Who knew that a tower defense game could be more then $.99 and be on something other then a mobile device. That’s what the guys over at Trendy Entertainment sought out from their game Dungeon Defenders. This is a tower defense and action rpg game with alot of things going for it. Except knowing how to fully balance all the elements the game has to offer.
You play as either a Squire, Apprentice, Huntress, or Monk and try to defend the castle with an assortment of tools at your disposal. If the monsters manage to attack and destroy the crystal you are protecting then it’s game over. This is a tower defense game at heart so the use of barricades, traps and magic is the key to survival.
There are different points of entry on each map that enemies can exploit so building a strategy to defend yourself is key. Aside building a defense arsenal, it’s also important to note that you yourself are an arsenal as well. You can level up and give your character skills and traits to attack enemies while they are tying to penetrate your defenses.
Each class has different types of weapons and armors to utilize which go a long way. While there is single player the game truley shines in multiplayer which can be done with up to four players over online or split screen. You’ll want to get people in the game when you can since the single player feels slow and uninspiring most of the time. Did we mention difficult as well? Dungeon Defenders really knows how to keep you on your toes with the difficulty as you progress which had gotten frustrating at times.
The game suffers from problems which could be easily addressed. We’ve found that playing alone quickly becomes boring. Looting items from enemies and chest in the stage are great, especially if your a loot junkie but the benefit becomes far and in between as you have to sort through alot of the bad to get to good. Once you progress through later levels with your character it doesn’t seem provide much for the combat to keep you fully engaged and this point it’s sort of a grinding game.
Dungeon Defenders takes tower defense to another level, literally from mobile to console with alot of good. Multiplayer can be tons of fun and provide hours upon hours of game play. The shiny cartoonish graphics are done nicely and the town makes it feel like an rpg. There’s not enough meat to make playing by yourself that worth while but this is still a great downloadable game that shouldn’t be missed.
I remember when a company named Turn 10 named a new racing simulation franchised called Forza Motorsport. Trying to capture racing enthusiasts and gamers from the Playstation exclusive racer Gran Turismo it would be impossible to see how the future would play out. Six years later they have perfectly crafted a racing sim like none other out there. Containing everything that fans of racing games, car fanatics and gamers could want it’s hard to see what Forza 4 doesn’t have.
The first thing I want to mention about this game is that it is not a huge departure of Forza 3, they simply took a game that was great and made it better in many ways. It’s easier to get into, easier to navigate and easier to get your adrenaline pumping from the sheer speed of 150mph+ down a track. The game boasts 80+ manufacturers with more then 500 cars and has something here for everyone to enjoy.
The presentation welcomes fans and new comers with open arms making the menu’s simple to get where your going. This is helped in part of the primary pilot in the game, british version of Top Gear which provides commentary for tutorials, World Tour mode and the all new Auto Vista. This addition provides knowledge and understanding to not only the fasted or well sought after cars but how to harness the horsepower within them. Auto Vista takes knowing a car one step further by letting you get behind the wheel like if you were seeing it at a real showroom. Only some cars are available for this but it is like being there with the car and learning how it all comes together.
For single player play World Tour and Event racing is where most of your credits will be rewarded. Most of the racing has been left open by only a set number of qualifications needed to enter. This means more races with cars you’ve spent time with and love then having to collect cars just for simple races.
While Forza 3 looked great, Forza 4 looks even better. With new dynamic track lighting it gives cars the perfect balance of what they should look like on a real course. Car visuals have also been given an upgrade. Don’t know how many times I’ve looked at some of the cars on the track, showroom or environments and said they can pass as real photographs. Turn 10 has really done some fine craftsmanship with getting almost every detail onto the cars.
Unlike other games the sound here is one of the most important aspects then almost anything else. The music can be soothing or mildly entertaining at most but speed has more of a voice here and it’s one of the greatest ever. Hearing the engine roar of a Corvette Stingray, a V8 Shelby GT500 engine or the turbos of a Skyline GTR-R35 never sounded better then here. The car sounds are also treated with great track noise as well. Skidding tires, breaking wind from speed and collision feel authentic.
One of the best features in the game is of course the online for so many reasons it’s going to be hard to get it all in. First, players for online racing have been upped from 8 to 16. You can create a car club with friends where you can race together, meet up or even share a garage. Aside online racing which can be hosted by players with a mix of different options, the most notable has to be Rivals. This lets you compete for times on different tracks against friends, club members and xbox live players. There are different categories of racing and you will be able to race a players ghost for a better time then them.
