Having sold more than 50 million units worldwide, the renowned WWE simulation experience and annual centrepiece in THQ’s expanding WWE videogame portfolio returns to define the ultimate WWE moments and give players even greater creative and decision-making freedom throughout their storied journeys within WWE.  WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 will empower players more than ever to define their gameplay experiences in a dynamic and ever-changing WWE.  Due out in October, the new SvR will feature:

• Gameplay scenarios will change based on player decisions, allowing for more spontaneous WWE action in and out of the ring.
• Players will also enjoy a greater level of interactivity and have increased control of their destinies in the game’s popular Road to WrestleMania story-driven mode.
• A hallmark of the franchise, WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2011 will deliver its largest offering to date of best-in-class creation and customization features.
• Players will have more creative tools than ever to customize their Superstars, finishing moves and story designs.
• Searching and sharing content will be greatly simplified with improvements to the highly regarded WWE Community Creations feature, which generated nearly 10 million downloads, including more than 7.5 million Created Superstars, 500,000 story designs and 500,000 finishing moves in its franchise debut.
• WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 will also boast one of largest rosters in franchise history with more than 70 of today’s prominent WWE Superstars and WWE Divas.
• Each in-game model will feature new skin textures and movement technology, delivering the most authentic looking and moving WWE Superstars and WWE Divas ever seen in a WWE videogame.
• A new physics system will ensure all matches and object interactions look and feel unique, dynamic and unpredictable to capture the full essence of WWE.

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Doom 4 is well into development at id. Hollenshead said “a team and a half” are working on the game. That compares to a single team working on id’s next big game, Rage, which will be released in 13 months, and two smaller teams working on mobile projects (including the upcoming Rage iPhone games) and QuakeLive. Hollenshead said id intends to eventually have a third full-size team running to work on a third big game.

Doom 4, according to Hollenshead, will also be targeted for simultaneous release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. “That’s absolutely what we’re thinking,” he said. “That would certainly be the hope.”

The previous Doom, which was released on PC in 2004 and was offered on the original Xbox in 2005.

With Doom far into development, id’s support for its other franchises continues. Hollenshead said that the free-to-play (or subscription-based, depending on preference) QuakeLive will continue to be supported by the company.

For Wolfenstein, the id series that last saw a Raven-developed game in the summer of 2009? “It would be sad if there’s not another Wolfenstein game because I’m a personal fan of the franchise” Hollenshead said. “Wolfenstein 3D is the game that got me started in PC gaming. So personally I have a lot of emotional and sentimental attachment to that game. Even before I was working at id I was playing Wolf 3D, but we’re still in the ‘thinking about it” phase at this point.”

The next big thing from id, though is Rage. That comes in September of 2011 — though no promises were made this time.

The Rage demo to which Hollenshead referred was a powerful demonstration of an id game running the company’s id Tech 5 game engine impressively on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The game looked great on all three. Such a tech demonstration is relevant for id, because the formerly PC-centric studio is now developing a game such as Rage for simultaneous release on PC and high-definition consoles.

Summer is here and we have a first look at what to expect all summer round.

Topics of Discussion

Kinect pricing and thoughts

Summer of Arcade games

Gamestop plans

Recent impressions of Singularity and Crackdown 2

Along with other antics and rants. Be sure not to miss this one.

‘Tis the season for a beating and I’m here to tell you of a new fighting masterpiece that are currently works in progress. The two teams responsible for the development of Both Super Street Fighter 4 AND Tekken (Capcom and Namco Bandai) are in collaboration to create a game so EPIC that the world itself might not be ready: Street Fighter X Tekken. From videos taken at this year’s comic-con and news gathered on the internet with possible rumors, here is a list of everything we know so far for Street Fighter X Tekken:

