Super Smash Bros for Wii U Gets Street Dated

October 8, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Dustin Murphy

Have you been rumbling on your 3DS with Super Smash Bros? If so you could easily be one of those players who have helped the game surpass it’s 2.8 million copies sold globally, which has also brought out the first-ever portable title of a series that has grabbed the attention of both critics and the fans. With it having sold so strong, Nintendo has its initial sales set for Nintendo for a strong and promising season this holiday season. Now that can be even more promising as the Wii U finds itself preparing to come out right around the holiday season sales window.

As of this week, Nintendo has also unveiled their plans for the Wii U version as well as the interactive amiibo figurines will be launching side by side on November 21st for North America. Super Smash Bros will be going for a suggested retail price of 59.99 USD, which puts the game in the same price range as many of the currently releasing prices, so prepare those wallets, but also prepare to spend a tad bit of money as the amiibo figures are to sell for a suggested retail price of 12.99 USD each, which puts twelve of them out at launch. Within the following days a round of six more will also be heading your way to allow for more interactive characters to enter your nintendo titles through your Nintendo 3DS as well as your Wii U this holiday season!

“Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is already in the hands of more than 2.8 million people worldwide, and the road ahead looks great,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo’s holiday software lineup is more than impressive, and our amiibo figures start a new chapter in the world of Nintendo interactive entertainment. With so many great experiences available, this holiday season is going to be an amazing time to be a Nintendo fan.”

So who are these mysterious launch figures? Lets take a peak at the ones who are announced to interact with many of the released and previously released Nintendo titles that will be compatible titles? Donkey Kong, Fox, Kirby, Link, Mario, Marth, Peach, Pikachu, Samus, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Samus, and Yoshi will be debuting as the first official amiibo figures that will be finding themselves heading out on November 21st. Shortly to follow them in December will be some of the iconic characters many of you possibly can’t wait to load into Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, and many other upcoming titles: Captain Falcon, Diddy Kong, Luigi, Little Mac, Pit, and Zelda.

So exactly how do this figurines work? Unlike previously released titles such as Skylanders and Disney Infinity; amiibo figures will interact wireless through the Nintendo Wii U Gamepad by tapping the figurines to the handheld itself. This will also sync the figures to the Wii U, which will offer them to every compatible game out there; this will require no future equipment as previously stated. A few games that will also be compatible with the figures will include Mario Party 10 and Yoshi’s Woolly World. Mario Kart 8 will also be compatible with them to allow for more drivers in order to enjoy the game even more.

Think that’s all? There will also be a bundle releasing for the Wii U, which will register at 99.99 USD and will include the Nintendo GameCube Controller, Adapter, and a copy of Super Smash Bros for Wii U! For those of you who want to wait can obtain the WaveBird controller for Wii U for 29.99 USD, an adapter will run for 19.99 USD while a unique GameCube controller that is marked by Super Smash Bros. will launch at at 29.99 USD.

Nintendo has also announced that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, which smashed its way as a fan favourite at E3 2014 back in June, will launch on December 5th for 39.99 USD. This title will allow players to enjoy his adventure as an explorer while he goes through haunted houses, escaping volcanos, or simply running through very Mario-esque terrains. This title will also be one to support the amiibo figures sometime in 2015, and will be quite exciting to see them within.

To also celebrate the launch of Super Smash Bros. Nintendo is holding the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS National Open Tournament in New York on the 11th of October (this month for those interested). The tournament will feature 16 players who smashed their way through local tournaments around the country this past weekend. So what does that mean? They are some of the best of the best and look to show that they are this weekend at 6 p.m. ET and will be there for you to watch on both Nintendo’s Twitch and Youtube channels. That’s not all though; players will get to use their customized character, which will set up a very important role in this tournament. Some characters may focus on defense, others speed, while others focus on pure brute force or a hybrid of the two sources while taking a penalty to another. So where can you watch this tournament? Over on their Twitch Channel (http://www.twitch.tv/nintendo) or their YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/Nintendo)

