Plants VS Zombies Dated For iPhone
We don't often post about iphone games, but I really liked Plants vs Zombies, and so will make an exception.Popcap's botany based tower defense game has been long delayed on the mini iPad, but it's finally got a solid date. The 15th of February (next monday) is the day to get excited about, or go and get it for your PC in the meantime. Whatever, just go and get it!
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Ben 2010-02-08 19:02:29permalink
There's some very, very big things happening in Fable. Bigger than you think. And it's going to really upset people
Gamers? Get upset about an anouncement? Never! Peter Molyneux tells Gamereactor that he's got something Fable III-shaped up his sleeve for X10 later this week...
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Mark 2010-02-08 17:39:08permalink
There’s alot of furore surrounding the so-called sex scenes in Bioware’s Mass Effect 2 at the moment, possibly more so than those that were in Dragon Age: Origins. For the record I’ve not seen the scenes in either, my female Shepard (whom I’m using in Mass Effect 2) did manage to sleep with Liara in the first game, although I didn’t go out of my to reach that particular goal, so maybe I’m not qualified enough to comment on the particular game in question, but fuck it, this is the internet and everyone has an opinion, just as everyone has an arsehole and I’m going ahead and voicing mine.So Mass Effect 2 has sex scenes in it, if they’re anything like those in Dragon Age: Origins that my partner has told me about, or the ones in the original game they’re hardly sex scenes. You see more action in Tweeny favourite Twilight than I recall seeing in Bioware’s first instalment to the series. Even so, do we really want some real hardcore alien action in videogames? Especially when you recieve achievement points for your gamerscore to go along with the fact you’ve bedded certain characters. This amounts to that whole jock mentality of bragging you slept with a girl whilst acting all sweet and innocent to her face and is a rather embarassing representation of the immaturity that surrounds the games industry. What I mean is, look at the treatment Jade Raymond received whilst her team were heavily at work on the first Assassins Creed. I also think that the manner in which sex is being handled by the games industry will never be taken seriously whilst its such a male driven medium. The Porn industry has put alot of effort into making something that doesn’t just amount to a plumber turning up at some horny woman’s house and her giving him her body in return for his handy work. This has come about as more and more women have gotten involved in the directing and writing of porn films, and whilst they don’t quite have the stories that a really great film would have, you wouldn’t expect them to, they still have substance beyond the titillation.
Likewise, I don’t expect videogames to challenge the film or porn film industries in how they handle the sexual content of their products, nor do I want the sex to be interactive, after all why would I want to press some buttons on a game pad to provide on screen action when I can enjoy some quality time with my partner?
I’m not saying that sex in videogames doesn’t or will never have its place, but at the moment it feels like a bullet point thats purely designed to attract teenage boys to whatever product in question. I also think that whilst the majority of videogames stories are so weak that most Hollywood blockbusters put them to shame (although I will clarify that the exception to this is anything that Joel Schumacher or Michael Bay have ever gotten involved in) maybe writers should focus on putting together well structured, cohesive plots that are entertaining on their own grounds using solid, believable characters before tackling something as complicated as sexual relationships between humans or indeed alien races.
Or as one commentor on Kotaku put it really rather well…
People of Earth: The Internet is full of porn, you don’t need to see some Quarian breasts to get your jollies
I also published this on my own blog yesterday, just on the off chance that someone has read this more than once.
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Duane 2010-02-08 16:49:02permalink
Hurray Loading Screen's back! For the next couple of weeks anyway.We've got the Halo anime next week, but this week EA and Starz's (plus a host of anime studios) Dante's Inferno.
I’ve complained many a time about films based on games messing around with their source material, but rarely do these films come out the same weekend as the game. In fairness the plot of Dante’s Inferno remains the same; Dante must enter hell to retrieve his lover Beatrice whom he betrayed. It’s the details they’ve changed that are a bit odd, such as how Dante came across his scythe, how he gets his body crucifix, and even the specifics of his interactions with the damned.
It perhaps doesn’t help things that I’m currently playing through the game, but the alterations to the games story is not necessarily a bad thing. The game doesn’t spend too much time filling in the blanks, so the extra detail in this anime is quite welcome. The only problem is when it doesn’t quite mesh with what’s gone before, or its source.
