Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a hack and slash game based on the fantasy created by J. R. R. Tolkien. This story takes place during the same period as the books (or movies), but in the game, the tale told is that of another group of adventurers. There have been many attempts to translate the rich world of LotR into video games, and many have failed. However, while still not the definitive Tolkien experience, I’ll agree with the bold statement made in the cover: “this is the best LotR game yet”. After the movies came out (2001, 2002 and 2003), everyone started looking at this universe differently. Peter Jackson really raised the bar when giving life to Tolkien’s stories, and I was glad to see this represented in the game. Environments are rich and varied; weapons and armor also have a very unique feel to them. Character models are simple, but you’ll certainly note the resemblance of some of the known characters, like Elrond, Aragorn and Bilbo. Effects are few, even when casting spells or using special skills, but this works out for the best because it does not get in the way of your view of the battlefield, which gets really busy at times. Textures are decent, but what really upped the visuals a bit was the lighting. Animations are the only thing that disappointed me a little bit, but only during cut scenes (and there are many), because combat looks really good and fluid. Like most action games, it’s really simple to switch between weak, strong and ranged attacks. Special skills acquired through leveling are just as easy to use and can change the tide of the battle. You’ll play as one of 3 classes (ranger, warrior or mage), each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but since they’re always together it doesn’t really matter which you choose. Just make sure it’s the one more suited to your play style. The ranger (based on Aragorn, a.k.a. Strider) is more of a DPS character and a great archer. His bow and arrow skills are extraordinarily useful, but he also handles close combat pretty well (unless surrounded by stronger enemies). The warrior (a dwarf that looks a lot like Gimli) is your tank character, with a bunch of war cries that will boost your party’s stats. Finally, the mage (which doesn’t resembles much any of the members of the fellowship) is an elf with some great control abilities and also works as the healer and ranged defender. You can play as any of these characters (and change in between major checkpoints if you feel like it) while the computer (or someone else) controls the other two. Working together is the key to overcome the biggest challenges. Based on the epic score of the movies, I was expecting the soundtrack to be more remarkable, but it ended up being a bit repetitive and otherwise uninteresting. Sound effects are good and do justice to the fun combat. Unfortunately, not the same can be said about the voice acting, which is very inconsistent. In a game with as many cut scenes as this, you’d expect more, especially since Nolan North lends his voice to the ranger. However, the dialogue does not sound like Tolkien, which only serves as aggravation. The story has you running after a sorcerer by the name of Agandaûr to prevent a massive attack at the North ( ! ) while helping those who are somehow hindered by his evilness along the way. I thought it worked fine for the game, and while it might not be as epic as Frodo’s journey, it certainly didn’t feel out of place or sounded unbelievable in the overall scheme. Please note that I’m a fan, so don’t take this lightly. Like many action games, combat can get a bit tiresome at times. Fortunately, you can switch between characters and mix it up a little bit by trying different play styles every once in a while. I only wish you could do this on the fly right in the middle of fights, instead of having to quit and reload to do so. Co-op is certainly the way to go, since your AI partners aren’t really bright and don’t usually take orders that well. I also enjoyed having a New Game + option, since, for some reason, I always appreciate starting the game more and more powerful (however, at least 3 playthroughs on increased difficulties are required to platinum the game). Overall, I was pleased with Lord of the Rings: War in the North. It certainly scratched my itch for something related to the subject and it was really interesting to see something new created for this rich universe, even if it’s not nearly as good as the original. A hack and slash RPG with solid combat and placed in the best fantasy world ever created; this is how I’d describe it. A great time for anyone interested in one great cooperative game or just looking to revisit Middle-Earth. Review Pros Cons A Lord of the Rings game! Solid and rewarding combat Fun co-operative experience Lots of loot to hoard and secrets to uncover Bland soundtrack and voice acting Overly complicated menus make it annoying to switch characters and manage equipment Story is fun, but fails to deliver a true LotR feeling of epicness Rating 87%

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[Review] Lord of the Rings : War in the North

