Unfortunately despite the success of the series in the mid to late 90‘s the games have sadly suffered a definite decline in popularity in more recent years. In response to this Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have announced that next year the series is to be reinvented with a brand new origins story. Though so far not much is known about the new game we have been treated to a cinematic trailer as well as multiple screen shots. Want to know more about how Lara Croft became the spunky grave robber we all know and love? Then check out the cinematic trailer below:

So what does this trailer really reveal to us about Lara’s newest adventure? Well, to start with unlike previous Tomb Raider titles this game looks set to focus much more on survival and endurance than ever before. With the tag-line ‘A survivor is born’ the trailer shows Lara being subjected to harsher conditions and more grueling challenges than she has ever faced. Shipwrecked on a harsh and unforgiving island she must now learn the skills she needs to survive, including finding and fashioning weapons, first aid and scavenging. Overall the game promises to document the transformation of Lara from a normal girl into the kick-ass, tough as nails survivor that we know and love, and I for one am intrigued.

Though the trailer mainly focuses on the survival aspects of the game I have a strong feeling that there will once again be plenty of tombs to be raided. The newly released screenshots show Lara exploring a series of varying environments including everything from a barren coastline, to the decaying wreckage of destroyed ships and yes, even an ominous looking cave packed full of human remains. To continue with what looks to be a very tribal/occult theme the screen shots also hint that Lara will have to survive attacks and imprisonment by the island natives as well as battling with the hostile environment of the island itself. Well, it just wouldn’t be Tomb Raider if the walls weren’t lined with human skulls now would it.

It is also clear from this trailer that the graphics are set to take a step up for this title. Though the trailer is clearly cinematic and therefore cannot be expected to resemble in-game graphics the screen shots show Lara’s world in more detail than we have ever seen before. Clearly a lot of attention has been payed to making the island setting as intricate as possible. Organic textures and detailed shadows have been used to create a darker and more mysterious atmosphere with elements such as fire and water adding to the raw survival nature of the game.

It would also appear that Lara herself is to undergo some changes. Aside from her new haircut (of which I must say I do approve) it would seem that Lara has also become a much more rough and ready type of girl. Having sustained multiple injuries during the shipwreck (and with the graphics upgrade) Lara now appears much more susceptible to injury. Gone are the days when you could throw Lara off of a cliff and receive no more than a whimper. In this game if you cut her she is going to bleed.

One last point to note is the suggested location of the island Lara finds herself upon. Twice in the trailer we are shown a map of Japan (once on her pin board, once torn up on the beach) strongly hinting that the ship ran aground somewhere near the coast of Japan. Another small hint at a possible location comes in the form of a piece of concept art showing a mysterious statue carved into to rocks. This statue appears to be of eastern origin, again giving us a small clue at where Lara may have landed. I am also intrigued to know who the man is with whom Lara is traveling? Is he her father? Perhaps a college? I can’t help but feel that there will be a twist to this tale, but I suppose we will have to wait and see to find out.

Overall this looks like a very promising title. The origins theme looks set to take the game back into the glory days of the Tomb Raider series, with the enhanced graphics bringing the game firmly into 2012. I do however have one small reservation. Over recent years I have been disappointed with some of the more cinematic titles as more often than not it seems like increasingly stunning visuals have been taking the place of quality gameplay. It has seemed as though the more tempting the trailers and the more cinematic the cut scenes the more of budget has been spent on graphics leaving little for story development and gameplay. I can only hope that this look back into Lara’s past is an enjoyable and immersive game with stunning graphics and not just another play along movie.

Until next time,

24

x

Tomb Raider is due for release in Autumn 2012 for PS3 and XBox 360

www.tombraider.com

E3 kicked off today with the first of this years majour Press conferences. Microsoft took the stage with some key announcements that could get even the most hardcore of gamers jumping out of their seats.

So without further a-do, here is the lowdown:

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

First on the cards was a Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 live demo showing. The demo showed a squad of marines infiltrating a submarine through a plethora of dead bodies and wreckage. Turns out Manhattan is under attack and this is where the MW3 story line picks up. Not much is shown other than an epic battle at sea, but it looks like the 3rd installment of the Modern Warfare series is set to be an epic one.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be released 8th of November.

Tomb Raider

The reboot that we have (or maybe haven’t?) been waiting for was up next with Crystal dynamics. Another live demo was shown with Lara this time battling to survive an mysterious island that appears to be trying to engulf her. From what was released today the new Tomb Raider appears to be more survival horror based this time round and will be hitting our consoles in Auntumn 2012. I’m a little dubious to be honest as this reboot seems quite different from the Lara Croft that we all know and love, but more on that story later.

EA Games

Today EA announced some new titles for Kinect and the Xbox 360. Tigerwoods, Madden and FIFA will all be Kinect compatible, promicing players a whole new range of sporting activities.

After that brief  insght into the EA sports,  EA then gave us a look at the Sims 3 Pets which they revieled will also support Kinect.  Eye-pet mixed with Ninten-dogs maybe? More will be revealed at a later date.

Mass Effect 3

Dr Ray Muzyka announced details on the higly anticipated Mass Effect 3. He stated that the Galactic War has begun, and that Earth has been taken. Like many of the games showcased today  Mass Effect 3 will also support Kinect. Want to know how? Well one feature is that you can talk to your team mates through Kinect. Whilst playing, speech options will appear on the screen and when you respond to them Kinect will recognise your voice. A pretty nifty little trick which could work rather well. It doesn’t stop there though, you can also use Kinect in battle. With this new element you can gesture to your team mates and give orders whilest in battle. Pretty cool.

