When I was just a young lad, I discovered that I was wickedly-good at Missile Command. My sister’s boyfriends, on the way to her room, would hear the sounds coming from mine, see a little six year old boy with an Atari joystick and think “time to school the kid.” Several hours and screams from my sister later the ex-boyfriend would be on his way out the door thoroughly defeated and promising a rematch. They did come back often too, in order to try their luck at the game instead of my sister, and none could top my score. As other games came along, I lost interest in Missile Command, but never did lose the high score on it in our house. Fast forward to today and I find myself reviewing a game that though amazingly superior in its visuals, has an eerie resemblance in game play.
Starship Battles Description:
Graphically, Starship Battles presents in full 3D, with high resolution environments and science-fiction warships. In addition, game play is greatly enhanced by simple and responsive controls. As the player commandeers the warship’s battle-station, he is awarded fantastic visual effects as his weapons fire and enemy ships explode in brilliant 3D. The player can spend soft currency to upgrade and design his fleet. Designer ships come with visual personalization, War-Paint, and instant game-play bonuses.
At product launch, Starship Battles offers five highly detailed ships, each with five War-Paints. Additional ships will follow. The game begins with the avatar mounting only one Frigate to defend the galaxy against an infinite force of relentless aliens. The Cruiser, Destroyer, Battleship and Corvette wait to be purchased with minerals earned through game-play. Victories and achievements are posted at Game Center through social media integration, lending another dimension to extend competitive game-play.
Hands On:
So instead of a whole bunch of bases like in Missile Command you have one ship and your screen is large enough that you need to pan around. Instead of missiles making a beeline at you it is little ships with remarkable detail for thier size and if you pan around the screen you will see some larger stationary ships that are launching the small ones. You just cruise your view around space and touch the screen to fire a missile, fire a nuke or collect a mineral.
Collect enough minerals or pay enough real life cash and you can change the paint job on your ship or purchase four other ones. That is the whole game. Fire at little kamikaze ships, fire at ship carriers, collect minerals for paint jobs and new ships. It has an arcade style simplicity of play that dates back over three decades with state of the art 3D retina graphics. Of and I forgot to mention the price… two bucks.
Last Call:
This game looks good enough to probably trick kids into thinking it is a new style of game while also getting them to experience old school arcade gaming. You could also play it for yourself and relive childhood memories with graphics that no longer hurt the eyes. While Starship Battles certainly didn’t invent this kind of arcade play style – it does make it look sexy!
I have to hand it to Zen Studios: When they do something, they take the time to do it right. We fell in love with the physics modelling in their Zen Pinball so much, that we own virtual tables on four platforms! Different tables on each one, I might add. That is how much we respect their pinball. So, when I got to play CastleStorm, I thought I would have the chance to experience a very solid tower defense game with terrific physics. What I didn’t expect was that Zen Studios decided to take tower defense and mix it together with elements from one of the all time favorite mobile games, Angry Birds. It’s a mashup that works so well, it might be hard to go back to a regular tower defense game!
Official Features:
The clouds bring rumors of war… It’s Knights vs. Vikings in CastleStorm, where medieval warfare meets 2D physics-based destruction! Controlling the battle in real time, players will harness the power of medieval artillery, manage a fearsome ground attack, and cast powerful spells! CastleStorm features a story-driven solo campaign, a custom castle editor, online multiplayer, co-op modes, and more. Building castles and knocking them down has never been so much fun! CastleStorm is a physics based tower destruction game, combining elements of real time strategy, resource management, and a beautiful blend of challenging gameplay scenarios.
Multiplayer battles and Co-op. CastleStorm features multiple modes of multiplayer action for both local and online play
1 vs. 1 split-screen mode, simply try and beat your opponent
Survival Co-op: Two players team up to fight off waves of enemies together! One player will control the ballista, the other controls ground forces
Last Stand Co-op: Both players control a hero and fight off endless waves of enemies together!
Build your own castle! CastleStorm features a tower construction editor allowing players to construct their own custom castles that will be used in battle. Castles must be constructed wisely, as choices determine which types of troops and resources will be available during battle!
Twelve incredibly beautiful environments and a comical story, in stunning stereoscopic 3D. Sir Gareth leads his troops into battle against the raging Vikings to recover the stolen gem and bring peace to the realm!
Multiple paths to victory – you can choose how to defeat your enemy. Capture the flag, destroy their castle, or complete another predetermined level objective in order to claim victory. Each level features multiple objectives, each with their own rewards!
An arsenal that would make any medieval warrior proud! Harness the power of medieval ballista weaponry, and launch an assortment of explosive weapons including Morningstars, Apple Grenades, Homing Eagles, and even flying sheep to defeat an onslaught of enemies trying to capture your flag and destroy your castle. Deploy a fearsome ground attack of swordsmen, knights, and donkey riders in order to protect your castle gates, and if all else fails, call upon powerful spells to help keep the enemy at bay.
You’ve won the battle, now power up so you can win the war! As you power up in CastleStorm, new weapons and troop classes become available for use in battle.
Hands On:
CastleStorm is a 2D side-scrolling tower defense/offense game where players send units out to attach each others castles as well as any potential opposing units along the way. At this point, it sounds like pretty standard tower defense fare, with leveling the units and trying to pick the right combination to bridge the gap. Then you have your main character: Your hero, who is supposed to be your avatar on the field that you can level and pick spells for, actually joins your forces in battle. This is a different enough touch to have some bonus levels and gameplay options dedicated to it and can strategically be a huge game changer if you level him right and send him out to tear a path through the enemy’s gate so your troops can capture their flag.
Where the game gets really interesting though is it has this Angry Birds aspect to it. Each side has castles that are built with see-through side walls and rooms dedicated to each troop type. Each side also has ballistas so they can fire at each other’s castle walls AND enemy troops crossing the field. These projectiles can knock down enemy castle walls with stones that split in midair or with apples that explode on command or launch sheep that fart poisonous gas at the troops passing across the field! The result is playing an Angry Birds style game where you are attacking units as well as buildings, playing tower defense on what units you send out and playing hack and slash when you get down on the field yourself. To top it all off, your hero can cast spells from the safety of his castle that may provide defense for his units and building or offense against enemy units.
