Do you like cuddly bears? Do you like playing with them while they toot on whistles and ride around in toy vehicles? If you answered yes to both, then you will be elated to know that Microsoft’s upcoming “Kinectimals: Now With Bears!” is coming out a bit later this year. From the looks of it, this expansion of sorts will add in Pandas, Grizzlies, and several other variants of bear cubs that fans of the Kinect title should love to see. Also included will be a brand new island for players to interact with their beary fuzzy friends.
No official date has been given for Kinectimals: Now With Bears! except for a “Fall” launch window, but you can check out the fresh batch of screenshots below and we will keep you updated as more information comes out.
The Sims 3 Town Life Stuff Pack is now out now in stores today. As a Stuff Pack, this game add-on delivers more content into the game with an emphasis on town life (hence the name). In this Stuff Pack, new community lots and locations such as gyms, libraries and laundromats have been included into the game. Along with a bunch of new items, clothes, hairstyles and everything in between that you have come to expect from a Sims Stuff Pack.
Hopefully this Stuff Pack will keep players satisfied till the next big expansion packs comes out in October (that’s The Sims 3 Pets for anyone hasn’t been keeping attention).
Coming on September 2nd for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii. The game will be compatible with the Kinect and Move devices for the two HD consoles listed.
The game is a horse racing simulation and involves jockeys riding horses. These jockeys can be customised by the player and used in races within the game. Tecmo Koei have this game pegged as a spiritual successor to the G1 Jockey series.
Champion Jockey is the spiritual successor to the G1 Jockey series, recreating the horseracing world through a variety of immersive races, intuitive gameplay with simple controls. Utilising the latest motion controllers, being a jockey is no longer just a dream. The new standard in horseracing is here.
This week we talk about how Capcom has shoved their foot deep down their mouth, what games we’d like to see turned into a movie, how everyone is jealous of Irvo going to the Mana Bar opening, what we’ve been playing and some game news.
Cast: Alexis Ayala, Philip Federico, Dustin Spencer, Matt Vella, Michael Irving, Luke Halliday
2012 is shaping up to be the year where sports games get a major overhaul, and Pro Evo 2012 is no different. Konami have just announced in PES 2012 will have a new Teammate Control system which allows gamers to control two players at once.
The Teammate Control system will allow for the control of a secondary player while running with the main player, and can be used in two ways: the user presses the right analog stick in the direction of the player which they wish to control, but by holding down R3 the user can activate a second player in Assisted mode. Alternatively, Manual mode offers the user complete control of the second player; when R3 is released, the user goes back to controlling the main player.
Other improvements have also been made to PES 2012, including an Active AI which ensures players track targets more effectively, and one-on-one situations will allow defenders to jostle for the ball and attackers to feint. Movement and reactions have been enhanced (there’s a three-frame improvement in response times), and aesthetics have also been refined.
According to John Murphy, European PES Team Leader for Konami, PES 2012 will be a sophisticated title that will push the franchise to that next level.
“The addition of Teammate Control is something we have been working on for a while now, and we are delighted that it will make its debut in PES 2012. We have been building to create a control system that truly lets the player do whatever they like on field, and the ability to manually control a second player while simultaneously running with the ball opens all kinds of attacking options. Coupled with the Active AI advancements that ensure supporting players make shuttle run and find space, and I think we have made a huge step towards producing the most advanced football title to date.
If you’re looking forward to seeing the new Tekken CGI movie, Tekken Blood Vengeance, there’s a one-off chance to see it before it arrives later this year on PS3.
The movie is set to be released as part of the Tekken Hybrid compilation coming to PS3 before Christmas, but Namco Bandai has organised a One Night Only event to see the movie early.
The showings will take place on July 26 at 7:30pm local time in select movie theatres across the US, showing the movie in 3D well ahead of the release as part of the Tekken Hybrid package. Following the movie will be a 20 minute special with interviews with the Tekken Project Director and Screenwriter.
