Think you’ve had enough of creating whatever creature pops in your mind? Think you’ve had enough of raising it and creating your own universe? No?
Well, you’re in luck, because EA & Maxis have just announced (out of nowhere) Darkspore, an RPG set in the Spore universe. Creating your own creature, unlimited customization, leveling up and the whole bunch of RPGing…what can be more satisfying?
Taking the Spore franchise in a whole different direction was the whole purpose of Darkspore. The game looks like it got it’s roots from Diablo, being more of a hack and slash. You will be able to customize your avatar with the original Creature Creator, and although you can play the game solo, Darkspore is mean to be played in multiplayer mode. The player will control a three – character squad, being able to switch between them whenever they want. The classes are fairly familiar: the classic tank, the Plasma Sentinel (with area of effect spells) and the Biotempest (with hunter abilities, like ranged attacks and laying down traps). The game will have an implemented AI ability to detect how you are playing, keeping in mind which abilities you use and throwing different mobs at you, depending on your style of play.In multiplayer co-op, each players will be able to perform their friends’ abilities. Leveling up your character will play a major part in Darkspore, using DNA as the main currency and EXP points.
This title shows a lot of promise and, honestly, I’m really looking forward to this. The game will release exclusively on PC, February 2011.
Also announced by EA today was that Shank now has a full release date and a price to go along with this over the top beat ’em up. We will be seeing the PSN and XBLM on August 24th and the 25th for each console. There are is even a bit of information on the price tag, which will be 1200 MSP but that is hardly a surprise at this point.
There was also a bit of rumbling about a co-op mode for the game, called a prequel co-op mission. This could mean that the only bit of co-operative mode will be one mission, or if it will expand beyond that once this mission is completed. We will have to wait and see.
Something that catches my eye however, is the release date on the XBLM. The date of the 25th will be placing Shank right in the running with Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. These are both beat ’em up games with one having cartoonish graphics and a movie background to work with, and the other with a hyper stylized type of brawler. They both even have the same price tag of 1200 MSP, so there is a good amount of competition now to be seen between these two. Which would you pick?
EA has announced today, along with a partnership with Spicy Horse, that the horrifying transformation of the children’s story has been picked up for a sequel. This isn’t your standard picture of Alice’s Wonderland, this Wonderland is full of death, decay, blood, and terrifying monsters. The trailer itself for the reveal is full of Alice’s own blood and teeth, bear in mind it is quite a scary trailer if you wish to watch it.
The game itself, Alice: Madness Returns has been announced for a release date on the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360 sometime in 2011.
If you happen to have heard anything about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World you may have heard that it was only for the PSN. But it turns out that will not be true. Ubisoft has released a bit of information from Comic-Con that the side scrolling brawling game that combines many different unique elements, will be releasing on the Xbox Live Arcade August 25th, a scant 15 days after the release of the game on the PSN. This is an interesting move and perhaps the loss of exclusive release was lost due to a breakdown in communication between Sony and Ubisoft. Or the fact that the movie developers are pushing for further exposure of the franchise. All I know this is amazing news as this side scrolling brawler is very unique both in appearance and delivery, so I’ll be waiting for August 25th now especially. And even more so for the movie release August 13th.
Volition has been vamping up their efforts to make their Red Faction: Armageddon ready for a huge push at Comic-Con this year. They are doing so by unveiling this new trailer that shows what your main enemy will be this time around in Red Faction.
For all intents and purposes we are seeing an alien force that has invaded the planet, or maybe has been there all along, and the action will no longer be taking place on Mars’ surface but below in mined out caves. So will they be knocking this one out of the park with the new adjustments they have made? Or will the change be too much for fans of Red Faction: Guerrilla?
This week Capcom shared a new special, and really beautiful, japanese trailer for the sucessor of the classic Okami: Okamiden for the Nintendo DS.
As you will see in the trailer below, they are doing a impressive job on keeping all the essences from the PS2 version, while bringing some new features, like partners and new puzzles.
Okamiden take place a few months after the events of Okami, Okamiden will follow the adventures of Chibiterasu – a young sun god who is summoned to protect the land. Following in the footsteps of its parent Amaterasu, the sun-god-turned-wolf in Okami, Chibiterasu takes the form of an adorable wolf pup for the mission ahead. Chibiterasu will join forces with a rich cast of characters to fight off a new threat that has leeched the world of its vibrant color again. Beyond the battles, Chibiterasu and buddies will come to realize their inner potential and accept the kinship that comes with being the children of great heroes and gods.
The game is expected for september in Japan, while players from North America and Europe will have to wait until early 2011 to put their hands on this little gem.
Metal Slug is a side-scrolling action series that dates back to SNK’s Neo-Geo Arcade Machines and portables. Another thing to note is that this game was released for the Nintendo DS as Metal Slug 7 and later released on the PSP and Xbox Live Arcade as Metal Slug XX.
Story
Metal Slug XX doesn’t have the strongest story but there is one there played out in animations between levels. Take out the evil general and his army. Simple story and it does seem to play out decently between levels. You have six characters to choose from the start, the familiar Marco, Fio, Tarma and Eri, and Ralf and Clark from the King of Fighters series. Leona from KOF is also available as DLC. You must then go from one area to the next and defeat the opposing army and their futuristic weaponry and save the bearded prisoners.