Please stay tuned for our upcoming reviews for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

About the Writer:

DustinMurphy Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at@GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Review: Wrack – Wracking the Enemies in Their Delicates One by One

October 6, 2014October 12, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Dustin Murphy

Pros:
-The cell-shaded engine provides a very unique and comic-like experience
-Fast paced, guns blazing, and swords swinging play style that variates from the monotonous gameplay of more current day games.
-Game hides ‘secrets’ in puzzle like search-and-finds that can be easy to get to once a path is found.
-Rather strong story that lets it feed off itself as the game develops over time.
-Parkouring, slipping, and sliding is not needed for this game, just pure fast paced mouse turning, and button clicking

Cons:
-Levels seem short, which can be seen to some, as a downfall.
-Future chapters will be released as DLC, it will be unclear if this will have to be paid for.

When I first sat down with this game at QuakeCon 2014 after having been contacted by Final Boss Entertainments public relations, I grew interested in the game as I was introduced to more and more about it, but getting to sit down with it was an entirely new ballpark. Final Boss Entertainment doesn’t just aim at the first person genre like the more famed titles in the FPS genre Call of Duty or Battlefield does; Instead, Wrack looks to give us the fast-paced run and gun action we would recall if someone said DOOM or QUAKE. The game seeks to search, destroy, and shoot down the doors of any enemy base, for some this will remind you of games such as Painkiller or Rise of the Triad for those that remember them. This is a no-bullcrap, retro shooting is back and you better enjoy it kind of game.

Having obtained it thanks to the team at Final Boss Entertainment, I was able to sit down for hours at home and finally put my glasses on, grab my finest beer, and feel as if I were the man (not literally speaking of course). This game is one that has spent nearly a year in its Early Access state on Project Greenlight through Steam. Being on there as long as it did the game was capable of getting the first episode, which expressed nine levels of pure chaos and fun. Don’t forget dying, dying happens a lot, and dying is the name of the game just as we knew in DOOM as we hunted down any possible secrets within the areas we were given. If you’re like me though? Those first few levels weren’t enough, so instead, I went back for more punishment on higher difficulties.

With a no-holds-barred kind of attitude, I was able to go through each of the levels at an insanely high pace, until I died, and it was a death well earned. Who wouldn’t want more armor, higher kill combos, and well even a higher score? I know I sure as heck did! As I flew through the first nine levels, the game gave me something unique throughout it, a very comic book-style set of cutscenes that told me a tale of aliens raiding Earth for a device that would help them, but also a struggle within a non-complacent dystopian future. This leads to a story that is almost negligible, but the humour within it is quite compelling and will catch on. It shows that the development team had a lot of humour and fun making this game, and seemed to break the monotonous experience that many classic first person shooters derived from. As for those of you like myself who would rather play a game than capture a story, which Wrack made me want to do, but not because the story wasn’t humorous or dry, but because I wanted to slaughter more aliens in my path; a skipping the cutscenes option is available and was used with vigorously. With that said, the story is actually quite enjoyable, and was not ignored at all, but due to review pacing, it was something I had to come back to later.

There was something magical though, you may have caught onto, which is this little thing called kill combos and level scores. What are those for; you might ask. Well lets just state, they’re your end-of-level stats, which feeds on to the games leaderboard system, and had me going back for another dance with shotguns, plasma rifles, and well the sword. Who doesn’t want to swing a giant freaking sword anyways? With each kill combo, players can literally wrack up a score and make enemies scream at their mercy. This is something that made me pummel enemies until all that was left was their flickering corpse, an exploding barrel, and another graceful end to a cleared room; unless the explosive barrel got to me as well, which sometimes it did.