Well this sucks… While we in Australia are pretty used to getting the short end of the launch stick when it comes to huge titles, more and more speculation has been growing as of late as to whether or not Australia and New Zealand will be receiving the highly anticipated MMO: Star wars – The Old Republic. The latest revelations to give creedance to that argument is the mass number of Australian’s attempting to utilise the offical SWTOR website’s pre-order function and receiving the message: “Star Wars: The Old Republic is not available in your region. To maintain a high quality of service, only certain regions will be able to pre-order Star Wars – The Old Republic.” As you can imagine, this has caused not shortage of anger in both Australian and New Zealand gaming communities. And just when we finally got the R18+ rating passed through, fate finds yet another way to deny Australian gamers the same experiences as the rest of the world.
This has also been backed up by rumors of EA not being willing to spring for Oceanic / Australasian servers. As a result, Australian and New Zealand based gamers are unable to pre-order the Old Republic online. While pre-orders still stand throughout retailers like EB and JB Hifi, the prospect of a delay will no doubt turn some away from what is stiull shaping up to be one of the best looking MMO’s ever. Already, calls have been made for a boycott of EA products, but we know how successful those have been in the past…
At this point, the official release date changing is still marginally speculation, though highly likely. For the time being, it may only be the pre-order and beta access that the pre-order guarantees that we will miss. Hopefully EA will decide on a concrete response to provide Australia and New Zealand with some sort of server access.
It certainly has been a while since Nintendo have released new items into Club Nintendo, but thankfully, three new bits of swag were added today that are sure to get the attention of DK fans and 3DS owners.
The first item to talk about is a 3 Poster set featuring Donkey Kong. Each poster features different art from the series, with a History of Donkey Kong poster, a Poster from the original Arcade version of the game, and a more recent image from Donkey Kong Country Returns that features both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. This poster set can be purchased for 400 Club Nintendo Points, which is a bit of a price increase from that of the Zelda & Mario poster sets we have seen in the past.
Next up is an item that has been shown off at various events held by Nintendo, a Giant 2-sided AR card, which allows for the 3DS users to take pictures of a life-sized Mii or Mario at any location they desire. The Giant AR card is priced at a rather low 200 points.
Finally, a Metroid: Other M Screensaver has also been added in at 10 points, which displays “logos and character art” from the game.
I have already redeemed the AR card myself, as a Giant sized Mario was a bit too tempting, and as someone who purchased both poster sets in the past, I must say the DK set is quite tempting. What do you think of these new rewards? Give us your input in the comment section below.
Not too long ago, Atari & WayForward announced a reboot of the classic game Centipede under the name of Centipede Infestation. Today, it was announced that this run-n-gun reboot is now available for pre-order for both the Nintendo 3DS & Wii at Gamestop, and according to the dates listed at the retailer’s official website, Centipede Infestation is set to launch on November 1st for both platforms.
Ever since being announced, I have drooled over the concept WayForward and Atari put together for this reboot, as it looks to be pulled straight out of an arcade with a shiny new coat of paint. Centipede Infestation has also received a price for both platforms, making the reboot $39.99 for the Nintendo 3DS and $29.99 for the Nintendo Wii.
If you still have not viewed the trailer as of yet, you can do so by visiting the official website for Centipede Infestation by clicking HERE.
Those who want to continue to follow further updates can continue to check back, as we will continue our coverage as more news releases. Don’t forget to also follow the Centipede Facebook page and show some love to Atari.
Bastion Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Developer: Supergiant Games Platform: XBLA (Reviewed), PC Release: July 20th, 2011
Overview: You awaken, alone, in a strange yet familiar place. The world has fallen to a great Calamity, you appear to be the only survivor. Do you try and rebuild what has been lost or do you pave the way for a brand new world? That is the question that echoes throughout Bastion, do you choose to cling to the past or look toward the future?
Story: In Bastion, you play as The Kid, a white haired survivor of the great Calamity, which somehow he managed to miss whilst taking a nap. He awakens alone to hear the voice of a stranger commenting upon his every move. The wise voice guides you through the world to the Bastion, the place in which we all were supposed to meet at in case of such a Calamity. Unfortunately, no one else made it to the Bastion.
Bastion is a post-apocalyptic action RPG, which features a storyline deeper than words could say. The wise old man who narrates the game says it himself, “Sometimes there is just nothing to say”. That one line epitomises Bastion. Although Rucks, narrates the entire game and comments on each and every action the player takes (which might I add would be a horrible idea, if it weren’t for the amazing writing), someimes the quiet times speak greater than any words could.
