Following the success of Sniper: Ghost Warrior’s release on the PC and Xbox 360, City Interactive have now announced that the title is now headed to the PS3 with many updated features and even a fresh coat of paint applied on the graphical engine.
Here is a look at what to expect with the Playstation 3 version:
Fully upgraded gameplay and graphics;
Exclusive single player missions for PS3 owners;
Bonus multiplayer maps;
Exclusive new multiplayer modes including Capture the Flag and Hard Core difficulty mode
Exclusive new sniper rifles including the L96 and the M200 Intervention
Bonus single-player challenge: Additional mission with Hard Core mode to challenge the very best players.
“Sniper: Ghost Warrior was our most ambitious project to date and although it was extremely well-received by players, we wanted to ensure that the PS3TM version took the franchise to a higher level,” said Marek Tyminski, CEO of City Interactive. “With exclusive content and modes, we are eager to introduce the best sniper game on the market to PS3owners sometime in Q1 next year.”
It is great to see that the PS3 is getting some love with Sniper: Ghost Warrior, and with all of these new updates and features, this may be the definitive version of the game to get. It is also good to know that City Interactive seems to be putting a lot of love into this port and applying effort to give the game a fresher look and feel. If you haven’t noticed, the Xbox 360 version has been updated several times due to fan feedback alone which is great as this developer actually listens to the audience’s demands. There is not an official date for this port other than it will be released sometime during the first quarter of 2011 as said in the official statement but we will keep you updated as more news in announced.
Akaoni Studio’s popular arcade shooter shouldn’t need a very big introduction for Nintendo Wii owners as since it’s release, the WiiWare title has hit #1 on the charts and gained high acclaim from gamers and reviewers alike. Those who were on the fence about shelling out the 1000 points in Europe are now in luck as a demo is on it’s way to the WiiWare, but for a limited time only.
Starting Friday, players can dive into the role of Momotoro, Snow White, or Dorothy to protect Wonderland from hordes of zombies. As I mentioned, this demo will only be available in Europe at the moment and just for a limited time. Check out the trailer below to get a look at the action for yourself of this unique shooter for the WiiWare.
You can now download an official demo for the game onto your DS now through the Nintendo Channel on the Wii, as announced on the official Nintendo website too. Please note you do need a Wii as well as a DS to get a hold of the DS demo.
To get your hands on the demo, simply select the DS Download Service icon on the first screen of the Nintendo Channel.
From there you should see the Sonic Colours demo, at which point you can select it on the Wii to set off the signal needed to download it on your DS. Then all you have to do is switch on your DS, and transfer it onto your DS by choosing DS Download play on the DS start-up screen. It’s as simple as that.
So who will be downloading this? It’s free and is a great opportunity to trial the game before it releases in order to decide whether or not to pick it up. Let us know what you think of it if you do decide to check it out.
Yes, you are reading that right. Legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan along with “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart and Brook Hogan have all shown up in a new advertisement for Def Jam Rapstar. The clip is actually quite humorous and even exposes that Hogan does have the “stuff” to perform against anyone on the mic as well. Brooke on the other hand seems to think rapping to the Notorious B.I.G. needs to be sung proving anyone can use their own special talents to mix it up in the new music title. Either way, all parties involved might have just sold me a copy as the game looks to be a lot of fun.
You can check out the full clip below and Def Jam Rapstar is also now available everywhere for all of you aspiring rappers out there.
Click the above comparative image to see the new Playstation Phone
The Internet has been rife with rumour the last few months on the possibilities of either a PSP2 a Playstation Phone or some sort of eclectic hybrid of both. We are happy to announce that rumours now appear to be fact, as the popular site Endgaget have leaked the specs of their acquired ‘Playstation Phone’ collaboration between Sony and Ericcson. The question remains, is this also the long awaited PSP 2 as well as next gen smart phone?
Below are the specifications:
– The Operating system appears to be Android 2.x complete with it’s own app store
– 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor
– 512MB of onboard RAM, with a microSD expansion slot (which is comparable to an iPhone 4 )
– Standard Playstation buttons, shoulder buttons and DPAD
-3.7 – 4.1″ Screen
Internally it appears that Sony is referring to the device as codename: “Zeus”. Of note is the neat flat silver space between the two sets of buttons…turns out that is your touch sensitive multi-touch solution to two thumbsticks.
Despite the reasonable size of the device, there is something to be said for the multi touch android phones that already exist, and without all the shoulder DPAD and Playstation buttons to boot. It’s neat the Sony has finally solved the PSP dilemma of only one thumbstick, but this reporter wonders weather it will matter when it finally comes to gaming.
