Take to the skies with Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X 2. Do you have what it takes to evolve ? I know you do, I’ve seen it in your future. You know the future where your a fighter pilot taking down enemy planes and bombing special enemy military locations, then flying home to a hero’s welcome !! YEAH BABY !!
Now click on the play button below, and brace yourself for some aerial warfare, the like of which you have never seen before !!
Now who wants to be a HERO ?? You all can this Fall 2010.
Like nearly all PopCap Games, Plants vs Zombies was an extremely addicting and entertaining game. Released in 2009, the game was the perfect definition of the Tower Defense genre.
Well, if you want more of that addicting formula, just look at the image below:
The artwork is really suspicious, but we will need to wait until August 2, 2010 for this mystery to be revealed!
2k Games announced a special edition for their strategy game Sid Meier’s Civilization V. Check it out:
This special edition has the following items:
Sid Meier’s Civilization V special edition will be available in North America on September 21st for $99.99 and internationally September 24th for £59.99 / €79.99 / AUS$129.
The game will be shipped with Steamworks, including in all PC versions features such as auto-updates, Steam Achievements, downloadable content, multiplayer matchmaking and more. For Steam you have a Digital Deluxe Edition and some pre-order bonus available right here.
Developer: Her Interactive
Released: June 29th
Genre: Adventure
Price: $19.99 (Buy now!)
Who said that the adventure genre was dead? Well, it’s not! More and more developers are starting to remaster their old titles, porting them to other consoles or updating the graphics (Monkey Island(TM 🙂 ), King’s Quest) or simply making a new game all-together strictly following the classical point-and-click games recipe.
For a huge adventure fan like myself, I must say this is very pleasing. I think that this genre has great potential and has been way overlooked by gamers and developers over the years .
Overview:
Her Interactive is one of those companies who kept the adventure games spirit alive. Their portfolio includes PC and console games like The Hardy Boys, The Cody Papers and of course the entire Nancy Drew Adventure series.
If you’re new to the Nancy Drew games, you might be surprised to find out that Trail of The Twister is the 22nd (twenty-second!) title of the series! The teenage detective has seen a lot of mysteries for her age and she is ready to start working on her latest case!
Nancy is called to join a team of storm chasers who have entered a competition for $100,000,000 to discover a formula to predict tornado touchdowns. She must investigate the source of a series of strange equipment failures and crew member injuries.
Gameplay:
You start off in Nancy’s bedroom where you get a little background info on Nancy who invites you to check out her previous cases in form of a collage of photos and comments. You’ll also find a tutorial available in form of another book called “How to be A detective” showing you what’s available in the game.
I was very happy to find out Nancy has a cell phone! You’ll be able to use that to communicate with different people throughout the game and it will also be very useful as a camera! Also you will have the possibility to use a car to move around town which is a definite plus and also a GPS system will also be available. Unfortunately the latter is pretty annoying to use and what’s more you almost get killed because of it! That’s all I will reveal as I don’t want to spoil the fun!
The game has two difficulty settings: Junior Detective and Senior Detective, the difference between them being the puzzles and also some aiding items like Nancy’s task list in which she writes down all her TO-DOs for that day. She has a Journal to keep track of her progress throughout the game.
As soon as you arrive in town you start meeting the locals, each with different attitudes which will shortly make you think everybody is a suspect, a feeling which will not go away and you will be left guessing until the end of the game, thus no dull moments will occur!
As in all good adventure games you will be everyone’s favourite errand-boy…(err…sorry)…girl. I would even go a little further and say everybody wanted something from me! Where’s the generosity people? I felt exploited and I couldn’t fight back in any way! If you want something in this game you have to work for it, which I guess is OK as nothing is free these days :).
The errands come in form of puzzles which will vary from repairing circuits, TVs and sprinklers to catching mice or photographing clouds. The puzzles are all very logical and keep you hooked, without getting frustrating though! There’s even a small economic system built in the game as for some tasks you will have to buy objects from the store, using the local currency, Pa’s Pennies , Pa being the owner of the store.
