LucasArts has unveiled the collector’s edition for their upcoming sequel Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. It will be arriving on shelves the same time as the normal edition on October 26th and will cost $80 US on either the PS3 or the Xbox 360. It will include the following additions, which are quite a few to be honest:
A steelbook casing
Three challenge mode levels
Deak Starkiller skin designed by Star Wars illustrator Ralph McQuarrie
A yellow lightsaber crystal
2GB Mimbot USB drive with designed as Starkiller
Force Unleashed II digital artbook
Themed wallpapers
A script penned by series producer Haden Blackman
The challenge mode levels, character skin, and lightsaber crystal will definitely attract some fans of the series itself. But it also begs the question as if the levels will be available for download at a later time for those who didn’t pick up the C.E.? Plus the material rewards are definitely interesting with the unique Starkiller USB drive.
The Game of the Year Edition features 4 extra Challenge Maps. The additional Challenge Maps are Crime Alley; Scarecrow Nightmare; Totally Insane and Nocturnal Hunter (both from the Insane Night Map Pack).
The offer ends this Thursday at 4pm PDT. So, be fast!
There will be blood. Yes there will be blood in the name of love this Fall. In the below trailer we discover what is behind Rick’s bloody journey. Your path will be covered in blood as you try to get her back from those that have kidnapped her. Namco Bandai is definitely releasing an interesting one here, catch the E3 trailer below.
Dragon Quest IX’s release is just a month away and here is the perfect trailer to watch to find weather or not you will pick up this game. It is one of the most popular games in Japan at the moment and it has a large following across the world. It has outsold every other game in Q3 sales and that is just with Japan sales only. When the game expands to the rest of the world that number will jump even higher.
So will you be picking this one up? Bear in mind it is a DS game but it has to be what shall be one of the best DS games to date that isn’t just a Pokemon game. I will definitely be looking into getting this one.
Games on Demand is expanding greatly with a large amount of titles being released for Windows PCs. They are adding many new titles today alone, which can be seen below. Also they are saying that the Windows Games on Demand will expand to over one hundred different titles by the end of the year, with day and date releases from all of the industry’s biggest companies such as Capcom, Rockstar Games, THQ, 2K Games, Microsoft Game Studios and Ubisoft.
Age of Empires III (Microsoft Game Studios)
Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ubisoft)
Borderlands (2K Games)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar Games)
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (Rockstar Games)
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction (Ubisoft)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (THQ)
Some of these games are quite old, but it is still interesting to see that some newer releases are now available with the Games on Demand option.
Manage or guide your Soccer Team to Superstardom !!
Take your team to world success in Season Mode, bring home the trophy in Cup Mode, or relive memorable international soccer moments in Dramatic Mode !! That’s what GAMEVIL’s Soccer Superstars is all about !!
Those familiar with GAMEVIL’s Superstars series of Baseball Superstars games will need little introduction to their latest title Soccer Superstars. If you are new to this style of game play from GAMEVIL you are in for the ride of your life as you get to experience cool features and modes which will have you managing a team and rookie character which you mould and shape just the way you like in this action packed RPG Style game.
GAMEVIL has implemented a very easy to use control setup for Soccer Superstars when playing matches. On the left side of the screen you have the virtual control stick which you use to move your player around the field. One thing I did find a little annoying was the size of the analog was a little small and manouvering my Superstar was a little fustrating. There are 3 other buttons. The A which is used to pass when you have the ball and request the ball when your team mate is in possession. You can also challenge for the ball when your Superstar is close to the opponent and you want to take possession of the ball in a fair challenge.
The B button is used to shoot for goal when you have the ball, if your team mates have the ball and they are close to the goals pressing the B button will send a request to them to take a shot at goal. Also when off the ball and your superstar is close to the action you can press the B button to go in for a hard slide tackle, but beware this could and most of the time end up in a penalty, yellow card and sometimes RED card. The third button is called the S button which allow your Superstar to use his super-powered goal attack. Starting off as a rooking you will need to earn popularity, similar to experience which you get by playing well in games or going to special events etc. Once you reach a certain level of popularity you can then train and buy super power attacks. There are a total of 4 levels of super power attacks. Level 1 starts off with a standard high powered kick towards the goal that most of the time smashes though the net. Reaching level 4 will have you setting the ball on fire sending the ball screming into the goal, totally ignoring the goalkeeper.
