Home Blog Page 6293

Outland Review

Travis Bruno
-
0


Outland
Developer: Housemarque
Publisher: Ubisoft
Consoles: XBLA (reviewed), PSN
Release Date: April 27th 2011
Price: 800 MSP (XBLA) Trial Here, $9.99 (PSN)

Overview:
Once in a blue moon an interesting title will be created that melds together two different genres that you may never have thought could be joined together. Well Outland certainly is out there as far as that concept is concerned. Outland is a game that seems to blend together the action platforming genre with the bullet hell genre created so long ago. A number of titles have pioneered this melding of genres but none have tried to do what Outland is looking to perform. Will the unique look and gameplay of Outland turn out to be an unmissable title or has this combination turned sour?

Story:
Outland tells the story of a man, he isn’t anyone special at first, you don’t know his name nor are you able to name him. He learns of a story from an old man about two goddesses that created the world. These two goddesses used their powers of creation, Light and Dark to meld the world into what it is today, and then they tried to destroy it. Thousands of years ago a hero stepped forward and stopped the devastation that was about to happen and sealed the two goddesses away. Now the goddesses have awoken and it is up to this nondescript hero to stop them yet again.

The story is one that could only take place in a decaying world wrought with devastation and mystical energies. The story doesn’t provide much of an outline besides structuring your actions and providing an end goal. However Outland’s story is still extremely impressive mostly due to the fact that the environment is enough to tell the story as the game has some of the best graphical design I have seen in years. The way that the game is designed with all of the environmental imagery that is provided is more than enough to provide a feeling that you are in a devastated world that needs a hero, and you are such hero.

Graphics:
Now there are different measures of art. Some people may find one of the most realistic looking games a work of art and beautiful for how close to life it is. Now another work of art is something that takes a unique style and color scheme and creates such an artistic masterpiece that it can be enough to tell a story all on its own.

The unique style of Outland is certainly one of its greatest draws. The contrasting colors that it uses are extremely impressive and the neon coloration is some of the best you will find. Colors play a big part in the world of Outland mostly due to one of the gameplay elements that focuses solely on coloration. Besides the colors focused on gameplay, the color and design of the environment is top notch with dazzling lighting and level design.

Being of the platforming genre you will find numerous different routes that you can take and you will rarely find a dead end without some sort of reward at the end. It may not be the end of the level but it could be a collectible or something similar. The level design does sometimes causes a problem with doubling back however as it is somewhat easy to get lost very quickly. There is a map available but players may find themselves having to check the map far too often.

While your standard enemies are as impressive looking as the rest of the environment the bosses that you will be facing are in a league of their own. Originally you may not think that the bosses for a game like this would be too impressive but you will stand in amazement as you see these enemies rise up against you because of how amazing they actually look. I will refuse to spoil any appearance of these creatures because their design is one of the largest highlights of the game and should be experienced firsthand.

Audio:
The main character may not have a voice of his own but one thing he does have is a rather impressive narrator that helps tell the story anytime it begins to develop. Besides the narrator however the sounds of the world around you are very pleasing to the ears and suit the game just fine. There isn’t much to write home about but it does provide a suitable experience to go along with the amazing appearance of Outland.

Gameplay:
Earlier I mentioned that Outland was a combination of a platformer and a bullet hell game. This means that the controls for a game must be tight and responsive because one step off can end up causing your character to suffer damage or die. To avoid damage you can run, climb, slide, wall jump and more and all of these are easily controlled at the press of a button. The game handles running and jumping so fluidly you will find yourself thinking in tune with your character as you move fluidly across different platforms to wall jump up a narrow corridor, miss one and land in the spikes below and then be more than ready to start all over again.

Of course this is also an action platformer so this means you will be entering combat occasionally as you jump from platform to platform. You will do battle with a giant sword at first or even sliding into an enemy to send them flying into the air stunned. Combat is very satisfying but it does feel a bit cheap as basic attacks usually do not stun your enemy from their current attack, making some fights feel like a battle of attrition.

Now earlier I mentioned that colors play a large role in actual gameplay and this is extremely true. For the blood red color is the power of Darkness while the sky blue is the power of Light. The reason that these two colors play such a big part to the game is the fact that the player gains the ability to change their body into one of these colors. Now at first this may not appear to be a big deal until you see how well it blends into actual gameplay.

