Killer Instinct 'Shadows Mode' Now Available, Detailed in New Video
Added: 30.05.2015 1:16 | 23 views | 0 comments
Iron Galaxy has been giving an impressive amount of support to their Killer Instinct reboot and today comes one of the biggest additions yet.
From:
n4g.com
| The most inhumanly versatile voice actors in video games
Added: 27.05.2015 12:30 | 98 views | 0 comments
There was a time when video game voice acting could've conceivably doubled as torture. Simply slap a pair of headphones on your primary suspect and proceed to bang out a 'best of the mid-'90s' VO playlist. I'll bet that by the time they reached Grandia, said villain would have been too busy contemplating the innumerable, illogical absurdities of the 'Jill sandwich' to put up too much of a struggle. Word to the wise - if they're muttering something about a wizard, the moon, and sucking on their thumb from the foetal position then you know you've gone too far.
Thankfully, in-game audio has come an awfully long way since then. For example, we now have actual professionals voicing our icons, as opposed to whichever member of the penal system didn't fancy stamping out license plates that day. Today's big list of stuff will attempt to acquaint you with some of the more prolific players in the modern industry. Particular attention has been paid to the most versatile stars therein, as opposed to folks like Keith David who're specifically contracted for their rich, silky speaking voices. Sorry about that Keith, but knowing that the same bloke voices both Batman and Sonic is just way teresting.
Who? Robin Atkin Downes is a film, television, theatre and video game voice actor, mo-cap performer and music producer. He also has experience in directing. Think of him as the Swiss army knife of this list. A Swiss army knife with great hair.
Who else? Downes portrays Metal Gear Solid's Kaz Miller, Just Cause's Rico Rodriguez, Uncharted 2's Tenzin, Ratchet and Clank's Captain Slag, Team Fortress 2's Medic and Gear of War's Locust Kantus - among others.
Who? Jennifer Hale is the veritable 'first lady' of video game voice acting, though she's also appeared in several live action productions. Last year Hale engaged in a spirited 8-week hot-air balloon race, vying against Tara Strong for the opportunity to call 'dibs' on all of 2015's best roles. Of course, none of that actually happened, but it should've done.
Who else? Hale is the woman behind Bioshock Infinite's Rosalind Lutece, MGS2's Emma Emmerich, Metroid Prime's Samus Aran, Halo 4's Sarah Palmer and Mass Effect's female rendering of Shepard. She also provided the voicework for both versions of Metal Gear Solid's Naomi Hunter (both the early British and later American incarnations).
Who? Mike Patton is the uber eclectic frontman of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and about a dozen other bands. He began voice acting in 2007, and is typically tasked with providing gruesome monster noises. .
Who else? Patton has provided the pipes behind Portal 2's Anger Core, Left 4 Dead's Infected (including the Smoker Hunter variants) as well as The Darkness' titular nasties. Oh, and he's also responsible for Bionic Commando 09's gritty, cheeseball hero.
Who? Tara Strong is a well known voice over artist and television actress. Her distinctive surname was bestowed upon her by the old gods after witnessing Tara's completion of the 12 labours of Hercules. Of the 12, Tara counts the Lernaean Hydra as being the single most challenging foe.
Who else? Strong has voiced Batman: Arkham's Harley Quinn, Mortal Kombat's Ferra, Metal Gear's Paz, Jak Daxter's Keira and Final Fantasy X's Rikku. Plus a boatload more.
Who? Armin Shimerman is a film and television actor best known for playing Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Principal Snyder and Star Trek: Deep Space 9's Quark. Fun fact: Shimerman came up with the design for Quark's face while bashing a catcher's mitt with a baseball bat? No, not really, but he might as well have done.
Who else? Shimerman has appeared as Mass Effect's Salarian Councillor, Ratchet and Clank's Dr. Nefarious and Bioshock's Andrew Ryan.
Who? Grey DeLisle is a singer, voice actress and occasional stand-up comic. She also goes by the pseudonym of 'Grey Griffin', which probably comes in really handy during live action role-playing.