Now for those of you who are not interested into making fun of your friends just out of pure competition, there is an option for you, a speed run. What does this mean? You will have a time to clear each level as fast as you can, without dying, and claiming the speed run time, and posting it online even with a screenshot. This is something I could easily suggest you doing for just the mere chuckles, laughs, and well the knowledge that you are faster than your friends in the digital land.

Though the question of the day is not what it may seem, but it is quite compelling; just how much does Wrack offer you in just one single chapter so far? Quite a bit really thanks to the leaderboards and a speed playthrough. Though it’s not what I would say that Wrack is just about, no, it’s about action. I mean like 80’s action movie kind of action. This means at all times there is constantly happening, even boss fights, which are enjoyable on their own in a one on one encounter while learning their mechanics the entire time. Some of them are unfortunately not very friendly to those that are like myself and prefer to use the games hyperblade, which is reminiscent to DOOM’s chainsaw. The only downfall for some? The sword takes up a noticeable size of the screen – except playing Wrack-A-Mole with it is more than just satisfying – it turns enemies into a splatter fest in a single hit. Except bosses, don’t hit bosses with it.

Now we know you want to hear about content, especially after hearing about each chapter only containing nine levels. Fortunately for most of you there is something magical in the works; DLC episodes. With Wrack introducing more episodes in the future as well as weapons, it is not surprising that the game may still seem to be in the works pertaining to its story and content, but it is something that is happening. With the passion from Final Boss Entertainment – Wrack is a game that seeks to succeed, and thanks to the Workshop; it does.

Those of you like myself that grew up in the retro-FPS era will not be disappointed to know that this game is true to what it stands for, and will quickly lure you in with the ability to almost instantly begin painting the walls with bullet holes, enemy parts, and well giblets. Yes giblets are mentioned. Enemies in the game even will remind you of those classic games since the enemies have what feels like a no-instakill-allowed meter to them. They will not be throwing just grenades and hide behind walls, instead they are in the open and spraying very visible projectiles at you (memories of Quake, Hexen, DOOM, and Duke Nukem coming back yet? They should be). Much like classic games; you will collect armor, health, and ammo boxes, but also dodging all the way through in order to NOT get shot. This is also one that will test a PC player that still has their old-school helmet laying around and would like to once more wear it. I know I was when enjoying it and can’t wait to have even more reason to tighten the chin strap.

With putting the fighting to side, the game is graphically beautiful, and one that is admirable for what it has done. The game follows the graphical step that games such as Borderlands and the well known PS2 game; XIII. With that being put aside, the game adds itself into a rather amazing weave of destruction, chaos, and even beautiful lighting effects that can be easily noted as players rush through each stage while wracking up their combo scores. This is something Final Boss Entertainment should be very proud of since it works, and it works well. It gives a game a unique feel and one that can seemingly be seen as epileptic friendly, not saying test your luck, but it is definitely something that’s easy on the eyes.

For those wanting to know if the game has gotten any recognition yet; it has. With industry veterans such as John Romero and Keiji Inafune, which is astounding for a game and should be taken with a nod of respect. For those unfamiliar with the two should be. John Romero helped create DOOM alongside John Carmack back in the 90’s while Keiji Inafune was heavy at work creating the original masterpiece we know as Resident Evil.

Even with that said there is a bit of lackluster to the games duration; it’s short, very short. Within an hour and a half I found myself already zooming through the first chapter, but not without having died; a lot. Though there is something that makes up for it, which is the Steam Workshop. With having found out in an interview with Final Boss Entertainments Brad Carney; Wrack is very welcoming of user created content, which allows for the game to have a form longevity, but unfortunately, the level-editor has been getting a lot of DOOM fan-remakes. This is something while I can enjoy, I still want more of the base game. More story, more weapons, new enemies, and well more explosions. Even with that said, the game offers something unique that most indie games done, which is love and passion for what they are doing, which is why the Steam Workshop does make a good fallback option.

