City Interactive has some promising titles coming up

This just in from our friends at City Interactive, not one but two games slated for 2012 are beginning to look solid. The first being Combat Wings: Great Battles of World War II, which is obviously an aerial combat title based in the 40's with a strong focus on dog fighting that you can see in the below trailer, with it's beautiful dog fight sequences and environments.
The other title is a WWII based first person shooter by the name Enemy Front from Stuart Black, the guy from...well, Black. But this gem will make use of the CryEngine3, that oh so good looking engine to remake the historical war and locales we have seen before, but in this visual style from such a seasoned shooter developing mastermind?

Both are expected in 2012 on multiple platforms.

Sonic Generations | Review

So our good friends over at SEGA have sent us the latest in the Sonic series by way of one of the coolest packages ever!  Being it's Sonic's 20th Birthday, they pulled out all the stops; this is SEGA's Mario, after all.  Coming in a large shoe-box type package, therein lies a copy of the new game.  Also, some really cool collectibles in the form of a blue 3D ViewMaster (you know the one from your childhood that you could view stereoscopic images with), a 20th Anniversary pin, a seperately boxed Gold Ring, numbered for authenticity as well, and lastly a dvd and history/art book.  Quite the presentation I must say.  But since this isn't an unboxing, but rather a review of the aforementioned title, lets get right down to it.

Old School

New School

I remember, back with the launch of the Dreamcast, (9/9/99) the new 3D Sonic Adventure.  This was the first time the franchise had made the transition to a 3D playing field, and though I imagine it difficult, they were able to keep the speed, and the frantic sense of "I'm going so fast, I'm almost out of control, but not" feeling that is synonymous with the series.  Sonic Adventure was a day-1 purchase for me, and we played the heck out of it.  Fast forward 11 years (and what seems like 20 titles) later and we're greeted with a new entry which tries to mix up the best of the 2D with the best of the 3D.

Read the rest of our review after the break

MashButtons goes on the hunt for Makarov and dog tags in Modern Warfare 3 review

 

It’s another year, so that means another Call of Duty, but this, we are going back to my favorite story line of the franchise in Modern Warfare 3. You will still play as multiple characters on the hunt to take down the Russian Federation forces led by Vladimir Makarov before the world is brought to its knees in a pile of rubble. Like Call of Duty’s past there are still loads of content beyond the single player campaign with two player coop survival mode, online multiplayer that features a new kill streak and leveling system, topped with the online Elite services. As I have played and/or reviewed the last four Call of Duty titles, this review will focus on my experience with the single player campaign and new features to the multiplayer gameplay. So with much anticipation, I bring you MashButton’s review of Modern Warfare 3.

As to be expected, the single player game is phenomenal, from the story to the tried and true gameplay; I was hooked and couldn’t stop playing. It is still short like the Modern Warfare’s past entries but it is to be expected when the majority of the game is focused on online gold. One thing in which I noticed was that you can tell that in terms of visuals, nothing appeared to be updated visually as that graphics that looked so great two years ago are now dated. Throughout the campaign though you will see some well-known locations such as New York, Paris, Berlin and more, but following suit to the last entry there is a potential “disturbing” part that you are prompted upon starting new game to skip for those that have not been desensitized to violence. Also like the last, you will play as numerous characters throughout the story, some new some old, but equally awesome. I also loved what was done with the loading screens and how it tells the story as the level is loading and once completed, you are thrown into the action.

As to be expected, the single player game is phenomenal, from the story to the tried and true gameplay; I was hooked and couldn’t stop playing. It is still short like the Modern Warfare’s past entries but it is to be expected when the majority of the game is focused on online gold. One thing in which I noticed was that you can tell that in terms of visuals, nothing appeared to be updated visually as that graphics that looked so great two years ago are now dated. Throughout the campaign though you will see some well-known locations such as New York, Paris, Berlin and more, but following suit to the last entry there is a potential “disturbing” part that you are prompted upon starting new game to skip for those that have not been desensitized to violence. Also like the last, you will play as numerous characters throughout the story, some new some old, but equally awesome. I also loved what was done with the loading screens and how it tells the story as the level is loading and once completed, you are thrown into the action.

As with both of the previous Modern Warfare titles, I had a blast with MW3. Infinity Ward never disappoints when it comes to providing an emotional white knuckle campaign and they have done so again with the end of this iconic trilogy. The changes made to the online gameplay have not taken away from the experience, at least not yet, as I am only level 18 at this time, however, I am looking forward to my first Prestige to see how I can spend my prestige points. If you are a fan of the previous Call of Duty titles, you will not be disappointed as the team takes what worked well and expanded on it. The maps, at this time, feel a little bland but I recall feeling the same way in the last entries and they all managed to grow on me over time, with the exception to one or two. Activision sent us a copy of the Hardened Edition for the Xbox 360 so that we can give our impressions on this title.

