BioWare today announced that Shooter RPG Mass Effect 2 will also be released as a Collectors’ Edition in limited quantities. Available on January 26 in the US (Jan 29 in EU) alongside the standard edition, the Collectors’ Edition of Mass Effect 2 comes in a premium, tin case and includes the full version of the game, a 48-page hardcover “Art of Mass Effect 2” book, Issue 1 of the Mass Effect Redemption comic book, and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos.
In addition, the Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will include unique in-game weapons and armor that can only be obtained by purchasing this version. The Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will retail at an MSRP of $69.99 on Xbox 360 and $59.99 on PC.
Ever wanted to know the back story of Gears of War? Now you can. With two books on sale now, which are quickly becoming the new best sellers Jacinto’s Remnent and The Pendulum Wars. Focuses on Marcus Fenix and what happened to him and his father during the wars. These books are great for fans who love the story behind the game. Even if you only play online and kill other people, you must be curious to the story behind this great game. Buy th ebooks today online or at a book store near you. These go for about $7.99 -$10.99 depending if its hard covered or not. The books also goes into the back story for other characters such as the Carmin family, Dom, Baird, Marcus and Cole.
Having a mascot is a fairly common practice when it comes to building a brand of any kind. Everything from restaurants to sports teams, and tech companies utilize the power of mascots, the main reason being that they are symbols and are meant to be instantly recognizable characters that we associate with a certain name brand. Just the sight of a mascot can immediately put emotions of happiness or hatred into the minds of an audience. Video game companies through the years have been one of the biggest users of mascots, especially the company that revitalized the industry when it was nearly gone: Nintendo. The big N’s Mario might have seemed like an odd choice to represent a video game company but since his first appearance Mario has become an icon not only in the gaming world but in main stream culture as well. Even people who don’t play video games know who Mario is and what company he represents, and for us gamers whenever we see the image of Mario we instantly get warm memories of our younger days. This idea of having a mascot could have very easily attributed to Nintendo’s success in it’s ability to market itself, remember before Nintendo systems like the Atari 2600 and Colecovision had no mascot, the big N was doing something no other company had done before.
Following Nintendo, Sega launched it’s system the Genesis and their own mascot Sonic in the early 90s. Originally called “Mr Needlemouse” Sonic was specifically designed to be Sega poster boy, interestingly enough the original concept for Sonic gave him fangs but Sega decided against to make Sonic more appealing to the masses. Again like Mario but to a lesser extent, Sonic through the years has become a part of main stream culture. Since the early days of Mario and Sonic a few video game companies have come and gone, one of the main companies being Microsoft. When the Xbox launched it was immediately clear who it’s mascot was: Master Chief, like mascots before him he was immediately recognizable and was always associated with his system and company. With Master Chief comes an important note that a mascot does not have to be a kid friendly character, they can take any shape or form and still appeal to a wide audience, companies in the past may have been cautious but Microsoft definitely broke the mold. However there is one company that has never seemed to have had a true mascot, and arguably hasn’t needed one: Sony. The PlayStation has been around for three console generations and has no sign of slowing down, the brand has been around for well over 10 years yet when many people hear the name no too many characters ever really come to mind. True in the past many candidates have risen to stake a claim for the title of Sony’s mascot yet for one reason or another never became the Mario or Sonic of the PlayStation. Having a mascot might not be a good thing or a bad thing for Sony now however there is an interesting story here so I’d like to talk briefly about the quest for Sony’s mascot.
