Dungeon Defenders DLC brings new character class
and more

post from Gaming Nexus on 01 February 2012 11:39:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Russell Archey
NEWS - Want some more DLC for Dungeon Defenders on Steam? If so, then you'll be happy to know that the new Assault Mission Pack has been released today along with the Barbarian character class. I mean, what RPG party doesn't need a barbarian? The Assault Mission Pack is only $1.99 and includes three assault missions, a new map, and a "super awesome unicorn familiar" to top things off. The Barbarian class is $2.99 and has the ability to dual-wield and change the game with battle stances, which replaces his ability to construct towers. Best of all, this week only, both DLCs are on sale for $1 off, meaning the Assault Mission Pack is on sale for only $.99 and the Barbarian class is on sale for $1.99. Read on for more info on both of these DLCs.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/Dungeon-Defenders-DLC-brings-new-character-cl
ass-and-more/Item25463.aspx

Digg this

New Skylanders characters hit stores

post from Gaming Nexus on 01 February 2012 11:27:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Russell Archey
NEWS - If you're looking to pick up some new characters for Skylanders, you can now pick up Cynder and Double Trouble, along with a new adventure pack called Empire of Ice (which also comes with Slam Bam). Cynder is a dragon of the undead element, while Double Trouble, once an adept spellcaster, is from the magic element. Finally, Slam Bam is a "yeti-abominable-snowman-looking guy" and if of the water element. I saw these at work earlier today and they looked pretty nice. Not sure if the adventure packs work on the 3DS version though, so I may have to look into that.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/New-Skylanders-characters-hit-stores/Item2546
2.aspx

Digg this

The DTOID Show: Anthony Carboni's American
Nightmare

post from Destructoid on 01 February 2012 11:05:58 PM. © Destructoid

The DTOID Show: Anthony Carboni's American Nightmare screenshot

Happy Hump Day, fellow humpers! In celebration of humping, tonight's episode will be strictly devoid of humping. You're welcome.

On tonight's show, we relay the good and bad news surrounding Dragon's Dogma, give a run-down of Steam's new mobile app, and show off some of the neat things you can do with the Skyrim Creation Kit. On the second half of the show, Anthony Carboni from New Challenger joins us to talk about his hands-on time with Alan Wake's American Nightmare. I haven't seen it yet, but I hear it's downright nightmarish!

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Location: You're such a beach!

post from Destructoid on 01 February 2012 11:05:58 PM. © Destructoid

Location: You're such a beach! screenshot

_{[Hohojirozame writes about a personal favorite of mine: Dark Cloud 2! A great look at a fantastic location in the game as a part of the last weekly theme. As always, remember to load your own blogs into the Community Blogs and tag them with the "Bloggers Wanted Essay Response" tag, and you may see your blog promoted to the front page. - Kauza]}

Picture a beach tucked away from society, hidden from the troubles of the world. This beach has white sands and calm crystal clear waters that crash and form the perfect background ambiance. To the east, a mysterious cave entrance emanating a Gooniesesque sense of adventure, to the west an inviting grotto awaits those who seek a view of a perfect sunset. Finally, a quaint port town sits on a pier - the townsfolk relax, fish, and enjoy the ocean breeze at night.

This is Veniccio from Dark Cloud 2 - my favorite gaming location.

For those unfamiliar, the Dark Cloud series allows the player to rebuild towns, with materials gathered from nearby dungeons, in order to restore important people and places to the world. While the first game was limited to only one world, the second introduced the ability to go back and forth between two time periods allowing the player to see how his town changed in the future. The ability to allow the player to build their own town already adds great value as to why this is one of my favorite locations because it was my Veniccio. I built the town to my specifications and filled with whoever I wanted to live there. Although every future version of the town looks similar, the present town can be molded to fit anyone’s specifications.

