People Like Us Review

Marking writer Alex Kurtzman's directorial debut, People Like Us explores a semi-autobiographical premise in which two adults discover that they are long lost siblings. It's an interesting concept, one that puts an inspired twist on the conventional courting formula. But along with the innovation comes an extra dose of syrupy comfort to ease you back into the Hollywood mainstream. What results is a hodgepodge of comedy and drama that works wonderfully in some places and falters in others.

The story follows Sam (Chris Pine), a fast-talking salesman whose latest deal has collapsed on the same day he discovers his estranged father has died. Against his wishes, he's forced to come home to Los Angeles, where he must fulfill his father's final wish: delivering $150,000 of his family's fortune to the sister he never knew he had, the 30-year-old Frankie (Elizabeth Banks). In his struggle to decide what to do, Sam develops a relationship with both his newfound sibling and her young son Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario).

The plot of People Like Us is surprisingly compelling. The majority of the movie focuses on Sam as he builds a bond with Frankie, who has no idea that they're related. As the story unfolds, we discover that they both come from different mothers and that Frankie has come to despise and loathe her father's "other" family over the years. Unbeknownst to her, she grows closer to the very half-brother she's learned to despise. As you might suspect, this idea could very quickly enter awkward non-platonic territory, but Kurtzman and co-writer Roberto Orci gracefully sidestep this issue at every turn, allowing yourself to focus on the more pleasant aspects of their relationship. In the end, we're presented with a very engrossing "love" story that centers on a genuine friendship.

At its core, though, People Like Us is a morality tale in which Sam must answer two difficult questions: one, does he tell Frankie and Josh that he is in fact related to them; and two, does he tell them about the $150,000 that is rightfully theirs? Both arcs work quite nicely together, and the added moral support from Sam's girlfriend Hannah (Olivia Wilde) and his mom Lillian (Michelle Pfeiffer) help to flesh out Sam's character.

Of course, the easy standout of the film is Pine, who is just as charming and magnetic as ever. His performance alone is almost worth the price of admission. He does an excellent job of portraying his character's demanding range of emotions, often switching from one to another in a very short amount of time. Likewise, Banks turns out a heartwarming performance as Frankie and plays really well opposite both Pine and the young D'Addario. Wilde is only featured for about fifteen minutes total, but she plays the part of a loving girlfriend with breezy finesse. Pfeiffer's character also has a few great scenes with Sam later in the film.

The tone of the movie is where things get a little odd. Coming from a background of mostly high-energy genre films -- Star Trek, Transformers, Cowboys & Aliens -- Kurtzman's direction runs the gamut from fast-paced thriller to mushy melodrama. One too many times I felt like I was on the edge of my seat for no reason in particular; scenes featuring casual conversation or sunny establishing shots were met with an unnecessarily nerve-racking underscore. Other times, a heartfelt moment would be drowned out by a terribly mixed contemporary track. Generally speaking, the music seems to overpower many of the film's quieter moments. Curiously, the movie is also shot almost like an action flick, with quick cuts and dynamic camera movement -- an odd choice, considering Kurtzman and Orci's relatively mellow script.

But for its many stylistic quirks, the film is still pretty enjoyable. The solid script and likable performances more than make up for the occasionally jarring shot composition. Most importantly, the story has a real heart to it that's hard to come by in today's star-studded dramedies. If you're looking for something a little different from the usual summer blockbuster fare, People Like Us is definitely worth checking out. Just be prepared to leave the theater with a welled throat and puffy eyes.



Source : ign[dot]com

Worms: Evolution Dares to Do Something Different

Team 17 is bringing back its bread-and-butter franchise with Worms: Evolution, a surprising and appropriate sequel in the timeless, turn-based classic. Coming to Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, and Steam soon, Evolution adds a number of new factors to an established formula, most of which are experimental and out of the ordinary for the simple strategy series, and all of which work in its favor.

Purists can dial everything back for a classic Worms battle, of course, but it's Evolution's additions that'll help Evolution survive in the gene pool.