Who else? DeLisle has voiced Jeanne from the Bayonetta series, Catwoman in Batman: Arkham, Sly Cooper's Carmelita Fox and Amanda from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
Who? Nolan North is a professional actor and voice over artist/bona fide gaming institution. Little known fact: both he and Troy Baker are immortal Highlanders simultaneously attempting to corner the voice over market, because of course 'there can only be one'.
Who else? North voices everyone from DOTA 2's squealing Gyrocopter pilot to the CoD franchise's zombie-mad Richtofen. Other characters include Uncharted's Nathan Drake, Injustice's General Zod, Batman's Oswald Cobblepot and Portal 2's Space, Adventure and Fact Cores.
Who? Ellen McLain is an opera singer and voice actress who regularly contributes to Valve Corp. video games. Her husband is similarly involved with the company, having provided the voice of the Sniper in Team Fortress 2. And no, they didn't meet up while screaming robotic threats into a microphone. Shame.
Who else? McLain's work includes stints as DOTA 2's Broodmother, Left 4 Dead's Witch monster, Half-Life 2's Overwatch speaker and - most famously of all - Portal's array of talkative turrets and the evil A.I. GLaDOS.
Who? James Arnold Taylor is a professional cartoon and video game voice actor. Long-term exposure to the man's unique brand of laughter has been known to cause ferocious irritation in viewers.
Who else? Taylor's most notable roles include Ratchet from the Ratchet and Clank series, the Clone Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi (both in video games and TV) as well as Final Fantasy X's boisterous lead character Tidus. He also does a rather good Jack Sparrow impression.
Who? Lani Minella is a professional voice actress specialising in video games. I wonder how many people accidentally call her Liza Minnelli on a daily basis?
Who else? Lani voices the female infected in The Last of Us, Sheeva from Mortal Kombat 9, Ivy in SoulCalibur, the Koopa kids from the Mario franchise, and the female fighters in the Worms series.
Who? Troy Baker is a musician, mo-cap actor and award-winning voice over artist specialising in video games. He spends much of his time coated in brightly coloured ping-pong balls trying not to laugh.
Who else? Baker's work includes appearances as Batman: Arkham's Two-Face, Metal Gear Solid V's Ocelot, The Last of Us' Joel, Far Cry 4's Pagin Min and Arkham Origins' Joker.
Who? Jen Taylor is a professional voicework and theatre actress, contracted to the Halo franchise for the next 187,000 instalments, or the complete heat death of the universe - whichever comes first.
Who else? Taylor's impressive C.V. boasts several big name gigs, including those of Princess Peach and Halo's Cortana. Other notable performances include No One Lives Forever's Cate Archer, Left 4 Dead's Zoey and DOTA 2's Medusa.
Who? Fred Tatasciore is a prolific voice actor appearing in film, television and video games. He once voiced one of Jar Jar Binks' annoying Gungan buddies, and probably felt really terrible about it afterwards. We forgive you Fred, you couldn't have known.
Who else? Tatasciore has voiced Baird from Gears of War, Zeratul (Starcraft 2), Bane (Arkham City), Mario (Assassin's Creed 2), both the Tank and Boomer monsters from Left 4 Dead, and Mass Effect's Saren Arterius.
Who? Terrence Carson is an acclaimed stage actor, tv performer and vocalist. Fun fact: Carson was also betrayed by almighty Zeus. He was pretty chilled about it though.
Who else? Carson has portrayed God of War's vengeful Spartan Kratos, the Saints Row series' Big Tony and Star Wars' own Mace Windu.
Who? Quinton Flynn is a video game voice actor and writer. Fun fact: the name Quinton Flynn would also suit a restaurant critic and/or a wealthy teenaged adventurer.
Who else? Flynn voices Sonic's Silver the Hedgehog, Metal Gear's Raiden, Henry from the No More Heroes games, and Crash Bandicoot's Dr. N. Gin.
