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Shadows of the Damned Review

June 25, 2011

Shadows of the Damned

Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed)/Playstation 3
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Spicy Horse
Genre: Action Adventure
Release Date: June 16, 2011
Price: $99 AUD

Overview

Suda51, Shinji Mikami and Akira Yamaoka – Three of the most influential video game developers of this current generation (whom works’ include Killer7, Resident Evil and Silent Hill respectively) have collaborated together to create one hell of an insane game “Shadows of the Damned”. With these three big names in the video game industry attached to this game, players can definitely expect the unexpected with plenty of gory violence, action and of cause to top it all off, an abundance of jokes about certain ‘phallic’ parts of the human anatomy.

Story

Shadows of the Damned certainly doesn’t beat around the bush (in one of the best gaming intros I’ve seen in a long time) in less than five minutes to the game, players are literally jumping straight into hell. And who might you be playing as, you ask…? Professional demon hunter, the one and only Garcia Hotspur! And holy shit what a badass he is. His journey through hell begins with the death of his lover Paula, by the ruler of Hell itself Demon Lord Flemming. But you’re not going at it alone you will be accompanied by your trusty companion Johnson a flaming ex-demon skull.

He also funnily enough, turns into your arsenal of weapons which includes The Boner, Teether and Monocussioner. Sort of a pistol, machine gun and shotgun respectively, I say sort of because throughout the game these weapons are upgraded to become so much more. Right from the get go the story kicks off with a bang and before you know it you’re standing in front of the gates of Hell. Now the story may sound familiar, a hero on a quest to save the one he loves and true overall the story doesn’t really get much more than this.

But where the game lacks in main plot, it makes up in the absolutely over-the-top scenarios, environments and bizarre-quirky side stories that players will run into that makes this interpretation of Hell so damn interesting. A nice inclusion into the game is these hilarious storybooks which tell the tales of how each ‘V.I.P Demon’ ended up in Hell (and by the way V.I.P stands for Very Important Pendejo…which I don’t think I can repeat in English). Personally I didn’t mind the simple story because it’s how the game has presented it which has made this game standout so much.

Gameplay

There are some solid game mechanics behind this game which is at its core, fundamentally a third person shooter. In this field the game plays fairly alright, aiming controls, moving and the camera may take some time getting use to as they do feel quite stiff from the start. Players of cause can tweak these controls in the settings menu. The game paces itself very well throwing in a range of new weapons, different enemy types and the occasional side-scrolling section to keep the game running and feeling fresh even towards the final chapters of the game.

As a Suda51 game you can expect plenty of insane boss battles, which Shadows of the Damned gladly delivers on. Boss battles in this game are very trial and error. The standard “aim for the weak spot” is easier said than done in this game, considering that sometimes there not as blatantly obvious as you would like them to be. But eventually studying a boss’ attack pattern will eventually give it away, given a few ‘restart from checkpoint’.

Along with the standard convections of a third person shooter, Shadows of the Damned also introduces a light and dark system which is integrated well with the various combat and puzzle sequences. When Garcia is trapped in darkness, enemies become invulnerable and he will slowly lose health leaving players with a short time frame to solve puzzles or complete the objective at hand. Even in the light, Darkness provides a protective coat for enemies which players have to remove first before they are able to kill them, which is a simple affair with a quick melee attack or light shot.

Gameplay overall doesn’t particularly change that much at the later stages of the game once you have full decked out your arsenal, and it would of been nice to see something that tied all Garcia skills together that’s not just the final boss. But with this said, what the game does presents is absolutely satisfying and fun to play through.

Graphics & Audio

‘Shadows of the Damned’ sports a strong art style which is backed up with solid graphics. It works wells in creating the dark, twisted and for the most part macabre world that you find yourself travelling through. It might be an artistic decision but there seems to be a fuzzy/blurry glaze over the each of the cutscenes, which I found to be quite distracting. But asides from this the game’s strong art style and art direct continue to through the weird and bizarre at you.

Audio in this game is superb, voice work by the lead characters Garcia and Johnson is as witty and filthy as it is downright hilarious. Throughout the game, there are so many great one-liners and memorable dialogue which adds to the overall look and feel of the game – very very crass humour indeed. And not only this, overall the soundtrack is fantastic in providing an overall atmospheric feeling. From the quirky music of moving ‘sushi lamp’ to each epic boss battles, every moment audio is layered together very nicely.

