Namco Bandai and Ninja Theory have released a developer diary for the upcoming Enslaved DLC that is called Pigsy’s Perfect 10. Now in this developer diary we learn more about what exactly the Perfect 10 part of the title means. As it turns out being a survivor in a junkyard full of giant rusting mechs isn’t exactly the most enjoyable life, and therefore Pigsy is very lonely. Perfect 10 is the name of the robot that Pigsy is attempting to build so that he will have a friend.
Now as we see in the main game, Pigsy is much different from Monkey, such as Pigsy having a grappling hook for an arm and carrying a gun for one thing. This leads to some interesting design changes from within the game that will expand upon the standard formula that fans were treated to in the original work.
Looks like its time spend your hard earned money. Thanksgiving Black Friday deals have started poping up all over the place with Gamestop already sharing theirs. Here are two more from Gamevil & Capcom for the Apple iPhone/iPad. Personally I own all of these games below. Check them out and pick up a bargain before it’s too late.
Black Friday Deals for GAMEVIL – SIX of their classics and new releases on sale until Cyber Monday, NOV 29!
Phoenix Wright $4.99 => $1.99
Mr. Bill $1.99 => $.99
1942: Joint Strike $1.99 => $.99
Mega Man II $2.99 => $.99
Dark Void Zero $2.99 => $.99
Cash Cab $2.99 => $.99
Cash Cab: Las Vegas $2.99 => $.99
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2010 $1.99 => $.99
They’ll only be on sale for a few days, so get ‘em before it’s too late.
I wonder how many times I was asked “Do you know what black friday deals Gamestop is having?” in the past week. Well the catalog is finally up and will most likely be in your stores in the next few days as a paper copy. I have a few items here that they are highlighting.
Buy any two used games or accessories, get one used game or accessory of equal or lesser value free
4GB Xbox 360 console bundle ($199) — includes a free copy of Madden 11 or Medal of Honor
Wii console bundle ($199) — includes Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort and Just Dance
Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary Wii bundle ($199) — includes Wii Sports and New Super Mario Bros. Wii
160GB PS3 console bundle ($299) — includes God of War Collection and God of War III
Pre-owned Xbox 360 classic model for $99.99
Pre-owned Wii for $99.99
PSP-3000 Holiday bundle ($129) — includes LittleBigPlanet and The Karate Kid on UMD
inFamous, Killzone 2, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time or Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune for $14.99
Fallout: New Vegas (360), Fable 3 or Halo: Reach for $39.99
Buy World of Warcraft for $4.99, get a free $5 gift card
Bulkypix, Press Start Studio and Sanuk Games have announced that they will be bringing their zombie homicidal, nun slashing creation, TWIN BLADES, to the Mini side of the PSP and PS3.
Sister Angelika is the nun and scythes are her weapon. And flamethrowers. And machine guns. And nukes. With an “immersive storyline” and 10 locations, you can also upgrade all your all weapons as you spatter the zombies to kingdom come! Rahaha!
Philippe Rapin, co-founder of Press Start Studio states:“We’re very excited to bring TWIN BLADES to Playstation Minis. Sanuk Games has a proven track record of delivering quality ports and the Playstation ergonomics makes it a platform of choice for such an action-packed game.”
In the states, Donkey Kong Country Returns releases tomorrow, but to our Aussie friends out there still have to wait until December 2nd to see the Wii title release. Not to worry though, as Nintendo are holding an Australian exclusive event which will let players try out the new DK title as well as get some cool gaming swag for just showing up.
Below are the dates and locations for each event which will take place at EB Games & Myer Sydney City one week from today.
SYDNEY
• Saturday 27 November, 11:30am – 2:30pm, Myer Sydney City, Level 6 – The Nintendo Connection, 436 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales
MELBOURNE
• Sunday 28 November, 11:30am – 2:30pm, EB Games, Swanston Street, The Nintendo Experience, Level 2, 67 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria
The first 200 people at each location to sample Donkey Kong Country Returns will receive a special Donkey Kong poster. Plus there will be Donkey Kong Country Returns T-shirt giveaways, so don’t miss out! The game will be available to purchase in stores from 2 December 2010.