I’m not sure using the variety of anime studios was the best idea. It does seem to be the way these animated accompaniments work, but because Dante’s Inferno has a single narrative, rather than the usual episodic style, it doesn’t really work. While the studio seems to change with each new circle of hell, the only indication you get is a black title card. The result is jarring and confusing; the jump from the familiar Dante to a skin and bones version, then to a brick wall of a man, does the film no favours. When it first happens you wonder if it’s part of the narrative, that maybe time has passed since Dante entered the depths of hell.
The quality of the animation is a mixed bag. Generally the CG parts look quite good, but some of the background animations are laughably bad. Some of the animation styles are quite interesting, but you can’t help but wonder why Starz bothered hiring the other studios given the standard of what they’ve produced. Its also worth noting that none of the art styles match those seen in the game, which itself has a bit of variety.
One area that does excel is the sound. The score is well produced and of a high standard, the key thing is how well it’s used. It’s hard to tell if the acting is good or just sounds like it should be. Using the same cast as the game (to a point), the performances are full bombastic thespian, and while that maybe doesn’t suit the bloodshed, it does match the elevated tone EA are wishing for.
The anime is not as bloody as the game, it’s hardly restrained, rather it never dwells on one fight or situation for any length of time. This is actually a weakness of the film, it simply has no pacing, emotionlessly moving forward from hell circle to hell circle. It’s a shame, because Dante’s Inferno is littered with interesting characters from history, the kind of detail that would really add something to the franchise.
While Dante’s Inferno doesn’t do a whole lot wrong, it’s still far from essential. Indeed the problem with launching an animated accompaniment with your new game is that there’s no one who cares yet. You can imagine the Tekken and Street Fighter anime’s, even next weeks Halo anime, having their problems forgiven by rabid fans, but there’s no chance with Dante.
Not astounding then, fairly ordinarily in fact, but far from an embarrassment.
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Ben 2010-02-07 13:24:48permalink
Oh, that's the telly. A big flat 46in Panasonic. Great for PS3 gaming.
Gaming's adoptive MP Tom Watson tells The Guardian what the most expensive bit of tech he's ever owned is. Now, did he claim it on expenses?
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Mark 2010-02-05 16:32:53permalink
Sega Sweetens the Yakuza Deal
This is a nice touch from SEGA Europe. The European and Australasian release of Yakuza 3 is not getting a limited edition release, instead every copy of the game will have the limited edition content.It's a bit like when Oprah gave everyone a car.
Your copy of the game will include an enhanced CD featuring 31 in-game tracks, and an animated 'who's who' of the series. You'll also get a survival mode, a tag-team fighting mode, an 'all-star' mode, and something called 'Haruka's request'. All bar the latter need you to complete the game to access.
Click here for the promo picture
GALLERY:
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Ben 2010-02-05 10:39:36permalink
Capcom's western developed Nolan North 'em-up has taken a bit of stick, and I'm here to say it's not entirely deservedDark Void is not the game I was expecting. The focus on the jetpack in the previews for the game gave me the impression most of my time would be spent in the air, with the ground combat being almost incidental. If anything the reverse is true.
The game opens with some air combat, but this lasts only a handful of minutes and doesn’t reappear for around another hour or so. Fortunately the ground combat works well, it generally keeps you pretty busy, there’s a reasonable mix of locations, and the upgradeable weapons add the feeling of progress (albeit slight). Bullets feel weak later on unless you focus your upgrades, and they move a little slow, especially with the way enemies leap about.
That’s not to say the A.I. is especially smart, indeed most enemies leave themselves exposed enough for you to sink rounds into them, although those with jetpacks can be a nightmare to hit. The A.I. never really tests you, you can be swamped but never flanked, enemies will generally keep their distance, so ducking in and out of cover is all you need. You can take to the air and hover-shoot people, or even blast through a crowd with your jetpack, but you’re never encouraged to, and never need to.
