Content: Alien Breed 2: Assault 
Contents: DeathSpank: Thongs Of Virtue | 09/23/2010 |
| Practical: Donkey Kong Country Returns |
Returning to Donkey Kong Country is like returning to an old friend. Many of us have fond memories of rolling through the jungles of DK's island in, at the time, one of the most visually impressive games ever made. There weren't many people who were not impressed by it, and while there has been some criticism of the original games' platforming, the titles were a pure blast to play. From the music to the general aesthetic, Rare and Nintendo created a series of games that just rocked. Now that Nintendo is making a return to DK's island with Donkey Kong Country Returns, A whole new wave of nostalgia sweeps over gamers for the franchise have long forgotten, like what we 'D ever see an update. But here we are, with the new Donkey Kong Country Games start in just under two months, and has also developed another second participant Development Studio with a big R in the title: Retro Studios. Exciting times indeed for those who can still rap DK Rap, we 'VE spent some time with the game during a recent visit to Nintendo, and we can safely say this is one of the most exciting platformers coming to Wii this year . Continue reading for my hands-on experience.
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) Donkey Kong Country Returns looks and feels like a perfect ... return ... to the franchise. Simple as that. Anyone coming back after 15 years will find that the movement, feel, and complete gameplay is a fantastic update of the original SNES titles. This time, instead of the traditional K. Rool, DK's island has been invaded by a bunch of banana-stealing Tikis. That narrative masterpiece is the basis for our game, and considering it's Donkey Kong, it'll do just fine. Once again, DK and Diddy platform as a pair across traditional left-to-right stages, but thankfully between the two of them, there are some brand new abilities to shake up the normalcy. Diddy exemplifies his monkey skills, this time clinging on DK's back instead of just following behind. Each of them have two heart points, and when they are together, DK and Diddy share four points in total. What's more, Diddy also has his jetpack most people know from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, so he and DK can double jump -- provided Diddy hasn't taken enough damage and peaced out. Thankfully, it's not game breaking to lose Diddy, and DK is still good by himself. Taking a move from the Wii version of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, DK can perform a ground pound by shaking the Wii Remote. Holding down and shaking, DK and Diddy will blow from their mouths -- which, while a weird new technique -- is good for taking down the fire enemies and solving simple puzzles.
Things become more dynamic once multiplayer starts up. Unlike the original games, where each player would have to alternate between controlling the duo, Donkey Kong Country Returns offers full live co-op. Once Diddy is running on his own, it's clear he has a few more tricks up his sleeve. In addition to his faster walking speed, jetpack, cartwheel and generally higher jump, Diddy can also shoot from his peanut popgun. It's a great little addition, and it makes multiplayer that much more fun. The two characters are different enough that they compliment each other, and the reduced health means the game is still balanced. Even better, switching to single-player is as easy as a button press, meaning those difficult sections can be performed by a more-capable player should it come to that. Perhaps the most exciting elements to return to Donkey Kong Country Returns is the addition of his animal friends. As anyone will remember, Rambi the Rhino, Espresso the Ostrich, and Engarde the Swordfish, among others, made up some of the most-enjoyable segments of the Donkey Kong Countryfranchise. I 'M is very pleased to note that these points will make solid returns, though only one confirmed so far is Rambi. His segments are great. While only one player can control the rhino, Diddy can still shoot his popgun ahead of him while Rambi plows forward. If you watched the trailer that went up yesterday, you'll see that Rambi's stages usually entail racing forward while ruins crumble beneath the trio. It's fun, and while it's nothing new, it's done so perfectly that it's hard to not be charmed by the big guy.
As everyone knows, the most graphically successful Wii titles are the games that cause style, charm, and all the little touches necessary to come together and make a cohesive and visually pleasing game. Retro Studios has done an amazing job of making the world of Donkey Kong Country Returns full of activity and dynamism. Each of the levels have small visual cues that make the world of Donkey Kong vibrant and exuberant. From the way Donkey Kong's grass hut warps cartoonishly when he fights the invading Tikis, to the active volcano in the background of the stage, or how a giant octopus' tentacles will wrap throughout a screen with the charm of a cartoon character, each level is always moving and always buzzing with activity. This emphasis on the establishment of a fully implemented Donkey Kong world is best realized on the Sunset Shore, one of many levels in which Donkey Kong and Diddy must journey through the sunsets and vistas of the their island. During these levels, DK, Diddy, and everything from left to right are stylized shadows with bright red ties and baseball caps. Sure, it's something "aped" from EXIT and Shank But he 's so good that it' s hard to keep him from playing. This level alone means Kirby's Epic Yarnhas some competition this year, 'S most beautiful games on the Wii. Donkey Kong Country Returns is one of the cleanest, sharpest and fantastically stylized games on the platform. Once again, it looks like Nintendo has the right approach to making a game that works within the confines of the Wii and produces something fresh, nostalgic, and gorgeous to look at.
