May 2011

Podcast 202: It’s a secret to nobody

May 18, 2011

Features / Podcast / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Podcast time! On this week’s super-secret episode, we talk about secret things and how they’re not secret anymore. But, you know, shh. It’s a secret. In all seriousness, as Andrew, Shawn, Graham and Gerry also discuss L.A. Noire, PSN’s return and random other things.

 

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Check out the show here or use the RSS feed in your favorite Podcast Aggregator. Let us know what you think!

Hosts: Andrew Passafiume, Gerry Pagan, Graham Russell, Shawn Vermette

Music: ToeJam & Earl ‘Bumpin’: Joshua Morse, OverClocked ReMix (http://www.ocremix.org)

0:00 Intro

0:30 News: PSN’s back, Rune Factory returns, Gotham City Impostors

13:40 Talking games: L.A. Noire, Dream Trigger 3D

27:00 Discussion: Secrets!

42:50 Outro

Thor: God of Thunder

May 17, 2011

Reviews / Wii / by Justin Last Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Thor: God of Thunder for the DS is exactly what you’re thinking: a movie tie-in aimed at young kids, whose devs didn’t try very hard because, even if the game only sells to one percent of the DS’ install base, SEGA will make their money back and then some. And basing a game, even a bad one, off of a summer blockbuster will ensure that grandmas all over the nation will buy it for the grandkids’ birthday and Christmas presents. 

I really wish that pessimism didn’t pay off so often, but unless there’s a Tt Games or Telltale logo on it somewhere, licensed games just aren’t good. Thor: God of Thunder could and should have been a competent God of War-style action game or Zelda-style RPG. Instead it’s a boring run through five hours of the same enemies over and over with a limited combo system and graphics that, aside from bosses, look like they could be done on the GBA.

At the very least, Thor is not simply a retelling of the movie’s plot so those kids who receive will have a new narrative to play through. You take control of the titular Norse god as he protects Asgard from three types of enemies in a variety of colors. Single enemies are laughably easy to defeat, and groups don’t present much more challenge. Combos are easy to string together, and Thor has a decent amount of attack variety in melee, ranged, flying, and super moves. You won’t need all of them, but it’s nice that the option is there. Additionally, there is a small strategy element present in Thor’s equipping of runes to augment his abilities. You can only equip three at a time so you’ll have to choose runes based on your play style. It’s not a bad system at all, it’s just sitting in such a mediocre game that it suffers by association.

Where WayForward flexes its dev muscles a little bit is the boss battles. Bosses fill both DS screens and require a bit of strategy to beat. It’s nice to see something different than the same monsters over and over again, and finally utilizing the DS hardware is a great addition to the game. I wish more of the game took advantage of the platform, honestly. There’s room here for large vertical levels (Thor can fly after all), monster types that require more thought than “beat with hammer until dead” to defeat, and a more interesting setup than “monsters are marching on Asgard – are you a cool enough dude to protect the gods!?”

Thor: God of Thunder is rife with potential. Superhero games are not new regardless of whether their source material was recently given the movie treatment. Marvel’s take on Norse mythology should make for a great action game whether it be a traditional action platformer, something with RPG elements, or a flight-based shooter. Thor deserves better than this, and it’s a shame that SEGA and WayForward dropped the ball. If Disney could make a compelling Lion King game on the SNES, then SEGA should have been able to make a blockbuster out of Thor.

Pros: Interesting combat system full of combos and run combinations

Cons: Enemies are so easy to defeat that the combat system can’t shine

 

PSN “Welcome Back” plan detailed

May 16, 2011

News / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Sony’s long-awaited “Welcome Back” package of free content for the return of the PlayStation Store has been detailed. PS3 users can choose two of the following five games: LittleBigPlanet, InFamous, Dead Nation, Super Stardust HD and Wipeout HD + Fury. PSP owners can get two of LittleBigPlanet PSP, ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation. 

