The Record of Agarest War series has already settled itself into a nice niche fanbase in both America and Japan. This is only more evident with the fact that Record of Agarest War Zero is making its way to American shores making it the second game of its type here. Now Compile Heart is working on yet another Record of Agarest War title and is more of a direct sequel to the first game.
They have recently released another trailer for the game, that you can see below. (NSFW) Sure it may look risque but there is nothing overly revealing inside the game itself considered that it has been given a rating equivalent to a T rating. The trailer itself doesn’t show off many of the gameplay features other than the perverted nature of parts of the game. Check out the trailer beneath that one for some actual gameplay outside of the risque parts. There hasn’t been any news of this one making its way outside of Japan, but considering the fact that the rest of the series has made its way out overseas there is a good chance of Agarest War 2 as well.
Just yesterday we talked about how UbiWorkshop, a branch of Ubisoft, had been teasing us with some information and a video about their latest project named Assassin’s Creed: Ascendance. Only a day later however Ubisoft has completely removed the fog of the unknown with new information regarding the project. As it turns out, Assassin’s Creed: Ascendance will be a short animated film that will take place during 16th century Rome.
The short itself will be available on November 16th, a few days away, and given a recommended price of $2. While we’re not sure how long the short itself is, $2 may be a bit much to ask. On the other hand Ubisoft has promised that the film will bridge the gap between AC: 2 and AC: Brotherhood. So if you are extremely curious as to what happened between when we last saw Ezio in AC: 2 and when AC: Brotherhood begins then your chance will be arriving soon.
Remember the days when Pac-Man was just a yellow guy that had a few colored ghosts chasing him around as he ate everything that sat in front of him? Well those days are gone but not forgotten. Because with Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, you will have your choice of being able to change your visual style to however you want to.
From appearances it looks as though you may be able to play as the good old classic Pac-Man, a revamped 3D looking Pac-Man, and even some psychedelic looking areas. It’s always good to spark a bit of life into good old Pac-Man with some fresh coats of paint. But that isn’t all because this new Pac-Man will feature a handful of new game modes that show sleeping ghosts that wake to your presence as you pass near them, and even a mode where quite a large number of ghosts are trying to take you out.
Unfortunately there has been no word from Namco Bandai as to when we will be seeing Pac-Man CE DX show up for purchase. One thing we do know however is that it will be available on both the XBLA and the PSN, so better get amped up for some Pac-Man fever.
Ever wondered exactly how much the little bits and pieces within the Kinect cost, compared to the $150 you paid at the store for it? Well according to UBM TechInsights, which happened to take the Kinect apart piece by piece and analyze every single part that goes into making the Kinect what it is. As it turns out, the Kinect packs $56 worth of hardware with the most expensive bit being a $17 PrimeSense motion detection system that includes the cameras, processor, and microphones all in one figure.
While this would seem that the Kinect is giving Microsoft quite a large profit every time one is sold, it actually is far from it. There are no official figures to go off of but we can easily estimate that, while still making some sort of profit, the actual figure is much lower. The shipping cost of each unit, the labor cost of each one (even in a factory of machines it requires maintenance), the no doubt long and expensive development phase to name a few. But perhaps one of the most expensive price tag will rest in the marketing category. Especially considering everywhere you look there is Kinect marketing. Plus the fact that every new piece of technology released is essentially starting in a hole as far as profit is concerned thanks to the pre-market costs.
