Popular trading card game, Magic: The Gathering has recently turned tactical in the latest PC (and PS3) offering from the franchise – Magic the Gathering – Tactics.
Magic: The Gathering – Tactics is a free to play online tactical strategy game from Sony Online Entertainment built in collaboration with Wizards of The Coast, owners of the franchise.
In Magic: The Gathering – Tactics, players assume the role of a ‘Planeswalker’ and must use their units tactically against either a human or a.i opponent. A Planeswalker is a type of mage which controls the many different types of units and spells from the five colors of magic. Players are promised a competitive online experience which details: online tournaments, online battles against human players as well as battles against the a.i. On top of the online experience Magic The Gathering – Tactics promises a single-player campaign for players to enjoy and work through. Though aren’t just the only features to the game, players also build and level their own Planeswalker avatar and can purchase additional packs and campaign chapters in-game.
To quote the website –
Experience a new dimension of Magic™!
Play Magic: The Gathering – Tactics™ For Free! No subscription required.
Download quickly and jump in right away with a free account!
Compete against others online, or battle through story driven campaigns, for experience and rewards!
Experience a strategy game that features characters, creatures, spells and settings from the rich world of Magic: The Gathering®, fully realized in 3D!
While many people chose to help out the victims of the Queensland flood disaster by stacking sandbags and ferrying victims around in boats, others were riding their new mounts around in the free MMO, Runes of Magic.
Insensitive? No. Gold Coast publisher N3V Games announced on January 14 that they would donate 50% of profits from special in-game items purchased within a certain period to the Queensland Premiers Flood Appeal.
Between January 15 and January 23, N3V donated half of the proceeds from purchases of the Star Mount and Flame Mount in the in-game store. During that time, players purchased 413 mounts, raising $2,478 for the victims.
CEO of N3V Games, Graham Edelsten said, “As a Queensland company, we have many guys living in Brisbane who have been affected by the floods. This charity event is our way of showing our support for all of those affected by these unfortunate events.”
Windows Phone 7 has been out for a while now, and with it has come some pretty cool games. Some of them may be repackaged versions of old games but there are a few that are brand new to the Windows Phone 7. Check out the extensive list of notable games that have come out in the last month. If you have a Windows Phone 7, then you may be happily enjoying some of these games. If you are share your thoughts on the games you have played and maybe another one of our readers out there will enjoy it just as much as you have. (Note that the descriptions are the game’s description and not our own.)
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Fruit Ninja ($2.99/£2.49)
Unleash your inner ninja in this fast-paced, fruit filled action game. Swipe your Windows Phone 7 touchscreen to slice and dive over a dozen unique fruits, including Watermelons, Coconuts, Kiwis and Oranges… but watch out for Bombs! Improve your slashing skill and use your dexterity and speed to earn bonuses by slicing multiple fruits at once. Compete against friends on Xbox Live Leaderboards in both Classic and Zen Modes.
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The Harvest ($6.99/£5.99)
The Harvest is a science fiction themed Action RPG that takes place on future Earth, some years after the fallout of a destructive alien invasion. These aliens, who have come to be known as The Harvesters, use humans and animals to create cyborgs: crude amalgamations of flesh and machinery. Mankind, in the form of the Global Defense Force, is fighting a war against The Harvesters using human controlled mechanized infantry units.
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Rocket Riot ($6.99/£5.99)
Strap on your bazooka, soldier, and get ready for the new and improved mobile version of the awesome action packed side-view shooter Rocket Riot. In this highly stylized eight-bit era stile game, blast your way through the environment against the strangest enemies you will ever encounter. Navigate through a completely destructible environment, uncover special power-ups, or even burrow into different areas of the map. The map regenerates, keeping the action fast-paced, but time doesn’t heal all wounds.
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Max and the Magic Marker ($6.99/£5.99)
Max & the Magic Marker is a Physics-based 2D puzzle platformer, in which the player controls the boy Max along with his Magic Marker. While Max enables good old platforming fun, the marker provides the game’s signature feature: the ability for the player to draw directly inside the game world where everything drawn becomes physical objects.
