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spawn622

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  1. Developed by: X10 Studios Players: 1 Platforms: PC (Available through Gamer's Gate, Desura, Steam, Direct2Drive, and directly from X10) Drawing from various classics such as Metroid and Mega Man X, A.R.E.S. Exinction Agenda is the first chapter in an episodic side-scrolling shooter. Set in the 21st Century, Earch is over polluted and we are facing extinction. A processing station is sent in to Earth orbit to help with this problem, but is overrun by "zytron" that kills the station's systems and turns all the machines hostile. ARES is a robot tasked with clearing out the station, rescuing the hostages, and stopping the machines. Graphically the game is quite impressive. There is a consistent frame rate and everything has a very futuristic aesthetic. The character designs have an anime feel to them which really lends well to this type of game. ARES' look really great after his armor upgrade and in motion really does give a Mega Man X feel that I love. The bosses at the end of each level are really impressive and give a good sense of scale to the game. I would be remiss if I did not mention the music in the game. Our good friends at the newly re-branded HyperDuck SoundWorks do one hell of a job with the tunes in the game. When I interviewed the guys a few months back, we got to sample some of the tracks from the game and I have to say, the remainder of the music did not disappoint. I can not wait to see what these guys have up next for us and hope to nail them down for another interview soon. **Just a subtle hint there for the guys** I seriously urge everyone to go to the Duck's page and take a listen to their stuff, it's amazing. The controls are fairly well balanced. Keyboard and mouse controls are available, but in all honesty, a gamepad or Xbox 360 controller really is a must for this one. Heck, even the explanation of the controls shows an Xbox controller for reference. Each weapon has a good "feel" to it and allowing the player to use the right analog stick to fine tune their firing was a great decision. If I had to pick something to complain about in the game, I would say the jumps feel too heavy. There were a couple of very frustrating areas that took multiple tries to get through because of the jumping issues. I did eventually get used to this, but a little more tweaking in this would really have helped a good bit. Overall, this is a great side-scrolling shooter that fans of the Mega Man X series will love. Great music and suprisingly good graphics round out a pretty solid package. The few jumping issues really don't detract all that much from the experience and could easily be addressed in a later patch, if the developers so desire. I'd highly recommend this one to anyone that wants an old school gaming experience with new school graphical polish and some really bumping music. Go out and drop the $10 on this one now. Links to buy: Steam Direct 2 Drive X10 Studios Click here to view the article
  2. [Review] - Hydrophobia Developed by: Dark Energy Digital Published by: Microsoft Game Studios Players: 1 Rated M for Mature by the ESRB The Breakdown A group of terrorists, known as the Malthusians, has taken over the luxury liner the Queen of the World. As Kate Wilson, you are on a mission to escape the sinking wreckage with your life. All the while your co-workers and friends are dying around you. The Important Stuff Hydrophobia is a typical 3rd person action-adventure game that integrates some of the most amazing water effects to date. The tale of a giant luxury liner, that has taken the place of cities due to the “great population flood”, under siege by a terrorist group makes for some very tense moments that will have you on the edge of your seat. As water rushes in around you, you can really see where the time was spent on the game. The HydroEngine, which was created specifically for the game, and allows for more realistic water effects that are different each time you play the levels. Unfortunately, great water effects and an engaging story can only do so much to mask the unresponsive and sluggish and unnecessarily complicated controls. Jumping over a fiery pit to a balcony should not be a complicated affair. Furthermore, it really shouldn’t send you careening in the wrong direction if you do get the button combination right. There are also issues with story and cut scene pacing, which seems to be a trend in gaming in general. I shouldn’t get a cut scene every 10 to 15 steps my character takes. The game really takes you out of the action with this tactic. It will also show you things in the cut scenes that your character should be able to do, that look really awesome, but sadly they don’t allow it. Reaction Overall Hydrophobia isn’t a bad game and really does show flashes of being a top notch Xbox Live Arcade Game, but unfortunately falls short in some very important areas. With great arcade games like Limbo and Splosion Man, lackluster controls that take you out of the action really are a no-no in today’s gaming market. Also, going overboard with the cut scenes has to stop. Hopefully if we complain enough, developers will hear us and cut back some. As the first in a planned trilogy, I think Dark Energy Digital should be able to tighten up on a few areas and put the HydroEngine to good use in the inevitable sequel and give us something really spectacular. As it stands however, I can’t really recommend spending the Microsoft Points on this first installment. Click here to view the article
  3. Plants Versus Zombies Developed by: Popcap Games Published by: Popcap Games Players: 1-2 (Local Only) Rated E10 (Everyone 10+) by the ESRB The Breakdown The zombies, they’re coming…to your Xbox. One of the best takes on the tower defense genre has come to Xbox Live Arcade. Do reworked controls, new game types, and extremely polished graphics make this a worthwhile addition to your Arcade game collection? Read on to find out. The Important Stuff Plants Versus Zombies has become the standard tower defense game for most people. Starting out on the PC and making the excellent jump to the iPhone and iPad, the game faces the same challenges as most point and click games do when making the jump to a console, the controls. How do you keep that same feeling of using a mouse with analog sticks? Luckily for us, Popcap has really done a great job in making the controls feel just right in this latest port. A lot of tower defense games could take a cue from Popcap and tune their controls better. Overall, the game play remains largely unchanged from previous versions, which isn’t a bad thing at all. You’re still defending your front yard, back yard, and roof from the oncoming zombie onslaught. All the mini games from the other versions are intact as well. A new mini game that is roughly based on one of Popcap’s other XBLA titles (Heavy Weapon) brings you a super powered pea shooter to face the zombies. The addition of multiplayer and co-op is very welcome. In co-op, each player plants their own plants in the same yard. You have to work together and have a game plan or your brains will belong to the zombies. There are some really great co-op mini games as well. In the competitive multiplayer mode, one player takes control of the plants and one takes control of the zombies. This really does lead to some amazingly good times. Tips and Tricks - Always have a cheap attack plant at your disposal - Be sure buy Crazy Dave’s slot and plant upgrades as soon as you can - Use Wall-Nuts and Tall-Nuts to create a buffer for your attacking plants Reaction As a pretty big fan of almost every version of Plants Versus Zombies seeing an XBLA version come out was really great. I’ve purchased every version of the game that I could (PC and iPhone) and have played it on the iPad. While I really do prefer the controls on the iPhone/iPad, the jump to the console really does work well. Using the controller didn’t feel awkward at all and as I said above, many tower defense games should take a look at what Popcap has done here and take notes. The mini-games remain a highlight for me. Wall-nut bowling remains my favorite. There’s just something about rolling that big eyed walnut down the lanes and watching it bounce around a horde of oncoming zombies that just makes me smile. The co-op and multiplayer are unexpectedly fun, but do bring up the only negative that I can say about the game and for some this may be a big detriment. No online play, local only. While this isn’t a huge problem for me, for most gamers nowadays, online play is a must. Overall the game is a very good port of an excellent game that brings enough new features to warrant the $15 price tag. Click here to view the article
