5 Fighting Game Characters that should have been played by Snoop Lion
This past week 505 Games and Snoop Lion put out a game called “Way of the Dogg” that is a Rhythm Heaven knock off with a revenge plot. The game seemed to come out of nowhere and from the reviews around the web, I doubt that it will really make any headway on its prospective gaming platforms. “Way of the Dogg” seems totally like a throwaway title with few redeeming qualities, and although I think the game will melt away into obscurity I do think the Snoop Dogg/Lion brand is still kind of awesome.
That made me ponder what fighting games would have been even more awesome with a smidgen of Snoop in the mix and thus I begat my top five list of characters that would have been way better if played by the D-O double G.
5 – Nicotine CaffeSnoop – Samurai Showdown Series
Reasons why Snoop would make a great Nicotine:
- Both have the special move to alter their opponent’s ability to control themselves.
- Snoop and Nicotine are known to take life lightly and are often seen smiling, even when fighting.
- Both have the ability to blow a small poisonous cloud at their opponent.
4. Smoop – Mortal Kombat series
Reasons why Snoop would make a great Smoke:
- Do I really have to say why? Really? C’Mon.
- Both are defined by being able to emit a cloud of smoke or vapor
- Both Smoke and Snoop have the power of invisibility but Snoop’s is special because it seems to only work around members of law enforcement.
3 – VolSnoop – Soul Calibur Series
Reasons why Snoop would make a great Voldo:
- Both are known for their eccentric behavior and style of dress
- Snoop and Voldo were trapped for long periods of time by both money and the hold of a powerful leader
- Like Voldo, Snoop’s character has revolved around a specific trait. Voldo has his karars and Snoop has his resemblance to a Doberman Pincher; both have made them extremely popular.
2- DhalSnoop – Street Fighter Series
Reasons why Snoop would make a awesome Dhalsim:
- They practically have the same physique
- Both are totally into meditation
- Both have multiple forms, a zen-like state and warrior state.
1- VertiSnoop – Primal Rage
Reasons Snoop would make an awesome Vertigo:
- Both Snoop and Vertigo are a mix of two different animals.
- Both have the power to hypnotize both friend and foe.
- Both are hell-bent on world domination.
We can see from this post that there is nothing that can’t benefit from adding a little Snoop to the mix. Games past, present and future can achieve greatness with this formula. If there are any other characters that you can think of that would be more Snooptactular please tell us in the comments below.
Bioshock Infinite Ringtones up on Irrational’s Site
If you haven’t’ gotten enough of Bioshock Infinite’s sights and sounds you can snag some really cool ringtones for your phone today.
Along with a bunch of cool swag Irrational Games posted some sound files from various things in the game. My favorite is the Salt Machine one.
Check out them all out here:
http://irrationalgames.com/insider/bioshock-infinite-ringtones/
Possible DLC Character Leak for Injustice: Gods Among Us?
The smash hit game Injustice: Gods Among Us has been one of the most anticipated games of the year not only because of Netherealm’s fighting game prowess but because of the diverse roster. With Ed Boon’s announcement of the Lobo as the first DLC character people have been waiting to find out who is next.
Some crafty gamers might have found out by digging into the game’s disc source code.
If the information proves to be correct the newest characters might be Lobo, Zod, Batgirl and surprise…. Scorpion
Check out the links here:
http://www.gamespot.com/forums/topic/29381942/injustice-gods-among-us-4-dlc-characters-revealed
and the Youtube video from MKIceVsFire, a well pretty reliable MK source.
We will see how much of this holds water and if so how they play.
What do you think of the additions, tell us below in the comments.
Ballpoint Universe is a Doodler’s Dream.
Things randomly come across my abundant amount of gaming and news feeds during any given day but few ever really capture my imagination like the game I’m about to tell you about. Ballpoint Universe (formerly a Kickstarter called “College-Ruled Universe”) from from Arachnid Games is strikingly beautiful. The game is a mix of both a platformer and shump that was all created by using ballpoint pens. Yes I just said the whole world is brought to life by the drawings made with ballpoint pens. I know it sounds weird but once you see these illustrations come to life you will absolutely become a believer.
Gorgeous intricately woven foregrounds and backgrounds are here for your eyes to delight in. Whimsical otherworldly creatures greet and instruct you on how the world works. They give you missions & equipment within the platforming sections and bring life into the space. Then the game ramps up again when you get to the shooter parts, interchangeable ship parts not only add artistic flair to your ship but give you the ability to make you more formidable while fighting the waves of two-dimensional baddies.
