Tired of announcement trailers yet? Of course you’re not. Sega were also at the Video Game awards this year and after recenlty revealing more information about their new title, Thor: God of Thunder, the company also debuted the title’s first big trailer. The first bit of good news with this is that the game will NOT use the same story as the movie so playing the game is going to be a completely different experience. The other bit of good news? As of now the game looks like it could make Ironman 2 run home crying to his comic book. The gameplay is looking to be a GOW-esqe type game, but honestly I can’t complain about that as it looks to be a fast paced, action-packed title all the way through based on the trailer.
Thor: God of Thunder also is now slated to release May 3rd, 2011 putting it on store shelves just a few days before the movie hits theaters. So watch the new trailer below and get ready as Thor is ready to slam into consoles in 2011…
They say a large secret is hard to keep under wraps but surprisingly enough Bethesda has managed to keep this one under wraps until they were ready enough to announce it. What a venue they chose too, because at the VGA Bethesda’s Todd Howard announced that the next game they are developing will also be the next addition to the Elder Scrolls series.
Called the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim it looks like it will take place some time after the events of Oblivion, but still be a sequel to that wonderful game. Also can you say dragons? If that isn’t enough to peak your interest how about the fact that the narrator Max Von Sydow delivers an amazing introduction. Plus the game itself has already been set for a release date of November 11th 2011, not even a year away. Don’t take my word for it check out the teaser below!
The VGA’s are honestly becoming almost as interesting as E3 anymore as many developers are using the award show to hype their games for the next year’s release. Prototype 2 has been buzzing for a week or so now since the mysterious “Murder Your Maker” teaser was released, and now Activision officially confirmed the game for 2012 with an awesome new trailer.
While the trailer is only roughly a minute and a half, but it does a somewhat good job of filling everyone in on the story. Prototype 2 puts Sergeant James Allen in pursuit of the first title’s Alex Mercer. Two years may sound like quite a wait, but I am sure there will be plenty of more information leading up until then, so check back for certain as we will bring any more information as it comes out. You can check out the trailer for yourself below.
Unlike the amazingly excellent Arkham Asylum, the teaser trailer from Rocksteady about Arkham City was… um… underwhelming to say the least. Well, as turns out, the best was saved for the Spike Video Game Awards show. This trailer explores the bigger enemy in Batman Arkham City and what happens when a pack of highly trained and heavily armored soldiers try to take down a better trained badass who happens to be very good at taking down said enemies. Look out for the game to hit in 2011. In the meantime, we will be sharing with you more announcements and trailers for next years blockbusters.
Australians looking for quick slap of a stamp on the bill to finally bring R18+ ratings to video games may be disappointed to hear that it will take longer than expected. Don’t give up all hope yet though!
The Australian federal Cabinet did pass a bill that would authorize the sale of R18+ games to adults. According to them, this bill would actually make it so that violent games rated at the MA15+ level would be reclassified for adults only, thus saving the country’s youth from the potential effects that zombie slaying may have on them. We, of course, are more interested in the fact that the R18+ rating would enable gamers that are also FREAKIN’ ADULTS the ability to make their own decisions regarding what really violent game they want to play.
Regardless of how it passes though, the point is that the bill has stalled in the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting. Not all the members could decide on the issue and Federal Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor is looking to bring the vote up again at the next meeting. So, Australia did not get the bill passed. It is still in the works though. No word on when or how the bill will pass. All in all, a bittersweet decision that will hopefully have a good ending.
And so concludes this week’s proceedings. This week’s major release is probably Cave Story, a platformer which people have already drawn links with titles like Mario and the Legend of Zelda. It could be worth checking out. Also arriving this week is Super Bonk, which I can recommend. Althoguh I haven’t played this particular version, I have played one of the Bonk games on GameBoy and it was a decent side-scrolling adventure game. Anyone looking to get an old-school blast from the past may be interested in this.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 Platforms: Xbox 360 (PC,PS3) Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Genre: Sports Released: Out Now Price: $59.99 US, £39.99 UK, $99.99 AUS
The football console war is one that has been raging on for many years. Just when one game asserts its authority, its opposite number bites back with an innovative new feature or two. I am of course talking about FIFA versus PES. The battle for supremacy favoured PES in the past, although in recent years it has been EA with FIFA who have been leading the way, leaving PES with no option but to follow suit, rather than revolutionise the genre. PES used to be the more realistic game of football, and subsequently was the football-sim of choice for the more dedicated player, but partly due to FIFA’s game coming on leaps and bounds and partly due to the formula of PES becoming stale, PES has come in at a sorry second-place for the past couple of years. That said, after last year’s dramatic improvements, FIFA didn’t bring much new to the table this year, presenting a prime opportunity for PES to catch up and maybe even overtake, but how did it fare?