  4. God of War 3 Developed by: Santa Monica Studio Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: PS3 Players: 1 Rated M by the ESRB The Breakdown Kratos has been on a mission of vengeance for the death of his family for over 5 years. Gods, Titans, and a bestiary full of monsters have stood in his way, but not even death could stop Kratos’ quest for the revenge he so desperately desires. Using a narrative that ties together every single game in the series, including God of War: Chains of Olympus on the PSP, the death of Zeus is finally within Kratos' grasp in this, the final game, in God of War series. The Important Stuff Picking up right where God of War 2 left off, Kratos is on the back of the mother of the Titans, Gaia, as they ascend Mount Olympus. Gaia and Kratos are soon attacked by Poseidon. Both Gaia and Poseidon utterly dwarf Kratos. During the battle you are forced to make your way across the back, arms, and hands of Gaia to make your way to the eventual face-off with Poseidon. This opening sequence of the game is one in a laundry list of incredible set pieces that really give you a sense of the grand scale the game is trying to achieve. And achieve this goal it does. On his way to the final battle with Zeus, Kratos is forced to face lesser gods, such as the aforementioned battle with Poseidon, a battle with Helios (Which is different than the demo we were given, which was surprising.), and a chase with Hermes. The controls are fairly typical of the series thus far, but there are enough tweaks to make this installment feel new and different enough. The ability to swap between weapons mid combo is a very welcome addition. Also, this time around, the other weapons you are given actually have a place. You won’t just be using the Blades of Athena throughout the entire game. Each weapon feels different enough and you may even find a favorite other than the standard blades. Upgrading the weapons is the same as before, you collect red orbs and upgrade the weapons as you like. Again, just like the other games in the series, you have no control over the camera, which may cause some rolling around more while trying to adjust the camera. After a little while playing though, you get back in to the swing of things and realize the camera control isn’t really necessary. I never found a place where the camera felt like it was working against me. Graphically the game is super impressive. I’d go out on a limb and say this is the best looking PS3 game to date. As you play though the graphics seem to get better and better. It’s not just the cut scenes that are truly impressive either, as Kratos kills more and more enemies he will become drenched in blood, in real time. There are also so many subtle details that really impress, such as the scaled skin on the Gorgons. As I said, this truly is one of the more impressive PS3 games to date. The ending is very satisfying for fans of the series, but may irritate some. The final battles are epic in scale and you get a real adrenaline rush when you realize you are getting close to the end and start going through those last few quick time events. As with the previous games, most of the finales of the fights are played out through quick time events. The subtle change to these is very helpful. Instead of the button presses being randomly distributed on the screen throughout the fights, they coincide with the actual layout of the controller. Meaning, if you have to press the “O” button, it will always be on the right hand side of the screen, “X” is on the left, etc. There is one section of the game that may take you out of the action by incorporating the actual Playstation buttons in to the game. While small, this may bother some players. Tips and Tricks - Certain enemies require specific weapons to defeat. - Learn each weapon’s strengths and weaknesses. - Be sure to look for upgrades where you see lingering gold dust. - Use magic wisely. In the right situation it can deal tons of damage. - Utilize your roll to get out of the way quickly and keep from being cornered. Reaction I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of the game. The controls are tight and responsive. There were also enough changes made for everything to feel fresh and new again, while still being a God of War game. The game is a graphical powerhouse and is easily the best looking PS3 game to date. The overall story was very well tied up at the end and is filled with just the right amount of twists and turns that will keep you riveted and wanting more. Kratos’ journey for revenge has been a long time in the making and really is one of the best series in gaming today. While I am sad to see it come to an end, if this is how it was meant to go out from the start, I am glad to see things went out with a very big bang. While most long running series tend to lose something in their sequels, this one stayed the course and got better and better. I would highly recommend not only this game, but the entire series to anyone. Spawn gives this one 10 out of 10 Click here to view the article
  5. Last week, Sony detailed their "Welcome Back" package to PSN users who had their personal information stolen during the PSN attacks. While thus far this has included free PSN Plus and free downloads, they have upped the ante with a free year subscription to Debix, Inc's AllClear ID Plus identity theft protection. Providing up to $1 million dollars in protection, this may help give some a piece of mind that even though their information was stolen, Sony is at least trying to ensure nefarious actions don't take place with your information. The latest Sony blog gives these details of the program: Cyber monitoring and surveillance of the Internet to detect exposure of an AllClear ID Plus customer’s personal information, including monitoring of criminal web sites and data recovered by law enforcement. If his/her personal information is found, the customer will be alerted by phone and/or email and will be provided advice and support regarding protective steps to take. The customer will also receive monthly identity status reports. Debix works with an alliance of cyber-crime experts from the government, academia and industry to provide these services. Priority access to licensed private investigators and identity restoration specialists. If an AllClear ID Plus customer receives an alert, or otherwise suspects that he/she may be the victim of identity theft, the customer can speak directly, on a priority basis, with an on-staff licensed private investigator, who will conduct a comprehensive inquiry. In the case of an identity theft, the customer can work with an identity restoration specialist to contact creditors and others, and take necessary steps to restore the customer’s identity. A $1 million identity theft insurance policy per user to provide additional protection in the event that an AllClear ID Plus customer becomes a victim of identity theft. This insurance would provide financial relief of up to $1 million for covered identity restoration costs, legal defense expenses, and lost wages that occur within 12 months after the stolen identity event. To get the full post, head over to Sony's blog here: http://blog.us.playstation.com Click here to view the article
