The main thing that separates the Guitar Hero franchise from Harmonix’s Rock Band is of course the constantly updated Rock Band Network which has kept songs flowing out for fans to download and has made the catalog the largest and most varied of any music game series to date. With that said, over on the Rock Band Forums, Aaron Trites, the Rock Band community manager posted a statement that Harmonix will no longer be supporting the network for the Nintendo Wii.
Here is the official statement:
Next Tuesday, 1/18/2010, will also be the last scheduled batch of Rock Band Network songs brought over to the Wii. With the smaller online install base, limited demand for releases so far and the significant amount of work it takes for our producers and audio team to convert and process these additional tracks we’re no longer able to continue submitting RBN content to the Wii. Regular Wii DLC, and RBN releases for the 360 and PS3 will continue uninterrupted.
Trites in indeed correct as I personally do not have a problem with them pulling the Network from the Wii, and this is coming from someone who enjoys the system fully. The Wii just is not made for true online services at the moment aside from Netflix and the well crafted Nintendo made channels, and with no hard drive or true storage system aside from SD cards, it is much easier to keep a full catalog of downloads on systems like the 360 & PS3. Hopefully next generation’s Nintendo console will be more storage and download friendly when it comes to things like the Rock Band Network, but as it stands this decision seems to be the right choice from a business and technical standpoint.
I know we all like shooting, bashing, bludgeoning, slicing, smashing poor defenseless zombies around as it seems like it’s the normal video game thing to do nowadays, but this time around Com2us have come up with a different take on things. Why not control the poor Zombie as he’s running away from all the crazy people wanting to kill him. Will you make it out of the cemetery alive errr well not alive but undead or will those pesky tombstones, spiked barriers and stone walls put an end to your lifeless existence once and for all ?
Zombie Runaway is a casual pick up and play game that’s certainly very easy to play and quite addictive but very hard to master. You play as a chubby looking gluttonous zombie running away as fast as he can, from what – who knows but it’s your job to guide him through the cemetery as far as you can collecting as many power-ups and coins as undeadly possibly. Gameplay is very simple, you have three control buttons – Move left, Move Right and Jump. You start off running at a casual jog, gradually picking up speed the further you progress through the cemetery, along the way there are obstacles such as tombstones, spike barriers and stone walls that you need to dodge or jump over. You also have gold, silver and bronze coins that you pick up along the way that will increase your score and also unlock specific achievements as well which in turn unlock cool looking costumes for your zombie. There are also power up that Mr Zombie can pick up that will allow him to smash through any tombstone or wall in his way. Once you pick up a power up it is encouraged to hit as many tombstones as possible as that too will give you bonus points towards your overall score.
You start with a health bar consisting of three hearts, you can collect more hearts along the way that can replenish your life so you can run away that little bit further. The game does end when you’ve smashed through one too many tombstones or if you run into a spike barrier.
As we’ve fully previewed Zombie Runaway click on the play button below and watch the game in action as I discuss in further detail everything there is to know about the game.
Epic Games, the makers of the Gears of War and Unreal series, have just announced today a demo for the highly anticipated shooter Bulletstrom. Giving players an early taste of what the game has to offer, guns, action and everything in between. The Bulletstorm demo will be available for download January 25 on the Xbox Live Marketplace Worldwide and the PlayStation Network on January 26.
The retail version of Bulletstorm will ship with three massive game modes, a pulp sci-fi single-player campaign, multiplayer and Echo mode – An arcade twist on the campaign in which scores are tracked and compared whilst player progress through the campaign. The Bulletstorm demo will give players a small tasty slice of Echo mode, in which players traverse a collapsed building on the deadly paradise planet Stygia as ex-Dead Echo leader Grayson Hunt.
Bulletstorm’s unique “Skillshot” system encourages players to “Kill with Skill” finding the most stylish, imaginative and over the top ways to take down enemies, more than 45 skillshots have been included in the demo. Players will find more and more creative ways to kill and rack up points by uses of their powerful arsenal, from a futuristic assault rifle called the Peace Maker Carbine, to the Flail Gun, which fires two grenades linked by a chain, and the Screamer, a powerful revolver that turns enemies into human fireworks.