All this along with a pretty dope original soundtrack from Doc Prop makes this a game I want right now. It looks like from their website we’ll have to wait 22 more days to get the full experience but for now check out the demo here
*To play the game you’ll have to install the Unity Web Player
Guacamelee es magnífico!
Review
It looks as if the Indie game movement is saving us again from what could be an anemic spring/summer release schedule. Drinkbox Studios comes to the rescue with its wonderfully done Luchador-themed brawler, Guacamelee. The game exhibits lots of flair while being extremely accessible — it provides MetroidVania veterans a challenge, while giving newbies an opportunity to embrace the genre.
The main character of the story is a lowly farmer named Juan, who finds himself confronted by a demon in skeleton form. This mysterious creature grabs your would-be love interest, kills you, then skitters away to complete his plan of world-ending domination. While in the afterlife, you are met by a female luchador who bestows upon you a magical mask that both brings you back to life and imbues you with the strength and speed of ten Koko B. Ware‘s.
You can tell by the cadence and snark-laden story that the folks at Drinkbox have really hit their stride when spinning a comedic yarn. The jokes are funny, the memes timely, and gaming callbacks just numerous enough to not be overdone. You can tell that they love games and love having a good time; that they appreciate traditions without taking themselves too seriously. This light and airy feel is evident within the art style as well. Guacamelee taps into Mexican folk art themes and Day of the Dead lore, jumping easily between the worlds of the living and the dead. A cartoonish Mexican town is your playground, laced with beautiful earthy tones with huge splashes of neon pastels around every corner. I played the game mostly on my Vita, but when I transitioned to the PS3 via my cross-save (more on this later) the colors jumped off the screen. Along with the gorgeous graphics comes a fun soundtrack that blares mariachi and electronic music that really fits the aesthetic and ties the package together nicely. The game feels like a lighthearted homage to old-school Mexico, with a layer of modern self-effacing humor on top.
Guacamelee’s combat is mostly of the combo/brawler style. Later in the game you meet a recurring character that gives you more wrestling moves to add to your arsenal. The interactions with him are some of the best in the game and provide a small shout out to Metroid along the way. The controls are easy to pick up and provide all the tools you’ll need to dispatch of the enemies once they get bigger and stronger.
The game wraps in about six hours but felt just right. It will take you longer depending on how completion-ist you are or how long it may take to get through some of the trickier platforming levels. Boss encounters are really well done and challenging. Interactions with the town’s people provide fun and silly side quests that don’t feel tedious, and if you wish you can even play with two people on the PS3
For a $15 price tag ($12 if you are a Playstation Plus member) you get a wonderful experience chock full of dopeness. I honestly think if you’ve been looking for a game that is great for pick-up-and-play purposes, you can’t really beat this one.
Kudos to Sony
Besides the awesome game and reasonable price tag, there are a couple of other things of note with this package. Some months ago Sony started rolling out some games under their “Cross-Buy” banner. So if you owned a PS3 and a Vita you could basically get the game on both systems at one price. Guacamelee is one of those games. Usually with a feature like this, the cross-save feature is implemented sloppily or in a convoluted way within the game. But Drinkbox does this simply and eloquently. Navigate through a couple of screens, upload your save, head to your home console, download and you are playing where you left off.
If this is a glimpse of what Sony was taking about with the connectivity between the PS4 and Vita, then I’m sold. It works extremely well and made me love the game as a commuter. One other added bonus is “Cross-Control”: you can also use the Vita as a second controller via Remote Play! The Vita’s screen becomes the games mini-map while you control the game you see on the television.
I love stuff like this and thought it was an awesome addition to the game. If you’d like some instructions on how to get this up and running check out the blog post on the Guacamelee site
The Champ is Here
After finishing the game I totally understand why there were long lines and lots of smiles to be seen coming from the Guacamelee station at IndieCadeEast this year. I wondered what all the commotion was about and now I get it. Beautiful games that provide nothing but fun should give people that kind of reaction. If you are tired of trudging through another shooter or sequel, you need to play and share Guacamelee with everyone you can.
PixelJunk’s awesome 4A.M. contest is underway
I rolled on to my Facebook feed yesterday and to my surprise saw that PixelJunk was promoting a really cool contest for their game 4 A.M. If you haven’t heard of it, I posted a overview of the game some time back that had a great interview with Rowan Parker the lead designer of the game. Honestly I think this game’s existence is still the only reason to own a PS Move controller and is one of the best motion/music mash-ups games you can have with that peripheral. It is truly a one of a kind experience that you shouldn’t miss.
