Closing in on the release of the promising continuation of the Deus Ex series, IGN released a few advertisement spots on Sarif Industries.

The ad spot on youtube has a link to www.sarifindustries.com, a fully integrated flash website with a futuristic interface. Incorporated into the site are a few minigame puzzles involving cracking and analyzing “captured data”. Figures and company info are also provided. This site is dedicated to educating players about Sarif Industries and its role in human robotics. It will probably give more back story to Deus Ex: Human Revolution as we approach its launch date: August 23rd, 2011 in North America.

Right now, this is one of earlier “out-of-game” spots we’ll see Eidos (the company behind Deus Ex) use to market the game. Expect perhaps 3-4 more similar videos within the next 2 months. These will probably contain more gameplay or story footage. Of course, these videos are second to the teaser and theatrical trailers presented at various gaming conferences like E3, TGS or GDC and instead, are meant to attract people unfamiliar with the game (casual players) and toss out some easter eggs for veterans of the series.

Preorders on Deus Ex may have already gone up at http://deusex.com/preorder and the game will be available for PS3, Xbox and PC.

Just the other day we bought our friend a Kinect for his birthday. What better way to test out the new device with an amazing shovelware launch title!

To define shovelware as fun is not exactly easy. Shovelware, for those who do not know, are cheaply made. They are usually of poor quality and are nothing but a collection of mini-games. One of the first trendsetters of this type of game was Wii Sports. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying shovelware games are bad. I’m merely saying they’re… short-lived experiences.

Anyways, onto the impressions. Kinect Sports featured several “athletic” games involving running in place, moving your arms and legs quickly enough to one spot on the screen as well as jumping. These are the basic elements that are repeated throughout the entire game in different sports like volleyball or soccer. In addition each of the 5 different events have ranging difficulties of easy to “champion”. Not having a controllers speaks wonders of my ability to be “good at games”. Once my success was no longer determined by a stick and buttons my skill level significantly dropped. Kinect requires you to get up and have some space to move around. You will definitely look funky doing the body movements and the picture recaps are just as silly. The difficulty of Champion is insane. Your body acts as the controlled and you have some leeway in your accuracy of hitting the ball or throwing a javelin. This is particularly useful if you step into the role as goalie in a game of soccer.

Control issues are a bit dodgy as this is a launch title of the system. The controls feel a bit unrefined and are definitely not particularly great. Visuals are an HD upgrade of Wii Sports. Your avatars have the same cartoony feel with a tad more customization than the Wii’s Miis. Nothing too special but not disappointing either. When you play Kinect Sports’s boxing, you will feel like you’re playing Wii Sports’s boxing. Everything feels the same except you’re not holding anything in your hands. This can be tricky if you’re learning for the first time and trying to dodge punches on higher difficulties.

The music in Kinect Sports is also plain. If I had to describe this game in one word it would have to be average. It’s nothing we haven’t already experienced with Wii Sports. However, it does allow free roaming control with your body and no controller. This allows for a new experience that is actually fun and exhilarating. Although a new experience, Kinect Sports is definitely a gimmick and I can see the game getting boring really fast. The competitive aspect of the game isn’t that great since 2 players or 4 players at once is difficult to maintain without enough living room space.

Overall, Kinect Sports is an OK Wii Sports clone shovelware game for the 360. However, I don’t think it’s worth anything more than 10-15 bucks.

“Bro, Check out this Portal Gun!”

This is one of the coolest videos I’ve seen in a while. Props the special effects artists because this video was a lot better than I expected it to be. The ending is especially one of the funniest uses of a portal gun I’ve ever seen. I mean, can you imagine a portal gun in real life and how much havoc it could cause? Aperture Science is fun and all, but outside, it would too epic of a weapon. Oh the hell that would happen if everyone shot the moon.

Absolutely awesome.

One day I was at my friends place bored yet managing to play some Xbox. As time passed we decided it was time to play a new game off Xbox Live Arcade. That is where I met “Castle Crashers”, a multiplayer, beat’m-up, side-scrolling brawler available on both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. Instantly I was hooked.

Upon starting the game you will be treated to a familiar face of flash gaming. It turns our Newgrounds had a hand in the development in this game. That especially peaked at my curiosity. As I continued playing the game with a few friends we began to fall into a pit of addiction.

- Story –
It’s the mario-esque story. Princess is kidnapped. Up to you to save her. It’s not a particularly new or revolutionizing story but it works. What makes the story work is the cartoons and humour. The story has no spoken or written dialogue. Instead the game features a multitude of in-game cut scenes that are cartoony and charming. A small twist to the story is that 4 princesses are kidnapped instead of 1 and it is up to all 4 of you (if there are enough players) to retrieve all of them… one by one. The story is not too long and not too short. You advance through levels via an overworld selection system broken down into what are, in essence, stages. Every 2-3 levels you will face a not-too-difficult boss but are treated with memorable bosses. Although you start off in a castle, you will find yourself in fire mountains and ice villages ala Legend of Zelda. The main campaign can be completed in a matter of hours (I clocked in at around 5 or 6 with 3-4 friends). However, despite its short length it does breath a lot of life and can keep you hooked for quite some time.

- Gameplay -
Castle Crashers is a game designed for 4-player cooperative adventure. You and 3 of your friends take on the roles of 4 knights. Each knight is of a different colour and is associated with a different magic (Red-lightning, Orange-fire, Green-poison, Blue-ice). With standard RPG elements, there is a leveling up system as well as a stat tree. You can invest attribute points gained per level into strength, magic, defense, or speed. However you decide to level your character affects your ability to deal damage, use weapons, or rain lightning from the sky towards your enemies. Assisting you are a flurry of weapons (including a frozen chicken) that you can use to bash enemies skulls into the dirt. All in all it’s a fun beat’m up that is full of cartoon violence. Often you will find yourself with decapitated enemies and small trickles of blood left and right. It’s quite a funny game.

In addition to the main campaign are a few mini-games involving timing and button mashing as well as an arena where players can duke at each other with their leveled up characters, acquired weapons and magic.

If there is one thing I can say about gameplay that’s negative: Play by yourself and shame on you; the game will not be as forgiving to the amount of brawling you will have to do to progress. This is definitely a dish best served with friends.

- Presentation -
Catchy tunes and easy going melodies help keep you entertained throughout. Not much to complain about here. It’s very standard and somewhat memorable. The flash animations are well done. I did not experience a loss in frame-rate while playing the game. The main character models and designs are unique and will be remembered, however enemies tend to be bland and recycled. The bosses in this game, however, are what truly make this game great. You will find yourself facing sockpuppet dragons and angry corn. I know. These sound like weird concepts for bosses but tell that to the world of Epic Yarn. Overall, the presentation does not disappoint.

- Overall -
“Castle Crashers” is a rare gem among the many games available on Xbox Live and Playstation Network. For a $15 purchase, it’s well worth the money. There are tons of collectables so replayability isn’t an issue. The hours of fun you will have with your friends and the moments you will share from this game make it a must-buy for 4-player coop brawling games.

8.5/10.