Astro brings forth the next gen headset, the A50 Battlefield Edition

Now it is time for the bad boys, half a year after E3 and one of my favorite accessories from the show is finally available. The highly coveted Astro A50 wireless headset is the product at hand and this next level headset is out right in time for the next gen consoles. I had received the A50 Battlefield 4 Edition, which sports a black and orange look with the Battlefield labeling and should Battlefield not be your flavor, the standard A50's are also available in black and red. Quite possibly the largest difference between these and the previously reviewed A40 is the elimination of the cord and 7.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. After spending a week on the PS4, playing the games how they should be, loud, let's see how those trying to sleep through this experience felt about the Astro A50.

I did say that these were being used on the PS4 so fret not as the A50 can be used with both current and next gen consoles. The set up is incredibly simple and wires are kept to a bare minimum. Literally just an optical cable and a USB cable to use, granted to charge another USB cable is required and a cable to connect the headphones to the remote. The sound on the other hand is amazing, regardless to the game, and with three audio presets it is easy to select a mode to your liking whether bass heavy or treble heavy or somewhere in between. The Dolby Digital Surround Sound is superb, particularly when playing multiplayer games like Ghosts as it is easy to hear where shots are coming from and people trying to run up on you from behind. The fit is almost as good as the sound as the A50 is comfortable for long periods of time without squeezing my skull. I did however notice that if I moved my head quickly, they sometimes moved forward or backwards, but for the most part the over ear cups did a solid job of keeping the headset in place. When speaking to other teammates or rivals, they picked up everything I said clearly and I was able to hear others in the lobby with no loss of connection.

The Astro A50 is a superior next gen level headset for both current and next generation gaming. The cutting of the cord is almost as great of a new feature as the clear and detailed 7.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. What I found amusing was that the the packaging states built for the XBox 360 and while this may come from the fanboy in me, I found my experience with the headset playing online on the PlayStation much more convenient. Because the A50 is compatible with both of Sony and Microsoft's consoles, these are easily the last headset you will ever need, my only complaint was that with the price tag of $299.99, I wish some sort of case was included for portability.

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate | Bringing tag team to your console

Team Ninja has created another version of their high kicking fighter and Konami has recently released Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Ultimate comes packing some additional features found in the Vita’s Plus version that were not available to DOA5 on the consoles. On top of previously seen and requested play modes, Ultimate also includes classic stages and new fighters, Rachel and Momiji from Ninja Gaiden. The same fun and anatomically exaggerated brawler experienced in DOA5 is there, but the majority of the of the new options are dedicated to the online play, with arcade style matches and tournaments. We have had our time with Plus, it is time to bring that same experience to the big screen.

I will start with my favorite new feature to Plus that is now available on the console, 2 on 2 tag play in online matches. Throughout my time spent trying to win against the bad of the bad, I had no problem finding people to challenge, unfortunately that did not really help me. I have always enjoyed but equally sucked at this brawler in comparison to the 2D fighters, luckily the improved tutorial is also included from the portable version. Similar to the 2D Street Fighter, Ultimate has added character points, grades, and titles to show off accomplishments or to make me feel warm and fuzzy winning an online match after a long losing streak. The bad, this is easily the lobby music, sure it sounds hip and got me amped for my first match, but it looping over and over again soon became tortuous. I said finding opponents was no challenge, the caveat to that is if you open up the filters there is no problem, but once you starting tweaking online settings, the community dwindles.

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate was exactly what I expected, a more polished version of DOA 5 with the inclusion of previous DLC and new content. I would easily suggest that anyone who has not had the chance to experience DOA 5 would benefit most as this is how the game was meant to be played. As someone that already owns Plus on the Vita, it would be a hard sell to get me to purchase again to play from my console. For those that already own DOA 5 and do not want to pony up more money for the new features, there is Core Fighters, which is a Free to Play experience with the same gameplay seen in Ultimate but without the Story Mode and vast selection of fighters and costumes, those come with a price tag. Dead or Alive Ultimate is available now for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for the price of $39.99.

