Publisher D3 is coming out with a new Ben 10 racing game. This Mario Kart inspired racer puts a lot of variety to a proven formula to keep it interesting. If you squint you can almost see the turtle shells. The graphics/art direction is pretty stock (no Forza here) but considering the cartoon source material it fits pretty well. The designers also copied a few elements from Mario Kart where you can perform aerial tricks to gain power/speed, and if you power slide your vehicle it rewards you with a power charge. These are all good attempts at stirring the pot, but the characters and racetrack are animated in such a way that it can become a little hard to see the turn ahead as the road sometimes blends into the walls a little too well. As far as multiplayer is concerned you and three “Ben 10ites” can play together, locally only. Given the prevalence of online gaming, this has to have been a corporate funding call. Shortcomings aside they are including an all new character that will have his first appearance in an upcoming episode. That plus all the unlockables (25 tracks, 15 characters) this game will surely keep you busy. Obviously fans of the series will have a more vested interest in this galactic grand prix, but there’s still a solid game here for average gamers.

Ninja Gaiden was one of those games that made a huge splash upon its return back in 2004 for the original Xbox. It’s been 7 years and we are taking a look at the third with a new direction and director at its helm. LVLONE got a chance to get hands on with the game at E3 2011 and we’re surprised to find out that some things have changed.

One of the biggest things to note about this is that it is not a sequel to Ninja Gaiden II, it is a new story with some new mechanics to boot. Now I’ve always been a fan of the franchise and could not wait to see what Team Ninja was going to come up with next but as a seasoned player it felt like diving into a new game of sorts? While we didn’t know much about what was going on, we do know that his energy and crazy moves come from the blood/curse that surrounds his right arm.

What the arm allowed us to do was these hard stab techniques that feel like they came out of anime films like Ninja Scroll. Massive amounts of blood spewing from these hard stab then slice moves. We’ve noticed that some of the moves we’ve grown to love are gone like the roll which has been replaced with a slide. The slide is not a big difference as it does nearly the same thing but can possibly be used as an intro to engage enemies with your moves. The other is the Flying Swallow which allowed you to engage multiple enemies, staggering them so they don’t overwhelm you. It took some time to get used to but it came together.

The game is looking good and while some might not like the fast to slow style from the new cut-through-enemies mechanic I actually thought they looked really slick. One thing I didn’t understand was the lack of dismemberment. Throughout the entire demo I was nearly cutting people in half but nothing was flying off, not even heads. While it would seem minor, it was one of the things that made Ninja Gaiden a bad ass.

The game seems to be coming along ok. There is some work and tweaks it can use but graphically has been bumped up a bit. Team Ninja has some time before the games release so promise is definitely something I see here, dismember in the final build? I certainly hope so.

Am I a person you would call a Sonic fan? Yes. Have I played every Sonic game? No. Are all Sonic games good? No. But do I still have love for the little blue hedgehog? Absolutely. See Sega has tried to capture Sonic as he once was which isn’t always an easy task but dare I say it I think this time they’ve done it! Sonic Generations brings the series back to its roots this time sporting not only the Sonic we’ve come to know from Sonic Adventures but the original Sonic from the very first game. We got the chance to check it out at Sega’s booth at E3 2011 and in stunning stereoscopic 3D at that.

The stage that we played was the original Green Hill Zone which is cut up into two styles of play. One is with the original Sonic played in 2D form, the other is with the newest generation Sonic and switches from 2D to 3D gameplay. If this game isn’t a trip down memory lane then I don’t know what is. All classic monsters and sound effects were easy to get lost to. I suddenly felt like a kid again playing the first Sonic on the Sega Genesis.

Playing with the original Sonic was a ton of fun but the newer Sonic actually feels like a completely different experience for a stage that’s exactly the same. Switching off into 3D like some of his more recent games was pretty smooth for the most part. The controls get kind of funky since it gets confusing where to keep my figure if the direction keeps changing.

There are a couple of kinks to work out but this can be one of the best Sonic games to come out in a long time if treated with the proper care it needs. This is designed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sonic series and brings in a number of stages throughout the entire series so there won’t be any shortages here. We honestly can’t wait for the final product but will keep everyone informed of news as it comes in.

