Sumo Digital is releasing the critically acclaimed and explosively awesome racing game on the PSP system. You can download the demo off the Playstation Store already. Split/Second on the PSP will feature a built from the ground control scheme and “spectacular” graphics. There will also be four new challenge modes. According to the PS Blog, the criteria for building these modes was this: (1) blow things up; (2) race really fast; (3) use the environment to your advantage; (4) combine 1 to 3 while trying to get the highest score! Sounds good to me. Split/Second on PSP will also include an original track that combines previous Docks tracks and makes a unique track that is apparently reaaaallly long. Watch the trailer here.
Game: SingStar Dance
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: SCE London Studio
Genre: Dancing, Party, Karaoke
Platform: PS3
Release: Out Now!
Price: £19.99
You’ve played one SingStar, you’ve played them all… right?
Wrong! Take one hugely successful singing game franchise, integrate a new dance feature which utilities the Playstation Move controller and you have one incredibly fun combination which is sure to be a hit this coming holiday season.
As continued big hitter for Sony, SingStar has had something of an across the board VIP revamping which sees SingStar Dance following the recently released SingStar Guitar onto store shelves. SingStar Guitar, which supplemented singing action with guitar-based game-play was reviewed here.
Should you be an early adopter of the Playstation Move controller the first time you load the game up you will be welcomed to an initial setup process for the game. This ensures the correct calibration of the Move controller to your personal surroundings. Once this quick and easy setup is complete you should be all set to tackle the 30 track line-up and dance the night, or afternoon, away!
Those familiar with the series should feel right at home using the tried and tested interface that has served previous instalments so well with the only difference being the addition of an on-screen dancer whose moves you must mimic with the Move controller. This handy feature displays choreography and timing guidelines that fit extremely well for the song you have chosen to dance and/or sing along with. It should be noted at this point that despite being a well developed aspect of the new game (and part of the title) the dancing is completely optional and SingStar Dance can just as easily be enjoyed without having to shake your thang!
Gameplay
Rather than have players hold a Move controller and microphone at once the game instead allows players to share the singing and dancing duties as a multiplayer experience. You can have up to two singers and two dancers during each track (make sure your play area is big enough for this) with the screen dividing into two to accommodate the different modes. Vocal tracks take position on one side with one track above the other for two singers with the the dancers section taking the up the other side. There is an option to play online too but only with friends on your friends list.
Using Move controllers dancers attempt to mimic the onscreen performer, a task which should be fairly easy for most to pick up. Even players with two left feet should pick up the routines with a little repetition and who knows, SingStar Dance might see a whole generation of disco wallflowers becoming dance floor pros in no time at all!
In single player mode you can sing solo and dance alone but trying to do both is something of a logistical nightmare and confusing in the extreme. Little wonder then that many of today’s popstars prefer to mime instead of performing fully live! Personally I would have loved to have a headset style microphone that would not only make you look the real deal but would also free up your hands for throwing shapes! I honestly believe either using this kind of hands free microphone or even the mic on on the Playstation Eye camera (required anyway for Move) would have made the game much more fun as well as a great deal less limiting as trying to dance and sing with the Playstation Move controller in one hand and the SingStar mic in the other is best left to all but the most flexible and ambidextrous of individuals.
Selecting which of the 30 track song line up you wish to bust a move to in the dance mode is made simple using the Move controller for navigation. The aim of this mode is to follow the on-screen dancer as they demonstrate the carefully choreographed dancing moves. You earn points by dancing at the right time and in the correct position and the more accurate your movement the higher the score accrued – it’s really as simple as that.
As with past SingStar titles you have the option to watch the original music video of any chosen track or even watch a live feed of you from the Playstation Eye camera as you perform – great fun if you have mates over! The PlayStation Eye also allows takes random snapshots during play which can then be viewed at the end of each performance. These snapshots can then be edited, saved and, should you feel brave enough, uploaded to your MySingStar and Facebook profile to share to the world!
If there is a negative with this mode it’s that other top tier dance games on the market tend to show you the upcoming step to create smooth transitions during play whereas Singstar Dance requires you to watch the onscreen dancer and then mimic the move pretty much after it has happened. This becomes less of an issue after multiple playthroughs due to the repetition required but it does take the fun out the game a little. In addition I also found that the Move detection was occasionally off the mark and believe this may have been overcome if the game supported the use of two Move controllers. This would definitely help players pull off some of the tougher moves in the harder difficulty levels.
In terms of unlockable features and in-game career progression Singstar Dance does not really open up anything new as the game continues. Instead the game is aimed squarely at having a a good time from the get go with it’s bright and breezy approach.
With a good tracklist out of the box and a great back catalogue of songs available for download via the SingStore on the Playstation Network there is plenty to keep players occupied. The only downside is that downloadable tracks available at the time of writing are not ‘dance enabled’ although I am informed that Sony are actively looking into this.
