I posted before about the upcoming Dragon Ball Raging Blast 2 containing a new 30 minute animated special called “Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans”, a remake of a previously unreleased Dragon Ball Z OVA based on an NES game. Now it seems the storyline from the main game might revolve around this special, seeing as the villain is emblazoned about the new box art. The new box art isn’t all I have to share with you today.
Well, today I have for you a series of screenshots from the anime special itself! Check ’em out below:
What do you guys think of the look of the new anime? For once I can say, as a Dragon Ball Z fan, I’m actually excited for a new game. Every game since the first Budokai for the PS2 has been almost exactly the same, following the same story we all know (and of course, love), but not bringing anything new to the table. Smart move, Bandai! Bringing back a story that was all but forgotten, you’ve certainly assured that I’ll be picking up a copy of Raging Blast 2 when it comes out!
In Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box, you start out as Tye, who receives an unnerving phone call from his Grandfather in which his Grandfather admits he’s killed someone. The mysterious phone call worries Tye, who sensing his Grandfather is in trouble, immediately rushes to his aid. And so begins this hidden object, point ’n’ click adventure. It all sounds very fun and exciting, doesn’t it? Well, believe me, it’s not. With no voice acting and a small cast of characters, the aforementioned story is about as dramatic as a phone call from telemarketers. In an attempt to build tension, your character enters a monologue at regular intervals. Although the action of talking to yourself in-game can provide useful hints and subsequently, help you move onto the next stage, it’s overly dramatic, and instead of heightening tension and adding to the story, it just turns it into a joke. The story is almost a case of ‘so bad it’s good’, as the monologues are so over-dramatised, it’s amusing.
But after you exit the first “cutscene”, which is in actual fact just a series of still images with some text scrolling along, things start to look up. You arrive at Granddad’s house and are greeted by an intricate and detailed art-style. However, this is also too good to be true, because when you start to zoom in and look closer at certain aspects of the game as you try to complete your objectives, the once visually impressive world goes blurry and grainy. Even the simplest of objects become hard to make out, which can leave you in real trouble during the resource-gathering sessions. These fairly routine equipping sections of the game are not only hindered by these visual problems, but also by the fact that the screen is so cluttered with items in these sections. As you struggle to decipher the various objects from one and other, you quickly resort to randomly tapping the screen, meaning these sections are unnecessary. Additionally, given the their regularity, they soon become frustrating and pointless tasks.
However, we can’t blame all the problems of the item equipping sections on the visuals. Part of the problem is the manner in which you are thrown into the game with no tutorial; you are simply expected to pick up the controls instinctively. This, in turn, leads to other problems on other puzzles, such as when you have to pick the lock to Granddad’s house. Thoughtfully, the developers have included a ‘skip’ function, a feature owners of the game will be very thankful for when meeting these irritatingly impossible puzzles.
Once you’ve made it into the house, the game does start to pick up. Suddenly, the game starts to link together and you start gathering items to solve the corresponding problems, clearly and easily. When you talk to Granddad, it gets even more interesting; you are teleported to a ship full of mysteries in a flashback-esque manner. From here on, you play as Granddad but a great deal younger, unravelling the secrets of Pandora’s Box, and discovering the events the transpired in the past, which have led to the occurrences of the present. This part of the game provides more enjoyment than the previous section; the puzzles get better and events clearly lead on to one and other in a smooth transition. That said, the title still suffers from serious pacing issues, and is frustratingly slowed down by frequent hidden object gathering sections.
Overall, Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box for the iPhone is a bit of a disappointment. From the screenshots it looks graphically impressive, and, with it’s hand-drawn art-style, it is. That is until you delve deeper into the game and are suddenly expected to find objects amongst the cluttered mess. Also, with little or no animation throughout, the gameplay is about as static as the screenshots. There is some decent hidden object/point ‘n’ click gameplay to be found, although it requires near-inhuman levels of patience, and the ability to persist through the numerous frustrating sections, in order to get to the good bits. There is some enjoyment to be found, as demonstrated by some of the well-transitioned puzzle-solving aspects, but having to grind through so much irritation is a tall ask for a medium that’s supposed to be entertaining.
Pros
Some good mystery solving to be found
Visuals are impressive…
Cons
…until you start zooming in and trying to find objects
Requires a lot of patience (all that frustration can’t be good for your health)
The WiiMote and Motion Plus worked wonders for adding precise control to many new titles last year. With the release of Wii Sports Resort last year that included the popular Fencing mini-game, I am always looking for similar fun titles that can compare to the experience. Majesco Entertainment will be releasing a new swordplay game with the simple yet fitting name of “Swords”.
