While we haven’t been covering the upcoming Parasite Eve: The 3rd Birthday, expect that all to change. Let us begin with the newest videos that explain a few of Aya’s different abilities that utilize what is called the Overdive system. This system gives Aya the ability to control other soldiers around her during gunfights. Though as you can see below there are a few other abilities that give Aya an edge during battle.
First we have the Liberation technique. The player will see a gauge where their Liberation meter will fill up as they defeat enemies, and when it is full Aya will move faster and evade attacks automatically. On top of that Aya’s weaponry will shoot energy bullets instead of whatever is equipped at the time.
Another ability though is Crossfire. Crossfire allows Aya to synch up her gunshots with one of the soldiers on the field. The meter fills up overtime as you are near fellow soldiers. When it is activated both Aya and the soldier she is linked with will focus their fire on one enemy and finish it off quickly.
The 3rd Birthday will be arriving in Japan on December 22nd, but will also be making the trip across seas to the US in the early months of 2011 on the PSP. You can catch the English trailer for the game itself below as well.
So we now know the entire roster of character classes that we can play when Diablo III finally makes its way to computers. But now we also know that PvP will be returning in Diablo III. Except instead of open world conflicts where duals can be agreed to and occur within the normal game world, now it appears that they will take place in set Arenas instead.
Chris Metzen announced this today during Blizzcon and showed a trailer detailing the Arena and giving us a taste of what is to come. Full details have also been posted here on Diablo III’s official website. You can catch that trailer, which features team based PvP, below:
After many years of battling for legal rights Interplay has told Edge Magazine that they are planning to release Fallout Online, an MMO based on the Fallout universe, sometime in 2012. They also have stated that a beta will be planned for that year as well, whereas those who register at the game’s website here can apply for beta access already.
Eric Caen, the president of Interplay, told Edge Magazine:
“I can’t say too much. What I can say is that everyone who is registered is getting a newsletter every five or six weeks. The content is not a typical newsletter with a lot of technical information; it’s letters from NPCs about what they’re experiencing. We’re giving a lot of hints about the future of the game. We have a beta scheduled for 2012, with the commercial launch in the second half of 2012.
“We have 90 people working on it. Even in January 2009, you were already able to move across the world.”
Unfortunately however those anticipating the game should not be too excited quite yet. Bethesda and Interplay have been consistently locked in a legal battle over the rights to publish a Fallout MMO, and the latest news is that Bethesda rejected a $50 million deal for the MMO rights.
Steam has finally confirmed what Treyarch was hinting at. That Call of Duty: Black Ops will be making its way to Steam for download. This is great news for PC goers as they can now be guaranteed support from Valve’s Steamworks. This means that there will be auto-updates happening, achievements, offline play and more.
Steam has also posted up the PC specs that the game will require to play the game at all. So best be checking them out here so you can make sure that your computer is up to snuff, and cleaned out of spare files (game ranks in at a whopping 12GB), when Black Ops hits shelves, and now downloads, on November 9th.
Blizzcon kicked off with a bang today as Christ Metzen the VP of Creative Development told those in attendance that the final class for the upcoming Diablo III will be a dual-crossbow shooting Demon Hunter. This is the fifth class to round out the already established classes of Barbarian, Witch Doctor, Monk, and Wizard.
The Demon Hunter appears to be similar to the Amazon and the Rogue from previous Diablo games as her primary attacks focus on ranged projectiles such as the obvious crossbows, throwing knives, grenades and various magic spells involving these attacks. Blizzard has also established her character bio page on their website that you can check out here. You can catch her in action as well as her introductory video below:
Today I’m just going to be streaming random stuff at will. Pop into the chat to put up a request or just comment here. Not sure how long I’m going to keep the stream up today. Cheers.
After the excitement of Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode this week’s selection of WiiWare, DSiWare and Virtual Console releases will look pretty meagre in comparison. Still onwards and upwards. Here are this weeks releases:
Mahjong (DSiWare: dtp young entertainment, 200 Nintendo DSi Points)
Spot The Difference (Enjoy Gaming, 500 Nintendo DSi Points)
So there it is. Six new releases for this week. Is anyone interested in any of these or planning on downloading any of them sometime soon? I know last week was a high point in the download service with Sonic the Hedgehog: Episode 1 coming to WiiWare, so those of you who use the service are probably still keeping busy with that.