Although at a glance it would be a fair assumption, it would be unfair to say PES 2011 is indifferent to previous iterations of recent years. Despite the fairly standard proposed developments for this year’s game (little more than a new passing system and a ‘motion-blur’ effect for a viewing experience just like that of a real-life game of football) in actual fact, the game’s progression has been much more substantial this year. Where the last couple of titles disappointed, the developers have taken note and created a better game of football as a result.
Konami has finally taken a sizeable step in the right direction here. Take for example the pacing of the matches, an instantly noticeable improvement. It seems someone was listening to the complaints of players of the series, as the match action has been slowed to a much more realistic pace, providing enough energy to let aspects like momentum come into play, while still allowing you to be more tactical in your approach at other times. Not only can you launch a relentless attack and have the opposing defence on the ropes for an age until you finally slot one in, but also you can decide, at times, to slow the play down and approach victory from a different direction if your original strategy isn’t working quite as well as you might have planned.
Other changes on the pitch further improve on the nuances of the past, sorting out little niggles. While graphics-wise it is still behind its rival, there is no doubt about it that the presentation of the game has been glossed up, with menu screens looking a bit more polished and less of a gimmick, and player character models looking more realistic, albeit only slightly. The character animation is still a little robotic in nature, with repetitive, and also occasionally buggy, sequences re-enacted in response to events that just happened in the game. The aforementioned passing system isn’t as shallow as it might sound. On the contrary, it mixes the game up having a power bar for passing as well as shooting, meaning that no longer can you aimlessly press A, safe in the knowledge that the ball will flow fluidly through each players feet. Manual passing control means that you have to know where you are trying to pass the ball to, instead of just hoping for the best but secretly knowing it will end up at your team-mate’s feet. If you do this in PES 2011 you will find yourself giving away possession very cheaply, and it is this new addition which adds an unprecedented level of depth to passing in a football game.
The game also features a noticeable differentiation between difficulty settings, which is great. You can feel your gradual skill progression until eventually you realise you are beating opposition you were struggling on before, signalling it is probably time to put the difficulty settings up a notch. The AI is still iffy in places, although the CPU opponents capabilities are sufficient for a tough match. The main weaknesses in the AI are just when it comes to your own players decision making. For instance, if the ball is right next to one of your players and moving very slowly, but it is intended for another player, he will leave it to be intercepted, no doubt, instead of collecting it so the ball doesn’t go to the opposition. The other downfall of the AI is the goalkeepers, and while I can empathise as this is a difficult position to program, simply because the decisions a real football ‘keeper on a match-by-match basis are the most important and the most frequent of all positions on the pitch, it really isn’t up to scratch. Luckily for Konami, this is something FIFA has yet to sort out either, but unluckily for us, this means, as the AI controls the goalkeeper for the most part, a lot of awful decision making that can lead to the gifting of cheap goals.
From the menu screen there is a fruitful and varied selection of modes, from the well respected ‘Master League’, to various other cups and leagues, online functions, and the unsubtle mimic of FIFA’s ‘Be a Pro’ mode named ‘Become a Legend’. Firstly, ‘Become a Legend’ mode – although it will probably be a mode you play the least due to its disengaging nature (similarly to FIFA’s version) of playing as a lone player as opposed to the whole team. It puzzles me why anyone would favour this over playing as the entire squad; it fails to involve the player and is uneventful on the whole. Also, this copycat gesture comes across as a little desperate, because despite both modes in their respective games being poor, FIFA’s possesses slightly more polish. Conversely, the developers should have tried something more innovative to set it aside from FIFA instead of just resorting to mirroring the opposition’s movements.
Maybe it is the fact that EA holds the lucrative license, which, as a consequence, leaves Konami with the dilemma of having to give teams ridiculous names like ‘West London Whites’ and ‘West Midlands Stripes’, but in a lot of ways FIFA 2011 is a more gripping experience. Granted, the Master League is engrossing to play, and the range of game modes means the game can literally last as long as you need (presumably until next years edition) but FIFA has a greater sense of authenticity and as a result, is more compelling to play. Along with the official team names, kits and leagues, certain aspects of the game make it feel more “real”. Where its rival visually presents an injury, PES is content to pop up a picture of a physio telling you a player is out injured; it just feels a bit prototype-like.
