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Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 Revealed

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:30:35 GMT

On a segment of the Japanese program Pokemon Smash, director Junichi Masuda announced a pair of sequels to last year's Pokemon White Version and Pokemon Black Version. Currently titled Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, the titles will be released on the Nintendo DS with enhanced DSi and 3DS features. Two forms of the pokemon Kyurem, named "Black Kyurem" and "White Kyurem", look to figure prominently in both games.

A preview site by Nintendo and the Pokemon Company has the release date for Japan set as June 2012, with no projection yet for international releases. Details are currently sparse on Black 2 and White 2, but news is expected to gush in the few months between now and the titles' arrival in Japan.

Retrospective: Halo Wars

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

You have to have been living under a rock to not know about the Halo series. It is the franchise that legitimized the FPS on the console. More importantly, it was the first game that console owners got to feel the frenzy that has existed playing online. It was something that PC gamers had known for years, and until this series appeared, it seemed that the fun was exclusive to that side of the fence.

After 3 FPSs, numerous books, and all the fans it can muster, Microsoft decided to take the series into a new direction. Once again, it was a direction that went towards something that PC gamers felt as exclusive. This direction was the real-time strategy (RTS) genre, a genre that has been done on consoles but never really done right. They decided to get a seasoned developer, Ensemble (Age of Empire series) to help them tackle the problem and bring the RTS console-side.

After three years of toiling away, Ensemble was ready to present its project. The title of this project was Halo Wars. The title isn’t going to blow the socks off of gamers; it is enough to be the blueprint for console RTS games to come.

Fans of the FPS that expected to play as Master Chief, throw that expectation away. The basis of an RTS is slower, it’s pulled out, and the scale is a lot larger. Instead of dealing with one person, you are responsible for a whole base to work with. The responsibility falls on you to lead these forces to victory.

Since you do not have the power of a keyboard, nor the speed of a mouse, Ensemble made sure to not make the scale too large. Those expecting the wide battles of Supreme Commander may be disappointed (or breathe a sigh of relief). The player won’t ever have to deal with more than 50 units.

To help control this, Ensemble made sure to map two important keys on your shoulders to select local units or all units. RTS veterans who are used to making coordinated groups and massive buildings should realize the constraints. Along with the basic tasks, they created a smooth controlling experience that shouldn’t fluster, even if it has the tendency to get annoying when you want to select a certain group inside the screen.

The game allow for two sides, Human and Covenant. Both sides shouldn’t have units that are surprising to the most avid Halo fans. For those who are just casual players, be prepared to walk into a world that opens up your understanding about the Halo universe. Human units such as ODST marines and Cyclops are not seen during the first games. For those who are the most ardent Master Chief fans, the SPARTAN II program is in full effect. You won’t control JOHN, but SPARTAN units are active.

As most fans can tell with the SPARTAN II program existing, this game takes place before the exploits of Master Chief against the covenant. 20 years back to be exact. The fight starts 5 years after first contact at Harvest, and the campaign mode introduces a few new heroes to the Halo mythos.

The story starts off slow and ends up short. There are only 15 missions, most of which can be played through quickly, as fast as 10 – 15 minutes. To make up for that however, there is a Halo timeline that fills in the gaps that are missing for those who haven’t had the time or the means to read the books. These are earned by beating the game and collecting black boxes to fill in the story. They usually are hidden ad requires a little bit more time to get them.

Each mission is scored. It uses a mechanism that is based on time and combat efficiency. In short, you need to beat the missions as fast as you can while killing as much as you can without taking losses. You are then ranked, with tin being the worst you can do and gold being the best with bronze and silver in the middle. Some missions it seems too easy to collect the gold, while some other ones it takes a lot of skill.

There are also skulls in this game. Their main function, just like in the games prior, is to alter game play. If they make your experience tougher, they add a multiplier to your score. If they make your game easier, they decrease your score.

