Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn games free. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn games free. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Tư, 26 tháng 10, 2011
Developer Interview: Carrie Gouskous on Wrath of Heroes
Earlier this year, BioWare and EA announced a new, MOBA-style title set in the iconic Warhammer fantasy universe and bearing a new, action-romp ethos. Being a ridiculous Warhammer fan and owner of a massive neckbeard, I immediately fired off some questions about Wrath of Heroes - and here come those answers now, courtesy of Carrie Gouskous, the game's producer at BioWare.
Thứ Năm, 20 tháng 10, 2011
The Most Revolutionary Gameplay Aspects to Fighting GamesMaybe i'm just being Cynical
E.A. shut servers down, this much we know.
E.A. now require you to have the code from your brand new copy of whichever game to access the online multi-player side of things, or if you’ve bought pre-owned to then buy access to the online multi-player.
Both of these policies are wrong, but together they spell big money for E.A. at the expense of us gamers.
First off, surely if a game is packaged and sold advertising online multi-player, said game should contain online multi-player. Even if only a handful of gamers still populate the online game it should be kept running. Now, as someone that regularly browses games news sites and forums I find out about E.A. closing the servers but, there must be a whole lot of people that don’t frequent these sites and therefore have no inkling that a game is no longer playable online, get home pop in the game and ‘Bam!’ no online play, it says online on the box, but no, not any more. Enjoy your game, well the half you’ve got anyway.
Secondly, charging for the online access, this is just wrong. I recently bought FIFA11 brand new, happy days, or so I thought. Then realising I had to input the code for the multi-player I also realised that where i’d normally have also let my son play online FIFA in his room on his 360 i’d now have to purchase points to download the access to his console. Nice. £40 for a game I then can’t share properly with another member of the household.
Ah well, he can still play his mates on FIFA10. Oh, well he can for a year or so anyway before E.A. announce that they’re the next servers to be shut down.
Then what are we gamers left with, the last of the free, already unlocked multi-player E.A. titles are gone and we have 2 choices, buy brand new copies of all E.A. games (but it’ll cost you if you want to share it) or buy pre-owned and then pay for the extras, and this then continues in a cycle as new games release and old servers close, E.A. wins big and gamers lose out, paying more money for the same product, or, we stop buying these yearly updates to our favourite franchises, now there’s a thought.
E.A. now require you to have the code from your brand new copy of whichever game to access the online multi-player side of things, or if you’ve bought pre-owned to then buy access to the online multi-player.
Both of these policies are wrong, but together they spell big money for E.A. at the expense of us gamers.
First off, surely if a game is packaged and sold advertising online multi-player, said game should contain online multi-player. Even if only a handful of gamers still populate the online game it should be kept running. Now, as someone that regularly browses games news sites and forums I find out about E.A. closing the servers but, there must be a whole lot of people that don’t frequent these sites and therefore have no inkling that a game is no longer playable online, get home pop in the game and ‘Bam!’ no online play, it says online on the box, but no, not any more. Enjoy your game, well the half you’ve got anyway.
Secondly, charging for the online access, this is just wrong. I recently bought FIFA11 brand new, happy days, or so I thought. Then realising I had to input the code for the multi-player I also realised that where i’d normally have also let my son play online FIFA in his room on his 360 i’d now have to purchase points to download the access to his console. Nice. £40 for a game I then can’t share properly with another member of the household.
Ah well, he can still play his mates on FIFA10. Oh, well he can for a year or so anyway before E.A. announce that they’re the next servers to be shut down.
Then what are we gamers left with, the last of the free, already unlocked multi-player E.A. titles are gone and we have 2 choices, buy brand new copies of all E.A. games (but it’ll cost you if you want to share it) or buy pre-owned and then pay for the extras, and this then continues in a cycle as new games release and old servers close, E.A. wins big and gamers lose out, paying more money for the same product, or, we stop buying these yearly updates to our favourite franchises, now there’s a thought.
Thứ Bảy, 15 tháng 10, 2011
We shouldn't stop people from jailbreaking if it doesn't infringe our own rights!
I think we are at a sort of impasse: how to respond to such things as piracy and jailbreaking and such.
I’ve been called every derogatory thing because of pure speculation as to where my stance actually is on this issue. If you care about little else than to defend your favorite gaming company like some kind of blind fanboy, then I suggest that you turn back now, because I’m not going to validate anyone’s POV just because they want me to. I’ve never done that before, and I am not about to. I meant what I said back in 2008 about Microsoft, and I’ve done so now.
What I will do, however, is to clarify as to what my stance is on this. This may be a little long, so those that are going to do the TL;DR spiel can leave now, too.
For one, what sparked this is someone complaining about an ad that appeared on N4G that had something to do with pirated PS3 games. As I have ABP installed on Firefox, I have yet to see this ad, but while N4G is responsible for a lot of the bad things that happen on this site (with the whole “kill all the hackers” being one of them), they are not here. This is because the advertising agency responsible for the ads is a third party. They choose what to run. Of course, once found, N4G can tell them not to, but they cannot be aware of every single ad. That’s outside their immediate control.
As for the ad itself, I understand the site’s general stance on piracy. That goes without saying. However, those that take an anti-piracy stance just because of blind fanboyism (or those that side with those like Hotz and Anonymous for the same reason) are doing it wrong.
I took Hotz’ side on the CFW issue, and did not regret it in the slightest. Hell, I was even one of them that donated to him (five bucks). This is because of my stance.
What is it? It is that, as long as it does not infringe on anyone else’s ability to enjoy their system the way they want to, and as long as you don’t hurt their right, they should be able to enjoy their system however they please. If you want to install CFW onto your PS3 to play homebrew games (whatever your definition of that may be), then be my guest. You’re not stopping me from playing Gran Turismo 5 in any way. Hell, if you find a good HB game that you think I should play, then by all means, convince me to convert to the dark side for that one. There SHOULD be competition in the gaming industry, and Sony should not be scared of the homebrew community (and yes, PS3 homebrew games do exist. Just use Google and stop being lazy). Hell, even if it is a SNES emulator you’re playing with, I don’t care (hell, who HASN’T used SNES9x or MAME?). As long as you’re not infringing on my right to do what I want to do, and as long as I’m not trying to stop you from having your fun, then why should I stop you?
It’s obvious that homebrew has not hurt Nintendo’s bottom dollar, so I’m not sure why one site claimed that Sony SHOULD stop people from playing homebrew games on the PS3. If you are allowed to play them on the PC, then why should you stop them from playing them on the PS3?
I’m not saying you should be allowed to cheat online and screw up player rankings, or that someone should be allowed to access personal information about you that can be used for identity theft, or anything like that. People try to equate one with the other because they know that if they do that, they have the excuse to blindly follow whoever it is that is saying that you shouldn’t be allowed to do such things. They would never have to actually explain what is so wrong. All you have to do is scream “piracy”, and they will rush to your defense before they even know what the subject actually is. Hell, why should they care? They’re only blind fanboys! Why do they even NEED a reason to follow you?
