It’s no secret that Call of Duty is an incredibly successful game. After all, why wouldn’t it be? It has extremely innovative and compelling multiplayer, quite possibly one of the BEST campaigns in the history of video games, there are NO other games even remotely similar and the story rivals that of Avatar. Hell, even if you didn’t know that Call of Duty was great, surely you can assume based on the price of it’s map packs. $15 for 3 old maps, man they must be high quality!
Up until now, no other game or franchise has come close to dethroning what is in all probability the greatest game to ever be made. However, one development studio dares to dream. Check out the game’s official site for a FREE DOWNLOAD of the game that will end the Call of Duty franchise, Duty Calls.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released more screenshots and a piece of concept art for Batman: Arkham City, sequel to the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham Asylum. This game’s predecessor was widely praised for its graphics (among other things like being sinister superhero game with great production values) and certainly looks like Arkham City is headed the same way just by taking a peek at these screenshots. Again, it looks very graphically impressive, and now that the game is freed from the bounds of the Arkham Asylum and let loose in the city, it should offer a completely new experience from the first game.
Take a look at the concept art above and the new screens for the game below:
Rio! – upcoming 3D animated movie is the product of Brazillian/American co-operation, between Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox. It is not short on vocal talents department, with Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Rodrigo Santoro, Kate del Castillo, Jamie Foxx, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Jemaine Clement, Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Lynch, Robin Thicke and Will.I.Am in the cast.
Jessie Eisenberg is playing the voice of Blu, a member of rare species of macaw, who embarks on an adventure to meet a female of his kind. The movie is set to be released around 15/Apr/11 worldwide, with the lucky Brazilians getting a sneak preview ahead of the world on 08/Apr/11. In order to promote the movie, 20th Century Fox has announced a tie in with Rovio, releasing Angry Birds Rio!. Angry Birds Rio! will feature new characters, new music, and 45 new levels based on scenes from the movie. It is available now for iPhone, Palm, Nokia and Android phone platforms.
Swap This! Developer: Two Tribes Publisher: EA Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch Genre: Puzzle Released: 27 January Price: (US)$0.99 – (AU)$1.19
Swap This! for the iPhone is a puzzle game which has you organising stacks of frozen fish (trapped in a surrounding cube of ice) into groups of at least four in order to free them. To call the concept eccentric would probably be a bit of an understatement, and when you take into account that one of the modes known as ‘Fish Fight’ has you launching these newly liberated critters at another larger, more threatening fish to prevent it from reaching the surface of the water, it really does sound a little bit crazy. And while the idea behind it acts only as an excuse to stack these multi-coloured creatures into organised arrangements, it is the game’s simplicity that will really win you over. Although it can offer more depth through power-ups, obstacles that get in your way in an attempt to hinder your mix and matching, and an ever-increasing level of difficulty that gets truly challenging very quickly.
It seems the only instruction needed to play this game is the title itself: Swap This! The controls are straight-forward, allowing anyone to play. It is simply an intuitive system where you touch one tile to select it (and touch it again if you want to deselect it), and following on from that touch the tile you want to swap it with and the game does the rest. There’s no dragging or sliding involved, just quick flourishes of the fingertips that make for a clean switching system. Soon you learn to do this at speed and develop skills for more in-game techniques to create longer chains or simultaneous chains, both of which come with nifty score bonuses. Some unlockable power-ups aid you in clearing the board and getting combos, and enemies which block off parts of the game board also add some variety to the game.
Variety also comes through the choice of three different game modes, each providing slight variations on the Swap This! formula. The first, Fish Fight, which I have already mentioned, is arguably the main game mode. Your aim in this mode is to create the groups of the same coloured fish, which are then used to whack a large, sinister-looking fish down to the depths of the ocean. This motive is represented along the side of the screen with the enemy fish and the ocean visualised in a meter, monitoring it as it creeps up the screen with each attack pushing him further down. Creating larger chains and bigger combos is more effective and will push the enemy fish down further, whereas smaller groupings won’t help to push it down very much at all. There is even videos at the end of each round which change depending on whether you win or lose, portraying your little guys fighting of the large fish or being eaten by it depending on the outcome. Most will find this mode to be the most addictive of them all, as you will keep wanting to see if you can pass through rounds faster and faster each time, and seeing if you can progress past the fish that got you last time round.