  6. Telltale Games’ Jurassic Park: The Game is stomping toward its anticipated November 15, 2011 release date with the speed of a hungry T-Rex pursuing a herd of tasty Gallimimus. Telltale has partnered with GameStop and GameStop.com on an exclusive pre-order for the Xbox 360 version of the game. Anyone who pre-orders between now and the November 15 launch date will receive a codeat the time of purchase (online customers will receive their code via email within 2 days of their game shipping) to unlock an official Jurassic Park T-Rex avatar pet on Xbox LIVE! It’s a dino-mite incentive as the Jurassic Park T-Rex avatar pet is authentically modeled on the design used in the Jurassic Park movie, delighting the most ardent Jurassic Park fan. You can distract your Tyrannosaurus Rex with a flare just like Dr. Alan Grant or watch her roar and stomp as she inspires awe & terror with her pint sized ferocity! So “hold on to your butts” and head over to GameStop now to secure your Jurassic Park: The Game pre-order and adopt the fiercest avatar pet ever to be resurrected from ancient extinction. The Tyrannosaurus Rex avatar pet - created by meemo, leading developers of virtual goods - will be available to buy on Xbox LIVE, along with a whole range of other amazing officially-licensed Jurassic Park creatures and virtual items from November 15th. Click here to view the article
  7. We are giving away a sweet Halo Legends poster from ComiCon, take a look: All you have to do is head over to our forums, sign up, and make a post in this thread: http://www.gamercide.org/forum/index.php?/topic/292-halo-legends-poster/#entry4369 Pretty simple right? A winner will be randomly chosen once the contest closes on May 1st. So what are you waiting for? Head over and sign up! Click here to view the article
  8. Ladies and gentlemen, with the opening of the new forums here at Gamercide, some of our AMAZING members have contests for you to enter! Take a look at the links below and get in on the action: Bogey's Up & Running Points Giveaway Here's your chance to win 1600 MS Points! Just head here and sign up! . . Dateranoth's FRAPS ContestWin a full license for the latest release of this amazing PC software. Just add the link to your 30 second clip created using the free version (Found here) to the thread and Dateranoth will determine the winner. It's really that simple to enter. Read more about it here. Dateranoth's Borderlands (PC) GiveawayHere is your chance to win a Steam copy of Borderlands on the PC! That's right, Dateranoth is back again and this time he's giving away a copy of Borderlands. Head over here to put your name in the hat! . Final Fantasy Avatar Outfits and Gears of War 2 All Fronts Map Pack Giveaway by Nexus Enter to win one of two female Final Fantasy XIII Avatar outfits or the All Fronts Map Pack for Gears of War 2. Our member Nexus is offering these up for us. Just sign up and make a post here.. Dateranoth's Duke Nukem (PC) GiveawayDateranoth is at it again! This one was just added a bit ago. Enter to win one of 3 copies of Duke Nukem 3D on the PC. Go here and post your favorite Duke quote for a chance to win. . . You will need to sign-up for our forums to win, so what are you waiting for!!! Click here to view the article
  9. Gabbin’ with Gamercide An interview with Chris Geehan & Dan Byrne-McCullough – Hyperduck Music Studios About a year ago we did an interview with the guys from Hyperduck Music Studios. In our first follow up, we see what the guys have been up to, what’s new, and dig for some big announcements. That said, let’s get started and see what we can find out. Q – Alright guys, for the uninitiated, give us a quick introduction to who HyperDuck Studios is and how you guys got started. (Don’t worry; I’ll add the shameless plug for you.) Chris: Sure thing Shawn. Hello! We are HyperDuck Music Studios! We're a two duck/man team that composes records and produces music and sound effects for computer games and their soundtracks. We are Chris Geehan & Dan Byrne-McCullough, both from Ireland, and we're just finishing up our BMus Honours Degree in Music in England at the moment! On how we got started, well it was due to a game called Iji, which I had been asked by Dan Remar to do him a favour and make the music behind it. I never thought much of it until we actually had to do it, and that's when the gloves came out. We grabbed a copy of Cubase SX and Dan & I worked at it from our student house in 2007/2008. Iji got an amazing response, being credited as one of the best freeware games of all time, at least this was a strong opinion in the 'game maker' software community; game maker being a program that is primarily used for making waffles, but can also make games. Anyway, that settled it for us, we thought that if we could get that reaction to a game we made music for, without much knowledge of how to make it sound great, how big a reaction could we get if we learnt how to make it sound, well.. amazing. We'll keep trying to get to 'amazing' but the support from that fans of Iji since has pretty much driven us up to this point, were we're working on two Microsoft Dream Build Play titles, so it's all stations go at the moment! Q – Since we last talked back in September ‘09, what have you guys been working on? Dan: We've been finishing up the music and sound effects for A.R.E.S (formerly Trashman), produced by extend studios (http://blog.x10studio.com/) which has just recently been entered for and won First Prize at Microsoft's Dream Build Play 2010 competition. We've also been heavily at work on Dust: An Elysian Tail, which is proving to be really interesting; we're really excited to see the final release. Other work has included looking for future projects - we have just completed our degrees this week, and so are likely to be putting a lot more into our music making from now on! Q - First Dust and now A.R.E.S. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone at Gamercide when I say congratulations on your SECOND win in the Dream.Build.Play competition. How does it feel to have a game you guys worked on, win 2 years in a row? Dan: Thanks, and it feels great! We are really very lucky to be working with these immensely talented people. For our music to be a part of these creations is a real boost for us. We're really excited at the prospect of these titles being released to the public - it'll be a real milestone for us I think, especially in terms of exposure. With any luck we may end up on future dbp projects, but the main focus at the moment is getting all the material for Dust finished. Q - Any update on when we can expect releases for Dust or A.R.E.S? Not just the XBLA versions, but PC versions as well. Chris: A.r.e.s. is going into testing phases soon for the PC release, I think it might be being released on Steam, I can't confirm that though. It'll be through a digital distributor anyway. The XBLA version I am estimating a 2011 release or a late 2010 release, but more likely the preceding date. The x10 team are working their brains out to get the PC version finished and ready for testing, then will work out all the kinks, if any, and you should see it coming to your PC this summer. Dust is finally back on our plates after the University exams, so we're getting stuck into that with full force, since Dean has been so understanding and patient while we complete University, and helpful along the way is really an under-statement for this guy. He is a gem. We will be working again with Dean as of next week and any updates on Dust will be coming from the man himself, so you know as much as we do at the moment. We're quite eager to have a sneak peek at all the tweaking and work he's been doing, if you follow him on twitter (@noogytweet) you can see what he is up to in Dust now and then, needless to say he's all about getting it out as soon he can, but not at the risk of ANY quality loss. So essentially, it will be very much worth the wait. Q - Is there any possibility of maybe a PS3 or Wii release for anything you're currently working on? Chris: We're not currently on any projects that will see the PS3 just yet. We are in talks with a few game developers who are working on projects for the PSN, but would love to be involved on a Wii game project, something with the sparkly attitude of Super Mario Galaxy, but really anything. We're pretty happy to be working with developers who are passionate about their