But not everyone who is anti-piracy is so because they are blind fanboys. That’s another way of confusing the issue to benefit their point of view because of their insecurity of being able to validate their POV with actual facts. If you call out either them or their savior company, you’re playing for the other side, and no opposing POV is safe, civil or otherwise. Neither are those that would support Hotz’ POV. You think he was trying to enable piracy and cheating? How do you know that he was or wasn’t? He said he wasn’t, and there was nothing actually proven one way or another.
So this is where I am at on this issue: if I were to install CFW on my PS3 and never again take it online at all, and then install something from PS3 Homebrew on my PS3 (or, GASP, install Linux on my PS3), but never touch PSN on that PS3 again, does that stop you from doing anything you want to do on your PS3? Does that constitute piracy on my end? How does that hurt you or Sony? I’m not trying to be a smart ass. I’m just asking legitimate questions that the blind fanboys seem unwilling to answer in a civil way, if in any way. Hell, even IF I install SNES9x on it and play Super Mario World on it, is that something that stops you from enjoying your games in any way (and think about how you answer that, too)?
I ask this because this site is getting things completely confused. The blind fanboys are trying to confuse things because they WANT us to think the way they do, and the rest of the site seems to just go with it. I wouldn’t be as upset about it if it wasn’t so many of us doing this, but unfortunately, there is that many unwilling to stop taking things so personally.
I disapproved of HipHopGamer’s way of showing that he disagreed with Hotz’. Seriously, HHG, you resort to a rap like THAT just because Sony was the target? I thought of you better than to resort to cheap…oh, wait: “Uncharted 3 coming to 360!” My bad, you WOULD resort to cheap shots against Hotz (after all, that’s how you’ve built most of your career). Then again, you weren’t alone: the name calling started here, as well as the “kill that f**k” BS began there, too. So why am I just blaming you for acting like some hysteric, blind fanboy?
A day or so ago, there was a Bitmob parody article saying that the author was who brought down PSN because he accidently slept on the PS button on his controller. Of course, it was meant as a joke to be funny. However, the amount of people willing to bash it because they didn’t find it funny was outlandish. It was as if the article hurt their feelings. They took it too seriously and/or too personally, and went so far as to judge the type of people that WOULD find it funny. The Bitmob article did one thing successfully, if nothing else: shown us just how much we have been overreacting about anything regarding the PSN issue. The reactions to it on this site prove to me that they were hurt that they got exposed. Of course, they were exposed before when they cheered Anonymous being hacked! That showed me the real reason they were against Anonymous and Hotz: they drank Sony’s milkshake!
Note that while I don’t condone how Anonymous went about proving their point (anyone who thinks I did is an idiot), I can see what their reasons were: to show Sony that they were upset about their stubborn stance on whatever it is they are trying to prevent. To be honest, I’m not sure if I would want Anonymous’ help, but seeing as how they’ve been on the right side of certain fights (their fight on Fred Phelps comes to mind), it’s hard to not at least consider the offer if you're with a similar stance as mine.
Again, I’m not saying that we should suddenly condone piracy and cheating. I’m saying that as long as it doesn’t hurt me or you, then why should I be that concerned about stopping you from doing whatever it is with your system you want to do? YOU bought it, and it’s in YOUR house, hooked up to YOUR television set. Why should I care if you want to play that homebrew game on your PS3? I’m able to separate the good from the bad. I don’t know why no one else on this site can, but I am able to do so.
Hell, I’m not even sure why people are bitching about the OtherOS lawsuit. Sony told those people that they wouldn’t touch it, but they did, and then possibly lied about why they did it (playing the piracy card in the means of garnering support for the removal when that was not the real reason). There are people on this site that are saying “well, no one used it”. Sony felt enough people used it to make such a guarantee, and plus, if you didn’t care about it, then why do you care enough to make the proclamation that it shouldn’t be reinstated. You didn’t care that it was on there before, yet you’re damn sure wanting Sony to fight to make sure it stays off your system. Again, “I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE”!
So yeah, that’s my stance. The TL;DR version of it is this: I am not against fighting piracy as long as we know that there are several interpretations as to what piracy even is, I am against stopping people from doing things that they do in the privacy of their homes when it does nothing to infringe on our right to do anything we want to do, I don’t know why we have to prove everyone right about this site’s “fanboy cess pool”, why we didn’t care before but we do now, or why we are constantly unable to separate one argument from the other, or why we have to take everything so personally and fuel the hysteria constantly.
I’ve been called every derogatory thing because of pure speculation as to where my stance actually is on this issue. If you care about little else than to defend your favorite gaming company like some kind of blind fanboy, then I suggest that you turn back now, because I’m not going to validate anyone’s POV just because they want me to. I’ve never done that before, and I am not about to. I meant what I said back in 2008 about Microsoft, and I’ve done so now.
What I will do, however, is to clarify as to what my stance is on this. This may be a little long, so those that are going to do the TL;DR spiel can leave now, too.
For one, what sparked this is someone complaining about an ad that appeared on N4G that had something to do with pirated PS3 games. As I have ABP installed on Firefox, I have yet to see this ad, but while N4G is responsible for a lot of the bad things that happen on this site (with the whole “kill all the hackers” being one of them), they are not here. This is because the advertising agency responsible for the ads is a third party. They choose what to run. Of course, once found, N4G can tell them not to, but they cannot be aware of every single ad. That’s outside their immediate control.
As for the ad itself, I understand the site’s general stance on piracy. That goes without saying. However, those that take an anti-piracy stance just because of blind fanboyism (or those that side with those like Hotz and Anonymous for the same reason) are doing it wrong.
I took Hotz’ side on the CFW issue, and did not regret it in the slightest. Hell, I was even one of them that donated to him (five bucks). This is because of my stance.
What is it? It is that, as long as it does not infringe on anyone else’s ability to enjoy their system the way they want to, and as long as you don’t hurt their right, they should be able to enjoy their system however they please. If you want to install CFW onto your PS3 to play homebrew games (whatever your definition of that may be), then be my guest. You’re not stopping me from playing Gran Turismo 5 in any way. Hell, if you find a good HB game that you think I should play, then by all means, convince me to convert to the dark side for that one. There SHOULD be competition in the gaming industry, and Sony should not be scared of the homebrew community (and yes, PS3 homebrew games do exist. Just use Google and stop being lazy). Hell, even if it is a SNES emulator you’re playing with, I don’t care (hell, who HASN’T used SNES9x or MAME?). As long as you’re not infringing on my right to do what I want to do, and as long as I’m not trying to stop you from having your fun, then why should I stop you?