Who? Mark Hamill is a professional acto… - y'know what, forget it, the man's Luke Skywalker, LUKE SKYWALKER damn it! Oh and he was in all those Wing Commander games too…
Who else? Hamill has provided the voice behind CoD 2's old-timey narrator, X2's Wolverine and of course Arkham's main-series iteration of the Joker.
Who? Matthew Mercer is an anime and video game voice actor. His name is also an anagram for 'Mew Meth Carter', which in the context of the Pokémon franchise would certainly explain a lot…
Who else? Mercer provides the pipes behind Street Fighter 4's Fei Long, Arkham Origins' Anarky, Resi 6's Leon, and Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell's Blackbeard.
Who? Roger Craig Smith is a professional voice actor specialising in anime, video game and cartoon-based voicework. Since winning the role of Batman in Arkham Origins, Smith has received numerous lewd phone calls from a man referring to himself only as 'Conroy Kevin'. Police are baffled. And of course, none of that actually happened.
Who else? Smith lends his considerable talents to a wide array of gaming icons, including Ezio Auditore (Assassin's Creed 2), Chris Redfield (Resident Evil 5), Batman/Bruce Wayne (Batman: Arkham Origins) and err… Sonic the Hedgehog. That's quite the range.
Who? Steve Blum is a professional voice actor specialising in anime, cartoons and video games. Fun fact about Steve: he was only one botched birth certificate away from being called 'Steve Bum'.
Who else? Blum has voiced Sub-Zero and Reptile in Mortal Kombat X, Wolverine from the X-Men franchise, Killer Croc in the Batman: Arkham series, Vincent Valentine in Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, Final Fantasy Type-0's Cid, and Grayson Hunt from Bulletstorm. Also, about .
Tags: Torn, Steve, Hack, Dead, Evil, Resident Evil, Resident, Valve, Mario, World, Mask, Star, Trek, Saints, Saints Row, Street, Thief, Play, Gear, Sniper, Heroes, Lucy, Bioshock, Batman, Silver, Cave, With, Commander, North, Creed, Jump, Metal, Metal Gear, Solid, Live, American, Fate, Fantasy, Space, Test, Last, There, Far Cry, Captain, Grab, Hunter, Ball, Rick, Blue, Mega, Gears, Mini, The Last, Angry, Wolf, Fortress, Fighter, Street Fighter, Flys, Uncharted, Most, Reef, Gear Solid, Final, James, Chris, Princess, Zero, Team Fortress, Final Fantasy, Huge, Killed, Media, Adventure, Baird, Sonic, Starcraft, Pokémon, Jack, Little, David, Clone, Other, Tale, Arkham, Mortal, Class, Kombat, Mortal Kombat, Crabs, LeafFrom:
www.gamesradar.com
| 15 Castlevania Games You Should Be Playing
Added: 16.05.2015 0:50 | 7 views | 0 comments
1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Symphony of the Night remains the undisputed king of the Castlevania series, responsible for shaping an entire genre of exploration-based action games. Its continued popularity two decades later fueled an enormously successful new Kickstarter game from its legendary designer, Koji Igarashi.
2. Castlevania
The very first title in the Castlevania series also hit stores during the first year of the Nintendo Entertainment System's US release. Castlevania's precise action and gothic atmosphere stood head and shoulders above its contemporaries. Facing creepy bosses and a wielding a versatile arsenal, Simon Belmont knocked down the doors of Dracula's castle with aplomb.
3. Castlevania: Bloodlines
Bloodlines has never been one of Castlevania's most beloved games, but the amount of unbridled ingenuity on display in the game's haunted hallways makes it one of the best. If you value experimental ideas, prepare to fall under its spell.
4. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
For years, Rondo of Blood was spoken about in hushed tones by importers and collectors as the best Castlevania that never left Japan. We finally received English ports of the Turbo Grafx game recently, and the game's branching paths, secret rooms, and superb action lived up to the hype.
5. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania had a rocky history on the Game Boy, but Igarashi nailed the format with his trilogy of Game Boy Advance games that nearly match his revered Symphony of the Night. Aria of Sorrow is widely considered the best of the bunch.
