Home

Kinect

Gore Verbinski's XBLA Game Matter Canned By Microsoft

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Wed, 03/06/2013 - 16:52
Posted in

Last week we saw one Hollywood titan exit the video game industry after an effort that was far from fruitful, and we have news of another unexpected development.  After Jerry Bruckheimer decided to shutter his games division after being in existence for five years, during which no games were ever released/created under the label, word has surfaced which points to Microsoft ending their partnership with acclaimed film director Gore Verbinski.

Power Rangers Super Samurai [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Sat, 12/22/2012 - 11:29
Posted in
Overall Feeling: 

Low quality may be expected out of most video games based on established licenses, but the gameplay and direction taken in Power Rangers Super Samurai is truly appalling since it totally misses the mark.  Failing to capture the dumb yet enjoyable charm that  has been present in the Power Rangers franchise for nearly twenty years, Super Samurai is a soulless action game that presents an annoying experience that for some reason utilizes the Kinect.  Those who grew up watching the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as kids will likely be disappointed with Super Samurai as well younger gamers who merely want to play a fun game.

The Pros: 

+ The main menu music is one hell of a buttery beat.
+ Controls may be horrid but there aren’t any sudden spastic control issues during combat.

The Cons: 

- Gameplay is atrocious. Combat movements are horrid and there’s no variety.
- Visuals look extremely dated and are plagued with recycled assets and noticeable environmental proportion issues.
- The Rangers and baddies may be there, but there really isn’t a pronounced feel in the game that one would expect from a Power Rangers experience.
-Voice acting is terrible even when compared to the sometimes stiff acting we expect from Power Rangers.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
2

If any of you were born between 1985 and 1992 then you likely grew up with one glorious piece of entertaining as part of your life: The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  While we may have had things like The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, or even Care Bears, the Power Rangers was something that struck a chord with a lot of kids. 

Microsoft Reveals Black Tusk Studios, Rumored To Making Sci-Fi Shooter

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Thu, 11/29/2012 - 10:33
Posted in

The games industry may have suffered some major setbacks when it comes to development studios, but the industry hasn’t entered the worrisome DEFCON 5 level scenario just yet. While work can still be done to help improve the industry in an effort to make things more financially sound for certain studios, working in the games industry isn’t a complete suicide job as evident by Microsoft’s new studio based out of Vancouver.

Kung Fu Superstar Seeks To Evolve Martial Arts Video Games [Developer Interview]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 11/13/2012 - 08:49
Posted in

As gamers we usually partake in games that deep inside we wish we could actually be a part of. While most of us may not wish we were on the front lines of an intense modern warfare battle, there’s always that element inside us that wishes we were either a spy on an intense mission or a skilled driver with a carefree attitude that could go wild in a city as they evade the cops. 

Dragon Ball Z For Kinect [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Wed, 11/07/2012 - 09:39
Posted in
Overall Feeling: 

The only thing that Dragon Ball Z For Kinect excels in is being an example of what not to do when developing a fighting game for the Kinect.  The game may not have attempted to provide precision martial arts to Kinect owners, but its poor attempts at registering simple moves and providing combat that’s fun to experience is what drags the game down and makes it nearly unbearable to play by the beginning of the second saga.  Dragon Ball fans may be interested in dishing out iconic character moves, but I recommend that everyone stays away from the game unless they can rent it or pick it up in the bargain bin for $10.

The Pros: 

+ The graphics are good in conveying the characters and battlefields.

+ Key character moves (such as doing the Kamehameha) are presented well considering the circumstances.

The Cons: 

- Combat is horrendous in how it’s paced, the recognition of moves, and how the more extravagant elements are represented.

- The key DBZ plot points may be present but things feels disjointed since it’s just one battle after another.

- Content feels lacking since much of it is stuff DBZ fans have played endlessly already.

- Menu navigation is terrible.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
4

Sometimes there are concepts for games which are wonderful in every category while there are others that should never move past the initial pitch/prototype stage.  We’ve seen quite a few games this generation that should’ve never been greenlit but nonetheless were merely because it filled a particular genre a company was lacking in or fit mood of gamers at that given time.  

