Frozenbyte, the developers of the much anticipated game Trine, has posted some startling news regarding the science-based adventure.

Joel Kinnunen, a Trine developer wrote, “It’s out of our hands but most likely will not happen. Sorry. (We probably won’t comment on this any further.)”

The game (already released on the PS3 and PC) has been given raving reviews from critics. The game is a platforming game featuring a vast amount of puzzles and mystery. The 360 version was meant to be available for download late last year, however as you have probably worked out, it was delayed. Slowly news of the game died down until the gravestone was officially placed. It looks like one of the most promising XBLA games to hit the scene will now only be available for PC and PS3 owners.

Damn.

Constantly trying to include us gamers into the loop, Ubisoft have struck again with their latest publicity stunt…

On the Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands Facebook Fan Page which can be found here, Ubisoft are asking fans to vote for an achievement which should be included into the game!

Voters will be allowed to choose from;
Master of the Elements – Use every elemental power ten times.
Floors Are for Losers – Wall-run at least one half of a mile (.8 km)
Princely Skill – Finish ten enemies in a row using the aerial slash.
Be Kind, Rewind – Perform your first rewind.
They Call Me the Sandblaster! – Overcome 500 enemies.

Although I think the Master of the Elements achievement could be a bit awesome and would get gamers to experiment with abilities, I think I’d have to go for ‘Be kind, rewind’ or ‘They call me the Sandblaster!’ purely for the amusing names…

If you vote, let us know what you picked!

For all those not up to date on the Square Enix extravaganza, the company previously released a set of screenshots of in-game footage for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. At lest that’s what they would have us believe.

The alleged Xbox 360 screenshots were actually taken from the PS3 version of the game, with the button layout altered to suit the 360. The Senior PR Manager of Square Enix North America, Sonia Im wrote on her Twitter: “We are looking into how the #FFXIII altered screens ended up in our presskit &will update asap. This was obviously not intentional…..Aside from easily being proven as altered, and this method not being one we use, we don’t feel there is a need to enhance the X360 #FFXIII” She then went on to say, “Need to clarify a few things re: #FFXIII screenshots. These were not meant to be released as a comparison of FFXIII on the two consoles…The X360 batch in our press kit was the wrong one. We will have a statement shortly.”

An example of the shots in question can be seen below.

Moving onto a lighter Final Fantasy XIII, the first commerical for the game was played during prime-time viewing, but as a surprise for many, it only mentions the Xbox360! See the video now at the link below.

FFXIII Xbox360 Ad

Final Fantasy XIII is released on the 9th March 2010.

Admit it: you thought Bioshock 2 was going to suck, didn’t you? You thought that the first game was such a complete experience that it didn’t need or leave room for a sequel. Well, until I played the second installment I would have agreed with you. Thankfully 2k games have changed my mind due to their crafting of such an atmospheric and eminently playable adventure.

The game is set 8 years after the events of the first, with players taking on the role of one of the original Big Daddies. As anyone who has played the first game will know, the story in Bioshock is central to the entire experience. Because of that I will try to avoid mentioning any specifics of the narrative so as to avoid spoiling it for any of you.

Whilst I did enjoy the story that runs through Bioshock 2 it was not as involving as that of the first game. This was partly down to the fact that it felt somewhat shoehorned into the canon set up by the first. Major events from the history of Rapture are revealed during the game that were not even touched upon in the original, and this can feel rather forced at times.

I was also slightly disappointed with the characters in this game, again this was due to the high quality of the people we met in the first. There is just no-one here that compares to the sheer lunacy of Sander Cohen or the thrill of meeting Andrew Ryan for the first time. The characters in the second game are much more forgettable.

What with all the discussion of the lofty ideals discussed in Bioshock it seems that people sometimes forget that the game is at heart an FPS. I’m glad to report that this part of the game has been sharpened up nicely. It’s now possible to duel wield a weapon and a plasmid, both of which are upgradeable. This creates opportunities for even better combat experiences. You can be setting cyclone traps which launch splicers into the air and then set them on fire, or pin them to the wall with your spear gun, or use your hypnotise plasmid to set them on each other. The different ways in which you can approach each situation give a tremendous variety to the entire game.

The Vita chambers from the original make a re-appearance, only this time around they are more of an essential inclusion. In Bioshock 2 you are going to die, a lot. Thankfully the checkpoints and Vita chambers are well placed and stop any one section from becoming a chore. Having said that there is the option to turn them off, and even an achievement for completing the game without using them. Good luck to anyone attempting that!

