Check out this quick little clip from a comedy show by Dara O Briain. I think as gamers we can all relate to something from this routine. Truly hilarious.
Warning: Language
This Week On XBLA (11/29/2010)
The deal of the week this week consists of 4 buggy games. When I say Buggy, I mean literal bugs… These 4 titles all have to do with bugs, most notably… the worm!
- Worms 2: Armageddon – 400MSP down from 800.
- Band of Bugs – 400MSP down from 800.
- Earthworm Jim HD – 400MSP down from 800.
- Centipede & Millipede – 200MSP down from 400.
As for games actually coming out this week, there are none that have been announced. However, if that makes you sad, you could always go get the “super secret” access page and then download the full game from there. That should cull you over until more games get released, and I’m sure you are still busy playing that feast of games that went on sale last week.
Notable DLC of this week include the Noble Map Pack for Halo: Reach and the Big Thrills Pack for Trials HD.
Super Mario Bros….on Kinect?
For those who rushed in thinking an announcement was made such as Nintendo giving up rights to Mario to Microsoft for the Kinect, that is not the case. Instead, a new video has gone viral with a user who hacked his Kinect to play Super Mario Bros. completely utilizing the camera control on a PC. Now the control doesn’t appear to be the sharpest, but for such an early hack I have to applaud the genius of the idea as well as the execution.
In my opinion this shows how well the Kinect can actually work and gets me more excited for what we may see in the future as the Kinect has a lot of potential. Can you imagine if Ocarina of Time, Metroid, or evn a title such as Final Fantasy VII were recreated this way? The possibilities could be endless, even if it is still quite humorous to watch the jumping and flailing the user has to do to activate the controls. Check out the video below for yourself and be amazed for what could be the future of gaming.
Nintendo sells over 1.5 Million Consoles on Black Friday…
When it came to video games on the year’s Black Friday, it seems Nintendo might be the dominating brand yet again. According to Nintendo’s sales estimates, the company sold 900,000 DS/DSi units & 600,000 Nintendo Wiis between Sunday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 27. These are incredibly high numbers for a holiday and one can assume that the new Red DSiXL & Red Wii as well as the new green and orange DSi bundles were responsible for such high numbers.
It should also be noted that this is the first holiday since the launch of the black Wii and DSiXL to start with, so it looks like many were waiting for the appropriate time to make the upgrade. This should also quiet rumors that Nintendo has hit a slump as of late sales wise. I am really curious now more than ever of how many Xbox 360 units with the Kinect were sold as many are predicting dominance from Microsoft for this year’s holiday sales so that will be a report to watch out for.
Brain Age 3 Now in Development….
One thing in the gaming world that has baffled me was the huge success and disappearance of the Brain Age series on the Nintendo DS. Well, let me rephrase that, the games are great, but what I mean is that after selling over 33 million units the series sort of just packed up and called it a day besides a few trickles of DSiWare over the past few years. There have been countless clones and knock-offs since the release of Brain Age 2, but it is now looking that an official sequel is on it’s way.
Professor Ryuta Kawashima, you know, the floating head that scares knowledge into player in the Brain Age series has confirmed that a new game is on the way under the name “Farewell Brain Games”. Adding to this speculation of what console the game might be for, Japanese gaming journalist Hiroki Tachibana recently posted an article mentioning that it looks like the 3DS will be getting what appears to be the finale in the series. Not much else is known, but we will keep you updated if anymore information comes forward. I for one wouldn’t mind being compared to an 88 year old man again, and in 3D no less, but it looks like we have a bit of a wait before then.
Professor Layton and the Lost Future – Review
Game Name: Professor Layton and the Lost Future
(Professor Layton and the Unwound Future *USA Title*)
Platform(s): Nintendo DS
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Developer(s): Level 5
Genre(s): Puzzle, Adventure
Release Date: September 12, 2010 (US) October 21, 2010 (AU)
October 22,2010 (EU)
Price: $29.99
Professor Layton and his young apprentice Luke have became household names to gamers all over the world now due to the hugely popular titles that have released within the past few years for the Nintendo DS. With mind-bending puzzles and an engrossing story in each entry so far the Layton games have been one of Nintendo’s biggest success stories this generation. Well, another year, another Layton and this outing takes the Professor out of London and into the future with the appropriately titled “Professor Layton and the Lost Future”. So here is my review of how this one plays out and if it lives up to the previous entries in the series.