The only thing I would like to see is multiplayer at some point, which was something I learned in an interview is not out of the option, but not in a foreseeable future. The game itself is trying to be developed, grown into, but also lifted so that it can be a title that keeps at what it does best and remains that way as it moves on. With all this said, Wrack is game that can easily stand up against almost any of today’s Triple-A titles and be proud of itself for its unique and charismatic way of retaining itself as a Retro-FPS. With time it is a title that could easily earn itself a digital download or even a physical retail release on both the PlayStation 4 and XBox One. Till then, it is limited to PC, but it is an experience that everyone should think of getting into since it does not require a high-end PC to enjoy.

So what how many Wracks does this game earn? A solid 9 out of 10 points Wracked.

Readers, we do have a small thing to do! We have codes to give away, which are discount codes, and will let you get to play Wrack even cheaper. So how do you win one? Easy. We want to see your want to play the game. You can do this in the comments by giving us the reasons you enjoyed the golden age of the FPS genre! Let us know and we will choose several lucky winners to get Wrack at a discount.

About the Writer:

Review: Persona 4 Arena – Taking a Step into the Ring

October 6, 2014October 12, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Dustin Murphy

Pros:
-Story that intertwines seamlessly between Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 Golden
-Beautifully crafted anime-esque graphic novel telling and seamless fighting
-Each character styles variate based on their persona leaving no-one character the same.
-Online multiplayer is lag free and very well coded making international play amazing
-The unfortunate region locking makes it hard for other countrie to obtain it if they want it in Japanese

Cons:
-Navigators are obtainable through DLC and a lot of hard work for players willing to put in time and effort.
-Screen size matching tends to be a bit more difficult than it should be. Unfortunately the scaling options aren’t 1080p friendly for a 16:9 T.V. This can be fixed by screen type changes in the options.

When the name Shin Megami Tensai or Persona is mentioned, the idea of one of the most famous JRPG franchises of all time comes to mind for many of us, and so does the traditional and highly memorable soundtrack’s to each title. After taking the time to take a brunt blow of criticism and anger from eager gamers, ‘Persona 4 Arena: The Ultimate Mayonaka Arena’ can come to mind, this was mostly because of European fans having to wait to get their hands upon the title, which carried on events from both Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 Golden.

Unlike before, which we can call Persona 4 Golden, Arena takes place two months after the events we knew of, the solving of mysterious and deadly murders by someone using the mysterious Midnight Channel. However, that is not all. In the game we also get to once more see Mitsuru Kirijo of the Kirijo group and her Shadow Operatives have been included upon their own causes and reasons. The story, however, starts off with Yu coming back for Golden Week to see his friends, but unfortunately, a twist of events have happened. The group is one more forced to reform their Investigation Team and seeks to find out why and how the Midnight Channel is back, and why they have seen themselves as the main contestants. With that stated, the game takes off and it does it well. It truly feels like a Persona game crossed with BlazBlue, which is a wonderful combination that is executed well. Many of the beginnings are rather long, well scripted, and fill much of the story that has not lost its rather well paced track. This game gives you all a perfect chance to once more enjoy your favorite characters, Teddie, Chie, Yosuke, Yukiko Kanji, Akihiko and many many more.

The difference this time around is that we are not playing a JRPG, not battling those infamous shadows, but also aren’t going to be planning out your next move to pop items or heal your group. This time around you will be smashing your buttons, learning combos, and learning when to block against your characters friends in a story. The combat is fast paced, furious, and does not try to slow down at all as players manage to move from fight to fight in this campaign, which once more, pits the sanity of our favorite and most beloved characters to a test one at a time.

In this game each character has their unique ‘shadow’ we’ve come to know as their Persona’s awakened. With a fighting style that matches it, many players will find themselves thrashing their friends around without any form of hesitation – some of these thrashings will include tying in your basic combo in with a persona summon in order to deal just that much more damaged. The thing with the combat is that it feels fluid as well as natural for each of the characters we’ve come to know. This is what makes it feel rather well presented as players take on this game that enjoys several things; a detailed anime art style, but also the games rather well crafted pacing when it comes to both story and fights. Fortunately for many, the game also has a rather enjoyable announced set up of people to choose from, by default, Rise-chan.

