Bit of a small post but hey at least we know what Dead Space 2’s box art looks like now. With this we know at least Isaac Clarke will be returning with his suit. This will be coming out next year for all major platforms, minus the Wii, with this boxart being for the Xbox 360. Of course it is subject to changes, and honestly I wish they would change it a bit. The original Dead Space’s cover was nice and gory which reflected the game itself.
What do you think they should have done this time around? Put another dismembered body part? Or should they have done something involving the necromorphs? Still should be interesting to see if this changes at all in the period of time between now and release.
Graphics:
Cooking Mama’s graphics are nothing delicious but the bright colors and the design of Mama herself equal out to be quite an appetizer. The game is not graphically impressive as you cook your meals. Everything looks as good as you would expect on the iPhone/iTouch and rivals the Cooking Mama you will find on the DS. The close ups of the finished foods as you finish your recipe however are sometimes fuzzy and cooking exercises with the skillet can sometimes cause the ingredients to suffer from the activity happening, becoming rough in appearance.
This is relatively excusable thanks to the happy go lucky appearance of the rest of the game. Mama herself is very endearing in her cartoonish appearance, and all the actual cooking utensils and most of the ingredients look as their real life counterparts would. On top of that there are visual hints provided consistently through cooking. Lines are drawn on where to slice, or what actions to take and in the deep frying and skillet methods of cooking you will see a hint of color change as the items become cooked.
Gameplay:
Hmm what could a game called Cooking Mama involve? Is it cooking grenades? Nah of course not it is all about the kitchen and there are tons of activities and recipes to take advantage of. There are a total of fifteen different recipes, though only four are available on the start of the game, with the rest unlocking as previous recipes are completed.
There are two options to choose from to cook with Mama. One of which is the cooking contest which contains nearly every activity in the game in the form of a mini game challenge. They are a great way to practice out your cooking skills if you are having trouble with a specific action.
Speaking of practice; the other game mode is Let’s Cook which is essentially what Cooking Mama is all about. In this mode you have a selection of recipes to choose from and each one will have a specific set of mini games which you must complete in the order given to you; but then again you do not have a choice. In this mode you have the Make option and the Practice option.
By practicing you can pick and choose which activities you would want to try, and each one is explained to you in case of confusion. It is not entirely essential, but it is helpful for the Make mode. In make mode you will be graded upon how fast and well you performed the tasks assigned to you in either a gold medal, silver, or bronze. Bronze is a failure while gold is completing the task 100% before time runs out or falls below the half way point.
After the recipe is made completely you will then be given a full grade out of 100 points and given a medal as such for the entire recipe. Unfortunately though the grading does seem a bit skewed as the only way to receive a gold is 100%, while even the smallest mis-step will result in a silver.
The activities themselves have been well adapted to the iPhone/iTouch’s movement sensing capabilities. While some of the touch controls are a bit finicky and inaccurate. There are various methods of cooking which will require you to do full motions using your iPhone/iTouch, such as tilting to cover a pan with butter, or sliding it side to side to pack meat. These are enjoyable and although may look a bit odd in public are a highlight of the cooking.
However there are problems with the finger recognition in some of the finer points of cooking. Folding dough and adjusting heat both have tough issues in registering finger swipes and can result in a loss of time and a mess up that was not your own fault, but the lack of recognition in the system. These can be frustrating but as most of the recipes can be finished in about a minute doesn’t usually hurt the overall experience.
Overall:
Despite some recognition issues Cooking Mama has made the transfer to the iPhone/iTouch just as good as Mama would. There are a decent amount of recipes and costing only $6.99 it is quite a deal as the first game we saw Mama in is currently still running at $20. Meaning that if you want the full Cooking Mama experience, but want a deal then Cooking Mama for the iPhone/iTouch is definitely the way to go.
After running for two years at a pay to play system, Warner Brothers and Turbine are changing the way the internet will see Lord of the Rings. By making the online MMO Lord of the Rings Online free to play this Fall. You may ask though how either company will profit off of the game now that it has become free to play?
The answer is quite simple the original game is free to download and you as a player are more than welcome to join and play for free. On the other hand, any expansions you wish to purchase; including quest packs, items, and other items which will be added to the new LOTRO Store designed for the new free to play MMO will cost you your money. Also players have the choice to stay a VIP member and have unlimited access to special game content. This content is your basic first priority in server access, more character slots totaling 5, banks that can be used between characters, and also credited points in the LOTRO store contest.
If you wish to take part in the new beta that Turbine will be starting on June 16th, you can sign up here.
This is quite a bold step, as many free to play MMO’s are currently thriving on the market today and use the same relative principles but none on the same level as LOTRO in design or fan base. It will be interesting to see how the servers will take the stress load of so many new players coming on at once. Then there is the matter of whether or not the game will remain balanced if paying members receive such a higher amount of benefits and potential equipment.
Even though it’s just a CG trailer, this new Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s trailer is an amazing experience for anyone looking for a new cyberpunk game, as it’s not every day you find a new one too.
Check out the trailer below, and let’s hope they fulfil all expectations and honor the original game.
Sitting down with the Nintendo Wii-mote in hand I didn’t know what to expect from Samurai Warriors 3. Nintendo has decided to take on the publishing responsibilities on behalf of KOEI in Australia and this is how we received our copy of the game.
I know at one point or another we’ve asked ourselves this question.. How many Dynasty Warriors have come and gone and how many spin-offs has there been. Personally I couldn’t answer that question off the top of my head. But I know that there are five baseline games and then we have the spin-offs and crossovers such as the Gundam games. They all have a fairly decent story but the major problem with all of them is they are all VERY similar in gameplay. No matter how different the games might look deep down you’ll end up doing the same old repetitive stuff.
Samurai Warriors is set in the Sengoku period of medieval Japan. There are a total of 35 playable samurai warriors with new characters including Kiyomasa Kato, Kanbei Kuoda and Lady Kai. With all these characters you can also enter the Dojo within the game and create your very own customised Samurai Warrior to take into battle. But with all the character customization and weapon, amour modifications the end results does not matter. As with the past Dynasty and Samurai Warrior games that have come and gone one thing has stayed the same and that is the mind numbing basic beat-em-up style game play where all you ever do is take on hundreds upon hundreds of enemies at the same time.
That in mind the control system is very basic, you only have three types of attacks and two attack buttons to take on the hundreds and hundreds of enemies that make their way over to you so that they can die by your sword wii-mote waving skills. Which I must add can also become quite tedious and very repetitive. By the time I destroyed the first few hundred waves of enemies my left arm was already begging for mercy and so was the A button on the Wii-Mote. I have to say that due to the repetitive nature of this game you will certainly give yourself a good little workout whilst sitting on the couch.
The three types of attacks are : Standard sword attack: all you need to do is press the A button as quickly as possible, and the faster you press, the faster your blade will slice through enemy lines and limbs. Pressing down on the D Pad will perform a Power attack which comes in handy when surrounded by enemies. Unleashing the power attack sends forth a ball of energy that will mow enemies and get you out of trouble. The last attack and the most powerful one is the Musou Attack. You can activate this by press the B button when the Musou meter is full. Releasing this triggers a little cut-scene and then your character unleashes hell sending enemies flying left right and centre.
There isn’t any real changes to the game play style. At the beginning of each mission you check the overview battle map. Then once you’re ready your thrown into the mayhem. You will have a main objective on each level and that will be taking down a general in any way shape or form. There are also side objectives such as clearing out an outpost, or killing an enemy officer. You also receive bonuses and items if you meet specific objectives such as using Musou attacks on enemies and so forth.
One thing that was dissapointing was that Samurai Warriors does not use the Wii-motion-plus addon, even though its probably not needed. It would of been great to have it supported
Samurai Warriors 3 supports Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and you can go online and enjoy some co-op modes. There is also a challenge mode called “The Challenging Murasame Castle Mode” which is based on the original Nintendo title “The Mysterious Murasame Castle” also called Nazo No Murasamejo which was never been released outside of Japan. This was the second original title released after The Legend Of Zelda but Nazo no Murasame-jō failed to achieve the same sort of commercial success.
In closing Samurai Warriors has made the move as a Wii exclusive, but nothing really has changed. sure there are lots of game modes, offline and online content, and the addition of the cool little Mysterious Murasame Castle game, but there is no change in game play. Something needs to be done about this. I don’t know how long KOEI can go on flogging the same style of game with a fresh coat of paint slapped on top. It’s been close to 10 years and nothing has changed. I think its time to move on with new features and game play or retire this series and start work on something new.
A Topsy Turvy Life: Turvy Drops (DSiWare- Tecmo Koei Games Co. Ltd, 200 Nintendo DSi Points)
Music on: Electronic Keyboard (DSiWare- Abylight, 200 Nintendo DSi Points)
Crazy Sudoku (DSiWare- dtp entertainment AG, 200 Nintendo DSi Points)
Flips The Folk Of The Faraway Tree (DSiWare- Electronic Arts, 500 DSi Points)
To summarise, no Virtual Console release this week after the release of Kirby’s Fun Pack last week. It looks like the days of numerous Virtual Console releases every week are long gone, with the gradual slowdown over the past few months. Could they be running out of retro games to port?
