Home Blog Page 6537

Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge – XBLA Review

Gyzmo34
-
2

*Dramatic music playing*  Deep in the Carribbean…(not in a galaxy far far away, although it’s still LucasArts)…

Developer: LucasArts
Publisher: LucasArts
Genre: Adventure
Release Date: July 7th, 2010
Platforms: Xbox360, PS3, PC, iPhone, iPad
Price: 800 MP (Buy now!)

Monkey Island…probably the series that stuck in our hearts from its very beggining (for most old school gamers) and all the way to today’s episodic installments. But no matter how hard the developers try, nothing can top the first two games of the series, in terms of charm, dialogue, humour and amount of effort put into them. And what happens when you redesign those games with HD visuals and full voice acting? Well…miracles are bound to happen, as you’ve probably already seen in The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition.

This is how a good story always starts

In Monkey Island 2 Special Edition, Guybrush Threepwood is back (yet again) in another shiny revamped adventure. This time, moving on with the differences he had with Elaine Marley, he embarks on an adventure to find the treasure of Big Whoop. First starting on Scabb Island, our would-be pirate has to play with some voodoo magic in order to scare away the town’s bully, Largo LaGrande. *SPOILERS AHEAD* But because of Guybrush’s clumsiness (or should I say “ego”), Largo leaves with his tail between his legs and a part of LeChuck’s body, which he uses to reanimate the zombie pirate, once again. From that point on, Guybrush starts looking for Big Whoop, with LeChuck  watching his every move from his fortress.

LeChuck & Co.

As we’ve been acquainted, the story unfolds in the classic LucasArts humour, from spitting contests, putting rats in soups, to picking up dogs and stuffing them in your coat (that never gets old).The puzzles are pretty straightforward but require you to do a lot of exploring and careful listening to the dialogues. And that’s a good thing because, pretty much all the fun lies in talking to other characters.

LucasArts seem to have listened carefully to the wishes of the community, because now there are even more features available in this second remake. Probably the most requested was having voice acting in the old pixelated version of the game and with this new installment, it is now possible. So if you’re the nostalgic type, but also want to hear the awesomely made dialogue, you can always push the BACK button and and enjoy the classic game with full voice over, but  with MIDI tunes left unchanged.

Although i’m a very big fan of the classic version, I couldn’t help it and played the game once in the new and improved mode. The HD graphics and artwork are brilliant and carefully drawn, adding even more charm to the world of Monkey Island, but at the same time they preserve the spirit and those little details of the environments and characters that made the original game a classic.

Before and after

Every self respecting gamer hummed the theme of Monkey Island once or twice in his life, some of them even have it as a ringtone (guilty!)…so the audio of this version was not overlooked. Maybe that’s also what the developers thought when they re-mastered the whole musical score of the game, thus making it richer and even more atmospheric than the original iMuse tunes.

Another new feature MI2 SE introdues is controlling Guybrush using the left analog stick, thus making the experience more enjoyable and simplistic to new players that don’t like the classic point and click style of the game. Even the actions menu has been simplified in the special edition: by pressing the Right Trigger on the controller, a radial menu appears with the most appropriate actions our hero can perform. Everything has been simplified and is more accessible in terms of control. Of course, you can always change to the undying Point and Click style from the Options menu.

The Piratey Landry Service

If you’re new to this game, you’re probably going to need a little help with the puzzles, so the hint system is back in action. Pressing the X button once is going to give you just a little help, but by pressing it more than three times, it’s just going to tell you exactly what to do. A great option,nonetheless, but sometimes it could spoil the satisfaction of solving a puzzle, so i tried to refrain from using it. And if that’s not enough for you, a new feature has been added to help the players: by pressing the Left Button, all the objects that you can interact with become highlighted.

New bonus features have been added which will appeal to the true fans of Monkey Island: a Developer’s Commentary and an art viewer(you unlock concept art while playing the game). When the Developer’s Commentary is turned on, the game will tell you to press the Right Button to hear the original and amusing thoughts of the creators of Monkey Island (Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman), while visiting a new area or after solving a specific puzzle.

What's a pirate story without "marshmallows" and campfire?

All things cosidered, if you’re into pirating, voodoo dolls, digging up the dead or just want to have some good laughs you should definitely get  Monkey Island 2 Special Edition! It is a must-have for everybody.