Story
Without a doubt anybody who plays the Layton series knows that the main course in the games is the deep storytelling and mysteries that play out. Everyone has a puzzle for you to solve it seems and Lost Future works the same as far as the core elements go. You start out the story with Luke receiving a letter from a future version of himself dated 10 years into the future. Shortly after, the duo reach their destination to watch a demonstration for a scientists time machine. The Prime Minister is volunteered by the scientist to be the first test subject so the Prime Minister willingly agrees as Layton and Luke watch from afar with the rest of the crowd. Suddenly, an explosion happens leaving the area in panic as the scientist and the Prime Minister have now disappeared. Professor Layton takes the case to solve what exactly went down as well as the mystery behind the “futuristic” letter and many other objectives that open throughout the game that all connect for a massive and emotional roller coaster of a story.
With over 12 chapters and constant surprises and twists throughout, Lost Future packs a huge punch to the series and goes down at least to myself as the best in the series story wise. There is just so much character development with the familiar faces of the story that it was hard to even take a small break from the game as every cutscene felt like a reward. Fans of the series will see a few returning faces as well as many brand new characters, each with their own bit of charm. It is rare when a game lives up all the way to the end as far as story goes, but Layton does it again and does a “smashing” job of pulling it off as well.
Gameplay
Now that you should have a good idea about the story in the game, the next topic is how the game plays. The standard “I need Help, do this puzzle” logic still applies in most cases so nothing really has changed in that area. Most puzzles consist of logic, math, or brain teasers where you must try to solve the puzzle at hand and earn as many “picarats” as possible. If you are new to the Layton series, picarats are the point/currency system within the game.
The difficulty really is set by how smart the player is and how well you pay attention to detail. Some puzzles or riddles are just more of trick questions with an obvious answer, while others might require you to break out your math skills or think hard to use common sense to get an answer. Either way, this is all done via the touchscreen and a drawing tool which lets you write on the screen and help crack even the toughest of riddles without having to pull out a pen and paper. Hint Coins are also scattered all over London and can be obtained by tapping various areas on the screen. Hints are helpful for the most part, and the Super Hint basically puts the answer right in your fac but due to the limited amount of hint coins, these all need to be used very strategically as the difficulty of riddles can jump up without warning and left my mind twisted quite a few times during my play-through. The good news is that the tools given are extremely useful and as I mentioned earlier, each puzzle completed feels rewarding every time.
Outside of the puzzles there is also a good portion of London set out to explore. Using the touchscreen players must tap on townsfolk to gather clues or open puzzles to fully progress. Be prepared for the usual backtracking as well as the more you progress throughout the story, the more it is needed to cover areas with the new information you learn in the plot.
As you move on through the game, solving puzzle left and right, you will also begin collecting items for mini-games which can be accessed in Layton’s trunk at any time on the bottom screen. The first of these is a sticker book where you must paste the appropriate image to best match the story. Finding all the stickers will complete the story and in a way, this side game is quite interesting in itself.
The next is a toy car which course can be unlocked for which allows Layton and Luke to be guided to a certain destination by guiding arrows along a set path. Finally, the parrot mini-game is where you train a parrot to carry items to a character using ropes and perches. All of these are fun and yet another reason to progress to fully complete all three modes.
As far as replay value goes, once you finish the main quest, that is really about it for the story. Just because that section is over though does not mean the game has to end though, as I spent many hours going back and performing newer and more difficult puzzles and brainteasers. There are also many other challenges, stories, and other content that should squeeze a few more hours out of the game.
Graphics/Audio
There really was not much of a visual difference between Lost Future and any of the other Layton games, but as they say, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Each character within the game add a lot of booming life to the game and each have their own personality so in some ways it feels like you get to know or can even relate to some of the characters. I am also a fan of the 2D art-style and it looks just as vibrant and crisp and the game’s predecessors.
