FemShep IRL

post from Gaming Nexus on 01 September 2011 11:45:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Nathaniel Cohen
NEWS - The general consensus among Mass Effect fans is that Jennifer Hale does a far better job voicing FemShep than Mark Meer does voicing ManShep. And given the attention Femshep's face has gotten in the past few weeks, I think it's time to refocus attention on what made FemShep so popular as to warrant a fan vote to choose a new default face for the character in Mass Effect 3 in the first place - namely, Jennifer Hale. Here, we have an interview Gametrailers conducted with her during one of the many recent conventions, no doubt (it never says which one). Check it out; she even shifts into some of her other well-known videogame character voices here and there, but never once Commander Shepard's. Mass Effect 3 comes out on March 6th, 2012.

[via: youtube]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/FemShep-IRL/Item24007.aspx

Digg this

New Section 8: Prejudice maps hit PSN September
13

post from Destructoid on 01 September 2011 11:06:06 PM. © Destructoid

New Section 8: Prejudice maps hit PSN September 13 screenshot

Section 8: Prejudice will be receiving a new DLC expansion on PlayStation Network in a couple of weeks, called the "Frontier Colonies Map Pack." On September 13th, players in the US will be able to pick up a pair of new maps for $3.99 while Europe will see the pack in their store the following day.

The two maps operate at different ends of the foliage spectrum, with the “Desolation” map taking place amid desert ruins while “Overseer” occupies a fertile forest valley. You can check out a batch of screenshots in our gallery

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Review: Jetpack Joyride

post from Destructoid on 01 September 2011 09:05:44 PM. © Destructoid

Review: Jetpack Joyride screenshot

With so many "runner" games on iOS, another one is certainly a hard sell. But there's a reason these games are so popular. It's a simple concept -- a character moves continuously from left to right at an ever-increasing speed, the player's goal to jump, slide, or whatever to avoid obstacles. The goal: get as far as possible.

Halfbrick's latest, Jetpack Joyride, is yet another in a long line of these endless runner games. But don't let that turn you off. Between responsive controls, colorful sprites that are easy on the eyes, and a clever rewards system that will keep players coming back for more, Jetpack Joyride is comfortably the best in its class.

Jetpack Joyride (iOS)
Developer: Halfbrick
Released: September 1, 2011
Price: 99 cents

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to play Jetpack Joyride, and that's half of its appeal. Like many iOS titles, its controls boil down to tapping the screen and occasionally, um, tapping the screen some more. You'll be doing so to initiate protagonist Barry Steakfries' machine gun jetpack, tapping (or holding) to make him hover in the air as you avoid lasers, missiles, and a maze of electric ropes. As you proceed further, the stakes get hire as Barry moves faster and faster, and the game's traps become trickier and trickier.

While the machine gun jetpack may very well be the most awesome mode of transport ever in the history of forever, it's not the only vehicle in Barry's arsenal. Occasionally and randomly, additional vehicles can be picked up along the way. From the "Crazy Freaking Teleporter" to the Tiny Wings-inspired "Profit Bird" (which borrows sound effects from the popular, money-making iOS title), each vehicle will react to those same screen taps and holds, but responds a bit differently. For example, the "Crazy Ass Teleporter" will allow you to zap to new areas of the screen with a simple tap. The "Profit Bird" is one of the more slower vehicles, but can be made to fly with repeated screen taps, and I found it easier to navigate than many of the others. You'll come to find your favorites as you experiment and play, but given that they basically offer one free hit (i.e. mushrooms in Super Mario Bros.), you're going to want to grab 'em when you see 'em.

Halfbrick has also thrown some additional random elements into the mix with bonus coins that appear periodically throughout your journey. These coins can be redeemed in a slot machine after a run (when you hit an electric fence, missile, etc.) and can offer a number of bonuses and perks. Some will even give you a second chance, letting you continue on to reach a higher score. In other instances, you might have a bomb dropped on you to give you some extra distance to reach even higher scores.

These basics and the very nature of wanting to best your own high scores (and your friends' via Game Center or OpenFeint) would be enough to keep you coming back for more. But Halfbrick has also integrated an impressive mission system that kept me playing this simple game for hours on end. At any given time, players have three goals to reach, ranging from hitting certain distances to near-missing X-number of missiles. Completing goals earns you stars, and as you rank up, missions roll over into a fresh set of objectives. There's always something to be striving for, whether it's topping the leaderboards or knocking another one of the game's missions off your list.

There's also a ton of extras packed into Jetpack Joyride, most of them purchased with coins picked up during gameplay. While some of them are simply cosmetic (my Barry Streakfries looks like a zombie now; what's yours wearing?), others are more useful in gameplay. One-off items can be purchased, like second chances or distance-boosting bombs, or permanent upgrades like adding a coin magnet to the game's many vehicles.

There are few criticisms that can be thrown at Jetpack Joyride, but I'd be lying if I said it was a completely perfect experience. For one, the very nature of having to tap the screen with your finger can lead to obstructing your view, and potentially a hazard that will cause your game to end. To the game's credit, you can tap anywhere on the screen, including a small area directly behind Barry. Your mileage with this may vary, but I never really found a place where my finger never seemed "in the way" at some point.

There's also a lot of luck involved in Jetpack Joyride, at least when it comes to reaching the high end of the leaderboards, and this may frustrated some. True, the game is all about fast reflexes and being able to keep up with the blazing speeds that Barry can reach. Make no mistake, the touch screen on any iOS device can keep up with the game's controls, which are quick and responsive. But there's a bit of randomness involved, as well, particularly when using those bonus coins. My best run came from the sheer luck of getting multiple bomb bonuses and a heart, which earned me a chance to continue on further. Even still, the most skilled players will always have an edge, and will also have that element of luck on their side.