Game Name: Kirby’s Epic Yarn Platform(s): Nintendo Wii Publisher(s):Nintendo Developer(s):Good Feel, HAL Laboratory Genre(s): Adventure, Platformer Release Date: Oct 17, 2010 (US) March 25, 2011 (EU) Price: $49.99
After receiving high praise at 2010’s E3, the heavily anticipated Kirby’s Epic Yarn is now out for the Nintendo Wii. Kirby is back and must help save Patch Land from the evil Yin-Yarn in this brand new adventure. Kirby himself is now fully threaded as he dives in the mysterious world made of fabric, assisted by his new friend Prince Fluff. The game is magical and I will explain every aspect below and try to make as few fabric or string puns as possible, so without further ado, here is my review for Kirby’s Epic Yarn.
Story
Kirby is happily bouncing around in Dream Land when he encounters an odd tomato. Of course Kirby, being gaming’s favorite glutton chows down and soon angers the evil Yin-Yarn, who the tomato belonged to. Yin-Yarn sucks Kirby into his magical sock and straight into patch land, where the world is made of fabric and all of the creatures are made of string and yarn. Soon after, Kirby encounters Prince Fluff who is in quite a panic because Yin-Yarn has separated all of the patches that make up his world. Kirby decides to embark on a journey with the young prince to restore Patch Land piece by piece and stop Yin-Yarn once and for all.
As friendly as the story sounds, the narrator also does a great job of telling it. Every cutscene is told like a storybook with the narrator not only giving the main story, but voicing the expressions of the characters. The whole experience is relaxing and calm yet kept humorous by the witty dialogue and puns. Kirby fans will be in nostalgia heaven as many characters from the past make appearances throughout the game as enemies or quick cameos. Overall, the story fits extremely well with the whole friendly and colorful environment and has charm in every cutscene within the game.
Gameplay
In most Kirby platformers, Kirby sucks up an enemy and either spits them out or absorbs their power. This time, since Kirby is a bit hollow, so most of the trademark moves are gone. This is nothing to distress over as now Kirby has a new arsenal using his yarn body. Controls in the title are done with just the Wii-mote keeping every action simple to perform. The first is Kirby’s whip. Kirby quickly extends his yarn-like arm out to attach to enemies and either pull them apart, or wrap them up into a ball which he can carry and throw at will. This also comes in handy with the environment as you can attach the yarn to buttons, zippers, and various other items to pull down platforms or open up new parts to the level. This is all one quick and is very effective.
The next power Kirby has is the parachute. When Kirby is falling, a simple tap of a button turns him into a parachute, letting you glide across to certain platforms or make a safe trip down below to the ground. There is also parts the game that let Kirby catch a breeze and drift into new areas of the level. Kirby’s other move is to turn into a car and quickly travel through areas by performing what was known as the run command. Every action is easy to do and a lot of fun to use while you are playing.
As you move through levels, you must keep an eye out for three treasures hidden throughout the fabric environments. There are also beads to collect which are very important as the ranking system on what you rank on each level, whether it be wood, bronze, silver or gold, rely on how many you pick up. That brings me to the next issue of gamplay, simplicity.
Players who are looking for a hardcore challenge are not going to enjoy the game in my opinion as the game was not made to be played to be beaten. You cannot die in the game at all, no HP gauge is present. When you get defeated, you simply lose all or some of your beads and move back to the point you were at before. The whole game is simple and on the easy side with the challenge increasing a bit throughout the game, but never really becoming overbearing in the hardness department. I never thought about the want of a challenge the whole time I was playing as the game was such an experience that it is clear that it is to be enjoyed rather than quickly beaten.
Each of the Patches, or Worlds so to speak, require you to beat them in old Kirby fashion, beating one level and moving to the next with a boss door opening up at the end. In all, I spent about 6 hours on the games overall story. Many levels switch it up with various powerups such as the returning “UFO” and the brand new Kirby Tank which change up the gameplay and are just as fun to play with as the standard platforming used mainly throughout the game. There are many other power-ups, but I won’t list them all for spoiler purposes as half the fun is discovering the new ways to play.
