While Gamescom is finally winding down, Konami certainly made an impression with all of their upcoming titles. One of the many upcoming projects that is in the pipeline is Frogger 3D, which is set to bring back the famous green mascot into the third dimension.
A new trailer was revealed for the game at the event, showing off what our froggy friend is ready to bring with him in this newadventure. Now at first glance, this title looks to be just Frogger with a new coat of paint. Luckily though, we also see a few new features mixed in such as new allies that can assist the player from being roadkill, as well extra stages that allow for a bit more exploration. I personally am digging this new concept for the classic, as if any franchise could use a reboot, it is the iconic Frogger series. Check out the new trailer below and let us know how you feel about this reboot.
Bastion Developer:Supergiant Games Publisher:Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Platform:Steam PC (also on Xbox Live Arcade) Genre: Action/Adventure/RPG Price:$15 (US) Released:16th August
Sometimes there’s man – and I’m talking about the Kid here. Sometimes, there’s man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. Waking on one of the few piece of world left after the ‘Calamity’, an event which tears the world apart, the Kid heads for the Bastion. Only, this safe haven isn’t as developed or populated as he expected, given all the people displaced by the destruction were supposed to have moved there. Empty lands mean you act as a scavenger, taking drinks from distilleries to keep yourself going and finding weapons on the floor, but after meeting a stranger by the name of Rucks, you agree to help him build up the Bastion by retrieving cores and shards from distant lands to help develop the infrastructure in the order you want to build it.
Less than a month after its release on Xbox Live Arcade as part of the ‘Summer of Arcade’ promotion, Supergiant Games’ Bastion makes its way onto Steam with other PC portals to follow, opening the game up to the PC audience, to those players who don’t necessarily have access to a Xbox 360. How does this PC version of the indie action RPG differ from the console version? Almost not at all. Does this matter? Not by any means.
There are some minor differences; a PC-friendly control scheme was a must, and Supergiant Games seem to have pulled it off, with clicks of the mouse initiating either your long or short range attacks, movement on the isometric plane operated by a WASD layout, and further controls located within reach of these keys. For example, mid-battle you will often need to replenish your health on the fly, making the designated ‘F’ key well thought-out, much like the use of the ‘shift’ key for reachable auto-aim targeting controls. As well as an adjusted control scheme, the graphical superiority of a top of the range PC compared to a Xbox 360 means the already stunning visuals have the potential to come out even crisper, plus the added bonus of a new hidden skill and new achievement tying in with the Steam service help to distinguish it a little more.
Bastion behaves like an interactive storybook, not only through the picturesque range of fairytale environments, but through the unorthodox delivery of the narrative. The stranger has a mysterious air of wisdom about him, like a wise old cowboy sitting with his hat over his eyes. Despite seeing his human form of an old bearded man during face-to-face encounters, his omniscience remains distant and all-knowing in the way his words of guidance stay with you throughout your adventure. Barely half a minute goes by without him chiming in with some comment, usually something related the story triggered by where you’re walking, or an input based on the weapon you’re using. He adds an odd sense of companionship to your lonely travels, to a point where there’s a small adjustment period when playing a different game for the first time where you suddenly seem uninvolved in the world without someone addressing you directly during every free moment.
The sound on the whole is a commendable effort, because as well as the voice acting work on the monologue of the stranger (the game’s protagonist, the Kid, is silent), the music does well at creating an atmosphere. The emotive songs help you to feel how you are supposed to feeling at that time, with the soundtrack being an example to others of the benefits having a great soundtrack in a game.
The game’s levels also contribute to the mood, in that each has a different theme, each more impressively presented than the last. Levels form on the fly, meaning as you are running the ravaged world forms beneath your feet, along different kinds of beasts showing up and trying to hinder your progress. This keeps the levels unpredictable, as you can never clearly see the terrain in front of you. The platform only shapes itself within several steps of the Kid, and to top things off, is a hovering entity in the middle of nothingness. You can even run off the edge and plummet into the nothingness, reappearing on solid ground seconds later, with the vast emptiness giving both a sense of scale and keeping your journey structured with clear aims and directions to go. Bastion is both long enough to please, but short enough to avoid dragging on.