Ok so we have had Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones and the latest Harry Potter Lego adaptations and now Disney have announced they will be making Pirates of the Caribbean all I can say is AGHHH me arties welcome aboard!
So Disney has officially announced that the next Lego game will be Pirates of the Caribbean courtesy of UK developer TT Games.
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game will be published by Disney Interactive Studios and arrives in May 2011 – tying in nicely with the release of the fourth film, On Stranger Tides. Which is nice after we heard that the game that was going to tie into the movie got canned this news comes as a delight to any Pirates and Lego fans alike.
The game was announced during a recent press release where Lego showcased nine new Lego sets based on the films these will launch in spring. The video game will be available for multiple formats so I think we have safe to assume that will be all of them not sure if this includes the PS2 yet or not…..
The first game will cover the first three films – The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End – and will feature all the things we know and love with the Lego game franchise from buildable objects, multiple characters and drop-in/drop-out co-op.
We can hopefully assume that if the first game ties in the first three films then a second Pirate’s game could be made a bit like the second Indiana Jones game where it focuses on the newest film in three parts and then covers the last three films briefly picking out the best bits of the first game.
All I can say this news has got me all excited roll on 2011 argggghhhhh………..
Game Name: Babysitting Mama Platform(s): Nintendo Wii Publisher(s):Majesco Developer(s):Cooking Mama Limited Genre(s): Mini-Game, Simulation Release Date: November 5th, 2010 (US) November 11th, 2010 (AU)
November 12th (EU) Price: $49.99 (Game & Doll Bundle)
Babysitting Mama is the latest title in the “Mama” series and made exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. The game puts Mama as your guide the whole way through as you venture into childcare. The game also comes bundled with a real plush baby which is used to control the game by sticking the WiiMote into a slot on the doll’s back. Before I even get started with my review, I will note that this title is mainly for the younger crowd, parents, and those who are already fans of the Mama series so keep that in mind as well from beginning to end. Either way, here is my review for Babysitting Mama.
Story
There isn’t much of a story to be told with this title, as Babysitting Mama is as advertised. Babysitting Mama puts the player in the role of Mama’s helper as she enters the field of childcare. From feeding, burping, playing, and many other activities, the game does a great job of simulating the childcare experience. The more that the game is played, the more that becomes available to unlock from photos, to mini-games and even new babies that all vary in appearance.
Gameplay
Most Mama games play in nearly the same matter, play mini-games to accomplish a goal, and move on to the next objective. Babysitting Mama is not any different from that aspect, but the means of getting to that point are what makes this title so different. Using the doll with the WiiMote properly inserted, the first screen you will see upon entering the main mode of the game is to pick your baby. Since there is only one available at the start, “Yuto”, who matches the doll bundled with the game, is the only choice available starting out.
The first thing really to talk about is the dolls themselves, as alone they are bright, cheery and soft to the touch which should make them perfect for younger girls alone. When the WiiMote is inserted the speaker for the WiiMote is used to the most full potential I have seen it used on the console to date, as throughout the whole game, the baby’s cries, laughs, and any other emotions can be fully heard throughout the experience and very clearly I might add so at times the doll can be eerily realistic sound-wise.
Each “Stage” consists of four to five levels where different objectives must be completed to be judged at the end by Mama. Each time you perform any task, you are judged and given a specific medal which carries into your overall score.
Speaking of the levels or “tasks” in the game, there is a lot of content in the title and each task performs different from the next. Some levels are a bit on the simple side and mainly consist of rocking the baby back and forth to lull it to sleep or moving the baby up and down to simulate bouncing or playing with it. These may sound like nothing, but with the timer and the precise amount of movement needed all being picked up perfectly, you really have to balance all of these simple notions accordingly. One wrong move and you will soon see the “DON’T SHAKE THE BABY!” screen show up (Something which happened many times to myself). There are many different variants of these levels but a few too many can make them feel like rewashed content at times.
