Indie Review: Old School Racer

Xbox 360 Digest.com

The Digest: Plain and simple, you will lose sleep over this fun and exciting dirt bike title from Riddlersoft.

THE FACT SHEET

RELEASE DATE: June 24, 2010
PUBLISHER: Riddlersoft
DEVELOPER: Riddlersoft
PRICE:  80 MS Points
GENRE:  Racing & Flying

Microsoft Claims Kinect Manufacturing Costs Around $150

Xbox 360 Digest.com
It seems Microsoft has had a close eye and a closer ear to what the internet community of gamers has been saying about their new motion capture hardware. According to a highly-trusted source that resides within the Microsoft development team; the Kinect's manufacturing costs are said to be close to or at about $150.00. Whether this "trusted source" of information is true or not it seems Microsoft is catching wind of the negative feedback gamers are unleashing on the web about the expensive investment.



It almost seems as if Microsoft is attempting to justify the high price tag by assuring gamers that the company isn't out for a higher markup but rather taking a hit to provide a new experience to its gamers.

Xbox 360 Digest Indie Review: Urban Space Squirrels

Xbox 360 Digest Indie Review


The Digest: This just might be the coolest bomb carrying, wall climbing, laser dodging squirrel you will ever come across.

THE FACT SHEET

RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2010
PUBLISHER: Duct Tape Anonymous Entertainment
DEVELOPER: University of Utah Entertainment Arts and Engineering program
PRICE:  80 MS Points
GENRE:  Puzzle & Platform

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
Your mission is to lead this James Bondesque looking squirrel to safety while using your smarts to navigate through new stages and avoiding death at all costs.



2
You become transformed into a bomb totting squirrel with an attitude that extends far beyond his desire to escape the death trap that is Urban Space Squirrels.  Packed with four main levels and twenty stages, this game will have you addicted from the time you pick up the controller to the time you pass out from lack of sleep as a result.



The game starts off a little slow with the first few puzzles being fairly easy to complete to advance you to the next stage. Once you get a feel for the game the engine kicks in full gear and the stages becoming increasingly more difficult to surpass. Your mind and reaction time will be put to the ultimate test in order to avoid those annoying lasers and the fast moving land mines. As you find your self knocking down stages like a house of cards you will be rewarded with much needed upgrades. Some of these upgrades include extra bombs or even a nice claw to climb the walls faster than jumping around them. This is where the game starts to become very addictive and you won’t be able to put the controller down until you pass that next stage or achieve that next upgrade.

Now I have been a big fan of the platform games in the past but the one problem I have with all of them is I could never seem get over the hump of the death-by-poor-camera-coverage. Games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario 64, Earthworm Jim, or even the original NES Super Mario were all plagued by slow moving camera coverage. I can honestly say this is the first platform game that I have never had an issue with my character flying off screen and falling into a pit of death. The camera moves fluidly no matter how fast your new squirrel friend runs, falls, or jumps. He won’t ever be lost in your field of vision.



Can’t seem to figure out how to run, jump, or even use the bombs that magically fly out of the squirrel’s body? No worries, the game comes with a fun and interactive tutorial to show you how to handle your impressive new friend. No longer will you have to read long and boring scripts on how to move you character, rather the tutorials put you right into the feel of the game before actually starting your quest for escape.

That quest for freedom will have you stumbling across one of the many hilarious death sequences that are featured throughout the game. Whether it be death by strategically placed lasers or falling into a pit of mines, this is one of those added quirks that will have you deep in thought one minute to laughing hysterically the next. If you don't get anything out of this game in terms or enjoyment, remind your self that laughter is the best medicine and throw your little squirrel friend into on of those shiny lasers. It will be worth your time and effort! 



Conclusion: You can really tell a lot of thought went into this game from the impressive Photoshop/Illustrator work to the fluid game engine throughout. As I have said before this is truly one of those titles that the Indie Game genre is all about. You will love to hate this game simple because it will push your mind and reaction time to the absolute edge. It’s safe to say this is one of those titles that is definitely worth your full download.

PROS	CONS
- Highly Addictive - Very Professional Looking - Awesome Replay Value	- What are the Red Cards for? - Difficulty Spikes

Single Player: 5/5 | Multi-Player: N/A

Special thanks to Duct Tape Anonymous Entertainment for providing us with a copy of the game for review.

Hawks Jonathan Toews to Grace Cover of NHL11

 Xbox 360 Digest New Release

The Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews added to his list of accomplishments this summer by being selected to appear on the cover of EA Sports NHL 11. Just one week removed from winning the Conn Smythe Trophy and bringing the Stanley Cup back home to Chicago, Toews becomes the new poster boy for the highly anticipated game that will hit shelves September 14, 2010.



EA Sports usually waits until mid July to announce who will appear on the games cover but with E3 being bigger than ever this year and the Hawks winning the Cup, its only fitting to release the news early.



Toews becomes the second Chicago Blackhawk in a row to be featured on the games cover. Patrick Kane was selected for last years NHL 10.
 

Activision Adds Grammy-Award Winning Heavyweights

 Xbox 360 Digest New Announcement:

Activision kicked off E3 by announcing the addition of some well know and well respected recording artists to it's highly anticipated titles; Call of Duty: Black Ops, DJ Hero 2, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, and True Crime: Hong Kong.

Included in this list of popular musicians is multi-platinum R&B artists Usher, Rap superstar Eminem, recently reunited Soundgarden, N.E.R.D singer and producer Pharrell Williams, and David Guetta to name a few.

CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, stated the reasoning behind the companies new additions. "Activision's fall titles are set to give gamers an unparalleled musical experience. We have assembled an exceptionally talented roster of artists, many of whom have created exclusive or originally recorded tracks for our games. We are sure our titles will offer a variety of tracks that will appeal to our wide consumer base and delight the most passionate music and gaming fans."

Indie Review: Aah Little Atlantis

Xbox 360 Digest Review

The Digest: Finally a retro style Indie game that breaks the mold to follow its own path rather than walk in the shadow of our old friend Mario.

THE FACT SHEET

RELEASE DATE: April 6, 2010
PUBLISHER: Aah Games
DEVELOPER: Robert Swan
PRICE: 80 MS Points
GENRE: Puzzle & Strategy

Xbox 360 Digest: Splinter Cell: Conviction Review By: Patrick Tretina

 Xbox 360 Digest: Splinter Cell: Conviction Review-Facebook Page Post

 As impossible as it may seem Sam Fisher is back again for Splinter Cell Conviction and is as angrier than ever. 

From the moment you pick up the controller you can feel the rage running through Sam’s veins. His aggressiveness has not only been built into the dialogue and the story line but infused directly into the game play as well. Everything from the vicious takedowns to the erratic interrogation techniques are a clear indication that Sam is far from putting his daughter’s murder behind him.

The story is set three years after the conclusion of Splinter Cell: Double Agent where Sam’s daughter was brutally murdered with his government agency, Third Echelon, playing no part in attempting to find a suspect. 

Fisher is called out of retirement when new evidence surfaces about his daughter’s estranged killer. Lucky for Sam the new evidence leads to a prominent terrorists group who just so happens to be planning a major attack on our nation’s capital. To make matters worse Fisher has gone solo and will stop at nothing to find who murdered his little girl. 

The new Splinter Cell installment has proven to be far superior from its processors in many aspects. The game is played like that book you can’t put down and will have you spending all night in campaign mode until you beat it. The reason, no in-game loading screens to remind you to take your eyes off the screen to peer at the clock and realize its 4:45 in the morning. The game is also in constant action mode so you’re never sitting around waiting for lengthy dialogue clips to roll by. Instead, the cut-scenes are filled with enough action to keep you entertained and well informed, not to mention the maps are being loaded simultaneously while you’re drooling over the cut-scenes of the intense story line.

As promised the game is no longer plagued by sloth-like stealth techniques that use to take forever to kill a stationary enemy. This time around stealth is all about speed and intensity making Fisher’s kill’s all that more rewarding. 

Conviction also uses an all new in game cover mode which allows for more flexibility when lurking through the shadows to gain an edge on a room full of enemies. You are no longer stuck to one motion while pinned in cover, instead you have free reign to move quickly and easily when needed. The game will have you feeling like a stealthy bad-ass in no time. 

To compliment your newly acquired stealth-swag, is the all new interactive interrogations feature. Instead of watching cut-scenes of Fisher grilling his foes to submission, you become thrown directly into the art of interrogating. These fun moves are rather easy to pull off yet they maintain a unique dimension the Splinter Cell series has never seen before. 

Despite the single player campaign taking a little over 6 hours to complete, the game comes packed with a co-op campaign with completely different levels and missions. The co-op can be played on split screen or over Xbox Live as well. The developers have also added some bonus feature within the co-op that are well worth the time exploring. 

All in all Splinter Cell: Conviction is a ridiculous upgrade from the previous versions within the series. Then again I wasn’t much of a fan of the last Splinter Cell which might say a thing or two about my bias for the previous games. Never the less the new installment is definitely worth the price of admission or at least a spot atop your GameFly query. But then again you could go on with your boring life playing the same old game you’ve been playing for the past two years and not experience the phenomenon that is Splinter Cell: Conviction.

Indie Review: Mind’s Eye Jupiter – Episode 02

Xbox360Digest.com Review Done 6/6/2010

The Digest: Sometimes you just want to play a game that challenges your mind more than your reaction time. Not only will this strategic adventure game keep you entertained from start to finish but it will also have you wishing the developer would finish Episode 3 so you can feed your Indie game addiction.

THE FACT SHEET

RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2010
PUBLISHER: Domain of the Infinite
DEVELOPER: Travis Rogers
PRICE: 240 MS Points
GENRE: Action & Adventure

“Def Jam Rapstar” Set for Early October Release

Xbox 360 Digest.com

Hip Hop fans your prayers have been answered in the form of Def Jam RapStar. The first ever all Hip Hop music interaction game developed by 4mm Games allows users to rap to their favorite Hip Hop songs…finally.

For those who have played Rock Band or Band Hero and wished they could sing along to Lil Wayne’s “A Milli” or Drake’s “Best I Ever Had,” no longer have to wait and wish for that day to come. Konami Digital announced the release of Def Jam Rapstar for October 5, 2010 and just in time to spend this coming Fall rhyming to Tupac’s “Better Days” and Outcast’s “So Fresh, So Clean.”

The RapStar bundle will debut for $69.99 and include one wired microphone along with the game software.

Konami also announced the addition of seven songs to compliment the over 40 of Hip Hop’s greatest songs that will be available on release day.

Biz Markie – “Just A Friend”
Drake – “Best I Ever Had”
Ice Cube – “It Was A Good Day”
Outkast – “So Fresh, So Clean”
Pete Rock and CL Smooth – “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”
Redman and Method Man – “Da Rockwilder”
Salt-N-Pepa – “Push It”