The result is a strategy game with multiple ways to win and multiple ways to lose. Just about every level gives you a bonus objective, like wining the match in under four minutes or not take any damage to a particular room of your castle. This is important, because if a room in your castle gets destroyed that represents a particular unit or unit bonus, you lose it for the round! You wind up having to design your own castle as part of the game so you become very aware of what units or bonuses you will lose first if you don’t build with care and the enemy starts raining destruction down on your stronghold.
The graphics are playful and comical as is the storyline and, as a result, the game is deceptively sophisticated. It pokes fun at its similarities to Angry Birds as well as making pop culture references to IPs such as Game of Thrones (one of these really cracked me up) so that you can laugh and have fun with the story and the gameplay. Be advised, if you take things too lightly, your castle will undoubtedly fall. Stay sharp!
Last Round:
CastleStorm is a great mix of game styles that Zen Studios pulls off beautifully. I replayed many levels over and over as I went through just so that I could try a different strategy out. On one attempt, I might concentrate on taking down their castle then I would play it again and see if I could beat it faster with a handful of troops and my hero storming their gates. I never actually cared that much for the Angry Birds games and now I think I know why – the enemy wasn’t fighting back!
Note: At the time of this review the game had not yet been released so online multiplayer was not testable enough for an opinion.
Fans of Stoker’s “Dracula” novel and Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” film are probably familiar with Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing is the mysterious occult expert who helps stop the blood thirsty and somewhat tragic main character of the story, Dracula. Those who are fans of campy movies may know Van Helsing more as the title of a Victorian/steam-punk supernatural tale of a vampire hunter with a fully auto crossbow who can jump carriages over ravines like nobody alive (who looks a lot like Wolverine). Those who love parody movies would know the name… Nevermind – even by parody movie standards, “Stan Helsing” sucked and doesn’t deserve our time except to say how terrible it was. Fans of dungeon crawlers who were maybe a bit disappointed by the last Diablo outing but who loved the little indie title Krater have a new reason to know and possibly love the name with The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing.
Official Description:
Put on your wide-brimmed hat, grab your weapons and embark on an incredible adventure in the gothic-noir world of Borgovia, where mad science threatens the fragile peace between monster and mortal. Be Van Helsing, monster-hunter extraordinaire and save the day with your charming and beautiful companion, Lady Katarina (who happens to be a ghost, by the way). Explore the savage wilderness in the mountains and the soot-stained brick districts of a grim metropolis twisted by weird science, and don’t forget: you might never know who the real monsters are!
Features:
Enter a memorable gothic-noir universe filled with monsters, magic and weird science.
Play through a refreshingly unique story, spiced up with wry humor and snappy dialogue.
Fight fierce battles against supernatural foes with diverse skills and abilities.
Use the special abilities and tailor the skills of your remarkable follower.
Customize your character through a detailed level-up system where you decide which skills and abilities you’ll need for the hunt.
Modify your skills on the spot with a unique power-up system.
Learn the secrets of mystical alchemy and forge powerful items.
Build and develop your hideout and place traps to defend it from waves of terrible monsters.
Become the greatest monster slayer of all time while playing a cooperative multiplayer monster hunt up to four players.
Hands On:
So this information would kind of lead you to believe you are THE Van Helsing of Dracula lore. Actually, you take on the role of Abraham Van Helsing jr. That is the default name, of course, you can alter it. My character became “Ripper” Van Helsing very quickly! Also, the character bears a striking resemblance in weaponry, dress, and fighting style to the 2004 movie version staring Hugh Jackman. By the opening narrative you find that you have had a long and interesting travel around the world to get to the land of Borgova where they are having problems with werewolves, bandits, mechanical men, and other creatures. Most these monsters don’t play nice but some of whom, you discover, should not be judged by looks alone. Dungeon crawlers and hack and slash titles don’t necessarily need a strong story or even a back story, but the game’s developer, Neocoregames, seemed to understand that if you use an iconic name it should. Thankfully, they have weaved a memorable story into the game and have done a decent job throughout. The dialogue is humorous and playful between Abraham (Ripper) and his ghost/poltergeist Katrina and, at tines, the game even pokes fun at other titles in the genre.
As I often say, even the best story won’t get the chance to unfold for a player if the gameplay is boring or aggravating. That was actually lot of the complaints about the last Diablo outing… Luckily, the developers looked at what has worked in successful dungeon crawlers and, instead of reinventing the wheel, took the good parts to create a solid combination. There are skill trees, diverse enough to fit most play styles while also not getting overly-complicated or diluted. Your character has both a ranged and melee build which can be changed on-the-fly by simply hitting the R key. Your companion has a small skill tree to work with and levels up with you. This allows you to set skill points as well as choose who and how she attacks: Ranged first, melee first, weakest opponent, etc. You can even set her to pick up items such as gold and common to epic loot so that you don’t have to! When her inventory fills up, you can tell her to “go shopping”. This makes her teleport to town, sell everything in her inventory, and return with gold and any health or mana potions you commanded her to buy. She is such a handy NPC to have at your side, especially when you find yourself out in the middle of nowhere and out of potions.
Creature battle is fairly standard with melee mobbing. You tend to get lost in a giant wave of enemy bodies and a lot of ranged-attach creatures tend to maintain their range if possible, leading you to chase them down. This makes the option to switch back and forth between melee and range with a single button very handy, as you can take some initial shots at a distance then start melee with the ones that charge you. After, you can finish off the rest by switching back to range for those spell casters and riflemen. Monster AI is well done for the most part, with a big, shining example being the “mechanical men” who are dressed like Her Majesty’s troops and actually go into a firing formation to attack – which proves to be both daunting and challenging! When you and your companion see them line up like Revolutionary War re-enactors, take aim, and fire for the first time – you will probably take more than a few hits before you figure out how to react to their tactics (run and regroup).
