In 2009, details emerged of Tiger Woods infidelities and were promptly spread across the front pages of the press, as new revelati0ns came to light regarding one of the World’s weathiest sportsmen.
But when a Lead Designer at EA Tiburon, the makers of the Tiger Woods golf franchise, was quizzed about the scandal and how it affected the franchise, he assured everyone it was business as usual behind the scenes. Despite the superstar’s troubled personal life, Lead Designer Mike DeVault said: “We have our job to do. It’s pretty much business as usual for us. It hasn’t impacted us at all.”
The fact that Tiger Woods is on good form at the moment as he gets back into the swing of things (sorry) could be fundamental, because, probably as a result of the scandal, sales of last years incarnation were lower than expected. This is further reiterated by quotes from EA’s John Riccitiello last year saying how they “have no plans to move away from him, but it’s a business relationship on the basis of we make the best golf game and he’s the best golfer”. Above is a screen from the game, and as you can see it is looking very nice. This year’s title will be taking us to the Masters when i
Publisher: THQ Developer: THQ Studios Genre: Action, Family Format: PS3, Xbox 360 Release: Out Now Price: $30.00 (US), £34.99 (UK), $79.99 (AU)
Story
Continuing where the hit movie left off, Megamind: Ultimate Showdown aims to provide platforming fun for all the family…
Following the events of the movie Megamind is now a reformed character and do-gooder whose main goal, instead of global domination, is to uphold peace in his city. Quite a turnaround for the former master villain and he was actually doing a surprisingly good job of upholding peace until his arch nemesis, Blue Titan, and the Doom Syndicate decided to start causing chaos across the city making Megamind look responsible! The Doom Syndicate has also gone and stolen Megamind’s DNA Tracking device and playing as the former/new bad guy/hero it’s down to you to reclaim all the parts of your DNA Tracking Device which are located at the end of each of the games levels and restore order and your reputation.
GamePlay
Scattered throughout the levels are collectible blue orbs known as B.I.N.K.E.Y’s ( ‘Blue Ion Nano-Kinectic Energ-y) which act as the game’s currency and gathering as many as you can will allow Megamind to upgrade his arsenal of weapons. Upgrades range from improving firepower and targeting range to destroying multiple enemies at the same time.
Eagle-eyed players will also find collectible and randomly placed ‘loot items’ scattered about. There appear to be just one of these per-level and finding them all is a tough ask made all the more difficult by an uninspiring trophy room which doesn’t reveal which loot items were picked up from which location. However, they are not essential to the competition of the game or the unlocking of any in-game achievements.
Mini-games unlock as you play through the story, but the two player modes on the mini-games (player & computer) don’t seem to work very well so i did not really explore them much, besides it’s more fun to play them with two real people then it is to plow through on your own.
During the one player play mode the game runs like a dream and the film tie-in story is great and the simplicity of the controls means pretty much anyone can pick up and play the game without issue. The levels have a few puzzles which mainly involve moving a objects to start a chain reaction or flicking switches or using different weapons to access otherwise inaccessible areas.
One thing I did find is that each level had very limited health pickups which can be frustrating when you are running low on energy. You only have one bar of health and when it’s gone it’s gone. It’s not too much of an issue though as when you die in-game your health gets restored and you only lose a little bit of B.I.N.K.E.Y. If you are playing on the PS3 or Xbox 360 and are low on health then try and die before the boss battle so you get a full health bar when you face the big bads as if you die during the boss battle then you won’t earn your extra achievements.
