Friday, December 30, 2011

Risen 2 gets new video showing off some factions


Risen 2 has been releasing some pertinant information regarding it April 24th, 2012 release of the sequal to the quircky Risen. As some may know, I went through hell trying to get this title to work on the PC, so needless to say I was a bit apprehensive to give another shot on the Xbox, but anyone that has played or enjoys the Deep Silver RPG's will know what to expect and appreciate in this upcoming release.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Spec Ops The Line says goodbye teaser, hello trailer



So after seeing the teaser for The Line, if you didn't know much about this upcoming title, then you really don't know what to expect in this Dubai based shooter. Well, now you have a trailer to watch just how gritty it will be, and no that is not a sand pun. From what I have been following this is a linear shooter where your squad is tasked with recovery of a soldier, but the story has a number of twist and just as many ethical decisions to be made. I still can not wait from the first glimpse I had with the gameplay two years ago at E3.

Kingdom Hearts Triple D announced for 3DS


So the 3DS will definitely be getting an iteration of Square Enix's ever popular Kingdom Hearts, this time adding Dream Drop Distance to the title. We can expect to see this some time in 2012, but new worlds and gameplay will be discovered in the upcoming action RPG. The premise is that King Mickey and Yen Sid put Sora and Riku through the Mark of Mastery exam in the sleeping woods to be deemed the Keyblade Masters if successful.

Friday, December 23, 2011

2K Games releases weapons podcast for Darkness II right before the holidays

Our friends over at 2K Games have let us know about a new podcast for their upcoming title, The Darkness II. The podcast is free and both the audio and the transcript can be found at the below URL's. In case you are on the fence about checking it out, I can assure you that will touch on quad wielding, demon arms, and the new darklings minion.

Podcast page, where the episode can be downloaded or streamed: http://www.embracethedarkness.com/us/podcasts.html

Full transcript: http://www.embracethedarkness.com/us/transcripts/transcript7.html

Mr Grimm will be your last minute valentine


So Sony had sent me a press release for Twisted Metal last week, and yes I know I am a little late to post this but if you don't have a valentine, it is a great reason to look forward to valentine's day. The reason being is that it is the release date for the new Twisted Metal title, you remember, the Sony exclusive car destruction, ice cream truck driving, mayhem?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Learn the Origins of Rayman | Review

In what will likely be Mashbuttons final 2011 game review, Ubisoft has sent us one of the final games of this Holiday season.  Enter Rayman: Origins, a "Next-Gen", beautiful piece of platforming art.  I've always maintained that if developers really went back to their roots, and created a side-scroller (a'la Shadow Complex) reminiscent of our early gaming years (at least my generation), it'd be gold.  Could you imagine a TRUE next-gen Mario, with a little less cartoony, but more of the depth found in something like...something like...well; something like Rayman: Origins.



Check out the above image from the 1995 original that debuted on the Sony PlayStation.  The game was cartoony, sure, but it was very colorful, and had a humor that was welcome for the time.  Fast forward about 16 years, 5 games, and a few game-iterations (3D, etc) later, and we've come back to the beginning.  The origin, if you will, and back to the same side-scrolling platforming that so many of us grew up on.



Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about.  Pure hand-drawn animated game-play, with several levels deep, providing more than just the single-planed platforms from the past.  A lot of graphics always strive to look like a Disney movie, or at least the caliber animation, and this game truly has it in spades.



Okay, now that I've gushed over the graphics, (still screens won't do seeing it in action justice, btw) lets talk about the all important part of the game...how does it play?  Like some older games in the genre, you begin in an over-world hub of sorts, and as you progress through each level, you'll unlock new powers/abilities, collect "lums", and overall progress towards rescuing your friends and Electoons.  Initially, you can only jump and attack enemies from stomping on them, but as you break free your friends, you gain new abilities.  Firstly, you'll be able to punch/kick, but pretty soon you'll be able to shrink yourself, run up walls, and glide across long chasms.  Like other current titles, you can do this just by yourself, or bring up to 3 others for some 4-play co-op drop-in/drop-out gameplay.  It's really quite awesome.  As you progress through the levels, you'll collect the obligatory item, in this case, "lums" and after you collect so many, you'll free Electoons.  Really, just a carrot to keep you going.  There are time-trial modes as well once you beat a level, wherein you can go back and try for more lums and a faster time and unlock more and more. 