Bulletstorm certainly looks to bring something fresh and new to first person shooter genre poised to be one of 2011’s most original games. Bulletstorm will be available on Feb. 25, 2011. Bulletstorm Epic Edition for the Xbox 360 will grant players early access to the Gears of War 3 beta as well as additional bonus in-game content included in Bulletstorm Limited Edition for the PlayStation 3 and PC.
The Sega Dreamcast console was released in 1998 and revolutionised gaming as we know it, being widely hailed as ahead of its time. It was the first console to include a built-in moden and internet support for online gaming, and its graphics were some of the best of it’s era. It was the final console from the company Sega before they began focusing on software.
Now four of the most popular Dreamcast titles are coming to Xbox 360 and the PC as the Sega Dreamcast Collection available this February. Games on the collection will feature Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, SEGA Bass Fishing and Space Channel 5with enchanted graphics, online leader boards and most importantly-achievements!
Gary Knight, VP of Markets at Sega America and Europe announced that “The Dreamcast console is still remembered as a pioneering console for online gaming, we are delighted to be able to offer to our large community of dedicated fans a collection such as Dreamcast Collection for them to enjoy old favourites on this generation of consoles.”
The SEGA Dreamcast Collection will be out on February 25th in Europe and February 22nd in North America. I don’t know about you guys but Im excited to play some Space Channel 5 again!
Xbox 360 has hit a few new milestones recently, and Microsoft couldn’t be happier. Microsoft recently announced that 2010 has been the biggest year in Xbox history, and the figures have been more than impressive:
-Microsoft predicted they would sell 5 million Kinect sensors by the end of the christmas holiday. In the 60 days, they sold 8 million Kinect sensors worldwide.
-The lifespan of 360 isn’t over yet, and it has already sold over 50 million consoles worldwide- double the amount of the previous generation console.
-Xbox 360 has been the best-selling console in North America for the last six months.
-The Xbox LIVE community now has 30 million Xbox LIVE members, and a new member joins every two seconds.
Kinect is also breaking boundaries of home entertainment, with recently showcased new forms of controler-free entertainment, such as:
–Netflix and Hulu Plus: coming Spring 2011, where one can watch thousands of movies and TV shows, controler-free.
–A new partnership between Xbox LIVE and ESPN: owners will be able to watch over 3500 live and on-demand sporting events from ESPN3.com and highlights from ESPN.com.
–Avatar Kinect: Coming in Spring for FREE to Xbox LIVE Gold members, Avatars will come to live where Kinect users will be able to control their Avatar’s movements and facial expressions.
2011 is sure to be an exciting year for Xbox 360 owners
Game Name: Lost in Shadow (aka A Shadow’s Tale in Europe) Platform(s): Nintendo Wii Publisher(s): Hudson Soft Developer(s): Hudson Soft Genre(s): Platformer, Puzzle Release Date: January 4th, 2011 (US) October 15, 2010 (EU) Price: $39.99 (US)
Lost in Shadow is one of 2011’s first big releases in North America and was developed by Hudson Soft as a fresh take on a platformer. The thing that makes Lost in Shadow interesting though is that while platforming in the game, many puzzle elements come into play. Both genres blend with each other with a visually and emotionally captivating setting to pack quite a punch on the Wii and open up the system’s new year with a bang. Here is my review for Lost in Shadow.
Story
When I first heard about Lost in Shadow last year, I was drawn to the visuals instantly, as this title seemed to pack quite an emotional story. After a full playthrough of the game though, the story was not all that deep plot wise but instead rather simple. You start out watching a cut-scene of a young boy who has his shadow severed from his physical body and quickly the shadow is thrown off a huge tower. Now you must make your way back up the tower and find answers.
