After a good month since we seen a title released on the Nintendo 3DS, Dream Trigger 3D is now available and looking to bring the arcade shooter genre into the 3DS’ steadily growing library. In Dream Trigger 3D, the player must explore the very visual world with their eyes and sonar, taking down enemies that explode in a multicolored 3D pattern to create an in-depth experience.
With the release also comes a statement from D3 Publisher to give a tad more insight into the game:
“Dream Trigger 3D will test players’ arcade shooting skills and have them at the edge of their seats as they navigate through dozens of nightmare-induced stages in 3D,” said Peter Andrew, vice president of product development, D3P. “Dream Trigger 3D is the perfect visual showcase for the 3D graphical abilities of the Nintendo 3DS system and provides an experience never before seen on a handheld system.”
I have been watching Dream Trigger 3D very closely as it looks to be not only perfect for the system but it also reeks of just about everything a fan of classic arcade shooters would want. Check back soon as our very own review for the title should be coming up and we can finally see just what this title has to offer.
Last year, Zumba Fitness was released to mindblowing sales and to this day is still dominating the Nintendo Wii’s software sales charts. Of course the smart thing to do is release a sequel, and that is exactly what Majesco are planning to do. Today the publisher announced that Zumba Fitness 2 will launch on the Nintendo Wii this holiday season and “another-to-be announced platform” in early 2012.
“We’ve seen an overwhelming demand for the next iteration of the franchise and I can promise you that Zumba Fitness 2’s new and improved features will challenge Zumba enthusiasts and entice new followers to join the party,” said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco. “The Zumba Fitness franchise of video games connects the exhilarating Zumba dance workouts loved by millions with uniquely interactive console platforms that are accessible and fun for consumers of all ages.”
Along with the release, a nice list of features was given of just what this new version will include:
Shake it in Style – From fan favorites like Salsa and Reggaeton to all new styles like Bellydance, Axe, Latin Pop and Pasodoble, players can choose from more than 20 dance styles.
Customize Your Experience – Select from more than 30 tracks in Single Song mode, take a class designed by Beto, Gina Grant or Tanya Beardsley, or craft your own playlist in Zumba Class mode. Invite your friends to join the fun in Zumba Party mode that supports up to 4 players. You can even take it slow in Learn the Steps tutorial mode before you dive into the choreography.
Location, Location, Location – Dance it up in five new, dynamic environments from a Miami Yacht to a Los Angeles nightclub.
Superstar Instructors – Dance and interact with top Zumba instructors Beto, Tanya Beardsley and Gina Grant. You can even customize each instructor’s outfit with the hottest Zumbawear™ styles.
Zumba Fitness certainly earned itself a sequel and I am sure with all the new tracks and modes, Zumba Fitness 2 will be just as successful. I am now a bit curious due to the “other platform” that this will be released on. If Zumba Fitness 2 is in fact coming to the Wii’s Successor, that would confirm motion control for the console, but then again this could be a completely different console that might not have even been hinted at yet. Surely more will be answered at E3, but for now Zumba fans can literally bellydance in joy as a sequel is now on the way.
In an interesting move, Marvelous Entertainment who is the developer of the personally beloved Harvest Moon series and the Japanese publisher of titles such as No More Heroes, Deadly Premonition and Muramasa has entered a merger with AQ Interactive according to Andriasang. AQ Interactive is the publisher of games such as Bullet Witch, Blue Dragon Plus and a 3DS title known as Cubic Ninja.
Also merging with the two companies is Liveware which was originally a part of Marvelous Entertainment. If the merger is successful it will be finalized on October 1st and be named Marvelous AQL. Last year AQ Interactive absorbed its subsidiary Cavia which worked on the Drakengard and Nier titles so it will be interesting to see what this merger will mean for both companies and their respective games.v
Feel like your modern street racing game has gotten a bit to bland for your tastes? How about some mud and dirt to go along with that nice dirt bike you have there? If that sounds like something you’d be interested in then you’ve probably already picked up MX vs. ATV Alive considering that it has been released in stores today.
