Review: Boulder Dash-XL

Iconic rapper 2pac once stated that his every move was “a calculated step,” a few words that perfectly describe Boulder Dash-XL, the latest game brought by way of Catnip Games, First Star Software, and Kalypso Media. The new downloadable entry in the Boulder Dash series has the player taking on the role of either Rockford (a newly crafted robot) or Crystal (his female companion) in their adventures to find as many jewels as possible. You are sent to race through a plethora of levels that will test everything from your reaction speed to how fast you can solve the puzzles and get to the exit. So is Boulder Dash-XL a worthy re-envisioning of a classic franchise or are your diamonds better spent elsewhere?

The core gameplay mechanics remain the same to previous entries in the franchise, as you travel through dirt, push boulders, and collect rich stuff (Goonies, anyone?) in order to unlock the exit. Due to the welcomed simplicity of the gameplay, the controls themselves are easy to grasp right from the start, making Boulder Dash-XL a game that practically anyone can pick up after the first level or so. However, after I breezed through the first few levels, I realized that there was a learning curve after all.

Look at Rockford go!

As you progress from level to level in Boulder Dash-XL, you will eventually come to a point where they require quite a bit of thinking in order to get your character safely to the exit. One wrong move and you will have a stack of boulders crashing onto your tiny metal head. The bottom line is that you will die in this game… a lot, in fact, but each time you realize what you have done wrong and recognize that maybe that wasn’t the best idea. Each death gets you closer to putting together a blueprint for how to beat the level in a quick fashion and it’s a great feeling zooming across the exit square once you do.

It might sound simple on paper, but trying to evade rocks as they roll off one another is not an easy task, especially when you are simultaneously trying to dodge different groups of enemies. For instance, my least favorite were the fuzzy walkers, who chased me through tunnels time and time again, making my job that much harder. Other pesky enemies try to crush you, follow you relentlessly, and drop traps so that you can easily by attacked by their brethren. I must admit that I did get frustrated at times, but there was a fault in my movements, and eventually I pushed through all of the levels.

Oldschool gamers will love this addition.

One addition that changes the gameplay a bit is the ability to collect key cards that open otherwise unobtainable gems. You will have to dodge boulders and enemies to get to the cards and doors, but doing so gives you a nice reward for going the extra mile. Accessing each locked room adds to your diamond collection and saves you from having to backtrack when you do come up short on your total count that unlocks each exit. You can also use the Left Bumper to pause the action and the clock so that you can look around the stage and plot where you might need or want to go next. If you aren’t too keen on the challenges that Arcade Mode throws at you, Boulder Dash-XL also includes Puzzle Mode and Score Attack Mode. In the former, you play in untimed levels, where your goal is to simply collect all of the gems and get to the exit. In Score Attack Mode, you compete to get the best score possible by collecting diamonds, crushing enemies, and running as fast as you can.

The biggest problem I had with Boulder Dash-XL was the inability to sort of rewind time or erase a move that I had made by mistake. Without this feature, you will find yourself having to restart levels over and over again after you have inadvertently trapped your character. Though levels load quickly and there should obviously be some blame directed at the player, this can make a somewhat frustrating experience even worse. I also felt as though the sound effects were rather generic and wore out their welcome after a good chunk of my playthrough of Arcade Mode.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Boulder Dash-XL is a great game that constantly challenges the player to outwit gravity itself. The core concepts are easy to understand and the controls are great for people just being introduced to the franchise. Though it is quite challenging in many parts, it rewards players for finding the best solution to each puzzle. There are plenty of levels and modes included to keep you busy for quite some time. The only major negatives are the inability to recall your move(s), and the fact that the overall sound design leaves something to be desired. Boulder Dash-XL is a worthy revisit to a classic franchise that packs plenty of fun for the price of admission.

RATING: 7.5/10

Boulder Dash-XL is available now on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). You can try the demo, purchase, and queue up your downloads here!

Childish Gambino Announces “Camp,” Teaser

For the past few years, Donald Glover (NBC’s “Community”) has been pursuing an entirely different career under the stage name Childish Gambino. His wordplay, chorus work, and samples all combine to make quite infectious new school rap. Gambino’s newest album, entitled “Camp,” will finally see release sometime in September of this year. In the meantime, you can check out the teaser video below, courtesy of Dan Eckman. The incredible beat and amazing flow are there again, as Gambino declares that he should be the one running PETA. Stoked!