• Capcom is working on Street Fighter X Capcom utilizing the Super Street Fighter IV engine, while introducing the Tekken fighters in the same type of art style…sticking as close to their original looks in Tekken as possible (almost identical).
• The game will possibly need a two year development cycle according to producers so an early 2012 release is eminent.
• The stages for the game seems to be a mixture of two worlds.
• From the Street Fighter/Capcom side, we see a large head piece figure which turns out to be a “Servebot” and other mechanical structures from games such as Mega Man: Legends and Marvel vs. Capcom. The servebot head seems to be more of a mask/helmet for a person who occasionally stands up in it.
• From the Tekken/Namco Bandai side, it seems to be a darker, grungier battlefield. You’re fighting on what looks to be a ruined or wrecked highway with an extended level range (from the side of screen to the other).
• We know Ryu, Chun-li, Kazuya and Nina are in the games from the vids and screens shown. Dan has a short cameo in the teaser so we’re not sure if he’ll be in the final product.
• While the fighting itself comes directly from the SSF4 engine, the tag system like Tekken utilizes will be in the game, along with abilities taking advantage of it.
• Opponents can be bounced off of walls and floors and call in the players partner for tag team combos.
• As far as combos go, they’ve been kept at the same pace as in SSF4.
• Lastly, Tag Specials have been re-introduced back into the Street Fighter universe which are similar to Rival Schools style(there haven’t been tag specials since Street Fighter: EX 3).
• Each Tag special should be unique to every fighter and will no doubt take more then one super bar to use.

If you readers are anything like us here at LvLone.com, you’ve just peed yourself…a little bit,
and wait… that’s not all! A second game is also in production, Tekken X Street fighter! A counterpart to Street Fighter X Tekken, TXSF is most likely going to be a fireball-less brawler. Not much is known about TXSF, but an estimated release date to both games is 2 years from now on both the PS33 and the Xbox 360…so those of you who were worried about “2012”, fear not…it’s not the end of the world, only the introduction of a new one.

Check back for updates of Street Fighter X Tekken as it comes in and also check out our Marvel vs Capcom 3: What We Know So Far post for the latest on that.

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GameStop has been cagey about its plans to deal with the impending digital age, but the new CEO Paul Raines spoke frankly about it in a recent interview with The Street. He says he wants the GameStop Website to be a “destination for gamers, whether they are getting content via online, mobile, console or any other platform. We are also migrating our website from a purely e-commerce site to a gaming platform that users can visit to play, learn and purchase games.”

He says the company is taking a look at other online companies that have successfully started their transition to digital formats. “We have studied Netflix a lot, and most of their users still absorb physical content rather than streaming,” Raines said. “Now we are looking to see how gaming compares. We are focusing on consumer acceptance. The world won’t be all digital tomorrow, even though that’s what people are claiming. In this business, users still want physical content.”

He also remarked on the difficulty of sustaining a used game sales model, echoing recent comments made at the Develop conference. “In tough economic times the consumer doesn’t want to spend $59 for a new game,” he said. “They may not have $59, but they may have $40 and an old game under their bed that they can trade in for a new title.” He also shrugged off competition in the used games space. “Pricing buybacks and sales is complex. We have a refurbishment facility and last year recycled 100 million units. This system is difficult to replicate.”

GameStop has always seemed unconcerned about the advent of digital content, even dismissing EA’s Online Pass as an opportunity to sell downloadable content. Plans to turn the site into a gaming portal might explain their confidence, but raises new questions about online competition with existing services.

Ever since the popularity of Bioshock there has been several games that have been inspired by the huge hit a few years ago, Singularity is one of those games. A game that attempts to merge tried and trued shooter gameplay with a new time manipulation element Singularity had a lot promise since it was announced, but does the game reach the level of quality of Bioshock and other classic shooters?

The story of Singularity is that of an American solider investigating some mysterious events that took place in the Soviet Union, what events? In Singularity the communists had discovered a device that can manipulate time and create monsters, not exactly the most inspired story but it sets up the game. From the outset of the first level the player finds out that there is of course a big mystery that must be solved and an evil organization that must be stopped, overall the story isn’t necessarily bad but it simply feels bland and it never manages to get you into the happenings of the game.

Gameplay is where the game does better, the shooter aspect of the game is solid, with players having a whole range of guns that can be used, and upgraded. The main draw of Singularity however is the time manipulation aspect, at one point in the game players get the TMD which has the power to control little areas of time. For example players can use the TMD on a lock to age it into dust, likewise something that has fallen apart can be reforge by using the TMD to go back in time. The whole time manipulation aspect sounds good, but it really is never utilized to it’s full potential and becomes more of a gimmick, rather than a cool new type of weapon. Overall the gameplay isn’t necessarily bad but a lot was bet on the time travel aspect and although it works as it should it isn’t used as much as it should.