THQ released a launch trailer showing off both the MX and ATV side of the racing you can perform in the title as well as all of the ramps and tight turns that will send you flying and crashing into other racers. Catch the trailer below and MX vs. ATV Alive itself in stores today for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for the lower than standard price of $39.99.
After yesterday’s rumors springing from an artist’s resume Alan Wake 2 was all but confirmed in the eyes of the internet. Not so says Remedy however. Barely a day after the rumors started to spread Remedy has stepped in to put these rumors to rest. The developer contacted Joystiq and have confirmed with them that they are indeed working on the next Alan Wake game but it is not going to be Alan Wake 2.
Oskari Häkkinen, head of franchise development for the Finnish developer, said that the team is working on the “next Wake installment” to the series but it won’t be any simple DLC add on. He chose not to go into further detail about the title but did state that they are a tad disheartened that the news about their work leaked out before the planned announcement. Oskari did state however that there is going to be an official announcement soon and that “Fall 2011 is probably a good guess” as to when we should expect this next Alan Wake game to be in stores.
Sure you may see this and pass it off as just another Lego game but in that case you would be wrong. Sure you would be right that it is a game with Lego based characters and environments but you’d be passing up the rest of the game simply on that fact. Beyond the Legos is a world full of pirates and mythical creatures ready to send you to Davy Jones’ locker.
Disney released a launch trailer today to go alongside the game’s official retail launch in stores in the U.S. The trailer itself is actually just a commercial for the title but still provides a good look into what fans of the series will be experiencing. Also it helps that regardless of what console you own, you will be able to play Lego: Pirates of the Caribbean because it was released for the 3DS, PSP, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360.
Atari has just released two trailers, ‘Environments’ and ‘Living Worlds’, for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The game will be released worldwide on the 17th of May, exclusively for the PC.
About The Witcher 2:
The Witcher 2 continues on from where The Witcher left off. In this medieval-fantasy game, you play Geralt of Rivia, a witcher, a traveling monster hunter with unnatural powers such as inhuman reflexes, dexterity and night vision. Videos of the combat overview can be viewed below. For those of you who have played the prequel, Zoltan, Triss, Dandelion will be back in The Witcher 2. The mystery surrounding the witcher-like assassin will finally be revealed on the 17th of May.
Nintendo has had a stranglehold on the portable games market since, well forever. Unlike the home console space where no company has held onto the #1 position for more than two generations in a row, Nintendo has never been dethroned as the king of all things on the go. With the launch of the 3DS, things for the big N seem to be going just as planned, but is everything really all rainbows and gumdrops in Nintendoland? After a very strong launch weekend, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Amie told USA Today, “3DS was never meant to sell out” when the 3DS didn’t sell through it’s initial shipment. In addition, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata told investors that the 3DS has performed below expectations. Can Nintendo be losing some of its luster? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no.
If you’re worried about Nintendo’s financial stability you should stop right there. As a rule, Nintendo always operates at a profit. That’s just how they roll. Unlike Microsoft or Sony, who will sell their consoles initially at a loss to create larger market share, Nintendo will always be in the black for every unit sold out of the gate. When you look at the numbers, Nintendo isn’t moving units as quickly as the DS just yet but they’re actually generation more revenue. The original DS launched in the US and Europe for $/€149.99 and in Australia for $199.99 compared to the hefty price tag of $/€249.99 in US and Europe and an obscene $348.00 in Australia.
Personally, I want a 3DS. Of course I want a 3DS, I’m a hardcore gamer who writes for a video game website. However, I’m not willing to shell out that kind of money for something without a killer app. As much as I love Street Fighter, it’s just not enough. If Nintendo fails to pull in someone like me, what does that say for all the Soccer Mom’s out there that Nintendo relies on to hit that mainstream number? In a world where the average consumer is walking around with their iPhone, which is perfectly suited for that 5 minutes of fun, are they really going to buy another device to accomplish the same thing? Maybe. One of Nintendo’s big hurdles is getting past the current perceived value of games. Am I really going to pay full retail boxed price for Bust-A-Move (USD $29.99 – AUD$68.99) when I can pay $4.99 on the iOS App store for basically the same game? Don’t be silly, of course not. Nintendo is certainly on the right by track focusing more on digital downloads to curb this but there certainly is a perception amongst developers that a full boxed copy is the main ticket event and digital is somehow less than. But Money talks so the tides may be changing.