The other two modes are ‘Minute Match’ and ‘Puzzles’, with the contents of each being explained quite nicely by their titles. As you would expect from a name like that, Minute Match is a test of speed, giving you a minute to get as higher score as possible. While most of your time will probably go into the other two modes, this one is ideal for short bursts of play when out and about, and also is the mode that makes best use of the Facebook and Twitter support. Although the whole game is high score-based, it is this mode that will bring out the most competition with friends, especially when social network support is utilised.
The final play mode is Puzzles, which provides a more methodical approach to playing the game, ousting the frantic tapping of the other modes for a more slow and steady play style. It does this through removing any time constraints and simply giving you a range of different circumstances with the sole aim being to match everything up in the fewest moves possible. There are three modes to play through -easy, medium and hard- with targets within each puzzle, offering replay value to go back and get all gold medals. Unfortunately, you are forced to play through the insultingly easy first lot of puzzles before you can unlock the others, but as with the rest of the game, it quickly becomes surprisingly tricky in places.
Overall, Swap This! is an excellent puzzler, that’s suitable for all ages. It has been crafted to hold appeal amongst youngsters with it’s cutesy graphical style, but quickly becomes devilishly difficult and can pose a challenge to the most seasoned of gamers. But it’s not all frantic fingers either: the Puzzles mode gives the option of a more thoughtful approach to the game, and some of the harder enigmas really do require a lot of logic. The game’s addictive simplicity makes it an absolute winner, and for the tiny asking price, you can’t really go wrong.
Pros
Colourful design
Simple but enjoyable concept
Addictive gameplay
Logic-based Puzzles mode
Facebook and Twitter support for those who know other people with the game
It is finally here !!! The first ever Capsule Computers Podcast! Phil (MasterAbbott), Dylan (RadicalDylan) and Jed (Jedmankaboom18), bring you the latest news, reviews and discussions in the world of video games.
Download this podcast on iTunes or the Zune Marketplace. Or, have a listen down below. Please rate and review us as well. We will be back next week with the Capsule Computers Podcast Episode 002. For now, crack open your favorite audio listening program and give Episode 001 a listen. Make sure to listen to the whole thing. You never know what kind of sur-PRIZES we laid in there. 🙂
Finally, we had Darth Vader working on some plumbing today, so don’t be alarmed if you occasionally hear his racket. Those pesky problems will be fixed in next weeks show. Make sure to write us at [email protected] for suggestions, tips and questions – THE BEST suggestions and questions will be given a mention on the show and you might even win a prize !!
Thanks for listening and enjoy the show !! (click anywhere in the white box to start if you done see a play button)
What better way to celebrate a game’s 20 year anniversary than to re-release it together with its own sequel. Now the game that I am talking about is Final Fantasy IV and it has been made official as of today that Square Enix will be releasing the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection on April 19th this year for $29.99.
The Complete Collection part of the title means that it also includes The After Years which has only been on the Wii as Wiiware in the West at this point. Besides the addition of The After Years, Final Fantasy IV has also received a full graphic overhaul to make them shine on the PSP and the musical score has received a new soundtrack arrangement. This means that if you are having that RPG itch you can get it scratched by a classic that will look better than ever and be just as good as when it was released all those years ago.
Anyone can look at the success of various iPhone games and say that they want in on that piece of pie. Now Namco Bandai has had their hands in Smart Phone gaming for awhile now under the subsidiary Namco Networks. Though this may not appeal to some people, it is great news for those who love to take their favorite franchises on the road with them. Last year when Splatterhouse and Puzzle Quest 2 released onto various consoles, they also received a modified release on iPhones as well.
This was just the first sign of the integration of Namco Networks into Namco Bandai America, and now it is official that the two groups have become one with Namco Bandai America absorbing Namco Networks. What exactly can we expect in the future now that Namco Networks has a more substantial studio backing its productions? Well Carlson Choi who is the VP of Marketing for Namco Bandai America has stated:
“We’ve already made Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima accessible on mobile devices and More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima available on mobile, Android, Windows Phone 7 and iOS platforms. To continue the momentum around the Dr. Kawashima Brain franchise, Body and Brain Connection will launch Feb. 8 exclusively for Kinect, for Xbox 360, controller-free games and entertainment, with Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima 3 launching later this year on Java, BREW, iPhone and iPad.”