They are giving away a PixelJunk customized Sony Pulse Elite Headset and a Move controller signed by the whole 4 A. M. team!
Check their FB page for details: https://www.facebook.com/notes/pixeljunk/4am-spring-soundclash-win-pixeljunk-customized-sony-pulse-elite-headset/10151839761874972
After seeing this sweet swag I have to get my skills back on point. If you would like to see me perform check out and follow me on PSN under the name KAHJAH1
LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!
I
Bioshock Infinite Spoilercast
Bioshock Inifnite in my opinion is one of the best games I’ve ever played. It has sparked so much interesting conversation about a multitude of different subjects that we had to sit down and try to figure it all out. I was lucky enough to have Martin from the SuperJawnCast and Shareef from Shareefjackson.com with me the other night to try and tie up all the loose ends and it was a whole bunch of fun.
We break down likes and dislikes and towards the end get into all of the juicy spoiler-rific bits. There aren’t any spoilers for the first hour or so.
Check how it all went down here and let us know what you thought in the comments:
Saints Row 4 is coming August 23rd
I usually don’t post news stories like this but I had to spread the word for those that didn’t see the announcement. One of my favorite games of last year is coming back and it looks to be crazier than ever.
Many folks wondered what would happen to the franchise after the acquisition of the IP by Deep Silver (makers of Dead Island). It looks like they let the folks at Volition do what they do best, make over-the-top games.
The best news is that we don’t have to wait that long for all this madness. It releases August 23rd, anyone want to buy me a early birthday present 
Check out the trailer via here:
The Good, Bad & Ugly of Sony’s PS4 Conference
The Sony PS4 hypemobile officially revved its engine yesterday and started the next generation of console gaming. A two-week period of hype that began with a forty-five second trailer ended with a date. It looks like after a two-hour, TED-talk-esque performance they should have used the date for their E3 conference. I walked away more underwhelmed than anything, and Sony left me with more questions than answers.
I know it’s too early to see the console, I know it’s too early for a price. Sony needed tangible things to lay its hat on tonight and they were so abstract that it made me wonder if they can actually pull off what they are hoping to do.
Let’s break down the important takeaways from last night’s conference.
THE GOOD
THE CONTROLLER – All the rumors and leaked dev kit pictures were true. A sleeker design, touch pad, new triggers and analog sticks. The infamous “share” button and light bar were there too. What I found interesting was how the new dualshock was constructed. It looks like the bottom part of the controller looks to be of a different material than the top. Maybe it’s just cosmetic or it could be functional. (Maybe less slippery?)
THE CAMERA – The new Playstation Camera looks more like a Kinect than its predecessor but smaller in form factor and possibly a little more advanced. This looks to be what the light bar on the controllers will interact with.
SOCIAL INTERACTIVITY – The “Share” button honestly is a damn cool idea. If Sony did learn something from its competition last generation it was to take some of the cool stuff the other guys have and put it into your tech. The On-Live platform’s community spectator feature is making the jump to the PS4. As a sports gamer, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS. This will be the ultimate trash talk button — no longer will people be able to run away from those $5 “oh so I didn’t beat you the other day in NBA2k right?” bets. Let me put this video up on my Facebook page for everyone to see.
The ability for people to also help you in games is a welcome addition; I know damn well I need a Dark Souls chaperone.
GAIKAI – This can’t be understated, if Sony can get this right it will be a game changer. From downloadable games being playable while still being downloaded, realistic backwards compatibility across multiple consoles, and giving the PS VITA a brand new life via real remote play. Gaikai will be the most talked about part of this new console if they can pull it off. With the US’s current internet infrastructure I honestly worry about this being as smooth as they think it should be. Early adopters will take the brunt of this hit for sure.
THE BAD
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT- When Gueriilla Games got on stage, I hoped they wouldn’t show another Killzone game, but they did and it looked pretty and I didn’t care. I already know I will get pretty with a new console, show me something different. Same thing with Infamous and Diablo, these are established IP’s but that’s not what I came here for. Destiny would have wowed me if it wasn’t announced a couple days earlier.
