Author - Ripper71

Mutant Blobs Attack Now Available on Steam

2012/08/15
Ripper71
News

Today we are pleased to announce that indie developer DrinkBox Studios has released Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack on Steam for PC .

Having launched earlier this year on the PlayStation®Vita to critical acclaim, Mutant Blobs Attack has now hit Steam with new features and custom content. In celebration, to sweeten the deal, DrinkBox Studios has opted to put Mutant Blobs Attack on sale for only $7.19 during its first week on Steam, 10% off its normal price! That’s one heck of a lot of blob for your gaming buck!

The Steam for PC version of Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack features:

  • Support for Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud Saves and Steam Leaderboards
  • Updated mini-game bonus levels crafted specifically for PC
  • Support for Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller for Windows and/or Keyboard-and-mouse controls
  • New ultra-glorious high resolution art
  • A wide range of environments: everything from a frat house to a metropolis  
  • Growth throughout levels that provides players with a constantly changing perspective on the in-game world
  • Challenging puzzles mixed into the mayhem 
  • New hidden references and bad jokes

Trailer:

New Sound Blaster Card Series Announced

2012/08/15
Ripper71
News

SINGAPORE – 15 AUGUST 2012 – Creative Technology Ltd today announced its new ultra high-performance Z-Series of Sound Blaster PCI-Express sound cards, elevating the standards of technology and performance for the future of gaming and entertainment on the PC.  Creative will preview the new Sound Blaster ZxR, Sound Blaster Zx and Sound Blaster Z at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany from 15-19 August 2012.

“The audio landscape for gaming and entertainment on the PC has changed.  As content creation and consumption evolves with the interactivity of the Internet, our vision is to enable the best listening experiences for music, video and games, and to transcend the basic concept of sound quality as a specification with enabling technologies that allow users to completely customize their PC audio,” said Low Long Chye, Director of Product Marketing for Audio.  “For audio playback, we use studio-grade components to deliver outstanding fidelity, and then greatly enhance the listening experience by implementing our SBX Pro Studio™ suite of audio technologies.  This enables complete customization of audio playback, uniquely catered to suit individual tastes.  Our mixture of outstanding components and proprietary technologies also enables us to provide the highest quality recording experience for audio creation, which today expands beyond just music recording to include user interaction and creation with YouTube, eSports, and more.”

“We also recognize how voice communications in massively multiplayer online (MMO) and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games are so crucial to winning, and how clear communications in VOIP applications such as Skype are so important to having meaningful conversations.  This is where our CrystalVoice technologies enable users to experience the best possible sound quality – the level of quality that is exclusively available with Sound Blaster. To complete the overall communication experience, all our Z-series sound cards comes standard with a high-quality dual microphone array,” added Low Long Chye.

Each New Sound Card Offers a Complete Audio System
To dynamically power compelling audio playback, the new sound cards leverage the Creative Sound Core3D quad-core sound and voice processor, which is designed to work in perfect harmony with Creative’s SBX Pro Studio technology and high-quality components to deliver a complete audio platform.  Sound Core3D also works seamlessly with CrystalVoice communications technologies and the high-quality beam-forming microphone array included with each of the new sound cards to deliver Acoustic Echo Cancellation, Voice Focus and
Noise Reduction for clear online voice communications.  This complete system for voice communications also enables gamers to use speakers and the high-quality microphone array to achieve a better overall experience.

Sound Blaster ZxR – The World’s Best Sounding Sound Card. (SRP US$249.99)
This flagship Sound Blaster ZxR is designed to provide the best gaming and entertainment audio performance in any sound cards. It also delivers the ultimate audio playback and creation solution for the PC.  Studio-grade components, which include external digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that deliver 127dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), sockets for swappable Op-Amps, a high-end 80mW into 600 ohm headphone amplifier, and 192kHz pass through, are used to deliver phenomenal audio quality.

The Sound Blaster ZxR has multiple connections including a proprietary connector to the DBpro, a daughter board that offers optical output for outstanding playback; and professional-grade 123dB analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with RCA Aux-in and optical input for outstanding recording quality.