As each battle is completed, the fights explain a very in depth story that seems Atlus had crafted just for this purpose, and has done so beautifully. The game displays this rather elegantly when the combat is in action, but the cut scenes to fill in the story are a rather welcomed sight to help fulfill the games storyline. Each fight, much like the cutscenes or the graphic novel moments, are the well known Japanese Rock songs, which were presented within Persona 4 Golden. This is something that bodes well for the game itself and keeps that breath of fresh air that we were given each time that Persona 4 Golden started up.

The game does offer several things away from the games main campaign. Players who would like to enjoy a story that is not related to the story mode, Arcade offers them this option and allows players to take out their deepest frustrations out and take onto a rather brutal and non-stop combat scenario. This is something that will easily resemble the games multiplayer mode that will more than likely hold players over thanks to Arc System Works and their well designed netcode. With this being acknowledged, the game allows for a multiplayer that is seamless and without lag. This is something that also made the game a very welcomed sight and allowed for countless hours pushed into the multiplayer alone. With that being said the game shows how much content there is between Arcade, Training, Challenge Mode and well the Story itself.

The game itself is not hard to learn once players have undertaken the basics and begin to learn them. This is something that is rather easy and surprising complex at the same time. The games basic system is all that is there, which is simple, learning how to move, tie in combos, dodge, block, and learning when to attack and not to attack so to take out the enemies Persona, but also to cancel any possible chances they have of locking you into a corner or one of their cruel combos. Though the game isn’t as easy as it sounds thanks to the intricate combo system that will allow enemies to use instant kills, special attacks and their harsh ability to keep one pinned and anticipating an opening for assault that may or may not occur.

Unlike what you may or may not know, the game itself follows the rather well known formula that almost every fighting game does; combat is fast, furious, and unrelenting, but at the same time newcomer friendly. This is something that Arc System Works did and did well. With the online though is where we should focus thanks to the campaign being rather self explanatory and spoiler free as everything unravels. With the online, I was able to experience multiple online modes thanks to the games well found crowd around the world that still seems rather alive, but it was not easy, and at times the fighters whom you will encounter are rather skilled, lethal, and do not stop their rather quick attack without any form of hesitation. This is something that the game could have counterbalanced by allowing players to seek out matches that will pit them against players with a rather common skill level and win to lose ratio, but this far into the release that is something that may or may not be possible due to the newest entry being out.

With each character, the game does feature multiple play styles, which allows each character to be unique, the best example that can be made is Naoto whom favors long range, quick attacks, and burst combo’s in order to ensure her victory while characters such as Kanji who prefer upclose, brutal, and slow combat that can deal massive amounts of damage in one swift go. All the while, characters such as Chie, Teddie, and even Elizabeth can manage quick attacks that are brutal, quick, and will lock their opponents into a corner.

Thankfully these combos are not something that players should feel as if they are locked into – Atlus has seemingly made this something that players can easily counter by timing their attacks, blocking, and remembering that any opening is a chance for them to take a brutal beating. In the long run, there was nothing that has disabled this game from being fun, entertaining, and addicting. This game easily builds upon the two story arcs that are given to players to pursue and does it in a sense that now that the second title is out, players will be craving more, and will easily find a reason to once more enjoy the world that has been rather cleverly crafted around them.

So what do we believe this game has earned? With only a few technical hitches such as region locking, minor unbalancing, and a need for a better screen scaling system from 720p, the game itself fuels a need for this game to be in the industry, and can easily place hopes for players that the game itself will hopefully see later versions now that the PlayStation 4 and XBox One, supporting 1080p at 16:9.