What is also new is how our simian crew can jump between different planes of the jungle during specific moments in a level. So, at one moment, they'll be close to the screen, and the next they will be way in the distance. Again, this is something Super Paper Mario did, and it's an enjoyable little touch that makes puzzles a bit more perplexing. All in all, the stages are fun and difficult, offering new tricks on Donkey Kong Country platforming, and with all the bananas, puzzle pieces, KONG coins, and banana coins you can collect. Retro Studios has done something entirely remarkable here. Donkey Kong Country Returns is such a solid and true sequel to the franchise. It's great to see a studio pick up what Rare started and make a game that promises to be a perfect continuation of the franchise. Controlling like a dream, Donkey Kong Country Returns is as tight and responsive as the original games, all wrapped up in a bundle of tunes and iconography that screams Donkey Kong. From all the small details to the pure replication of fan-favorite gameplay, Donkey Kong Country ReturnS is the leader of a bunch of Wii titles out this holiday.
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| 09/18/2010 |
| Microsoft Kinect TGS Roundup - Kinect Sports and Joy Ride |
We catch up with a couple of names Kinect starting to see that 'the new Tokyo.
Over at Microsoft's Tokyo Game show 2010 booth, attendees can grab a controller and play as massive robots, deadly ninjas, and even giant green superheroes with a limited grasp of the English language. But the Xbox 360 maker's booth also offers the unique distinction of being able to play a number of games with no controller at all. That's right, Kinect is being featured prominently over at the Xbox 360 corner of the show floor, and we were there to check out some new content for a pair of launch titles courtesy of Microsoft Game Studios' Kudo Tsunoda. First on the agenda was Kinect Sports, a game we most recently covered last month at Gamescom. You can think of Kinect Sports as Microsoft's answer to the Nintendo Wii's Wii Sports and PlayStation Move's Sports Champions in terms of flagship launch titles that show what that new technology is capable of in the familiar world of athletics. Kinect Sports is a mish-mash of disciplines that features bowling, soccer, track and field, and a number of others. Here at TGS, Tsunoda gave us a chance to see table tennis and beach volleyball for the first time. Table tennis is a straightforward recreation of the sport where you use your open palm as the paddle. The Kinect camera can read your movements and detect when you've sent a forehand shot, backhand shot, and what kind of angle you've put on the strike to determine the spin. In those respects, it works really well, though we noticed that it didn't seem to do a great job of picking up lateral movement, as strikes tended to go to one side of the table over and over no matter whether you wanted to send them left or right. Overall, though, table tennis is a fun, if simple version of virtual ping-pong--especially when you've got two players going at it split-screen. After playing table tennis, we then got to see Tsunoda demo beach volleyball. The tech is able to read when the player jumps up into the air and slams his or her arm for a powerful spike. Beyond that, there's a clever little indicator system that seems to remove a lot of the guesswork from reading an incoming spike. The game flashes a circle where the ball is going to land, and there's a ring that fills in time with when the ball is about to land so that you know when to go for your return. It's something that might remove some of the real-world challenge from playing beach volleyball, but makes sense when you remember that, well, you've already foregone that challenge of elaborate button layouts--why not take it a step further?