The music in the game is also done brilliantly as it might not be too much different from other Layton titles, it still retains every bit of charm and still feels relevant for this entry. Layton and Luke sound pretty much the same as well and all of the voice acting was near perfection. Many of the smaller characters have voices that fit them perfectly adding humor and emotion when needed. I guess that is where the emotion can best be felt in this title thinking back, as the music and the voice acting together providing the appropriate atmosphere to set up for whatever was going down in the game and made this title so easy to follow.
Overall
Professor Layton and the Lost Future doesn’t really change much for the series but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. With one of the best stories on the hand-held period and puzzles that provide challenge yet always feel enjoyable, this to me was the best of the series so far. The soundtrack was also incredible and along with the voice acting, set the tone for how the game felt in terms of depth. Now Lost Future might not last more than 20 hours, but in terms of how memorable the overall experience was, this game can easily hold it’s weight among other contenders and the “future” is looking extremely bright for this franchise if it keeps moving in this direction of deeper and deeper storytelling. There really isn’t too much else to say but “Well Done, Professor!”
I Give Professor Layton and the Lost Future:
Gran Turismo 5 – PS3 Review
Game Title: Gran Turismo 5
Platform: Playstation 3
Publisher: Sony
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Genre: Racing
Release Date: November 24th 2010
Price: $59.99 (US)
ESRB rating: E
Get the game in stores now!
The grand daddy of all racing has finally delivered its latest game. After all the hype surrounding release dates and the teaser Gran Turismo 5 prologue gave us, I think it is time to see if GT5 is EPIC or a flop. It’s quite an expansive undertaking considering it has the most cars and tracks than any other racing game today; over 1000 cars and about 70 tracks. Anything but a blu-ray disc would need three discs to play. Well, lets jump right in.
Gameplay
If you happened to play GT5 prologue then you essentially played GT5. That being said, the gameplay should be great when you put 4+ years into it, and it is. Where do I start? Well, when you first jump into the main menu there are a few modes to start with. GT mode, arcade mode, and GT TV are the important ones. Arcade mode is just like it sounds. This is also where the split screen play is located. Pick a mode, pick a track, pick a car, and off you go. Single race and Time trial are a few examples of modes. GT mode is where you will spend most of your time. Otherwise called My GT, this has the familiar GT formula. Buy cars, race cars, sell cars, tune cars, learn to drive cars, and more about cars. Get the point yet? No? Ok I will explain a little bit more for those of you who are new to the process.When you buy a car, usually it is for a particular event. For example you buy a 1970 Chevelle SS for the muscle car challenge. You can then go to the tuning shop to tune it up if you decide. These tunings are not too advanced, like buying a better engine to get better performance. Once you are finished you are ready to race, every single car handles differently. They are very accurate to the real life model too.
Muscle cars want to drift and slide at high speeds, while Ferrari type cars are precise and like to zip around. Unfortunately, they aren’t too realistic though, Polyphony Digital put just enough arcade action into it to make it fun to play. You do not notice too much of a difference between a tuned car and that same car stock right off the lot. It is a small blemish on this game though. I found no glitches or bugs at all that affected the gameplay. One thing that is quite weird, sometimes you could enter cars that shouldn’t be accepted in race because of class. To clear it up for you, I entered my Ford GT in a European hatchback race. Sure it was fun leaving them in the dust but not very challenging because the race was meant for me to drive a European hatchback. This isn’t the same with every challenge but it is very odd to say the least. Load times aren’t a pain but they can be quite long, you can choose to do an install but it takes a whopping 8GB and takes about an hour. It also lies to you when it says it will be done in 15 secs be prepared for a 15 min wait.
Players can also race online with up to 16 players through Playstation Network (PSN) feature which was quite enjoyable and very challenging. What is also great was the ability to transfer my cars that I had unlocked in Gran Turismo PSP into my own Garage in Gran Turismo 5 – all that hard work really payed off.
. 