There are customizations for any car across the board. Tuning a vehicles performance and appearance give most of the same options from Forza 3. You can also purchase everything from vinyls, car tuning options and car designs. Lets not forget the auction house makes its return. One of the changes I noticed options that are designed seemed to be locked at all times. Meaning you can’t change some ones tuned settings, put one design on another car or advance on a vinyl that was created.
Vehicle AI has also been improved. Depending on the settings, slower cars or cars made to be easy play like novice drivers which can make mistakes or misjudge breaking like they actually would. While harder or faster vehicles become aggressive, have better handling of the track and are not afraid to show you your in their way.
Not everything in the world of Forza 4 is perfect. We were a bit disappointed that night racing or weather was absent from the game. Some of this are in games dating back 10+ years ago. A better personalization to the club garage could have bought that player experience as you would have seen in PGR4 or Test Drive Unlimited 2.
I want to not forget that the game also features Kinect functionality. Most of it works really well. Navigating the Auto Vista mode feels natural, gesturing your hands and body to move along side the to see everything. It also has head tracking with Kinect which will allow you to turn your head left or right to see an upcoming turn or get a visual on an opponent. One thing we didn’t play much is the actual racing with Kinect which you have to pull both your hands in front like your holding a steering wheel and simply turn when a corner is coming up. Auto assist steering and breaking is turned on so no much can be done beyond turning your hands left and right.
Forza 4 is the best racing sim out there and has features that no other racing game period has. Most of the is an improvement from the last and only adds hours. Anyone that is a fan of racing games or cars can easily relate to the content and options that Turn 10 has provided here. The game has so much going on that it can sometimes be difficult on what to focus on which is the best part since you don’t have to focus on one thing. While not perfect it makes us wishful for future iterations although we know it’s going to be hard to top this one in the years to come.
Bullet time is back and in a big way. We got to see a bunch of Max Payne action over at New York Comic Con and see how Max progresses from the ex-New York cop, to a bald headed man with a closet full of more than just skeletons. The developers gave us a glimpse of how drugs and alcohol have played a large role in Max’s life since the death of his family and friends, and it really shows in the details of his face… The years have not been kind to Max.
We started the demo off with Max at his apartment with Raul Passos, an old friend from the NYPD who is now also an ex-cop. Raul sets up the deal with max for him to work as part of an executive security detail in SãoPaulo, Brazil for the Branco family. Through the first cut scene comes Anthony DeMarco, a NYC mob boss who’s son you killed, and he’s back with his goons for vengeance. The cut scene ends as DeMarco still screaming for Max’s head, as Raul tells you that it’d be a good idea to get away from DeMarco as soon as they can. Turning towards the door, DeMarco’s goons are already scrambling at your front door down the hallway and throughout the building to take you out.
This is where action breaks loose and you get your toes wet again in Max’s chaotic world. The weapons system has been broken down to either carrying a single double handed weapon, or a single or dual wield single handed weapons. Heading through the hallways of Max’s apartment complex, we’re able to see the detail of every little thing, like the destruction of the surrounding environment, individual bullet paths and shells ejecting out of the chamber of the gun in bullet time, and the way the A.I. reacts to Max. Even after the first few minutes of the demo, you can really tell they’ve put so much work into it. All the characters play such a dramatic roll and they all tell a story, that you can see within their facial expression and body movements. As the demo was played, the developers stated that the new A.I. wont just stand around and follow a set pattern to find Max hiding, but they’ll go through the area and aggressively search and flush out people in hiding. Also with every batter the final bullet that kills the bad guy will be a bullet time cut scene, meaning the camera will follow the bullet to finish up the last kill.
There’s tons to be seen in Max Payne 3, and my words couldn’t possibly describe the depth of everything we’ve seen. The great thing is that Max will be back in March 2012, and an even better thing… Multiplayer! Not much is known about the multiplayer but we’ll keep you informed when we find out more.
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After a four year hiatus, Rockstar has revealed a new title for the next chapter in the series, Grand Theft Auto V (or five, it isn’t clear whether the numeral or the word will be used in the official title).
There isn’t any detail as to where this installment is going to be based or who the main character will be, but GTA fans can be sure that there will be another game in the series. All there is to go by is the Rockstar main website, and the game’s logo. The logo is accompanied by the date of the game’s trailer’s release, November 2. The last installment, Grand Theft Auto IV, features Niko Bellic, a war veteran who escaped from Eastern Europe to live in Liberty City.