Capcom has been revamping there fighting franchises and with great success. First the Street Fighter IV series and then Marvel vs Capcom 3. What you haven’t seen in awhile is a more traditional vs series, not since Capcom vs SNK. Utilizing the Street Fighter IV engine Capcom is now giving fans what they’ve been wanting which is a chance to battle it out with Tekken. LVLONE got a chance to get some hands on at E3 for a closer look.

Street Fighter X Tekken blends gameplay from both franchises to compliment all styles of play. Tag battles are back but act like Tekken Tag rules where if one person dies the match is over. Juggling and combos also come from Tekken and is interesting how some of them work with Street Fighter characters.

EX moves and Super moves come from Street Fighter and it all seems to work pretty well. Not all characters are balanced perfectly as you have to remember that Tekken characters don’t really have fireballs but it doesn’t take long to get into the groove.

The game has plenty of new animations, even on Street Fighter’s end, which is great to see. The characters at the show were Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Abel, Sagat, Cammy, Nina, Kazuya, Bob, Hwoarang, King, Marduk and Julia Chang with more to be announced soon. This was easily one of the biggest games at the show and with good reason. The level of competition from this game will rival those of Marvel vs Capcom 3

The game was smooth, colorful and action packed. We honestly can’t wait for this installment and dawn of a new fighting franchise, hopefully Capcom won’t have us waiting to soon to get our paws on this. Look back with us for more character reveals and news on Street Fighter X Tekken.

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The world of Rapture from the original Bioshock showed everyone a world where things can go terribly wrong when technology is ahead of its time. Navigating in a world that was destroyed can feel lonesome, thats why Bioshock Infinite throws out that formula with a more tension based situation. We got a look at Bioshock Infinite behind closed doors and let us tell you it left us wanting more!

You play as Booker DeWitt, an ex-Pinkerton agent that has been assigned with finding a woman named Elizabeth in the floating city of Columbia. Taking her from a giant pigeon/bird like creature named Songbird, you are now on the run. What we noticed was that the game was bigger then what was going on with just you. This floating city is in turmoil and a war between two factions is at the for front.

What would a Bioshock game be without mystery? At the point of the demo Elizabeth is known to have extraordinary power but cannot control it. Without spoiling to much in a moment of desperation to save a dying animal she unleashes a devastating amount of energy ripping the very fabric of time/space around her. The game looks to pit you in situations where you can either stop outcry’s of protest or let them happen. Another key difference was the openness of the game. Narrow spaces and hallways are the least of your concerns as enemies can attack from all directions.

Closing out the demo we were treated to an entire sequence where you needed to board a zeppelin using the rails that are used to travel. Your tool of navigation is the Skyhook which carries you along the rails like a zip line. New kind of combat system, means of travel and relationship between characters is some of the stuff to really look forward to in Bioshock Infinite. The game is set to release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC sometime in 2012 and we’ll be sure to update you when more info becomes available in the months to come.

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It seemed like only yesterday that we had been enjoying one of our favorite franchises in Twisted Metal Black. One day however it was just gone and we hadn’t seen it since, till now. The all new Twisted Metal comes back with a bang sporting new visuals, modes and ways to play. We got a chance to check out the game for quite sometime at E3 and we were very pleased with the results thus far.

Twisted Metal offers that classic feel from the original but one of its biggest changes to note is the games accessibility. Easy to get into, easy to pick up and play while it still challenges fans of the series. The stage that I played in looked like a mall complex which scaled all the way to the parking lot on top of the building. Decent size for an eight player death match.

Vehicles ranged from a motorcycle all the way to a helicopter. Each player has standard machine gun, missiles and two specials. Although experiencing Sweet Tooth’s alt special which turns him into a walking robot is in a league of its own. Visuals were crisp gameplay was fast and frantic and I only became better with practice. Fans can expect tracks to have secret paths and weapons throughout them as well.

I didn’t know if I was going to care that much for this game until I to my hands on it and man did I change my mind rather quickly. Expect the game in fall 2011 for the PS3 and I will certainly be there awaiting to check out all it has to offer.

With information trickling in about Max Payne 3, all of us at LVLONE are getting really excited for it. It’s almost exactly 10 years since Rockstar Games and Remedy worked together on the original Max Payne, and eight years since Max Payne 2. The Euphoria physics, particle effects and AI, to a new creative approach to Max’s classic comic-book panels will be at the games disposal. We got a couple of new screenshots that lets just say leaves us salivating for more!