The reason I chose this area in particular has to do with it being a beach level. Having lived by the ocean for most of my life I tend to favor levels with a water theme. Veniccio did that for me by providing me with a tropical resort, similar to but much different than the beaches I was accustomed to. The secluded feeling of the area and the adventurous mood from the nearby cave network was something much different than the sprawling, populated beaches of South Florida.

From a game play and story standpoint this area makes sense. It comes right after an area that is tough to build on, thus it gives the player a chance to relax and enjoy the scenery while building a town where the only gimmick is building on a pier. It also is the middle chapter of the story, so the relaxing nature is like a mid game respite; the player knows after this “break” the game is only going to get more difficult from here. It also represents pivotal moments in the main character’s, Max, life, for example seeing the ocean for the first time and reuniting with his mother.

Did I mention this place was beautiful? No, then I’ll say it again: This place is beautiful. For a static environment where the only things the player can do are fish and walk in the water, it’s still a damn fine place to look at. It makes sense that an area so pristine is the prime procreation and vacation spot for legendary sea creatures. Level-5’s art team did a great job with the cel-shaded graphics in the game and it shows in the game’s environments. The nearby dungeon, Ocean’s Roar Cave, is also beautifully done with mystery and adventure being the main focal points of its design. The surface area is like an outdoor cave, with rock covering everything except for the eastern wall, where the cave opens up to give a view of the sea. The lower level is the opposite, dark and filled with ankle deep water.

The area’s music ties it all together. The Veniccio theme is like the giant bow on top of a big present. This song coupled with the relaxing sounds of the waves is just glorious. Tomohito Nishiura did a great job composing all the pieces in this game, but this one stands out the most to me. I’ve hummed this song while walking to class, I’ve studied with this song on, and I’m trying to make this the first song I learn on the guitar. It even sounds good in Mario Paint. The Ocean’s Roar Cave theme is also just as relaxing, but not as memorable as the Veniccio theme due to the battle theme interrupting and overwhelming it when monsters are fought.

At this point I feel like I’m gushing, but it’s hard not to. I love Dark Cloud 2 and I love Veniccio. The amount of time I spent here just listening to the music and perfecting my town until I could add no more is nuts. My second place choice, Dark Cloud’s Queens and its dungeon Shipwreck, was also a water based stage. Queens is a walled off port town, similar to a Moroccan market. Shipwreck had the player exploring an underwater shipwreck to uncover the hidden past of the dungeon and town. The somber back story (which was very well done) and the walled style of Queens made these areas second place to Veniccio. Mystery, beauty, adventure, and a great soundtrack are what make some of gaming’s well known water themed levels memorable to gamers, like Legend of Zelda OoT’s Water Temple, Donkey Kong Country’s Folies Corralliennes, and Mario 64’s Jolly Roger’s Bay just to name a few. To me though, Veniccio easily takes the cake.

[Kauza's note: Added bonus! A super pretty piano cover of the Veniccio theme! Woo!]

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

BioWare Invites Star Wars Guild Leaders to
Physical Summit

post from The Escapist : Latest News on 01 February 2012 10:33:00 PM. © The Escapist : Latest News

Jedi and Sith guild leaders alike will meet under BioWare's auspices for some aggressive negotiations.

View Article

Read The Full Article:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115632-BioWare-Invites-Star-Wars-Guild-
Leaders-to-Physical-Summit?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news

Digg this

THQ cuts 240, 50% pay cut for the CEO

post from Gaming Nexus on 01 February 2012 10:12:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: John Yan
NEWS - Well, the news became official. While it was thought to be around 170 before, THQ has in fact let go 240 people. The most of layoffs should be completed at the end of March, but the rest would be done by September.

Also, CEO Brian Farrell will take a 50% paycut for one year, but he's still not doing too bad in this economy getting a salary of $359.250. Again, it looks like it's only going to last a year. Non-employee directors also got 50% lopped off their pay.

It's all in the administration and publishing areas though, so none of the studios were affected by this cut.