There are three ways of getting these Pennies. You can complete main plot quests, search for coins throughout the game as they will be lying around in some places or by playing mini-games. Mini-games are a lot of fun and will be very rewarding!
You will be controlling Nancy from a first-person perspective. You’ll be able to do 360 degrees turns in most of the scenarios and you will navigate throughout the game by point and clicking, which I must say at times can get a little annoying as you have to search for the directional arrows on the screen.
Graphics and sound:
Except for the characters that are pretty dynamic and have great facial expressions, the graphics are pretty primitive; I mean the Nintendo 3DS is coming out, nVidia also launched 3D graphic cards and TVs and Trail of the Twister is stuck on still-scenes and some animation…I guess they could have put more effort into the graphics part.
But what the game lacks in graphics makes up in the sound section. ALL the game has good voice-over which is really helpful and you don’t find in all games plus the soundtrack changes according to the scene and the action.
Feeling:
Trail of the Twister has some elements designed to immerse yourself into the game’s atmosphere. I like that you are told when to- and eventually have to- go to bed, it gives a more real-life feeling to the game and also opportunities like late-night-detective-snooping around the house and early-morning errands show themselves.
You will also notice that a lot of useful educational information can be found throughout the game in the form of puzzles, newspaper articles or and characters’ comments.
Upon finishing the game you will notice that the developers inserted game achievements for you to complete. This is a great thing and also gives the game great replayability potential.
The game is a lot of fun and is accessible for both genre fans and newcomers! Leaving the graphics part aside it can be seen that great attention to detail has been given in the making of this game through clever logical puzzles and great plot turns.
In my opinion the game has everything a good adventure game should and for that I award it 9/10 Capsules!
Game Name: Singularity
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Publisher(s): Activision
Developer(s): Raven Software
Genre(s): Shooter
Release Date: 6/29/2010
ESRB Rating: M (Mature) Blood and Gore Intense Violence Strong Language
Price (PS3/Xbox360): $59.99 (USD)
Price (PC): $49.99 (USD)
Story
“Fight the past to save the future. Stop the SINGULARITY.
Learn the truth behind a massive cover-up of the catastrophic SINGULARITY™, an event that fractured time and threatens the world as we know it. Armed with powerful, advanced weaponry and the experimental Time Manipulation Device, fight enemies from the past, the present, and abominations caught somewhere in between.” [Via Xbox.com]
The game takes place on an island by the name of Katorga-12. The Russians have discovered a special element that they call E99. This element has the ability to control time and the Russians have been busy trying to manipulate this element for their own use.
You are an American who has been sent to the island to look into an odd radiation disturbance that a satellite picked up. You thought the island was abandoned, but that turns out untrue. As you explore the island you will stumble upon time rifts, these time rifts let you travel between the 1950s and the present. After changing the past you discover that the present isn’t the same and set out to fix your mistakes through more time traveling and the help of the TMD (Time Manipulation Device).
Singleplayer Gameplay
Singularity starts you off wrecked on an island and trying to meet up with your partner who got separated from you during the crash. At first the island seems deserted but after falling through a giant time explosion and changing the past you start to run into mutated beings. Further investigation of the island reveals that some weird experiments were being done with the E99 that is harvested on the island. Notes and audio logs scattered throughout the game reveal more backstory, but they aren’t required. The audio logs require you to sit by them and listen to them which pretty much halt your gameplay if you want to hear them all.
Singularity is an FPS that lets you manipulate time, it takes a little while before you get the TMD (Time Manipulation Device) but once you get it the game becomes much more interesting. The TMD can do a lot of stuff and isn’t hard to use. With the click of a button you can either age items or renew them. You also have this impulse ability that lets you push enemies away from you, the impulse ability is actually pretty annoying though. The reason Impulse is annoying is because it requires power to use but replaces your melee attack. If you have no power and you have to reload your gun while surrounded by enemies, you become a sitting duck. It would have been nice to have a separate melee button as well as the impulse ability. Other abilities that you can do include pulling things out of phase, picking up items with an antigravity attachment, and creating deadlock spheres. Deadlock spheres slow down everything that enters them. Enemies come to a standstill while bullets slow down. The game uses all these time abilities to create puzzles for you as you progress through the game. The puzzles aren’t difficult at all and with the linear gameplay it isn’t very hard progression through the game.