Disney Infinity Announces Power Discs

 So, maybe it's the Disney fan in me, (I go to Disneyland at least once a month), but I'm super-excited for the upcoming Disney Infinity title coming out in just a few weeks!  I already collected a few extra characters from E3 that I can't wait to drop into the universe.

Today, Disney unveiled a new trailer focusing on the Power Discs feature.  The Power Discs are additional "discs" that you can place on your base station under a character to grant them special abilities in-game.  The idea behind enhancing game-play with powers from other characters/worlds is especially intriguing given the range of Disney/Pixar titles to choose from.

To make things more interesting, the Power Discs will be handled like trading cards.  Sealed in mystery packaging, you never know which discs you will get.  With 3-series currently planned and about 20 discs (and a few "rare" discs) in each set, they're trying to invoke a sense of sharing/trading amongst friends.  In concept, that sounds cool, but since I don't have any friends at my age, and I wouldn't let my 4 year old son give away his stuff, I will end up just buying them all.

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

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

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded | Review

Some may believe that it's blasphemous to update historical properties with new actors likeness, in a sense that it tarnishes the original.  See the recent releases of Star Wars on BluRay, wherein George Lucas digitally adds Hayden Christensen to the end of Return of the Jedi.  It's minor, but I can understand the arguments.  In the case of the new "remastered/re-envisioned" GoldenEye 007, some may say that replacing Pierce Brosnan with Daniel Craig ruins the integrity of the original; but I say "nay" - Daniel Craig is a better Bond than Pierce was any day.  Though, GoldenEye was his best, the others lowered the bar pretty dramatically.

Continue reading our full review of GoldenEye 007

Come explore the Disney Universe with me | Review

So I just recently received a review copy of Disney Interactive's latest title, Disney Universe.  If you know anything about me at all, I'm a huge Disney fan/nut.  In fact, my review is only slightly delayed since I just spent the last 4 days in Disneyland.  So yes, my last week was full of Walt's legacy.



But in this forum, I'll only be speaking of the latest platformer, Disney Universe.  This is a wholly new IP that is in the vein of the LEGO franchises, with a great focus on the worlds inhabited by Disney Characters.  In the title, you begin by only having access to the Pirates of the Caribbean (also a game already in LEGO form), and it plays very similar to those titles.  However, the difference is you don't play as characters from, you play as a unique character, who wears caricature versions of Disney Characters.  It's like a non-descript character wearing costumes of Disney Characters.  This is where I bring in the similarities to Little Big Planet.  Though your avatar isn't quite as cute as a Sackboy by itself, the fun combinations of famous Disney staples are fun in their own right to mix and match.  Running around with a Stitch costume, playing through Pirates of the Caribbean scenario's is quite the juxtaposition.

Continue Reading...

RAGE | Review

Post-Apocalyptic wastelands, Ark's, sprawling open world gameplay following your sudden waking from a long bout of Cryo Sleep; why does this seem so familiar?  Oh, cause in RAGE, the most recent work from famous Austin-based iD developers, you immediately get a sense of deja vu if you've played any of the similar titles in the past two years.  Borderlands, Fallout 3, heck even the recently released Dead Island "feels" the same.  The problem was, i enjoyed those games more than this.

Full Review continues after the break

Dead Island | Review

Every now and then, a game comes along that no one really expects much from; usually from a lesser known developer, and publisher, and sort of flies under the radar.  Please direct your attention to Dead Island, a little gem from developer Techland, and published by Deep Silver, just released last week.  You'll actually have a hard time finding a copy, as they're flying off shelves at all retailers, but if you find one, snap it up; for with it, you'll find one hell of a ride.



I played Dead Island at E3 back in June, in a private room with some of the games developers.  At the time, I thought, it had some potential, but I was left with a pretty non-descript taste in my mouth.  Was this because we were dropped into the story unbeknownst of the actual time line with no context?  Or was it the hub-bub of our crazy schedule, and the buzz of the showroom floor (and other titles) that kept me from really enjoying it?  I'll never know...perhaps it was just another 3-4 months of polish the team put in, cause now, I CAN'T STOP playing this game.

