On June 7 we’ll be electrified with the release of Infamous 2. To give the fans a surge of excitement the Hero Edition has been announced and will be released the same day with it’s pricing being set at $99. The Hero Edition includes a 8.5″ Cole MacGrath statue, a sling pack fashioned just like Cole’s, the Infamous #1 mini comic from DC Comics, game soundtrack, and a redeem code. A redeem code for what? For a collection of in-game bonus content that includes a Kessler skin, 24K Gold Amp, Electrocution Grenade Power, and Lightning Hook Power. Each bonus DLC content can also be redeemed by pre-ordering at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Walmart if you don’t want the full package deal, just be sure you choose the right one.
Infamous 2 Hero Edition
LittleBigPlanet 2 Review
Have you ever played a game and thought that your brain just exploded because of so much awesome? Something powerful enough that it brings you back to a point where you played a game and wondered that innovation couldn’t get better then this. I would know because it happened to me. Little Big Planet 2 takes all the creativity and somewhat limitless bounds and expands it tenfold. The infinitely expandable game takes you on a joyride of fun, excitement, laughter and challenge into one package.
The game’s story line will course you through 30 levels and has our Sackboy hero trying to defeat a beast that has invaded. You will encounter funny and whacked out characters alongside your adventure who have some great personalities. All the essentials will be learned during the story mode which also include the new moves that have been added. The Adventure Mode isn’t all that memorable for its story but the actual levels definitely are. They are tons of fun, each world feels very unique and ramps up in challenge fairly quick. Flying, grappling, racing and button smashing are some of the things you will encounter from the main quest.
For those who don’t know Little Big Planet 2 at its core plays like the old style 2D mario brothers games. There are three planes of field which are the background, middle and foreground. You can make your Sackboy seamlessly jump between them and will be required to get through some obstacles. Tired of playing alone? The game can also be played with 3 others via online or locally. This is one of those games where you can really meet interesting people while traversing to new unfound places.
Now for the bread and butter which is the Create Mode. Like the first, this game is driven by the possibilities of creativity. This time you can go well beyond stage making and you now have the tools to build and manipulate all sorts of things. We managed to create a stage where the result was to escape what looked like a burning building. While not all that creative it was surprising how much easier this was to do over the first game. All the tutorials are compiled in a list which is easy to navigate on but I will admit that it all does seem a bit intimidating at first. Especially if you check out other users creations. We’ve played a first person shooter, a recreation of legend of zelda, a short film and Windows XP!
Creations are easy to get onto the internet and customize how it is seen. You can make your own planet for people to visit online and get feedback. Other users creations can also be rated, recommended or marked as favorite while viewing them. The beauty is that any stage can also be played online with others (provided that it allows the ability to) and are sometimes preferred that way. Players also have the ability to dress your sackboy up, plenty of pre-made costumes are ready to mix match or you can get crazy and place stickers that are collected from the adventure mode to be used on yourself.
The graphical style has been tweaked since the first and looks alot smoother. Really nice effects with great color and brining things in with the Playstation Eye can be very surprising at the results you get. The game does have some tiny issues too. Some of what annoyed people in the first game will still annoy people now. Sometimes a physics based action on the same object in two separate areas can give you a different effect, even weird at times. Some detection issues can be noted and as massive as the game feels, creating something can have its limitations. There are also some people waiting for Playstation Move support but the game doesn’t have it at the moment and those will have to wait. While the game sounds perfect, it isn’t but these are things you might not even notice, at least not right away.
Little Big Planet 2 is chock full of amazingness. Story Mode, Challenges, Versus Mode (mini games), and a Create Mode that can only be described as “Wow” is some of the best i’ve seen in any game. You can not only create a stage in this game but you can create an entirely new game within it. Media Molecule stepped it up big time and can’t wait for what they have instore for the future. The game breaths life every time you turn it on and we imagine it’s going to stay that way for a good while.