Megamind: Ultimate Showdown, can also be played as a two player cooperative adventure but this is buggy at best and riddled with silly little issues that make me wonder whether this was a last minute decision. In the two player co-op mode the second player plays as one of Megamind’s robot helpers and I assume that their main aim is to help pick up B.I.N.K.E.Y and provide additional firepower against enemies. You are lead to believe that there are certain areas that only two players working together can reach but I didn’t come across any in my travels. In addition the in-game camera makes it next to impossible for your companion to play as it only ever tracks Megamind. So if you decide to wander off to fight crime you might find you disappear off screen only to re-spawn seconds later next to Megamind again which can be a little frustrating for those faithful number twos and not the friendly, cooperative experience as witnessed in Traveller’s Tales seminal Lego games. Another factor you might find annoying is that the robot character is so small on screen that sometimes you misplace yourself – especially when the screen is swarming with enemy robots. Whilst it is all too easy to lose track of yourself at times if ever in doubt just look for the red laser firing from your gun!
Controls, Graphics and Sound
The controls in Megamind: Ultimate Showdown are extremely easy to use and children will find this game very easy to pick and play. On the Xbox 360 (version played) the analogue stick moves Megamind whilst the A button is used to jump (press it twice to double jump), B interacts with objects by moving or picking them up and the X button attacks. Simple!
The overall design of Megamind is a real visual delight. The backgrounds are well animated as are super-heroic, likable characters that inhabit them. Boss encounters are especially fun and memorable for the funny voice acting. Jonah Hill (as Titan) really shines here and it’s a shame that more of the movie’s actors did not sign on to do voice work for the game.
The game’s audio fits in well with the overall atmosphere and the soaring themes that are reminiscent of all the best super hero movies certainly do the game justice. Sound effects are uniformly great and well implemented and there are some truly amusing one liners from the henchmen of the Doom Syndicate.
Overall
I actually enjoyed the game very much and found it to be both very entertaining and also very amusing at times. One of the few let downs was that it was not really as much of an ‘Ultimate Showdown’ as the title suggests as the game felt too short and can be completed in just a few hours. In fact getting a full 1000 achievements points on this game was very easy and can actually be done on your first play through! As mentioned earlier, the disappointing two player option was also a letdown – particularly given the short length of the game otherwise. I would have liked some two player achievements as an incentive to play the game in the otherwise broken co-op mode but don’t let a few minor gripes put you off especially if you are a fan of ‘old school’ platforming titles as there is much to enjoy here even if only in the short-term.
Pros
Decent single-player game.
Great animation and beautiful vistas
Upgradable weapons make looking for B.I.N.K.E.Y fun.
Easy 1000 achievement points on a single play through
Jonah Hill and some great voice over work
Cons
The two player co-op mode can be a little too frustrating at times
No health pick-ups.
Too short
Other actors did not sign up to do the voice acting
A couple of days ago, we brought you the screenshots for a new puzzle game from Bulkypix. And now we have a trailer for the game. Coming on Nintendo DSiware, iPhone, and PSP Minis, this puzzler is sure to bend your mind. The object of the game is to twist and match different objects to their silhouettes. But I think there is only one way this game could get get better. Wouldn’t it blow your mind if this game came out on the Nintendo 3DS? Then it would be the 3D 3D Twist and match. And then we get into hologram territory and everybody blows their tops, because heck, we are in the future… Oh yes, look at these awesome trailers for a great game!
Basically everybody wants $1 million smackarroos. $1 million bucks. $1 million DDDOOOLLLAARRSSS! And 2K Sports is offering us that very thing. Pitch a perfect game on the highest difficulty and win yourself a pile of mulah. A noun like money has so many names, you know everybody wants it. If you are not excited yet, just watch the trailer below.
Of course, the only thing I can think of is actually trying to win the this challenge. I would probably get to the last strike and allow a hit. Wow, that would suck. On second thought, I think I will let you try for the big money. You probably deserve it anyway, right? 😉 And before you lose faith, somebody did win it last year.
EPIC Games, creators of the Unreal Engine, have recently released the January 2011 updated version of their free to the public version of the UE3. The third Unreal Engine powers some of the most beautiful games on the market today, games like ‘Unreal Tournament 3’, ‘Gears of War’, ‘Bioshock’, ‘Mass Effect’ and many other great titles.