The coloration of your body equals what you will be immune to in the area you are traveling. The whole mechanic adds a layer of depth to the platforming by making things more complicated, but also very intriguing. You will spend your time often switching between Light and Dark as you navigate through orbs of energy being shot out of the ground or by enemies so you will not be hit by these orbs of energy. This works likewise when fighting enemies, a red enemy must be defeated while the player is blue or they will not be able to damage it. The concept may make platforming more difficult but it also provides a very rewarding experience.

That isn’t to say that Outland isn’t difficult. The game is actually quite hard and at times you will find yourself struggling to make it past a part in the game. Now the reason I classify Outland as a bullet hell game is that at times you will enter an area so full of energy orbs that you will wish it was just a normal platformer. At the same time however the difficulty doesn’t feel cheap. Sure you may spend a length of time in a certain area but you will feel justified when you manage to make it through the area instead of cursing the time that you wasted.

Now players also have the option to take the journey into the Outland with a friend online. You will be able to make your way through the entire game with a buddy if you so wish but it doesn’t change up the actual gameplay very much. At the same time you are also given specific areas that are made just for co-op play, called co-op challenges. These five challenges are interesting but also quite difficult as you must work together with your partner very closely or you both may die. This can cause a lot of problems due to the fact that if you aren’t playing with a very good friend you may find yourself never passing the first stage.

Overall:
In the end Outland is an amazingly well designed game with beautiful graphic design and a unique gameplay mechanic to set itself apart from the rest of the pack. Considering the fact that it is also only an Arcade game it is quite the experience to have. With the fluid controls and color changing mechanic any platformer will find themselves in love with this game regardless of its difficulty.  Outland is a great example of what can be done with limited resources and just a few simple mechanics that are woven together so tightly that they create a title that will be hard to forget.

I give Outland

9-5-capsules-out-of-10

SSX Dev Diary #4 focuses on characters

J. Bradshaw
-
0

I just realized that the next SSX game will not be here until next year. That makes me very sad.

But, at least I have the new SSX developer diary to comfort me.  This video focuses on characters used in the game, and how they have progressed over time.  This generation of SSX is aiming to provide a more “real” experience and thus the character’s clothing is much more true to what an outdoors person would actually wear on a mountain.  Nonetheless, that does not stop these guys from making a stylish game.  Check it out.

Humongous update to Lego Universe is on its way!

J. Bradshaw
-
1

A community building project will kick off the next update to come for Lego Universe.  Running for the whole month, this project encourages players to donate bricks to the Nexus Tower construction project.  Stop by the Nimbus Station to donate your bricks in-game and make “Nexus Tower a reality, to serve as a beacon of light and hope to mini figures across the LEGO Universe!”  The more a player donates and helps build the project, the more chances each player will have to earn exclusive rewards!

The next feature to come in the update is a new racing game.  Gamers will soon face a tough challenge, the challenge to beat the Maelstrom on a racetrack.

The Dragonmaw Chasm racetrack is just one of the new tracks, and it comes “complete with a slew of new missions and some super-hot rewards,” along with the new race cars: Fire Brawl and Mach Lava.  8 other race cars will also join in the fun, and these racers will be representative of the four factions available for play in Lego Universe.

Finally, the last new feature to come out this update is the by far the most exciting.  A new area will allow players to build even bigger creations on their personal properties.

The ability to add a personal pet to an  area is also being included.  Zoo and Safari themed model sets will be on hand to help your inspiration process.

For more info, check out Lego Universe site: http://www.legouniverse.com/

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKgRNQRub7w[/pro-player]

The White iPhone 4 is here!

J. Bradshaw
-
2
The White iPhone 4 is here!

The fabled unicorn of the tech world is now available to buy.   That’s right.  It is the iPhone 4, but instead of being black, its white!  It is available in the 16 or 32 gigabyte flavors. If you want a taste being the talk of the party for the next few weeks, check out this link to order the phone from an the Apple online store.  If you would rather line up outside a store and not stick out like a black sheep, then check out this link to find an Apple store near you.

Whaddya say?  Will you be indulging your desires to buy the newest iDevice?!

