Added: 19.11.2014 17:00 | 17 views | 0 comments


Mega busted. Catching opponents as they leap and use an up and special attack to catch just enough verticality and nab the edge of a stage can prove really difficult in Super Smash Bros., but doing so successfully often leaves both players with a sense of wonder. How did that happen? How does that happen? Many video games paint the struggle between two players in stark realities that belie the beauty or overt fantasy on-screen and to that end, Smash stands alone in fighting games. Thinking about a contest between two players enjoying a shooter game or two others playing a strategy game colors the interactions in Smash as merely fanciful, childlike action-figure brawling. Standing up against a game like with snappy controls, gorgeous graphics and animations, and for the first time in the franchise 8-player fights. 8-player Smash itself is available as soon as you launch the game and even has its own unique stages built to accommodate so many players. Its this immediate accessibility that drives the player through the game on each new platform, but at least on Wii U the menu system can feel a little intimidating when you first start. There’s an option for standard Smash, there’s an option for special modes, there’s an option to explore the trophies you collect in-game, and there’s an option for playing online. Choosing between these only proves as difficult as the opponent you’re up against. I jumped into standard Smash immediately and found that the same options carried over from the portable version. All of the items players may have grown familiar with on Nintendo 3DS have returned here, and there are more than a few stages exclusive to this version, as was the case with the portable release. For most players, will present relatively straightforward gameplay. I tended to leap into a standard battle immediately before taking on a larger or lengthier challenge in which the game offers a series of battles or the opportunity to earn bigger rewards for completing a more difficult battle. Smash Run, the single-player adventure-esque side-scrolling mode that offers lots of rewards and fighting variety returns and looks fantastic on big-screen TVs. It still represents the best place to collect new items for custom fighters and coin for the trophy gashapon. You’ll want to stock up on special moves and costume gear in order to separate your favorite brawler from everyone else online. Perhaps more importantly for fans of the series dedicated to discovering unique ways of moving faster, hitting harder, and generally out-thinking their opponent, this Wii U version largely addresses any control issues you may have had on Nintendo 3DS. Some folks found that their circle pad wasn’t up to the task for the portable version and on Wii U the GamePad or remote and Nunchuk analog sticks completely fix this. Further, Nintendo has offered a bundle at retail packaging a USB adapter for GameCube controllers. If you’ve still got purple pads tangled up in your gaming corner, they’ll get plenty of exercise with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and new productions of these controllers are also available at retail. Through both playtime on Wii U and unlocking every character on Nintendo 3DS, this iteration has revealed itself as one that can cater to both hardcore tournament competitors and anyone willing to play Mario Kart. These are two incredibly far removed groups considering the ubiquity and longevity of Mario Kart, but it stands to reason that this flexibility proves invaluable. I had a friend over to play this past weekend before the game releases, before I could even speak at length about the experience and how it differs from the portable version. While there was a little consternation as to who had to use a Wii remote and Nunchuk (get the GameCube adapter, people!), launching into a match with random characters proved entertaining at great lengths. I used an amiibo Nintendo included in the review package shipped to me and we soon found that the little figurine was mopping stages up with both computer and human players alike. [gallery=109] A six-player battle, as opposed to the full eight-player match, also offered a unique opportunity for higher point tallies while retaining the tight controls for lengthy combos. Chaining a few of Sonic’s spin dash moves or trying to hit up and special attack at just the right time with Mario satisfies just a little bit slightly more crowded battlefields. There’s plenty of that in other game modes too. I loved exploring branching paths with variable rewards in Classic. Special Smash modes offer options for battling with scores of Mii fighters, if that’s your prerogative. Collecting things in-game can be dizzying with the insurmountable number and variety, but doing so leaves an intense sense of reward behind that pounding start for the next match gets too easy. It’ll be the number and extreme variation in character design and movesets that will make Super Smash Bros. for 3DS second place in a one-on-one, one stock match with this Wii U version. Unfortunately for the portable version, console graphics and larger, clearer characters allow for more precise control. This leads to more heated matches, higher damage totals, and an exacting sense of fun that seeks players out not unlike a level-9 CPU Pikachu with a down and special thunder attack locked and loaded. I can’t help it. Playing Smash with bright, highly stylized graphics, incredibly fast action, and wide choice of opponents both online and offline makes this Wii U’s slam dunk of 2014. It feels like a new definition of Nintendo, beyond what you expect of characters even as outside the Mushroom Kingdom as Kirby or the Fire Emblem crew. Between a snappy and animated user interface and the huge selection of music ranging the company’s portfolio, it’ll be hard to say any other game from the company could feel this complete. It’s true that Super Smash Bros. evolves every time with regard to new features, items, and characters to choose from. While your favorite character may not return or a few annoying pickups may force you to turn off items altogether, this represents the biggest leap forward Smashers have seen yet. The group stands apart from other fighting game communities and it’s even taken Nintendo some time to come around to offer support for the tournament scene. Still, no one can deny the game’s appeal and it’d be hard to find someone who doesn’t feel comfortable picking up a controller for a casual match. Take Captain Falcon, Bowser, and Pit to the mat with your favorite Pokeómon to find out for yourself. With or without classic Gamecube controllers, regardless as to whether you invest in or not (notice I haven’t mentioned them much in this review), and whether or not you even know who these characters are, Smash is fun. That’s one of the most boring words to use in a video game review, I know, but I can’t sum it up any other way. Nintendo’s developers made it an obvious objective and they’ve unequivocally hit the motherload. You’ll feel like you did too, so make sure you’re tossing opponents off-stage to explore it all. Copy and amiibo figurine provided by publisher. Exclusive to Nintendo platforms.

