So I was just reading that 49 of the 50 states have got snow on the ground (Florida being the lone holdout) and that certainly means its perfect weather to sit in the house and play some games and thankfully the release schedule is starting to heat up. We’ve got handful of very good games due out in the next week including our pick of the week, Mass Effect 2. Before we get to the new releases lets look at some of the top news stories.
With the city quaking in fear and no help in sight, who ya gonna call? Atari, one of the world’s most recognized publishers and producers of interactive entertainment, is once again answering the call for gamers everywhere by delivering the first ever Ghostbusters digital title, Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is a four player, ghost-busting adventure that will take players on a brand new paranormal experience. Players will suit up with their proton packs and assume the role of a rookie hired by the Ghostbusters to save New York City from a disaster of ghoulish proportions. Developed by Behavior Studios, Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime will be available in Spring 2011.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is kicking off 2011 with ten new downloadable tracks for the Guitar Hero music library. The January Mega Pack delivers Guitar Hero aficionados a full month of downloadable music in one shot and boasts an impressive collection of shredable hits from bands such Nine Inch Nails, A Day To Remember, Hawthorne Heights , The Used and more. After their on disc appearance with "Wish" in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, are adding their unique sound to the Guitar Hero music library this month with the inclusion of three songs in the January Mega Pack. The pack contains "Head Like A Hole," "The Hand That Feeds," and "Closer.”
Konami has revealed the release date and pricing for Hard Corps: Uprising, which has been selected to kick off Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Arcade House Party program this winter. The first title out of five from the XBLA House Party program, Hard Corps: Uprising will be available for consumers to download on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. Hard Corps: Uprising will be available for Xbox LIVE Arcade as part of the House Party program for 1,200 Microsoft Points.
Nintendo has decided to make the 3DS region-locked. The Region codes will be installed in each game and the 3DS itself so if the codes don’t match, the game won’t play. Thus if you buy an imported 3DS from Japan , you won’t be able to play U.S. games on it.
I don’t usually cover PC news but the sales for WoW: Cataclysm for December was simply incredible. A total of 4.7 million units were sold including 3.3 million within the first 24 hours. The huge number makes Cataclysm the fastest selling PC game ever.
The Tomb Raider Trilogy pack will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on March 22, Crystal Dynamics Announced. The pack will include Tomb Raider: Underworld, along with HD remasters of Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Anniversary. The Tomb Raider Trilogy will be priced at $39.99
Little Big Planet 2 (Sony) Rated E Playstation 3
LittleBigPlanet 2 (LBP2) is a puzzle-platforming game for PlayStation 3 with new built-in functionality allowing players to create advanced content, including full-fledged games of all sorts, which can be shared with others within the LittleBigPlanet online network. The third game in the LittleBigPlanet franchise, the toolset within LittleBigPlanet 2 provides players with the ability to easily change the mapping of objects in-game, add abilities and non-player AI characters, create cutscenes, link levels and more. Additional features include backwards compatibility with content created with the original LittleBigPlanet game, a 50 level deep Story Mode and all new platforming gadgets.
Some time has passed since the events of the original game and its PSP sequel and Craftworld is in trouble. An evil device, force, thingy known as "The Negativitron" is threatening to suck up everyone and everything, including Sackboy, into the void. Only an intervention by a rebel organization known as "The Alliance" saves our hero. And with that Sackboy decides to lend his creative platforming powers to the cause. Along the way he'll discover new abilities, gadgets, gameplay rules and innovative tools to get the job done.
LittleBigPlanet 2 is about more than a game storyline. It is about player creativity. Loaded with a powerful new set of tools that vastly widen the scope of possibilities in-game, LittleBigPlanet 2 moves far beyond familiar level editing and delivers the power to literally create whole games. It is in fact, a platform for games. Whether you are talking racing games, mini-games, action/adventure games and even multiplayer shooters, using the Direct Control feature you can create/recreate a mapping for objects and abilities from the Sixaxis controller for use directly in gameplay. You can also link levels to extend the fun and/or create a new gameplay experience. Bring your characters to life, compose your own music, direct cinematic masterpieces, wire controllers directly in to your contraptions, connect easy to use switches, microchips and circuit boards to build epic bosses, vehicles, machines, and puzzles. All the tools are at your fingertips. And with custom heads-up displays (HUDs) for scoring and game data exported to a game ending grid, allowing winners in created multiplayer games to celebrate while opponents look on in shame, the sky is truly the limit.
Get ready to soil your plants! Stem a zombie attack in the fun-dead action hit – now on Nintendo DS! A mob of fun-loving zombies is about to invade your home, and the only defense is your arsenal of home-guardin' plants. You'll have to think fast and plant faster as you fight the fun-dead through day, night, fog, in the swimming pool and on the roof. Dig into five game modes and get more zombie-zapping action in four all-new mini-games. Take on a friend in Versus mode and choose your side. You can even make your own zombie creation with the Zombatar™! The fun never dies!
AD 2031...A new era. Sophisticated and complex technologies are now contributing to the advancements of mankind. However, the world’s governments are crumbling, new corrupt powers arise and conspiracies proliferate. The truth behind the proscribed technology could destroy the very core of humanity. Join a rogue team of agents as they fight for survival and entangle themselves deeper into the mystery. MINDJACK offers a unique online experience. Enter a revolutionary playing field upon which an engaging solo campaign transitions seamlessly to thrilling cooperative play. Expand your mind’s reach by “hacking” into enemies, vehicles or civilians and enjoy the freedom to control almost any character. Each bystander becomes an active combatant in this new urban warfare. Your “state of mind” is your only limitation!