The graphics that you see when running this are nothing to slack, nor is it anything to write home about. The game does a good job of keeping the frame rate solid, which is more important when it comes to this type of game. The sound however, is the same as you would expect from a game in the Halo series or a title from Ensemble. The score is majestic, sweeping music that secures your mind within its gravitas.

The experience of Halo Wars can be engrossing most of the time. If you can ignore some of the headaches when it comes to selecting units, and avoid the fact that the Campaign is too short (the reviewer finished it within 3 sittings), this one can stick around for a while. It won’t be known as the best game of the year, but it may be important for the fact that it is first console RTS that feels right. It isn’t obtrusive with its control scheme and it gets most of the little things right. A good game is always a good icebreaker.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City PC gets dated and a new trailer

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:26:42 GMT

The PC version of Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City is coming May 18. It'll carry with it NVIDIA 3D support as well as everything from the console release, which is coming March 20.

The game is a third-person shooter that puts the player in the roles of Umbrella Security Service officers (of which there are six) with the goal of covering up Umbrella's malfeasance.

The game is not for the faint of heart...as seen in the newest "brutality" trailer HERE.

Are you guys thinking about picking up/playing Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City? Let us know below.

The Amazing Spider-man swinging its way onto consoles this June

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:30:29 GMT

A recent post on Game Informer's website brings word that Spider-Man fans can look forward to the release of the Beenox-developed The Amazing Spider-Man on June 26 for the Nintendo DS, 3DS, Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3. That means that the game, which serves as an epilogue to the film that releases on July 3, 2012, just might spoil the movie for you in terms of story, but that is yet to be seen.

Speaking of story, today we get word on the first classic Marvel Super Villain to be officially unveiled for the game – Rhino. Apaprently, this reimagined version of Rhino was created specifically for The Amazing Spider-Man game and will not be seen in the theatrical film.

Are you guys excited for The Amazing Spider Man? This will be Beenox's third spider-man game in three years ...damn you Activision.

More Screens Released for FXIII-2 DLC "Sazh: Heads or Tails?"

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:06:07 GMT

Square-Enix has already released a tidy helping of DLC for the recent Final Fantasy XIII-2, with Coliseum battles against Lightning and Lieutenant Amodar as well as several weapons and a few outfits available for purchase through the Xbox Marketplace and PSN. However, their upcoming DLC release, titled "Sazh: Heads or Tails?" will feature the first significant DLC addition to FXIII-2's story.

Available on the 28th for Xbox and the 29th for PS3, the chapter follows Sazh, one of the main protagonists from the original Final Fantasy XIII, through his own adventure which parallels the main plot. After completing the content, players will be able to add Sazh to their main party, just as they can now add Lightning and other DLC characters. The DLC also introduces two new mini-games: Serenity Poker and Chronobird.

The Japanese branch of Square-Enix released several screens of the upcoming chapter (shown below). The DLC will cost 400 Microsoft Points or $4.00 on PSN.

On the same day, two new outfits will be released for Noel and Serah for 240 Points or $3 each. Noel's outfit is titled "Spacetime Guardian" and Serah's is "Beachwear". So fans hoping to see Noel in a bikini or Serah in a tech-chic suit of armor will have to see if Square-Enix releases any new costumes.

On a side note, "Sazh: Heads or Tails?" marks the first significant post-release addition to a Final Fantasy story through downloadable content. While Square-Enix had considered DLC additions all the way back to Final Fantasy X, FFXIII-2 is the first release in the series to make it a reality.

So how do you feel about an extra chapter to FFXIII's already 'extra' story? Are you concerned or excited by the degree to which Square-Enix is finally into the DLC market? Share your thoughts!

The Workshop: Half Life 2 - Part 4

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:13:00 GMT

This month Half-Life 2

Part Four Moments

Ravenholm. Ravenholm. Ravenholm. My old, timeless stomping ground. The eerily familiar first steps into this horror side-dish of Half-Life 2 beckons me. The mood, atmosphere and Combineless corridors all build toward this giant tonal shift, from shooter to survival. I am on the run. Rooftops. Pursued by zombies who gallop to within an inch of my face. I ready my shotgun. No shells. Forgot to reload. I pump in the ammo. The fiend leaps. The scream.

