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What are we playing this week?

May 16, 2011

Editor-in-chief: MasterAbbott

I’ve been quite busy this week organizing our appointments for this year’s E3 which starts on the 7^th of June. So many great new games on the cards this year and also Nintendo’s BIG announcement of the Wii 2 has a few of us here at Capsule Computers very excited. Anyway, what have I been playing you ask ? Well the same old games this week unfortunately. I’ve been kicking locust’s ass in the Gears Of War 3 Beta which sadly ends on the 15^th of May. I ended up unlocking all the weapons, executions and skins along with characters like Cole and Anya that will unlock in the retail game once its released. I finally got my hands on the Hammer of Dawn this week which was quite enjoyable to use allowing me to decimate the locust scum quickly and easily. My overall experience with the Gears 3 BETA has been pleasant (APART FROM THE FREAKS USING THE SAWN-OFF SHOTGUNS), finding a public match was very quick, I never lagged out and game modes were fun to play. Hopefully EPIC Games can take all this valuable game data and fine tune the online multiplayer experience even more making Gears 3 a major player on Xbox Live leader board once it’s released.

Other games I’ve played this week included Gameloft’s Order & Chaos. I wish I could take this game with me everywhere I go but you need to connect to a Wi-Fi point. Standard 3G just can’t handle the sheer size of this online MMO game, but it’s still keeping me busy with the little time I have. I’ve also been playing my 3DS, it’s like a daily ritual now. I go for a walk, find some Mii’s using Street Pass, I jump into the Mii Plaza and start up Puzzle Swap and pick up some new Puzzle Pieces, then hire me some heroes to aid my newly found Mii’s on their quest to rescue my own Mii from the clutches of the EVIL Ghosts! It’s a great 10-15 min break and something you all should do if you have a 3DS.

Anyway. that’s all from me this week. I’m off to go check some emails and get ready for E3, only 22 days left to go! Woohoo! Have a great week.

Senior Editor: Travis Bruno

This weekend I spent a large amount of my time playing Brink for the Xbox 360. I’d have to say its a great game for the most part and it is obvious that Splash Damage at least got some sort of inspiration from Team Fortress 2 as many of the classes are quite similar. It is unfortunate though that the allied AI is very poorly designed and that the online modes that the game focuses on entirely are so laggy. There was an update released today for the Xbox 360 version so hopefully it will fix some of the problems at least. With the PSN down for so long, my PlayStation 3 has been doing practically nothing besides collecting dust but I did spend some time with Hyperdimension Neptunia for the sake of getting a decent RPG experience again.

Besides that I got my hands on The First Templar and Lego: Pirates of the Carribbean. Haven’t played either one a whole lot though I can say that the Pirates game is definitely one of the best looking Lego titles that they have ever released. Also it is about time that they let you select whatever character you want in Free Play during the level, should have been something they incorporated right from the beginning. As for The First Templar it looks like it was an Xbox original port as far as graphics go. There really isn’t a whole lot to say about the title because unfortunately there isn’t anything that stands out, just a hum drum action adventure with a Templar setting. Poor 3DS and PSP collected dust this week, though I know everything will collect dust next week with L.A. Noire coming out.

Senior Editor: Dustin Spencer

During the past week I got a small flood of new titles which are varied for the most part. Of course, Brink came out which I picked up, and so far I am really enjoying it aside from the lag. I guess I could best explain it as Mirror’s Edge meets…well, your standard shooter with classes. Interesting concept but there is certainly a lot to learn. I am currently playing two different versions of Thor, one on the DS and one on the Xbox 360. The DS one is awesome (so far) as it reminds me a bit of side-scrolling beat-em ups from the 90’s with both screens in full use. The Xbox 360 one…yeah. Uninspired gameplay, choppy framerates, and just bland overall. The reviews for both should be up soon so keep an eye out for that. I also finished Gattling Gears for the XBLA, which was twin-stick shooting at the best I think I have ever seen it so you can check out that review as well (review link here, will be up tonight).

Continuing my 3DS collection a bit, I picked up Dream Trigger 3D, which I thought would be an arcade shooter but instead it is a little bit of a different experience which I can’t quite put my finger on. I guess you could say if you combined Lumines and REZ maybe? Finally, Mighty Milky Way was released for the DSiWare, and being a huge Wayforward fan, I had to grab it up quickly and it certainly is an interesting little game.