With all that being said, Persona 4 Arena easily beats its opponents out of the way for a score of… 8 out of face breaking 10.

About the Writer:

DustinMurphy Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, MMO’s, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable and can’t be softened by even the biggest names in the gaming industry. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. To follow Dustin, hit him up on Twitter over at @GamingAnomaly, find him on his Google+. Wanna game with him? You can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Taking a Glimpse into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

October 3, 2014October 7, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Sarah Monster

-History of the Game-

When FFXIV (As it’s shortened to) didn’t have a good start to life. Final Fantasy 14 started life and was received badly by it’s audience. Players hated the game and let the development team and producers know. Since the game was received so badly, the producers decided to pull the game and start from scratch. Thus the game relaunched as Final Fantasy 14: A realm reborn, with a disaster showing the end of the old game/content, and that’s when all support ended for FF14. The new game was received much better, it had more content and a wider choice of classes, jobs, races and genders.

-Races and Classes-

Eorzea offers players 5 different races to play. The race doesn’t make a difference to the game, as it is only your physical appearance. You can still play every class and job with each race, so this is purely for looks. The races are as following:

Hyur - Human race – One of the most common races in Eorzea, they originate from their hometown of Ala Mhigo, which has been destroyed. This race has been split into 2 parts, mid-lander and
highlander. Highlanders are more burly and built, where as mid-landers are of average size.

Lalafell - These are small people! Pint size! Perfectly formed, miniature human beings. Nobody knows where these people come from originally, but they are everywhere around Eorzea!

Elezen - Tall elf like people, these people come from the forests around Gridania, protecting the forest and it’s inhabitants. They are rumoured to be the original inhabitants of Eorzea. There are two different sub races within this race, Wildwood and Duskwight. Wildwood have a keen sense of sight where as Duskwight are reclusive and prefer to reside in dark shadowy places, giving them
better night time vision.

Miqo’te – One of the more popular races I have found. This race is also divided into two subsections, one being the Seekers of the Sun, their skin and eyes are bright and they look more cheerful; then there are the Keepers of the Moon, which have darker skin and eyes. Both of these are very unique and different looks.

Roegadyn - These are the brutes of the game, built tall and wide, their skin is dark or dull and they hail mainly in Limsa Lominsa. Hellsguard and Seawolves are the sub races within this singular race.

-Taking a Look into the Gameplay and Graphics-

Even when the graphics of Final Fantasy 14 are turned right down, they are still massively impressive. A lot of attention to detail has gone into the smallest thing. The trees have amazing detail and the night sky is just amazing to look at. One of my favourite things to do in this game is to just go around and look at all the beautiful scenery that is here. Of course when the graphics are turned up, the game becomes more impressive, with realistic shadows being applied, and movement of things such as trees. I like the fact that Square kept the game as graphically intense as they could, but still enabling the game to be played on less powerful systems.

One of my favourite features of the game is being able to play every class and job on one single character. On previous MMO’s that I have played, if you wanted to try something different, you had to roll another character, which can be a pain if you need to buy more gear and grind for everything again. Having this feature of everything on one character means classes with the same description (Such as Disciples of War) can share gear, depending on levels. For me, this is a more enjoyable experience, there is no needing to hop on another character if you are required to be another job.

-Content-

The game is updated regularly, generally patching (small bug fixes, etc) once a week. However, every month or so a massive patch lands. These patches usually adding more content to the game and more for players to do. The development team watch the forums closely and actually listen to what the players want, which is a nice touch. Our voices and opinions are heard. Patch notes can be found on the website, detailing what has been added and what changes. Although this is generally announced prior to the patch landing in the live letters that the development team record. The only problem to these is that they are in Japanese! (Luckily we have subtitles!)