Gameplay
This is my favorite part of Metal Slug XX. It plays just like all the arcade classics. The gameplay is fast paced but never really became over-bearing at any point. Every character you play as has their own strengths and weaknesses so every character plays slightly different from the next.
Metal Slug XX also gives a variety of different types of gameplay. The main campaign mode is seven stages and only takes about an hour to complete. Every stage is divided up into sections where you must take out all of the enemies on the screen and move to the next part of the level. To me each level played out differently, so I did not feel like I was in a repetitive cycle like some arcade titles out there. Examples being having to dodge large death balls and dropping platforms to parachuting straight into a pool of enemies all while just trying to stay alive. The action is intense and once it gets started, it doesn’t stop. To mix it up even more, every stage has a boss at the end with the classic weak point to kill strategy.
Every time you save a prisoner, he will drop a weapon. Weapons work quite well and are easy to switch between. Some include the machine gun, rocket launcher and some other high powered artillery. Players also have bombs at their array to help take out some of the bigger enemies. You have infinite lives and continues as well which I enjoyed as I died quite a bit on my first run, but others might think this takes away from the challenge.
Later on in the game, enemies will be everywhere on your screen upping the challenge. All of the chaos runs smoothly for the most part while attempting to take down all of the soldiers, mechs, and enemy vehicles on each section. Combat school is another mode that works great as you must try to complete all 70 select missions which should keep you coming back if your looking for a new challenge after standard campaign.
The gameplay shines through and delivers what is promised, I do feel like more additions could have been made but I am pleased with how everything was fully functional and truly made you feel as if you were back in the arcade.
Sound & Graphics
Like most Metal Slug titles, you get the sweet 16 bit tunes playing as you play through the game. I really noticed the music playing almost over the game play. The music blends together perfectly with the game play and delivers a much better experience to the player. Characters are voiced somewhat and play out quite well and sometimes comical into any situation, I could probably best compare this to the side-scrolling games on the genesis.It may sound like a cheap way out, but the sound used for Metal Slug XX makes it feel more like an arcade title, which is what I am looking for when I play.
The graphics are all 2-D sprites. Each character is well made and fits into the setting of the hectic warzone. Just like the sound, the graphics are made to give the full classic arcade experience. I didn’t notice any slowdown from the chaotic levels with sprites everywhere on the screen so that is definitely a huge plus. The characters also have some bonus charm to them, like when I was attacking enemies and a helicopter dropped a line of bombs killing my character and the enemy just shrugged his shoulders and walked the other way. This helps from feeling like your battling generic opponents throughout the whole game. From the bosses to the 7 stages, you will find every single world is detailed and truly makes each new section feel like a new experience.
Overview
Metal Slug XX may be a port, but with anyone without a PSP or Nintendo DS for that matter, this will be a great title to add to your collection. If you love old-school arcade titles, this is for you. I do not agree with the 1200 point price due to the fact that it takes only an hour or so to complete the main campaign. This is a fun game nevertheless and the extra modes and co-op will lengthen your experience with it. For gamers wanting a true arcade experience, Metal Slug XX will grab you with it’s quality of gameplay, music and quirky animations and graphics.
Steam announced two special deals this week, check it out:
(50% off) Final Fantasy XI Online Ultimate Collection
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Hearts of Iron, Mount & Blade, Majesty, Europa Universalis, Lead and Gold, and many others games from Paradox Interactive. Individual games and Special Collections included.
Capcom held a special event in Tokyo, Japan today called “Save the Zombie” in an effort to promote Dead Rising 2. Andriasang was there to provide us all a bit of insight into the event. There was a movie showing of the movie based on the game, as well as the alternate ending you can only see if you happen to purchase or obtain the DVD version of the movie.
Most of all though what we are really were excited to see is new information on Dead Rising 2: Case Zero. We were able to see Chuck Greene the main character of Dead Rising 2, treating his daughter who has become infected with the zombie virus due to a bite from a zombie. He must give his daughter a dose of Zombrex every 12 hours or she will succumb to the virus and become one of the undead. However his car which contained an entire case of the medicine, enough to keep her alive for months has been stolen.
That places you and your infected daughter stranded in Fortune City with only 12 hours to find any Zombrex that he can give to his daughter to keep her alive and escape the infected suburb. Another nice feature that was released was the fact that your saved data will transfer into Dead Rising 2, bringing with it any level ups you receive and potential game bonuses.
There has been no official announced release date, but expect to see Dead Rising 2 Case Zero, exclusive to the XBLM, sometime before the release of Dead Rising 2.
Fans of stunts and crazy motorbiking can once again go mad, because Red Lynx has announced the new DLC pack “Big Thrills” for Trials HD. Red Lynx have promised to include about 40 professional new tracks and 10 of the best user created tracks.
“Big Thrills” Pack will also add three more achievements worth 50 gamerscore, brining Trials HD to a total of 300G !
Also, there’s a track creating contest going on on the Big Thrills DLC Official Site. 1st place will win $5,000, a Trials HD T-shirt and a Red Lynx flag; 2nd place will win $3,000 and 3rd place $1,000. If you plan on participating, here’s a helpful Guide.
The pack is set to arrive this winter on Xbox LIVE. No definite price has been set, but like the BIG Pack last year, it should be around 400 Microsoft Points.