Please press on my friends to read the full story

Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension | Review

So we finally got our copy of Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension a few days ago from Disney Interactive Studios, and I've been busy playing it ever since.  After seeing the Disney Channel movie of the same name about 40 times now due to having a young one who is hooked (I also like it), I feel I was ready to jump right in.



Read more after the jump

Hands on with Disgaea 4, Dood!

Though it is a few weeks away, NIS America seems to know about my secret love affair with strategy RPG games. Anywho, I had received Disgaea 4 and after about ten hours spent with the title and a couple nights waking up on the couch, it is time I let you SRPG and Prinny fans know about the time spent with this gem. In Disgaea 4 you play as the vampire Valvatorez, a Prinny instructor that does not drink blood but feeds on sardines. Since this is a hands on preview, that is all you get story wise, but I will let you know it does get rather deep for a lighthearted game.

To start, this is a game you have to play with the volume on. I say this because there are times in which the volume is very low or off for the sake of sleeping family members, but the dialogue and voice acting make the writing very humorous. The maps and characters are very bright and crisp while also having variety, but where the game needs to shine the most, in gameplay, it does very well. In fact, almost too well at times, as I am one who likes to try everything in this genre of games to find out what works best, but in the case of Disgaea 4, there is almost too many possibilities from the specials, to the skills, and the equipment. That is just the basics though, there are other abilities learned a couple of hours into gameplay, that will have you spending as much time trying to figure out your strategy as you will with the execution of it.

Like most strategy RPG title, there is a steep learning curve, taking upwards to two hours before letting you loose to do your bidding if you choose to take the tutorial, which I would highly suggest as there are new battle features to learn. The tutorial does move a bit slow but it does pay off in the end, as the story moves along at a nice pace. There is a LOT to be done in this Disgaea entry, quite possibly more than can be seen in one playthrough based on your play style, making for a large amount of replay value.

Disgaea can be found in stores on September 6th, 2011.

Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension "Gelatin World" Trailer

So a game based off a Disney cartoon, huh?  And one that I'm actually excited about?  Yes, it's actually happening!

Aren't I a little bit old to be watching a Disney cartoon?  Why no, no I'm not.  I guess it helps that I have a young son, who also loves Phineas and Ferb; it's just a great program filled with clever references, topical jokes, and over-the-top scenarios.  A perfect fit for a game!  That being said, it's launching NEXT WEEK, on PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS (no love for Xbox I guess), but of course, you'll want to get it on the PS3 for the HD graphics.

Anyhow, here's a final trailer showcasing the "Gelatin World" as part of the title.  We have to bring you an official review sometime next week.

Enjoy

Alice: Madness Returns | Review

Back in the year 2000, when everyone was scared and murmuring about Y2K, there was a gem of a PC title released titled "American McGee's Alice".  A third-person action platformer set in a very twisted version of Wonderland taking place years after Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.  Fast forward 11 years, when everyone is scared about the Apocalypse, and we finally have a sequel, this time, the name has been simplified.  Alice: Madness Returns.  Clearly, this is an Alice in Wonderland game, but gone is the reference to American McGee.  That's probably a good thing.  Not to discount him in any way, however the average gamer probably has no idea who he is; however it was his studio, Spicy Horse (interestingly enough based in Shanghai) who has brought us the follow-up we're talking about today.



Starting up the title, I'm immediately reminded of the striking visual style that which the game is known.  It's very old-timey Victorian, mixed with a steam-punk-meets Tim Burton style when you actually enter Wonderland.  This isn't the kid-friendly version you'll want to share with your children with.  This is the dark, seedier interpretation of Wonderland, complete with an evil anorexic looking Cheshire Cat, demented evil, and unspeakable madness driving it all.  The game picks up right after the first left off (which you can download and play for free if you purchased a new copy, otherwise, it's just $10 [800MS points] to play the original title, that was only for PC's before), and you've been placed under the care of a psychiatrist at a local orphanage.  Upon one of your daily walks, you encounter a white cat, and not a rabbit, but you, being the traumatized young woman you are, feel it's a good idea to follow this white cat.  This turns out to not be such a good idea...but then we wouldn't have a game to play.