Ghost Recon Future Soldier

Yves Gullemot stated that Future Soldier will also use Kinect for some of its game play. Gunsmith is a new  feature in Future Soldier that will let you customise your own weapons down to the very core. You can break the guns down by using the Kinect motion sensors and construct your perfect weapon literally using your hands. A handy feature.

Xbox LIVE

Xbox  LIVE will soon also have some new features. The new Xbox Live experience will feature dashboard improvements which will work more with Kinect. The microsoft search engine Bing will also be added to the Dashboard. Sadly it wont be a full on web browser within Xbox live but it will give you the opportunity to use the Bing search engine to explore all Xbox Live content. YouTube will also be joining the Xbox dashboard family.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition

It has been 10 years since Halo Combat Evolved came out for the original Xbox, and it is now being remade. This time it will use the Halo Reach engine giving it an HD makeover for 2011 . To me this is fantastic news as even though Halo CE is an awesome game compared to more recent releases it does look rather dated. It is set to be released on the 15th of November this year.

Forza Motorsport 4

Another Kinect enabled game Forza will be bringing back the driving simulation that we have come to love on the Xbox. The game will feature Kinect head tracking, community car clubs, rivals mode, 16 players and an epic world tour.

Fable: The Journey

From the looks of things the this new Fable title will be fully connect compatible.The demo showed the game being played using Kinect by using gestures to creat spells and also holding invisible reigns to drive carriages. Could be good but so far I’m not that impressed by it, yet.

Kinect Starwars

Ever wanted to be a Jedi Knight? Well this is the closest you are going to get. Using Kinnect technology you get to shout things like “Light saber on” which surprise surprise activates your light saber. You can also  Jedi tricks such as force push by using the right actions. Surprisingly to me all of the action takes place in the 3rd person, as I assumed a game like this would keep the action close to give the player a full immersive experience. On the other hand I suppose might be a better vantage point.

Halo 4

It has finally been announced. Halo 4 will be making its way to Xbox 360 consoles Christmas 2012. A little while off yet but its official, Master chief is back!

And that was it for the Microsoft press conference. With some great announcements today we have a lot to look forward to in 2011 and beyond. Here at PlusXp we cant wait to hear what the other Press confrances will have to offer as the week progresses. Stay tuned for more E3 coverage.

Garv.

I have a dream, a dream that one day a small group of gaming journalists from the UK will have a great opportunity, and that opportunity will take them across to a distant land. A distant land that will be full of fantasy and wonderment, a land that will fulfil the dreams of those gaming journalists and will fulfil their life long dream, a dream of being united in covering the biggest gaming event of the year.

Sadly though that dream is still a little while off yet, but that doesn’t mean we at Plus XP still can’t get excited about the three day extravaganza. So what are we most excited about? Sadly I can’t speak for the other guys as I realise E3 is on today and I actually forgot to ask them in advance. Whoops. So in a mad bid to put something up on here before the Electronic Entertainment Expo kicks off I am going to list some of the bigger titles that all gamers out there should keep their eyes open for.

Project Café

The big Nintendo announcement to hit E3 this year will be the unveiling of the new console code-named: Project Café. Rumour has it that the console will equal to, or be more powerful than both the 360 and the PS3. It will also have touch-screen controllers that will be fully interactive with the consoles’ games. Sounds interesting and I’m pretty excited about what Nintendo will reveal.

The NGP

AKA the Next Generation Portable which will be revealed by Sony. Sony boast that its portable console is so good that the 3DS doesn’t stand a chance against it.

It has a fully interactive touch-screen and updated CPU. A large step up from the PSP. Looking forward to what this console will offer.

Mass Effect 3

Bioware’s third instalment in the Mass Effect series will be making an appearance at E3 with a playable demo, but will it live up to the epic standards set by Mass Effect 2? One way to find out, stay tuned to all our E3 coverage.

Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham Asylum has to be the best video game to be inspired by a comic, and the sequel will be at E3 this year. Announcements thus far state that Cat Woman will be playable and the whole of Gotham city will be available for Bats to explore. Stay glued here for more info as we get it.

Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

The sequel to the 2010 hit game Uncharted 2: Drakes Fortune, Drakes Deception again follows Nathan Drake as his epic story unfolds. Being dubbed as the male Tomb Raider, the third instalment should have some epic gameplay.

Gears Of War 3

Everyone has been knee-deep in the Gears of War 3 beta as of late, but what has the campaign got to offer? E3 will shed some more light on the GOW 3 campaign, and hopefully will give us a clearer idea if the game will live up to the previous titles.

RAGE

RAGE is one of the games I’m most excited for at E3 this year. Id’s next outing with a brand new game engine and immersive FPS gameplay will probably give titles such as Halo and Fallout a run for their money. Stay tuned for more info as we get it.

The Darkness II

The Darkness was an epically underrated game and hit the bargain bins faster than you could shout ‘Midlife Crisis’, but finally a sequel is being made to the epic FPS that had me really glued to my seat till the very end. With a darker story line and more in-depth gameplay, I am genuinely excited to see what else will be revealed.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Many gamers have been waiting for the sequel to Oblivion pretty much since the 360 was in its infancy. Now finally the next chapter in the Elder Scrolls saga is coming out and more info will be given out at this year’s E3.