As Sony was preparing to launch it’s new console and career into the video game industry a mascot for the PlayStation name was being developed by Universal Interactive Studios, they wanted to create a character that would directly compete against Mario and Sonic and create interest for Sony’s new machine. Originally named “Willy the Wombat” the character was developed to be cool, quirky and be able to show off the PlayStation’s 3D engine, eventually the name Crash was given to the character and his first game launched with the PlayStation. Unfortunately Crash wasn’t very well received by the gaming community, the game itself wasn’t necessarily bad, in fact it did a pretty good job of showing off the PlayStation’s technology however many felt the character was too much of a copy cat mascot. However Sony did use the critter to advertise its console and for awhile it was accepted that despite some hang ups Crash was the PlayStation’s mascot. However as time went on the Crash games never really became ground breaking games, although the series wasn’t bad by any means it certainly didn’t compare to Mario’s and Sonic’s. As the PlayStation’s popularity began to grow there was a noticeable shift of interest away from Crash, many other characters came into the spotlight and would eventually as a group overshadow the bandicoot. Characters like Snake and Cloud would become incredibly popular as the system went on and these character would soon be associated with the PlayStation name much more than Crash, even a character like Sweet Tooth became synonymous with the Sony name brand, of course none of these characters were ever marketed alongside the Sony name but even to this day they evoke stronger memories with the original PlayStation much more than Crash does. On a side note here’s an early commercial of Crash promoting his new game and the Playstation.
As Sony began to prepare the launch of one of the most popular consoles in history there was no mascot based game in the works. The Crash name was sold off by Naughty Dog practically ensuring the series would slowly fade away, the character that once represented the PlayStation brand had certainly lost his title now. With no mascot based game launching alongside the PS2 countless debates opened up on which game was the “flagship” title, no game was truly deemed this title. However within a short amount of time the PS2 would not only get a pair of mascot quality characters, but two pairs of them. This era was ushered in with Jak & Daxter, Naughty Dog’s foray into the next gen had actually given birth to an arguably better mascot than Crash ever was. Jak like Crash was a silent type however one major plus was his buddy Daxter, the ottsel provided much comic humor and gave the game genre a breath of fresh air, Daxter wasn’t just full of corny one liners but was a genuinely funny character which showed off Naughty Dog’s strength in putting together a good script something that will only grow as they continued to develop for Sony. Along with Jak and his companion another pair of characters found their way onto the PS2: Ratchet and Clank. With the former being a bobcat and the latter being a robot they indeed made a unique combination and were prime mascot material. This had actually started a bit of a dispute between Jak fans and Ratchet fans, both games clearly saw the other as direct competition. However despite all the talk the two franchises garnered neither of the two pairs were ever really became the poster boy for the wildly popular PS2.
Ironically around the same time talks of the PS3 started to emerge a new mascot would come into the spotlight for Sony, one that today is always associated with the Sony brand: Kratos. Like legendary characters before him Kratos had a very unique look him and his games were incredibly well received. Almost instantly Kratos had jumped to the top of the gaming worlds spotlight and from then on would be considered one of the greatest characters to grace the PS2 and in fact gaming in general. However unlike most other mascots he was the star of an M rated game and yes although Master Chief is the star of one too Kratos just has that look that isn’t easily marketable to a wide audience, the PS2 was of course targeted to everyone at this point, not just core gamers.
We now come to Sony’s 3rd generation in the console market. The PS3 was launched in November of 2006 and like it’s older sibling did it with no mascot based game, however unlike the PS2 the system had a fairly clear flagship title: Resistance: Fall of Man. The game sold well for a console with limited availability and a price tag of $599 however being an original title coupled with a relatively bland story didn’t help the game in making the main character a mascot. However a little while after the launch of the PS3 another Naughty Dog game was announced, again switching the franchise this time with Nathan Drake in Uncharted. The character of Nathan Drake is a very identifiable hero, he goes on adventures, fights the bad guys and does it all with an attitude. Today when you ask a gamer who represents the PS3 the greatest they could easily tell you Nathan Drake.
Despite Nathan’s extreme popularity there is one character however that probably trumps him. This character’s game was relatively a huge hit when released last year and although his name hasn’t reached the main stream media, he seems to be the most “mascot like” character since Crash. Sackboy debuted in the game Little Big Planet and as soon as he did many people saw the new poster boy of Sony. Sackboy embodies a lot of the characteristics that makes up a universally recognized mascot. He’s unique for one, not a lot if any video game characters look like him, he’s easily recognizable, and he’s kid friendly. The main point here is that he can appeal to everyone and in the long run that’s always Sony’s goal: to create the best gaming experience for core and casual gamers alike.
