After so many months playing through the iPhone edition of the game, iPad users FINALLY have their own version of Peggle, now in HD format. Yeah, yeah, it took damn long enough, right? Better that PopCap Games take their time on it and make it perfect, rather than rush it to the market in a lackluster format. After all, it’s PEGGLE. You don’t want to screw it up.
Rest assured, PopCap doesn’t. What we have here is one of the most addictive strategy games available on the App Store today, and for a budgetable price (at the moment) of $2.99.
You know the drill, right? Your job is to clear orange pegs away from a playfield by dropping a marble onto them. It bounces off of objects and other pegs, particularly blue ones. You’ll also need to try and build up a high score by hitting combos, performing long skill shots, hitting score multipliers (pink pegs), and using power-ups, each aligned with a specialty character, such as an animal or an alien. Each one is different, and you can select between them once you beat the game.
Peggle HD still plays as fantastic as ever. You can either aim on the playfield with touch screen controls, or use a scrolling wheel on the side for precision. Both work very well, and will keep you dropping marbles well into the night. You can also unlock Achievements in Game Center to show off to your friends, though there’s no direct online competition. Oh, well.
Now, being dubbed HD, you expect Peggle to look PHENOMENAL on the iPad, right? Well, good news – it does. The play fields are definitely up to par – in fact, past it – with great peg alignments, interesting object placements (damn fish!), and a cool zoom-in feature, if you want to see where a shot goes. Also, it’s still nice to have Extreme Fever kick in (with a little “Valkyries” in the background) kick in once you get that last peg. The music remains the same, but is pleasant background noise as you get through each stage.
No, nothing’s really changed, but if it ain’t broke, why fix it? PopCap Games has been making unbeatable social games for years, and Peggle maintains the status quo by being so simple, yet so delightful. The HD version is one of the best versions to date, and one that won’t set you that far back in your wallet. Drop some cash, then drop some balls.
From gamezone.com
While the Nintendo 3DS’ success remains in question, Nintendo continues to pull out all stops to show consumers that the 3DS has what it takes to get back to the top in the handheld market. First, there was the extreme price drop just months into the 3DS’ lifespan coming with the Ambassador program to keep original 3DS owners still on board with their recently purchased handheld. Now, the 3DS still remains on the fence for many, but the upcoming software line up may sway the masses. And what better way to jump start that success than releasing an old Nintendo 64 classic, Star Fox 64, remastered for the 3D handheld.
Star Fox 64 3D, is a port from the last Nintendo cartridge based console. Back then, it was an instant hit pushing the first 3D graphics to the extreme. Considered one of the greatest rail shooters of the time and now makes its way to a new audience with the 3DS.
For players familiar with Star Fox 64, not much has changed. The same story mode is available to play along with a few more options. Along with story mode, there are two more modes to play, battle and score attack. In battle mode, you can choose to play by yourself with three other computer air pilot extraordinaires or you can play via download play with three other local players.
Continuing on with battle mode, there are three types of “battles” to choose from, Survival, Point and Time battle. Survival is essentially a last man standing mode, where your goal is to be the only guy still flying while taking your opponents out first. The next mode is Point Battle Mode, which sets a goal of a certain amount of points to receive with players getting those points by shooting down their opponents. And the last battle type is Time Battle, which is extremely similar to point battle except the player with the most points as the time runs out wins the game.
As for story mode, it hasn’t changed and that’s definitely a good thing. It contains the same classic gameplay and story back from its N64 glory. If you’re unfamiliar with it however, you take control of star ace Fox McCloud as you and your crew of Peppy, Slippy and Falco take the air as fighter pilots ready to shoot down supporters of the evil Andross who has taken over the galaxy.
Star Fox 64 was way ahead of its time back in the day and it shows as the gameplay still holds up perfectly today, fourteen years after its original release. Players won’t be disappointed by the sheer fun and exciting action that Fox and friends bring to the table in this game.
Although Star Fox 64 hasn’t aged a bit (it in fact looks even better now) Nintendo decided to reinvigorate the game by adding a new control scheme to the mix. Players can now choose between the standard controls, or to use the 3DS’ built in gyroscope for tilt controls. Although gyro controls are a cool feature to use, you’ll find almost immediately that it feels a lot more natural to play with the original controls as using the gyro hurts the 3D experience. If you’re inclined to use the gyro controls however, it’s recommended to turn the 3D effect off completely as the often fast moving motions that will occur while steering will throw the 3D visuals off almost immediately after you start playing around with it.
Though we’re glad to see the return of the classic four-player multiplayer modes, Nintendo really dropped the ball with the omission of any true online multiplayer. This makes even less sense when you factor in that you’re able to stream your reactions real time using the built-in camera. I can easily see my friends if I’m sitting right next to them, whereas it would be much cooler to see their reactions online when playing someone 5000 miles away. When will Nintendo realize that having online functionality is important to us gamers, especially gamers that wanted to rekindle their fond memories of saving the galaxy from Andross.
Also an upgrade from four players to eight players would have been welcome. This is the next generation of handhelds, and there should be an option to play with many other people. An eight player match would make sense if players had the choice to play as both the Star Fox team and the Star Wolf team.
Star Fox 64 3D is a nostalgia kick to the face that leaves you wanting more. Players can get excited to see Fox McCloud back in action in his true glory and not a part of a lame adventure game for Gamecube or as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. With the upgraded visuals and enhanced controls, you’ll gladly jump into the cockpit once again and take flight with your crew (even you Slippy…) and relive those cherished memories blowing into that old Star Fox 64 cartridge back in the day. And as for you newcomers, what better way to get acquainted with the coolest fox in space, than with the best game of the series.
From gamezone.com
Man, there are a lot of three-quels this year. Killzone, Uncharted, Gears of War, Mass Effect (announced, anyway).. it’s like everyone is trying to wrap up their epic sagas all at once, and we’re along for the ride on each one. The latest three-quel to push along its story arc is Resistance 3, a game that has a few components similar to the first two efforts, but also some new stuff to keep things interesting. It’s this combination, along with engaging co-op and multiplayer options, that makes this fight against the Chimera one of the more entertaining to date – even if it comes up slightly short in a couple of areas.
The game picks up right after the second Resistance, with ***SPOILER ALERT*** Joseph Capelli putting the fatal blow on Nathan Hale, the hero from the previous games. After finishing him off, a scientist discovers some kind of cure for the Chimeran virus that’s taken over 90 percent of the world. Rather than sit idly by and handle incoming invasions while keeping his family alive, Joseph vows to protect the man who’s working on the vaccine and getting him to New York City, where he stands a chance at saving the world. As expected, the journey comes with plenty of bumps, as all kinds of Chimera nasties want to plant you in the ground.
We admit – we miss Hale. Capelli isn’t much of a leading man when it comes to holding his ground against the invasion, and it shows in some of Resistance 3’s campaign. It’s fairly plotted, and there are plenty of events to keep things from tumbling into the doldrums, but we can’t help but think that something could’ve been done to make Capelli more of a heroic type, rather than just a family man trying to survive. Maybe that was Insomniac Games’ intention, to give us some average Joe taking on the Chimera, rather than a superhuman like Hale. Still, this choice may not be to everyone’s liking.
Fortunately, the in-game action more than makes up for the lack in character substance. The guns are just as great as always, including the laser auger, that can shoot through solid objects (perfect for taking out snipers), and the Bullseye gun, which lets you fire one tracking shot where the others follow. (Someone’s been watching The Fifth Element, hmmm?) What’s cool this time around is how the guns level up over the course of battle, improving their performance to one degree or another, such as better firing speed or more ammunition capability. You can carry as much as you like, and you’ll need access to whatever firepower you can get, as the Chimera are even nastier than before.
Along with weapon power-ups, Capelli can also power up over the course of his journey, improving his skills and gaining access to bubble shields and other goods. They’re nothing amazing, but if they make all the difference between life and death, you’ll want to use them.
Unlike the eight-player co-op from Resistance 2, Insomniac opted to go with a two-player set-up this time around. Considering the more intense storyline involved with this sequel, it kind of makes sense. It’s total fun provided you can find a partner to keep up with you. This is an area where the game slightly falters if you don’t have a friend around. You can team up with someone, but there’s no matchmaking system to find a player of similar skill. It’s a crapshoot of sorts. Still, once you do find someone that can help you along, it’s great stuff. Split-screen is available as well, though viewing is limited in this mode.
With multiplayer, Insomniac Games once again decided “less is better”. Instead of 60-player match-ups, this time you have 16, but it works surprisingly well. You’ve got various modes to choose from, including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Chain Reaction (where you capture areas), Breach (destroy or defend locations), and Capture the Flag. The maps available aren’t bad, and being able to use some of Resistance’s unique weapons and options is pretty cool. You can level them up here as well, though the leveling isn’t quite parallel with what you do in the single player story. Power-ups can also be earned, provided you can get a big enough kill streak. Get enough and you can become a behemoth with a grenade launcher. Fun!
That said, it would’ve been nice to have a Bot Zone option like Killzone 3 had. When you don’t have friends around, it’s fun to take on strangers, but being able to practice against AI bots would help improve your skills. Maybe Insomniac should consider this with an upcoming patch?
Resistance 3 definitely sounds like a war machine. The in-game score is moving and gives off a sort of “end of the world” vibe. The sound effects are outstanding as well, including the guns themselves. It’s like Insomniac researched like crazy and said, “Hey, what kind of awesome sound should we assign this weapon?” The voice acting’s okay, but again, Capelli doesn’t really sound like much of a lead in this story. However, the secondary characters make up for it.
Now, as for how Resistance 3 looks – it’s top notch. Insomniac really did its homework here, seeing what worked well in Resistance 2 and bumping up things like stage design, great particle effects (watching buildings come apart is pretty cool), Chimeran enemies (the bigger ones are NASTY), and weapon effects. They all combine together in a unique sci-fi inspired experience, and one of the smoothest PS3 shooters since Killzone 3 earlier this year. When comparing it to that game, Guerrilla Games’ effort does have an advantage, as it uses more space on the disc. Still, if you’ve gone and conquered that one, you’ll find an easy transition here; this is one swell-running game, and it does it all with a smooth frame rate. No lag, either.
Had Resistance 3 included a more compelling lead hero and better co-op options, it would’ve been an unstoppable juggernaut. That’s not to insult its credibility though. Insomniac Games has still done a stellar job with this title, with the kind of exciting gameplay and eye-popping visuals that will keep you drawn in, whether you’re on your own or going at it in multiplayer. The gun leveling up is superb and keeps you wondering what great improvement you’ll unlock next. You’ll find this shooter hard to resist.
From gamezone.com
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