craft as much as we are, that's not just what gets the job done, but it's what gets the job done well. Most of the projects we're on at the moment are on the PC, however by the end of the year, there should be a few more XBOX360 titles to show, or at least one. I can't say more about it yet, since I am not certain yet, but yes, we'll keep you posted on that. Q - When you decide to work on a game, is there a specific process you go through to determine the feel of the music for it or do the developers give you some ideas to work with initially? Dan: It varies from project to project. The developer may have a really specific idea for what they want, for instance, Dean Dodrill is a keen collector of video game music, and so was able to send us loads of reference material. We can then analyze these pieces and produce a totally new compositional idea, while incorporating more of our personal style into it. Sometimes we have game images to work from, which is really useful as you get a feel for the style of the game, and the colouring etc. If there is a particular storyline then that may dictate the pace and style of the piece. Personally, if I have little reference material I usually brainstorm ideas about what might be appropriate, and try to figure out the instruments that convey the right sound for the piece. Also Chris and myself are constantly bouncing ideas off each other, which is one of the big features of our music – It’s a collective thing, and we're able to get more ideas made that way. Q – I’ve been following the development blog of Monolith since you announced you would be doing the music for it back in late February. Are there any developments or progress on that project that you can share with us right now? Chris: I know that Timbo Jay, the animator and artist behind Monolith, just came back from being MIA for two months there last week. He has been very busy with other stuff, but his focus is solely to getting back on the Monolith train. We sat and discussed what direction Zach and Timbo felt Monolith could benefit from going in, musically, and in general I guess. It was a productive chat over quite a period of time, which helped build up a better image of what they want the game to be, and what they want it to sound like. Zach has a great business mind, and I felt I didn't need to hold back anything on that end when talking to him. Timbo Jay is an incredible piece of work, and his artwork and animating brought me to the idea in the first place, he's also a really nice guy, they're both just brilliant. It's been on hold with us until we finish Uni but come May 18th, the ball will begin rolling again, and within this ball, two ducks shall be waddling. Oh yes. So expect Monolith stuff over the summer I would say. Expect a lot of interesting stuff over the summer! Q – I literally listen to your Demo Reel and YouTube pages all day long at my day job, any updates we can look forward to on those pages? Chris: So nice to hear that really makes us feel good about what we do even more. Well actually we just started uploading OSTs to Dropbox.com so you can get the Zero Gear OST from this link (Zero Gear OST). We plan on putting a lot more up later this year and since Katakijin should be released soon (finally!) we will definitely put that up as well. Expect progressive synth ninja iji-esqeu epic music. If you don't use DropBox.com that's ok, but if you want to sign up to it, it's free and quite cool, essentially free space to share stuff you like online. And if you use this link to join https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTQ1NjA5MDQ5 then HyperDuck Music Studios get more space, more space means more soundtracks in the future. You know it's right. Aside from the DropBox.com stuff, I would also expect the A.R.E.S OST soon. we just finished mixing and mastering it recently, and I really think it's the best sounding OST we've done to date, in that style. Zero Gear I thought sounded great, but was not a big a challenge as A.R.E.S in terms of making the guitars mix with everything else. Though Zero Gear helped a lot. After that, A.R.E.S was not as daunting, even with the 80+ odd sound effects we had to make. We actually used a friend Kevin Carville (at hotmail dot com) to help make the sound effects. He's a long time friend of mine, and Dans, but I've known him since we were 5, so that's 19 years. He's a solid composer and a good sound designer. I'd recommend him for any game project. Keep an eye out for Frantic Panda Studio Works; no doubt I will rant about him on the hyperduck.co.uk newsfeed very soon. In fact I am working with him on the Mon & Bot OST, so expect that later this year. We start working on it at the end of May, or continue working on it. We have a lot of material for it already in the pipeline. Q – Over the last while a TON of Triple-A titles have been released, what are you currently playing or looking forward to playing? Chris: Company of Heroes. Dan & I, and Kev, cannot stop playing it. Over and over. I'm getting sick of it to be honest. Dan’s internet connection is crappy over in England so we can't enjoy FPSers together like MW2 and Bad Company 2. Aside from Company of Heroes, I guess I've been dipping into Supreme Commander 2 & L4D2 now and again as well, I am really quite skint I cannot buy new games, otherwise I would. I have ME2 on the shelf and Dan bought me Bayonetta for my birthday in Jan, I just asked him to hold it off until the exams are done so I can enjoy it. We're both excited about KOTOR, but that's not until Christmas, so I don't know what I will play to hold me off until then. Hopefully Mass Effect 2 shall do the trick? Played a bit of it and thought "oh my god, I love this" so I stopped playing and decided not to touch it until after my exams. I know how to spot an 'exam failer' when I see one. This is an exam failer for me; it'll suck my attention span dry. So damn good. Dan: I've spent some time checking out other indie games; recently we each bought the Humble Indie Bundle, which was a really cool idea full of great games to pass the time! Other indie games like Altitude and Bob Came in Pieces are lots of fun for casual gaming. Like Chris mentioned, we didn't want to sacrifice our results to gaming addictions just yet, but there are plenty of good looking games on the horizon. I'd like to play Final Fantasy XIII and Red Dead Redemption sometime soon, they look great. Q – If you could work with any of the current game designers in the industry, who would it be? Dan: Anyone who is making good games will do for me, there are loads of really talented groups producing video games right now, the folks at Media Molecule seem to have made something really cool in Little Big Planet - something I would love to spend some time playing. Every game has different challenges somewhere down the line so whatever keeps us on our toes and creating music is good to me. Chris: Seconded. I'd also like the opportunity to work with a company that would look for music with the orchestrated calibre and unique quirkiness that came with the Super Mario Galaxy OSTs. Really brilliant tracks all the way through those games. I can't pick a bad one out of them, honestly. Amazing. And of course awesome games. Q – Any progress on the “mango feeding” or “ninja monkey astronaut” dreams? (Please see the first interview for more info on these dreams J) Still have a little over 9 years to go, so no real rush I suppose. Chris: Those dreams have mutated into other things now, as long as we're involved in music I can't see the mangos, cigars, and astronaut suits roll in at some stage. Probably shortly after our funerals. Timing pfft. Q – Last one, give us a bad duck joke . . . Chris: There's no such thing, as a bad duck joke. You know this. Dan: *Quacks* I want to say a HUGE thank you to Chris and Dan for taking time out of their unbelievably busy schedules to do this follow-up with us. If you want to know more about them head over to their website at: http://www.hyperduck.co.uk/ and be sure to check out their Youtube page at: http://www.youtube.com/user/HyperDuckMusic The guys have also given us an awesome sneak preview of the soundtrack for A.R.E.S. Take a listen below and let them know how awesome it is in the comments and in the forum. [audio:http://www.gamercide.org/audio/ares-teaserreel.mp3|titles=A.R.E.S. Teaser Reel] Click here to view the article