The decision to let players take on the role of a Big Daddy in this game was something of a controversial one amongst fans. I’m happy to report that in gameplay terms it’s definitely been a good one. Smashing into splicers and cutting them to ribbons with your drill really is as fun as it sounds. Despite playing as such a powerful character there is still a constant feeling of foreboding permeating the whole experience. Hearing the stomp of another Daddy, or the screach of a Big Sister is enough to get your heart racing. Hell, even the voices of splicers around the next corner can be enough to put you on edge.

Talking of the Big Sisters, as fun as they were to fight during the game, I did feel that they were a bit of an unnecessary inclusion. Their back story is rather poorly explained and in my opinion the Big Daddies provide far more entertaining opponents. You just can’t beat setting up all of your traps and turrets and planning your route through an area before angering one of those hulking giants.

The question of harvesting or saving little sisters also returns this time around, only with a slight twist. As the player is now a Big Daddy it’s possible to choose to adopt the little sister and use her to collect adam from dead bodies. Doing so will attract splicers in large numbers, attracted by that lovely adam, so you had better be ready to defend your little sister against their onslaught. In many of the reviews I’ve read this part of the game has been criticised for it’s repetition. I have to say that I completely disagree with that evaluation. Yes, you do go through this process many times during the course of the game but in my opinion these were some of the most enjoyable sections of gameplay. It really is exhilarating setting up a defensive position using whatever traps and plasmids you have at your disposal and then battling the onrushing splicers.

Graphically the game is a wonderful sight to behold and ratpure is every bit as beautiful a place to explore as it was before. There are plenty of interesting places to visit and marvel at. The soundtrack is also just as excellent as before and compliments the whole atmosphere perfectly.

This time around Bioshock has ventured into the overpopulated sphere of the online shooter. The competetive part of the game has actually been developed by a different studio than the single player game in the hope that they would be able to craft a better experience. As much as I wanted to love the multiplayer, it really does feel completely unnecessary. Most games I played were laggy and this was excentuated whenever someone used the incinerate plasmid. The multiplayer as a whole reminded me of the tacked on efforts we’ve seen in games such as Condemned 2 and The Darkness. You’re better off concentrating of the single player game which is far superior and leaving the multiplayer well alone.

I had plenty of doubts before playing Bioshock 2 and that’s made me all the more pleased at how well the game has turned out. It’s exceeded my expectations in pretty much every way. The only let down was the story, but this is mainly due to the unavoidable comparisons with the first game which had one of the finest narratives in gaming history. As a standalone game Bioshock 2 is an experience not to be missed.

Verdict: 8.5/10. Miss it, miss out.

I’m trying my best not to get carried away by the Bungie and Microsoft hype train this time around, but that’s kinda difficult when things like this come out!

CEO of Activision, Mike Griffith, has confirmed “… this holiday, as we eluded earlier, we plan to release a new Call of Duty game. We expect that the global Call of Duty user base will continue to grow driven by expected high attach rates, and news sales of hardware, and new downloadable map packs which should continue to keep current players engaged while attracting new consumers to the brand.”

As probably the only gamer in the world who prefers World at War to Modern Warfare 2, I am rather looking forward to this. Hopefully the rumours of Vietnam are true as there are ample opportunities for some quality 1960′s style action.

Ever fancied yourself as I bit of a totalitarian dictator? If, like me, you answered yes to that question then Haemimont have got you covered with Tropico 3. The game is a port of the PC release and gives players the chance to play as ‘El Presidente’, the ruler of a tropical banana republic.

Tropico is essential an rts style dictator experience. There’s a slice of Sim City in here too as deciding on building and road placement is apparently part of the job of dictators. The game also has plenty of humour added into the mix which does help to keep things interesting.

The single player mode consists of you taking charge of several tropical islands, each with different natural resources and sets of goals attached to them. You have to keep the population happy whilst striving to meet objectives such as building X number of farms, or attracting a set number of tourists to the island. These goals must be completed within a certain time limit in order to progress to the next island.



Gameplay wise you move the camera around your island using the sticks, whilst the face buttons allow browsing of menus and issuing orders such as putting up buildings. In classic rts style you need certain buildings to allow access to others which means that forward planning of your growing metropolis is essential for success. This is the first area of the game I have to take a little issue with, as the controls really don’t feel all that natural. The game has obviously been designed with a keyboard and mouse in mind and does feel clunky on the pad.

Graphically Tropico is nice enough looking, although I did notice a few instances of screen tearing. The soundtrack is pleasant too and fits in well with the stereotypical and comical portrayal of these banana republics.

