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This week we take another look at the recently wrapped Game Jam in Sydney - where enthusiastic developers get together for 48 hours of coding, designing, networking, BO and energy drinks.
5 Inch Floppy is now in full swing for the year 2011 - the second vid for the year takes on Marvel vs Capcom 3! Jung dives deep into the core mechanics that make the game tick and delivers his verdict on the crossover fighting game.
There's always Junglist waiting out there, ready to give a game full of shit jokes a second chance. But does Bulletstorm earn that second chance?
A little delay in getting this episode of the Floppy to you thanks to our new videos system, but Junglist makes up with it - talking to Keiran Brigden from Creative Assembly about Shogun 2: Total War - the latest game in the epic strategy series.
We let these ones simmer over the weekend - we've got a double shot of Homefront reviews for you today. The written one is based on the Xbox 360 version of the game, while Junglist's 5 Inch Floppy review took on the PC version.
Junglist is back, though a little delayed with this episode of the 5 Inch Floppy! J-Ray takes a look at two smaller budget titles this week - both of them with a multiplayer focus. The first is Greed Corps - a strategy game from W!Games - while the second is the magical beat-em-up Magicka from Arrowhead Game Studios. Those of you with a functional memory might remember Limimi reviewing Magicka - it seems like most (if not all) of the kinks might have been worked out since our initial launch day review.
This week Junglist takes on Hothead Games' Swarm and Atomic Games' Breach - and as always he has interesting things to say about each.
Dinosaurs and Nazis? And you get to be a dinosaur? Seems like Junglist has stumbled across a gem directly from my dream journal - but you can always trust the 5 Inch Floppy to get to the heart of a game's worth, as it does with this Dino D-Day review. The second game is a 'reverse TD' game called Anomaly - and it's just easier for J-Ray to explain it himself.
On this week's Floppy... Portal 2! Junglist gives us his own unique perspective on Valve's new puzzler/shooter - dissecting each element to see if they add up to something greater or lesser than their parts.
The world's biggest Tower Defence fan tries out Sanctum - an interesting combination of FPS and TD with some intriguingly deep strategy to it - and gives us his verdict. Meanwhile, SOCOM gets the rundown despite PSN issues! And apparently it has some coarse language - as does this episode of the Floppy.
Discovering the power of “exponential” DNA (E-DNA), extremist Crogenitors sought to make their ultimate soldiers even more powerful. But E-DNA was unstable, unpredictable, and ultimately uncontrollable. Hordes of mutated abominations broke free from their masters’ control. They were the Darkspore. And after terrible ages of war, the Darkspore closed in on the final Crogenitors.
As a fugitive in the galactic hive of Darkspore domination, you’re a surviving Crogenitor who’s awoken from eons of sleep. Your only guide is HELIX, the AI who’s kept you in safe hiding since you entered suspended animation.
Now, using HELIX’s exhaustive DNA database, you must reconstruct the Genetic Heroes using stabilized E-DNA. Make these Heroes more powerful than their original incarnations to lead them into an apocalyptic battle against the Darkspore.
Junglist dances with the devil this week - he takes a look at Mortal Kombat, giving it the patented J-Ray in-depth review this week. On a more aesthetic front we take a look at Outland, a Metroidvania-esque platformer Ikaruga.
As promised, Junglist has the PC review of Brink in the latest 5 Inch Floppy! With a little more time up Splash Damage's sleeves and a different platform to play on.
Set amid the violence and corruption of post-World War II Los Angeles, L.A. Noire is a crime thriller that seamlessly blends crime-solving, clue-finding, car chases and shoot-outs with revolutionary new interrogation-based gameplay that will allow players to read characters' emotions in order to reveal the truth. Players will take on the role of Cole Phelps, a decorated war veteran, who rises through the ranks of the LAPD by solving a series of gruesome murders and other crimes that bring him face-to-face with the dark heart of Los Angeles during Hollywood's Golden Age.
The acclaimed off-road racing franchise returns in this third series entry. DiRT 3 delivers mud, sweat and gears the world over: from the intense weather-beaten rally stages of Europe, Africa and the US, to executing performance driving showcases and career challenges where car control is pushed to spectacular limits. The game boasts more cars, more locations, more routes and more events than any other game in the series, including over 50 rally cars representing the very best from five decades of the sport.
You've patched in to the enemy's security system: get ready to make your plan. Frozen Synapse is the ultimate strategy game: you have full control over your strike team, directing their every movement. At the same time, your opponent is plotting to defeat you. Plan your moves, then hit the "Execute" button: both you and your enemy's turns are executed simultaneously. Bite-size, hardcore strategy: a touch of X-Com and Laser Squad, with a striking sci-fi aesthetic.