[starreviewmulti id=2 tpl=20]
Overall = 9.1
Farewell Bizarre Creations… Thou Shalt Be Missed
It’s been a long ride Bizarre Creations, Though it only seemed like yesterday that I was playing Geometry Wars and Project Gotham Racing, today is the last day that you will exist. Tonight I think we will all celebrate all the fun you’ve given us over the past seven years.
Here’s to you Bizarre Creations, may your name live on in the games that we own. To remind us of the long hours in front of our screens, your last video will be remembered of how awesome of a company you really were.
Dead Island Trailer
Deep Silver and Techland have been keeping things quiet on this glorified and zombified goody of a game. The game takes place on an island named Banoi, where you play an everyday character/tourist/vacationer. Suddenly an outbreak occurs on the island where weapons and ammo are somewhat scarce. Mainly players will use melee attacks, and a combination system to create weapons, something similar to Dead Rising 2. So far the game hits the genre of zombie slasher mixed with action RPG, think Fallout mixed with Dead Rising 2. Planned for a later release this year Dead Island will definitely be on my radar. We’ll keep you updated as more information gets released.
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood “The Da Vinvi Disappearance” DLC
If you read before, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood team made a promise to it’s fans that if their Facebook fan page had over one million “Likes” that DLC would be released to all the fans. Well the million has been met and over passed, with current count at 1,045,167 fans. The new map was released without hesitation, and now new DLC will be out next month! The Da Vinci Disappearance DLC will have Ezio pulling a Sherlock Holmes to find a kidnapped Da Vinci. Through recovering stolen paintings which will lead Ezio to the Hermeticists, an underground cult.
Multiplayer mode will change a bit as well since two new game modes will be added on along with a new map Alhambra, a “lush environment set in Spain’s Albaicin of Granada”. Also four new characters Dama Rossa, the Knight, the Marquis, and the Pariah will be added into play. The new gameplay modes will be “Escort” which has two teams of four players protecting a VIP target and a ten-minute, six- to eight-player deathmatch called “Asassinate.”
Expect all this to be out on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 8 for $9.99.
Review: Spare Parts (Xbox360)
What’s better than robots? Robots and aliens that’s what, and guess who’s got ’em combined in one game? Spare Parts does, that’s who. Spare Parts is about two robots Mar-T and Chip, (way to meet the stereotype) who are stranded on large junkyard planet. Trying to find a way off the planet Mar-T and Chip find an abandoned broken down spaceship with an A.I. named Con-Rad who’s voiced by Shawn of the Dead’s Simon Pegg. In order to get off the planet Con-Rad sends our the adventurous robots across the planet in search for missing parts of the ship.
Spare Parts looks like a great game, beautifully colored and modeled. Levels and characters have so much depth, each with their own different design. Water effects, fire effects, and electrical effects in the game look amazing. The cartoonish colors, and very friendly design of the characters gears this game to a younger crowd, which I most likely think that Bright Light designed the game towards. The only real downfall of the design is camera controls, the lack of different angles of the camera makes jumping some obstacles difficult or finding certain objects a challenge especially in co-op mode.
The game was originally designed with co-op mode in mind. With the limited range of camera panning and lack of camera controls, I’m not exactly sure how well the game was planned out. Countless times I found either myself or partner dying from either falling off ledges or going off screen where you slowly lose health and die. Luckily there’s no set amount of lives to run out of, instead the only penalty of dying is a reduction of collected coins you already have. Also players are able to drop in and drop out of game without really interrupting the action, which means any random player can join in and kill you multiple times on purpose or help you out. Just know that it can go both ways.
Although there are problems with the camera, the controls on the other hand are great. Button mashing to attack, itchy trigger finger to throw a barrage of junk at enemies, or set up your own combo to get through the swarm of enemies. The only thing that I really wish they added into the game was a lock on target button. Outside of single player mode I didn’t have any problems, but as soon as you have a friend playing with you it’s a all out slug fest.