I can’t really go into much more on the story as it could very well spoil the game, but what you do learn is very interesting about who exactly the lead character, known as simply “the boy” really is. You are accompanied on your journey by a creature known as “The Spangle” which is basically a sylph or fairy like creature that flutters beside you at all times (we will touch more up on this in a moment).
Without a huge overall plot and no voice acting as well as very few cut scenes, you would think it would be hard for Lost in Shadow to convey anything at all but that is truly what made this title stand out for me, as the game’s world mixed with the little bit of plot thrown in really paint a picture as you move through and can hit an emotional chord quite often. I could probably best compare this to Majesco’s remake of A Boy and His Blob or Ico, as the story may not be too complex but the gameplay, visuals and whole world in general give off a vibe where it is easy to use your imagination and actually engross yourself in the game itself, trying to uncover every last detail just to peel off layers to a mysterious world. It truly is that sense of mystery that kept me going in Lost in Shadow which makes it a superb example that you don’t have to turn a video game into a cinema to create a character that players can actually connect with.
Gameplay
The overall game of Lost in Shadow is mainly a 2D side-scrolling platformer but as I mentioned there quite a few puzzle elements mixed in as well. The game is made up of floors which you must slowly make your way up to get to the top of the tower. Each floor has three Monitor Eyes which you must collect to be able to break the shadow barrier blocking the path to the next level. The boy you play as has an HP gauge which is made up out of weight, which can be increased by collecting “memories” scattered throughout the floors of the tower. Equipped with a sword, you can also take out some of the mysterious creatures which block many paths as well. This formula is pretty much the main theme of the game throughout, collect the eyes, gather memories, move on to the next floor. Well, that is before we add in the puzzle elements of course.
Remember “Spangle” character I mentioned earlier? The Spangle is pretty much follows behind you as you jump and platform with the WiiMote and nunchuck control, but you can also point the WiiMote at certain objects and it will quickly become a cursor, letting you flip or move certain structures in the foreground to create a new path in the shadows. The whole game of course is made up of moving around and climbing in the shadows of the foreground objects, but this method is actually a genius addition that adds a lot of strategy and thinking into the game. While you are jumping from one platform to the next, sometimes you hit roadblocks where you must Spangle to change up the stage to progress. Sometimes this method is as simple as moving one pillar, and other times it can involve quite a bit of backtracking to activate a full path in various ways such as pulling levers or smashing items which can activate doors and openings for you to fully progress. As interesting and well structured as this concept is, it can get tedious after time as backtracking through areas will have you meet enemies which you may have already battled, pillars and platforms you must move again and so on.
On each floor you will also find doorways known as “Shadow Corridors” which you enter usually about halfway through each level. These are kind of like a dream-like version of the standard stages and a bit more atmospheric, but with a different method of gameplay. The goal behind the corridors is to make it to the end by using the standard Spangle control but with the added element of points which let you flip the whole world horizontally, putting a new perspective of your whole environment to reach different areas. These were some of my favorite parts of the game as completing each held a sense of accomplishment and each one felt a bit different from the next.
Some points of the game actually possess a light source which can be seen and you can use your spangle to pull the source back and forth, which pulls the shadowy platforms closer to your character. Considering the setting and shadow concept, this further use of manipulating the light source was yet another perfect fit into the game’s overall offerings.
The game honestly plays quite smoothly and beautifully for the whole experience, but there was one gripe of how the overall layout was executed which added a bit of frustration. The first thing to mention of this would be the length of the overall game. Now there is nothing wrong with the game being long as there is well over 50 floors to explore, but things start feeling more of the same about halfway through due to the pacing. Each stage looks and feels different from the next, but with very few boss fights or moments of true completion when going from one area to the next, it can leave the game feeling like you are climbing up a ladder with no end in sight at times.
About a little over half way through the game though, an element is added (which I don’t want to go into detail too much about as it is a bit of a spoiler in my opinion) which changes the gameplay completely and makes that tedious climb worth every second. I almost wish this was added earlier on but I felt it was nice to have a brand new way to experience the game so far in and reaching this feature where the game hit it’s shining moment and kept me playing until the very end. This element of gameplay also opened up many doors and answers all the questions you may have had about certain areas which is of course why I think the developers introduced it so late. After you finish the game there is plenty for completionists to go back and collect as well as backtrack through so overall, many hours can be lost in the shadows and the overall experience as a whole is truly exceptional.
