Bejeweled Blitz Live is covering the second week of the Xbox Live house party with gems, as you frantically try to remove them all in order to simply download the game. Bejeweled Blitz will be available on February 23rd to download from the xbox live marketplace for 800MSP.
If getting rid of gems isn’t your thing then how about saving a few with this weeks Deal of the Week which sees a whole bunch of Tom Clancy related DLC on sale.
Another week and another batch of games released. Though rather than just being a bunch of games that no one has heard about before there is a plethora of different games coming out this week, especially if you own a PlayStation 3.
The highlight of the games being released this week is obviously Killzone 3 which is exclusive to the PS3. Besides that release there is also Bulletstorm which is another FPS which features over-the-top action and is also multi-platform unlike Killzone 3. Other than that there is de Blob 2 from THQ and Knights Contract from Namco Bandai.
Catch the full list of game releases this week below for each console:
PlayStation3: Fallout: New Vegas – Dead Money, Knights Contract, Bulletstorm, Killzone 3 (Move Support), de Blob 2 (Move Support)
Xbox 360: Bejeweled Blitz Live, Knights Contract, Bulletstorm, de Blob 2
Wii: Cozy Fire, TrackMania Wii, de Blob 2
PC: Fallout: New Vegas – Dead Money, Cities in Motion, EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious
Just before the new year we reported that we Square Enix would be bringing Xenogears to the PSN as a PSone Classic some time in 2011 but we did not have a set time. Now we do and it is much earlier than expected because Square Enix will be placing Xenogears on the U.S. PlayStation Store on Tuesday.
Square Enix was known for having a plethora of iconic and popular RPGs back on the PSone and many fans have been clamoring for more of these classics to make their way to the PSN after the start of the classics program. Xenogears follows the adventure of Fei Fong Wong with robotic suits called Gears which they can use at their disposal. No price has been currently set but it will most likely be around the $10 range as usual.
Today Software giants, publisher Deep Silver and developers Piranha Bytes, revealed the eagerly awaited sequel to the RPG Risen; with the title Risen 2: Dark Waters.
The game utililses the RPG mechanics of the first game and sets them in a pirate-themed world set across multiple islands while retaining the fully immersive features of its predecessor.
Set several years after the end of Risen, raging titans have devastated the world and pushed humanity to the brink of existence. Subsequently, monstrous creatures have risen from the watery depths of the sea and their attacks have brought all seafaring to a grinding halt. The hero, now a member of the Inquisition, is sent out to find out how to stop the chaos caused by these creatures from the deep. His quest begins with rumors that the pirates who frequent the southern islands are the only ones who know a way to get rid of the creatures once and for all and end their reign of terror.
The title is set for release on consoles and PCs worldwide and more information can be found at the official website.
Now although Australia’s rating system can be looked at with derision, sometimes it is worth taking a second look at what exactly the are rating. Earlier today the Australian rating board put out a rating for Dissidia Duodecim Prologus which is the playable prologue (see demo) of Dissidia 012 [duodecim] Final Fantasy. Now there hasn’t been any official word that Prologus would actually be released in the West but this is a good sign of things to come.
Of course this doesn’t mean a definitive release but why else would they have produced a rating for the game. Now Prologus itself was a PSP demo that allowed players to get a small taste of what Dissidia 012 [duodecim] had to offer. The prologue cost $3.64 (300 Yen) and allowed players to unlock Aerith from FFVII for an assisting character in the main game. We have contacted Square Enix to see if they will be willing to reveal more.
Mass Effect 2 was recently patched on the PlayStation 3 and with this patch came an updated trophy list which has revealed information on upcoming DLC for the space opera called Arrival. There currently is know information regarding as to what the Arrival DLC will contain other than in the Trophies themselves which mention Dr. Amanda Kenson who recently got an update in the Cerberus Network to give her more information which you can see below:
“Historians and astronomers alike are abuzz tonight over a new paper published by Dr. Amanda Kenson of the University of Arcturus. Her team claims that by testing the dust trapped in the gravity wells around a mass relay, and comparing its composition to that of dust clouds in the same system, scientists can create a timeline of when the relay passed through the dust. Her conclusion? “Only a small fraction of the mass effect relays date back 50,000 years,” she writes, “The majority are far older, indicating they were created by a species predating even the Protheans.” Dr. Aurana T’Meles of the University of Serrice met the information with skepticism: “While Dr. Kenson’s methods appear sound, the asari tried a similar procedure centuries ago and discounted it. What civilization could have spanned the galaxy for not thousands, but millions of years? If this were the case, we should have found mountains of evidence of their passing. Where is this species now?”
EA and Bioware have yet to mention anything about this DLC but it is obviously going to be coming down the wire within the next few days unless they release another patch to take down the trophy information. The trophies themselves talk about saving Amanda Kenson without being caught, surviving waves of enemies and even an ultimate sacrifice.
Online trading card game, ‘Alteil’, has new additions to its card shop based around one of its more popular characters Cassandra.
They have released four new EX packs to the online store in relation to the Cassandra back story –
One of the greatest heroines on the surface of Lavato, Cassandra, fights against the evil Galdirea with her dual magic swords: Arken the holy sword and Difora the Soulblade. But fifteen years ago she was just a little girl, raised by her sister Rosa until a fateful encounter with the evil Ork King Grebados. On the run, she was saved by the most legendary mercenary of the age, Black Dragonfly Francis. So begins her story, and the story of her legendary swords.
There are many things that can be said and have been said about Atlus’ Catherine since it has been officially released in Japan. Unfortunately the main thing being said by most of the games’ players is the fact that it is punishingly difficult and players are unable to even make it past the first few levels even on the easiest difficulty of the game.