Players can redeem these within 30 days of the service returning. There are also some other free perks, including free movie rentals. The full list is after the break, and you can check out Sony’s blog post for more. So what will you get? READ MORE

Warner Bros. reveals Gotham City Impostors

May 16, 2011

News / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

During a pre-E3 event this morning, Warner Bros. Interactive revealed that a new shooter from Monolith Productions will be released on XBLA, PSN, and PC. Titled Gotham City Impostors, it will be a 4-on-4 shooter based in the Batman universe. Filling out the name, you will play as a customizable impostor for either Team Bat or Team Joker, and be tasked with taking out the opposing team. READ MORE

Snackbar Speculator: Alien Factory

May 16, 2011

Features / Speculator / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

In this edition of Snackbar Speculator, we consider a possible Alien twist on a launch lineup, another console reveal and a new farming/dungeon-crawling sim.

New Aliens game to be launch title for Project Cafe

Sega recently announced that Creative Assembly, makers of the Total War series, was going to be making a new game with the Aliens IP. There’s a rumor out there that this game will appear, not just on the expected PS3 and Xbox 360, but also on Nintendo’s new console as a launch title.

Andrew Passafiume: Not much has happened with the Aliens IP that Sega has. They released the new Aliens vs. Predator game, but nothing else. Obsidian’s RPG was canceled and Gearbox’ Aliens: Colonial Mars seems to still be on indefinite hold. Sega is doing nothing with this IP, so a new Aliens game could happen sometime in the future. It’s hard to say what will and won’t come out for Nintendo’s next console, but this could be another potentially strong game to add to the launch lineup. At the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing comes of this. 65%

Graham Russell: Pure toss-up. It’s really a matter of just how easy it will be to port from PS3/360 to Project Cafe, since I can’t see this being a huge seller on a Nintendo console. That said, I’m a fan of the Creative Assembly team, so there’s a difference between what I want and what I predict. 50%

Shawn Vermette: Sega hasn’t really done anything with the Aliens license since they bought it, so there’s high expectations for this Creative Assembly game. As for being a launch title for the next Nintendo console, that will depend entirely upon its specs. I’m going to bet that it will be powerful enough for it, but a launch title? I don’t know yet. 55%


Microsoft to unveil next Xbox at E3

We already know Nintendo is revealing their next console at E3 this year, and we know that Microsoft has been working on a new system from their open job descriptions for the past year. Rumor has it that they are preparing to officially reveal the next system at E3 as well, to try to steal some of Nintendo’s thunder.

Andrew: With the Kinect just launched, I doubt Microsoft really has any plans to announce anything besides new software at this year’s E3. Are they working on a new console? It’s definitely possible. Will it be unveiled anytime before next E3? Not at all. 5%


Graham:  Microsoft will, in all likelihood, lose this E3. Could they want to slip out teaser information about a new console to get some press? Yeah, but they have enough on their plate trying to justify the Kinect for another holiday season. Why get buried under the NGP and Cafe when they could have next year to themselves? Er, potentially. Sony could announce something too. 23%

Shawn: I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new console from Microsoft that fully exploits the capabilities of the Kinect, since the Xbox 360 is reportedly too weak to do so. I also wouldn’t be surprised for them to launch it in 2012 either. Revealing it now though? I don’t think they’re ready. 25%


Natsume localizing Rune Factory: Oceans

According to Siliconera, Natsume is planning to reveal an unannounced game for the PS3 and Wii at E3. It could be a completely new game, but rumor has it that it is actually a localization of their newest Rune Factory game, Rune Factory: Oceans, which was released in February and doesn’t have a North American release scheduled yet.

Andrew: The Rune Factory series has decent popularity here (as does the Harvest Moon series) and we’ve seen every Rune Factory game make its way over here so far. I see no reason why they wouldn’t release this new game. 95%

 

Graham:  This particular rumor, especially the “PS3/Wii” part, does make it seem true. Before that little nugget of info, I would have expected XSEED or Ignition try to snap it up. (That is what they do, after all.) But Natsume localizes these games in a way that fans of the series like, and that may factor in to the bottom line.  80%

Shawn:  Pretty much every Harvest Moon and Rune Factory game has come over here eventually, so I’m fairly certain it will come over here eventually. And…there’s really not much more to say about that, I suppose. It will happen. 100%

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