Editor: Jared Hilliers

So I have a back catalogue of games like most other gamers, but mine is that bad that I have some from 2008 to catch up on, like Metal Gear Solid 4. I’ve travelled back in time with Snake along with the original Dragon Age, why? Because I really don’t like leaving anything unfinished, even if the game was free. Most of these games I got halfway through and walked away from for some reason, like being scared of a boss or something stupid like that, but hey, the laughing octopus in MGS4 freaked me in out with surround sound in the dark.

Back to the year 2011, I’m looking forward to LA.Noire, which comes out this week. It’s a home grown game (Sydney based) and some people I went to University with worked on it (trippy!). Plus the most memorable game I played in the last 12 months was a Rockstar published game as well (Red dead anyone?), so I’m betting this game is going to have a big impact this year.

Editor: Roger Ma

Surprisingly, I’ve recently just re-picked up playing Pokemon Gold on my old Gameboy Colour which brings back alot of old memories (my game’s just passed the 100 hour mark). Asides from this, I’ve also been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer with some friends; it’s basically us vs. bots which is unexpectedly very fun as it is just getting and using Killstreaks – a lot of helicopters! Also, my mates and I are still trying to crack 69 stars on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Spec Ops, those juggernauts are very very hard to kill, we’re stuck on Echo.

Editor: Michael Marr

This week I, I thought I would try my hand at a game that I have always heard about, and most certainly know about, but never played or experienced personally. Prepare yourselves for a shock: this week, I began playing Half-Life 2 for the very first time. Believe it or not, I originally purchased the Orange Box in order to play Team Fortress 2, and I was also interested in this little known number called Portal. However, in the 2 odd years since I first got it, I never really thought to turn on Half-Life 2 to see what all the fuss was about…until now that is.

I gotta say, it’s a GOOD game. BUT. But, but, but… I don’t think it’s as great as people make it out to be. I mean sure, it’s fun, the story is enjoyable and the action well paced, but given all the hype I’ve heard about this, I was expecting a digital embodiment of perfection. Then again I remembered that Portal already swooped in and attained that title for itself. Oh, speaking of which, I FINALLY got enough free time to finish off playing Portal 2.

Besides that, other smaller plays on my list included Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (for a review), Left 4 Dead 2, Pokemon Soulsilver and Dragon Age 2.

Editor: Ben Webb

What have I been playing this week? Hmm… Lemme think….QuakeLive.

Yars’ Revenge PC – Awesome game, absolutely loved it! Only problem is that are a few bugs, namely on the second level where you can’t use the mouse! Luckily I have a X360 controller handy. It’s weird though: all the other levels work with the mouse fine, but hopefully ATARI get around to patching the problem.

Puzzle Bobble Universe – Got a review up for this one, it was fairly entertaining and can be quite ifficult at times, read my review for my full impressions.

Avadon: The Black Fortress – An Indie RPG about dudes called hands who have authority similar to that of a Specters in Mass Effect. It’s an alright game I guess. Expect a review up soon if it’s not already up.

I also got back into Diablo 2 recently, so I’ve put a few hours into that.

On another note, has anyone been watching Eurovision? Man it’s been pretty fun this year and can’t wait for next years contest!

Editor: Michael Irving

With the sequel coming this year, I thought I’d dig Prototype out of hibernation. I got it about 2 years ago, played for maybe an hour, and for some reason never picked it up again. And while it’s a fun concept, like GTA with more verticality, I found it endlessly frustrating. I tried really hard to enjoy the game, but there’s a ridiculous amount of stuff to keep track of. Traveling around the huge city can be a nightmare, as, for example, you have to release the glide button and press jump to get a mid-air boost, and half the time that drops you to the ground. And i always get slaughtered in combat, as I frantically try to remember the combos, or even the basic attacks. I end up jumping all over the place, attacking the wrong targets, picking stuff up instead of punching, assuming I have my shield thing active when I accidentally pressed the button to cancel it. I’m not a rager at all, but this was the closest I’ve ever been to throwing the controller into the TV.

It’s unfortunate, i really like the idea, and it looks fun, I just can’t get into it. But I remember having the same problem with Just Cause 2, and I ended up loving that, so maybe I need to give it another chance. I’m just worried about my TV’s welfare…

I also finished Oddworld: Abe’s Exodus this week, the second game in the Oddboxx. I’ll move onto the third this week, but I’m a little unsure of how the series will transition into 3D.