Wizards of the Coast and Stainless Games have released one expansion set for Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012. (We reviewed the game and its expansion .) Since that time, they have released three sets of two additional decks (six decks total), bringing the entire list of decks to a rather impressive nineteen. I was disappointed that Wizards did not advertise these most recent additions. I’m here to bring them to your attention and to give you my take on what’s worth buying and what isn’t, as each of the three deck pack DLC is going for 3 USD on PSN. Deck Pack 1 includes the decks March to War and Ghoulkeeper. March to War is a white/red deck with soldiers and a moderate life-gain sub-theme. The deck’s tribal synergy isn’t terribly apparent, but this is probably necessary for deck balancing purposes, as a better-made soldier deck might well stomp all over the other Duels decks. Also, despite the deck’s red mana base, it is curiously lacking in damage spells. Nevertheless, this is a fun deck to play, and it is quite strong after proper sideboarding. The second deck, Ghoulkeeper, is a third mono-black deck (how many black decks do we need?) with a zombie tribal theme. This deck is slow to get started; for the first few rounds you may have to take some hits. Once you get going, though, you’ll be cranking out the undead like a fiend and supporting weak zombies with lord creatures that give tribal buffs to zombies. And you’ll be resurrecting zombies from the graveyard like mad. This is another powerful deck; it just takes some methodical planning to make a game’s tempo swing in your favor. All in all, Deck Pack 1 is a great buy with two strong decks. Deck Pack 2 features Forest’s Fury and Dark Heavens. Forest’s Fury is, amusingly enough, a mono-green tree tribal deck. Yes, practically all of your creatures are trees (like Ents in the Tolkien universe). I find this deck to be a lot of fun, but it’s not a very competitive deck. You have no fliers and very little flying control, few ways to remove enemy creatures, and a host of expensive, big trees. Still, the trees play well together, buffing each other in interesting ways. Dark Heavens is a white/black deck with a sort of angel & demon theme. It’s an odd deck, but it features lots of evasion (mainly with fliers), interesting defenders that don’t totally suck (defensive “wall” creatures typically aren’t worth playing), some removal, and a healthy smattering of lifegain. This is my favorite deck of the six new decks. It’s a bit tricky to play, but you can set up interesting combos and synergies, and whenever I pilot the deck, the game always feels fresh and new. All in all, though, I’d rate Deck Pack 2 as less effective than Deck Pack 1. If you’re mainly interested in buying winning decks, you might give this one a miss. (Though you’ll be missing out on one deck that’s quite fun and competitive.) Deck Pack 3 contains Beknighted and Trinity of the Elements. Beknighted is a deck that many are complaining about on the official forum as it is considered by some to be too powerful. Well, it is powerful. It’s a mono-white knight deck with remarkably strong tribal synergy (at least when compared to the other tribal decks in Duels 12, like the elves, vampires, and soldiers). However, the deck isn’t unbeatable, for its weaknesses include lack of removal and evasion (or ways of dealing with enemy fliers). Many consider this to be the strongest deck in the game now, so you might want to buy this pack for that reason alone, but the pack is only a couple weeks old, and I’m confident that people will become accustomed to playing against it soon enough. By contrast, Trinity of the Elements is, in my opinion, the weakest deck in the game. It’s only the second tri-color deck in Duels 12: red/green/blue. It has a lot of mana ramp, but the deck is severely lacking in expensive cards to ramp up to. The deck features a lot of cute combat tricks and bounce, and it likes haste creatures and sac creatures, much like the Ral Zarek DLC1 blue/red deck. I find it painful to play with this deck. Unlocking the cards is a real chore, and the three-color mana base is a terrible risk without access to reliable mana fixing. (Here’s a quick hint for anyone struggling with this task: Play against Kiora Atua’s Ancient Depths, blue/green ramp deck. Both of you will spend the first several turns ramping, and then you hope to get some threats on the board before she does. Most other decks will run you over before you have a chance to compete.) At any rate, you might buy Deck Pack 3 for what could be the most powerful deck in the game, but I, for one, find Beknighted to be too straight-forward a deck… easy mode! And Trinity is a terrible deck. Depending on your priorities, I’d be inclined to give this deck pack a pass. I’m happy to see Wizards of the Coast continuing to support the game with fresh, new material. If you love the game, buy all the decks. If you want to pick just one deck, though, the decision is tough. I’d rank Deck Pack 2 top of the list in fun factor, Deck Pack 1 for most powerful overall, and Deck Pack 3 for most powerful single deck. Review Pros Cons Six new decks! Some of the most powerful decks yet Price point is a bit steep for all six Some weak decks The most powerful deck may be too unbalancing Rating 70% This review is based on a retail copy of the PS3 version of Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, Deck Packs 1, 2, and 3 provided by Stainless Games.

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[Review] Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, Deck Packs 1 – 3

A surprise trip to the tropics turns into a working vacation when Sam & Max sign up to stop a massive volcano eruption. Will their special blend of bewildering wit and renegade justice be enough to win over the gods? (Not to mention the locals?) After already playing Sam and Max Save The World (Season One) on Wii, Sam and Max: Beyond Time and Space (Season 2 on PC) and Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse (Season 3) on PS3, I find myself asking… myself: how fun is the Season Two release on PS3? Let’s find out, one episode at a time! Our adventure continues as we witness a weird looking red triangle outside our office, trying to catch Sybil (for some reason or the other). How can the freelance police help this time without screwing things up even more in the first place? Well, after learning that the triangle is in fact THE Bermuda Triangle , our dynamic duo jumps into the Bermuda Triangle to do a little freelance policing of their own to try and solve this conundrum (what could possibly go wrong?). After making their way through the dimensional twists, turns and squirrels, Sam and Max find themselves on a new adventure that has taken them to… Easter Island (change of scenery FTW)! What, you don’t know what Easter Island is? Ok, let’s start by making it VERY CLEAR that Easter Island has no bunnies nor any hidden eggs. Still with me? Good. Easter Island is indeed an island, and it likes to refer to the southeastern Pacific Ocean as “home”. The Island is famous for all the moai statues that populate the island (well over 800 of them), statues created a long, long time ago. It is because of these heads and their general appearance that Episode 2 of Season 2 is called “Moai Better Blues.” And that concludes our lesson. It seems that lots of stuff AND people have found their way to Easter Island. For example, Jimmy Hoffa? He visited the Bermuda Triangle and liked it so much that he stayed there until his last day on earth. True story. Your mission this time around is a rather easy one: Save the island, save the world. Or not. You just need to stop the volcano god before he sends the lava to redecorate the place. We’ll worry about the world in another adventure (perhaps in Season 3?). In order to accomplish that, we must prove that Max is totally the high priest and NOT that impostor of a fish ghost that floats inside the water tank. You’ll eventually run into some Monkey/Seahorse hybrids with tentacles… who also seem to be Jamaican (Nice combo!). Why do they live in this island, and what are they all about? It’s quite simple really.They live here because they have to. Oh, and they worship feet. No, no. You read that right. Feet. As in, several foot that have congregated in a single place in order to form a group of feet. Or is it Foots? I can never remember! Sam and Max: Moai Better Blues is a great point and click game that all fans of the genre will enjoy. It improves over Episode 1 (Ice Station Santa), and it sets up things nicely for Episode 3 to crank up the crazy to 11… or to whatever number that is higher than 10 that can actually measure the level of insanity at which Max functions. Review Pros Cons Improves upon Episode 1 Feels more streamlined and tight Some audio hiccups The driving trophy..with a vengeance Rating 87% Published by Telltale Games Cost – $19.99 (Full Season) Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 2 hours Love me some Sam and Max. Own all 3 seasons, the Anniversary DVD Boxset AND the limited edition Hardcover signed by Steve Purcell. This review is based on a copy of Sam and Max: Beyond Time and Space provided by Telltale Games.

