Mark your calendar and lock in your copy of Mass Effect 2 now! Leading video game developer BioWare, announced that the epic Shooter/RPG Mass Effect 2 will be on store shelves in North America on January 26, and on January 29 in Europe. With its larger-than-life hero Commander Shepard, intense shooter action, nuanced characters and a rich storyline, the much-anticipated sequel to the original award-winning opus is one of the most anticipated titles of 2010. In support of the launch, BioWare is releasing unique Mass Effect 2 pre-order incentives at key retailers in North America and across Europe. Codes for downloading these items will be provided to players who have pre-ordered, usable when the game is released.
It appears that the best of the best is coming to Xbox finally! Facebook, Twitter and Zune are going to be a part of the Xbox Llive community! This is exciting news. Not only can you chat with friends on Twitter and Facebook, but also if you have a Zune you can plug it in and watch movies onto your xbox and listen to music while you play and get free music video downloads with the Zune subscription. Aslo, with Facebook and Twitter you can customize your Avatar with the profile you make on the system. It is all connected with the outside world on the computer so even if your using an xbox with Facebook, you can talk to people using a computer! It’s amazing what xbox can do for it’s subscribers. Share pictures and messages all in one console.
Everyone uses Twitter and Facebooks and now use it on the Xbox! The program doesn’t come out until late 2010, but if you act now, they are having a preview subscription. All you need to do is go on www.xbox.com/XboxLiveUpdate and fill out a survey asking your xbox’s serial number, your Xbox
live gamertag, and your windows LIVE ID associated with your gamertag. Then submit survey and you could be chosen to be in the preview. Don’t worry, not everyone gets chosen so don’t feel bad if they didn’t e-mail you. For more information, check out the Xbox Live Dashboard with a video from Major Nelson.
If this program comes out it will be great for everybody in the Xbox Universe for all ages.
EA announced today that Need for Speed NITRO has gone gold and will be in stores on November 3rd in North America and on November 6th in Europe. Developed exclusively for the Wii and Nintendo DS, Need for Speed NITRO captures the fun and exhilaration of arcade racing, thrusting players into a world of blazing speed where they must dominate the competition at 200 MPH. We’ll give you more on Need for Speed Nitro as it comes in.
Today Rockstar has announced that they will be releasing the Rockstar Legacy Collection for PSP. On October 15, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, Midnight Club: L.A. Remix and Manhunt 2 will be available for digital download from the PlayStation Network for the PSP system.
They will also be launching their official Rockstar-branded storefront on the PlayStation Network. On October 22, the storefront will offer the full complement of new and Legacy Rockstar titles for the PSP system, including Beaterator, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and The Warriors, all available for digital download. So for those looking to get a bit more out of their PSP GO’s and if you missed any of these titles, then this might well be up your alley
You would have to be in denial to not say that the Wii’s current line up of games is relatively uninteresting. This is by no means a shot at Nintendo, if you look at the release list for the rest of ’09 and early next year you’ll be hard pressed to find something to get really excited about. Save for New Super Mario Bros Wii, Nintendo hasn’t even been exploiting their greatest strength: a database of unique IPs. Instead of utilizing their wide list of franchises the up coming months brings us things like a sequel to Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit Plus, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. When you look at the Wii-mote and the countless unique characters Nintendo has at it’s disposal you’d be hard pressed to not think of all the possibilities this system has, plain and simple Nintendo has yet to unlock the true potential of the Wii, they may have had a few run away hits but those are coming far and few in between and if Nintendo is smart they’ll realize that time is running out for them to keep their competitive edge.
Before Nintendo had the advantage of price, now the Xbox 360 is the same price and the once expensive PS3 is only a $100 more expensive. Nintendo once had the uniqueness of their motion control, now the Xbox 360 and PS3 both have their own motion controls coming up and from what we have seen they will both blow the Wii-mote away. The big question here now is how is Nintendo going to stay afloat let alone keep their top position in the console wars. The answer is in their games, that is the one thing Sony and Microsoft can never have, and never compete against: Nintendo has an arsenal of classic and new IPs that have risen above all others through out the years to almost legendary statuses. These games can only be done with the unique genius that is Nintendo and it is only through this does the big N have a chance in staying ahead of the other guys. Here is a list of games that Nintendo should have already been out on the Wii to spark back interest in the little console, unfortunately for Nintendo these titles haven’t even been announced yet.