Character Classes

For the first time, class-based multiplayer comes to Worms. When you start the game, you'll have access to a standard soldier. As you burn through the single-player campaign and puzzles, you'll earn access to additional units, which you can select leading into each battle. Do you want the Scout -- the fast but frail fellow? Maybe, but the heavy worm can take more damage than anyone. On the other hand, you could deck out your team with Scientists, who heal their squad at the end of each turn.

The values and importance of each are simple but apparent, and while the classes themselves aren't breaking new ground, they really mix up the formula. You and your opponents will play Evolution fundamentally different than any other Worms game because of 'em.

Weaponizing Water

Worms, what with their absence of feet, aren't terribly good swimmers. As such, weaponizing water makes all sorts of sense for Evolution. Pockets of H2O appear in stages in various forms, and not just on the outer edges of each arena. Detonating dynamite above a reservoir could send water splashing through the world, washing worms away across or off the map entirely. As each turn ends, each worm will take damage while submerged, so drowning is a real threat for you -- if you're underwater, get out.

In some cases you simply won't be able to -- that's where your trusty new drain gadget comes into play. If you're playing coward and retreating into tunnels, you'll get flushed out -- fortunately you'll be able to defend yourself, at least a little.

The New Engine

3D Worms games have always released to a mixed response -- with a loud portion of that mix saying, "Hey, man, this sucks!"

Worms: Evolution is a compromise. It appeases the masses lusting for 2D gameplay while still giving Worms the 3D love it probably needs at this point. The world exists in 3D, so there's depth to the playing field looking in, but it doesn't taint the 2D experience of side-scrolling pew-pew.

Meanwhile, scale is something developer Team 17 kept emphasizing when discussing the new look of Worms: Evolution, and for good reason: You won't have little worms climbing over cars slightly larger than themselves anymore -- the world is much, much bigger than they are. That sort of detail exists in the background of each stage, giving the beach a sprawling sense of big-ness, while the more up-close and closed-off sewers put rats in the background to establish size. It works. You feel like a small part in a large world, in which you'll deal bigger damage.

The other major change to Evolution is the addition of physics objects -- sure, grenades would roll downhill, but now you can use telekinesis or a UFO to manipulate important (sometimes explosive) objects within the environment. Dropping a lighter or water bottle can crush or trap enemies, too, so use the world to your advantage as often as possible, if only to avoid letting it happen to you.

Douglas From IT Crowd is the Narrator

The campaign in Worms: Evolution has some interesting and unexpected presentation quirks. One such fun twist is the nature documentary stylings, with dialogue about these violent worms every step of the way. But the absolute best addition is actor Matt Berry's narration of these events. Who? Oh, he's that one guy from The IT Crowd who is the best character.

Fans will recognize the overly emphatic, melodramatic quips familiar to his Douglas character on the hysterical UK sitcom. Watch the highlight reel above and just try telling me you don't want this guy narrating the moment-to-moment documentary observations.



Source : ign[dot]com

Bravely Default: The RPG the 3DS Needs

Square Enix's Bravely Default: Flying Fairy might (still) have one of the more absurd titles out there, but it should be considered amongst the top tier of games coming to the Nintendo 3DS later this year. Though only confirmed for release in Japan at this point, this turn-based RPG takes traditional mechanics, twists them a bit, and coats them in a water color aesthetic that is entirely unique amongst the 3DS's offerings.

The last time I was able to update you on this game, it had just debuted through Nintendo Direct in what could only be described as a teaser trailer. Outside of confirming the game was a classically styled RPG, Square Enix said nothing, relying on the game's visuals to do all the talking. Back then I wrote, "Bravely Default is a mystery. It also has more of my attention than just about any other 3DS project right now. I may get to play Mario this year, but I'll be wondering about Bravely Default for quite a long time."

Many of those words still ring true, but my obsession now rests on getting my own hands on Default, as much of the mystery has cleared through Japanese demos and quick updates by the developer. Square has revealed much more about this RPG, including details about its battle system, length and more. Plus there are plenty of new screenshots and a trailer (see above) to obsess over. For a game that reportedly will take 60-70 hours just to beat on a cursory level, discounting a more detailed, thorough approach to completion.