One thing is for sure, the casual market is ginormous and to lose that is almost like loosing everything. Sure the big N has it’s loyalists who are perfectly happy buying the Nintendo stable of titles again, but without the numbers there isn’t much to compel developers to take risks and create all those unique titles that made the DS such a special device. Especially when everyone and their monkey already has an iPhone. The 3DS is a cool handheld, and I’m sure it’ll do well. But does Nintendo have another monster in their hand or is it’s bark worse than it’s bite?
Fans of classic / retro styled Role-Playing Games are in for a treat with the latest game from independant developer Spiderweb Software, Avadon: The Black Fortress. Recently released on the PC and MAC, it’s a game that visually oozes that retro RPG style. It is also the first chapter in what appears to be a series of titles within the series.
The game is to feature an epic adventure with 4 classes for players to choose from, a world full of lore with a fascinating history, side quests, dungeons, spells, magical items and a huge world with plenty to do or replay. The games backstory has to do with five great nations entering a pact of great military power, which they have name Avadon. Players will be able to visit all five kingdoms of Avadon to uncover the reasons behind why your fellow Hands of Avadon have been going missing in recent times. The game features 5 different endings for players to unlock based on their action throughout the game as well as a hard effort of 50 hours+ per run.
The hardware requirements for the game are modest at best with them being –
Windows/Macintosh System Requirements:
PC Running Windows XP or later or Macintosh running System 10.4 or later
Game: AFL Live
Publisher: Tru Blu games
Developer: Big Ant Studios
Release date: 21st April 2011
Platforms: PS3(Reviewed), XBox 360, Wii, PC
It’s been well over 4 years since AFL fans (yes there are still plenty of them nestled in the suburbs and city of Melbourne) have had something to look forward to in relation to a console release of their much beloved sport. While new titles of Soccer, basketball and hockey come out every year often with only minor differences, games such as AFL change dramatically in between titles as developers battle with difficult control systems to try and find ways to realistically represent the feel of the game on screen giving the player a greater interaction level. Personally I lump all previous AFL games I have ever played in with the likes of cricket, rugby league and rugby union, in the sense that most of them are bordering on unplayable due to shoddy and pre emptive controls that most often result in totally unrealistic scorelines. It’s very hard to recreate the feel of AFL which requires 36 players on field all the time and rules even a lot of Australians don’t understand.
AFL live is Melbourne based Big Ant Studios attempt to resurrect the most popular form of football in Australia and deliver fans a realistic style of gameplay, something that in my opinion has never been achieved before. So how does AFL live differ from its predecessors and does it live up to all the hype surrounding its release. Read on and decide for yourself.
Gameplay
Initially I thought I was missing an icon on the title screen. I couldn’t find a career mode anywhere. Surely it was there somewhere but sadly it was nowhere to be found. Also absent was any type of manager mode, which has become standard in most sporting games these days as well as the ability to play through more than just one season. While the Wii version apparently has a few extra state level team additions, only the standard first grade league teams were available for use.
Initially the controls were very difficult to learn and it took a good 10 matches before my frustration levels dropped and I became comfortable with some of the more delicate controls. Gameplay is a fair bit quicker than anything previously before experienced, allowing players to quickly offload and create a string of handpasses to players close to them, more accurately representing real life play. In my first game I used Geelong (4.5/5 stars), and played the Gold Coast (2.5/5 stars), and was losing 66-0 at half time but after a while I was giving most teams a run for their money.
Remembering that this is their first attempt at an AFL game, there were some surprisingly welcome additions to AFL live that made gameplay much more enjoyable. Player movement is very realistic, especially during ball-up (when the umpire throws or bounces the ball), and their AI has been vastly improved. Players move to the ball rather than waiting in a set position and seem to much better follow directives. It is easy to pinpoint kicks with the lock button which creates a little circle around the recipient of the ball even denoting to the player how hard to hold down the kick button. All in all the level of accuracy in all facets of gameplay has been vastly improved by Big Ant Studios. This has resulted in a much more free flowing style of play, much more akin to the real thing.