Final Comments

Suda51 has once again thrown the unexpected at us once again. Shadows of the Damned is truly a very unique experience with an unbelievable interpretation of Hell. The game provides strong gameplay with the odd twist to each boss battle and it’s filled with a lot of content that’s not afraid to eat your face off or fill it with undeniable laughter. It’s a damn shame then, that once the end credits roll you’re just left wanting more and more.

I give Shadows of the Damned for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3:

The Best of the Nintendo 3DS eShop – Part 1

Dustin Spencer

June 25, 2011

The 3DS e-Shop launched just a couple of weeks ago along with the 3DS Virtual Console and all the classic DSiWare favorites, but due to how disorganized the menus are at the moment it is rather difficult to find a specific title you want. When I received my first DSi at launch a couple of years ago, there was very little choice as it took Nintendo a good year to truly build up a decent selection. However, there are now nearly 400 titles to choose from covering nearly every genre. It seems that many 3DS owners have not had a chance to see some of the gems are on the download service, which is the purpose of this article you are about to read. Want to find that perfect title to spend those points on? I present to you some of the DSiWare’s finest titles (Please note that prices my differ per region and are marked in U.S. currency).

Dark Void Zero (CAPCOM) – $4.99

One thing that I have always been a fan of is sheer amount of remakes that have been released on Nintendo’s portable consoles, where ports were put out that captured the magic of the 8 to 16 bit eras while delivering a blast of nostalgia for on-the-go gaming experiences.

Dark Void Zero is a more original take of recapturing those golden moments of the past. I know the name “Dark Void” may at first remind some as the somewhat mediocre title that Capcom brought to the Xbox 360 & PS3, but Dark Void Zero is truly the definitive game to bare that name. Starting up Dark Void Zero, the player is treated to booting up the game by literally blowing in their NES Dark Void cartridge (via the mic on the DS/3DS) and then sucked into an full 8-bit world to take the role as the main protagonist, Rusty.

Everything about Dark Void Zero would literally make you feel it was ported straight out of the 80’s, as the controls, sprites, and even the story make you feel as if you are powering up an NES one more time, which is literally the charm of the whole experience. While nostalgia is nice, Capcom did not stop there and brought about a “Metroidvania” style of gameplay to the game where you can literally roam around via Rusty’s jetpack and view the retro-love that was tacked into every pixel of Dark Void Zero. Tons of power-ups, weapons, collectibles, and even a cameo by Jimmy Fallon can be found in this gem that should be placed in any 3DS owner’s digital collection.

Shantae: Risky’s Revenge (WAYFORWARD) – $11.99

If Mario is the Mascot of Nintendo, Shantae in my mind is the true representative for the DSiWare. Shantae: Risky’s Revenge released last year as a follow-up to the barely known Shantae, a title that seen a very limited run but gained an instant cult following due to the quality in level design, gameplay, and visuals that ended the Game Boy Color’s lifespan with an explosion. Being a true sequel, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge delivers the same mechanics that made the bubbly little character a star, but with even more of Wayforward’s charming settings and characters thrown in.

Much like Dark Void Zero, Shantae is a “Metroidvania” game, where the player controls Shantae in a free-roam 2D enviroment as she tries to put a stop to the mischievous Risky Boots. Not only does Risky’s Revenge look incredible on any DS/3DS system, you can truly feel the passion that went into this sequel from Wayforward, a trait that is rare to see in the age of rush-jobs and cash-ins.

Mighty Milky Way (WAYFORWARD) – $7.99

Part platformer, part puzzler, and with another lovable mascot, Mighty Milky Way was quietly released for the DSiWare earlier this year and made quite an impression due to it’s unique gameplay style and full utilization of the touch screen controls. Playing as Luna, it is the player’s job to bounce across the universe and create their own path of planets along the way by collecting pieces of candy.

Luna is a French martian, and is at her most talkative during moments of pure doom. Most protagonists just kill over when hitting an enemy or a damaging obstacle, Luna stops and spurts out a line of French dialogue before accepting her fate. That is the pure charm of Mighty Milky Way though, as the game tries to get you to care about Luna’s success during this spacey tale. A very dapper T-Rex also makes appearances during boss battles that change up the gameplay and make this title end on a highly rewarding note.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (NINTENDO) – $7.99

The Mario vs Donkey Kong series has been one of those small Nintendo franchises that has slowly grew into a staple for the Nintendo DS. While I do feel the most recent Mini-Land Mayhem is the best title in the series to date, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! is still a very worthy title of mention as it feels like it should be on a cartridge.

