Two words – Chrono Trigger…Hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time (of all time!), the critically acclaimed RPG has finally made its way onto Wii’s Virtual Console. Originally released more than a decade ago in 1995 for the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Chrono Trigger is still regarded as a hallmark in role playing video games. Revelatory for its time, Chrono Trigger brought game changing features in gameplay, storyline and presentation. Its effects on the gaming industry can still be seen in today’s modern RPGs.
Chrono Trigger is available right now on Wii’s Virtual Console for 800 Wii points.
The causal iPhone game ‘Air Penguin’ has proven to be a worldwide hit with Gamevil announcing that the game developed, Enterfly, has sold over one million units and as a result has made one million USD in revenue. The game itself has only been out for a month, sold on Apple’s App store Air Penguin has become one of the fastest selling apps ever.
The game has reached No. 1 in the paid app chart in multiple countries around the world including America, France, Germany and Netherlands. In Air Penguin, players control a penguin using the iPod Touch or iPhone accelerometer across Antarctica while avoid hazards and obstacles. A new update is on its way with more levels and characters.
Air Penguin is available on the App Store for iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad for $0.99
Rockstar has just announced the launch of the L.A. Noire Official Soundtrack page, where players can go and listen to recordings and classic songs from the game.
The page houses the audio of special Soundtrack selections including Hard Bop Chase, and Theme to L.A. Noire. It also includes information on the making of the in-game score. However, the most exciting inclusion on this page is the L.A. Noire Verve Remixed Project, which features six jazz classics from the game’s soundtrack which have been remixed by DJs such as Dave Sitek, Dj Premier, and Truth and Soul.
With the arrival of L.A. Noire in stores, what better way is there to welcome it than to release another short story for the L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories anthology?
The latest arrival in this collection of stories is “See The Woman”, written by Lawrence Block. Block is an award-winning crime fiction writer who is known for other works such as the Matt Scudder series, featuring titles like “Eight Million Ways To Die”. The short story looks at domestic abuse and the effects of this on the life of a now-retired L.A. cop.
The story debuts here on MulhollandBooks.com, and will soon be available in downloadable PDF and online reader formats. Previous short stories in the collection include Hell of an Affair by Duane Swierczynski, and What’s in a Name by Jonathan Santlofer.
You may remember that a long time ago Gearbox and 2K Games said that First Access Club members, who were only able to become members after buying Borderlands Game of the Year Edition would gain access to the Duke Nukem Forever demo before anyone else. Of course when that news was first spoken of there was still some skepticism about whether or not the title would actually come out.
Though now that it has a set release date, so does the demo for First Access Club members, and that date is June 3rd. Unfortunately the platforms for which the demo will be available on were not mentioned and neither was a time for a demo for those who are not able to obtain early access. Alongside this announcement was a quick video from Randy Pitchford going over the information and confirming that Duke Nukem Forever is in the final stages of going gold.
Remember the Kirby game we told you about months ago that was announced for the Nintendo DS? Nintendo of Japan have officially dated and named the newest entry in the chain of Kirby titles for the handheld, which is called “Atsumete! Kirby” and will be hitting shelves July 7th.
This Kirby title looks to have the standard fare for everyone’s favorite pink fluff, but will have the player controlling up to 10 Kirbys with the stylus. No other information has been given at the moment as far as plot goes, but since it is Kirby (a series that includes a lot of spin-offs that spin in many different directions), the possibilities for this title’s narrative could be endless. No date has been given for any other country at the moment, but I would expect this to be one of the many cards Nintendo has up their sleeve for this year’s E3.
The recently aired (in the UK) fourth episode of Doctor Who looks like it’s going to be an epic story in the series, out of all the stories in every series before it. Written by Neil Gaiman, the episode is titled ‘The Doctors Wife’ and looks like it’s going to take place on a wasteland planet.
At some point during the story, The Doctor is going to need to build a new control room for a TARDIS out of things that appear within the junkyard and that’s where the winning entry in the design a TARDIS contest comes in. The contest was held last year and the winning entry would actually appear in an episode of Doctor Who; and it just so happened to be this one. The console itself is constructed out of strange components, like a skipping rope, but manages to look exceedingly like a TARDIS established in Doctor Who lore.
Take a look at the embedded video for the full story.
Eidos-Montreal and Square Enix announced today that you, yes you now have the opportunity to unlock exclusive Deus Ex: Human Revolution assets by “Liking” and encouraging other organic life forms to “Like” the official Deus Ex Facebook page at facebook.com/DeusEx. As more users “Like” the page, over 90 exclusive updates including: new videos, behind-the-scenes footage, artwork and details on in-game Augmentations and weapons will be revealed.
If you pre-order Deus Ex: Human Revolution from GAME, JB Hi-FI & EB Games you’ll receive exclusive downloadable content.
