On the Download: December 4-10

Sorry for the delay.  Had a full day at work yesterday so I did not have time to write a blog post.  So to make up for missing yesterday.  I will be putting up two posts today.  On the Download right now and a preview of the Spike VGAs later today.  This week has been a busy week in the downloadable space.  With many games released this week on each platform's online stores, there is a lot of games to cover today.  So let us dive right in.

Frozenbyte surprised a lot of people when they released Trine two years ago.  Trine was a physics-based fantasy action game where you controlled three distinctly unique characters.  You took control of a knight, who was the muscle of the group, a thief, who used ranged weapons and could reach high platforms with her grappling hook, and a wizard, who could use his magic to manipulate objects in the world.  Trine 2, which released on Steam this week, wants to up everything that made the first game an indie gem.  The physics in the game have been improved so now you can manipulate fire, water, magic and even gravity.  You can the game co-op with up to three other players online or locally and upgrade your characters' stats to suit your play-style.  The graphics and art have been improved a lot since the original game.  Creating an immersive and beautiful fantasy world for you to explore.  For 14 dollars, Trine 2 is a great downloadable title for a great price and a worthy pick-up for any gamer looking for something to play after completing this years' biggest blockbusters.

Made by the creators of Advance Wars and Paper Mario, Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, Pushmo has been declared the 3DS eShop's first killer app by IGN.  In Pushmo, you play Mallo, the happy little pudgy hero that is tasked with saving children that are trapped in unique pieces of playground equipment known as the Pushmo.  Each Pushmo consists of many colourful blocks that Mallo has to rearrange in order to save the child at the end of the level.  Pushmo offers 250 puzzles that you can complete.  On top of that Pushmo allows you to create your own puzzles that can be saved to QR Codes that you can then share with friends or online with total strangers.  If you are interested, go pick-up Pushmo on the Nintendo eShop for just 7 dollars.

Batman invades your iDevice with Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, which released yesterday on the App Store.  Developed by NetherRealm Studios, which brought us the new Mortal Kombat earlier this year, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown has the Caped Crusader patrolling the streets of Arkham City again.  This time around Batman fights in a series of one-on-one encounters very reminiscent of Infinity Blade with the likes of Two-Face, the Joker, Deathstroke, and many more iconic villains.  The one-on-one fights are broken up through little cutscenes and some interactive Batarang segments.  Batman: Arkham City Lockdown features an upgrade system which allows you to use the experience you gain from fights to upgrade Batman's attributes and various gadgets.  After playing Arkham City for the consoles and are craving more Batman action, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, only 6 dollars on the App Store, will be perfect game for you.

Hump Day Music: Star Fox Main Theme

Back in September and October when I was playing a lot of Star Fox 64 3D for my 3DS, I got a little craving.  That craving was to play Star Fox Adventures for the Gamecube.  Since I never bought Star Fox Adventures during the Gamecube's heyday, I missed out on a solid gaming experience.  Now in 2011, I was looking for more Star Fox that satisfy my craving.  I did not want Star Fox Assault or Command as then did not look they would appeal to me, so I set out looking for Star Fox Adventures.  I checked all the local game stores to no avail.  When it looked like I had given up all hope of finding this rare Gamecube exclusive, today while looking around one of my local game stores I found it.  I found Star Fox Adventures pre-played for only 7 dollars.  What a great deal for a game this rare, so I made sure Star Fox Adventures did not slip through my hands like Four Swords Adventures did a few months prior and I bought it.  After playing the first 20 minutes or so, I am pleased with my purchase and looking forward to playing more very soon.

