You know it is a good sign that Nintendo believes in your game when they put together a Wii bundle specifically for your release. That is especially true in Mistwalker’s case, because their upcoming RPG The Last Story has just gotten a Wii Bundle that was announced today by Nintendo. Sure this bundle comes out only in Japan, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good news for everyone else.
This bundle will come with a copy of the game, a white Wii, and a white Classic Controller Pro and costs ¥25,800 ($310). Though if you already own a Wii you can purchase the special edition instead, which comes with the agame, a mini soundtrack, and an Elements of The Last Story visual book. The game itself will be hitting shelves in Japan on January 27th 2011, but there has yet to be a release date for the rest of the world.
The reason I said this was good news for everyone else as well is because since Nintendo believes in the product enough to bundle it with a Wii, there is a good enough chance that they also believe in the product enough to take it across the seas to the rest of the world. Time will tell however as we currently have no release date, or even any confirmation that it will be making its way outside of Japan.
Blueside’s upcoming MMO Kingdom Under Fire II has just been announced for the PS3. Sure it may have already been announced for a release on the PC and the Xbox 360 in the past, but now it will be making its way to the PS3. This news comes out of a joint press conference with SCEK (Sony Computer Entertainment Korea) at Pusan’s G-Star 2010 event.
The PS3 version will be coming with exclusive missions and characters as well as an optimized gaming engine that will take advantage of the PS3’s graphical processing power and display graphics at the same level as a PC at max settings. The game itself is set for release in 2012 on the PS3, with the PC and 360 version sometime in 2011.
The reasoning for choosing to release the game on the PS3 as well was stated by Blueside CEO Sejung Kim, saying “because PS3 offers many possibilities considering the aspects of an MMORPG that requires continuous updates.” The game will be seeing a worldwide release, and hopefully will make up for the poor criticism the last Kingdom Under Fire game received, though that one strayed far from the proven formula.
It is hard to compare the PS3 and the Xbox 360 to the Wii as far as sales go, but as far as digital media goes the two former consoles have a much better policy and it is quite hard to deny this fact. Nearly every game on the PSN has the ability to download a demo for it and give players a chance to sample the game before purchase. While with the Xbox 360 every game that is released comes with a demo available for trial, even Indie games.
The Wii on the other hand used to offer a handful of WiiWare demos in the past, but has not for quite some time. This will end next week as Nintendo has announced that on November 22nd they will begin a new lineup of WiiWare demos. But bear in mind that there are only a handful of demos available. The games managing to get a demo version are as follows: And Yet It Moves, Jett Rocket, ThruSpace, and Bit.Trip Fate.
All good games to receive a demo for, however Nintendo also had to put in the following statement with their release which causes their demo policy to still fall short of the mark: “additional demos will be added on Mondays and each will remain available on the Wii Shop Channel for a limited time.” This means that any demos currently available will not always be there to give them a try, and will be cycled out for different games. I’m not sure if Nintendo is worried about the fact that players will give the demo a try and simply pass up the game since they played a few minutes of it? Or are they concerned that it will disenchant players from making impulse buys? Either way it is good news that Nintendo is bringing back demos at all.
Just a month ago many hopes were dashed when news came out that Ignition’s WarDevil had been canceled completely due to excessive production costs and a long development time of six years. But all is not lost because UTV Ignition has decided to resurrect the game now that it has undergone a reassessment of the studio’s assets. It will no longer be called WarDevil anymore however, as it now sports the name of Project Kane.
Hassan Sadiq, group chairman of UTV Ignition had this to say about their decision to bring the long developed game back to life:
“Following a comprehensive audit of the title, assets and internal team, we have decided that a core team responsible for the Project Kane prototype will take the game into full production, led by the key vision holders,”
“There has been speculation recently about this project but our vision has always been to create top quality content both with internal and external partners and this latest commitment combines the best of the DNA behind the original project vision with some of the creative talent available in the broader industry. Outsourcing ensures flexibility and broader expertise that will dovetail perfectly with internal skill sets to speed up the process and ensure a title of true excellence.”
Design Director Julian Glover stated that the team was able to bring with it some of the best in the UK, including names from Burnout 3, Crysis, Little BigPlanet, and Heavenly Sword joining the roster. Plus we now have a release date to go along with the name change. Though it is simply a quarterly release date which means it can change at any time it is currently slated for a Quarter 4 2011 release. I’m curious if Project Kane will end up being the full title name when it will be released or if it is simply a placeholder until a new name can be made?
Developer: ColdWood Interactive
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation 3 – MOVE Required
Release date: November 9, 2010
Genre: Fighting
Modes: Single player, multiplayer Ratings: ESRB: T
Have you ever wanted to enter an underground fighting circuit? Ever had the desire to take on all the meanest and toughest fighters from the other side of the tracks but your mother never let you because she said it just too dangerous? Well now is your chance to live out that dream by brawling your way to the top and proving everyone wrong in the process…. including your mom! ColdWood Interactive’s The Fight: Lights Out for Playstation 3 MOVE will let you do that and more.
The Fight is a fairly comprehensive fighting game – a lot of work has gone into making the game enjoyable both inside and outside of the ring. An impressive amount of features have been thrown in to keep you busy. Some of the features include the customisable avatar that allows you design what your fighter will physically look like, making him tall or short, fat or thin, heavy or light. ColdWood have incorporated an extensive upgrade system that will allow you build your fighter just the way you like. This is achieved by allocating points which you earn whilst training your characters abilities – such as strength, stamina, speed, chin and heart just to name a few.
There’s a slight RPG feel in The Fight where you can grind to build up your stats in a variety of different training modes, such as punching heavy bags, sparing and endurance and hitting speed balls to name a few. The more time you take to build your fighter’s abilities / stats, the stronger he’ll become in fights and this is especially important later into the game. The only problem with training is that after a while it can get a little repetitive – not to mention that you have to exert real physical energy to grind and pick up skill points to allocate to abilities. Once you do get the hang of it and start performing well in each training session, you’ll end up raking up lots of skill points. Just remember this ain’t no walk in the park – life wasn’t meant to be easy and if you want to make it to the top of mountain – you’re going to have to work hard to get there.
Continuing on the topic of training, pain, abuse, tears and tough love, Hollywood movie star Danny Trejo plays the role of your “tough as nails” trainer. You first meet up with Danny as he sits in a dark and dingy little training gym and it doesn’t take him very long before he starts barking orders at you . You might know Danny Trejo from films such as “Machete” and just recently “Predators”. Danny guides you through The Fights tutorials and clearly explains to you how everything works in a language that you’re forced to understand as I felt at times Danny was going to come thought the TV and grab me by the neck and choke the living crap out of me for not listening. Throwing Danny Trejo into The Fight was just what the doctor ordered – it’s always great to take orders from a bad ass movie star rather than some unknown computer generated trainer. Danny makes you want to work a little harder just to show him that you can be a hard as he is.
The Fight is best played with two Playstation Move controllers in hand. If you only have one Move controller don’t worry, you can still enjoy the game as it also works with one DualShock and Move controller in each hand. This is not the recommended option (Even Danny gets a little upset about it) but you can still enjoy the game as you’re also shown how to hold the DualShock controller and which buttons to press to pull of specific punches.
The Fight has some impressive tracking allowing you to perform some pretty hardcore bone crunching punches. The most important thing is making sure you calibrate the controller(s) and eye camera perfectly at the start of the game and that you follow the instructions given at the beginning – this is crucial if you want The Fight to track the positions of your punches, their trajectory and the force of your blows accurately. One great feature is that the harder you swing, the more damage you can inflict on your opponent. If you don’t, then frustration will most certainly kick in and even if you think your swinging perfectly – nothing will register, and in the end you’ll be the one that’s lying on the ground in a pool of your own blood while the victor collects his big pay cheque.
When playing these types of games, your first reaction would be to bounce around, bob and weave, float like a butterfly and skip around the room showing off your fancy foot work. Straight off the bat in one of the early tutorials, Danny Trejo screams at you and say “KEEP YOUR FEET FIRMLY PLANTED ON THE GROUND” If you move around you’ll need to use the MOVE controller and press the Move button and gently tilt the controller in the direction you want to move in. You can also perform a quick side step by flicking the controller left or right and that will hopefully get you out of harm’s way. From personal experience, punching and not being able to move your feet feels very uncomfortable and awkward and you can’t execute the same amount of power generated from your hips when your feet are stuck in one place.
At certain times during a fight the game might lose focus of where you are making your moves, blocks, punches etc feel a little off balanced. In situations like this you can make use of the recalibration button on the MOVE which will quickly re-align your hands/arms and allow you to get back into the fight. There are also moments in the game where you think you’re pulling off some super punches by following the correct Move gestures but unfortunately your onscreen fighter just doesn’t cut the mustard in landing them. Some punches where you miss your opponent by a long shot will have you scratching your head and wandering what you did wrong. Sometimes getting in really close to your opponent will cause this to happen, giving you the feeling that the game is unresponsive when in actual fact the problem is related to the fighters / game not recalculating its punch distance once the fighters are up close to one another.
Multiplayer in The Fight allows you to bring your own character that you’ve been using in the game online, which can be both good and bad. It’s good if you’re the kind of person that’s been training in the gym for hours and hours and your abilities are through the roof – as you’ll be smashing your opponents left, right and centre. On the flip side if you don’t train and step into the ring with that guy that’s got super high abilities and muscles bulging through his tight t-shirt, the fight won’t last very long and you’ll most certainly be lying on the ground and possibly cursing at the other guy who’s probably on the other side of the world laughing at how pathetic a fighter you are. Personally, I believe that it would have been better to jump in and pick a randomly generated fighter with the same abilities when playing online – that way the fight is fair no one has the advantage.
The Fight has hundreds of fights and over ten hours of gameplay time – even more if you decide to grind in the gym and build up your stats and abilities. You’ll get to unlock some cool clothes, taunts, moves and even bet on your fight to make that extra bit of money while taking on different opponents. Each fight also has you trying to obtain different objectives such as knocking out your opponent before the timer runs out, or sustaining less than 25% damage for the entire fight. While this will keep you entertained and on your toes, not a lot changes after a couple of hours of battling your way through the campaign and unfortunately fighting will get a little repetitive. If you stick it out like a true champion, you’ll end up burning a lot of calories and feeling great about it. And to top it off – you’ll be able to prove to your mother that you can hang with the big boys and make it to the top.
One of the first consoles I ever owned was an Atari 2600. There were many titles I enjoyed back in the day for it such as Donkey Kong, Asteroids and Space Invaders, but one of the most memorable for me was the classic Yars’ Revenge. I was thrilled to hear the recent news that the age old shooter is now getting a brand new title and graphical overhaul for the Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network.
Atari are bringing back Yars’ Revenge in a whole new way, with an anime inspired art style and a plot that expands upon the original’s story (I can honestly say I had no idea there was a story in the first, not that I remember anyway). The game also features local co-op gameplay, multiple endings, intense battles, and visually striking landscapes designed to appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers.
Here is a bit more information from Atari on this new release:
In Yars’, players will take on the role of a nameless Yar, who has been brainwashed by the evil Qotile empire to do their bidding. After being shot down and rescued by the ancient and mysterious Bar Yargler, she sets off on a ferociously focused mission, to seek revenge on her former master and his deadly squad of assassins. The bio-technological nightmare of the Qotile home world provides stunning backdrops for players to fly through in aerial combat with their enemy.
“Yars’ Revenge is one of the most popular Atari games of all time, leaving fans eager to experience the next chapter,” says Jim Wilson, President and CEO of Atari, Inc. “The new Yars’ Revenge updates this classic with anime inspired art direction, intense aerial battles and local co-op gameplay.”
Normally remakes of Atari classics are a flip of a coin on being successful, but after seeing the teaser trailer, I was blown away by how the clip made this newer version look. The anime art style instantly gave it a feeling of depth and yet still feels like you can easily associate it with the classic. It may be a bit early, but I think we could be seeing a huge rebirth of a franchise here, and I can’t wait to try this game out. Yars’ Revenge should be out for download on the XBLA and PSN sometime in early 2011 and you can check out the teaser below for yourself.
You heard right, strategy game RUSE is getting a fresh bout of extra content courtesy of Ubisoft. The free extra content will be released in December on Xbox Live®, PlayStation Network® and Steam®, while the exact release date has yet to be revealed.
“The Manhattan Project Pack” will include three exclusive multiplayer maps, along with two additional multiplayer modes. The multiplayer maps will face you off against armies in North African territories, in Italy and in Holland for 2vs2 and 3vs3 battles.
“Nuclear war” will enable you to produce nuclear Long Tom cannons, with mutual nuclear threat involved. The destructive scope of R.U.S.E. just flew off the charts.
In “Total War”, the battle starts in 1939 and History advances every ten minutes, unlocking new units and technologies.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, a co-op escapade releasing exclusively for Nintendo Wii, has received a launch trailer ahead of its release on the 19th November. The games emphasis is on co-operative play, as further hit home by the images seen in the trailer.
The video features two men firing rounds out of their respective Wii controllers as they infiltrate an industrial estate. I actually think it is very well done, and the idea of firing real bullets out of a Wii controller is hilarious. On the other hand, if you’re looking for gameplay to see what the game is like you’re out of luck. Aside from the last ten or so seconds, there is little footage of the game to see. Still, it makes a great ad for the game, and it certainly held my attention.
RAGE comes to your mobile device with the hit of the wastelands, Mutant Bash TV! This intense first-person rail shooter casts you in the starring role of a post-apocalyptic game show where you’ll be stalked by hungry mutants while you scour pulse-pounding levels for ammo and cash pick-ups. Make a deal with J.K Stiles, the show’s menacing host, and see if you have what it takes to survive this carnage-filled carnival of death!
Note: RAGE HD with high resolution textures also available on iTunes for the iPhone 4, iPod 4 and the iPad. The iPAD version look absolutely amazing !!
KEY FEATURES
•Created specifically for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad . . . experience the post-apocalyptic mayhem of the RAGE universe for the first time!
•Arm yourself with a pistol, shotgun or machine gun, and battle your way through three levels – the mutant-infested Tenements, the lunatic-ridden Asylum and the not so-abandoned Bunker.
• Perform hit-streaks and pick up “Bash Bux” to increase your performance as you make your way through the action-packed levels, each with four degrees of difficulty.
• Complete Mutant Bash TV challenges and replay levels to beat your top score.
• Experience high resolution graphics coupled with dynamic music and sound effects.
This looks great and priced at only .99 US ($1.19) you’d be mad to give it a try. Stay tuned we’ll have a video review of this very very soon !!
Spelunker HD, a remake of a 1983 classic, will be available on November 23, 2010 for the PS3 system. The game will feature 100 new levels and 10 new worlds in addition to the regular game. Priced at $9.99, the challenging game will feature the “weakest player in all of gaming,” in an adventure about bravery and exploring caves while battling “every gamer who has ever climbed down into the dark cave but failed to escape (and) is now hell bent on your demise.” Other dangers include pits, traps and other ghastly unmentionable enemies. Another cool add-on is the 6 player online coop. Check out the trailer for the game here.