Bioshock Infinite

From a city under the sea to a floating metropolis in the sky. Bioshock Infinite takes place in what some people may call heaven, but in the series’ style, the truth is far from it. While plenty has been revealed so far, we don’t know nearly enough about this next instalment in the series. Hopefully, more will be revealed over the next couple of days.

Assassins Creed Revelations

So what do 50-year-old assassins get up to? Retirement? Petty crime? Assassinating puppies? Not Ezio, he is still on an epic quest to stop the Templars and uncover even more secrets, but it doesn’t stop there, as you will even go back further into Desmond’s ancestry and once again take control of Altair. This game will be epic and more will be revealed this week.

SSX

Finally the snowboarding frenzy that is SSX is back and will be making an appearance, but gamers are saying that the games gritty turn will ruin the franchise. On the other hand, I’m open to change and will be looking forward to what will be announced.

That’s a lot of games to keep your eyes open for, of course epic lists such as these will have one or two titles missing. So here are the other games that will be hitting the expo floor.

Battlefield 3
Resistance 3
Starhawk
Twisted Metal
Journey
Forza Motorsports 4
Ms. ‘Splosion Man
Modern Warfare 3
Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Dead Island
Prey 2
Shinobi
Saints Row III
Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Ninja Gaiden III
Street Fighter X Tekken
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Tomb Raider
WWE 12
Prototype 2
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Dark Souls
Inversion
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
X-Men: Destiny
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Jurassic Park: The Game
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2
Bastion
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Rayman Origins
Sonic Generations
Catherine
Need For Speed: The Run
Madden 12
FIFA 12
Zelda: Skyword Sword

- Garv

Skyward Sword’s Link has been born and raised on Skyloft, a floating island above the clouds. That most awesome moment of the trailer, where Link jumps off that ledge and flies through the clouds? That’s a pivotal moment in the plot, wherein Link discovers there is a land below where he lives.

Previously, he wasn’t aware there existed anything below him. Upon arriving in the land below (though how he lands is anyone’s guess, seeing as he clearly didn’t bring a parachute with him for the jump), Link discovers the land is ruled by an evil force. Link’s new task is to then defeat the evil force and bring peace to the land, which involves him travelling between Skyloft and the as yet unnamed land below. Okay, so that second part doesn’t sound entirely new and fresh, but I’m someone loving the idea of Skyloft, and what can potentially be done there.

When a new Zelda was announced for the Wii, all anyone had to go on for a long while was the single concept image of Link and a silver woman. Rumours went around everywhere, but the top one garnering the most coverage was the idea that the silver woman was in fact, the personification of the Master Sword. Oddly enough for a Zelda rumour, this turned out to be remarkably accurate, and she is in fact, the Skyward Sword in a humanoid form. In fact, the Skyward Sword is the one who leads Link to the land below, and gives him guidance and direction, acting as the game’s Navi/Tatl/Midna. Later on in the game, it has been revealed that the Skyward Sword ends up becoming the Master Sword. A Zelda fan rumour turning out to be true? I’m as surprised as you are.

Other little factoids include the ability to sprint, the HUD having the ability to be turned off if you want it to, and the visual style being heavily influenced by impressionist paintings, and was one of the first parts of the game locked down and decided during development. The game is rumoured to take place in that wonderfully complicated Zelda Timeline before Ocarina of Time and possibly most Zelda Games, which would make sense, seeing as the Skyward Sword does in fact become the Master Sword. The other major rumour to come about is that the game will feature flight heavily, with air travel and air battles being a new addition to the series. The odd phrasing being banded around is that the sword itself helps you to travel between the lands. Watch this space.

After the E3 conference, Nintendo had a series of developer interviews on their website, one of which being with Miyamoto and Aonuma talking about Skyward Sword revealed a lot of additional details, too. For one, the game was named after the development idea that the sword could be charged up to gain energy by pointing the wiimote upwards, rather than holding a button, which felt less natural. The sword pointing upwards became a symbolic idea, and thus inspired the game’s subtitle. Another thing expressed was the idea that people felt that Twilight Princess was too big a game, and that affected the need for a strong foundation during development. The developers expressed a desire to increase the game density and amount of ideas within the world without making it a smaller world.

One idea I found particularly interesting was the internal debate over the Motionplus. Aonuma, during early development, felt that being able to swing the sword around freely and making that fun were two separate things, and because it lacked effectiveness, the Motionplus was given up on for a time during development. It returned in the game when Miyamoto told the producer of the Wii Sports Resort games to challenge Aonuma, as if Wii Sports Resort could use sword fighting mechanics effectively, why couldn’t Aonuma and Skyward Sword? This caused some of the technology from Wii Sports Resort to be borrowed, and Motionplus to come back to Skyward Sword for the Swordfighting, which now felt a lot more natural. The double hookshot was also mentioned from the Twilight Princess games, saying that they loved the idea of it, but they wanted the idea to be more natural and freeflowing. The sense of immersion in the game will be key to helping you understand its universe and to enjoy the denser world you’ll then be given.

Finally, some of the older traditional puzzles probably won’t find their way into Skyward Sword. Miyamoto and Aonuma mentioned there would be no more giant block pushing. They laughed and joked about how the whole idea of pushing giant blocks, especially ones bigger than Link himself was silly, and they found the whole idea ridiculous, so puzzles like that may not be prevalent, or even existant within the game. Aonuma and Miyamoto instead expressed a great affection towards the “Back to Basics” idea, and taking the great core ideas and making them denser, rather than overcomplicating the formula.

