Whenever someone says that they play a card game against other people, many will think of Pokemon but there is another quite popular card gaming franchise out there that steps away from brightly colored pocket monsters into more violent grounds. I’m talking of course about Magic the Gathering and the fact that they have just released information about a new game to grace the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
Called Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 there will be a handful of new game modes such as Archenemy mode, new Planeswalker opponents, cards and decks. There will also be an easy to understand tutorial which will allow players to be eased into the game instead of entering with no knowledge of the franchise. Magic the Gathering will also be at PAX East this week and will be demoing the Archenemy mode of Planeswalkers 2012.
Today THQ announced that Red Faction: Armageddon would have a new gameplay mode that you can either play online with your friends or solo. Of course this mode isn’t exactly “new” as it is quite similar if not exactly like Red Faction: Guerilla’s Wrecking Crew mode. This time however it is being called Ruin mode and will score you depending on how fast and well you destroy the area around you using the various weapons at your disposal.
Your score will then be placed on leaderboards much as it always has been. But one interesting bit of news to go along with this is the fact that if you happen to be attending PAX East this week you may be able to get some facetime in with the new mode as THQ will have a few copies of Red Faction: Armageddon available for play in the Ruin mode.
Do you have about 6 hours where you can leave your Xbox on and do absolutely nothing with it? Do you have a fast enough connection where losing about 6Mbps of speed wouldn’t affect your other computers that much? Do you unlimited data plans? Are you in the US and are going to say that you are over 18? Then The Xbox Live Labs Want you!
If you are in the US the community section of the Xbox Live Dashboard now has a new tab that says “Xbox Live Labs”; Click this, Download it, and play it. Sadly, you won’t actually be playing anything because the app is essentially just acting as a network stress test and you just have to sit there and do nothing while it runs.
It will run non stop, but by leaving it running for 6 hours you will unlock 3 achievements worth absolutely no gamerscore, and get 4 science themed avatar awards (technically 3, because the lab coat has a mail and female variant.)
The downloadable app is available through March 27 for the US only, and it consists of a bunch of network tests, during which you won’t be able to run games, movies, or music. It is kind of like running a game and then staying in the main menu for 6 hours; You’ll just have to sit there for 6 hours and leave your Xbox running while it does the tests. I would suggest going outside… or turning on your PS3.
The tests are supposedly for improving the online service? But everyone is really only going to do it for the avatar awards which include a lab coat, brain helmet, or mad scientist hair.
As I stated earlier, you can find Xbox Live Labs in the community channel if you are located in the US. If anyone finds some workaround to get it in other locations please share.
~NOTE: I did a speed test before and after starting the app, and my download speed dropped about 3Mbps-6Mbps. I have a fast enough connection where it doesn’t actually slow me down that much, but some users may experience different speed drops and it may hinder your ability to use other devices on the internet.~
If you remember back in 2005, Karl Urban and Dwayne Johnson starred in the first movie adaptation of Doom. I didn’t hate the movie myself like most did, but it certainly wasn’t a brilliant piece of cinema by any means. Anyway, over at Aussie movie blog Whats Playing, a rumor has broke that a complete reboot of Doom is in the works via Universal. There isn’t a whole lot known at this moment, except that the studio is doing some “script scouting” for the new movie, which will be in 3D.
I could see a bit of potential in a 3D Doom movie, as if they use that first-person sequence that was in the first for a short period, it might offer some great eye candy. Hopefully though, we will actually see something good come out aside from a quick cash in on yet another video game franchise..for the second time in this case. I’m sure this will be just the first piece of news to come on this one, so stay tuned…
Following on from the announcement that We Dare wouldn’t be coming to the US, it has now been announced that the game is being withdrawn from its UK release, originally scheduled for this Friday.
In a statement to British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, Ubisoft said “Following the public reaction to the 12+ rating of We Dare, Ubisoft has made the decision not to sell the game in the United Kingdom”.
The game sparked both media and public uproar when it was revealed that We Dare, marketed as a “flirtatious” game for adults, had been awarded a PEGI 12+ which may have been suitable for the content, but in reality didn’t cover some of the material and implications of the game.
While it seems the use of the word “kinky” in the promotion of the game may haunt Ubisoft for quite some time, the European release of the game is still going ahead on both PS3 and Wii.
Anyone who was an active gamer in the late 90s should be instantly familiar with the work of Oddworld Inhabitants, creators of Abe, Munch, and Stranger, along with the rest of the planet Oddworld. After the release of Stranger’s Wrath on the Xbox, OWI cooled off for several years. They closed their internal development studios, shelfed the fifth Oddworld title (The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot), and announced work on a movie to be released titled Citizen Siege.