This is all that is known at the moment- it is unclear if the device offers feedback, rumble or even where the sound output is (presumably on the back)
Although Sony officially refused to comment their Chief Financial Officer Masuru Kato has been quoted (via translation) as saying: “As for the new PSP product, as mentioned, I know that you are not asking me to tell you when we will be coming out with a new product, but there is a gaming market based on [the] cellphones, and there are many changes that are being seen [with] Nintendo, as well as ourselves, in the field of the product for the gamers. And there are smartphones and others or even cellphones gaming markets are very popular here in Japan. So the market itself is very… expanding.”
Flip’s Twisted World is a platform title which puts you in control of a young aspiring wizard named Flip. While a platformer at heart, Flip’s Twisted World brings some innovative controls to the genre with the simple twist of a WiiMote to flip the world allowing for a unique 3D experience. There is a lot to be said about this title as it does so much right but still comes up short overall, all of which I will cover. Here is my review.
Story
Flip’s Twisted World starts off by telling the story of Master Fulcrum, an older Wizard who ends up getting a baby dropped off at his doorstep. After taking the child who is later known as Flip in, and many years later, Flip starts to learn magic and has a powerful sense of curiosity that eventually gets the best of him which leads Flip to discovering a magic book. Doing this sends him to a topsy-turvy land where Flip must prove that he has the magical know-how to retrieve the six chapter stones. Flip is also joined by a magical cube with six personalities to guide him with tips and instructions along his journey.
Now, while this story sounds appealing, there just is not enough character development to get much out of the experience story-wise. Each character looks charming and has personality in the visual aspect, but without voice acting aside from Master Fulcrum who is narrating the story, most characters come across as hollow and in need of depth. I didn’t dislike the way the story was told, I just felt like more could have went into it to fully make me want to progress and look forward to meeting each new boss. With the bosses and enemies being detailed and having sound effects to reflect their nature, there was simply no reason to really look forward to meeting any of these characters aside from appearance alone. In a way, it’s like having a really nicely wrapped present. You look forward to uncovering it’s mystery, but once unwrapped it is just an empty box. Sad to say as I felt so much potential was unused.
Gameplay
Flip’s main gimmick within the game is the ability to flip the screen instantly to explore new areas and reach certain items and doors that were otherwise unobtainable. Flip also can pull out a book to smash enemies which is his main attack in the game as he collects coins along paths and platforms set all over the various worlds. Controlling flip with the nunchuck and Wiimote is simple and if you have played any of the 3D Mario titles, it feels similar as walking, running, jumping all perform quite well for the most part. Now the general controls are solid, but the actual specialty controls are a bit of a mixed bag.
The first thing to talk about would be the flipping itself. This actually is pulled of without a problem as it really is as simple as just holding down the B button and twisting the Wii-Mote in the direction your wanting the world to flip. Let go and the world flips exactly like it sounds. There is a huge problem to this though, and that is how you fall.
You see, the rooms within the levels themselves are not properly equipped for you to flip at will which hurts the gameplay quite a bit. What I mean by this is that when you flip the screen, Flip falls to the platform on that side but the problem is usually there is nothing to fall on leading to a quick death. I even had many occasions where I fell to the platform I was supposed to land on and died instantly from the fall. It doesn’t happen everytime like that, but it happens enough to make this experience that should be fun a lot more frustrating. You have a set number of lives and while there is a checkpoint spot in each level, but it is very easy to run through lives due to the flipping deaths in the game which made me have to start over on areas constantly throughout my playthrough.
The standard attack with the book is pulled off by simply wagging the WiiMote and gets the job done fine on standard enemies. You can also perform a jump or double jump and land do a ground pound type attack with the book at your feet, smashing whatever poor foe that is below you. Bosses on the other hand can be a bit different though as while there are some creative ways to detroy them, collision detection can be off quite a bit. Simply hitting a large enemy can deal damage to Flip as attacking with the book is a bit to close ranged for these types of battles. The good part about boss fights is how they play out as strategy must be used to find the weak points for each boss.
While the main power Flip has is to twist the world, other useful techniques can be pulled of as well, such as freezing enemies and performing puzzles to get to certain keys and areas to progress further. The puzzle elements were actually all well done and well though out as well so I was happy with these and would have loved to seen more. Along with the fun boss battles, the puzzles were one of the most redeeming gameplay factors in the game.
Glitches also sadly show up quite a bit as well, and many of these come from the flipping option, but some happen by just moving in certain areas or performing general attacks. The main glitch I encountered was by flipping into platforms that lead to nothing, causing me to have to jump to my death to get off properly. There is also times when performing a ground-pound attack that I would fall through the level or fly forward and keep going until death occurred. The game isn’t totally plagued by these, but they are all fairly common in most levels.