Furthermore, a convenient external ACM (Audio Control Module) provides a built-in dual-microphone array and mic/headphone I/O connections.  Designed to complement the Sound Blaster ZxR, the ACM adds convenience, extra connectivity and control, plus it enhances the look of any desktop.

In addition to the impressive hardware capabilities, the proprietary SB Speaker-Calibration feature, DTS Connect and Dolby Digital Live, all these three ensure an ultra-realistic cinematic audio playback and gaming experience. From the hardcore gamer fragging an opponent on a first person shooter to a die-hard MOBA or MMO player engaging with thousands of players online, gamers can get a competitive advantage from excellent audio quality and positional accuracy.

In many of today’s most popular games, if gamers are not communicating, they are not winning.  For voice communications, Creative’s CrystalVoice technologies enable crystal-clear communications amongst gamers and their teammates.

Creative’s audio engineers designed the SBX Pro Studio suite of audio playback technologies so gamers can improve their audio experience and calibrate their game audio so they can hear the subtle nuances that gives a competitive edge. Immersive surround sound, the ability to clearly understand teammates and enhancements of specific sounds in a gaming environment are just a few elements of SBX Pro Studio that enhance gaming audio.

SBX Pro Studio Features:
•       SBX Crystalizer™ – Enhances sound for games, music and movies by restoring low and high end frequency curves lost to compression
•       SBX Surround™ – Delivers a 360 degree surround sound experience so gamers can hear sounds clearly from the front, back, above and below
•       SBX Smart Volume™ – Address the problem of abrupt volume level changes in music, movies and games by intelligently applying gain and attenuation to deliver consistent volume levels; includes Night Mode™  to reduce the impact of explosions and bursts of sound so as not to disturb others after hours
•       SBX Dialog Plus™ – Enhances voices in games and movies for clearer dialog, allowing the listener to hear the dialog over the rest of sound track and over ambient noise
•       SBX Bass™ – Fills in the missing low frequency tones and give the extra impact for a better entertainment experience

Designed to deliver crystal clear vocal fidelity in multiplayer games, online chats and video conferencing, CrystalVoice technologies also enhance voice communications for VOIP solutions such as Skype.

CrystalVoice Features:
•       Acoustic Echo Cancellation – Eliminates echoes and enables whoever is speaking to listen to the other party clearly.
•       Noise Reduction – Enables the person speaking to be heard clearly over background noise by constantly monitoring the environment and eliminating unwanted noise that interferes with the conversation
•       Smart Volume – Automatically adjusts the loudness of a voice to maintain a consistent volume level. This makes it convenient for the speaker to converse normally, regardless of whether the speaker is close to or far away from the microphone
•       Focus – Beam-forming creates a zone and suppresses noise outside it to enable whoever is speaking to be heard with amazing clarity. Multiple microphones are used to focus, enhance voice, and eliminate sounds outside the zone
•       VoiceFX™ – Enables alteration of voice with a variety of effects, which can be used to enhance the tone of a voice, create interesting accents, or enable someone to sound like a completely different person.

Sound Blaster Zx – High-Performance Gaming and Entertainment Audio (SRP US$149.99)
The Sound Blaster Zx incorporates all the hardware and software features of the Sound Blaster ZxR except for the DBpro daughter board.

Clad in brilliant red EMI shielding and featuring glowing LED lighting, the Sound Blaster Zx is the bad boy of the bunch, with an attention-grabbing design that ideally complements any power gaming rig.  The Sound Blaster Zx leverages Sound Core3D processing with external DACs that deliver 120dB SNR.  Other features include support for 192kHz direct pass-through to analog out, a 600 ohm headphone amplifier, gold-plated I/O connectivity, and SB Speaker-Calibration, which calibrates speakers to take advantage of room acoustics and optimize for the room.  The Sound Blaster Zx also includes the convenient external ACM (Audio Control Module) with a built-in dual microphone array and mic/headphone I/O connections.  To enhance digital entertainment capabilities, DTS Connect and Dolby Digital Live encoding are included.  The product also includes high-quality optical and stereo cables.

