Personally, my favorite event of the year is Microsoft’s press conference. Yes, I like Nintendo and Sony. But my Xbox 360 has always been my go to console for gaming. What can we expect at this years Xbox extravaganza?
Shoot, Shoot, SHOOT!
Gears of War 3, what seems like Microsoft’s only exclusive game this year, will be heavily featured on the stage. I wouldn’t be surprised if da Cliffy B came out to show it off either. But, we will just have see. This game ranked number 5 on the XBL most played list when it was in beta form, and it is a strong title to lead Microsoft into the Holiday season when it launches in September.
Microsoft has found great success in the shooter market, and it is no surprise that Activison has agreed to partner with them to push out Call of Duty map packs. Undoubtedly, we will be watching some special demos of Modern Warfare 3 and hearing about Call of Duty Elite at Microsoft’s conference.
We suspect that an HD Halo remake is on the way too. Including games 1 and 2, this game could revealed on stage and it would lead to incredible amounts of rejoicing, especially when the implement the all important achievements. Possibly multiplayer too? PWEASE!?
Connect to Kinect in a connected way
After huge sales and massive amounts of marketing, the Kinect has dropped out the news lately. Being one of Microsoft’s most successful products though, they surely have plans to revive the motion controller. We know that the Star Wars game that was teased last year for Kinect will be getting a full on video of its own this year. More exclusive games, like Dance Central 2, and family friendly fun (like a Kinectimals 2?) will also be showcased. Perhaps, just perhaps, to the chagrin of fans everywhere, a hardcore game for Kinect will also be revealed. Expect large amounts of time devoted to Kinect either way though. New features will probably also be teased, just like they did last year with ESPN and Kinect.
Microsoft may also announce an update to the little box that stares into your soul.
Where did that XBL price increase go?!
After whining for awhile, the Internet has calmed down after Microsoft announced they would be raising the price of Xbox Live by $10 a year. They said it would pave the way for future improvements to the service. So far, we have gotten PayPal out of that.
However, there are some more improvements that will be shown off at E3. Skype, a bigger friends list, and cloud saving could all be on the way. The Fall dashboard update will be huge.
Conclusion
Will we see Fable 4, 3D or another Alan Wake? Only time will tell. Whatever may happen though, follow Capsule Computers for all the announcements coming out of E3 2011.
Telltale Games, everyone’s favorite go-to developer for adventure titles is celebrating it’s 7th anniversary with a bang. Running until June 30, you can get a whopping 75% off of almost everything! That includes games and merchandise so head over show Telltale some love. Because they love you.
Also,on June 23 you’ll be able to get your hands on the final episode of Back to the Future: The Game on PC and Mac, and will feature a very special appearance by none other than Michal J. Fox.
Michael J. Fox, the actor that played the legendary role of Marty McFly in the Back to the Future films, voices two characters in Episode 5 – OUTATIME but we’re only spilling the beans on one of them before the game launches later this month. Fox plays a McFly ancestor that Marty’s had a run-in with before – any guesses on who else he lends his voice to?
And to further show their love an appreciation, if you pre-order Puzzle Agent 2, Telltale will give you the game for 10% off the regular price and you’ll receive a copy of the original Puzzle Agent for free! Telltale is also giving you a chance at early access to the upcoming Puzzle Agent 2, releasing on June 30. All you have to do is pre-order Puzzle Agent 2 and create the funniest comic you can by using their provided screenshots. The deadline is 2:oo pm (Pacific) on June 10, 2011 and only five individuals will win. Telltale will announce the winners on their blog on Jun 13, 2011 and post the winning entries. Winners will have a download link for Puzzle Agent 2 added to their Telltale Games account shortly afterwards, about two weeks before Puzzle Agent 2 launches! Get all the details on the contest at the Telltale Games Blog.
Game: Mx Vs Atv Alive
Publisher: THQ
Developer: THQ
Genre: Racing
Platform: PS3 (Reviewed), XBox360
Release date: 10th May 2011 Price: $39.99 – Here
Overview
For any of you unfamiliar with the franchise, MX Vs Atv Alive is the fourth instalments for consoles in the series and while it looks and plays better than the previous titles is severely limited in content. In what seems to be a pretty big gamble on behalf of THQ they have decided to release Alive with what is known as a “Hybrid pricing system”. Basically this translates to limited content on the retail disc, with an emphasis on DLC, and in this case the content is very limited. This could go either way with some gamers preferring to pay a small price and then choose the DLC that interests them. It could also have a negative effect on those who feel it doesn’t offer enough variety out of the box. Saying that, Alive has some amazing features and a realistic feel to it that surpasses almost every other vehicle based game I have played.