Among this weeks releases are ‘Music On: Electronic Keyboard’, a rhythmic/music style game that allows you to transform the DSi into a keyboard, as well as ‘Robocalypse- Beaver Defense’, a tower defense game from Vogster Entertainment. Another notable mention is ‘Crazy Sudoku’ which boasts 5 levels of difficulty and includes a two-player mode for you to challenge a friend on.
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1, has been confirmed by publisher EA, and will coincide with the release of the film later this year. As the title suggests, the game will be split into two parts, just like the movies. However, as fans will probably realise from the trailer, the game isn’t going to follow the book as rigidly as it has in the past. The action will take place outside of Hogwarts, and monsters from previous instalments, such as spiders and dragons, will make an appearance.
According to Jonathan Bunney, Head of Production at EA Bright Light, the game is set to be darker than ever:
“The final Harry Potter adventure has given us the opportunity to make a darker and more action-oriented game than we have before”
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is set for release on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, and PC.
Story
“You can’t have aerial dogfighting without the dog! Join Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the Peanuts gang in the premier online flight shooter on Xbox LIVE® Arcade, Snoopy Flying Ace. With simple flight controls and a hangar full of customizable planes and weapons, all you need are nerves of steel to climb the Leaderboards and become a Flying Ace! Snoopy Flying Ace takes addictive, fast-paced airborne combat to new heights, with fantastic solo and co-op challenges testing your skills against the Flying Circus of the dreaded Red Baron. Remember, it ain’t the size of the dog in the fight … it’s the size of the fight in the dog!” [Via Xbox.com]
Snoopy Flying Ace lets you take control of a plane as you partake in aerial dogfights. The story is simple, to the point, and takes roughly an hour or two on the easiest setting; getting all the medals is a whole different matter. The game also supports co-op, but it is still generally short. Snoopy Flying Ace is a game that lets you fight against the Red Baron in the skies of a Peanut like Europe during World War 1.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Snoopy Flying Ace consists of flying around in your plane and shooting other planes. It is a true dogfighting game that comes close to being on par with the best of this genre while being affordable and downloadable. The campaign is short and consists of two difficulty modes. Each mode awards up to 3 medals for a total of 6 medals per level. The extra difficulty mode extends the play time of the game, and trying to get every medal extends it even more but the campaign is still relatively short. As you complete missions such as flying through rings, killing waves of enemies, or destroying a boss enemy you will learn the ins and outs of playing the game and flying your plane. The campaign acts like a giant tutorial for the best part of the game, the online multiplayer.
The multiplayer in Snoopy Flying Ace is a lot of fun. There are a bunch of different game types to play and you will be flying around shooting enemies down left and right. After you kill someone, you can take the pleasure of watching their player float down to the ground in their parachute as you continue to fly around shooting his friends. Anyone who loved Crimson Skies will enjoy this game. The controls are also simplistic so anyone can enjoy it. My favorite mode is aerial football, where both teams fight over a football and attempt to get the ball over to the enemy’s side without being shot down. It takes a while to get a good team that communicates, but once you get one you will be intercepting throws and getting fumbles all day long.
Snoopy Flying Ace also has a lot of choices when it comes to the plane and weapon you will use. As you progress through the campaign, which doesn’t take long at all, you will unlock more planes and weapons. Each plane and weapon has certain stats and after playing around with the combinations you will eventually get a combination of plane and weapons that you like. When online you can also pick your pilot which can be any of the Peanut characters or even your Xbox Live Avatar. Once you have your plane, weapons, pilot, and color of your plane all picked out you can test out the combination online against the world. The color of your plane and the pilot doesn’t make a difference to the stats at all but the more customization the better!
Achievements
The Achievements in Snoopy Flying Ace are no laughing matter, they are downright hard to get! This is not a game to get if you want quick and easy achievements, but most of the achievements are fun to get if you enjoy the game. Cadet you will get pretty easily, but the rest will take a while. The multiplayer only achievements can be boosted with a second controller, but the Xbox Live Player Match only achievements will take a while. Every game online gives you experience points; in a 10 minute game I averaged about 100 points per game but there were a few people averaging 200+ points per game. Flying Ace is the highest rank you can get, and it is more than double the 10,000 points required for the veteran achievement. As you can see the achievements are no laughing matter at all.
The Achievement List is:
Cadet – 5 – Complete a game of Dogfight
Hero – 10 – Earn gold medals on all Defense Missions (Headquarters, Big Guns, and Reconnaissance).
Professional – 10 – Earn gold medals on all Assault Missions (Bully Fight, Zeppeligeddon, and Bombs Away).
Technical – 10 – Earn gold medals on all Navigation Missions (Ring Race, Birds of War, and Follow the Leader).
Big Guns – 15 – Earn 100 kills from the Turret
Flawless – 15 – Complete any mode with 20+ kills and no deaths (Multiplayer Only).
