Art thou preparing for thy newest Sims quest in Medieval times? If you are still reading after that bad attempt at Old English, you should be happy to know that we are getting closer to the release date for The Sims Medieval. Set back in the time of wealthy kings and fierce knights, this newest adventure is a bit different from the standard Sims titles as you now must perform quests and try to bring kingdoms to peace rather than the typical lifestyle seen in other Sims titles.
EA released a new gameplay trailer today showing off the colorful Sim characters that inhabit the game as well as an overview on the main objective of the game, which is to create your kingdom and command your Sims as they partake in adventures in this brand new world. As someone who enjoyed The Urbz, which definitely was a step away from standard Sims fare, I must say I am intrigued by this title and I am getting a bit of a Fable-ish vibe from the this clip (which you can check out below) and if you are looking for something new for the series, this might just be for you as well. March 22nd marks the release date for The Sims Medieval which be available for Windows & Mac OSX.
4 Elements is available now on Nintendo DS, courtesy of Mastertronic and their links with the game’s developers, Playrix Entertainment. It’s a Match-3 puzzle game that has found popularity on the PC, but now this puzzler has been ported to the Nintendo DS, making use of the dual-screens and touch screen interface.
4 Elements sees an ancient kingdom is in peril: evil forces have corrupted the four elements and the waters of the altar of life have run dry. Now the player must unlock the four ancient books of magic, collect 16 mysterious cards and restore balance to this kingdom. Blending Match-3 gameplay with inventive twists and bonuses, it looks to be a solid puzzler – after all, if it wasn’t then it wouldn’t have had an audience on the PC.
A new 2D fighter is in the works from publisher Autumn Games and developer Reverge Labs. The title, SkullGirls, is set to be released “[…]on high-definition home consoles” in 2011.
The team promises a fast-paced 2D fighting game featuring “fierce female warriors” across the “extraordinary Dark Deco world.” The talent behind the game include BlazBlue champion, Mike “Mike Z” Zaimont and the artist Alex Ahad (who’s had artwork appear in Scott Pilgrim and Lava Punch). With those two on the team you can expect a very nice looking fighter with an anime-esque vibe to it, while being highly balanced and competitive gameplay wise.
Autumn Games and Reverge Labs have said the following about game –
“We believe that Skullgirls has the chops to be the next big 2D fighter – it has amazing art, tight gameplay, and a rich and deep backstory,” said Jason Donnell, president and COO, Autumn Games. “Working with the talented group at Reverge Labs is an added bonus, particularly with Mike Z’s expertise in the competitive games arena and Alex Ahad’s phenomenal art style. Together we’re delivering a challenging and competitive – and really fun – game, wrapped in the convenience and easy expandability of DLC on the two leading gaming services.”
“We’re aiming to create a new take on fighting games, drawing on our own experience as competitive gamers to combine the best elements of classic fighters into something with intense action, an engaging story and the most advanced 2D fighting engine ever created,” said Richard Wyckoff, CEO, Reverge Labs. “Autumn Games is quickly making a name for itself in the industry as a publisher of fresh and exciting games and a true partner to independent game developers, and they were the ideal choice for us to partner with on Skullgirls.”
Looking at the artwork and website of the game, it looks like it will be quite interesting, both artistically and in both story and gameplay.
Pockie Ninja publisher, NGames, has recently revealed the features of the browser based MMO fighter based on popular anime titles.
The game promises to deliver over 100 popular characters featured in mainstream anime titles such as Bleach and Naruto and pits them against each other in fast-paced and action-packed online player versus player battles.
The title is currently in pre-closed beta according to the official website.
The game has many features, such as “Multiple Synthesis”, an “Exploration System”, multiple “Character Outfits”, a “Skill System”, some kind of “World Tournament” and a “National League”.
To quote the press release –
Multiple Synthesis
Pockie Ninja players will be able to combine any three items they own for completely unexpected results. This innovative Multiple Synthesis feature allows for thousands of synthetic options, resulting in endless fun for anybody willing to experiment with the weird and wonderful options on offer.
Exploration System
In Pockie Ninja, battles aren’t just confined to the wilderness. Players will be able to use a fantastic exploration system that utilises ‘exploration maps’ – a diverse selection of maps to explore – each coming with its own unique accomplishment mode that creates events on the fly, even if the map has already been repeatedly searched! Furthermore, as the player’s exploration level increases they will be able to get their hands on amazing special rewards.
Character Outfits
Even ninjas need to dress to impress, but the hundreds of different, well-designed outfits found in Pockie Ninja aren’t just for looks. Outfits offer new attributes, skills and equipment, providing a robust list of class options for players to choose from. The way of the ninja will be done your way.
Skill System
Pockie Ninja boasts a huge and diverse skill system, guaranteed to impress those looking for a varied combat experience.
Tap into the elements with the Earth, Fire, Water, Wind and Lightening Releases, or master ancient techniques such as Healing, Illusionary, Body and Sealing. Each of the skills not only look incredible visually, but with careful tactical thinking can be combined to unlock a variety of combat modes, such as ones that emphasize attack, defence or counter-attack.
To become a true master of the battlefield, you must learn the best way to utilise your skills to devastating effect.
World Tournament
Do you think you have what it takes to become the best ninja in the world? The World Tournament will let players test their abilities against others and fight their way up the rankings. Beginning with a top 16 ranking system, players will battle to get to the top 8 with hopes of making it to the final 4, onwards to the semi-finals and, finally, the grand final.
The action will be tense and the competition heated as only the strongest will survive the events. Not only can players compete in the World Tournament, they can also bet on every battle to win lavish rewards.
