Red Dead Redemption

Posted by John as Shmups

Looks of Red Dead Redemption at the start of the game can be deceiving. You may think it is a lonely ride in the old West. But spend more than a few moments in this frontier, and you’ll realize the world of Red Dead: Redemption is anything but an empty desert.

Play the character of John Marston, a reformed criminal, who works for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Make your way through three distinct locales, two sets in the American West and one in Northern Mexico. The game’s setting is composed of rural areas along with number of towns and outposts erect on the landscape.

The West side elements are found in the action shmup. Find numerous Wanted poster plastered on local buildings. These posters are actually side missions that give clue where to find infamous criminals as well as how to recognize them based on description. If you do decide to run after these criminals, you can choose to either take them out with your turn-of-the-century armory of repeating Winchester rifles, six-shooters, and shotguns, or earn a bigger reward by roping them to the ground and turning them in alive. You can also choose to put a bullet or two in them to slow them down.

Expect to boost your honor if you succeed on quests such as capturing Most Wanted criminals or saving helpless travelers from being robbed. It affects how well regarded you are in the world. Sudden missions can also be seen in the course of your travels. You might run into an officer seeking out two prisoners who have just escaped from his caravan. It gives you ample chance to chase them down or simply keep moving.

You will soon receive admiration and tribute when you follow the noble route. The local sheriffs will even look the other way if you commit a minor crime. In normal circumstances, you would become a wanted man and have to pay off your bounty or do a favor for the local authorities to receive a pardon. If you take the bad guy route, people will glare or glower at you. Other criminals who know your notoriety will bid you a chance to work with them in pursuit of their objectionable and nasty plans.

No matter how good your character is, you still need to shed blood from time to time. The Western-themed action schmup is set at the 20th century, a time when the West was increasingly less wild. Yet, there is still an element of lawlessness around you thus explains the shootouts and violent eruptions. These acts of lawlessness can be as simple as a brawl out in the desert between you and a troop of outlaws. It can also be as complex as you charge a fort with a wagon loaded of explosives, taking on snipers camping on towers, and using a cannon to ward off waves of incoming reinforcements.

Red Dead Redemption looks like as very promising game due to its engaging plot that leaves you to choose whether you would want to play a good guy or a bad guy. It has the makings of a distinct game whose look and game play renders authentic to the era in American history.

Red Dead Redemption is an epic battle for survival in a beautiful open world as John Marston struggles to bury his bloodstained past, one man at a time.

Developed by Rockstar San Diego, Red Dead Redemption is coming for Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system on April 27, 2010 in North America and on April 30, 2010 in Europe.

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A Review of Army of Two: The 40th Day

Posted by John as 2d Shooter

Army of Two: The 40th Day is a third-person shooter in which your objective is simple: get out of Shanghai alive.

When you are in the mood for something loud and fun, The 40th Day is the game for you. It provides a brash, satisfying action with the same, shallow appeal as a hit.

Play the Army of Two: The 40th Day with your buddy and blast your way through enemies care of customized weapons. The gunplay and some awkward movements of the game are solid and satisfying. If you are into teamwork to complete goals then this game is for you (and your buddy)!

Release date: January 12, 2010

Good points

• Brutal, satisfying gunplay

• Engaging weapon customization

• Diverse, detailed environments

• Good implementation of light cooperative tactics

• Surprising replay value.

Bad points

• Short campaign

• Often laggy online play

• Awkwardness in movement

• Weird dabbling on morality.

A combination of superb game play, humor and action-packed game play made Army of Two an instant success. EA Montreal, its maker, knew just what its entire fan base need to satisfy their expectations.

For those who had played the first game, it is obvious that the main game play mechanics haven’t drastically changed despite some major improvements. The key to this game is the cooperative game play. The 40th day pushes the trend of weapon customization and tactical strategies at the same time exploring something new to the series, moral choices.

Army of Two: the 40th Day sees the return of a more improved and better weapon customization system. You earn new items by completing objectives in the game. Find weapon parts lying in the street or heavily guarded supply crates. Aim to kill guards nearby to gain access to crates filled with parts of weapon and cash. The fundamental part to the game play is to constantly upgrade your inventory. The game won’t dictate when you’re able to make changes. You can now access the weapon customization menu whenever you want to, given you are not in combat.

Tactical decisions made in the game must be carefully weighed since it has a direct impact on your team and long-term consequences. For an instance, a series of negative decisions can lead to a character hindering your access to a useful area. Due to the cold-hearted nature of mercenaries, you can find yourself torn between a unique piece of item and ethical choice. Every scripted decision has an animation that shows the consequences of your action either positive or negative. Aim to save civilians from the deadly hands of the enemy to reap bonus morality points as well as weapons parts and extra cash. When these civilians die, you are left with only negative points.

