It is always good to see a game do well; nobody wants to see a game franchise die off…. well maybe a couple. But regardless of that Capcom reports that they have shipped two million copies of Marvel vs Capcom 3 worldwide since it has been released a month and a half ago. Now keep in mind that these aren’t sales figures, simply shipped figures, but that still means that the stores had to pay Capcom for their stock.
Releasing eleven years after Marvel vs Capcom 2 it seems the wait only made fans want the title more. MvC 3 has blown past Capcom’s sales expectations considering Marvel vs Capcom 2 sold over a million copies of the game itself. With recently released character DLC and upcoming outfit DLC it certainly seems like Capcom is getting their money back for the popular fighting title.
It is never a good sign when a game has been delayed countless times and then not given anything resembling an update in almost two years. The same thing happened to Duke Nukem Forever and we are finally seeing that title be released, but another title in recent memory has been delayed a few times, so much so it was thought to have been dead.
But not so says Rockstar because today on the group’s official twitter page they released two brand new screenshots that show someone in a hawaiin shirt and what looks like Max who has seen better days. The tweet only stated two words: “He’s coming.” Thankfully it seems that the franchise is not forgotten and hopefully we will hear more in the weeks to come.
Shortly after the release of information to all of the different console magazines, Capcom has decided the internet needs a bit of information besides what we’ve read in print. Today they have released a teaser trailer that possibly shows in game footage of how the game will look when it is played with a team of four against the zombie horde. There is even a quick appearance at the end of the teaser that shows Leon Kennedy pulling up, but as one would expect he is more than a little confused…
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is being developed by Slant 6 and will place players in control of the Umbrella Security Services that have been tasked to clean up the T-virus outbreak in the city. This means that Leon isn’t an ally this time around, but a target to be eliminated this winter when the game releases on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
As Nintendo release the 3DS across the world to gain an even stronger hold on the hand held gaming console market, some of the leading members driving the home console segment of the company have given a very brief insight into their new console. While many argued they should have delayed the release of the 3DS until they had a library of reputable titles with which to launch, the dropping figures in Wii sales could have prompted the early release. Although the Wii still outsold the other consoles in 2010, the release of the Kinect and Move have seen Microsoft slip in front, more than likely from a drop in PS3 sales rather than Wii.(Total overall sales still see the Wii on top with over 70 million consoles sold worldwide). Nevertheless Microsoft and Sony offer more advanced motion detection controls leaving the Wii with less to offer to gamers, especially since it is lacking in HD graphics.
Nintendo are an incredibly innovative company which is the main reason I have owned all of there consoles at some stage or another. There will be little doubt that their next console will be something special once again and offer gamers an experience that the others dont. They have always been a family friendly company and while many have argued this has limited them in the titles they get as well as their prospective audience, it is also what has kept so many people loyal to them over the years. Nintendo seem to have realised early on in the picture that 3D gaming is very limited to single player use due to the direct angles players need to be in relation to the screen in order for the 3D features to have any effect. Although they have managed to produce non-glasses 3D gaming on the 3DS, Hideki Konno, a man responsible for many important Nintendo franchises acknowledges that any sort of goggle-type 3D system was not going to work, and that any 3D technology would have to be non-glasses to be a success. He goes on to say that based on what they had learned on 3D it was not to be expected in relation to their next console. Personally I think they wont abandon the idea but will keep working on ways to produce non-glasses play on home based consoles.
Co-inciding with the activation of the Socom 4 vouchers that came with Killzone 3 or those obtained at PAX East 11, Zipper Interactive have released 2 previously never seen before multiplayer maps. Even though im not a huge fan of online gaming id have to say these maps, named Von Heine Express and Cesspool look incredibly detailed and immersive, with an emphasis on an environment rich in discreet hideaways perfect for sniping. Community Manager for Zipper Int. Jeremy Dunham, explains the Von Heine Express was one of the last maps to be designed and is set in the South East of Asia, complete with bridges, a makeshift military base and abandoned railway cars. This was the map used at the PAX East 11 Socom 4 Championship Tournament.
In comparison the Cesspool map was designed based on a mission in the single player mode of the game called “Means to an End”. They do stress that it was only an inspiration and the multi-player segment has been developed from scratch and features a more close quarters style of warfare than other multiplayer maps.
Neither of these maps are available as a beta release but will be available when the multiplayer rooms are opened to the public. Socom 4 is released in the US on April 19 and features a massive (by todays standards) 14 mission single player mode and a 5 player customisable coop missions.
The beta version of multiplayer can be downloaded by general public on April 5 for online play. Im sure you will agree by watching the trailers this game has much to offer to fans of the genre.