  10. Developed by: Humble Hearts Published by: Microsoft Studios Platform: Xbox Live Arcade Players: 1 Dust: An Elysian Tail. Just the name brings great joy to the members of Gamercide and a lot of the gaming community. We've been looking forward to the game for a very long time now. Back in 2009 we hooked up for an interview with the awesome and amazingly talented guys of Hyperduck Soundworks and our excitement for Dust only grew stronger after talking with the guys. You can check out our follow-up interview with Chris and Dan from 2010 here. Dust: An Elysian Tail is an action RPG that was set for the Xbox Indie Games Channel, but after winning the 2009 Dream.Build.Play Challenge, it was given a full XBLA release. The game was basically designed by one man, Dean Dodrill, from the ground up. It was originally set for a 2011 release, but was later added as the anchor game for the Summer of Arcade of 2012. With its release, it will take its rightful place in the upper echelon of not only Xbox Live Arcade games, but of all the latest Xbox 360 games in general. Let's dive deeper in to the world of Dust and see if it can live up to my super high expectations. Sneak preview guys . . . It totally does. The story centers on Dust, a somewhat cloaked figure that is woken up in the forest by a mystical talking sword called Ahrah and a flying sidekick named Fidget. As Dust awakens, he steps in to a world that is being overrun by monsters and runs across a village that needs to be saved from an impending monster horde. From there, the story of Dust's past and a war between races unfolds. With Fidget and Ahrah in tow, Dust sets out on his quest to regain his memories and determine what is going on in the world. I don’t want to go too much in to the story and ruin it, but suffice to say, it is an amazing ride and one of the better stories I’ve played through in a long while in gaming. One of The first thing you're going to notice about the game is how absolutely beautiful everything is. The game evokes a Studio Ghibli or old-school Disney feel with animations and overall art style. Everything is so amazingly well done and detailed; it is almost hard to put in to words. Dean's influences seem to stem from various different places within the game. You can see Eyvind Earle and many other great animators in his art style. The character animations of Dust, Fidget, all the enemies and NPCs are fluid and detailed. The environments almost become a character of their own, as well. Each new area is different enough to feel new, but cohesive enough to feel like one fantastical world. The new enemy designs fit right in with the new areas as well. It really is the most beautiful game on Xbox Live Arcade to date. Also, in the menus, you have the ability to customize the size of your HUD. A small touch, but not unwelcomed by this reviewer. Controls for Dust are just as good as the animation. A fairly deep combo system is in place for you to switch between your various sword attacks and add in Fidget's attacks for screen spanning supers. Aerial combos are also added in to the mix. The combat feels a lot like a fighting game, more akin to a Marvel Vs. Capcom game and Dust's combos are just as deep as any of the characters in one of those games. Being a Metroidvania style game, you gain new abilities as you play through the game as well. Wall jumps, dodges, and more abilities are given as you progress. The RPG elements of the game are implemented extremely well. You upgrade your abilities with gems after each level. Abilities include the standard Health, Defense, and Luck. You can also upgrade Fidget’s abilities in the same manner, making her attacks stronger. Item upgrades that modify your different abilities are also implemented quite well. You get different armors for defense. Rings and necklaces are used for luck and attack. There is also a special abilities section of items that is good for a multitude of upgrades. The items can be found in the world, but they can also be crafted in Dust's crafting aspect. Throughout the game, you will find different blueprints and materials that can be used to create a good number of the different items in the game. This was really unexpected for me and is an addition layer in an already deep game. I really enjoyed seeking out the materials and deciding which items would do the most good to upgrade my abilities. I generally dislike the tedium of RPGs but somehow Dean has infused so much in the game that I quickly changed my mind. Along with all this, there are numerous main quests to be completed throughout the game to progress the story. Also, as you meet NPCs in the game and talk with them, they will give you various side missions to complete. One particular mission had you helping a character that you saved at the very beginning of the game find his lost pocket watch he lost during his scuffle with the monsters towards the beginning of the game. Coincidentally enough, the characters name is ‘Geehan’. One can only assume this character (Chris Geehan of Hyperduck-Love you Chris) and quite a few others are based on real life counterparts. There are also special appearances by other indie game characters that will give you permanent stat upgrades. These types of things only add to the charm of Dust. The sound is another stellar aspect of the game. The sound effects are spot on for everything, right down to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Voice acting was something I didn’t expect in the game. Every main character and NPC is very well voice acted and fit right in to the beautiful graphics. Fidget is funny and has a sheepish sensibility that works well with Dust’s brash attitude. Ahrah is the mentor like voice or reason throughout and the various other characters are just as well done. The soundtrack is one of the strongest I’ve heard in gaming to date. Now I may be partial to their work, but Hyperduck Soundworks really hits a homerun with this one. Nothing is ever overbearing and everything meshes together so well, it’s truly amazing. I can’t say enough good things about the guy’s work and we look forward to being able to say ‘We knew these guys when…”. Don’t forget about us guys. Overall the game is very, very good. The story will hold your interest at every turn and even surprise you in how good it is at points. The graphics are better than almost any game I’ve played in recent memory. Just knowing the game was animated by one man really makes things all the more impressive. Controls are spot on and give a good Symphony of the Night feel as you play through the game. The Castlevania nods can’t be overlooked and shouldn’t be. As I said above, the deep combo system and crafting of items is a very welcome and unexpected addition in the game. Sound effects and voiceovers go a long way in immersing you further in to the world of Dust. Hyperducks score is sweeping and engaging. I found myself wanting to just stand around and listen to the soundtrack. I can’t wait for it to release for purchase. In summation, if you enjoy beautiful and well crafted gaming on a Metroidvania level, go spend your 1200 Microsoft points on this game right now. It won’t disappoint you in the least and is my new favorite game of the year hands down. Click here to view the article
  11. Konami announced HD remakes of both Zone of the Enders, as well as a pack of Silent Hill games coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime next year. They also announced a pack of HD remakes (a la the God of War pack) of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and the recent PSP title Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Both packs will have upgraded graphics, new interfaces, and new 2D art. Also, Kojima announced the new "Transfarring" technology that will allow easier game save transfers between PS3 and PSP versions of games. We'll have to wait for more details on this one, but hopefully it will make things less cumbersome. And on a final note from Konami, for now, a fireball crisscrossed the screen and this was shown: That's right, a NEW CONTRA GAME IS COMING!! I, for one, can not wait for a new game. The recent Nintendo DS iterations have been great. We will have more info as it becomes available. Click here to view the article