GAMEVIL have also introduced a semi-automatic control system which can be used to assist in moving the active player, it’s a decent attempt at helping out the new comers to the game but personally, I recommended switching back to the manual control system which gives you full control of the SuperStar / players and you can go wherever they desire.
The biggest selling point for Soccer Superstar is its emphasis on the heavy team management mode, here you can create you very own team, and lead them to victory, which ever way you think is best. The other big selling point is the player’s career. With the use of strong RPG style mechanics you can train your superstar and increase their ability in shooting, running, technique and stamina. All are very important but you can only pick one training session activity before each game. (this is covered further in the video review) You can also increase your superstars ability by purchasing items which will upgrade their skills and improve the teams overall chances to win.
Now sit back and enjoy the video review which will cover in more detail further aspects of the game.
Superstar soccer is a great first attempt at a soccer RPG game from GAMEVIL. The control system is lacking a little and will take a bit of time to get used to. The RPG elements are great but it would of been nicer to see more options to choose from and more interactions and choices. If you are a fan of soccer and like a twist of RPG then Soccer Superstars will keep you busy for HOURS and HOURS !! The amount of modes and features available will make your head spin. Casual gamers might find Soccer Superstar a little complicated at first but give it a chance and everything will slowly fall into place and you’ll be a pro in no time !!
Pro
RPG element gives the game more character and volume.
Game Name: Voodoo Dice Platforms: Xbox 360 Publisher(s):Ubisoft Developer(s):Exkee Genre(s): Puzzle Release Date: 5/26/2010 ESRB Rating:E (Everyone) Price: 800MSP ($10) Demo:Download the Demo Here
Story
“Roll the dice in a mystical world filled with exploration, puzzle solving, and adventure. Voodoo Dice is an innovative puzzler that challenges you to solve puzzles in unique and interesting ways in a quest to conquer the voodoo universe. Experience an endless variety of game play with 60 single-player levels, 20 multiplayer levels, and four multiplayer modes including Race Mode, Flag Mode, Tactic Mode, and Arcade Mode. Voodoo Dice will win you over with its immersive gameplay and countless hours of Voodoo fun!” [Via Xbox.com]
Voodoo Dice has absolutely no story. There is something about a curse that you need to lift and that you need to collect the gems in order to make the gods happy, but other than that there is no story. The ‘voodoo’ part of the name signifies the surroundings, with voodoo like masks and gods that you must make happy. The ‘dice’ part is for the fact that you are controlling a six sided die the entire game.
Gameplay
Voodoo Dice takes a mass amount of dice oriented puzzles and throws them all into a massive 60 level puzzle game. At first the puzzles are fun and unique but as the game continues the reality of what voodoo dice is sets in. The farther you get into the game, more and more puzzle elements are mashed together into tedious levels. Learning a new puzzle concept is fun and exciting, but you soon learn that the excitement doesn’t last long. When you learn a new concept it just means the future levels will include this concept as well and a huge verbal groan occurs.
The underlying game concept is that you control a six sided die and in order to progress through the levels you must match the top of your die with the top of other dice scattered through the level. This task is actually pretty easy at first, but the developers take this concept and go crazy with it. There are enemy dice that try to kill you, dice that you must use a companion die to get rid of, and switches that you must hit in order to continue. There are a lot of things in this game, but all of it combined is just too much.
You can attempt to beat every level in as little time as possible if you want to. Voodoo time is meant to be a really good time but it is almost impossible to hit that time on some levels. In order to get voodoo time you must beat the level quickly, and when I say quickly I mean taking the exact and quickest route without messing up. The need to memorize and exact route manages to train your short term memory.
There is a multiplayer mode, but this mode isn’t that fun and feels slapped on. There are some interesting concepts, but it ends up simply not being fun. There is race which is exactly how it sounds. In race you race your friends to see who can complete the level the fastest. Flag is basically capture the flag which requires the players to tag the die that holds the flag. Tactics is a turn-based mode that requires players to move armies of dice around to kill the enemy player. Finally arcade is a timed mode where players are required to destroy more blocks in the environment than their opponents.
Voodoo Dice is a puzzle game that requires you to love puzzles. I mean, REALY LOVE PUZZLES. I love my puzzles, but even these puzzles became tedious and boring. Some people may argue that the game is “challenging” but it really isn’t that challenging. You know what you have to do, and a lot of times what you have to do is really easy. Doing the required task is the tedious part. It just ruins the game.
