Despite the fact that Atlus’ Catherine has received ridiculous amounts of coverage in the United States and other countries outside of Japan, apparently Atlus has zero plans at the moment to localize the game for a U.S. release. Atlus’ PR Agent told BeefJack the following information: “Catherine is a Japan-only game and there are no plans for a NA release at this time. Sorry about that!”
Considering the fact that Catherine sold more copies in Japan in its opening release than Marvel vs Capcom 3 on both systems it is a confusing choice to make considering the wide scale popularity that the game has seen overseas. Also considering the fact that Atlus released the game on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is strange in the first place due to the low popularity of Xbox 360 games in Japan.
Remember a few weeks back when we mentioned that other games from Epic’s library wouldn’t be able to unlock special equipment due to restraints on Microsoft’s part. But it appears that problem has been overcome. More on that later however as there will be a Golden Retro Lancer available through unlock only by playing the Gears of War 3 Beta for a long enough period of time.
Apparently the Lancer will unlock when you have played 90 matches of the beta itself and then get over a hundred kills using the special gun. After you have done this then this gun will be yours to use in the full retail game. The Golden Retro Lancer has a bayonet on the front of it instead of chainsaw, and of course a golden coloration. Also if you play 70 different matches in beta you will unlock the Thrashball Cole skin seen above. With this skin you will need to play 13 more matches and you will have complete access to him.
Now earlier I mentioned that past Epic games would actually get a special item for being supporters of the developers. Anyone who has purchased the Epic Edition of Bulletstorm (the only edition you can buy) will get a flaming Lancer for use in GoW3 free of charge.
If you’ve just picked up a copy of Bulletstorm for the Xbox 360 then you know that you also have access to the Gears of War 3 Beta but unfortunately for you, you don’t know when you can gain access to that. But now you do because Microsoft announced today that the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will begin some point in the middle of April.
Players will have access to the Thrashball map and the Checkout Map and a third map that players will be able to vote on, with the most popular being the third map. There will be new weapons included in the beta such as the sawed off shotgun, a retro lancer and a one shot and incendiary grenade. I know a few people on the staff will be jumping at joy to hear this news; how about you?
We’ve been teased long enough with blurry screenshots and an old man talking about the dragonborn. It is finally time to see what The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has to offer today. Below you can find the first in-game trailer that Bethesda released today and it shows off not only a few in game areas and fights, but the awesome battle between the Dragonborn himself and a dragon.
Also revealed with the new trailer is a redesigned Elderscrolls.com webpage that has a large version of the below trailer and things we have already heard about so far. But the highlight of this is obviously the trailer itself. There are plenty of different things that are shown, including the fact that the environments look absolutely stunning and the combat has received a complete overhaul. Now the can’t wait even more for 11-11-11 to role around so that teveryone can play Skyrim on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Bulletstorm Publisher: Electronic Arts Developers: People Can Fly, Epic Games Platforms: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC Release Date: February 22, 2011 Price: $59.99 US – Buy Now!, £49.99 UK -Buy Now!, $109.99 AUS -Buy Now!
Overview:
Don’t you think that the modern day first person shooter has set a certain standard of gameplay mechanics and go from point A to point B just trying to survive and kill anyone in your path? Well the people at People Can Fly and Epic certainly think so because they have created something that they are saying will break up that monotony of gameplay. That game is Bulletstorm. When a game says dick about as many times as you’ve heard it in your entire lifetime and in more variations than you can imagine then you know that you are in for a new experience entirely.
Story:
Bulletstorm places players into the distant future of the 26th century. They step into the inebriated boots of Grayson Hunt and his crew who are ex-assassins for the Confederation of Planets. Unfortunately for the rest of the Confederation, they have bounties on their heads and are not impressed with the number, meaning they are on the lookout to get some action, especially when that action involves getting revenge on their previous boss General Sarrano.
Of course alcohol and piloting a space cruiser while trying to shoot down a much larger space cruiser is never a good idea and the actions of Grayson quickly cause the ship to be shot down and crash land on the planet of Stygia. After their landing nearly all of Grayson’s crew is killed by the violent local tribes that reside on the once colonized resort planet. Together along with his very angry cyborg partner Ishi Sato and a woman named Trishka he has to not only survive and escape from the world, but kick its teeth in and blow its nuts off. The story can quickly draw you in especially with how well the characters interact with one another, even though the ending can be very disappointing and a blatant attempt to establish a sequel.