Graphics/Audio
Since environments are made up of shadows from foreground objects, it is important that the visuals actually weave all of the correct textures together to create perfect symmetry, and I can easily say this is done perfectly. At times just playing the game can make you sit down the controller and admire how it almost appears that you are running through a painting. The boy also flows in nicely with the environments, but the cursor or spangle can get a bit in the way at times. Creatures within the game also are all made brilliantly and retain the mysterious charm that pours in on each floor.
The music is also orchestrated wonderfully to each setting you come across which gives the graphics a soul and set the mood for whatever situation you are in. Sound effects are also well done with enemies each getting their own appropriate cries as well as the environment itself coming alive with creaks and grinding as you move platforms to progress.
Overall
Lost in Shadow is a brilliant concept that was executed correctly. The game plays smoothly and brings new life into the platforming genre while also getting the player to observe the beauty of each area by throwing in some puzzle elements which award you for further engrossing yourself into the setting. The only problem I encountered was the pacing, but the reward for patience is great and the game completely reveals it’s true self upon reaching this point. Throw in the feel of mystery that is very present from beginning to end and Lost in Shadow truly captures the essence and promise of it’s name and concept, which makes this title one not to pass up.
Tron: Legacy
Platform: iPhone (Reviewed), iPod Touch, iPad
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Disney Interactive Studios
Genre: Racer/Virtual Shooter
Release Date: December 2, 2010
Price: Buy NOW $1.19
The original Tron film from 1982 is still a cult classic to this day, about a virtual world where programs compete in a glaitorial combat tournament. Now Disney has released a blockbuster sequel in 3D so obviously that leads to a lot of merchandise is to be released, and obviously a video game, which will suck. It’s the Hollywood code. Now Tron: Legacy is available for the iPhone, and it looks like they tried really hard to simulate the Tron movie experience and in a few ways, they’ve succeeded. But does this game live up to its name, or does it follow the trend like many other movie-based titles?
These are some of the best graphics you will see on the iPhone, but sadly it’s not an easy title to recommend.
Presentation
The game begins with the screen getting sucked into a cybernetic world like the movies. The menus are well presented in the true Tron-styled art form, the sound effects and music are really great as well. First glance on the menus will truly impress, with both multiplayer and single player being available, as well as options to access, achievements to gain, profile options, how to play menu.….things look really great from the start, but unfortunately its all down hill from there. There is no storyline to be told, or information on who your character is, but it is implied you are a program named Beta, who is competing in a tournament. That’s all you’ll ever know. Fans of Tron will be greatly disappointed to know this game has next to nothing to do with the movie, except for it takes place within in the same world. That’s it. Also, fans of the movie will notice that in the film, tournaments are split into two types of battles-battles on Lightcycles and battles on foot using discs as weapons. Recognizers are used later on in a battle that has nothing to do with the tournament. In this game for the iPhone, Lightcycles are not used in battles, but instead races. There is no on foot disc fighting, but instead they jump into a Recognizer and fly it through courses shooting at tanks-for some unknown reason.
The amount of options and menu’s this game has is impressive and it has wonderful presentation, but unfortunately the gameplay itself is another story.
Gameplay
Gameplay is the most important part of any game, so its sad to say that in Tron: Legacy The Game, the gameplay is its weakest point. The game is split into two parts: Lightcycle levels are basically high-tech motor bikes which play like a watered down F-Zero with Mario Kart ‘collect-and-shoot’ power up-like-weapons, and Recognizer levels which play like a slower, less fun Virtual Cop or House of the Dead.
I really don’t remember seeing this scene in the movie!