Razer Chimaera is now available to buy

J. Bradshaw
-
0

The Razer Chimaera headset is now available for purchase.  The 5.1 channel headset has the following features:

  • 5.8 GHz interference-free wireless headset (up to 10m / 33ft receiving range)
  • Docking base station for audio processing, recharging and advanced controls
  • Connect up to 4 base stations for dedicated lag-free team communications
  • Adjustable circumaural ear cups for optimal sound isolation and comfort
  • Independent audio and microphone controls on the earcups
  • Flexible microphone boom and detachable Xbox LIVE communication cable
  • Rechargeable batteries for extended gaming sessions of up to 8 hours
  • Digital optical connection for superior sound quality
  • PC compatible (with an added cable)

The stereo headset is also available for a slightly less price and it features the following:

  • 2.4 GHz Wireless headset (up to 33ft/10m receiving range)
  • 50mm neodymium drivers for true to life gaming audio
  • Up to 12 hours of battery life
  • Adjustable circumaural ear cups for optimal sound isolation and comfort
  • Docking base station for recharging and convenient storage
  • Independent audio and microphone controls on the earcups
  • Flexible microphone boom and detachable Xbox LIVE communication cable
  • PC compatible (again, an added cable is required)
If you want to snatch one of these awesome audio peripherals up, then check out the website here: http://www.razerzone.com/minisite/chimaera/comparison

That voice sounds familiar – John DiMaggio

Chris Cerami
-
1
That voice sounds familiar – John DiMaggio

Have you ever played a game or watch anime or cartoon and thought, “Hey, that voice sounds familiar…”? Odds are, you’re not going crazy. Many of the voice actors in the industry are quite ubiquitous and their voices can be heard in dozens of series, from bit parts to leading roles. Sometimes, you’ll realize that two characters in totally unrelated works have the same voice, and that can be a mind-blowing experience. So let’s take a look at one of the busier voice actors out there, John DiMaggio.

Marcus Fenix – Gears of War


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Gears of War was released, it gave Microsoft another huge exclusive to add to its list of killer apps. This was a big deal for the young Xbox 360 because Gears was released right when Sony and Nintendo were releasing their new consoles to the public. Right at the forefront of Gears of War was Marcus Fenix, the gruff and grizzly COD soldier brandishing an assault rifle with a chainsaw bayonet.

Normally I would say it can’t get any manlier than that, but when you hear Fenix’s voice it’s like being pummeled by a rock-slide of gravel. Marcus’s yell literally sounds like someone threw a pack of wolverines into a cement mixer, and then the strongest wolverine fought his way back out and built a football arena with the cement. Is that too manly? Perhaps, but we’ll just balance that out with all the homo-erotic fan fiction about Marcus and his ever present partner Dom.

Wakka and Kimahri – Final Fantasy X


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now if you were to imagine the opposite of Marcus Fenix, it would probably somewhat resemble Final Fantasy X’s Wakka. This tan islander with a passion for underwater soccer (football?) essentially wears a pair of waders with suspenders, is forever shirtless, and must use appromixately 1.5 cans of hairspray to get that kind of hold. Believe or not, Wakka and Marcus Fenix are both given life by John DiMaggio, fake Caribbean accent and all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, it was probably somewhere in DiMaggio’s contract that he couldn’t take the job unless he got to voice at least one tough guy, so Square (pre-Enix days) also gave him the role of Kimahri. Kimahri is a Ronso, a race of anthropomorphic unicorn cats who live at the icy peak of Mount Gagazet. Although completely mute early on in the game, Kimahri eventually warms up to the protagonist and is fiercely protective of the group. This Ronso’s characteristic trait is the broken horn on his forehead, and at over 2 meter talls Kimahri is considered “small” by the rest of his clan. Yeah, I’d say that makes up for Wakka.

Bender – Futurama


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next voice is the one that I instinctively hear whenever John DiMaggio voices a character. No matter what game I’m playing or what show I’m watching, every character of DiMaggio’s sounds to me like Bender. Wakka is Bender with a Jamaican accent. Marcus Fenix is Bender after the cigars catch up to him. It’s inevitable for me to hear this foul-mouthed, cigar smoking, larcenous robot everywhere.

As one of the stars on Matt Groening’s Futurama, Bender is a robot with a habit (well, a lot of habits) for crime. Crime and just being a jerk. A loveable jerk. Part con man, part pickpocket, and part folk singer, this mischievous automaton has even adopted a dozen orphans just to neglect them and collect the welfare checks. This guy has found a way to turn orphans into a business, people! I think that deserves some applause.

Jake the Dog – Adventure Time


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jake the Dog is a character that might be unknown to some of the older readers here, but that should change right now. Jake is one half of the adventuring duo from Adventure Time, a Cartoon Network show created by Pendleton Ward. The cartoon follows Jake the Dog and Finn the Human through their life of adventuring, which has included slaying candy zombies, dustomancy (which allows one to read the thoughts of dust particles), and Mannish Man the Manly Minotaur, who is oddly not voice by DiMaggio despite the apparent manly clause in his contract.