For years there was no gaming news out of OWI other than two games meant to coincide with the release of Citizen Siege. Those of us who grew up on Oddworld began to lose hope that we would ever return to that odd, odd place. Then there was a glimmer of hope all of a sudden. It was announced that developer Just Add Water would be putting out several Oddworld games, starting with ports of all of the past games to digital platforms like Steam.
Since then Oddworld Inhabitants has perked up a bit, waking up from its hibernation and groaning back to life. The OWI site has begun to be restored to some of its old vigor, including two new editions of the long-running, long-dormant Dear Alf series, a Q&A segment where Alf the mudokon answers (or mocks) fans’ questions. Abe, one of Oddworld’s most famous heroes, has even joined Twitter and updates followers on the latest happenings of odd.
It’s refreshing to see so much life on Oddworld after so many years of hopes fueled by sparse information and rampant speculation. Hopefully the digital releases of the Oddworld games, along with the HD remake of Stranger’s Wrath (buy it!) will spur interest in this classic franchise once again. Apparently, there are new Oddworld games coming our way so for now we’ll just have to be patient, and if you haven’t played the previous Oddworld titles yet, go download the Oddboxx on Steam. Right now. Seriously, go do it.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are organising a tournament to find the UK’s best Mortal Kombat player, with a final at the nation’s largest consumer electronics event, The Gadget Show Live, NEC.
Qualifying rounds will be taking place from March 14th through to April 4th at various GameStation and GAME stores throughout the UK, beofre culminating in the final competition which will be held in front of thousands of gamers at Mortal Kombat’s spectacular ‘Fight Arena’ stage in the Over 18 Gaming Zone. The first prize is a full size Mortal Kombat arcade machine, containing PS3 console. Both the UK and European finals will take place on Sunday 17th April and will be hosted by GameFace TV presenter, Julia Hardy.
The ‘Fight Arena’ stage will allow visitors to experience the bone-crushing, blood-spilling action on a massive HD projection screen, and those who haven’t qualified for the final will have another opportunity to wins prizes during the show as they do battle in the arena.
If you are interested in participating, check out a full run-through of the competition below:
What: Mortal Kombat UK and European Tournaments
Who: Players, fans and press
When/Where:
March 14th 7-9pm GameStation – Nottingham
March 18th 7-9pm GAME – Norwich
March 21st 7-9pm GAME – Southampton East Street
April 1st 7-9pm GameStation – Hull
April 4th 7-9pm GameStation – Liverpool Lord Street
April 7th 7-9pm GAME – Kingston
April 8th 7-9pm GAME – Southend
April 11th 7-9pm GameStation – Birmingham New Street
April 17th FINAL The Gadget Show Live,
NEC, Birmingham, Over 18 Gaming Zone, Mortal Kombat “Fight Arena” Stage.
The event should be fun for everyone involved with some great prizes up for grabs. Even if you don’t have the skills to obliterate the opposition, it should still give a nice look at the game before it releases in the UK on April 21st.
This is going to be kind of an experiment for me. I don’t know how most gamers feel about their own gaming trends, but I’ve noticed that even when it comes to a game I love, I really need to be in the right mood to actually sit down and play something with any real dedication. This really gets to be a problem when a friend will want to play something together, but I’m in the mood for a different game or a whole different genre. I can’t be told to play video games on demand; it’s just not my style.
So what I decided to do was mix things up a bit. I’m going to play one game each week and write up my reaction to it here. This won’t really be so much a review (or at least that’s not my intention), but rather a look at how I felt while playing it, what I liked and disliked, what I felt was interesting or noteworthy, and any jokes I come up with while playing (which are usually only funny to myself).
A small selection of the games I'll be choosing from
The catch is I have to pick a game randomly. I have just over 600 different video games as of writing this, and I’ll be using a random number generator www.random.org – really useful site if you ever need it) to first choose one of the 27 systems for which I own games, and then to choose a random game for it. This way I can’t just pick my favorites or decide what I’m in the mood for. I’m also doing it this way so that there won’t be any bias towards systems for which I own a lot of games. For example, I have over 70 Sega Genesis games and only 7 Vectrex games, so you’d think Genesis would show up a lot more frequently. However, since I’m first randomly choosing a system, it gives each system an equal chance of being chosen. Now that I’ve explained the rules, let’s get to it.
Solaris – Atari VCS/2600 – 1986
I was a bit worried that the randomness of my methods would lead to disaster, leading me to something that’s been covered to death or that is too current to make for a good number one post, but luckily the dice fell in my favor. Our first game is for the Atari VCS, more popularly known as the 2600, which is the second console on my list. I roll for a second random number to choose the game, and voila: Solaris. The only thing I know about this game prior to writing this is that it was published by Atari in 1986, which incidentally is the same year that the Atari 2600 Jr. I’ll be playing it on was released.