Sound Blaster Z – High-Performance Gaming and Entertainment Audio (SRP US$119.99)
The Sound Blaster Z incorporates all the hardware and software features of the Sound Blaster Zx except for the ACM. Instead an external high quality dual-microphone array comes standard with this card.

An ideal all-around gaming and entertainment solution, the Sound Blaster Z delivers 120dB SNR and supports 192kHz direct pass-through to analog out.  It also features glowing LED lighting, a 600 ohm headphone amplifier, an EMI-free analog input and output path, SB Speaker- Calibration and gold-plated I/O connections for pristine audio quality.

Pricing and Availability
The Sound Blaster ZxR, priced at US$249.99, the Sound Blaster Zx, priced at US$149.99, and the Sound Blaster Z, priced at US $119.99, are slated for availability in December 2012. For more information visit soundblaster.com.

Darksiders II Launches on TV, PC, Mac, Tablets via OnLive

2012/08/14
Ripper71
News

Palo Alto, Calif. – August 14, 2012  – OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of on-demand cloud gaming,  announced that Darksiders® II arrived on the OnLive Game Service in North America today, simultaneous with its official PC and console release, following a summer-long pre-order promotion. The highly anticipated sequel to THQ’s popular action-adventure Darksiders will be playable on demand on PC, Mac, Android™ tablets and on OnLive-enabled TVs. Availability in Europe will begin August 20th.

In Darksiders II players assume the role of Death, the most feared of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in an action-adventure game nearly four times the size of its predecessor. Faster gameplay, deep skill trees and a new loot system all build upon the strengths of the original, allowing players a wide variety of character development and customization options.

Signing up for an OnLive account is free at www.onlive.com, www.onlive.co.uk or www.onlive.be, and an instant demo enables users to play the game free for up to 30 minutes. As with all OnLive games, Darksiders II can be played on demand on PCs and Macs, OnLive-enabled TVs and even Android tablets, with saved games instantly available on whatever display is on hand. Players can also share their feats with friends using unique social functions only available through OnLive, such as Brag Clip® videos, OnLive’s massive spectating Arena and all-new OnLive MultiView in-game spectating, which enables players to spectate and chat with three other gamers while playing their own game (currently in private beta).

“We’ve taken Darksiders to new heights with this epic game, and we’re excited to share it with an even broader audience and a broader range of devices through OnLive,” said Jim Huntley, THQ’s Vice President of Global Brand Management.

For more information about Darksiders II, please visit www.Darksiders.com.  To find out more about OnLive, visit www.onlive.com, www.onlive.co.uk or www.onlive.be. Facebook: www.facebook.com/onlive or Twitter: @OnLive

Diablo III Free Starter Edition Now Available

2012/08/14
Ripper71
News

The demonically-besieged world of Sanctuary needs heroes. Now you can join in the apocalyptic battle for FREE via the all-new Diablo III Starter Edition.  Available exclusively via Battle.net, the Starter Edition allows you to fight your way up to the Skeleton King boss in Act I, and advance all the way to level 13, without having to purchase a copy of Diablo III.

You can get the FREE Starter Edition in any of the following ways:

· Log in to your existing Battle.net account at http://www.battle.net, and sign up for the Diablo III Starter Edition through the “Your Game Accounts” section.

· Create a new Battle.net account here and the Diablo III Starter Edition license will be added to your account automatically.

· Grab the Diablo III game disc from a friend, install the game, and then log in with your Battle.net account. The Diablo III Starter Edition will be added to your account automatically.

Note that certain game features are restricted on Starter Edition accounts. Any progress and achievements you earn while playing the Starter Edition will automatically carry over if you decide to upgrade to the full version of Diablo III, and the Starter Edition restrictions will be removed.