F-zero – The futuristic racer has always been a solid title for any Nintendo system it was on. From the SNES onward, F-Zero has always delivered on what it would promise: ridiculously fast paced racing. Besides the actual gameplay the F-Zero franchise has always had a certain level of character to it. The game is set in the future where beings from far off planets participate in this race. In short the roster of interesting characters and racing crafts is what gives F-Zero its variety, that and the kick-ass race tracks which is the franchises other attraction, racers rocket through giant loops, 90 degree drops, and upside down roads, in environments ranging from dark caverns to futuristic metropolises. These games are a pure rush and can get very competitive, F-Zero would be an incredible addition to Wii’s library, with online play and the Wii’s motion control. A word of caution however, an F-Zero game for the Wii would need to be toned down in difficulty, the franchise is also notoriously known for it’s ruthlessness.
Star Fox – It blows my mind how not a word has been spoken about Star Fox for the Wii. Star Fox 64 was one of the best games for the N64 and yet no direct sequel has been made of it. The Gamecube did get two games though, Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox Assault, the former being a solid title while the latter being a mediocre one. But the Wii desperately calls for a classic Star Fox game, the Wii’s motion controls could be tuned to work so well with this shooter and with so much time between this and the N64 title, fans will literally be clamoring to get this game, throw in online dog fights and you have yourself an instant classic, heck even bring back Slippy if you have to Nintendo just please announce this game already!
Paper Mario – Now before you say wait a minute the Wii has Super Paper Mario, let me explain. The Wii needs to have Paper Mario return to the RPG format, yes Super Paper Mario was a good game but the RPG style of the previous ones was so much more fulfilling. Both the original and it’s sequel: Thousand Year door were considered to be the best RPGs on their respective systems. Sound hard to believe? Go back and play them and you’ll be surprised how well these games were made, let alone the unique artistic style and charm. Admittedly this game probably wouldn’t use the Wii’s motion controls to their full extent but does that mean it shouldn’t be made? The Wii’s lineup of RPGs is so thin that a Paper Mario sequel would be eaten up by core and casual gamers alike.
Kid Icarus – For those younger gamers who didn’t didn’t even know Kid Icarus existed got their first glimpses of the main character, Pit in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For those of you who don’t know much about this long lost series, the games are simple. Set in the world of Greek Mythology you play as Pit an angel whose task it is to defeat the Dark Goddess Medusa, unique yet standard stuff for a game on the NES. The game actually was a mix of Metroid and Zelda, the game giving players a world to explore in a 2D space and the chance to get more abilities. It seems that a sequel is well over due now but the general debate has been how Nintendo would want to go about reviving this franchise. Kid Icarus was very similar to Metroid on the NES so logically a Kid Icarus like Metroid Prime could work, with the Wii’s controls players will be able to shoot arrows just like Pit. However some say a safer 2D approach would be better, either way like Metroid before it Kid Icarus needs be brought back into the light after years of hibernation.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 – As soon as I heard the Wii would have motion controls this was one the first games I thought would be announced for it. The original Luigi’s Mansion made it’s debut with the GameCube and although the game was incredibly short it was a unique and fun experience, and Luigi was the main character to boot. A sequel to Luigi’s Mansion for the Wii would work so well it makes me question whether or not Nintendo forgot they had developed the game all those years ago. With an over the shoulder camera perspective players would be able to control the flashlight and vacuum much more intuitively than the original, and capturing ghosts will be a lot more involving having the players pull back on the Wii-mote as they they struggle to capture the variety of specters in the game. Just make sure the game is of a decent length and you got yourself another classic Wii title.