There are some semi-platform sections to the game, where you either perch on or under ledges and platforms, blasting away at enemies who do the same. Its here where the game offers the most variety, superficially at least. The obvious is the change between climbing down a cliff to climbing and shooting up one. While you’ll mainly be scrambling up/down cliffs and sci-fi cores of some sort, the boat section is a real stand out moment, a novel touch lacking in the rest of the game.
The much talked about flying combat is initially the games weak link, it was only on the 4rt or 5th variant that it finally started to click with me. Aiming is far too loose, perhaps a lock-on feature would have imbalanced the game, but these sections can become tedious. I suspect it was the lack of enemies and wide open spaces that hindered my enjoyment early on; more enemies in a smaller area, such as the later levels, means they are easier to hit. Your turning circle is stoic, combated to some extent by the flip move, although this plays havoc with your aim, so really only helps defensively.
Graphically the game does enough, it’s nice and solid, and while the frame rate isn’t buttery smooth, it only dips on a handful of occasions. The games low point is without doubt the cut scenes, with their glitchy frame rate, popping textures, jaggy lines, and occasional repeating sound. The plot’s not so bad, written down it’s horrendous, and the twists are fairly obvious, but it’s presented well and certainly entertaining enough.
The biggest shame with Dark Void is that everything you see in the first episode of the game represents what you see in the whole. There’s a handful of new weapons to find, but essentially everything you face in the first flying mission, or the first ground mission, or the first platform mission, are exactly the same (aside from some tougher enemies) as what you’ll find in the last. There’s a lack of development, that coupled with the increasingly generic environments, makes you glad the game is so short (less than 10 hours). There‘s also the sense something has been cut, there‘s a few levels where the narrative doesn‘t walk you up to the gate the way you‘d expect, as though perhaps there was supposed to be a level in between.
So far this has been reasonably complimentary, unfortunately there’s a sense of frustration permeating the whole game. The targeting while flying, the targeting while hovering, the bullet sponge enemies, the lengthy recovery time of your health, the awkward camera, the list goes on. And this is really the crux of the issue with Dark Void, it’s not so clever or essential a game that you can brush aside its problems, however there’s no doubt that when the game isn’t getting in its own way it’s a lot of fun.
Don’t believe the hate this game is getting, but at the same time go in with your eyes open. You’ll have fun, but at times it will also be a little too much work.
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Ben 2010-02-04 19:11:26permalink
I got my 18 year old son, in the first instance, to put me on the right track and make sure I was doing everything right, and now I'm going to secretly play on this for about a week solid and hopefully I'm going to be able to beat him.
Motorbike racing legend Steve Parrish's MotoGP 09/10 secret is out. Curse you, Spong!
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Mark 2010-02-04 15:52:31permalink
Project Needlemouse unveiled as Sonic 4
The waiting is over, and Sega have finally revealed Project Needlemouse's 'proper' name as Sonic The Hedgehog 4.Gamespot have the main trailer, and Sega have also launched their microsite for the title, which contains no fewer than four different countdown timers, one of which expires later today
The game is confirmed for PS3, 360 and Wii, as well as another mystery format that's been blocked out- most likely iPhone, according to a handful of leaks floating about the internet, but there's probably smart money on it popping up on Steam or Games For Windows, too.
Also blocked out on the site is one space on the characters page, with the description "Who could it be now?", meaning there's still hope for Sonic's new friend Mr. Needlemouse to make a late appearance.
It's due out in summer.
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Mark 2010-02-04 10:05:43permalink
THQ Sequel Splurge
Here's some good news. THQ have announced that at some point between mid-2011 and 2012 (so some way off still) we're going to see sequels to Saints Row, Darksiders and Wii exclusive de Blob.I know Duane enjoyed Darksiders, but I never thought de Blob got the success it deserved. Hopefully I was wrong, hence the sequel, but it's a surprise that there's such a gap between the two games
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Ben 2010-02-04 05:50:44permalink
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Plants VS Zombies Dated For iPhone
Sega Sweetens the Yakuza Deal
Project Needlemouse unveiled as Sonic 4
THQ Sequel Splurge
Videogame marketing, in casualwear
What We're Playing
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Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic
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Pokemon: The First Movie
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Plants vs. Zombies
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Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
Saint's Row 2
Darksiders
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de Blob 2 (Tentative)
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