It’s obvious that homebrew has not hurt Nintendo’s bottom dollar, so I’m not sure why one site claimed that Sony SHOULD stop people from playing homebrew games on the PS3. If you are allowed to play them on the PC, then why should you stop them from playing them on the PS3?
I’m not saying you should be allowed to cheat online and screw up player rankings, or that someone should be allowed to access personal information about you that can be used for identity theft, or anything like that. People try to equate one with the other because they know that if they do that, they have the excuse to blindly follow whoever it is that is saying that you shouldn’t be allowed to do such things. They would never have to actually explain what is so wrong. All you have to do is scream “piracy”, and they will rush to your defense before they even know what the subject actually is. Hell, why should they care? They’re only blind fanboys! Why do they even NEED a reason to follow you?
But not everyone who is anti-piracy is so because they are blind fanboys. That’s another way of confusing the issue to benefit their point of view because of their insecurity of being able to validate their POV with actual facts. If you call out either them or their savior company, you’re playing for the other side, and no opposing POV is safe, civil or otherwise. Neither are those that would support Hotz’ POV. You think he was trying to enable piracy and cheating? How do you know that he was or wasn’t? He said he wasn’t, and there was nothing actually proven one way or another.
So this is where I am at on this issue: if I were to install CFW on my PS3 and never again take it online at all, and then install something from PS3 Homebrew on my PS3 (or, GASP, install Linux on my PS3), but never touch PSN on that PS3 again, does that stop you from doing anything you want to do on your PS3? Does that constitute piracy on my end? How does that hurt you or Sony? I’m not trying to be a smart ass. I’m just asking legitimate questions that the blind fanboys seem unwilling to answer in a civil way, if in any way. Hell, even IF I install SNES9x on it and play Super Mario World on it, is that something that stops you from enjoying your games in any way (and think about how you answer that, too)?
I ask this because this site is getting things completely confused. The blind fanboys are trying to confuse things because they WANT us to think the way they do, and the rest of the site seems to just go with it. I wouldn’t be as upset about it if it wasn’t so many of us doing this, but unfortunately, there is that many unwilling to stop taking things so personally.
I disapproved of HipHopGamer’s way of showing that he disagreed with Hotz’. Seriously, HHG, you resort to a rap like THAT just because Sony was the target? I thought of you better than to resort to cheap…oh, wait: “Uncharted 3 coming to 360!” My bad, you WOULD resort to cheap shots against Hotz (after all, that’s how you’ve built most of your career). Then again, you weren’t alone: the name calling started here, as well as the “kill that f**k” BS began there, too. So why am I just blaming you for acting like some hysteric, blind fanboy?
A day or so ago, there was a Bitmob parody article saying that the author was who brought down PSN because he accidently slept on the PS button on his controller. Of course, it was meant as a joke to be funny. However, the amount of people willing to bash it because they didn’t find it funny was outlandish. It was as if the article hurt their feelings. They took it too seriously and/or too personally, and went so far as to judge the type of people that WOULD find it funny. The Bitmob article did one thing successfully, if nothing else: shown us just how much we have been overreacting about anything regarding the PSN issue. The reactions to it on this site prove to me that they were hurt that they got exposed. Of course, they were exposed before when they cheered Anonymous being hacked! That showed me the real reason they were against Anonymous and Hotz: they drank Sony’s milkshake!
Note that while I don’t condone how Anonymous went about proving their point (anyone who thinks I did is an idiot), I can see what their reasons were: to show Sony that they were upset about their stubborn stance on whatever it is they are trying to prevent. To be honest, I’m not sure if I would want Anonymous’ help, but seeing as how they’ve been on the right side of certain fights (their fight on Fred Phelps comes to mind), it’s hard to not at least consider the offer if you're with a similar stance as mine.
Again, I’m not saying that we should suddenly condone piracy and cheating. I’m saying that as long as it doesn’t hurt me or you, then why should I be that concerned about stopping you from doing whatever it is with your system you want to do? YOU bought it, and it’s in YOUR house, hooked up to YOUR television set. Why should I care if you want to play that homebrew game on your PS3? I’m able to separate the good from the bad. I don’t know why no one else on this site can, but I am able to do so.
Hell, I’m not even sure why people are bitching about the OtherOS lawsuit. Sony told those people that they wouldn’t touch it, but they did, and then possibly lied about why they did it (playing the piracy card in the means of garnering support for the removal when that was not the real reason). There are people on this site that are saying “well, no one used it”. Sony felt enough people used it to make such a guarantee, and plus, if you didn’t care about it, then why do you care enough to make the proclamation that it shouldn’t be reinstated. You didn’t care that it was on there before, yet you’re damn sure wanting Sony to fight to make sure it stays off your system. Again, “I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE”!
So yeah, that’s my stance. The TL;DR version of it is this: I am not against fighting piracy as long as we know that there are several interpretations as to what piracy even is, I am against stopping people from doing things that they do in the privacy of their homes when it does nothing to infringe on our right to do anything we want to do, I don’t know why we have to prove everyone right about this site’s “fanboy cess pool”, why we didn’t care before but we do now, or why we are constantly unable to separate one argument from the other, or why we have to take everything so personally and fuel the hysteria constantly.
E3 2011: Predictions
After cherry picking the internet for gossip and rumours regarding the upcoming E3 event, the biggest in the video game calendar, E3 2011 could be the best ever produced or give gamers the greatest underwhelming experience since the Panasonic 3D0.
Personal feelings regarding hype always involve a note of caution, in that way I never feel a overwhelming sense of frustration although I admit at times it's hard to control depending on the subject matter. E3 is a personal favourite of mine, one I look forward to every year, however giving the recent examples of people in the industry over hyping announcements these days I keep my thoughts low key, therefore any news which excites me feels all the better.
The big three are hoping to steal the limelight off each other once again and here is what I think could possibly happen:
Sony:
Sony's press conference will come under intense scrutiny after the Playstation Network was invaded by hackers. Many will hope new features are introduced to improve the service, not just from a security standpoint but from a user interface view also. The Japanese company also has the matter of the Next Generation Portable, which excited many when it was first announced earlier in the year. Here is a list of what I think Sony will announce:
*NGP will cost $279.99 for basic model, 3G model will cost $329.99
*Kevin Butler will once again appear on stage, hopefully talking about gaming rather than appeasing to fanboy garbage.
*Twisted Metal will see a release date of January 2012
*Rockstar bring the Grand Theft Auto franchise to NGP in a new exclusive story, not a port of any console game.
*Sony confirm new firmware update that adds better and more gamer orientated dashboard including more in depth PSN ID's and slicker Trophy comparing/synching.