  12. June 22nd, 2011 - Austin, TX - Embattled socialite Ms. Splosion Man has been roundly condemned by authorities for her destruction of property and abundant manslaughter charges, but nevertheless remains hugely popular in the hearts of the people. They call her a free-spirit and the meat-bringer but Big Science insists she is a dangerous element getting special treatment only because of her abundant celebrity. Everything will come to a head on July 13th, when the highly anticipated followup from 2009’s Summer of Arcade hit title Splosion Man splodes her way onto the Xbox LIVE® Arcade marketplace. Boasting improvements to nearly every aspect of its gameplay, Ms. Splosion Man is a true successor to her illustrious forebearer. Players can look forward to a host of new gameplay mechanics, varying environments posing new unique challenges, totally revamped network support, epic boss battles, original music, and plenty of the humor and charm that people have come to expect from Twisted Pixel. Tons of unlockables throughout the game give players a complete behind-the-scenes look at the game’s creation. “We are incredibly proud of Ms. Splosion Man and feel like it is our best game to date. We are very excited to launch it this summer on XBLA,” says Twisted Pixel CEO, Mike Wilford. Featuring 50 all new single player levels, a 50 level multiplayer campaign and a bunch of surprises to come, Ms. Splosion Man debuts this summer on Xbox LIVE Arcade, July 13th, 2011. Click here to view the article
  13. Yo can add my kids and I to your list of people PK. Xmas morning, we worked together to cook the bacon and then put it in a pancake. It was, in a word, AMAZING!
  14. But, there isn't any long beautiful hair that makes Johnny Bravo jealous...
  15. The story centers on Dust, a somewhat cloaked figure that is woken up in the forest by a mystical talking sword called Ahrah and a flying sidekick named Fidget. As Dust awakens, he steps in to a world that is being overrun by monsters and runs across a village that needs to be saved from an impending monster horde. From there, the story of Dust's past and a war between races unfolds. With Fidget and Ahrah in tow, Dust sets out on his quest to regain his memories and determine what is going on in the world. I don’t want to go too much in to the story and ruin it, but suffice to say, it is an amazing ride and one of the better stories I’ve played through in a long while in gaming. One of The first thing you're going to notice about the game is how absolutely beautiful everything is. The game evokes a Studio Ghibli or old-school Disney feel with animations and overall art style. Everything is so amazingly well done and detailed; it is almost hard to put in to words. Dean's influences seem to stem from various different places within the game. You can see Eyvind Earle and many other great animators in his art style. The character animations of Dust, Fidget, all the enemies and NPCs are fluid and detailed. The environments almost become a character of their own, as well. Each new area is different enough to feel new, but cohesive enough to feel like one fantastical world. The new enemy designs fit right in with the new areas as well. It really is the most beautiful game on Xbox Live Arcade to date. Also, in the menus, you have the ability to customize the size of your HUD. A small touch, but not unwelcomed by this reviewer. Controls for Dust are just as good as the animation. A fairly deep combo system is in place for you to switch between your various sword attacks and add in Fidget's attacks for screen spanning supers. Aerial combos are also added in to the mix. The combat feels a lot like a fighting game, more akin to a Marvel Vs. Capcom game and Dust's combos are just as deep as any of the characters in one of those games. Being a Metroidvania style game, you gain new abilities as you play through the game as well. Wall jumps, dodges, and more abilities are given as you progress. The RPG elements of the game are implemented extremely well. You upgrade your abilities with gems after each level. Abilities include the standard Health, Defense, and Luck. You can also upgrade Fidget’s abilities in the same manner, making her attacks stronger. Item upgrades that modify your different abilities are also implemented quite well. You get different armors for defense. Rings and necklaces are used for luck and attack. There is also a special abilities section of items that is good for a multitude of upgrades. The items can be found in the world, but they can also be crafted in Dust's crafting aspect. Throughout the game, you will find different blueprints and materials that can be used to create a good number of the different items in the game. This was really unexpected for me and is an addition layer in an already deep game. I really enjoyed seeking out the materials and deciding which items would do the most good to upgrade my abilities. I generally dislike the tedium of RPGs but somehow Dean has infused so much in the game that I quickly changed my mind. Along with all this, there are numerous main quests to be completed throughout the game to progress the story. Also, as you meet NPCs in the game and talk with them, they will give you various side missions to complete. One particular mission had you helping a character that you saved at the very beginning of the game find his lost pocket watch he lost during his scuffle with the monsters towards the beginning of the game. Coincidentally enough, the characters name is ‘Geehan’. One can only assume this character (Chris Geehan of Hyperduck-Love you Chris) and quite a few others are based on real life counterparts. There are also special appearances by other indie game characters that will give you permanent stat upgrades. These types of things only add to the charm of Dust. The sound is another stellar aspect of the game. The sound effects are spot on for everything, right down to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Voice acting was something I didn’t expect in the game. Every main character and NPC is very well voice acted and fit right in to the beautiful graphics. Fidget is funny and has a sheepish sensibility that works well with Dust’s brash attitude. Ahrah is the mentor like voice or reason throughout and the various other characters are just as well done. The soundtrack is one of the strongest I’ve heard in gaming to date. Now I may be partial to their work, but Hyperduck Soundworks really hits a homerun with this one. Nothing is ever overbearing and everything meshes together so well, it’s truly amazing. I can’t say enough good things about the guy’s work and we look forward to being able to say ‘We knew these guys when…”. Don’t forget about us guys. Overall the game is very, very good. The story will hold your interest at every turn and even surprise you in how good it is at points. The graphics are better than almost any game I’ve played in recent memory. Just knowing the game was animated by one man really makes things all the more impressive. Controls are spot on and give a good Symphony of the Night feel as you play through the game. The Castlevania nods can’t be overlooked and shouldn’t be. As I said above, the deep combo system and crafting of items is a very welcome and unexpected addition in the game. Sound effects and voiceovers go a long way in immersing you further in to the world of Dust. Hyperducks score is sweeping and engaging. I found myself wanting to just stand around and listen to the soundtrack. I can’t wait for it to release for purchase. In summation, if you enjoy beautiful and well crafted gaming on a Metroidvania level, go spend your 1200 Microsoft points on this game right now. It won’t disappoint you in the least and is my new favorite game of the year hands down.
