So the actor formally known as Max Payne, is now currently planning to fill the boots of seminal cult character Nathan Drake: Yes I am talking about Mark Wahlberg. How many other movies based on video games can he star in before someone tells him to stop! On top of which surely he is not the only actor who looks like Nathan Drake?
Thankfully, I personally was one of the few people who enjoyed Max Payne for what is was as a movie, without worrying too much about the liberal art direction it took away from the game series. Director of 3 Kings and The Fight David O. Russell is in the chair and MTV reports he is hoping to start filming this summer.
“David is one of the best writer/directors I’ve ever worked with,” Wahlberg told MTV. “The idea that he has is just insane. So hopefully we’ll be making that movie this summer.”
I don’t know if insane is what I would call Uncharted, but it can’t be any worse than a Tomb Raider knockoff, I mean Indiana Jones (please don’t turn it into Indiana Jones). What might be insane, just a bit, is that Nathans Uncle and Father may make an appearance in the movie, unlike the games and have none other than Robert Deniro and Goodfellas cohort Joe Pesci! It is hard to know where to go from here ( I still have my doubts about that Greenlatern movie and actor) but at least, hopefully we can expect a good old treasure hunt adventure.
So 2 days after the Nov 24th launch, have you already had enough of GT5? No, then this patch might be for you. Excuse our English, because we have another translated piece of news all the way from Germany.
From what we can tell, the patch on December 1 will basically add damage modelling to all vehicles in the arcade mode outright, including engine damage and addresses an issue with the front and left axel that would cause the car to pull left more and roll. It sounds all very specific but also very much like GT5 is getting supported, very well. It will not effect graphics per say, except to fix some clipping issues.
“The physical damage modeling in GT5 is released from currently Level 20. In addition, the Gran Turismo 5 Patch physical damage such as problems with the front axle, which can roll the vehicle to the right or left, bring. Even the players had after installing the patch, the GT5-way engine damage or total one-issue, respectively.”
Other patches are incoming from Polyphony Digital before Christmas.
This news comes from Games Aktuell via videogameszone.de
The latest addition to Origin8’s popular sci-fi strategy game, namely Sentinel 3: Homeworld, has just been approved by Apple hours ago. This latest installment of the award winning Sentinel tower defense series includes many improvements from the previous versions and also some of the most requested features by Sentinel fans. Check out the huge list of features below!
New in Sentinel 3: Homeworld:
– A completely new campaign featuring 20 levels across 14 distinctive and demanding maps.
– A powerful new Commander unit which can level up and gain customizable stats and abilities as you play.
– Over 20 unlockable turrets, orbital ship weapons, automated drones and abilities at your disposal.
– Customize your weapon loadout in the Armory to match the demands of the mission.
– Stunning graphics and effects, with full high-resolution Retina display support.
– Endless modes for all maps with online highscores.
– Classic mode allows you to compete for scores in a pure skill-based game mode.
– Support for social gaming networks for achievements, global scores, friends and more using OpenFeint and GameCenter.
– View strategic layouts from the leaderboards – see how the best players think (OpenFeint required).
– New exclusive music by the creators of the Sentinel 2 music – Specimen A.
– Completely reworked and revamped game engine for optimal performance on all iOS devices
Classic Sentinel series features:
– Specialized structures and units provide unique tactical gameplay.
– Use the landscape and destructible defenses to maximize the effectiveness of your weapons.
– Unleash the Sentinel’s incredible ship weapons system – if you’ve got the power to do so…
– Deploy mobile attack drones to harass the enemy and augment static defenses.
– Construct boosters to buff your offense, and upgrade to top-tier towers for devastating special moves
– Resource harvesting and interest system adds a new dimension of risk and reward.
– Visually stunning environments, towers and enemies with fluid zooming and scrolling.
The game will due on the App Store worldwide with less than 24 hours to go at $3.99 (and equivalent amount in other currencies). While you wait, check out their previous releases, Sentinel 1: Mars Defense and Sentinel 2: Earth Defense. Both are great tower defense games at $0.99that you wouldn’t want to miss. Enjoy the video trailer and stay tuned for an in-depth review of the game soon at Capsule Computers!