With the New Release date pushed foward, Info found here
This date is ALSO United states. I saw it with my own eyes at the Gamestop I work at. No surprise really after my conspiracy article found here
There is a complete track and car list that have been released. As many know there are over 1000 cars. That is a lot of rubber and aluminum. From the list that I have, there are 71 tracks and 1032 cars in the game. Here is a complete list of the tracks;
Fuji Speedway F
Fuji Speedway GT
Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit East Course
Superspeedway – Daytona
(Daytona International Speedway)
Road Course – Daytona
(Daytona International Speedway)
Tsukuba Circuit
Circuit de la Sarthe 2009
Circuit de la Sarthe 2009 (No Chicane)
Circuit de la Sarthe 2005
Circuit de la Sarthe 2005 (No Chicane)
Nürburgring Nordschleife
Nürburgring 24h
Nürburgring GP/F
Nürburgring GP/D
Nürburgring typeV
Superspeedway – Indy
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
Road Course – Indy
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza No Chicane
The Top Gear Test Track
Laguna Seca Raceway
High Speed Ring
High Speed Ring / Reverse
Cape Ring
Cape Ring Inside
Cape Ring Periphery
Cape Ring North
Cape Ring South
Autumn Ring
Autumn Ring / Reverse
Autumn Ring Mini
Autumn Ring Mini / Reverse
Deep Forest Raceway
Deep Forest Raceway / Reverse
Grand Valley Speedway
Grand Valley Speedway / Reverse
Grand Valley East Section
Grand Valley East Section / Reverse
Trial Mountain Circuit
Trial Mountain Circuit / Reverse
London
London / Reverse
Rome
Rome / Reverse
Circuito de Madrid
Circuito de Madrid / Reverse
Circuito de Madrid Mini
Circuito de Madrid Mini / Reverse
Tokyo R246
Tokyo R246 / Reverse
Special Stage Route 5 / Night
Special Stage Route 5 / Reverse / Night
Clubman Stage Route 5 / Night
Clubman Stage Route 5 / Reverse / Night
Special Stage Route 7 / Night
Côte d’Azur
Eiger Nordwand Short Track
Eiger Nordwand Short Track / Reverse
Eiger Nordwand K Trail
Eiger Nordwand K Trail / Reverse
Eiger Nordwand G Trail
Eiger Nordwand G Trail / Reverse
Eiger Nordwand W Trail
Eiger Nordwand W Trail / Reverse
Chamonix Main
Chamonix East
Chamonix West
Chamonix Mini
Toscana
Toscana / Reverse
Those dont really matter as much as the cars right? It is a heck of a long list. You could be scrolling for days. I will only list the car names im excited for and other people I know are excited for.
Camaro SS
Camaro Z28
DeLorean S2 ’04
Viper Srt ’10
Enzo Ferrari ’02
Interceptor Mk 3 ’74
Eclipse GT ’06
GTO Twin Turbo ’95
Did I spot the car from “Back to the Future” and “Mad Max” in there? Oh yes you did. Polyphony Digital knows how to salute to the classics. Dust off the ol’ prologue folks. Its going to be a long two weeks.
With the extreme popularity of Rovio’s Angry Birds it is only logical that they try to step beyond just the mobile iPhone and Android. That looks exactly like what will be happening. At the first ever Social Gaming Summit, Rovio’s CEO Peter Vesterbacka confirmed that the “PSN, Wii, and Xbox” versions of the very popular game are already in the works and on the way.
He also stated at the same conference that when these new versions are released that it will mark a new dawn for the Angry Birds franchise. What this most likely means is that we won’t be seeing any direct sequel to the game until these ports are finished. Though one can expect that there will be even more Angry Birds to be coming in the future, more of a direct sequel than a holiday spinoff such as the Halloween version we saw in October.
One of Activision’s key franchises just saw a new title release this week, Call of Duty: Black Ops. Surely to make a metric buttload of cash and sales, this is no surprise. However, one may remember not so long ago, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launched, it didn’t sell as much on PC. Not surprising to be honest, while FPS are certainly better suited to PC’s, not everybody has the know how or pockets deep enough to fund such an endeavor in order to play PC games.
But that wasn’t good enough for Activision. They wanted to hear from the fans themselves as to why the PC release didn’t sell so much. Was it DRM? Was it subpar porting? Was it shoddy controls? Lack of people to play multiplayer with? They simply had to know. So if you are looking for a place to post a serious question with intent on getting serious and informative thoughts on the subject, what one place do you want to post on that you KNOW you will get only the highest quality repsonses and insight? That’s right, 4chan!
So Activision asked, and so 4chan hath spoken. Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are scientifically proven to be awesome. Even if they don’t fit at all into the subject matter, the addition of dinosaurs in a game will reveal marked improvement in not only sales but overall quality. Take one of the most successful and widely known gaming franchises in freaking HISTORY, Mario. All those Yoshi’s proved so successful that they even spawned their own spin off franchise. Now take Call of Duty, hardly any dinosaurs! You do the math Activision, you freakin need to add them dinosaurs, pronto!
As great a game as Call of Duty: Black Ops is, I have yet to hear about any dinosaurs. Activision needs to seriously step up it’s game and start listening to what the fans, the very people who have made the franchise so successful, want. Unless they begin taking advice from the fans, Activision only serves to lose its hardcore fanbase, as 4chan has proven to be.
Sony has final confirmed that Gran Turismo 5 will, absolutely most definitively, be released in the UK on Wednesday November 24th. Yes that’s right on the 24th November that’s only 2 weeks away!
Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi said sometime last week that the game has gone into production, which to be honest points in the direction that the game was going to be released soon.