Harry Potter for Kinect [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Thu, 10/18/2012 - 11:49
Posted in
Overall Feeling: 

The savior of the Kinect hasn’t been found since Harry Potter for Kinect is simply an okay game that will clearly please its target audience of children.  Some control issues are present such as certain motions not being picked up or taking too long to register in addition to endless pantomime wand waving becoming old over time. Even with those obvious and ever apparent issues, Harry Potter Kinect manages to provide some consistent entertainment partly because the production values are surprisingly good for a licensed based game, especially a Kinect one.  Longtime Harry Potter fans probably won’t be amazed by this new Kinect effort, but it is a valiant effort nonetheless.

The Pros: 

+ The essence of Harry Potter is captured from top to bottom in a way that doesn’t feel forced.

+ This may be a licensed game, but the production values are surprisingly high.

+ Playing the game is easy most of the time so it’s a perfect game for younger gamers.

The Cons: 

- The "best of" nature of the game presents an odd flow to things since the finer points of the film/book narrative and even certain scenarios are lost in the shuffle.

- Once again we have a Kinect game that isn’t perfect since certain movement commands don’t register properly.

- Occasional difficulty spikes are somewhat odd and annoying.

- Being able to put your face on an original character is cool, but it looks a bit creepy in a zombie/wearing a face mask sort of way.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
6

It may seem like Warner Bros. is beating a dead horse at this point by not letting a franchise bow out gracefully. I’m of course referring to how we’re still receiving Harry Potter video games despite being almost a year removed from the final chapter of the Harry Potter film franchise.  For ten long years gamers had to withstand some rather uneven Harry Potter games via Electronic Arts and now Warner Bros. is trying their hand by directly publishing the new wizard based video games.

Six Months Later: Diabolical Pitch

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Mon, 10/01/2012 - 09:49
Posted in

Back when the Kinect was a new thing and Microsoft still cared about making a footprint in the Japanese market that wasn’t as tiny as flea circus the company decided to go all out in a surprising way. So in an attempt to capitalize on the buzz of the Kinect, entice gamers within the much lauded core group, and make the Xbox 360 user base in Japan larger than the population of an Amish village, Microsoft went ahead and entailed the services of several major Japanese publishers and developers.  

Heroes and Villains Go At It Again In This New Trailer For Avengers: Battle for Earth

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Thu, 08/16/2012 - 08:40
Posted in

Chances are there are a bunch of people still amped over The Avengers and are likely counting down the days until the movie is released on Blu-ray next month, including Shogun’s very own Casey White. As a superhero movie The Avengers was pretty kick ass and I’ll even be upfront in saying that I did prefer it ever so slightly compared to The Dark Knight Rises.  Since comic book and video game fans are still yearning for some Avengers action in lieu of waiting three more years for the sequel to come out, then perhaps Ubisoft’s upcoming Avengers based brawler will satisfy that need.

Crytek's Kinect Brawler Ryse Is Still Alive For Now

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Mon, 06/18/2012 - 13:31
Posted in

 

Games come and go either because they get cancelled or they get released only to earn fame or in some cases earn a decent amount of scorn and hatred.  The video game business is an interesting one as there are also games which we forget about simply because they disappear and we’re too busy to notice.  With half a dozen games announced every couple of months and people being preoccupied playing new releases, it’s not too uncommon for known games to be forgotten about since they only show up once a year.  

The Avengers: Battle For Earth Is An Unexpected Kinect Brawler [Screens]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Wed, 06/13/2012 - 14:30
Posted in

Amidst all the mayhem that occurred at E3 last week a lot of games went under the radar, either to those in attendance or those sitting at home keeping tabs on coverage.  I wouldn’t say there were any complete hidden gems at E3 this year, at least for properties that are completely new, but one game that did go under the radar in a surprising way was Ubisoft’s The Avengers: Battle for Earth.  

Syndicate content