LucasArts has proved once again that true Classics never die and sometimes, they top the next-generation games of today’s market with style and grace.  This is how a remake should be made…that’s why I give Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge Special Edition:

10-0-capsules-out-of-10

…Wonderful game!

Screenshots & Concept Art:

Nexuiz to be first XBLA/PSN title powered by CryEngine 3

Dylan Radcliffe
-
1
Nexuiz to be first XBLA/PSN title powered by CryEngine 3

Right now the readers are being split into three groups. Those that know what the title means, those that don’t, and those still trying to pronounce the Game’s name correctly. Don’t feel bad, I gave up on pronouncing the name a while ago.

The bottom line is that Nexuiz is going to be the First XBLA and PSN game to be powered by CryEngine 3. I could attempt to explain all the awesomeness that this entails, but I’m not 100% sure on it myself so you’ll have to settle with this press release.

~~

Crytek GmbH (“Crytek”) and IllFonic, LLC announced today that IllFonic has licensed CryENGINE 3 for Nexuiz, their upcoming XBLA and PSN cult futuristic Arena First-Person Shooter dropping this Winter. CryENGINE®3 has allowed the IllFonic development team to achieve their vision for Nexuiz that will push the limits of what gamers can expect from an AAA digital downloadable title.

“IllFonic firmly believes in bringing the consumer the highest quality games at an affordable price through downloadable distribution channels”, said Charles Brungardt, President of IllFonic. “Switching to CryENGINE 3 has helped us stay true to our vision and build the Nexuiz arenas the way we see it without any limitations. We are incredibly proud that Nexuiz will be the first downloadable title developed on CryENGINE 3.”

“We’re delighted to have Illfonic join our community of licensees”, said Carl Jones, Director of CryENGINE Global Business Development. “It’s exciting to see a passionate group like Kedhrin and Charles’ team working with CryENGINE 3 on such a cool title. Nexuiz is going to deliver a game style that will be a blast for the console audience, matched with the best graphics possible on the consoles. We’re delighted to offer our engine to teams for XBLA and PSN titles so that gamers can enjoy the quality that CryENGINE 3 can provide, as soon as possible. Our real-time multiplatform pipeline, Live Create, is highly suited to prototyping and delivering quality for games with shorter development cycles; and you get all the benefits of the AAA features of the engine. Nexuiz is going to be a lot of fun and we’re glad Illfonic have chosen CryENGINE 3 to deliver it in style.”

“When we were strolling around GDC 2010’s floor we stopped by the Crytek booth. I watched someone show off a few features of CryENGINE 3. Right then and there, I knew I had to have it. It’s powerful, fast and easy to use,” said Kedhrin Gonzalez, Creative Director of IllFonic. “Crytek has been awesome to work with providing excellent support in a relationship that has really benefited us.”

Nexuiz is a fast paced Arena first-person shooter with competitive game play built specifically for consoles. Featuring the innovative mutator system, players progress through the ranks opening up new mutators that allow players to alter the rules for each match. On launch, Nexuiz will feature multiplayer modes including Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag complete with full competitive leader boards designed for social networking. New games modes, models, and maps will be available as downloadable content post launch.

Nexuiz is set in a galactic war fueled for centuries by the Kavussari and Forsellians. Over time the two races entered into treaties with the Herald Accord, a union between different cultures in the galaxy. Even though peace settled across their planets, the seething hatred between the races kept the fire of war simmering under the fragile truce. Sensing their newest members could spread war throughout the galaxy; the Herald Accord gave the Kavussari and Forsellians a choice. Pit their warriors against each other in the arena rather than on the fields of war, or face total annihilation. The Nexuiz was formed, a series of battle arenas on the home planets of the Kavussari, Forsellian and the desolate planet of Atavirta.

IllFonic will be showcasing Nexuiz using CryENGINE 3 at this year’s PAX Prime in Seattle, WA, on September 3-5.

For more information on Nexuiz, go to www.nexuiz.com or www.illfonic.com.

The Expendables – Facebook Game

Dylan Radcliffe
-
2

The most epicest movie ever (Even though we might be sourly disappointed) has received the video game treatment. Well, it’s only a Facebook game that carries a strong resemblance to another game that I just can’t seem to put my finger on. It’s the one where you shoot things and jump around.