Overall
I feel Sony hit all the right notes with this crowd pleaser of a game and with Christmas just around the corner it’s nice to see a high quality karaoke/party game on the shelves and at a great price-point too. With a strong tracklisting and the ability to use any previously purchased songs in the new game there is plenty to enjoy. Hopefully Sony will consider incorporating a second move controller for accuracy of movement and a hands free mic for those that want to sing and dance in the not too distant future.
So whether you are looking for a game that will give you a good workout both physically and vocally or simply something to have fun with or even get you fit after Christmas this game is more than worth the effort and surely a better alternative than the latest z-list ‘celebrity’ workout video. It’s a combo package that’s definitely worth making a song and dance about!
Tracklist
The Tracklist for SingStar Dance is right up my street and features a great range of pop, dance and R&B tunes from a variety of eras. From Gloria Gaynor’s “I will Survive” to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” this SingStar will surely have everyone rockin’ around the Christmas tree this year.
1. N Sync – Bye Bye Bye
2. Black Eyed Peas – Shut Up
3. Blondie – Heart Of Glass
4. Chris Brown – With You
5. Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
6. Diana Ross and The Supremes – Baby Love
7. Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
8. Gossip – Standing In The Way Of Control
9. Gwen Stefani – What You Waiting For?
10. Jamiroquai – Cosmic Girl
11. KC & The Sunshine Band – That’s The Way (I Like It)
12. Kid Cudi vs Crookers – Day ‘N’ Nite
13. Kool And The Gang – Celebration
14. La Roux – Bulletproof
15. Lady Gaga – Poker Face
16. MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This
17. New Kids On The Block – Hangin Tough
18. Outkast – Hey Ya!
19. Paula Abdul – Straight Up
20. Pitbull – I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)
21. Reel 2 Real feat. The Mad Stuntman – I Like To Move It
22. Ricky Martin – Living La Vida Loca
23. Run DMC vs Jason Nevins – It’s Like That
24. Salt N Pepa – Push It
25. Shaggy – Boombastic
26. Sir Mix A Lot – Baby Got Back
27. Soulja Boy – Crank That
28. The Backstreet Boys – Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)
29. The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back
30. The Pussycat Dolls – Don’t Cha
MasterAbbott Yes thats me .. runs you through three of the special unlocks / easter eggs from Call Of Duty Black Ops from the main menu screen. Special thanks goes out to the Radical one for his assistance. Now .. for once in my life .. Less typing typing more talking .. oh wait isn’t that the other way around .. oh who cares .. Enjoy the video and grabs yourself some some extra achievements, avatar clothing and a little piece of happiness.
Secrets Covered :
Unlocking ZORK (Text Based Adventure)
Unlocking Dead Ops Arcade
Unlocking “FIVE” Zombie Map (Pentagon Map) & All Campaign.
Watch the video on how and where you enter these codes to unlock special avatar clothing, achievements.
If you take a look above you will see two familiar heroines of the Mega Man series. On the left is Roll and to the right is Tron Bonne. The girl in the middle is a new addition thanks to the fans voting for her more than the other finalist designs for a new heroine in the new Mega Man Legends 3.
Aero as she is called, according to Capcom, is a 14 year old girl that is optimistic and jumps into situations head first without thinking. She is an operator, but also absentminded and has limited knowledge about machines. Sounds like she may lead to some clutzy moments within the game. Especially considering according to said document she also happens to have a love interest in Mega Man Legends 3, though we do not know who as the name has been censored out.
The look above is slightly different form the way she appeared in her concept art, but then again she had to fit alongside the rest of the characters we usually see in the Mega Man Universe. We do not know of any specific release date other than sometime in 2011, though considering the fact that Mega Man Legends 3 is set for release on the Nintendo 3DS, then it will of course have to be after that’s release date.
Fans of the Golden Sun series will be happy to know that the third installment of the Golden Sun series, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, will be arriving on the Nintendo DS on November 29th for the US and December 2nd for Australia. This is the first time that the Golden Sun series has been designed specifically for the DS.
This becomes clear when players notice that they have a huge world to explore and experience. Players will explore and obtain more than 70 different Djinn. Djinn give players the ability to control the elements of the world, with each playable character in the party capable of carrying their element of Djinn. After collecting a certain amount of Djinn players will be able to summon deities that unleash powerful attacks that fill the entire screen. But it isn’t all about destruction as players use their new elemental powers to solve puzzling dungeons and survive the environment around them.
The story takes place thirty years after the events of the previous two games; Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. This means that we won’t be seeing any familiar faces this time around, but it does give the series a breath of fresh air with new characters that start from a simple quest of finding a lost friend, to having to save the world from an unknown catastrophe.
With the release of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX within the next 24 hours on the 360. Namco Bandai has decided that it is time to bring back some good ol’ classics. They are planning to do this using the label Namco Generations which will be bringing with it a handful of arcade classics that will be coming back with high definition graphics and new enhanced gameplay.