Nintendo 3DS Price Drop

Nintendo of America today announced that the price of their newest handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, will be dropped from $249.99 to a new low price of $169.99. Gamers can take advantage of the new price when the handheld receives its first official price drop on August 12th, 2011. The move from Nintendo comes as quite a surprise, though it makes total sense, as the 3D-centric device has not been selling as well as originally expected. There have also been a slew of tentative titles announced for the 3DS, like Mega Man Legends 3, that have since been cancelled, most likely attributed to the underwhelming performance. Early adopters are being compensated with a select group of downloadable titles from both the NES and GBA libraries. A full press release, including quotes from Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, can be found below.

Nintendo of America today announced plans to drop the suggested retail price of its portable Nintendo 3DS™system to $169.99 in the United States, as new games based on some of the world’s most beloved video game franchises head to the system. The new price, down from the suggested launch price of $249.99 and effective Aug. 12, makes an outstanding value even better and sets up a strong holiday season for the system.

“For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “We are giving shoppers every incentive to pick up a Nintendo 3DS, from an amazing new price to a rapid-fire succession of great games.”

Nintendo 3DS has the strongest software lineup of any video game system this holiday season and the new price now opens up the glasses-free 3D experience to many more consumers. Building on the popularity of The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, which launched June 19, the upcoming game calendar is a Who’s Who of iconic video game franchises. Star Fox 64™ 3D arrives on Sept. 9, followed by Super Mario™ 3D Land in November, Mario Kart™ 7 in December and Kid Icarus™: Uprising during the holiday season. In addition to great games, Nintendo 3DS has a host of attractive features* that make it the must-have video game system this season:

The new Nintendo Video™ service automatically delivers short 3D videos from the worlds of music, comedy, animation and Hollywood.
A free application allows Netflix members with unlimited streaming plans to instantly watch TV episodes and movies streaming from Netflix.
The Nintendo eShop is a digital store for Nintendo 3DS owners that provides access to a wide variety of downloadable content, such as original 3D software, classic games that have been re-mastered in 3D called 3D Classics, Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color “Virtual Console” games in their original 2D glory, and more than 350 Nintendo DSiWare™ games. Visitors can also view video game trailers, screen shots and product information for games, including those available at retail locations.

Since Nintendo 3DS launched in the United States on March 27, more than 830,000 people in the U.S. alone have purchased one to enjoy 3D visuals without the need for special glasses. These Nintendo 3DS owners represent some of Nintendo’s most loyal customers, and Nintendo is rewarding them for getting in on the action early with 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop.

These free games are available to anyone who owns a Nintendo 3DS system and uses a wireless broadband Internet signal to connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 11. These users will automatically be registered in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program. The program contains two elements:

Starting Sept. 1, Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES™ Virtual Console™ games at no charge and before they are available in the Nintendo eShop to the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros.™, Donkey Kong Jr.™, Balloon Fight™, Ice Climber™ and The Legend of Zelda™, are slated to become paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors get them early for free. Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost.

By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games. These include games like Yoshi’s Island™: Super Mario™ Advance 3, Mario Kart™: Super Circuit, Metroid™ Fusion, WarioWare™, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong™. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo currently has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on the Nintendo 3DS in the future.

More details about this program will be announced in the future.

Twisted Pixel x Halfbrick Studios

Everybody loves… vitamin C? Developer Twisted Pixel (The Maw, Ms. Splosion Man) today announced that they have formed a partnership with fellow developer Halfbrick Studios (Fruit Ninja). Those who purchase Twisted Pixel’s upcoming Kinect (and retail) debut The Gunstringer will also get a download token for the full version of Fruit Ninja Kinect. The Gunstringer puts players in the body of a marionette sheriff that is out to seek revenge after his posse betrays him. Fruit Ninja Kinect is a downloadable adaptation of the hit mobile game, which lets players use their arms to slice through a mix of juicy treats.

The bundle containing both titles will be released on September 13th in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, with an MSRP of $39.99. Meanwhile, gamers in the EMEA markets can pick up the games a few days later on September 16th. The first game add-on for The Gunstringer, entitled “The Wavy Tube Man Chronicles,” will be available as a free download to celebrate the launch in adequate fashion. Plus, pre-ordering the bundle at select retailers in the U.S. and Europe will earn you two exclusive avatar props to show off on your digital self. If you want to brush up on your ninja skills early, you can download Fruit Ninja Kinect as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade on August 10th.

