As you many know, I love Rayman, he comes close to Pokemon in my internal video game hierarchy, and as such, Rayman Legends excites me.
A leaked video, found here shows the sequel to the frankly phemonemal Rayman Origins, with Wii U enhanced controls, including placing models of characters from other Ubisoft games on the controllers screen, making them appear in game, including Ezio Alditore, of Assassins Creed fame.
Weather this is Wii U only is still speculation, and Ubisoft have said this was intended for internal circulation only, and does not represent any game content. This is surprising, because it looks suspiciously like a nicely polished announcement trailer, with limited gameplay and graphics demonstrations, and glimpses of new features, commonly seen in announcement trailers.
The artwork is the same as origins, and if that was anything to go by, the next instalment in Raymans epic adventure should be a good one. With Dragons.
By all accounts, I am going to have to Purchase a Wii U.
Source: YouTube
MCVUK
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Is this the star of Assassins creed III?
The latest news Churned out by the rumour mill is that the next instalment in the AC franchise will be set in 18th century North America, with the star being a native American armed with a tomahawk. Very badass.
This was originally sent to Kotaku from a source at best buy, and the chatter about the time period and location seems correct. The game will be available for preorder in the states soon enough.
http://m.kotaku.com/5889489/is-this-the-star-of-assassins-creed-iii
This was originally sent to Kotaku from a source at best buy, and the chatter about the time period and location seems correct. The game will be available for preorder in the states soon enough.
http://m.kotaku.com/5889489/is-this-the-star-of-assassins-creed-iii
Monday, 27 February 2012
The Game BAFTA's
As it is currently award season, I thought I had better post about an award ceremony, but as we know, there is only one that really matters.
The Game BAFTA's, designed to honour a years gaming achievements are fast approaching, which means its only appropriate for me to dish out some opinions. Firstly, this is very important. Not only does it show that the creative community is honouring games as part of our modern society, and thus the part they play in our economy etc, but it also highlight some of the greatest games released in the year past, and gives them the recognition they deserve.
The big one is the GAME award, which is voted for by the public. The nominations are as such.
Batman: Arkham City -Rocksteady studios
Battlefield 3 -Dice
CoD: Modern warfare 3 -Infinity ward and sledgehammer
Fifa 12 -EA
LA Noire -Rockstar
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword -Nintendo
Minecraft -Mojang
Portal 2 -Valve
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -Bethesda
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception -Naughty Dog
This award is the equivalent of best film or best album, but with public voting. The list of nominees for best game is remarkably similar, if shorter, missing out the likes of Minecraft, CoD, Battlefield and Uncharted. This means that there are no conventional shooters in the shortlist for best game, possibly due to a crowding of the market with a slew of M rated shooters.
As far as I can see, the odds are all fairly similar. The few exceptions are CoD, which only made the list due to sheer number of sales as opposed to gaming innovation, Zelda, the token Nintendo game, and Uncharted, The token PS3 exclusive.
Minecraft may also be seen as an underdog because of its indie developer status, but despite this it has managed to be one of the most popular games of 2011, showing true innovation and keeping players engrossed in crafting for hours with regular updates and a fantastic server based online system. Mojang has made a tremendous achievement to come this far, lets hope its success doesn't stop here, especially with the expected release of Scrolls and Cobalt this year, things can only look get better for Mojang.
Portal 2 is the sequel to the cult game Portal, and is one of many great games from Valve, one of the most innovative game companies active today. The story is similar for batman, whose predecessor, Arkham City, won the game award last year. The odds are looking good for Batman, which was a truly good game, one of the gems of the year.
If pushed, I would name the top 5, in no particular order, as Skyrim, Portal 2, LA Noire, Batman, and Minecraft.
Notable other nominees are:
Assassins Creed: Revelations for best action game, Rayman Origins for Artistic Achievement (A clear winner), Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet for best debut game, Super Mario 3D Land for Design, Kinect Sports 2 in Family, Little Big Planet 2 in Innovation, Dead Space IOS in Handheld, Skylannders in Online, and Revelations/Gears 3 in Multiplayer.
Individual performers are also getting a chance to compete, with the front runners being Stephem Fru for his narration in Little Big Planet 2, Mark Hamill as the Joker in Batman, and Stephen Merchant as Wheatley in Portal 2.
This promises to be a big night for games, with some fantastic achievements gaining the recognition the deserve.
Source BAFTA
Kyle
Rayman Origins
The latest instalment in the Rayman series by Ubisoft is a platformer that brings the series back to its roots, by combining fast paced 2D action and an art style that is as interesting and fun as the game itself. For me this game takes me back to many happy days playing Rayman on the original Playstation, and in celebration of Raymans triumphant return to platforming, I have decided to show some of the best artwork from the game, and say a little about the game.
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| Rayman casually looking up the skirt of Betilla, a sprite from the game. |
Origins sees the return Raymans's sense of humour transformed into animation that never ceases to beguile and amuse.
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| An example of one of the elaborate bosses that are found in Origins |
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| Standard Origins bad guy. You don't get this in CoD! |
The return of platform bosses, and the ability to tackle them in a multiplayer setting are both features that I particularly enjoy, as they remind me of the classic platformers, that are the origin for so many well known franchises, such as Sonic, Mario, and of course Rayman.