The game has a lot of content to get through for new players, the massive story line, which is ever increasing. Every patch that lands, adds more story. So when you think you’ve finished it… You haven’t! It’s enticing and interesting, to watch the characters you know and love evolve and move through the game with you. There is also a lot of end game content, with primals, (hard mode and extreme) and plenty of end game raids. (In varying sizes of 8 man to 24 man) which requires an entire team to work together to beat foes and progress. Some of them aren’t easy to complete, and require a good amount of communication with your team.

-My Experience with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn-

My experience of this game has been an amazing one. I have been playing MMO’s for several years now, and it has to be one of the best I have played yet. The community and the players are some of the most friendly I have ever come across. Everyone is willing to help you; from dungeon guides, to materials for crafting. I have enjoyed leveling throughout the game and getting to the end game content. I have not yet got bored, nor do I think I’m going to get bored any time soon, it’s a game that keeps bringing new and exciting things to the table, which you can share with your Free Company and the friends you make in game! I would definitely recommend this game to my friends, as playing MMO’s with friends is a better experience than playing alone!

About the Writer:

SarahGibson Sarah is Blast Away the Game Review’s U.K. writer and absolute goofball who covers almost anything MMO or Online related whether it’s for PC or Nintendo based products. Her passion lies heavily within Nintendo, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and League of Legends. Oh, and picking wonderfully bloomed flowers in Animal Crossing: A New Leaf! Want to hit her up? Follow her on twitter with @SarahGibson91. Got Steam? Hit her up over at SarahMonstarr or hit her streaming page up here on Facebook over at www.facebook.com/sarahsstream

AirMech Arena Gets Assassin’s Creed Mechs!

October 2, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Dustin Murphy

Wonder what would happen if Mechs and Assassin’s Creed ever combined? You can now find out. Ubisoft and Carbon Games has proudly released the content for AirMech Arena that will make this happen. The content for this real-time strategy game that was released as a free to play title on all Xbox Live accounts, but also on the XBox 360. In honor of this game having become so successful they have decided to release Assassin’s Creed-inspired AirMech skins and pets in order to also provide more customization options.

According to AirMech Arena’s James Green, AirMech Arena has become very successful since it’s launch nearly two months ago. This bringing it above one million players to date. With this news he stated that they were able to incorporate many of the traits that can be noted in Assassin’s Creed into their new available update. This also includes the skins for both the Creed and the Assassin’s in order to highlight the ongoing struggle between the two factions.

Now available for players that are interested, they can transform their AirMech Arena gameplay into an Assassin’s Creed themed one called the Novi Aquilis Neo, which is known for its cloaking abilities as well as stealth combat. For the Templars, they got the Abstergo Fortis Prototype saucer Mech, which is known for its death ray and capability to abduct. For those interested, they can also deploy a set of Assassin’s Creed pets with any AirMech, which brings forth the Spirit Eagle, the Apple of Eden and the DNA Cube vial to accompany them into battle. This update also contains additional skins, units, and updated maps, which will be released within the upcoming weeks.

For more photos, visit our Facebook Post here: AirMech Arena Gets Assassin’s Creed Mechs!

Rogue Wizzards Announced by Spellbind Studios

October 2, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Dustin Murphy

Interested in a new title that could easily remind you of games such as Torchlight, Diablo, Marvel Heroes Creators, and many other dungeon-crawling and town building titles? Rogue Wizards then is right up your alley. Rogue Wizards is being designed as a rogue-like dungeon crawler where you will also be doing some town-building. In it, players will be looking to take on this year long journey that has been worked on by Studio Veterans David Brevik (Diablo, Torchlight, Left 4 Dead, and Marvel Heroes), Mike Booth, and Erich Shaefer (both from Left 4 dead. Booth being creator of L4D), aim to deliver a rather fun RPG, action RPG, and rogue-like genres, which can only make one think this game is going to be an insanely fun and addicting adventure. So how can one go about this adventure? Starting today, you can head over to Kickstarter with the provided link below, donate, and help get this game off the ground and help it see its adventure go forth for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android.