Spare Parts is definitely a game for kids and the people who have an itch for collecting everything in a game. Not only are there parts for the ship to collect but there are upgrades for Mar-T and Chip to collect as well. In fact most of the parts for Mar-T and Chip are needed to collect all the ships parts, so replaying past stages will be a must. All the while, there are some nice tid bits that the developers have thrown in for some amusement like dancing robots who actually break dance. Also if you can’t already tell this game is pretty fun to play and for it only being $10 you get your money worth. If you have kids then this would be a great buy for them, but if you’re a more mature gamer I’d have to say pass.
Overall = 7.0
iloMilo Review
Before I begin I just want to mention that I’ve seen my fare share of cuteness in games but this is by far the most adorable game I’ve ever played. While you might think that I’m making this sound like a bad thing, it only adds to its charm and great structure that the game brings to life. iloMilo is a puzzle Xbox Live Arcade game that utilizes 3D aspects, all into a stylized package.
Your adventure takes place with two best friends named ilo and Milo. They like to do nothing but be together, eat biscuits and drink tea. However every time they are apart it seems to get more difficult to find each other the next time. That’s where we come in. The main objective is to reunite the besty’s so they can do what they love to do. Their world floats on a 3D plane of boxes in which you need to maneuver yourself over obstacles in order to get them together. You will encounter missing blocks, creatures that block your path, blocks that extend etc. Not knowing what is coming up next is only part of the games excitement.
The game resembles something out of Little Big Planet with a patchy look to everything. It also throws plenty at you and quickly becomes a challenge. This means your going to sometimes have to plan ahead of time or you going to find yourself moving a couple of steps back to see what you did wrong. Big differences in difficulty can be found once you make it to the third world and beyond. Since different blocks within the stages also have different effects, you will also need to put some thought into how to proceed. Blocks can block one side but not the other, grabbing blocks to place them down so the opposite character can pick them up. The gameplay stays fresh with every new block that comes along as you progress.
Unlockables can be found in each stage as you collect pictures, records, and these little creatures called Safkas. Getting 100% in stages unlock more stages later on and give you cool bonuses. Besides how great it looks it also features this 16bit sounding soundtrack which goes very well with everything, I was impressed on how sharp it all plays out. The game can also be played cooperatively with a friend but it’s just like playing by yourself, with an extra controller. Since the game doesn’t feature Xbox Live support, the part of playing together stops there.
iloMilo can easily be passed off as a cutesy game for children but it’s so much more. Challenging puzzles, exciting new ways to figure out your next move, great visuals and sound are only some of the aspects to enjoy. Xbox Live support would have been the icing on the cake and coming from Microsoft it should have been a no brainer, however the game is fun for all, has plenty to unlock including a minigame and should be given a chance as you won’t be disappointed at what you encounter.
Overall = 8.2
PAX EAST 2011 Around the Corner
PAX East 2011 is right around the corner. Being held in Boston on March 11-13th there’ll be plenty to see and play. Over the years PAX has grown into a huge phenomenon being one of the biggest conventions in gaming, opened to the public. Let us know some of the games you want to hear about or extensive coverage on? We be there first hand to get the skinny on what’s to come. If any of our viewers are attending say hi, who knows we might just be giving away a prize package to one of you.
Review: Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
It’s been three years since the revival of the Bionic Commando franchise dating back to the old days of the NES. Not only did Bionic Commando come out with two games back in 2008 but one was a 3rd-person shooter, open world sandbox game while the other was like the old school styled 2.5D platformer. Low and behold a majority of the crowd enjoyed the Rearmed series, I don’t know if it was the green jumpsuit with the spikey orange hair, but dreadlocks on the 2008 Bionic Commando looked a little too hip at the time I’m guessing.
In Reamed 2 you’re back in the shoes of the arm grappling commando himself Nathan “Rad” Spencer but with a mustache now since he’s a bit older. A missile threat from General Sabio has Nathan and his band of bionic commandos dispatched out to deal with the threat head on. Soon after the BC’s are dispatched they get separated in the Papagayan jungle. Immediately as you start the game you get the sense of how small you are since everything in the background compared to the foreground is so immense. Another great thing that I noticed is that within the first stage you see a large explosion in the background, meaning you know that you aren’t in the battle alone. Co-op is available in the game although the game doesn’t change too much. Yes it’s fun to swing around together, but not being able to have special co-op actions like a trapeze move to swing across larger pits makes co-op seems like it was just added to the game to be there as an option.