Two expansion packs, The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned, were later released in 2009 on the Xbox 360 (2010 for the Playstation 3 and Windows). After initially being released as a digital download, the games were released on-disc as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes of Liberty City, then later released with the original game to form Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition.
According to V3,GTA: IV, which hit store shelves on May 13, 2008, posted the “best ever single-day and seven-day sales totals” for its time. The game, according to a New York Times report, the game hit $500 million in its first-week sales, selling six million copies in the first week, 3.6 million of them coming on the first day.
Gamasutra has reported GTA: IV has reached 21.5 million units shipped. Out of those, how many were sold…
Anyone would think it was almost mandatory to release at least five games that have to do with zombies a year. The original Dead Rising had a great influence on the initial zombie movement for this console generation. While this is the technically the fourth installment, it is actually the second game in a different light. Told through the eyes of the first games main character Frank West the question now becomes have they gave us enough a year later to take a trip back to Fortune City?
When playing with Chuck Greene in the original Dead Rising 2 last year we hadn’t really heard of what happened to Frank West. This explains what happened immediately after the first game on his rise and fall. Trying to risk it all to come back out on top zombies start running rampant again and you need to figure out what’s going on while. Unlike Chuck your a photographer, so taking pictures of various situations is what can come handy to you for XP.
Zombies have definitely expanded their territory here. There are alot more zombies on screen with better AI. It never gets old to mow down a horde of zombies that stand in your way.
Alot of the things that made Dead Rising great like the two player co-op mode which now can be experienced with Chuck and Frank together. Additions to Off the Record are a new sandbox mode. This is something that I’ve always wanted in Dead Rising, none of the pressure from the 72hour limit which now lets you complete challenges at your pace with or without a partner. The new Uranus zone is small but pretty cool to be in, adding new weapons to the mix of old.
Nothing has changed from the original Dead Rising 2 and that might be apart of the problem. There were a couple of issues since the first game that hadn’t been addressed. Load times are still in an issue but are an improvement and a better menu system would have been a nice addition. The prologue dlc and Case West seemed to have done a better job of offering new locations, items story for the price tag which could be an issue for some.
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is something fans of the series had been asking for. Many would have wanted this as DLC but with the voice work, story dialogue and other additions it does stand out from the original. Fixing some of the issues it is known to have in the series could have been addressed. While not ultimately changing to much it is still very much a solid game for new comers and fans alike to pick up.
Rise of Nightmares can be described as the younger brother to the House of the Dead series. A take on an arcady game but with the functionality of the Kinect. Taking on a survival horror story, the game will try to engage while scaring the crap out of you in the process. The problem is mostly in the use and execution of the Kinect itself which holds it back.
What you first notice about the game is how violent it is. It is the first mature rated title on the Kinect and it doesn’t hold back. You play a character named Josh which is vacationing in Eastern Europe with his wife. She gets kidnapped by a mad scientist or really just a serial killer and you have to try to save her. Many of the things you encounter will be creatures, undead and traps but surprisingly your biggest enemy will be yourself. The game can get very physical in which you will be running, ducking, attacking and navigating to get through the game.
It’s safe to say that this is the first Kinect game to allow you to fully roam an environment with no controller. The motion gestures you will do are pretty accurate but is amazing how sometimes walking around is an issue in itself. Funny thing is the game features an auto walk for when/if your feeling tired which seems to come in use nearly right away.
In some areas the game does a good job of scaring you with undead monsters walking/running at you in a very creepy manner. With no real force feedback from the lack of a controller and having to be at a distance because of the Kinect your engagement is hindered because of it. Not to mention the story doesn’t do much for the game.
Rise of Nitemares could put a chilling scare into anyone but the exhausting motion controllers and bad story do a number on you. There are some good ideas and even things the game does right. It works but feels tedious pretty quickly and with nothing really holding it together it becomes short lived.
It’s been a huge work in progress but all the work has really paid off in Street Fighter X Tekken. I got a chance to play the game at New York Comic Con the past weekend and I was pretty stunned at how well the game played. The art direction pretty much keeps the Street Fighter 4 style between both Tekken and Street Fighter characters, and it bodes very well with the Tekken characters surprisingly. The game will introduce a new Gem system, which will give players different attributes and give players a different way to mix things up. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to test out the Gem system, but at least we know the system will add a lot of extended game play. The fighters from Tekken may take a little getting used to because of the six button layout, but more or less the buttons are similar. Also the hit boxes felt a little tighter, so playing as King, Zangief, Hugo, or any short reaching characters will be a little difficult since the player will most likely be required get in really close. Keep your eyes peeled for the special edition that will be coming out with the game March 6, 2012!