Editor: Kelly Teng

This week, I’ve been going back to World of Warcraft because…well, let’s face it, we all have a soft spot for WoW. I’d forgotten how great the 80-85 instances were, but I’d also forgotten how playing WoW means minutes turns into hours and before you know it, a day has passed you. I’ve also watched American: The Bill Hicks Story for review (awesome documentary, anyone who loves comedy should watch this). I also got Top Spin 4 back from my friend and played a little bit of the career mode again. No matter how cool Virtua Tennis 4 is, I still have a soft spot for Top Spin; with Rafa beating Nole in the Rome Masters, I figured I could exact my own form of vengeance by beating Nole in the game.

Other than that, I’m really just biding my time until L.A. Noire comes out. Anyone who has been following L.A. Noire will know how exciting this release is, and anyone who has even seen my posts on this site or spoken to me will know just how excited I am for this game. I’ll also be doing a film noir DVD review special in celebration of L.A. Noire’s release, so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks!

Editor: Alexis Ayala

I’ve been playing a very new game to me. It’s called: Move to Sydney from New York. But seriously I haven’t had too much time to play much of anything aside of some Halo: Reach with my (17 year old) brother in law (who owns me… because he’s 17) and rocking out hard with some iOS games. I’ve maintained a healthy addiction to Game Dev Story for the past couple of months, which if you haven’t tried yet I would only recommend if you’re willing to give up your entire life…because that’s whats going to happen…because it’s digital crack. I’ve also been going through the fantastic Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP which is really the first experience on iPhone that I’ve had that has really shown me what the platform is capable of. Sword & Sworcery is a game that’s not possible on other devices and really takes advantage of all the features of the iPhone (or iPad). I’ve also been playing through World of Goo again. This is the 3rd time I’ve purchased World of Goo (Wii, Steam, iOS) and its been worth buying every time. What a fantastic game! And last but not least I’ve just started to go through Portal (Steam for Mac) again. I’m going through with the commentary this time to prepare myself forPortal 2, which I’ve already purchased but wont be able to play for another 6 weeks or so (which is when my stuff arrives from New York).

So obviously I’m looking forward to getting all my stuff from New York. My wife and I have an apartment furnished with a blowup mattress, a couple of stools and a barbeque (which is the first thing I bought when we moved in… priorities you know). Feng shui isn’t difficult when you have 3 items. However, I’m foaming at the mouth waiting for L.A. Noire and the chance to finally play Portal 2. It’s funny, waiting for your own stuff to arrive feels like the way Christmas felt when you were a little kid. I just can’t wait!

Editor: Darren Resnekov

I’ve been playing Portal 2 on Xbox360. Having never played the first game, I didn’t know what to expect. Aside from the lack of blood and guns, I found it to be a very welcome change from the current titles available. The puzzles and environments are amazing. Going to begin Brink after hearing mixed reviews about it – I am keen to see what all the hype is. I’ve also been playing more Fifa 11, and I reviewed Socom 4 which had its good elements in the stealth missions and AFL Live which requires more patience than a high school teacher.

Avadon: The Black Fortress PC Review

Benjamin Webb

May 16, 2011

Avadon: The Black Fortress

Developer: Spiderweb Software
Publisher: Spiderweb Software
Platform: PC
Price: $25US (Buy here)
Release Date: May 10, 2011

Overview

Avadon: The Black Fortress is an independently developed role playing game for the PC. The game features decent story elements and plot lines with some interesting events and characters. Graphically, it is reminiscent of more classic role playing games and the very generous system requirements reflect this.

Story

The story in Avadon seems very simple at a glance and may remind some players of some plot elements found in some of the more mainstream role playing games, like Mass Effect. In fact, the your character and some companions also share in a status very similar to that of a Specters in the Mass Effect universe.

The player character is known as a hand, which basically has the power to do as he or she sees fit in a certain situation and can ignore the law if needed. Hands are sent in to do the work of other characters who have ranks that are also named after other body parts.

Like any role playing game, the first mission/job/quest will have you exploring somewhere close to where you started and killing monsters that are so beneath you that it feels anti-heroic. In fact, the entire first mission is a role playing game trope, with you exploring a dungeon full of rats and only having to fight a slightly tougher foe towards the end. However the story does build up from this and it does lead to an interesting plot element, but, I ultimately found it too full of itself to take seriously.