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing uses a combination of rage, mana, and health to get through the game. Rage is gotten through fighting and is used for things like “explosive round” in your gun. More traditionally, mana is used for mystical abilities like lightning strikes or healing your party. Mana and health can be gained through potions, spells, and gear just like most dungeon crawlers.
One of the things that stands out as being very enjoyable is the game’s environments. They have a very old world feel to them – the buildings, the marshes, the forests, all have that Transylvania-n vibe. It is much like the way Krater stood apart with its Borderlands-style graphics and feel. This game is definitely a hack and slash dungeon crawler, but shows that all dungeon crawlers do not need to be alike!
Last Round:
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is, in many ways, a standard dungeon crawler. However, this is a “standard dungeon crawler” done smartly! It takes the best aspects of the genre and combines them into a solid and enjoyable game that becomes a standout title. Right now, it is on sale for 10% off on Steam, though at a $14.99 price tag it is a deal even at full price!
[easyreview title=”The Adventures Of Van Helsing Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]
A growing trend over recent years has been the further isolation of individuals because of technology. With the widespread use of smartphones, more often people are looking down at their screens instead of paying attention to the world around them. How often have you been talking to someone and they decide to check the time so they pull out there phone, see a text and decide to fire off a quick response – all while you are trying to discuss something? Do you find when you go out to dinner the phone immediately comes out of everyone’s pockets and comes to rest on the tables where they get handled as much as the silverware – if not moreso? It’s become an ingrained part of our culture – a sort of disconnection from the immediate world around you in order to keep up with the world at large. For some people, this is a downright difficult habit to break. Even movie theaters have two or three requests to not use your phone before every screening and the television is laden with PSAs about not texting and driving.
With all that in mind, some companies have tried to make it so that we can remained connected to the world (and our phones) but still be more in the here and now. A perfect example of this would be COOKOO: The Connected Watch.
Description:
COOKOO: The Connected Watch is designed to simplify your life. That is why the COOKOO watch has a beautifully designed analog watch face with easy to read icons to display the information you need anywhere, anytime. The smart, user-friendly interface will easily keep you connected and help manage your phone, apps, and social networks.
The COOKOO App keeps you in control of the alerts and notifications you receive on the COOKOO watch. Customize the setting based on your lifestyle. Select which notifications you want to receive and whether you want to be notified by an icon, beep, or vibration.
With the COOKOO App, you can receives notifications of:
Incoming calls
Missed calls
Facebook messages and posts
Twitter mention
Calendar reminders
Your device is out of range
Low battery on iPhone or iPad
Alarm and Timer alert
By a press of button, you can remote what to do…
One-button Facebook Check-in : Allows you to share where you are in the fastest way
Remote Photos/Videos taking : Perfect for taking group shots!
One-button Music Control : Press the COMMAND button to play or pause the music, or hold the button to skip to the next song
Tag location at any time : Tag your current location on the COOKOO App’s map—later you can add notes, pictures, and even share your map with others.
Fine your phone : If you know your phone is around but you just can’t seem to find it, simply press a button to sound an alert and locate it. …and more as the Connected App develops!
The COOKOO watch uses Bluetooth® 4.0 LE wireless technology and is compatible with the latest Bluetooth SMART READY devices such as iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPad mini, iPad (4th & 3rd generation), iPod touch (5th generation).
Hands-On:
It began as a Kickstarter project that quickly took off like wildfire; The COOKOO watch is named after The Black Forest “cookoo” clocks developed back in the 18th century. This is evident at first glance at the watch casing which is designed to look like a cookoo clock and has instructions on how to recycle the case as a bird house or bird feeder.
Let’s say you are in an important meeting, maybe with a business client or your special someone. You have been waiting for an important email or text but you want to show the person you are with that they have your attention. While your phone is tucked away in a pocket, you can casually glance at your watch and it will let you know if a call, text, or email has come in. It can even let you know if you were mentioned or messaged on Facebook. All of this will show up as little discreet icons on the face of your phone. These icons aren’t glowing or distracting, they just look like part of the watch face. With the downloadable phone app, you can simply press the screen button on your phone and you will see a full list of everyone one who has tried to contact you and, in the case of Facebook or text messaging, the first line of the status/message is listed as well, so you can see without pressing a bunch of buttons or taking up a lot of time.
This last October, I lost my phone on a hayride and didn’t realize it immediately. I used a common phone finder app on my wife’s phone and we figured out where the phone was. Thankfully, we recovered it. If I had been wearing COOKOO: The Connected Watch, it would have immediately alerted me when the phone was a certain distance away from my watch and I could have pressed a button on the watch to start the phone making a noise without going through my wife’s app, as if she hadn’t been there, finding the phone would have been much more difficult.
Another example uses the watch’s easy status-sharing capabilities. Say you are caught up in traffic going to meet friends. You can press a single button on the watch and check in on Facebook so that when my friends check, they can see where I am. If I wanted to turn up the music I am playing on my phone through the AUX port in the car stereo, I can adjust that on my watch without touching the stereo knob. You can also find out all the texts and calls you are missing just like in the meeting scenario. COOKOO: The Connected Watch is a safe option or addition to hands-free phone use which is literally lifesaving as well as staying legal in many states.
If you have a family member who is forgetful about pill or appointment times, you can use the app and Facebook to do everything from remind them when to take their pills to when they have an appointment or someone has a birthday. Whether it’s medical memory issues or just being generally scatterbrained, this watch will help keep your life on track. The nice thing is that all the programming can be done on the phone, but the phone doesn’t need to be on the person for the watch alarm to go off.