Story is typical fare for the aforementioned progress, everyone's just out minding their business when an unspeakable evil imprisons your friends and the Electoons.  This unspeakable evil so happens to be an old woman who just doesn't like the rhythm of your life.  Again, not much here, but there really doesn't need to be.  There hasn't been a platformer like this since the 16-bit heyday my generation hails from.  Mario purists may disagree, but if you need any other reason to go out and pick up this title, knowing this is the best of the genre in many years, let alone of this year, you owe it to yourself to play Rayman Origins.  It's fun, wacky sense of humor, incredibly beautiful hand-drawn animation and tight controls will have you enjoying each and every new delight waiting around the corner.



Mashbuttons gives Rayman Origins 9 out of 10.  It's available now for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, and the upcoming PlayStation Vita

DiRT Showdown is shown off in the form of dubstep



As some of you may know, I am a big fan of the DiRT series. With the second entry being my favorite, I did however like the Gymkhana mode in DiRT 3, and looking at the teaser to DiRT Showdown, I am not sure what to think about the addition of Destruction Derby and Hoonigan events. But who knows, destruction tends to make most any game more enjoyable so it could work out in their favor. Either way, I am looking forward to more from Codemasters regarding Showdown.

Monday, December 12, 2011

In case you haven't gotten enough of Disgaea


As the titles states...Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention is coming to the PS Vita. Color me intrigued, as I didn't seem to care when the PS Vita was announced because let's face it, one portable console is enough, well looks like after seeing gameplay videos of Marvel vs Capcom 3 and now the announcement of Disgaea 3 on the portable, I have already pre ordered my Vita. But back to Disgaea, this rendition will feature all new characters and stories. Though not much has been announced, we did get some screenshots.Check em out dood!

Rainbow Six Patriots debuts trailer at VGA's

Though there hasn't been much revealed about this title up until recently, Patriots got a pretty awesome trailer shown at the VGA's last weekend. Admittedly, I have never really gotten into the Tom Clancy Rainbow Six titles, however, this one does stand out as a pretty serious title fighting an American terrorist group of citizens turned radicals calling themselves "True Patriots".So of course it will be you, the leader of the Rainbow counter terrorism unit to take them down regardless to the cost. Exciting, yes?

Saturday, December 3, 2011

MashButtons take Sonic Generations on the go with the 3DS


With Sonic Generations releasing a few short weeks ago for the consoles, it is now time to see how it's portable counterpart fares against it's bigger siblings. We are of course talking about Sonic Generations for the Nintendo 3DS. In this portable version, you will play as both classic Sonic and modern Sonic playing in levels that should be familiar to you as they span the last twenty years of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The conflict this time around is an unknown force that is creating time holes that are taking Sonic back in time, both Sonics and their friends, but the good news is that you get to play as both to get the job done and see who is to blame for this dilemma. In the portable version of Sonic Generations you will get some exclusives, one being able to play in 3D on the go, the other being environments made for the 3DS, and the last being items and challenges exchangeable via SpotPass. Now let's get into the meat and potatoes behind this timeless franchise.

For one, I thought the gameplay was great with the game taking advantage of the system's capability giving the environments more depth and bringing the player that much closer to having a seizure with the lightning fast speed. Sonic to me has always been hold the directional pad right and try and jump before impact with baddies at lightning fast speed. The gameplay between both Sonics vary significantly enough to provide both a vintage and modern feel. I myself preferred playing as the modern day Sonic with the targeting and just felt like it played a bit more fluidly and looked cleaner than the levels with Sonic of the past.

What I did feel was missing was the rest of the game as you only get one level with each sonic per world along with one special stage. Though each level looked and played exactly as I hoped I just wanted there to be more of it. In terms of the gameplay, I wish more time would have been spent on the targeting mechanics, because there were quite a few times in which I was expecting to lock on or it would lock on a tad too late. While the 3D is clear and beautiful, I felt that I could not play as long as other title played on the system before beginning to feel my eyes strain.

All in all, Sonic Generations for the 3DS was a refreshing title that the portable needed in it smaller than expected library. It is that same Sonic feel that I grew up on with the modern touches that make everyone's favorite hedgehog continue to be relevant in the video gaming industry. Though it did have some shortcomings, like not having enough of a good thing, it was a lot of fun to play and if you feel that need for the blue blur, you can go back to prior levels to achieve faster times and medals.

2K Games finally gives us a trailer for Spec Ops: The Line

So we get an email recently for Spec Ops: The Line from 2K Games. This is a title I saw two years ago at E3 and the environment blew my mind. Playing in the sand ravaged town in heated firefights and using the sand as a weapon depending on the location. So we watch this trailer and can say that it doesn't do the game justice and just wait for more to come.