Check out the game on the Movie’s official Facebook fan page.

CONTRA! that’s it… and it is free! Did I mention that? Well, you have to Like the page, but at least it doesn’t cost anything. Also, if you like it a lot you can buy Contra on the XBLA but that costs money.

Check Out Moreinfo on The Expendables from our site here.


Sonic Colors hat with Gamestop Pre-order

Dylan Radcliffe
-
1

Guess what you get for pre-ordering Sonic Colors! This awesome hat, which looks oddly familiar. Aah! That is it! The Scribblenauts “Rooster Hat” pre-order bonus. This Sonic hat is GameStop’s pre-order bonus for purchasing either the Wii or DS version of the game.

I say the hat is pretty cool, totally worth the $30 you spend on the DS version… Right?!

Super Street Fighter 4 Avatar Clothes

Dylan Radcliffe
-
3

Here is some good news for MasterAbbott (I realized why I keep using his Alias when I refer to him. It is because Whenever I use his real name I shorten it and Misspell it terribly).

There are sixteen character costumes for your avatar to choose from. Every Costume is located above. If you can’t recognize them the entire character costume list is: Crimson Viper, Ryu, Guile, Rufus, Akuma, Juri, Dudley, Makoto, Ibuki, Cody, Abel, Dee Jay, El Fuerte, Chun-Li, T. Hawk and Guy. There is also a male or female SSFIV T-shirt based on your gender. I wonder if the other costumes are gender specific? There aren’t any dresses, so you technically won’t be cross dressing.

Each costume will cost you back 320 Microsoft Points and the T-shirts are set at 80 MS Points. They’ll be available on July 15th.

This all reminds me of a really funny Street Fighter joke that my friend told me while we were both playing “Transformers: War For Cybertron”. I can’t tell you though… HAHAHAHA! I’m evil, I know.

Dominion Review

Jack Joly
-
1

Dominion
Rating: 4+
Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch
Release Date: Out Now
Developer: Dot Matrix
Publisher: Chillingo
Price: (US)$1.99
BUY NOW

Have you ever played Risk? If so, did you enjoy playing it? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you are in for a real treat with Dominion, a revamped version of the classic board game, Risk. As a platform, the iPhone lends itself really well to the world of board games: the easy-to-use touch screen interface, the size of it and the ability to put it in your pocket and take it wherever you please. It’s like those travel board games, minature versions of the real thing designed to be portable, except you don’t have to worry about losing the pieces down the side of the seat, and with the iPhone you can neatly store loads of games in one place to take with you. In fact it’s nothing like travel board games. It’s a whole lot better.

Dominion is no exception, and cleanly stores one of my all-time favorite board games in virtual form. It is a very nice rendition of the classic board game, which makes the transfer very well, without losing too much of the the board game’s character. The strategy game has been simplified, with no actual troops, which have instead been replaced by numbers representational of the size of your forces. Similarly to the board game Risk, there are still the standard reinforcement phases before, and the movement phases after the bulk of you turn in which you attack. However, in contrast to the similarly natured game which this is undoubtedly based on, because Dominion is a video game, the board and the assignment of countries is all generated automatically, removing the time-consuming start-up time of the board game which many found off-putting.

The touch screen controls are simple, almost instinctive too, and certainly well-mapped on the iPhone’s screen. For example, you drag across the screen to shift along the map, pinch to zoom, and touch the attacking region then the defending region to initiate an attack. All these functions should come as second nature to most, especially those with experience with Risk and the iPhone. There is also a tutorial upon your first boot-up of the game, which the game suggests you play, which while the controls are easy to pick-up, is still beneficial to play, as with any new game.

The game does take up a good deal of time, which varies depending on the level of difficulty you are playing on. On the easiest setting, you should have no trouble at all sweeping through the enemy once you start to get the hang of things, whereas on the higher settings, which are quite a significant step up in difficulty, you should find it more challenging and as a result you could get sucked into battles of epic proportions. Dominion is not a game which you can jump into for a short while here and there. Much like the board game Risk, despite vast reductions in playtime in comparison due to an automatic board setup, you will generally have to set aside a decent-sized period of time to play. There are a few of options to spice things up for single player, including changing the winning conditions of the game via the option to create a custom game. Additionally, online compatibility means you can play multiplayer with people all over the world, as well as locally with your friends. It is usually more fun being pitted in tactical battle with another human being rather than AI, so multiplayer is a welcome inclusion.

