Crimson Alliance: Either $10 or $15

Castrum - Upcoming XBLA dungeon-crawler RPG Crimson Alliance will come in two forms: a $15 version with all 3 classes playable, or three different $10 versions, each with just one of the game's three classes playable. Basically, if you don't care about the classes that involve not ripping spleens out with your bare hands, you save $5.

Source: Game Informer

Castle Crashers Pink Knight DLC Out Now

MjolnirX - The Pink Knight, once a vicious rumor, is now reality! With all-new weapons in tow, The Pink Knight makes its debut on The Behemoth's smash hit Castle Crashers today! The DLC is free, and The Behemoth pledges to donate $1 for the first 50,000 to the Keep A Breast Foundation:

Download the Pink Knight (complete with new weapons!) in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, FOR FREE!!!!!!! ($1.00 donated to Keep A Breast Foundation with each of the first 50,000 downloads)

The mysterious Blacksmith is also now available for download, for just 160MP:

Download the Blacksmith Pack for 160 Microsoft Points. Once shrouded in mystery, the legend of the Blacksmith becomes a reality. Wielding miniature antlered frogs, burning hammers of justice and springboard contraptions, this warrior is much like William Wallace (ala Braveheart), but purple and definitely not Mel Gibson.

As well, other various updates and add-ons are included with the title update:

- Added a Team vs Team feature to Player Match Arena (as opposed to the current free-for-all).
- Earn two new Avatar Awards—Cardinal Animal Orb and Knight Helmet!
- Ability to check Player’s Gamer Cards in Xbox LIVE matches.
- Main menu News Ticker for all of your latest Castle Crashers and Behemoth Updates!

Source: The Behemoth Blog

Sonic CD Coming To XBLA

Castrum - There's really only one response to this:

Major Nelson, majordomo of all things Xbox, took to his blog this afternoon and posted a detailed list of all the games and events that will be spread out across Microsoft's five booths at this week's Penny Arcade Expo. It's about what you'd expect; Gears of War 3 Horde mode, Forza 4,Mass Effect 3, etc, until you get to the list of Booth 432's XBLA titles. Right near the end, snuggled squarely between Retro City Rampage and War of the Worlds, is an unannounced XBLA port of Sonic CD.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/22/sonic-cd-coming-to-xbla-playable-at-pax/

Konami's Leedmees Walk Single File To XBLA On Sept. 7

MjolnirX - Konami's "full-body-puzzle-action", Lemmings-esque Leedmees is coming to Xbox Live Arcade on September 7th. The Kinect puzzler tasks you with using your body to help guide the Leedmees back home. You can also grab a friend who can help you make the little Leedmees' adventures even more fun and harrowing. More info after the break:

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Your body is the controller is in this whimsical and dreamlike game. Guide the Leedmees, a mysterious population of small and creatures, home, using your limbs and head as bridges and walkways. Lift them up, toss them about, and slip them past treacherous obstacles, but be careful and don't let them get hurt! Lose too many of them and the game will be over.

Features


- Enter a mystical world. Fantastical visuals, music and sound effects immerse you in a sweet and dreamlike world.


- Guide the Leedmees home! Use your body - even your head! - as platforms, lifts, and more to move the small walking creatures past tricky and novel obstacles to get home.


- Pull a friend into the frame! Team up for tricky two player puzzles to lead the happy little creatures to their goal.


- KINECT-enabled with 1:1 control. Unlike some other games that capture freeze frames, every move you make matters and is reflected by your on screen avatar.

Review: Ms. Splosion Man

Price: 800 Points

Castrum - Well, I just finished Ms. Splosion Man. A disclaimer: I did not use a guide at all, nor did I feel like using one, so to all thoughts of "dude, just use a damn guide", meh.

Here goes:

PRESENTATION

Story-wise, Ms. Splosion Man (MSM) is basically the same as the original Splosion Man (SM): the scientists go pissing around, something goes awry, MSM is created, and she goes on a killing spree to save the newly-captured SM. There's really not much else to it.

There are three bosses in MSM, with the last two really having very little to do with the initial story set-up or general sense, though are competent battles as they are.

In terms of art style, it's somewhat unique for a game these days, but it doesn't differentiate at all from SM's, so it feels pretty same-y.

As for ease of use, everything tends to respond well and the menus are satisfactory.

GRAPHICS

The graphics in MSM are certainly adequate and vibrant most of the time, though some typically out-of-camera areas (like the ones you end up falling into and dying) are rough.

I should note that the graphics, or at least their implementation, conflict with good gameplay at certain times. This is particularly prevalent when landing on flying transports (which explode everywhere) and in the second boss battle.