The best part of this title however is the level editor known as the Construction Zone in which players can create up to 140 stages with all the power-ups and enemies they can fit into one map. Afterwards, the game allows you to connect with friends via the DSi’s wireless function and share maps, adding an infinite amount of replay value to an already fantastic game.

Plants vs Zombies (POPCAP) – $7.99

I don’t think I can do a recommendations article without mentioning Plants vs Zombies. I would guess most of you who are reading this have tried this game in one form or another, as it is on just about every device with a power button, but the DS version in my opinion is the strongest offering due to the touch screen. Never has it been easier to quickly sort out an army of plants onto your lawn than in this portable version as the stylus controls make everything a quick, drag-and-drop job.

I will say if you own the DS cartridge of Plants vs Zombies, there really isn’t a need for this digital version as it plays exactly the same (sans a few of the extra modes) but at a nice low price of just 800 points, making it worth a download for anyone who just want the core experience.

200 Point Quickies (1.99 eShop)

Frenzic

Frenzic is just how the name sounds, a hectic puzzler where the player must quickly fit pieces into circles (that sort of resemble a pie) while trying to strategically gain bonuses for color combos. Its a rather simple game, but one of the most addictive puzzlers on the service that can keep you infatuated for hours at a time.

Birds & Beans

Another small yet addictive game on the DSiWare comes in the form of Birds & Beans. Originally released with WarioWare for the Game Boy Advance, this game has players take control of a very hungry bird by the name of Pyoro. As beans rain from the heavens, it is this your job to use Pyoro’s long tongue to eat as many as possible while trying to obtain a high score. If a bean hits the ground, it breaks the platform and shrinks the very ground you walk on, giving this small contender a bit of challenge for veteran players. “Pyoro 2” can also be unlocked later on, which doubles this package and makes it one of the best values on the eShop to date.

Absolute Chess

There are quite a few chess titles on the DSiWare, but personally I enjoyed Absolute Chess over the handful of others I have downloaded thus far. It simply is a game of chess, but with 8 different characters that the player can use to represent themselves while they play. If you have a friend with any form of DS, a Download Play option turns this title into a fine multi-player experience at a low budget price.

Of course these are just a few of the offerings 3DS owners can find on the service, but hopefully with the new additions of 3D Nintendo Classics and the Virtual Console, we will be in for even more fantastic releases in the coming years as honestly, things just seem to be heating up on the Nintendo download circuit. Stay tuned as we still have plenty more downloadable greatness to cover in Part 2 of the Best of the eShop.

Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment below if you have a favorite DSiWare title worthy of mention to anyone with access to the service below. If you have played any of the games above, let us know what you thought during your experience with them.

Valet Parking 1989 – Review

Dustin Spencer

June 25, 2011

Game Name: Valet Parking 1989
Platform(s): Nintendi DSiWare, Nintendo 3DS eShop
Publisher(s): Zordix
Developer(s): Zordix
Genre(s): Strategy; Time-Management
Release Date: May 30, 2011 (US)
Price: 500 Nintendo Points ($5.00 U.S.)

Games of time management have been around for quite a while, with Diner Dash arguably unleashing the once niche genre into the mainstream. Valet Parking 1989 sets out to take on the genre by having the player park cars quickly and keep clients pleased in a late 1980’s setting. Oddly enough, this quirky downloadble title does it’s job rather well, but with a few dings and scratches to be found along the way. So how is the finished product? Here is my review for Valet Parking 1989 for the Nintendo DSiWare.

Story
I remember when I first heard of Valet Parking 1989, I was instantly intrigued as the whole concept of parking cars in the 80’s seemed to be an interesting concept that we just don’t see too often (or ever from my knowledge). If there is one thing that this title does well, it is way it captures it’s 1980’s setting to a near perfect degree. Now I was 2 years old in 1989, so my memory of the decade comes with VH1 specials and John Hughes movie marathons, but I still feel that anyone wanting a throwback to the neon lit generation might want to at least give this title a look based on the humorous writing and visuals alone.

Valet Parking 1989 starts you out as a young man with a dream of earning enough money to get a car and then going to the beach. Luckily enough, a valet service based in Hollywood offers up a job that the main character instantly accepts. To earn money, our young valet must park cars for some of the biggest names in Hollywood and keep their vast array of vehicles in one piece to earn a hefty bonus from each client. I won’t spoil how this ends up, but this quirky tale feels like it ripped right out of a teen flick from the time period as the characters, clothes, and even mullets (Yes, you have a mullet, too) are very prominent within the game.