The Wonderland that you knew from childhood has gone horribly wrong ... again. This is the follow-up to designer American McGee's twisted take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale. Designed with the same dark style of the original, but now featuring entirely new visuals, story and game design, Alice: Madness Returns follows Alice on a journey through a wildly corrupted and shattered Wonderland to uncover the truth behind her haunted past and tortured psyche.
Alice: Madness Returns takes place 10 years after the conclusion of the original game, with Alice struggling to recover from the emotional trauma of losing her entire family in a fatal fire. After spending a decade institutionalized in an insane asylum, she is finally released to the care of a psychiatrist who just may be able to help her conquer the nightmarish hallucinations that still haunt her. Alice embarks on a mission to root out the true cause of her family's mysterious death, jumping from a gloomy and stark London to a rich and provocative Wonderland.
With Shadows of the Damned, creative geniuses Suda 51 (No More Heroes) and Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil) present an all-new vision of hell unlike anything seen before! A psychological action thriller, Shadows of the Damned follows a demon hunter deep into a hyper-twisted re-imagining of hell where he must rescue the love of his life by defeating the armies of darkness with the power of the light.
Garcia is a hard-as-nails, leather-clad, motorcycle-riding professional demon hunter who finds his true love kidnapped by vengeance-seeking demons. As he explores the farthest reaches of the netherworld, Garcia battles through hell and back, with danger and turmoil around every corner. Throughout Shadows of the Damned gamers will find themselves challenged by demented puzzles and thrust into gruesome battles with vile and deformed creatures that can only come from the darkest recesses of hell.
Nine months ago, Point Man and his F.E.A.R. squad were tapped to stop a telepathically gifted cannibal who had begun a murderous rampage. Point Man learned the target was his brother, Paxton Fettel, working alongside their tortured and psychically powerful mother, Alma Wade. Despite this revelation, Point Man followed orders to destroy them and subsequently ravaged the surrounding city and most of his F.E.A.R. team. Now, it is clear that Alma’s psychic influence survived— and worse, she is about to birth something that could destroy the world.
Fettel has returned from death with an unclear agenda, refusing to leave Point Man's side and asking for help to reach Alma. The remaining F.E.A.R. squad is still trying to complete their mission. With his chain of command broken and Point Man calling his own shots, where will his allegiance lie?
F.E.A.R. 3 introduces divergent co-op, giving players distinctly different abilities affecting their own play as well as the experience of their co-op partner. Gamers participate in single player or co-op modes as Point Man, a genetically enhanced super soldier originally introduced in F.E.A.R., or they can play cooperatively as his conniving brother Paxton Fettel, whose incredible telekinetic power has given him life beyond the grave.
Protect humanity from the evil Monovision menace in this Tower Defense Shooter from Tim Schafer's Double Fine Productions. In Iron Brigade (formerly known as Trenched,) use a combination of mobile firepower and stationary defenses to turn the tide of war in our favor. Customize your trench with thousands of possible loadouts. March side by side with allies from around the world as you fight your way through Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. Join The Mobile Trench Brigade!
The sequel to the card battle franchise, Magic: The Gathering -- Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 includes new modes, decks and challenges.
The sequel to 'Splosion Man, Ms. 'Splosion Man features new security measures, traps, and locations being used by the scientists after they catch 'Splosion Man but inadvertently create a female counterpart.
When a Mexican drug cartel bombs a U.S. law enforcement agency, the U.S. government puts together a special task force to bring them down. Play as Ben McCall, a brutal LAPD cop and descendent of Ray McCall, or Eddie Guerra, a DEA agent with a chronic-gambling habit, or gang-affiliated street kid turned FBI agent, Kim Evans. Each character has their own unique story. As you fight to dismantle the Cartel and unfurl the mystery of the bombing, you'll embark on an epic, bloody road trip from the streets of Los Angeles to Ciudad Juarez. Experience the lawlessness of today's Wild West as you hunt down the Cartel in a world where the ends justify the means.
Part of the hit action franchise, Call of Juarez: The Cartel is set in present day and brings the best elements of the Wild West to a new and modern setting. As a first person shooter with an immersive and mature story, players can expect to embark on a journey like no other -- one that will take them from the heart of modern day Los Angeles, California to Juarez, Mexico.
Based on the work of Michel Gagné (and first seen in a series of interstitials Nickelodeon), this unique action game features entirely unique graphic design and bizarre yet familiar gameplay designed in the style of a shoot-em-up game.
Players will become Captain America as he faces the Red Skull and his army in an epic third- person action adventure set in the darkest days of World War II.
