Monthly Archives: November 2011

App Review: Real Racing 2

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Firemint set the bar for racing sims on iDevices — and it has raised it considerably with Real Racing 2. The game is the closest you’ll get to a Forza title in the app store and is sure to overjoy racing fans. The car models are spectacular, the tracks are long and detailed, and (most importantly) the controls are seamless. That’s key, as they’re so often overly complicated in racers.

The in-app purchase option is annoying, but meant solely as a shortcut for people who don’t want to wait to get a muscle car. It’s hardly essential. And the multiplayer mode, through Game Center, works without a flaw. Bottom line: This is a game that redefines quality in the app racing genre.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Giddyup, WarCraft: ‘My Little Pony’ MMOs coming

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My Little Pony, Hasbro’s colorful line of equine toys, is back. And the rainbow horses are galloping towards Azeroth. Seriously.

Two fan-made online games, My Little Pony Online and Equestria Online, are both set in the fictional world of the “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” television series, currently in its second season on The Hub cable network.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

‘The Lord of the Rings: War in the North’ offers glimpse into offscreen events

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Frodo, Gandalf and Aragorn might have stolen the spotlight on the big screen, but there was a lot going on in “The Lord of the Rings” that didn’t involve the Fellowship.

While the movie tie-ins to the epic fantasy saga may be (temporarily) exhausted, the gaming world isn’t anywhere close to being ready to walk away from the franchise. And Warner Bros. Interactive has found a way to keep it alive by digging deep into J.R.R. Tolkien’s tomes.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

2011’s most cinematic game hits stores today

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One of the reasons video games and Hollywood have stayed so far apart in the public eye is the gaming world’s casual regard for plot. Games, traditionally, are a series of event moments strung together by a rather threadbare plot (though you could say the same thing about some tentpole summer theatrical releases).

The “Uncharted” series is different – and the release of the game’s third installment today is a good example to non-gamers of what that part of the entertainment industry is capable of when it brings together multiple elements.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

 

‘Battlefield 3′ sells 5 million in first week

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The cost of war is high at Electronic Arts, but the rewards are even higher.

Battlefield 3, the company’s answer to industry juggernaut Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, has burst out of the gate by selling 5 million copies in its first week alone. That’s a record for EA and enough to make it the industry’s best launch this year — though it probably won’t hold that title for long.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

‘Battlefield 3’ storms sales charts

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Electronic Arts has snatched away bragging rights for the year’s biggest video game launch as the company’s much anticipated ”Battlefield 3” has sold more than 5 million units in its first week, making it the fastest-selling game in the company’s history.

The big bow unseats Microsoft’s ”Gears of War 3,” which boasted first week sales of 3 million copies in September — but it’s likely to be a short-lived victory. The launch of ”Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” is expected to set entertainment industry launch records, as the series has done for the past two years.

Read more at Daily Variety

Ubisoft’s Laurent Detoc On The Fight Against Innovation

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[Ubisoft’s North American executive director Laurent Detoc talks with Gamasutra editor at large Chris Morris about Rocksmith‘s lukewarm reception, and says, “As much as [gamers] claim they want innovation, they don’t.”]

Gamers, as a species, clamor for innovation. While there’s nothing wrong with the existing genres of gameplay, it’s always nice (in theory, at least) to try something new. But all too often, when players get their hands on that something new, they rip it to shreds in forums and lambaste it publicly.

In fairness, that criticism is sometimes warranted. EA’s Majestic, for example, was a fascinating idea that started strong but never entirely found its footing. Sometimes that criticism – and the poor sales that accompany it – sentences something that could have evolved into a welcomed gameplay style to a premature death.

Read more at Gamasutra

Game Review: Monopoly Collection

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There are actually two stories with Monopoly Collection, since the disc contains two complete games. The original Monopoly is a video game version of the classic board game, where players take turns moving pieces around a board and buying property, ultimately trying to be the last player standing. The included “Richest Edition” tosses out the traditional rules and has players exploring various mini-games to earn properties and collect income. The game’s more fun with four human players, but the Wii can fill any empty roles with computer-controlled characters.

Monopoly Streets, the other half of the game, lets you explore the game from a street level view using avatars (including Mr. and Mrs Potato Head). The rules are essentially the same as the classic board game (though you are able to customize your own “house rules”), but rather than watching a shoe hop from space to space from a top-down perspective, you’ll see your avatar explore the 3D streets, houses, and hotels.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Bike Baron

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The fun with most physics-based sports game is seeing how far you can fling your onscreen persona when you crash. That’s true in Bike Baron, but the game isn’t limited to just that aspect. The courses are entertaining. There’s plenty of diversity. And the difficulty ramps up at a good pace. The level editor is a nice addition to supplement the included 40 levels, but downloading the levels others have created is overly tricky (you have to go to a company blog to find codes for levels, then download them blind). Overall, this is a silly, fun game that proves to be a fun diversion, though not something that will become an obsession for most.

Read more at Common Sense Media