Skyward Sword will be out in 2011, and as PlusXP’s Nintendo fanboy, I’m already preparing to call it next year’s Game of the Year.

The man, the Myth, the Legend!

It’s been 5 years since Civilisation 4 first graced our screens and now we have the pleasure of Sid’s next installment, Civilisation 5. So, what can we expect for this new installment before the big E3 reveal? Let’s take a look at what’s already been announced:

For one, we have a whole new game map with a hexagonal grid, taking a break from the normal format seen in previous games. Gone as well is the religion feature, which could be seen as an improvement by those who thinking whipping out a religious group could be seen as a tad risqué. So what other new features are going to available? Well, for one all the faction leader are now going to be actually talking to you instead of showing simple text boxes. Though it’s going to be interesting to hear the Babylonian leader Nebuchadnezzar (try saying that 5 times fast, heck try saying it at all!) insulting you in a dead language…though I wish they’d kept Hammurabi as the leader, he was always my favorite leader.

Fear my beard dreads!

So, there a total of 18 Civilisations in this particular incarnation (although Babylon is only available via digital download) each with 2 specialist units, specialized building and unique powers. There’s also the addition of city states, these act like small weaker civilisation which you can either outright conquer or simply extend your influence over to gain, military, maritime or cultural benefits.  Your own and other active playing faction cities have also changed. You no longer have to keep a city garrisoned at all times to avoid it being taken over as the populous as it grows will arm and train its own defenders.

Look ma, no garrison!

The cities themselves will also start with the ability to grow 3 hexes externally instead of 2, but will have to have aid in order to use hexes further from each other. So, that’s most of what we know so far. Hopefully in the next few days we’ll hear more about what we can expect from Civ5 when it arrives in September.

-That bloke in the beanie

Anyone who logged on last week will know that my last contribution was a rather excited outburst giving you a sneaky look at the newest Guitar hero controller. I will not lie. I will always be a guitar hero girl. I was hooked at Gh3 and never looked back. I do however acknowledge that there are a lot of Rockband aficionado’s out there and it simply wouldn’t be fair to talk about the new guitar hero hardware without also having a nosey at the newest offering from the Rockband music room. I am usually a Gh girl through and through, but believe me when I say that this time the guys at Rockband really have turned it up to 11…

For a while now there have been rumors of a complete Rockband instrument overhaul, but I must admit I was initially skeptical. On completion of the online demo, Greenday Rockband showed a small but significant teaser in the form of a keyboard symbol. At this time it was easy to assume that this would be largest change made to rockband this year, however after what we have now seen at E3 it is clear that the keyboard was merely the start of the Rockband re-design.

With this I am calling all Rockband Guitarists, Drummers, Vocalists and Keyboardists to listen up and listen good! In honor of E3 week here is my very special (and perhaps slightly sketchy) summery of some of the features the new rock band hardware. Clear out your virtual music rooms, its time for an overhaul.

Keyboard
I am of course obliged to start with the newest member in the Rockband family, the keyboard. For a while now we have pondered over the appearance of the new keyboard controller, but we need ponder no more because here it is.

Is it a Keyboard or a Keytar?

Looking like a cross between a keyboard and a keytar the Rockband keyboard seems, well kind of unsurprising really. More interesting perhaps is the way the keyboard appears on screen. From what we have seen so far the keybord appears on screen in a similar way to the guitar and drums, but with a twist. Due to the sheer number of notes, instead of having a static runway strip the on screen instructions for the keybord will scroll from left to right allowing players to see only three colored sections of notes at a time. Arrows will indicate when the runway is about to move from left to right, and as the songs get more complicated the movements will become faster and more frequent.

A little fuzzy granted, but you get the idea

In another interesting twist it seems that there is going to be the possibly of using a small patching unit to connect a normal keyboard so that it can be used within the game. Though the unit itself will obviously cost money the idea of being able to use your existing instruments is very creative, and will more importantly save space. Space which you could use to buy…say maybe a new guitar…

Pro-Guitar
This brings me conveniently onto the new Pro-mode Guitars. Not only because in website team band sessions the guitar is often the most popular instrument, but also because out of the classic instrument set it is the guitar which has had the most attention.

If this one isn't real enough for you...

At this years E3 two new models of virtual guitar have been unveiled, both more advanced and awe inspiring than ever before. The first, the ‘Mustang pro’ guitar shown seems to be kind of a half way house between a classic Rockband controller and a real guitar. Though this guitar still has buttons along the frets, it has ditched the strum bar completely and replaced it with a set of 6 playable strings. I should also take the opportunity to now mention that as well as using these new controllers to play pro Guitar, it is also possible to use them to play Pro Bass. This means that Bass players will not be left out of the instrument based excitement, bless their cotton socks. Back to the topic of the Guitar itself  I may be a Gh girl at heart, but even I will admit this is exciting. Though this new controller is massively more advanced than anything we have seen before, it could be easily argued that impressive though it may be this is still not a true representation of a real guitar. To start with the strings are fixed to the body and do not continue up the neck, and further to this it only has 17 frets as opposed to the standard 22. This doesn’t really bother me, but if you are the type to be disappointed by this lack of realism don’t worry. Enter the second pro guitar.

...then how about this one

Check out this little beauty. In addition to the upgraded standard guitar Rockband were also seen showcasing a fully game compatible Fender Squire stratocaster guitar. Unlike the standard Pro guitar this nifty bit of kit has a full fretboard and fully functional strings. If you like the idea of realistic rocking out this one is for you, I for one doubt it will ever get more real than this.