Bang.

Pump.

The Half-Life 2 shotgun is really the best video-game gun that I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with. I am know to rant on about getting video-games away from shooters and into something else, but the shotgun here just makes me feel...so good. The sound, the kinesthesia all speaks to me. As I sift throughout Ravenholm, I hold my controller tighter and tighter. Ready. Always ready. This place doesn’t scare me anymore, but it does tense me up in the same way it did my ten year old self.

I’m jumping across steel platforms, little girders that bridge out...under a bridge. The undercarriage of this man-made monstrosity of steel engineering. It’s rickety, rusty, and the drones of it make it feel like its alive. I can hear the wind move about as though it’s respiring. I almost take a mis-step, then slide down, hitting my legs, onto a little landing. I hear the noises of their radios; the bridge shakes; weight.

Moments.

This is what solidifies Half-Life 2; I will remember it forever, but what makes it even more potent of a video-game experience is just how rich it is in telling its story. There are punctuated moments of environmental storytelling genius. A perfect reflection of our own journey through the game narrative. Our low-points in low environments, our high-points in higher elevation. It’s no coincidence the boss fight takes place in a more vertical place – a reflection of redemption – perfection.

That intro really is quite something, isn’t it? Notice how it takes place from the “civilian” point of view, milling about this bureaucratic nightmare. Arkham City opens similarly, though you’re allowed to be the goddamn Batman and escape the Orwellian parts. There’s a sense of the unease. Those who have played the original Half-Life will feel just as disjointed in emotion as the the newcomers.

The enigmatic G-man is omnipresent throughout the game and, whenever you catch a fleeting glimpse, your heart turns to ice. There’s a real reinforcement of “emancipation proclamation” which I covered in Part Two. Freeman truly is on a leash and, thusly, so is the player’s control in what happens. These moments of witnessing the G-man, of climbing rickety undercarriages of bridges, of scaling heights to confront a cowardly boss (perfect characterisation), of THAT intro. This is what Half-Life 2 is all about.

Except, this is where I get off. Those moments have happened. The Episodes also happened, carrying the same weight as Half-Life 2 and then some. But they don’t have that “seven year journey” I did with the original. They are better games but worse experiences, to me only. Perhaps Episode Three will take me a century to complete...since it’ll take a century to release anyway, at this rate.

Next month Mass Effect Trilogy

Shank 2

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:04:46 GMT

Shank 2is the sequel to the late 2010 action-hit that brought God of War’s gore-filled game-play (minus the spam of quick-time events) to a stylistic 2D aesthetic. For a $9.99 indie title, you get your money’s worth far better than the average triple-A game under the same genre; its game length is just as long. While Shank 2 adds a little more to the formula that was already established by the original Shank, the game embellishes in more of the same. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll like the second. If you weren’t a fan of the first, then you can pass on this one.

Shank 2’s story suffers only from a lack of motivation. The first game centered on the Contra-esque protagonist named Shank, who pursues his former gang-family to avenge his murdered lover. Nothing new, but still engaging, since the story is told through well-produced silhouettes and flashbacks, along with comic-book style cut-scenes that don’t interrupt the game-play. In contrast, Shank 2 sends the same protagonist into a war against a tyrant who threatens Shank’s friends and their families. Since there’s no stylistic foreshadowing relating to the tension between Shank and his primary target, the chase and the climactic confrontation lack impact like in the original. On the flip side, the cut-scenes, in particular, match the game-play near-seamlessly in terms of confrontations and conclusions (as they did in the original), which creates the right mind-set of interaction and presentation.