Added: 19.11.2014 15:00 | 4 views | 0 comments


From the Western-infused opening of Wild Arms to the vocalized battles of the Persona series, music is an essential element to any great RPG. For our upcoming PS4 and Vita RPG, Cosmic Star Heroine, we knew we needed an amazing soundtrack -- so we teamed up with Hyperduck Soundworks (Dust: An Elysian Tail, Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4, Kingdom Rush: Frontiers).

Added: 19.11.2014 11:31 | 22 views | 0 comments


Ironhide Studios is going back to the beginning with Kingdom Rush Origins, the latest addition to the tower defence series. And using our New Zealand App Store shaped crystal ball, we can tell you the game will be out at midnight tonight in the UK. As you might expect there are new towers, new heroes, and new enemies to play around with. All wrapped up in that polished cartoon style we've c...

Added: 19.11.2014 9:30 | 3 views | 0 comments


In Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom, players take on the persona of Finn (the human) with help from his best bro Jake (the shape-shifting dog) as they navigate through the eponymous kingdom - a mysterious unexplored region in the Land of Ooo. They will discover hidden secrets by exploring all corners of a new kingdom created exclusively for the game and encounter familiar and never-seen-before Adventure Time characters and creatures. Players will experience an original top-down action adventure as they battle their way through mysterious temples and a land fraught with danger. Players can solve puzzles and overcome challenges in each of the temples to rescue all the princesses of the Nameless Kingdom. Mathematical!

Added: 19.11.2014 6:41 | 0 views | 0 comments


It#039;s time for an all-new Adventure Time video game

Added: 18.11.2014 2:11 | 7 views | 0 comments


Flat Kingdom by FatPanda Studios is a 2.5D puzzle game in which you control Flat, who has the ability to change shape. Flat Kingdom is now on Kickstarter and has a PS4 and PS Vita stretch goal. Verocious takes a closer look.

Added: 16.11.2014 4:15 | 1 views | 0 comments


Sam writes for Player Attack: Welcome to Mordor. Kingdom of the Dark Lord Sauron and his army of orcs and other vile creatures. It is a dark land where the future of Middle-earth is shaped from the courageous actions of a lonely hero Talion the Ranger and the valiant folk that he encounters along his way. This is Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and this introduction doesn't do it justice.

Added: 16.11.2014 4:12 | 17 views | 0 comments


Before this year there has been an annual pattern of a Call of Duty sales press release within 1-4 days post launch. This year 11 days have passed post launch with no press release. 2011 -11/8/11 Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is released -(3 days later) 11/11/11 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Sets All-Time Record for the Biggest Entertainment Launch with More than $400 Million in North America and United Kingdom Sales Alone "biggest entertainment launch ever with an estimated sell-through of more than $400 million and more than 6.5 million units in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information 2012 -11/12/12 Call of Duty Black Ops II is released -(4 days later) 11/16/12 Call Of Duty: Black Ops II Delivers More Than $500 Million In Worldwide Retail Sales In First 24 Hours Call of Duty: Black Ops II has achieved an estimated sell-through of more than $500 milli...

Added: 15.11.2014 10:11 | 6 views | 0 comments


Chris of The Games Cabin writes:"For those who are interested in all things console related; Sony's PS TV releases today in the UK. The mini-console has already been out for over a month in North America and even longer in Japan, but the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe will be able to enjoy the PS TV from today."