Eagle-Eye Version 3.0 for PlayStation 3

Good news for all of the PlayStation 3 owners out there who enjoy playing games with a mouse and keyboard. Eagle Eye Version 3.0 for PlayStation 3 will be arriving at the end of September. Eagle Eye Version 3.0 features improvements over its predecessors with a refined Advance Calibration System. The new calibration system consists of 5 components which gives the user greater control over the calibration settings. Eagle Eye Version 3.0 is compatible with all PlayStation 3 games and converts any USB HID Keyboard and Mouse into a PlayStation 3 controller. The suggested retail price is $59.For more information and a complete guide on how to setup and use Eagle Eye 3.0 click on the links below.

MashButtons Preview: Crusader Kings 2

If you are like me most of your free time is consumed by playing either Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3 but let’s not forget there are other games out there! Sometimes a good strategy RPG is a nice change of pace from the fast twitch shooter games. Crusader Kings 2 could be a welcomed addition to your videogame collection. Crusader Kings 2 is a sequel to the 2004 game Crusader Kings. The game is set in medieval Europe between 1066 and 1453. Your job as Lord or Lady is to build a strong dynasty that can withstand attacks from Mongol Horde, Moor, the Heathen and the Heretic. In addition, you must struggle with the Pope for control of the Bishops. The game also features a 32 player completive multiplayer mode so you can battle your friends online Medieval Style! Stay tuned for more information!

Rayman Origins gets slap happy in Meet the New Crazy trailer

What may be the last trailer before the release of Rayman Origins, could also be the best trailer to date. It has it all from in game features, environments, bosses, and of course lots of slaps. Though I must admit, I was never a big fan of face slaps, unless a couple drinks are involved or if I am watching How I Met Your Mother. But this slapfest has some additional news to pique your interest...the Rayman Origins demo is available now on PSN and XBL. We are told the demo includes three maps consisting of jungle, food, and ocean worlds. You can find Rayman Origins in stores on November 15th.

MashButtons goes bullet hell crazy in Konami shmup, Otomedius Excellent

What’s that? You never heard of Otomedius Excellent? Have no fear, neither had I, with the exception to a quick meeting I had with Konami at E3. Otomedius Excellent is the sequel to the 2008 Japanese title, Otomedius Gorgeous, with numerous updates to enhance visuals and gameplay to that of its older sibling. Being that this is a Konami title, the developer does boast that it is Gradius inspired, and after further research, the title loosely translated means Maiden Gradius, fun fact of the day. The cold hard numbers for this title stack up to 9 lovely ladies to play as, 3 player online play, 8 new 2D levels, and loads of downloadable content to be announced at a later date. So after numerous playthroughs with multiple characters, I figure it is high time to get to my impressions so far.

This is the first time Otomedius has come stateside, and as history has shown, things can tend to be lost in translation; however a shmup overseas translated for the western demographic is still a shmup, damn fun. The action is fast, the graphics are bright and colorful, and the bosses gigantic. You can easily identify the inspiration from Gradius through the enemies and weapon power ups, but what sets this apart is the sex appeal. It is over the top from beginning to end in what almost feels too disturbing to enjoy, but I am a Gradius fan and like women characters in my video games so it’s a win for me and sounds like it will peak the interest of the majority of US gamers. The game takes about an hour to play through but you will pick up weapons cards, level up those weapons, and choose your weapon load out before starting, making the replay value huge. Also attributing to the replay value and taking you back to the days of 80’s and 90’s arcades is the ability to play online with up to two other players.

Sounds great right? I earlier alluded to the game being lost in translation when being developed for the western demographic and much of the games story and dialogue falls victim to this, whether it be the voices in Japanese or the English subtitles that you need to strain to see in the bottom right corner. What’s that, you keep dying when trying to read the subtitles, it’s okay I did the same. Though the story may not grip you and keep you coming back, the gameplay will. Aside from the subtitles and story, there really wasn’t much I can say I disliked. Things can get pretty hairy with three players online, large amounts of enemies and trying to wade through the bullet hell without dying, so this doesn’t come as a surprised that frame rate slowdown was encountered at times, but not enough to cripple the gameplay.

I was a bit apprehensive to review this game with the busty and provocative maidens, but with inspiration from such a great side scrolling shooter, the formula does make for fun and hours of gameplay, whether you play online or couch multiplayer. As a fan of the genre, unfortunately a lot of the games are fun but don’t live up to hype or get boring rather fast, but the ability to get new weapons, level them up, choosing your weapon loadout, and repeating will put you in an endless loop you won’t even realize you are in.