The thing that really sets Origins apart from other games released in recent months is that it is truly unique. There are no other major releases that are even remotely similar, and a break from the stream of 'Modern Warfare' shoot 'em up's, and a re-imaginaning of an old favourite, is very welcome. Other comparable 'artsy' games have been relegated to DLC or digital download territory, luckily, Origins is a cut above the rest.
Origins brings a whimsical innocence to modern gaming, and shows that games don't need to be set in a war torn future devoid of happiness. Its hard to beat expansive levels of unparalleled beauty, full of hidden crevices and bonkers bad guys, that can be conquered over and over again, with increasing levels of finesse.
Having taken advantage of the multiplayer, I can testify to the ability of Origins to transfer seamlessly from a single player game to a multiplayer experience. If anything, adding another player can add another layer of vibrant chaos to the game, but at the same time it can also allow fro carefully constructed strategies, and massive multiplayer bonuses.
Boasting over 60 levels of Beautiful madness, the option for 4 player co-op which is missing from so many games, and a frankly amazing gaming experience, Origins is an absolute must.
Final score. 9/10. Great looking, fun to play, great for parties, plenty of characters, the re imagining of a classic. Some online multiplayer function would have been nice.
Rayman Origins is available across all platforms now
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the hugely successful shooter/RPG released by gearbox/2K Games in 2009, and much like its predecessor, it promises many, many guns. Which can only be a good thing, right?
This epic sequel is packed with action, offering "87 bazillion guns" and featuring all new characters, skills and environments, and an ambitious story line. There have also been crucial improvements in the colour palette of the game (it now features more than brown) which was an issue with the first game.
Borderlands 2 also offer 4 player co-op and split screen play, opening up the world of pandora to multi-player exploration, which I feel adds another level to a game, and brings something to the table that is missing from many other games.
New classes in the game include the Assassin, the Ninja of pandora. The Siren, and the Commando. All of whom make for an immersive and interesting play experience, undoubtably with many opportunities to blow things up, which is what is expected.
The big question for me is how is the game better than its predecessor, which I found monotonous and boring. The environments were all very similar, the fights were all exactly the same, it didn't entice me as i was hoping it would, it didn't make me want more, like a good game really needs to do.
Borderlands 2 will be available on PC, Xb0x 360 and PS3, and is set for release on the 20th of September 2012.
Check out the video here:
Sources: IGN
Kyle
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| new character "Salvador" wielding just 2 of the 87 bazillion guns available |
This epic sequel is packed with action, offering "87 bazillion guns" and featuring all new characters, skills and environments, and an ambitious story line. There have also been crucial improvements in the colour palette of the game (it now features more than brown) which was an issue with the first game.
Borderlands 2 also offer 4 player co-op and split screen play, opening up the world of pandora to multi-player exploration, which I feel adds another level to a game, and brings something to the table that is missing from many other games.
New classes in the game include the Assassin, the Ninja of pandora. The Siren, and the Commando. All of whom make for an immersive and interesting play experience, undoubtably with many opportunities to blow things up, which is what is expected.
The big question for me is how is the game better than its predecessor, which I found monotonous and boring. The environments were all very similar, the fights were all exactly the same, it didn't entice me as i was hoping it would, it didn't make me want more, like a good game really needs to do.
Borderlands 2 will be available on PC, Xb0x 360 and PS3, and is set for release on the 20th of September 2012.
Check out the video here:
Sources: IGN
Kyle
Pokemon Black and White 2
Finally, after just under a year of waiting, the next instalments of the Pokemon series have been released. Needless to say, I am excited.
Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 were announced on the Japanese television program Pokemon Smash, and are essentially the third game(s) in generation V. This is a change from previous generations, because these two releases are direct sequels, as opposed to a single game that combined the first two, such as Yellow or Platinum (Generation I and IV). To confirm, this is speculation on my part and the part of other based upon the releases made so far.
The other interesting point about B/W 2 is the legendaries. Images have been released of Kyruem in two new forms, seemingly fused with Reshiram and Zekrom.
There has also been speculation that this will be a 3DS only release, but this is unlikely as the ownership of a 3DS pales in comparison to DS ownership, and with a lack of back compatibility this is unlikely. More news is expected soon, and all will be revealed when the game is released in Japan in June. EU/US release dates have not yet been released, but this year is a certainty, I would say before Christmas.
Sources: IGN
Serebii
Kyle
Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 were announced on the Japanese television program Pokemon Smash, and are essentially the third game(s) in generation V. This is a change from previous generations, because these two releases are direct sequels, as opposed to a single game that combined the first two, such as Yellow or Platinum (Generation I and IV). To confirm, this is speculation on my part and the part of other based upon the releases made so far.
The other interesting point about B/W 2 is the legendaries. Images have been released of Kyruem in two new forms, seemingly fused with Reshiram and Zekrom.
There has also been speculation that this will be a 3DS only release, but this is unlikely as the ownership of a 3DS pales in comparison to DS ownership, and with a lack of back compatibility this is unlikely. More news is expected soon, and all will be revealed when the game is released in Japan in June. EU/US release dates have not yet been released, but this year is a certainty, I would say before Christmas.
Serebii
Kyle
Introduction
Just a quick introduction. I intend to cover as many video game related updates as possible, and post the occasional review/opinion. My ability to do this is hampered by my job and other commitments, so though I may not post the most, I will certainly post the best.
Kyle
Kyle
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