Pixel Well » Wii

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The King's Eighth — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:48:06 +0000

Here is yet another anticipated game by many out there. E3 has provided us with a debut trailer showing off the new game along with gameplay footage utilizing the Wii motion plus. Author Stephen Totilo over at kotaku had a chance to play the demo at the E3 convention and was overall impressed with the game.

So no complaints on controls, an almost-perfect button layout and a “decent” for graphics. I enjoyed romping through the game’s demo and had the most fun at a boss. This game’s probably going to be good. No surprise, it’s a Zelda.

You can check out his article and walkthrough video here. Without further adieu, here is the debut trailer.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is an article on Pixel Well
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Who Wants Netflix Streaming on the Wii?

The River Salmon — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:57:29 +0000

So guys, I’m going to have to put on the jerk pants for a second and give you my thoughts on the Wii. Admittedly, I was one of the few (right alongside King) who purchases a Wii at midnight opening day. About a month later I sold it for what I paid.

Yep. I don’t own a Wii anymore. And you know, when you’re trying to decide if you’re going to throw something away or donate it, and you ask yourself, “Will I miss this?” and you never think about it again. Well, that’s my Wii. I think I was disillusioned almost immediately when I purchased Red Steel and realized virtual reality was still a ways away.

Anyway, what I mean to say here is that Netflix on the Wii may be a boon to some, but how many people want to use this service? Not only do most people already own DVD players, but you can only get up to 480i on the Wii. Yeah, what?

The logic here may be that everyone has a Wii, so people who don’t have all kinds of newfangled technology can get Netflix. Also, I suppose it does no harm to Netflix, huh? Maybe I need to shift my perspective a little to the family gamer to see the perceived benefits here… Its still pretty hard.

Who Wants Netflix Streaming on the Wii? is an article on Pixel Well
All original content, including images and all intellectual properties, are copyright © Pixel Well 2010

The Matrix, For Realz?

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Details Revealed; a Little Bland?

The River Salmon — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:30:59 +0000

So in the May issue of the Official Xbox Magazine there is a load of information about the new Ghost Recon installment: Future Soldier. Here is the list of inclusions revealed by the magazine:

The game will feature split-screen cooperative play, but it’s yet to be determined if it will be two or four players.
Soldiers in Future Soldier benefit from “load-bearing leg braces that enable them to move swiftly” even as they’re covered in a ton of heavy technology.
Gamers can sprint to cover, slide-tackle enemies, and hurdle low obstacles thanks to their new exoskeleton.
A first for the series, the soldiers will have close-combat takedowns at their disposal. The takedowns are based on various forms of martial arts.
The team is divided into four members, each with a different class. The classes are: Commando, Engineer, Sniper, and Recon.
Commando is very similar to a standard soldier, using a rifle with multiple components and shoulder mounted rocket launcher. Engineer has loadouts including a UAV drone which can be steered by the soldier. Sniper features the main advantage of identifying targets. Recon features the optical camo (invisible cloak), and will be what most gamers want to play as. However, when not cloaked, you’ll be quite distinguishable on the battlefield.
The game begins with “the Russian president being kidnapped by extremists, and instead of breaking out the popcorn for a cutscene, you’ll be in the shoes of one of his bodyguards. Regardless of how well you may perform during this sequence, you won’t be successful, and the capture of the Russian leader is the flashpoint that kicks off what becomes a truly international campaign.”
The game will feature quite a few different settings for the game, being much removed from the bland Mexico settings fans were used to.
Teammate A.I. has been much improved. Your A.I. partners will move like they have “ten to twelve years of military training”. Instead of running in front of you, they’re more prone to follow like squadmates should.
The partners are said to cover your flank and angles you can’t always get to when you move forward.
With the tap of a button, you can follow your teammate automatically. Doing this technique will allow you to focus on enemy fire, and keep an eye on your teammates back as you continue forward. All four players can actually link up at once as well.
The link-up feature is available in multiplayer too. Stand close enough to a cloaked squadmate in multiplayer, and you’ll be cloaked. Future Soldier is aiming to encourage teamwork over everything else.
The co-op is four players, and completely drop-in/drop-out co-op for the campaign mode. Multiplayer is said to be 8vs8, and contains classic modes such as capture-the-flag and domination.
The Persistent Elite Creation system from Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will make its way into the title. Meaning, your items in the campaign will be synchronized with those items you use in multiplayer along with your character.