One series that has came a long way is Capcom’s Bionic Commando franchise. With the newest title, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 hitting the PSN and Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow, Capcom have now released a shiny new launch trailer. In this sequel to the hit 2-D side scrolling series, many new environments, weapons, and enemies come into play but in my opinion, the most interesting new feature is the ability to now have Spencer jump. It might not sound like much, but this one addition is sure to completely change up the whole way the game is played, offering new strategies and a whole new feel to the game’s physics based puzzles and platforming.
In the trailer you can get a nice flashback from the classic as Capcom shows how the series has truly evolved up to now as well as showing the chaotic gameplay that players can expect as Spencer swings and jumps through areas. Also shown are some of the new upgrades, high power weaponry, and a look at the classic co-op that will also be available in this sequel. Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 launches tomorrow, February 3rd for 1200 points for the XBLA & $14.99 for the PSN. Check out the new trailer below.
Citizens of the world, get ready! Kalypso Media have now announced new details and a window of release for their sequel to the critically praised Tropico series, Tropico 4. Tropico 4 will have players return in the role of El Presidente, tyrannical (or benevolent) dictator of the island paradise of Tropico. A whole new challenge has arisen over the island and it is now up to the player to build an empire and gather support from your growing population. This new entry in the series promises to add in even more missions, maps, buildings, enhancements to the political and economic systems to enhance the dictating experience.
Even more political decision making will be present with Tropico 4, including new superpowers to negotiate with and the ability to elect prime ministers to persuade the public into having your policies passed. Mother nature will also be present yet again as well, serving to dish out some crazy situations that will be sure to test even the toughest leaders with disasters in which your decisions will be completely crucial to the survival of your land.
Other features include:
New campaign – Face 20 new challenging missions across 10 entirely new maps
Build Your Vision of Island Perfection – Not only are the graphics enhanced, but 20 new buildings including the stock exchange, shopping mall, aqua park and a mausoleum for El Presidente allow you to craft your perfect balance of beauty and economic efficiency
State of Emergency – Six new interactive disasters including volcanoes, droughts and tornadoes prove that Mother Nature can be a tougher adversaries than opponents bent on your political ouster
Council of Ministers – Appoint selected citizens to ministerial posts to help push through and enact your more controversial decisions and edicts
National Agenda – Receive objectives from Tropican factions, foreign geopolitical powers or opportunities relating to current island events that can further or hamper your dictatorial ambitions
Facebook and Twitter integration – Post live Tweets directly from the game or create posts automatically upon completion of missions, unlocking achievements, etc. Store and display achievements and screenshots of your ultimate island empire on facebook and compare your Dictator Rankings against others online (Windows PC only feature)
I am a big fan of the Tropico series so I can say this new title is definitely on my watch list. The only thing I am a bit concerned about was the glitch that took place in Tropico 3, making it impossible to load saved data from a map with a large population on the Xbox 360 version. This was addressed by Kalypso , but has still yet to receive a patch so hopefully this problem is not present in Tropico 4. For more information about Tropico 4 which releases in the second quarter of 2011, you can check out www.kalypsomedia.com.
Game Name: COD Black Ops First Strike DLC Platforms: Xbox 360 Publisher(s): Activision Developer(s): Treyarch Genre(s): Shooter Release Date: 2/1/2011 ESRB Rating: M (Mature) Price: 1200MSP ($15) Download:Add the DLC to your add on queue here.
Intro
“Call of Duty®: Black Ops takes you deep behind enemy lines into the world of deniable operations as a member of an elite special forces unit engaging in covert warfare, classified operations, and explosive conflicts across the globe. With access to a variety of exclusive weaponry and equipment, your actions will tip the balance during the most dangerous time period mankind has ever known. Black Ops features: – An epic campaign and story that keeps you glued to edge of your seat from start to finish. – Call of Duty’s signature Multiplayer gameplay with deeper levels of character customization, and all new modes like Wager Matches, the Theater, and Combat Training which can be played Solo or Co Op. – Zombies! Providing endless hours of intense Zombie-slaying entertainment, Solo or Co-Op.” [Via Xbox.com]
First Strike contains 5 brand new maps including “Berlin Wall,” “Discover,” “Kowloon,” “Stadium,” and finally the Zombie mode specific map “Ascension”. Most of the maps feature unique moments or key features that make the map entertaining to play. These maps also add to the replayability of the game that both hardcore and casual players will enjoy with the increased amount of variety.