So for all the Gran Turismo fans out there the 24th can’t come soon enough and I am sure this news is Christmas come early for some of and the game should more likely be worth the wait and won’t fail to disappoint.
Game Name:Goldeneye 007 Platform(s): Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii (Reviewed) Publisher(s):Activision Developer(s):Eurocom Genre(s): Action, Shooter Release Date: November 2nd, 2010 (US) Price: $49.99 (Game Only) 69.99 (Bundled Version with Golden Classic Controller)
On August 25th, 1997, the first person shooter changed forever with the release of Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64. Sure the story was great, but most gamers remember that title for the gameplay as paved the way for multi-player shooters we all bank hours into today. With an interesting cast, crazy modes, and a perfectly balanced control scheme many consider the original Goldeneye to be one of the best games of all time. Over 13 years later, Eurocom have developed a brand new Goldeneye, this time for the Nintendo Wii. With a mix of fan service and updated graphics and gameplay, Goldeneye 007 has been one of this years most anticipated titles. How does it stand up? Here is my review.
Story
The main story in the game is based off the Goldeneye movie, just like the classic Goldeneye. Now there are some differences to point out with this though. Of course the graphics are now heavily updated (which I will touch on in a bit) as well as the sound, but the main difference in the story is the 2010 vibe that is given off.
First thing I should mention is that this Bond is of course not Pierce Brosnan, but instead the current Bond actor, Daniel Craig. Now I didn’t care for this all that much. Daniel Craig does an awesome job as Bond, don’t get me wrong, but in a game where nostalgia and fan service seem to be first priority, this was a small let down for me. I should explain this better though to paint a picture of how this even effects the story.
When you are in the story mode, accomplishing missions, fighting the Russians, ect., the whole game’s atmosphere can easily suck you in to that same feeling from the classic, but when a cutscene appears showing Daniel Craig instead of Pierce Brosnan, I was sucked back from my nostalgic 1997 feeling instantly. This was mainly just a personal preference, but either way nostalgia should not be used when going into the story mode is what I ultimately had to learn though, and once I got over that detail, the game took off for me.
The other updates to the story are mainly bringing present-day culture into the game, such as technology and other gadgets the classic version could never dream of having. I did like this a lot and along with the many cutscenes in the game, everything is easy to follow and the top notch writing bring out the characters in the present day setting well. The new voice work also adds a lot of depth to each personality portrayed.
Gameplay
The heart and soul of Goldeneye is meant to be the gameplay. Controls are very important in any Bond title, and with a name like Goldeneye, they need to live up to the standards that tag carries. I was very pleased with how Eurocom did the whole scheme as new players and old fans can each have a more personalized feel in this re-imagining. Players can choose from the Wii-Mote and Nunchuck, Classic Controller, Wii Zapper or the Gamecube controls to use their character or Bond Himself. I played with all of these, and while they all work fine, the classic controller stands miles above the other options.
With the dual sticks, controlling Bond or your multiplayer character of choice has never been easier. Each gun controls about the same as the next, but zooming in, cycling through weapons, and even the the added ability to now charge at enemies all is pulled off with ease and feels like many shooters of today such as Call of Duty and even the Halo series in some ways. The Wii-Mote does have a bit of an advantage with head-shots I noticed, but the classic controller just made the game more fun for me overall.
In story mode, missions are made where you can go back and get anything you might have missed during your first run, which should add a lot more value to the title for speed runners or perfectionists. Enemy AI is about standard fare for a current shooter, but it all seemed to work well. Enemies are smart enough to sense your presence which adds to the much needed stealth portion of the game. You can try to just charge through each level, but you won’t get very far as strategy is really needed to not cause alarm in many areas or you can easily surround yourself with enemies. I know this all too well now, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The standard shooting/stealth style gameplay is used throughout most of the story mode, but Goldeneye does switch it up from time to time. Bond is equipped with a smart-phone, allowing the ability to hack into computers and shut off security systems or perform several objectives in missions. The best part of story mode though is some of the events that happen on the fly, throwing the player right into a huge action sequence. From hopping on a motorcycle and shooting soldiers out of an airplane to running from rockets being blasted at you while escaping a burning building, every one of these events is action packed and feel as if they were ripped straight out of a movie. Not only are these one of the funnest features in the story, but they also happen smoothly and with no hiccups and actually require timing and skill rather quick-time button presses like many current action games use. The story does have it’s slow moments from time to time, like walking for instance without weapons for cutscene-like story progression. These took a bit out of the fast pace of some of the story mode but I felt the action sequences balanced it out well enough.