My only complaint during testing was how easy it is toggle the power. The bluetooth functionality of the watch is supposed to be turned off during flight takeoff, so it is important to be able to do that. However, I found myself bumping the button on accident, which would turn it back on. I think if it required two buttons, one on each side of the watch, to be pressed at the same time to turn it on or off that it would be less accident prone.
Style And Function:
I used to work as a director at a home shopping network and I actually learned a lot about watches during that time. The battery systems along with the type of bluetooth connection are designed to get you through about a year of use before having to worry about changing them out and a jeweler is not required to do so. The design gives decent water resistance, it would probably survive a dip in the pool though not recommended and be sure to take it off during showers or it can steam up underneath the glass. The design of the face and body are simple as well as classic, and the band is a flexible rubber which usually holds up to the elements. If money wasn’t a concern, I would recommend a ceramic strap be used to replace the provided one for maximum durability and style. The mineral crystal glass face is some of the best scratch resistant material for a watch face on the market, but be careful as that does not mean it is bulletproof. I had a similar face survive all kinds of hardships then get permanently scratched while standing in a line at Disneyland.
Last Call:
This watch has all the style and design that anyone from a businessman to active teen would need, but functionality that will improve just about any smartphone user’s life. Other interactive watches on the market usually look over-the-top “techy” and seem to lack a certain of refinement. Not so with COOKOO: The Connected Watch: It clearly has a very elegant design and execution. This is the watch for those who want to stay connected to the world but also pay attention to the world around them.
[easyreview title=”COOKOO: The Connected Watch Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ] Our Rating Scores Explained
I’ve played console games since there were consoles to play them on. Over the years, certain fond memories stick out in my mind. Memories like all-night gaming sessions on the weekend with a stack of rented games, a 12 pack of highly caffeinated and sugary soda, and a few good friends that you felt you could spend 24 hours straight with. One of these weekends that particularly stands out was playing the original Contra, and a couple other titles, until our eyes were bleary and bloodshot. When it came to “buddy games”, few stood out like Contr: Simple, 2D side-scrolling action that kept you going and going. Because so many people have such fond memories of these games, a ton of modern-day indie titles have come out that try very hard to capture that nostalgic gameplay. These retro games might seem like win-win at first, but the funny thing about nostalgia is it is often rooted in a specific time. Graphics and gaming were not what they are nowadays and, as a result, even retro games are expected to have some updated elements. Bad Bots walks a dangerous line between fond yesterdays and modern expectations.
Description:
Bad Bots is a retro style platform shooter with intense robot blasting action and sci-fi story. You hack and blast your way through an onslaught of truly bad ‘bots to find a way to prevent a potentially planet-destroying catastrophe. Bad Bots stars Sam McRae, a grease mechanic aboard the “Titan Hauler” space cargo ship who wakes from cryogenic hypersleep to discover the ship’s robotic crew has been reprogrammed to destroy humans. Even worse, the ship has been rerouted on an explosive collision course with Earth. You can play either the Challenges Mode to see if you can survive sixty seconds in a room with an endless supply of robots or the story-based Campaign Mode that includes boss battles, puzzles and a compelling story.
Features:
More than 170 rooms across a rich story-based Campaign Mode.
Several unique robot types including seven intense bosses.
Eight robot bustin’ weapons including a rifle, explosive grenade launcher, pulsar gun and more.
A Challenge Mode where you try to survive 60 seconds against an endless onslaught of especially persistent and cranky gun-toting robots.
Fourteen challenging Achievements.
The full frackin’ game! No ads, no upsells and nothing else to pay for!
Hands On:
The first thing one can saw about Bad Bots is that IndiePub has made one very addictive video game here. I quickly lost track of time and spent way too long on one gaming stretch without moving (and I am totally sore as a result). The cutscenes that tell part of the story are done in a comic book panel style and that’s really smart, because it can show some graphic quality without being so stunning as to make the retro feel of the game seem old rather than vintage. The game’s graphics are simple, yet clean, with details here and there to bring the retro feel home without feeling shabby. This is a difficult line to walk but, when done right, the player really doesn’t notice unless they are meant to.
There is a storyline of an every-man hero trying to save himself while avenging his fellow shipmates, but this is easily lost in the action which is fine. Retro 2D side scrolling shooters really need only the most basic of premise, it is all about the action and whether or not it borders on overwhelming while still being fun. Bad Bots throws bot after bot at you, wearing down your health and ammo, dropping just enough of each at just the right time to keep an experienced player alive. But, if you die a lot don’t worry as you just go back to the last checkpoint (also, there are achievements for dying!).
The weapons are of a suitable variety to please just about everyone. You get one melee weapon, one standard weapon, and one special weapon. Different special and melee weapons drop throughout the game and it is up to you to choose the ones that suit you best. Your standard weapon remains the same but gets the most ammo drops. You can even just change special weapons with every drop to keep the variety and fun (as well as ammo stock) though I definitely found a particular favorite and was hard-pressed to deviate from it. It was mainly the boss fights that made me change up when it became evident that certain bosses were weak against certain weapons. The bosses, and strategies to beat them, are beautiful throwbacks to the games of old and I found myself thinking “ah this is how I beat that one boss in that one game” a lot. I even saw some definite homages to standard bad guys from the old games popping up now and then.
As a single player retro 2D side-scrolling shooter, Bad Bots is about as solid as they come. The only thing I would REALLY like to see would be two player co-op, the one thing that made many of those retro games so amazing. This game brings up so much nostalgia but I can’t call my buddies up and play them local or online. All I can do is say “dude get it and tell me what you think” then wait and find out. I know coding and therefore cost shoots up when you add such an element and IndiePub, even by its name, brings home the fact that it is an indie work of love. But, if there were a way in “Bad Bots 2: Badder Bots Beat Back” I would love this game on a whole new level.
First Round:
I played the preview build of the game so it could still change a lot by release date but it is a very solid play at this point that really doesn’t even need a fresh coat of polish. Bad Bots lives up to everything it claims to be: A retro, 2D side scrolling shooter, which brings up nostalgia while maintaining excellent gameplay and graphics which, though reminiscent of games past, aren’t hard on the eyes. When you have a solid game like this, time flies while your killing bots and trying to save the world.