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[Review] Sam and Max Season 2: Episode 2

The three main characters in Trine 2 are icons in the gaming industry. They represent to us, gamers, the mysterious dungeons, the prized weapon at the end of a painful quest, and above all, the classic old school RPG that we all adore. However, Trine 2 is NOT an RPG. It’s best described as a side-scrolling action adventure/puzzler/platformer/ … OK, so Trine 2 might not have a definitive nature, or a remarkable story, but I’ll tell you what it does have: lots of charm, sharp controls, and some of the most beautiful visuals I’ve seen. Surprisingly, that combination works! The Story Regardless of the weak story, storytelling in Trine 2 is surprisingly satisfying! Trine 2 tells the story of 3 companions’ adventure through an ordinary tale to save a princess. The iconic trio (Amadeus the wizard, Zoya the thief, and Pontius the knight), return to the magical forests to fight goblins and solve more puzzles, while discovering their path and unveiling the secrets of the Trine 2 universe. You will uncover more of the story through poems found in some of the treasure chests distributed evenly through-out the game. While I found the poems a bet helpful to storytelling, I was a bit disappointed after spending a good amount of time reaching my first chest. You see, the chests in the first Trine were more rewarding, as you can acquire some cool items (armors, weapons …etc) to aid you in your battles. While the story is fairly simple, it has nothing new to offer in general and I found it was merely put for the purpose of transitioning between levels. The Main Characters Despite his ongoing research for finally learning the Fireball spell, the Wizard’s talent is for conjuring peculiar boxes, and occasionally even planks. He can also levitate small inanimate objects. Amadeus is married to a lady by the name of Margaret. They have three children, all of whom know the Fireball spell. . . . The Knight is an eager champion of the kingdom, the protector of the common man with a great sense of justice. Armed with his sword, his shield and the powerful Storm Hammer, he’s a formidable fighter. Pontius’s great weakness is food. This shows around his waist. . . . . The Thief makes her way up to rooftops and over walls with her trusty grappling hook. Zoya is not so concerned about family or duty, but she is content to be a hero of the Trine, for she loves adventure. Zoya’s love for treasure, however, often leads her astray. . . . . The Gameplay Oh look! … a dragon!? While Trine 2 lacks in the story department, it still packs some of the most beautiful visuals and outstanding game mechanics ever created for a platformer. Each of the main characters has a set of unique abilities and you can switch between characters easily during the game by simply pressing the R1 , or R2 buttons on your Dualshock 3 controller. The wizard is the most important character when it comes down to solving puzzles especially if you are running solo. He can create boxes and planks (can be upgraded up to 4 boxes on screen), move certain objects around (including goblins), which was indeed useful and um .. fun, giving the fact that the wizard was proven completely useless during combat in the first game. The knight is the most useful character during combat, as you can use either your sword and shield or hammer to fight enemies, bash certain walls, and deflect incoming projectiles. As for the thief , well .. I found myself using the thief 50% of the time due to her unique ability of grappling onto wooden surfaces, which was proven useful both in combat and in solving puzzles. The thief can also strike with her icy bow (which can be upgraded to fire arrows), simply by using the right analog stick. Each of the characters have their own life meter. If a character runs out of life, he will die and you will be forced to switch to one of the other main characters. Life meters will refill instantly once a checkpoint is reached. Throughout your journey, you will also find magical vials. If you collect 50 of these, you will receive a skill point, which can be used to purchase a single upgrade for one of your characters, keeping in mind that some of the upgrades will require more than 1 skill point. The skill tree in Trine 2 Despite the small improvements made to combat, fighting scenes are barely challenging. The game keeps throwing enemies at you with the intention of slowing your puzzle solving process, which makes it feel a bit forceful, rather boring, and relatively unnecessary. Enemy AI should have been managed differently, with regards to quality over quantity. Although, I have to point out that I’ve enjoyed some of the combat scenery simply based on the smooth responsiveness of the controls. Trine 2 also offers a unique prospective on the way you approach puzzles, as you are given the complete freedom to use all the tools you have to reach treasure chests, get to higher ground, and/or move to the next stage. Each of the three main characters will offer a different approach. Sometimes you will find yourself using a combination of all three. I’ve also found that some areas are inaccessible without the help of a partner, which will force you to either get online, or call in a friend for help. This makes the whole cooperative experience worth checking and adds a bit of a replay value to the campaign. New Features Aside from the upgraded graphics engine, the most distinguished new feature in Trine 2 is the new online cooperative support. You can play with up to 2 other players both locally and/or online. I was able to test this new feature with 3 players online in a quick match. How this works is fairly simple: a player can host a game, keeping in mind that the skill tree (unlockable perks) is based on the hosting player’s progress and only the host can allocate skill points, you assume the role of one of the three main character and if you die, your friends can revive you at the next checkpoint. Having more than one friend helps A LOT in terms of solving some of the inaccessible puzzles in the singleplayer mode and defeating gigantic bosses. I found it rather entertaining to brainstorm some puzzle solving ideas with people I met online. The game will force you to communicate with your partners rather than just running around and killing stuff. As much as I’ve liked the idea of online co-op, I’ve also found it unequally satisfying, merely for the fact that only the host’s characters will gain experience, rather than you all achieve equal progress. Final Thoughts Regardless of the limited story, Trine 2 undeniable charm, soothing soundtrack and outstanding visual design will make for an unforgettable experience through the mind of developer Frozenbyte. The added feature of online co-op brings something extra to the table and defy the way you approach puzzles and fight enemies. If you are looking for a simple entertaining and casual co-op adventure, Trine 2 will deliver. Review Pros Cons Outstanding visual design Online cooperative support Smooth ControlsCharming appeal Limited story Unequally rewarding multiplayer experience Small replay value Rating 89% Trine 2 is developed by Frozenbyte and published by Atlus Price on PSN is $14.99 This review is based on a copy of the PS3 version of Trine 2 provided by Oly (thanks mate). Also, a demo is currently available on the PlayStation Network, so make sure you check that out.