SOUND

The music in MSM is kind of catchy and good quality, but wears very thin after a while. I found myself wanting to mute both the music and especially the incessant blonde-girl gigglefests MSM got up to. These bouts of lunacy were amusing at first, but got old very quickly.

One song in particular in MSM is quite catchy though, I must say. It gets old after a while as well, but it's enjoyable the first 5 or so times you hear it.

For sound effects, aside from the aforementioned aggravating giggle-parties, the effects are taken straight out of SM, which were of competent quality.

GAMEPLAY

I played MSM solo, though there is a 4-player co-op mode I did not play. There is also a Hardcore Mode you unlock after you beat the campaign.

The gameplay in MSM is virtually identical to SM's: blow shit up, rack up points (which you don't see until the end of the level), and reach the end of the level after platforming/exploding through lots of hazards. MSM adds a few new things, like going inside a fat woman scientist to get past turrets instead of just holding a guy like in SM, but overall it's the same game. For clarity, I should note for anyone who has never played SM/MSM, you have unlimited lives.

That said, I did have a lot of issues with MSM by the end:

1) In MSM, there is a dearth (that is, a distinct lack) of checkpoints within levels, particularly during tough sections. Now, I know I'm not some Pro gamer and I know SM/MSM were designed for "t3h h4rdc0r3s", but christ man there's a lot of replaying shit you've already done, even more so than in SM. In fact, this lack of checkpoints can be so bad at times that cheating (via the Game Menu after you die an ungodly number of times, which also negates your score for the level) is really your only option if you don't have "1337 skillz".

2) The aforementioned lack of checkpoints within levels has an additional side-effect: due to their rarity and all the replaying of areas you've already been through once you die, you as the player have a distinct incentive NOT to explore, which is a shame as there is a pair of collectable Shoes in each level (MSM wears them till the end of the level) as well as potential Secret Exits. While I'm not saying it's impossible to go and search for secrets in MSM, it's certainly a large hassle to do so if you are not "1337".

3) Though I thought going into this game that I couldn't wait to play through more SM-style gameplay, sadly by halfway through World 3 (there's three Worlds in MSM with about 15+ levels each) I was simply waiting for the game to end. Whether it was MSM or the gameplay itself, I'm not too entirely sure. All I can say is that the gameplay felt stale by that point.

4) Annoying trial-and-error plagues MSM, even more so than it did SM. Entire sections rely upon either split-second reflexes or grueling die-try-die-try-die-try-etc. gameplay. Many times, barrels you need to explode on or platforms you need to land on/manuever towards are off-screen until it's too late, leading to the aforementioned. It's not like I wasn't expecting something like this, as it is a Platformer and I did beat SM, but it's just aggravatingly-common in MSM, especially after the start of World 2. There was one level in particular, 3-12, which had a section involving platform switches which for the life of me I could not discern how to act in order to proceed.

5) A minor annoyance, but important: I honestly feel the explosion recharge is lacking. I found it takes far too long to recharge, especially in tough situations, and my opinion would be to make it so that it auto-recharges fully the second you make contact with a surface.

Finally, I should state that the last boss has a gameplay sequence similar to the old Punch-Out games in style and input; however, it does not indicate at all what your controls are in this battle, which is reminiscent of the game's gameplay in general really.

ETC.

Really not much else to add. I guess if you had a bunch of friends who owned MSM, you could have a lot of fun in co-op and increase MSM's replayability, but as for solo, there's really not much else aside from secrets mop-up and time trials.

Also, there is a movie shown at the end of the game, before the credits, though it is too "Space Ghost" comedy-wise for my tastes.

I also left out a comment on the "store" in the game, where you can spend the coins you get for beating a level, though since it's all just concept art and random junk, I didn't see much point.

SUMMARY

Ms. Splosion Man is a decent platformer, and certainly worth something around 800 Points or lower (if it gets a sale). It's a virtual carbon-copy of Splosion Man for all intents and purposes, though is more "hardcore" and unforgiving. The game bothered me as I played it, and while I am no Pro gamer and realize as much, MSM gave me some notable bouts of swearing and sometimes even outright confusion as to what I should do to advance. It is by no means a bad game, however, it is by no means the equal of its predecessor either.