Camera angles can also be frustrating. Most of the time, the camera follows Flip from a distance and is easily controlled allowing for zooming options if needed. When you really need a good camera angle, such as to get a view of what you are flipping into, the camera goes crazy some of the time and will zoom in without notice causing for limited sight and of course, another way to die.
If you read all of those as complaints, which yes, there are many flaws in this engine, you should also know that when the game isn’t providing any glitches or wonky camera work, the game can be fun and it is easy to see where the developer was taking it, it is just a bit of a disappointment that the gameplay doesn’t have any polish needed to let the game shine at it’s true potential.
Graphics/Audio
As I mentioned, each character looks clever and unique in Flip’s Twisted World. The worlds are also made up with clever design and the crisp, bright colors make the environments have the same appeal and quality as many A-List platformers on the Wii. Flip is easy to like based on appearance alone, as well as the cube and all of the bosses within the game so this was definitely nice to see such a high presentation value applied.
The Audio in the game has a few different elements. Voice acting is limited to Master Fulcrum aside from enemy noises, and with Anthony Stewart Head (from Buffy fame) voicing this, this is another high point within the title. I still feel that voice acting or even just mumbles like the Sims titles or Animal Crossing could have given the game more life as the text alone leaves much to be desired. Tommy Tallarico, who created some of the most memorable soundtracks for video games in the past composed the full soundtrack and the quality does show throughout the game. In a way, the music is very reminiscent of a lot of the off beat titles from the 90’s. I enjoyed each melodies up until the end and everything fit within the bizarre world. Everything ties in nicely as for a budget title, production value was definitely a huge plus in Flip’s otherwise flawed first outing in the video game world.
Overall
When I first heard about this title, I was drawn in instantly as it reminded me of the platformers that made the Nintendo 64 so popular back when every title was trying to repeat the success of Mario 64 and we were getting one gem after the next. When it came to Flip’s Twisted World though, I left my experience feeling a bit disappointed and wanting more from the game overall. Flip’s Twisted World is a fun title, but glitches and other issues hold it back from the huge potential it carries to be truly great. The innovation Flip’s Twisted World presents is fresh and exciting for platformers, and it is a shame proper execution was not put into the final product. Flip may not be a hidden gem that it may appear to be on the outiside or quite worth the current pricetag, but I definitely recommend anyone wanting a unique experience to at least give it a try, as there is still a decent game buried underneath the flaws.
Overview:
Ever felt the need to fly through space and shoot down enemies with laser beams and missiles? Well you are in luck because Gameloft’s Star Battalion has stepped up to the plate. Reminiscent of games such as the original Star Fox and Rogue Squadron we see a brand new space shooter arriving on the Appstore.
Story:
Players take control over pilot Sonan Firehawk who leads the resistance against the Royalists that have taken control of the galaxy. But Star Battalion takes a bit of a twist when it comes to storytelling on the iPhone. Sure there is the premise of the story told during the game itself that gives the player the main reason they are fighting, but it expands beyond that with releasinga free to download comic book Appwhich explains the backstory to what happens during the game which is a nice touch.
The actual story however feels like a complete knock off of other video games. Especially when you consider that there has been a rebellion in space, with the true king thrown off of his throne and been usurped by his undeserving brother. Now you and your squadron of rebels must do their best to reclaim the throne. Sure there is some originality here but if the words Rebel Alliance and Rogue Squadron mean anything to you will be able to predict the story as it unfolds.
Graphics & Sound:
Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of Star Battalion is its gorgeous graphics. Every planet you do battle upon, though extremely familiar, is varied and unique in its own way. Enemy ships look great as you pepper them with your lasers and destroy them. Along with the gorgeous graphics are the players own choice of vehicles, though these are limited to only four.
Characters are well drawn though do not move while they speak, instead staying as stationary faces stringing out long lines of dialogue. Which is another nice touch in the end, because the game itself is fully voiced. Your wingmen will give you warnings when you have an enemy on your tail and thank you for saving them if they are under attack. This is extended further as mission briefings and speeches between pilots are fully voiced by voice actors that fit their rolls well enough, but could use a bit more emotion.
These graphics come at a price however, as many times players will experience extreme lag if not total freezing gameplay when too much action is happening on the screen. This completely ruins the immersion of the intense dog fighting when the game suddenly lags into a picture show. The voicework itself suffers sometimes due to dialogue being played over and over again, which may be another factor of the lag, or a bug in its own right.
Gameplay:
As the player beings their venture into the various worlds of Star Batallion they will soon come to understand that nearly every mission focuses around seeking and destroying various enemies or pieces of equipment to weaken the Royalist forces. There are a few different missions such as finding a specific item that was left behind or following a group of fighters to break up the fighting. This is accomplished by flying your spaceship around various planets and destroying your objectives without dying of course.