Now despite the fact that the characters and the majority of the dialogue you hear is very boorish and can be hard to take serious at first, it is all just the cover of a very well written story that has quite serious undertones. Not only do you experience a very big twist right near the start of the game, you will find yourself growing attached to your comrades despite the fact that they will call you so many names it’d be impossible to list them all. If anything else, the constant swearing makes your comrades feel like a major part of the experience instead of simply someone else shooting a gun. Also it is quite humorous more often than not and you will find yourself chuckling as long as you have a good sense of humor.
Graphics:
The world of Bulletstorms is a wonder to look at with amazing looking levels and character designs that will leave you wanting to take a look around. Even if taking that look around is to find something pointy to kick an enemy into. The game does not have any slowdowns from what I experienced despite the fact that the action kicks into high gear quite often and you can find yourself sliding around at high speed. Bulletstorm even avoids the usual brown and gray color scheme that plagues most shooters by providing a variety of different environments and enemies that will keep your eyes happy as you turn a human being into nothing but a skeleton.
Audio:
The background music is well suited to the fact that the game is very fast paced and action packed. Meaning that there is plenty of rock-sounding background music to keep you on the edge of your seat as you skewer your enemies onto cacti and throw them off of cliffs. The various sound effects are also well done with explosions sounding as well as you can expect and enemies yelling in pain.
The true star of Bulletstorm’s audio department is the voice work and the dialogue that goes with it. Each of the characters in Bulletstorm may sound like a cliché at first when you hear them talking, but their clichés match their personalities perfectly. General Sarrano is the perfect example of every military commander cliché that you can imagine, but it works. The amount of swearing and foul language is easily over-the-top but most players will find themselves chuckling rather than being offended and finding it childish. Still this is easily one that you shouldn’t play with children in the room, unless you want to get a call from school about your child’s new vocabulary.
Gameplay:
When a game’s motto is to kill with skill you know immediately that you are in for something different, and that something different is the Skillshot feature which awards players points for the more elaborate kills that they perform. Rather than running through a level and shooting all the enemies in the chest players are encouraged to find elaborate ways to finish off enemies. Sure you can go for simple headshots but those are only worth 25 points. Instead you can take that very same enemy and shoot him in the ass instead and it will give you 50 points for a Rear-End shot. Or you could kick an exploding barrel into him and set him on fire for even more points. With 131 different Skillshots that you can perform you will find yourself always on the lookout to perform special environmental kills or trying to one-up your previous attempts at destroying the enemies in your path and it is a great feature.
In the campaign mode these points are then used to purchase new equipment and upgrade the gear that you already have. You have many different weapons at your disposal such as the flail gun which fires two grenades attached to each other, a magnum pistol, a bouncer grenade launcher and many more. Each of these weapons comes with a secondary fire as well which allows you to carry twice as much creativity once you have purchased them. For example the machine gun you start out with is able to shoot a hundred bullets at once, stripping an enemy’s skin right from its bones. These weapons provide a great touch to the Skillshots system, especially considering there are certain Skillshots that require a specific weapon be used.
Other than the story mode there are two other modes of gameplay which will be taking up most of your time. One of these is called Echo mode and is perhaps the most addicting part of Bulletstorm because it combines the two best parts about the game. Killing enemies with as much variety as possible and the best parts of the levels from story mode. There are twenty different areas that you can select and each of these maps have a three star rating that you can try to achieve depending on how much time it takes you to pass the section and the amount of points you acquire from Skillshots.
These twenty areas have varying time limits and take some of the best parts of the story mode to allow the player’s creative juices flow as they let their enemies’ blood flow. In these areas you will be tasked with killing every enemy in your way as quick as possible and as creatively as possible to earn the most amount of points and reach the certain amount you need to reach a three star rating. But the real enjoyable part about this is the fact that you can compare your scores with others around the world on the leaderboards and lets you show your friends that you can be more brutal than they are. The only negative I found during Echoes mode was the fact that, considering the amount of game time per Echo run, the load times for each area is relatively long despite the smaller area to load.