The special edition of Street Fighter X Tekken, which will include:
Street Fighter X Tekken game
Build-It-Yourself Arcade Cabinet Bank (approximately 5″H)
Exclusive Prequel Comic Book by UDON
36 Gems: Includes All Pre-Order Packs Plus An Exclusive Pack
Pre-Order Bonus: Nine Exclusive Gems Only Available For Pre-Ordering Special Edition
Namco Bandai has announced a new Tekken-themed fight stick, but only 1000 will become available.
Tekken Hybrid is a game that mixes various Tekken games onto one disc, sorry Xbox owners, this is only available for Playstation 3. The game includes the CGI movie Tekken: Blood Vengeance 3D in addition to Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue and an HD version of Tekken Tag Tournament. All games are 3D and there is additional content yet to be announced. If you haven’t played Tekken Tag Tournament 2 yet, don’t worry, because there is also a demo of the game included.
The game, which releases November 22, has three different editions. The first is the normal game, the second is limited and third is extreme. The game will feature 40 characters (34 regular characters, 6 new), which players can master by way of the game’s regular controls or one or 1000 limited edition fight sticks.
The Namco website is currently taking pre-orders for the fight sticks, which is priced at $249.99. Namco, however, have limited the pre-orders on their website to two (2) per order. Included in the extreme edition is the Tekken Hybrid limited edition two-disc soundtrack which features scores from Tekken Tag Tournament and Tekken Tag Tournament 2, the Tekken Hybrid artbook, containing art and background info on the Tekken series and exclusive content for your Playstation Home.
Here is Namco’s own list of features for the fight sticks:
Storage compartment for efficient cable management
3-way switch enables joystick to function as left or right analog stick or D-Pad
Works with all PlayStation 3 models
If you’re planning on getting this game when it comes out, it is in good spirits to pre-order it. There’s no telling how many are available or how easy they will be to find. Pre-ordering is generally the most guaranteed way of getting special edition bundles. In this case, the Namco website is the only place to get the fight sticks. So open up the wallets and treat yourself to something nice.
First and foremost I wanna say sorry we haven’t kept you updated about the events and where we’ve been. This weekend is New York Comic Con, and Remdog and I have been on the prowl around at the Jacob Javits Center covering the main event. In the on coming week we’ll be updating you all with the new games that we encountered, games like Street Fighter X Tekken, Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City, Max Payne 3, and some others. We’ll be also updating with some of the cosplayers of NYCC, and some other goodies, so keep checking back in the on coming week maybe even two weeks of what NYCC had to offer this year. We’ll be updating as much as possible so stay tuned!
Unlike many other tower defense games in which you purchase and place towers, in Orcs Must Die places you right in the mix of battle. Towers, or in this case, traps and snares, are used with other weapons and equipment to engage enemies. You play an apprentice war mage who finds himself in a sticky situation when your master falls in combat. With your master gone, you are now expected to defend the a gateways that lead rest of the world from an onslaught of Orcs.
Getting the hang of the controls came very smooth and quick. The game does a great job of making it a gamer-friendly game by simplifying controls. Whether it is scrolling in between traps or upgrading weaponry, its very easy to pick up and play immediately.With that being said, tower defense games require strategy and also can be played very differently, Orcs Must Die is no different. There are a variety of different fortresses and maps that keep you looking for better ways to taper off your orc infestation. Not only can you devise different routes in which to engage the orcs, but the game does offer a pretty large choice of traps to kill orcs with. Some of the traps are your usual traps in tower defense games such as a tar pit to slow down enemies, but many of the traps take an intriguing and comical approach of taking down orcs like spring traps that launch them across the room.
The integration of a third-person shooter along with the tower defense makes Orcs Must Die enjoyable. When some orcs would slip through my traps, I’d have to chase them down to deal with them which makes game play that, more exciting. Although the main character makes the same comments over the course of the game, I still get a chuckle out of them. The unlocking of traps and other weapons to use definitely keeps you wanting to play the game to figure out the best way to setup traps and get a high score on the leader boards. There is a large variety of enemies in which you face so you always have to keep changing your strategies which keeps it a fun game.
One thing I had a problem with was the AI. Sometimes I would block off an area in order to funnel the orcs in, and they would glitch and just keep running back to my barricade and just stand frozen in it’s tracks between runs. It didn’t happen all the time but just a small hang up in the game since you’d wait at the gate expecting to see some one show up sooner or later. Overall I enjoyed the game, it revived my love for tower defense games and I can’t wait to play it again!