*Batman Arkham City will have exclusive DLC on PS3
*Eight Days will rise from the dead to see a targeted release timeframe of 2012
----------------------------- ------------------------------- -----
Nintendo have a very interesting E3 ahead, although the 3DS has potential it has yet to storm the charts from a hardware and software standpoint. Their current home console the Wii, has seen software become stagnant with a price drop included which has caused Nintendo to announce the arrival of Project Cafe, which will be properly announced and presented to gamers in playable form from June 7th onwards. Here is my Nintendo predicitions:
*Project Cafe will have a pricepoint of $349.99.
*It will only be slightly more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3, which I predict will sadden many gamers.
*Nintendo will spend time trying to justify the price point with the design of the controller.
*Nintendo will announce an all new online service, Nintendo-On or something similar. Friend codes are ditched for a more user friendly user name template.
* Mario will be teased with no gameplay along with the return of StarFox.
*A new first party exclusive is announced for Cafe that is designed to appeal to older gamers.
*The 3DS will see a Wii Sports type package announced based on Nintendo characters.
----------------------------- ------------------------------- -----
Microsoft are attracting a growing number of negative feedback from gamers, mainly regarding their first party exclusive portfolio and continuing focus on their so far successful motion gaming add on Kinect. While sales of the console and software are very steady at the moment, the negativity seems to focus on Microsoft not being able to balance motion gaming for Kinect and traditional controller based gaming into their exclusive line up.Here is my Microsoft predictions:
*$50 off 250gb model, 250gb Kinect bundle and $20 off the 4gb model.
*Kinect software will be around 75% of the gaming announcements, which could disappoint many.
*Star Wars Kinect sees a release time frame around the same time as the Blu Ray box sets
*Codename Kingdoms will have traditional controller and Kinect forms of play. Probably Crytek's answer to the Elder Scrolls series.
*YouTube comes to Xbox Live.
----------------------------- ------------------------------- -----
Apart from the big three, we have the third party announcements to look forward to, some of which I think could be made are:
*A new Monkey Island game from LucasArts (they seem intent on ignoring pleas for Star Wars Battlefront 3)
*Transformers War for Cybertron 2
*Battlefield 3 to have exclusive DLC on one of the consoles
*Konami bring the Zone of the Enders series multiplatform
*A Simpsons PSN/XBLA title
*Metal Gear Solid Rising release time targeted for Q1 2012
----------------------------- ------------------------------- -----
Well, that's it for my predictions, we will all find out soon enough if they are complete trash or if some have been guessed wisely.
There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Personal feelings regarding hype always involve a note of caution, in that way I never feel a overwhelming sense of frustration although I admit at times it's hard to control depending on the subject matter. E3 is a personal favourite of mine, one I look forward to every year, however giving the recent examples of people in the industry over hyping announcements these days I keep my thoughts low key, therefore any news which excites me feels all the better.
The big three are hoping to steal the limelight off each other once again and here is what I think could possibly happen:
Sony:
Sony's press conference will come under intense scrutiny after the Playstation Network was invaded by hackers. Many will hope new features are introduced to improve the service, not just from a security standpoint but from a user interface view also. The Japanese company also has the matter of the Next Generation Portable, which excited many when it was first announced earlier in the year. Here is a list of what I think Sony will announce:
*NGP will cost $279.99 for basic model, 3G model will cost $329.99
*Kevin Butler will once again appear on stage, hopefully talking about gaming rather than appeasing to fanboy garbage.
*Twisted Metal will see a release date of January 2012
*Rockstar bring the Grand Theft Auto franchise to NGP in a new exclusive story, not a port of any console game.
*Sony confirm new firmware update that adds better and more gamer orientated dashboard including more in depth PSN ID's and slicker Trophy comparing/synching.
*Batman Arkham City will have exclusive DLC on PS3
*Eight Days will rise from the dead to see a targeted release timeframe of 2012
----------------------------- ------------------------------- -----
Nintendo have a very interesting E3 ahead, although the 3DS has potential it has yet to storm the charts from a hardware and software standpoint. Their current home console the Wii, has seen software become stagnant with a price drop included which has caused Nintendo to announce the arrival of Project Cafe, which will be properly announced and presented to gamers in playable form from June 7th onwards. Here is my Nintendo predicitions:
*Project Cafe will have a pricepoint of $349.99.
*It will only be slightly more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3, which I predict will sadden many gamers.
*Nintendo will spend time trying to justify the price point with the design of the controller.
*Nintendo will announce an all new online service, Nintendo-On or something similar. Friend codes are ditched for a more user friendly user name template.
* Mario will be teased with no gameplay along with the return of StarFox.
*A new first party exclusive is announced for Cafe that is designed to appeal to older gamers.
*The 3DS will see a Wii Sports type package announced based on Nintendo characters.
----------------------------- ------------------------------- -----
Microsoft are attracting a growing number of negative feedback from gamers, mainly regarding their first party exclusive portfolio and continuing focus on their so far successful motion gaming add on Kinect. While sales of the console and software are very steady at the moment, the negativity seems to focus on Microsoft not being able to balance motion gaming for Kinect and traditional controller based gaming into their exclusive line up.Here is my Microsoft predictions:
*$50 off 250gb model, 250gb Kinect bundle and $20 off the 4gb model.
*Kinect software will be around 75% of the gaming announcements, which could disappoint many.
*Star Wars Kinect sees a release time frame around the same time as the Blu Ray box sets
*Codename Kingdoms will have traditional controller and Kinect forms of play. Probably Crytek's answer to the Elder Scrolls series.
*YouTube comes to Xbox Live.
----------------------------- ------------------------------- -----
Apart from the big three, we have the third party announcements to look forward to, some of which I think could be made are:
*A new Monkey Island game from LucasArts (they seem intent on ignoring pleas for Star Wars Battlefront 3)
*Transformers War for Cybertron 2
*Battlefield 3 to have exclusive DLC on one of the consoles
*Konami bring the Zone of the Enders series multiplatform
*A Simpsons PSN/XBLA title
*Metal Gear Solid Rising release time targeted for Q1 2012
----------------------------- ------------------------------- -----
Well, that's it for my predictions, we will all find out soon enough if they are complete trash or if some have been guessed wisely.
There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Thứ Hai, 19 tháng 9, 2011
TGS 2011: Kingdom Hearts 3D hands-on preview
Have a care for the poor Kingdom Hearts fan. All they want is a true third entry in the series and all they get is a series of spin-offs and half-sequels on portable systems. That seems again to be the case with 3DS title Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, which takes place after KHII and stars Sora and Riku teaming up on a quest from wise mage Yen Sid to prepare for battle with returning Hearts baddie Xehahort. The demo build at TGS 2011 had one level each for the two leads of the game, and while the stages were brief, this felt more like a fuller KH experience than some side game.