In conclusion, Dominion is a well polished version of a classic board game. It benefits from a simple and clear setup, and well-intergrated touch screen controls. Different objectives in game, and customisation options make for a weighty one player experience, and the board game style means you’ll be happy to play it over and over again. Multiplayer is just the icing on the cake, and helps to create the social aspect of playing a board game in this virtual version. All this for a bargain price. The game offers great value for money. However, it has to be said that the strategic and slightly long-winded style of the game isn’t for everyone, and if you didn’t like Risk or any of the spin-offs in board game form, chances are you won’t enjoy this either.

Pros

  • Instinctive controls
  • Good transfer of a classic board game
  • Online multiplayer
  • Great value for money

Cons

  • Not for everyone
  • Time-consuming- can’t be played for short periods of time

8-0-capsules-out-of-10

Alan Wake Updated to 1250g

Dylan Radcliffe
-
1

The Signal, Alan Wake’s achievement list has been updated to 1250 points. It is now ready for “The Signal” DLC.

There isn’t much info on the DLC but you can speculate on the words of Oskari Häkkinen who stated, “The game add-ons aren’t telling more of the story, so to speak. It’ll give you a different perspective on the things you’ve done on season one and then trying to set you up for the possible things you’re going to do in season two.”

The Signal is available on July 27th for 560 Microsoft Points or free if you bought the game new.

Below are the achievements in the DLC. There are 8 achievements worth 250g. Remedy sure does like collection achievements. I just wish their was a better system that tells you how many there are left in each level rather then just how many total.


  • A Friend in Need – 25 – Special 1: Find someone to help you.
  • A Friend Indeed – 50 – Special 1: Follow the signal to its conclusion.
  • Fast and Furious – 25 – Special 1: Make it through the final battle in less than 1 minute and 30 seconds.
  • Words Will Never Harm You – 25 – Special 1: Trigger all of the furnaces in the basement.
  • Run-On Sentence – 50 – Special 1: Complete the episode without reloading the game or restarting a checkpoint.
  • License Revoked – 20 – Special 1: Complete the episode without using a single vehicle.
  • Tick Tock – 30 – Special 1: Discover 10 hidden alarm clocks.
  • Cardboard Companions – 25 – Special 1: Discover all of the cardboard standees.

Possible Arkham Asylum Sequel Titles

Dylan Radcliffe
-
2

Warner Bros. has gone out and splurged on a whole bunch of domain names recently. Below you will find the list of new domains they have purchased.

The first nine seem like possible sequel titles, while the last are most likely referenced in game, and Warner Bros. has to buy them in order to make sure no one else has them. Maybe we will even be treated to some online easter eggs.

What do you guys think is the best possible sequel title? Have any better idea?

The definition of Irony

Dylan Radcliffe
-
2
The definition of Irony

Everyone! say it with me on three.

1…

2…

3…

IRONY!!

ESRB “accidentally” replied to about 1000 people who complained about the REAL ID problem on WoW. These are the people that were so upset about their their names appearing on the Blizzard Forums that they went and Emailed ESRB to complain about it. Now their Emails have been given out to about 1000 random strangers. Even better, the ESRB email is “[email protected]”. Anybody want to complain about this new breach of privacy? I didn’t think so.

Check out the reply below.

“Thank you for contacting the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) regarding the policy recently announced by Blizzard Entertainment which would have required participants in its official forums to post comments using their real first and last names, and for expressing your concerns regarding potential privacy implications.

It is our understanding that Blizzard has provided an update announcing that it will not be implementing the above-referenced policy with respect to its forums, and users will not be required to post using their real names. You can read Blizzard’s announcement regarding this most recent development at http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=25968987278&sid=1&pageNo=1.

Separately, if you have questions regarding Blizzard’s implementation of its Real ID option — which by our understanding is unrelated to Blizzard’s plans for its forums — and/or the new capabilities this option offers, they will likely be answered by reviewing the information posted at http://www.battle.net/realid/.