Other mini-games consist of patting the baby on the back to burp it, walking the baby to match the movements on the screen as it takes it’s first steps, and many others as well. Some of these resemble a bit rhythm-action style, much like other mini-games in the Cooking Mama World. Not all of the mini-games require the doll though as the nunchuck is used by itself and in combination with the WiiMote fitted doll many times as well. Bathing, diaper changing, feeding, and many other tasks perform smoothly and the motion controls never gave me any problem whatsoever during my full playthrough as they are surprisingly accurate.
There is also a multi-player portion where you can battle another sitter’s child in local multi-player in the mini-games the overall title is made up out of. There are 6 different babies and 40+ different mini-games along with many unlockables such as photos to add to your scrapbook and other extras, I can see hours of replay value added in easily to keep the kids (and even the parents) interested the whole way through.
One thing I personally liked the little things Babysitting Mama does to really enhance the simulation of Babysitting. There are other children in the household and without notice, an accident can interrupt the mini-game you are in and you will suddenly have to make a quick dash to take care of whatever happened. These work kind of like quick time events except for the fact that a fast-paced mini-game is used to clean up or fix whatever problem is at hand. Once you finish, you immediately pick up right where you left off in the main game. This really was a great change of pace and fit perfectly into the experience as these things can happen in the real world so it could easily teach the young player how to multitask.
I will say this little red-haired brat soon grew to be my enemy as she was usually the culprit behind it all, I called her Codename RED and I felt my own eyes in flame as spills were made just for me to clean up while I do all the work and she just breaks everyth….erhmm..back to the review….
Graphics/Audio
The graphics in the game are all very colorful and made up of charming 3D models and backdrops. Images are very vivid and bright, setting the cheerful mood for the whole game. Each baby looks different from the next and is emotions are easily visualized which makes it easy to know if more is needed to perform whatever task is at hand better. There are also may different areas, ranging from the park to the bedroom, which are assigned based on the objective you receive. Even with the somewhat generic menus and loading screens that consist of the message “Never Shake the Baby”, Babysitting Mama’s high quality presentation can easily pull you in from start to finish.
The music blends together perfect with the visuals as well and upbeat tunes carry on through the game. Nothing is too memorable music wise, but it got the job done just fine. Sound effects such as rattles, toys and other noises all came across decently, too. As for Mama, I don’t recall a title where she has talked more. If you have ever played the Mama games, you should know she sounds a bit like a Japanese woman who just learned English and I was surprised of how many more phrases were added in, accent and all. The baby also sounds very realistic, and aside from the LOUD crying which is received from the WiiMote, each baby sounded as they should, giggles and all and each also sounded different from the next to me, so it was great to not see reused voices throughout the game.
Overall
From a personal perspective, there is a lot that makes this game for a certain audience alone. For the most part, that stands true after my time spent with it even though I did enjoy many elements within the title and it is still a solid addition for fans of the Mama series. But as I knew when I started playing the game, I am not in this target audience and with that being said, this is a spectacular game for younger girls without a doubt and a perfect choice heading into the holidays for any gaming family. There are a few rehashed elements in the game, but there is also a lot more variation included which outweighs those moments as the game does great at switching up the pace making each experience feel new and fresh. In a market filled with “LetsJustMakeABuck” quickly thrown together messes labeled “kid’s games”, Babysitting Mama shines through as a title with great controls, solid and fun gameplay, and tons of replay value to keep the younger batch wanting to go back again and again.
Ivy The Kiwi? Mini (DSiWare: Prope, 500 DSi Points)
The eagerly anticipated Bit. Trip Fate has finally made it onto the European Wii Shop Channel, and as you can imagine, is the highlight of the Nintendo downloads for this week, as I’m sure it is for most other users of the service. It’s been a while coming but if Gaijin Games’ other Bit. Trip titles are anything to go by, this should be another stellar effort, and well worth the 800 Wii Point price tag.