Above: Sadly, Square-Enix has been very stingy with new screens, so you'll have to make due with older stuff like this trailer We started with Sora in a stage that seemed early in the game as he awakes in Traverse Town in some new clothes thanks to Yen Sid’s magic. Just as he’s wondering how he returned to the famous hub city and was shouting for his missing pal Riku, the most surprising moment of the demo happens as Neku from the DS RPG World Ends With You appears. It’s a pretty funny meeting, as Neku’s dour, fatalistic ennui can’t defeat Sora’s helpful nature. As Neku talks of “The Game,” meaning the life or death challenge he faced in WEWY, Sora immediately offers to help him and tries to start a friendship with the emo headphones wearer, though Neku tells him he’s odd for wanting to help total strangers. Neku then disappeared as fast as he showed up, leaving Sora to explore Traverse on his own.
Well not totally alone, as Sora is accompanied by two animal companions that are nearly as helpful, though not half as fun to be around as Donald and Goofy. One was a bouncy dog-like creature, the other a large panda-esque animal, and throughout the stage we found enemy versions of those guys, which tells us that there must be some system for making enemies team members, though our Square-Enix US representatives had few details on just how that system would work. Though your cute friends didn’t seem as deep as some of your previous partners, once you tapped their icon on the touchscreen they unleashed powerful co-op attacks with Sora, as Sora rode the dog as it bounced off the ground, hitting enemies in waves with each drop, while the panda swung Sora by his legs in a spin attack before launching him head first at enemies.
As we hopped around Traverse Town we ran into new KH baddies the Dream Eaters, beating the crap out of them for the green orbs KH fans hunger for. The combat used A to attack, B to jump, and X for magic, while the Y button unleashed flashier attacks dependent on where the character is in the stage. We saw Sora do a mid-air combo, bounce of walls to hit multiple enemies, and even swing around a light post when we used this command. Additionally, most areas had a special box that when you pressed X and A at the same time nearby, Sora jumped inside, initiating the Sling Shot attack as you directed where in the immediate area you wanted to fling Sora using the touchscreen.
After a short exploration of the world, we quickly ran into Sora’s lead enemy of the demo, a giant wolf creature. We had an involved battle on the glass roof of one of Traverse Town’s bigger buildings, as we put our team attacks to good use against the big bad. After crashing through the roof and with one last helpful toss from our panda pal, the villain was no more. In a flash of light that portion of the demo was over and it was time to explore with Riku.
Above: Japanese magazine Famitsu got to record their time with the Sora half of the demo Things start off a bit worse for Riku, as the white-haired youngster arrives in the troubled world based on Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame film from the mid-90s. The normally populated area in front of the famous structure is in disarray, with several buildings on fire, and a distraught Quasimodo holding a barely conscious Esmerelda (think they’ll get Demi Moore to reprise that role for the US localization?). They were just attacked by a giant, flying, demonic creature, one Riku intends to stop. The Hunchback world is hopefully the first of many new Disney-themed areas to be introduced in Kingdom Hearts 3D, though we’re a little surprised they chose one of the darker and less popular films of Disney’s 90s releases.
As Riku explored the famous cathedral to face the boss at the top, we noticed that his combat was a little more visceral than Sora’s, with his special Y attacks a tad fiercer. Riku’s two sidekicks were a bat monster and something akin to a deer, and their team-up moves were less playful, as both just seemed to enhance Riku’s Keyblade attacks instead of him working directly with the creatures. Also, Riku’s X+A attack on the touchscreen, Holy Rope, was more serious, as you drew a line between different points as Riku unleashed an attack when flying between them.
Once we began our boss battle at the top of the cathedral, we thought we’d had trouble as the enemy mostly just flew in the air and sent projectiles our way, though we soon found out Riku could fly with ease, so we engaged the baddie in a floaty airborne battle. It was fun, though at times we were wishing we had the new Slide Pad for the 3DS which is compatible with KH3D, as continually resituating the camera with the shoulder buttons to chase after the enemy wasn’t all that awesome.
Just as with the other half of the demo, once Riku’s boss was dispatched the gameplay slice was complete and we were left wanting more. Though the game has yet to be officially made official for a US release, we would be VERY surprised if we didn’t see it sometime next year after its Spring 2012 Japanese release. Though we aren’t sure just how long it will be,
Above: Sadly, Square-Enix has been very stingy with new screens, so you'll have to make due with older stuff like this trailer We started with Sora in a stage that seemed early in the game as he awakes in Traverse Town in some new clothes thanks to Yen Sid’s magic. Just as he’s wondering how he returned to the famous hub city and was shouting for his missing pal Riku, the most surprising moment of the demo happens as Neku from the DS RPG World Ends With You appears. It’s a pretty funny meeting, as Neku’s dour, fatalistic ennui can’t defeat Sora’s helpful nature. As Neku talks of “The Game,” meaning the life or death challenge he faced in WEWY, Sora immediately offers to help him and tries to start a friendship with the emo headphones wearer, though Neku tells him he’s odd for wanting to help total strangers. Neku then disappeared as fast as he showed up, leaving Sora to explore Traverse on his own.
Well not totally alone, as Sora is accompanied by two animal companions that are nearly as helpful, though not half as fun to be around as Donald and Goofy. One was a bouncy dog-like creature, the other a large panda-esque animal, and throughout the stage we found enemy versions of those guys, which tells us that there must be some system for making enemies team members, though our Square-Enix US representatives had few details on just how that system would work. Though your cute friends didn’t seem as deep as some of your previous partners, once you tapped their icon on the touchscreen they unleashed powerful co-op attacks with Sora, as Sora rode the dog as it bounced off the ground, hitting enemies in waves with each drop, while the panda swung Sora by his legs in a spin attack before launching him head first at enemies.
As we hopped around Traverse Town we ran into new KH baddies the Dream Eaters, beating the crap out of them for the green orbs KH fans hunger for. The combat used A to attack, B to jump, and X for magic, while the Y button unleashed flashier attacks dependent on where the character is in the stage. We saw Sora do a mid-air combo, bounce of walls to hit multiple enemies, and even swing around a light post when we used this command. Additionally, most areas had a special box that when you pressed X and A at the same time nearby, Sora jumped inside, initiating the Sling Shot attack as you directed where in the immediate area you wanted to fling Sora using the touchscreen.
After a short exploration of the world, we quickly ran into Sora’s lead enemy of the demo, a giant wolf creature. We had an involved battle on the glass roof of one of Traverse Town’s bigger buildings, as we put our team attacks to good use against the big bad. After crashing through the roof and with one last helpful toss from our panda pal, the villain was no more. In a flash of light that portion of the demo was over and it was time to explore with Riku.
Above: Japanese magazine Famitsu got to record their time with the Sora half of the demo Things start off a bit worse for Riku, as the white-haired youngster arrives in the troubled world based on Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame film from the mid-90s. The normally populated area in front of the famous structure is in disarray, with several buildings on fire, and a distraught Quasimodo holding a barely conscious Esmerelda (think they’ll get Demi Moore to reprise that role for the US localization?). They were just attacked by a giant, flying, demonic creature, one Riku intends to stop. The Hunchback world is hopefully the first of many new Disney-themed areas to be introduced in Kingdom Hearts 3D, though we’re a little surprised they chose one of the darker and less popular films of Disney’s 90s releases.