In Swords, players will travel with their hero to the past, present and future, battling some of the top masters of the blade using the WiiMote with Motion Plus.
Here is a bit of information Majesco has released regarding the features to be included:
The Wii Remote, with Wii Motion Plus, is your ultimate weapon! Experience the realism of 1:1 sword movement, real time blocking, and advanced combos!
Earn new swords with every victory, each with its own unique abilities.
Travel through time and space, compete in challenging tournaments, and face-off against the masters of each style in brutal boss battles.
Challenge a friend or play together in a variety of training drills.
Increase your skills and learn new combos in training challenges, like carving, sparring, blocking, and even battling a horde of zombies!
Battle against 8 unique characters, each with a distinct look and home arena that represents their fighting styles:
Sensei Musashi: Your sensei and adopted father. He will prepare you for the tournament.
Rognir: This giant Viking chieftain swings a big sword and is looking to take your head off. Be alert and quick!
Lancelot: Sir Lancelot is a brave knight of the round table. Using a broadsword and shield, his only weakness is his ritualized fighting style.
Princess Aisha, the Generous: Aisha is a swift and dangerous foe. Catch her when she changes direction and exploit this short window of vulnerability.
Captain Jack Rackham: A clever and nimble opponent who is also a first class scoundrel. Watch out for his cheating ways and his bag of blinding sand.
Keiko Anamura: This flirtatious lady will lure you in with compassion before stabbing you in the back. Her temper is her greatest strength, and also her weakness…
Razor: The last of the Jumandi hunter droids, Razor comes from the distant future. Armed with laser swords and capable of incredible acrobatic moves, Razor almost seems undefeatable…
Mysterious final combatant: who will it be?
Swords is shaping up to be a solid experience for the Wii and I do feel that the system could use more swordplay titles in general putting the controller to full use. Each character seems to have a personality as well which is also a huge plus as with a rather generic name, this game seems to be filled with character. Swords releases on September 14th of this year. Check out the trailer below.
Apple Design Award 2010 winner Pinball HD is now available for the iPhone with Multiplayer features and Retina graphics!
Pinball HD 4 iPhone takes the best pinball games by OOO Gameprom and puts them all in one application. OOO Gameprom has definitely created some of the best pinball games in the App Store. You should note this application only supports iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3rd-Gen devices. What makes this collection better than others is the smooth control you have over the game. Everything works perfectly in movement and viewing angles. The flippers are just a tap on the right or left of your iDevice’s screen.
Sound and Graphics:
Each object in each version of pinball you play has it’s own sound. It sounds like a real arcade pinball machine. Everything interacts with each other perfectly. You flick it, it recognizes the flick perfectly with absolutely no lag! Flying up ramps or bumping into something, there’s always a perfect sound effect to go along with it. There are many pinball games in the App Store, but not many with such great graphics that look amazing in your hands. When you combine the sound with the graphics, this pinball game is unlike no other available at this time. OOO Gameprom makes another pinball game, Slayer HD, with even more amazing graphics. If they include this in an update to Pinball HD 4 iPhone that would make this the only pinball app I’d need. The visual effects and animations along with the audio effects and overall look and feel of the game make this one of the best apps available to play when you’re bored.
Gameplay and Controls:
While the game is fun to play, it also has smooth controls. It’s just a simple slide downwards to pull the spring for the ball to be released. When you need to hit the ball with the flippers, it just a simple tap. The different pinball games included in this collection are very exciting to play. The music along with the arcade machine-like sound effects makes it a lot of fun to continue playing for a while. The camera pans around the game board, following your ball and making it feel like your even more in the game when you hit that peg or fly up a ramp! To switch game boards, just swipe up or down. Right now, they included 3 of their pinball games: The Deep, Wild West and Jungle Style. To find out the latest news or view the leaderboards, just wipe left or right! You can view your local scores or the top 15 world scores. Swipe it even further and view the Hall of Fame! This is the pinball game with everything and it all looks, feels and plays great!
Summary:
Pinball HD 4 iPhone is, by far, one of the best pinball games available in the App Store! It simulates the perfect arcade machine look and feel. It had the same crazy noises and flashing lights and everything else. It’s just not 5 feet long and 3 feet wide. If OOO Gameprom includes their new Slayer HD pinball game in this collection of their pinball game, then this will be the only pinball app on my iPhone. Just a reminder, this app is only compatible with iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3rd-Generation devices. There is an option available for iPad in the App Store as well, called Pinball HD, which won the 2010 Apple Design Award. This is the perfect pinball game aviailable as of now and I don’t think any other company will be making any pinball games comparable to these for a long time. Overall, I give Pinball HD 4 iPhone an EXCELLENT rating of 9.5 out of 10 capsules. 10 if they include Slayer HD in an update!
Story
“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game™ is the rock ‘n’ roll action love story for the eight-bit generation. Staying true to the graphic novels and upcoming movie, the game follows Scott Pilgrim’s quest to date Ramona Flowers by defeating her seven evil exes.
The game is an arcade-style beat ’em up inspired by many classic retro games of the ’80s and ’90s. It features a four-player co-op mode where you can fight alongside Stephen Stills, Kim Pine, and Ramona to kick, punch, and beat your way through hordes of hipsters, emos, paparazzi, aliens, flying piggy banks (yes, flying piggy banks!), and much more. The eight-bit retro-gaming animations were created by the world-famous Pixel Artist Paul Robertson and the game features a soundtrack by chip-tune rockers Anamanaguchi.“ [Via Xbox.com]
The story is straight forward. Scott loves Romana but must beat her evil ex boyfriends in order to be with her. Scott must beat the living lights out of everyone in your way, and beat the evil ex boyfriend at the end of every stage. Sound easy? Well, you are incredibly wrong.
Gameplay
The game plays like a standard Beat ‘em up game with an added RPG element. As you go through the levels beating everyone up, you will gain levels which earn you bonuses in strength and health as well as give you new moves to use. The RPG element is a nice touch to this Beat ‘em up game and makes it incredibly more fun than a normal Beat ‘em up game. Still, like any other Beat ‘em up, the entire goal is to beat up everyone. Luckily you get to pick up objects and use special powers to help you succeed
The game also supports 4 player local co-op. It would have been awesome to have some online support, but sadly there is none. The game actually seems to favor co-op play, as it is incredibly hard to actually beat the game by yourself. There are four players to choose from, and while you will all help each other beating up the enemies, you will still compete for a good amount of the gold that is dropped. By yourself you will by replaying levels over and over again as you grind for experience and money, but playing with friends lets you beat it all with a little bit of effort while having a lot of fun. There are four characters to pick from, plus a bonus character to unlock (also a rumoured 6th character that I cannot confirm).
Money is dropped by every enemy in the game. As you collect more money you can enter stores and buy upgrades, food, and snacks. Buying stuff is a must in this game. Without the upgrades, and snacks you will die a quick and horrible death.
There are three difficulties, but they are all pretty difficult unless you level up quite a bit. The sheer number of opponents and their cheap moves create an incredibly annoying experience for newcomers. There is also, for some reason, an incredibly long recovery every time you fall down. At first the game may take a while to get used to, but once you are used to it this game competes extremely well with many Beat ‘em up games.
Audio & Graphics
This game is almost held up completely by its audio. An odd statement for a non Rhythm game, but it is true. The audio in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The game is completely Epic. The chiptune music from Anamanaguchi is awesome, check out some more info at this article written by Chris and then look up some of their music on youtube; it truly is awesome.
The graphics are in an 8bit style, which oddly brought back memories of playing older games. A weird feeling occurred as I played. While I knew this game was new, it felt like I was playing an old classic game that I hadn’t played in a while. I feel the art style won’t work as well with the younger crowd, but as an older gamer I quite enjoyed the nostalgic feeling. The only complaint I had with the graphics is the bouncing cleavage. I don’t feel it was necessary to have every single female sprite to be bouncing their –er- assets. It simply was not needed.
Achievements
The Achievements in this game are hard. The achievements will require you to play this game a lot. There are a few easy to obtain achievements, but the rest will take a while. The easiest are killing the twins at the same time, buying everything in a store, and defeating the first boss without using a life. The rest will take a while, and will have you playing a lot. Luckily if you like beat ‘em up games you will enjoy this game (See rest of the review for reasons why… Yes, that was a plug for my review within my own review)
The achievement list:
New Challenger – 10 – Defeat Matthew Patel without losing a life.
Twin Dragons – 10 – Defeat the Twins simultaneously.
Dirty Trick – 10 – Defeat an enemy by throwing an object at him while he’s already down.
Invulnerable – 10 – Play through a World and reach the boss without getting hit.
Get The Girl – 10 – Clear the game once with Scott.
The Power Of Friendship – 20 – In a multiplayer game, reanimate another player at least 25 times.
Gourmet – 20 – Eat every food items.
Vigilante – 20 – Defeat all enemies in a World, excluding the boss.
One Man Army – 20 – Clear the game in single player on the “Supreme Master” difficulty setting.
Shopaholic – 20 – Buy all the items of a shop.
Armed And Dangerous – 20 – Defeat at least 200 enemies using interactive objects.
“Chaudown” – 30 – Unlock and call all strikers.
Overview
While this game is most likely based off of the movie (sorry book fans) the game is still a lot of fun. This Beat ‘em up game is enough of a beat ‘em up to please fans of the genre, while adding a few additions to please a few newcomers. While the best part of the game is the music; the RPG elements and the graphic style create a new experience that is incredibly pleasant. The game is a cool beat ‘em up addition, but it sadly has no online play which hurts this game a lot. Would have it really have been that hard to support online co-op? Some good gameplay mechanics as well as an awesome Chiptune soundtrack makes Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game a pretty cool game.
I give Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game
See one of those people up there? By now any fan of Left 4 Dead should know what happens to one of them at the end of the latest DLC released by Valve. I won’t say who just in case you haven’t, but now the choice will be yours alone to make. With the new DLC for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, The Sacrifice, you will have the choice on who you will be sacrificing this time around to allow the other three survivors to continue on.
You will be controlling the first four survivors from the first Left 4 Dead, evil if you happen to download the DLC for Left 4 Dead 2. Even better news, if you only have L4D2, you will also receive the entire No Mercy campaign for free. And with this you now have the choice as to who will make the ultimate sacrifice against the zombie horde. There is no release date yet announced for this DLC, but also you should expect to see even more DLC coming for L4D2 from Valve in the coming months.
Nice little update here with the fact that Portal 2 will be incorporating multiplayer puzzles into the game. But of course this could mean hilarious and very well coordinated deaths between two co-op partners simply trying to ruin the other ones day by placing them in deadly situations all the time with their portal gun. Imagine if there is an Xbox Live or PSN attachment to this? There would be people dead all over the place simply from “accidental” portal placement.
Then again Valve is right there with us to show how co-op Portal playing should be done, and how they could easily solve puzzles in this way and avoid such traps. Though then again imagine that video below with human players, they could have timed it just right so the poor robot would have been crushed by the wall, instead of passing through it just for a laugh.
With Metroid: Other M coming out in less than 2 weeks, we now have a new commercial that should start hitting televisions soon. This commercial in my opinion is one of the best ads I have seen for a game this generation. In this live action trailer you get a glimpse of some of the deep storytelling that will be featured in Metroid: Other M featuring Samus as well as some nice gameplay footage. Take a look at the new ad below. Give us some feedback as well as we’d love to hear your thoughts about it.
We have some very good news for Australian and New Zealand residents; Fallout: New Vegas is going to be hitting shelves on October 21st. Now the rest of the world has been promised their bonuses and their collector’s editions but what about Australia and New Zealand? There isn’t any reason to worry if you happen to live anywhere in these two places as the bonuses are the exact same as anywhere else. EB Games, JB Hi-Fi, GAME, Mighty Ape and a selection of independent retailers will be selling and providing those who pre-order or buy the special copy of the game. But what will it end up containing? Here it is:
“Lucky 7″ poker chips. Each of the seven poker chips was designed to represent chips from the major casinos found on the New Vegas strip and throughout the Mojave Wasteland.
A fully customized Fallout: New Vegas deck of cards. Each card in the pack has been uniquely illustrated to depict characters and factions found within the game. Use the cards to play poker, blackjack or Caravan, an original card game that was created by Obsidian especially for New Vegas!
A recreation of the game’s highly coveted “Lucky 38″ platinum chip.
A hardcover graphic novel “All Roads”, that tells the story of some of the characters and events that lead up to Fallout: New Vegas. “All Roads” was written by Chris Avellone, the game’s creative director, and created in conjunction with Dark Horse Comics.
‘The Making of Fallout: New Vegas’ DVD. This documentary DVD will contain exclusive video content, including interviews with the developers in which they take you from concept to creation and discuss topics such as story, setting, legacy of the Fallout franchise and more.
Likewise with the pre-order content, as the only thing that has changed from the rest of the world is the fact that there are different retailers to turn to depending on what pack you may want.
Fallout: New Vegas Classic Pack exclusive to EB Games Pre-Orders
An armoured Vault 13 Suit – Extensively patched up and dotted with piecemeal armour, this outfit is an homage to the classic ending of the original Fallout. A Vault 13 Canteen – This handy device is useful for staving off dehydration and providing a small amount of healing in the Mojave Wasteland. A weathered 10mm Pistol – A well-worn 10mm pistol that packs an extra punch despite its modest size. 5 Stimpaks – Food and water are good for long-term healing, but when the fighting is fierce, Stimpaks help keep Wastelanders upright.
Fallout: New Vegas Caravan Pack exclusive to pre-orders from GAME
Lightweight Leather Armour – This hand-modified suit of leather armor reduces its overall weight without impacting its ability to protect. Sturdy Caravan Shotgun – Despite its rough appearance, this Caravan Shotgun will reliably fire 20 gauge shells until the Brahmin come home. 4 Repair Kits – Useful for repairing any outfit or weapon, Repair Kits are a valuable tool for any caravaner. Binoculars — The Mojave Wasteland is a dangerous place, but with these trusty Binoculars you’ll be able to spot trouble coming.
Fallout: New Vegas Mercenary Pack is exclusive to JB Hi-Fi
Lightweight Metal Armour – Modified for long-range travel, this Metal Armour sacrifices some protection for mobility and overall weight. Mercenary’s Grenade Rifle – Though similar to other 40mm Grenade Rifles in the Mojave Wasteland, this model has a faster reload cycle. 3 Super Stimpaks – When you absolutely, positively, need to keep your blood inside your body, Super Stimpaks fix you up in no time. 3 Doctors Bags – Mercenaries and broken limbs go together like Iguana-on-a-Stick and Nuka Cola. Thankfully, these Doctors Bags take a bit of sting out of the inevitable crushed skull.
Fallout: New Vegas Tribal Pack will be available from multiple independent retailers and online stores
Tribal Raiding Armour – Pieced together from scraps of armour, this outfit provides protection without impacting mobility. Broad Machete – This heavy-bladed melee weapon does high damage against limbs and can quickly deal out a flurry of attacks. 5 Bleak Venom doses – Useful on any Melee Weapon, Bleak Venom makes short of work of most living targets. 10 Throwing Spears – If you would like to silently pin an enemy’s head to a wall, Throwing Spears are the way to do it.
To see pictures of what these packs will look like, you only have to take a peek here.
We don’t even have a set release date yet, but Bethesda is already giving out the pre-order bonuses to select retailers in North America. Isn’t it a bit odd that they are already tempting us towards retailers when buyers don’t even know when they may be getting their pre-ordered game. But I digress we have various armors, weapons, bosses, and level bonuses depending which retailer you take a turn at purchasing from for Bethesda’s upcoming RPG.
The above picture shows off the Griffin Pack which is available from Best Buy and includes:
Caddoc’s Griffin Maw Crossbow – exclusive crossbow used by Caddoc
E’lara Griffin Hide Armor –exclusive armor used by E’lara
E’lara’s Griffin Claw Bow – exclusive repeating bow used by E’lara
There is also the Demon Pack which will be available only from Amazon.com and Direct2Drive pre-orders:
Demon Boss — Demon boss unlocked in Crucible
Demon Level — Demon boss level unlocked in Crucible
Annuvin — Annunvin character skin unlocked after completing the campaign
Notch Axe — Caddoc’s notch axe unlocked
Perhaps the retailer that started the whole pre-order bonus craze that has gripped many game releases, GameStop, will be offering the pre-order bonus of the Darkset Pack:
Caddoc’s Darkset Armor — exclusive shoulder armor for Caddoc
Caddoc’s Darkset Axe & Shield — exclusive Darkset Axe and Shield used by Caddoc
E’lara’s Darkset Light Sword — exclusive Darkset Light Sword used by E’lara
Last but not least we have the Assassin Pack for those of us who prefer mysterious additions to our games. WalMart will be providing this pre-order pack.
Assassin Boss — Assassin boss unlocked in Crucible
Assassin Level — Assassin boss level unlocked in Crucible
Seriphine — Seriphine character skin unlocked after completing the campaign
I posted before about the upcoming Dragon Ball Raging Blast 2 containing a new 30 minute animated special called “Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans”, a remake of a previously unreleased Dragon Ball Z OVA based on an NES game. Now it seems the storyline from the main game might revolve around this special, seeing as the villain is emblazoned about the new box art. The new box art isn’t all I have to share with you today.
What do you guys think of the look of the new anime? For once I can say, as a Dragon Ball Z fan, I’m actually excited for a new game. Every game since the first Budokai for the PS2 has been almost exactly the same, following the same story we all know (and of course, love), but not bringing anything new to the table. Smart move, Bandai! Bringing back a story that was all but forgotten, you’ve certainly assured that I’ll be picking up a copy of Raging Blast 2 when it comes out!