So what do you think? Is there a character that comes to mind right away when someone mentions Playstation to you? Do you still think of Crash? maybe you think of someone more recent like Sackboy? Or possibly someone completely different? Either way it seems as though Sony’s approach to all this is quite different than the other guys and as long as they churn out great games with interesting characters they won’t need to be like them.
Last year the unlikely duo of Mario and Sonic teamed up for the first time in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. The game was a fairly decent attempt at creating an Olympics game set in the cutesy worlds of Mario and Sonic. Although most of the games were simple and straight forward they still made a solid collection of mini-games. Now Mario and Sonic are back in the Olympic Winter Games.
Olympic Winter Game,s like the Mario & Sonic title before it places about 20 characters from the Mario and Sonic world against each other in a variety of Olympic games. As the title suggested this time the characters will be participating in in games like Down Hill Skiing, Ice Hockey, Snowboarding and more. As far as being true to the Olympics this game is done fairly well, almost all the major games are here and some that you may not have expected. The whole game has an appropriate winter theme to it and it looks like attention was paid to the presentation.
Some of the presentation value does however fall a little once you get into the games themselves, on the graphics side the game is just about on par with the standard Wii title. Visually nothing stands out, the characters all look the same as they normally do in their respective games, the environments are some what bland and the crowds are noticeably choppy. Likewise the audio is decent and exactly what you would expect from this type of game, sound effects and voices are cutesy, and the tunes equally the same. Again like the visuals nothing about the audio really stands above any other typical game on the Wii.
Gameplay is mostly reduced to waggling the Wiimote, and pressing the A and B buttons at certain times. The games are very simplistic and no game here really has much depth to it, because of this many might find the game too easy for gamers in their teens and up. Taking this into consideration there are a few games that can get competitive especially when you bring on a few of your friends, since almost every game goes up to 4 players. Games like Curling and Hockey are two of the best games probably in this collection and could have easily fit in with a Wii Sports collection. Also interesting to note that in addition to the Olympic Games there are also Dream Games available to play. Dream Games are more along the lines of a Mario or Sonic game, with faster speeds, items, and power ups they actually become a lot more fun than the regular games. Unfortunately most of these Dream Games need to be unlocked by playing the more bland Olympic games.
Overall Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games is a good title for younger audiences, the cute characters and simple gameplay mechanics will be easy for kids to play through without feeling frustrated, however for older gamers who are Mario and Sonic fans might not be able to find enough depth in the collection to warrant a recommendation, there are a few games that could keep their interests but it’s only a handful. This is not to say Olympic Winter Games is a bad game by any means it’s just that it would be enjoyed most by younger gamers and their parents.
Electronic Arts has announced that the critically acclaimed MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR),is now available for the MAC. The MAC version is available to new subscribers via digital download at Gametreeonline.com for $19.95. Current subscribers can download the Mac version free of charge at www.warhammeronline.com/download.
“We couldn’t be more excited to officially bring Warhammer Online and our intense Realm vs. Realm combat to Mac gamers,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. “We welcome MAC users to experience the thrill of WAR and take up arms with their PC brethren.”
Now all those Mac users that were itching for another MMO besides World of Warcraft can finally try something new.
Your main character lives in a town on a small island where he seems to have lost his memory. When a military group invades the island, killing the people he cares about, he then seeks revenge and joins forces with the group that plans to stop them. In the mist of all this you discover that your hero isn’t as normal as he appears and has a power growing inside him that cannot be explained. Sound familiar? Thats because its like plenty of JRPG’s that you’ve played in the past, but does it bring something new to the table or fall short as another cliche JRPG?
Now Magna Carta 2 isn’t original by no means, its story has been heard a dozen times by other RPG’s out there. Their are plot twists to enhance the story, for the most part it does what its suppose to, getting you through the game while understanding what’s going on. Characters are pretty standard as well, everything from the hero with amnesia, to the over developed 12 year old girl (note there race reaches maturity at the age of 15 to be fare), the princess, the cocky kid that despises the hero and the ogre type character. There are plenty of quests through out the game which give you money, items and experience points. This is definitely a plus in discovering new items or leveling up a bit for your main quest, however variety in the quests you won’t find and don’t really add to the overall story of the game.