The main problem I had with the game was that it didn’t go far enough in convincing me that I was the all powerful dictator I had hoped to be. For one thing: the game has elections every now and again during which you can be voted out of power if you’ve annoyed the people enough. Unfortunately the experience also rapidly becomes repetitive, with each island not being as different as they are first made out to be. The religious faction seems to be important on every island, and failure to build a church just causes people to lose faith in the power of your presidency.

Tropico 3 is a fun enough experience and is quite different to anything else currently available. The game suffers from control and repetition issues but is nonetheless worth a play if you can find it cheap enough.

Verdict: 7/10. Buy it if you find it in the bargain bin.

Yesterday EA had their third-quarter fiscal results night. Although you all probably don’t care about that, you will be happy to know that they have also modified their line-up for the releases coming in 2011. All those interested in the list check below. Otherwise skip it to find out the main highlights.

Key EA Titles – Fiscal Year 2011
Q1 FY2011 – April 1 through June 30, 2010
Skate 3 (Console)
Need for Speed World (PC)
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (Console, Handheld)
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 (Console, Handheld)

 
Q2 FY2011 – July 1 through September 30, 2010
APB/All Points Bulletin (PC)
Medal of Honor Title TBA (Console, Handheld, PC)
NCAA Football 11 (Console, Handheld, PC)
EA SPORTS FIFA Online (PC)
Madden NFL 11 (Console, Handheld)
FIFA 11 (Console, Handheld, PC)
NHL 11 (Console)
Monopoly Title TBA (Console, Handheld)
MySims Title TBA (Console, Handheld)

Q3 FY 2011- October 1 through December 31, 2010
Crysis 2 (Console, PC)
Criterion’s Need For Speed Title TBA (Console, Handheld, PC)
DTC Game For Console Online (Console – Downloadable)
FIFA Manager 11 (PC)
NBA Jam (Console)
NBA Live 11 (Console, Handheld)
EA SPORTS Active Title TBA (Console)
EA SPORTS Active Title TBA (Console)
EA SPORTS MMA (Console, Handheld)
Hasbro Family Game Night Title TBA (Console)
Hasbro Littlest Pet Shop Title TBA (Handheld)
Harry Potter Title TBA (Console, Handheld, PC)
The Sims 3 on Console Title TBA (Console, Handheld)
EA Play Label TBA (Console, Handheld, PC)

Q4 FY 2011- January 1 through March 31, 2011
Dead Space 2 (Console, Handheld)
Dragon Age Title TBA (Console, Handheld, PC)
Shooter from Epic TBA (Console, PC)
Need For Speed Title TBA (Console, PC)
EA Games Action Title TBA (Console – Downloadable)
EA SPORTS Fighting Title TBA (Console)
EA Play Hasbro Title TBA (Console – Downloadable)
New Sims Title TBA (PC)
Spore Title TBA (Consoles, PC)

 
(Credit goes to Shack News for being the first to piece EA’s list of games together.)

 
So, what have we learnt class?

Firstly it’s apparent that Dragon Age 2 is already set for release sometime in the beginning of 2011! We also know that Medal of Honor will be coming before October. Also Sims 3 will be coming to consoles and Dead Space 2 will not be coming to the PC!

Also not on the list, we have some form of Mass Effect 2 related clue from EA COO John Schappert, “something far-reaching coming from Mass Effect” in early 2011.

Anyone have any idea what he might be getting at? Let us know.

Not too boring for a fiscal evening, right?

If you’re wondering whether to invest in the Cerberus system, or just want information before you get your hands on a copy of the game. Here is some information about the new downloadable content coming to Mass Effect 2.

 
Today at 12pm Mountain Standard Time, new gear will be uploaded onto the Cerberus system, the middle machine for all things DLC. Players will be able to get a new shoutgun and a new set of armour for free.

‘Cerberus Assault Armor – Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%
Increases shields by +10%
Increases health by +10%

 
M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun – The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries. ‘

Now most would already know that some time ago Gearbox Software promised that a new character from The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx expansion pack will be getting a Twitter account.

Apparently that time is now, and the revealed character is none other than the one, the only, Mr. General Knoxx !!

Director, Mikey Neumann from Gearbox Software said, “Hmmm, seems this @GeneralKnoXX character is tweeting various, sadly spelled, adventures through Pandora now.”

Mr. Knoxx will be posting pictures, giving information about the story and just posting random irrelevant facts for the hell of it (like 90% of the Twitter following). The link for the account is: Here, Enjoy folks.

“watch your step boy. i lost my eye in a fight with myself . ps. i won”