6. Super Castlevania IV
Like its 8-bit predecessors, Super Castlevania IV was one of the early stars of the Super Nintendo. The game took wonderful advantage of the 16-bit system's graphic innovations like translucency and Mode 7-enabled background rotation. Plus, the supernatural soundtrack was absolutely killer.
7. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
After the success of the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games, the Nintendo DS received its own trio of demon-slaying "Igavanias." Each DS game has its fanbase, but with clever rune-drawing mechanics and classical castle exploration, Dawn of Sorrow may go down in history as the last of the grand style, capital-C Castlevanias.
8. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
The last Castlevania game to arrive on the NES was also the most ambitious. With multiple endings, alternate paths, and a cast of assistant characters, Castlevania III combined the non-linear direction of more experimental Castlevania games with polished action and a sense of purpose. It's also ridiculously difficult in all the right ways.
9. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
We didn't know it at the time, but Order of Ecclesia was Koji Igarashi's swan song in the official Castlevania franchise. With his final game, he revamped the art style, added an enormous difficulty spike over previous DS titles, and let the player explore far beyond the boundaries of Dracula's castle.
10. Akumajou Special – Boku Dracula-kun
Akumajou Special, also known as "I'm Kid Dracula," is a colorful Konami spinoff title that features many of the Castlevania touchstones twisted into campy and cute parodies. It's also an intense action platformer that plays like it received a healthy infusion of Mega Man DNA.
11. Vampire Killer
Vampire Killer is a forgotten offshoot of the Castlevania series, but it still had a powerful impact on several future titles. This MSX 2 game came out the same year as the original NES Castlevania, but it featured drastically different gameplay with open-ended, Metroid-style exploration. It's a theme Castlevania would return to later in more successful iterations.
12. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Depending on how you look at, Lords of Shadow either saved or ruined the Castlevania franchise. With a gigantic budget and hack-and-slash gameplay reminiscent of God of War, it certainly forged a bold new direction for the series. Taken on its own merits, it's an admirably ambitious game, even if didn't quite capture that ephemeral Castlevania feel.
13. Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
It was a small adventure on the Wii's digital game service, but it did deliver a proper 2D side-scrolling Castlevania title on a console. The Adventure ReBirth revives the story of Christopher Belmont from a dormant Game Boy game, but this time, the action snaps like a whip. It's a Castlevania back alley well worth exploring.
14. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Although it's often maligned for its confusing translation and esoteric puzzles, Simon's Quest implemented plenty of interesting concepts. Between a day-and-night cycle that strengthened enemies and its fresh RPG leveling elements, Simon's Quest was an awkward, yet important, step for the series.
15. Sexy Parodius
It's not an official Castlevania game, but Sexy Parodius is still an essential experience for fans of the franchise. An entire level in this wacky-shoot-'em up plays out as an extended Castlevania homage, complete with an enormous Medusa-head boss. It's one of the rare times you can see these classic elements in a humorous context. (Image via Shadowserg)
Tags: Sees, Nintendo, Games, Gain, Easy, Arts, Daly, Kong, With, Live, Image, Bolt, Castlevania, Lords, Shadow, Quest, After, Kickstarter, Mega, Mega Man, Birds, English, Bloom, Most, Grade, Killed, Adventure, Night, Order, KonamiFrom:
www.gamespot.com
| 15 Castlevania Games You Should Be Playing
Added: 16.05.2015 0:50 | 6 views | 0 comments
1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Symphony of the Night remains the undisputed king of the Castlevania series, responsible for shaping an entire genre of exploration-based action games. Its continued popularity two decades later fueled an enormously successful new Kickstarter game from its legendary designer, Koji Igarashi.
2. Castlevania
The very first title in the Castlevania series also hit stores during the first year of the Nintendo Entertainment System's US release. Castlevania's precise action and gothic atmosphere stood head and shoulders above its contemporaries. Facing creepy bosses and a wielding a versatile arsenal, Simon Belmont knocked down the doors of Dracula's castle with aplomb.