Lightcycle levels begin with a God 0f War styled button mash, with racers running before jumping onto their lightcycles to gain an extra boost. This works effective and is a nice start to the race, and it’s a nice change from the typical countdown seen in most racers. The gameplay is swift and you do get an adrenaline rush as cycles feel fast, and with the games futuristic setting it has a little bit of an F-Zero kind of feel. The controls are tight and actually work really well, becoming a surprisingly bright highlight of this part of the game. Players tap the right side of the screen for acceleration and the left side to break. Turning is controlled via tilting the iPhone, and acceleration is automatic. Mario-Kart styled weapons can also be obtained by running over boxes, and can be used by pressing a symbol on the screen, which mixes things up which is nice, but unfortunately most of them are pretty useless. However many levels have very sharp turns and narrow passageways, so crashing is inevitable, and with no health or damage meter, one hit is instant death, which becomes very highly frustrating. The player has unlimited re-spawns which helps, but the points your revived at are often terrible, placing you in front of walls and such, often making you crash again and forcing you to loose valuable time which is crucial in a fast-paced, high-speed game like this. The tournament’s levels are mostly you racing against only one opponent, sometimes even by yourself as just a time trial. On some rare occasions you might verse two, but this is rare. It really doesn’t feel like a competition alot of the time. The controls are decent although turning can occasionally be a slight issue but most importantly the game feels fast, but many the track’s designs do not take advantage of these, and instead limits them, destroying a lot of the hope left for this game. Its not the only reason why this game flopps, but it’s the main contributing factor to the Lightcycle section of the game. To make matters worse, fans on the Tron franchise most likely would’ve bought this title for one of the signature moves-creating a wall of light from a lightcycle and making enemies crash into it. In the game, the walls only follow the cycle for a small radius and don’t remain like in the movies, and they do not kill your opponents, but instead make you just bounce off them. This is pretty much stabbing the fans in the back-very disappointing.
It’s nice to have power-ups as it does mix things up, but its pointless to have them when they do almost nothing.
The second part of the game however is surprisingly even worse. Recognizer levels work are on-rail shooter levels, that are just plainly slow, boring and hard. There isn’t much to it, the vehicle moves it’s self, you tilt the screen to move the curser, and you tap on the screen when you want to shoot at whatever the curser is currently on. With great graphics and music you’d think you can’t go wrong, but its chore to play. The curser is slow and unreliable, and while you can change this to be faster in the options, it doesn’t help it much. If players could simply tap on what they wanted to explode, things would be alot more enjoyable, but there isn’t an option for a similar play scheme, or any other alternative play scheme at all. This leads to very slow-paced gameplay, and no amount of explosions can save it. Boring levels that all look the same don’t help either, same goes with the Lightcycle levels.
With the fast-paced, high speed Lightcycle levels being the main focus of the game, the slow and boring Recognizer levels seem a bit out of place.
Graphics and Audio
Thankfully, the game isn’t all bad, and it does look like Disney Mobile did put a bit of effort into this title. Music sounds very Daft Punk-ish and suits the game well. Graphics are probably the best thing about Tron: Legacy and it doesn’t look like Disney could’ve done much to improve on this part of the game. While the colour schemes and florissant lights on dark backgrounds do get a little repetitive, you can’t blame the developer for it because of its source material it’s based on. The 3D models are solid and are very well done, the game looks like it could rival a few of the older Playstation 2 titles in some points. Levels look stunning and character models are done really well, although some explosions could’ve been a bit nicer for eye candy.
Races with three racers on the screen are seldom, which sucks because they are alot more fun than just versing one opponent or a simple time trial by yourself.
