If you had any questions about how exactly Brink will be played then you should watch the video that Bethesda just released below. In this video we are given an entire walkthrough of each characters abilities and how to use said abilities. The video goes very in-depth by providing not only a great look into what everything on the HUD means but even going into detail about the game modes.
Of course some of these things are things that nearly anyone who has played a shooter will know already but it is always good to see a developer, in this case Splash Damage, looking out for the players who are eagerly waiting for their title to be released. Which it will on May 10th in the US and May 13th everywhere else for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
Yesterday we reported that Nintendo released their end of fiscal year report where they also stated that two of their 3DS games had sold more than a million titles and therefore were platinum sellers. Now they have released a supplementary packet that shows some more information about actual title sales and it seems that they may have overestimated a bit or are only showing the one title.
Nintendogs + Cats has sold 1.7 million units worldwide with 460,000 in Japan and 1.25 million elsewhere. Of course these sales totals are the accumulation of all the different versions of the game though it would be a bit interesting to see what version was preferred by purchasers. The full list of game sales records can be found here if you want to read all of the other technical information and see how Pokemon White and Black managed to sell 11.51 million units which is a huge amount for only being out worldwide a couple of months.
Some time next month Nintendo will release an update for the Nintendo 3DS that will update the system’s firmware and also add a couple of new features. One of these new features is the 3DS eShop service where players can download games and trailers. Now for those of us in the United States, we were treated to a music video for free that was going to be deleted in the next update.
It seems however that another treat may just be on the way. It appears that Nintendo will be providing 3D Excitebike for free when the update applies to the handheld console. At the moment the information was only revealed from the briefing notes of Nintendo’s financial meeting so it could be possible that the free 3D Excitebike may only be for 3DS owners in Japan.
Nobody says you can’t catch a break once in awhile when the zombies are trying to eat your flesh. Sure you may be a bit more worried about becoming one of the undead but hey, hat least you saved a couple of bucks. That is the case with this weeks Xbox Live Marketplace deals as both Arcade games of Dead Rising 2 are on sale for 50% off and two skill packs are also on sale for half off.
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero places the player before the events of Dead Rising 2 in a prequel and Dead Rising 2: Case West brings Frank West back to the party with co-op action in events that take place immediately after the end of Dead Rising 2. Both of these games are stand alone products which means that you do not need the original Dead Rising 2 disc if you want to play them. The Psycho and Soldier skill pack however, require Dead Rising 2.
Mortal Kombat
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Fighting
Platform: Xbox 360 (PS3)
Released: 21 April (Europe), 19 April (US)
The long-awaited homecoming of Mortal Kombat is upon us, marked by the return of the Fatality and more new modes than you can shake a stick at. It’s a rebound to bloody origins after the more tame Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, with the developers NetherRealm Studios and kingpin Ed Boon promising a pleasing game for the fans in the run up to release.
The story behind the game is a retelling of the original storylines of Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, melding together to give a more complete overlook of the plot of Mortal Kombat with some alterations thrown in. While fighting games aren’t renowned for their narrative, this time round Mortal Kombat takes a surprising new focus on the story behind the fights, with smooth transitions from cut scenes to fights and fights to cut scenes. Likewise, the Arcade mode flows nicely from character to character as you assume control of a new combatant for the next chapter as part of the story.
The story opens to the scene of an absolute massacre, leaving only Raiden and Shao Kahn standing. Fearing for the future of the Earthrealm, Raiden uses his last ounce of strength to send a message using his amulet to his past self warning of the bleak future if something isn’t done. From here, you revert to the current day, and the story unfolds with the guiding hand of Raiden who, with the help of some of the other contestants, tries to avoid this fate. Seeing as it starts from the beginning, the plot is just as accessible for newcomers as it is nostalgic for veterans. Each character’s back-story is gradually introduced and explained, detailing how they came to be involved with the deadly tournament, from Johnny Cage, an actor who doesn’t quite realise what he’s gotten himself into, Raiden, a thunder god trying to save the Earthrealm, to Scorpion who’s looking to exact vengeance on arch nemesis Sub Zero.