The story itself is told though text, and lots of it. The story isn’t told by much other means than through it. It often feels like you’re walking from one chapter to the next, with combat being thrown in to keep you occupied. For example, there is a quest where you have to save a farmers cow heard from being killed by goblin things, who have a base all the way over the other side of the map. Sure you can kill the goblins without talking to the farmer, but you don’t experience the story changing unless you explicitly talk to a character about that plot point.

I think that the story of this game will be engaging to some players and flat out boring to others, much like most stories actually. But I think it’s more likely to be disengaging because there is not really much effect, visually and eventfully, on the game world within the story if you ignore certain quests or complete certain quests other than some dialogue and quest rewards.

Graphics

Avadon: The Black Fortress has a very classic look to it. The character sprites, tile-set and even the artwork are all very retro RPG in their design.

Lets talk a little about the character sprites shall we? Each class has it’s own sprite, one sprite, only one; that’s one unisex sprite per class. I wouldn’t mind it normally as the playable characters all keep to the gender of their classes, but some of the NPC’s, especially the ‘ShadowWalker’ class NPC’s, seem to use the same sprite, regardless of gender. I understand time constraints and the low budget of independently designed games, but it can really un-immerse the player from the story, which graphics are supposed to help convey.

The tile-sets are very two-dimensional (as are the characters) but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t undetailed. In fact, the most impressive looking things in this game are some of the tiles. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, which can be found early on in the game. In a certain desert region, there will be lots of invariant sand. sure there are pathways and walls to mix it up, but it is largely invariant.

The artwork in this game is where it truly shines. The character portraits, the profile view of the character from the inventory screen, the map screens and anywhere else that the artwork comes through; are all kinds of pretty and awesome. The art team on this game have done an amazing job of realising the characters classes and portraits, as well as also making them incredibly nice to look at. The art is probably the strongest asset in this game, and it is very well executed.

Audio

Audio, sound, music; it is all very largely forgettable in this game. I mean, the sounds aren’t bad or anything, but they’re also not good either. They do their job, but they do it at the cost of interest, which is what they really need to be generating in a role playing game. And having a memorable theme in a memorable area would help solidify some interest, as well as help people remember what that obscure role playing game was back in the day. Do you think The Legend of Zelda would have been as memorable as it is today had it not had the overworld theme? Probably not.

Again, the music is largely forgettable and I found myself relying heavily on Windows Media Player to get me through the game. Each area actually didn’t have any or very little music in them, so it was pretty quiet. The only place that seemed to have music was the title screen and menus. A wasted opportunity to make your game memorable developers! I know that it may sound pretty pedantic, but, music always helps a performance and can sometimes carry it. Would The Dark Knight have been as great without it’s surreal ambient themes? Probably not. And what of Daft Punks score to Tron Legacy? Would the movie have felt the same with a generic symphonic piece instead? Probably not.

The sound effects in the game are pretty basic effects. They certainly sound similar to what would be happening in the game, but they were pretty underwhelming to me personally.

Again, I understand the limited budget of an independent developer and I can see how this would impact the quality of the audio, but on saying that, some home-made Foley effects with a gaming microphone would have recorded almost as well as a small recording booth, especially if you have the right audio drivers and codecs installed.

Gameplay

Gameplay wise, Avadon is somewhat strong. Not quite as strong as the art, but still, at least halfway up there. This is where the game very closely follows classic role playing game mechanics.

Much like the more classic title, it is a point and click style game, where you click on a visible area to move there and your character will begin to walk to that area, stopping only when combat is engaged. Walking to an area doesn’t take very long and if you’ve already been somewhere, you can move your screen to that location and have your character walk there from anywhere else in that section of the game.

Combat is triggered when your character moves into a certain range of an enemy unit and it can see them. The combat in the game is turn based and anyone who has played dungeons and dragons will have a pretty close idea as to what the combat feels like turn wise. Of course, each class has it’s own skill tree that can only be climbed as you level and these skills become available in combat. Some of them are quite deadly, while others make your combat party larger by summoning pets and the like.

As you level, you get to increase your stats and skills. I found that it is best to build the one stat that your class is good with, as opposed to trying to even out all the stats. I found that it made it much easier to take enemies out as they were always going down in close to one hit, as opposed to being able to stack on me while I did bugger all damage and then being killed.