Named the Condor, it began as a project consisting of just 8 Ps3 concoles, and has culminated in a super computer made up of over 1700 PS3’s, linked and networked together. Owned and developed by the US Air Force, the Condor cluster is finally fully functional and online, ranking it in the top 40 computers in the world and the fastest US defense force computer ever. Condor will hopefully fill a gap in the US Air Forces Aerial Data (which is lacking), allowing unprecedented quality of real time playback and recording over areas spanning roughly 15sq miles. The system allows users complete control of rotation similar to that offered in modern FPS and strategy gaming. Interestingly the computer utilises the PS3’s OtherOS, a feature that has since been removed from Sony’s consoles despite the pleas and anger shown from many of its fanbase. One would assume they are using a linux based system for operations.
Mike Barnell, director of HPC at the Rome facillity in New York where the computer is housed explains that Condor cost 5-10% the cost of an equivalent system bought with over the counter parts. When it was designed PS3 consoles cost $400 each as opposed to the $10000 a unit for comparable parts. Another advantage is that it consumes only 10% the power of a similar system that could provide the same power. Powering along at a billion pixels per second the computer will provide much better image and pattern recogntion and due to the consoles capabilities can use advanced algorithms to better see fast moving blurry aerial objects.
It will be interesting to see Sonys response to a Government run agency utilising their technology and whether they hold any objections to it, especially as it uses features they have removed from their systems for whatever reasons they deem necessary.
I have been putting my 3DS through some pretty heavy gameplay, and one of the most stand out titles on the system that I have been working on is Super Street Fighter IV 3D. If you own the game I am sure you are aware of the figurines which you can unlock as you play, but Capcom have now been generous enough to give away a code which will let players unlock the Platinum Ryu figurine for the game. As you see in the picture above, it is certainly the holy grail of figurines and there should be no reason not to hurry and get this entered in as soon as possible.
The code is : DPrkMnybCd
So go, enjoy your free figurine. Just don’t forget to say thank you to Capcom for being awesome enough to give it away. You can thank them yourselves on their official twitter (@capcom_unity).
The Nintendo DS has seen plenty of fantastic titles over the past few years, but very few have actually been new IPs, or a new IP with promise that is. Dreamrift are looking to change that with the release of Monster Tale. Imagine a game with the gameplay of Metroid with a dash of Pokemon added in along with a brand new set of characters that are charming and quite memorable. That is exactly the experience players are in for with Monster Tale, and while it may not be perfect, it is still a tale worth exploring. Here is my review for Monster Tale for the Nintendo DS.
Story
Monster Tale starts out by placing you as the main protagonist Ellie, a young girl who has found herself in a magical world inhabited by various monsters. Shortly after a small bit of exploration, Ellie encounters an egg which hatches into a small orange monster that quickly takes a liking to the young hero, and receives the name “Chomp”.
The plot unfolds a bit more when Ellie learns that the Kid-Kings are taking over the monster world and using the inhabitants as tools for conquering the land. Kid-Kings are children much like Ellie, only they see the monsters as just a source of power while Ellie sees them more as friends. Now Ellie and her new monster pal Chomp must make their way through the land and take down the Kid-Kings one by one, restoring the kingdom back the way it once was.
The story is very light-hearted and easy to follow for the most part, as it is told with brief cutscene-like moments that appear during certain points of progression. You also learn more about your own monster, Chomp as this tale unravels and he starts to grow and evolve on the journey.
Gameplay
From first look at this title, even by looking on the back of the box, one may think Monster Tale is just a childish take on a platformer with a virtual pet on the bottom screen. That is where you would be mistaken though as Monster Tale actually is a retro-fans dream when it comes to the actual gameplay, with different elements mixed in reminiscent of titles such as Mega-Man, Metroid, Castlevania, Pokemon, and of course Henry Hatsworth, which was made by the same developer, Dreamrift. Monster Tale is a platformer/adventure for the most part, and is best described as a “Metroidvania” style game as the whole world is non-linear and just about every crevice can be explored as you progress through the game. Most of the time, you set out to travel to a particular place on your map, fight enemies along the way, and then recover a key or new ability that opens up the next section. It’s a simple formula and it works quite well throughout the whole process, though those who hate backtracking might grow tired of visiting the same environments over and over again.
Ellie is a pretty tough fighter and has a vast array of techniques that can be used to take down the many foes that block each path. For the most part, players will be using Ellie’s magical bracelet that fires projectiles as well as her purse which is used as a standard melee attack. As you progress, more techniques for these two methods of fighting can be learned by reaching various platforms which give Ellie new abilities and upgrades. These upgrades are not just cheap add-ins either, as each play a key role in progressing to the next point of your journey. Ellie is a bit slow compared to other platforming protagonists, but these upgrades make up for speed and work perfectly for the challenges at hand. Everything from jumping, shooting, and simply whacking an enemy all perform smoothly and effectively, as the controls are all well placed on the DS and never become an issue throughout the game.