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PAX East gave us the chance to get our hands on Brink, one of Splash Damage and Bethesda Softworks‘s slated titles to hit later this year. With already a couple of years of work under their belt the game looks amazing to say the least. When I first heard of free running and a FPS mixed together my mind was blown. I was excited to see how the parkour integrated FPS would look and how it would play out. When I finally saw it with my own eyes and got to play, I almost wanted to cry because it was everything I expected and more.

If you don’t know the story behind Brink then let me get you back up to speed. The game takes place in the near future off a large floating island off the coast of San Francisco named “The Ark”. Originally created to save about 5,000 civilians from a flooded Earth, the Ark became over populated with almost ten times the original planned number. Citizens became irritated from the lack of supplies they needed, eventually forming a group called “The Resistance” and demanded more resources for the people. The Ark’s leader denied their demands and began arming themselves in reaction to the Resistance’s actions. Which begins the civil turmoil on the Ark.

With the SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain) system running the game, traversing the battlefield never felt better. The SMART system takes all the conventional rules a normal first person shooter and throws it out the window. Sure you can hide behind a large shipping containers, but it’s not going to stop me from climbing over the top of it and taking you out. The system also gives different entry and exit points to certain areas, openings in windows, fences, and even over railings to just name a few. Also the term sitting duck no longer exists, except for the people who choose to camp out in one spot.

Gun play and upgrades in the game work on the type of body you select for your character. The larger the body the bigger the guns, but also the slower you move. Also the weapons in the game are more based on a run and gun play, no gun nor weapon (knife and/or melee) will be a one shot kill. There’s really no point in having the SMART system if people are just gonna run around knifing people and getting quick kills.

As for customization in this game, it has by far the most customization in any FPS I have ever seen. Different body types, hair, scars, tattoos, clothing, facial accessories, body accessories, and voice style is just some of the customizable options. Then there are over 40 different types of weapons including it’s own customizations from gun butts, muzzles, sights, grips, and even magazine clips. If you think that’s it you’re wrong, there’s also different abilities for every each class in the game, from medic, soldier, operative, and engineer. This game is every boy’s and even possibly girl’s customizing dream, although there hasn’t been an option to select which gender you can be yet.

Everyone can expect Brink to hit PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 May 17, and depending on who you pre-order from you’ll get special downloadable bonus skins for your characters.

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While at PAX East 2011 Valve treated gamers to a first look at the single player aspect of Portal 2. Everything till now has been focused on the co-op and what it entails. While it was actually not playable and video at that, it did however give us insight on what we can expect when the game drops this April.

The opening starts us off with Chell awaking in a standard looking room. She is then run through some movement tutorials to make sure everything is functioning properly. She then needs to return to bed but when awoken it seems that you’ve been out alot longer then expected. Wheatly is the labs core that looks over everything and pops in to explain a couple of key things that Chell should know. The amount of time passed that she had been asleep for can only be described in a way in which she should be a vegetable by now.

Wheatly then runs another set of tests to make sure that Chell can do basic functions because she may have a mild case of Major brian damage. The tests don’t go exactly as planned but none the less she is escorted out of there because that area is going to have a power outage soon. The room itself is then manually piloted by Wheatly to be taken to another part of the facility. You can already tell that things are unstable at best as the room starts to fall apart once in motion. He then does a “manual override” on the docking station (which is plowing the entire room into it) to get you on your way. The once great aperture science center is now in ruins but that doesn’t leave you without experiencing this place new. This is only some of what we experienced while getting to see the play through in action.

We also got a bit of one on one time with one of the games developers at Valve and gave us a quick briefing of things regarding Portal 2. The games single player length is about 3-4 times bigger then the original Portal. While the games co-op campaign is about two times the size of Portal in length. The two will also intertwine with each other in terms of story. Steam will also work on all platforms that support it as cross platform play, which means that the PS3, PC and Mac versions can get in on the co-op action together.

Portal 2 looks to be a great ride and from what we’ve witnessed it’ll have plenty of laughs and challenging puzzles to keep you and friends busy when it comes out April 19th 2011 for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Mac.