Soon you're thrust back into Wonderland, picking up the familiar Vorpal Blade, and gaining the ability to shrink on command (a handy tool, I might add, and one you'll find yourself using alot to locate hidden key-rooms, and other various secrets).



Gameplay is a mix of third-person action, third-person platforming, and puzzle solving.  In later chapters, there's even a mini-game in which you play a side-scrolling shooter, in which you have to shoot cannons or drop mines to battle under-water sharks and other enemies.  As you progress, you pick up teeth, which act as the in-game currency, allowing you to upgrade your weapons to higher levels.  You begin with the Vorpal Blade, but you'll soon be firing long-range with the Pepper-Grinder, and then others will show such as an umbrella and a toy horse, each having a unique purpose and one that plays out often during the chapters you acquire them.



The mission structure (as it's called) is pretty straight-forward.  You're trying to stop the spread of madness, and in turn you're looking for a train, and to get there, you're interacting with classic characters, the aforementioned Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the Duchess, and even the Red Queen.  Each chapter has you interacting with a different part of Wonderland, and the environments vary greatly.

Graphics are using the Unreal Engine 3, like most titles this generation, however, it's a little rough around the edges.  There's noticeable pop-in, and texture fill, as the game loads.  We haven't tried installing the game to see if that improves at all.  Though it's hardly a dealbreaker, it does feel a little more first-gen for the Unreal Engine 3, rather than where we should be 6 years into the code.  Don't get me wrong, the graphics are great, there are just a little rough tech edges.



Controls also felt, at least to me, and at first, a little rough.  They're not as smooth as we've all become accustomed to over the years, however, after about 30 minutes or playing, it all felt natural, like your hand muscles just come crawling back to the good old days.

Audio is pretty nice, with a great soundtrack, overall decent voice work, and ambient environmental effects that really draw you into the madness.

Mashbuttons.com gives Alice Madness Returns a 7.5 out of 10.  The game is actually pretty awesome, and has with it, great style, and a unique re-telling/interpretation of the familiar Alice formula.  Minor tech/graphics issue really bar this title from being over an 8.0, however the inclusion of the original as a downloadable option is a real treat. 

Alice: Madness Returns is now available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC

Shadows of the Damned Trailer

This game looks a bit freaky, but hell it is a game from Suda 51 and the Resident Evil guru Shinji Mikami and if that doesn't interest you, I don't know what possibly can.  EA released another trailer, this time showcasing a boss-battle with a feathery no-name.  The video has some choice language and is of the mature variety, and unfortunately we don't have an age-gate video player yet (something we need to change!), so I'd love to point you in a direction, let me be your Shadows of the Damned compass!

http://www.ea.com/shadows-of-the-damned/videos/birdboss

Then come back sometime next week when we get our hands on the title, that's due out Tuesday, June 21st.

X-Men Destiny Trailer | E3 2011

So another game (besides the Raiding of Tombs) came out of left-field for me at this year's E3 and that was a new Activision title X-Men Destiny for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 due out this fall.  Again, another "behind-the-scenes" look with Activision garnered us about 30 minutes with the team showing us their latest creation.

Knowing nothing about the game, it appears you play as a "unique" mutant, not one from X-Men canon, but one that you will "personalize" as you play and interact with all in the universe as you make your way towards deciding which mutants to side with.

The team showed off some playable levels and how the choices you make will affect the branching storylines depending on which side you choose.  This one also looks really good.  It was after the end of the demo, that I realized that Denis Dyack was in the back of the room, and I realized this was being developed by Silicon Knights.  I have faith this one actually has some legs (unlike Too Human which suffered from legacy issues, and frame rates, etc).  SK really has a pretty decent track record for games, most forget they were responsible for the great Legacy of Kain series, and even Eternal Darkness on the Nintendo GameCube.  I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

Check out the launch trailer below.