Default's core mechanics are at once familiar and yet entirely clever. At its heart, this is a turn-based RPG like most others - physical attacks and magic are the norm here, and you'll even find your characters can occupy different classes or 'jobs' to have a specialized functionality. What's more interesting is how your actions are taken during battle. Each action you perform (like attacking) consumes a 'Brave Point'. This concept will apply to your allies and enemies as well.

During battle you're able to consume these points in varying quantities, even going into negative numbers if you're stretching to defeat an opponent. (Dipping below zero Brave Points will cause your character to stall out until he or she has recovered enough to execute more actions.) 'Brave' and 'Default' commands manipulate these points, allowing you to spend points to gain extra turns or skip those turns to build up more points, respectively.

How you conduct battles can impact you later, as bonuses are awarded if you skillfully dispatch your enemies. Taking no damage or managing to defeat your foes in a single turn, for example, can yield you extra rewards.

There's still plenty we don't know about this game, though its visuals and core mechanics are enough to have our attention. There's also plenty of time between now and the game's release, and plenty more, no doubt, before any sort of localization occurs - assuming it happens at all. Here's hoping Square notices how much this game has grabbed our attention, and understands it will grab the world's attention as well. Thanks to Andriasang and Siliconera for details and translation efforts.



Source : ign[dot]com

Skyrim: Dawnguard Review

Don’t accuse The Elder Scrolls of selling out to the modern-day pop-culture vampire craze. The venerable role-playing series has been in the blood-sucking business for years, and so there’s nothing to forgive when Dawnguard, the first expansion pack for endless epic Skyrim, boasts a vampire-centric premise. In fact, you’ll be thankful Dawnguard went down this road.

This new form can be yours...IF you let the vampire bite happen.

That’s primarily because the new campaign – accessed at character level 10 or higher either by talking to city guards or meeting a courier – is effectively two games in one. As you delve deeper into the mystery of a vampire plague loosed upon Tamriel, you’ll be recruited by an ancient group of vampire hunters known as the Dawnguard – and you’ll have the option to either fight against the neck-biters or become one of them. I chose the former for my first play-through and plowed through in about eight hours, but that was with my high-level, high-damage Redguard warrior who didn’t need to spend time journeying to cities to buy or sell items. Your playtime may vary, but an average of 10-12 hours is a reasonable expectation. Double it to check out the other, far more interesting pro-vampire side and you’ve got a compelling package for $20. If it feels short, it’s only because the core Skyrim is almost infinitely long.

In joining the Dawnguard faction, the expansion pack starts a bit slow. The new areas you encounter aren’t particularly interesting to look at aside from a few pretty caves, but even those are a bit puzzling to navigate – unexpected after most Skyrim dungeons provide a quick way out after you reach the end of them.

The crossbow is the big new weapon class for Dawnguard. Useful...unless your'e a high-level warrior.

Things ramp up as you progress, however, leading to several breathtaking battles. One highlight took place in an open arena against a dragon and a plethora of skeletons. Under the heavy rain and darkened skies of the Storm Call dragon shout, lighting bolts cracked down upon the undead warriors, turning them into dust all around me as I dueled the dragon. Another great scene set on a frozen lake sees you take on two dragons as they dive-bomb through the ice and rocket back out near you. And still another memorable moment takes place near the end of the campaign, where I, an ally, her two summons, and my two summons (one of which was a dragon) went toe-to-toe against a massive throng of foes on a bridge. It’s just too bad the framerate chugs during these chaotic climaxes.

The more unique half of the game is the vampire half – a fact the game doesn’t even try to hide by repeatedly offering you chances to get turned into one of the bloodsuckers. This branch of the story is wildly different than its more traditional Skyrim counterpart, largely thanks to the new vampiric powers. Chief among them is the ability to turn into a Vampire Lord, which is much more fun than the lycanthropy quest line you may have already completed in Skyrim. You can float around, transform into a cloud of bats, and of course feed on human victims. It’s much more empowering than the existing werewolf abilities, and it’s got its own perk tree to boot.

The Soul Cairn area isn't very easy on the eyes...unless you love purple.

Dawnguard is not without its technical quirks – I saw numerous instances of serious clipping as well as some frustrating world map waypoint weirdness while playing on a final retail copy of the game – but nothing stopped my progress or truly impeded my fun.