Achievements - 10/200
Hours Played - Probably around 12 hours
Game Completed - Yes

My Rating - 75 (Rent)

Shadow Complex 2 Development Scrapped In Favor Of Some Crappy iPhone Game

Castrum - And so the impoverishment of consoles and traditional handhelds begins in earnest:

When Shadow Complex was released in 2009, it received critical praise and became a commercial hit. After Epic Games announced that Chair's next game would instead be an iOS title named Infinity Blade, many were curious as to what had happened to the obligatory, post-success sequel. "The reviews were great, it was a record seller for a single-player game on the platform, but at the same time we've got this mobile gaming push that's coming in strong," Epic Games president Mike Capps explained this morning during his GDC Europe keynote.

"And the big thing for me was that we were looking what the iPhone could do, and the games that were on iPhone, and we thought there was a huge gap, so we put our engine team on the problem, and that's where we came up with Infinity Blade," Capps said. "We were thinking about the sequel [to Shadow Complex], we were ready and 'Maybe we should start working on this,' and instead stopped everything and went and made Infinity Blade."

Even huge sales and high reviews can't save us now.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/why-epic-games-hasnt-made-shadow-complex-2-but-never-say-neve/

Orcs Must Die, An Action RPG-Tower Defense Hybrid

Castrum - Not sure if you guys have seen anything on this before, but it looks pretty awesome to me:

Even better, it's being made by Robot Entertainment, the remnants of Ensemble Studios (makers of Age of Empires).

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Is Real

Castrum - So, a new CS. Ho-hum:

The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rumors were true. Valve Software announced the game today and already added a listing for it to Steam.

In a press release, Valve said that "CS: GO" features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more."

The team-based shooter game is "targeted" for an early 2012 release on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network, Mac and PC in early 2012.

I enjoyed CS back in its early days at a local LAN gaming store called FRAGS, as well as the enjoyable port to Xbox, but my days as a multiplayer gamer are long over. It all just feels the same now.

http://kotaku.com/5830377/new-counter+strike-is-real-hits-ps3-xbox-360-and-pc-in-early-2012

MjolnirX's Thoughts On Warhammer 40K - Kill Team

Castrum - Just thought I'd let everyone know that MjolnirX has contributed his thoughts on our playthrough of Warhammer 40K - Kill Team. You can find them below my own review on this page:

http://savepointsite.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-warhammer-40k-kill-team.html

Torchlight 2 Too Memory-Intensive For 360

Castrum - It would seem Torchlight 2 requires more than 512 MB of RAM to run properly:

Max Schaefer, the Runic Games CEO, told Eurogamer that the first Torchlight just barely fit under XBLA's file size limit. While file size is not the issue here, memory is, Torchlight 2 would still need to be "comprehensively redesigned" to get on the Xbox 360's download service.

http://kotaku.com/5827880/torchlight-2-is-too-big-for-xbox-lives-memory-limit

Ah, Serious Sam, I Heart You

Castrum - Serious Sam + Contra + Weapon Of Choice = win.

Review: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Price: 1200 Points

Castrum - Two reviews in one day? I know, I can't believe it either. Here goes:

PRESENTATION

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet's (ITSP) story is pretty simple: some parasitic lifeform takes over its parent world, infects other nearby planets, and then, at the start of ITSP, fires off a colony of parasites to infect and devour the star of our protagonist's home planet. The infection spreads from there to said planet, and so begins our journey. It is up to Nameless Protagonist In A Ship to save his planet and its star from the same fate as the other consumed worlds. This is all told wordlessly in cutscenes that are expertly drawn and animated, something I particularly enjoyed.

There are a series of bosses you must fight in ITSP, each unique in its own regard. Some fights were interesting, others meh, but all were certainly fitting.

Needless to say, the art itself is a masterpiece. A beautiful Samurai Jack-esque art style combined with a few flourishes of originality lead this game to looking like quite possibly the most unique game of the year.

As for ease of use, it is a given in a game as polished as this.

GRAPHICS

Well, again, it goes without saying that this game has spectacular graphics. The art style alone is memorable and noteworthy, but the cleanness and beauty of the graphical implementation itself is flawless. Whether in still frame or in motion, it's just beautiful. I really can't praise these graphics enough to do them justice.

SOUND

Dimmu Borgir, a band that my buddy Joe loves (Contributor #2 here at Save Point), allowed the developer of ITSP to utilize their more epic pieces for both teaser trailers as well as in-game music. Personally, I wish the music was a bit more prominent during gameplay, as it all sounds a bit empty, but overall it's not too bad.

The sound effects are quite good, and suit the gameplay well. No complaints.

GAMEPLAY

ITSP isn't the longest game, but in that relatively-short timespan, you will experience a very fun and addicting game. I myself was hooked from the moment I began to play it until I had finally beaten the last boss after dying several times.