If you have been following any coverage for the followup to High Voltage and Sega’s The Conduit, Conduit 2, then you know the gameplay is shaping up and looking quite impressive. One thing which not too much light has been shed on though is the story of the game. A new trailer was recently released by Sega is now out and shows off the story more like a cinematic trailer. Along with high quality visuals and audio, the trailer shows Michael Ford as he crosses through a conduit and is being congratulated for “doing what needed to be done” by an eerily voiced AI.
I can’t wait to try this one out as Conduit 2 is showing more and more promise with each passing day. The release as shown in the trailer is February of 2011 but you can check out the trailer below and check back here are well for even more news for Conduit 2 as we hear it.
Game Name:Sonic Colors Platform(s): Nintendo DS (Reviewed), Nintendo Wii Publisher(s):SEGA Developer(s): Sonic Team, Dimps Genre(s): Platformer Release Date: November 16th, 2010 (US) November 12th, 2010 (AU)
November 11th (EU) Price: $49.99 (Wii Version) $29.99 (DS Version)
When it comes to portable “ports” of games that also hit consoles the same day of release, the final product is usually a cheap, quickly thrown together mess that is barely playable. Sonic Colors completely shatters this way of thinking though with the DS version of the title. Made by the makers of the Sonic Rush series, Sonic Colors for the Nintendo DS should not be considered a port or watered down version of Colors for the Wii by any means as it shines even a little brighter than it’s console brethren under the same name. Here is my review for Sonic Colors on the Nintendo DS.
Story
The story is nearly the same for this version of Colors if you compare it to the Wii version, just told in a different way. Dr. Robotnik…erm..Eggman is building an Interstellar Amusement Park as a cover to harness the energy from the alien species known as Wisps and it is up to Sonic to stop him. Nothing really more or less story wise but the story is actually a bit easier to follow this time around.
Instead of fully animated cutscenes, most of the characters dialogue is told with images and text. This method for me actually made the game have a better overall flow and kept the overall story progression a smooth process. There is a bit of voice acting mixed in, but nothing really more than a few quick lines from time to time which mainly is used to set the tone for the character who is talking. There still are a few cheesey bits of dialogue as well, but nothing you haven’t seen before if you have played any other Sonic game in the past 10 years.
A few of the newer characters also make appearances as well such as Cream the Rabbit and Silver, but fret not as these cameos really don’t tie into the story at all and are mainly used for bonus missions.
Gameplay
Sonic Colors for the Nintendo DS plays completely in 2D throughout the whole experience. The touch screen is used throughout small sections but the D-Pad along with the standard four button layout work well to control the game as they are used for all of the main stages nearly the whole time. Colors DS also fully utilizes both screens on the Nintendo DS throughout each level as both screens are used in the level design. This method will take some getting used to as looking up and down can be a chore at first, but after about an hour I stopped noticing as the game moves so fast this method becomes second nature.
The level design for Sonic Colors DS is where the game truly shines. The game is set up nearly the same as the Wii counterpart, but every level is set up more like a classic Sonic game and never throws in too much of the same thing keeping the experience nostalgic and fresh the whole time. In the Wii version, I felt a few levels threw off the pace of the game by adding an unnecessary gimmick. The portable version rids the game completely of those moments and kept the feeling of a classic Sonic game (with a bit of a Sonic Rush twist) until the end. There are still some sections of trial and error but I never ran into a pitfall or any other glitch that hurt the overall feel of the game. Also speaking of the level design it would be a shame if I did not mention the clever placement of obstacles and interactive portions which can have you jump off Jello, fly down a waterslide, grind on rails, and many more stage additions that made me look forward to what was around the next corner because these are all a blast to play and are included so often which give each act it’s own feel.
The Wisps are of course the main plot and gameplay point to Colors. The Wisps control just as good if not better than the Wii version, except now there are four less and two extra exclusive Wisps to absorb. Each gives Sonic the ability to transform or take the powers to better reach the next area, break through walls, or defeat certain enemies. The placement of the colored Wisps was really effective and actually useful each time I encountered them. New Wisps such as “Red Burst” which turns Sonic into a fireball and “Violet Void” which sucks everything into a black hole such as rings and Wisp power are spectacular additions which got me through a lot of tight spaces along with the standard four power-ups in the game. Wisps work great, but a lot can be said about Sonic’s own abilities. I’m talking positive aspects by that of course. Sonic’s homing attack, jump, and re-incorporated spindash are utilized perfectly and never break the flow of a level keeping each act moving along nicely.