Apparently the nightmare segments are extremely difficult on Easy Mode and because of this many fans have become upset with the fact that Atlus created such a difficult game. But Atlus has taken these complaints to heart and are working on fixing the issue. Katsura Hashino wrote on the game’s blog that they are currently working on a patch to make the game easier for players and stated that the reason for the difficulty was so that players would feel as if they were truly in a nightmare and would feel accomplished once they overcame them.
Based on the massive success of the Nintendo DS, you can expect that Nintendo 3DS will sell about as fast as Mario on crack. If your dying to get one on day one, you should probably preorder. And if you are gonna preorder, you might as well get a discounted price, right?! Well, if you order from the Big W, you can get a whopping $30.00 off plus free delivery on RELEASE DAY!!! This offer also comes with a stylus, 2 gigabyte SD memory card and pre-installed software (hopefully that means games.) Get the Cosmos Black or Aqua Blue Nintendo 3DS here and glide into the next dimension. Offer only valid in Australia.
EA Sports Active 2 Developer: EA Canada Publisher: EA Genre: Fitness/Simulation Platform: Wii (Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3 Move) Released: Out Now
There’s been umpteen fitness games appearing on all home console formats lately, although as Nintendo were by far the first to delve into motion control with the Wii, their flagship console has been around a lot longer and therefore has received a lot more in the way of fitness titles. It’s a genre that didn’t really exist before the Wii as it was all too gimmicky and each game would have required a new set of peripherals, but now, with this latest offering EA are looking to take the fitness genre a step further, calling their game not just a fitness game, but a ‘Personal Trainer’.
It certainly looks the part, it’s undeniable, with a Heart Rate Monitor that straps onto your arm, a Wireless Motion Tracker which straps onto your leg to detect movement in you legs on top of your arms already being tracked through the Wii Remote, a plug-in USB receiver to allow for this new equipment to link up with your Wii, and finally, most impressively, the game comes with a Resistance Band. There is even the option of making use of the Wii Balance Board if you have one, which will unlock specific extra exercises relating to this piece of hardware. Where all other fitness games thus far have used only the weight and movement of your own body to help get you fit, EA Sports Active 2 provides an element of resistance which considerably ups the intensity and variety of your workout.
Although it may be hard to imagine yourself getting a good workout by standing in front of your television and moving around, there’s a remarkable intensity to the range of exercises on offer. There is a huge variety of exercises crammed onto the disc, giving a mixture of frantic activity and endurance challenges, also not forgetting that exercise should be fun too with a pinch of mini-game style sports-based exercises added in for good measure. The sports-based challenges give activities based on popular sports such as football heading and shooting hoops in basketball and add a sweet side-order of light hearted fun to go with the tough physical exertion of the other exercises.
The game kicks off with you selecting your mentor and designing your fitness character. The latter is a bit of a gimmick, so although there is a lot of different clothing to sift through, it is up to you whether you make your on screen counterpart look life-like or not. You have a choice between two different mentors, Devon, a strength and conditioning coach who knows that “staying fit is a balance between hard work and fun”, or Niki, a fitness coach specialising in nutrition and aerobics who tries to work on your discipline, motivation and focus. Ultimately, who you choose from the start doesn’t have a massive impact on the game that follows and can always be changed later, but it decides who you will have yelling encouragement at you to help motivate you. It remains important that you pick someone you don’t mind listening to as a lot of the exercises come with a fair bit of instruction.
Where EA Sports Active 2 stands out from its competitors is in the complex structure that surrounds the workouts. It’s all well and good providing a Heart Rate Monitor in the box to show you’re serious, but without making use of it then it’s just a novelty knowing how fast your heart is beating. The developers completely understand this, which is why they have offered up one of the most in-depth fitness tracking systems in a game to date. The Heart Rate Monitor constantly tracks your heart rate – even in the menus – meaning it can draw accurate data from your resting and working heart rates, and using this information to estimate the amount of calories that you are burning. All this data is then represented in in-game charts and graphs which help to visualise your progress. What’s more, the game even has a website dedicated to it which allows you to upload all your data and see a more detailed overview of your results on the PC, as well as playing host to a social networking system called Workout Groups which grants you the ability to compare fitness programs with other friends.
It’s a very comprehensive fitness simulation that should be seen as more of a program than a game, and if the previous point about the detailed data-recording isn’t proof enough, then the sheer wealth of certified exercises should be enough to sway you. It lays out a fitness program over a week, including rest days as is crucial for exercise of this level, so each of your exercise days you are asked to check in and do the laid out fitness regime. The game gives you a set of default goals to reach that can then be edited to suit your personal targets. The workouts can also be edited with the option to check and uncheck certain exercises depending on your likes and dislikes, adding or removing them from the timetable accordingly. To make the game a complete health package, it features a lifestyle & nutrition survey too, the results of which are reflected on through advice aimed to further improve your fitness. Being healthy is not just down to the exercise – your lifestyle and diet is a large factor as well.
Overall, EA Sports Active 2 has to be one of the most complete fitness games ever released, with the peripherals included indicative of this. While the Heart Rate Monitor and additional leg strap sensor may seem excessive, the impressive data recording somewhat justifies their inclusion, as does the game’s in-depth website. There’s a blend of gruelling physical workouts and fun sports challenges to have you exercising, but also getting some enjoyment out of it too. The exercises are in full supply with an expansive list of different sets and reps to choose from – all to a surreal desert holiday-resort backdrop. It only loses marks because the peripherals take the price up a peg, and when you factor in costs for a Balance Board if you want to get absolutely everything out of the game, then it soon becomes a beefy investment.
Pros
A good source of exercise that will actually improve your fitness
Range of different exercises
Accurate new peripherals
Impressive data logging
Cons
Added peripherals increase the price tag
Demanding schedule encourages you to exercise, but could prove impractical for some