With Pac-Man Championship Edition DX already being labeled under this title we can already see what to expect with the other games that have been announced. These games are Galaga Legions DX and Aero-Cross which will be a re-imagining of Namco’s 1985 arcade game called Metro Cross. As far as the other two go, this is the only one receiving a name change.
We can expect to see a bunch of new revivals to be announced throughout the next year and beyond. These games will also allow players to check on the latest Namco Generations news, tips, and special announcements. These features come standard with any purchase of a Namco Generations title, so no extra fees to worry about. I’m curious to see what other games they will make into HD, any guesses?
Yep you read that right. That means that if you happened to buy Final Fantasy XIV right now and installed it, not only would you get the 30 day trial that the box is talking about, not even a 60 day trial because they already extended that trial once, but a 90 day trial. Meaning that players will be able to experience the world of Eorzea for three months without paying a single dime. Instead Square-Enix is going to be picking up that bill.
Though as far as things have been going with FFXIV, that bill seems to be more like a shovel now. The game is gorgeous at first glance, but turns out to be nothing more than a frustratingly designed game that has been met with extremely harsh feedback, plummeting playerbase, and a dangerous amount of brand name damage.
Yoichi Wada, the CEO of Square-Enix has stated that they are determined to get back the trust that they have lost with the depressingly designed FFXIV, but it is not looking good. All may not be lost though as the blog post on FFXIV’s website also stated that there will be two large scale version updates in the near future. One of these updates which is going to make “significant improvement to the FF14 experience” will be available in late November (Tentative 25th), with the second update in Mid-December.
Now MMOs are huge undertakings, requiring a large amount of resources on the developers part to keep them up and running, while also keeping their fans and players happy. But instead of happy players, they have an angry mob that they are only placating with free time to play the game. But it doesn’t seem to be doing much good. The good news about this extension is that players’ free trial will extend to see both new patches hit the game. So maybe if these patches fix the various problems then they will return. Otherwise things are not looking good for Square Enix as far as their MMO department goes.
While most of us have our PS2s only collecting dust somewhere, seems like 70% of gamers in Japan have their next generation consoles collecting dust instead. This comes from a survey that was taken at the Tokyo Game Show where 1,000 attendees were polled by the CESA about what console they use the most to play their games.
700 of this sample of 1,000 answered that they prefer their PS2 and still play it more than every other system that is out there, even the PS3. The survey involved attendants checking off the consoles which they still use, which will show why these numbers do not equal 100% but far more than that. While the PS2 is still the most used game console, the PSP is holding together 68.6% of the vote for handhelds while the DS is just barely ahead with 68.7%. Very close numbers there.
So what about the consoles that we hear about everyday, with companies trying to get us to always pay more attention to their system? Well those numbers are much smaller, but unsurprising with the core demographic of attendants at the Tokyo Game Show. The numbers are below:
Wii 56.7%
PS3 47.7%
Xbox 360 19.6%
This seems to stay true to the factor that the Xbox 360 still is struggling to establish a hold in Japan compared to the other two consoles which are being used by around half of those surveyed. Interesting figures and honestly it is surprising to see the PS2 still going strong after all of these years.
Didn’t it just seem like a few days ago we had no idea when Pac-Man Championship Edition DX would be released? Well now we know when that release date will be. Tomorrow. Yep Namco Bandai has released today that Pac-Man CE DX will be coming to the XBLA on November 17th for 800 MSP, and on November 23rd on the Playstation Network for $10.
This new edition of Pac-Man brings with it new mazes and different modes that change up your standard Pac-Man experience by throwing some eye catching environments and color changing backgrounds to help keep things from getting to stagnant. There is the new Core Attack Mode, Time Trial mode, and Ghost Combo. Ghost Combo is very interesting I believe, because rather than your score counting on finishing a level and advancing, it instead focuses on how many ghosts Pac-Man can eat while keeping himself going with Power Pellets.
While there wasn’t a whole lot of warning that this game was ready for the market so soon, it’s great news. Pac-Man fever doesn’t halt for anyone and with a variety of new modes to experience and the new graphics that it sports, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX will be hard to pass up.
Eager to play your favorite Prince of Persia games from the past? But don’t feel like dusting off that PS2 and putting it in? Well then you are in luck today because Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is already set to be released on the Playstation Store today for the US. While in Europe everyone will be picking up the Prince of Persia Trilogy on a Blu-Ray disc, US fans will have to settle with purchasing each game of the trilogy separately.
Yep you read that right. The entire Prince of Persia Trilogy will be making its way onto the PSN within the next month starting today. The latter two volumes, Warrior Within and The Two Thrones will be available on the PSN sometime in December. Each episode of the trilogy will have enhanced graphics, 3D Support, Trophies, and only cost $15 each. That only rings up to a price tag of $45 for the whole trilogy, sounds like a good deal to me.