Wielding Captain America's legendary shield, gamers will engage in free-flowing combat and acrobatic platforming to infiltrate Hydra's mysterious castle and battle the infamous Iron Cross, the forces of Hydra, and a host of nefarious enemies serving the Red Skull. As the First Avenger himself, players must defeat the evil scientist Arnim Zola and his wartime experiments, combining powerful melee combos and shield attacks to devastating effect.
Captain America: Super Soldier combines a highly athletic combat system with fluid platforming and a highly tuned suite of shield attacks, as Cap explores a massive castle turned military installation. His shield can be employed in numerous ways: taking out multiple enemies at once, deflecting incoming fire back at enemies, solving puzzles, and scaling walls. Players will be able to launch shield-first into the fray with the superior force of the world's first Super-Soldier at their fingertips—and they'll need every bit of that strength to overcome a castle that’s both an acrobatic playground for the Captain’s physical prowess and a house of mystery with enemies and danger at every turn.
The Cold War ignites when '80s era action toys come alive and wage war! Toy Soldiers: Cold War delivers hours of intense combat combined with addictive action strategy gameplay. Superpowers collide in this playful homage to '80s action toys and films. Command the powerful Cold War arsenals of the USA or USSR armies! Control base turrets, modern combat vehicles, fighter jets, attack helicopters, and commando action figures. Whether lighting up the Toy Box alone or jumping into the fray with your friends, battle in campaign, co-op, or competitive modes. Fight for the high score in the addictive mini-games, and while you're at it, don’t forget to BLOW EVERYTHING UP!
With crime lord Charles Jericho now on the loose San Francisco faces a terrible threat. Only one man can stand against him. He has driven the streets of a hundred cities, spent his whole life putting criminals behind bars. But to take Jericho down, there can be no turning back, and he knows that this may very well be his last ride. His name is John Tanner. He is the Driver.
Driver: San Francisco marks the return of the blockbuster driving franchise. Gamers play John Tanner, a hardened detective involved in a relentless manhunt throughout the City by the Bay. Thanks to a groundbreaking gameplay feature, players can now seamlessly shift between more than a hundred licensed vehicles, keeping them constantly in the heart of the action. With its timeless atmosphere, unique car handling and renewed playability, Driver: San Francisco offers the free-roaming, classic, cinematic car chase experience.
In the battles of Earth's unwritten past, we knew that time was a constant. We knew that time was inevitable. Then the alien threat appeared. Every move they made a perfect counter, every strike executed with preternatural precision. One by one Earth's colonies fell, with only ashes left behind. But humanity learns, humanity adapts. Now we know the truth. The inevitable, the constant, is mere illusion, as fragile as glass. And time... Time is a weapon.
Achron is the first game to feature single-player and multiplayer free-form time travel in a real-time strategy game. You can undo your mistakes, change your strategy after committing to it, preview the future, freeze time to perfectly coordinate attacks, and send entire fleets through time to when they are needed. However, all of your opponents will also be independently moving across time, attempting to rewrite history in their favor...
America is lost. Four years after the epic conclusion of Resistance 2, dishonorably discharged Sentinel Joseph Capelli is in hiding from the invading Chimeran menace with a pocket of survivors, including his new wife and young son. But when Dr. Fyodor Malikov arrives with a desperate plan, he sets into motions the events of Resistance 3, the third installment in the popular full-featured first-person shooter series. Resistance 3 is created by critically-acclaimed developer Insomniac Games exclusively for the PlayStation 3 system.
Set in a brutal, alternate 1950s universe, America has been successfully conquered and destroyed by the deadly Chimeran race, forcing the last remaining human survivors to seek refuge in hiding. Players must take on the role of Joseph Capelli, the last surviving Sentinel from a clandestine military program, as he comes out of hiding to journey across a land of ruin in a heroic fight for survival against the merciless Chimera. In addition to an epic single-player campaign, Resistance 3 offers two-player online or split-screen co-op through the single-player campaign, and a new, focused progression-based multiplayer experience.
Gears of War 3 is the spectacular conclusion to one of the most memorable and celebrated sagas in video games. Developed by Epic Games exclusively for Xbox 360, Gears of War 3 plunges you into a harrowing tale of hope, survival, and brotherhood.
In Gears of War 3, fight on as Marcus Fenix, the grizzled war hero and leader of Delta Squad. Eighteen months after the fall of the last human city, the war against the Locust rages on. Meanwhile, deep beneath the surface, a fearsome new threat is infecting the planet from within. With survivors scattered and civilization in ruins, time is running out for Marcus and his comrades as they fight to save the human race.
In celebration of 5 Inch Floppy's 50th episode, host Jeremy "Junglist" Ray takes a quirky look at the SEA/Australia and New Zealand StarCraft 2 Invitational final.
This Starcraft 2 battle is between a Australian programmer Moonglade and JazBaz, a top player from New Zealand, in a zerg vs. zerg battle.