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[Review] Trine 2

Welcome to the abandoned and (reportedly) demolished halls of Heavenly Host Elementary School, where vengeful spirits dwell and the fires of corporeal existence are repeatedly and mercilessly snuffed. We hope you enjoy the tour, as it’s not about to end anytime soon. It may even last an eternity… At this accursed school, a series of incidents occurred in which, ultimately, four students were kidnapped… and murdered. And though this ocurred 30 years ago, the corpse party still continues to this very day. Now the site if a perfectly ordinary high school, one unlucky class representative with a penchant for telling ghost stories makes the mistake of invoking a forbidden charm know as “Sachiko Ever After”, a charm that unknowlingly serves as the invitation to another space — a shifting, almost sentient echo of the long-closed school wherein these horrific mutilations occurred so long ago. And once you’ve been invited to this party, you have no choice but to attend. Willingly or no, all who find themselves in the dilapidated halls of Heavenly Host must persevere, fort their only companions along the way are the mournful spirits of the dead and forgotten… along with a few who consider themselves the very arbiters of lie and death. Will you remain a guest here forevermore? Or will you have the power to defy the saddest and strongest fate of all? Corpse Party is not your average scary game. It does have some strong images, and the content is sure to make you feel a little woozy, but there are no cheap scares in some dark corridors here. Instead, the excellent story is what sets the tone for the whole thing. At the very start of the game, a tale is told with just a handful of images lit by candlelight and from there, things just get spookier. Just watching the first 30 minutes of the game will give you nightmares about those damned children. Yes my friends, even the bravest of us will squeal at the sight of this game. This game was actually created in RPG Maker several years ago, and it was later ported to the PSP last year. Here’s some insight into this, directly from XSEEED Games: Believe it or not, Corpse Party has actually existed since 1996! The very first appearance of Corpse Party was as an independently-developed freeware game for the popular Japanese NEC PC-9800 series of computers, created by a small software startup who call themselves “Team GrisGris.” The title was put together using the popular game creation software RPG Maker (specifically, a PC98 adaption of it called RPG Tsukuuru Dante98), and billed itself as a no-holds-barred horror adventure reminiscent of Japanese 8- and 16-bit classics such as Capcom’s Sweet Home and Human’s Clock Tower. In 2008, perhaps spurred by the runaway success of similarly-themed horror titles like Higurashi: When They Cry, Team GrisGris released a Windows-based reimagining of their original opus titled Corpse Party: BloodCovered. This was not a mere port, but an upgrade in every sense: the graphics, the music, the gameplay and even the story itself were all changed, improved and expanded upon (and the initially unnamed side characters who later starred in Corpse Party Zero had their names retroactively applied to them, as a nod to the dedicated fans who kept the series alive during Team GrisGris’ long hiatus). The title was split into five chapters which were sold episodically at conventions, fan events and through an online store. This updated remake was also ported to cell phones, allowing Japanese gamers to horrify themselves on the go. Corpse Party was officially a hit. Novels, drama CDs and soundtrack albums were released one after another. Then, in 2010, popular Japanese visual novel publisher 5pb took notice and Corpse Party: BloodCovered: …Repeated Fear was born. This PSP title is an enhanced remake of Corpse Party: BloodCovered featuring further updated graphics and music, additional story elements and full voice-acting recorded via binaural audio technology for simulated three-dimensional surround sound. XSEED Games fell in love with Corpse Party: BloodCovered: …Repeated Fear just after Halloween 2010, and negotiated a license with 5pb to release it in the English-speaking world. Since no other version of the game has ever been officially published outside of Japan, we felt it prudent to drop the dual subtitles and release this game under the name that started it all: Corpse Party. Short, simple and catchy! It is, after all, the beginning of the story. While it was a full PSP release in Japan, it’s a PSN-only release over here. Honestly though, I’m just glad we got the game at all. It has some pretty meaty content with 5 main chapters to play and up to 10 extra ones that can be unlocked depending on your actions (you gotta to love multiple endings!). Each extra chapter is a small insight into other characters and their journey from here to the other side, and take about 1-5 minutes each at most. Bringing new information and perspective to the whole story is what they’re all about. Some of them you don’t even play, since you just read about the interactions and conversations. In this unusual experience you’ll do a LOT of reading, but we embrace that change with open arms. It’s good to actually read something instead of button mashing my way across yet another action game. Every line of dialogue is voiced (in Japanese) with English subtitles added for those of us that can’t really tell one word from the other. The gameplay is simple, you use the D-Pad to move (analog doesn’t work), use the triangle button to open the menu, and use X to interact with everything else. Since it’s a digital release, loading times are down to a minimum and won’t break your experience. There is a lot of revisiting the same spaces over and over, which might sound boring, but since you’re actually trapped inside a school, but each group is in a different dimensions, and every time you revisit places they change! How you interact with the (dead) people is what defines your actions and the story outcome. It isn’t about surviving, but rather about choosing how you’ll die. No one is safe, and all will eventually meet their end in this macabre journey. Or is there still a small ray of hope in all this twisted and macabre darkness? You’ll find the decaying remains of those that were trapped before you, and that could never find their way home. You can collect their name tags to add their information to your list. You’ll be surprised to learn how many have already seen their flame disappear, suffocated by this crazy place that slowly eats away at your mind and your soul. Sound plays a huge part in this game. Be sure to use your headphones and set volume as high as possible. Playing at 12 am with the lights off will also get you in the right mindset, though nightmares may wake you up in the middle of the night. You see, imagination is a veeeeery powerful thing. Not being able to see what is going on, but being told about it and listening to screams, blood splatter, breaking glass… that is certain to mess with your head. Graphics are simple (16-bit goodness!) and the illustrative images that pop out every once in a while are horror manga at its prime. Corpse Party is a must buy for every PSP owner. Visual Novels are hard to find, and when we’re given one of such high quality as Corpse Party, it is our duty to support them by buying ASAP. You’ll play for 15+ hours in order to see everything the game has to offer which, for a $19.99, is really a great value. XSEED Games wants us to join the party, and the dead want to lead us into the afterlife… Review Pros Cons Visual Novel Gaming at its Finest Great story A release for the sequel hasn’t been confirmed yet Rating 95% Published by XSEED Games Cost – $19.99 (PSN-Only PSP Digital Release) Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 15 hours This review is based on a copy of Corpse Party provided by XSEED Games.