Clicking on an NPC will take you to their dialogue, which, if its an important character, will allow you to read into their lives story and also any quests they might offer you. The one complaint that I have with quests is that the quests didn’t update to tell you to hand them in immediately after completing a major objective, so you must pay very close attention to what it is that you are doing, or else you might find yourself walking around in circles. It seems that the triggers for these quests are placed at various points, rather than at the completion of certain tasks.

Overall

Avadon: The Black Fortress is a very decent role playing game by a pretty decent independent studio. The game has it’s flaws, but then again, so do some really big AAA titles. The game will definitely appeal to the hardcore fans of classic styled role playing games, as well as gamers who were born too late for the era but would like to take a glimpse at the past while still remaining in the present. The game also works for Windows 7, which is a definite step up from some of those older games.

First details of Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 announced

News

Jared Hilliers

May 16, 2011

For some, the world may be ending in 2012, for soccer nuts PES 2012 is coming out instead. Konami has announced the first details of PES 2012, including a new trailer. The previous entry to the series was said to be the best in years, the new game is looking to improve upon features which pleased fans.

The game development news is that the AI has undergone a major overhaul to bring the title more in line with the experience of being on an actual team. Teammates now make runs and offer more support in one-on-one situations. Players can also draw defenders and rely on the AI to help better move the ball around. An emphasis on teamwork is going to be key to the players success, well that’s the idea anyway.

The trailer shows the series’ Creative Producer, Shingo ‘Seabass’ Takatsuka detailing the first batch of key innovations in the new game, and extends upon last year’s game’s freedom of play motif. Three images of the AI elements are also available, alongside pictures of the dev team. Further announcements on PES 2012 are scheduled in the coming weeks. PES 2012 is due to launch this fall on all platforms.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk5gGjikJto&feature=player_embedded[/pro-player]

Rusty start to Playstation Network Restoration down under

Jared Hilliers

May 16, 2011

As the Playstation Network finally starts it’s restoration, Aussie gamers seem to be having trouble, supposedly the restoration was to start from 5am this morning. But if you’re like me, you’ve been having trouble and can’t exactly sign in. I’ve been trying since last night as I wasn’t sure of our regions restoration, but at 8am this morning password resets started working, since then the servers seem to have gone down because of too many password rests (check the EUblog), Pretty funny isn’t it?

There’s also been a delay in finalizing the details of the welcome back program and we won’t find out until tomorrow, apparently the servers were only meant to be down for half an hour, but it seems the wait will be longer for Australia.

The best way to get updates is through Sony’s twitter, it’s also the best way to complain directly at them, that’s the general feeling across twitter right now as people struggle to reconnect to the PSN. All good things come to those who wait and I guess we’ll be waiting for abit longer. Let us know if you’re able to connect or have any more issues.

Square-Enix Eidos Montreal hacked

Darren Resnekov

May 15, 2011

Just as Sony are slowly phasing the PSN network online across the globe another gaming company has fallen victim to the wrath of childish hackers. Honestly, its almost got to the point where the bigger picture of what is going on has been forgotten in lieu of a cat and mouse style “game” between hackers and large entertainment corporations. This has gone beyond piracy issues, pride and morals and entered the territory of large scale theft.

The latest attack involves Eidos, the company that has brought the wonderfully lovely lara croft to us via tomb raider as well as the Deus Ex franchise which has an upcoming release. The company has confirmed that up to 3 sites under their control had been breached and consequently taken offline. Via their official website SquareEnix released the following statement.

“Square Enix can confirm a group of hackers gained access to parts of our Eidosmontreal.com website as well as two of our product sites. We immediately took the sites offline to assess how this had happened and what had been accessed, then took further measures to increase the security of these and all of our websites, before allowing the sites to go live again.
Eidosmontreal.com does not hold any credit card information or code data, however there are resumes which are submitted to the website by people interested in jobs at the studio. Regrettably up to 350 of these resumes may have been accessed, and we are in the process of writing to each of the individuals who may have been affected to offer our sincere apologies for this situation. In addition, we have also discovered that up to 25,000 email addresses were obtained as a result of this breach. These email addresses are not linked to any additional personal information. They were site registration email addresses provided to us for users to receive product information updates.
No dissemination or misappropriation of any other personal information has been identified at this point.
We take the security of our websites extremely seriously and employ strict measure, which we test regularly, to guard against this sort of incident.”