Difficulty is a big factor of how you play the game as well. With four difficulties, the one I should boast most about is the Classic 007 Mode. This mode does not let your health recharge (a problem I didn’t really notice too much, but I have several others did not like) and makes you keep an eye out for armor to restore health while in missions. This may sound a bit harder, but it actually encourages much more stealth and thought to be put into the game, and this difficulty in all honesty is one of the factors in the game that fans of the classic will enjoy most as it feels the closest to how the original was done. Replay value with these difficulties goes up incredibly and can turn the single player mode on it’s head providing a completely different experience.
Multiplayer
In the classic Goldeneye, split-screen multiplayer was the backbone of the game’s success in my opinion and this game does recapture the feeling of that, mostly anyway. Many of the classic multiplayer options have returned, such as Golden Gun, Conflict Mode (which is standard elimination-based multiplayer), and many other modes along with quite a few new maps that have been added in as well as some returning remakes of beloved favorites. Local multiplayer also brings many ways to play as well to fully modify your experience much like the original, such as paintball mode, you only live twice, and 14 other variants that can be added at will.
There are over 40 characters to choose from, each with a different weapon loadout. Many returning faces are in the mix as well, such as Oddjob, Natalya, and several classic characters. The only thing I missed really for local multiplayer was the ability to switch the weapons to Mines only and some of the classic weapons are no longer present, but the huge loadout options letting you personalize your character of choice made up most of that completely.
Online Multiplayer is a blast to play and one of the Wii’s best offerings in that area period. Using the classic “hosting” method, this works about the same as local multiplayer except without the modifiers. Players can also earn experience and level up their characters, unlocking more ways to play online such as the Classic 007 mode as well as a couple other locked modes. The leveling system works great and I spent quite a few hours in different match types with hardly any lag experienced. The only downside is if the host quits, the game comes to an end. This is a problem that can be very frustrating. Other than that though, I spent a lot of my time with the game online and it was a rewarding and fun experience 9 times out of 10 for me, so this feature is where the game shines the brightest.
Graphics/Audio
The graphics look great for Wii standards, but the models to me are the most impressive part visually. For instance Daniel Craig’s model looks exactly like the actor and in all cutscenes the characters dialogue matched well with the spoken voice work. Each location is polished to near perfection, but I did feel some of the textures were a little plain in certain areas of the game. Certain maps are more detailed than others, but it is really hard to pay attention to the walls being perfectly detailed anyway as the action and music seems to take the forefront of the experience.
Speaking of music, I found the soundtrack to be excellent. Goldeneye is constantly playing melodies throughout the story mode, and this is pulled off without a hitch and gives each area a level of atmosphere throughout the whole game. If you are a fan of the classic, you will hear many familiar themes play and as the action picks up, so does the intensity of the music, making it easy to get pulled into the gameplay and onto the edge of your seat. The opening cutscene with the credits rolling truly set the mood for the whole game and instead of getting poorer in quality, the game stayed on that platform the whole way through. Sound effects all sound as they should, but voice acting is another element that added a lot of depth to the story and helped make it feel fresh and modern. Judi Dench and Daniel Craig as well as all of the other voice talent included did a spectacular job at giving each character a personality. I was honestly surprised at the level presentation value that went into the title, but it was all welcome as it added that much more depth to each element of gameplay.
Overall
If you are buying Goldeneye 007 to get the same experience as the Nintendo 64 version offered, this game is not for you. While it does recapture a lot of feel for the original in different ways, all of the work to modernize the classic more or less made it a whole new experience, which is not a bad thing. Multiplayer is still just as fun as it was 13 years ago, but with the added online mode, it was hard for me to put down the controller. Goldeneye does accomplish one thing that the previous version did as well, and that was to show off the full potential of the platform it was made for. With the different control schemes and sharp and smooth visuals, this game should set a blueprint for future first person shooters on the console and how they should play. Add in the high grade single player mode a spectacular in-game soundtrack, and this in my opinion is the first person shooter to own on the Wii.
It’s a week before the hotly anticipated Bit.Trip Fate releases on the European Wii Shop Channel, but until then, here’s this week’s Nintendo downloads:
Cruise Party (WiiWare: Enjoy Gaming, 800 Wii Points)
Enjoy Your Massage!(WiiWare: Microforum, 500 Wii Points)
And so concludes this week’s goings-on WiiWare and DSiWare-wise. Is anybody picking any of these up? Or are all your eyes so fixated on Bit.Trip Fate coming next week that nothing else could convince you to part with your precious Wii Points?
If you do decide to pick one or more of these up, do let us know what you think of it/them.