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[Review] Corpse Party (PSP)

He’s the most ancient and powerful opponent they’ve ever faced, a hairy, bloated, pagan God – Santa Claus! With Christmas presents on the attack and carols of gunshots drowning out the bells, Sam & Max must storm the North Pole to bring down a less-than-jolly foe. Can the Freelance Police make sense of this Christmas conundrum in time to save the world’s children from a holiday tainted by tears, turmoil, and Torture-Me-Elmer? After already playing Sam and Max Save The World (Season One) on Wii, Sam and Max: Beyond Time and Space (Season 2 on PC) and Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse (Season 3) on PS3, I find myself asking… myself: how fun is the Season Two release on PS3? Let’s find out, one episode at a time! Things are off to a good start. Right outside of the Freelance Police office, the Maimtron 9000 is breaking all hell loose (figuratively speaking, as hell doesn’t play a part until much later). He’ll try to tear everything apart but never loose style points thanks to the awesome, awesome lyrics he presents to us. Gotta love the Maimtron 9000. Now, let’s take a small break to remind you about how you’re supposed to control the dynamic duo: You move with the analog stick. Use the X button you must to interact. L1 and R1 to cycle between items or spots you can interact with for some examination tactics. Square is for inventory, don’t you forget! Now that you know, let’s join in the fun. Let’s waltz in the air. Let’s possum for life. After you’ve defeated the Maimtron 9000, you find out that Santa has gone crazy! He has sheltered himself at his office and just keeps shooting at anyone that comes near him. If this keeps on, there won’t be a Christmas this year! Sam and Max MUST save Christmas at all cost… will they suceed? That’s all the story details I can give you without making this a spoiler extravaganza. What I CAN tell you about are the two minigames you’ll run into in Episode 1: There’s a boxing minigame at one point and Telltale Games pays tribute to a Nintendo franchise (ok, it pays tribute to Punch- Out!, a game about boxing) by referencing said franchise with a small egg (can you spot it?). It’s not an easter egg because easter isn’t here yet. The other minigame involves driving… and if you’re a trophy hunter you’ll absolutely HATE this mini game. The regular challenge you need to pass to carry on with the story is easy enough, but the requirements for the trophy are crazy. You’re supposed to hit random objects that randomly show up from the random netherworld. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, the problem is that the random objects… are too random. They don’t show up as much as we’d like, and you can spend one or two hours driving withou ever finding the whole set. Hope you have a lot of patience! Sam and Max Episode 1: Space Station Santa is a fun ride into the stars with our favorite Freelance Police pals. You’ll ride a rocket to the moon. You’ll smile, you’ll cry. You’ll… what? Its actually ICE Station Santa? Ah, yeah, that makes more sense. Didn’t see any rockets or stars in this episode so I was wondering why it was a bit crazier than usual. Anyway, game is fun-fun. Buy the whole season right now! Review Pros Cons Season 2 is finally available on PSN The revolution will be televised! Some frame rate issues here and there. The driving trophy.. Rating 83% Published by Telltale Games Cost – $19.99 (Full Season) Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 3 hours Love me some Sam and Max. Own all 3 seasons, the Anniversary DVD Boxset AND the limited edition Hardcover signed by Steve Purcell. This review is based on a copy of Sam and Max: Beyond Time and Space provided by Telltale Games.

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[Review] Sam and Max Season 2: Episode 1