Jake, who is voiced by John DiMaggio, is a dog with magic powers that allow him to change his size and shape at will, and is the best friend of Finn the Human. Although Jake is 28 (in magic dog years, of course), he often acts less mature than his 13 year old companion. A personal favorite moment from Adventure Time has Finn and Jake melting washed up icebergs with flamethrowers in order to salvage the treasure within. After Finn finds a particularly awesome haul, a frustrated Jake complains, “I keep finding baby shoes. What the HECK man, and they’re all LEFTIES!”

Scotsman – Samurai Jack


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And for our last entry in this look at the voices of John DiMaggio we have somewhat of a return to form. The Scotsman from Samurai Jack, voiced by the very not Scottish DiMaggio, is exactly what his name implies. He is a brawny, kilt-wearing Scot whom Jack first encounters while crossing a rope bridge. As the bridge is rather narrow, one of the men will need to go back in order to allow the other to pass. Neither man gives in, however, and in a display of sheer manliness (i.e. stubbornness) the two partake in an epic battle before plummeting into the river below.

The Scotsman, unlike Jack, is loud and boisterous and is more than a little bit like Gimli from the Lord of the Rings. I wonder why it is that Scots always get painted as brawny men who love to fight and drink. Must be a coincidence. Anyway, this guy is so freaking tough that he literally has a chain gun for a leg which he uses to pump enemies full of lead when he isn’t too busy playing his bagpipes. I don’t know how you can top that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are tons of other characters, in both video games and animation, that John DiMaggio has lent his voice to, but there are just a few of the more prominent ones. While some might say that he is somewhat typecast as the tough guy, seeing a picture of the guy makes it pretty clear that he isn’t just faking it. So that’s it for now, and as John DiMaggio’s character Shnitzel would say on Chowder, “Rada rada”.

 

PopCap Acquire Social Game Developer ZipZapPlay…

Dustin Spencer
-
0
PopCap Acquire Social Game Developer ZipZapPlay…

Everyone knows that when it comes to making games targeted for the casual audience, no one does it better than PopCap. In the past few years, the company has been pushing a bit more into the social market with several Facebook applications, and to move more forward in that direction it was announced today that PopCap have now acquired ZipZapPlay, the creators of the popular Facebook title “Baking Life” (which has well over 2 million players) as well as several other smaller games on the site.

Most of the time when an acquirement of any company takes place, you see a lot of changes from the top, but in this case, PopCap seem to eager to move forward with ZipZapPlay by keeping the infrastructure relatively unchanged. Founders Curt Bererton (CEO) and Mathilde Pignol (CCO) will continue to direct all game design and development from the San Francisco studio.

A Statement was issued today from PopCap on this huge move for both companies:

“The team at ZipZapPlay is one of the best in the social games space, and combined with our existing group in Seattle gives us the opportunity to dramatically expand our development resources,” said John Vechey, PopCap co-founder and VP of Corporate Strategy and Development, who oversaw the acquisition. “While the acquisition creates immediate cross-promotional and operations benefits, this is a strategic move with huge long-term potential; we believe ZipZapPlay can help us further evolve and expand the definition of social games.”

“Adding ZipZapPlay’s strong design and development team to our rapidly-growing social games group is a big move for us,” said Jason Kapalka, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at PopCap. “ZipZapPlay is a great cultural fit: a truly creative company that lives and breathes in this space. And their next game is very innovative and exciting – we believe it has the potential to be a step forward in the evolution of social gaming.”

Bereton also offered his input on the future of ZipZapPlay as well:

“We’re elated to join the leading casual games developer and help grow PopCap’s presence in the social arena,” said ZipZapPlay’s Bererton. “PopCap’s focus on innovative gameplay and user experience meshes with our own design philosophy. We can’t wait to put our heads together with PopCap and start creating the next generation of games for Facebook and other social platforms.”

With EA and Zynga currently leading the Facebook Market and PopCap already running a close third in the race for the top spot, this acquisition should only lead to spectacular results for the company as PopCap now expect “four to five” new games to be launched for the social networking site by years’ end due to the expansion. Personally, I only play Facebook games that are from PopCap such as Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz, but the options look to be about to open up in a big way very soon and we very well could be seeing the start of PopCap dethroning Zynga from the top of the food chain when it comes to social gaming. This story seems to be just heating up and will certainly be one to watch as the year progresses.