As well as Arcade mode (which includes the option of co-op play), there’s a wealth of other modes, most of which come to the franchise for the first time. Challenge Tower is one of the big additions, which presents you with a list of challenges to work your way through, each with its own different completion conditions, earning in-game ‘Kurrency’ in the process. The challenges are varied, with some relating directly to the gameplay, whereas others go off on a tangent, offering mini-games instead of the traditional gameplay. Kurrency accumulated can be spent on unlocking content and secrets in the ‘Krypt’ in the extras menu. Also in the extras menu is ‘Nekropolis’, a place to view character bios to further expand your knowledge of the characters. Even the presentation of these goes a step further, with interactive areas to explore the content offered by these extras, showing how well-furnished the game is.
In addition to the challenge mode mini-games, there are 4 other mini-games, all able to be accessed from the main menu, rather than searching them out in Challenge Tower. These are: ‘Test Your Might’, ‘Test Your Sight’, ‘Test Your Strike’ and ‘Test Your Luck’. Test Your Might and Test Your Strike see you pressing buttons rapidly or in combinations to smash blocks. Test Your Sight involves watching a cup and ball trick and selecting the cup you think the ball is under, only the cups and ball are replaced with decapitated heads and an eyeball. Test Your Luck is probably the most interesting of the lot, providing a completely randomised match based on the outcome of the spin of some fruit machine-like roulettes. With plenty of different combinations of options like an infinite timer, flaming floor, blocking disabled and more, the possibilities are endless.
The other large new feature is King of the Hill mode, in which the developers have attempted to recreate the feeling of competition in an arcade. It’s an online mode where up to 8 players can all sit in on the same match as spectators until it is their turn to fight and challenge the current King of the Hill to become the leader themselves. In layman’s terms, it’s winner stays on. Whilst sitting in the theatre-like zone viewing the battle, players can also make use their own Xbox Live Avatar that is representing them by giving the fight a rating, throwing tomatoes, or cheering and booing the current competitors.
The series has always been known for its ghastly practices, and this game is no different with the shocking level of gore taken up a notch by well-polished visuals. It almost goes without saying; this game is not for the squeamish, and the revival of the fatality means that this game isn’t going the win the game any new fans on that front. However, for those of us with slightly psychopathic tendencies, Mortal Kombat in its gory entirety bodes well. The fatalities have always been about rubbing your victory in your opponent’s big fat face, upping the humiliation to new levels. When the words ‘Finish Him!’ are uttered, you’ve already won, but provided you can pull off the necessary combo, you can win in style. New players mustn’t fret though, because the developers were keen to make the game playable for newcomers on top of being satisfying for hardcore supporters, with enough depth to perform extended combos, but simple enough for less skilled players to pick up and handful of combos, still keeping fights interesting. As such, there’s a tutorial mode both to learn the basics of the game, and a separate fatality tutorial to learn the button combinations behind these brutal finisher moves.
Overall, the game is simply very well polished with plenty of examples cropping up as you play. For example, depending on the stage you are on, finisher moves can vary relative the your surrounding environment, like on The Pit, where defeating you opponent can lead to them being hurled, and consequently impaled, on the spikes below. Stages also feature detailed touches all round, not only on the textures but events happening in the background, such as other fights going on in the background or other detailed scenes happening simultaneously. The carefully crafted animations pre-fight and post-fight further reiterate this point. Gameplay-wise, new developments come in the form of X-ray special moves and the option of tag-team battles. Much like fatalities, X-ray special moves provide a similar type of experience by allowing you to see the extent of the damage on your opponent’s organs and bones in X-ray slow-mo/fast-mo sequences. On the other hand, the tag-team battles are a first for Mortal Kombat, and add a new element of depth to fighting by having you try to put out a balanced pairing, and also breaking down or extending combos – depending on whether you are receiving or delivering the damage – by switching out.
In conclusion, I could have done a review swapping all the ‘c’s with ‘k’s, but it’s not klever, it is just klichéd. Instead, I’ve spoken about a game which has clearly had a lot of work put into it, with intricate smaller details and a deep fighting system at its core. It’s the game the fans were hoping for, with the return of the bloody fatalities, the brand new X-ray attacks, plenty of new modes, and a roster of over 25 of your favourite characters with a couple more on the way via DLC. Somehow Mortal Kombat manages to claim the title of goriest game on the Xbox 360 – no small feat considering that the likes of Gears of War and Dead Space also reside on the console – and if your stomach can handle it, you’re in for an entertaining, well-polished fighter.
