D cutouts. I’m not a tennis enthusiast, so I don’t know if the rendered characters are original players made for the game, or are actual tennis stars, and having the two different displays adds a certain level of confusion as to whether or not these are representations of actual players or not.
Obviously, Virtua Tennis 4 was developed by SEGA and as such carries that kind of SEGA feel across its interface. It’s kind of hard to describe, but it is very obviously done by SEGA and it certainly feels that way. It’s an incredibly hard thing to describe, you’ll have to see it or experience it for yourself, but you’ll immediately know what I mean.
Audio
Virtua Tennis 4 has an amazing soundtrack that no doubt adds to the overall fun experience presented in this package. The soundtrack is a techno/electronic soundtrack, but it isn’t the heavy stuff that you’d expect to hear at raves. It fits the game quite well and I absolutely loved it.
The sound of a Tennis ball hitting a racket may not seem to be something worth talking about, but I actually found the effect to be pretty well done. I mean, in a tennis game, hearing that one sound over and over again could drive some people mad, but it didn’t bother me at all and I don’t think anyone will really complain about it or really notice it. It’s one of those things that if it wasn’t there, you’d immediately be able to tell that something was off. As with the tennis ball, all the sound effects in this game are amazingly well done and the sound team should be commended for their efforts.
Story
Virtua Tennis 4 doesn’t feature too much of a story outside of the World Tour mode, and even that is pretty lite. You’re a tennis player and you have to work your way up to become the grand champion, that’s about it.
Along the road to becoming champion you’ll meet other tennis legends and some will even join your team as a doubles partner. As doubles partners, some of them are more useful than others, so make sure you choose a partner that compliments your own playing style for maximum efficiency.
Overall
Virtua Tennis 4 is an amazigly fun tennis game. I went into this game expecting it to be as boring as the sport is to spectate, but I was incredibly wrong. I’m absolutely hooked on this title and will probably revisit it later on. Aside from the issues that I have pointed out, the game is an amazing package that needs to be played by, not only tennis enthusiasts, but gamers everywhere. Be sure to pick this title up, if not on PC, then on a console.
During the Second World War, people around the world were left as spectators and those at home needed a lift and a sense of hope. At the height of WW2, Hollywood’s golden age was born. Undoubtedly, some of history’s greatest films were made during this time. Audiences craved escapism and needed some sort of closure from the horror they experienced every day. Films were made to ensure higher morale and glamorize Hollywood. People attended in droves and valued the false hope the films enabled them.
Today, at the height of the economic downturn in the United States, the stress and fear is painfully reminiscent of the citizens of the world sixty years ago. But a hero has emerged. Captain America. Reflective of the Golden era, the Hollywood blockbuster has broken records and provided some level of escapism for the citizens of the drowning country. Critics around the world agree Captain America arrived at a good time to mend the broken hearts of its people. Steve Rodgers oozes patriotism and offers hope and good faith to the audience.
In true American fashion, Captain America defeats the Nazi superpower with ease and with a hint of old Hollywood wartime melodrama. Captain America has almost become a member of national mythology, a symbol of American proto-fascism. He was a tool made in the midst of a global emergency, on and off the silver screen.
Will Steve Rogers, a humble boy from the Bronx, raise a country from its depths to a height it has never seen before?
