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.
Vines are nasty plants that grow all over the place. Some have stinky flowers, others have painful thorns. They can even take out entire houses! Luckily these vines are much more pleasant. Take a gander at next week’s Rockband Tracks.
Sweet Billy Pilgrim single track – 160 Microsoft Points
These tracks will be available July 13th on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Are you enjoying Blacklight: Tango Down? Are you also enjoying the world cup? Well you can now get 2 special World Cup tags for your weapons, within the game.
Special Spain and Netherlands weapon tags are available to unlock when you follow @playtangodown on Twitter. So get on your twitter account or make one, and follow the above twitter user.
Below is the launch trailer if you haven’t already seen it. Try out the demo, you get about an hour time limit in the demo though.
I bet you thought it was over after the first HAWX game. You either were so satisfied with the first, or were extremely disappointed. Either way the game is back with a sequel and the reveal trailer is finally out.
Check out the trailer and all the dogfighting goodness below. Try not to be intimidated by the big words that keep popping up, they really aren’t that scary.
GameStop is offering the ‘Tri-Weapon Pack’ as an exclusive pre-order bonus that will be downloadable via the Xbox Live Marketplace.
The pack will consist of three experimental weapons. t=The Tri-Weapon Pack includes the Boost Machine Gun, Anti-Armour Pistol and Laser Cannon. These weapons will give players a boost in combat. The Boost Machine Gun has a similar rate of fire and about the same power as a heavy machine gun. The Anti-Armor Pistol pretty much does exactly what it sounds like. The final weapon, the Laser Cannon is a mini space warship laser that pretty much just screams “PWNAGE!”.
Vanquish will be available in the US on October 19th. Japanese release is on October 21st. UK and Europe release is on October 22nd.
I could be doing a whole post telling you all the songs available on the disc and the songs you will be able to rock out too, but in all honesty a video would be easier for both you and me.
The video below shows a bunch of the songs you will be able to play. In my own opinion it all seems kind of slow, don’t you think? This is rock!!
Aksys Games are on fire this year with new releases, and with the new title “Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors” they promise to trap you in this compelling new “horror visual novel” for the Nintendo DS.
Players will take the role of the character Junpei, who awakes on a passenger ferry, dazed and confused he stumbles around the room trying to reclaim his memories. First thing he noticed was a number roughly drawn on the cabin’s door… A bright red number 5.
Junpei’s memory then returned and he remembered what happened right before becoming unconscious! A mysterious person with a gas mask crossed his mind. He remembered the haunting words he spoke, “I’m gonna make you play the game… the ‘Nonary Game’ … the game of life or death”.
To explain the title better, Aksys posted this statement on their official website:
“We’ve decided to call 999 an ‘Adventure’ game,” say Ben Bateman, Localization Editor, Aksys Games, “but I don’t really feel that’s entirely accurate. 999 is a game that simulates life, or at least it would if your life was about being trapped on a sinking ship and forced to complete a series of incomprehensible puzzles before your practically inevitable death. It is about relationships, and how they will ultimately kill you. There is also some blood, and an ax, so if you’ve always wanted some blood and an ax in your life, there you go. But what really brings 999 to life are the people who inhabit it. You will learn to care for them; to feel as though you are there and they are your friends, and then they will die because you made the wrong choices. Just like in real life.”
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors Key Features
With all of this exciting new information, this is surely a title to watch for, and I am certainly pumped to learn a release date as “999” is already showing an epic story and an interesting twist on gameplay. For more information, head to www.aksysgames.com.
People who use the Blizzard Forums are not too happy about Blizzards most recent announcement. The update will require players to show their real first and last names. Tagged along with their name will be their username. You can read the full announcement at the very bottom of this post, after some words from me.
A lot of people are not too happy about this announcement, but I never really understood why. Parents have put the idea into us that sharing our real name on the internet is dangerous, and that their are perverts out their that will track us down. Giving your real name isn’t actually as dangerous as you might think. Giving away other information on the other hand is a completely different matter.