In what reads like a soap opera worthy of any bored housewifes viewing, the hack was an apparent attempt to frame a young member of the group Anonymous named Ryan who had caused some sort of internal rift between other members. Seriously guys you all need to get girlfriends and grow up a little bit its getting old. Sort your crap out in the schoolyard and put your skills to good use.

Dawn of Fantasy Characters and screenshots

Darren Resnekov

May 15, 2011

If you are a fan of MMO games then look no further than 505 games new upcoming title Dawn of Fantasy. Based in the world of Mythador where only 3 main races remain in significant numbers, players have the choice of Elves, Orcs and Men across 9 different homeland territories. Even in terms of MMO games this looks epic, with a thoroughly detailed and immersive storyline. Here is a really basic run down on the different characters and what you can expect from the game.

Elves: The Elves, who have divided themselves into 2 groups many centuries ago, inhabit the Nhob’ru forests. The High Elves pursue alchemy and knowledge and live harmoniously in the capitol city of Illas Tiltos with the Wood Elves who devote themselves to nature and lore. The Knob’ru forests are made up of 3 areas, being Bolfores’l, the birthplace of the elvish race, Erthee L’Bala and Taltos.

Elves are the best archers in the game and possess exceptionally potent defensive forces. It is rumoured their kingdom is currently divided with the kidnapping of their king.

Orcs: The Orcs crush their enemies with sheer ferocity and numbers. They inhabit vastly different environments being Brankental the Desert, Flattan Rol swamps and Thikken Dal forest. Orcs fighting styles range from melee to archery depending on the location they inhabit. Orcs rely on recruiting others such as Goblins and Ogres as well as breeding wargs for armies.

Men: The men of Mythador are crossed the sea in older times settling on the shores of Teria. They are more balanced in offensive/defensive tactics and have a stable and effective army. Within Teria the men can either inhabit Southmont with its natural alpine defences, Rolling plain or the grasslands, all of which offer their own pros and cons.

Complete with Dwarves, Dragons and other hidden goodies across the land Dawn of Fantasy looks like it has much to offer fans of the genre. Each race and sub-group comes complete with a rich and long history that intertwines amongst each other over the centuries that have gone by. Planned and detailed tactics are a must as players use the advantages of their homeland environment as well as the natural and acquired resources and skills of their race to build an epic city.

Keep a look out for Dawn of Fantasy released exclusively on PC June 17^th 2011 and judging by the effort put into the storyline and screenshots should have a very good adoption rate amongst MMO gamers. Check out the official site here.

Popcap’s Crazy Dave Deals

Michael Irving

May 15, 2011

“You know that song, “There’s a zombie on your lawn”? Well there are zombies on your lawn. Stop singing! You need powerful plants to stop ’em. Play now to save your brains.”

Luckily, Popcap are giving you the chance to save your brains at a third of the usual price! Be quick though, the offer only lasts another couple hours, after which, you have to pay full price to spring your brains’ ransom.

Crazy Dave, the zombie-fighting-plant specialist, has chosen his favourite Popcap games and is offering them for at least 50% off for crazy Dave’s Deal Days. The first was the classic Plants vs. Zombies, ending at midnight PDT (Google it – I did). After that, another Popcap game will be on sale for 48 hours, and then another, and so on.

Get over to Popcap‘s site quick, and see what’s on sale. Or follow them on Facebook or Twitter to see what deals are coming up.

Gatling Gears – XBLA Review

Dustin Spencer

May 15, 2011

Game Name: Gatling Gears
Platform(s): Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network
Publisher(s): EA
Developer(s): Vanguard Entertainment
Genre(s): Twin-Stick Shooter
Release Date: May 11, 2011 (XBLA) PSN Date TBA
Price: 1200 MS Points ($14.99)
DOWNLOAD NOW!

Gatling Gears is now officially out on the XBLA (and coming soon to the PSN) and has set out to breathe some fresh life into the somewhat niche genre that has flooded the indie scene for quite some time. We could have seen the standard fare with Gatling Gears and I honestly thought I was in for the usual experience that twin-stick shooters typically bring, but Vanguard have molded Gatling Gears into something quite more with an interesting world to explore as well as a well balanced and highly addictive experience. Here is my review for Gatling Gears for the Xbox Live Arcade.