FIFA Soccer 13 Feature Brings Real World News Into The Game

2012/08/14
Ripper71
News

 COLOGNE, Germany – Aug. 14, 2012 – Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that EA SPORTS has developed a new feature for FIFA Soccer 13 called EA SPORTS Football Club Match Day that will drive the deepest and most meaningful connection yet between a videogame and the real world of sport ever achieved. FIFA Soccer 13 and the real-world soccer season will be completely connected for the world’s top leagues. EA SPORTS Football Club Match Day will drive real-world news ripped from the headlines around the world into FIFA Soccer 13. Real-world drama such as injuries, suspensions, team form, and media gossip will be reflected through in-game commentary and play out in-game.

“This is a huge technological innovation that will make every match feel like a seamless extension of the headlines ripped from the sports pages around the world,” said David Rutter, Executive Producer of FIFA Soccer 13. “There is nothing bigger in the world of sports than match day. It brings together the emotions, passion and drama of the world’s sport for players, pundits, managers and fans alike. We are going to capture that experience and bring it to life in-game.”

Through EA SPORTS Football Club Match Day, fans will be following the heartbeat of soccer and their favourite club. Real-world fixtures and upcoming clashes of their favourite club in the top leagues will enable them to play right along with the beats of the season.  Player form—displayed in detail within the team management screens—will change frequently, so players in form, or players struggling to keep form, will see their stats change throughout the season based on their real-world performances. Plus, Games of the Week will highlight the top global matchups for fans to enjoy.

EA SPORTS Football Club Match Day will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, and will be included in a FIFA Soccer 13 demo for all three platforms that will launch around the world on September 11.

Trailer:

Frogger Frenzy Free For Phones

2012/08/14
Ripper71
News


Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Frogger Frenzy Free is now available for iOS devices. Frogger bounces his way to a new adventure filled with fast-paced pinball action, featuring unique stages, special modes and Facebook Connectivity, allowing players to compete with their friends via their Facebook account.

In Frogger Frenzy Free, fans can defeat new and old enemies to rescue Lily and save Frogger’s home from the evil clutches of RoboCroc.  It’s pinball with a twist as Frogger curls up into a ball and rolls, flips and leaps his way to victory. Gamers can play on incredibly detailed pinball tables with 3D rendered graphics, ramps and realistic physics.  Players can also use flippers to shoot the ball up ramps, hit targets and unlock special modes including BOSS BATTLES, FROGGER FRENZY and MULTIBALL. Featuring three action-packed tables including the Swamp, City and Space Station, gamers participate in tournaments to show the world who is the ultimate pinball master.  Special power-ups and bonuses are available by leveling up, hitting the targets and completing loops.

As an added bonus, Frogger fans can connect with their Facebook account to compete with their friends and get access to their unlocked achievements and power-ups on both their iOS device and Facebook.

Frogger Frenzy Free is available now for free on iOS devices. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/froggerpinball.

Trailer:

New Star Trek Trailer And Gallery Released

2012/08/14
Ripper71
News

The award-winning Star Trek game casts players for the first time ever as Kirk and Spock in a totally original co-op experience worthy of gamers and fans. Set in the new canon of director and producer J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) reboot, players will be immersed in the game’s rich story and action-packed combat.  Under development by acclaimed Ontario-based developers Digital Extremes (Bioshock 2, Dark Sector, The Darkness 2), Star Trek features an original story by BAFTA award winner and God of War writer, Marianne Krawczyk, in collaboration with the writer/producers of the new Star Trek films, Bob Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof.

Star Trek is in development for console and PC release in early 2013.

Trailer:

Gallery:

Catwoman Trailer For Injustice Released

2012/08/14
Ripper71
News

Today Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment revealed that Catwoman, DC Comics’ feline fatale, will be featured in the upcoming superhero fighter, Injustice: Gods Among Us, an all-new game in development by NetherRealm Studios, creators of the definitive fighting game franchise Mortal Kombat. The game is scheduled for release in 2013 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Wii U.