I think the star quality of this valet parking experience is the “celebrity clients” that can be found within. No names are officially dropped, but we do see clients who eerily resemble a red-jacketed Eddie Murphy, Debbie Gibson, and even the Hoff himself. Even the dialogue that these celebs use represent the characters correctly as over-the-top stereotypes run a muck throughout the game. It is easy to see that Zordix certainly put a lot of thought into capturing the crazy year of 1989, and while the charm loses it’s luster after a while due to repetition, Valet Parking 1989 would be a hollow experience without all of the fine-tuned detail presented.

Gameplay
Once you start your job as a valet you instantly are thrown into the story mode, where you simply park cars in a timely fashion for your clients. Interestingly enough, there is a nice layer of strategy within the game that ups the challenge as you progress. At the start of a level, you are given an option by your boss to get a good look at the parking lot before getting started. This is a feature I overlooked at first, but over time it becomes crucial to scope out the map if you want to be successful due to the difference of lots and quantity of customers within each level. Standard vehicles can be parked in a standard parking space, while limos and monster trucks (yes, there are monster trucks) each have their own special spaces.

Valet Parking 1989 is completely controlled by the touch screen. Once you click “OK” to get the game started, guests will start lining up in their cars, where you must drag the car with the stylus to fit it into a specific spot. Once the client is done with their visit, their image will be displayed at the top screen where you then must back the car out and direct it to the exit. To create a challenge, each guest has a meter attached that resembles a thermometer. This meter measures mood, and when you take too long to park or deliver a car, the guest will get angry and leave. The player also must be extremely delicate with these fancy rides, as if you crash or damage a car, it can lead to losing the client completely or take a bit of cash out of your ending salary.

The drag and pull controls work well enough, but they are also responsible for the some of the frustration found in the game. The first few levels literally fly by within minutes as parking is a fairly simple task if you take your time, but as the game progresses, obstacles such as incoming traffic and distant parking spaces appear to up the difficulty. The number of clients also jumps up greatly later on, leading to an absolutely chaotic environment where cars are constantly coming in and in need of going out. The main problem I had with this is that it was really hard to actually park a car under such a strain and still keep guests happy. Yes, that is the point of the game, but the controls can make even the smallest cars control like large buses and turning a car is a lot more difficult than it should be, which is more noticeable as the game gets more hectic. Thankfully, Zordix did ease this strain with the nice addition of gifts.

At times, guests will be so pleased with your performance that they will give out gifts such as chocolate, food items, and even handcuffs. The purpose of these gifts is to pass them on to clients to cool down their mood, buying a small bit of precious time in order to better get organized. This doesn’t completely make up for the control mechanics, but it does add a refreshing element into the gameplay that is very useful during the more intense moments.

The story mode can be beaten within an hour, but those who want to give their brain a break will have to turn to keeping the DS idle as no saving points can be found within the game. This means that if you lose far along in the game, you must completely restart everything and go at it again. In this day and age where Nintendo are adding save points to Game Boy titles on the Virtual Console, Valet Parking 1989’s biggest flaw comes as simply not incorporating any form of checkpoints. It’s a small gripe, but I feel handheld titles should almost require a save point or even a password system due to the platform being portable. While the game is fun, this little flaw alone killed a lot of my desire to replay after finally completing the main story mode. For those who do stick it out, levels for an endless mode can be unlocked. Endless Mode is simply a quest for a high score, with the player going to their favorite level and parking cars until it is game over. I played quite a bit of this to master my parking skills, but there really isn’t any incentive to play this mode or even the story mode again for that matter as nothing changes or is offered make the game truly addictive.

Graphics/Audio
The presentation found in Valet Parking 1989 is in my opinion absolutely phenomenal considering the platform. From the well detailed characters to to the neon-lit structures, you can easily see the time that went into making this production. The top-down camera view is very reminiscent of the early GTA titles, but with a lot more color and atmosphere mixed in, delivering a very memorable result. Cutscenes were given a frame-by-frame animation treatment, which helps make the game feel like it came straight out of the time period as well.