Nothing too earth shattering here. The main issue I find is that the concept of the future has largely been identified as not laser wielding robots. Rather, I think the Ghost Recon series is reflecting the subtle changes our armed services will find over the next 75-100 years: cloaking, exoksekeletons, and whatnot. The problem is that, unless artfully done, this may lead to more run-of-the-mill gameplay.

Also, what is that locking on squad mates thing? Like, enable Universal Studios ride mode? I don’t know about that. It sounds like they’re taking a page from Bad Company 2 otherwise. The real deal has yet to be seen, however…

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Details Revealed; a Little Bland? is an article on Pixel Well
All original content, including images and all intellectual properties, are copyright © Pixel Well 2010

Red Steel 2 Released Today

The King's Eighth — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:21:18 +0000

Today is the day you can get your hands on the all new Red Steel 2. This game is not a sequel but rather a new rendition and different storyline. We here at Pixel Well remember the first game, the game that was supposed to flaunt the Wii’s capabilities at capturing the motions of the Wii controller. However, the game that was supposed to impress us didn’t. This time around Ubisoft seems to have brought the game back to life with some improvements thanks to the Wii MotionPlus.

This time around your fighting in a East-meets-West first person shooter/slasher. Ubisoft dropped their attempt at stunning realistic graphics and went for a more cartoonish look, placing you in an environment that resembles feudal Japan and the Old West. Apparently you’ll be fighting cowboy style ninjas complete with southern drawls. Sounds like a Wii-shaking great time to me! Once you obtain your katana, you only know certain moves and have to train and earn the advanced techniques. Along with your sword training you can use the money you earn to purchase better weapons and armor. All of which are hidden in crates and barrels and various other objects, from which you spend a great deal of time breaking open with your katana. There is a single story driving the game forward, however, you can participate in other small missions to earn more money. All in all the game looks like it has made some drastic improvements from the first game. I only hope turning around with pointer isn’t going to be as crappy as the like the last game was. Such a pain when playing multiplayer.

Red Steel 2 Released Today is an article on Pixel Well
All original content, including images and all intellectual properties, are copyright © Pixel Well 2010

The Passing DLC Released, Reviewed

GamesCom Press Conference: PS3 Slim Announcement?

The King's Eighth — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:32:45 +0000

On August 19 in Cologne Germany, thousands will gather for Europe’s GamesCom conference in hopes of becoming Germany’s leading trade show for interactive gaming and entertainment. This debut event hopes to attract the entire industry, as well as anyone interested in video games or computers. Here is an excerpt from the conferences website which you can go to here.

As a game trade fair, games festival and business platform, it is the place to be if you want to try out new games, socialise, celebrate or just simply be astonished. Nearly 400 exhibitors from all over the world will present their innovations in the area of interactive entertainment electronics. This is the world and European premiere of numerous computer games which are just waiting for you to test them.

With all major gaming conferences you can expect the big companies to be there. Among them include Sony and Microsoft. Upon further digging into their website I found this little bit of info on what people will expect on the 19th.

In short, video and PC, online and browser games producers and hardware providers, too, will be presenting their latest developments, with exhibitors presenting more than one hundred world, European and German premieres.

Many expect the much anticipated announcement from Sony on the PS3 Slim. Already there have been multiple leaked photos of the system. Within the past week, one French retailer has let slip more information that the system would be released in September in Europe for $299. Again, Sony has made no comments on the system yet.

All in all we expect to hear some pretty important news from the conference in Germany. If you click on this link here you can get the full list (a pretty hefty list mind you) of games that will debut at the conference. I will update you in a few days for any groundbreaking news.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade Website

The River Salmon — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:06:40 +0000

I saw the previews for Muramasa awhile back, and I knew that Syndic would be all over it. For anyone else thats hyped for the new game from the Odin’s Sphere team, check out the newly launched website here.

While you’re there check out the fan art contest, where rumor has it that you could win $1000 dollars for a rockin’ submission. I’m dazzled by the footage they have intermingled with the rest of the site. Anyone who isn’t excited should be after they visit the site. Tell us what you think.rel=”lightbox”

Portal 2 Website in the Works