As Riku explored the famous cathedral to face the boss at the top, we noticed that his combat was a little more visceral than Sora’s, with his special Y attacks a tad fiercer. Riku’s two sidekicks were a bat monster and something akin to a deer, and their team-up moves were less playful, as both just seemed to enhance Riku’s Keyblade attacks instead of him working directly with the creatures. Also, Riku’s X+A attack on the touchscreen, Holy Rope, was more serious, as you drew a line between different points as Riku unleashed an attack when flying between them.
Once we began our boss battle at the top of the cathedral, we thought we’d had trouble as the enemy mostly just flew in the air and sent projectiles our way, though we soon found out Riku could fly with ease, so we engaged the baddie in a floaty airborne battle. It was fun, though at times we were wishing we had the new Slide Pad for the 3DS which is compatible with KH3D, as continually resituating the camera with the shoulder buttons to chase after the enemy wasn’t all that awesome.
Just as with the other half of the demo, once Riku’s boss was dispatched the gameplay slice was complete and we were left wanting more. Though the game has yet to be officially made official for a US release, we would be VERY surprised if we didn’t see it sometime next year after its Spring 2012 Japanese release. Though we aren’t sure just how long it will be,
TGS 2011: Lumines Electronic Symphony hands-on preview
With PS Vitas in short supply at this year's TGS, we were pleased to be able to sit down in a quiet spot off the show floor and play the TGS demo of Lumines: Electronic Symphony. From our brief time with the game, it looks like Electronic Symphony is poised to be the puzzle game for Vita as the original Lumines was for PSP.
Creating a follow-up to such a simple, well-designed, well-balanced block puzzle is tough. Besides updating the visuals and sound, what do you do? Well, Electronic Symphony obviously has upped the ante on the overall presentation, but it adds a few elements to the gameplay without disrupting the core mechanics or the flow of the game.
A quick primer on Lumines: it's a falling block puzzle where squares of four blocks fall one at a time from the top of the screen, and you must match same-colored squares of four or more (there are only two colors of blocks on any given level). Blocks clear each time the sweeper line passes over them, and you get more points the more blocks you can clear in a single sweep. It's from Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi though, so you know it's more than just a falling block puzzle – there's a music and rhythm element too. The sweeper line, called the timeline, moves to the tempo of the music in each level (so it moves slower during a slow song), and of course the visuals also pulsate and change in rhythm with the music too, the intensity of which escalates as your score climbs higher and higher.
So what's new in Electronic Symphony? For starters, it adds two new special blocks, called the chain block and the shuffle block. The chain block clears all blocks of the same color that it touches and any other blocks that are adjacent to those blocks within the same cluster. So if you have a long snaking line of blocks that touch but don't form any squares, it will clear them all. The shuffle block does exactly what it sounds like it does – it randomly shuffles all the blocks within a cluster (clusters are any group of blocks that all touch each other on the field). This might sound bad, but in a pinch it can actually be a lifesaver. If your screen is almost full and you're in danger of a game over, a shuffle can potentially create a bunch of matches and clear more room on the screen.
Avatars also play a bigger role this time too, and the avatar you choose determines what kind of special power-up you get. As you play, a meter fills that allows you to use an avatar power by tapping the icon in the lower left corner – in the demo, using the avatar power gave us a random special block. You can fill up the meter faster by tapping your fingers against the Vita's back touch pad, which totally works, but feels a bit silly and seems like an unnecessary use of the hardware's features. At the very least, you can ignore it if you'd like.
From the brief demo alone, it's clear that Electronic Symphony takes full advantage of the new hardware, and the newly 3D visuals look absolutely amazing on the Vita screen. As our score grew and the visuals got more and more intense, it was impossible not to slow down and admire how gorgeous it looks in motion. Like Mizuguchi's other works, it really plays with different visual aspects creatively, like opacities and textures, dynamic lighting, and particle effects (we're told there's a skin with a popcorn popping theme, which sounds like a satisfying visual). And with over 50 skins confirmed for the game, there's a lot more to look forward to. Expect tons of great music too, with licensed tracks "Hey Boy Hey Girl" by The Chemical Brothers and "4 AM" by Kaskade.
Lumines: Electronic Symphony is planned as a launch title for North America and Europe, so look for more info in the coming months.
Creating a follow-up to such a simple, well-designed, well-balanced block puzzle is tough. Besides updating the visuals and sound, what do you do? Well, Electronic Symphony obviously has upped the ante on the overall presentation, but it adds a few elements to the gameplay without disrupting the core mechanics or the flow of the game.
A quick primer on Lumines: it's a falling block puzzle where squares of four blocks fall one at a time from the top of the screen, and you must match same-colored squares of four or more (there are only two colors of blocks on any given level). Blocks clear each time the sweeper line passes over them, and you get more points the more blocks you can clear in a single sweep. It's from Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi though, so you know it's more than just a falling block puzzle – there's a music and rhythm element too. The sweeper line, called the timeline, moves to the tempo of the music in each level (so it moves slower during a slow song), and of course the visuals also pulsate and change in rhythm with the music too, the intensity of which escalates as your score climbs higher and higher.
So what's new in Electronic Symphony? For starters, it adds two new special blocks, called the chain block and the shuffle block. The chain block clears all blocks of the same color that it touches and any other blocks that are adjacent to those blocks within the same cluster. So if you have a long snaking line of blocks that touch but don't form any squares, it will clear them all. The shuffle block does exactly what it sounds like it does – it randomly shuffles all the blocks within a cluster (clusters are any group of blocks that all touch each other on the field). This might sound bad, but in a pinch it can actually be a lifesaver. If your screen is almost full and you're in danger of a game over, a shuffle can potentially create a bunch of matches and clear more room on the screen.
Avatars also play a bigger role this time too, and the avatar you choose determines what kind of special power-up you get. As you play, a meter fills that allows you to use an avatar power by tapping the icon in the lower left corner – in the demo, using the avatar power gave us a random special block. You can fill up the meter faster by tapping your fingers against the Vita's back touch pad, which totally works, but feels a bit silly and seems like an unnecessary use of the hardware's features. At the very least, you can ignore it if you'd like.
From the brief demo alone, it's clear that Electronic Symphony takes full advantage of the new hardware, and the newly 3D visuals look absolutely amazing on the Vita screen. As our score grew and the visuals got more and more intense, it was impossible not to slow down and admire how gorgeous it looks in motion. Like Mizuguchi's other works, it really plays with different visual aspects creatively, like opacities and textures, dynamic lighting, and particle effects (we're told there's a skin with a popcorn popping theme, which sounds like a satisfying visual). And with over 50 skins confirmed for the game, there's a lot more to look forward to. Expect tons of great music too, with licensed tracks "Hey Boy Hey Girl" by The Chemical Brothers and "4 AM" by Kaskade.