Russell Brand on Amy Winehouse

As always, it’s still crazy to think that celebrities actually die. Sometimes we forget that they too are normal people. Unfortunately, whether you agreed with Amy’s lifestyle or not is now irrelevant. And really, that shouldn’t change your perception of her actual singing career. So instead of reading about what she was like from tabloids, we highly recommend Russell Brand’s article entitled “For Amy.”

When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.

Frustratingly it’s not a call you can ever make it must be received. It is impossible to intervene.

I’ve known Amy Winehouse for years. When I first met her around Camden she was just some twit in a pink satin jacket shuffling round bars with mutual friends, most of whom were in cool Indie bands or peripheral Camden figures Withnail-ing their way through life on impotent charisma. Carl Barrat told me that “Winehouse” (which I usually called her and got a kick out of cos it’s kind of funny to call a girl by her surname) was a jazz singer, which struck me as a bizarrely anomalous in that crowd. To me with my limited musical knowledge this information placed Amy beyond an invisible boundary of relevance; “Jazz singer? She must be some kind of eccentric” I thought. I chatted to her anyway though, she was after all, a girl, and she was sweet and peculiar but most of all vulnerable.

You can read the rest of Brand’s post on his official site.

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse, your soulful voice will live on forever.

Review: Dead Block

In Candygun Games’ 1950’s inspired game Dead Block, you play as one of three characters: a construction worker Jack Foster, an overweight boy scout Mike Bacon, and a traffic warden Foxy Jones. Each character has a special set of traps and secondary attacks that you use as you move through a set of buildings that are being invaded by zombie hordes. Traps like Jones’ massive bomb are placed in windows and doorways while the other AI characters scavenge through items scattered throughout the level in order to find a speaker, amp, and guitar. Unfortunately, the set up for Dead Block sounds a lot better than how it actually turned out.

Jack values his brain

One of the main side objectives is searching through globes and cacti to locate items (like keys and coins) that can be used to advance you through each level. You’ll find yourself looking through books for bolts (to build more traps) and obliterating a bathtub with a wrench (to collect more wood for blockades). However, the core mechanics of the game become too repetitive, too fast, ultimately making you do the same thing in each of the ten single player levels. There is no way around it, this will be the most action your B button has ever gotten, as you’ll be spamming it to break up all kinds of furniture. To search through items in the environment, you’re required to alternatively pull the left and right triggers. My biggest complaint is that none of this feels very fun. There are so many objects in each room that your main goal of finding the equipment to rock out becomes tedious and boring.

That’s not to say that Dead Block is entirely a mess. I actually found myself digging the vibe set up by the introductions to each level and the basic idea of a more goofy (and strategic) zombie tower defense game. For example, if you don’t keep a close eye on the windows and doors around you, an overbearing number of zombies will be creeping up on you in no time. I was surprised by how smart the AI is, though having them traverse around on their own would have been more helpful. There is some change in the game play when you are given the task of killing X amount of zombies before activating a giant zombie killing machine. I found this deviation to be more enjoyable than the main game, as I felt that I could pretty much experiment and play the level however I wanted. The inclusion of different traps, weapons, and a multiplayer mode (local only, unfortunately) may keep some players coming back until they explore everything the game has to offer.

Foxy is one bad mamma jamma!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Dead Block is a great example of an idea that sounds great on paper (or a story board), but fails to deliver when attempted to be fully realized. I feel as though the game could have greatly benefited if the campyness or zombie elements were better explored. More variation in the game play and better controls would have made the less interesting parts somewhat more bearable. The ending is abrupt and lacks any sort of climax to make the player feel rewarded for making it to the finish line. As it stands now, Dead Block suffers from a set of good ideas that drag along and are never fully brought together to make a core experience worth recommending for the asking price.

RATING: 4.0/10

Dead Block is available now on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). You can try the demo, purchase, and queue up your downloads here!