While the tools are free and a great way to learn about what goes into the game design process, many of the features are likely to go over the top of the average gamers heads. But if you’re willing to put in the effort and get a game out there, this development kit is a great place to start and build your skills in game design. A quick search on the popular video streaming service youtube shows many tutorials on the usage and tools of the kit, these would be a great place to start for anyone wanting to learn the tools.
The January update brings many new features to the UDK, to quote Epic –
Upgrade Notes
PhysX is now enabled for iOS development!
Rendering
There is a new Colorize post process.
You can now force depth of field.
The new Min Blur Amount post process setting can be used to force in-focus pixels to be blurred.
Various image reflection quality and performance improvements have been made.
Optimizations have been made to particle emitters, as well as memory improvements.
Mobile
PhysX is now supported on iOS.
Rigid body physics, fracturable meshes and ragdolls are among supported features.
Note: Cloth, fluids and soft bodies remain disabled on iOS for performance reasons.
Upgraded to iOS SDK 4.2
The latest version of UDK Remote supports ping functionality, so it knows when it is talking to a PC.
The latest version of UDK Remote’s text entry box has been fixed on older versions of iOS.
Unreal Editor
UDK now has a mesh selection preview.
You can now highlight sections of a mesh simply by selecting the corresponding material property.
UDK now supports editor map favorites.
You can now star maps that you work with frequently and they’ll persist in the editor’s toolbar.
Move to End of Track has been added to Unreal Matinee.
The functionality of the individual translation and rotation track selections in the Matinee curve editor has been improved.
A box for selecting subgroups within the matinee curve editor was added.
The rotation widget now draws how many degrees have been rotated in the viewport.
Kismet undo is now able to undo shortcut key-inserted sequence actions.
An option to preserve degenerate triangles has been added to the FBX importer.
Various fixes were made to the FBX importer, including rotations in Matinee, LODs, lightmaps, tangents on movement curves and auto tangents on cameras.
When importing atop an existing object in an unloaded package, there will now be a confirmation screen instead of clobbering the existing object.
The AnimSet Searcher now searches all AnimSets that are currently loaded.
You can now double click on colors in the material editor to open a color picker.
The new Align to Floor editor lets you snap actors using their pivot point.
There is now a map check warning for combat volumes and triggers that aren’t referenced.
You can now re-order properties in the favorites panel.
A confirmation dialog is now displayed when baking instanced mesh paint data back to the mesh asset.
The group selection dialog now defaults to listing just the groups in the current package.
Properties for Location, Rotation and Scale3D are now displayed in real time in the property windows when objects are modified outside of them.
Ctrl-Shift-A can now be used to select all Kismet actions.
Miscellaneous Enhancements
Various improvements were made to Unreal Frontendincluding key bindings, map sorting and new cook/make buttons.
The Bink player has been upgraded to version 1.99a.
A new network profiling tool captures server information primarily for outgoing bandwidth as it relates to data transmission and network events.
The network profiler takes into account all actors types, RPCs and properties that are replicated during a data stream and then summarizes replication counts and sizes.
According to many, the world is black and white. There are no gray areas. But, what if you didn’t have to choose between them. Perhaps, you could traverse the gap and effortlessly move between the expanse of differing views. Of course, due caution is necessary, as just like in life, spikes of pain exist and you are always only one step away from the the depths of an excruciating death.
Gameplay
SHIFT Extended continues from where its PC predecessor left off. You are Test Subject 12378. Much like Portal, you are trapped in varying rooms and given instructions that will lead you to success in the puzzles that await. Press the “X” button to jump. Spikes will kill you. This collectible will affect the environment in this way and so forth. Oh, and pressing the “Left” or “Right” triggers will turn the world upside down and teleport you to the other side. For example, if you have a maze, it is as if the maze part was drawn on white piece of paper. Therefore, if you are standing on the maze, you can shift between the white backgrounds and the black ink of the drawing. However, the collectibles will let you unlock pieces, extend portions of the drawing and let you solve the puzzle. Or, a checkered piece in the game will block your progress and you must find a way around. Success is determined by reaching the exit; the score you receive is based on the regular requirements of speed, moves taken and lives used.
