Thursday, 31 March 2011
More cool 3DS features.....
This is a great little feature.Still playing about with your shiny new 3DS console? Same here. I love the AR modes.....getting Samus to sit on my cats head is something that'll never get old.
One thing I've just been informed of is this cool little feature. See that garbled mess inside that box there to the left? Well, that's me in Mii form that is.
You can add me, and any other friends that may have a 3DS to your console, as in you can download the Mii of any friends. It's a nice feature, so i'm sharing it here. Follow these simple steps:
1) Go to the Mii Maker
2) Select QR Code/Image options
3) Select Save Mii as QR Code
4) Select the Mii you want to make into a QR Code. (This will save to your SD card)
5) Turn off system, then put SD card into your computer and save it somewhere you can find it.
6) Upload the file to an online photo album, like PhotoBucket.
7) Post them up here, so we can see what you look like.
To view the QR Codes, repeat steps 1 & 2, then select Scan QR Code and point the camera at your computer screen. Hey presto, you now have the option of adding peoples Mii's to your system.
So please feel free to let me infect your system, and by all means add me as a friend. My code is 0130-1784-3437
Thanks to Roynluc from the C&VG forums for the heads up.
A sneak peek at the Gears 3 beta.
Here's a video showing a quick playthrough of what we can expect to see in the Gears of War 3 beta.The beta will be rolling out at the end of next month. If you want to get in on the beta here in the U.K, you'll have to do the following. Pop to Gamestation or game, and pre-order Gears 3. Doing to will give you 3 weeks of head popping and curb stomping commencing on April 25th.
However, if you still have your copy of Bulletstorm (and why shouldn't you, it's awesomeness incarnate) then you will get access to the beta on April 18th, a whole week earlier than if you would have pre-ordered the game. There are 3 new game modes to be found, and 4 maps to play them out on, apparently all running on dedicated servers. Sweet deal!
It's looking pretty awesome.....I love the move where Anya seems to attach a grenade to an enemy and boots him away to explode. I for one can't wait to get my mitts on it.
So are you pre-ordering Gears 3? Got Bulletstorm? Looking forward to the beta?
Your thoughts, as always, are appreciated.
Gears of War 3 is scheduled for release on September 20th, 2011.
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Teaser Trailer
Well....nothing too much to see....maybe a quick shot of "Mr.X"......but i'm optimistic.
Mass Effect 2 "Arrival" DLC review.
Well, it's here. The last bit of DLC for Mass Effect 2 has arrived. It's a sad day for me, as you may or may not know I gave Mass Effect 2 the Gamefreakblog "Game of the year" award for 2010, and I just want more....but hey, it means that the sequel is almost upon us, which is always a good thing."So", I hear you cry....."I like Mass Effect 2, so is this DLC worth the asking price?"
Let's have a look, my friend....and i'll reveal all.
The Story:
Admiral Hackett calls you on the interstellar phone and asks for a favour. One of his undercover operatives, Dr. Amanda Kenson, has been captured whilst on a mission. Far from calling her a silly cow and letting her rot, he wants her rescued. Not only does he want her rescued, but he wants Shepard to go on this mission alone. That's right.....alone. If any sign of a team or ship shows up her captors, the Baterians, will kill her on the spot, as they hate all things human. Hackett sweetens the deal by telling Shepard that she's uncovered a Reaper artifact that apparently may have details about the upcoming Reaper invasion, and Shepard, wishing to find out any details that may help in the upcoming invasion, accepts the mission.
What I liked:
Firstly, it's hard to talk about this DLC pack without revealing spoilers, so it's not going to be very detailed. It's a good mission in all, nothing you haven't really seen before. It's strange being without your team, but it reveals in the events that Shepard really is a galactic bad-ass. It's paced very well, with a couple of tough battles, and without revealing too much one fight that you will most definately lose! The Baterians aren't that tough, but there are a variety of enemies, from standard troops to engineers, flame-troops and heavy mechs to contend with. The DLC is around an hour long, so it's not that long to get through, and the very last section of the mission sees a big reveal, as does the conversation with the Admiral at the end. You can't help but feel that with certain decisions that you make these will carry over into the third game, so i'm already chomping at the bit to find out how my actions will carry over into the third game.
