Game Preview – Rayman Legends Challenges App

People there are demos and then there is the Rayman Legends Challenges App, which is like a super demo. How so? Well for one thing you can play in more than one stage (shocking I know). Another thing is that you can actually do a little bit of stuff that you can do in the full game (collect hidden items, unlock different characters, etc) without annoying limitations. But what really sets this bad boy apart is the fact it includes daily (and weekly) challenges to test your mettle with, like how far can you fall without dying or how fast can you collect lums (the de facto coins in the game) before the wall of fire toasts you. And your score is compared against all other players who play the app worldwide. Can you beat that guy from the Philippines or will you be stuck chasing his shadow (or rather his track ghost). Each challenge you dominate will raise your awesome rank and open up even more challenges to dominate. Bottom line, Rayman Legends Challenges App is probably the best demo I’ve ever played, so when the full game comes out in a few months, look out. We might have another contender for game of the year.

 

 

 

 

Game Preview – Fuse

 

Ok people Fuse aka Overstrike aka Insomniac Games next title will be premiering to the masses next week, so in order to get ready for it download the demo for the game now. It’s a short one stage (if that) play through that skips story cut scenes, but it does the job of familiarizing yourself with the character’s personalities and the abilities they bring to the team of Overstrike 9. Dalton is the tank and with his Magshield gun he can absorb bullets and projectiles and shoot them right back.  Izzy is both healer (with med beacons) and controller (by crystallizing enemies with the shattergun)maker her double threat. Jacob Kimble is long range chaos incarnate, liquifying punks through crossbow cross hairs or with traps.  And  Naya Deveraux is just plain scary with a gun that cause mini black holes and give her the ability to cloak and tear through enemies like napkins. Fuse isn’t a original title but has the potential to be a very fun one thanks to Insomniac Games’ humorous writing and the ability of co-op play.

 

 

 

 

 

This just in (Or not) – #Xbox Reveal

 

 

Well, the Wii U launched last year and the PS4 was announced this Febernary, so the last of the next gen three finally showed their cards today in order the next years of the console wars with their system: Xbox One. Actually I was hoping the name was going to be Xbox 720, but hey that’s just me. So how did  the One’s first impressions hold up?   Not bad really. The system itself was main focus, I bet learning well from the PS4 press conference and their amazing invisible console. The One is a sleek rectangular piece of tech that uses a standard Xbox controller (just with more butt kibble) and a camera/sensor Kinect bar – all in basic black.

 

The system has all the expected features: remembers the last actions on the Xbox, internet + Smarglass enabled, can make Skyps calls, etc. However what they’re touting as the system that makes “TV intelligent” and “Lag-free and interactive experience” is that you can use your voice to active and control the Xbox One directly. Also thanks to the three different operating systems the console will be using, you can open multiple programs and switch between them at an almost instantaneously. Now that part is impressive, but will see if it holds true when it releases later this year. Xbox live also gets an upgrade when the One goes on sale, as it will have 300,000 servers to operate it and use the cloud for saves and games.

 

Outside of that they announced a new Halo live action series with Steven Spielberg, The football fantasy league integration with NFL, and the like, but on the game’s front it was pretty sparse. EA show off some sports game with their new ‘Ignite’ engine, but we only saw three trailers of upcoming games on the system: Forza Motor sport 5, Quantum Break and Call of Duty: Ghosts. Say what you will about the PS4 announcement at least they brought the games with them. To be fair however they said they would reveal more games at E3. So yeah, I like the Xbox One’s press conference, and I do like what they’re doing with the new system. I just hope they stay focused on games because it’s good to have another device to help me watch TV, but my roku box doesn’t play Halo – my Xbox is supposed to.

 

 

 

Movie Review – Star Trek: Into Darkness

 

Hi action and techno jargon abound, all that’s was missing is the Gagh.

 

 

 

WTF/FTW – Star Trek media blitz

 

So as we all know Star Trek: Into Darkness is  live and in living color today (or yesterday depending on where you live) and, surprise, people have mixed feelings about it. Well you all know the real deal on darkness will come from the Armada review soon or later. Til that time enjoy some of their creative and wacky commercial tie-ins that will no doubt make you scream with joy: These KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN-mercials are great! Engage!

 

 

 

 

Mini Game Review: Rockpocalypse

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; well if that’s the case then Infinity Blade is flattered beyond recognition because I have another game biting of their style. This time it’s from the good people of the world wrestling entertainment federation and stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. So what do you do if people all across a movie studio suddenly and inexplicably turn into YouTube commenters, er I mean, rage filled thugs out of blood? Well if you’re the Rock you beat sense into them with wrestling moves, blunt objects, and of course pie. But unlike Power Rangers Legends, which was terrible, Rockpocalypse is not so bad. Swiping attacks is fluid and responsive, quick time attacks (which activate the slams and signature moves) are easy to do but are still challenging on tougher opponents. Weapons and armor (which is mostly t-shirts, jeans, and boots) actually make noticeable improvements to the Rocks offensive and defense abilities. You can’t block with the rock, but the touch swipe controls and opponent tells allows for decent parries that will leave enemies open for further smack downs. Finally the game is free which is a define plus. The game would have earned a pass on those merits alone, but the game plays sluggishly for anything less than the top of the line tablets and smartphones. Can’t even download it for first gen tech so it loses points for that; but never the less as Infinity Blade offshoots go Rockpocalypse does the medium with respect – if you smell what the rock is cooking. 

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Mini Game Review: Power Rangers Legends

So people, when I saw this app game advertised I thought: “Yeah! This is going to awesome!” but in playing this game on my iPad I said to myself: “Yeah! This kind of sucks!” Oh sure the game looks good and the music is halfway decent but that’s about it people. Power Ranger Legends is a complete letdown in almost every way. First the game is nothing more than a Infinity Blade palette swap; meaning one-on-one fights using your finger to attack and parry the enemy, buying items to improve overall combat, and using super moves and combos to lay down some smack. However the different is that Legends sucks; parrying’s a joke, the items are ineffective, and enemies are really, really, cheap. Wait! There’s more! The ‘legends’ in Power Rangers Legends only add up to three rangers (Tommy, Kimberly, and Emily), three rangers don’t equal Legends Saban – you could have at least make it five rangers to pick from. The main bosses are even worse; sure they got the all-powerful Lord Zedd, but Master Xandred and Trakeena (whose’s not available yet)? No one cares about them! Give me the machine empire or Ransik, heck even Lothor would have been better than those two nuggets. Finally the game tended to crash on me during loading so just the ability to keep playing was a chore. If I even had to pay one cent for this atrocity to power rangers I would have given it an epic fail, but since it was free and only time was lost a very generous fail will do.

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