The winner of the Unlock Xbox Challenge has been announced and although my earlier predictions had set Harms Way as the winner, it turns out that Doritos Crash Course won instead. To be honest after trying both games I believe that the appropriate game won the challenge. Of course winning this challenge isn’t only for bragging rights.
Jill Robertson who came up with the idea for Doritos Crash Course has been given a six month opportunity at the company plus a nice $50,000 prize. But there shouldn’t be any hard feelings involved as Doritos also gave Justin Carpenter, maker of Harms way, a $50,000 prize as well. This way at least both “contestants” received something for their efforts and players received two free XBLA games that will remain free in the future.
Just days after the official announcement from Nintendo on a March 6th release date we now have a brand new trailer for the upcoming titles in the Pokémon series, Pokémon Black & White. Now the trailer doesn’t show off too much of what we haven’t seen before, but in the trailer you can see some short clips of the battle sequences and starter Pokémon as well as a glimpse at the game’s opening cutscene.
A “New Beginning” is upon all Poké-fans and this game’s 3 month wait will be a long one for those anticipating the new title, but for now you can check out the trailer below and keep checking back as we will be sure to bring you more updates as the release draws closer. You can also keep up to date with the official website at www.pokemonblackwhite.com.
TRON: Evolution Developer: Propaganda Games Publisher: Disney Interactive Genre: Action/Adventure Platform: Xbox 360 (PlayStation 3) Released: 26 November
Movie tie-in games have a horrible track record, and in the past there has been some truthfully terrible ones, so you would be forgiven for thinking TRON: Evolution went down a similar route. A videogame based on a film that is based on a videogame? Not only does it sound ridiculous, but it also doesn’t sound like the makings of a good game, either. Well, if you thought this, you’d be wrong because, as movie tie-ins go, TRON: Evolution is actually surprisingly good.
Technically, it is not a straight tie-in of TRON: Legacy which recently hit the big screen, otherwise, as you can imagine, it would probably be called TRON: Legacy. In actual fact, TRON: Evolution fits in between the older film and the latest addition as a sort of prequel to the new movie, and the story aims to bridge the gap between old and new, helping players to fill in the blanks between the original film and TRON: Legacy.
Events of TRON: Evolution help to explain how things got the way they did after the original which then, in turn, lead on to the happenings of TRON: Legacy. It is hardly essential to play through TRON: Evolution before seeing the cinema release, although it does cover some points that would’ve previously been left down to assumption such as how the creator of the Game Grid came to be imprisoned and how the Grid came to be overrun by the corruptions of the programs, the ISOs.
The storyline of TRON: Evolution is fairly average. While it doesn’t live up to the high-standards set by some of the pieces of story-telling witnessed on our consoles, the story isn’t bad, with a somewhat gripping tale. It is mainly conveyed through cut scenes which is kind of where the story galls down, as it has your interest in the clips, but when these are followed by extended sections of gameplay with no progress on the story, it can feel a bit patchy and, in general, you lose interesty in the plot when it isn’t added to during the gameplay.
The gameplay is very good, one of the game’s strengths, and can only be described as like a futuristic Prince of Persia. You play as an anonymous program under the name ‘Program’, who is basically a super soldier and as this program, your job is to act as a guardian to the people of the Game Grid. The platforming is of high quality with all kinds of free running manoeuvres like wall running and vaulting barriers chained together in fluid motion. The controls are clearly explained in the initial tutorial which allows you to get used to these acrobatics, and throughout the entire game you are offered guidance via dots on the walls hinting at what you need to do to move on to the next stage. In some ways, this feels like an extension of the tutorial, but in reality, it is a helpful feature added for the benefit of the player at little cost to the gameplay; it is preferable knowing where to go thanks to a little guidance rather than being lost without a clue what to do next in order to progress.
The single-player story is made up of seven chapters with, as per usual, a varied range of difficulties to suit everyone’s needs. While some would say that it is slightly too short, I think it is actually the perfect length as it is short enough that a second or third play through isn’t out of the question. There are also collectables in the form of TRON Files and Abraxas Shards, adding a bit of extra depth to the game. TRON Files are scattered around throughout the levels whereas Abraxas Shards appear once every chapter, and, of course, these come with the normal achievement point incentives, but more importantly are a nice touch that gives something extra to do during the story.