So there are people out there that simply won’t “get” this game whatsoever. These are often the same people who won’t spend $20 on the crane machine trying to win a stuffed animal nobody wants. They wouldn’t have stuck with Super Star Wars on the Super Nintendo or collected tickets in an arcade all night that gets you a pair of glow-in-the-dark fangs and a small spinning top. Maybe a whistle too, but that doesn’t matter… The whole point is that sometimes doing something difficult simply to get it done can be fun just to prove you can do it. This is not for everyone, but those who do enjoy such things will enjoy Surgeon Simulator 2013.
Description:
Surgeon Simulator 2013 is a darkly humorous over-the-top operation sim game where players become Nigel Burke, a would be surgeon taking life into his own shaky hands, performing life-saving surgical maneuvers on passive patients. The original prototype – developed in just 48 hours at the 2013 Global Game Jam in January – challenged players to complete a heart transplant, armed only with an arsenal of clumsy and inappropriate tools and a hand that was diabolical to control, using a combination of keyboard and mouse actions.
The full Steam version comes with additional features, operations and environments. From carrying out terrifying transplants in theatre – to surgical procedures in the back of an ambulance – Surgeon Simulator 2013 now takes operating to the next level.
Set in 1988 everything is dated from the equipment and desk clock radios to the show the lead character is obsessed with and the music choices. The only thing missing is an ashtray in the operating room.
Features:
New full game based on the internet sensation 48hr prototype
Brand new features including the fiendishly difficult ambulance mode
More operations including double kidney transplant and brain transplant
Tons of Easter eggs to discover
New visuals and a pumping new soundtrack
Gameplay:
So try to imagine you have one arm with no elbow and can’t work your fingers in a complex manner. You can only open and close them with the barest of ability. If you want to pick up a scalpel, you lower your hand, make a fist and however you hand picks up the blade is how you are going to hold it – no matter what. You then have to twist or bend your wrist and lift and lower your arm in a plane fashion. It is almost like picking tweezers up with a crane machine then using this hold to play the game Operation with. In case that is too hard to visualize, the controls are insanely difficult to work with – sloppy, messy, and completely made that way on purpose for the sake fun and misguided medical science. There are three missions set up in two different environments along with some hidden levels and yet the gameplay is still hours upon hours in length… From having to restart missions over and over!
If the controls aren’t enough proof of the fact that Surgeon Simulator 2013 is supposed to be silly fun, you have your clock radio in the operating room with you so you can listen to your groovy tunes as you slice up organs and toss them all over the place when you can grab them. One of the best tools at your disposal is a clawed hammer but don’t forget there is also a pencil and empty orange juice bottle at your disposal too. Don’t worry either about putting the organs back in, they only care that you get the organ you are supposed to replace makes it back in, feel free to leave that liver, lungs and stomach sitting on the floor. The patient doesn’t need those, right?
Last Call:
This game is so definitely not for everyone, only sadists and masochists, and should not be taken at all seriously. If you are one of those people who loved quarter-munching claw machines and over the top, gory humor then this is the game for you. You will certainly lose hours of time playing Surgeon Simulator 2013 instead of quarters in an arcade for a stuffed animal no one wanted in the first place.
Let’s face it, there are plenty of times we feel like gaming and the PC or console just aren’t practical. Luckily, that is where Square Enix comes in! Mini Ninjas for iOS is the exact kind of game for those moments. Moments, when you are intolerably bored and wanting to block out the world with some good old fashion phone gaming. The 2D side scrolling runner has really come into its own on the iOS platform like nowhere else since the days of first-gen Nintendo titles. Mini Ninjas, with its excellent graphics is a prime example of that at a very affordable price.
Mini Ninjas themselves lend to a running and fighting game just by their nature. Remember the original Shinobi? If not, trust me when I say that ninjas, running and fighting, is an international favorite – especially in a side-scrolling environment. We used to go out of our way to play it in video arcades, then locking ourselves in our homes and now you can go ahead and just play it on the fly.
Gameplay is pretty straight forward when it comes to Mini Ninjas on the iOS as it probably should be if you are playing this game while waiting at the DMV or ignoring family members’ and strangers’ odors on buses or airplanes. Perhaps an arranged double date? I’ve made my point I think… You tap on the little running ninjas to jump over objects like rocks and giant pungi sticks (yikes! I cringed every time I fell on them). If an enemy such as a samurai gets in their way or a destructible looking box tap on it and destroy it! Sometimes this results in temporary buff or temporary little friend but in the end just keep running, collecting coins (sound familiar?) and tapping on your screen and time will pass in a beautiful scenic fighting flash.
Last Call:
For older gamers, this is a great taste of the gaming that got us to where we are today. For the younger generation, it is what they have come to hope for from an iOS game. Mini Ninjas is side-scrolling, running, fighting fun time from the beginning to end.
[easyreview title=”Mini Ninjas (iOS) Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3″ ]
Since Kalypso Media and RealmForge got our blood pumping to get our hands on Dark this June, we figured it was a good time to revisit this exciting new title to keep our appetites whet. If somehow you have been in the dark for the last several months, here is one of the new exciting titles we are looking forward to this year.
Storyline:
In the world of DARK, you play as Eric Bane, a newly “born” vampire, must uncover the secrets of this world, and the mysterious GeoForge Corporation by stealthily exploring a variety of modern environments, while using your unique vampire powers to dispatch all those who dare oppose you.
The game starts off as you are trying to find initial answers knowing that you used to be Eric Bane of the M17 Special Forces and now you are a target of that very same group. Also, you are attempting to save yourself from becoming a mindless killing machine by finding one of the master vampires. Without giving more away, Dark is filled with twists and turns and promises to be as interesting to see unfold as it will be to play.
