Saturday, April 30, 2011

Xbox and Steam Bring the Heat



Just picked up 2 games from Xbox Live Arcade and Steam.


The first is Outland for XBLA.


Outland (XBLA)Game developer Housemarque (Super Stardust HD) and Ubisoft today released Outland on the Xbox LIVE Arcade. Outland is now available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10) from XBLA. If you enjoy side-scrolling platformers, definitely try Outland. As you’ll see in the demo, the animations and controls are fluid, and the visual treatment is unique.
Details on Outland, from xbox.com:
“In the middle of Balance and Chaos, now stands one man whose efforts may bridge the ancient divide, or doom the world to destruction. The award-winning studio Housemarque, maker of Super Stardust HD, has teamed up with Ubisoft to create an ambitious platformer inspired by epic adventures such as the Prince of Persia series. Each player’s adventure will take him between light and darkness and force him to adapt to an ever-changing world.”

The Second can be bought on Steam


Magicka is a satirical action-adventure game set in a rich fantasy world based on Norse mythology. The player assumes the role of a wizard from a sacred order tasked with stopping an evil sorcerer who has thrown the world into turmoil, his foul creations besieging the forces of good.
Players will be able to combine the elements to cast spells, wreaking havoc and devastation on the minions of darkness. They will also be able to team up with friends and fight their way through the campaign, or test their skills in the magickal arts through other challenging modes.
In Magicka, up to four players take on a grand adventure to save their world from certain doom using a fully dynamic spell system. The adventure mode takes the players across three different levels, ranging from the lush forests of mountain valleys to the frozen halls of the Mountain King where wits and creative thinking are the keys to victory.

You can get the full game PLUS the 3 expansion packs for just $13.00. Totally worth it! Pick it up.


Monday, April 25, 2011

Evangelion Rebuild!!!


Now with 40% less angst and more badass!... seriously.
 
In 1995, Hideaki Anno—fresh out of rehabilitation caused by problems during the production of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water—started work on what was originally planned to be a mecha otaku's ultimate dream. Following his increasing disappointment in and hatred for the otaku community, issues in his personal life, and Gainax's financial troubles, Anno transformed the show into the infamously brutal and often depressing deconstruction of the Super Robot genre (and quite a few common anime tropes) that is Neon Genesis Evangelion.Fast forward to 2007—Hideaki Anno is happily married, as rich as Howard Hughes, and arguably more respected than ever before by virtue of having created what is arguably the most popular and influential anime franchise of the decade. What does Anno do? He decides to revisit the work that made his name—only without the depression influencing the story. Anno makes plans to re-tell the story of the Evangelion saga by giving his Byronic Hero cast a second chance (literally or figuratively), making them somewhat more emotionally stable, and actually giving them hope and light at the end of the tunnel. (It doesn't hurt that he's got a massive theatrical budget to help him out.)Thus begins the salvation of Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, and Asuka Langley Shikinami in the four-film saga called Rebuild of Evangelion (of which two have already been released), directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki of FLCL fame.The films in this series are as follows:
  • Evangelion: 1.0 Jo (Beginning)
    • You Are (Not) Alone.
  • Evangelion: 2.0 Ha (Breaking)
    • You Can (Not) Advance.
  • Evangelion: 3.0 Q* (Quickening)
  • Evangelion: Final*
While by no means Lighter and Softer (the High Octane Nightmare Fuel remains as truly soul-shattering in its intensity and horror as the original), if the tone of the second movie's ending holds true, this retelling promises to not be the suicide-fuel that the original Evangelion was. If anything, Rebuild can best be characterized as the original staying on its medication: ultimately no happier than before, but a hell of a lot more stable.

Currently, Evangelion 1.0 and 2.0 have released here in America. I have no heard any solid release dates for 3.0.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Portal 2 is Finally Out!

Hey everyone Portal 2 is finally out! In celerbration of the release our "friends" at Aperture have released a personality test. Here are my results!

Ratman
You're the quiet, artistic type, happy to ponder the solution to a puzzle in quiet solitude. Compatible cooperative test partners include introspective loners, deaf-mute invisible people, and mannequins.
 
Take the test and have fun...with science.
 

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Mass Effect 3


Its coming. Mass Effect 3. If you have not played the first 2 its time to play them. According to wiki ME3 will release Holiday of 2011 so that means you all know what I want for Christmas. lol. 

From here on I am issuing a formal


Story so far!

How It All Began...

At its core, Mass Effect is about about the three-part journey of Commander Shepard, your Commander Shepard. Mass Effect allows players to customize the look and actions of the chosen leader of humanity. It's a big job. Mass Effect opens in 2138 AD, a period where humans discovered advanced technology on Mars that allowed them to leave the solar system, encounter other alien races and begin the transition to joining intergalactic culture. It's not an easy process; no one trusts the humans.
Shepard must earn trust from the Council, a body of elite members of other alien races with influence over galactic decision-making. The Council's located on a massive starship called The Citadel, where much adventuring takes places. Shepard is tasked with investigating a recovered alien beacon on the human colony of Eden Prime. Shepard heads there with future squadmate Kaidan Alenko and a turian (another alien race) Spectre (a label for trusted Council agents) to investigate the beacon.