HEY YOU FORGOT SOMETHING – If you aren’t going to show the console, talk about things you are going to put in the box, like the mic you said you are going to include. Instead of hearing this in the conference we learn this in a Press Release on the Playstation Blog. I don’t remember hearing anything about it during the conference and that is a mistake. I add this to the list because I honestly believe it’s a big deal. We know just how many people didn’t use their mics on the PS3 and how that doesn’t foster community. Telling people that a mic comes in the box just makes the deal sweeter and lets consumers know that this time you want people to play together and interact.
THE UGLY
TOO LONG, TOO AKWARD – Last gen, one of the biggest knocks against Sony was that they didn’t know how to engage with the public, through PR or in the way that you interacted with their systems. This two hour dog and pony show totally could have been cut down to forty-five minutes or an hour. Front man after front man trying to conceptualize things that most gamers didn’t really care about did not help their cause. The lasting image of the four Bungie guys on stage at the end of the conference looking like an awkward boy band with synchronized robot arms will never leave me. Sony needed more Jack Trenton and less Jack from Lost. They need a “face” for the company — they still need their J. Allard.
NOT ENOUGH NEW GAMES – You have a dedicated event with the whole world watching and you kinda stiff people on the new stuff. Two new games, with only one being partially demoed. This is not the way to make people want your system especially if you are going to wait to pull anything else out until E3. This gives your competition time to figure out a plan of attack and focus on things you left out of your own showcase. I bet Microsoft will show all of the goods when and if they pull anything out before E3 and they will take the spotlight and momentum Sony should have had.
I think for all the hype and set up for this “game changing” announcement we really didn’t get lots of meat on the bone. Sony still has a way to go before they convince me and many other gamers that the PS4 is a necessity and a must have.
IndieCade East 2013 Spotlight – Blindside Interview
While doing some research on IndieCade’s webpage, I came across a game that had a really inventive concept: the idea of an audio-only game. Blindside by Aaron Rasmussen and Michael T. Astolfi is an audio-only game in a 3D space. This former Kickstarter project has come to life on the iOS platform and has provided a truly unique experience. A voice guides you around your environment, trying to lead you in a direction away from your prey. It’s one of those games that you want to tell your friends about and ask after they are done how the game made them feel.
Games like this are what make the survival horror genre so much fun.
Check out our interview below for more info on how Blindside came to be.
IndieCade East Spotlight – Rainbow Bacon Interview
So I walk across the conference floor and see a tall, young man with a crowd around him. I also see a blinking ball of light that resembles a Playstation Move controller. Anytime I see a Move controller it automatically gets me excited and upset at the lack of cool games or ways to interact with one. I move a little closer to the crowd right in time to hear Shawn Pierre say, “Does anyone want to play my game, Rainbow Bacon?”
First of all, I love bacon. And to see how excited the folks in the crowd were upped my interest level tenfold.
Six people emerge from the crowd and split into two teams of three. Pierre plays the role of both ringmaster and participant while he puts the Move controller in the middle of the teams and belts out instructions on how to play the game. “Now remember your color, and remember: two-hand touch is what counts.”
The game starts and the Move controller shines orange. A player from each team runs into the middle and circles the opponent before one of them tries to “steal the bacon” and bring it back to their side without being tagged. Watching grown men and women play this classic schoolyard game brought back so many of my own childhood memories. I had to go and find out what and where the inspiration for this new twist on this old school game came from.
Shawn Pierre, creator of Rainbow Bacon, tells us a little more about it:
No Love In a Elevator: Our Dead Space 3 Review
Dead Space 3 is a game that everyone should play – especially other developers. Not because the game employs any interesting gameplay mechanics, or expands what you can do with an established franchise. Instead, Visceral Games and EA are showing the gaming community how you can easily run a series directly into the ground by running away from what made you great. Unfortunately and ironically it seems as if the title of the game has also described its latest iteration.
We pick up the story some 200 years after Dead Space 2: the Unitarians have surpassed and supplanted their EarthGov rivals and have become much more powerful. So powerful in fact that they now have their own black-market-loving militia. Our favorite necromorph-stomping engineer, Isaac, is back and has been trying everything to forget the past. Everything, that is, except for Ellie, the one-eyed survivor from the Sprawl incident. It seems that in the time span from the last game, you two have become romantically involved, broken up, and now she’s dating a jerk who forces you – at gunpoint – to help him save her. Isaac can’t catch a damn break.
I won’t go into spoilers in this review because for as forgettable and rushed as I think the product was, I want people to experience the narrative for themselves. Rather than do that, I will discuss the wrapper and not the candy.