On top of the story there is also an online multiplayer mode for up to 10 players to play simultaneously. This features TRON versions of all the classic competitive online modes, such as Disintegration (Free-for-all Deathmatch) or Team Disintegration (Team Deathmatch). All the game types seem to lack the competitive edge of other games and the multiplayer options seem like a tagged on bonus instead of feeling like a fully-fledged game mode. The lobbies feel cheap and like they haven’t been worked on very much as evident by the limited powers of the host when setting up the game. Furthermore, the level structure during each match thought through, meaning multiplayer matches quickly derive into meagre affairs of most players racing around aimlessly on their light cycles. However, there is at least one decent implementation regarding the multiplayer mode, in that all your RPG-style progressive stats are carried between the two modes. This means you can level up to higher versions and upgrade yourself with all the best enhancements while you play in the Game Grid in multiplayer, which can then be used to help you when fighting the enemies of single-player.
Overall, TRON: Evolution is surprisingly good, and as movie tie-ins go, it is a fairly solid title. The single-player story is good while is lasts, and short enough for a repeated play through to be a possibility. There is some great, fluid platforming on display up in the leagues of Prince of Persia-standards and vehicular sections are enjoyable enough in the small increments the game offers them in. It suffers from a few common problems that always seem to affect movie tie-in games, namely a few in-game camera issues, but problems such as these are small and insignificant. Your stats are carried between single-player and multiplayer meaning you can earn towards upgrades in one mode to help you in the other – a nice touch by the developers. It is just a shame that the multiplayer mode feels like an extra instead of its own standalone mode.
Fallout: New Vegas Dead Money Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Platform: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC Release Date: December 21st 2010 Price: 800 MSP ($10) – Buy Now!!!
Overview:
Fallout: New Vegas released back in October and introduced players to the Mojave Wasteland. There were countless things to explore, hundreds of hours’ worth of quests, plenty of new and old enemies to kill and an entirely new storyline to embrace that had multiple ways to finish it. As with its predecessor Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas has received its first installment of DLC called Dead Money. Does Dead Money live up to the New Vegas feel without tearing players out of the experience?
Story:
The Sierra Madre was to be the pinnacle of all casinos, with a lavish villa below its towering walls. Then the bombs fell and everything changed. Now all that is left is the mysterious treasure that is supposed to lay within the Sierra Madre’s vaults, that and a poisonous red cloud threatening to kill everyone who comes close to the casino hoping to plunder its treasures.
Now the courier has picked up a radio signal on his Pipboy exclaiming the wonders of Sierra Madre and is quickly given a quest to investigate said signal. This leads him to not only being gassed and dragged away to the Sierra Madre, but you lose every single one of your possessions (minus some Misc. items) in the process. To make matters worse your life is no longer your own.
You are given a mission by a mysterious man named Elijah to gather three others who he has captured in the past. The only problem is that you are now wearing an explosive collar that will detonate if you disobey him at all. Plus these three others are tied to your fate, meaning if one of you dies, everyone does. The three new companions introduced are Christine, a mute Brotherhood of Steel member, Dead Domino, ex-singer turned ghoul, and a Nightkin called Dog… or God depending on your choices.
Now these new companions each have an interesting back story to them and the player can delve into their histories if they have the required stats. The choices that you can make involving your comrades are diverse enough that you can easily turn them into your friend or your enemy. The different ways to interact with the mute Christine and the multiple personalities of Dog/God are worth delving deeper into regardless of how you view them. The story itself is quite interesting as players not only find out the history of the ill-fated Sierra Madre, but its designer and occupants as well. There has been a lot of attention paid to the crafting of this storyline and is a worthy experience for those who are willing to take the time and discover its secrets.
Graphics:
The Sierra Madre’s villa is interesting to see but unfortunately there are a lot of the same things to see. As you explore the outside of the Sierra Madre to collect your different companions you will notice that practically everything looks the same. The hallways and buildings vary only slightly and there are instances where you can become lost simply because everything is the same looking.
The new enemies that have been added also all appear the same, Ghost People they are called. The story does somewhat explain the reasoning for their appearance but it would have been interesting to see more new enemies added into the mix. Sure they have small differences such as wielding different weapons but that is all. Also there are holographic enemies (Ghosts) that are interesting to see, but the game handles them as a solid object which is a little strange as you swing your weapon at one and see stone chips fly off of them.
Another graphical issue that I experienced was the cloud itself. There is the constant presence of the poisonous red cloud in certain areas of the map. While the player can usually see these areas and avoid them if they have to I experienced issues of the cloud disappearing entirely only to have my player still experiencing damage and death due to over-exposure to the invisible cloud.
Gameplay:
As you wake up for the first time in the Sierra Madre you will notice that not only are you now the proud owner of an explosive collar, you are also the proud owner of nothing else. The loss of all of your equipment and healing items is explained and it also increases the challenge. Because not only do you have to worry about the Ghost People but the fact that you are in a poisonous environment.
