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WizOrb is a take on the old block-breaker/arkanoid genre, but with a magical twist. You play the game as Cyrus, a wizard who is a master in the art of Wizorb. With this power you can do numerous things to the ball as it is bouncing around the stage destroying blocks and enemies. Check the video out above to see what I mean.

The press release states that the game will also work on Vita but I will make sure to ask if that is worldwide or just in Europe.

Of note and as mentioned in a previous post, Foosball 2012 will be available for both Playstation 3 and Vita via PSN download for a single unannounced price.

In addition to this, Dean Wilkinson will also be contributing to the game. Dean has worked in scriptwriting for a fair few years, and has worked on  both home console instalments in the LittleBigPlanet series, along with writing for UK Television, such as Ant and Dec’s SMTV Live. I’m pleased to announce that I understood that previous sentence.

Team 17 sent over a picture of Matt recording his voice over, so here’s that;

Look how much he’s concentrating, I hope he said the right words. Worms Revolution is out in Q3 2012.

I’m going to assume that you’re still here. That was Really Big Sky, a 2011 PC game. This year, the latest version of that game, titled Big Sky Infinity will be coming to PS3 and Vita, with original developer Boss Baddie studios partnering with VooFoo Studios on development duty, and Ripstone on publishing duties. While not much is known about the new version, the press release below does take the time to state that the new version ‘will introduce new modes and enemies, and touch controls to its predecessors.’ While that’s rather vague, the very idea of an expanded version of the above game gets me rather excited. We could always use more insane side scrolling shooters, and this looks like just the right level of brain damaging insanity. Big Sky Infinity is due out this year, and we’ll bring you more details when they’re released.

BOSS BADDIE, VOOFOO STUDIOS AND RIPSTONE PUBLISHING ANNOUCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Indie game developer Boss Baddie align with development partner VooFoo Studios and publishing partner Ripstone to bring Big Sky Infinity to console

LIVERPOOL, UK. Indie game developers Boss Baddie and VooFoo Studios are pleased to announce the creation of a strategic partnership with Ripstone Publishing that will bring the latest version of the critically acclaimed twin-stick shooter PC game Really Big Sky to console.

The newest iteration in the Big Sky series is Big Sky: Infinity, it will be the first of the Big Sky games to appear on a handheld or home console and will be available on PlayStation®3 and PlayStation® Vita later this year.

Big Sky: Infinity is a procedurally generated, super fast, twin-stick shooter game that will introduce new modes and enemies, and touch controls to its predecessors.

VooFoo Studios will develop the new game in conjunction with Boss Baddie.

The alliance with Ripstone and VooFoo will further advance Boss Baddie’s strategy to provide great games for gamers worldwide.

James Whitehead, owner and lead developer of Boss Baddie enthuses: “We’re excited about the opportunities now available for the game so we can take it to the next level. It’s great to get input and support from industry veterans and the support Ripstone have provided has been invaluable.”

Mark Williams, Technology Director at VooFoo states “It is hugely exciting to be able to continue our collaboration with Ripstone, and join forces with the incredibly creative guys at Boss Baddie to bring the Big Sky series to the PlayStation Network. With the passion, enthusiasm and expertise of the three parties combined, we are well placed to deliver a world class game.”

Ripstone Ltd is focused on fostering the relationship between publisher and developer to produce great games by understanding what developers want to achieve and what they need to get there.

Phil Gaskell, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Ripstone states: “It’s great to be in a position where we can foster talent and enable Boss Baddie to further develop their dreams for the game.”

For a taste of things to come, Really Big Sky is currently discounted on Steam to mark the announcement of Big Sky: Infinity.

Nom Nation is targeted at teens with the goal of teaching how different types of food effect your body. It never feels like it’s “preaching” good health or anything of that sort. Nom Nation instead presents a creative, unique and challenging platformer that is a blast to play.

