Monthly Archives: September 2012

Review: Tiny Troopers (PC/Mac)

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Platform: PC/Mac

Developer: Kukouri Mobile Entertainment

Publisher: Iceberg Interactive

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

Tiny Troopers is a really fun blend of action and light strategic elements reminiscent of the classic PC game Cannon Fodder with a tiny bit of Taito’s ancient arcade game, Front Line for good measure. Ported from the mobile version by developer Kukouri Mobile Entertainment, TT is a great little budget game that packs in 30 increasingly challenging missions, a nice selection of unlockable gear and upgrades and even a small set of Achievements for gamers who feel the urge to milk every penny of the ten dollars the game costs. Some may gripe about the lack of an actual story, no online play, some occasionally wonky pathfinding and a handful of other things. But overall, you’re absolutely getting your money’s worth here in a game with a decent amount of mission and map variety.

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New Cloud Atlas Trailer: Still Weird (But Less Strange)…

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OK, I’m more than ancient enough to grasp the whole timeless lifespan physio-psychobabble thing going on here, so I wasn’t too knocked for a loop by the first trailer like many were in their confusion. I m glad however, that some sort of plot is becoming clearer here and yes, I still predict this will be a film that does even better on home video because it will demand repeated viewings to fully understand.

Unlike something like Speed Racer, which too one viewing to grasp that it was a pure nuts idea for a live-action film. OK, OK, I saw it three times on cable just to pick out the in-jokes and because some stuff actually made me laugh. Just keep that between you and me and we’re all good, OK? Damn internet is too yakky….

Killzone Trilogy Trailer: Guerrilla Finally Brings It All Together (Almost…)

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Even though I own all three originals, like a lot of gamers, I’ll be shelling out for Killzone Trilogy for one reason: the chance to replay the first Killzone game in HD (thank you Sony!). That said, where’s Killzone Liberation? That excellent (and under appreciated) PSP exclusive was quite a solid chunk of side story action that, despite the third-person viewpoint and bird’s eye view camera angle, still looked and felt like it belonged in the canon (which it does). I’d have added it as a free PSN download if there were somehow no way to fit it on a disc, but we’ll see if Sony decides to give the game a proper fit somewhere as part of this great collection set to land on October 23 (October 24 in Europe).  Between this and the massive God of War Saga, Sony is certainly making sure its main franchises remain in the minds (and libraries) of gamers who can’t get enough of them…

It’s The End of the World As We Know It, C-Virus Edition!

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Ah, you have to love the well-written yet absolutely fake press release. When done right, it’s a true art form, that’s for sure. Toss in a link to web site that’s intentionally low-tech but packing a lot of realistically scary content and it’s pure genius. OK, guess what game this is for (it’s not hard to tell at all, by the way…)

National Center for Infectious disease Research

Projects the End of the World as October 2, 2012

Dr. Harvey Joseph-Carlson Cites C-Virus as Leading Cause

NEW YORK – Sept. 6, 2012 – The National Center for Infectious Disease Research (NCIDR) has published key findings predicting the end of human life to occur on October 2, 2012. Lead researcher Dr. Harvey Joseph-Carlson cites recent wide-spread C-virus outbreak across North America, Europe and Asia as the cause for the projected end to humanity. The report highlights a rapid increase in the infected population as well as a decline in food rations, medical resources and lack of hope as key factors into his final projected end date.

“The end of humanity is a sad and inevitable reality that’s closing in fast on October 2, 2012,” notes Dr. Joseph-Carlson. “We have witnessed gruesome acts due to the widespread contagion and without a cure to the C-Virus we have run out of time and hope to save mankind.”

Dr. Joseph-Carlson’s research documents how the rise of C-Virus infection spreads rapidly through densely populated cities and filters into rural locations. The infection maps within the report outline how contaminated populations become “uninhabitable zones” for non-infected bystanders.

The origins of the C-Virus are still unclear. The C-Virus is a highly contagious mutagenic, non-carcinogenic virus and has no known cure. The incubation period of the virus is also unknown but victims are prone to see symptoms within 24 hours.

For more information and first-hand accounts please visit http://nohopeleft.com.

About NCIDR

The National Center for Infectious Disease Research (NCIDR) was founded in 1998 to address the challenges to international health posed by infectious diseases. The scope of the center has evolved to include the study of infectious diseases that are emerging from populations around the world and are attributable to today’s internationally mobile society.

Hey, Where’d My Wednesday Go? Go Watch A Trailer While I Figure That Out…

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Oops. I got so buried in a couple of games that arrived yesterday that I forgot to add a post! Eh, it happens. I’ll be back with some reviews I started for some other games as well as some other posts later today. Now, I’m headed to sleep to rest my weary eyeballs. In the meantime, here’s a trailer for Scribblenauts Remix to ogle, now that it’s coming to iOS after all this time… good night!