In order to track a person down based only on their first and last name would require a lot of research and some major hacking powers. Hackers aren’t interested in some kid, and perverts don’t have the ability to hack anything. Those people that you hear about that got in trouble because they met someone online and then stuff happened is true, but the stuff only happens because the stupid kid gives out too much information. You can do a lot with a person’s Address, Social Security Number, and other things that you definitely should not give out or announce on the internet.
So what if I went to these forums and signed up. We will see my name, plus my username. Dylan Radcliffe — Radical Dylan. That is pretty straight forward, I’ve been using my first name in my username for a very long time. Now let us do a basic google search on both of my names.
Googled Dylan Radcliffe
We get my Twitter account straight off the bat, and then 2 myspace accounts and 2 facebook accounts which aren’t even mine. Followed by a whole bunch of junk that has absolutely no relevance to me. Continue on to page 2 and you get some more stupid stuff (supposedly I have made a game) and then Capsule Computers information and posts. Go to images, and Dylan Sprouse, Bob Dylan and Daniel Radcliffe fill the images. There is my Twitter Image up their though. WOO!
Now We google Radical Dylan:
Again we have some twitter stuff, and some posts I’ve made on other sites. In the images we have my Xbox Live info image and my twitter image again.
Very little of anything that has to do with me, and this is coming from a person who has attempted to make himself extremely famous on the internet. Did it work? No! But all this goes to show, that their are 6billion people in the world, most of which use the internet. There is no way, that your name alone will ever be a dangerous thing to give out online.
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Recently, we introduced our new Real ID feature, a new way to stay connected with your friends on the new Battle.net. Today, we wanted to give you a heads up about our plans for Real ID on our official forums, discuss the design philosophy behind the changes we’re making, and give you a first look at some of the new features we’re adding to the forums to help improve the quality of conversations and make the forums an even more enjoyable place for players to visit.
The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.
The official forums have always been a great place to discuss the latest info on our games, offer ideas and suggestions, and share experiences with other players — however, the forums have also earned a reputation as a place where flame wars, trolling, and other unpleasantness run wild. Removing the veil of anonymity typical to online dialogue will contribute to a more positive forum environment, promote constructive conversations, and connect the Blizzard community in ways they haven’t been connected before. With this change, you’ll see blue posters (i.e. Blizzard employees) posting by their real first and last names on our forums as well.
We also plan to add a number of other features designed to make reading the forums more enjoyable and to empower players with tools to improve the quality of forum discussions. Players will have the ability to rate up or rate down posts so that great topics and replies stand out from the not-so-great; low-rated posts will appear dimmer to show that the community feels that they don’t contribute effectively to the conversation, and Blizzard’s community team will be able to quickly and easily locate highly rated posts to participate in or to highlight discussions that players find worthwhile.
In addition, individual topics will be threaded by context, meaning replies to specific posts will be grouped together, making it easier for players to keep track of multiple conversations within a thread. We’re also adding a way for Blizzard posters to “broadcast” important messages forums-wide , to help communicate breaking news to the community in a clear and timely fashion. Beyond that, we’re improving our forum search function to make locating interesting topics easier and help lower the number of redundant threads, and we have more planned as well.
With the launch of the new Battle.net, it’s important to us to create a new and different kind of online gaming environment — one that’s highly social, and which provides an ideal place for gamers to form long-lasting, meaningful relationships. All of our design decisions surrounding Real ID — including these forum changes — have been made with this goal in mind.
We’ve given a great deal of consideration to the design of Real ID as a company, as gamers, and as enthusiastic users of the various online-gaming, communication, and social-networking services that have become available in recent years. As these services have become more and more popular, gamers have become part of an increasingly connected and intimate global community – friendships are much more easily forged across long distances, and at conventions like PAX or our own BlizzCon, we’ve seen first-hand how gamers who may have never actually met in person have formed meaningful real-life relationships across borders and oceans. As the way gamers interact with one another continues to evolve, our goal is to ensure Battle.net is equipped to handle the ever-changing social-gaming experience for years to come.