The world is in a bad place now that Jabber the Gut, head of the McFattass Corporation, has stolen the Holy Book of Nom. Within this book lies nutritional facts that the Noms worship and live by in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It’s up to you, the last Chef, to find the lost ten pages of the Book of Nom and defeat Jabber the Gut. The gameplay itself is mostly simple. You’ll go through ten levels (five different worlds) collecting grain, eating noms, and platforming until you find each lost page. Where Nom Nation sets itself apart is that it finds a way to combine its educational aspect with some really cool gameplay mechanics that just flat out works. It also helps that the game has a great art style (which includes some really great animations) and a really great soundtrack.

Food in the game is represented by ‘noms’. As you go through each stage you’ll run across noms all over the place. The tutorial serves as the games way to lay the foundation for food groups while also explaining how each food effects your body. The way this works into gameplay is through virtue of specific noms giving you special powers. For instance eating a spinach nom will give you super strength and enable you to break through barriers while eating beans will give allow you to boost yourself into the air through the power of farting. Eating something sweet or drinking coffee will give you a sugar rush which allows you to run faster and jump farther while also blurring the screen. Eating fatty foods will make your character incredibly fat and much slower than normal and exercising (dancing in front of a boom box) will make you extra skinny. (Oddly enough petting a kitten will also make you super skinny as well.) But it doesn’t stop there. While you can only fit two noms in your stomach at once you’re given the ability to combine the powers of each nom to create other abilities. Combining a nom that gives you super strength with a nom that gives you bad gas will allow you to create fart bombs. Alternatively eating two noms that give you extra strength will send you into a blind rage. Lastly two many sweets will leave you feeling nauseous and vomiting all over the place.

Gaining powers from the different noms is great on its own but the last two major parts of how Nom Nation works really pulls everything together. The HUD shows a few different things that you’ll want to take note of as you play the game. The stomach shows which noms you’re currently digesting, the heart display shows the condition of your heart and the Vitality meter at the bottom shows what Vitamins you’re getting in your nom diet. As you eat noms the game warns you that some noms will have a bad effect on your heart and that you should be careful not to consume too much of those types of food. Doing so damages your heart and, if things get real bad, you will suffer a heart attack and immediately drop dead. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Vitality meter. If you get all the recommended Vitamins you become shielded and it’s much harder for enemies to take you down.

Outside of the main levels is the Nom Temple. Within the temple you can view which noms you’ve discovered as well as what trophies you’ve earned. There are four hidden rooms that you can unlock in the temple but they simply lead to another area that allows you to play around with specific nom powers.

There are however a couple things to address as Nom Nation does have some, albeit minor, issues. I noticed that on a few rare occasions the game had some issues with hit detection that sometimes resulted in me taking damage. They were rare occurrences and never took away from the experience. Second is that in some instances it would be difficult to see where I needed to jump as the next platform would be out of sight. Again this was typically a rare occurrence but noticeable when it did happen. The worst thing I can even think about when it comes to Nom Nation is that it will not be available in the US region. (There’s apparently a browser and iOS version on the way however.) Though to be honest it’s probably a testament to how good the game is that I’m so bummed out it won’t be coming out here.

I can’t think of the last time I’ve been legitimately excited about a game in the same way that I’ve been excitedly telling friends about Nom Nation. Heck, I loved nearly every second I spent with it. The fact that this could be something used to teach kids about healthy diets just made the whole thing that much sweeter. It sucks that this won’t be coming to any other region because this just isn’t going to get the attention that it so rightfully deserves. That said if you’re able to pick up Nom Nation I can’t recommend it enough. This is one of the best that Minis have to offer.

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. For more info on our review policy click here.

Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection is being released on June 26th for $26.99. The collection includes Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Both games have been remastered for the PS3 with HD graphics and PlayStation Move compatibility. Take a look at these stunning screens:

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Starting July 17th, you’ll be able to purchase the games separately for $14.99 each. I’ve never played a Resident Evil lightgun game, but I’ve got to admit that these games look pretty cool. Reliving some of the horror from the first few games in an on-rails point of view is a neat idea.