Source : ign[dot]com

Is This Ratchet & Clank Collection’s Release Date?

Our friends abroad are lucky, because they already have the Ratchet & Clank Trilogy (known Stateside as the Ratchet & Clank Collection). For some reason unbeknownst to anyone, the collection came out in Europe and Australia this week, but Americans have to wait for it until sometime this fall. And by “sometime this fall,” it appears Sony intends on releasing the game in early October.

Sleuths at Dark Zero found a release date on Amazon for the trilogy, which gives a date of October 2, 2012. Sometimes, October 1st is used as a placeholder for a still-unknown Q4 release, but October 2nd is a more specific date. Better yet, October 2nd, 2012 is a Tuesday, the traditional day games come out in North America.

So, is Ratchet & Clank Collection coming October 2nd? And will it cost only $30, as Amazon reports? Seems plausible, though we’ve reached out to Sony for confirmation and will update when we hear back. In the meantime, be sure to check out our review for the game, and watch the video review above.



Source : ign[dot]com

Modbook Pro Announced

As we reported yesterday, big things are afoot at Modbook. The Los Angeles-based company has been steadily building buzz through their Facebook page, where they’ve sent out some cryptic pictures and yesterday teased an announcement. It all culminated in today’s unveiling of the Modbook Pro, an entirely redesigned redesigning of a MacBook Pro.

The Modbook is a Frankenstein tablet, which – through a series of rather incredible modifications - make the MacBook into a sleek tablet with a Wacom digitizer (which delivers 512 levels of pen pressure).  These tablets run the full Mac OS (as well as Windows) and have been big hits in the creative realm, where .

While we originally speculated on the possibility of a potential 15-inch Pro with Retina Display, Modbook opted to base the new model off the 13.3-inch base system.

The Modbook comes in a dark brushed metal finish and features something called 3D-GripFeet, which lets the tablet be propped at 50 degrees from all sides.

The Modbook Pro is coming in fall 2012, and they’ll release pricing in coming news – though safe money is this thing will be very, very expensive. An uncustomized MacBook Pro runs $1199, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see these go for triple that.

So what do you think? Do you have deep pockets and a deep need for a full Mac OS-based tablet?

We'll report back as soon as pricing is available.



Source : ign[dot]com

Your Yearly Reminder: Club Nintendo's 2012 Prize Deadline Approaches

For the fourth year in a row, the Club Nintendo "year" is coming to an end. It's once again time to jump over to Nintendo of America's customer rewards site and register your product codes and fill out surveys, because after this Saturday your status is getting reset again.

For those unfamiliar with what that means, a bit lengthier explanation now. Club Nintendo is Nintendo of America's customer reward service. If you log on to their website at http://club.nintendo.com and create a profile for yourself, then help the company out with some feedback activities like typing in the registration codes contained in game packages and filling out some questionnaires about what you did and didn't like about each game, you'll earn Coins. Save up enough Coins and you can redeem them for Nintendo swag, like carrying cases for your 3DS cartridges or posters featuring Mario and the gang.

Further, if you save up several hundred Coins in a single calendar year, you can achieve "Elite Status" – 300 Coins gets you to the Gold level, and 600 earns you Platinum. If it's possible for you to reach those thresholds, you want to make every effort – because extra bonuses are bestowed on those who do. In 2009, Elite members who got all the way up to Platinum got to choose, for free, between getting a swanky official Mario hat or an exclusive download of Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! on WiiWare – a game you could only get through this program.

The Platinum Prize from 2010. What will this year's be?

In 2010, a snazzy exclusive figurine featuring Mario, Luigi, Bowser and a few other familiar Mushroom Kingdom faces was the sought-after Platinum prize. Then, last year, the Platinum award was the "Mario & Friends Pin Badge Collection," a set of buttons emblazoned with classic 8-bit Mario art.

The Gold-level reward? Usually a Nintendo-themed desk calendar for the year ahead.

So this is just an article reminding you that the deadline is coming up again very soon.  This Club Nintendo year runs from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, so you've got until Saturday to push your Coin total up over either the Gold or Platinum threshold and put yourself into free swag territory.