What I loathed:
Well, at an hour long it's short. As the final piece of the DLC I was expecting this to be rather special, something to really connect Mass Effect 2 with what's going to happen in the third game. Even though it does, just about, it just leaves you feeling slightly underwhelmed. The missions, whilst fun, are nothing that you haven't seen before, go here, use this terminal, get in this lift, yadda yadda. At 560 msp, it's not exactly going to break the bank, but it falls short of the fantastic Shadow Broker DLC. And as a final point.....what the fuck is up with Dr. Kenson's face? As characters go she has a face that looked like something Grunt Has passed through his arsehole...protruding bottom jaw, boz-eyed....she looks like what happens when you let a blind person mess around with the character creation menu!
The verdict:
The Arrival is a so-so Piece of DLC. If you're a huge Mass Effect fan, you'll enjoy it, and as I did, wonder at the end of the mission just how the decisions that you have made will carry on into the third game. For completists sake, story wise, the DLC is almost essential. However, it's short, and as a swansong for Mass Effect 2 and a bridge to the third game you can't help but think a wee bit more could have been done.
The verdict: 7/10
The "Arrival" is available now on Xbox 360 for 560msp.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
3DS Super Streetfighter IV review
Looking at the pretty boring launch lineup of the games available for the 3DS, you'll be forgiven if you reaction is a bit.....meh! Nintendogs? Meh......The Sims 3? Meh........Super Monkey Ball? Double meh......the games available at the moment are maybe ok, but we've seen them all before. So i'd imagine most new 3DS owners have decided to go with Super Streetfighter IV as one of their early purchases. A conversion of the game hasn't been seen on a handheld console as of yet, so let's jump in and see how it's handled in Nintendo's new console.The story:
Well, it's a big scrap-fest innit? Various warriors from all over the globe have varying circumstances they find themselves in, and decide to travel the world kicking the shit out of people, cars, barrels and anything else that so much as sneezes! There are intertwining relationships between the characters, which takes the form of a kind of Kung Fu version of Eastenders.....all set to the connecting story of some shadow organisation doing something or other.
What I liked:
When Capcom made Streetfighter IV, it redefined the fighting game. Fantastic graphics, timeless gameplay and all in all it's a fantastic package. What we have here is the updated "Super" version of the game, almost complete in handheld form. It's brilliant. The cast of characters is vast, and if you're not a boring idiot that always goes for Ken or Ryu you'll find someone that suits your playing style to a tee. Controls are nice and tight, the analogue nub makes a suitable replacement for a d-pad, although that works just as well. The characters are animated beautifully, literally tiny versions of the characters you get in the 360/PS3 versions of the game....muscles flex, mouths move, fingers twitch....it really is something to behold looking at these characters in action. The backgrounds are done well, with some great backdrops which give a real sense of depth to the locations that you fight in, and the sound effects blast of out the speakers, so there will be no confusions as to what you're playing when the shouts of "Shoryuken!!!" are pumping out. Certain special moves and specials have been mapped to the touch screen, which is handy, if cheating somewhat, but perfect for SFIV novices. There are loads of options to choose from, starting with normal arcade battle and versus modes, to 3D versus matches, online play and a variety of challenge modes. The first two modes speak for themselves, and the new addition is not bad. Played from an almost isometric third-person view, you battle it out as normal but with a more dynamic viewpoint. Online play is tight, and from the few games i've managed to play it's pretty much lag free. Whilst playing through the games and various modes you rack up battle points and collect little figurines, which can then be swapped via streetpass and have them battle it out. On the whole the plus points for the game are right up there.
What I loathed:
Not much. The backgrounds, whilst impressive, are simply static versions of the ones found in the bigger consoles, with fighters in the foreground, some polygonal detail in the middle and then just a flat picture at the back, although I actually can't beat on this too much as it's still impressive it's on a handheld. There is again a certain sweetspot for the 3D effect to look at it's best, and during a hectic fight where your arms are flailing about like a demented baboon it can go a bit haywire. The controls can sometimes let you down, with the slightest lack of precision getting out moves and combos when compared to it's bigger consoles brothers control scheme, the outer shoulder buttons being the worst culprits in getting out some of the more advanced moves.
The verdict:
Super Streetfighter IV 3DS is a fantastic package. It's the full on arcade experience in the palm of your hand, which is an impressive start for games on the system, and hopefully an indication of some of the other quality fighting games that are due. Some minor quibbles about the control scheme and background graphics shouldn't deter you in the slightest from picking up this game. It looks amazing, sounds great, and the online play alone should see you cracking skulls for months to come. Go and get it now....it's the best current game on the system.
Unless you don't like Streetfighter of course, and if so....shame on you.
Rating: 9/10
Super Streetfighter IV 3DS is available now.
Check out my review of the Nintendo 3DS right here!
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