Now what FPS would be complete without a multiplayer aspect? Well rather than have a competitive multiplayer mode Bulletstorm only contains a co-operative mode. This mode is called Anarchy mode and will place players against waves of enemies. But instead of having to survive these waves, you have to reach a certain amount of Skillshot points from the enemies in the wave to advance. This means that the higher the wave level, the more score you will need to advance. The mode can be tackled by yourself, with friends, or with random people through a quick game join.
There are a few problems that come about with all of the players trying to kill the enemies in the area at one time however. There are a number of times that the Anarchy mode requested a specific enemy to be killed through an elaborate team kill. The game itself however seemed to have trouble recognizing the fact that the requested Skillshot was performed and often caused the Wave to fail because of this.
Overall:
Bulletstorm easily proves that it has much more to offer besides a foul mouth. There is something here for everyone especially if you are a fan of FPS games. For gamers who enjoy a fast paced and brutal shooter then they have exactly what they are looking for, but there is also something here for those who like to plan out their strategies and find the best way to kill their enemies, especially in Echoes mode. Despite a lackluster ending the storyline also proves that there is more than meets the eye as far as Bulletstorm is concerned. Oh and don’t forget all of the swearing…
Activision will take the Spyro series into a new way of playing them. Through an innovative use of technology, Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure allows players to transport real-world toys into virtual worlds of adventure through the “Portal of Power.” These toys with brains can come to life inside the game in connection with multiple gaming platforms, as well as on handheld gaming devices, mobile devices and on the web, remembering achievements and level-ups wherever they go. This marks a wholesale change in the interaction between toys and video games, opening up new possibilities and revenue streams for both industries.
“These are more than action figures. They are inter-action figures. By pairing world class character design, world class video game design and world class story telling into one entertainment experience, we’ve given players a whole new genre that bridges the gap between the real and virtual worlds. From the first time a kid picked up a stick and pretended it was a sword, toys have unlocked kids’ imaginations. And how often have you wanted to bring those toys to life, to see them become animated and take them on an adventure? Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure does just that.” – Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing
Some unique elements from the game includes:
Each Character Has its Own Unique Powers – In addition to the highly collectible design and personalities of the toys themselves, each character has different powers and abilities, opening different experiences inside the game. Players can drop in and out of each level with as many different characters as they like, making each players experience unique.
Toys With Brains – Each toy/character remembers the player’s shared experiences. Achievements and leveled up capabilities earned in the game are embedded inside the toy and travel with the toy. Wherever the toy goes, its experiences go with it.
Portal of Power – The Portal of Power serves as the gateway between our world and the amazing world of the characters in Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure.
Play With Friends – By placing two characters on the Portal of Power at once, players can team up together for cooperative play, or face off in player versus player battle arenas utilizing their leveled up characters.
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure is developed by Toys For Bob and a release date is yet to be announced.
Razer’s newest headset, the Chimaera, is probably one of the best audio devices known to man. For the price of $199.00 and $129.00 for the surround sound and stereo editions respectively, these headsets have eye popping features.
First off, the surround sound set will last up to 8 hours on one charge. The stereo edition will last up to 12 hours. Plus, they are both wireless, meaning you can go anywhere up to 30 feet away and still hear other people speaking or hear your favorite music, movies and games. Up to 4 other people can also locally connect 4 Razer base stations for those cooperative bashing parties.
These lag free devices will also sport PC connectivity, although you have to buy a separate adapter to use this functionality.
“Putting on this headset may cause serious jaw-dropping aural intensity,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President Razer USA. “With the Razer Chimaera 5.1, we’re giving every gamer the opportunity to experience surround sound in complete wireless freedom. We drew from our expertise in PC gaming audio and worked with Dolby® to develop a headset that lets you hear everything with absolute clarity to pinpoint enemy locations, prevent backstabs, and just take your gaming enjoyment further. I recommend using it with the Razer Onza controller for serious Xbox ownage.”
Well “RazerGuy” that sounds pretty cool. If you want to check out more about these products or pre-order one, head on over to the Razer page, located here: http://www2.razerzone.com/chimaera
The 5.1 surround sound headset will ship on in the US and worldwide in April. The stereo enabled headset is up for shipping on the 28th of February in the US and in March worldwide.
Atari have revealed the line-up behind the upcoming downloadable title appearing on XBLA, PSN and PC, profiling the four characters of the four-player game before it releases on March 23rd.