Graphics And Sound:
Dark is a game of dark (no pun intended) themes and dark (again) environments, but the game uses a 3D cel-shaded visual style coupled with some excellent lighting so that it still features great color and rich contrast. The environments vary from office buildings, alleys, and casinos to put the graphics to great use. Kalypso also plans to make advanced graphic settings for the PC version of Dark, giving the greatest visual experience your system can handle. As it turns out deadlines for the Xbox 360 platform requires the games to be done at a certain time for physical production – which allows more time for PC graphic adjustments. Dark’s cutscenes are designed to match the action graphically, which helps maintain the suspension of disbelief and the flow of the experience. As far as I can tell so far, the sound is excellent and the music, amazing.
Gameplay:
The most beautiful game with the best story in the world can still be unplayable if the game mechanics don’t work right. Luckily, even though they are being adjusted every day the current gameplay builds, both mechanics and options, are not just playable but solidly defined. So much so, in fact, that if the game were to release tomorrow based on the last build I played, it would be great fun! This makes it look easy to be optimistic that once the final version is released this summer, hopefully in June, Dark will be a great game in many aspects. The control choices are intuitive to the third person genre and are easily picked up and mastered so that players can concentrate on play rather than on learning to play.
The gameplay style itself is a different take on a well-established formula. This game heavily involves the use of stealth, misdirection, and strategic approach. It is not a “run and gun” experience by any means. As a matter of fact, you don’t use a gun! Many enemies are just better off being avoided completely and the whole area of a level should be considered from a safe spot before moving out. One of the vampiric talents you get is the ability to sense blood around you as well as sensing if you are being observed. This enables you to have an infrared-style look at a level, showing glowing red figures of your enemies and whether or not they already see you. This is a great way to keep you from stepping out from behind some crates into a six man crossfire which I saw plenty of when people weren’t being cautious during hands-on play.
Another vampiric trait that helps is called “Shadow Leap”: A teleporting ability showcased in the teaser trailer that has been released. It is based on line of sight and makes it so that you can teleport to any location you see regardless of obstacles between you and the destination. This can prove great for moving quickly across rooms to escape guards, teleporting past fences to prevent pursuit – heck, this is a great way just to cross a room, period. The best use of this, however, is teleporting right up next to an enemy and feeding on them or dispatching them in some other way. There is a definite feeling of satisfaction when you appear in a puff of black smoke and sink your teeth into an enemy. Remember, this game is a third person stealth/actioner, not a third person shooter – so you have to rely on techniques that let you pass enemies or let you get up close and personal to them fast.
To help with this there is a skill point system with skill trees and experience-gathering. There are multiple trees and multiple traits on them that are at this time designed to make significant improvements to your play. Also, they vary enough to allow player’s customization in how they play the game. Off-hand examples would be trying to complete a level without killing guards or half-vamps, another would be killing everyone in sight, another would be teleporting through as much as possible as fast as possible. There will also always be those who want to just run in and kill like crazy and only retreat to cover when they are about to die. The developers have taken all these styles and more into account and have already built in great replayability with just these trees and traits since you can play through a different style each time. Add to this the variety of environments and replayability should not prove an issue.
Second Round:
The more I get my eyes and hands on Dark, the more I salivate to play it. I want to be playing it so badly that I think I am becoming Renfield-mad! Dark should run about 8-10 hours for each play when it comes out, but with so many options of skills, I know I will be playing it more than once. I just wish I could start tonight! Dark is a nightmare of a game that should be a dream to play.
The “strategy” game category tends towards vagary, covering such a diverse range of play from tower defense titles to micro-managing empire sims. They can be turn based or real time and “real time” can be warped to mean quite a few things too – the only fundamental guarantee on a real time game is that it’s not turn based. With other genres, such as first-person shooters, you generally know what you are getting into. There will be a weapon in your point of view and you will negotiate various maps and levels, shooting bad guys. Even those who argue how good a first-person shooter usually base that argument off the comparisons to other FPS titles – since they all have close similarities. When it comes to “strategy” games, though, you never know how much mental muscle you are going to have to strain to win or simply survive because even winning isn’t necessarily a guarantee in a strategy game. With this in mind, I will try to tell you about StarDrive, a “4X space strategy” game and try to point out what kind of strategist will enjoy it.
Official Description:
StarDrive is a 4X Action-Strategy game where the goal is to build a space empire. Starting with a single planet and a small number of space-worthy vessels, you forge out into the galaxy, exploring new worlds, building new colonies, and discovering the StarDrive universe. Colonize or conquer new planets to expand your interstellar empire. Specialize your colonies and design trade routes to stimulate growth. StarDrive follows a classic 4x model in that Food, Production, Research, and Money are the primary resources to gather. Find special resources by exploring planets and anomalies to unlock bonuses, or to unleash terrors…
The heart of StarDrive is its ship design and combat engine. StarDrive takes a module-based approach to ship design, allowing the player to create custom ship designs where the composition and placement of ship modules really matters to the performance of a ship in combat. In combat, if your portside armor is taking a beating, then rotate around and show them the starboard side! Hide behind a friendly capital ship’s shields, warp into and out of the fray, launch fighters, lay mines, and so much more.