At first glance it is easy to get distracted by the impressive good looks of these guitars, but do not let image distract you from the bigger picture. The effect they will have on the gameplay runs far deeper than a set of strings and a shiny scratch plate. It is clear that with the stunning level of detail and realism that has gone into creating these new guitars the aim of this mode is no longer to simply play hit songs and beat the games career mode. No, to the guys at Rockband its clearly not about this anymore. Pro mode claims to teach you the basics of how to play a real guitar, using real chord formations and finger placements to teach you as you play. Because the guitar has so many buttons the classic on screen system no longer works. In the new on screen layout instead of simply having 5 colored lanes representing varying individual notes, we now have 6 lanes each representing a string. In addition to the colors each note you are asked to play now has a tiny number above it corresponding to the fret you are supposed to play the note on. A bit complicated no? Anyone good at maths? In theory by playing pro mode guitar you are supposed to be able to transfer the skills you learn in the game onto a real guitar and thus become a guitarist. Though this is undeniably an impressive use technology, I am starting to worry that Rockband is moving a little too far away from the original point of the game.

Not really related to what I am saying I know but we all like more pictures of guitars

I play games to have fun and unwind. If I wanted to learn to actually play the guitar I may as well spend my money on my dream guitar, learn to play it from tab and have the rest of the Plus-Xp team stand behind me holding up cardboard stars and occasionally throwing glitter at me to mark my progress. Ok so this may sound a little bit silly but my point remains the same. So far the rrp of these new guitars has not been mentioned but I am assuming that they will not come cheap. Then even if the price is not enough to put you off I am betting that the complexity of the new on screen instructions in conjunction with the sheer number of buttons will leave many players more frustrated than entertained. I hate to be pessimistic about all of this as new guitars are very aspirational and exciting, however the way I see it a lot of the appeal of Rockband is that you can play it with friends and share the experience. In all honesty behind all of the excitement and Guitar lust I fear that to many players the new guitars run the risk of being more off putting than inspiring, and in a game originally designed to be played together this is not necessarily a good thing.

I still want a go one one though…I can’t help it… its just so epic… let… me… at… it…

Drums
Now to the drum kit. As an enthusiastic (and thats putting it mildly) Rockband drummer I was pleased to see that the Drum Kit has also had a Makeover. In addition to the 4 classic drum pads three new symbols have been added to the kit, making it more true to life and just generally more shiny.

Shiny, Shiny

The three new symbols aim to mimic the set up of a Standard basic rock kit by adding a high hat, plus crash and ride symbols to the existing three toms and snare we are all familiar with. Though I expect the game will continue to be, well lets just say ‘creative’ with which pad makes which sound, these new symbols will almost certainly make the drumming experience more realistic, more challenging and therefore more fun. Oh and I should also say that from what I have seen so far it looks like these symbols will be available to buy as an add on to an existing kit saving us money and effort. Nice.

Vocals
Not much to say here I’m afraid. I suppose there is a limited amount you can do with a microphone really… Perhaps the singers will just wear a hat and feel special that way, it may work. Not to leave the vocals out completely I will mention the fact that Rockband three will be including multiple harmonies Harmonies as seen in the beetles Rockband. I suppose this is nothing very new and exciting, but its all I have.

Now thats what I call full band play baby!

Thats it really, everything I know about the new rockband kit in one neat little post plus my added musings on the guitar. Ok, so perhaps the post wasn’t that little, but just one more quick footnote to finish. I wouldn’t be surprised if after reading this some of you find yourselves peering hopelessly into your tragically empty wallets with a mixed look of both great excitement and vague dismay on your faces. It would after all be nieve to imagine that these sorts of kit upgrades would come cheap, however there is hope for all you skint little guys. As well as showcasing all of this new kit the guys at Rockband have also made it very clear that the old instruments will still be compatible with the Rockband three content. You won’t be able to play pro mode with your old instruments, but you will still be able to play all of the same songs in the older, much more familiar Rockband format. There have also been whisperings form the team about new content for the original instruments, meaning that if you prefer your old controllers you wont be left out.

Thats really it now…No more footnotes…I want to buy more plastic guitars…

Until next time,

GuitarGirl24
x

Who wants new instruments?

]]> http://www.plusxp.com/2010/06/rockband-three/feed/ 0 http://www.plusxp.com/2010/06/nintendos-e3-conference/ http://www.plusxp.com/2010/06/nintendos-e3-conference/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:38:20 +0000 PlusXP http://plusxp.com/?p=3847 With the disappointment of Microsoft’s conference weighing heavy on many, Nintendo’s conference wouldn’t really have to exert much effort to give a better showing. What Nintendo did give was a conference with a massive amount for the hardcore, and a lot of promise for their new 3DS.

The conference kicked off by looking at the new Zelda for the Wii, now subtitled ‘Skyward Sword’. Looking like a mix between the graphical style of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, it gives an artistic style that looks incredible. Hoping that the Wiimotion Plus addon will help to make all of the controls and complicated layouts an element of the past, Shigeru Miyamoto came onstage to demonstrate after a video that helped inject some humour into the proceedings. However, his demonstration would prove to be worrying as ‘Wireless Interference’ would prove to make controlling and showing off the game difficult, and left those onstage to apologise profusely and assure the crowd that “This didn’t happen in the rehearsal” and “When you play the game for yourself, you’ll see it works”. The WiiMotion Plus does seem as if it’ll give a better sense of control, despite the worryingly demo, with weapons being more refined to accomodate motion controls, such as the ability to aim where you throw, drop and roll bombs, new weapons such as the Beetle launcher which allows you to guide a Beetle around which can pick up additional items for you and the Whip, as well as old items like the catapult. It was then announced that Skyward Sword would be delayed until 2011 as the development was taking longer than expected.