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime features a rookie team of all-new Ghostbusters:
Alan Crendall
Practical and hardworking, he’s no real background in the paranormal, but is the workhorse leader of the team – the others know he’s always there to pick them up after a Knock Down or help with wrangling a frenzied ghoul. He’s also the steady hand of the team – when things go wrong he’s the one with the plan.
Samuel Hazer
An optimistic scientist with a positive outlook that keeps the team’s spirits high. There’s no ghost too big or bad that can’t be figured out and then busted. He has a slight advantage with his studies in the paranormal and makes good use of this extra knowledge to help bust the stranger entities that the team comes across.
Bridget Gibbons
The tough chick with a fierce determination and a penchant for wisecracks at other’s expense. Like Alan she has no paranormal training, but is a natural Ghostbuster, always at the forefront of the battles. At times sparks can fly between her and the rest of the team, but the jokes end when there’s work to be done.
Gabriel Sitter
The technical genius of the group, he’s also not scared of getting his hands dirty when the ghosts try and get up close and personal. Following in Dr Spengler’s footsteps, he’s keen to learn more about being a Ghostbuster, and make his own mark unearthing more information on the spectral realm and developing his own new technologies.
With a fantastic range of inventive ghoul-busting weapons on offer, as well as four player action as you clean up the ghost threat in New York City, Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is looking like it could be a nice spin-off game for the series.
Game Name:Bejeweled Blitz LIVE Platform(s): Xbox Live Arcade Publisher(s):PopCap Developer(s):PopCap Genre(s): Puzzle Release Date: February 23, 2011 Price: 800 MSP ($10 US) DOWNLOAD NOW!
PopCap have came a long way with the Bejeweled series as a whole with many different sequels and spin-offs for the series, spanning both the PC and console marketplace alike. Since it’s original release on Facebook a while back, Bejeweled Blitz has became a staple in puzzle genre itself with it’s own success and now looks to bring the intense gem-swapping madness to the Xbox Live Arcade with Bejeweled Blitz LIVE. Not a lot has changed with this new version, but there is still plenty buried under this classic title that makes it an excellent addition to the Xbox Live Arcade’s library. So without further ado, here is my review for Bejeweled Blitz LIVE!
Gameplay
By now I would imagine that most of you should by now know how the formula for Bejeweled works. Swap 3 gems, cause them to break, more fall down, and then you reap your reward of points depending on how many gems you smash as well as the avalanche of combos caused along the way. This same formula is at the very forefront of Bejeweled Blitz LIVE throughout the whole game, and there is nothing wrong with that at all as this title is still as addictive as ever.
In Bejeweled Blitz LIVE, there are a couple of modes to choose from, but none in my opinion are as fun as the classic mode. Classic mode is pretty much the same game many of you might have played on Facebook, where you only have sixty seconds to smash and swap as many gems as possible, with the goal to rack up points and top your high score. Many familiar power-ups are also rewarded, so if you hit four gems at once, you then get a much stronger block known as a “power gem” that can blow up the surrounding pieces as well as the infamous hypercubes and multiplier gems which can be rewarded for performing other various swaps. If this sounds more of the same, you would be correct as the whole game plays nearly identical to the original title.
In this version, the main difference can be found in the controls. For those worried that the transfer from the point and click method of play to the Xbox 360 controller might come off as awkward, fear not as PopCap have perfectly ported the controls to the Xbox 360 controller without any issues. Using the analog to move your cursor and the face buttons to perform swaps is done both smoothly and effectively, which was great to see considering how intense each sixty second round ends up being.
The sixty second timer is truly the key behind what makes Blitz stand out in PopCap’s Bejeweled franchise, and for good reason. Each round must be thought out if you want to have a chance at making a top score. With random gems appearing with each new game, it can make things a bit difficult to plan for but that is what makes Blitz so addictive. You must quickly come up with a strategy to make the biggest combo possible. This on your toes method also rewards those who think ahead with a “last hoorah” that will have all of your powered up gems and multipliers explode at the end of a round leading to a ton of points, so sometimes it just comes down to quick thinking and perfect placement.
For those who might want to mix things up a bit more, Bejeweled Twist is also available from the start. Twist plays differently than the classic Blitz though, as instead of swapping vertically and horizontally, players must control a cursor that covers a square of four gems, rotating the pieces until a match 3 combination is found. Twist may be different, but it still packs the same timed madness as it’s cousin which makes it just as addictive and a great change of pace.