Pros
Fan-pleasing story with cut scenes and voice-acting
Incredibly well-polished
Lots of new features
Gallons of blood if you’re into that kind of thing
Cons
Excessive amounts of gore could be repelling for some
Minor niggles such as the introduction of an online pass, prolonged loading times, and occasionally finickity user interface
Electronics giant Sony has announced their move into the tablet market unveiling 2 devices to eager journalists and technology specialists. The tablets, codenamed S1 and S2 will both be Playstation certified so they can play PSOne games as well as any other applications or titles approved by Sony for use. Both the devices will use the Android Honeycomb 3.0 platform and feature dual core Tegra processors, the differences coming in the design and screen size.
The S1 features a 9.5″ screen and is shaped more like a traditional tablet with what seems to be a folded stand on the back, whilst the S2 features dual 5.5″ screen designed more like a Nintendo DS. Sony says that the dual screens can be used to display a single page or for multiple functions.
To add to this, Sony has said that their Qriocity and Reader Store will be available through both tablets. The S1 can apparently also control Sonys Bravia Tv range.
Dark Energy Digital has announced that their game, Hydrophobia Prophecy, will be coming to Steam and PlayStation Network soon. This reinvention of the title includes upgraded graphics, brand new gameplay mechanics, new levels, a reworked back story with alternate ending, recast voice acting and more. The enhancements have been made in response to data gathered from the Hydrophobia Listening Post where players voted and commented on the features of Hydrophobia Pure.
“We could’ve just ported Hydrophobia Pure over to Steam and PSN after the positive response it received, but we decided to go much further. The community really blew us away with the incredible response to Hydrophobia Pure and the outstanding level of feedback on the listening post, so we wanted to return the favour and ensure we created a bigger and better experience in every possible respect with Hydrophobia Prophecy for Steam and PSN” – Pete Jones
Following the astonishing response to the listening post, Dark Energy has developed a new in-game dev feedback system called Darknet which launches in Hydrophobia Prophecy. Darknet allows players to deliver specific opinions at any point during the game, which are automatically augmented with contextual data about the game state at that time.
“In the modern, interconnected world we think there should be better lines of communication between players and developer, which is exactly what Darknet delivers. Gamers have shown us how much they appreciated being involved in the development process and we have responded. We’re really excited to be bringing Hydrophobia Prophecy and Darknet to PC using Steamworks because the ability to update the game seamlessly and regularly through Steam is a perfect fit for our commitment to acting upon feedback from the community. It also means we can update the Darknet system itself to ensure we continually adapt to serve players who want to participate more effectively.”
Hydrophobia Prophecy will launch on Steam on 9th May and can be pre-purchased for just $10.19 / £7.64 (including 15% pre-purchase discount) with a PSN version to follow.
“Hello there Nin2-Jump. What’s that?! Your coming to XBLA?! THIS WEEK! FOR ONLY 5 %&*>-ing dollars?! Whoa, you kinda snuck that one in like a ninja.”
“Nevertheless, I dare say that your gameplay looks pretty interesting, and my, is that an original concept too? I see. The graphical art direction and style looks unique as well. What was that last point now? 100% of the profits from the game will be going to help Japan, up until June 30. That will surely be appreciated.”
“I think this game is worth the money. Thank you.”
Since PSN is experiencing a little power down time, Sucker Punch Productions is extending the inFamous 2 user-generated content beta for a undefined amount of time. And since gamers have to agree to online generated user agreement to play the beta in the first place, they have also stopped giving out codes to participate in the electrifying game preview. It seems that either way you look at it, this is probably a good move by the developers and it may help quell some of the frustration caused by the PSN meltdown/rebuild. We’ll let you know when the beta will be ending as soon as possible.
If your in the market for a Nintendo DS Lite, and you must absolutely buy from the might G, then you better hurry. As soon as all stock is cleared, Gamestop has no plans to reorder the device, as they intend to focus on selling the the 3DS, DSi and DSi XL. Never fear though, as most other retailers have no current plans to do the same. Read that as CURRENT though. It is more than likely only a matter of time.
It appears that the little device just isn’t so popular now, huh? The poor little guy probably hates 3D just as much as I do too.