The combat is where the meat of this game comes from. The combat system is real time much like Final Fantasy 12 and offers a variety of actions to do. You can control any of the three characters you have on screen in a battle while doing a limited number of attacks before your character goes into a overheat state. Plenty of techniques get introduced in the game as the story progress, allowing you to change weapon styles, use magic and chain attacks. This adds plenty of strategy while fighting various monster/enemies. There are also plenty of character buffers in the game adding attributes to weapons, item crafting and skill charts for the two weapon styles that are used for each character. The AI for the most part acts how its suppose to but must be watched after like little children as some objects on the field can block their path quite easily becoming your worst enemy.
The visuals for Magna Carta 2 are shiny and crisp in some areas. Mostly in combat as only half of the environments in the game stand out while the rest are kind of bland. Cut scenes during combat are used for techniques and magic as you advance the skills for your character which really make the graphics pop out here. The lack of in game dialogue between characters in the environment is a tad disappointing, instead are replaced with a picture overlay of them conversing and use an out of world character interaction. This is a very traditional system used in earlier games like Enchanted Arms and it sort of breaks the flow of gameplay. The voice overs in the game are surprisingly decent for a JRPG and there is a lot of it. While some characters sound the way you’d expect, at least you won’t want to rip your hair out in the process. The number of “sigh’s” and “…” used as dialogue in an RPG has always intrigued me to say the least as well.
Overall Magna Carta 2 is a solid experience for this sequel of the PS2 game. Many instances may feel like they drag and don’t add to what already has been seen in the past. However a decent amount of characters, skills and quests help this game reach its whopping 60+ hour gameplay that can be had. Visuals get pretty at times, lots of audio and combat that will make you use a little strategy to get ahead make this game. This will give RPG fans alot to do on there Xbox 360.
Nintendo recently announced a new version of their DSi called DSi XL. The handheld will be significantly larger than the original and sport a much bigger screen as well. The new machine is scheduled for a Q1 2010 release. No word on the price yet.
Honestly I’m not sure if this is going to be the smartest move for Nintendo, releasing the DSi XL in Q1 2010 would put it before the one year anniversary of the DSi, how many people would really want to buy something that seems to be the same product only bigger? On top of this the DSi is already around $169, this would put the DSi XL at the least with a twenty dollar extra price tag if not more. Interesting to note this would probably put the DSi XL very close to the PSP price range making Nintendo’s option for a handheld less appealing to some.
The Sam & Max franchise is a fairly unique one in that it’s one of the few series in gaming that was reborn after being forgotten for about 15 years. Sam & Max have had a cult following since the mid 90s and with the new games now on PC and Xbox Live the duo has been brought back fully into the spotlight, and many gamers would agree that it’s a well deserved treatment.
For those who haven’t heard of the series before Sam & Max is an adventure game franchise of the classic point and click variety. The games tend to have wacky story lines with plenty of puzzles and mini games strewn across them. The other major draw of this series and many would argue the true heart of it series is the humor, the Sam & Max games are genuinely funny and will usually have you laughing at several points in the experience. It’s probably due to this unique approach that allows Sam & Max to be enjoyable over most other adventure games.
Beyond Time and Space is actually season two in the new revitalized Sam & Max series, fortunately you don’t really need to have played the first one even though it takes place right after it. There are a few plot details here and there but nothing that would really lessen your enjoyment of the game. The season is broken down into five episodes which can be played in any order but obviously it’s recommended you start with the first one. As soon you start the first episode you immediately get a feel to the humor and and unique story elements. Sam & Max are being attacked by a giant wind up robot that was apparently sent to them by Santa Claus, from there the first episode picks up and keeps going to the point where you actually go to the North Pole and face off with Santa himself. The game’s inventive situations are constantly changing and only in the cartoony world of Sam & Max can all this happen and still have an acceptable logic to it all.