You can join the revolution on August 23 in North America, the 25th in Australia and the 26th in Europe.
Roger The Flying Pig Developer: MagiCode Games Publisher: MagiCode Games Genre: Arcade/Physics Game Platform: iPhone(reviewed)/iPad/Android Release: 4/5/11 Price: AU$1.19/US$0.99 (iTunes or Andriod)
Overview
Introducing the first game from one-man game design company, MagiCode Games, Roger the Flying Pig. In this game, Roger the pig has the somewhat delusional dream of being able to fly. In an attempt to do so, he puts on his best red cape, scoffs down some hamburgers and makes his way to the local enormous ramp to luge at terrific speeds, catapulting himself into the air before tragically plummeting back down to earth.
Gameplay
Before flying off into the different modes of play offered in Roger the Flying Pig, it’s probably a good idea to give a basic overview of the gameplay as a whole. Firstly, Roger is a pig. The problem with pigs is that they tend to not be able to fly. In an attempt to fly, Roger has climbed to the top of a giant ramp with such an impressive incline that he’s bound to become airborne. After pressing jump, Roger leaps forward onto the ramp, building up speed before his final big jump into the air. In order to build up speed, you need to pop balloons floating about the ramp, that hold up hamburgers (sometimes other food) which when eaten will boost Rogers speed. Unfortunately for Roger, he eventually hits the ground. This part of the game demonstrates an impressive use of physics, where Roger hits the ground, bounces and spins in the air before making his final stop.
There are four modes of play for you to help Roger achieve his dream of flying. The first mode is arcade, where the goal is to help Roger fly the furthest possible distance. Within this part of the game there are a few different achievements to earn based on distance and burgers eaten. The next three modes of gaming are all challenge based, with the option to unlock levels as you progress. The first is distance. While on first glance this might seem to be the same as the arcade version of Roger the Flying Pig, this mode is a little more difficult. The goal here isn’t to go the furthest distance possible, but rather to get as close to a certain distance, marked with a sign, as possible. The next type of challenge is even more difficult than this, where you need to collect a certain number of apples. Sometimes the apples are hanging from balloons, other times the apples are floating in the air. It takes a few attempts to try and get the speed and timing right before you can manage to collect enough apples to even gain two stars. This part of the game I’d say is a little too difficult. Fortunately, the last mode is a little simpler to master. This last game mode involves avoiding strategically placed signs by timing the speed of your jump perfectly. There is another little handy boost in this part of the game in the form of cupcakes. Eating a cupcake will give you a bonus jump to use in order to try and avoid those annoying signs. Overall, the challenge-based games are fairly difficult, which makes conquering them all the more satisfying. Although this may not actually happen as I’ve found out the hard way.
Graphics and Audio
The graphics aren’t all too spectacular. There is a cartoon like quality to Roger, and all the scenery and objects fit with this design. The design is all done in a slightly whacky fashion, which is fitting to the theme of a pig flying. While it has its charm, it isn’t all that visually spectacular. I will note however that the animation of the trees moving by as Roger flies past is fairly impressive and offers an almost hypnotic effect. The audio is much the same as the graphics, somewhat whacky and fitting to the theme, but not all that noteworthy.
Conclusion
Thematically, Roger the Flying Pig has potential. While I’ve enjoyed watching the impossible feat of a pig flying, the mechanics of the game fall a little short. Some of the levels are a little difficult to master, such as the collection of apples whilst flying. The physics of the game is well constructed, but sadly, apart from bouncing off the ground, this doesn’t really impact too much on gameplay. For a first time effort at designing a game, and taking into consideration that one person designed the whole game, there is potential in Roger the Flying Pig.
A new trailer for the latest in Card Games on Motorcycles video game, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5DS, has been released alongside the start of the latest online tournament for the series.
This year the top 4 contestants of the tournament will be flown in person from anywhere around the world to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to compete in the championship round. A big part of the tournament this year will be the online quiz which will test a players knowledge on not only the card game, but also the tv series and video game.
The online registration required for the tournament has begun today with players being required to register on the tournaments website in order to complete the online quiz to earn their place in the official duel roster. The online portion will have three rounds and a final round which are as follows:
1st Round: Online Quiz Qualifier
- Players tested on all things within the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe.
- Top 256 finishers (per region) will advance to 2nd round
2nd Round: Online Regional Qualifier
- Top 32 Finishers (per region) will advance to final online qualifier
3rd Round: Yu-Gi-Oh! Online Final
- Top four (4) players are eligible to go on to compete head-to-head in
person
4th Round: Head to Head Competition
- Players travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
o Date: July 2011
- Players duel against each other with the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World
Championship 2011,Over the Nexus game on Nintendo DS™.
- 2 winners will be crowned 2011 US Yu-Gi-Oh! Champions and will compete
against the best of the best in the World Championship later this year in
Europe!