I should mention that ITSP does have a 4-player multiplayer co-op mode, called Lantern Run. It's possible to play this solo, but it's incredibly hard. I played about 40 seconds of it before dying on solo, so I can't speak for its quality, though it seemed like it could be fun.

You fly around in a little UFO thing that attains gadgets it can use for various tasks as the game progresses. The "meta" gameplay is very much like Shadow Complex or Metroid, but on a shorter, smaller scale: the game map is big, but not huge, and you'll explore all of it quite easily. For those who have never played the aforementioned, it can basically be summarized as "lots of backtracking" and "open exploration concept", however in ITSP, the game pretty much forces you down certain paths, even more so than other similar games.

As you progress, you will attain gadgets that you can use to assist you against enemies and bosses. These include a Laser weapon that is good for mowing through swarms, a Grabber Arm useful for latching onto things, and an Energy Shield. The variety is quite good, and you can assign up to 4 to "Hotkeys" (i.e. the face buttons A, X, B, Y). This is quite handy, though I do wish they had allowed the D-Pad to be utilized in addition to or in place of this, as there are more than 4 gadgets you'll be wanting to use regularly. One gadget in particular that is very useful is the Scanner you start the game with: when you scan enemies and notable terrain, just like in Metroid Prime, it will let you know their weaknesses or what you need to use.

Scattered throughout the world are Artifacts and Concept Art pieces, the first of which awards an Achievement for finding all 18 of them. If you keep an eye out, these aren't hard to find, and certainly provide a secondary set of goals for the player, particularly with regards to backtracking.

In addition to this, there are upgrades littered around the map for your main gun and your ship's defenses. The first of these is found early on, but the others require map exploration, as each needs 3 or 5 (for 2nd or 3rd upgrade) pieces for completion. This also awards an Achievement.

ITSP has some few puzzles that require a bit of thinking, as well as boss fights that aren't straightforward and predictable in nature. Usually I find this kind of stuff to be annoying, and requiring me to go look up solutions on Google, but for the most part the answers were quite intuitive. A few I had to think about after a liberal bout of swearing and frustration, but nothing too notable.

One thing I should note is that, when you die in ITSP, you simply restart from your last save point. You don't lose anything, and enemies stay dead, though bosses will reset. Some hardcores will be BAWWWWWWWWing about this I'm sure, but for me it was welcome.

One of the few flaws of ITSP is that when the camera zooms out or there are lots of enemies on-screen, the game suffers from slowdown. Nothing crippling or annoying, but certainly noticeable. As well, when zoomed out, unless you have a big TV, it will be difficult to see where your ship is sometimes.

ETC.

One thing of particular note that bothers me is that, in making ITSP, they seem to have had to cut a lot of cool things they had shown in the trailers and preview pics (one instance above), as well as a few elements of the game (such as the Samurai Jack-esque explosions). Hopefully this stuff makes it into a sequel.

SUMMARY

ITSP is a fantastic game, though it is fairly short. Would I say I got my money's worth? Probably. Maybe 1200 Points is a bit high, but for the polished nature of the product as well as the beautiful art design, I would say it's worth it. There are no recycled areas, and the gameplay does shift well, depending on what weapons are required as well as what section of the game world you're in (I note in particular, the Electrical Zone). Overall, I would say ITSP is a worthy Summer Of Arcade title in the same vein as Castle Crashers and Shadow Complex, and thus, I am rating it a Buy with a value of 85.

Achievements - 170/200
Hours Played - Probably around 8 hours
Game Completed - Yes

My Rating - 85 (Buy)

Review: Warhammer 40K – Kill Team

Price: 800 Points

Castrum - So here we are, my first review. I guess I should state what my criteria is and how we will go about this (taken from the Review page):

My Reviewing process is somewhat different from other blogs/websites. I typically won't run-down a long list of things everyone expects in any decent video game these days; therefore, anything I don't comment on you can assume is either not particularly noteworthy or is a given (ex. whether the controls are good, etc.).

Each review will be separated into 5 categories:

Presentation

- Story, art, ease of use.

Graphics

- Self-explanatory. Also, any weird bugs related to such.

Sound

- Music, sound effects, etc.

Gameplay

- Controls, difficulty, "fun factor", etc.

Etc.

- Anything else I can think of (ex. replayability).

I have also decided on utilizing a combination of Ratings: a numerical one alongside a Buy/Rent/Forget qualifier. The most important of the two is the B/R/F: I don't care how amazing a 4-hour retail game that costs $60 is, if it's over before I get my money's worth, it's a Rent at best. The numerical value will be out of 100, which will function in much the same way as any other site's vaguely-pointless number score.