Many Dead Space fans bought into the story and universe for a couple of reasons: wanting to be scared and really liking gory action. The first game introduced an eerie world filled with atmospheric solitude and a “strategic dismemberment” concept. Coupled with an iconic design for the protagonist, it created a very different and fresh take on the horror genre that captured people’s imaginations. Dead Space 2 expanded on that with updated graphics, a broadening of the mythos and ramped up the gore factor to ten. Dead Space 3 took almost all of that meaty foundation and actively chips away at it.
This is why this game is so frustrating. Early on, when Visceral announced this sequel, they gave us a glimpse into a game that wound up resembling Gears Of War more than Dead Space. Cooperative play and soldiers shooting at Isaac were the showcases. The gaming community saw this, heaved a collective sigh, and waited for a new trailer or word from producer Steve Papoutsis that the elements that embodied the series were still intact. Steve’s response was to reassure everyone and ask then to give the benefit of the doubt. After finishing Dead Space 3, it’s left me more disappointed than anything.
For every advancement made, the game feels like it takes a step or two backward. Gone are any of the memorable moments that you found in Dead Space 2, like the needle in the eye scene or any of interactions with the NPC’s.
The design of the characters seems a little off as well, especially Ellie’s. Her animations and speech often seemed rather disjointed. The addition of the Unitologists as a fighting force and enemy was a poor choice and removed any tension or horror that could have been. The allure of the crazy religious sect was that they were shadowy and all you really knew about them was their undying allegiance to the makers. When you meet them now they are nothing more than a SWAT team, hell bent on killing you. Adding enemies with guns, while providing only a tacked-on cover system that doesn’t really work did the game a disservice and lessened the final product, in my opinion. The new co-op character, Carver, didn’t really add anything of significance to the mix either in my solo game; although I hear he is fleshed out a bit more in the co-op missions. Everything in this game seemed a bit throwaway: the story, environments, and villain all seemed to be an afterthought. Even the small transitions that occurred when you put on a new suit seemed to be rushed. I loved the way the camera would focus and hang on your visor after you put on a new suit, though – it just added the small touch of flair and badass-ness that makes you want to be Isaac. The lack of those small touches makes me feel like the game was either rushed in some way or that the team put their efforts in other unseen places.
I will say this: the gun building in the game was the highlight for me. At first I scoffed at the two-gun approach, but in retrospect it made me experiment much more and try out new combinations more often. My assault rifle/rocket launcher combo made parts of the game much more enjoyable. I learned this the hard way when some boss battles took twice as long because I didn’t have the right weapon setup. It felt like in older games you could get away with just using a plasma cutter if you wanted to play that way but in Dead Space 3 you need to manage your toolset in smart ways or make a Swiss-Army type gun that suits all situations. Most people won’t know this unless they are told or find themselves consistently on the losing end of a fight.
Dead Space 3 had a bunch of things going for it when it was announced: it came with the foundation of having a pretty rabid fanbase, super interesting story with great characters, and some of the scariest tension-filled moments since Doom. It falls short on most of the things that made the franchise great, and adds unnecessary fluff to try and compensate. It seems like the tradition of weak third games in a trilogy has reared its ugly head and the Dead Space series looks to be its latest victim.
*Editor’s Note*
For the folks who rent this game, understand that there is an online pass required if you want to play co-op. I didn’t know this when I rented from Gamefly and was super disappointed that EA would gate a major feature behind a paywall. I know that this has become the way of the world, but it still stings a bit when you want to have the full experience in a narrative-based game.
Once I have a chance to run through the game on co-op, I will post my review on what new or interesting things are on that side. Hell, if you want to play co-op with me and help me review it, send a friend request to KAHJAH1 on PSN.
New NBA 2K13 Gameplay – Lakers Vs. Heat
With 2K13 just around the corner the information well is starting to flow. The 2kSports team talked about having 4000 new animations in the game and this video shows all the hard work they put in.
The shot, dribble and contact information were what really impressed me with this one. I can’t wait for this to drop next month!
UPDATE- SherryJenix Misses the Point… Again
I follow many folks in the gaming community on social media. I appreciate what they bring not only to our favorite medium, but also what they do to help grow and expand the communities that we all inhabit.