We don't yet know what this year's Elite rewards will be, but traditionally they've been revealed on the day after the deadline, July 1. That's this Sunday this time around, if they stick to the same timetable. The track record is pretty solid no matter what the prizes end up being, though, so you should definitely get to work quick.

Oh, and some of the Coin values for completing surveys and registering game codes will be changing this Saturday as well. (Many older games' values are decreasing, so if you've got old codes still un-entered into the website, now's the time to use them.)

And that concludes our yearly Club Nintendo public service announcement. Happy surveying!



Source : ign[dot]com

SDCC: Toys "R" Us Reveals Stealth Predator Exclusive

As we get closer to San Diego Comic-Con, announcements of collectible exclusives are starting to roll in -- one of my favorite parts of the show. Today, we're excited to debut the Toys "R" Us NECA exclusive that will be available at the Entertainment Earth Booth (#2343) -- the stealth mode Predator from the original 1987 movie.

The official press release says, "Stalking out of the classic 1987 film, this version of the Classic Masked Predator, cast in translucent plastic, is nearly invisible in his stealth form. Standing at 8-inches tall, collectors can bring this Predator on new hunts with 20 points of articulation, extendable wrist blades and a removable backpack. The Predator can stealthily travel to any location for $20."



Source : ign[dot]com

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Review

Spanning more than a dozen core titles and a quarter of a century, Final Fantasy’s musical roots are nearly unparalleled. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Square Enix’s new Chocobo-fueled release for 3DS, aims to draw upon this rich musical legacy to create something of a celebratory rhythm RPG hybrid. The merging of these two genres is ambitious, to say the least. The result of this fusion is a rich and wholly enjoyable rhythm experience, albeit one that doesn’t utilize its RPG roots to the fullest.

Like most music games on DS systems, Theatrhythm’s gameplay largely amounts to tapping and sliding the stylus on the touch screen. That said, the developers went to great lengths to keep players engaged with a variety of different play options. Theatrhythm is split into three different types of gameplay, each defined by the pacing of the songs. Battle Music Stages feature a faster beat, and task players with defeating as many enemies as possible by correctly responding to the given rhythm “triggers” (the circular prompts that tell you how and when to tap and slide) that scroll across the screen along four separate lines. Field Music Stages are a bit slower, and have the player moving the stylus up and down along a continuously flowing line  - similar to a conductor’s baton controlling the beat of the song. And lastly, Event Music Stages revolve around an important moment in each Final Fantasy game. Rather than the triggers scrolling from the left as they do in the other two stage types, here they consume the entire top screen, forcing you to keep a close watch at all times.

For Theatrhythm’s visual presentation, Square faced the interesting challenge of trying to effectively bind 25 years of wildly varying graphical styles into one cohesive package. The result is the “chibi-fication” of the franchise’s most notable characters. Small, stylized versions of Squall, Cloud, Lightning and Cecil - along with chibi Chocobos, Moogles, Summons, enemies, and the like - all populate the colorful world of Theatrhythm. Depending on the mode, the background will feature a bright, scrolling world (the chibi take on the FF universe), actual in-game cutscenes, or bits of gameplay. While it’s a shame the Field segments all use the same background, the whole production offers an amazing, unique tribute to the franchise, an experience that should prove quite nostalgic for longtime fans of the series. The only downside here is that the footage is often repeated over the course of a song, which takes away from the otherwise great presentation.

As a music game, Theatrhythm is top notch, with varied play options, great backgrounds and just about the best song selection you could ask for. The developers also incorporate some RPG elements, which FF fans should be rather familiar with. After choosing a party of four, your chibi team of notable FF characters marches into battle. If you miss a trigger or execute one poorly, the team’s shared HP bar goes down. If that hits zero, it’s game over, meaning you’ll have to start that segment over from the beginning. You can equip your team with an item, like a potion or Phoenix Down, which will automatically be used once certain conditions are met. Each character also has customizable abilities, such as Weapon Break (which reduces enemy attack power) or HP Up (which increases your HP).

Admit it, chibi Terra is beyond adorable.