3. Castlevania: Bloodlines
Bloodlines has never been one of Castlevania's most beloved games, but the amount of unbridled ingenuity on display in the game's haunted hallways makes it one of the best. If you value experimental ideas, prepare to fall under its spell.
4. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
For years, Rondo of Blood was spoken about in hushed tones by importers and collectors as the best Castlevania that never left Japan. We finally received English ports of the Turbo Grafx game recently, and the game's branching paths, secret rooms, and superb action lived up to the hype.
5. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania had a rocky history on the Game Boy, but Igarashi nailed the format with his trilogy of Game Boy Advance games that nearly match his revered Symphony of the Night. Aria of Sorrow is widely considered the best of the bunch.
6. Super Castlevania IV
Like its 8-bit predecessors, Super Castlevania IV was one of the early stars of the Super Nintendo. The game took wonderful advantage of the 16-bit system's graphic innovations like translucency and Mode 7-enabled background rotation. Plus, the supernatural soundtrack was absolutely killer.
7. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
After the success of the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games, the Nintendo DS received its own trio of demon-slaying "Igavanias." Each DS game has its fanbase, but with clever rune-drawing mechanics and classical castle exploration, Dawn of Sorrow may go down in history as the last of the grand style, capital-C Castlevanias.
8. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
The last Castlevania game to arrive on the NES was also the most ambitious. With multiple endings, alternate paths, and a cast of assistant characters, Castlevania III combined the non-linear direction of more experimental Castlevania games with polished action and a sense of purpose. It's also ridiculously difficult in all the right ways.
9. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
We didn't know it at the time, but Order of Ecclesia was Koji Igarashi's swan song in the official Castlevania franchise. With his final game, he revamped the art style, added an enormous difficulty spike over previous DS titles, and let the player explore far beyond the boundaries of Dracula's castle.
10. Akumajou Special – Boku Dracula-kun
Akumajou Special, also known as "I'm Kid Dracula," is a colorful Konami spinoff title that features many of the Castlevania touchstones twisted into campy and cute parodies. It's also an intense action platformer that plays like it received a healthy infusion of Mega Man DNA.
11. Vampire Killer
Vampire Killer is a forgotten offshoot of the Castlevania series, but it still had a powerful impact on several future titles. This MSX 2 game came out the same year as the original NES Castlevania, but it featured drastically different gameplay with open-ended, Metroid-style exploration. It's a theme Castlevania would return to later in more successful iterations.
12. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Depending on how you look at, Lords of Shadow either saved or ruined the Castlevania franchise. With a gigantic budget and hack-and-slash gameplay reminiscent of God of War, it certainly forged a bold new direction for the series. Taken on its own merits, it's an admirably ambitious game, even if didn't quite capture that ephemeral Castlevania feel.
13. Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
It was a small adventure on the Wii's digital game service, but it did deliver a proper 2D side-scrolling Castlevania title on a console. The Adventure ReBirth revives the story of Christopher Belmont from a dormant Game Boy game, but this time, the action snaps like a whip. It's a Castlevania back alley well worth exploring.
14. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Although it's often maligned for its confusing translation and esoteric puzzles, Simon's Quest implemented plenty of interesting concepts. Between a day-and-night cycle that strengthened enemies and its fresh RPG leveling elements, Simon's Quest was an awkward, yet important, step for the series.
15. Sexy Parodius
It's not an official Castlevania game, but Sexy Parodius is still an essential experience for fans of the franchise. An entire level in this wacky-shoot-'em up plays out as an extended Castlevania homage, complete with an enormous Medusa-head boss. It's one of the rare times you can see these classic elements in a humorous context. (Image via Shadowserg)
Tags: Sees, Nintendo, Games, Gain, Easy, Arts, Daly, Kong, With, Live, Image, Bolt, Castlevania, Lords, Shadow, Quest, After, Kickstarter, Mega, Mega Man, Birds, English, Bloom, Most, Grade, Killed, Adventure, Night, Order, KonamiFrom:
www.gamespot.com
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