National League
Pockie Ninja ranks players by their accumulated score, assigning them to a special National League that only their rank can compete in.
Fighters are organised into C, B, A and S-ranks, depending on their overall score. The most elite players who win the S-rank league are eligible to qualify for the tough-as-nails W-rank Championship, pitting the best of the best in deadly, heart-pounding combat to see who comes out victorious. Each team contest in the National League offers a unique trophy that can be synthesised for generous rewards.
This game could be very interesting to pick up and play. As a browser-based MMO it’s likely to be free to try out, so fans of popular anime series’ should take a look.
Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, is now sticking it’s foot in the door on casual gaming. The website is launching over 40 titles which are all free-to-play by simply typing the name of the title in the search bar and hitting enter. The titles to kick start this are not crappy pc flash games either, with games like Plants vs Zombies, Bejeweled 3, and a many other popular titles are in this mix.
Bing spokesperson, Tamsin Todd commented, “Since Bing’s inception, games have been a popular search term with our users. Allowing our users to get to their favourite games in quickest possible time, playing the games right through the search results page, we’re excited to make these great casual games available on Bing.”
Bing is also offering users to login to their Facebook or Microsoft accounts and share and send high scores with friends.
Now, get ready for some linkage as this list packs quite a punch:
And there you have it. Yet another reason to not get anything done is now available and with this impressive line-up right off the bat, I think I may now have a new homepage..(no hard feelings google).
Now plenty of people have heard about the fact that moving your Xbox 360 while playing a game can equal a destroyed game disc. But what happens if you play with your Xbox 360 standing upright and your dog happens to come over and knock it down? Then you are like Ashley here who had just sat down to play her beloved Dead Space 2 only to have her dog knock down her 360 and cause it to completely destroy the disc.
After her game loss she went to Twitter to express how horrible it was and let her sadness out. But this cloud has a silver lining because someone at EA saw what happened in Ashley’s tweets and decided to ask for her address. After replying and not knowing what to expect, she heard her doorbell ring yesterday and found a package outside her door. Now when she opened this package she found the above contents inside. She found a sketch of Isaac scolding a dog, but even better than that she found a brand new copy of the game that had been signed by the staff of Visceral Games. Talk about fan appreciation.
BioWare announced today that Dragon Age 2 will be getting a full demo that will be available on every system that the game is coming out for on February 22nd. That means that anyone who has a PC, Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 will be able to get access to Dragon Age II before the game actually sells in stores, as demos usually are.
What isn’t common for demos however is the fact that if players choose to access the demo they will be able to obtain the dwarven sword Hayder’s Razor. Hayder’s Razor will boost Hawke’s health, mana and fighting power and is able to be used in the full game as long as the player obtained it in the demo. Besides the free weapon the demo will allow players to choose one of three different character classes and meet Isabela who is a love interest in the main game.
There are so many different MMOs in the world that it is impossible to really find out what everyone of them are. I’ve seen a fishing MMO before, but never a zombie MMO. But that will change because Undead Labs has revealed today that, in collaboration with Microsoft Game Studios, they will be bringing an open-world zombie survival MMO to the Xbox Live Arcade. Currently the title is being called Class3, but expect a name change eventually.
Class3 will be a third person title that will place players inside of a zombie apocalypse where they must survive in settlements and fortify the world around them to prevent the undead from feasting on their flesh, all the while trying to find more survivors out there in the world. Players will be able to do this in what Undead Labs has said will be “sweet guns, fast cars, hand-to-hand combat, and copious amounts of zombie gore.”
Supposedly the game world will change in real time depending on what players do and how they will try to survive. There currently is no actual release date given for the game, nor much news besides plenty of promises that make Class3 sound like an instant buy for any zombie lover, such as myself.
Jeff Strain, founder of Undead Labs had this to say regarding the project:
“Undead Labs is thrilled to work directly with Microsoft to bring Xbox 360 players an outstanding zombie-survival franchise. Our mission is to create original online games that truly feel at home on the console platform, and Xbox 360 is a fantastic platform for online console gaming. We plan to create an ambitious open world XBLA game and use its gameplay, setting, and technology as the foundation for a full online world game.”
We may not have known much about the main character of Deus Ex: Human Revolution before, but we know at least a little bit now thanks to Square Enix’s latest trailer for the game. We learn that Adam Jensen is the main character’s name and there are even a few tid bits about his past in there as well. Of course what Human Revolution video wouldn’t be complete without a bit of gameplay thrown in at the end as well.
From the looks of it Deus Ex: Human Revolution will feature primarily first person action while switching to third person only when you are taking cover or performing a brutal looking stealth kill. From what we know so far the game will retain much of its stealth history from past Deus Ex games, but exactly how much is unknown. Currently the game is set for a release some point this year for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC but exactly when is still a mystery.
Nintendo has made it clear that they want fans of the Pokémon series to jump at their earliest possible chance to pick up Pokémon Black and White, and now they are doing it by offering even more incentive to early buyers. For those who pick up the game between it’s release date of March 6th and April 10th they will receive a Liberty Pass if they use the Wi-Fi system to connect to the network.
This Liberty Pass will allow players the chance to capture Victini, whom is called a Victory Pokémon by Nintendo and is the very first Pokémon to ever feature a Fire and Psychic-type put together. Victini will not be able to be captured through normal gameplay, so if you want him/her you will need to buy the game early or find a good friend to trade with. Plus it will also have an accuracy boosting ability which will raise the accuracy of every Pokémon in your party which will be very useful considering some battles will have three of your fighters out at one time. There is additional information on Victini on Nintendo’s website here.