Final Verdict
Tron: Legacy for the iPhone is like that present you got on christmas as a little kid. You know, that one in the really big box wrapped really nicely, and you open it to find another box inside, so you open that to find an even smaller box inside, and then you open it to find it’s just a sweater from your grandma, but at least it looks cool. Then you put the sweater on and it doesn’t even suit you, and to make things worse it doesn’t even fit you. Tron: Legacy is that sweater. Its wrapped really nicely in some very impressive graphics, awesome audio and very impressive presentation, but the gameplay and controls are so bad, its become really unenjoyable. It’s hard to appreciate things like unlocking achievements and multiplayer when the game isn’t even fun to play. It’s hard to even respect the game as it has the same name as a huge blockbuster movie, but has so little to do with the movie at all. It’s only been a few weeks, but so far Tron: Legacy has been my biggest gaming disappointment of 2011 so far, because this title could’ve had some potential to been a decent one. Disney Mobile did alot of things right with this game, but one massive element pulled it all down. Its as if they put in alot of effort into making this game look and sound good, but forgot the key element of gaming: playing the game.
Racers, start your engines! Or um, whatever Lighcycles have!
This year’s Guinness Book of World Records Gamers Edition is set to hit Australian shelves in a few weeks, according to publisher Pan Macmillan.
The 2011 edition, which is already for sale in the US and due for a January 21 release in the UK, is the fourth gamers edition to be released by Guinness and is solely concerned with videogames. Past editions of the book have featured highlights from the previous year in the gaming industry, record breaking games and consoles and of course a list of the year’s record breakers and their high scores.
The latest book will include all this and more. According to Angus & Robertson the 2011 edition will include reviews on the latest gaming releases, video game trivia, interviews, as well as tips and strategies to improve game play.
The Guinness Book of World Records Gamers Edition 2011 is now available to buy online. Pick up a copy here :
Over the years, we have seen Mama in many titles on the Nintendo Wii & DS, but now fans of the series can get their cooking fix on Facebook. Under the Name of “Cooking Mama Friends’ Café” and developed by both Majesco and Arkadium, Mama is now tackling the social gaming world that lets players chop, mix, stir, fry, bake and pour to create more than 40 recipes with infinite menu combinations. This new title marks Majesco’s first entry into the social gaming scene and it seems like a great move for them to use the easy accessible and much loved Mama series to get their foot in the door.
Majesco also released a bit of what players can expect with Cooking Mama Friends’ Café:
COOKING MAMA FRIENDS’ CAFÉ features the same accessible, recipe-based mini-game formula that has made the Mama franchise so popular. On the Facebook Platform, that mechanic is combined with new menu and customer management within an economy driven restaurant. Players first buy ingredients, then chop, mix, pour and bake with their mouse to create delectable dishes like holiday ham, fried rice and chicken parm. Coins and XP points are awarded to chefs for creating tasty food and serving up dishes to customers. Players can also purchase special ingredients and decorations to customize kitchens with virtual and real dollars. Ultimately, players must return regularly and cook to maintain the business or risk their restaurant shutting down for good.
Sticking to the same formula for the Cooking Mama franchise with this one is sure to draw some attention from the millions of Facebook gamers out there and it sounds a bit addictive as well so I can picture many people hanging up their farming gear for a spatula as this application catches on. The game is free to play so to get started on your cooking career, simply check out the official facebook page for Cooking Mama Friends’ Café by clicking HERE. After you give the game a whirl, be sure to leave us some comments below of what you think of it as well as let Majesco know in the “reviews” section as I am sure they would love to hear some feedback from anyone out there.
Atari have been gearing up for their next Ghostbusters title, Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime which will be hitting the PSN, Xbox Live Arcade and PC shortly, and now the company has released a handful of screenshots to give players a peek at whats to come. The top-down twin-stick shooter is looking great at the moment and from the new screens it looks to be a headed in the right direction as many of the bosses and areas are staying true to the Ghostbusters franchise for the most part.
Another interesting thing to note is that teamwork seems to be the heart and soul of this title as it will be needed to take out some of the huge bosses within the game such as the Slime Golem (pictured below). Of course being a shooter, weapons are also another focus with the game featuring the Proton Stream, Plasma Inductor, and the Fermion Shock. With the added online and local multi-player, I am looking forward to busting up some ghosts in with this new control scheme. No date is quite confirmed as of yet, but I would expect to see this one out at least by March, so check back for that soon and while your waiting check out all 8 of these new screens in all their ghostbusting glory.