Lumines: Electronic Symphony is planned as a launch title for North America and Europe, so look for more info in the coming months.
TGS 2011: Army Corps of Hell (PS Vita) first hands-on preview
On the show floor of Tokyo Game Show, space is at a premium, with crowds all over the place, and based on the gigantic lines for most titles, it seems the PS Vita is most popular with attendees. That’s no surprise as this is its public debut in Japan, but it makes getting your hands on a Vita title incredibly difficult. Fortunately, one of the first titles we finally got a shot at was Square-Enix’s just revealed Army Corps of Hell. With over-the-top violence and a heavy metal aesthetic, you might not think it would remind you of Nintendo classic Pikmin, but the similarly light RTS gameplay style quickly made this one of our early favorites planned for the Vita launch.
We began the game as the skeletal lord of demons entered the Underworld with his tribe of 99 smaller minions surrounding him. As our first enemy appeared, a monster that mostly consisted of a giant, purple-lidded eye, we approached him on the circular platform with our brigade of testy demons and began tossing our angry army at the giant. As our team equipped with swords got on top of the beast and stabbed it to death, it eventually exploded into a shower of blood, leaving only its eyeball, which the titular Army Corps of Hell quickly consumed.
Soon enough we learned that our squad was made of three factions: the previously mentioned swordsmen, a group that used spears, and a team of magic users. Each made up a third of your forces and you switched on the fly between them depending on what the situation called for. A couple baddies were more susceptible to spears than swords, and there were a few times we needed to strategically pull back and use the magical ranged attacks of our squad. It struck a nice balance as we took out hellspawn after hellspawn with our team.
Still, we have to admit that the small amount we played was a tad linear, as each encounter followed thusly: find a few enemies on a circular platform, kill them all, wait for a bridge of bones to appear, then cross to the next platform. There was a health-restoring minigame that used the back touchpad to liven things up, but unfortunately it wasn’t really working in our demo build. But even if it started to grind a little, our spirits were kept up by the hilariously silly heavy metal soundtrack in the background and just how excitedly violent the title was. Though the game hasn’t been announced for an English language release, the style and design just screams Western announcement, so hopefully it’ll be ready in time for the early 2012 US/UK launch.
As we reached the boss of stage, the strategy got a little deeper as we ran around the platform avoiding his powerful stomp attacks then circling back around to fling our swordsmen at his knees to bring him down. By the way, Army Corps gameplay demands makes the direct camera control a necessity, giving us renewed appreciation for the Vita’s right thumb stick. Once we brought the boss to the ground, our spearmen were all over his face and eventually ripped off his head, which sailed across the stage in a bloody arc. As our satisfied team fed on the spoils of battle (aka the severed head), we were also satisfied with the pretty fun time we had with Army Corps of Hell. As long as Pikmin 3 is stuck in development hell, we may as well have fun in the meantime with this hellish tribute on the Vita.
We began the game as the skeletal lord of demons entered the Underworld with his tribe of 99 smaller minions surrounding him. As our first enemy appeared, a monster that mostly consisted of a giant, purple-lidded eye, we approached him on the circular platform with our brigade of testy demons and began tossing our angry army at the giant. As our team equipped with swords got on top of the beast and stabbed it to death, it eventually exploded into a shower of blood, leaving only its eyeball, which the titular Army Corps of Hell quickly consumed.
Soon enough we learned that our squad was made of three factions: the previously mentioned swordsmen, a group that used spears, and a team of magic users. Each made up a third of your forces and you switched on the fly between them depending on what the situation called for. A couple baddies were more susceptible to spears than swords, and there were a few times we needed to strategically pull back and use the magical ranged attacks of our squad. It struck a nice balance as we took out hellspawn after hellspawn with our team.
Still, we have to admit that the small amount we played was a tad linear, as each encounter followed thusly: find a few enemies on a circular platform, kill them all, wait for a bridge of bones to appear, then cross to the next platform. There was a health-restoring minigame that used the back touchpad to liven things up, but unfortunately it wasn’t really working in our demo build. But even if it started to grind a little, our spirits were kept up by the hilariously silly heavy metal soundtrack in the background and just how excitedly violent the title was. Though the game hasn’t been announced for an English language release, the style and design just screams Western announcement, so hopefully it’ll be ready in time for the early 2012 US/UK launch.
As we reached the boss of stage, the strategy got a little deeper as we ran around the platform avoiding his powerful stomp attacks then circling back around to fling our swordsmen at his knees to bring him down. By the way, Army Corps gameplay demands makes the direct camera control a necessity, giving us renewed appreciation for the Vita’s right thumb stick. Once we brought the boss to the ground, our spearmen were all over his face and eventually ripped off his head, which sailed across the stage in a bloody arc. As our satisfied team fed on the spoils of battle (aka the severed head), we were also satisfied with the pretty fun time we had with Army Corps of Hell. As long as Pikmin 3 is stuck in development hell, we may as well have fun in the meantime with this hellish tribute on the Vita.
GR’s weekend giveaway: Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition download codes
Welcome to GamesRadar’s weekend giveaway! This week, we’d like to bring you the gift of game with a chance to win an XBLA or PSN download code for Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition. Entering is easy. Trust us. Just read a few more words and you'll see what we mean.
To enter, just leave a comment on this article by 9:00 am (Pacific Time) on Monday, Sep 19. In your comment, make sure to tell us if you’d prefer an XBLA or PSN code if you win. You can read our official contest rules here. US and Canada residents only please. Our apologies to readers from other countries.
Winners will be selected at random and can expect a PM from one of our administrators early next week. Don’t forget to check your inbox to see if you’ve won!
To enter, just leave a comment on this article by 9:00 am (Pacific Time) on Monday, Sep 19. In your comment, make sure to tell us if you’d prefer an XBLA or PSN code if you win. You can read our official contest rules here. US and Canada residents only please. Our apologies to readers from other countries.
Winners will be selected at random and can expect a PM from one of our administrators early next week. Don’t forget to check your inbox to see if you’ve won!
iPad reviews of the week: VidRhythm, Radballs, DrawRace 2, Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack!
We're checking out the latest offerings from a couple recognizable names in the world of console gaming this week: VidRhythm, the wacky video creation from Rock Band developer Harmonix, as well as DrawRace 2 HD, a touchscreen-oriented racer from Trials HD creator RedLynx. Elsewhere, we're tackling an alluring music-addled puzzle game called Radballs, as well as checking out the second in the series of Serious Sam-inspired indie games, Kamikaze Attack! Most of these are universal apps – aside from DrawRace 2, which has separate iPad and iPhone apps – so one download will let you play on any compatible iOS device. Check 'em out!