TEKKEN Tag Tournament 2 Hands-On: Return of the King of Iron Fist (And How…)

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Playing a build of TEKKEN Tag Tournament 2 at Namco Bandai’s recent NYC press event made for one of those ridiculously comfortable experiences where even after a long time away from the series, everything clicked into place and flowed as it should. The dev team is clearly keeping everything that makes the fighting game franchise a ton of fun intact while adding elements today’s fighting game fan expects in an online enabled brawler. The addition of a Snopp Dogg, er, Snoop LION (sorry, I forgot) stage and music doesn’t muck up the gameplay in any way at all, although the spinning low riders and other flashy background elements may make some players’ eyeballs cross thanks to so much going on.

What works about the game is what’s always worked about TEKKEN for me: accessibility, action, and amusement, as all of the characters have their movement moments that are guaranteed to bring grins when certain moves are successfully pulled off. TTT2 allows for some great dynamic tag-in combos where grab and throw or multi-hit action moments flow from the game pad with ease, no matter which characters are played. Even better using certain fighters (such as Anna and Nina Williams) allows for specific combo animations exclusive to that team. There’s a ton of content to explore in the final version, as well as some amazing new online features that look to turn the fighting game world on its collective ear, but let’s save that for the review. That World Tekken Federation deal looks and sounds pretty wild with all the stat tracking for anyone who joins up, that’s for sure.

There’s really not a lot to say about the game except for it’s going to be one of the best entries in the franchise when it kicks its way into North American stores on September 11th. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go exercise my fingers and maybe buy a new controller (just in case).

 

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two: On Characters (Having and Being, Of Course)…

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It’s quite cool how the folks at Junction Point Studios and Blitz Games are making a mascot game relevant and engaging by taking a bunch of already established characters, adding a heft amount of storytelling and allowing players to cut loose and play in two different styles that change up the tale you end up with in the final product. Granted, the element of “choice” is the toughest thing to pull off in any game genre (as there’s always going to be players not satisfied with the amount of freedom they end up with), but the dev teams here are making their game quite a ride for those who are Disney fans with long memories and a willingness to experiment with nostalgia.

F1 2012 Gets Even Better As It Races To Completion

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Codemasters has been tinkering with its F1 game more and more since they’ve had the license and the latest installment is looking like it could be pretty stellar stuff for fans of the genre. Granted, there are those who will want 100% accuracy and every sort of simulation element possible on whatever platform the game appears on, but I’d bet half of those people couldn’t squeeze into a F1 car (let alone a seat on the subway) and just want one of those games that no one can play but a select few (which means it won’t sell to casual race fans at all, a sort of no-no these days.

Someone will strike some sort of common ground within the next few years, I’d bet. But until then, it’s going to be a game for the masses who watch the sport as well as those who want to play as if they’re IN that sport. Go, Codies!

Review: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

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Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: High Moon Studios

Publisher: Activision

# of Players: 1 (Online 2 – 12)

ESRB Rating; T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+ (85%)

High Moon Studios swings hard for the fences with Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and while not quite a clean home run (it’s more of a hard rocket shot that clangs off the correct side of the foul pole into the stands), the game manages to be a fantastic follow up to Transformers: War on Cybertron, despite the loss of co-op play and the twin campaign structure.  Previous experience with the last game isn’t really necessary for any player to hop in and have a blast, but A true Transformers fan will tell you that you’ll need to know where the story began before tackling what’s here. It’s definitely going to help in terms of understanding what’s going on in all the chaos, as the game assumes you’re playing it because you’ve been around for the first installment. FoC is also packed with fan service in the form of in-jokes, references to the cartoons and the animated movie and more hidden goodies than you can shake a Minicron at.

(Although, shaking a Minicron would probably not be a good thing to do unless you were really mad at it for knocking over a vase onto that napping cat by “accident” or something…)

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Iggy Pop Throbblehead Stirs Up Some Old Summer Thoughts…

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Ages ago (something like 25 years, I think), I actually saw Iggy Pop when I was coming out of the subway at West 4th Street in Greenwich Village. It was kind of funny, as I’d been listening to Raw Power (on cassette, of course) all that week, so it was a bit weird to rise from that smelly, sweltering hole in the ground and have the man himself stroll by. I didn’t blow my cool, bite my lip or anything like that, jaded New Yorker that I was at the time.

Anyway, I thought of that when I saw the email from Aggronautix announcing their limited edition Iggy Pop Throbblehead.  Let’s see now: 7 inches tall, only 1000 of these will be produced, they’re a measly $24.95 and you can secure one here if you like, along with some other plastic punk warriors (Except the G.G. Allin ‘heads, which are all sold out. I wonder how G.G. would feel about his likeness? He’d probably stick it somewhere special, if you know what I mean). No, I don’t think there’s any peanut butter and broken glass inside the box, but you can add that when your Throbblehead arrives.