At a mere 99 cents, Jetpack Joyride is an insane value for what's offered. Let's put it this way: the in-game stats on my iPod tell me I've put six hours into the game; include my time playing on an iPad, and you're adding another two or three. To put that into perspective, I probably didn't have to play more than 30 minutes of this game to give it a proper review, the game is simply that straightforward. I simply was having so much fun, and I didn't want to stop.

Speaking of which, I've said enough. I think I've got some more Jetpack Joyride to play. I'd suggest you get to doing the same.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Ratchet & Clank All 4 One has giant balls of
power

post from Destructoid on 01 September 2011 09:05:44 PM. © Destructoid

Ratchet & Clank All 4 One has giant balls of power screenshot

Insomniac tossed us this latest trailer for Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, part of a running series on the weaponry found in the game. And why not? Next to the primary characters, there's nothing more important to the series than its creative implements of death. Quark has a glowing hamster ball that he runs around in, Nefarious has a cloaking device and Clank gets a little plasma cannon thing.

The winner in this vid is clearly Ratchet, though. He's armed with the "Dopple Banger", a decoy for enemies which I can only assume started life as a relationship therapy tool before being funded as a military project. Damn, that looks fun.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Fruit F*cker spotted in second Ms. Splosion Man
challenge

post from Destructoid on 01 September 2011 09:05:44 PM. © Destructoid

Fruit F*cker spotted in second Ms. Splosion Man challenge screenshot

Starting now until September 11, you can partake in Ms. Splosion Man's second TMS (Title Managed Storage) challenge. As was the case for the first in-game challenge, which featured our very own Mr. Destructoid, real-world prizes will go to the top participants.

You can find and play the new level from the main menu of Ms. Splosion Man. In it are multiple Fruit F*ckers of Penny Arcade fame, all worth big points. Timely, isn't it? The top three on the leaderboards will get swag bags with prizes from both Twisted Pixel and Penny Arcade.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Tim Schafer and Cookie Monster are quite the duo

post from Destructoid on 01 September 2011 08:05:56 PM. © Destructoid

Tim Schafer and Cookie Monster are quite the duo screenshot

video details and more

Thank you, Double Fine, for giving me the opportunity to write about Sesame Street without feeling totally guilty afterward. This latest video with Tim Schafer and Cookie Monster is a delight, as always.

Conveniently enough, Once Upon a Monster comes out for Xbox 360 on October 11. That's a week after Dark Souls drops in North America. Let the recovery process begin!

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

The Real Texas looks like a lo-fi trip

post from Destructoid on 01 September 2011 08:05:56 PM. © Destructoid

The Real Texas looks like a lo-fi trip screenshot

In top-down action-RPG The Real Texas, you play a rancher who has, for better or worse, entered a portal to a purgatory dimension of Texas as represented by a town called Strange. At least, that's what I think is going on here. This game is out of control and I love it.

You ought to watch the trailer to gain a vague understanding of what it's about. According to indie developer Kitty Lambda, The Real Texas contains "lots of secret items and areas, NPC day/night cycles, bosses, puzzles, dungeons, zombies and cross-dressing."

Sold? This is coming out soonish for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Mesmerizing fast-paced footage of Dyad

post from Destructoid on 01 September 2011 08:05:56 PM. © Destructoid

Mesmerizing fast-paced footage of Dyad screenshot

video details and more

If this footage makes Dyad seem indecipherable, I can sympathize. Even having played the PlayStation Network title myself, I can barely keep up with it.

One of the coolest aspects of Dyad is its music. On the PlayStation Blog, creator Shawn McGrath offers a description and three free songs. "An individual level consists of up to 300 different loops and scale notes. Dozens of loops play simultaneously and are mixed dynamically based on your interactions; loops are also swapped in and out constantly to match the continually changing game state."

That make sense? The end result is a rather zen-like experience that many games of this nature go for but aren't always able to capture.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Europeans got a Mighty Switch Force trailer in 3D

Europeans got a Mighty Switch Force trailer in 3D screenshot

European 3DS owners can go onto the eShop right now and watch a 3D trailer for WayForward's Mighty Switch Force. American 3DS owners can go watch the grass grow, because we didn't get jack-all. Instead, Nintendo World Report is hoping we can settle for the above off-screen 2D trailer. How pedestrian.

Alright, I admit that I'm still super excited. The music sounds killer, the art looks amazing, and the animation runs silky smooth. The Mighty series was one of the highlights of the DSiWare library, and I have complete faith that this latest entry will pull the eShop out of its funk.

Mighty Switch Force Teaser Trailer Appears on EU eShop [Nintendo World Report]

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Bikini slayers return in Onechanbara Z Kagura

Bikini slayers return in Onechanbara Z Kagura screenshot

D3 Publisher has released the trailer announcing the impending arrival of Onechanbara Z Kagura for Xbox 360. The zombie-slashing Cheesecake Factory, Aya is back for another round and you can see her gearing up for combat against a variety of vicious beasts. There are also gratuitous flashes of bare flesh because this is Onechanbara, after all.

The last Onechanbara had a lot of problems but the setting is so kooky and weird that I'll still give it another chance if it looks like some lessons were learned. I just can't resist the strangeness of it. Of course, that assumes D3 even wants to bring it to the west at all. Here's hoping.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this