Helping Hand – 15 – Earn 250 assists.
Sky King – 20 – Earn 25 wins (Multiplayer Only).
Weaponeer – 20 – Earn 25+ kills with every secondary weapon.
Veteran – 25 – Earn 10,000+ points (Xbox LIVE Player Match Only).
Flying Ace – 30 – Reach Flying Ace Status (Xbox LIVE Player Match Only).
There are also 2 avatar awards in the game
Snoopy Avatar Shirt How to obtain: Receive at least 1 medal on all missions
Red Baron Avatar Costume How to obtain: Reach the rank of Flying Ace
Overview
While Snoopy Flying Ace has a pretty short campaign and a story that’s lacking, there hasn’t been such a good aerial combat game for a while. The high customization and online multiplayer with tons of fun and whacky modes makes this game a lot of fun. The only thing that hurts Snoopy Flying Ace is the fact that the online multiplayer may not be here forever. Any game that relies completely online is at a huge risk since online communities are fickle things. While Snoopy Flying Ace is an awesomely fun game online, once people stop playing it the game will become dead and pretty boring. Buy it while it’s hot, but since it might cool down I have to lower the score.
I give Snoopy Flying Ace
Pros
Online avatar support
Awesome online multiplayer
Tons of Airplanes and different weapons
Cons
Single Player is short.
Multiplayer community may die, but it is unknown if it will at this time.
Remember that movie, about the mummies that were trying to kill those people? Yeah, that movie! Well, Bigpoint is creating a game that is an RPG MMO that takes place in The Mummy world.
So, if i max out my cloth strength I become bullet proof? Let me also upgrade this flesh regeneration skill, and the ability to spawn scarabs from my mouth. Oh we are killing mummies and not playing as them? Darn, I wanted to be a mummy!
Read the full press release below.
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The global market leader in browser-based Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG), Bigpoint, (http://www.bigpoint.com) today announced that it is developing a browser-based MMOG based upon Universal Pictures’ The Mummy film franchise. Developed in partnership with Universal Partnerships & Licensing, The Mummy Online will only be available online at http://www.bigpoint.com and will be delivered to gamers worldwide in Winter 2010.
In The Mummy Online, a free-to-play Action-RPG MMO game with adventure elements inspired by the films, players will take on heroic roles as adventure seekers with various talents and skills that will allow their characters to be unique within the MMO virtual world. Set in Egypt during the first half of the twentieth century, gamers will experience familiar environments and key characters from the film franchises as they battle against each other and ancient evil.
The Mummy film franchise has been an entertainment powerhouse taking its characters across the world to face some of archeology’s greatest mysteries and leading to exciting film sequels, theme park attractions, video games and more.
“The Mummy franchise is chock full of exotic settings, supernatural enemies, exciting quests, and over the top action,” said Bill Kispert, Vice President and GM Digital Platforms, Universal Partnerships & Licensing. “It is ripe with gameplay possibilities, and we look forward to extending our relationship with Bigpoint to bring the world of The Mummy to life for gamers.”
“We are excited to adapt this popular film franchise for the global online games market,” explains Heiko Hubertz, CEO and founder of Bigpoint. “By leveraging our mastery of browser-based games technology and Universal Pictures’ popular entertainment property, Bigpoint is quickly becoming one of the leading publishers of licensed games.”
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with The Mummy film franchise,” said Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games. “The action-packed story of Egyptian mythology and 1930’s fortune hunters provides a great backdrop for our team to build an awesome online game experience.”
The Mummy Online is developed with Unity technology for MMOG audiences. This platform independent engine makes it possible to produce real-time 3D applications such as MMO games in any internet browser with exceptionally high quality graphics without having to download a client. The game is being developed in multiple languages by Schell Games (http://www.schellgames.com), a Pittsburgh based development studio helmed by game design visionary Jesse Schell.
Sure, the series is based in the UK (in multiple time periods in fact) but that doesn’t mean they should get all the perks when i comes to doctor who.
First the US gets every episode 2 weeks after the UK gets it, UK viewers can rewatch every single released episode on their website (if you don’t live in the UK you are blocked from it). Now they even get to play the Doctor Who game for free and right now!
If you live in the UK you can now download the first episode in Sumo Interactive’s Doctor Who: The Adventure Games for free. Titled “City of the Daleks,” the game sees the Doctor and his companion, Amy Pond, in an alternate version of London in 1963.
Americans on the other hand will have to wait until “early July,” when the game will be available for everyone, but wait! It has to be purchased! Now they have gone too far, I understand UK getting it early, but charging the US to play it while UK gets it for free! no! NO! NOOOOO!!!!!!
December 3, 2009
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Fall 2010
May 28, 2010