Online leaderboards are also a welcome addition as they truly do give the player something to shoot for at all times, putting you against all of your friends’ scores in both modes. Normally I really don’t pay much attention to leaderboards, but just like the Facebook version of this title, I found myself spending hours just to remain at the top spot for bragging rights alone.
Multiplayer
If there is anything that can make an already addictive title even more addictive, it is competition. PopCap have accomplished this well with how multiplayer was integrated into Blitz LIVE. For those who just want a standard local match-up, the local duel mode is a great way to compete to swap gems quickly with some friends. The online however is a product of it’s own as there is quite a bit of variation mixed in. Standard duels can be found, putting you up against a random player in quick match (or by invite). If you have a lot of friends on at once or create a lobby, up to sixteen players can go at it for a minute straight with icons shown during the match on the side to show score progression. Winning one of these matches is highly rewarding and the whole concept is pulled off well as fighting for that top spot is a true test of skill. Both Twist and Classic can be chosen for any multiplayer match so mastering both can be something else to aim for if you want to proudly boast yourself as king (or queen) of Bejeweled Blitz Live.
Graphics/Audio
As far as the visuals go, Bejeweled Blitz LIVE really doesn’t have any distinct changes from the many other incarnations we have seen on the Xbox 360. By no means though is that a bad thing, as each gem still is loaded with glisten and shine and every board has a somewhat animated backdrop which lets you fully immerse yourself in the game with ease. Menus however are a bit on the generic side, but since they do not effect how the game is actually played, this can be put off as more of an afterthought.
The same thing can be said when it comes to the tunes in this title. Each get the job done, and while not quite memorable, they do fit perfectly with the hectic gameplay. There is however a female announcers voice which will chime in during certain points, adding intensity to rounds with warnings for time and cheering you on for combos. Altogether, both the sound and the visuals make Blitz LIVE feel as it should with quite a bit of stylized flare and eye candy mixed in, creating yet another Bejeweled experience fans of the series should expect.
Overall
While I was playing Bejeweled Blitz LIVE, I tried to put the controller down, I honestly did, but that same addictive formula is always there to suck you back in every time. That is what is great about Blitz though. It takes the age old swap-3 formula, speeds it up, and then adds in the demand of the leaderboards to keep you competing and playing. I also believe that the multiplayer mode is one of the most complex we have seen for a puzzler to date on the Xbox Live Arcade as of now due to the 16 player matches which was a fantastic addition to the series. If you are looking for a great puzzler that is great to jump in and out of with solid gameplay that can lead to hours (or even whole nights like myself) of pure joy, look no further than this “gem” on the XBLA.
Kirby Epic Yarn Cloth Notebook, Cute ‘n Cuddly Kirby & Game Courtesy of Nintendo
Bursting At The Seams With Fun, Cute lil Kirby is back and available right now across Australia and New Zealand on the Nintendo Wii. Play as the lovable Kirby in a world where everything is made of yarn and fabric in this really epic platform game suitable for all ages. This is by far Kiby’s biggest and woolliest adventure yet!
Everything in Kirby’s Epic Yarn is styled to reflect the game’s inventive textile theme, from its charming environment and devious enemies to Kirby himself. You can tug on zippers, swing on buttons and pull on stray threads to reveal hidden areas. A new Yarn whip allows Kirby to disarm and unravel his foes or roll them up into balls of yarn that be lobbed as obstacles.
The fun doesn’t end there, Kirby can transform into amazing new forms of all shapes and sizes. As you dodge obstacles and clear levels, you’ll be able to transform Kirby into new forms such as Car Kirby, 2-Ton Kirby and Parachute Kirby. Special level specific transformations include Tank Kirby, Surfboard Kirby and Spaceship Kirby! All these cool features makes Kirby’s Epic Yarn a unique action platform game and one that be enjoyed by everyone in the family.
Now not everything is all cute and cuddly in this world of wool and yarn, a powerful sorcerer named Yin-Yarn transforms Kirby to a realm called Patch Land. Along with fearless Prince Fluff, Kirby must recover strands of magic yarn that will help keep this wondrous cloth-based kingdom from coming completely unravelled.
Do you have what it takes to save the Yarn Kingdom ? I know you do !!!
Kirby’s Epic Yarn is currently available right check out our review of the game here. Pick up a copy of the game from online here.