The greatest strength to the game is indeed it’s story and characters, who are instantly iconic. For a game which was released on the XBLA, to feature such iconic and memorable characters, is a wonder in itself. This game could’ve been released as a full retail title and no one would have thought twice. It isn’t often a game comes along with this solid a storyline, nor is it often one comes along that resonates so deeply with the player, to the point of invading the players dreams.
I found myself thinking, dreaming and contemplating Bastion. It is so subtlely philosophical you may miss it, but underneath it all is some incredibly deep ideas, oozing with intelligence. Part of what makes Bastion so good is that it knows exactly what it wants to be. It knows exactly what story it wants to tell. It knows exactly what it wants to achieve and it does so with flying colours.
Gameplay: Never before have Action RPG’s been so fun. Bastion takes out the nitty gritty, often monotonous stats building of RPG’s and focuses entirely on enjoyment. The game tasks you with traversing dungeon-like levels in order to gain new items as well as to find the all important Cores. It may sound simple, and it is, but with so much depth underneath that simplicity, the RPG genre hasn’t seen such a simple yet revolutionary game since Guardian’s Crusade.
That’s not to say this is anything like Guardian’s Crusade apart from it’s simplicity. That is the only similarity, however it’s the best similarity it could possibly have. Too often are RPG games bogged down with heavy exposition and tedious stats building systems, that detract from the actual adventure and story of the game. Bastion avoids these pitfalls with a swift dodge-roll into greener pastures.
Along side the simple gameplay style, is the previously mentioned dynamic narration from the stand-out character Rucks. He is a man wise beyond belief and always has something witty and clever to say, when he has something to say that is. This narration in anyone elses hands would be completely terrible, however Supergaint Games have pulled it off with perfection, creating a memorable character as well as a unique atmosphere for the game, to match it’s unique world, that is constantly being created with each step The Kid takes.
Without a doubt Bastion, provides a gameplay experience unlike any other and would just as easily have fit as a full retail game. There is little else to say about the gameplay other than, playing is believing.
Visuals: Bastion is bursting with flirtacious colours, luring you into it’s world. For a post-apocalyptic game, the world feels anything but. It takes a stance against the norm of baron wastelands and cities turned to rubble and instead creates magical vibrant world living within the confines of your console.
The imagery is magnificently created and Supergaint Games should be applauded for their work here. The artstyle is without a doubt one of the most well concieved and ingenious creations seen within a long time, perhaps even on the Xbox in general.
For a story about the end of the world, Bastion is simply busrting with so much life, you wouldn’t even realise, upon first glance. What they have created here isn’t just graphics for a video game, they have created art.
Audio: One of the first things that I noticed when I opened up Bastion was it’s brilliantly composed soundtrack. The beautifully solemn yet hopeful, opening music during the menu screen sets the mood for what is to come perfectly. You know that what you are about to see is simultaneously going to be lonesome and inhabited with a great deal of heart.
The in game music is a perfect mix of adventurous and sorrowful. You have a brand new world being built beneath your feet, so you adventure onward, yet the shadow of the past looms behind you beckoning you to stay slumped in it’s presence.
Alongside the game’s music is the brilliant narration of Rucks (voiced by Logan Cunningham), which is crafted so masterfully, that his voice becomes the sound of hope for a new world. It is a perfect contrast, having a man with many years of experiences under his belt, guiding you towards a brand new world. He does not cling to the past pre-Calamity, nor should you. It’s those simple yet intelligent touches of greatness that make this game so damn good.
Overall: Bastion is without a doubt the crowning achievement of the XBLA. It is a game, with no faults. It is a game that treats the player with a level of intelligence. If you have ever felt lonely, ever felt happy, ever felt at all, Bastion will speak to you. It will speak to you even when it has nothing to say.
Bastion will go down in history as one of the greatest games of all time. It was an absolute pleasure playing through and reviewing this game. I will wait with bated breathe for Supergiant’s next release, as they have created more than just a game with Bastion, they have created a masterpiece of modern entertainment.