But the method that these battles take place is spectacular. You will be spending most of your time in dogfight battles, while the rest is simply navigating from place to place, usually to shoot down more enemies. These dogfights are only improved thanks to the controls and the aiming system which provides two reticules for better lock on performance.
Enemy AI starts out low enough, as players will be able to destroy the enemy with barely any challenge. This however slowly changes as players advance through the game as in later levels enemies will become just as intelligent as you are. This increases the fun of the game as the Royalist ships pull off different acrobatic stunts simply to avoid a missile attack, or make their way behind you to riddle you with laser fire and leads to a very exciting experience.
This experience is further heightened with the fact that Star Batallion supports full accelerometer control, or Tilt control. While there is the option for the more conventional joystick that works suitably for the flight simulation, the Tilt controls are the highlight with their precise movement recognition. Players will be able to tilt their iPhone to control where they are flying and perform acrobatic stunts such as barrel rolls and U-Turns with swipes of their finger in the corresponding direction.
While not as precise as the joystick, the Tilt controls provide more immersive gameplay as you quickly twist your iPhone to the side to avoid enemy fire and perform a U-Turn swipe and take your enemy down from behind. There are two buttons for your lasers and missiles on the screen as well for easy access to your weaponry. The only fault with the Tilt controlling comes at the times the game confines players inside of tunnels and tight spaces, whereas crashing into things can cause instant death. These areas, while not impossible, are more difficult with the Tilt than with the joystick.
Star Batallion also features a multiplayer mode where players can play co-operatively together. There doesn’t happen to be any deathmatch mode which is unfortunate, because dogfighting with others on your iPhone would be awesome. But that doesn’t mean that Co-op isn’t less fun. Up to two other players can play beside you through the campaign missions, which doesn’t truly add anything to the game, but does make the experience more fun. This Co-op mode is handled through the Game Center which makes finding friends and other players simple.
That doesn’t mean that the game itself isn’t without other problems. There are a handful of issues such as clipping with ground and invisible walls that force the fun out at certain parts. Such as a level full of space debris where you will notice your own wingmen flying through the debris chunks like they were nothing, only to be torn to pieces like tissue paper. Another issue is when the game forces players to listen to enemies talk, even though they are on the screen and able to be shot at. This means that although your enemy should literally have been blown up countless times, they will be alive still until the end of their speech, only to attack fresh.
Overall:
Star Batallion from Gameloft truly sets the bar for what spaceship battles should be on the portable iPhone. With superb graphics, exciting dogfights, and very good controls there is so much done well that it casts a large shadow over what is wrong with the game. Sure the story is run-of-the-mill but that doesn’t take the fun away, but the lagging and freezing does become a problem. Though in the end when the game is working perfectly it is a sight to behold.
I give Star Batallion for the iPhone/iTouch:
A review code was provided from Gameloft for reviewing purposes. The game was played on a 3G iPhone and played through the main storyline and delved into the online co-op experience. Added a few friends and will be flying the stars again soon with my wing-men.
Twisted Pixel released Comic Jumper’s Soundtrack for free a few days ago. All the music you loved from the game as well as some extras can be found over at http://www.twistedpixelgames.com/games.htm. Just click on any of the highlighted linkswithin the comic jumper section to begin downloading. The soundtrack is located there and you will can also find hilarious sound bytes AND game play music.
Don’t forget to check out the store section and see the cool merch available for Comic Jumper as well as some fun stuff for both Maw and Splosion Man. If you Love Twisted Pixel and their games, support them by buying tons of their stuff. That way they can make more awesome games.
When you are younger nursery rhymes are fun and enjoyable, our parents may have even sung them to us. However once we get older they only turn out to be very creepy instead. Especially when applied to trailers for horror games such as the case with the newest Dead Space 2 trailer.
Visceral Games and EA have released the latest trailer called “Ring Around the Rosie” which happens to feature a twisted version of the song while there are different scenes shown from the game itself. It doesn’t help anything when there is a very creepy looking lady sitting in the middle of a subway shown at the end. Though doesn’t that lady look a little bit familiar to fans of the first game?
We’ll find out even more when Dead Space 2 comes out in stores for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on January 25th.
[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjENMbXut4w[/pro-player]
Video Courtesy of Gamespot
UPlay is a cool feature located in many recent Ubisoft games that enable players to unlock achievements as well as UPlay points. With the UPlay points a player can then unlock more cool in game stuff to play or use. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is the first title to include more rewards then you can actually afford based on points received from the game. You will have to buy other Ubisoft Titles with UPlay enabled in order to get more points to purchase more stuff.
With this trailer, Ubisoft also shows off a new character: the Hellequin (not to be confused with the harlequin). Check out both trailers below. (Note on the second video: there is about 15 seconds of black screen before the actual video starts. Sorry about that)