The bosses are a lot of fun to fight as well, each have their own method to be defeated and every boss battle plays somewhat different than the next. There is a lot to do after you complete the game aw well. The treasures you collect open up mini-games which can be played to earn beads and 100% the game as well as your very own apartment you can decorate with items by purchasing items from a store found on the overworld level using your beads as currency. There is also local co-op mode, which places the second player as Prince Fluff for the entire game. Prince Fluff plays exactly like Kirby and if you have ever played New Super Mario Bros., you are sure to enjoy this co-op mode as well as they are very similar.
Graphics/Audio
The graphics in Epic Yarn are amazing. The cloth environments are beaming with color and life in every level and detailed heavily to look like different pieces of fabric stitched together to make up the whole game. Interacting with these environments and peeling back layers is visually pleasing as well as it is done realistically and smooth every time making finding a button or stitch to unravel that more rewarding. Kirby can also travel underneath the fabric at certain points creating a indent in the cloth which looks just as sharp.
As far as Kirby and the other character’s appearances go, the transfer was done perfectly and the characters remain easily identifiable and retain the charm from past Kirby titles. Sometimes I caught myself stopping to admire the detail that went into the textures as everything is so unique and fitting it made each level a whole new experience with no dull moments.
I have played a lot of Kirby titles before, and the music has always been well known and stands out above many series, at least for me anyway. With that said, Epic Yarn may have the best soundtrack to date. With many light instrumental melodies made up of piano and soft instruments, the soundtrack is stunning from beginning to end. Each level has it’s own melody which are memorable and perfectly fitting into the soft, colorful world. This is game where you would actually want to go out and own the soundtrack as from the first opening sequence up until the music played in the credits, the musical scores bring one masterpiece after another.
Now that the soundtrack is out of the way, the sound effects are also a large part of the game as well. Kirby sounds as cute and happy as ever which is to be expected. The narrator is just as important though since he is telling the story of the game. The soft tones used keep the game from taking any serious route and make it feel like this adventure’s story are being read from a book which fits well with the storybook presentation of course. From the squeak of a Waddle Dee, to the lightning strikes of Kracko, every enemy sounds great tying into the music and brings the whole vibrant world to life.
Overall
Being a huge fan of the Kirby series, Epic Yarn was really a very special title for me to review. The game is in my opinion an instant classic and gives a whole new life to our pink hero without destroying any of the charm from the older titles. The way the whole fabric and string-filled world is set up is very imaginative and innovative and stays fun to play all the way through. The soundtrack is amazing and even older tunes that fans remember can be heard in a whole new way as well as offering up newer melodies which are just as memorable as the classics.
As I said, this game is simple for most of the way through which is sure to be great for those new to gaming but with the new twist on platforming and just how fun and solid the whole experience is, Epic Yarn is sure to bring the hardcore in for a brand new yet familiar adventure with Kirby once again. This title will make you smile all the way through and is relaxing and a bit of fresh air compared to the much more serious titles on the market. With all of the extra content and mini-games to play as well achieving gold status on all stages, there is also plenty of reason to go back in for more. Kirby’s Epic Yarn is one of the best titles on the Nintendo Wii and a pure definition of a “system seller”, so to any gamer who just enjoys the “fun” aspect of a game, I highly recommend not only playing Kirby’s Epic Yarn, but experiencing the fun and imagination found in every stitch.
Space Invaders Infinity Gene Developer: Taito Publisher: Ubisoft Platform: Xbox 360 (XBLA), PS3 (PSN) Price: 800 Microsoft points (XBLA), $15.95 (PSN) Released: Out Now
Space Invaders is a game that has been around since the birth of videogames. There has been countless remakes and re-workings of the classic formula -that proved oh-so popular in the early years, when bulky arcade machines ruled the roost- over a huge range of consoles and formats. Some of the follow-ups have been good, building on the landmark series, which, when it comes to gaming history, is almost as well known and recognisable as the gaming icon that is Pac-man. Others haven’t been quite so good, with either broken concepts from the off, or just lacklustre game design being the limiting factor.