Game Modes
Career mode: By far the most enjoyable part of the game, the career mode is set across 12 tracks, which need to be unlocked as you progress through the game. Unfortunately herein lies the most fundamental flaw in the game and something which more than likely will cause many to give up. There are only two levels of track unlocking, occurring at level 10 and again at level 25. Unfortunately what is required to get to these levels (aside from buying new tracks) is repetitively doing the same two only available tracks until you have gained the sufficient XP to unlock new races. It is simply too tedious and becomes a little nonsensical after a while, for me anyway.
The tracks are very well thought out and even on standard difficulty will test your skills to the limit. Each track has some really cool little additions such as the really dark section on the first track that is shaded by dug out hills and trees. You can quickly learn which are the best corners to overtake your competitors and the correct line of the track to follow in order to maximise acceleration and landings. Everything from soft dirt and mud hard clay, gravel and snow are covered, giving plenty of variation of environments in which to compete. Tracks respond very well to the damage inflicted on them by the 11 other vehicles in the race. I often found myself using others or my previous tire tracks to get that perfect line through a set of bumps or corners. The tracks become harder to maintain balance the longer the race goes on, testament to the level of detail THQ have put into it. Going round a corner that has been lain bare of soft mud from 5 laps of 12 vehicles powering through it is much harder than it sounds and vastly adds to the games playability.
Each race, players have the ability to change the difficulty level as well as choose the number of laps. In addition to this you will have a limited option to choose competitors and their vehicles. It was nice to have such an easy setup configuration without having to go through extensive loading.
Short tracks: There’s not much to say that’s vastly different from the Career mode except these tracks are much shorter. So short in fact that I was actually on lap 3 of a race thinking it was the first. Some are slightly longer than others and all feature fast paced frantic racing that is a lot of fun. There are only two tracks to choose from with many more opening up after gaining sufficient experience.
Free ride: Great for practising tricks and building XP, free mode is limited again by only having 2 tracks. Players can either hoon around the beach complete with massive sand dunes and grassed areas, or play in the quarry complete with mini dams, tractors and leftover bits of metal with which to launch from. While being nice and open allowing for plenty of exploration I personally don’t think they provided enough jumps of substance to be able to perform the various tricks from. It seemed like I was just short of making it and only on some occasions was able to launch high enough to pull off tricks. This seemed to be somewhat rectified when progressing through the game and unlocking the more powerful vehicles, but should have been slightly easieron the default bikes and quads. The free ride mode also provided players with the opportunity to practise cornering and how to correctly adjust for landings given the lack of any kind of tutorial within other parts of the title. It was much easier on the bikes than ATV quads to perform most moves.
Each free ride track features tasks that players have to accomplish in order to earn XP and trophies. Players will be rewarded for the longest jump and hangtime, as well as the freejam mode where you have to score certain amounts of points from tricks in a limited time. Each free ride track also features a hidden vehicle to use within the level. The free ride tracks are vast and open and you can find yourself getting immersed in them simply having the freedom to go wherever you want. They do lack a little substance and a few more items and tasks randomly placed would have been a nice addition.
Gameplay
This is where MX Vs Atv stands out and excels. Not only do players have to control the vehicle with the left control stick but also the riders reflex or balance on the bike or quad with the right. While this may sound complicated it works very well and assists in delivering a very very realistic racing experience. When your bike or Quad takes off on a huge air, or grinds through a tight corner, THQ have done exceptionally well in representing this experience to the player. This is done mostly through the unique control system, where players have to ensure they take off at the right angle, control the vehicle and rider balance in the air and then adjust the wheels for landing. All while battling that annoying bike behind you that keeps on bashing into your crash bars.
Every now and again when you run up the back of a competitor or land at an awkward angle, you will be prompted to adjust your position with the right control stick. If you do not follow the prompts in time your rider will be flung from their vehicle, losing precious time. The reset feature is a little inconsistent, sometimes allowing you to go completely off road, and at other times pulling you back and resetting your position for only minor infringements. You will know when you are being reset as the whole game turns black and white until back on track.
Not being one to read manuals I was a little confused initially with the use of the clutch, but on further investigation it seems to rev the RPM’s to much higher levels. What this was useful for was passing competitors by being able to hold it down into corners and release it out of them. The boost it provided was invaluable in many hairy situations. In most other situations it didn’t seem to have much of an effect at all.
A new seatbump feature has been added which takes some time to get used to but is necessary to clear certain jumps and aids in smooth travel over mogul style bumps. Like many games, it takes some time to get used to but is thoroughly rewarding once you do.
James Stewart, motocross legend is the spokesperson for the game, and players who purchase a new copy of the game will get a voucher to download his compound. Participating in the events in the compound will help to increase XP and unlock those hard to reach tracks.
Within the game options the two most important things to look out for are corner and jump assist. When these are not activated players will earn far more XP then with them on. Players getting frustrated with levelling up, I would recommend switching these off if you can.
Online
The online mode of MX Vs Atv alive can be essential for some players finding it hard to get to level 10 or for those who simply are getting bored earning XP over the same 2 tracks. Even when there are abundant players on the free ride at once there were almost no instances of lag or glitches. Races are ranked from Rookie through to Pro and both styles of vehicle can be used. Online play was both challenging and fast paced, proving useful to players finding the first unlock hurdle too much.
Graphics and Audio
Visually this is the best game in the series and THQ have excelled in reproducing a very immersive and texturally rich environment for players to compete amongst. Tracks visually deteriorate as the bikes and quads tear it up, leaving a vastly different track to the one you started the race on. The vehicles themselves are quite detailed, and there are a few nice touches added such as the players clothes flapping about in the wind and the spraying dirt flying off wheels. Saying this there were also a few aspects of the visuals that looked like they were unfinished for want of a better word, namely the track girls who resembled plastic mannequins with no lifelike characteristics at all. Although deafening at times the sound effect and soundtrack are highly appropriate. 125cc engines whine, and there is a noticeable difference between the bikes and the deeper sounding quads. Having that constant engine noise in the background, plus the roar of the crowd when you pass a competitor or pull off a nice air/trick really helps to immerse the player into the race.
The Soundtrack is a mixed bag featuring bands like Rise Against and Anberlin, as well as many others from the same blues/punk/rock genre. For those who don’t enjoy this kind of music the mute button is not far away, but for me was a welcome addition to the game and fit in well with the overall style.
Overall
While actually being an incredible amount of fun to play, the game was simply too limited in content. People on any kind of time constraint will get too frustrated with the amount of time needed in order to level up and open anything more than the first 2 tracks. Mx Vs Atv Alive plays very much like an arcade game but with a much more advanced and realistic control system. What initially seems like a lot of work soon makes perfect sense, and once mastered really will give you the edge over your competition. If you are a fan of the franchise then you won’t be disappointed as long as you can pick yourself up a cheap retail copy and are willing to pay for any DLC you want. Visually it surpasses any of the other games in the franchise, but its let down by aspects such as lack of weather interaction and an inconsistent crash/off-road system. The new reflex control system combined with the new seat and bar bump mechanics aid a very realistic control system. Best suited to those who embark on massive gaming sessions and fans of online play. I dont know else to explain it besides not being able to emphasise enough how much fun the game actually is, the control system is very responsive and the graphics are visually appeasing. Theres just not enough on offer on the retail disc and what is there is too hard to unlock for all but those with a lot of time on their hands. With more tracks and an easier unlock system i would have given this game 7.5 but…..
Sony recently had some very exciting news regarding the NGP, or, the successor to the PSP. The first is that every single, solitary game released on the PSN for PSP will be playable on the NGP. PSP titles that never made it to PSN will be left in the cold though. Boo hoo.
Another announcement that was made concerned the addition of the dual analog sticks to the NGP. Every game on the PSN that was for PSP will be able to use the NGP’s second stick. For most, this is prayer finally answered.
“All PSP titles that are currently available on the PSN can be played on the NGP,” VP of product development at SCEA Scott Rohde said. “And they’ll take full advantage of the graphics smoothing capabilities of the system and the controls will be remapped to take advantage of the dual analog sticks.”
Its unclear how much difference the graphic smoothing effect will have, but lets look forward to it anyway, eh?
The Playstation Blog has recently been abuzz with NGP game previews and videos. We expect that most of the launch games for the system will be shown off at E3 2011. These include such games as: Killzone, Uncharted, WipEout, LittleBigPlanet, Call of Duty, Resistance, Little Deviants, Hot Shots Golf, Reality Fighters, Gravity Daze, Smart As, Broken and Hustle Kings.
In the meantime though, lets take a look at the E3 preview demos for a couple games, starting with Uncharted.
I admit that I wasn’t very excited about the NGP when it was first announced. I was worried that it would merely be another PSP with a couple of dinky features thrown in. However, it appears that Sony has FINALLY decided to pull out all the stops and really promote this console. Hopefully, they continue to do so too, as this may be their last chance at a portable console given the rise in popularity of smartphones.
Sony also said that, ” “We’ll talk more about social connectivity features down the line. I’m sure you have burning questions on launch date, pricing, 3G data plans, and we’ll be very happy to share all those with you moving forward.”
What are some of the features and ideas your still curious about relating to the NGP? For example, I know that I want multiple, PSN account features like the PS3 has. Logging into separate accounts to play games that I bought on different accounts is pain on PSP, but super easy on the PS3. What do you want to see?
The sequel to Prototype is slashing its way to E3 2011 and in advance of the event, Activision released a trailer of the game, showing off all the blood, guts and more that will be splashing across your screen in HD in the year 2012 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Whaddya say? Are you ready to experience the gut wrenching tale of mutant who has lost his wife and kids? Ready to take vengeance? Ready to have red spurt across the screen every 5 seconds? Radical Entertainment and Activision are ready to give you that experience.
In a shocking announcement, peripheral company Mad Catz has said that will be starting to publish games, and they have started a game development studio named ThunderHawk Studios. ThunderHawk’s first game has yet to be announced. However, Mad Catz says that it will be a flight combat sim MMO.
“The formation of ThunderHawk Studios is an important milestone as we pursue our longer term goal of expanding our participation in developing, publishing and distributing games,”said Richardson.
In a completely different set of events, Mad Catz’s first published game will be titled War Wings: Hell Catz, and it is a flight combat game developed by Trickstar Game, scheduled for release in 2012.
“The War Wings series of games, alongside the ThunderHawk Studios MMO game development initiative, should further leverage the market share leadership and global distribution enjoyed by our flight simulation hardware products,” said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.
On Thursday, the Black Ops Escalation Map Pack on PC was released and can be had on Steam for $14.99. This pack includes four multiplayer maps and the Call of the Dead experience. The Black Ops full game is on sale for $40 this weekend as well.
From now until June 5 at 1pm PT Steam is offfering free multiplayer and double XP.
If your more of a PS3 player, then Activison has some special news for you too. The Escalation DLC and double XP weekend will be coming to the Sony console on June 10th.
With summer season of movies fast approaching, a massive promotion for Yoostar 2’s Xbox 360 community will put players in front of the camera and under the lights again to compete for cash prizes, at the same time utilising this year’s summer films. The eight week contest, Acting With the Stars, will run from June 1 – July 26, 2011 and will award over $50,000 in prize money for the best interpretation of scenes taken from this summer’s biggest blockbuster movies including Fast Five, Bridesmaids, Thor, King Fu Panda 2, Super 8, Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon and Captain America.
A free download of a scene from a new summer blockbuster will be available every Wednesday during the contest on Yoostar 2’s in-game Yoostore, the Xbox Live Marketplace or on Xbox.com. The Yoostar 2 community can participate in the excitement by performing the scene using the on-screen teleprompter or improvising their own performance. They can then upload it to the Yoostar Playground contest page on Facebook where all their friends and family can view their performance. Each week, the top 20 most viewed clips will be judged by the official Yoostar Editorial Team and the best will win the $1,000.00 prize and be entered into the finals for the chance to win the grand prize of $50,000.
It sounds great and the promotion will provide even more scenes for your entertainment on Yoostar 2, which is never a bad thing. I’m sure it will be fun for all who get involved – even the judges job doesn’t sound too taxing as I’m certain they’ll see some funny clips. Your imagination is the limit!
Focusing on multiplayer, coop and vertical gunplay, the latest Uncharted 3 video may make you wet your pants. Go to the bathroom right now, before you watch it. Seriously, after setting a golden standard in Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog is going platinum. With a premium looking multiplayer component, and better coop than ever before, there is no possible way this game could get better. Oh wait. That guy I just shot at was at the top of a building. And Nathan Drake was holding onto the side of the building. Then, that guy fell off, straight towards my faaaaccceee!
Expect a literal ton of info about this game at E3!
Last night, Spike and Gametrailers had their E3 preview event. Showing off an exclusive video for the Back to the Future game series, it was confirmed that Michael J. Fox will be using his voice to make the soundtrack in the 5th episode of the series come alive. Christopher Lloyd has been in the game since day one.
In 1-4 of the series, Marty McFly was voiced by a different actor, who did an adequate job, but undoubtedly, Michael J Fox will add his own special talents to the 5th game. Look for it on the PSN, iPad, PC and Mac soon.