Story
There is a bit of a story in Gatling Gears, but it really isn’t too noticeable. Players take the role of a pilot by the name of Max who has abandoned an evil empire in the world of Mistbound (Which some of you may be familiar with from Greed Corps, a slightly similar title created by the same studio). Soon after, Max has a new mission to take down the Empire and the corrupt forces behind it before they drain the world of it’s resources. The main story plays out with bits of dialogue as well as a few loading screens which set the scene for the next level.

While the cast for Gatling Gears isn’t too well defined, the world is bursting with character around every corner with a steampunk/industrial revolution setting that is very well visually detailed and even more enjoyable to actually see as you guide Max’s mech throughout each area. I probably could have invested in the overall narrative a bit more as it did it’s job fine for this title, but Gatling Gears is all about the action and the plot is just a mild incentive to trek along on this wild ride.

Gameplay
The heart and soul of Gatling Gears is how the game actually plays. Like most twin-stick shooters for the Xbox 360, the left stick moves your character and the right stick auto-fires your trusty gatling gun, with a few of the face and shoulder buttons assigned for special attacks and weaponry in your mech’s arsenal. Max’s standard gatling gun works well and is fluent, but due to the short range of the weapon, you are given a cannon which shoots missiles as well as grenades to provide more of a balance the the loadout. The grenades are used by holding down the left trigger and quickly firing at any self-targeted enemy on the screen while missiles play out a bit more standard as they shoot in just one direction but with a much further range and stronger attack power than the gatling gun. Both of these methods of destruction are limited in a small way though, with a few seconds needed to reload each. Thankfully though ammo is infinite and this brief cool-down period adds a small layer of strategy and timing to take down the much larger foes in the game.

The whole game sits on a top-down camera angle, allowing for a full view of the screen to be seen at all times and is usually pretty effective at giving the player the full scope of what is present on the screen. The only issue I really had with the camera was that at certain points I would just barely miss a power-up or item and the camera’s view would pull away while moving forward. It wasn’t a big deal as nothing is truly mandatory to collect, but it is a tiny bit frustrating to see an item just out of reach if you missed it while traveling onward.

Gatling Gears consists of six chapters, broken up into five areas a piece. As Max moves along, swarms of enemies are ready to destroy him around every corner so the action never really dies down. There is a huge variety of foes as well, with foot soldiers boasting all sorts of weaponry from standard guns to flamethrowers, turrets, large and small tanks, and other mechs equipped with a similar arsenal to your own. This is where things get chaotic though, as enemies come from the air, sea, and land (and usually all at once), with weapons on full blast. It is your job to learn the pattern of the fire, dodge it, and quickly take out every enemy on the screen before they destroy your little mech. At times, enemies firing projectiles can get so intense that the whole screen is filled with bullets and chaos, but after a while learning to fit in-between the openings of fire to get off proper shots becomes second nature and is pretty fulfilling. Power ups can be found scattered throughout the stage as well, enhancing a certain weapon greatly for a short period to better fight off a swarm of enemies. These are all well placed and always seemed to make an appearance when they were most needed, allowing for full utilization.

The first four areas of each chapter all lead to one big boss battle to finish with at the 5th and final area, which usually consists of a huge mech with three life bars to deplete. One thing I loved about boss battles was how varied they truly are as once you deplete the first bar, your strategy must be altered due to the boss changing up his technique, quickly becoming more of a challenge as you go on. This adds a nice unpredictable feel to each battle and lets each chapter end on a rewarding high note of pure accomplishment.

Gatling Gears is a bit repetitive as the gameplay usually stays the same, but to help with that feeling comes an XP system and the ability to upgrade your mech over time. Every time you destroy an enemy, the trademark gears are dropped onto the ground which need to be quickly acquired. As you collect large amounts, your score rises and a multiplier begins to take off, rewarding even more points for the number of gears collected. Once an area is complete, XP is given out based on your performance and score which is then used to upgrade Max’s mech with new skins and add-ons. Another useful upgrading system comes with the gold Max collects. Each area has a set number of gold bars placed throughout, which can be used as currency at shops found in the game where you can fully upgrade your arsenal over time. A pet is also rewarded after so much experience at several points, but honestly all pets really do is run around and tag along on your journey. I even had a swarm of birds that I unlocked that I quickly was mistaking for airborne enemies, so while it is a clever idea for a companion in the game, this addition just felt a bit unnecessary overall.