Taking a few notes from good ol’ Double Dragon, Shank 2 lets players indulge on not only three primary melee and ranged weapons (like the first), but you may now pick up a variety of items off the ground and enemies, such as baseball bats, crowbars, axes, and shovels (the shovel in particular being quite satisfyingly brutal). If your grenades seemed dull in the first, you can now chuck Molotov Cocktails and leave land-mines on the ground. Combat is still marginally untouched, in which you may utilize Shank’s shanks, changeable heavy weapons, and changeable ranged weapons to perform brutal combos that can sometimes give Devil May Cry’s combo-tastic franchise a run for its money. A new addition to combat is the counter-attack, similar to the reactionary ones from newer Batman games, however, you can only perform these counters on weakened enemies, which prevents you from simply waiting for “!” flashes, meaning you earn your counter-kills. Boss-battles are also more engaging, since you actually have to fight bosses rather than waiting for an opportunity to use a cinematic grab in order to deplete one-third of their health; you only get one of cinematic-break in Shank 2.

Part of what made Shank work was the shortened length, since the game-play was repetitive enough to satisfy you without leaving room for replay-ability. While Shank 2 is as short as the first game (2-3 hours roughly), the ride is more enjoyable. The original glued itself to linear paths with platforming that seemed tacked on, whereas in Shank 2 the platforming and exploration seem more engaging. There are a few alternate paths littered about, secrets to find, and sections where Shank is being chased or dodging missile-fire in Shank 2. For example, there is one stage (but the game could have used more) where you play as the other main character who has a different set of weapons from Shank. There’s also Survival Mode, a very Killing Floor-esque two-player co-operative feature where you and a friend plough through waves of enemies while defending points; money earned from kills leads to purchasing items in between waves—rinse and repeat. The added game-mode is nice, but it’s a shame that the entire campaign didn’t have a co-operative feature, especially since Shank 2 seeks to capitalize on a near-extinct genre from the past; a genre that usually always indulges in co-op.

Overall, Shank 2 is a solid experience, but the added upgrades only leave you wishing that these features were in the original, since the original had a more engaging story. If anything, Shank 2 is a worthy title for its price—it certainly makes those $50-$60 dollar purchases seem like wastes, since you’re getting the same ride with the only sacrifice being 3D. As a 2D game, however, Shank 2, like the original, is beautifully drawn (almost seems like a bloodier version of the cult-hit show Samurai Jack), and the adrenaline-pumping music keeps you in the Rambo-mindset. If you haven’t played the new one and love your action served gruesome, yet enjoyable, check it out!

Jet Set Radio Making its Way to PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:41:13 GMT

Sega teased today that Jet Set Radio will be coming to Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Well, they never really come right out and say it explicitly, but all signs point to "the next Dreamcast game on XBLA and PSN" being the awesome, cel-shaded inline skating/graffiti game from 2000.

Sega's 22 second teaser plays Jet Set Radio's "Funky Radio," all the confirmation we really need to get overly excited about the return of a Dreamcast classic.

Will it be a proper HD remake? We don't know...but I am excited about this announcement. Jet Set Radio was such an awesome game. What are your guys thoughts on this? Are you excited? Let us know below.

Report Says Sony Working On "New Console" with AMD Graphics

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:16:24 GMT

According to a report from Forbes, Sony is working on a new video game console that it has yet to name. And while the potential existence of a PlayStation 4 — should Sony choose to call it that — is not really surprising, a reported graphics hardware switch up might be.

Forbes writes that Sony may be tapping AMD to provide the graphics chip for its next game console, according to "former AMD employees."

The PlayStation 3 relies on Nvidia-made hardware to handle its graphics processing. Microsoft's Xbox 360 features an AMD-made GPU, having switched from an Nvidia NV2A in the original Xbox.

While the choice of GPU hardware in Sony's next-generation console may not have a material impact on end users and the performance of a PS4, it could be a roadblock in backwards compatibility support.

Starhawk Beta now open to Everybody

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:31:16 GMT

The good folks over at Sony remind us that the killing and building extravaganza that is the Starhawk beta is now open to all PlayStation Network comers.

There's no need to jump through any social media hoops, no sales-based red tape to deal with. Just head over to the PlayStation Store, grab the sucker and start shooting.

Are you guys planning on downloading the beta?