To celebrate my purchase of Star Fox Adventures, I would like to share with all of you the Star Fox Main Theme as this week's Hump Day music.  This remix of the main theme of Star Fox is from Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii.  You will hear this track whenever you play the Lylat Cruise stage in Brawl.  The original theme from both the SNES and N64 games are drilled into the minds of many gamers so this remix might be seen as a big departure.  The music really fits the pace of the Lylat Cruise stage as you battle on stationary platforms that fly through space at crazy speeds.  It also retains the same melody of the original theme that has been ingrained in the heads of millions of gamers.  Making it easy to hum along with too.  Star Fox like many other Nintendo games has great music that it is hard to highlight just one track.  I encourage everybody reading to search Youtube and listen to other tracks from the Star Fox franchise.  Now I am going to play more Star Fox Adventures so I leave you with the Star Fox Main Theme and I hope you enjoy.

Thank you to GilvaSunner for uploading this music for us to enjoy.

Launch Station: The Adventures of TinTin

October and November are the two busiest months of the gaming calendar.  The publishers like to release all their big games right before the holidays to inspire huge sales numbers for their games.  Once November comes to an end, December seems like a wasteland of sorts.  Only a few noteworthy games come out in the last month of the year.  Mario Kart 7 came out on Sunday and the only other big release this month is 15 days away with the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic.  The rest of the games that release this month are just going to get swept under the carpet.  Just look at what releases today.  Just Dance 3 for PS3, Fortune Street for Wii and F1 2011 for 3DS are all games that nobody unless the hardcore followers of these games actually care about.  The one game that has got me a little interested is Ubisoft Montpellier's The Adventures of TinTin The Game, which also released today.

The Adventures of TinTin is the video game adaptation of the movie that comes to theatres later this month.  Coming from the pedigree of the Ubisoft Montpellier, the developers on the recent Rayman Origins and cult classic Beyond Good & Evil, TinTin looks to be not just another cash-in like most movie games.  TinTin is a 2.5D platform-puzzler.  Each level consists of many single-screen puzzles be it taking out foes or reaching high ledges.  Certain moments have the perspective changing for 2D side view to a 3D front view to make those moments more dramatic for the player such as when TinTin flees from a torrent of water as it rushes through the corridors of a ship.  Throughout TinTin's main story, you will explore over 20 different environments from the dank corridors of Captain Haddock's ship to the dusty sand of the Sahara Desert as TinTin, Snowy, Captain Haddock or three other unlockable characters.  The Adventures of TinTin also offers two player co-op, a Challenge Mode and Move and Kinect support on PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively.

As a child, I use to watch TinTin every Sunday at noon on YTV.  I absolutely did not understand what was going on, but I loved the show.  So I have been very excited to see The Adventures of TinTin movie when it comes out later this month.  From what I have seen of and read on this game, I believe that Ubisoft Montpellier put in a lot of effort to make a game that truly make a game that complements the new movie and does the old show and comics justice.  If you have finished all this season's big blockbusters and need a gaming fix, give The Adventures of TinTin a shot.  It just might be what you are looking for.

Off the Newsstand: Game Informer Issue 224

In this day and age when you can find any piece of information online, there is not much respect for the physical print media.  Before there was IGN, GameSpot and 1up for all your video game news, reviews, previews and features, many gamers bought magazines for all their gaming needs.  Only a few still loyal gamers still shell out the money to support these great sources of gaming knowledge.  Most people cannot shell out even 5 dollars for magazine that a group of editors put all their effort to make.  It is really sad how cheap people are these days.  So welcome to Off the Newsstand, my way of putting the spotlight on these great magazines that I read each and every month in a little review of sorts.  I have been reading gaming magazines ever since I picked up an issue of Nintendo Power just over 10 years ago.  So let us get started.