The incorporation of RPG elements could have set Theatrhythm apart from other music games in a meaningful way, but unfortunately these aspects aren’t as integral to the experience as you'd think. While leveling up in a rhythm game is a fun notion, in truth, playing with a level 1 character feels no different than playing with a level 65 one. Having a higher level simply allows you to get more and rarer items by defeating more enemies, but the items themselves don’t do much either. Items and abilities may come in handy when you’re trying to survive a particularly grueling song on the highest difficulty, allowing you to make it to the end and get a higher score, but most of the time their presence makes no tangible difference in how you actually play the game. In fact, they’re completely optional (you even get a point bonus for not using items or abilities), further adding to the feeling that their presence was a bit forced. Theatrhythm is still an incredibly fun music game even considering the somewhat bizarre RPG integration, but it’s a shame more wasn’t done with this fusion concept.

One of the best parts of Theatrhythm is how it offers something for everyone. Music game novices can stick to the Basic Score of each song and simply enjoy the music and the backgrounds, while those looking for more of a challenge have the Expert Score and the blisteringly hard Ultimate Score to flex their skills. Each song also features a practice mode so you can work on getting to the end without worrying about your HP.

The fun isn’t just limited to the main game either. In addition to having three difficulty settings for each of the three songs for 13 Final Fantasy games to master, there's also a Chaos Shrine where you can collect Dark Note rhythm challenges. These are additional songs of varying difficulty that you can complete alone or play with up to three friends locally. Extra touches like additional characters (unlocked by collecting special shards from bosses), the ability to swap stats via StreetPass, and the Museum (where you can unlock cards, music tracks and movies) give Theatrhythm plenty of bang for its buck. Overall, the game is a more than fitting celebration for the franchise's 25th anniversary.



Source : ign[dot]com

The Fingerprint of Thumbstar

At the tail-end of last year, when Martin Edmondson completed his long-term consultancy role on Driver: San Francisco - the latest instalment in a series that he created - a lot of people were watching to see where the industry veteran would go next.

Now, he and his brother Gareth, who headed-up Ubisoft Reflections throughout the studio’s work on Driver: San Francisco, hold fulltime management positions at mobile developer, publisher and distributor, Thumbstar.

Co-founded by Martin in 2008, Thumbstar boasts Gareth as CEO and Martin as CCO (chief creative officer), and when two industry veterans with a combined development career spanning some 43 years make a whole-hearted move into mobile gaming, it warrants attention. But why now, and what makes the mobile scene of 2012 so appealing?

"We’ve not really been able to do this before now because we were so busy with Driver," Martin explains.

“ The fact that I sit in front the television, or on a plane or on a train and reach for my mobile; it was that point where I stopped switching on my PlayStation quite so often.

"We could see the numbers: increasing distribution channels, increasing revenue. But the actual point where you say ‘this is going to be massive’ was probably not related to the business side but actually related to my own habits. It’s the fact that I sit in front the television or on a plane or on a train and reach for my mobile; it was that point where I stopped switching on my PlayStation quite so often."

In truth, Driver San Francisco’s protracted development has likely helped the Edmondsons hit the mobile market at a prime time. Thumbstar has grown to support 140 worldwide distribution channels, establishing profitable and useful connections as far away as South America and Asia and helping combat the well-documented problem of discoverability.

"Just being good isn’t enough," stresses Gareth, before going on to demonstrate the benefits of pushing distribution beyond the avenues open to small, independent developers. "The numbers are fairly simple: if you do just a thousand [units sold] in each of those 140 channels, that’s still decent numbers for a mobile product and offers much better odds than pinning all your hopes on just two channels [Apple’s App Store and Google Play]."

Moreover, Thumbstar supports distribution on as many mobile platforms as possible. While Apple and Google dominate in localised areas, a worldwide distribution network allows the brothers to appreciate the bigger picture, as Gareth explains:

“ Our reach is massive and we need to be able to adapt quickly. When you stop looking at just the US and UK and look at the rest of the world there’s huge diversity.

"Our reach is massive and we need to be able to adapt quickly. For example, BlackBerry in Latin America is huge, almost 50 percent of the smartphone market is BlackBerry. In Indonesia, there are 200 million mobile subscribers, almost all of the smartphones are BlackBerry. When you stop looking at just the US and UK and look at the rest of the world there’s huge diversity."