Back to the Future Episode 4 Out Now

Chris Cerami
-
1
Back to the Future Episode 4 Out Now

While those of us with flux-capacitor-enabled DeLoreans have already played all 5 episodes of Telltale Games’s Back to the Future episodic adventure game, the more chrono-impaired gamers out there are just now getting hold of episode 4: Double Visions. Clearly Marty and the Doc have by now completely thrown out the old rules of not altering the past, because utter chaos has broken out so far in the series. In the newest episode of Back to the Future: The Game, Marty and Doc Brown must travel back in time to prevent a young Emmett Brown from marrying his deranged future (present?) wife, Edna. While describing the events of any story that involves time travel can get confusing, perhaps the trailer below can do a better job. Now excuse me, I’m off to the end of 2011 so I can play Telltale’s Walking Dead game. Great Scott!

For those of you stuck in the present, you might as well make the most of your time and pick up Back to the Future: The Game at Telltale’s site or on Steam. PSN and iOS versions of Episode 4: Double Visions will be available at some point in the near future (present? man, you guys really need to get a DeLorean so we can keep this time stuff straight).

Possible new features to be added to PS3

Justin Mienkiewicz
-
12
Possible new features to be added to PS3

So PSN is still down roughly a week after this whole debacle has started.  Arguments over who is to blame are largely over and done with, leaving one of the big questions left for the users to ask is, “So what am I getting out of this?”  Sony has thought of that too, especially considering that some users do pay a fee for services on PSN such as Qirocity, PSN+ and DC Universe.  Sony has stated that it’s going to do “something” about this issue of compensation, but no hard details as of yet.  It’s pretty safe to assume that users will be reimbursed for the time lost.

More importantly is what’s going to happen to the regular, not-paying-any-fees users.  Even though they don’t pay any fees on PSN, they were still hindered just the same by this whole situation.  So what’s in it for us?  A “thank you” and a pat on the back for being so patient?  Possibly, but maybe not.

Sony has mentioned in their latest Q&A that they are,”…currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online.”.  What this means is anybody’s guess.  Microsoft issued a free game (Undertow, great game) to all who were effected by a similar network outage way back when.  Sony may do the same, if so a possible candidate is the recently released Mood Diver.  But really, who knows what Sony will come up with, if anything at all (it’s safe to assume we are going to get something)

More interesting is that there are rumors that Sony is going to finally do something about a few key features that they have mentioned before but never followed through on in an attempt to retain their customers who may be considering dropping the PS3 for a 360.  Specifically, a Sony employee has mentioned in their blog that, “As we are rebuilding the network, we are taking into consideration in implementing features such as cross game chat and in-game video chat to name a few…”  Pretty interesting, though do note that the employee follows up with, “I cannot confirm any new features at this time but expect a massive update when the network is restored.”

Sony has mentioned before that when the network comes back up there will be an update, most likely to beef up security to make sure this won’t happen again.  Will this update also include the much awaited cross game chat as well as others?  Honestly, I’m not getting my hopes up.  There have been rumors of cross game chat being added for quite a while now, so I’m just going to chalk this up to more hearsay.  Regardless, be on the lookout for more information from Sony in the coming days.  This whole situation should be nearing a close and finally be resolved in a few more days.  Hopefully Sony will go into a bit more detail about compensation for its users and maybe even shed some light on these “new features” that might be added.

*fingers crossed*

Catherine box art to only be modified at “select markets”

Travis Bruno
-
0

Yesterday we discovered that the cover art for both versions of Catherine were appearing altered on the Gamefly service and then also on  Amazon.com (Amazon has since altered the box art back to the original). This spelled out bad news for fans of the game as it was originally announced that the cover art would not be censored at all and fans would receive the same cover as the Japanese version of the game.

Fans can breath a small sigh of relief however because after contacting ATLUS we were able to find out from Aram Jabbari that the cover art is only going to be modified for select markets. These markets are a minority and the vast majority of the titles will instead keep the same cover art originally released. You can read his full statement below:

“In addition to the existing North American covers for Catherine on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, there will also be modified designs that appear in select markets. The vast majority of copies available at launch will feature the cover we originally unveiled, essentially the Japanese cover of the game. A small percentage of copies, however, will feature a cover that is more considerate of certain retailers’ broader customer demographic. Fans need not worry; Catherine’s cover art is NOT being altered for North America. There is just an extra option being made available for more sensitive shoppers.”

1...6,2926,2936,294...6,869Page 6,293 of 6,869