Solaris for Atari VCS 2600 – Copyright 1986 Douglas Neubauer
Fortunately, I also have the manual to the game in case I need to consult it, but I’m not going to do that just yet. First, let’s see what this game is like when I have no idea what to expect.
TV power: On.
Channel: 3.
2600 Jr: On.
Well the first thing I see is what I would normally call a title screen, however there is no title on it. I see a purple planetscape, a yellow and red ship of some sort, and a copyright 1986 notice for D. Neubauer. I seriously wonder why there’s no title. Time to hit reset and start the game.
…
…
Ok wow. I had mixed expectations about this game. High because it was made in 1986, and by then a lot of people probably had some real expertise at making 2600 games. Low because of the look of the cartridge and the title, I imagined it being some kind of strategy game with spaceships, and I could never get the hang of those on the VCS. But I did not expect this.
The "title" screen
If I had to describe Solaris now, having just played my first game of it (with a score of 18,620), I would first describe it as gloriously psychedelic, mind-blowing oddysee (I can never spell that word right thanks to Oddworld) where you travel through space seeking out bounties and clearing the galaxy of scum and villainy. Then, once I had recovered from the seizure I suffered from the onslaught of colors, sounds, and flashing lights, I’d probably more realistically describe it at an arcade-style shooter in the vein of the Star Wars arcade game.
From what I can gather, you fly around to different areas of space and blast aliens or enemy spaceships or whatever these pixels are supposed to represent. Sometimes you’ll be flying through space as stars and planets zoom past your ship and other times you’ll be speeding around on a planet’s surface, much like Buck Rockers: Planet of Zoom (hopefully someone will know what game I’m referring to), although if I recall correctly, I hated Buck Rogers so this is simply a comparison of style and not quality.
The graphics are absolutely fantastic. Everything is in vivid color, and other than not really knowing what my enemies were supposed to be, you can really tell what’s going on at all times. The sound effects are full of delightfully retro explosions and other sci-fi fare. The only thing I don’t quite understand is what I’ll for now call the map screen. Each time you clear out a sector of enemies (I think that’s the objective) you’re returned to the map to fly to a different area of space. Once you get there you deal with whatever threats lurk, either planetside or among the stars. I think it’s time to check the manual. I’ll be back shortly.
…
…
Alright so the story seems to pretty much what I guessed earlier. The Zylons are attempting to take over the galaxy and the Atarian Federation (ha, I get it. Atarian.) has sent YOU to try to stop them and also to find the lost planet of Solaris and rescue stranded pioneers. It seems that this is done by flying around to different galactic quadrants and finding Zylon planets which you will need to destroy. There are also Federation planets at which you can refuel and repair. You need to clear out sectors of Zylon forces and defend Federation planets from being destroyed.
Artist interpretation of a Zylon
Ah, here is something useful. At one point while I was playing, the screen began to flash red and my joystick controls became reversed (making the game furiously difficult) and it stayed like that for the rest of the game. Apparently, this means that a Federation planet was destroyed and the galaxy is now a Red Zone. You need to listen for alarms or check your map (Galactic Scanner) to know when Zylons are attacking a planet and you then have 40 seconds to defend it. Hmmm, it seems this game is quite a bit deeper than I anticipated. If I can sum it up concisely, your goal is to find Solaris, which appears as a blinking planet on your map. While searching for it you must defend Federation planets from Zylon attacks while destroying Zylon planets. That’s about the gist of it.
Well, my score was higher, at 23,380 this time. However, I seem to have run into a gamebreaking issue. On your Galactic Scanner there are Zylon planets which need destroying, Federation planets which need defending, wormholes which send you elsewhere in a sector, and several different types of enemies you can encounter. There are also what the manual calls Star Clusters, and these are basically the obstacles that block your path, so that you can’t simply move freely around the map, which ensures that you’ll have to fight your way through enemies in order to get places.
Galactic Scanner. Star Clusters are marked by dots while your ship is marked by the X.
It makes sense, but the problem is that you can’t move through planets or enemies either. This makes sense with enemies, but that fact that you can’t move through Federation planets is quite strange. My problem arose when I flew threw a wormhole, which I hoped would send me to the other side of a wall of Star Clusters towards a Zylon planet I wanted to destroy, and it instead sent me into an enclosed pocket, surrounding by Star Clusters and one Federation planet. I could land on the planet, refuel and repair, and then leave, but once back to the Scanner I was unable to move past the planet still. I was trapped in a corner of the Galactic Scanner. I’m not sure if I don’t know how to use wormholes correctly, but it seems that they send you to a random location. Since some locations are completely blocked off from the rest of the map. That’s kind of a bummer.