Audio and Visual
GT5 looks like what other simulation racers should aspire too. If it got any more real than this, you would be inside the car yourself. Every car and track looks as accurately detailed as the real life version. The result of a longer time in production, is a better game. It is very stunning. Most cars’ insides were fleshed out also so you could drive right behind the steering wheel. Some did not have a detailed inside so you could not be in the drivers seat. Not something that is a big turn off since most people use the behind the car camera but it is something to point out. Some things like, for example, the back or front lights of cars look flat. It is hard not to notice, one big detail they did miss is the damage in the game – it looks very wacky or doesn’t even look like it is there. I am driving a Mclaren F1 and I crash right into a wall 150 mph, only the bumper looks a little cocked.
In a Chevelle SS, it looks like its sitting in front of a wacky mirror you see in the carnivals and such. The car is stretched out looking very odd. I could not find an option that turned up the simulation factor so I assumed it was unchangeable and default. Damage is part of simulation driving and when it isn’t apparent or it is not done right like in Gran Turimso 5, it really makes you wonder what Polyphony Digital was doing all this time. I hear patches are incoming to work on the damage but it really shouldn’t take this long of a time period to make an awesome game and leave major stuff out, especially with all the backing of Sony Computer Entertainment. It is only an opinion and it may be I haven’t found the option like once said.
The audio on the other hand is 100 percent certifiably cool. Just like the visual dynamics of the cars, every car sounds different. Out of more than 1000 cars, that is a totally amazing feat. That must of been the bulk of time testing each engine and implementing each one of them into the game. I know I keep coming back to the Chevelle SS but it is a cool car. I drive it stock and it already sounds mean enough but, with a 3rd stage engine, high performance exhaust, and 5 speed gears, almost 60,00 in GT credits, the car sounded like it was going to eat somebody. Not a bad feat indeed. The music is far better and more varied than prologue. It actually sounds like something I could drive to or you would hear at a swanky car convention. It may repeat often or the same song is attached to something you do but the tunes aren‘t bad. I do not know where they got the music but I want a soundtrack. I am not lying it is cool stuff.
Overview
Is it worth the money? Of course – GT5 is truly an amazing experience packed with spectatular courses and hundreds of cars which look and feel just like the real ones. Was it worth the wait? Well I have to think on that one. Polyphony Digital put so much into the game, I am surprised that the 50GB disc was able to hold it all, but also it doesn’t seem like they put enough into it at the same time. Essential things like damage modelling is a huge let down to all the fans out there. Also the whole mess about the release date didn’t allow time for the hype machine to spit out craziness so, even as I am writing this, many do not know it is even out. Why even complain though. It is Gran Turismo 5 folks – it’s finally here -lets have a beer to celebrate (Only if your old enough) then play some GT5.
Gran Turismo 5 gets a grand
Supanova heats up Australia with Cosplay Championships
Thought Monday, was a slow news day then think again: Our friends over at Supanova HQ have dropped us a line about the just past Cosplay Championships from the weekend! Yes, if you happen to be in Australia, specifically Brisbane QLD then you may have noticed a few quirky dressed guys and gals around town. Cosplay `aint just for Animae anymore.
If you missed it, the results of said competition can be found online. Supanova is a much loved pop culture and Animae festival in Australia that generally embraces all things, cartoon, comic, Sci-Fi and gaming. In fact there is probably just as many gaming gods of cosplay as there are Doctor Whos and Naritoes. Across all states in the first half of the year, Supanova can be as close as the mere mortals down under get to any E3 or PAX party, so we do like to make the most of it. the following, is a bunch of incoming information:
- The Supanova Cosplay Festival is Upon Us & Streaming LIVE!
- Red Hill Competition & Ticket Giveaway!
- Remember, Remember the 1st of December! Announcing our Initial 2011 Supa-Stars!
“Saturday November 27th was a HUGE day in Brisbane! Witht a massive day of Cosplay fun including an “on the day” Madman Cosplay Comp, an array of vendors, guest artist Stewart McKenny, anime screenings and of course, more cosplay than you can shake a stick at!
