When Electronic Arts releases Star Wars: The Old Republic exclusively on its Origin platform later this year on PC, players will be faced with a difficult choice: Hidden blades attached to a man attached to a rocketpack or hidden flamethrowers attached to a man attached to a jetpack. The choice is yours and the man is a Bounty Hunter.
Once Hunters reach the level of 10, they will be faced with the choice of being a Powertech or Mercenary. While the Powertech class likes defense, Mercenaries like fancy weapons.
So, have you made up your mind? Currently, I think I want to be a standard ole Jedi. Yea, thats right. A JEDi. However, this video may convince me otherwise.
Electronic Arts is throwing all their considerable muster into making the newest and next version of SSX the most successful, critically and sales wise. In addition to the massive showcase at E3 2011, EA Vancouver has been slowly revealing the new characters that will be made available in the sequel. The newest character reveal is named Psymon. Yup, it is a weird spelling, but the SSX franchise has never been one for realism. What do you think of the new guy on the mountain? Let us know in the comments below after you’ve checked out his showcase gallery down below. Oh January. Come faster!
Namco Bandai is very excited to share their new sequel: Ace Combat Assault Horizon. As a result, they have released a detailed and eextensive gameplay video that showcases all the new features in the game. Included in the trailer is a peek at the “Close-Range Assult” mode. The game will be released October 11, 2011 in North America, October 13, 2011 in Australia & New Zealand, and October 14, 2011 in Europe for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Apparently, skimming skyscrapers and air combat across the Earth will be possible in the game. Personally, it is good to finally see a revival in the jet simulation combat genre and hopefully this will reignite the franchise and others similar to it.
Having played the first 2 instalments and not thinking much of them in respect to the GTA franchise, i was fascinated and in awe at the footage i saw in this trailer. Whether you argue that it looks initially like it has strayed a little from its roots there is no denying that visually and creatively this title looks like a winner. Drew Holmes the writer for Saints Row the Third talks us through the style of gameplay they were trying to create, with an emphasis on having a non scripted open sandbox for players to enjoy. While not too much was revealed in relation to how missions are structured, Holmes explains how players wont have to work their up to the top dog position like in most other crime syndicate based games and get to enjoy life as the kingpin right from the get go. Driving looks to have also received a major overhaul. Theres no hiding the aim of this game was to be over the top and it looks like Volition has spared no expense in the creativity department. Take a look and tell us what you think of it.
In some terrible news, 28 year old Funimation voice actress, Cassandra Hodges has passed away just over a week ago on June 27th.
Cassandra ‘Cassi’ Hodges was a much loved member of the Funimation team and had a bright future ahead of her with brilliant roles in anime series such as Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Hetalia: Axis Powers, Hell Girl and One Piece.
The news supposedly broke when Christopher Ayres, her fellow Funimation cast member, had posted a status to his Facebook page about the news. The news then spread like wild-fire with many misinformed articles claiming Ayres to have been the first person to know of her passing and also giving the impression he was posting the news against her families wishes. He has hit back at said media outlets through his Facebook page here.
Her cause of death is being kept from the public per her families request. She was set to appear at the Anime Festival Wichita this week alongside fellow Funimation voice actors, Eric Vale and Troy Baker.
This news has struck the anime community deeply. Cassandra had such a bright future, which was evident in all her work and tragically it was cut short. She may be most remembered by the anime community as the characters she has played but let’s take a minute to remember who she was as a person.
She was a beautiful young women, who followed her dreams as an actress, starring in many stage-productions, commercials, radio and of course anime productions and even dabbled in modelling.
Not many people know that when not acting she worked as a Vet Tech, taking care of the animals which she treasured so much. Her love of animals has been noted several times by many of those who knew her.
She will be greatly missed, both for her work and for the person she was. She was a young women taken too soon. Our deepest condolences go out to her family as they mourn her and to her fans who also mourn.
A memorial fund has been set up to aid her family and can be found here. Also fans can send condolences to her family here.
It seems like such a minor aspect of the game but the save system that Capcom have implemented in Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D on the 3DS has caused quite a stir amongst gamers and retailers alike. Gamers can only save to one slot directly on the game cartridge and that information can never be erased. Essentially this means that any copy bought second hand would already have the information and progress of the original owner. While many have accused Capcom of trying to lessen the impact of the second hand games market they have given a thorough response via the Capcom Unity blog explaining the reasons behind using such a system,
‘In Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, all mission progress is saved directly to the Nintendo 3DS cartridge, where it cannot be reset. The nature of the game invites high levels of replayability, encouraging fans to improve mission scores. The save mechanic ensures that both original and unlocked game content will be available to all users. Secondhand game sales were not a factor in this development decision, and we hope that all our consumers will be able to enjoy the entirety of the survival-action experiences that the game does offer. ‘
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There was no intention of lessening the experience of the game. Essentially, RE Mercs was treated like an arcade fighting game. You unlock characters, levels, etc and they just stay unlocked as they would in an arcade machine. There was no hidden motive to prevent buying used copies. It’s not some secret form of DRM. It’s simply the way we designed the save system to work with the arcade type of gameplay.
Any Capcom fans can rest easy as Senior VP Christian Svensson has quoted via an online interview, “I think it’s fair to say there was never quite the malicious intent that the conspiracy theorists out there would have you believe. I think it’s also fair to say in light of the controversy it’s generated I don’t think you’re going to see something like this happening again.”
HMV has announced it will not accept trade in copies of RE Mercs while Gamestop have revoked their intention to follow suit. I wouold have to say if i was to buy a second hand copy, regardless of whether it was based on time trials and beating previous accomplishments i would still want to start the game with a clean slate.