The story takes place in Sumaru City, Japan, population 1,280,000. Its protagonist attends Seven Sisters High School (“Sevens” for short), whose emblem is considered a status symbol even amongst students from other schools. Soon, though, a rumor that Sevens emblem was actually cursed, and that wearing it would disfigure one’s face, had spread around the city. Even worse, the rumor came true… And it was only the beginning of a string of rumors becoming reality, one after another… Before long, the protagonist discover the power to summon another side of them called “Personas”, which they use to investigate the strange incidents around the city, all while facing their own personal demons as well. Time is once again on the march… Personas are the manifestation of power from one’s other selves lurking within them. These Personas with otherworldly abilities and appearances of gods from worldwide mythos are drawn from the unconsciousness of of Persona-users to appear in the real world, lending their power to the wielder. The “you” that others recognize is only one of the countless selves that exist, and of these innumerable selves, there are those with the compassion of gods, the cruelty of demons, and even those with the capacity to wield swords or guns. Personas are no more or less than “another you”. Up until this point the game was a Japan-only release (12 years had to pass for it to see a release outside of that wonderful island). We DID get the second half of Persona 2 (Eternal Punishment), and back in the day we had no idea we were missing out on a huge part of the picture. How has this game aged during all this time? Let’s find out! There’s a lot of great anime cut scenes in all the game, as you’ll immediately notice right after booting up the game. Animated cutscenes are always a nice extra, and you can watch them in original, medium or widescreen format. Isn’t technology wonderful? There’s also an updated and remixed soundtrack you can choose in case you don’t like the original one. All in all, it’s great music that truly brings this experience to life. The remixed music really shines. The original tracks were taken in for a tune-up and all its intricate elements and nuisances really pop (there’s a limited edition available at retail comes with a soundtrack CD so track down that one!). You also have the option of installing a 200 MB+ portion of the game to the memory stick to reduce load times. Since there’s A LOT of random battles (oh, happy days!) and the install time is only 1-5 minutes at most…the install is time well spent. Before getting started, players have the option of picking between easy, normal or hard difficulty. The higher the difficulty, the harder it will be to defeat the many, many, maaaaany demon’s you’ll run into. But Easy isn’t really THAT easy, as it will still require the player to carefully plan their approach to every fight. Unless they want to die a LOT. This isn’t a simple game, but it is just what we needed. Controls are easy to understand. You can use the analog stick or the D pad to move around. L and R are used to move the camera around (very important since most of the time the camera plays tricks on you and blocks NPCs or items on purpose). X confirms choices and O cancels them. Oh, and the triangle button activates the auto-battle feature during fights, which takes into consideration the last set of actions performed by your party and replicates them until you cancel out of it. You can move around a Town Map to select the next location to visit. You can even talk to people (represented by green arrows) in the town map to obtain new info. You can travel between different zones by exiting the world map and selecting another area you’ve already opened up in the new menu that will pop out. Now, with that out of the way, let’s take a moment to meet our party of intrepid youngsters that will save the world this time around: Tatsuya Suou An 18-year-old young man attending Seven Sisters High. He is tall, handsome, and has a mature, cool demeanor which has won him the admiration of female and male classmates alike. He’s a loner who does his best to avoid getting involved with anyone. Initial Persona: Vulcanus Lisa Silverman A 17-year-old girl nicknamed “Ginko” who also attends Seven Sisters High. She has beautiful blonde hair, blue eyes, and a figure that’s the envy of other girls her age. Because she was born to parents who were naturalized as Japanese citizens, she looks Caucasian, but she speaks fluent Japanese. Initial Persona: Eros Yukino Mayuzumi An active twenty-year-old student at vocational school for photography. She’s grown out her hair and settled down a little since her days at St. Hermelin High. Her goal is to become a professional photographer and she’s now working as an apprentice to a freelancer. Initial Persona: Vesta Maya Amano A 23-year-old reporter for a teen magazine. She’s a beautiful, cheerful woman who naturally draws others to her with her considerateness and affable nature. Initial Persona: Maia Eikichi Mishina A 16-year-old and second-year at Kasugayama High, less flatteringly known as Cuss High, who refers to himself as “Michel.” He is the Boss of a gang of delinquents at Cuss High and also front man in his band. He tends to take what people say too personally, is easily swayed, and is often a bit too taken with himself. Initial Persona: Rhadamanthus Jun Kurosu A 17-year old young man with slender, feminine looks. He transfered to Kasugayama High, but hasn’t been seen attending classes for some time. He loves flowers and always wears fresh blossoms such as an iris or iceland poppy. Initial Persona: Hermes As usual, you can change the name of the characters in your party. You can even decide what nickname to give them. Me? I just leave then as is since it’s how the story was written. No need to add my own name to the mix as I’m pretty sure I’ll remember I’m the one that is playing the game. Want to make something become a reality? Spread a rumor about it and see how it goes! First one is free (mmm, where have we heard that before?) but the others will cost you dearly. Also, you must first HEAR a rumor straight from a rumormonger’s mouth before you can pay the Head of the Detective Agency to start the rumor machine. Rumors play a big part in our adventure, even more so when we remember that this whole thing started because of one single rumor. You’ll be able to decide the type of items sold at each store, how awesome a prize you can get from the lottery, open up new areas to progress the story, etc. Rumors are what makes the world go round! Your first shopping experience will be at the Kameya Alley. Each store has an icon next to their name and this can help you identify at first glance what each one of them deals in. A sword means its a weapon store. A jacket identifies an armor store. A fork and knife means its a restaurant or a food store. A little silhouetto of a man (Scaramouche, scaramouche, will you do the fandango?) is there to let you know there’s gossip to be heard, learned or spread. A red cross sign is for places you can heal your wounds at (HP and SP restore and all status ailments dissapear for the whole party). The characters in your party get hungry from time to time. Buying something to eat will give them a temporary boost to one of their stats which will last until they’re hungry again. Gotta try them all! And you must also remember that some armor is gender specific (a hairpin, for example, is female-only) before you go purchase crazy, and start spending all of your hard-earned money. And yes, hard-earned is definitely the way to describe this. Your Personas grow with every use (even more when using fusion spells), increasing their abilities and unlocking new ones. They go up in rank from 1 till 8. Each character has different compatibilities with the various Personas. If their compatibility is bad, it will cost more SP to invoke the Persona, and especially bad compatibility may prevent the Persona from being assumed at all. Conversely, if their compatibility is good, it will cost less SP to invoke, and especially good compatibility may cause the Persona to occasionally demonstrate special powers. After you complete one of the demonic battles you’ll wage against… demons that are demonic, you’ll be rewarded with experience points and money you can use to upgrade your equipment or for items that can help you in battle. The currency is expressed in Yen and, I don’t know about you, but for me, a Japanese game that uses Y as the in game currency is just crazy and completely goes against the atmosphere and feeling of this adventure. A very intersting element in Persona 2 is the Pacts you can make with Demon’s. You start things of by making Contact (talk) with them while in a fight (and, sometimes, the Demon’s are the ones that initiate things) to try and convince them to give you items, info, tarot cards, money or to heal you. They have for attributes (eager, happy, scared and angry) that increase from each action you select once contact has started (Tetsuya can, for example, do impressions), OR from the answer you give a demon to the question they’ve presented to you. Get them to full eager or happy and they might ask you if you want to enter into a pact… and this is how you get better items, money and other extras from them once you find them again in battle AND fill their eager or happy metes during the new encounter. Should you make them angry they will break the pact (if one existed) and attack you. Tarot Cards, demons, and Personas all have an associated Arcana. A Persona’s Arcana indicates which Arcana of Tarot Cards is necessary to summon it. Negotiating with demons can earn you Tarot Cards of the same Arcana that the demon belongs to. The higher a demon’s level, the more Tarot Cards you’ll receive through negotiation with it. More cards are necessary to summon high-level Personas. Negotiate with strong demons to quickly gather enough cards to summon the better Personas. As is always the case with old-school RPGs, grinding is not an option, it IS a requirement. I grew up with random fight, turn-based RPGs back in the day and I’m very happy to finally get a chance to play Innocent Sin. I own Persona 3, P3 FES and 4 on PS2 as well as the first Persona that was also released on PSP. Thus, I was only missing Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment (the second released in the Persona 2 world) to have a complete set. Grinding for money and experience, while also increasing my Personas, is just part of the fun experience you can enjoy in this game. Persona 2 has been a long time coming, and we should be happy about finally having it officially released over here. A solid combat system, the crazy but interesting story, the remixed soundtrack, the great 16:9 cutscenes and overall presentation, all contribute to make this a very welcome addition to the still growing number library of the PSP. Any Persona fan should run to buy this right now to tell Atlus that we want more Persona games! Review Pros Cons The game we’ve been waiting for during the last 12 years It’s an Old School JRPG for our portable needs! It’s an Old School JRPG, which some people really, really, really don’t like, for some reason Rating 92% Published by Atlus Cost – $29.99 Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 30 hours (and counting!). This review is based on a retail copy of the PSP version of Persona 2 – Innocent Sin provided by Atlus.