But the big daddy of them all is the Grand Final of the Madman National Cosplay Championships that you can now experience the fun and excitement of even if you can’t be in Brisbane as we’ll be streaming the whole competition LIVE online!
That’s right, from wherever in the world you are, you can cheer on your favourite competitor and see the best that Australian cosplayers have to offer simply by going to – www.madman.com.au/cosplay – at 2.45pm EST or 3.45pm EDT, Saturday 27th November!
Please note: Queensland is not on Daylight Savings and you may need to adjust your time appropriately.”
KEEP DECEMBER 1 in your diaries when Supanova releases next years Star Studded Line-up. Past years have seen a bevy of Sci-fi stars including this years Summer Glau; but we can top that with a promise of gaming and all-round geek Felicia Day in 2011. So crack out that costume, and get your game on!
Duke Nukem – Live and reloaded (again)
Do you like kicking ass, preferably while chewing gum? Are you still stuck in an early 90s’ tirade of crew cuts and tanks tops; then keep your eyes on this post! 30 of the hardest working modders are already pulling apart the Unreal SDK to rebuild Duke Nukem 3D from the ground up; and now the fruit of those loins has gone live:
Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded is a “fan made” mod that is looking to recreate the seminal game all over again and just in time for the official rebooted franchise launch early next year- and the site just went live
“This gives us the oppurtunity to take all the best from 1996 and deliver for 2010 / 2011. We are going to stay true to Duke Nukem 3D, but we are also going to be integrating all the new gameplay elements from this century! Thats why this is a “Revision”. Many of the locations, design decisions and gameplay elements behind Duke Nukem 3D, were limited because of technical limitations back in 1996.
But 2010 offers alot more technical advantages we can use to deliver the best Duke Nukem 3D experience possible.
On this official Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded website you can follow our development closely as we post new media and podcasts. You can also read about the team, visit the forum and show us your support on twitter, facebook, moddb and indiedb.”
Last week, we brought you some informations on the Unreal Engine 3.0 now released to the public, and what we have here is an extreme (but very cool) example of just how far some people will go. With ‘enhanced’ vehicle sections and all the original characters returning, the lads and gals at Reloaded are also hiring:
If you have skills in art, Sound FX Design or Visual Effects then they want you- now. Also Keep an eye out for the Beta. With official endorsement from Gearbox Software who now owns the rights to Duke Nukem, it’s anyones game when the good will be ready, but it wouldn’t surprise me if a few ended up landing jobs.
Also don’t forget: The beta/demo to the New(new) rebooted Duke Nukem Forever next year, is currently available in all Game of the year versions of Borderlands. This is one bit of news worth getting your panties all in a bunch for.
Crazy Taxi – XBLA Review
Crazy Taxi
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Platforms: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PS3
Genres: Racing, Arcade
Release Date: November 24th 2010
Price: 800 MSP ($10) – Buy Now!!!
Overview:
Although the Sega Dreamcast has been discontinued and left behind in the video game wars, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its die hard fans. Though many of these people are reduced to simply dusting off their Dreamcast when they feel the need to play their favorite games from that era. Well Sega is now offering an alternative because they have brought Crazy Taxi, one of the most popular Dreamcast games, to the XBLA. But what changes have they made? Is it still the same game that fans loved or has too much been changed to remove the nostalgia factor?
Graphics:
When Crazy Taxi first was seen by the public it was in arcades across the world in 1999, and then it reached its home on the Dreamcast a year later in 2000. Fans never truly cared about the graphics other than that they were more than suitable to the fast paced action game, but it has been over a decade now since then.
Crazily enough (pun intended) Sega has seen fit to apply a nice HD coat of paint to the taxi and then some as they have redone the graphics to look great on HD screens. Not only that but they changed the whole display system and overall visual to fit well with today’s widescreen televisions. That means you won’t have to be worrying about sidebars full of nothing like other remade games of the past.
Besides that however they have not changed much graphically in Crazy Taxi besides remove certain aspects of the game which I will address later. The graphics themselves appear exactly as fans remember them and work perfectly with the game. Keep in mind that this means that these graphics are ten years old as you begin your download and you will know what to expect.