Level design is yet another ingredient that makes Gatling Gears work so well. Each area has you move throughout several points, stopping to take out huge swarms of mechs and other foes. Levels are varied for the most part and while we do see many of the same type of enemy often, the sheer quantity and positioning of these foes make for a more varied strategy to be applied. With each stage being action-driven until the very last bullet is fired, it is hard to leave the whole experience with a feeling of boredom.

A multiplayer mode is available, which allows you to carry over your mech straight into Xbox Live for co-op or local play. Adding to this, a survival mode which also utilizes multiplayer sets different objectives to perform with an extra level of challenge added in. Gatling Gears is already a long game as it stands with a campaign clocking in at about 5 hours, but this certainly helps add even more replay value into the title and will keep the hardcore that are looking for a challenge coming back for more.

Graphics/Audio
Each chapter in Gatling Gears provides a somewhat different experience due to the changing scenery. From bright green forests, snow covered landscapes, and lively factories, there are quite a few sights to see and each feature high attention to detail to every tree, mech, and building that inhabit the land. In the past, I have seen many titles with the amount of action that Gatling Gears presents having a hard time staying stable with a bit of framerate problems. Thankfully, Vanguard have made the trek through this title nearly flawless and combat comes across as smooth and fluent even during the most chaotic environments. The whole “steampunk” setting fits the game remarkably well and gives Gatling Gears a bit of it’s own stylistic flare which truly sets it apart from other contenders of the genre.

Each chapter also features it’s own soundtrack, which changes as you move throughout each area. Each tune used fits perfectly with the setting presented at the given time, adding in a bit of atmosphere that keeps the combat exciting and engrossing while you do war in the many intense battles within. Small details such as rain pattering onto the soil and roaring rivers and waterfalls also give each level a more distinct feel. The sound effects never miss a beat either and each of the many explosions sound as they should and keep the destruction fun and addictive throughout.

Overall
Before I started Gatling Gears it had been quite some time since I had played a twin-stick shooter as the whole genre usually presents a very indie, low budget feel. After completing this game though, I can easily say this title may be one of the best examples of a high quality exception to that as the combat, XP system, and high presentation value work together cohesively to create one of the most finely detailed twin-stick shooters in recent memory. It may not be a flawless journey, but Vanguard have done a great job in crafting Gatling Gears into one of the most action-packed titles on the Xbox Live Arcade to date.

I Give Gatling Gears

Serious Sam takes a Serious Price Drop!

Matthew Vella

May 15, 2011

Croteam and Devolver Digital have all things Serious Sam on steam marked down by 75% on Steam RIGHT NOW! This has apparently caused financial executives at Devolver Digital some serious tension. “I can’t believe you idiots are selling some top-tier premium content like Serious Sam HD for a few bucks,” said Fork Parker, Devolver Digital CFO in a press release. “I’ve been known to pay more than that for a tug job out behind the racetrack.” The sale has been going on since the 12th of May, and finishes tomorrow, on the 16th of May. As a result so far, Serious Sam is now two of the top five sellers slots on Steam. Seriously!

Prices via Steam goes as follows:

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter: $3.75

Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter: $4.99

Serious Sam HD: Gold Edition (includes both HD & classic versions of both First & Second Encounters): $9.99

According to the press release from the company, Serious Sam is not just dropping his price for this short period, but apparently he’s dropping panties as well. But as we say here on the internet, “Pics or it didn’t happen!”

When asked to comment on the price drop, Croteam Lead Designer Davor Hunski responded. “Please leave me alone, we’re working on Serious Sam 3: BFE.” Serious Sam 3: BFE is due for a late serious summer release.

Playstation Network Begins Restoration Process…

Dustin Spencer

May 15, 2011

Yes, you read that right. Sony have officially announced that they have began the process to re-launch the Playstation Network. The company announced today on their official blog that users can now log in and download the new mandatory firmware update and multiplayer functionality will be the first to return.

You can watch the official announcement/apology below in which Kazuo Hirai explains just what will start to happen in a video statement below (which really just explains the expected firmware/password changes we all have looked forward to), but I am sure many of you shall be running to your PS3’s and waiting in line to return to the PSN. A map can also be viewed for U.S. users to show states in which the service has returned in. It has been a long time coming, but hopefully this can soon be put behind Sony users everywhere and lessons about security were learned.

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