Official Features:
Customize your Race by selecting from a large list of physical traits, socioeconomic traits, and traits relating to your history and tradition
Lead your forces into battle with your own flagship that you control like an arcade shooter; command your fleets like you would in a real time strategy game with simple mouse commands
Tactical ground combat to take over enemy planets
A deep research tree with many dozens of technologies
Rich diplomacy options, allowing you to make and break treaties with alien races; trade technologies and artifacts, sell ships, declare wars, and design joint operations with your allies
StarDrive is easy to modify, and modding will be actively supported by the developers
Design every ship in your empire, or choose from stock configurations
Create platforms and space stations to deploy in deep space
Carefully plan your ship’s power grid, fuel capacity, ammunition storage, thrust, mass, and more
Organize your ships into fleets and give your ships custom fleet behaviors in an easy to use fleet editor
Set your weapon facings on turrets, or line up your fixed guns on spinal or broadside mounted
Gameplay:
Those of you that play a lot of strategy titles know that managing to accomplish and implement all the details above is a massive undertaking and most-likely prone to breakdowns in one place or another. It sounds like they are simply trying to accomplish too much, but StarDrive actually manages to pull it off! StarDrive is a hardcore strategy game, a major mental muscle twister that requires micromanagement skills performed in a real time on a galactic scale. If nothing in that last sentence appealed to you, this is probably not a game you should buy. At one point, I was trying to figure out why a power conduit wasn’t working properly between a reactor and some engines so that my colonists on Mars would stop starving and start biospheres or terraforming Jupiter while also trying to get enough money through industrialization and taxation to fund research without crushing the populace. Fun times!
Oh, then a race of cybernetic insectoids arrive and I had to decide whether or not to declare war with their fleet because our planetary defenses were very weak and they had already detected that the ships we were fielding did not have adequate shielding to take them on, even as I am building up new starships from the hull up – but, my power conduits aren’t set properly… and that was entirely on an easier difficulty setting, with certain management automated, using some pre-made ship designs and allowing the colonies to build by programmed models!
I was just getting a feel for the controls and game systems – and my game which lasted about 5 or 6 hours was a complete “do over”. Simply, the precursor to a galactic, planetary empire that will be measured in weeks and months rather than hours. That is, of course, if I don’t get into the modding aspects first. Both building mods and playing other player mods already in the community. The StarDrive community is not very large but, instead, fiercely dedicated and motivated to see just what this game of details and limitless possibilities can do!
It is currently single player, but I could easily see it sometime in the future getting online play the game’s design seems to lend itself to a persistent world fairly easily. With future modding, there could be countless persistent galaxies – each one unique.
Graphics And Sound:
Graphics are as you need them for a game like this: Simple when you want to see a whole, universal empire at a glance and beautifully detailed when it comes to up-close ship battles. Most of the species you encounter are rendered in a stylized, yet pleasing fashion. The sounds are crisp and follow the action well and the music is great and fits in well with the gameplay.
Last Call:
This game was obviously a labor of love where the developers wanted to see just how much they could do with it. I have seen plenty of excellent, hardcore strategy games over the years but few with such amazing scope of micromanagement combined with real-time macromanagement. Great strategists, this is your new challenge – your new standard to hold other strategy titles to. So sally forth as your empire is depending on you and eventually so will the whole galaxy!
[easyreview title=”StarDrive Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]
I try not to be biased towards a company when it comes to reviewing their products but it seems like Razer is one of those companies which takes great pride and love in their products that it can’t help but be contagious. I was at one of their new distributors in town getting some work done on my PC when they brought out a NAGA gaming mouse to use as a display model. I must have restated my entire review of the Naga gaming mouse the staffers there and even game some possible suggestions on the best way to display it. During CES, I got several hours of hands-on time to fall in love with their new Edge gaming PC/tablet. I also got to know some of the Razer staff and experience their love and awe of gaming first-hand. Knowing I am a rabid StarCraft II fan, sometime after CES our Editor-in-Chief and Razer got together to gave me the opportunity to experience it at in the best possible way: with the complete StarCraft II: HOTS Peripheral System.
Each part of this system works great as an individual peripherals that improve your gaming experience as well as your gameplay. If you can get the whole set of these peripherals, you will find yourself fully immersed in the game so much so you will feel like you are in the commander’s cockpit. First, I’ll do a quick breakdown of the features of each peripheral then how the “APM system” works with video of yours truly getting his ass handed to him while improving his game.
Official Features:
Volume & Mic Control Buttons on the Headset
APM-Lighting System
10 preset EQ
Detachable Microphone Boom
Dimensions: 183mm(L) * 90mm(W) * 200mm(H)
Inner Ear Cup Diameter: 60 mm / 2.36”
Cable Length: 12.13 m / 7.0 ft
Approximate Weight: 297 g / 0.65 lbs
Frequency Response: 20 – 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32Ω at 1kHz
Sensitivity (@1kHz, 1V/Pa): >102dB at 1 kHz
Drivers: 50 mm, with neodymium magnets
Frequency Response: 100 – 10,000 Hz
Sensitivity (-42 dB ± 2dB @1kHz, 1V/Pa)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >58 dB
Pick-up pattern: Uni-directional
Hands On:
The headset not only provided a great sound experience with sound isolation, comfortable padding all around, and a StarCraft designed feel, but the lighting on the side also helps block your peripheral vision to immerse you in the game. This looks like it could have come right off the bridge of one of the battlecruiser Hyperion (all the peripherals do, for that matter). The lighting not only helps with gameplay with a 48 color palette and 16 custom slots but it also allows you to make your own visual statement, even going as far as lighting each of the three sections differently. I haven’t been able to bring myself to use regular speakers since getting them.
Official Features:
Lightweight, Fingertip-Grip 5 Button Mouse
5600 DPI Laser Sensor
Ultrapolling (1000Hz Polling / 1ms Response)
APM-Lighting System
Button Force Adjustment
Always-On Mode
Ultra-large Non-slip Buttons
16-bit Ultra-wide Data Path
200 Inches per Second and 50g of Acceleration
Zero-acoustic Ultraslick mouse feet
Gold-plated USB Connector
Braided 7 Foot USB Cable
Hands-On:
This is quite possibly the most comfortable mouse I have ever used. It took a little getting used because of the large right and left mouse buttons but, once I did, I felt I could relax my hand on my mouse much more than usual. Tracking is spot on and smooth with no issues whatsoever. Besides the standard buttons there are two thumb buttons all of which can be programmed to your specific needs per game. Working with the APM system, they can even represent macros. When you are playing a game where you are expected to do hundreds of actions per minute, the mouse had better be smooth working and extremely comfortable as one mistake could cost you the match.