What I don’t appreciate is the misogyny, sexism, and racism that has permeated online gaming within the past ten years. It is a cancer that is ruining gaming for everyone involved but shows no sign of slowing down. I bring this all up because during my usual nightly Instagram crawl I came across this photo from fighting game community member Sherry “SherryJenix” Nhan.
I had to double take for a moment because besides being a great player, Jenix is pretty well-known in the fighting game scene for breaking down some of the barriers that have befallen many of the women combatants in a super male-dominated field. She has gone to all the tournaments, performed extremely well, and has gotten enough exposure that she was even asked to help debut Street Fighter Cross Tekken in Capcom’s Cross Assault “reality show” earlier this year.
It has become more and more difficult for gamers of color, women, and members of the LGBT community to game without the need to cordon themselves off in muted match limbo or party chats because the rest of the world hasn’t grown up. We’ve gotten to the point that even the good guys are being attacked by other members of the community for speaking out against bigotry. A couple of recent examples include Anita Sarkeesian getting trolled while trying to address some of the video game stereotypes that involve women, and the Gamers Against Bigotry pledge site getting hacked and all petition signatures erased.
What I wonder is, why did she feel like this was ok? It’s not funny for many reasons and does nothing to further the push to make the FGC more inclusive or help remove the societal stereotypes that come along with being part of a specific group.
Knowing how hard I and others root for women like her is what makes this incident so upsetting. We all know where the word that she used derives from, and at this point no one needs to use it or any remixed version of it. The Hip-Hop’s community’s co-opting of this word has enabled people to use a historical epithet like it’s an ok thing. I don’t agree with its use in either case; I would like to start the process of removing it from everyone’s lexicon.
I’m sure Sherry thought this was supposed to be a joke, one that you can just flippantly post on the web and think that people don’t care. Maybe next time she will use her stature and platform to promote something we can all get behind and not this kind of ignorance.
Tell us what you think in the comments below.
UPDATE
So after some initial blowback in the comments section of the above photo Nhan issued a Twitter post that initially defends her “joke” by stating that people need to “get a sense of humor”
Which lead some folks in the community to jump on the “well a black dude started it” bandwagon:
Which then lead to this badly worded apology:
“To those who got offended, I apologize”.
Not that she actually felt any remorse for what she said or repeated, not that she took responsibility for posting racially insensitive things but she is sorry that you didn’t get the joke.
The thing that I find most problematic is the co-signing to things that really shouldn’t be co-signed. We as gamers need to use our words in ways that aren’t destructive. We need to tell our fellow gamers when they step out of line and need to educate them on why.
Although she took the photo down, blocked folks who were offended and made her Instagram account private it doesn’t change the fact that she and other people still feel like this is an ok thing to do, you can see some of this even in the comments below.
People need to understand that great power carries great responsibility. Let her know what you think @sherryjenix
Remember Me Announced From Capcom
While many of us were sleeping here stateside Capcom announced a new and interesting IP at Gamescom called Remember Me. Formerly known as Adrift, this game has you take the role of a “Memory Hunter” named Nilin. With part of your memory erased you find the tables turned in which you were once the hunter and now you are the hunted.
The game mixes third person traversal with some stylized hand-to-hand combat and looks to be set in a futuristic Paris. So far I really like what I’ve seen of the gameplay.
Here is a look:
Wizorb Makes Old School Cool Again
Retro games seem to be making quite the comeback these days; whether it be mechanically or graphically, the trend to go old school is everywhere. The lovely folks at Tribute Games not only went retro, they went retro mash-up.
Wizorb is an awesome mix of both RPG elements and a brick-breaker game. I know at first that might sound awkward but Tribute pulls it off without a hitch.
The game takes place in the magical land of Gorudo, where a unknown evil presence has invaded and demolished the village. You step in as the character Cyrus, a wizard who can control light, dark, and the mysterious magic called “Wizorb”.
The brick-breaker elements are pretty straightforward with a couple of subtle twists. The circle button will increase your side-to-side speed, helping you bounce back those obtuse angled returns while the square (light magic) and “x” button (dark magic) use your powers.
You will use them both a great deal, depending on how much magic you have left and what the situation is at the time. The way the developers integrated the use also added an awesome twist to the mechanics. If you time your button press when the orb hits your paddle you will get different results. For instance, if you hit the light magic button at the right time, the ball becomes a fireball that will demolish a bunch of blocks at once. With the X button the ball will stop in mid-flight and will be controllable with the D-Pad. This helps with trying to hit those hard to reach and out of the way blocks.