And then there’s China, which has traditionally been something of a black hole market due to the lack of both IP regulation and copyright enforcement. However, Thumbstar recently completed a deal to partner with licensing outfit Viva Red Limited and the government-run China Telecom, a mobile phone operator with 130 million subscribers that grows at a rate of around 3 million per month.

The deal opens up a huge potential market for Thumbstar’s own newly established internal development teams as well as for the third-party developers that it partners with. Most crucially, the deal has the backing of the Chinese government, which has pledged to protect intellectual property and enforce copyright protection across its mobile network.

Of course, numbers and deals are worthless without content and, happily, Thumbstar’s business is primarily about games. The Liverpool-based company has recently committed to roll out two games per week across multiple platforms, the first of which come from publishing deals with developers Mylodon and Ant Hive Games to deliver multi-format titles, Clumsy Pirates and Porkchop and Mouse.

“ The Vita certainly has potential, but the question is: do leave the house with your iPhone and your Vita? Sure, some people do, the hardcore players, perhaps, but the vast majority wouldn’t.

The former is a timed vertical puzzler with cartoon visuals, while the latter is a charming interactive story book created by children’s author Fiona Roberton. These will be followed by i3, a cube-based mind-bender created by Found in the Future, and the humorous, power-up-laden match-three puzzler, Grumble and Piccolo’s Fishing Trip from Fairplay Media. All of these games share a high level of polish, a commitment to multi-format availability and small, independent developers hooked up to Thumbstar’s far reaching distribution networks. Hands-on impressions suggest all are worth checking out.

Looking further into the future, Martin Edmondson believes mobile gaming provides an opportunity that traditional games consoles, even dedicated handhelds, cannot.

"The Vita certainly has potential," he concedes. "But the question with the Vita is: do leave the house with your iPhone and your Vita? Sure, some people do, the hardcore players, perhaps, but the vast majority wouldn’t.

"That’s where this opportunity arises, as a market grows like this, the price of handsets comes down and there’s this wide range of players, old and young, male and female. Then there’s the 10-minute scenario where you’re sat in the train – I mean, you never fire up your PlayStation for just 10 minutes, do you?"

It’s foolish to think that the mobile gaming scene will cannibalise the more traditional console market, as some seem to fear. Instead, its moving towards a state where it will be capable of delivering high quality gaming to whatever device you choose to carry with you, wherever you may be. Thumbstar demonstrates that the mobile scene’s combination of a plethora of bright, new talent and experienced industry veterans offer the very best of both worlds. As a gamer, I can't help but feel it should be both welcomed and enjoyed.



Source : ign[dot]com

Noisia and Combichrist to Score Devil May Cry

Capcom has revealed that the soundtrack for its upcoming reboot of hack and slash franchise Devil May Cry will be composed by Noisia and Combichrist.

Both of them have composed brand new tracks that will play during cinematics and gameplay, while Combichrist have also given permission for their back-catalogue to be used.

“ I had a lot of fun digging myself into Dante’s psyche in order to create music to match the battle scenes and am equally as excited to license existing Combichrist music.

Speaking about the experience, Noisia said, "We had great freedom but were also bound by certain criteria typical in the game world. These are challenging boundaries (for example; consistency in sonics over 180 minutes of music) but also lots of space in terms of dynamics and progression and instrumentation being able to create soundscapes without having to worry about holding the attention of a dancefloor."

Formed in 2002, Noisia are a Dutch electronic music trio specialising in dubstep and drum and bass who have regularly remixed for some of the biggest names in music, from Katy Perry to Skrillex.  Combichrist is a Norwegian industrial rock band, who recently spent a year supporting Rammstein on their North American tour.

Lead singer Andy LePlegua revealed, "As an avid gamer myself I was honored to be asked to work on this project. I had a lot of fun digging myself into Dante’s psyche in order to create music to match the battle scenes and am equally as excited to license existing Combichrist music."

Due out in January 2013, DmC: Devil May Cry reimagines the origin story of Dante, the protagonist from the previous titles in the franchise, in a contemporary world.  If you can't wait, check out one of Noisia's offerings over on Soundcloud now.

Source : ign[dot]com