Despite some demo issues, I fell in love with this game like it was love at first sight.

Then next up, Mario’s involvement with sports was given another boost with Mario Sports Mix, also to be released in 2011. Thankfully, Nintendo saw fit to combine several sports games into one, rather than release them separately, and will contain Volleyball, Hockey and Dodgeball with the traditional Mario Sports twist.

Following up on this, Nintendo took the time to point out the staying power of the Wii, and how it had managed to sell the most in December 2009 than any other console had ever sold in a month, that more games had been sold for the Wii than anything else, and that Wii players use their console more than other Console players will use their consoles. To keep this in mind, Nintendo showed off another ‘bridge’ title for Wii Party. Basically looking like a reskin of Mario Party, but with the more neutral and casual Miis, Nintendo hopes that Wii Party can hope to appeal to all audiences and attract more people to the console. Keeping with a tilt to the casual side, Nintendo then confirmed that Just Dance 2 would arrive on the Wii in the Christmas season.

Acknowledging that nothing had been mentioned or shown of Golden Sun DS since last E3, Fils-Aime then showed off the first footage of the game, now subtitled “Dark Dawn”. Taking place a generation after the first two Golden Sun games, Dark Dawn will combine 3D characters with new summons and touch screen controls, and will hit the Nintendo DS in the Christmas season.

Moving on from one kind of golden to another, Reggie Fils-Aime then showed footage taken from a focus meeting about Goldeneye 007 for the N64, asking just what made it so revolutionary. It was then revealed that Activision are to remake the original game for the Wii, which’ll hit in the Christmas season like everything else. The new Goldeneye will include reworked sections from the original with added content and Daniel Craig as James Bond. While admittedly, it looks like an odd reworking of the game, only time will tell if it’s a remake worthy of the game, or another Rogue Agent.

I think you'll find the support for a Goldeneye remake was quite, DAMning... No dice? Dam.

Moving on, the conference turned to Epic Mickey, taking Mickey to a while new level while exploring the old and new Disney with unique twists. One of the gameplay innovations will be Mickey’s paintbrush, with which he can either create or destroy the environment around him. By using paint, he can create new environmental scenery, people and platforms, and with the paint thinner, he can destroy those things, as well as that which he creates. The story is also focused in a way that multiple playthroughs will be in order, with plotlines and sidequests done so that they can be completed with multiple outcomes which will all build to different, unique endings. It will also combine elements of side scrollers, as was demonstrated with the level containing a retro throwback to Steamboat Willy. Before leaving, it was discussed how difficult it was to balance both innovation and heritage, and its hoped that the game gets that balance right. Epic Mickey will be hitting the Wii exclusively in the Christmas season.

Reggie then talked about the creation of Kirby, and his lack of a home console outing for a long while, and that this would be recitified with a new Kirby game, also hitting the Wii during the christmas season. Kirby: Epic Yarn has an incredible unique art style which is reminiscent of Yoshi’s Island and Yoshi’s Story, and Kirby can use yarns to move about the environment, take new forms, and has an art style which combines seemlessly with the gameplay and the incredibly cutesy and upbeat music. There also looks to be a return of the companions from Kirby Super Star, and the side scrolling nature of the game looks like an amazing return for Kirby which should hopefully find its way into Wiis everywhere.

First he was real, then trapped in a painting, Kirby, how long are you going to string us along like this? I'll leave now...

Dragon Quest 9 was then discussed, as well as its massive impact in Japan, selling 4.2 million copies, and one such reason being the tag mode as well as the ability to go into multiplayer with friends. Reggie hoped that the game will have a similar impact in the US when it hits July 11th.
Dragon Quest 9 was followed by a quick look at Metroid Other M, which will be hitting the US at the end of August.

Continuing to prove that Reggie Fils-Aime knows how to segue, he then talks about Retro Studios wanting to handle a different series after their work on the Metroid Prime games. He then revealed that Retro Studios have been working on Donkey Kong Country Returns, showing off a reel of footage, including mine cart action, Diddy Kong, and the same level of gameplay that made the originals so great. A bombshell game revival with another christmas bombshell release, meaning that Nintendo are packing the Christmas season with one of its most intense lineups for the Wii in years.

Retro Studios hits E3 with the bombshell Donkey Kong Country revival.

And then came the talk that everyone was waiting for. No, not the Wii HD becoming a reality, the 3DS. After talking 3D for a while, smack talking the need for 3D glasses, and showing off a reel detailing the history of 3D, the 3DS raised up from a tiny platform and was finally revealed.
So what are the details of the 3DS that was kept so under wraps? This is what we were able to gather:
-The top screen is a 3.5 Inch Widescreen.
-It has an analogue slider, allowing for a greater level of control, as well as the D-Pad.
-The ability to turn 3D off is available with a slider.
-The touch screen at the bottom will not have 3D, as Nintendo discovered during development that touch screens and 3D don’t go amazingly well.
-The Graphics are much improved (witnesses to the gameplay claim it’s the same level as the Wii)
-It’ll contain a gyroscope and motion sensor.
-It’ll be back compatible with the Nintendo DS.
-There are two cameras on the case, meaning that it’s possible to take 3D photos as well.
-Can show 3D Hollywood Movies and Trailers
-The Tag Mode from the DS also makes a return, but the games can be updated without the games being on or in the 3DS. If you pass someone else, you can get ghost data and new data.
-The 3DS will automatically seek out Wifi and Internet.