Difficulty is extremely varied in the game as some stages are easy to just fly through, others can be quite a challenge. Boss Battles would be the best example as there is a lot of strategy you must use to take down the main foe from each world. Overall though this range of difficulty does wonders for the feel of the game and keeps the player on their toes for whatever unexpected challenge is ahead.
Remember the “Collect the Rings” 3D bonus stages in Sonic 2? Those are back as well in Colors DS being the main touch-screen controlled element of the game, and of course to get the emeralds at the end as well. Instead of collecting rings though you must collect a certain amount of a particular color of orb, then move to different colors as you progress. Sliding your stylus in different directions to do the bonus stages is performed well and is a great change of pace after a frantic level.
As for replay value, there is plenty to do after you complete the main game as all levels including the bonus missions can be revisited at any time. There is also scores that can be beaten just like in the Wii version which adds a lot of room for completionists to go back and perfect acts to score the top grade. Add in the newly implemented single and multi-card versus mode and the heap of unlockables and this journey for the blue hedgehog is an easy one to take again and again.
Graphics/Audio
The graphics in Colors DS are some of the better on the system but it can be hard even noticing as the game blazes by rather quickly. Each level is different in it’s own right and the worlds are vividly detailed and come to life with the high usage of color and sprites. Sonic’s Sprite I felt was a bit plain in comparison but this is just a minor nitpick as everything else pops off the screen and makes level progression an engrossing experience. Even the rings are given a golden shine though and the visuals can easily put you back in the early 90’s with the glory days of Sonic.
The music may not be at the same level as Sonic’s Wii counterpart, but it still does a great job of fitting with the game and the tunes feel at home with the 2D world. The voice actors do a decent job for what little voice acting that is in the game and set the tone well for the story. Cream still is a bit hard to bare though but she isn’t too prominent so that alone barely effects the game. A lot of the sound effects such as a charging spindash to the clink of rings being collecting at a lightning fast pace all come off with great results and never will you want to turn the volume down as the music and sound as a whole give a third dimension to this 2D title.
Overall
Sonic Colors for the DS proves that you can have a successful counterpart on a portable which lives up fully to the console version. In many ways the Nintendo DS version does it better as well. Where the Wii version had obvious flaws that were easily made up by the fantastic moments of the game, this version isn’t bogged down by any of that and easily outshines it gameplay and level-design wise. While the game is a brand new fresh experience, it still feels a lot like the classic Sonic games and in my opinion the DS version of Sonic Colors is THE current gen Sonic game to own as it is just more polished and feels more like it was a bit more of a gift to the 2D Sonic fanatics out there who have been craving a new experience. If you are a Sonic fan or just someone who wants one of the best platformers this year for the Nintendo DS, look no further as this blue hedgehog’s blazing colorful
return is an experience not to be missed on the portable scene.
While Nintendo just released a new Wii Remote Plus that includes the Wii Motion Plus built into it, Snakebyte released this little diddy back in April 2010 in Europe, and just a month ago here in the States. Normally I’m not one for third party controllers, but this one intrigued me as it was the first to the market that does something the original didn’t. When I got my hands on it, I liked the design. Most third party designs are pretty ugly, but this one was pretty damn good looking, and it fits in perfectly with my official Nintendo remotes. It also came with a couple of rechargeable batteries, with a mini-USB slot by the controller port at the bottom of the remote for easy charging (it also came with a mini-USB cable!) But how does it play?
Well, I put it to the test. I started up the Wii, sync’d it quite easily, and then my first gripe came up. As I’m wagging it around I can hear the vibrating motor loudly, and the noises from the speaker were kind of low quality. This isn’t a deal breaker, because the cursor is moving to every spot I point the remote to easily and at the same time I’m pointing it, there was no lag to speak of. The time to surf the menu is over, now let’s play some games.
The first game I played with it was Sonic the Hedgehog 4, so I held it sideways and ran through the paces with it. The buttons were responsive, the motion controlled nicely during the special stages, but one thing bothered me: the vibration was pretty loud, more annoying than on the menu. It wasn’t even that the controller shook more than a normal Wii Remote would, the motor was just really loud when shaking in that light plastic. It was distracting while playing solo, but I had my friend use it while we played New Super Mario Bros. Wii and it was even more distracting for me.
As for single player games, I tried it out in a more motion controlled game: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. I started a new game, and after sitting through the thirty minute opening sequence I got into the game and started swinging up and down, and I gotta say in a more active game where you get lost in both the action and the story the vibrating becomes less distracting, and the controller works wonderfully. I was able to run around and slash enemies and totally immerse myself in the game without even thinking about the controller.