I couldn’t help feeling like Malcolm Reynolds while playing this game.
That aside, so far Solaris is fantastic. It has two varieties of fast paced shooting action (three if you include the more difficult “corridor planets”), absolutely amazing graphics for the 2600, and it definitely instills a real sense of thrill and urgency in me. When you hear that alarm sound and you know you only have 40 seconds to defend a Federation planet, it really gets you motivated to put those Zylons down. Combine that with a pretty nice variety of enemies, both in terms of appearance and combat strategies, and you have a pretty diverse and in depth game. I really feel like I’m traveling the galaxy, defending the galactic federation, and searching for the lost planet of Solaris.
There aren’t a ton of VCS games that I really, truly enjoy enough to play them over and over again. Among the few are Pitfall, an absolute classic and a great platformer, and H.E.R.O. which is my all-time favorite 2600 game. I think Solaris has the right mix of action, strategy, and out-of-this-world (excuse the pun) audio and graphics to really offer a nice big chunk of gaming that you can really sink your teeth into, even if only for an afternoon. Even for those who aren’t really into retro gaming, I think it’s accessible enough to the modern crowd while still maintaining its retro charm. I was going to write a parenthetic addendum to that sentence saying it’s accessible as long as you know what to do, but considering I had no idea what was going on my first time playing and still had a good time with it I guess that’s not really true.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I decided I was going to choose random games to play. Out of the 600 games in my collection, I have a LOT of games I’ve never played before. I even have a few that I really don’t want to play, either because I’ve lost interest or got them for free or whatever. I’m pretty happy with this first one though. I expect I probably won’t really enjoy every game that I do this with, but perhaps this positive first experience will give me the motivation to clear out more of my gaming backlog and hopefully find more gems like Solaris.
Despite the fact that the latest installment to the Mortal Kombat series was banned from release in Australia due to the fact that it was denied classification, Australia’s next door neighbor New Zealand isn’t quite as blood shy. The countries rating board which is called the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) has released their rating today and has given the supposedly “hyper-violent” Mortal Kombat an R18 rating.
What this means is that Mortal Kombat will be getting a release on store shelves all over New Zealand and will be restricted from purchase to everyone under 18 years old. Australian fans of the game have been very upset, especially Matt, since news of the game being banned was released and even Warner Brothers is set to appeal the ban. New Zealand will be getting the game on April 21st while those of us in the United States will have it on shelves by April 19th.
Today Microsoft announced that it has sold more than 10 Million Kinect Sensor units and over 10 Million Kinect games in the period since it’s release. This equates to an average of 133,333 units sold per day.
The Guiness association with their renown record keeping skills have declared the Kinect ‘The fastest selling consumer electronics device’ which can be seen in their latest edition of Guiness World Records Gamer Edition 2011. Gaz Deaves of the Guiness World Records shares his thoughts below –
“The sales figures here speak for themselves,” said Gaz Deaves, Gaming Editor for Guinness World Records. “According to independent research, no other consumer electronics device sold faster within a 60-day time span, which is an incredible achievement considering the strength of the sector.”
David Mclean, director of Xbox Australia and New Zealand, responds glee-fully –
“We are thrilled by the success of Kinect to date and I am really proud that we have been recognised in the Guinness World Records,” said David McLean, Director of Xbox, Australia and New Zealand. “Kinect has revolutionised entertainment and these numbers tell us that all over the world, including Australia and New Zealand, people are embracing that revolution.”
In the coming months come even more Kinect controlled games:
Avatar Kinect; Which brings your Avatars to to the Kinect in a social way. Features a new kind of facial recognition feature that allows your Avatar to copy the facial expressions of it’s player.
Body and Brain Connection; created by Dr. Ryuta Kawahima (Brain Age on the DS), the game allows players to excercise their bodies and mind in fun challenges presented within the game.
Michael Jackson: The Experience; ““Michael Jackson The Experience” is the ultimate interactive game that enables players to be the star of the show, with no controllers required.”
The Gun Stringer; take control of a marionette that uses guns and is undead. Sounds awesome.
Kung-Fu Panda 2; Players take control of Po the Panda and utitlise full body Kung-Fu moves in order to defeat enemies.
Carnival Games In Action; players who have played any of the previous carnival games games know all about how this one would work. You use your body to do carnival-y stuff.
Sesame Street, Once Upon a Monster; players travel and assist the Sesame Street cast around a storybook called ‘Once upon a monster’.