Originally posted here:
[Review] Persona 2 – Innocent Sin (PSP)

I got to review Orbit riiiiiight before the year was over ( you can read the review over here ), and here’s a preview of said review: “a great game from Laughing Jackal that keeps their streak going. Easy to play either on your PS3 or your PSP and a fun experience from a game that is hard to stop playing!” Now, thanks to Laughing Jackal, we’ve got FIVE download codes for Orbit that you can win! You know the drill, but just to be extra sure, here’s a fresh set of instructions and rules. Ticket cost for this (minis) giveaway is only 75 points so be sure to enter! Please like & follow Laughing Jackal on Facebook & Twitter. It’s because of them we are having this giveaway! So show them some love. Follow @Laughing_Jackal [Worth up to 5 Entries] Purchase Lottery Ticket for 75 Points for a entry into the lottery. Here are all the possible ways to earn points . [Worth 1 Entry] Like the giveaway post on the lottery page (not the actual post itself) via Facebook. Then post a comment to your facebook wall from the lottery page. [EARN 35 Points] [Worth 1 Entry] Follow @ps3blogdotnet on Twitter. Then there will be a tweet button. You just have to click that & tweet the exact text in the pop-up . Then a notification will pop up saying your entry was successful. [EARN 35 Points] [Worth 1 Entry] Use the Google +1 button on the lottery page (not the actual post itself), then share on your Google+ profile to complete your entry. [EARN 35 Points] [Worth 1 Entry] First, be a fan of our our Facebook page . On the left sidebar, there is a [Giveaway] link. Go there and at the bottom there is a “Enter Contest” button you can click for your Facebook PS3Blog.net Fan Page entry. Note: Make sure you’re logged into PS3Blog.net before you click the button. [EARN 10 Points] [Worth 1 Entry] Subscribe to our YouTube Channel . We will post a bulletin. Follow the link & it will count as your YouTube entry. Note: Make sure you’re logged into PS3Blog.net before you click the link. [EARN 10 Points] [Bonus 3 Entries] After you have purchased at least one lottery ticket you are eligible for video entries. Make a video saying why you want to win. It can be funny, unique, strange, etc. Have fun with it. Include PS3Blog.net and the name of the item being given away in your video & in the title of the video. Then use the button above to submit your video for review. Also leave a comment below with a link to your YouTube video. [EARN 30 Points] Here are the most recent YouTube video entries for all lotteries on PS3Blog.net with the most recent ones displayed first.

Continued here: 
[Giveaway] Orbit (minis)

We have finally passed the 1 million point mark on December 28th, 2011 at 5:49 (UTC -7) thanks to Oly’s post on Game of Thrones . The points are all earned by members of PS3Blog.net! The giveaway and betting accounts are not included in this grand total. You can actually see the community grand total & your percentage of all points earned by all members anytime you wish by going to your personal point logs. So I say we celebrate this momentous occasion with a PSN Card / PS3Blog.net T-Shirt / points giveaway! I’ve also changed the values for the giveaway system. You can now get 35 points for sharing the giveaway on Google+, Facebook & Twiter. For following us on Facebook & YouTube you get 10 points. So if you do all the entry methods including the video entry which is now 30 points for a entry you can get 155 points back. If you add us on our Google+ page sometime before the giveaway is over we will post a unique URL which you can use for a bonus entry into the giveaway and earn points points for it as well. More info about the prizes after the jump. 1st place: 3,000 points and a $20 PSN Card 2nd Place: 2,500 Points + PS3Blog.net t-shirt, you can choose between a black or white front design t-shirt. 3rd Place: 2,000 Points 4th Place: 1,500 Points 5th place: 1,000 points [Worth up to 5 Entries] Purchase Lottery Ticket for 150 Points for a entry into the lottery. Here are all the possible ways to earn points . [Worth 1 Entry] Like the giveaway post on the lottery page (not the actual post itself) via Facebook. Then post a comment to your facebook wall from the lottery page. [EARN 35 Points] [Worth 1 Entry] Follow @ps3blogdotnet on Twitter. Then there will be a tweet button. You just have to click that & tweet the exact text in the pop-up . Then a notification will pop up saying your entry was successful. [EARN 35 Points] [Worth 1 Entry] Use the Google +1 button on the lottery page (not the actual post itself), then share on your Google+ profile to complete your entry. [EARN 35 Points] [Worth 1 Entry] First, be a fan of our our Facebook page . On the left sidebar, there is a [Giveaway] link. Go there and at the bottom there is a “Enter Contest” button you can click for your Facebook PS3Blog.net Fan Page entry. Note: Make sure you’re logged into PS3Blog.net before you click the button. [EARN 10 Points] [Worth 1 Entry] Subscribe to our YouTube Channel . We will post a bulletin. Follow the link & it will count as your YouTube entry. Note: Make sure you’re logged into PS3Blog.net before you click the link. [EARN 10 Points] [Bonus 3 Entries] After you have purchased at least one lottery ticket you are eligible for video entries. Make a video saying why you want to win. It can be funny, unique, strange, etc. Have fun with it. Include PS3Blog.net and the name of the item being given away in your video & in the title of the video. Then use the button above to submit your video for review. Also leave a comment below with a link to your YouTube video. [EARN 30 Points] Here are the most recent YouTube video entries for all lotteries on PS3Blog.net with the most recent ones displayed first.