I’ll admit though, the feel of the game feels like the old Bionic Commando with a little change, one big that is, which is the jump functionality. I know what you’re thinking… “Oh big whoop, you can jump now. It’s about time.” However think of it this way, out of all the 2D, 2.5D Bionic Commando games, this is the first time where Nathan can jump. All of the old BC’s have been very challenging without the ability to jump, but even with it in, it still gets challenging. Many times I found myself plummeting from the top to lower levels because of miscalculated grapple jumps (thank god for no fall damage). Levels are designed to be vast. The speed of the swing and long falls could make levels short, but it seems that the designers took that into consideration and scaled the levels to account for it. Also the replay value is pretty high since there are power ups throughout each area where special bionic power ups are needed to reach them, although back tracking isn’t always needed to beat the game. There are parts of the game where I did find myself going back to the previous levels though to hopefully find new weapons, but most of the time I’d concentrate on finding everything on one level and completely forget about the story of the game.
The game is a fun kick back to retro gaming, I’ll give it that, but controls are a little hard to get used to. I found myself grappling at air countless times because the direction that you’re pushing the analogue isn’t fully in that direction. Also the addition to some sniping mounts and helicopter ride where you control a large cross-hair to snipe or shoot enemies on screen made breaking up the constant swinging between platforms fun, but it’s far and few between each level. Boss battles throughout the game is basically a wash, rinse, and repeat. Similar bosses show up with a slight different tactic to beat but nonetheless it’s pretty much the same. Also for the Playstation 3, players need to be connected online to play, why exactly? I have no idea. In all honesty, the game is fun though. If you’re looking to get back into the classic feel of the last game, are a fan of the series, or you’re a completionist and enjoy doing speed runs this game has it. A multitude of collectible items are on each stage, and you can even check the online leaderboards to see how you measure up the the greater bionic commandos out there. For $15 or 1200MS points, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is worth every penny in my opinion.
Overall = 7.8
Activision axes Guitar Hero, True Crimes, makes layoffs and dev closures
Who could foresee something like this happening? It seems like only yesterday we were holding a plastic guitar controller for the first time and had quickly become addicted to the craze. With actually only a mere lifespan of 5 years Activision has disbanded its Guitar Hero business unit and announced that it will cease development of the planned 2011 Guitar Hero game. This effects all Hero games (Dj Hero and handhelds included) and will not be publishing any music games this year. This is all apart of Activisions call to bring the workforce down to 500 people and focus on key games.
True Crimes: Hong Kong also got the axe as development wasn’t going as smoothly as Activision had hoped. We had seen the game at last years E3 and looked to be shaping up but time must have been a big factor in this. It has also been reported that 7 Studios, part of Activision’s music game division, has been shut down as well. The studio was acquired in 2009 and is currently in a on going legal battle concerning publishers Genius Products which had contracted 7 Studios to create Scratch: The Ultimate DJ before Activision bought the company out. Vicarious Visions has had a cut of 50 staff members are responsible for some of the handheld titles of Hero and Tony Hawk games. It was also only last month that Activision closed the doors of Bizarre Creations which were a company dating back to 1994.
What does this all spell for the future of the company? While it doesn’t really say that Guitar Hero as a franchise is over and done with, it does however show that we won’t be getting one until something absolutely revolutionary is discovered (aka a long time!). The DJ Hero dev FreeStyleGames is currently working out solutions with Activision but is in the hot seat and Neversoft’s Tony Hawk games have cease production for this year. Activision did express that it is going strong with key games, spiderman titles and if not at least one game from Blizzard this year then two for next year. While restructuring within companies is normal and sometimes absolutely necessary, it does question how far bigger companies are willing to go to acquire the competition only to see it shutdown when it falls short of expectations.