So, now we got that out of the way, we'll have to see if anymore bad news comes out of the THQ front such as cancellation of titles and what not. Let's hope they can right the ship and our thoughts goes out to those affected by this layoff.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/THQ-cuts-2402c-5025-pay-cut-for-the-CEO/Item2
5461.aspx

Digg this

The Simpsons Arcade Game hits XBLA and PSN soon

post from Destructoid on 01 February 2012 10:06:50 PM. © Destructoid

The Simpsons Arcade Game hits XBLA and PSN soon screenshot

The Simpsons Arcade Game is set to grace Xbox Live Arcade on February 3 -- that's this week! -- and PlayStation Network on February 7. It's free for PlayStation Plus members and a reasonable $9.99 (800 Microsoft Points) for the rest of us.

I feel like I've been waiting to write this post for years now. Back when "Games you want to see on XBLA/PSN" lists were more prevalent, The Simpsons always seemed to make the cut. This version has online co-op and even contains the Japanese release as an unlockable. You've done well, Konami.

The Simpsons Arcade Game Confirmed [Game Informer]

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

D-Arts Zero Type 2 figure will cut you, mang

post from Destructoid on 01 February 2012 10:06:50 PM. © Destructoid

D-Arts Zero Type 2 figure will cut you, mang screenshot

Bandai is alright by me. For some time now, the company has been been making high-quality Mega Man X action figures as part of its D-Arts line. So far, there have been about five bajillion versions of X alone (regular, armored, metallic, etc.) yet only a single version of the series' true hero, Zero. That's about to change with the upcoming release of Zero Type 2 -- whereas Type 1 was modeled after Zero's simpler, non-blade-wielding appearance from X1, Type 2 resembles his appearance from the sequels.

The figure will be available this May for 3500 yen (about $46)... BUT WAIT! Here is a rare instance where normally Japan-exclusive goodies are brought to the West. The entire D-Arts Mega Man X line (save one), as well as many other Bandai figures, are available through Bandai's US distributor Bluefin. If you are willing to wait a few extra months, you can snag your prizes for less money and hassle!

Oh, and look who's next in the lineup.

Step into this pre-order for Rockman X D-Arts Zero Type 2 [Tomopop]

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Your new February Club Nintendo games are here

Your new February Club Nintendo games are here screenshot

As you may have heard, Club Nintendo has raised their excitement level to eleven this year, and started offering actual games in exchange for play-coins. Step right up to Club Nintendo and pick up your two new digital offerings: Mario Party 2 for the Wii's Virtual Console and Art Academy: First Semester for DSiWare (though you oddly need a 3DS to redeem it).

I always thought Mario Party 2 was the best in the series -- I can't tell you how many wacky evenings I've spent with friends playing that game. Everything was kind of a blur, but I distinctly remember obscenities being flung casually into the wind every time someone would find a hidden star, use a magic lamp, use a Boo to steal coins, or win by the "Happening Star" -- that game can end friendships, man.

So we all know Mario Party has its niche, but can anyone out there vouch for Art Academy? The biggest plus I can find for it is that it's a "pleasant diversion."

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Take a chance with this Russian roulette Kinect
hack

Take a chance with this Russian roulette Kinect hack screenshot

In The Gunstringer for Kinect, players got to point their fingers at the TV and go "pew pew pew!" Know what was missing? The ability to point the fake gun at your own head and pull the trigger. Don't know why that feature wasn't included!

Theo Watson has you covered. For Art Hack Day at 319 Scholes in Brooklyn, he tinkered with some PC modding tools to create a rudimentary Russian roulette game using Kinect. Simply mimic the pulling of a gun's hammer with your thumb to "spin the wheel." The chances of there being a bullet in the virtual chamber are either 1:6 or 1:8; if you hit the "jackpot," your head will explode in a satisfying mess of pixels.

Fun for the kiddies!

Kinect Russian Roulette Prototype @ ArtHackDay [Vimeo via Geek.com] (Thanks, pedrovay!)

Read The Full Article:

Digg this