Kirby – Admittedly the pink ball hasn’t had much luck on home consoles, there have been a mixed bag of games on the N64 and the Gamecube but with some extra time and care I’m sure a 3D Kirby game can be delivered. For those of you who are Kirby fans you will know that this game actually has been announced…sort of, which is why I’m including it in this list. Those who don’t know or just don’t remember, a new Kirby game was organically announced back in E3 ’05 for the Gamecube, after realizing the console’s demise was soon, the game was canceled for the Gamecube and that’s where things get a little hazy. It was assumed that the new Kirby game would be transferred over to the Wii, in fact the game has randomly shown up on Nintendo release calenders for the Wii since then, however back in 2007 Nintendo officially stated that the game was not in development, but since then has yet again shown up on certain release lists. So since the existence of this game is in question, and with Nintendo’s official statement and no word from them since I’m treating it like the other games on this list, it could be in development but it hasn’t been announced, so Nintendo if this new Kirby game is in development please hurry it up and announce it, everyone has missed the little pink guy.
There you have it 6 games that can easily be made for the Wii and that can give the little console a much needed edge in this console war. Nintendo needs to do what it does best: explore and expand their unique characters, these are characters gamers have grown up with and each one of these games greatly deserves to be made, not only will they be a much deserved treat for the core gamers but they will undoubtedly sell many units, these aren’t mature games or games that have a niche market, they’re titles that anyone can enjoy and isn’t that what the Wii is all about?
While we need to still wait a couple of months before the US rendition of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is released, and believe us we’re still surprised that it is making a US debut at all. Today it was announced by IGN that the final two members in the roster is none other then Mega Man’s Zero from the Mega Man X series and Joe from old 1972 anime series Gatchaman. While each fighter will carry their own signature moves, I can’t be more excited then to swing around Zero’s energy sword. You can check it out for yourself here.
Capcom and Tesla Motors have partnered to bring gamers the Dark Void Tesla Roadster Giveaway. The sweepstakes, which began Monday at an exclusive event at the flagship Tesla Motors showroom in Silicon Valley, invites gamers to visit Capcom’s official Dark Void site to enter for a chance to win a variety of prizes, including an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas to test drive a Roadster, as well as the Grand Prize: their very own Roadster. This is the first time that Tesla Motors has partnered with another company to give away a Roadster, the record-setting electric sports car that’s faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo and greener than a Toyota Prius.
This is to celebrate the launch of the action-adventure game, Dark Void, and Capcom held a test drive event Monday that allowed the media and San Francisco Bay Area members of Capcom-Unity.com to experience both the car and the game. To enter the sweepstakes, visit the official site Dark Void site at here to sign up for a chance to win. Five lucky winners will get a free trip to Las Vegas this January during the Consumer Electronics Show to test drive the Tesla Roadster with the Dark Void development team.
FIFA 10 is coming to 360/PS3 and it is better than ever. Graphics go far and beyond what they have ever been and an all new Virtual pro option is new this year. The player can actually get a picture of a person or even themselves on the ea.com website and upload it to the game so they play. You can build your stats as you progress through the game and become a legend. Pro Club Championship is also new this year. Create an online club with friends & champs, play 10v10 against hundreds of thousands of Virtual Pros from around the World, with the top clubs battling it out to become Regional champ or World Champions. Theirs a new practice arena in the game where you can work on individual and team skills in a fully featured practice mode before stepping on the pitch. Select the number of attackers and defenders you want in play, practice, open play or from set pieces. The main function also is theres a 360 dribbling instead of always having a bird’s eye few the whole game. That makes it more cinematic rather than seeing from afar. Refined goalkeeping physics give the game a more realistic feel to it. The demo was a great taste of the game giving it a experience I haven’t felt in a while when playing a soccer game. Download the demo today and see what all the soccer fans are talking about!
Spyborgs is an interesting game from a lot of perspectives, it combines the gameplay of an old school brawler with the Wiimote’s motion controller. The resulting game isn’t a bad one by any means, in fact Spyborgs is a solid game with almost no technical problems, however for more mature audiences the game could come off as being bland and too childish.