What separates Monster Tale from all of the other Metroidvania type titles though is Chomp. Chomp is by your side throughout the entire experience, battling other monsters as you go, but he also spends a bit of his time down on the bottom screen which is known as the Monster Sanctuary. This area is used as more of a training ground for Chomp so when Ellie collects items such as food, toys, or other weapons you can quickly send down Chomp at a tap of a button into this little station as he consumes or uses whatever collectible you may find. Each item consumed or used along with enemies defeated results in experience for Chomp and a gain in levels, much like the same system Pokemon has. Some moments will also require you to actually send Chomp back to this area to take care of any monsters who might have took up residence while the action was taking place up top.
As Chomp levels up, new forms can be unlocked which are element based and you can instantly switch to any form straight from the menu to best fit the elements of foes at hand (Elements consist of Grass, Water, and Fire, each having an advantage or disadvantage over the other). Chomp also learns new moves for just about each form which actually can be quite helpful in boss battles or tougher enemies down the line. Chomp is mainly ran by AI and is usually pretty smart on knowing which switch to hit or when to smack an enemy, but I did run into a couple of instances where he would just float next to Ellie in a daze while I took damage. Thankfully Chomp has two attacks that can be controlled with the shoulder buttons which corrects this issue completely and due to the variety that can be learned, customization later plays a much bigger role with Chomp.
It took me about 6 hours to complete the game and it is a bit simple, but there is a ton of attacks to learn, traits to earn, and sights to see on this magical little journey that will surely keep players going back for more. With such a mix of genres, this game could have easily been a big mess, but thanks to the streamlined mechanics and open customization for the whole “pet simulation” aspect, everything feels well knit together, letting the game shine to its full potential early on.
Graphics/Audio
Monster Tale has an art style that is very vibrant and kiddish, but that isn’t a bad thing. The characters are all well detailed and seem to come straight from a story book and blend in perfectly with the active environments. Monsters in the game also have quirky appearances as well so everything stays light-hearted and fun while the deep gameplay takes off. Every area feels different from the next, and even though you spend most of your time backtracking, I never felt like the game was too repetitive as a new area is usually reached before you know it.
If I could describe the music in Monster Tale with one word though, it would have to be “magical”. I know that is a strong statement for any game, but this soundtrack truly took me back to the days of SNES platformers and even could stand up to some themes from much more advanced games of today. The music is just so atmospheric it makes everything feel relaxing and simply fun while you play and is definitely not to be muted if you truly want the full on experience from the game. There is even a little bit of voice acting thrown in as well which doesn’t do too much but it does give Ellie, Chomp, and the Kid-Kings a bit more of a distinct personality.
Overall
I think many gamers have had the same conversations I have had in the past, like “What if they mixed this game and that game to make a whole new title?”. That is what is great about Monster Tale though. It is ambitious and dares to go that distance while doing just about everything right in the process. In an age of remakes and reboots, it is great to see such an original and polished platformer make an appearance which makes me think Monster Tale has the makings to be a cult classic that ten years from now will be remembered as being one of the Nintendo DS’ last great games. Ellie and Chomp certainly fit the role of mascots and are full of future potential, so it goes without saying that a franchise is born with this gem.
Ubisofts soon to be released ‘Michael Jackson The Experience’ is coming with a small set of exclusive tracks to the High Definition versions of the game appearing on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. The game promises to feature full compatibility with both the Xbox 360 Kinect and the Playstation 3 Move devices.
The game is set to be released in Australian stores on the 14th of April, 2011 with the three exclusive songs alongside of it.
The exclusive songs include ‘A stranger in Moscow’ (written in 1993, but not appearing globally until the year 1996/97, depending on location), which is the fifth and last single of the hit album ‘HIStory’; as well as a couple of other tracks that will only be available on the HD consoles. The exclusive tracks are as follows:
Blood On The Dancefloor
Stranger In Moscow
You Rock My World
Embedded below is the official trailer for Michael Jackson The Experiences exclusive tracks below.
HOLY COW MICROSOFT! This week, in addition to the regular deals of the week, Microsoft is discounting a ton of merchandise on the Xbox Live Marketplace. For example, you can get the Halo Wars DLC for 400 MS points each (hopefully if everyone buys it, we can get a sequel, although it probably still won’t be the same without the original developers behind it.) Also on sale is Alien Breed 1 & 2, plus Darwinia+ and Defense Grid. There is also A HUGE PRICE REDUCTION on the Red Dead Undead Collection (basically, this includes all the DLC for 1000 MS points.) Finally, on April 1, you will be able to pick up Comic Jumper, Fallout New Vegas DLC and the Deadliest Warrior for 1/2 off. To see the whole list of deals, check out Xbox.com here. What will you be picking up?