Injustice: Gods Among Us debuts as a bold new fighting game franchise that introduces a deep, original story featuring a large cast of favorite DC Comics icons such as Batman, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Solomon Grundy, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and many others.  Set in a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred, players will experience heroes and villains engaging in epic battles on a massive scale.  The game is scheduled for release in 2013 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Wii U.

Trailer:

Zen And The Poetry Of The Silver Ball (A Review Of Zen Studios Pinball Games)

2012/08/13
Ripper71
News, Reviews

If you are young enough the “silver ball” probably doesn’t mean much to you or it is the relic in the corner of a video arcade.  In years past  it was the cornerstone of electronic gaming and as common as Coca-Cola.  It started off humbly, slowly evolving into the game we see today.  But as it becomes a relic in the arcade Zen Studios is breathing new life into it on the console.

A Brief History Lesson:

The game we know of as “pinball” dates it’s origins to the late 1700s when bored aristocrats grew tired of their table version of bowling and made the pins permanently upright sticks off which you would hit a ball and ricochet the ball into a hole in the table.  So they went with the obvious name: Bagatelle! (named after the chateau it was developed in).

Over a century later a guy in Ohio added a spring launching system, the “pins” became metal and around sixty years later the proper American capitalistic touch of “coin-operated” was added.  Electricity and action bumpers were soon added but it wasn’t until 1947, 15 years later that the first flippers came into play.

The rest is history until the “Golden Age” of pinball which arrived in the 1970s when microprocessors, circuit borders and electronic screens made pinball machines true electronic gaming with all the literal bells and whistles getting joined by voices and videos.  The same technology that took them to their peak was their demise when “video games” came along in the 1980s.

You may ask why, who cares about all this history stuff.  It is by studying the history  of a subject with the latest technology in mind that leaps forward are made.

The Absence of Zen And The  Entrance Of Zen Studios:

Ever since the first video game was developed, programmers and developers have tried to master the physics of the ball.  A rudimentary version was developed and strangely for a long time not improved upon.  That ball for Pong didn’t change much over the years and  every attempt had some physics error.  Video pinball games were played more for challenge than nostalgia because either the ball had a floating feeling on the table or drop like a rock.  Gone was the rhythm that developed on the table as the ball shot off flippers and hit chaotically around on the bumpers until your flippers brought the ball back into an orderly path.

On a real pinball machine you could judge where the ball would go depending on the flippers angle, speed of flip and speed of ball.  All that was lost in the video game era unless you happened to find that rare arcade that had what was usually a movie or television show themed pinball machine tucked in the corner yelling out challenges and clanking it’s flippers and bumpers.  Then along came Zen Studios.

I’ll freely admit I didn’t pay attention to them at first.  I sighed sadly and made plans to visit the pinball history museum in Vegas where I could get my hands on dozens of machines, some being the early prototypes of the electronic ones but all amazing and playable.  It wasn’t until my editor sent me some tables to try out that I discovered Pinball FX.  The physics for the first time were right spot on.  You got so lost in the game you forgot you weren’t hitting real flippers and wearing out the muscles in your hands.  If you calculated a shot at a ramp like it was real life or guessed about how the ball would trigger on the bumper you found yourself right.

Crossing The Generation Gap:

Getting the physics right might be enough to win over an old school gamer like me but would today’s gamer, who might get bored just watching a ball bounce around, they crossed it with modern video game technology.  The animatronic figures that would click open their mouths or swing from side to side in the old days have been replaced with 3D figures moving naturally around the tables.  On the Marvel tables there are heroes and villains that battle across the board all while maintaining a realistic game table and realistic ball physics.

The difficulty and complexity of the table vary as well so not only is there a hero or villain from the Marvel Universe for you to root on, the tables all have their own touches.The Spiderman one has weblike rails for the balls to ride on all over the table for example.

One of my favorite tables is Paranormal, I am kinda fascinated with such things anyways so this tongue in cheek take on the X-Files has you investigating, with your ball, such phenomena as the turnpike (ramp) looking for the Jersey Devil, out on a Loch with Nessie mewing like a llama and my personal favorite and hardest part: the haunted house full of doors, one that leads to another dimension.