The game literally makes it impossible to get lost. Even with the linear gameplay, there is a ping ability which shows you where to go. If you manage to get lost, one simple button press will tell you exactly where to go. It is a nice way to help new players but it feels like having someone hold your hand as you play the game. You don’t actually have to use it, but the knowledge of it always being there ruins a bit of the game.
Combat situations in the game are a lot of fun. With the ability to alter time mid combat, multiple tactics will arise. You could freeze all of the opponents in a deadlock and then put bullets in front of them so that when the deadlock shuts down the bullets kill everyone. You could use a sniper rifle and slow down time with the sniper rifle’s slow down ability. Sniping in Singularity is extremely satisfying; with the ability to slow down time you can shoot 5 guys in the head within seconds. Even terrible snipers will enjoy sniping in Singularity. Gibbing lets you shoot off arms, legs or even heads leaving a bloody fountain and a puddle of blood on the floor.
There is a slight RPG element present in the game as well. Throughout the levels you will find new abilities which you can then buy using E99 tech. You won’t run into enough tech to upgrade everything, so you must pick what to upgrade as you progress through the game. You can also upgrade guns by using weapon tech at a weapons locker. The same applies to guns, because it isn’t possible to upgrade every single one. You have to choose to either make your favorite gun really powerful, or make a few simply stronger. Weapon lockers are located throughout the game and they allow you to switch out weapons and upgrade them. Since you can only carry 2 weapons at a time it helps to strategize what weapons you are going to need to take out the following enemies. While every enemy is weak against certain weapons it isn’t that noticeable and they can all be taken out pretty easily with the shotgun or minigun. Throughout the levels you will collect ammo for all the guns, if you run out of ammo for your primary gun you can always switch it out for another until you restock its ammo.
Multiplayer Gameplay
Unlike most games, Singularities multiplayer is definitely not an afterthought. Sadly it still falls short of being incredible. I admit that it is fun, but the connection issues and the balancing problems are horrible and take away a huge chunk of the fun.
I should probably rephrase the balancing bit, but I couldn’t think of a better way to put it. When I say balancing I don’t mean the things you can use or people you can play as are overpowered, they are actually quite well rounded and each has a specific use. The characters all cater to a different play style and you can switch out at anytime without having to upgrade anything. When I say balancing, I mean the games themselves. When you are losing there is no possible way to come back. This is particularly noticeable in extermination. One team will be dominating while the other is giving up all hope. Every game is like that. I have played it a lot and you either win greatly, or lose horribly.
Multiplayer gameplay consists of soldiers and creatures. Each side has 4 character types. The character you pick is based on the ability you want. As a human you then pick your weapon and a perk. As a creature you don’t pick a weapon but rather another perk that changes the creatures play style a bit. Every character has a specific way to use them with different tactics and not everyone will be good with all the characters.
On the human side the four character types are Blitzer, Lurker, Bruiser, and Healer. Humans play in a first person point of view. The Blitzer has the ability to teleport, which makes for quick escapes and gives you the ability to teleport through solid objects and walls. The Lurker’s ability is a shield that reflects damage back on the person attacking you. Bruisers have an impulse ability that lets you push enemies back while causing damage. Healers have the ability to heal themselves and other players. Healers are a pretty self explanatory support class.
On the creature side there are Zeks, Reverts, Phase Ticks, and Radions. Creatures play in a third person point of view. The creatures’ abilities are much more varied and not always immediately clear as to how helpful they are. Zeks have the ability to become translucent and invincible for short periods of time. They can also produce explosive barrels and throw them. Zeks are very good attackers and good for the first line of attack. Reverts can set proximity mines and puke on people, which blinds, slows down, and hurts the enemy. Reverts are a good support class and are difficult to directly attack people with because of how slow they are. Phase Ticks have the ability to climb on everything and take over an enemy’s body. These guys have very weak attacks and absolutely no defense, but when they take over an enemy they are able to control that player’s character and use his abilities. The Radion is the last creature class and these guys are pretty much giant tanks. They have strong attacks and high defense. They aren’t the most agile, but they do a very good job at stopping enemy progression for a while.
There are two gametypes for multiplayer: Creatures Vs. Soldiers and Extermination Mode. Creatures Vs. Soldiers is simply team deathmatch with creatures going against soldiers. After every round the teams switch sides. In extermination mode, the soldiers are tasked with activating a beacon and protecting it until it goes off, while the creatures have to keep that beacon from being activated and destroy it before it goes off. Extermination games take a while because once you activate one beacon and beat an area it will open up a new area. Each level has 3 areas that require beacon activation. Once the round is up, teams switch sides and the team with the fastest time or most beacons activated wins.
Audio & Graphics
The audio is paced perfectly with the game, certain moments require you to get moving and pick up the pace. The music will speed up to signify this, and helps you move faster. There is also a creepy elements and the music backs these moments up perfectly. The audio was used very well and it highlights moments in the game superbly.
The graphics are also well done and quite crisp. There are a few parts of the game where the textures weren’t there and it seemed dull and flat. I am assuming this was my Xbox being lazy about loading the textures, but I am not sure and it could possibly be lacking them in those parts of the game. The surroundings also change when you change the past. At first it you may not notice it, but it becomes pretty clear around certain major alterations in the time line.
Achievements
The achievements in singularity are very nice. They push the player to become well rounded and use everything at least for a little while. None of them are that difficult and a majority of them just require you to keep an eye out for possible opportunities to do the achievements at. The achievements are distributed between the singleplayer campaign and the multiplayer. The singleplayer achievements are straight forward and require you to either do everything available to you or progress through the story. The collecting achievements are very nice because there are many more than just the amount you are told to find. Since there are more objects than the amount you need you can play the game regularly without being too distracted looking for stuff, just keep an eye out and you will run into most of them as you play. The multiplayer achievements are also not that difficult. The hardest part is finding games and keeping them running. The next task is to become well rounded with all the characters you can play as because you will need to use each one for their specific achievements. The achievements that require a certain amount of games will take the longest, particularly since most games last 20-30 minutes. Luckily the developers have supplied an area in the main menu that lets you keep track of all the cumulative achievements. This feature lets you know how much longer you have to do a certain task before you complete it.
View the Achievement List here
Overview
Singularity has an amazing story and the time control aspects are superb. Many of the puzzles are too easy though and don’t require much thinking, but there are a few that may get you thinking for a little while. The TMD has multiple uses and an easy button layout lets you manipulate time without much hassle. Sadly the game is a tad short and there isn’t much to compel the player into playing the story again since the multiple endings are only affected by the choice at the very end and you can just reload that checkpoint after each ending. There is a multiplayer, but connection issues make getting games difficult and the community is also not that large. Overall Singularity is a very good game and is a lot of fun the first time through it.
I give Singularity
Pros
Cons
The achievements in singularity are very nice. They push the player to become well rounded and use everything at least for a little while. None of them are that difficult and a majority of them just require you to keep an eye out for possible opportunities to do the achievements at. The achievements are distributed between the singleplayer campaign and the multiplayer. The singleplayer achievements are straight forward and require you to either do everything available to you or progress through the story. The collecting achievements are very nice because there are many more than just the amount you are told to find. Since there are more objects than the amount you need you can play the game regularly without being too distracted looking for stuff, just keep an eye out and you will run into most of them as you play. The multiplayer achievements are also not that difficult. The hardest part is finding games and keeping them running. The next task is to become well rounded with all the characters you can play as because you will need to use each one for their specific achievements. The achievements that require a certain amount of games will take the longest, particularly since most games last 20-30 minutes. Luckily the developers have supplied an area in the main menu that lets you keep track of all the cumulative achievements. This feature lets you know how much longer you have to do a certain task before you complete it.
~~The Achievement List~~
~~Secret Achievements~~
As a kid I grew up watching wrestling and I still remain a wrestling fan to this day. I played all the games trying to truly replicate those awesome moments I seen in the ring on the “Smackdown” series,”No Mercy”,”Fire Pro” and countless other games in the genre. This fall is set to bring something wrestling fans and gamers have yet to receive in the last couple of years though, a true alternative to the huge Smackdown vs Raw series. If you are not familiar with the style of wrestling that is “Lucha Libre”, here are some fun facts you might to get you a bit more caught up of what to expect from “Lucha Libre: AAA Heroes of the Ring”.
If you have never heard of Lucha Libre, it is the fast-paced sport of Mexican Wrestling. Lucha Libre is known for it’s performers with unique masks, high-flying action, outlandish gimmicks, and of course and the trademark 6 sided wrestling rings. As for the Asistencia Asesoría y Administracion (Spanish for “Assistance, Consulting and Administration) or “AAA” for short,it is a professional-wrestling promotion based in Mexico and known worldwide. Rey Mysterio Jr., the late Eddie Guerrero, and many other famed wrestlers all have roots back to this organization. The matches have more holds and more aerial attacks as well as quite a bit more blood than the current more family friendly WWE.
Konami had a huge E3 showing this year for AAA and with a real live lucha libre wrestling match which determined “Dr. Wagner Jr” is to grace the cover. Also with all the new features for the genre, this could be shaping up to be one of the greatest wrestling games in years. The game features a popularity-based scoring system which allows players to unlock increasingly acrobatic and devastating signature and finishing moves based on the user’s ability to gain the support of the audience through the execution of taunts and grapple holds throughout the match. The more excitement you make your match for the digital crowd, the more rewarding the player’s experience in the game. Other features are set to include:
Gamestop will also be in on the action, bringing everyone who pre-orders the title one of four replica Lucha Libre masks so you can conceal your real identity to the public and jump off buildings on to unsuspecting people…or just put it in a collectors case and show off to friends if you don’t want to inflict fear to the masses.
“Lucha Libre: AAA Heroes of the Ring” is scheduled to be out on October 12th in the U.S. for the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PS3, Nintendo DS, and PSP. Check out the trailer below and Capsule Computers will keep you updated as more information comes.
King’s Quest The Silver Lining is now available for download right now for FREE !! Head on over to the Phoenix Online Studio website and download your copy now !! Let the Adventure begin all over again !! Check out our interview with the Phoenix Online Studio team here for all the information you need to know about the new and highly anticipated final chapter to one of the best adventure games ever created !!
Robert Rodriguez presents PREDATORS™
Rating: 12+
Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch (also available on iPad)
Release Date: Out Now
Developer: Angry Mob Games
Publisher: Chillingo
Price: (US)$2.99
BUY NOW
In conjunction with the release of the film of the same name, a Predators movie tie-in game has been released on iPhone by the same team who developed the fantastic ‘Guerrilla BOB’, Angry Mob Games. With the poor reputation of movie tie-ins, I was a little sceptical at first although the fact that such a decent studio was working on it was promising. This, along with being initially greeted by a 30-minute download time for Robert Rodriguez presents PREDATORS, had me unsure what to expect. The collossal 100-plus MB download is an absolute behemoth, especially so when contrasted with the size of other games available on the format. I thought that I could have a fully fledged game on my hands with an in-depth campaign mode, a rarity on the iPhone/iPod Touch with all the mini-game based titles available.
The size made it look to be a very ambitious title, and upon booting it up, I found it to be exactly that. Visually, it was highly impressive, with some of the best graphics that can be seen an iPhone game. The characters models are in full 3D and, although there are only a limited range of enemies, graphically they are sound and very ambitious for such a small device. I was also impressed by the level graphics and design initially, but only initially, because as I progressed I realised that the same level is used again and again, with the only change being changes in lighting to reflect nightfall, as well as a change in weather conditions. The repeated use of one level design, along with the use of a limited selection of enemy types, can lead to the game feeling slightly repetitive. This is even further supported by the generic “hack ‘n’ slash” nature of the gameplay, which is tedious and does not utilise the features of the iPhone. The touch features are only used for pressing onscreen buttons with one hand, and guiding an onscreen control stick with the other, which means you can’t help but think that the game isn’t particularly suited to the iPhone and may as well just be on a controller if you are just using buttons and a control stick reminiscent of a control pad.
The campaign is lengthy, with self-explanatory missions that almost feel like tutorials in the way they introduce you a new combo or weapon, while still allowing you freedom to roam without feeling like you are following step by step instuctions. The game is actually played through the eyes of a Predator as you hunt down humans, and is well stylised to reflect this through the design and layout of the HUD. As a consequence of being the Predator, the game is very blood-thirsty and violent, and some may enjoy this gore, while others may find it a bit excessive. It’s a matter of personal opinion, although you should really know what to expect from this game based on the nature of the film. However, there is in fact the thoughtful inclusion of the ability to switch blood off via the options menu, a choice which some of you may appreciate.
As aforementioned, the game can get quite tedious due to the “hack ‘n’ slash style and the lact of unique levels and enemies. To freshen things up, there are a number of abilities you learn as you progress, like new combos, infra-red vision and a cloaking ability. The arsenal of weapons you earn and upgrade as you make headway in PREDATORS also helps in keeping the game interesting, as without the injection of this new material, you would grow fatigued by all the repetition. The nature of the game also makes it very difficult. Some will embrace this challenge, and respect the level of difficulty offered, although a lot of this comes from the combat system. You may accidently get dragged into a combo you didn’t mean to do which could leave you a sitting duck to enemy attacks (such as a “trophy kill”), something common in most button mashers. This one fatal error leaves you with only one option; “retry”, losing all your progress made in that mission, meaning you have to excruciating have to trawl through it again, a feature that many will find frustrating.
Overall, “Robert Rodriguez presents PREDATORS™” is an ambitious effort for an iPhone game, with highly impressive graphics, and a lengthy single-player campaign, with four save slots on offer, meaning several people can create datas, or one person can have multiple datas. There are a number of combos and weapons to use in an authentic playthrough from the eyes of the villian. Unfortunately, it suffers from the same problem that most hack ‘n’ slash action/adventure games suffer from; button mashing gets very tedious. Due to this fact, it also doesn’t capitalise on the iPhone’s features, with only buttons and a control stick projected on the screen, rather than something truly innovative. There is also a limited range of character models for enemies and level backdrops which add to feelings of repetition. In summary, for the first 30-40 minutes it is highly enjoyable and a top notch game, but there isn’t enough variation to grab your interest after this time, and as a result, gets boring very quickly.
Pros
Cons
Ladies and Gentlemen the Waka Waka King from Pac Man Kingdom formerly invites you all to take part in Pac-Man Party a new dynamic party game for Nintendo Wii. Pac-Man Party is a zany pick-up-and-play party game that has challenges that will have players using their skills and reflexes as they move about several unique virtual game boards.
PAC-MAN Party captures the spirit of the beloved franchise and provides engaging entertainment that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With more than 45 exciting mini-games, PAC-MAN Party provides a rewarding and challenging social gaming experience regardless of skill level. From the time-based trials of rolling a giant snowball and knocking your friends off a mountain top, to adventures that require more precision and endurance, players will be fully engaged as they use the Wii Remote’s motion, pointing and button control capabilities.
PAC-MAN Party is scheduled to be released throughout North America this fall.
Who’s excited ?? I AM !! Let us know what you think .. check out the screenshots and trailer below.