Music is another trait that this game does wonderfully. Synthesized remixes of popular tracks from the late 80’s kick in at various times and add a load of personality to each character found within the game. Even though the midi format is used, every beat feels completely appropriate and becomes an earworm you will have to fight for hours after putting the game down later on.

Overall
Valet Parking 1989 brings about a perfect recipe for success. The gameplay is fun for the most part, the settings are well produced and memorable, and the quirky humor works wonders to better the overall experience. It should be a perfect game, as I feel it was close to truly delivering in every way, but sadly, some choices made in production just hold the game back a bit too much. The lack of a checkpoint/save system makes the whole game feel like a commitment, an issue that a casual title should not present. Another huge blow to the game is the lack of content that harms the replay value greatly. Even with these glaring flaws, at the 500 point price, I still feel like I can recommend this title on presentation value alone as this odd take on the genre is one I will remember due to it’s well crafted burst of 80’s greatness that is a fun ride before coming to a rather abrupt finish.

I Give Valet Parking 1989:

Rift 1.3 Waves of Madness is now Live.

Benjamin Webb

June 24, 2011

Have you logged into Rift over the last few days? You may have noticed the new medium sized patches that you had to download. Those patches were in-fact the 1.3 update, which has been live for a little while now.

Upon logging in after those incredibly patches, you will find that you version number has increased to 1.3 and with that patch comes a whole plethora of features. Those features are discussed below.

Hammerknell Opening Event – Limited time rewards, new mounts, and more plunder from the deeps
The Ancient Fortress of Hammerknell – 20 man raid, 10 bosses, opens at the climax of the World Event
Free In-Game Character & Guild Transfers – Click for the initial destination shards and find your perfect home in the Shard Travel Hub
Guild Banks!
Bind on Account Wardrobe/Vanity Items: Enjoy the event, and reap the rewards for your other characters.
New costume pieces, including Hammerknell themed items
Use Quantum Sight (Defiant) and Omen Sight (Guardian) Ascended Powers to find all new artifacts
PvP World Quests: Daily, level 50 quests that grant favour – battle on!

Be sure to check out the Official Website for more info.

Also be sure to check the Patch Notes for a more detailed rundown.

Celebrate fridays with Katy Perry and Rebecca Black

Benjamin Webb

June 24, 2011

Celebrate fridays with Katy Perry and Rebecca Black

Us here at Capsule Computers love our Fridays, much like famous (or infamous) Pop artists Rebecca Black and Katy Perry. As it is presently Friday here in Australia, and close enough to the date everywhere else in the world, we wanted to share with you our current favorite song about Fridays! As you have probably guessed, the song in which I speak features both Katy Perry and Rebecca Black.

This song is Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) by Katy Perry and features Rebecca Black as a friend of hers. So sit back and enjoy the awfully catchy song (which is in the video box below)! I know I am! Make sure to look out for Ubisofts Just Dance 2 in the background.

Ubisoft announces Just Dance 2: Extra Songs

Jack Joly

June 24, 2011

Ubisoft has announced it will be releasing Just Dance 2: Extra Songs this August, a special limited edition of Just Dance 2 featuring new songs and routines. This new game will feature 21 tracks previously only available via download, plus two new exclusive tracks.

It will be accessible to Just Dance novices as it doesn’t require ownership of the previous Just Dance games, only a willingness to dance your heart out. It makes an ideal purchase for fans of the series who didn’t pick up Just Dance 2 or any of the DLC, or for newcomers to the series who want to get their jig on.

Just Dance 2: Extra Songs track list includes:

A Band of Bees – Chicken Payback
Blur – Song 2
Carl Douglas – Kung fu fighting ( Dave Ruffy / Mark Wallis remix)
Estelle feat Kanye West – American Boy
Katy Perry – Firework
M/A/R/R/S – Pump Up The Volume
Panic At The Disco – Nine in the afternoon
Rihanna – Pon De Replay
Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild
The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love
V V Brown – Crying Blood
Countdown Dee’s Hit Explosion – Barbie Girl
Love Letter – Why oh why
Nick Phoenix and Thomas Bergersen – Professor Pumplestickle
Studio Allstars – Maniac
Sweat Invaders – Skin-to-Skin
The Hit Crew – Here Comes The Hotstepper
The Lemon Cubes – Mambo NO. 5 (A Little Bit Of Monica)
The Lemon Cubes – Moving On Up
The Reverend Horatio Duncan & Amos Sweets – Down By The Riverside
The World Cup Girls – Futebol Crazy

Plus two exclusive tracks:

A R Rahman, Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger – Jai Ho! (You are my destiny)
Sweat Invaders – Funkytown’

Bungie turns 20, gives away Halo: Reach flaming helmets to celebrate

Jack Joly

June 24, 2011

What better way to celebrate a 20th Birthday than walking around with your head on fire. Not my idea of fun, but it seems that’s Bungie’s way of celebrating the occasion.