The Story So Far: Mass Effect
Upon landing on Eden Prime, the Specre is killed and Shepard discovers Mass Effect's central villain, a rogue turian Spectre named Saren Arterius, and has a vision of the future. Shepard and company witness Saren's evil actions first-hand but the Council does not believe them. At that point, Shepard takes command of the SSV Normandy and must find out what Saren -- and others -- are up to.

And Then Over The Next 20 Hours (Or So)...

Well, quite a bit.
The Story So Far: Mass Effect
Shepard becomes the first human Spectre, meets up with his squadmates -- Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, Kaidan Alenko, Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya -- and makes complicated moral decisions with unknown implications in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. These decisions determine who lives and who dies, choices that could ultimately remove their role from future stories in your version of the Mass Effect universe.
He also discovers Saren isn't really the one humanity and the rest of the known univers needs to worry about. Saren's just a mean puppet. The real bad guys are a race of machines known as the Reapers, sentient beings who wipe the galaxies clear of organic life every so often. Those mass relay stations that allow everyone to run around the universe so quickly? Built by the Reapers.
Why do the Reapers hit the big delete button? They don't need a reason. They do it because they can (also, because it's not actually revealed in the original Mass Effect and they need to save details for the sequels!).
During a assault on the Citadel at the end of the game, Shepard is able to push back the Reapers and one of two scenarios plays out. In one, Shepard lets the Council die but in saving the Citadel, humanity becomes the new galactic leader. In another, Shepard saves the Council and his actions convince the Council of the Reaper threat. In doing so, Shepard earns humanity a spot on the Council. Shepard picks who will take that seat -- Ambassador Udina (who is a jerk) or Captain Anderson (who is cool).
Roll credits!

Which Leads Us To Mass Effect 2...

Now depending on what you did in the first game the story might change a little bit. But the main plot is thus.
2 years after you save the Citadel Shepard is attacked by an unknown enemy. His/her ship is destroyed but manages to save all his crew. Unfortunately, Shepard does not make it. Shepard is shown being thrown out into space and than burning up in the atmosphere of a the planet they were orbiting. 

All is not lost though! 3 years after Shepard's death....he is brought back to life by Cerberus.
 
Cerberus is a human-survivalist paramilitary group led by the enigmatic Illusive Man Cerberus' core belief is that humans deserve a greater role in the galactic community, and that the Systems Alliance is too hamstrung by law and public opinion to stand up effectively to the Citadel races. Any methods of advancing humanity's ascension are justified, including illegal or dangerous experimentation, terrorist activities, sabotage and assassination. Cerberus operatives accept that these methods are brutal, but believe history will vindicate them. Nevertheless, both the Systems Alliance and the Citadel Council have declared Cerberus to be a terrorist organization and will prosecute identified Cerberus agents accordingly. 

After Shepard's revival he/she joins Cerberus only because they share the same goal. The Reapers are coming and they must be destroyed.


Friday, April 15, 2011

Green Lantern!!

As some of you may know there is a Green Lantern Movie coming out. It's gonna be awesome. So I thought I would take this time to help everyone get amped for the movie.

First off lets start with detail. For those who don't know the Green Lantern Corp are basicly the police force of the Universe. Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and power lantern that gives the user great control over the physical world as long as the wielder has sufficient willpower and strength to wield it. The ring is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. So its pretty big stuff.

Hal Jordan is the first human Green Lantern (minus Alan Scott who was the first Green Lanern in the Golden Age) Hal was given the power ring and battery (lantern) by a dying alien named Abin Sur, whose spaceship crashed on Earth. Abin Sur used his ring to seek out an individual who was "utterly honest and born without fear" to take his place as Green Lantern. Now in the movie it looks like Hal Jordan finds Abin Sur and is given the ring on the spot.

After that I am not sure how true to the comics they will stay.

The villian in the movie is Hector Hammond Hammond is a petty criminal on the run from the law when he discovers the fragments of a strange meteor in the woods Observing that radiation from the meteor has caused the nearby plants to evolve rapidly. The radiation causes their intellects to evolve, but also has the side effect of sapping their wills. Or so says the comics. If this will translate to the movie is unknown.

Hal Jordan will be played by Ryan Reynolds. Who is a solid actor in my book.





Hector Hammond will be played by Peter Sarsgaard. Who is also a very solid Actor.




I am so excited!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The first of many!

Greetings my Acolytes! Welcome to the Black Mage Temple! This is my first blog and I am really excited to get started. Not 100% sure what I want this blog to be about but have no fear I will figure it out. I can assure you though it will be full of awesome and for all of you that follow in the dark arts of Black Magic be sure to take notes cause this is gonna be Epic!  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!