FIFA Soccer 12 brings to the pitch the game-changing new Player Impact Engine, a physics engine built to deliver real-world physicality in every interaction on the pitch. Experience the way real-world players challenge each other for the ball, win possession, and test each other physically. Enjoy an infinite variety of natural and believable outcomes in every collision. Players feel more resilient, push and pull during the fight for possession, and recover from light challenges more easily.
Revolutionary gameplay innovations make FIFA 12 deeper and more engaging. All-new Precision Dribbling creates a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for better control in tight spaces, more time to make decisions on attack, and more control over the pace of the game. Defending has been re-designed to make it as skilful and meaningful as the real-world game with all-new Tactical Defending, where positioning and intercepting passes are as important as tackling. Tactics and timing are crucial.
CPU players have been infused with Pro Player Intelligence, a self-awareness that enables them to behave and make decisions based on their own skills and tendencies, and gives them the aptitude to understand the strengths and weaknesses of teammates in every situation. Transformed to look and feel fresh and new from pre-match to final whistle, FIFA Soccer 12 delivers an authentic Match Day experience, faster and easier navigation, and over 500 officially licensed clubs.
Rage is a groundbreaking first-person shooter set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, leaving a ravaged world behind. You emerge into this vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as raider gangs, mutants, and the Authority -- an oppressive government regime that has a special interest in you in particular.
Featuring intense first-person action, vehicle combat, an expansive world and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id's revolutionary idTech 5 technology, Rage continues the legacy of design studio Id Software in delivering an experience like no other.
A spiritual successor to Demons Souls, the action RPG Dark Souls is set in a rich, dark fantasy universe. Intense action within the dungeons, encounters with terrifying enemies and innovative online features combine for a unique gaming experience. Dark Souls' world breaks down barriers with a fluid design encourages exploration and promotes an adaptation experience. At a time when the players come face to face with terrifying enemies and find new areas, the infallible system and reward challenge takes possession of everything to offer a sense of achievement without equal.
From the creators of Age of Empires Online comes Orcs Must Die, a new breed of strategy made for those who want some crazy carnage to go along with their cerebral challenge. A mix of third-person action, strategic planning and tower defense, Orcs Must Die is set in a goofy kind of high fantasy realm. You play as an armored knight capable of wielding bow, sword and magical attacks. The goal is simple. Kill orcs before they’re able to speed past you and cross the threshold of a glowing rift.
This week Junglist checks out a studio Nnooo Studios and what they are getting up to.
Fortune hunter Nathan Drake is catapulted headlong into an adventure that takes him on a daring trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert in a search for the fabled "Atlantis of the Sands." This journey pits him and his mentor Victor Sullivan against the occult treachery of a shadowy clandestine organization and its ruthless leader. When the terrible secrets of this lost city are unearthed, Drake's quest descends into a desperate bid for survival that strains the limits of his endurance and forces him to confront his deepest fears.
Prepare for full-scale war with Battlefield 3, the third major evolution of the long-running online battle franchise. Using the power of Frostbite 2 game engine technology, Battlefield 3 delivers superior visual quality, a grand sense of scale, massive destruction, dynamic audio and incredibly lifelike character animations. As bullets whiz by, walls crumble, and explosions throw you to the ground, the battlefield feels more alive and interactive than ever before.
In Battlefield 3, players step into the role of the elite U.S. Marines where they will experience heart-pounding single player missions and competitive multiplayer actions ranging across diverse locations from around the globe including Europe, Middle-East and North America.
This week Junglist talks to Naughty Dog about the technology behind Uncharted 3. We also see some of the actors whilst performing mo-cap.
Assassin's Creed Revelations presents the most immersive experience available in the series to date and the culmination of Ezio's adventure. In Assassin’s Creed Revelations, master assassin Ezio Auditore walks in the footsteps of his legendary mentor, Altaïr, on a journey of discovery and revelation. It is a perilous path – one that will take Ezio to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the region.
In addition to Ezio’s award-winning story, the acclaimed online multiplayer experience from Assassin's Creed Brotherhood returns, refined and expanded, with more modes, more maps and more characters that allow players to test their assassin skills against others from around the world. The latest chapter in the Assassin’s Creed saga also includes revolutionary gameplay, allowing players to manipulate the construct of Desmond’s memories and the Animus to decipher the mysteries of his past and gain insight into the future.
This week is 5 Inch Floppy's second annual game awards show. This year's categories include Most Innovative Game, Most Underrated Game, The Most Memorable Moment In Gaming for 2011 and more.
Have you ever thought that the way games are made or the "addictiveness" of games is ethical? Junglist tackles this issue head on in this weeks episode of 5 Inch Floppy.