Game Informer has built a reputation over the past two years of being the place to find excellent debuts of great games on the horizon.  That reputation continues with this the December issue as Game Informer debuts Rainbow 6: Patriots.  After a three year absence, Team Rainbow is back to tackle a new homegrown threat as Ubisoft Montreal looks to push the envelope and make a military shooter that actually has a compelling and intelligent story.  Game Informer's cover story gives readers a great glimpse at one of the missions in the single-player campaign and also dives into the new homegrown American extremists known as the True Patriots.  Readers will get a little look at what Ubisoft Montreal hopes to do with the multi-player in Patriots.  The other big features in this issue explores the opening 20 levels a four different classes in the Sith faction in Star Wars: The Old Republic and runs down many of the games coming out for the Playstation Vita.  As with every December issue of any gaming magazine, there are an abundance of previews and reviews in this issue of Game Informer.  The most interesting previews belong to Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and the Gears of War 3 DLC known as RAAM's Shadow.  There are a whopping 30 reviews in this issue of Game Informer covering a good number of the games that were released these past two months from Battlefield 3 to Rayman Origins.  To end the magazine, there is a retrospective look at the development at the cult classic PC strategy game, X-Com and a brand new article, which I personally hope becomes a monthly article, called My First Game.  This month looks at the first game made by co-creative director of Dishonored, Harvey Smith's Technosaur.

Overall, the December issue of Game Informer is 136 pages well-written, informative and ultimately enjoyable reading that every serious gamer should read.  The cover story on Rainbow 6: Patriots is just amazing and got me excited to play a game that is close to two years away from release.  Game Informer is hands down the best gaming magazine that you can buy and it is only 6 dollars at your local EB Games.  If you do not want to pay for it, sign it out from your local library.  Just make sure you give Game Informer a chance or you will be missing out on a great magazine.

Bit by Bit: November 27-December 3

Between work, managing this blog, playing games, finally passing my G2 Road Test and many other things, it has been a busy week for me.  In the video game industry, it was the first week in about two months time not to have any major console release.  But still rumours and other news run rampant.  I touched on the Title Fight rumour in a post earlier this week, but there has been plenty more rumours about the PS4, PS Vita, Dragon Age III and much more.  Now let us rundown the Bests this week.

Game of the Week
My Game of the Week would have most likely went to Infinity Blade II if I could actually play it, but at the moment I am still waiting for an update to make my 7 dollar purchase playable.  So I would love to give my Game of the Week to Skyward Sword again, but it would unfair to keep giving my Game of the Week to the same game.  On a side note, Skyward Sword continues to impress and is on track to usurp Uncharted 3 as my Game of the Year and possibly my favourite Zelda of all-time.  While I have been spending a huge amount of my free time playing Skyward Sword, I have also been playing a lot of Super Mario 3D Land on my 3DS, which I just completed this week.  I have played plenty of portable Mario games (the majority of them were remakes of older Mario games) and Super Mario 3D Land stands above them all as the best portable Mario game I have played.  It may not be a masterpiece like the Super Mario Galaxy games, but it does an incredible job of blending concepts and gameplay from both 2D and 3D Mario games into one cohesive package.  Super Mario 3D Land's pace is slower than past Mario games, but the pace works so well with Super Mario 3D Land's excellently designed levels that it is not off-putting at all.  Also the surprise you get after beating World 8 is just phenomenal as it nearly doubles the size of the game and is very challenging even for Mario vets like myself.  If there is one 3DS game you have to buy this holiday season, it is my Game of the Week Super Mario 3D Land.

Most Anticipated Game of the Week
After reading the cover story of GameInformer's December Issue (great magazine every gamer should check out), I was going to put Rainbow 6: Patriots as my Most Anticipated Game of the Week due to its very unique and controversial story and enemies.  But yesterday Nintendo of America announced one game that made all core Wii owners including yours truly jump for joy.  That announcement is that Xenoblade Chronicles, an epic RPG that has been compared to the Final Fantasy of this generation and has already been released in both Japan and Europe, will be coming to North America next April.  This announcement is a huge win for Operation Rainfall, a group of people who have been campaigning for the last half of this year to get Nintendo to bring core Wii games Pandora's Tower, Last Story and Xenoblade to North America.  As a Wii owner and huge Nintendo fan, I fully supported Operation Rainfall's movement.  Now it is up to us gamers to do our part and make sure we buy Xenoblade once it comes out (I know I am) or else Nintendo will never do stuff like this ever again.