Check out this video for a better look:
Coupled with RPG elements like collecting power-ups, enemies, and boss battles, this game brings something new to both genres and makes it a total breath of fresh air to the mobile gaming space.
Here is an example of one of the earlier boss battles:
All this coupled with a lush and beautiful 8-bit graphical style and soundtrack makes this one of my favorite games of the year. There is enough of a challenge through the 5 areas to keep people busy while also not frustrating the player. I appreciate that especially because I play the game during my 20 minute commute. It seems like just enough time to get through a couple of stages and save my game.
Wizorb has cemented my want to see anything and everything that Tribute Games will do in the future. Thank you for making old school cool again.
Assassin’s Creed 3 Beantown Walkthrough
So if you haven’t been keeping up with Assassin’s 3, you’ve been missing out on some redonkulous new gameplay. The new systems they’ve implemented really make the game look like something fresh and new.
Here is the latest walkthrough that takes place in one of its newest settings. Boston!
I’m really digging the new locomotion animations and my goodness the combat looks sick! The Assassin’s Creed franchise looks like it’s both hitting its stride and also changing the game at the same time.
Assassin’s Creed 3 hits stores in October this year.
Assassin’s Creed 3 “Frontier” Walkthrough Trailer
After the dust has settled on E3 2012, there are still more goodies emerging from the rubble. Check out Creative Director Alex Hutchinson’s narration on this trailer for one of the generation’s most anticipated games.
The new mechanics and systems seem to show just how different this Assassin’s game will be from anything else in the series. The wildlife might be just as dangerous as the foes you’ll meet throughout the game. Ubisoft’s focus on making this new protagonist the most fluid and environmentally aware in any game might be just what the game and genre needed.
4 AM Is When Everything Gets Interesting.
Have you ever wanted to orchestrate music real time with thousands or even millions of people as your audience? Have you ever dreamed of being one of those DJ’s in a rave party with music at your fingertips? If so, I think I might have found the game for you. The wonderful folks at Pixeljunk have come up with a really cool game called 4 A.M.
The game is equal parts music manipulator and music visualizer. You control everything with the Playstation Move controller. Bouncing from four tracks, looping in samples, waggling in drums and other sounds was easy and intuitive. The trance-like music I played with in the demo fit along with the “Rez-like” visuals on screen. Tutorials were easy to understand and taught on the fly while composing my performances and anytime you start a performance it’s broadcast to anyone who is playing the game at the time. You get feedback on how much people like what you are doing via a “Kudos” system that shows rising bars on the bottom of your screen. It’s actually pretty awesome trying something during a track and seeing whoever is watching react to it in real-time.
For now here is a video that shows you better than I can tell you. Look out for a review coming shortly.
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- PixelJunk 4AM launch trailer entrances (vg247.com)
Hitman: Absolution = WOW
Looking at games on the horizon I thought I might do a little refresher on some of the goodness coming our way. One of those games is Hitman: Absolution. Me being a huge Splinter Cell fan kept me away from ever getting into the Hitman series; But after watching this gameplay video I might have to take my first plunge into one of these games. Here is the video:
The updated graphics, amazing lighting and tight camera angles add a level of immersion that I’ve been looking for in a stealth-action game. The AI commentary seems to add a great layer to the gameplay and your “Hitman Vision” looks awesome. I REALLY hope that the action specific music you hear during the helicopter and getaway sequences is in the game. It really adds to the level of badassery you will undertake while resuming your role as the iconic Agent 47.
This game looks amazing. Tell us what you think and if you liked this story hit one of the share buttons below.
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Shattered Expectations
Arkanoid is one my all-time favorite games. When Taito introduced its version of a brick breaker game in 1986, it put a totally new spin that genre. It added new elements like power-ups and boss battles to what was a simple yet fun game. Shatter, a Playstation Network game and IGF 2010 finalist from the New Zealand dev team Sidhe, comes into the game space trying to both hold on to its genre’s roots while also turning it on its head. The usual suspects are there: the “paddle” or in this case a ship, and the “blocks”. The spin that Sidhe puts on this is with a new gameplay mechanic. You now have the ability to pull and push the ball towards the blocks and back towards you. Since the playfield has physics the ball will travel not only in straight lines but also in arcs. This can be used to both your advantage and disadvantage but keeps the game moving at a blistering pace.