Set in the fantastic world of long ago Venice, the young Scarlett falls victim to a terrible mystery, which begins with the murder of her companion by a secretive alliance of mighty necromancers. Thus fate takes its inevitable course and threatens to throw the world out of order. Scarlett finds out that she is the daughter of death incarnate and is blessed with his ultimate powers. She is the only one who can stop the gruesome powers that threaten to destroy the entire living world. Now it’s your chance to reverse fate! Get ready for a fast-paced adventure set in an epic world filled with dark dangers and merciless adversaries. Arm yourself with mighty weapons, rally together powerful allies and master the dark powers of death. Can you conquer the powers that threaten to inescapably destroy the world of the living? Follow your path down into the deepest abyss to death itself – and back again, if you are worthy!
Mass Effect 2 is the sequel to BioWare's hit space-based role-playing game (RPG), Mass Effect. The first release in the Mass Effect franchise available for play on the PlayStation 3 platform, Mass Effect 2 is a single player third-person oriented adventure that allows players to experience the adventures of the fully customizable series hero Commander Shepard, as you take on a whole new adventure and a new cast of supporting characters. PS3 specific features include: a digital comic providing backstory and customization details related to the first game in the series which was not available for PS3, six hours of bonus missions in the form of three previously released DLC releases and access to all additional game content published to date on the Cerberus Network.
Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new enemy has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced. To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy's most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, most say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong.
Mass Effect 2 is a space-based third-person oriented RPG revolving around the player's particular version of the game's hero, Commander Shepard, and their continuing development of this character. As the game opens a variety of character classes are made available to the player, with talents, both exclusive and general, associated with each. With experience these talents are leveled up, resulting in the unlocking of related abilities and/or entirely new talents. The player has the ability to customize their Commander Shepard in a number of ways including physical appearance, gender, and certain aspects of their personal history, with the rub being that these choices can influence things like available missions, dialogue choices with non-player characters (NPCs), and character background.
Accompanying this main character are a number of preset supporting characters that the player can direct and develop relationships with, which again, will alter the outcome of the story. All the characters from the original game -- for PS3 players referenced via the included digital comic -- make an appearance in Mass Effect 2, but the immediate characters surrounding Commander Shepard are new. Additional new features that players can expect to experience include new alien races, a more realistic damage system, a new heavy weapons system allowing for maximum damage, a regenerative health system, a dramatic increase in the number of character animations available to Shepard and updates to the dialogue mechanic used when conversing with NPCs.
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom (Namco Bandai) Rated T Playstation 3
Grade: B-
Amidst all the hype of major 4th quarter releases like Call of Duty: Black Ops, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Epic Mickey, and others, there are other games that fly well under the radar of most gamers that are actually pretty good. Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is one of those games. Developed by Game Republic and published by Namco Bandai, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is a fantasy action-adventure game with heavy puzzle-solving elements.
A darkness has settled over the land and a young thief sets out to try and set things right. If your Zelda alarm is going off, its with good reason as the thief immediately makes you think of “Link” from Nintendo’s venerable series. He frees the Majin of the game’s title who is a powerful, but somewhat child-like beast and protector of the land. With Majin along, he sets out to battle a fairly non-descript enemy and save the land. The Majin reminded me of the big muppet character from the fantasy film “Labyrinth” and boy am I dating myself with that reference.
While the player controls the thief, Majin is controlled by AI and that’s a good and bad thing. On one hand you don’t have to worry about controlling both characters but the AI isn’t always very bright. The thief generally provides the direction to Majin but the two have to work in tandem to defeat their foes. The Majin can tend to be ganged up on if you don’t thin out some of the enemies.
Much of the game is spent in a quest to find and restore the Majin’s abilities and it does provide the feel of an epic quest game and very similar to Zelda (and I mean that as a compliment). The level design is fairly linear which isn’t always a mad thing, especially with this game as you’ll need to do a fair amount of back-tracking to open up new areas and find more of the Majin’s powers.
The puzzles are challenging but not frustrating. They require thinking more than button-mashing skill and in that regard, Majin is a good game for young (but not too young) gamers. While it’s rated T the game is appropriate for kids 10 and up and more for the skill level it takes to play rather than any objectionable content.
The graphics are not as refined as some other PS3 games were used to seeing and there are occasional issues with camera movement with it getting stuck or jerky in certain areas. The biggest weakness to Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is the voice acting. Outside of the main two characters which are nicely done, the rest of the voices are stilted and it seems like they may have used people in the office to provide the voices. There’s a distinct lack of dramatic quality to their performances. The soundtrack however is beautiful and fits the story well.
Not a perfect game but neither is Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom a dud. It’s a fun challenge with some good action and puzzle-solving elements. Released at $40 it’s also a third less than most other Playstation games and that’s a plus as well. Grade: B-
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I bought this for the 360 two weeks ago on Amazon...they had it for only $15.99 for the week...what a buy! The price has gone up since then, but it's worth playing even at $36.