Unfortunately some technical issues weigh down the game, the visuals alone are nice to look at, the world is colorful and you’re always exploring some unique location but the frame rate does tend to drop every now and then, it’s no where near enough to break the game but it is noticeable at times. However as a big plus the game from an artistic stand point is amazing, everything in the world is drawn with much detail and fits perfectly in Sam & Max’s world. You can really tell that the artists loved what they were doing with this project as there is just so much visual treats to be had through out the game.
Audio overall is very strong in the Sam & Max series, the music is give or take depending on where you are, everything fits in but no specific track really stands out other the main Jazzy theme. The big winner here though is the voice acting almost all it is done spot on, every character is given life through their voice actors and almost none come off as lazy or cheesy. Sam & Max especially are done so well they could have fit in perfectly in a full featured movie. Sound effects are also spot on and feel right at home given the game’s nature.
The gameplay itself is that of almost every classic adventure game, point and click on any object to interact with it or to pick it up. Once you have every item you can get you can then use them with others to solve problems or unlock a new area etc. For those who aren’t big fans of this style of gameplay they may be turned off by it but if you have any interest in the adventure genre then Sam & Max is a must play considering there aren’t many games in the genre in the first place. Some might say that it could be time to try and deviate from this very old formula but it’s sort of what gives the game it’s old school charm and although I wouldn’t be opposed to trying a different way of playing the series I realize this what the games have always been about.
One other issue that needs to pointed out with the game is the interface, Sam & Max are always built for the PC and later ported to other consoles so inherently the game was made for a keyboard and mouse setup. When transferred over to a home console’s controller the game doesn’t feel as smooth and intuitive anymore. The joystick on the Xbox controller is no where near as accurate as a mouse so there were plenty of times where I had a tough time landing the pointer on exactly what I wanted to interact with. The interface problems aren’t game breakers but like the framerate issue it’s noticeable.
Despite some technical problems however overall Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space is a great adventure game. Everything the genre is best known for is represented well in this game, the humor is wacky and the situations so random you’ll never be able to guess what kind of crazy adventure the duo will get into next. Also important to note that Beyond Time and Space is 1600 MS points making it one of the more expensive arcade games, however this is actually a bargain when compared to the PC version which is $35 so you’re saving $15 by getting the arcade version. If you’re a fan of the old school adventure genre then don’t hesitate on picking this game up, even if you aren’t a fan of the genre the Sam & Max series would be one franchise that can probably turn you into one. Overall 8.0
DICE, an Electronic Arts today announced a Limited Edition will release for Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The Limited Edition game features six special unlocks that give players a tactical advantage on the battlefield from the minute they fire up the game. Available while supplies last, the Limited Edition version of the game will be sold at the same price as the standard version of the game with participating retailers in North America on March 2, 2010 and in Europe on March 5, 2010.
The full list of six unlocks are as follows:
Four vehicle warfare unlocks
Improved Vehicle Armor – An up-armor package is mounted on all vehicle types, decreasing the effect of both explosive and penetrating warheads, significantly improving vehicle survivability.
Supreme Vehicle Firepower – Additional weapon packages are mounted for the driver of all armored vehicles, greatly expanding the range of targets the vehicle can successfully engage and destroy.
Vehicle Motion Sensor – Use this electronics warfare package to locate enemy units in direct proximity to the vehicle.
Tracer Dart Pistol – This magnetic dart attaches to any vehicle surface, allowing squad members to track, lock on, and fire rockets onto moving targets even beyond line of sight.
Two classic Battlefield 1943 weapons
M1A1 Submachine Gun – Reliable but heavy this classic weapon is a powerful force in the hands of any Battlefield veteran.
M1911 Pistol – Highly customized M1911 are favored for its dependability and the power of its large .45 caliber round.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available on March 2, 2010 in North America for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC.
To celebrate the launch of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City which includes the all-new episode The Ballad of Gay Tony, Rockstar has announced that this weekend will be free on Xbox LIVE for multiplayer mayhem. Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1 Rockstar wants you to experience multiplayer in Liberty City like never before with special guests from Rockstar North and singer/composer Henry Santos Jeter from the group Aventura. Don’t know about you but this excites us here at LVLONE and will be hope to see you in a tank, helicopter or whatever your preference of destruction is.