MashButtons does just that and looting in Dungeon Seige III review

It is time for MashButtons to review another dungeon crawler, this time in the form or a disk based game rather than a download. Obsidian made and Square Enix published action RPG with online coop capabilities, Dungeon Siege III, has just released and we have had a full week with this title on the PS3, so let’s get the basics out of the way before I get to the meat and potatoes of the experience. You pick one of four Legionnaires, protectors of Ehb, similar to the Grey Wardens in Dragon Age, who have been betrayed and almost wiped out to the brink of extinction. Like others in the genre you are able to develop your character to fit your play style, loot, button mash your melee, plan your moves based on your energy, quest, and more loot. With all the Diabl-esque titles recently being released in the form of downloadable on XBLA and PSN, is it worth it now a days to pay full retail price to get what some would call the same content for a quarter of the price?

So far, I am going to have to go with yes. Admittedly, if you are not sure which character you are going to play as, this may be the toughest decision made in this game. I decided to play through as Anjali, you know since she is a vixen, good with a staff, and likes to play with fire. The gameplay was smooth and I do not recall coming across any bugs or glitches in my single player play through. The multiplayer is rather hit or miss, depending who you are playing with. If you are playing with friends that have the same goals and intentions you will really enjoy the coop gameplay. If you do not play online, you will not miss the coop as you can play couch coop, which played really well, and if you are the type that would rather play with yourself, you will get assistance from NPC's throughout the story. The graphics look great and think the environment design along with the character animations, and fluidity when things get hectic is what makes the game play so well in comparison to others out there in the same genre. There really isn't much in the way of load times that I noticed, not enough to deter playing like that which I encountered during another recent review, which may mostly be due to the installation of the game to the hard drive on the PlayStation 3.

Now to the other side of the online coop gameplay and a couple other issues encountered. There are two ways to play online coop, join a match or have others join you game, I have been focusing on having others join me until I have my character build figured out. Playing with strangers runs a huge risk of encountering some...well, for lack of a better word, jerks. Whether speeding through areas they have played through already, messing with your loot stash, or lack of support, it is bound to happen here and there, but as I said before, it is hit or miss. It is a large world in this land of Ehb, but is rather linear in terms of maps, Where in a similar title, Sacred 2, It was an open world environment, not a big issue, just less exploration than I would have thought. Also, this is an Obsidian titles, which means there are decisions to be made, you know, those of us that have played such titles as Alpha Protocol, Fallout: New Vegas, and Knights of the Old Republic Dos, but I felt as if your decisions didn't impact the story as much, making morale questions easier to answer.

I am happy the Dungeon Siege III released on a console. The high def dungeon crawling typically seen on handhelds, has been really trying to breakthrough as of recently, and though most are fun though without multiplayer, or have multiplayer with numerous bugs, this will hopefully bring new life to the genre so we can see Diablo III on consoles. Being a newcomer to the Dungeon Siege series, I didn't feel lost at all playing through the third entry, and had enough fun to go back and start a new character, so there is a lot of replay value here, doubt I will try all four, but will enjoy the looting and multiplayer for as far as I get.

360 degree tour of the Disney E3 Booth | E3 2011

Phineas and Ferb in Across the 2nd Dimension

One of my favorite booths of E3 was the large and in-charge Disney booth.  This year, they truly commanded some massive square-footage!  Complete with a coffee bar, all the latest titles from Disney (and the list is as big as it ever has been), and even Disney sketch artists on hand to whip up your favorite character for your E3 souvenir.

Coffee Bar and Swank Lounge

Disney Sketch artists whipping up a hand-made sketch of choice for Disney fans

So in the interest of showing you all what's what, I took a quick 60 second 360 degree shot of the booth from atop their second floor.  Check it out.  Oh, and we'll have more posts with our impressions of all their games.



Find even more pics after the break

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game | Review

Okay, okay - so just to get this out of the way.  You've played this game.  You played it when it was LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Batman, or even LEGO Indiana Jones, you've played it when it was even LEGO Harry Potter...well now, you get to fill the shoes boots of Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and even more from the Disney summer blockbuster franchise.



So what's different this time around?  Not much really, as far as game-play is concerned, but ever present is Traveller's Tales signature take on the great franchises, and you can't go wrong there.  Why change it up?  Experiencing the movies (which include all 4 in the series, including this summer's "On Stranger Tides") from voice-less characters in LEGO form is still as amusing as it was the first few times around.

Read more after the break