Now I needed to try it with a more multiplayer motion controlled game, so out came Wii Sports. Me and a few friends played, and I had one of them use the Snakebyte so I could see if it would be distracting like it was in Mario. It wasn’t as big of a distraction, but it was very noticeable, and somewhat annoying. It’s not as big a deal in a game where you’re taking turns as it is when you’re playing at the same time, so Wii Sports is a good type of game to play multiplayer with this remote. Of course, I took the remote and it was very responsive as we played Wii Sports. In terms of responsiveness, it’s up there with the actual Wii Remote itself.
In short, at the end of the day the Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ is a great alternative to the Wii Remote Plus from Nintendo. It does exactly what it’s supposed to, and while it may feel a little light, and the vibration motor may be a little loud, it’s definitely a good controller. I highly recommend this for anyone who can use an extra Wii Remote in their household and doesn’t want to shell out the big bucks for the official Nintendo model. It’s a very welcome member of my Wii family!
Pros
Sleak, affordable alternative to Nintendo’s Wii Remote Plus
Rechargeable out of the box!
Very responsive
Cons
Vibrating motor is pretty distracting, especially when someone else uses it.
Halo Reach is on of the best games to hit the Xbox 360 console this year and the experience just keeps on growing. On November 30, 2010, Bungie will release a brand new map pack, the Noble Map Pack, that includes three original and unique maps for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The three maps are called Tempest, Breakpoint and Anchor 9. Breakpoint is the largest of the maps and Anchor 9 is the smallest one. But the DLC guys at Bungie do a much better job covering all the fantastic maps and you can watch their humorous, insightful commentary below. Enjoy and I will see you online on the 30th.
They are also discounting a lot of merchandise, including the following:
All Bonobo tees (was $19.00, now $12.99)
All Property of Bungie tees (was $19.00, now $12.99)
All Many Moods tees (was $19.00, now $12.99)
All Superintendent tees (was $19.99, now $14.99)
All Bungie Classic Ringer tees (was $19.99, now $14.99)
All Marathon Black Hoodies (was $39.99, now $19.99)
Bungie Crest Flashlight (was $9.99, now $7.99)
These deals are only available from the 26th to the 28th, so hurry. As a final note, does anybody have any explanations as to what exactly Bungie Aerospace is? I know it is a trademark, but any clues as to its real identity/purpose? A quick Google search turned up no answers for me.
It is hard to believe that graphics can get any better. Eventually, there will be no point to upgrading graphics because it would be impossible to make out any differences. Regardless, the guys behind the Unreal Engine feel there is still much to be done and they have released the beta for download. Anybody can download it or the full stable version at the official websitefor free! They have also put together a trailer showing off all the cool new options coming. Has anybody here messed around with it or created any amazing creations? Share them with us!
Ah, Double Fine, your wacky inspired ideas keep on coming and we keep on loving them. Their next adventure lets you take on the role of a a very small Russian nesting doll named Charlie Blackmore. He has been separated from his family and he needs to reunite. How does one tiny matryoshka make his way across a dangerous world? By hopping into other dolls and taking them over of course. If that sounds strange, it is. It is also very unique and, quite frankly, awesome.
One way that Double Fine plans to change up the game is that puzzles can solved in various ways with different options. In the trailer below, you can woo a guard using a lady doll, or you could sneak past him with a different doll. One other original feature in the game is the ability to keep stacking different dolls on top of yourself. You will only be able to use the outermost doll’s “powers” but you can unstack and restack to get the doll you want. Look for Stacking to hit on XBLA and PSN in 2011.
Martin Good, Executive Vice President, THQ Kids, Family, Casual Games, and Global Online Services said,“Stacking is distinctive in its overall cinematic look as well as its approach to puzzle solving, and we believe the game will appeal to both the casual and hardcore video game player. We are pleased to expand our library of digital download offerings and do so with high-quality games from the wonderfully creative team at Double Fine Productions.”
Double Fine Productions founder and CEO Tim Schafer says, “We’re really excited to be doing another game with THQ, building on the success we had with Costume Quest, and delivering another great adventure told in an entirely new way. What Lee has created with Stacking is something truly awesome – a game with a great story and puzzles, and a completely fresh method for interacting with them both.”