All I know is, I want 3.

Then, Project Sora was finally announced to be Kid Icarus Uprising, with the protagonist himself swooping in and apologising: “Sorry to Keep You Waiting!”
Nintendo then dazzled everyone with a gameplay reel showing graphics nearing the level of the Wii. Other games announced at this point included:
-Saints Row
-Professor Layton: Mask of Miracles
-DJ Hero 3D
-Resident Evil Revelations
-Assassin’s Creed
-Kingdom Hearts
-Metal Gear Solid (Later confirmed to be Snake Eater)

Just before the end of the show, Nintendo finally showed off another reel with a humorous side, as Iwata, Miyamoto and even Fils-Aime himself were sucked into the world of the Nintendo 3DS. A bunch of items from Nintendo series flew out of the 3DS at the end, confirming future Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart, Starfox and Donkey Kong games, and even a possible Smash Bros game.
With that, Nintendo finished up their conference with a massive selection for the hardcore this Christmas and the show stealing 3DS.

As Plus XP resident Nintendo fan, I was left without a doubt that Nintendo stole the show, and revealed a lineup and future console that need to be in my life in future. What did you think?

-Jokesound

Usually every year I am excited about the Microsoft E3 Press conference. Nothing puts a smile on my face more than the thought of some big game announcements and previews for my beloved console. But to hear that most of the conference was about Kinect and how much this thing is about as revolutionary as the latest Final Fantasy title I feel a little disappointed and underwhelmed.

To be honest I am pretty much done with speaking about Kinect. So if your interested at all at what Kinect does or whatever. Check out my previous post devoted to the thing. It will tell you what its all about and the games coming out for it.

The conference opened with a demo for Call Of Duty: Black Ops. To be honest I am not a big war game fan, it is all too real for me. But something about this demo actually got me a little excited. Which is a bit weird really as the Modern War Fare 2 stuff last year didn’t really phase me in the slightest. Thing is I really can’t put my finger on it either. In the demo came in two parts, first part you were taken through some underground tunnels to get behind enemy lines. The feeling of claustrophobia was pretty damn neer perfect as you had no idea if an enemy was coming round the corner or not. The second half of the demo show you hijacking a helicopter and causing all sorts of chaos, blowing up bridges etc. It looked pretty fun, and I would actually like to look more into it. It also turns out that Xbox 360 will be getting all the new COD maps and DLC before anyone. Good old limited console exclusivity…this is for the next three years by the way.

Next up we have Metal Gear Rising. Oh my sweet zombie jesus this game looks somewhat amazing. Not being much of a MGS fan myself but being a huge hack and slash fan, this game looks set to be a revolution in hack and slash games. In the first trailer you saw Raiden hacking everything and anything to bits, be it cars, people, buildings. But that’s not all, there was a clip where Raiden was pretty much dicing up a  in mid-air and you could control each slash Raiden did. This is going to be blood thirsty yet awesome. The trailer finished with the words “What will you cut? It’s all in your hands.” Yes this looks utterly insane and I cannot wait.

Next on the menu is the infamous gears of war 3. Now this is the part of the article where I look at the Gears footage and compare it to Jokesounds review of the future on gaming lives. Was he correct? Lets watch.

They showed off the 4 player co-op campaign mode for a bit. It looked typical gears Of War really, which isn’t a bad thing at all. What I really did like the look of was the Mutated Locust. Now these are some pretty mean SOB’s. You know in Halo 3 where some of the flood Mutate in the later levels. Think that times 20 and your kind of there. There are also some female characters for you to use so that’s always a plus for girl gamers and 12-year-old prepubescent kids. As for jokesounds review of the future. You may have missed the mark a tad, but its a demo at the end of the day so we just don’t know. There is gonna be a new mode called Beast, More on that when I get info.

Next up we Have Fable III with our good friend Peter Molenux, lets see what he has to say. He basically says all the things I know already, 10 decades after fable II, says revolutionary about five times then shows a trailer which looks pretty good. Looks like you will indeed have a dog again, and again you have to save Albion. but to me this time it looks like you can do things like combine magical spells, I saw fire and electricity being thrown at the same time so that looks pretty awesome. Not much else revealed though, watch this space.

A side note here, Crytek have joined forces with Microsoft game studios and are working on a project called “Codename Kingdoms” This is all I know. Moving on.

Halo Reach time, and yes I did nerdgasm a tiny bit. What was shown was a demo the campaign mode of the game. Its darker, more brutal and just generally more awesome than any other Halo title. Its classic Halo mixed with new Halo. The old tuning folk drop ships are back, elites are back and are as bad ass as ever. But what I did love was a glimpse of the space battle at the end of the demo. Yes that’s right people, Halo reach has battles in space where you are controlling a small gun cruiser and shooting up covenant space ships. Oh hell yeah! And that’s all bungie had to show. Bring on September.