I hadn’t heard much about Spyborgs until I played the game to review it, I didn’t even know what genre of game it was, so when I heard that the game was a classic brawler like Streets of Rage and TMNT I was actually excited to try out the game. Beginning with the opening cutscene you can already tell that Spyborgs is geared towards a younger audience, the characters are brightly colored and almost have a cartoony look to them, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing however that was my first impression of the game. This fact puts Spyborgs in a awkward position, the game is rated Teen however it seemed like the game could easily be targeted to someone half that age, on the other hand I found the game to be somewhat difficult at certain parts which can very much frustrate players in this age group. Overall it seems that Spyborgs isn’t sure who it’s target audience so it tries to appeal to everyone.
Graphics aren’t anything to get worked up about, the game runs smoothly and can handle plenty of enemies on screen at a time. Particle effects are cool and explosions are great, however the graphics are very on par to a Gamecube game, and yes I know the Wii’s hardware isn’t much better than the Gamecube’s, but there are other games on the system that manage to squeeze the hardware for all its got, and its a shame because Spyborgs could have been a very beautiful game to look at. In the Audio department again nothing really incredible, however that doesn’t mean it’s bad. The sound effects are on par with a game in this genre, character’s voices sound good and music is appropriate for the frantic gameplay, no major issues here.
Gameplay is Spyborgs strongest selling point, there aren’t too many brawlers in this generation of games especially on the Wii so on that point alone the game is worth a look. However there’s more reasons than that, unlike classic brawlers the gameplay is a little deeper, characters have multiple moves, including long and short range attacks which add plenty of variety to the game. On top of that there are also special moves, blocking, dodging and combos to pull off, and to add even more to the game upgrades can also be bought to learn new moves, and increase attributes. In these respects Spyborgs tries to go above and beyond the classic brawler formula and does it successfully, yet something about it still didn’t give a sense of being fully satisfied, perhaps its the fact that deep down its still just a classic brawler, whatever the reason is there is still nothing broken about the gameplay but there’s just nothing special about it either.
Overall Spyborgs is a good game just not a great one, everything about it is acceptable from the graphics to the audio and gameplay, nothing here is bad and yet nothing about the game really surprised me. That still doesn’t mean the game isn’t fun, especially if you play the game two-players there’s plenty of brawling fun to be had with Spyborgs and it’s especially a good buy for someone in there young teens who haven’t had much exposure to this classic formula of games. Overall 7.7
What if you had the chance to make your own game without investing money and time (well, time is a requirement) in development school, and do it in the comfort of your own home? Thats what sploder.com makes available for the ambitious, potential Myiamoto’s in the world. Well lets not get to ahead of ourselves, this might not provide the ground breaking graphics that next gen consoles will but gamers can look at this as way to get really creative with the tools given.
sploder.com is a flash based site where someone can make games spawn with whatever they can imagine as a story. A user can make an account to join the site or just demo and tinker with the tools. You are given a choice to make either a platforming game or a Shooter game. Whether you choose to make a platform game or a shooter, you are then given access to the tools to make the games. For example, if you choose to make a platform game, you get to the development window, the window has a screen where you can place objects and characters on the screen on a 2D plane. The main character is already made up and its numerous enemies to fight. You have a stage builder tool to help block the map the way you see fit. Also, the various weapons the main character can utilize to defeat the enemies in the game.
In the shooting game, you have a choice to make a shooter using a ship or as a robot. ( Truth is they are very much the same except, that ship shooter glides through the screen and robots walks through the map). Just as the platform game, you are given tools for the weapon arsenal, stage building items, etc… Only difference is that in the shooter you can actually have wingman with you, which is a cool addition.
On sploder.com they have games by its user community to play. Fellow users can rate each game, test it out and even comment. Although their is only one kind of main character that can be created for the platformer and such, this is more of a way to express an idea or scenario users would like to play out.
To sum up, this is a great intro to game ideas. Simple controls and tools to make a simple game that is actually fun. Making these simple games, will give one with the love for video games, a little appreciation for the game developers who make make games we and its creation process. This a gateway to a little slice of game development.