Official Features:
Full Keyboard Layout with integrated number pad keys
Reduced Desktop Footprint
APM-Lighting System
Laser-etched Keys
Optimized Key Travel & Spacing
Ultrapolling (1000Hz Polling / 1ms Response)
Braided 7 Foot USB Cable
Approximate Size : 400 mm / 15.75” (Length) x 182 mm / 7.16” (Width) x 32 mm / 1.26” (Height)
Hands-On:
Of the three peripherals in the system, this is the one that took the most getting used to. Once I did, I found it difficult going back to a normal keyboard (we have three to five computers going in our household at any one time). This keyboard is designed for pure efficiency – possibly redundant keys are removed from it, bringing its size down greatly. This also makes the keyboard more compact for both travel and desk space but also for gameplay. With less space required to cross the keyboard, the hands can hit the necessary keys faster – without compromising key size. So, there are no individual arrow keys or delete button or keys that would normally be assigned their own space around the number pad – those are all gone. They have all been assigned secondary functions on the number pad keys. Most keyboards do this already, particularly laptops, but most have the separate keys as well. Razer understood that when you have to make hundreds of moves a minute the less distance you have to cross the better your play. It Actually kind of makes me wonder why more keyboards, particularly gaming ones, haven’t been designed this way.
Something else I liked, but also took a moment to get used to, was the texture of the keys. They all have a pleasant, rubberized feel to them. I have worked with A LOT of keyboards over the years and I think this might be the first one I felt like this. I can see this being a long term and travel measure, as with smooth keys, the letters and numbers can wear off. If the key label printing is molded into the key itself, the longevity should improve.
All three of the pieces are designed to last with metal-looking shell designs and thick joints, though extremely comfortable they are made to be rugged and travel. The keyboard is less than 16 inches across but comes in at almost two and a half pounds making its claim of “armored assault” feel quite believable.
The APM System:
The StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm peripheral system is not just designed to let you enjoy a game, it actually interacts with StarCraft II to improve it. It does this through its own custom configuration that detects events in the game and signals the player in customizable ways. For instance, maybe a player wants to speed up their gameplay to make sure they remain competitive. The system can detect how many actions-per-minute (APMs) you are making and let you know if you are falling below or exceeding the limits you choose by changing the lighting configuration. If you are new, you may want to make sure you are between 50 to 100 APMs, if you want to be professional tournament competitive, this will help let you know it you are running between the 250-300 APMs necessary.
The Razer APM system doesn’t even come close to being done there. You can also make it so that the system alerts you to when your base or units are under attack, building, training or upgrades are complete, resources are exhausted and many other options. Some might argue that the game already gives you in-game alerts about all these things, so why would you need the headset’s notifications? Because the headset, keyboard, and mouse gives you customized alerts using their lights. So let’s say you are listening to music while you are playing and your base gets under attack or maybe you have the game sound down because you are using a team talking program.
The system, all three pieces, can be designed to flash red 5 times, for example, to let you know that your base is under attack or flash green twice when one of your units gets produced. The lights are bright enough that you can see them flash next to in your peripheral vision and onto your computer and screen in unison – or individually to alert you to different events, each in a customizable way. Also, it shows you your APMs by the color it turns when there are no alerts. These colors can be changed but default set if you have a blue light to you are going less than 50 moves per minute and if you get it going white you are breaking 350 APMs.
So, as you play, you strive to get your system to change a different colors, thereby increasing your actions-per-minute and your game in general. It even can be set to let you know when your ally’s base is under attack so that you have better situational awareness and can come to their aid. All this makes it so that you can speed up your gameplay and improve your situational awareness dramatically. I hope that APM configurations may come out in the future to interact with other games, I would love to be able to tell by the color of the lights how much DPS I am doing or flashes telling me the healer is taking damage.
As promised here is some video of me trying to speed up my gameplay while taking in the system’s alerts. I am purposely clicking hard so you can tell how often you have to click to up your game and I am purposely dropping my defenses so the attack alerts will pop up. If you were watching the gameplay it isn’t pretty but I wanted to show the lighting. This really doesn’t show you how amazing immersive it makes the game, but it does show how easily I can tune out the world.
This system is revolutionary and the practical applications once interfaces are developed are outstanding. It is also amazingly immersive in just about any game but particularly StarCraft II. With all the lighting matching and surrounding you it is easy to block out the outside world. When playing SCII it also lights up everything around you in ever changing colors as if you are in a cockpit and the alerts are coming in to your command. This makes me think that a first person mech game using this interface would be absolutely incredible as well, your screen being just a view out the cockpit window while all your peripherals are lighting up together. The only way to get more immersive would be an actual cockpit.
StarCraft II Razer Messenger Bag Zerg Edition:
If you really want to complete your Razer StarCraft II set you need the messenger bag as well! With the perfect size for a laptop or the StarCraft II: HOTS gear this warns other players they mess with you, they risk getting zerged. Inside the fold is additional printing of a zerg base and a zergling on the innermost flap.
Official Features:
Armored with a tear-resistant, weather-proof heavy duty 1680D ballistic nylon outer shell.
Water-resistant Ripstop nylon inner lining for added durability.
Single shoulder sling design for added mobility. Easy one-handed release chest clasp enables quick and convenient access.
Built in compartments for up to 15″ laptops, gaming peripherals and portable gaming devices.
Padded inner lining protects electronic devices and provides ample shock absorbency while on the road
Last Call:
The StarCraft II: Heart Of The Swarm peripheral system is the best and most unified system I have ever seen. It not only improves the game it is designed for but improves and helps with the immersion and it makes you a better player! If used correctly, it could help make you a professional-grade player. There simply isn’t a better system combination on the market right now – especially for StarCraft II. In fact, we at GamingShogun.com feel it deserves our Seal Of Excellence!
[easyreview title=”Razer StarCraft II: Heart Of The Swarm APM System Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]