• PlayStation Plus Members act fast if you haven’t yet, Awesomenauts will be free for only a few more days.
• One of the biggest requests from fans has been a soundtrack release. Sonic Picnic is working to release the soundtrack on Bandcamp by Just 1st. For now, you can download the extended theme song for free by clicking these words and sending a tweet.
• Ronimo has been play-testing a new build of Awesomenauts to finalize balance tweaks and new characters. What will change in the patch? Leon’s slow upgrades and tongue, Voltar’s drones and healing, Yuri’s timebubble, and Forggy G’s whirlwind shield. Apart from tweaking existing values, they will also be replacing a couple of upgrades. No further details are available.
• Do you live in the Netherlands? Then Ronimo is inviting you to take a look at the new characters, items, and balance changes. Check out the forum thread on their website for more details.
  

There’s no exact date on the patch just yet, but Ronimo is hoping to get it out in a few short weeks. In the meantime, you can keep earning prestiges and going 12-0 in matches, just like me! Everybody wants to be like EEEASE, right?

If you don’t remember what Mad Riders is… you race around on ATVs and you can wear a spacesuit, ’nuff said.

Look forward to our review of the game next week!

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Bang Bang Racing is a fast paced racing game that features 9 different tracks, 20 vehicles to choose from and up to four player split-screen races. The game will be available for $9.99

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The game will be playable at this years E3 so expect some impressions on the site in a couple of weeks.

We have been following the game for a long time and even reviewed the PS3 incarnation. Let it be known though, “Malicious for PlayStation Vita is coming…”

ChillStation 3:
DJ Kassatsu – PixelJunk 4am

Combining HD visuals and a soundtrack from Chris Huelsbeck of R-Type fame,  Redux will be an entry into the space shmup genre.  Along with the usual game and soundtrack offers to Kickstarter backers, Redux offers something amazing and unheard of: a Sega Dreamcast version of the game.  Yes, that’s right.  It’s time to dust off the old Dreamcast and find new batteries for your VMU’s.  The developers are self-proclaimed lovers of the Dreamcast, so they are offering a limited edition version of Redux for the console.

Demos

Mad Riders
Gravity Rush
Resistance: Burning Skies

PSN Games

Mad Riders ($9.99)
Pure Chess

Vita Games

Pure Chess
Resistance: Burning Skies

PS3 Games

Rayman Origins
Assassin’s Creed Revelations

PS2 Games

Rayman 2 Arena

DLC

LBP Starhawk Costumes
Dragon’s Dogma
Test Drive Unlimited 2
Hustle Kings
MotorStorm RC
Touch My Katamari

[Source: PlayStation Blogcast]

In When Vikings Attack you must defend your town from, you guessed it, vikings! No matter who you are, (a police man, a school boy, or even a pastor) your job is simple: Fight against these rampaging vikings and stop them from destroying your town.

The gameplay is said to be a “pick up and play” style of game, where anyone can learn how to play in just mere seconds. You control a certain group of little characters who are contained in a colored circle, and they all stick together going everywhere with one another. The more guys you have in control, the bigger object you can carry and launch at the vikings; cars, dumpsters, poles, you name it!

It gets even better though, because this game offers 4-player couch co-op… in more than one way. This game will feature cross-platform play between the PS3 and Vita, allowing for a multitude of ways to play with your friends. You can have two people playing on the PS3 and the other two people playing using their Vitas! Or one person on the PS3 and three on the Vita. Any combination will work, and it will work flawlessly as shown in the video above.

Since this game is a cross-platform game it will feature a save system which will allow you to play the adventure mode on your PS3 and continue playing on the Vita. Aw, so you’ll have to buy two copies of the game for that? Nope! If you buy one version of When Vikings Attack, you will get the other version absolutely free! Talk about a great deal!

This sounds like the perfect game to play when friends come over and you all just wanna tear some stuff up. And if you’re low on controllers, but they have a Vita, it’ll be even better. This is one game you’ll wanna keep your eyes on. No release date has been given, but let’s hope the wait won’t be much longer.

LittleBigPlanet PSVita is out June 26th.