The unique idea is well executed and is very addictive. Being able to control your environments in such an effective and simple way is fun. The game is very easy to understand, and it will also test your spatial thinking abilities. Although I found the game amazing in many ways, some may be turned off by the fact that virtually every room merely requires you to find the collectibles, follow the route and finish each room in under a few minutes. I personally found the game rewarding, in a Pavlovian like fashion, but fairly simple. Sure, I did die a few times, but I was able to fly through the first 30 levels in under an hour. But, the game does progressively get harder. And with a 120 levels in this extended version of the game, versus 60 in the original game, this game will keep you entertained at an enjoyable price.
Audio and Graphics
Audio in the game is well done. The game is devoid of any type of speech. This makes you feel like a test subject all the more. Occasionally, text boxes will pop up a witty saying, but otherwise, I felt like an abandoned person, sent out to survive a forgotten experiment. In other words, I felt that the game did a very good job at putting the player in the game. The soundtrack reminds me of the Pink Panther or a lighthearted story. That is to say, the soundtrack is not suspenseful, but more of like a mysterious, playful tune that is only interrupted by the occasional audio cue or death.
Speaking of death, that is the only time color is involved in the game. The graphics are very basic, harkening back to the game’s Flash roots. But when you do die, your bloody carcass sprays red. Thankfully, you are very quickly respawned. In fact, there are hardly any load times at all in the game.
The graphics may seem very basic. They let you really focus on the game though. And they add a symbolic meaning to the game as well. Is life just one big experiment? Is there more to life than just the black and white justice we conceive of? Really, maybe simpleness is best.
Overview
SHIFT Extended is a great game. I kept playing and playing the game. Since the game is Playstation Mini, it is very attractively priced. Although it may be a little simple, the engaging concept will keep you keep coming back after you have finished the main part of the game. And there are always high scores to chase. Unfortunately, that Mini price also keeps the leaderboard options squarely on the local and, not online, side of the fence.
In conclusion, SHIFT Extended has a great graphical style. A repetitive soundtrack is a little stale after a bit, but it does keep you entertained most of the time. Awesome gameplay takes the puzzle genre to new heights. If you are the type to be nauseated easily, you may want to hold off though. The world will constantly spin, and after playing too late at night, I did get a little queasy. The game even makes a joke about that.
Ultimately, this game is ray of light in the darkness. A speck of incredibleness in an overcrowded sea of indie blandness.
Move over ninjas, fruit has a new nemesis – acid rain.
Well, acid rain was probably damaging orchards before ninjas came along, I don’t know. Ask a farmer.
The point is, FDG Entertainment’s iPhone adaptation of Johnny K’s popular Flash game, Cover Orange, was downloaded two million times in less than a week. Since its release on the iPhone app store on December 18th, the game has received an average user rating of 4.5 stars.
The game is a physics-based puzzler, in which players must defend their crop of oranges from approaching acid rain clouds. It has been likened to playing Angry Birds from the pig’s perspective, but in fact it has more in common with the classic DOS game The Incredible Machine.
Players are given a small amount of basic objects, and must either construct makeshift shelters for their oranges, or move them under covered areas. Items such as crates, barrels and wheels can be dropped into the game space, and are used to create chain reactions that (hopefully) end in shelter.
As you’d expect from a title selling two million units, its gameplay is solid and its visual style appealing. While it doesn’t quite have the same addictiveness of other popular iPhone games, it more than justifies its purchase. Gameplay boils down to trial and error; experimenting with where to drop each item, watching the result, and usually, reloading and placing it where your good friend hindsight tells you to.