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Game Chest Solitaire Edition ($2.99/£2.49)
Game Chest: Solitare Edition gives you the chance to play the classic card games: Klondike, Spider Solitaire and Tri-Peaks in an attractive, unified environment. Rich details. Sexy Graphics. Catchy music. New features. What’s not to love?
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iBlast Moki ($2.99/£2.49)
iBlast Moki is a physics puzzle game where you have to move cute little Mokis with the help of bombs, balloons, wheels and other crazy items.
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3D Brick Breaker Revolution ($2.99/£2.49)
Get blown away by stunning 3D graphics and up to 24 insane power-ups – including Jump, Vision Twist, Laser, Cannons, Nuke, Unstoppable and more! Take on infinite levels, epic boss battles, secret bonus levels and more! Four amazing game modes deliver endless excitement: Revolution, Nightmare, Classic and Time Attack! Break your first brick to start a 3D revolution today!
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Zombies!!! ($4.99/£3.99)
Zombies!!! puts you in the middle of the action as you try to escape the ever advancing zombie horde. Players must use a combination of wits and brawn to be the first to the heliport and certain escape. The only problem is, the zombies are everywhere, and they appear to be very hungry and your opponents would really prefer if you didn’t escape.
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Brain Challenge HD($4.99/£3.99)
The best-selling, critically acclaimed brain training franchise arrives on W7 phones! This complete brain training program is back with total brain activity coverage, a personalized coach to help all brain profiles and optimized gameplay. Just like your body, your brain needs exercise to stay in shape. Maintaining it simply involves completing small exercises without pain, stress, or boredom. That’s where Brain Challenge comes in! It’s more like a real vitamin boost for your brain. More than just a game, Brain Challenge is your personal coach and an entertaining, easy solution for keeping your brain alert. With various fun exercises, train your brain whenever and wherever you want on your W7 phone!
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Rise of Glory($2.99/£2.49)
An amazing First World War flight simulator with arcade accents. Fly your favorite plane in the single player campaign or play skirmish user defined missions. Amazing graphics, realistic aircraft behavior, challenging AI, incredible game experience.
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Revolution ($2.99/£2.49)
Revolution is an original cog-based spatial puzzle that is simple to learn and challenging to master. Master control over your inventory! Drag and drop cogs to complete the level and power every gear. Can you design the best mechanical solution to complete your machine? Progress through 75 unique levels and discover new challenges! As levels increase in complexity, players will find new elements such as “No Cog Zones,” and “Falling Stars” to challenge even the most skilled mechanical wizard. Fully integrated with Xbox Live, players can collect Achievements and compete with friends through online Leaderboards!
XBOX LIVE
Developer: HalfBrick Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Genre: Action & Adventure Platform: Windows Phone 7 Release Date: 12/21/10 Cost: $2.99
Unleash your inner Ninja in this fast-paced, fruit-filled action game. Swipe your Windows Phone 7 touchscreen to slice and dice over a dozen unique fruits, including Watermelons, Coconuts, Kiwis and Oranges… but watch out for Bombs! Improve your slashing skill and use your dexterity and speed to earn bonuses by slicing multiple fruits at once. Compete against friends on Xbox Live Leaderboards in both Classic and Zen Modes.
The Harvest
XBOX LIVE
Developer: Luma Arcade Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Genre: Action & Adventure Platform: Windows Phone 7 Release Date: 10/21/10 Cost: $6.99
The Harvest is a science fiction themed Action RPG that takes place on future Earth, some years after the fallout of a destructive alien invasion. These aliens, who have come to be known as The Harvesters, use humans and animals to create cyborgs: crude amalgamations of flesh and machinery. Mankind, in the form of the Global Defense Force, is fighting a war against The Harvesters using human controlled mechanized infantry units.
Rocket Riot
XBOX LIVE
Developer: Codeglue Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Genre: Shooter Platform: Windows Phone 7 Release Date: 10/21/10 Cost: $6.99
Strap on your bazooka, soldier, and get ready for the new and improved mobile version of the awesome action packed side-view shooter Rocket Riot™. In this highly stylized eight-bit era style game, blast your way through the environment against the strangest enemies you will ever encounter. Navigate through a completely destructible environment, uncover special power-ups, or even burrow into different areas of the map. The map regenerates, keeping the action fast-paced, but time doesn’t heal all wounds.