Saying this there were a few inconsistencies with the game. Many times it felt more like NFL as teams went tackle for tackle with the ball changing hands each time. In many instances it was very hard to move away from a ruck or pack of players and create enough space in which to move. Due to the charge needed to get a decent length kick away it was too easy for opposition to shut down your plays unless you could find your way into a clear area. Many instances I got the ball after a heated struggle only to be tackled from behind mid kick or pass. The sprint button is a useful addition but in the majority of cases draws a penalty for not bouncing after only short use. It is much more useful as a defensive tool. The Auto-interchange feature was very much appreciated on my front, as I’ve never had the patience to bother changing tired and fatigued players. Although some of the changes were a bit dubious it made life a whole lot easier. Another impressive feature was the wide array of camera angles available. While I found the default setting a little confusing, the close up on ground angle was a winner in my opinion (although didn’t give much of an insight into where players were located off-screen), with developers providing an option to suit all.
Another feature of in game play is the kick modifier button. While personally I would have preferred to simply have a button assigned to each style of kicking it did at least add another level to the game as players could successfully perform banana kicks and torpedos helping them to score hard goals. In relation to gameplay i would like to emphasise that the more you play this game the more realistic it seems to get. Perservere with the controls and learn the timing and importance of the right control stick in maintaining possession and control of the ball. Only once you work out the delicacy of the controls, can you fully appreciate the realism Big Ant Studios have achieved.
Graphics and Sound
Visually there is a high element of realism to AFL live. For the most part players move with realistic fluidity, especially when jumping and punching balls when they are going for marks. There has clearly been a conscious effort made to render big name players to be very recognisable and Big Ant studios have done a very pleasing job in making AFL fans favourites come to life. The grounds are visually pleasing with nice shadowing and a realistic roughed up grass feel, as are the menus and option screens but nothing really to set it apart from other sporting games.
Most games in the sporting genre take great care in providing gamers with apt and funky tunes to listen to during loading, menus and other aspects not related to direct gameplay. Sadly AFL Live begins to sound like an IPod that is stuck playing the same 2 songs over and over. While Hunters and Collectors were a wise choice it couldn’t have been too much effort to provide a little more home grown variety.
Commentary was quite lacking in imagination with only a handful of pre programmed phrases thrown in. AFL crowds are a loud mix from families to diehard fans. Often fuelled by alcohol and pride they make no mistake when verbally supporting their prospective teams. This has unfortunately been overlooked by developers, with little to no crowd participation or interaction, no team chanting or singing all of which goes into making AFL what it is to its fans. It’s often said in Australia by those who don’t even particularly enjoy the game that it’s ok to watch on TV but unbelievable to watch live, which should have been incorporated into the matches.
Game and Player Options
Players are given the options to customise their own teams as well as customise the stats of already existing ones. There are a few discrepancies between players stats with many receiving much higher or lower scores than is justified by their game performances. Also there’s no option to take a custom team into the season which defeats the purpose of designing one short of online use. Fans of any sporting game would also expect to see a lot more statistics especially in relation to match summaries and players ongoing performance. The basics are their but they just haven’t been finetuned enough to really add anything of value to the title.
AFL Live has both an online and offline multiplayer element that I couldn’t test due to the PSN outage but I’m sure it would make for some heated battles and is where the custom teams would begin to shine. Judging from forums there has been many infamous matches and top players are well known amongst users.
Conclusion
Considering it’s their first attempt at an AFL game from a relatively small studio, AFL live has some very optimistic features that should serve as building blocks for the franchise. Gameplay is fluid and creates a sense of realism that is hampered by a frustrating control system that is hard to learn. Sporting fans in general would not be overly impressed by the lack of stats, music and atmosphere, but AFL fans will see a marked improvement over anything that has previously been released. Once you get a few passes together and start weaving and ducking through the opposition it is a truly pleasant experience and makes it stand out from the rest. The lack of a career mode may prompt many users to give it a miss as single player mode is somewhat limited in style and available teams to use. Saying that, Big Ant studios have finally managed to get the basics right and with a little fine tuning could turn this into a top selling series.