All you need do to nab one (plus a special name plate) is register on Bungie.net or through a recently released, totally free iOS app. A video from machinima group Rooster Teeth starring the Red vs Blue team should help explain the process in full.

We seem to be inundated with 20th Birthday’s in gaming this week. As you’ll know, the blue blur Sonic the Hedgehog celebrated his 20th. What happened 20 years ago that was so important for gaming? This giveaway from Bungie comes not long before Bungie Day on the 7th July, on which day Bungie have promised to make an announcement.

Kung Fu Panda 2 Kinect Review

Travis Bruno

June 24, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2
Published by: THQ
Developed by: Griptonite Games
Platforms: Xbox 360- Kinect Required (reviewed), PlayStation 3, Wii, DS
Release Date: May 24, 2011
Price: $49.99

Overview:
Who hasn’t left the movie theater after seeing a kung-fu movie and thought to themselves ‘I could totally do all of those moves in the movie now.’ We all have, mostly while we were younger and thought we could do anything. Now Kung Fu Panda 2 has been released not only in theaters but also on home consoles and what better way to play it than with the Xbox 360’s Kinect. Now your kids and yourself can pretend to fight against enemies as our favorite character Po. Does the Kinect hold up to the task and does the universe of the franchise stand up well? Read on to find out.

Story:
Before you step into playing Kung Fu Panda 2 you should know that the game’s story does not follow the movie in the slightest. Instead Po’s village has come under attack by an evil group of animals. Of course these crocodiles and other lizards aren’t there for fun and games, instead they are there to terrorize the populace and Po isn’t going to let that happen. Po sets forth with the Furious Five to defeat these intruders as well as find the reason for the onslaught.

Now Kung Fu Panda 2’s videogame storyline is as enjoyable as the movie itself and is quite humeros at times whenever there is a cutscene. The charms of the movie translate themselves well to the game’s format. Unfortunately the story itself really is nothing outside of ordinary and it is also very short which means you will find yourself finishing the basic storyline in around five hours tops. The game never steps outside of the Kung Fu Panda universe however which means it could easily be seen as canon.

Graphics:
One thing that Kung Fu Panda 2 does well in its video game format is its presentation. The colors in the game are very vibrant and all of the characters are well represented. The game does suffer some resolution problems during combat and the characters lip synching sometimes looks like a badly dubbed Chinese movie.

During combat itself Po will usually represent himself well with your movements, including blocking and performing the strikes that you performed. Your children will certainly enjoy the character design’s and the obvious DreamWorks aesthetic, while adults will most likely notice the unfortunate drop in quality at times but still find it a good representation of Kung Fu Panda as a whole.

Audio:
Unfortunately Kung Fu Panda 2 the videogame does not retain the same quality voice actors that were available in the movie. This doesn’t mean the voices sound too much different however as the voice actors they hired to replace the star talent is still decent enough. The Jack Black sound-alike is very similar to the original and at times you may even believe he is actually Jack Black.

The other characters can be hit or miss, with some of the Furious Five members having rather terrible replacements that sound barely anything like the original and will leave children wondering what happened to their favorite characters. The audio quality is still pretty high as the background music is nice to listen to and is appropriate while combat sounds are rather generic. The title also suffers from repetitive one-lining that becomes grating after hearing the same phrase for the twentieth time.

Gameplay:
Kung Fu Panda 2 for the Xbox 360 makes exclusive use of the Kinect which means if you do not have a Kinect the game is completely unplayable. Now making full use of the Kinect with Kung Fu Panda 2 means you will be performing plenty of different attack variants, blocking and also blocking incoming attacks in certain directions.

Thankfully during campaign mode you will be taught by Po the different motions you will have to perform in an easy to understand tutorial. This run down of techniques makes it easy to understand for children, though the Kinect itself fails to pick up some movements properly which is already a bad sign of things to come, as the precision required for the title sometimes falls short of what the Kinect sensor is currently capable of.