Bastion rests as one of this year’s finest downloadable releases for Xbox Live Arcade, and gladly, the same is true for the PC. The Steam version has minor differences of little importance, but most importantly retains the magic witnessed on Xbox 360, providing a new group of people with the indie gem. The music and visuals are beautiful, and the narrative tool of the stranger is genius.
As the Playstation Vita nears its launch, it is inevitable that some of the finer details will be revealed. During Gamescom, Sony debunked the rumours of a cut in RAM, confirming that the 512MB of RAM is the correct amount, alongside the 128MB of dedicated VRAM. Now, there are images of the user interface circling the internet.
Each screenshot shows different aspects of the Playstation Vita, minus any games. It focuses on LiveArea, the Playstation Store, cross-game chat and trophy comparing. The user interface (UI) does look very pretty and well designed. With a powerhouse that is its hardware, expect a smooth running user interface. No lag, no nothing.
It looks like those who just own a Playstation 3 will not be getting cross game chat at all. This was confirmed in an interview with Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida over at Eurogamer. What’s the reason? According to Yoshida, when the system is running the game, the 256MB of RAM available is actually being used.
“Once a game gets RAM we never give it back,” Yoshida told Eurogamer. “It’s not possible to retrofit something like that after the fact.”
Unlike the Xbox 360, which bundles its entire amount RAM into one, the Playstation 3 has split RAM; the system RAM is at 256MB while visual RAM is also 256MB. If Playstation players want cross-game chat, then they may want to consider the Playstation Vita, which will support the feature due to the extra amount of RAM the portable machine has.
Finally the long awaited second half of One Piece has a premiere date. The New World half of One Piece has been announced to begin on October 2nd, 2011.
After the manga’s first halfs conclusion earlier this year, the series did a time-skip of 2 years and 3 days, which protagonist Luffy commemorates with a tattoo not too disimilar to that of his brother Ace. Following the Straw Hat’s entrance to the new world they discover Fishmen Island. The anime has been what many fans believe to be dragging it’s feet for the past few weeks in an attempt to allow the manga to get further ahead of the anime.
Now that they are sufficiently ahead, the Straw Hat’s will set sail for the New World. So keep your eyes peeled on October 2nd, 2011 for what is set to be a monumental day for One Piece fans world-wide. Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Wow, time sure does fly. It feels like just yesterday that Ichigo met Rukia for the first time, but if that was the case, yesterday would be 10 years ago. That’s right it is the 10 year anniversary of the Bleach manga and as you’d expect, celebrations are in order.
To celebrate this landmark event, it has been confirmed that the first 21 volumes (which comprise the Substitute and Soul Society arcs) will be compiled into 6 seperate special edition omnibus volumes. These omnibus volumes will be title the Bleach: Resurrected Souls collections and the first of them is set for release tomorrow on August 22nd, 2011. Each omnibus will also feature original colour pages which where excluded from the single volume tankobon releases.
This is without a doubt a great way to celebrate the series as well as bring in those who have yet to climb on board with the series thus far. So what more can I say besides, Happy 10th Birthday, Bleach!
With the imminent premiere of the new Hunter x Hunter anime series which is set to reboot and revitalise the franchise, a new role playing community based around the series has opened its gates up for fans. Whether you have never role-played online before or are a seasoned veteran, the Hunter x Hunter World role-play community will welcome you with open arms.
You can join in on the action and make your way into the Hunter x Hunter World here. With little amount of places on the interenet for fans of the series to congregate, it is truly a good sign for the series future to see the first Hunter x Hunter online role-playing site open up. So if your a fan or plan on getting into the series when it makes it’s television premiere in Japan on October 2nd, 2011, be sure so sign up and enter the world of hunters!
Being the third edition of Anime Focus, I thought it appropriate to discuss a topic many anime fans have pondered and debated upon – What will be the next Big 3 anime? Throughout this edition of Anime Focus I will discuss what series have a chance at being a part of the next Big 3 and whether there will necessarily be another Big 3.