As well, yes I am aware of game rental stores shutting down en masse. Replace "Rent" with "Borrow From A Friend", "Get Used", etc. if necessary.

Now, without further ado, my review:

PRESENTATION

Kill Team's story is pretty basic: Orks are invading an Imperial Forge World via a big "Kroozer" ship, and you have to stop them. This line of thought continues throughout the game's length, with a few shifts in theme once the Tyranids arrive. The story culminates in a fun boss battle with a machine that has never been fought before in any 40K video game, which I of course enjoyed, being a huge fan of the lore.

Personally, I'm sick of seeing Orks in every 40K game, though thank God Chaos doesn't get their millionth time in the limelight. The Tyranids showed up in Dawn Of War 2 after relentless whines on Relic's forums, so I guess they're taking Chaos' place now, though I can't imagine why: Nids and Orks are basically the same, tactics-wise.

Anyways, the art itself is typical 40K fare, though the transfer to the 360 has been done well, I must say. Very dark, very dirty, crude in the right ways, etc. Certainly great by Arcade standards.

The game's menus are suitable as well, and overall the game is easy to pick up and play.

GRAPHICS

Though there are a few flat textures and rough edges typical of this gen's game engines (think UE3 shine, though not quite as much in Kill Team), overall Kill Team's graphics are quite good. There are some weird moments in the selection menu where your guy will spawn in on the screen all fucked-up and contorted like a circus act, but otherwise the graphics and wireframes function properly.

SOUND

The music is recycled Dawn Of War stuff, though being from DoW, it's not bad music at all. In fact, it's basically become 40K's de-facto theme music by now. As it was Jeremy Soule who created it, of Elder Scrolls fame, I'm not one to object.

The sound effects are standard stuff you'd expect: explosions, sword swipes, bullets firing, etc. I believe these are also mostly recycled from DoW.

GAMEPLAY

When playing KT, I tried out both Singleplayer and Co-Op, with my buddy Joe (the other contributor here). KT only has 2-player Local Co-Op.

KT singleplayer is certainly possible, unlike many other games with a focus on co-op modes, though not a cakewalk. Mobs can be a bit overwhelming at times, but with a Sprint button smartly-placed on the LT and Special Attacks that power up over time tied to the LB, one can definitely manage. You can also use Grenades that you find in power-up pickups, though I found them to be a last-resort weapon at best, due to scarcity and fixed throw distance.

There are power-ups in KT, each of which benefits the player in some way. My favorite is probably the Quad Fire: nothing like firing 4 missiles at once.

Melee is tied to the A button, and Shooting is done via the Right Stick: I find this system works quite well, though Joe had some issues with it initially. There is an auto lock-on for melee attacks from a short distance away, which certainly helps when fighting off the hordes of Orks and/or Nids, and when playing as a Melee class, every now and then you will cast aside the enemies arrayed around you in a big attack that usually kills all of them.

There are four classes: the Vanguard Veteran, the Techmarine, the Sternguard Veteran, and the Librarian. For those of you who do not know much about 40K, let's just say this isn't your typical Librarian :-P

The Vanguard is the dedicated Melee class, easily capable to tossing aside the elite Nob warriors of the Orks at full strength. The Sternguard is the dedicated Ranged class, equipped with heavy weaponry to mow down swarms of mobs. The other two classes are a combination of these two: the Librarian better at Ranged than the Vanguard but worse in Melee, and the Techmarine better at Melee than the Sternguard but not as good at Ranged.

Each class has its own Special Attack: the Vanguard charges forward at super-speed swinging his weapon before setting off a radial blast, the Sternguard simply fires a torrent of shots, the Librarian sets off a delayed radial blast around him, and the Techmarine gets the best one of all, a turret :-P

Seriously though, the Tech's turret is worth playing that class alone. It's immensely useful when defending a position, and recharges fast enough to basically act as the equivalent of a brain-addled third player (it only fires every now and then) :-P

Throughout the game, as you rack up points by killing mobs and blowing shit up, you will unlock "Perks", which are basically permanent power-ups: +5% Health, +15% Ranged Damage, etc. You can equip 2 of these per character, and once you unlock one, everyone can use them (including co-op people).

ETC.

One thing of particular note that Joe and I found odd was the fact that, in Co-Op, only the First Player can unlock Achievements. Whether this was an attempt to keep people from going to their friends' houses and earning Achievements without buying the game or a crude attempt to lengthen gameplay time, we cannot discern.

As well, as for KT's replayability, I would rank it as quite good, depending on your tastes. There is a Survival Mode that you can play, based on the 5 large levels in the campaign, as well as the ability to replay each of the 5 levels over again with all your unlocks.

SUMMARY

Overall, I found KT to be quite fun, and it lasted a good while too, clocking in around 10 hours or so (of course, we played through the game twice for Achievements and for the hell of it, so judge accordingly). If they made a sequel to this game, I would certainly buy it. As it stands, however, I cannot fully recommend Kill Team, due to its short length (compared with other games in general) and its somewhat limited replayability (you will unlock everything by the campaign's end). That said, it is still a great game, and thus I am giving it a score of 80, in the Buy category, indicating it is worth picking up if you're looking for a good co-op romp.

Achievements - 105/200
Hours Played - Probably around 10
Game Completed - Yes

My Rating - 80 (Buy)

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Developer	THQ
Publisher	THQ
Platforms	XBLA, PSN
Genre	Twin-Stick Shooter
Modes	Single-player, Local Co-op
Metacritic Rating	66
My Rating	75
Cost	800MP, $9.99

MjolnirX - Having never played any kind of Warhammer game before, everything about this game aside from the genre of gameplay is new to me. The storyline is short and simple: you crash-land inside an Ork "Kroozer" ship and are tasked to take it down from the inside. This is the prequel to the events of the new "Warhammer 40K: Space Marine" game coming out. Aside from this, there is not much story, other than the disembodied voice of a commander who directs you to your next objective.

Graphics

The style of graphics is gritty, dark and atmospheric. My only problem with them is that every level, aside from the last one, feels the same. There's little variation in enemies with the exception of a mini-boss here and there. The last level is definitely where the game shines with the variation of backgrounds, multi-level fighting and excellent scripted events.

Sound

Music was not this game's strong point. At times, it seemed cheesy or too light for the situation. It ruined any atmosphere that may have created by the rest of the media in the game. It's not that the music was bad, by any means. It's just seems inappropriate at times, and unmemorable at others.

Gameplay

Kill Team is your basic twin-stick shooter, with basic pick-up power-ups (health, dual-tri-quad fire, bonus strength and ranged) with a few other basic amenities like grenades. Perks unlock as staggered rewards (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%).

The controls are easy to learn. As easy as they are, my biggest qualm with the controls is the dynamic camera. When the camera angle changes, it makes it so that your firing goes with it, which makes for very inaccurate shooting at distances. The melee classes also have a few downsides. The biggest downside being that the melee classes don't enjoy extra defense or health initially. Your health can drop extremely fast when surrounded by Orks of any class. Thankfully, the game supplies enough health packs to make it so that you never really have to worry about dying (on multiplayer).

Kill Team is not overly difficult, as long as you take your time and use your power-ups wisely. There were a few times when Castrum and I were fighting with our backs up against the wall, and a few times those ended up not quite in our favor. The great thing about the difficulty is that you never really had to think about it. That's how games should be. It presented many challenges, but did not make it so you had to work for hours to achieve one simple goal.

Multiplayer is what makes this game fun. The addition of a friend (or a frenemy, but who is asking?) makes the game go by much smoother. Having that person beside you to bail you out of a bad situation is priceless. With that being said, there are so many things wrong with the multiplayer. The first being that there's no online co-op. That's just an annoying hiccup. My biggest irritant is that fact that only the first player can earn Achievements. Castrum and I had to play the game twice-over just so both of us could earn the basic achievements. That was easily the worst part of the game.

The game has a little replay value. Going back and getting all the collectibles would be pretty easy after getting all the perks. The game doesn't last too long though. Just a straight run-through of the game can be easily done in around 2 hours. For only 800 points, I would definitely suggest this game as a buy.

My Rating - 75 - Buy

Microsoft Plans To Release Monthly Kinect Titles

MjolnirX - With Fruit Ninja: Kinect releasing in just a week, Microsoft has announced that they aim to release new Kinect exclusives on a monthly basis, according to an interview between Robin Burrowes and CVG. With a few great titles out already such as Kinect Sports and Child of Eden, plus some amazing games coming out such as (of course) Fruit Ninja: Kinect, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, the reboot of the Steel Battalion franchise titled "Heavy Armor", The Gun Stringer, Minecraft and even Mass Effect 3, there seems to be good reason for the 10 million Kinect owners, such as myself, to be excited.

"Obviously we have Xbox Live Arcade exclusives running through the Summer of Arcade programme, but yes, you can expect far more exclusives coming to the platform in future," Robin Burrowes, Xbox Live product marketing manager for EMEA [Europe, Middle East and Africa], told CVG."

Though he couldn't divulge the name of the titles he was referring to, he did mention that we should "trust the legacy of titles in the past". He also mentioned that they are working on games that will be released on Xbox Live Arcade, as well traditional core games which include sequels to successful titles already on the platform.

Resident Evil 4 HD, Code Veronica Release Dates Revealed

MjolnirX - Resident Evil 4 HD and Resident Evil: Code Veronica have finally had their release dates announced. Resident Evil 4 HD will be landing in the US on September 20th, 2011, while Resident Evil: Code Veronica will be seeing a release date on September 27th, 2011.

Resident Evil 4 HD and Resident Evil: Code Veronica will be download-only on XBLA and PSN, but they will feature all of the bonus content from the previous console versions, such as the "Separate Ways" epilogue.

Review: Dead Space Ignition

Developers - Visceral Games, Sumo Digital
Publisher - Electronic Arts
Platforms - Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network
Genres - Survival Horror, Puzzle, Action
Modes - Single-player, Multiplayer
Metacritic - 35
User rating - 47
My rating - 49
Achievements - 200/200
Hours played - 2


MjolnirX - One of the major gripes I had with this game was its repetitiveness. It's three mini-games over and over again, with learning curves steeper than Mount Everest. While the games were fun initially, they quickly got annoying and difficult past the point of frustration. The only redeeming qualities of this game are the story, and the bonus suit for Dead Space 2. It tells the tale of Franco Delille, the man who sets you free from your cell at the beginning of Dead Space 2, as well as his motives and fate.

Upon completion of the game:

"After completing the game players will receive bonus items for Dead Space 2, including a hacker-themed suit with 15% armor and 15 inventory slots, as well as a bonus to the hacking portions of the game Players also receive a hacker-themed Contact Beam weapon, extra power nodes, health packs, ammo, and audio logs. These bonuses are found in "conduit rooms" unlocked with a Dead Space Ignition completed save file."

Hardware Crack

Hardware Crack is a fairly traditional puzzle-solving mini-game in which you re-direct various colored lasers to their respective exit points. You are time-limited in this one and thus required to think fast.

There are various components in the playing field each with different functions.

Trace Route

Trace Route involves controlling an electrical signal in a race against other signals to the finish line. You are required to dodge obstacles - walls and other moving objects - that will slow you down to a near stop whilst also aiming for various power-ups that grant you the ability to reverse the AI opponents' controls, drop walls behind you, or simply give you a speed boost.

System Override

System Override is a simple Tower Defense mini-game in which you are not only required to block enemy attackers, but to do so whilst advancing troops to an objective on the other side of the playing field. You have multiple unit types - one of which has the ability to slow down incoming enemy units.

Summary

Overall, this game was nothing more than a stepping stone to Dead Space 2, and should be avoided unless you plan on playing Dead Space 2 immediately afterwards.

Xbox Live Summer of Arcade 2011

MjolnirX - Xbox Live's annual Summer of Arcade has begun. This years theme is the plainly named "Summer Fun Pack". Last year's Summer of Arcade themed "Beat the Heat" featured some great games such as Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light, Limbo, Monday Night Combat, and Hydro Thunder: Hurricane. This year it seems like they are taking it up a notch, with a notable nod towards Kinect, by introducing 5 new titles as well as a FREE 6th title for those who purchase all 5 before August 23rd, 2011. The games have staggered releases, which fall on the next 4 following Wednesdays. The titles are:

Bastion - 1200MP
- Available Now
- Supergiant Games


From Dust - 1200MP
- July 27th, 2011
- Ubisoft Montipellier


Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - 1200MP
- August 3rd, 2011
- Shadow Planet Productions


Fruit Ninja: Kinect 800MP
- August 10th, 2011
- Halfbrick


Toy Soldiers: Cold War - 1200MP
- August 17th, 2011
- Signal Studios

And as a bonus for those who purchase all five games:

Crimson Alliance - Free
- Must buy all games before August 23rd, 2011
Certain Affinity


The total cost will run you a cool 5600 MP, which is roughly $70.00. Considering that most games now cost that much on their own, it seems like this is a fair deal. Granted, a lot of the games are casual, pick-up-and-play games, but you're more likely to spend more hours playing these than most $70 games. Unless it's Fallout. Or Oblivion.

After the break is a short description, details, a summary of the game, and a picture for each game to give you an idea of what to expect.