Max and the Magic Marker
XBOX LIVE
Developer: PressPlay Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Genre: Family Platform: Windows Phone 7 Release Date: 10/27/10 Cost: $6.99
Max & the Magic Marker is a physics-based 2D puzzle platformer, in which the player controls the boy Max along with his Magic Marker. While Max enables good old platforming fun, the marker provides the game’s signature feature: the ability for the player to draw directly inside the game world where everything drawn becomes physical objects.
Game Chest Solitaire Edition
XBOX LIVE
Developer: Bonfire Studios Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Genre: Card & Casino Platform: Windows Phone 7 Release Date: 10/27/10 Cost: $2.99
Game Chest: Solitaire Edition gives you the chance to play the classic card games: Klondike, Spider Solitaire and Tri-Peaks in an attractive, unified environment. Rich details. Sexy graphics. Catchy music. New features. What’s not to love?
The uDraw Gametablet is a Wii pherphirieal that allows you to turn your TV into a canvas with all the advantages of the electronic device included. The Gametablet finally comes to Australia after its success in the USA; it will be in stores on the 24th of Febuary along with Pictionary and Dood’s Big Adventure, both also for the Wii. The system itself comes with uDraw studio, a program that allows you to use many different options to make great pieces of art. The whole system is $119.95 (RRP) and the two other games are $59.95 (RRP) each (both values are in AUD).
The uDraw Gametablet seems like a great addition to your Wii and boasts being cordless (you have to dock in a WiiMote). This device also represents an easy way to hone your artistic talent. The uDraw studio itself is enough for this device to do well in my opinion and it has seen much success in the USA including being featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show. The Gametablet also matches the colour scheme of the Wii (it won’t look out of place).
Here is just one example taken from the official site of what users are producing with the unit:
For more images go to http://www.worldofudraw.com/art-spotlight and take a look at more creations from users all over the world. Get ready Aussies! The uDraw is on it’s way to a store near you.
Breach arrives on Wednesday and with it comes the ability to destroy things while trying to kill the enemy as well. Destroy floors or ceilings and collapse entire structures with a couple well placed explosive, or just shoot out one brick for an incredible sniping perch. Just try not to forget the goal and get distracted by blowing up everything possible. You can check out our review of the game when we release it on Wednesday if you are still on the fritz about buying this 1200MSP XBLA multiplayer shooter.
On the other hand, if you just want to dance then be sure to check out this week’s Deal of the Week, as Harmonix and Microsoft have discounted Dance Central DLC. The list of choices may be smaller, but at least they are cheaper. Dustin already covered this, but… it is part of this week on XBLA, and i can’t really exclude it… so I’ll just redirect you to his post right here as well as restate what the deal is.
You can save 33% on the following Dance Central tracks:
If you are one of the millions you purchased a Kinect along with Dance Central, you are in luck as four separate downloadable songs have all been discounted by 30% for this week by Harmonix. The four tracks discounted are by far some the hottest ones out there so this news should be welcome to all owners of the hit motion-control dancing title.
Songs Included in this sale include:
Janet Jackson- Control
NeYo- Because of You
Sean Paul- Temperature
Cameo- Word Up!
All four of these tracks are now just 160 points for this week on Xbox Live in this sale which starts tomorrow, Jan. 25th, 2011. Of course this offer won’t last too long, so if you have been craving some new music for Dance Central, now is your chance to save some money in the process.
Do you like Nuka Cola? Do you Like Fallout? Do you want to see a fan film? You should definitely check this video out, tell your friends to check it out, and tell everyone you may or may not know to check it out.
This Fallout fan film is simply superb. It has humor, good acting, and is simply enjoyable. On top of all that it is a shoutout to Fallout that any fan should enjoy.
Imagine, if you had to play Super Meat Boy in a 3D realm. All those broken controllers would be multiplied by one thousand, and a lot of money would be removed from your bank account in an extremely quick pace.
Joseph Manalaysay (say that name 5 times in a row!) has created a 3D animation for super meat boy called “Bandage Get!!!” and it is all about the nimble wad of meat attempting to get a bandage, because anyone who has ever played a game knows how much of a headache a majority of them are to get. At this point he doesn’t even care about Bandage girl, he just wants that Bandaid! He knows that the 100 bandaid character will make the rest of the game much easier!