  16. Best thing I've read in a while. Love hearing more about our members. Dunno how interesting anything like this would be about me...
  17. The game starts in a very familiar way, but with some subtle differences. Einstein is loaded in to the DeLoreon and sent 1 minute in to the future. This is where things that you thought you knew, go off the rails. Once you take control of Marty you are put in Doc's lab to get a feel for how things will play. The controls handle well for an adventure game. Using the left control stick you will guide Marty around in the lab and run in to a few familiar characters. You'll also recognize quite a few of Doc's inventions and items from the movies around his lab. As you search for clues to determine Doc's whereabouts, you will use some simple dialogue trees to talk with familiar and new faces around Hill Valley. Combine the bits of dialogue with different environmental elements and you get the main portion of the gameplay. These play out like puzzles. Taking the cues from the conversations and actions that characters take, you use different things in the area to solve these puzzles. It really does make for a good combination and you rarely feel stuck, which is big in a game like this. Controls are a bit hit and miss here. They work well enough but a get awkward every once in a while with certain camera angles and environmental elements getting in the way. It's not a game breaker but a little more refinement would have been good. Graphically the game looks good. All the characters are easily identifiable from a glance and they really fit in with the overall aesthetic of the game. It's when the characters start to talk that the game really shines. The voice acting is truly top notch. Bringing in Christopher Lloyd was the greatest idea and A.J. LoCascio does an amazing job as Marty. There are times that even the biggest fan of Back to the Future would be hard pressed to identify whether it was really Michael J. Fox or A.J. The game is broken in to 5 episodes and as you play through they get progressively better. The game stays very true to the series and is a very welcome addition for fans. The disc based version of the games on PS3 are the exact same as the PSN versions (All the episodes are available on PS3, PSN, PC, and iOS devices.) and that's really my only major problem with the games. It would have been really nice to get a few extras on the disc. Maybe a version with commentary by the voice actors and designers or even have Bob Gale come in for commentary. Small quibbles aside, any fan of Back to the Future should pick up every episode and play through them and relish every moment of the continued story. So, don't be a slacker like the McFly's and go pick this up.
  18. Jurassic Park fans are one earth-shaking footstep closer to sinking their teeth into the anticipated release of Jurassic Park: The Game, as Telltale Games, the leading independent digital publisher and developer of episodic interactive entertainment, today announced that Jurassic Park: The Game has gone gold. The game is set to launch on November 15 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft; PlayStation®Network for PlayStation®3, Windows PC and Mac. An iPad version of the game is also in development and will release shortly after November 15th via the iTunes AppStore. Jurassic Park: The Game breaks new ground for Telltale Games as it is the first-ever simultaneous, multi-platform launch in company history, as well as its first retail Xbox 360 product. These milestones result from Telltale’s long-term growth strategy to add a retail component to its global digital distribution acumen, as well as broaden its development capabilities across all popular gaming platforms. “Jurassic Park: The Game continues a series of ‘firsts’ for the company and highlights the strategic transformation we’ve undergone to become a multi-platform publisher,” says Telltale’s co-Founder and CEO, Dan Connors. “This holiday, millions of consumers will be able to experience this all new Jurassic Park adventure no matter what their platform of choice is.” Jurassic Park: The Game is a cinematic adventure that takes players back to Isla Nublar - the site of Jurassic Park - during the events of the first movie. It allows them to experience Jurassic Park as they never have before in an interactive format. In addition to locations and creatures familiar to fans of the movie, the game offers new areas to explore and new prehistoric beasts to survive in a game that combines fast-paced action, exploration and puzzle-solving. Fans can benefit from the following exclusive pre-order offers before November 15th: Pre-order the Xbox 360 version from Gamestop to receive a T-Rex avatar pet. Pre-order the PC/Mac version from the Telltale Online Store (www.telltalegames.com) to qualify for $10 off the Deluxe Edition of the game ($39.99, regularly $49.99). Jurassic Park: The Game is rated T for Teen. For more details and information, please visit http://www.telltalegames.com/jurassicpark.
  19. Telltale is proud to announce that their acclaimed Back to the Future: The Game is now available at retail for PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Available for the incredible price of only $19.99, Telltale Game’s acclaimed extension of the blockbuster movie trilogy has arrived on store shelves just in time for the holidays. So strap in, power up the flux capacitor and put the continued time traveling journeys of Doc Brown and Marty McFly at the top of your gift list. If the Back to the Future fan on your shopping list has yet to experience the game that made Joystiq.com say “…managed to make me feel eight years old again” or IGN.com happily report that the game is “...a welcome surprise - it's a movie-inspired game that doesn't suck”, then now is your chance to give them the perfect holiday gift of Marty and Doc’s continued time spanning adventures, all on one disc! In Back to the Future: The Game, players will travel through time as Marty McFly and play in a cinematic adventure true to the films. Back to the Future: The Game features a new storyline by original film series co-creator, screenwriter and producer Bob Gale along with the vocal talents of original movie cast members Christopher Lloyd (‘Doc’ Brown) and Claudia Wells (Jennifer Parker), with special cameo appearances by the one and only Michael J. Fox. It also introduces the spookily-accurate voice talent of A.J. LoCascio as Marty McFly.