Most fights will consist of the player attacking an enemy and then defending when it is the enemy’s turn. This means that the combat is strictly turn based. Defending enemy attacks is rather easy to do though there were a number of instances that the Kinect simply failed to register the proper motion and I received damage instead of blocking an incoming attack. While you are attacking you can perform different punches, kicks and even jumps to deal damage to your enemy during your attacking round.

Once you lower an enemy’s health enough you can also finish them off with a special move, which are shown by three different pictures in a corner. When you put your arms in the correct position you will perform that specific finishing move on that enemy. Each enemy has a limited amount of health, but so does Po so you must be careful to defend just as much as you attack.

As I mentioned before the Kinect has a difficult time sensing blocking motions however, and some of the later enemies in the game are simply unbeatable without blocking most of their attacks. The problem here is that the Kinect fails to sense the proper block motion and you will lose health, and sometimes even die which will require you to perform the same battles over again simply due to a failure in the hardware itself.

When the hardware actually does work correctly though the game is very fun. Both adults and children will have a blast stringing together plenty of attacks and finishing moves to defeat any of Po’s enemies. Players can even yell the name of a Furious Five member to have them join the fight and perform a combo attack with Po.

Outside of the game’s rather short storyline there are a number of mini-games in the form of free play challenge mode. This mode provides access to many different challenges which will give you a score based on how well you do and even give you a medal if you do well. The mini-games themselves include your standard practice sessions and combat arena, but they also include rickshaw races and noodle serving.

Out of the different mini-games the best of which is the noodle serving game. The noodle serving game requires players to create the proper noodle combination that the customer ordered, cook it and then toss it onto their table. With every failure you receive you will lost points and also time. The worst of the mini-games is the rickshaw event which requires the player to steer their rickshaw by moving left and right to avoid obstacles and block objects thrown by other racers. The Kinect often fails to recognize the movements of the player and can cause many failures, again due to the hardware.

Overall:
Kung Fu Panda 2 is an example of a great idea placed on a system that may just not have been ready for it yet. The game itself may not be very complicated, but children should still love playing as Po, even though they will grow frustrated with the Kinect’s inability to properly track their movements. The true failure in Kung Fu Panda 2 was the Kinect itself, as a number of enjoyable elements felt strained after multiple failures simply due to the sensors failures at optimal conditions. Your children may still love Kung Fu Panda 2 for the characters and kung fu movements, but may grow tired of the poor Kinect tracking.

I give Kung Fu Panda 2 for the Kinect

Jewel Legends: Tree of Life available in stores from today

Jack Joly

June 24, 2011

The latest match-3 puzzle adventure title in the Jewel series is now available at all good retail outlets for the Nintendo DS, courtesy of publishers Rising Star Games. Jewel Legends: Tree of Life contains over 100 levels with around 32 trophies available for players to accrue.

A magical Tree of Life where time ceases to exist is home to mythical creatures known as the Hods. However, the incessant greed of a dark demon once damned the Hods to a life of secrecy. Now, a new hope is stirring: Rebuild the world of the Hods and help the Tree of Life attain its former glory using building materials, jewels and other valuables.

This forms the basis of gamplay, with the player switching out adjacent symbols to build rows of three or more of the same symbol. The valuables help you to build luxury structures for the Hods, such as Bath House Blubberpot, the Mushroom Farm and the Fountain of Wonder. Players can also check out bonus game modes and collect trophies.

New Deathly Hallows Part 2 Trailer Prepares us for Battle…

Dustin Spencer

June 24, 2011

It’s crazy to think that we are just a few weeks away from the final Harry Potter film being released. While I still feel more video games will be emerge later on, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2 looks to finish up the videogame tie-in series to the movies with quite a bang. Today EA released a new trailer for the upcoming Potter game that shows all the young wizards preparing for the final battle at Hogwarts.

The CG clips look quite impressive as it stands as they capture the personalities behind the characters quite well, and from the looks of it this title will utilize the cover system that was introduced in Part 1, which may or may not be a bad thing. If you have ever played Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 1, you might remember that this style of combat was a bit messy and unpolished overall, but I want to say that things seem to improved greatly as in the clip, Harry can be seen zapping spells from his wand with relative ease and the whole mechanic just seems to much more fluent this time around. I certainly hope the game controls as good as it looks, but that is still up in the air at the moment. All of our questions will be answered soon enough though as Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2 releases July 12th on all platforms (except for the PSP & 3DS) . Check out the new trailer below and give us your thoughts in the comment section below.

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