The gamefield will change perspective depending on what level you are on. Usually brick breaker games have the puck on the horizontal axis. Shatter plays on both, and while it takes a bit of getting used to, playing on the vertical definitely adds a nice twist. The wild card and most important tool at your disposal comes to you by the way of “shards”, small fragments that are released once you break a block. You can collect these by using the pull power to bring them to you; the trick is getting enough of the shards to fill up your “Shard Storm” meter while keeping the ball in play. If you do fill up your meter you can let go a barrage of bullets that will quickly empty a stage and rack up a bunch of points.
The power-ups come in extremely handy: they can make the ball even more controllable, add more shards to the playing field or give you a 1up. The pick-up-and-play feel makes the game challenging but not overwhelming. The pace seems just right and not super frantic. I will say with all those different dynamics going on I was most impressed with Shatter’s visual style and music. You can see that Sidhe took the time to add those small atmospheric touches that really makes this game stand out. This isn’t your run of the mill brick breaker, the geometric shapes that cover the field are all these great hues of yellows, greens and purples. They pop off the screen and make it a delight to look at and the music pulsates in these ambient techno rhythms. Bass hits seem to match the timing of ball strikes off your ship and push the action along.
Shatter has three modes to choose from: “Story Mode” which lets you go through the progress of the game’s 10 worlds with a boss battle at the end of each; “Boss Battle” which is a race to see how quickly you can beat each boss, and “Bonus Mode” which is a score- based challenge mode. Although Story Mode is the default I gravitated towards the Bonus mode because the quick pace and my OCD need to beat the scores of all my friends kept me wanting more.
All in all Shatter is a really good showcase of what can be done in the digital retail space. A full, robust, and fun game for under $10 is exactly what is needed to show that full game downloads are both reasonable and viable.
They’re playing Basketball..
With the basketball season now underway after the proposed lockout, NBA fans find themselves in the throes of the season. I love basketball and also love playing its digital counterpart. 2K Sports have held the championship belt in the b-ball gaming space for the past couple of years and have now embarked on a really ambitious endeavor: the mobile gaming market.
After playing with the game for a couple of weeks now I can say a couple of things. I appreciate the attention to detail that 2K places in all of its sports games. They pay attention to a painstaking amount of “little things” that many gaming companies leave on the cutting room floor. You can see it in their graphics, sound and gameplay, but when porting from a PC/Console version to a handheld device you also expect some degradation in all those things. This is the case with NBA 2k12 for mobile.
I wondered how their award winning game would translate to both a smaller screen and to the touch controls that iOS devices employ. I would say that for as much game as they put into this version it is hampered by the usual touch-control schemes that plague most action-based, touch-based games. There are two versions of control that you can use, “Classic” and “One Touch” controls.
The classic controls use a virtual stick and virtual buttons for both movement, passing and shooting. Using this option gives you the most control over your players but on a smaller device takes up way too much screen real estate to let you see what you are doing half the time. I would assume that this is lessened on the iPad or any compatible tablets, but unless you have one of those devices you are going to have a rough time playing the game with these controls. They just aren’t responsive and make you feel like the game isn’t able to keep up with what you want to do. Player movement seemed sluggish, the offenses didn’t move realistically and the ability to play on ball defense seemed to be lacking in many areas.
Your other option is actually a lot better but you then lose manual control of your players all together. The “one-touch” controls basically let the AI control all movement but lets you pass and shoot. Although this sounds terrible it actually makes the game more playable, but also takes a bunch of the fun out of the game. The ability to switch on defense goes away and the AI doesn’t move the offense intelligently, so although you can now see your players better you now have a team full of NBA zombies who can’t figure out how to move when they have the ball and don’t know how to get open for a shot. Nor can they defend in any way that makes sense or is helpful.
With all that said, I think that they do put a lot of things into the game that I didn’t expect. The presentation is still very good with very cool camera cuts and replays. Player faces are pretty true to life and they do have several play modes that include full season, playoffs (with playoff-specific commentary) and auto-updated rosters. I also think that this is a great stepping stone for what could be an amazing handheld experience but they have lots of work to do. There are overlapping audio glitches, graphical glitches and their roster updates could be more timely. I think if they get these things handled it could be awesome for next year.
What I would really love 2K to work on would be a PS Vita version. I think that could seriously be great — you would have the fidelity, processing power and dedicated buttons to really have the control you want from a sports game.
For those who are wondering if they should pick this up, I would say to pass on it, or at least download the lite version of the game on the iTunes store. Although there is potential there, I would suggest you keep your wallet in your pocket.
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