Xbox Unleashes The Force

As the 2011 Comic-Con kicks off in San Diego, Xbox and Lucas Arts have unveiled plans for a limited edition Star Wars themed Xbox 360. This bundle, which features a white Kinect unit, is inspired by the comical duo of R2-D2 and C-3PO. The console itself is a white and blue mix that resembles R2-D2, while the special controller is a shiny gold that looks like C-3PO. The console, which will launch alongside Kinect Star Wars, will be available in stores around the Christmas holiday, and is available for preorder now. Though it boasts a hefty price tag of $449.99, it also comes with quite an amount of content that die hard Star Wars fans are sure to love. You can find everything that is included in the bundle below, thanks to Xbox Live’s Major Nelson. More pictures of the console are available via his Flickr page as well.

• Kinect Star Wars game
• Custom R2-D2 themed Xbox 360 console with custom sounds
• White Kinect Sensor
• Custom C-3PO themed Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
• 320 GB Hard Drive
• Xbox 360 Wired Headset
• Kinect Adventures game
• Exclusive downloadable content

Twisted Pixel Challenges You

So you have played Twisted Pixel’s amazing new XBLA game Ms. Splosion Man and finally beat it after several late nights littered with frustration, but now what? The developer behind the downloadable title has announced TMS Challenges (Title Managed Storage) to act as a great hook to help gamers splode some more (though they do expire at the end of the contest). The first challenge,  which runs until July 31st, has players being chased by Mr. Destructoid of Destructoid.com fame. This (and all future TMS Challenges) can be accessed via the main menu of Ms. Splosion Man, under the “Play Challenge” section. And what’s a challenge without a little competition? Players who obtain the top three slots on the leaderboards will win prize packs full of neat stuff, while a random contestant will also win some nice Twisted Pixel merch. More TMS Challenges are being promised as the year winds down, and the fact that they are being automatically sent out to anyone who owns the game is a nice touch.

Twisted Pixel has also announced a free downloadable level for ‘Splosion Man that bridges the gap before our favorite sploding heroine takes over in Ms. Splosion Man. This special level can be located in ‘Splosion Man’s main menu under “Downloads.” I played through the level yesterday and ran through it in a little over five minutes, then played it a few more times in order to get par time. I do wish it had some sort of cut scene at the end to set up ‘Splosion Man’s fate, but who am I to argue given the price of admission?

And as if that wasn’t enough to whet your sploding appetite, Twisted Pixel has partnered with Zen Studios (the team behind Pinball FX2) to bring a Ms. Splosion Man themed board into the mix. Fans can expect the table to drop on XBLA sometime this summer, though no official date has been given.

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded [Update]

Publisher Activision today unveiled a trailer for the upcoming Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 video game GoldenEye 007: Reloaded. It seems as though this title is a beefed up version of 2010’s hit Wii game GoldenEye 007, which was a re-envisioning of the classic N64 game. I’m interested to see what the developer, Eurocom, changes (if anything) to make the game stand side by side with other HD shooters such as Call of Duty or Halo. One of the main reasons it really stood out on Wii was because it was a well polished (and arguably the best) first person shooter on that particular console. That is not to say it is a bad game on its own, but the fact that they waited more than a whole year to port it in HD makes me hope that there is more to it than that. I feel as though new maps, missions, multiplayer features, weapons etc. would help round out the entire package for fans who have yet to play the Wii version.

UPDATE: Activision has confirmed that GoldenEye 007: Reloaded will feature a slew of additional content. New objective based levels called MI6 Ops Missions are being added to extend the game beyond the main campaign. The HD version will also support a 16 player online mode, as well as the traditional four player split screen. It is also noted that Reloaded contains more maps, multiplayer modes, weapons, etc.

The Amazing Spider-Man Teaser Trailer

Looks like Marvel decided to release the official teaser trailer for Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man after another version of it leaked online. Fans finally get to see what Andrew Garfield looks like as Peter Parker in this reboot of the franchise. What I find most interesting is the way it pays homage to Sam Raimi’s film, while still showing that this is a completely different take on the Spider-Man universe. For instance, seeing Pete’s parents was actually a nice touch, and I have to say that I loved Campbell Scott in the third season of Damages. The only real complaint I have is that this trailer does very little to sell the movie to people outside of the comic fandom. At first glance, it is just another origin story about Spider-Man. Hopefully a full trailer sheds more light on, you know, the action of the film, and gives us a better idea of  who these characters are and why we should care about them. I’m still pretty excited to see how Marvel let Webb incorporate his flair/style that was so prevalent in 500 Days of Summer. Thoughts?