The table I have the most mixed feelings about Ms. Splosion Man, where you are supposed to save Splosion Man by fighting your enemy on a board so pink and baby blue that Hello Kitty would squint and run away!  It is a fun, action packed table but so much pink and blue!!

Last Call:

This was an unorthodox review because I felt to truly appreciate what Zen Studios has done you had to know a bit of the history of pinball and how its rich history has been bastardized in video gaming until Zen Studios came along.  I’ve seen fully electronic tables in arcades that cost a few bucks a play that aren’t as good as these tables which once you buy, you own.  Add to this that they are constantly coming out with new tables and you can bet pinball is back and not leaving again anytime soon.

Trailer:

Gallery:

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Zombies Review (iOS)

2012/08/13
Ripper71
News, Reviews

Ok let’s face it: for a lot of people the zombie parts of the COD franchise are a favorite if not the favorite part of the game.  Originally an unlockable level at the end of the game, COD zombies was so popular a themed map set came out called Call of The Dead allowing for you to play iconic characters from horror and supernatural genres was released and an iPhone port of COD zombies came out a couple years back which allowed players to satiate their zombie shooting need on the move.  Now they have come along with Call Of Duty: Black Ops Zombies for the iOS and Android and the questions arises, did they bring the zombie killing love again?

Storyline:

Wait… you need a storyline?  With few exceptions the storyline of zombie hunting is simple: kill them before they eat you.  Sure there can be a love story or the tragedy of lost loved ones, but this is the simple facts: kill them before they eat you.  If you are fine with finding yourself in a room with a gun and zombies coming at you and just knowing you need to survive you should be fine with most zombie games, this one included.

Graphics and Sound:

To survive and be a solid player in the COD franchise, graphics require a minimum of quality and sound has to enhance the experience and seriously draw you in.  This game does both and takes it up a notch.  It really felt like a console title rather than a portable port and the sound works great.  Do yourself a real favor and play this in a dark room.  During my review time I was in a cabin in the woods with the lights out and the front door unlocked in the middle of the night.  The atmosphere in game and out of game matched so much I was jumping at every noise and not being near conservative enough with my ammo.

Gameplay:

Since it has to be designed to work without control buttons or a keyboard setting up the control system of such a complex shooter can be troublesome if not downright frustrating both to the developer and the player.  This is where the developers were really smart on how they worked with it.  After trying the control system and finding myself frustrated I went to look into the control options and found that there were three ways to set them, all very different and all catering to a different style of game play that phone users have become accustom to.  With the choices of joystick, tilt or swap modes I found myself using my thumbs over virtual joysticks and improving my game immensely.  It is to each their own as are many of the gameplay options.  I found myself using the autolock on enemies when shooting even though traditionally I am a one shot, one kill, put a bullet in the zombie’s brain kinda guy.  The iron sights are pretty clunky at first, with more practice it gets better and that really is the best way to conserve ammo but it quickly became a tradeoff between staying alive and saving ammo and the staying alive won out.  Go hardcore and just do iron sights and you will progress, but it is a bit of a learning curve.  Weapons can also be upgraded so that you don’t have to sweat iron sights when blasting with a shotgun or tossing an explosive so just pick your upgrades to match your playstyle and you should be golden.

But Wait… There’s More:

Fans of the old school looking and playing COD Arcade will be happy to know that it is unlockable pretty quickly and easily with just a little time investment.  In no time you will be blasting in all directions in the top down shooter which makes me all nostalgic for games like Smash TV.  Since the controls are pretty straight forward for this game they translate extremely well and you will find yourself blasting away everything in sight.

Last Call:

Fans of the Call Of Duty franchise and fans of zombie games will both find this a great game, those who like both will find their two great tastes that taste great together on the road.  It’s graphics and quality live up to the franchise name and though the controls may be a little difficult to get used to at first once you find the style you like and the weapons that suit you, you will find yourself killing long into the night wherever your life and phone take you.

Trailer: