In just one day’s time Epic will release the sequel to one of their most, if not most popular game for the iOS platform, Infinity Blade.  This version doesn’t appear to be a vast departure from the first, but like the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  However, that isn’t to say Epic hasn’t added a new slew of features to justify the game’s $6.99 price tag.  So what’s new?

Epic says that Infinity Blade 2 will offering epic sword fighting, which we saw in the first iteration of the game. Duh.  But that’s not all.  They say they’ve add new fighting styles which allow you to pair weapon attacks with a variety of magic styles to deliver unparalleled combinations.  You’ll also be able to select new weapon classes (think Battlefield 3 for medieval times) allowing to you customize your players arsenal according to the enemy you’re about to face.  For example, if you’re foe is a giant brute, you may want to select the two handed mace, which delivers slow but devastating attacks.  On the converse, if you’re enemy is agile and not too big, you may want to opt for a spear like weapon or dual swords.

But mastering Infinity Blade 2 isn’t all about the weapons, it’s the dodge and attack method that transforms you into a true swordsmen.  So being able to read your nemesis’ attacks and move accordingly, as in get out of the way, can me the difference between success and failure.

Again, Infinity Blade 2 will hit the iOS store tomorrow (12/1/2011) for $6.99.

When you pre-order a copy of Gears of War 3 from Amazon you will also get $20 credit to a future video game purchase!

Get ready to experience the third installment to one of the most popular games the Xbox 360 has to offer! In Gears of War 3 you will once again fight the Locust in a much more explosive and graphical environment then ever before. The story is much more cinematic and powerful than ever and thanks to the supreme technology the Unreal 3 Engine provides you will be sucked into the game like never before. Fight to save the human race with new weapons and against all new Locust enemies, and battle it out online in the hugely popular multiplayer modes! This will become one of the most definitive multiplayer experience to be found on Xbox Live, and when you order now not only will you get it the moment it launches but thanks to the Pre-Order guarantee you will save any money that comes off the price between now and the release. You will also get $20 credit towards your next video game purchase, because more is better!

Order this game before it arrives and you’ll pay $59.99 plus receive $20 good towards a future video game purchase at Amazon.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Once I had a great idea for a game. Stick a bunch of indestructible foul-mouthed ex-soldiers on a barren wasteland littered with broken glass, insane and heavily armed prisoners, and giant mutated monsters. A target is painted on your back at all times, but thanks to an unrepentant wit, a hide thick as nails, and a big boot to kick up anything’s ass, the whole ordeal is a gas.

Then I forgot about it five minutes later and never thought of it again. Until Bulletstorm, that is.

From the minds with a fetish for thick arms and tough girls who love cargo pants, Epic Games brings us Bulletstorm, exactly the tale mentioned above exaggerated a thousand times over. It’s immaturity in videogames at its finest…what I thought would be the coolest videogame ever when I was 15. In writing this review, I feel old like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. Get off my lawn, or I’ll blast your brains out kid. Feelin’ lucky?

The frustrating section involving a remote-controlled dinosaur is brilliant. Carnage all around.

Starring a cast of ape-men who swear more than they talk, players will have trouble immersing themselves in the world of Bulletstorm. The cursing and banter is funny for all of thirty seconds, then gets old. Protagonist Grayson Hunt is so tough that we need to hear about it every few minutes, lest we forget. Every soldier is so tough that we need to be constantly reminded that they have balls of steel, that their pants are always too tight, and that they can down a bottle of anything and still kill everything in sight. Real old, real fast.

Assuming you are that 15 year old, have fun. This is the sort of game parents dread, not because of the gore or violence (it really isn’t that bad…relatively speaking). No, the characters curse like sailors, with mouths so filthy a soap-Listerine-rubbing alcohol mouthwash can’t fix. When your kid comes home saying “Mommy, what does (your four-letter word of choice) mean?”, it’s already too late. Thankfully lewdness is strictly verbal…and, well, gory and blood-filled. But the latter isn’t so bad (relatively speaking).

Adolescent potty-humor aside, the main function of Bulletstorm is not only about killing everything, but making it look good. Hardcore gamers may or may not enjoy the game for that exact reason: if you are interested in accuracy, eliminating oponents and moving on to win the game, Bulletstorm is not for you. But if you enjoy tea-bagging, acting like an ass online, and really have no sentiment for actual combat and would rather humiliate friends and strangers alike, then Bulletstorm sounds right for your candy ass.

The minimalist skillshot. String together more deaths with excellent timing and earn 20x more points

Developer People Can Fly achieves this in two ways: first, everyone is a bullet sponge. Take 50 bullets and hey, look, a scratch (well-placed shots can of course do serious damage, including one-hit kills). But forget about hits and focus on actual killing. Why just shoot bullets when there are more painful ways to torment enemies? Why not cut them in half, blow them up, fire exploding cannon balls, rip them to shreds with .50 caliber rounds, or worse? Better yet, get a group of uglies together and share the pain – be economical about it. No need to waste precious ammo when fireworks only require one bullet.

Every kill earns points, but each also has the opportunity to earn more points for specialty kills. Each weapon has a truckload. Kicking an enemy and filling their rump full of lead has a bonus, as well as a very pleasant visual of their corpse violently defecating. Shoot a chained mine around an enemy’s head and then wait for it to explode has two bonuses, for the headshot and the torturous waiting. Shoot a man in the crotch, watch him suffer and then end his misery for yet another award. Bulletstorm isn’t a shooter; it’s a robust embarrassment machine. It runs on the imagination of 13 year olds boys who worship Quentin Tarantino.

Whether or not that’s fun is entirely subjective, as mentioned earlier. It depends on how you enjoy first person shooters. Don’t expect to sit back and relax with a beer after a hard day at work playing Bulletstorm though. It’s demanding. The game practically requires your eyes stay glued to the TV so players don’t miss a thing. Levels have too many traps and pitfalls – built in or placed by opponents – to cheerily skip through. It requires a fully-active – and creative – brain to win.

Everything is trying to kill you, including the local flora. That doesn’t mean they can’t still be fun

Bulletstorm is certainly fun with friends, especially as a sort of “OH NO HE DIDN’T” game where every kill sparks a laugh, a bitch-slap, and a good time for all. But playing competitively effectively decimates the game’s premise of not taking any of it seriously. To play well, Bulletstorm requires a more serious, more attentive focus than most ‘standard’ shooters. Oh the irony.

As a single-player game, unless your favorite word is fart, poop or an expletive far worse, Bulletstorm is beyond over the top. Combat against AI is fun at first and challenging enough to remain enjoyable, but it isn’t satisfying. Sure, whip an enemy into his buddy’s rocket and watch the explosion wipe out five guys, and it’s a blast. But those are moments of enjoyment, not a signature of a fun game. Bulletstorm requires a lot of work from players to remain enjoyable. It isn’t simply fun. The fun is determined by how fun you make it, and how much you enjoy the violence.

For some, that’s certainly more than enough. I have no doubts we’ll be seeing plenty of incredible skillshots on YouTube in the coming weeks and months. But if you’re unsure, this is a rent first, buy later kind of game. It’s polarizing without a doubt – this is no Call of Duty. Some will be appalled while others will hail for joy at the gushing blood and putrid vernacular. Those who like Bulletstorm will love it, and those that don’t…

Amazon currently sells it for $26.48.

Good news.  Tomorrow Epic Games will issue a free update to the massively popular iPad/iPhone game Infinity Blade.  The new content will include five new weapons, five new shields, five new helmets and a new armor set.  Apparently, this new weapon set will allow gamers to increase the level cap to 45.  And that’s not all.  You can also expect a new area to explore (dungeons), a new enemy (“Marrow Fiend” – pictured) and some additional info about what the God King is up to.

Expect the multiplayer update to roll out sometime next year.

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With the holidays coming around, game companies just love to shell out their holiday spirits. Some, like EA with Epic Games’ Bulletstorm, take a more literal approach. When they sent an email around yesterday (above picture), I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been busy. I forgot about it. Lo and behold…the Nutcracker.

It’s a real nutcracker, not just a wooden voodoo doll like it quite seriously appears to be. The box itself is a laugh. Here’s a closer look:

And on the back, after a brief introduction for the February 22nd release, the following: “Of all the violent acts in Bulletstorm’s brutal skillshot system, it’s the “nutcracker” that provides a euphoric kind of satisfaction unlike any other. Upon execution, the reaction on your victim’s face is priceless. The accelerated swell of gratification through your veins is almost overwhelming. At first a foreign feeling, it quickly evolves to that of aggressive addiction. It’s for this reason that the “nutcracker” has been hailed by scholars of whimsy, citing it’s flawless implementation as “…darn near erotic.”

So, happy holidays, and watch your nuts!

5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Best graphics on any mobile device
• Brilliantly simple plot that doesn’t interfere with gameplay
• Strong gameplay with excellent replay value

Cons:

• Buggy; minor glitches can halt gameplay, revert to iOS screen
• Experience gained when mastering items doesn’t transfer to other items

The best games are the ones that never end. Infinity Blade, the new highest-grossing app on the App Store, doesn’t just have a cool name, it follows through very literally. This never-ending tale takes place on a simple battlefield, a medieval castle with demons guarding every doorway and stairwell, and players taking on the role of a scruffy knight in pursuit of truth, justice, and the American way. Well, almost.

First things first: Infinity Blade looks amazing. I can’t say without a doubt that it’s the best looking game on the iPhone and iPad, because the recently released Rage HD from id Software is also a visual stunner. The two games take very different approaches to graphics. Epic Games developer Chair Entertainment uses large and well-lit areas, excellent geometry and some simple animations, whereas Rage HD utilizes heavy darks and a lot of fast-moving high-quality textures. And while both Infinity Blade and Rage HD are highly restrictive games (see below), the Unreal Engine 3 running Infinity Blade isn’t limited to just this play style. As Epic Vice President Mark Rein showed me earlier this year, there are some very interesting and unique things coming from the game developer in terms of more classic controls on touch surfaces.

Back to Infinity Blade. The story follows a simple, almost effortless plot of a knight attempting to clear the land of a tyrannical ruler. The first scenes of the game introduce our knight and final boss, where the outcome is unexpected: players lose. Stabbed through the heart, the victor explains the catch: the knight’s progeny may fare better. Lo and behold, the real title screen comes up and our knight returns with a subtitle, 21 years later, and a promise to avenge his father.

This genealogical lineage is a brilliant twist to make a game everlasting without requiring varying levels of difficulty. Each time through the castle gives yet another chance to face off against the final boss, and if defeated, a new son will emerge two decades later to avenge his father, for ever and ever. Epic proliferates this notion of forever play by including upgrades to weapons, shields, armor, helmets and magical rings, with experience that passes from generation to generation. It takes about 13 lineages to collect all of the game’s items, and at least another whole lineage to master all items collected. That adds up to about 7 hours of gameplay.

Gameplay uses a simple sword-play mechanic, essentially a game of rock-paper-scissors. Players must dodge, parry or block attacks to throw enemies off balance, then strike by sliding a finger across the screen in the direction you choose the sword to go. Parrying is difficult because the swiping action is identical to an attack, and I’ve found that the knight would attack instead of parrying 80% if the time. Dodging requires pushing a virtual button on either side of the screen, while blocking is just the press of the shield button, but is also limited in how often it can be used.

It takes some time to adjust to this sort of gameplay, and I only got good at it on both the iPad and iPod Touch after two full bloodlines. By that time, I’d already leveled up greatly and thus defeated the final boss with relative ease, though players can continue on if they so choose. As mentioned above, collecting everything takes a long time. A great game mechanic worth mentioning is cutscene money collection. The cutscenes become boring and repetitive after the 2nd time watching, but sacks of money are hidden throughout the game, many of which can only be found during cutscenes. This makes watching them actually entertaining, like a game of hide ‘n seek.

Experience earned after battles is split five ways, for each of the five equipped items (weapon, helmet, shield, armor, ring). Earning full experience on an item gives users one skill point to devote to health, attack, shield or magic strength, while leveling up gives two points. The only misstep in this experience process is once an item is mastered, the experience earned is thrown out for that item. That means each time players use a mastered item, at least 1/5th of their experience doesn’t get added to the character whatsoever. Especially later in the game, I lost out on experience earned because I didn’t have the money to afford newer items to level up.

Currently, Infinity Blade is a single-player only game. It runs very smoothly, in both iOS 3.2 and 4.0+, though on several occasions I had to exit the app because of a glitch, or it just shut down entirely. My iPad did get surprisingly warm, even through the Apple iPad case, after an hour and a half of continuous play. Thankfully, the game saves after everything, so I never lost my data. More content is planned, with the promise of more armaments, enemies, another section of the castle and multiplayer.

The best part is that it’s only $6.99. With about 30 minutes of playtime through the entire castle once (going the long way through), and the average complete time in 4-5 runs, that’s a pretty good deal. With a promise for more without needing to put down any extra money, Infinity Blade is a best buy. It’s also horrendously addictive…even after I beat the game twice, I was preposterously inclined to continue playing, and just started my 13th run as of this writing. Gameplay is fast enough to remain fun, there are enough in-game items to collect for at least six hours of play, and it’s as stunning a game as you can find on any mobile device. Eat that, Sony and Nintendo.

Those of you still playing Gears 2 online will be happy to know that Rod Fergusson of Epic Games has just announced a giant patch coming for the successful franchise.  The patch or Title Update 6 will debut an all new matchmaking option entitled Social Xbox Live.  Effectively letting you join matches in progress, this should be a great addition to the Gears 2 multi-player experience. 

Here’s a rundown of all the new shit:

• You can join Social Matches in progress and can quit any time without penalty, although players who quit a match early don’t receive earned experience (XP) from that match.
• Social matchmaking lets your party join a match in progress. If a match is not found, your party hosts a new match, filling any empty player slots with bots.
• Social Matches automatically cycle to the next map without further matchmaking.
• Teams are rebalanced between matches based on XP level without splitting parties.
• If you quit, your spot is taken by a bot until a new player joins the match. That new player can join while the match is in progress.
• If you join a match in progress, you are assigned a team based on XP level and party size.
• If you join a match in progress, you replace a bot at the earliest opportunity: at the first bot’s death for respawning game types (for example, Annex) and at round completion for Warzone, Execution, and Wingman.
• Social leaderboards become part of the War Journal.
• Renames Public Matches to Ranked Xbox LIVE Matches to differentiate these from Social Xbox LIVE Matches, and adds some improvements to these matches.
• Improved host selection using bandwidth testing and previous hosting data has been added.
• Before the match begins, teams are balanced based on XP without splitting parties.
• Renames Private Matches to Custom Xbox LIVE Matches and makes these matches invite-only.
• Adds the ability to join Horde sessions that are in progress.
• In Social Horde, you can join a session in progress through matchmaking and you are able to continue your session from the last wave you failed without starting over.
• In Ranked Horde, you can join a session in progress only through invites.
• If you join a session in progress, at the end of the session you receive the score you achieved during the time you spent in the session.
• Improves the precision of weapon selection using the D-pad.
• Improves client-side hit detection for ballistic weapons.

As far as problems that persisted:

• Execution rules could be ignored when using certain weapon types.
• On the Subway map, you could get outside of the playable environment by sliding into cover and rolling between a train car and the side of tracks.
• On the Blood Drive map, you could get outside of the playable environment in various locations.
• Players could grief other players on Submission, Annex, King of the Hill, and Guardian games by preventing the objective from being completed while racking up experience. Title Update 6 adds match time limits to each of these game types to prevent this practice.
• An issue that could cause your profile to be overwritten, erasing XP level, and achievement progress.
• An issue that could cause a campaign save slot to be overwritten if you previously chose to continue without saving and then signed in.
• Changes the Gnasher Shotgun pellet pattern to increase hit consistency.
• Changes the Guardian game type to select the leader based upon XP level (highest to lowest).

Talk about dedication!!

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With the Gears of War 3 release date around a year away, the web is still on fire with all the bits of info it can deliver.  What we are hearing now is that there is going to be a 4-Player Co-Op mode for the single player campaign.  Hear that Job Security Ward and Dice?

Cliff Bleszinksi let that slip earlier today via his Twitter account effectively dissolving the panties of Gears fanboys everywhere.  I should probably stop playing Bad Company 2 for a night or two and finish Gears 2.

What do you think?  Will this be awesome?

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In what smells to be a heaping pile of malarky,  Epic Games is saying that Gears of War 3 “may” or “might” appear on next generation consoles.  Only really citing their upcoming Unreal 4 engine as a reason, this seems really lame to me.

Since next-gen hardware is still 4-5 years off, people will either have long forgotten Gears of War or have harbored such a massive grudge that they will boycott the game entirely, and then play it.  Either way I think that Epic Games owes it to the Xbox 360 to release Gears of War 3 within its life span.

There has got to be some other issues going on that we don’t know about and this is some unfortunate “news” indeed.  Just a short while back Cliffy B was touting new RPG like features to be implemented into Gears 3.  Booo!  Anybody else?

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Epic Games fervent mouthpiece Cliff Bleszinski has been quoted saying that the future of shooters is making them more like Role Playing Games.  Offering kudos to the lead designers of BioShock and Deus Ex, does this mean we will see some RPG features in Gears of War 3?  I hope so.  Being a huge fan of BioShock and mildly remembering Deus Ex, I am totally sold on the idea of making shooters a deeper and more involved experience.  While nothing has been confirmed at this point, it is a fun idea to think about.  Any ideas on what could work well with Gears of War 3?

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