Audio & Graphics
The audio and graphics aren’t that great. Sure the opening music is kind of catchy, but it is quickly forgotten within five minutes and the rest of the game doesn’t contain any memorable music. The graphics aren’t bad but they are pretty simplistic. With multiple skins for your die you can have a bit of customization but not a lot. The menu system requires you to move your die around the field and go to the location marked by whatever you want to do. This menu system is nice at first, but after a while gets extremely annoying as you move from level to level to see what times you can beat or to simply get to your next level after booting up the game again.
Achievements
The achievements in Voodoo Dice are straight forward but not easy at all. Some people may argue that harder achievements leave for a more entertaining time, but in this case that is not true. Beating all 60 levels of the game will take a strong will to start out with, but trying to beat all 60 levels under Voodoo time will require nerves of steel. Sure the best routes on each level will eventually hit youtube and you can just copy the route other people take, but what fun is that?
The Achievement List Is:
Good Start! – 5 – Complete the first level
First Golden Nugget – 15 – Complete a level by beating the Voodoo time
Creeper Weaver – 10 – Complete all the World 1 levels
Baobab Tree Climber – 10 – Complete all the World 2 levels
Coconut Juggler – 10 – Complete all the World 3 levels
Temple Looter – 10 – Complete all the World 4 levels
King of the Jungle – 25 – Complete all the World 1 levels by beating the Voodoo time
Prince of the Desert – 25 – Complete all the World 2 levels by beating the Voodoo time
Champion of the Tropics – 25 – Complete all the World 3 levels by beating the Voodoo time
Lord of the Dungeon – 25 – Complete all the World 4 levels by beating the Voodoo time
New Skin – 5 – Change your appearance before selecting a world
Voodoo Sorcerer – 35 – Complete all the levels in each world by beating the Voodoo time
Overview
Imagine every single block, dice, or switch puzzle you have ever run across in other video games. Voodoo dice takes a lot of these concepts and throws them at you like a crazy mad man. Sadly the game is not that crazy. There are tons of puzzle elements in Voodoo dice, but the overall game is simply boring. I couldn’t bring myself to play more than an hour per sitting, I would play a few levels then watch a movie and then come back to do a few more levels. In order to enjoy Voodoo dice you have to be a really huge puzzle fan. I like my puzzles, but even these required me to fight through boredom just to complete.
I give Voodoo Dice
Pros
Quite a few puzzle elements.
A lot of puzzles
Leader boards and time trials to compare times with friends
Aniplex and A-1 Pictures Inc are bringing a bit of an occult Anime to audiences starting on July 5th. Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin, or Seikimatsu Occult Academy will be bringing some horror in the form of the Occult, but also a bit of school day comedy it seems. The private Japanese academy is dedicated to the study of anything occult, but is infested with strange paranormal activities happening on campus.
The story itself focuses on Maya, who is the daughter of the school’s founder that died in 1999, and then someone known as Uchida the Time Agent. He is a mysterious man who has come back from 2012 for some reason unknown though he was once simply a weak paranormal.
This is another horror Anime coming out in the same season as another one. Horror Anime are hard to come by as it is but having this one which is more of a psychological horror and High School of the Dead which is pure zombie horror it will be hard to pass up one for the other. It is of course a measure of whether you prefer one type of horror over the other, as each will also contain bits of comedy, though High School of the Dead may contain a bit more of an Ecchi touch as well.
Any gamer should come to expect delays. There are so many delays that every single date has to have a side note stating that the dates are subject to change.
Now to the point of this post. Max Payne 3 has been delayed… AGAIN! Take-Two has pushed the game out of the fiscal year of 2010.
If you were waiting for this game, you’ll have to wait even longer, just take this good news with you. The longer the game takes to come out, the better it gets. Right?! RIGHT!?
Looks like Take-Two has a good amount of breathing room as they have announced their second quarter income results. The company has made $268 million in total revenue. They have made a 54% increase over what they had at this same time last year. With Red Dead Redemption selling like hot cakes there is no end to the train of money that these outlaws are providing with 500 million copies already sold.
Factor in that this game is a brand new franchise with literally nothing to work off of. Sure it has the Rockstar label but there is barely anything noticeable when compared to GTA. If you haven’t played the game yet, you definitely should. And if you want to take our word for it, you can even catch our review for it here.