There is also an app-style release from Nintedo on the DSi, Nintendo’s CountdownCalendar, which is an interactive virtual calender for you to input various dates that are important to you. Having a calender on their DS may appeal to some, so if this interests you, it’s only 200 DSi Points which is reasonable.
Doctor Who: Return to Earth Genre: Adventure/Puzzle Platform: Wii Developer: Asylum Entertainment Publisher: Koch Media Released: 19 November
Doctor Who is a cult-British science fiction programme that has spanned over generations like none other, starting in 1963 with a bunch of cheap sets and low-budget special effects. It soon became famous for making transitions between actors, dubbing them “regenerations”, which was a clever way swapping actors whilst fitting in with the story at the same time. The television series had some downtime as it ceased to be produced in the 90’s, but a recent revival in 2005 summoned a new era for Doctor Who, allowing it to be enjoyed by a brand new generation of children and adults alike. Since its rebirth, the series has already undergone some changes, eating its way through two different actors playing the Doctor including their female counterparts, moving on to the latest incarnation of Doctor Who, played by Matt Smith with his damsel in distress turned sidekick being played by Karen Gillan. However, as Doctor Who is produced by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), it only has a small following outside the United Kingdom, so it is unlikely that this title will be released outside of the UK/Europe.
Doctor Who: Return to Earth is set in the current Doctor Who era featuring Matt Smith as the Doctor, and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond. The game reflects this through a story based on these two characters, as well as the actor lending their physical likenesses to the in-game, as well as their acting talent. Yes, you heard right, the actors actually did the voice recording for their characters. The fact that Asylum Entertainment managed to land the actors in person is an impressive feat when compared with other games based on cinema or TV, most of which usually have to settle for sound-alikes or worse. To top it off, Doctor Who: Return to Earth even boasts of a “brand new official storyline” written by Oli Smith, a scriptwriter who has had previous involvement with the Doctor Who universe, before writing the plot of this game.
The story sees you board an odd space ship called the SS Lucy Gray after the pair of time travellers discover a peculiar signal being emitted from somewhere near the edge of the solar system. Materialising on the human colony spaceship, he notes that this is the first colony ship to return to Earth after the solar storms. But everything’s a little too quiet for his liking, and he soon finds out the ship has been commandeered and overrun by Cybermen, as well as a number of other instantly recognisable Doctor Who enemies, such as the infamous Daleks, which for those who haven’t laid eyes on the world of Doctor Who before, resemble wheelie-bins with arms, guns and some bobbled armour plating. The plot is a blatant attempt to cram in all the enemies from the series, and some of the voice-acting performances are a little stiff, which we can just about forgive considering they are supposed to be playing robots.
Still, it all sounds fairly promising so far: actors from the show doing the voice-acting and a fully-fledged, brand new official storyline. Well, it’s all downhill from here. Upon starting up the game, you are greeted by the memorable, lovable menu music that is the Doctor Who theme tune, but as soon click new game, you are entering a world of pain. Although there are a number of save slots preventing argument over who gets to make a data, I’m not sure there would be too many arguments over who gets to play. The gameplay is dire and the visuals are an absolute travesty. Graphically, it looks last-gen, with washed up textures and poor character models. Also, the animation is awful, with no movement or expression in the characters’ static faces, and walking animations bordering on amusing just because they make it look like the character models are wearing trousers several sizes too small.