Video of the Week
Going with my Most Anticipated Game of the Week, the Video of the Week is first North American trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles.  Words cannot express my excitement for this game, so I am just going to leave with the trailer and you can see for yourself.  Enjoy.

Launch Station: Mario Kart 7

Nintendo's final major release in 2011 belongs to its beloved kart racing franchise, Mario Kart.  This new game in the franchise is exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS and goes by the simple title of Mario Kart 7.  It is so surprising in 19 years, there have only been seven Mario Kart games released.  So let us take a closer look at this new Mario Kart before it releases this Sunday, December 4th.

With each new Mario Kart game, Nintendo introduces new gameplay features in order to keep things fresh and fun for the Mario Kart faithful.  The biggest additions in Mario Kart 7 are the hand-gliding and underwater sections in the game.  No longer will you have no control when you are sent flying into the air or fall into water.  No matter air or water, you will have full control of your kart at all times.  When you are launched into the air by specific ramps, a hand-glider or parachute will now pop out of the back of your kart and allow you control your descent to racetrack below.  Also when you drive into water, a propeller will pop out of your kart and allow you drive through underwater sections of the course.  These additions open up new routes that may shave a few seconds on your lap time.  For the first time in the Mario Kart series, players will be able to customize their karts from the frame to the tires.  The customization option is not just for cosmetic purposes as different frames and tires affect your kart's attributes such as acceleration or handling.  As with every new Mario Kart, there are new characters, new tracks, old favourites and new weapons as well as optional first-person mode and gyro controls.

Mario Kart 7 should be a great game that will definitely please any 3DS owner.  Once I get my paycheck this coming week, I cannot wait to buy Mario Kart.  Mario Kart DS is my all-time favourite DS and Mario Kart game, so Mario Kart 7 has some high expectations for yours truly.  I really hope Nintendo and Retro Studios put together a Mario Kart that lives up to the brilliant legacy of Mario Kart DS and more.  See you on the track.

On the Download: Infinity Blade II

If you are into downloadable games and own any iOS device (iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad), the biggest iOS game of this year came out today.  That game is Infinity Blade II, the sequel to critically acclaimed and best selling iOS game Infinity Blade.  Infinity Blade was the first iOS game to use the Unreal Engine to power its graphics and that was the main reason people bought the game.  Once they got their figures on Infinity Blade, they like myself fell in love with the excellent touch controls and simple premise to work your way through a castle filled with enemies, level up, buy new armour and weapons and defeat the God King.  In Infinity Blade II, you are on a quest to discover the truth behind the many secrets of the titular Infinity Blade.  Your journey will take you to places far beyond the castle from the first game and have you encountering numerous new enemies and villains on the way.  As a sequel for a big iOS game like Infinity Blade, there are high expectations for Infinity Blade II and it looks to deliver.  The world is less linear this time offering multiple routes to traverse.  Now you are able to dual-wield and use two-handed weapons, which should add much more to the combat.  To top it all off, Chair uped the graphics to push your iDevice to its limits.

Infinity Blade II sounds so amazing that you are probably running to your iDevice to buy it right now, but just hold on a moment.  Having loved the first game, I have been waiting for this game for a long time.  So I made sure I bought it the moment I found it in the App Store.  Once it was done installing, I booted up Infinity Blade II hoping for the best.  To my dismay after the game crashed on start-up.  I tried again and again, but suffered the same results.  So at the moment, the game I waited a few months for and paid 7 dollars for is unplayable.  I am not angry, but I am extremely disappointed in both Chair Entertainment and Epic Games for releasing a game with this many reported bugs (I am not the only one suffering).  There is a fix on the way, but in my opinion it is unacceptable for a publisher and developer to release a game no matter the platform that is this buggy.  Yes, it will eventually be fixed.  The fact of the matter is that people like myself will now have to wait because Chair and Epic skipped out on testing their game on multiple iOS devices.  So if you want to buy Infinity Blade II, just hold off for about a week while all the bugs hopefully get worked out unless you want to risk turning out like me.  You have been warned.