However, it lacks the unpredictability of your standard physics-focused game. The puzzles generally have a single solution, and once you spot it, there’s not much that can go wrong. In a similar game, such as Angry Birds, the physics add an element of chaos into the mix, meaning that although the solution may be clear, actually achieving it may be a challenge. Too fast, or too high, and the building can come down in a completely unexpected way. Cover Orange plays like a jigsaw puzzle, with the pleasure coming from finding the way the pieces fit together.
The visuals ooze charm, particularly the animations on the oranges. As the acid rain approaches, they freak out, or start praying. Mess up and leave one out in the elements, and you’ll genuinely feel bad, as it cries, shrivels up and turns black. Save them all, and be rewarded with cheers, laughs and “thank you!” banners.
Hitting the two million sales mark so early indicates this could be the next top selling app, backed by a strong graphical style and interesting gameplay. Redeem yourself from all that time spent on Fruit Ninja, and help some fruit out for a change. You’ll feel better.
Microsoft, best known for it’s successful Windows line of PC operating systems, makers of the Xbox360 and now apparently webseries producers.
That’s right, Microsoft have a webseries. Maybe two. The webseries’ are based around the X360, the Kinect and games, demos, gameplay tips and competitions. The hosts are quite charismatic and aren’t too hard on the eyes. The episodes themselves aren’t too long, running at around 4-5 minutes each, and seem to be slightly entertaining. Entertaining is always good, but they do try to remain informative.
Like on the latest episode of ‘The Kinect Show’ the host lady – Bridgit O’Neill – shows us a hint on operating the kinect from a seated position. It looks awkward, but it would benefit many gamers. They have other series, like ‘The Family Show’, and various other videos and gameplay footage.
The video’s are available on the Inside Xbox homepage and from your Xbox360 dashboard (if you’re connected to LIVE).
Zumba Fitness Developer: Pipeworks Software Publisher: 505 Games
Genre: Dance/Fitness/Music Platform: Xbox 360 (Wii, PS3) Released: Out Now
Zumba is a fitness craze that has swept the globe with its combination of aerobic body pump-style exercises and dance, all done to an invigorating range of musical genres. Chances are, if you’ve been caught up and about in the early hours of the morning and switched on the TV, it’s likely that you’ve encountered Zumba while flicking through channels in your search of something, anything, to watch. You see, the television listings are very barren at these outrageous times, so in your desperation you may have had a run-in with Zumba on one of the various info-mercials on “Teleshopping”
However, this is by no means the most common way of gaining an awareness of Zumba’s existence. While some people’s introduction to Zumba is through the advertising of the get-fit DVD, with figures like 10 million people taking Zumba classes every week in 90,000 different locations spread over 110 countries, it’s clear to see Zumba is a force to be reckoned with. Some of you may have even taken a class, or statistically, could in fact be a Zumba enthusiast. And it is through Zumba lending its likenesses to this game that really gives the game a whole other lease of life.
Everything considered, Zumba actually makes a fairly smooth transition onto the Xbox 360. The unique musical styles that define Zumba have been carried over very much intact, and the colossal set list and the variation it possesses is quite astounding. Even the menu music has an irresistible rhythm which (though you will receive no recognition for doing so) you will soon find yourself jiggling along to.
The dance moves have been reflected in Zumba Fitness, and by following the on-screen instructor you can give a number of different muscle groups a fulfilling workout. To further boost appeal among Zumba lovers, the instructors who guide you through are familiar faces from real life Zumba classes, such as founder Beto, or some other well known Zumba leaders, Gina and Tanya. All the instructors dance with you and it is their movements that you copy, and occasionally the also shout encouragement which rather overshadows the music for those few seconds, but no doubt some will find it helpful nonetheless. Although Zumba has Latin origins, it draws influences from a varied mix of sources, combining dance and song styles to create a new sound, and new routines.