ESRB, through its Privacy Online program, helps companies develop practices to safeguard users’ personal information online while still providing a safe and enjoyable video game experience for all. We appreciate your taking the time to contact us with your concerns, and please feel free to direct any future inquiries you may have regarding online privacy to our attention.

Regards,

Entertainment Software Rating Board”

Review- Secret Files: Tunguska for the Nintendo DS

Scott Bullock
-
1

Developer: Fusionsphere Systems/Animation Arts
Released: June 30th, 2010
Genre: Adventure/Puzzle
Platform : NDS

“Secret Files: Tunguska” has done what I have hoped a game would do for a long time; it has renewed my faith in the industry’s ability to make a halfway decent point-and-click adventure game.

As a Sierra paycheck is what fed me for the first six or so years of my life, I feel I have a rather intimate connection to the old-school adventure game. Some of my first attempts at gaming were designed by Roberta Williams, so playing Secret Files was like a walk down memory lane. This is good in some ways, but bad in several others.

Central to the story is the Tunguska Event; a mysterious explosion in the skies of Siberia in 1908. Now hypothesized to have been a small asteroid explosion, the game insinuates a somewhat more… sinister… explanation.You follow protagonist Nina Kalenkov in her search for her missing father, noted for conducting research into said event. Not the most inventive motivation, but I’ll forgive them that, for now. After he was kidnapped by mysterious black-robed beings in his museum in Berlin, his daughter has to follow his trail across the globe and back, accompanied by her father’s co-worker, Max Gruber. Along the way, she finds seemingly hundreds of random objects, picks all of them up (just in case, you see) and keeps them in her pockets. You never know when you might have to staple a cell phone to a cat, after all. This is one of those moments when a little bit of advancement in adventure gaming in the past ten years would have been much appreciated. It has the same “pick up everything that looks a little bit out of place and keep it  in your pocket” mechanic as the Kings Quest games, and seems to have thought it was also a good idea to keep the ludicrous uses for those items intact. That thing about attaching a phone to a cat? I wasn’t kidding.

But what really got to me about the items and silliness was how absolutely contrived it all felt. While you can’t expect them to let you waltz obstacleless through the game, it seems like they latched on to every opportunity they could to make you solve a puzzle. I can just here Nina’s thoughts, “Oh look! There’s a key in daddy’s fishtank! I bet it opens this box! Now, let’s see… I could either pry the top off with any of the multitude of items at hand, or I could go through a convoluted set of events to fix a girls bike in order to obtain a magnet, and fish the key out.” And wouldn’t you know it, she chooses the latter option. And why in hell did a magnet seem like appropriate recompense for fixing a bike? Things like this happen all the time, and really get in the way of suspending disbelief.

On the plus side, the pretty graphics and passable voice acting put’s the old-fashioned gameplay in pretty new wrapping paper. But sometimes, that fairly decent voice acting is a bit ruined by what those voices are made to say. It’s like the campiest noir writer ever decided to branch out into video games. “Listen, girlie. I’ve been in the business for almost 40 years–I know when something stinks–and this thing really stinks!” says some random gumshoe, who of course refuses to help find Nina’s father. Gems like that litter the game, and are almost literally painful to hear.

To tack on to the cliched, campy feeling, the cut-scenes are awash in the stock-and-trade of cheesy horror directors. Camera pans reveal cars trailing the heroine, spooky villains appear behind her in mirrors, and so on.

But as I see it, the game may have its faults, but the atmosphere, visuals, and old point-and-click stand-bys make the game a worthy homage to the classics. Sure, it felt like playing something that was made over ten years ago, but there’s some merit in that, isn’t there?

For those of you with no urge to read the whole article, here’s a summery:

Pros:

  • Faithful throwback to the mid-90’s point-and-click adventure games
  • Decently voice acted
  • Eye-pleasing visuals (especially for the DS)
  • Creepy and occasionally beautiful atmospheric settings

Cons:

  • Painfully written
  • Characters with the depth of a roadside puddle
  • Increasingly nonsensical item combinations and solutions
  • Maybe too much of a throwback to those old games

I give it 6 out of 10 capsules.

6-0-capsules-out-of-10

1...6,5366,5376,538...6,764Page 6,537 of 6,764