The game warns you initially that you should be around level 20 before you begin the DLC and this is for good reason because there are times that you will find Dead Money quite difficult. As you begin you start with barely anything, a Holorifle (new weapon) and just a small amount of ammo. The problem is that the Ghost People are more than they appear. As you encounter your first one and happen to defeat it, you will notice that instead of being killed they instead fall unconscious. To finish them off you must either blow their body parts off, disintegrate their bodies, cut them apart, or have your companion Dog eat them.
There are more obstacles in your way however, as I mentioned before you have the poisonous cloud to contend with which blankets areas of the Sierra Madre and does damage to the player as they stand inside of it. There are rewards however by braving the cloud, as you can occasionally find hidden stashes of gear that is direly needed. Speaking of gear there are a few new weapons such as the Cosmic Knife and Knife Spear, they aren’t exceptionally strong or interesting looking however but are useful for chopping up Ghost People.
That isn’t your only worry however as you explore the Sierra Madre and the villa below. Remember that explosive collar wrapped around your neck? Well there are also radios and speakers placed around the Sierra Madre and the villa that can set it to explode as well. These are treated more as environmental hazards and traps. The reason for this is that when you grow close to one, your collar beeps whenever you are close enough to trigger your collar. They can be either shot or turned off (radio only) but there is a special type of speaker that has armor plating. These speakers add tension to Dead Money as you never know where they could be…. unless of course you use your environment for a clue.
Overall:
Now Fallout: New Vegas Dead Money may not have added a whole bunch of weapons or enemies but it does have plenty of other things to offer. Besides the raise in level cap to 35 there is an intriguing story hidden inside of the always similar looking ruins of the Sierra Madre. Plus the companions you come across to accomplish your mission have as much, if not more, in-depth of a backstory as companions from the main game. There are even some hints as to what the next DLC could be about hidden if you look hard enough. The intriguing storyline and companion characters are more than worth the price of admission to the Sierra Madre.
Nintendo has issued a warning to parents regarding their new handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, related to the 3D effects of the device.
While the company prepares to showcase its latest creation, it has issued the warnings, with numerous already in place on their official website. Nintendo have stated that in order to enjoy the 3DS problem-free, a break after 30 minutes of gaming is recommended: “If your physical condition worsens or you become ill, please stop playing at once”.
The organisation has also issued a caution to parents over the usage of the 3D effects with children aged 6 and under. Due to young children of this age still developing physically, including their vision, Nintendo recommends that they do not use the 3D effects on the 3DS as it could affect their vision in later life. “Since the Nintendo 3DS can be changed to 2D to avoid any effects on young children’s vision, it is possible for anyone to enjoy playing it,” the company confirmed.
Of course this last statement completely defeats the point of purchasing the 3DS if you aren’t going to make use of its features. Is this going to affect any of you with small children? We already know that 3D has its minute dangers, so the announcement was somewhat unsurprising. On the other hand, I actually think issuing the warning is wise as it means parents are aware of the dangers and can act accordingly, either not buying the system or making sure that the 3D settings are turned off when in the hands young children to avoid damage to their eyesight.
The Nintendo 3DS will be released in Japan on February 26, while Europe, North America and Australia will see its release in March.
A well known marketing tactic is to leave the fans wanting to know more, but one publisher has recently decided to take it a step further by telling us practically nothing. Surprisingly, this is beginning to prove effective and is gaining hype net-wide within the last few weeks, leaving anime fans asking ‘So what the heck is Project Ninja anyways?’
Last week character artwork images were released for a secret anime-inspired project under the code name ‘Project Ninja’; even more of this anime style artwork were released this week. To make things even more curious, in various press releases it was kept secret what publisher will even release this project, only that there will be multiple award winning publishers publishing it. But what is it? They won’t even announce that. It is hinted however it could be either a new web comic, cartoon or video game. However, promises were made that “Whatever the format, gamers and anime lovers alike are guaranteed to be satisfied when further “Project Ninja” details are released in the coming weeks.”
What we do know is that new information will be announced soon, and that it will be based on the life and journey of a ninja, who’s job is to defeat the world’s most evil and destructive warrior corporations. We also know that the world’s last hope is ‘the chosen one’, who is the ninja that needs to protect ‘Angel City’. Oh yeah and he’s also got to restore the natural balance of order and utilise extraordinary ninja skills along the way. You know, typical ninja stuff.