Space Invaders Infinity Gene links in with this history aspect of Space Invaders, which in turn links in with the Infinity Gene part of the title. It takes the game back to it’s roots, away from the 3-D re-imaginations and flashy visuals of recent years, with the start of the game being a mirror image of the original Space Invaders. This part is simple and slow compared to modern day gaming, but, putting the central idea of genetics and evolution into practice, the game world changes around you as you advance. The change in the level of intensity when contrasting the very first stage with the very last one is huge. This is because of the evolution aspect. Absolutely everything in the game undergoes changes as you progress: your ship, the enemies, the layout if the level, the visual style of the level, the pace of battles.
The theme of evolution and genes works really well and is a great concept that has been executed brilliantly. Most of the content in some way refers back to this central point. For example, where the motherships used to emit power-ups, they now dish out molecule/nucleus-like structures which help you upgrade and level up, rather than granting you power-ups instantly. Then there’s the titles of the levels, which all offer some reference to genes and biology, with a wide variety of scientific prefixes and suffixes making appearances. Team this with the retro-style graphics which slowly develop as the game ‘evolves’ and you’ve got the formula for a really authentic experience.
Another thing that has stayed true to the series origins is the difficulty. Old-school retro games are notorious for their steep learning curves, a trend that Space Invaders Infinity Gene ensures it sticks to. Back in the day, because practice makes perfect, the only way to get better was to funnel in change by the pocketful, and though the old coin-op machines are a thing of the past, the sentiment remains the same. Until you get the hand of the game you will eat through a hell of a lot of continues, and considering Infinity Gene has 4 levels of difficulty, with the top tier being the daunting INSANE mode, it should pose a sufficient challenge for any gamer.
As it is a single player only experience, the campaign makes up the majority of the title, although there are other modes to be explored such as challenge mode which sees you trying to make your way to the end of 99 levels, at which point you are awarded an achievement to commemorate this stunning feat. The campaign mode spans over a number of stages which are broken down into sub-stages. It presents you with an acceptable amount play time, with the exhilarating music fuelling your adrenaline as you speed through the fast-paced levels. In true retro fashion, just like the old coin-operated arcade machines, the game can be completed in one sitting, albeit one very long sitting.
So you may be wondering where Space Invaders Infinity Gene fits in on the spectrum for Space Invaders games. Well, in all honesty, it would probably fit in somewhere around the middle, although it could be slightly drifting towards the upper end of the scale. This is because Space Invaders Infinity Gene is good, but falls short of being great, as when it comes down to it, it’s just Space Invaders. Some people who love top-down space shooters will be in heaven with this game, whereas others who have no special bond with Space Invaders and the associated genre will be unimpressed, and more importantly, uninterested. However, there are a number of additions for the better; the theme of evolution works very well and the developers have done an excellent job in implementing it into the style of gameplay. It is fast-paced, it is difficult and it has a good soundtrack which is well-suited to the subject matter, so it definitely should not be written off. While it’s not a game that you will look back at and remember fondly in years to come, it’s worth a blast as a cheap thrill, and if you are willing to overcome a small difficulty barrier, the blistering pace of the game makes it a thrilling escapade, with excitement and entertainment delivered in equal measure.
Since the orignal Smackdown vs Raw for the Playstation 2, online mode has been a fan favorite. One thing that the fans have wanted in has been more match types, particularly the Royal Rumble, Championship Scramble, Money in the Bank, and Elimination Chamber. THQ has now announced new details that all 4 match types will be in due to the support of more players in a match. I know what your thinking, LAG! But this was also kept in mind as the servers have been heavily to ensure quality performance.
In particular, the Online Royal Rumble has the ability to support up to 12 human players in the 30-man mega-event. As a result, in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, not only will players be able to compete with more people in more matches, but they will experience less online latency.
Moving on to creation mode, THQ has now added the ability that has been out of action in previous titles, and that is to share Paint Tool Logos and Created Move Sets. Players can also edit any content they download from their fellow consumers to make them unique for their own rosters. Finally, the search tool was dramatically enhanced so the community can share and find quality created content with greater ease.
We are not done yet! Leaderboards will be seeing an upgrade as well! A new points system will be in place, not just for online matches, but for downloading community content. Even reviewing content can earn points so the system can reward all active members.With over 30 leaderboards in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, including one for Community Creations, players have multiple ways to find their niche and go after that coveted #1 spot.
These announcements are all spectacular news. I do hope that the nasty glitches that are abused online get a fix as well, but I am sure that will come over time if not already addressed. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 launches next week on October 26th.