Then the rest of the conference was talking about Kinect and the brand new Slime Xbox 360 with 250 gig HDD and hardly any fan noise. That’s cool and all but why do I get the feeling Xbox is trying to look like an old Fat PS3? *facepalm*

That’s all from me on the Microsoft press conference. Tune in for a round up of PS3 and Nintendo press conferences plus whatever else the team finds out about E3 2010.

- Garv

Now E3 2010 is here a year later and Microsoft have now revealed the full name of Project Natal and then some. We now have a definitive list of what games will come out with it and what to expect from Microsoft’s new creation.

Now Dubbed Kinect the Microsoft uber camera from the future will come with games such as:

Joy Ride

If you ever wanted to take your Xbox LIVE avatar on a tour of the world in a mixture of vehicles and flying machines, well here is your chance to do so. Joy Ride is a game where you hold an imaginary steering wheel and take your Avatar for the ride of its life, in a mixture of planes and automobiles, even full on flying cars. I have been told that if you shift you body and wave your hands, you vehicle will do a host of crazy stunts in the air. True Story.

Dance Central

Just Dance on the Wii is no match for this game, Brought to you by MTV Games (the lovely people who bring you Rock Band) Dance Central lets you dance till your heart’s content. By following prompts on the screen you are free to dance the night away. Kinect will pick up every single move you make and grade it, if you do rubbish the music will slow down and a voice will help you apparently. I can just imagine the voice to be like the Gate Keeper from that really old board game which you had to play with the Video tape… “DANCE BETTER MONKEY!!! YOU CALL THAT NIGHT FEVER!?”

Kinect Disney

there will be some sort of Disney game coming out of this. All we know is that it involves Tinkerbell and Cinderella’s castle…. You never know it maybe a new kingdom hearts game, or Microsoft showing off again. Only time will tell.

Kinect Star Wars

Now this sounds damn exciting, Microsoft showed the people of E3 an interesting demo where a Jedi was fighting hordes of enemies. Each light saber movement was controlled by the player, and we are talking some intricate stuff here, also there was a force push motion where the player would thrust his hand forward and push enemies out-of-the-way, much like Star Wars force unleashed. Then the player confronted Darth Vader in an epic light saber duel. If this works smoothly it will be one hell of a title. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for this one.

The ability to do this on Kinect? Yes Please!

Kinect: Adventures

Another one of the quirkyer titles. You are put through a series of Indiana jones style adventure scenarios and you job is to survive them. It’s an on the rales game where you have to grab certain targets infront of you in order to progress. You also have the opportunity to strike awesome poses and get your photo taken. Sound a bit odd and crazy but oh well.

Kinectimals

The name says it all. Think Nintendogs but with better animals. Kinectimals is basically another virtual pet game where you get to interact with your new pet. Yes it is tamagotchi of the new generation, you can feed it, pet it, throw it a ball. Even teach it new tricks. You get to have pets like Tigers, Lions and Bobcats. Could be ok, maybe not my cup of tea though.

Kinect Sports

Need I say more? Yes this is Wii sports for Kinect, sports shown were football, track and field, volleyball and of corse bowling. I don’t really need to go into too much detail here as we have all played Wii sports sometime in our lives. Just think that without a controller and you mimicking all of the sports. Got it? Good.

Kinect Yoga & Tai Chi

If you’re looking for the perfect yoga and tai chi gamer you have found it. A female instructor will take you through the moves all you have to do is mimic them. There is a silhouette of what move you should be doing on-screen, if you snap to it then you get the points, or whatever it has.

Kinect Apps

Microsoft also showed off its new kinect dashboard, where apps can be selected by just pointing at them, things like Facebook and netflix were there at the point of a finger. There was also a new photo sharing app where you can show photos to other party members in real-time while video chatting. Nice.

Kinect to me looks like it has a couple of new features over the Wii. And to be honest I am really excited about that Star Wars game if it works well. Be sure to stick around Plus XP for some more E3 news as we get it.

Garv

I had no plans to write anything tonight. If anything I was ready for a quiet night in with my duvet and a good dvd…AND THEN I SAW THIS….

Its just so shiny....

Yes people, its official. I returned to the country today to find that the internet has been littered with images of a guitar made of what can only be described as the heaviest of heavy metal. Well actually no, its still plastic, but you see what I mean. Looking like some sort of axe of the gods, it not only has an entirely interchangeable body but also claims to be the biggest controller yet. Oh and they have removed all of the extra stuff like the slide bar and unnecessary buttons, a decision which wins my instant approval. In my opinion the bigger and scarier they make the controllers the better the game and I in all honesty can’t wait to get my hands on one.

Look! Interchangeable bodies

Apart from tempting us with leaked images of a snazzy new axe the guys down at GH headquarters have remained relatively quite about their new release. So far only 2 of the 90 new songs promised seem confirmed, and though there have been rumors of new modes no official details seem to have been given as yet. Though the lack of solid information is quite evident my excitement at these new images is no less intense. It is obvious from the title, trailers and new controller that this game is taking the guitar hero series back to its almost comical rock/heavy metal roots and I am very hopeful that a lot more will be reviled about this title at E3 next week. Until then a final treat for you all. After a bit of light digging I have been able to turn up a pretty cool trailer. Being a guitar hero geek I watched this and got so excited I almost nerdgasmed, because of this I think everyone else should watch it too.

Guitar Hero characters turning into heavy metal beasts? I’ll take some of that…to go…with fries…I should eat something…its all just too much…

Until next time,

GuitarGirl24

x

Guitar Hero Warriors of rock is set for release in September 2010. Until then watch this space.