  20. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is slated for release worldwide on November 11, 2011. Learn more about Skyrim at http://elderscrolls.com and at The Elder Council, the official Facebook page of The Elder Scrolls https://facebook.com/TheElderScrolls
  21. Telltale Games’ Jurassic Park: The Game is stomping toward its anticipated November 15, 2011 release date with the speed of a hungry T-Rex pursuing a herd of tasty Gallimimus. Telltale has partnered with GameStop and GameStop.com on an exclusive pre-order for the Xbox 360 version of the game. Anyone who pre-orders between now and the November 15 launch date will receive a codeat the time of purchase (online customers will receive their code via email within 2 days of their game shipping) to unlock an official Jurassic Park T-Rex avatar pet on Xbox LIVE! It’s a dino-mite incentive as the Jurassic Park T-Rex avatar pet is authentically modeled on the design used in the Jurassic Park movie, delighting the most ardent Jurassic Park fan. You can distract your Tyrannosaurus Rex with a flare just like Dr. Alan Grant or watch her roar and stomp as she inspires awe & terror with her pint sized ferocity! So “hold on to your butts” and head over to GameStop now to secure your Jurassic Park: The Game pre-order and adopt the fiercest avatar pet ever to be resurrected from ancient extinction. The Tyrannosaurus Rex avatar pet - created by meemo, leading developers of virtual goods - will be available to buy on Xbox LIVE, along with a whole range of other amazing officially-licensed Jurassic Park creatures and virtual items from November 15th.
  22. The table has a ton of rail chutes and ramps that are integral to the different table missions. With spinning towers and magical trees, your ball is sent literally all around the table and with practice you'll rack up millions of points and complete each mission. Collecting the obsidian throughout will eventually lead you to the final showdown with the Sorcerer. Also, be sure to note the 4 flippers on the table. The flipper at the very top left of the table can be obscured in some views, but once you know it's there, it really becomes one of the most important aspects of the table to complete the challenges and different locations. Speaking of challenges, there are tons included in the table. Creepy Cellar, Freaky Forest, Tower Crawler, Stairway Hurry Up, Whisper Hideout and Gates to the Void all bring a huge variety of things to do on this table. One challenge has you playing a game within the game almost by using Jake's slingshot to shoot spiders on a miniature table. As with the other tables, the challenges ramp up the replay value very well. All in all Zen Studios has become the "go to" studio if you want a great tie-in pinball table, but this latest release shows that a tie-in IP is not necessary for them to make a great pinball table. 3 new achievements to go after, tons of different challenges, and the overall low cost (240 MSP or $3) really should entice even the non-pinball fans out there. It may take a bit of practice to get good at any of the tables, but once you do you will get hooked.
  23. A young PK shows us how it's done.....
  24. Today NBA 2K12 Producer, Erick Boenisch and Senior Gameplay Designer, Mike Wang took time out of their busy schedules to get on a conference call to answer a ton of questions about the upcoming release of the next game in the franchise. With over 5 million copies sold, NBA 2K11 is considered by may to be one of the greatest basketball games of all time, they give insight on how they plan to top it with this latest release. Take a listen and be sure to let us know what you think.
  25. Speaking of controls, this may be the only problem I have with the game. You control The Gunstringer’s movements with one of your hands (Depending on whether you’re left or right handed.) and with the other you control the guns, sword, or fist. Each level starts with you picking up The Gunstringer and getting started with the level. With your free hand you aim your “gun” as if you were a child playing cops and robbers. As you select up to six targets with the reticule, you jerk your hand back as if the gun has been fired and you are dealing with the recoil. Simple enough controls for the weapons and this work outstandingly well. I never had a problem with the gun controls in a standing or sitting position. Controlling The Gunstringer on the other hand can be a little tougher. Some of the finer movements can be bothersome and aren’t as precise as they should be for dodging and jumping sections in the game. There are also sections that have The Gunstringer behind cover, peeking out to get off a few rounds to take out enemies. Again, this can be bothersome due to the controls, but isn’t game breaking. I put this problem more on the Kinect than the game itself. Honestly, a patch may be able to help some. As it stands, the controls work quite well for the most part. Graphically, the game is done really well. The overall look and variety of locations and enemies is very well done. Also, as with most Twisted Pixel games, everything has enough variety and seems to be so lovingly crafted that you want to see more and more of each level. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t an on rails version of Red Dead Redemption, but everything looks great. Sound is also on par with the other Twisted Pixel releases. The narrator brings a lot to the game. Constantly giving commentary on what is going on with The Gunstringer or his surroundings. This isn’t commentary at the level of Bastion, but it is extremely close. Also, the soundtrack really is amazing here. As with the other XBLA releases, each tune for each level is catchy and you will seek out the soundtrack, if for nothing more than the ending song. The Gunstringer truly shapes up to be a top notch Kinect game. There is technically nothing here that couldn’t have been accomplished on the Wii or Playstation Move, but the character really does lend himself to being on Kinect. Twisted Pixel’s humor, wit, and presentation all add up to create one of the most unique and fun experiences I’ve had with Kinect. Before The Gunstringer, the Kinect really had become a fancy Netflix, video, and music controller. The Gunstringer really should be in any Kinect owner’s game library. Also, being Twisted Pixel’s first DVD based game, the full package is jam packed with extras. You get the first DLC, The Wavy Tubeman Chronicles (Which I will review soon), and a copy of another great Kinect title, Fruit Ninja Kinect (Which I reviewed here). So, to answer my previous questions: Will their first disc based game live up to the standards of their previous endeavors? This is a yes. Will The Gunstringer be the first “Must Buy” game for the Xbox Kinect add-on? Oh heck yes! If all this hasn’t convinced you to buy this game, then you should probably sell your Xbox and go buy a book.
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