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Bastion - 1200MP

Developer - Supergiant Games
Publisher - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Platform - Windows, Xbox Live Arcade
Release date - Xbox 360 (XBLA) July 20, 2011
Genre - Role-Playing
Metacritic Score - 88
User Score - 82


The game takes place in the aftermath of the Calamity, a catastrophic event that suddenly fractured the world as people blew it into many pieces, which led to an infestation of hostile creatures. Players take control of The Kid, a silent protagonist who awakens on one of the few remaining pieces of the old world and sets off for the titular Bastion, where everyone previously agreed to go in troubled times. He finds almost nothing left upon arrival, but is told by a wise old man that together, they could build something special. The Kid then embarks on a quest to reconstruct the world the way it used to be, while the old man narrates his adventure and provides details on what exactly has happened.

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From Dust - 1200MP

Developer - Ubisoft Montpelier
Publisher - Ubisoft
Platform - Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 (XBLA), PlayStation 3 (PSN), OnLive
Release date - Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 (XBLA)- July 27, 2011
Genre - Puzzle

In From Dust, players assume a god-like first-person perspective from which they can manipulate an archipelago environment in an effort to save, and enlighten, a nomadic tribe. With a spherical cursor, the user controls certain types of matter, namely soil, lava, water, and vegetation in real time. Lava cools to form solid rock, vegetation propagates in soil, and moving water quickly erodes terrain. Physical changes to the world occur extremely rapidly, allowing players to restructure islands within minutes.

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Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - 1200MP

Developer - Shadow Planet Productions (Fuelcell Games/Gagne International)
Publisher - Microsoft Studios
Platform - Xbox Live Arcade
Release date - August 3rd, 2011
Genre - Action


Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is an upcoming action video game in development by Shadow Planet Productions (Fuelcell Games/Gagne International) for Xbox Live Arcade. The game has been in development since 2007 and was first demonstrated in March 2011 at Penny Arcade Expo East. The game is set on an alien planet and includes exploration elements similar to Metroid and Castlevania. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is planned for release in the summer of 2011. The game features music by Dimmu Borgir during cinematics.

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Fruit Ninja - Kinect 800MP

Developer - Halfbrick
Platform - iOS, Android OS, Windows Phone 7, Xbox 360 (XBLA)
Release date - August 10th, 2011
Genre - Arcade
Modes - Single-player, Multiplayer (iPad and Kinect for Xbox 360)

In Fruit Ninja, the player slices fruit with a blade controlled via a touch pad. As the fruit is thrown onto the screen, the player swipes their finger across the screen to create a slicing motion, attempting to slice the fruit in half. Extra points are awarded for slicing multiple fruits with one swipe, and players can use additional fingers to make multiple slices simultaneously. Players must slice all fruit; if three pieces of fruit are missed the game ends, but upon reaching scores that are multiples of one hundred (i.e. 100, 200, 300, etc), the player will gain an extra life (unless they have not missed a piece of fruit already). Bombs are occasionally thrown onto the screen, and will also end the game should the player slice them.

The aforementioned gameplay, for Fruit Ninja on iPhone/iPad, is emulated in Fruit Ninja Kinect, with body motions replacing touch-pad motions.

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Toy Soldiers: Cold War - 1200MP

Developer - Signal Studios
Publisher - Microsoft Studios
Platform - Xbox 360 (XBLA)
Release date - August 17, 2011
Genre - Action/Strategy
Mode - Single-player, Multiplayer

Announced on March 9, 2011, Toy Soldiers: Cold War is Signal Studios' follow-up sequel to the immensely popular game, Toy Soldiers. Toy Soldiers: Cold War takes a look into what might have happened had military aggression escalated in the 1980's between the USA and then USSR. Toy Soldiers: Cold War features a blend of first-person action and strategy, similar to the original Toy Soldiers, but with added features and gameplay.

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Crimson Alliance - Free

Developer - Certain Affinity
Publisher - Microsoft Games Studios
Platform - Xbox Live Arcade
Release date - September 7 2011
Genre - Action role-playing game
Modes - Single-player, Multi-player
Genre - Action Adventure

Crimson Alliance is an upcoming co-op action role-playing game developed by Certain Affinity and published by Microsoft Games Studios. The game is scheduled for release on Xbox Live Arcade in September 2011 in conjunction with Microsoft's annual Summer of Arcade promotion.

Party with up to three friends and battle the sinister Cult of the Soul Siren in this fast Action-RPG title from Certain Affinity and Microsoft Game Studios. Play one of three classes each with a host of special abilities from the Assassin’s time-bending attacks, to the Wizard's elemental mastery, to the Mercenary’s sweeping whirlwind strikes. The world of Crimson features labyrinthine crypts, ruined cities, deadly traps and hidden treasures, populated by elite mini-bosses and the hordes they control. You’ll soon discover that the three main characters have their own motivations, revealed in a story-driven cooperative campaign of betrayal, foul magic and ancient secrets.