Many are assuming it will be a video game based on the fact these press releases were distributed to various video game news websites, but nothing is confirmed yet. One rumour surfacing the net is that the character artwork is rather just cute, chibi versions of famous characters from the Bleach and Naruto franchises and that this project will be a collaboration or mash up of the two. Others argue against this theory saying it could be they just share similarities because the project is anime inspired. Regardless, ninja fans should keep an eye out for this one.
On New years eve Nintendo has released a bunch of brand new WiiWare and DSWare games to end the new year off with a bang!
For Nintendo WiiWare:
Magic Destiny – Astrological Games
(Shanblue Interactive, 500 Wii Points)
A game combining a bunch of mini-games with an astrological theme involving future reading with seashells, numerology, tarot cards, palmistry and fortune cookies. The mini-games include:
-Runeblock
-Diamonds Link
-Stellar Memory
-Magic Destiny
Heavy Fire: Special Operations
(Teyon, 500 Wii Points)
A classic trigger happy arcade shooter with Middle East based missions, with players having to rise through military ranks to achieve more powerful weapons. A handy replay function allows players to review gameplay action in a bid to improve high scores that can be submitted to the world ranking.
Bejeweled 2
(PopCap Games, Inc., 1,000 points)
The world’s #1 puzzle game, now available for download on WiiWare. An addictive fast-paced puzzle game where the object is to match three sparkling gems to make them explode to gain points, while creating combos and using various upgrades. Fans of the puzzle genre should definitely pick this one up!
For Nintendo DSiWare :
Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology
(Sabarasa Inc., 200 Nintendo DSi Points)
This title is a compilation of award-winning game auteur Jason Rohrer, with three of his best games to date in one: Passage, Gravitation and Between. Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology will not only provide absorbing gameplay experience, but will provoke gamers into thinking about morality and life. The themes presented blur the line between art and video games, provided thoughts and emotions seldom seen within gaming.
Space Ace
(Digital Leisure Inc., 800 Nintendo DSi Points)
In this animated classic arcade game is from legendary animator Don Bluth, gamers take control of the heroic Ace who must stop the evil Commander Borf from taking over the Earth and turning humankind into children. However Ace is also a child and must save the damsel in distress Kimberly by going through bizzare worlds with a laser gun.
SPIN SIX (Nintendo, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)
A puzzle game where players must rotate number panels to create horizontal or vertical lines of the same number to clear the board. The game includes 4 modes:
A couple of months ago at the Tokyo Game Show, a lot of new titles were announced over all platforms. One of the most interesting to myself though was Fire Pro Wrestling which will be a Kinect-enhanced wrestling simulator. The only thing about the Fire-Pro series is that it is really a flip of a coin whether or not we see a title release outside of Japan. Well, the good news is that the game will be an international release due to it officially being rated by Australia’s Classifications Board.
So I guess it is now official that in 2011, we will indeed see the next step forward of Spike’s long-running wrestling series, but I still don’t know how they are going to pull off a title like Fire-Pro, which has emphasis on character creation with the avatars alone. As much as I deeply care for the age-old series though, I still feel a lot of hope for the title as we get closer to an eventual release date. News for this title will be sure to be some to look out for as who knows, this might be a great step into the future for the much loved franchise.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has finally received the Knives Chau add-on pack ont he XBox 360 and you can now download it. This Add-on adds Knives Chau to the bunch of characters within the game, as well as a PvP arena, a special dodgeball mode and drop-in, drop-out offline co-op (much appreciated!). There is only one problem, the DLC isn’t working for everyone.
A bunch of players who have already dropped the small amount of Microsoft points to download this DLC are stating that they can’t access any of the content at all. Currently, it seems you need a title update to even access the game and not everyone is receiving this title update.
Some plausible fixes for now, would be to turn off your xbox and then load the game back up; or deleting and redownloading Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World in hopes to download the updated version. If none of that works, then you’ll have to sit tight as Microsoft and Ubisoft attempt to work out the problems.
If you have been having trouble getting the “Handy Man” Achievement in Dead Rising 2: Case West, don’t worry because it is currently glitched. The achievement requires you to build all the new weapons in the DLC,; however, it is currently a little picky on its definition of “new weapons”. I spent a pretty long time trying to figure out what weapon I was missing, but it seems that “Handy Man” requires players to build only the seven new weapons in the game. Supposedly if you create any other weapons before those seven, it won’t unlock. Logically, if you played any form of dead rising game, you aren’t exactly picky when making combo weapons to slaughter the Zombie hoard.
Hopefully Capcom creates a patch for this predicament as soon as possible. Until they do, this is one achievement I won’t be getting.
If you are die hard on completing the achievement as soon as possible, you can either keep this in mind before you begin your game or if you already started you’ll have to move the save file to another device or delete it completely. It is up to you.