In conclusion, Konami has come up trumps and offered up a great game of football. It has to be the best PES for a few years, and it is nice to see the franchise has made it out of the divot it has been stuck in for a few years. Niggles have been fixed and pacing issues have been addressed, and on the whole it is much improved from last year. Although there were welcome gambles this year such as a new passing system, there is a lack of new ideas coming in, so next year it would be better to see some fresh features rather than rehashed versions of others. FIFA ever-so-slightly edges it, but PES has certainly closed the gap this year. An entertaining game of football, it’s just FIFA 2011 is a bit better.
SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED is the next title in the Need for Speed series and it will continue the innovations that were present in the first SHIFT. Coming from Slightly Mad Studios, the game will feature all-new rendering engine, a helmet camera view, night racing and authentic degradation of tracks and cars. SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED will also incorporate the next generation of Need for Speed Autolog, the social network like stat sharing experience in Hot Pursuit. SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED will launch in the Spring 2011 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Based on the 5 million sales mark of the first game, it seems that EA is thinking this sequel will perform rather well. So get ready for a racing game that will combine realism and arcade racing into one.
Splatterhouse Platforms: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PS3 Publisher: Namco Bandai Developer: Namco Bandai Genre: Brawler, Horror Release Date: November 23 2010 Price: $59.99 US, £39.99 UK, $99.99 AUS
Overview:
Now some may recognize the name Splatterhouse and remember a series that used to be an arcade game, and then make its way onto the home consoles on the TurboGrafx-16. The original game was a side scrolling beat ‘em up styled game that featured plenty of different monsters and plenty of gore which put the game on a whole new level back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Now Namco published the original game and they are back again to publish it again as Namco Bandai. However in this version it takes a step from 2D side scroller to a full 3D slaughterhouse, or should I say….. splatterhouse.
Story:
Everything seems right in the world for Rick Taylor. He may be a pretty spindly looking college boy but he has an amazing looking girlfriend named Jennifer Willis. Now Jennifer has to interview a man named Henry West so that she can use him for a college paper but the only problem is the fact that he isn’t a normal man. After they arrive West kidnaps Jennifer and leaves Rick for dead after sicking creatures he summoned with a Lovecraftesque phrase.
It just so happens however, even though the monsters smashed Rick’s chest in and sent him flying back into a few sarcophagi, all is not lost. A mysterious mask falls out of a sarcophagus and falls next to Rick. Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but at this point anything seems better than dying in a puddle of my own blood; but things get even better when the Terror Mask calls to him and tells him that he will help him but they must make a deal.
After accepting said deal he places the mask on his face only to literally hulk out by becoming an extremely large man with muscles rippling on his body. Rick is hell bent on saving his girlfriend and may Cthulhu help any twisted creature that gets in his way.
Now the storyline is right in line with the older Splatterhouse titles but does revamp it for more modern appreciation. First of all with the addition of Henry West players now have a clear cut goal on who they have to destroy and what they are striving for as they slaughter their way through waves of enemies. But things aren’t always as they seem and the different twists to the story that players come across will leave them thinking.
Another note worth mentioning is the fact that Rick and the Terror Mask interact flawlessly with one another. Sure at first it may appear annoying but when most enemies themselves don’t talk the best interactions are between the Mask and Rick. Whether the mask is making fun of Rick, swearing at him (quite a lot of imaginative curses in fact), or supporting him and retaliating they make a great team together.
Graphics:
For a game with so much blood and gore, it is slightly disappointing that the actual blood and gore feels like one of the lesser graphical points for the game. With so much blood flying around at times the amount of it just becomes unbelievable at points. Sure it is Splatterhouse, but the blood sprays around like water it feels just as consequential. While the gore aspect was handled great with limbs separating and body parts being smashed with great enjoyment, the blood just felt half-hearted.
Beyond the blood disappoint however Splatterhouse does have good aspects as Rick’s performance and animation is very well done. This is quite a feat especially when Rick enters his Berserk form and tears apart enemies like a hot knife through butter and sends limbs flying satisfyingly around the area. When Rick is damaged heavily enough and you are able to see the actual damage on his body it is very impressive.
Environmentally Splatterhouse delivers a creepy and satisfying amount of different levels and variety to keep the player interested. However the amount of different enemies available to fight is surprisingly small. After a certain while enemies just don’t feel new anymore and when you encounter the same demonic enemy again and again it puts a damper to the new environment you are fighting in.
Audio:
Earlier I mentioned the fact that the Terror Mask has quite a voice on him. Well thankfully the developers saw fit to place a veteran voice performer as the voice of the Mask. Jim Cummings, who has done countless voice rolls, delivers an amazing performance as the Terror Mask and this enhances gameplay immensely. If anything negative can be taken away from the Terror Mask’s constant badgering is the fact that it will occasionally spout the same dialogue in some instances, especially regarding weaponry.
Now the voicework is impressive, but how about the actual background music? We can’t have classical music playing in the background while enemies are being ripped apart and beaten to death with their own limbs can we? No we cannot and thankfully Splatterhouse delivers a heavy metal soundtrack that is sure to keep your blood flowing, as well as the enemies. Songs from Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon, and plenty of other heavy metal bands keep the action feeling at its peak.
Gameplay:
Splatterhouse doesn’t step too far outside of the box as far as gameplay mechanics go. The game is a straight up brawler with a light attack button and a heavy attack button. There are a number of different combinations that can be strung together and expanded upon via the blood upgrade system. Yep there is a blood upgrade system. As you do tear apart all the creatures in your path you will accumulate large amounts of blood that can be used to purchase special attacks, combo extensions, and even more health.
This is quite useful considering the enemies you encounter are just begging to be beat into the ground. Combat provides great feedback and special finishing moves known as Splatter Kills which in theory are simple quick time events are quite brutal, but grow old as the same Splatter kill happens for every enemy type. Plus even though you can create extremely vicious combination attacks, button mashing your way through a wave of enemies can create more or less the same effect. Put this together with the fact that the amount of different enemies you see are very slim and it starts to get tedious even with all the blood and gore.
An interesting feature is the fact that Rick, while still a hulking powerhouse, is as vulnerable to damage as the enemies he is facing. Sure you can tear off an enemy’s limbs and beat them to death with them, but there is also the fact your own arm can be torn off by an enemy. No worry however it grows back and in the mean time you can use your new found arm club on that same enemy. Also Rick has the ability to use some of his Necro Meter power (filled by slaughtering enemies of course) to heal his wounds by viciously sucking the blood from enemies around him. Also he is able to go into his berserk mode if his Necro meter is full where he becomes nearly invulnerable and is able to kill most enemies in one hit.
To expand gameplay there are collectibles throughout the game such as pictures of Rick’s girlfriend Jennifer which range from risqué to mild nudity. So just in case all the blood doesn’t offend you but nudity might, keep an eye out. There are also various recordings from West to be discovered throughout the game. Other than that however there are a handful of survival mode stages where Rick must face wave after wave of enemies and survive, while trying to go for a best time. The survival mode is enjoyable and also provides even more pictures that are exclusive to the survival waves.
Another interesting feature that can be unlocked is the original Splatterhouse games. All three of the previous Splatterhouse games come back to be played to their fullest and players do have infinite continues in case they get stuck, but will be placed back at the beginning of the area if they do. These games are a nice little time killer and are great for fans of the original series, also it is interesting for those who never played the originals to take a look back in time and see how much the series has evolved.
Now for the bad aspects of Splatterhouse. In a throwback to the classic Splatterhouse games that I mentioned before, the screen will occasionally switch to a 2D sidescrolling format. This includes easy one hit kill enemies, and lots of traps and platforming. Now that is a horrible combination when the controls for these areas are so frustrating it will make the player dread when they notice the shift to 2D. The jumping is handled extremely badly in these sections, as Rick can either jump and fall off of a ledge where he should be securely standing, and fall to an instant death, or simply not even making a jump that should have easily been made at any other point in the game.
Now the instant deaths would not be a bad thing however, if it wasn’t for the fact that Splatterhouse has one of the longest loading times I have seen in years. The loading screens are scary for the most part with some of the monsters close up and attacking one another or simply acting creepy, but that grows tiresome extremely quickly. This is due to the fact that your average load time can be anywhere between 30 seconds to a minute. Now keep in mind that I also had the game installed to the hard drive which is supposed to make load times shorter. Which means that the load times can simply be atrocious without an install to the hard drive, and even then are long enough to really shatter the players’ immersive experience.
Overall:
Now Splatterhouse does plenty of things right. Blood is in extremely high quantity and can reach such a high level of gore that it is superfluous. With great voice work and a metal sound track that keeps the blood flowing, it is easy to lose yourself in the action and gore. If only the action itself wasn’t broken up with extremely long load times and the fact that the action itself can grow tedious at times with button mashing. While nostalgia may play a big factor in whether or not you will enjoy the game, all the blood, gore, and hits of Lovecraft only paints a picture that is best summed up with a passable reboot to a classic series.
That is right, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, GUMPERT Apollo S and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport will be coming to Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. Coming on December 21 on the Xbox 360 and December 22 on PSN in Europe and North America, the Super Sports content pack will be available for $6.99 or 560 Microsoft Points. Also included are 13 new race and pursuit events. What is really cool about the pack is that it will allow you to play as either the cop or the racer in the 3 new cars. Yup, I think it would pretty cool to see a Bugatti Veyron painted in State Trooper colors racing around my little county.