Game: VidRhythm
Price: $1.99/£1.49
Size: 12.8MB
Buy it now from the iTunes store: US / UK
VidRhythm is not a game, which makes it a curious anomaly in the history of this weekly feature, as well as the long and impressive background of creator Harmonix – you know, the studio that spawned Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Dance Central, and Karaoke Revolution. Harmonix has an amazing knack for creating innovative and exciting music-related products, and VidRhythm continues that theme on the much smaller scale of a two-dollar universal iPad and iPhone app. Is the developer's first commercial non-game as notable as those aforementioned experiences? Not in the slightest. But for all that the studio has served up over the years, we'll happily check out their other ventures if it'll keep 'em rocking out for years to come.
Depending on how you choose to wield VidRhythm’s abilities, it's either a force for amusement or annoyance. The app grabs quick video clips of whatever's in view – your face, a pet, etc. – along with a brief voice clip as detailed, whether it's a drum-like sound or a hummed note. You'll choose one of 20 featured songs, including sped-up classical tunes and original compositions from within Harmonix, as well as a visual theme, with options inspired by past studio releases and other general themes like cats and colorful icons. Then simply press a button and watch the app transform your various choices into one goofy video that can be uploaded and shared online.
If you'd like to see some nightmarish examples of what happens when you mix the feline theme with human facial reactions, don't hesitate to search for "VidRhythm" on YouTube. It's hard not to admire the app’s ability to immediately translate bite-sized recordings into something lightly amusing you'll want inflict upon friends and family. Before iPhones (and later iPads) were so widely owned, it was easier to be wowed by the things these touchscreen wonders could do. VidRhythm is a welcome throwback to that time, so don't overthink its long-term worth; just drop a couple bucks and get weird with us already.
Game: Radballs
Price: $2.99/£1.99
Size: 165MB
Buy it now from the iTunes store: US / UK
"Radballs" is an awesome term, and Radballs also happens to be a neat iOS puzzle game. The game is all about matching like-colored balls and clearing them from the screen, but this superbly presented app takes its cues from a variety of sources, especially Bejeweled and Lumines. The latter favorite comes to mind due to the inclusion of a moving line (set to the beat of the music) that clears bunched-up balls – but it's also a notable influence on how damn slick the audio and visuals are in this iPad and iPhone offering.
This hodgepodge of familiar elements from top genre entries may not feel quite as polished, balanced, or addictive as its influences, it's definitely intriguing. Colored balls drop onto the playing field, where you shift balls around (one at a time) to pair up four or more like colors into squares or rectangles. Such blocks are cleared when the moving line passes through, which earns you points to fill your Radness meter and clear the stage, but Radballs adds in a fresh mechanic where you can grab the line and scratch it like a record to earn extra points. With power-ups that detonate or electrically clear large chunks of balls, you'll encounter several ways to earn enough Radness to clear each stage.
Born from '80s-inspired design flash, Radballs looks like a million bucks thanks to its eight distinct skins which toss up uniquely styled and colored balls, as well as themed iconography like palm trees and shutter shades. The soundtrack includes some fabulously thumping remixes of recent OK Go singles and other original electronic tracks from Neil Voss, who composed the Tetrisphere and The New Tetris OSTs way back when. Better yet, you can use your own DRM-free music to propel the puzzle action, which adds a new twist to the on-screen antics. Radballs may be like a Frankenstein's monster of existing puzzle ideas, but we can't help but be hooked by the excellent aesthetics.
Game: VidRhythm
Price: $1.99/£1.49
Size: 12.8MB
Buy it now from the iTunes store: US / UK
VidRhythm is not a game, which makes it a curious anomaly in the history of this weekly feature, as well as the long and impressive background of creator Harmonix – you know, the studio that spawned Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Dance Central, and Karaoke Revolution. Harmonix has an amazing knack for creating innovative and exciting music-related products, and VidRhythm continues that theme on the much smaller scale of a two-dollar universal iPad and iPhone app. Is the developer's first commercial non-game as notable as those aforementioned experiences? Not in the slightest. But for all that the studio has served up over the years, we'll happily check out their other ventures if it'll keep 'em rocking out for years to come.
Depending on how you choose to wield VidRhythm’s abilities, it's either a force for amusement or annoyance. The app grabs quick video clips of whatever's in view – your face, a pet, etc. – along with a brief voice clip as detailed, whether it's a drum-like sound or a hummed note. You'll choose one of 20 featured songs, including sped-up classical tunes and original compositions from within Harmonix, as well as a visual theme, with options inspired by past studio releases and other general themes like cats and colorful icons. Then simply press a button and watch the app transform your various choices into one goofy video that can be uploaded and shared online.
If you'd like to see some nightmarish examples of what happens when you mix the feline theme with human facial reactions, don't hesitate to search for "VidRhythm" on YouTube. It's hard not to admire the app’s ability to immediately translate bite-sized recordings into something lightly amusing you'll want inflict upon friends and family. Before iPhones (and later iPads) were so widely owned, it was easier to be wowed by the things these touchscreen wonders could do. VidRhythm is a welcome throwback to that time, so don't overthink its long-term worth; just drop a couple bucks and get weird with us already.
Game: Radballs
Price: $2.99/£1.99
Size: 165MB
Buy it now from the iTunes store: US / UK
"Radballs" is an awesome term, and Radballs also happens to be a neat iOS puzzle game. The game is all about matching like-colored balls and clearing them from the screen, but this superbly presented app takes its cues from a variety of sources, especially Bejeweled and Lumines. The latter favorite comes to mind due to the inclusion of a moving line (set to the beat of the music) that clears bunched-up balls – but it's also a notable influence on how damn slick the audio and visuals are in this iPad and iPhone offering.
This hodgepodge of familiar elements from top genre entries may not feel quite as polished, balanced, or addictive as its influences, it's definitely intriguing. Colored balls drop onto the playing field, where you shift balls around (one at a time) to pair up four or more like colors into squares or rectangles. Such blocks are cleared when the moving line passes through, which earns you points to fill your Radness meter and clear the stage, but Radballs adds in a fresh mechanic where you can grab the line and scratch it like a record to earn extra points. With power-ups that detonate or electrically clear large chunks of balls, you'll encounter several ways to earn enough Radness to clear each stage.
Born from '80s-inspired design flash, Radballs looks like a million bucks thanks to its eight distinct skins which toss up uniquely styled and colored balls, as well as themed iconography like palm trees and shutter shades. The soundtrack includes some fabulously thumping remixes of recent OK Go singles and other original electronic tracks from Neil Voss, who composed the Tetrisphere and The New Tetris OSTs way back when. Better yet, you can use your own DRM-free music to propel the puzzle action, which adds a new twist to the on-screen antics. Radballs may be like a Frankenstein's monster of existing puzzle ideas, but we can't help but be hooked by the excellent aesthetics.
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)