Game: Backbreaker Vengeance Price: 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00) Consoles: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PS3 Genre: Arcade Football
Backbreaker Vengeance is the sequel to Backbreaker, a full retail title that released a couple of years ago. This version of the game strips out virtually everything from the original title and only includes the Tackle Alley mode from the other game.
Tackle Alley is the first mode you’ll come across in the game and it is by far the most fun. You play as the ball carrier and must avoid waves of tacklers. By either spinning or juking in time, the tacklers will miss and you can keep running to your goal: the endzone. Eventually, the tacklers glow with color coded outlines with some being yellow, others blue, and a few red. For yellow tacklers, you can choose to slide under them for a double point boost and slow motion gameplay. Spinning or juking is faster and safer, but the risk/reward of the special avoidance maneuvers are compelling. Red and blue tacklers are handled in different ways. At first it is fairly simple to rush through the waves. Eventually though, all the different tacklers start to be thrown at the player in the same wave and it is challenging. Once you get into the flow of it, it is a very addicting experience. However, learning the timing can be hard and the players themselves handle like tanks. That is, they are extremely clumsy and even at slow speeds, it takes so much time to turn, it is basically impossible to do so. Even once turned though, most of the time it is pointless as the tacklers are already on top of you. This basically requires you to only go straight ahead and use your avoidance techniques.
The second game mode is called Vengeance. In this mode, you play as the tackler for some well deserved revenge. Ball carriers run to the endzone and it is your job to stop them. They will have defenders protecting them too. All in all, it is a different experience from Tackle Alley since it is your goal to stop a moving target, but in the end, it does feel so similar to the gameplay in Tackle Alley that it basically washes together into a very similar experience. The movement problems and clumsiness of the players becomes even more acute in this game mode though, considering how much harder it is to hit a moving goal like a player than a stationary goal like the endzone.
The final mode is called Supremacy. In this mode, the goal is to outrun 2 other football carriers to the endzone while jumping over obstacles and avoiding a lone tackler. If you receive the lowest score in this mode, you will become the tackler. This mode is quite fun and hard, especially once you get into the strategy of it. Playing this mode online is also a great joy.
Speaking of online though, it should be noted that matchmaking is quite slow and there were not thousands of people playing online. The online modes such as Tackle Alley are also much more difficult with two people as it a lot more chaotic. Nevertheless, playing with real people always substantially changes the gameplay components.
Overall the game has its moments of glory. However, once you get right down to it, most of the time it turns into a very tough arcade sports game with color coded quick time events and, eventually, very repetitive game mechanics. To top it off though, the entire experience is shrouded in an unpolished package. For example, there is only a very limited feature set and the user interface is frustrating, to say the least. Take for instance, the replay system. There is an extremely minimalist interface implemented in the replay system and there is not even a slow motion button to press. Saving replays is also not allowed. Considering the implementation of the Euphoria engine, where all physics are supposed to be handled in a realistic, one of kind manner, the lack of such basic replay abilities is criminal. Its a shame too, because the Euphoria engine is awesome and I hope it continues to be used in many more games as its abilities in games are currently underused.
In conclusion, the arcade football experience is very entertaining and a nice break from realistic sports games. The achievements in this game are also nicely balanced and good for a quick boost in gamerscore. In short though, there are some very repetitive elements to the game and the annoyances in the game’s UI are frustrating enough to make this game an exercise in frustration. Not to mention the fact that the lack of polish makes this game seem like a seedy cash grab. For 1200 points, there are plenty of much better games. If this game goes on sale, then for sure buy it. For now though, only get it if your desperate enough for a different football game or in need of the all glorious gamerscore.
Aeria Games has announced the upcoming release of Eden Eternal’s first major update. The patch for the anime-style MMORPG includes a new playable race, the cute mouse-looking Zumi, new high level dungeons where you can encounter new bosses and treasures; new endgame content; and a ranking reward system where the top players and guilds in every server will be rewarded with prizes each month. It is scheduled to be released in early July.
Now onto the Alpacas! Until July 7th, 100% of the proceeds from the virtual pet food sales in Eden Eternal will be donated to support a herd of real-life alpacas! Adopted by Sharon Hudson of Clements, California, the 50 alpacas remain in her care from what was anticipated to be a two-month rescue effort. It has been six months now and with the herd’s daily food costing $30 to $40 a day, Sharon is need of help. The Eden Eternal team heard of Sharon’s compassionate work and have reached out to the many alpaca fans online in the hopes of raising the much needed help Sharon needs until a new home is found for the herd. With alpacas serving as pets and transportation for players in the game, there are sure to be many alpaca fans out there! So come on guys and gals – join Eden Eternal’s cause to help Sharon’s alpacas!
Are you ready to blast giant insects with one of the most over-the-top arsenals in recent years? If you answered yes, you will be happy to know that Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is now available in the U.S for the Playstation 3 a! Vicious Cycle Software’s latest sequel put’s players in the role as a member of Lightning Alpha as they battle giant insects and robot enemies with an array of over 300 weapons, tanks, and mechs.
I have just started playing the latest EDF title and I am enjoying every second of it so far. Keep checking back as we should have our own review up for Insect Armageddon soon enough and you can check out the latest trailer below.
Eidos Montreal’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution new developer’s diary sheds light on the futuristic yet somewhat familiar world of 2027. The video is the first in a series which explores the world of Deus Ex. The video also shows off quite a bit of back story about certain characters, factions and organizations that players will find the game. As well as featuring and showing off Deus Ex‘s in-depth level of interactivity with various objects, which hints towards sort of a detective mode in certain situations. This developer’s diary has only shown off a small amount of the game but much more will come in later videos.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is set to be released on August 23rd in North America and August 25th in Australia for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC
