Big fans of the music gaming industry should rejoice because we now know the full release date for Harmonix’s Rock Band 3, as it arrives on shelves in North America at least on October 26th of this year. Not only that but the game itself is going to be incorporating yet another instrument into the vast amount of music peripherals already accepted for the game, and that is the musical keyboard.
As a little bit of incentive, we have also heard about the pre-order bonuses already being offered by various retailers in the States. Amazon purchasers will receive a download code for an exclusive in game guitar, Wal-Mart is offering a $10 gift card, and Gamestop is giving away three songs for free. They are unfortunately not free to choose, as the ones being given are “Blue Monday” by New Order, “My Own Summer” by The Deftones, and “Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads.
It should be interesting to see how much the bundle will cost, and what bundles will be provided for the game. There has already been a package announced that will include the keyboard only, for those who already own the various plastic music instruments and don’t wish to have a room full of drum kits.
Red Faction fans can now have a movie to look forward to. Announced today, Red Faction: Origins will hit the network SyFy brought to you by the series creators, THQ. Red Faction: Origins will be a two-hour live action movie pilot that is now scheduled to premiere on the SyFy network in March, the same month as the newest addition to the series, Red Faction: Armageddon.
Here is a statement released about the new full length feature today:
The Red Faction: Origins screenplay was written by notable writer and producer Andrew Kreisberg (Warehouse 13, Fringe, Vampire Diaries and Boston Legal), based on a story developed by Paul DeMeo (The Rocketeer, Flash, Viper, The Sentinel), THQ Director, Fiction Development. Production of the film will be managed by Universal Cable Productions.
Mark Stern, Executive Vice President Programming, Syfy & Co-head of Universal Cable Production said, “This groundbreaking deal with THQ reflects our desire to deliver a completely immersive and enhanced viewing experience for the audience. We are excited to be working with the creative team at THQ in extending the vibrant world of Red Faction to our air.”
“THQ is blazing a new trail in the gaming industry with our partnership with Syfy by introducing the Red Faction franchise to a new and broader audience” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ. “This unique transmedia collaboration is one of many strategic initiatives in place to dramatically increase awareness for Red Faction Armageddon and extend the Red Faction brand across a wide variety of entertainment channels.”
The story follows the lineage of hero Alec Mason and the Mason family and will take place in-between Red Faction: Guerrilla and the upcoming Red Faction: Armageddon.
Video games making the crossover to movies is certainly nothing new. But this is no standard straight to DVD gig as landing on a cable network is quite an accomplishment that may lead to more productions depending on the success of the project. The new Red Faction: Origins seems like it will focus more on story and fan service which is great to hear considering the mixed results we have seen in the past with video games and their movie adaptations.
Seeing as THQ and SyFy are in the driver’s seat, fans should start setting their recording devices and get ready for a whole new chapter.
There is now yet another reason to make sure you have an pre-order locked in for the upcoming Fallout New Vegas Collector’s Edition. Bethesda Softworks is bringing “All Roads”, the exclusive graphic novel to be featured in the set when it releases this year.
The novel was created by Geof Darrow, with colors by Peter Doherty and some art provided by Jean Diaz (Incorruptible) and Wellinton Alves (Marvel’s Shadowland: Blood on the Streets, Nova).
New Vegas’ own creative director, Chris Avellone has wrote this stunning novel exclusively for the collector’s edition of the highly anticipated title.
Both Geof Darrow and Chris Avellone will be signing special lithographs featuring the full cover art at the Dark Horse booth (Booth #2615) at Comic-Con International in San Diego on Saturday, July 24 from 5:00pm to 6:00pm.
Pre-order bonuses don’t always please all, but this is one that stands out due to the level of the high quality team working on the project. If you are a fan of the series, this will be sure to be an excellent addition to your collection. Fallout New Vegas releases for North America on October 19, 2010 and across Europe on October 22, 2010 for the Xbox 360, PS3 & Window’s PCs. For more information on Fallout New Vegas, check out www.falloutnewvegas.com.
Story
“Uncertain of his sister’s fate, a boy enters LIMBO.” [Via Xbox.com]
I don’t like starting out with something bad about a game, but since I start out describing the story of a game in all my reviews it is going to be inevitable. Limbo literally has no clear story. Seeing as how the Xbox.com excerpt is one line long and completely sums up the entirety of the game, you shouldn’t be expecting much of a story. If you want to jump straight to where I talk about the rest of this awesome game skip this section.
Let’s take a look at the story of the game from someone starting out. The game throws you straight into a strange world, which is assumed to be Limbo based on the title of the game. The player must then progress forward and solve puzzles to keep moving through this strange world. There is no clear reason for doing what you are doing unless you read the Xbox.com description.
Not knowing the purpose of where you are going isn’t a bad thing though. The mystery adds to the overall feeling of the game. The problem lies when the story is never actually explained. I went through the entire game waiting for something awesome and deep to be explained, and the game just cuts out without any real explanation at all. The ending is awesome and short, but still doesn’t explain anything. There might be some possible meaning behind the entire game that people will philosophize about, but if there is then I completely missed it.
Gameplay
The entire gameplay of limbo is linear with obstacles blocking you way every minute or so. A good way to look at the game is to view it as a whole bunch of small puzzles all connected together in one single campaign. There is a checkpoint at the beginning of almost every puzzle, and then the entire game is split into a bunch of bigger chunks so that you can replay any puzzles you want by simply selecting the chapters.
There are a bunch of puzzles, and each one is quite unique. There are literally no two puzzles that are solved the same way. There are tons of different elements in the game, and each puzzle will combine other puzzle elements. Once they are out of elements a new one is thrown in, and others are taken out. Later in the game older puzzles are brought back in combination with newer ones. A lot of the puzzles have to do with timing everything right, while others have to do with using certain items that you wouldn’t expect to use. There are a huge amount of puzzles and I don’t want to ruin the game by giving them all away, but I could make a pretty massive list of all the types of puzzles.
There is a lot in the game that will kill you. The first time I started playing I continually died at almost every new obstacle because I didn’t know it was dangerous. Since everything kills you, exploration in the game is extremely limited. This tends to hurt the game, but after you get passed the inability to explore anywhere the game becomes more of a puzzle game and you go from one puzzle to the next to solve them. The first time through the game it is easily expected that everyone will die a lot. Trying to figure out a lot of the puzzles requires a lot of trial and error.
Since the game only uses the joystick to move and then has a jump button and a use button the game is easy to pick up for anyone. The easy controls also force the puzzles to be more abstract in order to remain fun. Every puzzle you know what to do, the problem lies in needing to find out how to do what you need to do. A lot of the time you even know what to use and in what way to use it, but getting the job done is challenging and may take a lot of players a while to do. The direct solution is usually not the correct one.
Audio & Graphics
The audio and the graphics are where this game shines. While the story is almost nonexistent and the gameplay linear, you will continue playing this game simply to see what you get to look at next. Each new area is beautiful. The artwork is simple but it creates an overall unique feeling that is quite satisfying. The game is also located in Limbo, so it creates a slight out of this world feeling.
Throughout the game audio is playing in the background. This audio is extremely quiet and slightly creepy. This audio effect almost forces the player to play in the dark and in an extremely quiet environment. I don’t know if it was intentional, but by creating that effect the game is able to pull the player into the game quick and then keep them there. Throughout the level the audio will increase in volume, tone, or speed. These moments signify an increase in some aspect in the game. Many times it will signify a need to speed up due to some danger, or an increased risk to your health. There are also nice little “body mutilation” sounds whenever you die. Depending on how you die, the game will use a corresponding sound which makes many deaths real ugly the first few times you die that way.
The graphics in the game are also brilliant. Although it is extremely simple, the black and white scheme helps create mood and remove the player from reality. Since the game takes place in Limbo it helps place the player in the location to better experience what is going on. The black and white scheme also helps hide many traps and is actually what creates a multitude of the puzzles. Deaths are also extremely nice. Since death is abundant in the game (and you will die a lot) it is a nice touch to have such a nice looking death. I even began feeling sorry for the poor guy after he died for the 10th time in the exact same spot.
Achievements
The achievements in Limbo are flat out brilliant. There is one story based achievement worth 100g and is a pretty good reward for simply playing the game. The others are based on miscellaneous tasks throughout the game. These tasks actually put much more replay into the game. Aside from the achievement that requires you to beat the game in one sitting while dying less than 5 times, the rest are decently easy to get but really hard to find. Scattered throughout the game are these egg things that you must break in order to unlock the achievement. Finding these eggs are extremely difficult and are on the path but hidden very well. Sure, you could look up every single location for easy achievements, but where is the fun in that?
The Achievement List is:
Wrong Way – 5 – That’s not right
Altitude is attitude – 5 – Exploration off the ground
It’s Stuck – 10 – Prepare a dry landing
Urban Exploration – 10 – Involves heavy lifting
Alone in the Dark – 10 – Beneath the arthropod
Climbing the Cog – 10 – Don’t pull the lever just because you can
Backtracking – 10 – Ride the crates
Guided by Sparks – 10 – The crate is key
Under Ground – 10 – Vertical passageway
Going Up – 10 – Don’t let gravity keep you down
Where Credit is due – 100 – Persistence has its own reward
No Point in Dying – 10 – Complete the game in one sitting with five or less deaths
There are also 2 avatar awards that can be unlocked.
Limbo T-Shirt – Unlock your first achievement.
Limbo Creature Pet – Beat the game.
Overview
While the overall game is pretty short and a majority of the puzzles can be solved after about 5-10 minutes of pondering, Limbo is still an extremely beautiful and enjoying experience. The Audio and Graphics absorb the player into the game and create a beautiful and compelling game to traverse through. The puzzles themselves are interesting and quite fun to solve. Based on skill level the games puzzles could be difficult or easy, but even if the puzzles are easy for you Limbo is a very fun game and an even better experience to partake in.
I give Limbo
Apple NEWS !! The iOS4 Software Update for iPhone is now available for download via iTunes. Make sure you backup your iPhone first then click on update. Download is approx 350mb in size will take approx 20 mins to download and another 10-15 mins to auto install.
This update contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:
• Improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display
Products compatible with this software update:
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4
Let us know how you go with it. Especially all you iPhone 4 users. I’ve already upgraded. No issues on my end.
Ladies and Gentlemen, PopCap Games, announced today plans to release Plants vs. Zombies for Xbox LIVE Arcade (XBLA) this fall. With an anticipated launch in early September, Plants vs. Zombies on XBLA will deliver more game content than any previous iteration of the franchise, boasting seven game modes, including two all-new multiplayer modes, 12 unique achievements and 21 mini-games. Upon its release, Plants vs. Zombies for XBLA will be available for 1200 Microsoft Points (US$15.00).
“With a ton of new features and content exclusive to the XBLA version, we’ve pulled out all the stops to both expand and optimize this adaptation for a hard core gaming audience,” said Ed Allard, head of worldwide studios at PopCap. “The two new multiplayer modes allow gamers to work cooperatively to defeat hordes of invading zombies, or go head-to-head in a true ‘plants vs. zombies’ challenge. We’re also featuring a customized ‘house’ for tracking and sharing progress as well as a total of 21 mini-games and 12 achievements, all designed to enthrall Plants vs. Zombies players once again.”
Plants vs. Zombies for XBLA showcases many standout features, including:
A total of seven game modes, including two new multiplayer modes: Co-Op and Vs. Mode
12 achievements and 21 mini-games – more than any other adaptation, and including the exclusive Heavy Weapon™-inspired mini-game
A goofy new way to track and share progress online, where players create their own custom house and cruise down the street to see their friends’ cribs!
The highest resolution of any Plants vs. Zombies adaptation to date at 1920 x 1080
All 50 levels of the original Adventure mode along with Puzzle, Survival, and Zen Garden
Later this year, PopCap will also release a retail boxed edition of Plants vs. Zombies (including full versions of Zuma and Peggle as well) for the Xbox 360 as well as a new “Game of The Year” boxed edition of the PC/Mac original, a limited number of which will include a zombie figurine. Both are expected to arrive on retail shelves later this fall and carry a suggested retail price of US$19.99 each.
Now make sure you get your gardening gloves ready as those zombies are VERY HUNGRY !! …. BRAINS !!
The Legends and Killers Pack for Red Dead Redemption – coming next month simultaneously for PlayStation Network (AUD$15.95) and Xbox LIVE (800 Microsoft Points) – features 9 new Multiplayer map locations and 8 new Multiplayer characters from Red Dead Revolver, along with the new Tomahawk projectile weapon and more.
Here are the very first screens from the Legends and Killers Pack. You can also check them out in HD at the new DLC section of the Red Dead Redemption website, which also includes information about all the upcoming Red Dead Redemption downloadable content.
Back in 1999, Pokemon was on top of the world. The craze was in full swing and gamers were also being introduced to all sorts of new titles and franchises, on being Monster Rancher or “Monster Farm” as it’s called in Japan. Many people try to compare Monster Hunter to Pokemon, which you can indeed see the similarities, but they both play completely different as Monster Hunter was mainly focused on breeding, battling and discovery.
After a long hiatus from the gaming scene, Monster Rancher is finally back with the new Monster Rancher DS!
New Features are set to include:
Generate Your Own Monster – Draw a picture into the “Magic Field” or speak into the microphone in “Incantation Mode” to generate a unique monster! Unlock a secret method of creating monsters as you play through the game! You can even combine your favorite monsters to create a new, more powerful monster!
Train To Become Legendary – Find the best strategy to raise your monster on a weekly basis by giving proper rest and training. Battle tournaments will test how good you are!
Bring Out The Rivalry – Check out the improved training and management features of monster breeding as well as the ability to fight rival breeders in the game!
Battle Rounds – Using a new battleground system, choose attack techniques that are “short”, “medium” or “long” range, allowing for a variety of strategies. Stay out of your opponent’s range or trick them into pulling back so they trap themselves makes each battle unique!
Nostalgia Fan Service – Favorites such as Monolith, Gali, Moochi and Suezo rejoin the cast of monsters in what can be called a Monster Rancher series compilation!
Monster Rancher DS is a pure fan service for long time followers. I still remember the excitement of looking for random CD’s and using them for “Monster Rancher 2” to see which new monster I would get.
With the Monster Generator taking full advantage of the Nintendo DS’s features, this game is shaping up to be a big release for the handheld this year. For those who are fans of or looking for an alternative to Pokemon, this title would be the choice to check out.
Monster Rancher DS releases on August 3rd for the Nintendo DS. Check out the trailer below or visit the official page at UFO Interactive’s website here.
Have you ever looked at a preview, only to get the feeling of deja vu while looking at some of the screenshots? Perhaps you once bought a new game and found that when you started it up, the main character looked identical to ‘that’ person on the television last night? No doubt some gaming characters are based on real people, how else would developers get them to look so realistic, but to completely copy a person’s image, that’s just lazy! Which is why I am here; to expose these copy-cats.
I am of course joking, and the majority of these feelings of deja vu will be completely coincidental. Some of the look-alikes are amusing, and some are just down-right strange. Many figures in games are actually supposed to look like the real thing. You only have to glance over to the nearest sports game to tell that the character models are based on real people, as the developers want to make a picture-perfect copy of the person in real life. However, I hope to outline the gaming protagonists which the developers subtly based on famous figures, and thought no one would notice, as well as the highly entertaining coincidental similarities. Here they are:
Owen WilsonKen Masters (Street Fighter)
Retro fighting legend and Hollywood’s Owen Wilson share some similar physical attributes. The shaggy blond locks, the strong jaw… Wilson’s off-kilter nose even suggests he could have been involved in a few brawls, fitting the street fighter persona perfectly.
Dick Dastardly Waluigi
Cartoon villian Dick Dastardly from Wacky Races and Waluigi both look suitibly evil and alike. The clincher is how they both menacingly stroke their absurd moustaches.
Penelope Pitstop Princess Peach
Another gaming look-alike from the Wacky Races cartoon, this time it is the similarity between Princess Peach and Penelope Pitstop. Physically, they actually aren’t totally alike, although they do both wear a lot of pink and have long blond hair, but I felt I had to include them just for their likeness in nature. Both ladies are usually very prissy and girly, and are constantly requiring saving from their respective “good guys”.
The Chuckle Brothers Mario and Luigi
The resemblence between these sets of brothers really is uncanny. The characters Paul and Barry Chuckle from children’s TV show ‘ChuckleVision’ look like real life iterations of these two gaming icons.
Moby Captain Olimar
The techno-ambient musician is a huge fan of Pikmin, that his 2002 album ’18’ features him in full Olimar costume on the cover.
Kryten Dr Kawashima
It is the angular heads built up of flat surfaces that make these two gaming look-alikes. I honestly think that you got out a black marker pen and coloured in the top Kryten’s head (from Cult-TV programme Red Dwarf), as well as drawing in two circles for the glasses, then he would be inseperable from the floating brain training guru.
Uma Thurman Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII)
Perhaps it’s the fact that they are both wielding swords that we can draw likenesses, but I also feel that facially, they look very similar. This is aided by the fact that Final Fantasy XIII is very impressive graphically.
Dave Grohl Ethan Thomas
When I first saw the artwork for Condemned 2, I instantly thought Foo Fighter, Dave Grohl, might be branching out into the gaming industry, or at least doing some modelling for games. The long dark hair, the beard, the facial positions when screaming and yelling… This pair definitely are look-alikes.
So that’s it, these are the gaming look-alikes I’ve noticed and could think of. I’d love for you all to comment, maybe telling me which ones you liked, which ones you perhaps didn’t like so much. Or maybe you’ve noticed some gaming look-alikes yourself that haven’t been featured here. We’d be happy to hear all your suggestions and the similarities you have seen while you have been gaming, and, if we decide to do a second edition of ‘Gaming Look-alikes’ and we like your suggestion, we’ll include it!
-==-
Now lets keep the ball rolling for a chance to win a retail game and other cool stuff we have lying around the office .. Who do else do you thinks looks like a video game character ? Leave a comment below maybe links to images pics etc and tell us where your from. We’ll pick a lucky winner at the end of the week.
Enter as many time as you like the more look alikes we can find the better 🙂 We’ll throw up a follow up article after this competition ends.
Get cracking 🙂
-==-
Oh we had some FANTASTIC entries !! but there can only be 1 winner .. and here it is below :
Congratulations to :
Kisuke Urahara says:
Here’s a third one from me. btw,I live in California, USA
Mattias Nilsson(Mercenaries 1 & 2:
almost exactly like
Techno Viking!:
Congratulations to Kisuke for winning the Gaming look alike competition.. We’ll have another gaming look alike article and competition coming up VERY soon for now keep on checking the site daily for the latest news, reviews, interviews and competitions in the world of gaming 🙂
You may have noticed that Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light has a release date of August 18th for the Xbox 360, but what we just found out is that Microsoft has paid the developers of the game to hold it exclusively on the console for four weeks. This means that the PS3 and PC will not be seeing the newest iteration of the Tomb Raider Series at least until mid September.
The reason for this is that Microsoft apparently desires to have exclusive rights to the game for it to be successful for the Summer of Arcade event that is going to be happening in the upcoming weeks. Might be a good move on Microsoft’s part with how far they are pushing the Summer of Arcade promotion.
Kart Stewart, the brand manager for Lara Croft was quoted saying:
“The agreement with Microsoft is, in order to participate in their hugely successful Summer of Arcade promotion, there is a window of exclusivity. That window of exclusivity is a set four weeks. As with all arcade titles, irrespective of platform, you have to go through your submissions before they agree and approve a date. Unlike a disc-based title where we can pick our window, you have to go by what the first parties approve and give you a date, to make sure you’re not coming out on the same day as five other titles. They like to manage the release window accordingly. We have requested a specific date and hopefully we’ll get that and it’s not too long after the 360 SKU.”