In a bid to accommodate players of all ages, energy-levels, and skill-levels, Zumba Fitness presents you with an ‘Edit Player’ option which allows you to input a couple of details about yourself such as age, and the game subtly modifies the experience to match. The degree of challenge is also further diversified with routines of differing difficulty and given ratings like ‘Intermediate’ or ‘Expert’, corresponding to their level of challenge.
But before you jump into full routines or some of the other modes on offer like ‘Zumba Party’, ‘Zumba Class’ or even begin your journey in the ‘Workout Calendar’ (all of which are fairly self-explanatory), you are encouraged to engage in the tutorials. These will give you a grounding in Zumba; showing you the dance moves clearly by breaking them down into easier-to-digest blocks; and providing you with the skills you need to excel in the routines themselves.
Well, at least this would be the case if the moves you did in each routine mattered, but the fact of the matter is, they don’t. Although it was one of the only problems encountered with Zumba Fitness, it’s a major one. Unfortunately, the move tracking is awful and while you do get recognition for doing it properly, you can achieve similar words of praise from the instructors simply by waving your limbs around like a man with Bumble Bees in his trousers. The detection just feels a little bit two-dimensional and isn’t up to the high standards set by some of the better dance games released on Kinect.
Another quite frankly absurd frustration held with this title was the near inability to play this game without a connection to Xbox Live. Strangely, playing the game without it being connected to Xbox Live severely limits what you are able to do. Without a working ethernet cable plugged in, you can merely play as ‘Guest’ and are restricted to ‘Single Routine’ or local multiplayer with up to 4 players. Perhaps it is an attempt by the developers to get people online but, more than anything else, it’s just impractical. A lot of people have to move their console to a more spacious room to play Kinect, where they may not necessarily have access to an online ethernet cable. Others may not have even signed up to the Xbox Live service. It is for these groups of people that this odd feature bears a heavy impact. That said, this Xbox Live inconvenience isn’t all in vain, because there is in fact some Xbox Live features. You can do short routines or extended classes with a friend over Xbox Live if it’s any consolation.
For an authentic Zumba experience in your living room, Zumba Fitness on Kinect is the best you’re going to get. It features new and existing routines, the unique musical hybrid formed through its exotic combination of differing music genres, and on-screen guidance and vocal cues from Zumba favourites like creator, Beto. There’s an impressive amount of variation throughout, it is just a shame the game is let down by poor movement tracking and a weird hiccup meaning it is awkward to play without an internet connection linked up. Still, if you can set aside these setbacks, and possibly turn a blind-eye to the disappointing detection by ignoring scores and playing it for the workout, then you’ve got a decent-sounding, visually-stimulating fitness game on your hands. It may not be outstanding but there’s something for everyone and it will appeal to fans of Zumba – plus, it’s certainly more involving than the aforementioned Zumba workout DVD advertised on “Teleshopping”.
Pros
It’s Zumba all over – a really authentic experience
Today we have a video preview of what you get when you pick up Razer’s Naga Epic MMO Mouse. This is certainly the mouse to own when it comes to MMO play, with its 16 million color backlight illumination (which gives you that added + 5 to Charisma) and 5600 dpi precision 3.5G laser sensor that will certainly increase your dexterity by +10, this bad boy is truly EPIC and well worth every penny.
This video preview goes through what you get in the box and all the extras.
Info covered in the video preview :
• 17 Fully-programmable MMO-optimized buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)
• Wired/Wireless dual mode capability
• 3 Interchangeable side panels
• Charging dock (also functions as a wireless receiver unit)
• Unlimited character profiles with AddOns
• Optional MMO-specific software AddOns
• 16 million color backlight illumination
• 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response time
• Approximate size: 116L x 77W x 41H (in mm)
• Battery Life: 12hrs (continuous use); 72 hours (normal gaming usage)
Any questions shoot them off below and we’ll do our best to answer them or ask Razer for you.
Like what you see ? Then make your way over to the Razerzone store and pick yourself up a Razer Naga now. Click here.
We’ll have a review of the Razer NAGA Epic within the next few days – stay tuned.