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[Giveaway] PS3Blog.net Has Hit 1 Million Points!

Oh no! The Space Program is in peril now there’s NO MONEY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!! That won’t stop two scientists from taking on the Orbit project, a no-budget exploration of our solar system. Dodge through asteroid fields, and avoid nasty enemies intent on stealing cash, fuel, or just throwing slime in your eyes! By collecting the money mysteriously floating in orbit around the planets, you’ll give the project a cash boost, upgrading shonky systems and gaining new ships to move beyond the Moon – from Mercury to Uranus – as never before! Orbit’s research menu features almost 200 unique upgrades, plus there are hidden relics and blueprints to find, stat tracking, and 12 challenging medals to earn. The launch pad is all set. Are you ready to get into Orbit? Video really helps you understand how Orbit works, huh? You’re asked to hold down and release a single button (X) to go up, down and all around while trying to dodge all the hazards you’ll find during your trips. Sure, you can buy One-shot Boosters as well which would require you to hit the circle button to activate them, but it’s still mainly a one button affair. And for this game, it works. Your main objective is to find new energy deposits that can be used to meet Earth’s requirements for the 21st century and beyond. Ore is turned into gold which is needed to fund your trips as well as for buying upgrades for your “ship”. And oh, let me tell you that upgrades are a MUST for the interesting modes of transportation you’ll be given access to. Your first ride is… wings for your arms! You’ll have to swing those arms as fast as possible or else you’ll crash down… hard. After taking care of the moon, you’ll get a rocket pack to explore which is a nice change. By the 3rd planet you’ll get a flying toilet. You’ll be traveling in style! You have to take into consideration that moving to a new planet means you’ll have to re-buy any upgrades again since you get a new mode of transportation before each trip. You DO get to keep all the upgrades made for traveling on the same planet that you bought them because a hard reset all around after every time you start a new level would just have been cruel. There are 6 categories to upgrade in this game: Engine (increases your flying power as well as your fuel reserve), Rocket boost (increase how many One Shot Boosters you can purchase and how long they last for), Launcher (increase how far AND you’re sent flying at the start of the level as well as make the green area of the launcher power bar be bigger), Ore Collector (loose less ore to enemies and make nearby ore come flying to us), HUD (map and radar) and Wipers (for those times when alien lifeforms decide they should crash into you and block your view with what is left of them). On my first try, I traveled 2758 kms, collected $30 in gold and got an exploration bonus worth $25. Since I landed next to a relic, my first trip was officially over in less than a minute. And a minute is all the time it will take you to understand how fun Orbit truly is. Flying around dodging all the various hazards that populate outer space is just too darn fun to skip! So, how should you spend your money? The first upgrade you should get is the HUD since it will allow you to see where the blueprints and the relics are on each level (blue dots for the first ones, red dots for the second ones, white dot is you!). After that, definitely upgrade your Engine and Launcher. The Rocket boost is not a top priority since it only upgrades the number of boots you can buy and how long they last after being activated. The ore collector isn’t an important upgrade for the first 3 levels… but it makes a huuuuuuuuuuuuge difference from planet 4 and on since, as I’ve mentioned before, upgrading it makes you lose less money to the ore enemies AND it attracts nearby ore which really makes this upgrade pay for itself in no time. In order to progress to the next planet you need to do one full lap (get to the “end” of the map and loop around) to fully “map” the current planet so you’re allowed to move on and on and on and on until there’s nowhere else to travel to. There’s also an in game trophy system (since this is a minis which, for some reason, still aren’t allowed to have a trophy list like their PSN retail cousins. I’m not asking for a full list, just maybe 3-4 trophies per minis) to increase replay value and make you reaaally look for every single blueprint and relic. Here’s some examples of the trophies to get you started: Collector: Collect all four blueprints available on a single level. Pass Go: Complete two laps of a planet Sadist: Hit 1,000 enemies A Winner Is You: Unlock and complete a circumanivation of Hat-P-1B. There’s a lot of blueprints to find on each planet (well, each planet and the moon which is technically not a planet… at all). The exact number is 32 blueprints, and once you find them you’ll unlock one final planet you can enjoy. You can also find relics on each planet and while visiting each one isn’t mandatory doing so will earn you extra money so you can quickly purchase better equipment to make your life easier. Orbit is a great game from Laughing Jackal that keeps their streak going. Easy to play either on your PS3 or your PSP and a fun experience from a game that is hard to stop playing! Really liking the variety we get out of the minis range and I just hope that 2012 brings us many, many more of Laughing Jackal’s quirky games! Review Pros Cons Very fun game that is easy to pick up and play for a couple of minutes Great upgrade system Two crazy in game trophies that are keeping me from obtaining a full set Rating 90% Published and Developed by Laughing Jackal Cost – $3.49 [spoiler intro="Other Information"] Disclaimer – A copy of the game was obtained thanks to my Playstation Plus Subscription – Total amount of time played: 8 hours (and counting!).[/spoiler]

More here: 
[Review] Orbit (minis)