Teamwork

Learn how to think of decisions beneficial for you and partner. You can find a friendship status at the bottom left of the pause menu. Get to earn a friendly hero label when you free hostages, stick with right choices, and play a game of rock-paper-scissors with your partner on a frequent basis. Don’t overdo high five or hug too much or else you would be labeled as “ambiguous or uncertain heroes”. Labels can be changed if you decide to slap or punch your partner for no apparent reason at all or because of the moral choices he makes. The game is interesting thanks to the new morality system but could be limited than you might expect it to be. Watch out when the entire level or chapter resets itself at the start of the next chapter. You can make wrong choices if you want to then make it up in the next one.

See a more vigorous multiplayer feature in the new Army of Two: the 40th Day. Three modes can be played with twelve players namely Warzone (a returning mode found in the first game), Control (two groups battle it out to seize and hold control points) and Co-op death match. The fourth mode is called “extraction”, a survival mode with an emphasis on cooperative play but is only available to players who pre-ordered the game with EA but will be soon made available to everyone as DLC a month following its release.

Visual effects and sounds

The 40th Day shows an enormous improvement compared to its release. The plot is limited in Shanghai unlike the diverse locations in the first game. When you play the character of Rios and Salem in the chaotic city, you witness the transformation of Shanghai from an urban paradise into a wrecked place. Play your way through highly detailed indoor and outdoor settings. See stunning Zoo and Market levels as well as other subtle touches found in new melee attacks and the characters flipping their masks up from time to time. Visit the game’s official website to customize their facemask and armor and use them in game. The visual enhancements may seem apparent but the game suffers from camera issues evidently seen during fooling around animations and some texture pop in but is minimal.

The voice behind the characters Salem (Nolan North) and Rios (Jonathan Adams) did a brilliant job. The humor is amusing especially when the two protagonists talk but some people can find the humor irritating when it becomes repetitive. Aside from that, the sounds of the environmental build of the city are outstanding most especially the sound effects of the weapons. The better your weapon gets, the better the way your weapon sounds.

The weak points of the game include strange comments on morality during the short campaign but can be easily forgotten by the brutal action of the plot. There is a lag when you do play on the lively online game by is not enough to stop you to enjoy the brutal gunplay of The Army of Two game.

Campaign

Expect to see six chapters of the campaign. The expected time to complete the game is less than 10 hours depending on the skill level. Replayability is what makes the 40th Day different from few other shooters. It is better to play the game alone then replaying it with your buddy (human, of course). Multiplayer function sets it unique and more fun to play. You will be logging even more hours especially in the Extraction mode, available to those who pre-ordered the game. If you haven’t, check it out after a month.

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Meet the New Indie Shooter: Creed Arena

Posted by John as Shmups

The start of 2010 unveils new shooters that you should definitely check out. For starters, let’s see what Creed Arena has in store for all players out there.

Safari Studios released their Xbox Indie Arcade named Creed Arena. The game is filled with 16 arenas and unique game feature that involve winning over the fight crowds.

Play your way in arena battles set in gladiatorial fashion. You have various ways to play the game either solo, split-screen co-op, online multiplayer and even split-screen online multiplayer. Multiplayer feature is not always available for Xbox Indie titles.

Try out the demo and try out the Live Multiplayer game mode if you’re impressed enough to buy the game.

Snag this baby for 400 Microsoft point.

Read the full press release below.

Sydney, Australia – January 03, 2010 – Indie developer Safari Studios has just released Creed Arena onto XBOX Live Indie Games, a dazzling new shooter with some unique game mechanics.

In just 3 days of sales, Creed Arena has already surpassed many other games on the channel. XBOX shooter fans from around the world are hailing Creed Arena as the best indie shooter around.

Fetatures include:

• 16 unique arenas, each with a different challenge

• Solo Championship – become the most popular gladiator in the tournament

• Splitscreen Co-op – play through the game with a friend

• Online Multiplayer – try to get to the top of the global popularity chart

• Splitscreen Online Multiplayer – 2 people can play online together

About Creed Arena

Fight other gladiators infront of thousands of spectators. Become the most popular fighter in the tournament. Win enough fans to unleash your “crowd rage”, an intense rampage that makes you bigger, faster and more powerful. Unique weapons, 16 arenas, and intense action in solo, co-op and online muliplayer.

About Safari Studios

Safari Studios is a two man indie development team based in Sydney, Australia. Matthew and Laurence Rietdijk have been developing XBOX games for 2 years now, and one a top 20 position in Microsoft’s most recent Dream Build Play competition.

Technorati Tags: 2d Shooter, creed arena, indie shooter, Safari Studios, Shmups, video game, xbox live arcade

Experience Killing Engine shooter on the 25th!

Posted by John as Shmups

Fans of 2d shooter games will finally get a taste of Killing Engine as its estimated release day draws near. The free multiplayer shooter is set to be released on 25th of January 2010.

Killing Engine is a free multiplayer shooter where you team up with your friends to beat the opposing team. It takes place in an imaginary universe where Finland and Russia are at war with each other. The game features:

• Support for up to 64 players

• Large battlegrounds that take place in forests, wastelands, villages and cities

• 18 different weapons

• Easy to use Level editor

• Destructible environment

• Three different game modes

You can download the Beta 0.92 from the DOWNLOADS page.

Technorati Tags: download, january 25 2010 release date, killing engine shooter, multiplayer shooter, shmup

MiniSquadron: A must have 2d shooter game

Posted by John as Shmups

Minisquadron is one refreshing game that I have played. The game is a dog fighting aerial combat game that pits player’s aircraft versus computer-controlled jets in a limited 2D air space. Players have to fight against ways of enemy planes. Some waves can bring tens of highly advanced aircrafts that will be tough to defeat.

The game play of MiniSquadron is set as an arcade type. Flip 360 degrees, twist, dive, and shoot your way to win! Gain advantage from enemies by collecting lups and special stars. Other physics based elements of the game include your plane that can stall and fall if the plane is flown either too high or hit by the enemy. The tip is to keep your plane’s head down and dive as you fall then you can still regain control and fly upwards to prevent a crash.

The single player game has 8 stages. Each stage has 12 waves of enemy aircrafts to defeat. Enemies are in forms of propeller planes, bombers, and jet fighters, to UFO’s. The enemies are equipped with cannons, homing missiles, spray bombs, and even lasers. As players progress through the various stages, expect to unlock up to 56 aircrafts. These aircrafts provide players with more powerful weapons and faster aircrafts. Players need to meet certain requirements to access the aircrafts. The aircrafts are unlocked only when players achieved a certain score during a wave during a particular stage. Know the requirements on how to unlock an aircraft by tapping it. They can be unlocked when they have achieved a certain score during a wave at a certain stage.

Mini Squadron delivers well-done graphics and music. It brings the classic cartoon-styled 2D shooter to life although it is nothing amazing. The aircrafts have a unique look to them together with their fluid animations. The symphony classical music in the background fits perfectly to the aerial action in an odd way.

Players can manipulate the aircrafts all with the use of a virtual control pad. The controls are fairly simple and responsive. In default mode, the plane will fly straight. Flip your plane into 360 degrees by drawing a circle on the virtual control pad. This feature makes it easier to maneuver to the tail of enemy aircrafts.

The aerial combat action can be intense, especially when going against more than 10 enemy aircrafts during a wave. Dodging bullets and missiles and maneuvering to finish those pesky enemy jets can be really fun. Given that the game rewards you extra score for defeating enemies without taking a hit, any seasoned MiniSquadron player should aim to achieve the highest score.

One of the weaknesses of MiniSquadron is the lack of online high scores and achievements feature that other iPhone games has. It would be great to see how your top score rank in the world. The multiplayer mode in MiniSquadron is only available on local network connection. If MiniSquadron permits global online multi-player then this game would be perfect. It would be really fun to challenge 10 other players to a fight to the finish.

MiniSquadron is a great 2D shooter. Players will enjoy a fun, aerial combat experience thanks to its intense game play. With over 50 aircrafts to unlock and master, the game has a high replay value. It is definitely a must-own game for any fans of classic 2D shooters.

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Get to know what Defense Grid: The Awakening is all about!

Posted by John as Shmups

Defense Grid: The Awakening is a unique spin on tower defense game play that will attract players of all skill levels.

Defense Grid is like a shooter where you never have to pull a trigger. It is more than a flash game in a lovelier packaging. It is one of the best-designed tower-defense games you can play. A whole line of upgradeable towers are available for you to choose from, complete with unique strengths and weaknesses suitable for different types of aliens trying to steal your power cores and escape with them. The shooter is just as well balanced as it is well polished in look.

Play this tower defense video game developed by Hidden Path Entertainment for Windows and Xbox Live arcade on the Xbox 360. Most tower defense games have been made as flash games with less stellar 2d graphics. Some of these really look good having a sort of interesting artistic look, but none of them have really featured a 3d engine on a same level with Xbox 360. Defense Grid: The Awakening from Hidden Path Entertainment is a graphically slick take on the genre that looks completely at home on the Xbox 360.

Game play
Begin each round with a certain amount of money/resources. You need to buy towers to protect your reservoir of energy from being grabbed by the marching aliens and taken back out the exit. Of course, this is possible with the money available at the start of the game. The strategy in the game starts with the location of your towers as well as the kind of towers and when to buy new towers or upgrade the old ones. As the game progresses and the enemies get tougher, you unlock more tower types and the ability to upgrade them. Depending on the tower type, upgrades will buy you more range, better rate of fire or the capacity to deal out more damage. You can simply pick all three. Keep in mind to carefully balance your resources, so that you can improve your “defense grid” in accordance with the increasingly difficult horde.

It is fairly easy to navigate through the game. You will encounter more aliens that have to be defeated with a certain kind of tower. The maps become increasingly complex as well, starting out with simple routes to your energy cores with plots to place turrets next to them along the way. The larger, more sprawling maps are where the placement of your towers will define the route taken by the enemies.

What makes this game an above average strategy-game is its sleek graphics along with excellent tower and alien designs plus unique challenges for the player thus exponentially increasing the amount of “replayibility”. You can play the basic story mode that takes many levels before you are using all the towers. Another mode is the story challenge that is essentially similar to the basic story mode but poses tougher enemies for you to have fun with. Other modes put a limit on the number or type of towers as well.

Defense Grid: The Awakening has nice, little touches too. Use the bumpers to move fast forward the flow of the onslaught so you don’t get bored waiting for foes to creep along. You can zoom in extra close to view the cool artistic design of the aliens. It would have been better if it could have a camera rotation feature. Watch out for that special weapon attack shown later in the game for that last-ditch desperation move when the boss is about to walk away with your energy core.

For all Xbox fans out there, Defense Grid: The Awakening is worth every cent. The shooter game is the pinnacle of design for tower-defense games not just because of its fancy Gamebryo-powered 3d graphics. The game is simply challenging and complex without altering the same rules that tower-defense games in general follow. Defense Grid: The Awakening is a great, classic game design with added depth and polish to it.

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Holiday buyer’s guide for 2009

Posted by John as Shmups

We can’t wait for Christmas to roll in soon! That’s why we found this buyer’s guide on Xbox 360 games that you love.

Thanks to IGN for this great find.

Technorati Tags: 2d Shooter, christmas gift ideas, holiday buyer's guide 2009, video games, xbox 360

Get to know the creators of “Duality ZF”

Posted by John as Shmups

Duality ZF is now officially 双攻 (Double Attack) in Japanese. Get to know the creators of this award-winning game.

One of the newest video games on the Xbox 360 gaming system is coming from Yarmouth, N.S.

Twin brothers Jason and Matthew Doucette grew up playing games together such as Mario Brothers and Pac-Man. They began programming their own games when they were in Grade 3, and in junior high they placed in top spots in national math competitions.

Now the 34-year-olds have made a dream come true by becoming game developers at their new company Xona Games.

Their first game – Duality ZF – recently placed in the top 10 in a Microsoft competition for independent game developers.

That means it’s on its way to the Xbox 360’s downloadable game section. The finished product should be available in about a month for millions of people to potentially download. (Special thanks to CBC)

Watch it here.

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Valkyrie Beta closed beta starts on October 21st!

Posted by John as Shmups

It’s only two days away until the closed beta service of Valkyrie Sky kicks off in high gear!

Gamekiss, the Online PC game portal, announces the official website launch of its brand-new title Valkyrie Sky. Gamekiss officially names its own genre called “Arcade Shooting MMORPG“.

Valkyrie Sky is a RPG based on the Norse mythology. It incorporates the game play of old-school games like “Galaga“, more similarly, the Touhou game franchise. The MMORPG combines shooting-the best genre of the arcade platform-and MMORPG, a popular online platform, into one.

Experience the thrill of player vs. player (PvP) and battle for occupation of the World Map through the structure of two realms. You are sure to find latest features of the life system in MMORPG including fishing, cooking, playing music and auctioning as added amusement to the arcade shooting genre.

Players can select from 4 different jobs: “Swordsman“, “Bowman“, “Magician” and “Summoner“. Choose from a total of 12 different classes of each character having three different class progressions. Each character class has an important role in the party, such as tanking for the swordsman class and nuker role for magicians.

The first official CBT of Valkyrie Sky will be launched from www.gamekiss.com on October 21st 2009.

More details can be found at valkyriesky.gamekiss.com.

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Do you have what it takes to be a Valkyrie Sky warrior?

Posted by John as Shmups

Technorati Tags: 2d Shooter, : valkyrie sky, schedule, video games, warrior of valkyrie sky registration