 After Kinect Sports, we took a stab at Kinect Joy Ride. This is a game that lets you control a car using just your hands, pretending that you're clutching a steering wheel as you zip through cartoonlike landscapes and exaggerated tracks. We got to play Smash Ride for the first time. We'll be honest: this mode is basically Mario Kart. You start against a handful of virtual opponents (as well as a split-screen one if you want) and do your best to make it to the finish line first. Standing in your way are giant ramps sending you across massive chasms and weapon power-ups that racers can pick up to send rocketing toward opponents or behind as hazards on the track. The controls are simple here: steer with your hands as though holding a wheel, lean back and forward to engage your turbo boost, and extend an arm out to the side to use your power-ups. The controls in Joy Ride aren't quite as tight as Kinect Sports, but it does come with the added benefit of being able to do back flips in a bright red sports car and pummel your friends' avatar with a rocket strike. It's hard to argue against the benefits of that. Both games are scheduled to release on Kinect's November 4 launch date. Read and write comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Microsoft Kinect TGS Roundup - Kinect Sports and Joy Ride" was posted by Shaun McInnis on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 03:05:37 -0700 |
| 09/18/2010 |
| Mega Man Universe Hands-On |
| We try out the first playable version of Capcom's unique new entry in the Mega Man series at the Tokyo Game Show. There's been much speculation on just what kind of experience Mega Man Universe would offer in the wake of the stylized teaser trailer that revealed its existence a few months ago. Capcom's finally offered a clearer picture of what to expect, thanks to the first playable version of the upcoming game in its booth at this year's Tokyo Game Show. We tried out the three levels on display in the work-in-progress game and found the title to be surprising in a number of ways. Before we dive in to the game, we should offer some context around the demo on display at TGS based on a chat with Capcom reps. The three levels on display were made especially for the show, and at the moment, they aren't planned to be in the game, although they might be included as a bonus. The levels were intended to offer players an idea of what to expect from both the action and level creation in the upcoming title. It's an interesting choice for the game's debut, which covers a lot of ground. Three of your choices are in the more traditional Mega Man vein. There's a classic anime-style Mega Man based on Keiji Inafune's original designs, an all new design for the Blue Bomber specific for MMU that's reminiscent of Tron It sounds pretty logical; legs impact your speed and jumps, while arms impact your base shot type and the like. The special weapon slots will let you equip boss weapons as they become available. Finally, the item payload will let you equip different items, such as the always vital e-tanks, to use during the adventure.  We explored the three stages a bit more and found that they followed a pretty traditional Mega Man layout and had a decent array of ladders, spikes, enemies, jumps, and platforms. There were a few spots in the hard stage where it seemed like it was possible to get trapped if you missed a jump, which was actually in line with what can sometimes happen in user-generated content. The enemy mix was also on par with what you'd see in a Mega Man game and presented less of a problem than the actual jumping. More importantly, we hope there's content for each of the different eras in between so that dedicated fans can go to town. As for Mega Man himself, we have to say that we were a little disappointed in the level of detail and animation for the iconic blue hero--although we're aware the game is a work in progress. After the trailer and the talk about what the game was going to be, we were hoping for something along the lines of Mega Man Powered Up in terms of art style and animation. Hopefully, the game will come closer to that title's level of polish as it takes shape. Based on what we played, we're fans of the idea behind Mega Man Universe, but the execution is pretty rough right now. We like the customization of Mega Man and possibilities offered by stage creation. There's a lot of potential here, but it seems like the game needs more time to cook before it can deliver on its promise due to its shaky controls. Look for more on Mega Man Universe in the months to come. Read and write comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Mega Man Universe Hands-On" was posted by Ricardo Torres on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:03:40 -0700 |
| 06/10/2010 |
| Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed by USA Today |
 Details have been pretty scant on Rock Band 3until now, despite all the efforts of some . That all changes today, as USA Today dishes on the game 's 25-piano peripheral , some of the new features and even a partial song list, which we've got after the jump (Smash Mouth, guys? Ballsy.) along with some on-video ivory tickling. USA Today also fleshed out the "Pro" mode Ars Technica had the scoop on last month. As expected, the mode will endeavor to teach actual musical technique, either with the new keyboard, a three-cymbal upgrade for the drum kit or a hybrid controller/"full-sized, fully functional six-string Squier Stratocaster" made by Fender. Mad Catz is making a miniature Fender Mustang Pro controller for the mode too, but we're not going to miss the chance to play on instruments that don't make us look like sweaty giants. Continue reading Rock Band 3 keyboard shown on USA Today
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| 05/16/2010 |
| Who's that fake Pokemon? |
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Though in the end, you'll be laughed at and scorned, for a brief time, you were living the liesleep. Not that I 'd know nothing about it personally. ? Why so many of the new Pokemon look exactly like older Pokemon like Charmander and Turtwig? Why are their four different dolphin-looking Pokemon? Yeah, this stuff looks fake alright, and I think I know who did the faking. You can check out the rest of the unsubstantiated Pokemon in the gallery. Thank for the tip, Christopher!
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| 04/30/2010 |
| Man files class action suit over PS3 Other OS support removal |
 s claim Ventura 'a long shot, and if it bear fruit, then you probably won t' to do for so long, long time. Those in search of a more appropriate salary: you considered moving to Europe, and then asked really nicelyfor some sort of compensation? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
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| 05/01/2010 |
| Practical: DeathSpank (XBLA / PSN) |
 Well, it is is. I found it for me earlier this week, when the "Stiq held its first practice (we 'saw him in 2009 PAX ) with DeathSpank , the latest game from Ron Gilbert, designer of Mystery Monkey Island (but not Diablo). His new downloadable games fast-paced, button-Masha rob-\\ 'Em-up, as well as adventure filled with interesting characters and fiendishly funny dialogue. In addition, it 's about the bacon and a hero who' S favorite number ... plaid. Gallery: DeathSpank (04-30-10)    Continue reading Hands-on: DeathSpank (XBLA/PSN)
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Rock Band 3 keyboard shown on USA Today originally appeared on Joystiq Thurs, June 10, 2010 8:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . 