This is far from a detriment however as the appearance of the game will certainly pull on the nostalgia strings of any fan of Crazy Taxi for the Dreamcast and any newcomers to the series will see a fluid game that has no graphical errors. Though one thing still humorous today is seeing the cardboard-like fish swimming underwater without moving any part of their body.
One thing that fans will notice however is that many of the locations that players will be asked to deliver their riders to have changed. Instead of taking your passengers to KFC, they will ask to go to the FCS. Yep they changed all of the signature names of the real life stores and locations. Instead of the Levi’s Store it will be a clothing store, or Pizza Shack instead of Pizza Hut.
While this change may have simply been the fact that Sega couldn’t acquire the rights to place these locations back inside the game, or they chose not to, it makes the game feel far from what it used to back in the Dreamcast days. Sure in-game advertising can be something to complain about when it is overly used and not implemented well enough, but when you are asked as a taxi driver to go to Pizza Hut it gives you a more realistic appeal (barring the fact you drove underwater to get there). Instead now fans of the series are treated to un-named or name changed areas. Sure new comers won’t notice this fact and enjoy the game well enough with these places missing, but fans will be at a loss.
Audio:
While graphically the changes are subtle and the name changes won’t bother too many people, fans will instantly notice something is amiss when they start the game. This is because Crazy Taxi is easily associated with a certain song from The Offspring and unfortunately that song is missing. “All I Want” by The Offspring could easily be recognized as the theme song for the game with it’s signature “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! opening lyrics. That is gone.
The game’s entire original soundtrack is missing, which means there will be none of the favorite tunes we used to listen to as we tore through the streets crazily. Instead of Bad Religion or The Offspring we are treated to a soundtrack made up entirely of different bands that provide a variety of different background songs. Sure these songs may be suitable for those who have never played the game before but unfortunately fans will also be disappointed.
Also rather than using the character’s voiceclips from the Dreamcast version of the game which featured humorous exclamations from your passengers, it has now been changed to something similar to the PS2 port. This means that you will be hearing badly voiced remarks about your driving and your speed that sound barely anything similar.
One thing that can be noted though is that players can still use their own songs to play inside of the game, which means you can still listen to The Offspring while driving around, but you have to go a completely round about way to do so.
Gameplay:
Thankfully the overall gameplay remains true to the feel. There is absolutely zero depth to the game itself as it is an arcade game. You drive from one place to another to get your passengers to their destination and anyone who gets in your way better have a crazy insurance policy. Your score and ranking is determined through your overall money amount, not your amount of passengers and the symbols above potential customer’s heads can show how much money you can make off of them.
There are three modes of gameplay available with this version of the game, featuring the Arcade mode, Original mode, and Crazy Box. The Arcade and Original modes are the same exact thing, but provide two different venues of large scale for your taxi driving to take place. You also have the option to choose an Arcade time limit, or a 3, 5, or 10 minute limit giving you an easy chance to reach that coveted S license. Crazy Box on the other hand is a set of challenges that the player can tackle and if they accomplish them, unlock even more special challenges.
Crazy Taxi handles extremely well as you tear through the streets. The game has a drive shift to place yourself in drive or in reverse with a press of A or B and you can even honk your horn with a push of the Y button, but then again people would have to be crazy to not get out of your way.
The physics are as crazy as ever as your car can perform crazy drifts and crazy throughs to get extra money towards your cab fare. Large cars are nothing as they can be flipped over if hit hard enough and you can completely submerse yourself underwater for a submarine taxi ride.
Overall:
As far as the game goes it is a true to life remake of an original classic from the Dreamcast and anyone entering in for the first time will find Crazy Taxi a crazy ride. On the other hand the amount of changes that have occurred to the game’s environment and soundtrack will put off old time fans as they drive around and find their recognizable venues instead replaced with generic names and background music. Beyond these changes though they will find that their experience in playing is as true to the original as possible and can easily be either a quick play when you find the time or hours of enjoyment trying to reach the highest rank in Arcade rules.