Graphics in Singularity are relatively good, there are a few cool looking lighting effects here or there but nothing to go crazy about, everything else however looks somewhat generic, the soldiers look like they could have been pulled from any shooter and creatures don’t fair much better. The graphics are just about average in all aspects.

Sound is also relatively average for a shooter, creatures sound generic and the tunes seem somewhat limited. One thing that does stand out is the voice acting however this is a hit or miss, some characters sound great while some, like the Russian characters sounds too exaggerated. The rest of the audio is pretty average as well.

Singularity’s main selling point is the element of time manipulation, that is the key difference between it and any other shooter on the market. Although the game does give players the ability to age enemies and objects but it soon becomes a bit of a novelty than a revolutionary element. The TMD’s uses are limited and force players to do what needs to be done rather than let player’s use the tool freely for themselves. The ingredients of a great shooter are all in the game however it seems that the recipe to utilize them fell a little short, what results is an average to slightly above average shooter. If you’re expecting a Bioshock level quality game then you won’t find it here, however if using time manipulation as a weapon sounds cool to you then by all means check Singularity out.

Overall = 7.6

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Fans of puzzle-platfomers, prepare for lift off! Frima Studio, a leading Canadian multiplatform game developer based in Quebec, announced today that Widgets Odyssey will be landing on the PlayStation Store for download in North America on July 6th.

As a PlayStation Mini title, playable on both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PSP system, Widgets Odyssey will take players on the first of two interstellar puzzle adventures that will continue in Widgets Odyssey 2, also launching later this summer.

“Both installments of Widgets Odyssey will give players a chance to enjoy what has become our love letter to the puzzle-platfomer genre, something many of us on the Frima team grew up playing for countless hours on end,” said Steve Couture, CEO and co-founder of Frima Studio. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of fun creating this colorful cast of robotic characters with heart, and blasting them off on an epic journey that will take more brains than brawn to help them save the universe.”

In Widgets Odyssey, five robots aboard the ‘S-Space’ vessel have just one simple mission…to save the universe from the tyrannical Yagor and his evil henchmen! Armed with the abilities of Spad, Cosmo, Bruce, Helmut, and Monk, players will guide each robot along their exciting adventures filled with puzzles, mazes and minigames when it launches on the PlayStation Store July 6th for only $1.99 USD. Players can also look forward to the continuing adventures of the ‘S-Space’ crew in Widgets Odyssey 2 when it launches later this summer.

After a week of postmortem at the LA Convention Center for E3, we here at LVLONE think its time to let you guys in on how we felt on everything related. Our Podcast was so long that we’ve divided it into three sections. We talk press conferences first then get into the real nitty gritty.

Topics of Discussion

The big three press conferences

Our brutal opinions and impressions of Microsoft Kinect and Sony’s Move

3D gaming, 3DS and a whole lot more.

Microsoft

Second File

Nintendo

Sony+Overall impressions

Note: Do to technical difficulties and the overwhelming awesomeness during our Podcast the very end had a little recording error.

12. Wang Tang

Wang Tang is a speedy type of fighter and one of the popular fighters of the Power Stone series .  The master martial artist has attacks that are pretty quick whether it be kicks, throws or aerial attacks. He transforms into the Agile Dragon which can give him the ability to move at a faster speed, launch smaller quick fireballs, huge energy spheres, and deal out heavier damage.

11. Mr. Sinister

This guy is one of the popular X-Men villains ever. He has created betrayals within the X-Men’s members causing many problems for the super group. Sinister can be used as a sub-boss like Juggernaut and Dr. Doom in previous games.

10. Mai-Ling

Don’t know her? She comes from a game called Red Earth where there are 4 different fighters to choose from. Leo, Kenji, and Tessa have all made it into another fighting game at some point. Mai-Ling should get the chance to make it into this game. The young martial artist is kind of like a cross between Fei Long (flaming kicks) and Chun-Li (fireball projectile). Capcom should really look into placing her in MvC3.

9. Beast

Beast can possibly be created to be a un-orthodox fighter. Picture this, Slow moving because of his body structure but he can combo well because of his strength, acrobatics and agility. That type of combination can catch quite a few people off guard.

We are almost at 1!

Check back soon for 5-8…

Dont forget to check out Part 1 and Part 2!