THQ are really taking off with their promotion of WWE All Stars as of late with the Macho Man commercial which debuted over the weekend and now we have a cover art reveal for the new arcade fighter. As you can see, Randy Orton, John Cena, The Rock, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Hulk Hogan (Which is surprising due to Hogan being in a competitor’s company as of now) and the Macho Man himself all grace the cover in their new cartoon-ish greatness. As well as this art which will grace the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, PSP and Wii versions of the title’s cover is a new fact sheet THQ has put out for WWE All Stars to give fans a better idea of what to expect with WWE All Stars.
GAME FEATURES:
• FUN AND IN-YOUR-FACE WWE ARCADE-STYLE ACTION! – Take WWE action to the next level with high-flying, hard-hitting and high impact gameplay that bridges generations of WWE fans and casual followers alike with fun, intuitive and approachable gameplay that lets you jump right into the ring! With responsive, arcade-style controls, every WWE Legend and WWE Superstar will have a variety of grapples, attacks, killer combos, finishing and signature maneuvers to create the ultimate competitive and fast-paced gaming experience that is easy to pick up and play but provides plenty for expert players to master.
• BEST ROSTER EVER – Choose from the greatest roster of WWE Superstars and WWE Legends EVER assembled in a WWE videogame, including John Cena, The Rock, Andre the Giant, Big Show, Triple H, Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Rey Mysterio and for the first time ever in a THQ/WWE videogame, “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Each WWE Legend and WWE Superstar will boast a distinctive and highly stylized appearance, adding to the overall spectacle, atmosphere and in-your-face attitude exuding from the on-screen action.
• FOUR AWESOME CHARACTER CLASSES – Punt an opponent sky high! Juggle him with your fists! Weave together killer combinations of high impact moves or best an opponent with your fists of fury! With four distinct classes of competitor – Acrobat, Big Man, Brawler and Grappler – WWE All Stars will provide players with WWE Legends and WWE Superstars who have distinct advantages, strengths and techniques, including specific combinations and unique abilities.
• FANTASY WARFARE – Who is the greatest WWE Superstar of all time? Which generation had the Best Big Man or the Most Impressive High Flier? Find out by choosing a side and playing through epic matchups between WWE Legends and Superstars to determine the best of all time, each introduced by cinematic video packages featuring authentic WWE footage.
• CREATE-A-SUPERSTAR – The greatest WWE roster of all time wouldn’t be complete without YOUR created WWE Superstars! Customize your Superstar and pit him against the game’s WWE Superstars and WWE Legends to see if he can become legendary.
The confirmation of the popular create-a-superstar function is definitely the best news out of this new information and the roster is indeed looking promising. As a fan of the older arcade-esque WWE/WWF titles, I can easily say WWE All Stars is looking to be a must for fans of the brand. For for information you can check out the official website by clicking here.
It seems that the upcoming Pokémon Black & White is gearing up for it’s huge marketing campaign, and according to Pokémon International & Nintendo, this very well could be the biggest yet. Not only is a mall tour planned for the two titles, but many other events have now been announced that will be hitting locations all over the world. Of course we will be seeing more of the usual, in the animated series, trading card game and so on, but the actual games are going to see a lot more interaction with fans at “Play! Pokémon events”. These type of events will be a lot like the Pokémon Leagues from long ago, allowing players a place to battle with their games as well as cards and should make for a great way to show off all of the 150 new creatures that will make their debut in Black & White. The usual Pokémon World Championships will also be taking place in San Diego, CA later this year in August.
“The release of Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version gives us the opportunity to launch brand-new entertainment that our existing and new fans will love,” said J.C. Smith, director of Consumer Marketing for The Pokémon Company International. “Every major pillar of the brand-including video games, TV animation, feature films, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game-will see exciting changes throughout the year.”
It is great to see a revival of all of the events that made the series so successful years ago. Honestly as much of a system seller as the series is it was surprising to just see GameStop/ToysRUs events along with the standard tournaments being all we seen as events like the Play! event that was announced today just a little part of what made me so into the series when Pokémania was running wild at the peak of Gold/Silver. For even more about locations and the other marketing planned, you can check out www.pokemon.com.