During the story you switch between control of the Doctor and Amy Pond depending on the level you are on. Firstly, the story plays out through a passage of play in command of the Doctor’s assistant, Amy Pond. Navigating through various obstacles, your efforts see you assist the Doctor land your collaborative mode of transport, the Tardis, and in turn, a mix of puzzle solving and platforming has you switch to the control of the Doctor. You swap control of the Doctor and Amy Pond regularly throughout the game, but other than physical changes, there is little differentiation between the two characters. Amy Pond even has a sonic screwdriver, one of the title’s slight inaccuracies considering that on the show, this gadget is reserved exclusively for the Doctors possession only. However, this isn’t a huge problem where most are concerned, and if anything, livens up the parts of the game spent playing as Amy Pond because using the sonic screwdriver is actually one of the highlights of the game. It makes good use of the Wii pointer mechanic, forcing you to hone in on the smiley face and shoot it with the appropriately coloured crystal. It all sounds very random, and that’s because it is. What it has to do with the Doctor Who universe, I don’t know, just appreciate that it is one element of the game that’s playable.
Another aspect of the game which isn’t too bad are the mini-games. These seem promising at first, and although they are badly explained -leaving you with no option but to figure it out for yourself by giving it a go- can be enjoyed to a certain extent. Unfortunately these too lose their appeal due to the fact that there is a grand total of two different types of mini-game: The Sonic Screwdriver Game and The Gravity Gun Game. This limited variation means the mini-games quickly become repetitive, further detracting from the already dismal experience.
While there are no huge bugs or glitches in the game’s coding which inhibit the game’s flow, the gameplay is generally flawed, turning what should be a game aimed primarily at kids, into a frustratingly challenging game. I can empathise with the developers, as based on the context of the game and the subject matter of Doctor Who, there is an emphasis on non-violence, meaning you can’t kill the enemies. This suddenly turns an easy engineer robot with a strange motive to attack you into an invincible, unstoppable killing machine that will play havoc with you. You are left with no option but to evade the enemies using stealth, only to be killed when your back is turned as you try and make out your position on the HUD as you squint at the fuzzy mini-map.
Overall, Doctor Who: Return to Earth looks promising from the off as you hear of the in-game characters being voiced by their real-life counterparts, as well as official storyline to boot. The result is a complete flop. Perhaps it was meeting deadlines to capitalise on the Christmas sales boom, or perhaps it just goes to prove that TV tie-in games suffer from the same syndrome as movie tie-in games. Either way, it’s not a great game, with the high points being the parts that are distinctly average rather than being as unforgivably atrocious as most of it is. The flawed gameplay makes it inaccessible to most by upping the difficulty to near impossible levels, with only a handful of exceptions who get a kick out of overcoming absurdly difficult hurdles such as this able to get some enjoyment out of it. If you really must get your next Doctor Who fix then get the DS title, Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth. It may be set centuries earlier, but it’s light-years better than this.
Following the release date and the Collector’s Edition announcement, CD Projekt started today the pre-orders for The Witcher 2. With a “standard price and extraordinary content” phrase, as it really is, everyone will receive a lot of additional content since all versions of the game are going to be really special.
All digital editions of The Witcher 2 are called “Premium Editions”, and includes:
-Making-of: All the cinematic materials related to game – trailers, developer diaries, gameplay footage, interviews and making-of exclusive video.
-Soundtrack: Audio files with in-game music.
-World Map: A map of the game’s world.
-Game Guide: The Witcher 2 strategy guide for both novice and experienced role-playing fans.
-Game Manual: A rulebook and interface explanation to help you get started.
-Pamphlet: A representation of one of the in-game items.
-Papercrafts: Two papercraft dolls – Geralt and one random character for collectors.
Pre-ordering the game from GoG will give you instant access to all goodies and a Exclusive digital Artbook, while players pre-ordering from Steam will receive Steam Cloud support (Saves are stored on Steam) and Steam Achievements.
Both sites are having a 10% off pre-order bonus ($49.99 $44.99).
The retail versions of the game includes the same content as the digital Premium Editions, but there’s a Collector’s Edition with even more content! For more details about pre-ordering the game check the site: http://buy.thewitcher.com. The Witcher 2 is confirmed for May 17, 2011.