Now for those wonder what I am referring to when I say “Big 3”, I’ll give you a brief explaination. The Big 3 is the collective name of the 3 anime series that completely took the world by storm over the past decade and in case you have been living under a rock you probably know all 3 of them. They are One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. Each series is still-ongoing so you may be thinking it’s premature to discuss the next Big 3 but let me tell you, this discussion has been going since as early as 2005.
Before we move onto what could possibly be the next Big 3, let’s discuss what made One Piece, Naruto and Bleach so successful.
Each series is very different yet they all had something that made them successful. That thing was timing. When I say that I do not mean to say that they couldn’t have become successful when placed into another time. But during the time they came out, there was little competition. They had tapped into a genre and target audience just growing up like those who grew up during the era of Dragon Ball Z and Yu Yu Hakusho in the early 90’s. The audience was young teens, particularly males growing up in the late 90’s and early 00’s. At the time, no other series had come along for this generation to call their own. Until the Big 3 came along. The timing was perfect and the moment was right, the stories were relevent and spoke to the viewers more than any other long running series at the time. That is why they became such major successes, the market was dry and the Big 3 rose from obscurity to a fanbase the genre had forgotten it even had.
What we now need to examine is whether a new generation of anime has come along to nurture the next generation of anime fans. With such great new long running shonen series having been produced in the back end of the 00’s and the early going of 10’s it’s easy to imagine that a new Big 3 could have risen. But what series can we really classify as being a part of this?
A few recent series pop to mind, such as Reborn!, Fairy Tail and perhaps even Beelzebub or Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan. But is there a definitive new Big 3? I honestly think it’s too early to say. But that raises the further question, should their be another Big 3?
An important thing to keep in mind is that sometimes, the past should stay the past. Repetition is not always a good thing and perhaps a new Big 3 is likewise not a good thing. Perhaps, with the old Big 3 still up and kicking in the current anime landscape it’s not possible or necessary for a new 3 to rise. However that doesn’t mean series won’t come by that will gain the same level of fandom as some of the big 3. Take Reborn! for example, while not nearly as big worldwide is often on par with Bleach or even surpasses it in sales. Whilst the series is on break it may have lost a lot of heat to Fairy Tail which also regularly strikes it high and hangs with the Big 3.
I believe that after years of the market being completely dominated by the Big 3, it seems that there is finally a glimpse of a light at the end of the tunnel. There are finally other series competing regularly with the Big 3 (excluding One Piece, that is a whole other story altogethor). I think it is conclusive that another Big 3 won’t be coming any time soon, nor should it. With such great series hanging with the big boys, there no longer is any classifications, theres no real Big 3 anymore, just a bunch of great anime series duking it out side by side.
With that, I conclude Anime Focus #3. What are you thoughts on the potential of another Big 3? Do you agree or disagree with me? Leave a comment below letting us know what you think.
Q-Games series of Pixel Junk games have been praised by gamers and critics alike. One of their new games, PixelJunk Sidescroller, was shown off at Gamescom with a trailer and some brand new screenshots. In the trailer below, it appears that this game will feature a mix of old style shoot ’em 2D action with puzzle elements. Featuring lots of bright colors and vivid enviornments, it certainly appears that this developer will have another hit on their hands soon. PixelJunk Sidescroller releases in Quarter 3 of this year for the Playstation 3. We can’t wait to try it out. How about you? Are you a fan of the PixelJunks?
Words can not describe how thoroughly sickening, weird and plain awesome this latest Street Fighter X Tekken video is. Something about the combination of a creepy, giant Lego head in the background of the fight scenes, and a bear farting on an opponent as a finishing move has us entirely entranced. It is a little disturbing.
Take a look at the video below and let us know your thoughts on it. We just want it in our hands right now though because, quite frankly, Bear Farts = WIN! Capcom has certainly outdone themselves on this one. Street Fighter X Tekken launches in March of 2012 for Vita, Xbox 360 and PS3.