The Maps
The maps included in the DLC are varried and leave plenty of options for all players to find their nitch. Some players may like certain maps better than others and not all opinions will match but that is the great thing about map packs. There is usually something for everyone.
Berlin Wall: It is the Berlin Wall! What more is there to say about it? The level is comprised of a few small buildings to run around in, but a majority of it consists of long open areas. Right in the middle of the level there is a danger zone. This area is marked by signs and is red on your map. Automated turrets will shoot at you the minute you walk into this area, while it looks like you could just run across the open field, you can’t and have to walk around. It was stated that you could risk the run, but with people firing at you and those insanely accurate turrets it is near impossible to make it across. I’ve tried multiple times and haven’t made it once, logically it is easier to just go around particularly since you are basically wide in the open and in extreme danger while running across the danger zones.
Discover: Another addition to the ice maps found in Black Ops. This particular ice map has a whole bunch of frozen buildings and a giant chasm in between them. There are bridges in between the chasm, one on top and on one the bottom. The bottom one can be destroyed, but the destruction isn’t massive. The actual location, isn’t that good of a vantage point so not many people stay there for extended periods of time. Also, when it is destroyed it doesn’t hinder progress at all. Going around it or just jumping over it isn’t that hard. The map is fun and offers new hiding spots and a giant chasm to fight around.
Kowloon:
I honestly enjoyed this map the most. Most of the level feels a lot like the singleplayer map by the same name. Lots of hectic gameplay all condensed onto some narrow rooftops and tons of hiding places. The key feature of this map is supposed to be the zipline, but honestly anyone who uses this is asking to be shot. You go down the zipline way too slow and you are left wide open. It is simply easier to jump around the rooftops, you might not get directly to your destination but at least you have a better chance of surviving on your way there. During the entire level there is rain and this reduces visibility. Hectic, rooftop gameplay is all within this fun map.
Stadium:
Probably the worst map in this entire pack. It isn’t that the map is necessarily bad; but compared to the others, Stadium is just too normal. The level takes place around a giant stadium (that you can’t actually explore fully) you can only be in one part and look off map at the rest of the hockey stadium. Gameplay on this level is pretty normal and doesn’t add anything new to the game or give any openings for additional strategies to use. It is simply just another map located within a bunch of more noteworthy maps.
Ascension:
Probably the most sought after new addition to Black Ops. The zombie mode is extremely popular and this brand new addition is welcomed by many fans. New tactics need to be created, new plans devised, and new zombies all come with this new map. Anyone who loves the zombie mode will not be disappointed by this map. While there are quite a few places you can camp comfortably with a team, these aren’t necessary and only assist those who want an easy time playing. For the rest of us, there are new areas and tons of new zombie killing fun to have.
Achievements First Strike includes a few achievements, and while one or two may be a bit difficult they are all manageable. They all have to do with the new zombie map, so I hope you enjoy playing it a lot because it may take a few attempts. The only advice I can really give players going for these achievements is to have patience and a few friends. You will eventually get the achievements, and while they may seem difficult with enough practice they will get unlocked.
The achievement list is:
The eagle has landers – 35 – In Ascension, escape on all 3 lunar landers.
They are going THROUGH! – 35 – In Ascension, kill at least 5 zombies with 1 Gersh Device.
Space Race – 45 – In Ascension, Pack-a-Punch a weapon by round 8.
Chimp on the barbie – 35 – In Ascension, kill a space monkey with a fire trap.
Overview
The First Strike DLC for Black Ops is a very nice edition for any call of duty fan. Even the price is quite generous in my opinion. Five brand new maps for 1200MSP equates to 240MSP each, and compared to previous Call of Duty map packs that usually included remakes, this is quite an offer. The maps are fun and each present a unique addition to the gameplay; aside from stadium of course, that one was quite dull and just simply too normal. The price point may be a little steep for some players, but as a map pack First Strike is put together pretty well.
I give the Black Ops ‘First Strike’ DLC