“A smart blend of town building and dungeon crawling to create one of the most promising RPGs in years” – Dave Brevik: CEO Gazillion Entertainment, Creator of Diablo Series, Marvel Heroes

“Spellbind’s Rogue Wizards is taking procedural rogue-likes in an exciting and thoroughly charming direction.” – Mike Booth: Game Director at Blizzard Entertainment, Creator and Designer of Nox and Left 4 Dead, Founder of Turtle Rock Studios.

“Spellbind is making exactly the kind of game I would make for mobile & desktop. I’m jealous, and I want to play!” – Erich Schaefer: President Double Damage Games, Designer Diablo 1 & 2, Torchlight 1 & 2

Their title will allow players to do the well known dungeon-crawling experience: battling creatures, mastery your character, but also collect the loot for it while also building a Wizard Tower in the middle of it! With all of these being a part of it, the game also features a unique look at the former dungeon-crawling RPG experiences man yof you are familiar with. With the dungeon mode, players will be able to enjoy the game by experiencing randomly generated dungeons, weapons, and even environments so that they may experience them all in their unique creativity. Combat will be a very familiar turn based experience that will allow fans to take note for the experience that was one used before, which will allow fans to take note that the game will be fast, furious, and require plenty of strategy as well as planning.

Between each bit of battle and exploration, players will be able to do whatever it is they need to do in order to build their town, obtain their new loot, but also enhance their town, gear, reagents or even being powering up magic in order to become more powerful as a wizard in order to go further within the game. For more info on Rogue Wizards check the game out at www.roguewizards.com.

For more official information regarding Rogue Wizards, read below!

“Rogue Wizards is a game that I’ve dreamed of creating for a long time,” says Spellbind Studios Founder Colin Day. “With the help of a team of seasoned games industry professionals who have worked on successful titles and series such as Diablo 3, Marvel Heroes, Command & Conquer, Might and Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Mechwarrior Mercenaries, to help me see through my passion, I’m confident that we will deliver to fans a memorable and rich experience they will enjoy for years to come.”

Support Rogue Wizards on Kickstarter!

If you love RPGs, Action RPGs, or Rogue-like titles, we need support from the gaming community to make Rogue Wizards a reality. More details about Rogue Wizards, the development team’s plans and goals, and tiered pledge rewards can be found on the Rogue Wizards Kickstarter page: http://bit.ly/rogue-wizards-launch

“We thank everyone in advance for their time, consideration, and pledges,” says Day. “Without a doubt, we appreciate everyone who has taken the time to spread the word about Rogue Wizards to friends who love supporting great games and the developers who create them.”

Wrack Now Available on Steam

October 2, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Dustin Murphy

When we first entered QuakeCon, something magical happened; Wrack. Sitting at the table in front of a mouse, keyboard, and monitor, we played this game. Within Wrack we experienced a very classic and retro styled game. Boss fights felt like Contra, the game itself felt like it crawled out of the 90’s fast paced shooter period that DOOM, Quake, Hexen, Heretic, Duke Nukem, and many others crawled from and evolved from. The refreshing thing? This title manages to keep that nostalgia with this title after its hefty six years of development.

With the capabilities of what Final Boss Entertainment has done, Wrack has become a game that seeks to push you to your fast paced seat edge. With this experience we here at Blast Away the Game Review are excited to announce that Final Boss Entertainment has officially released Wrack onto PC. For 14.99 USD: Players can experience this amazing retro-styled FPS now on their home PC. What does this entail? The full game and an amazingly library of workshop based features for Wrack. Some of those pieces will truly blow your mind.

In the story you will take the role as Kain Sager who lives in a very dystopian future that he hasn’t grown complacent about. Except for that changes a bit when the aliens begin to raid Earth in their search for an item. What’s this item? A Hyperion Generator, which can create matter out of energy. Think that is all though? Yes, it is, but it is satisfying. The game itself tells the story through a set of cutscenes, but also text based scenes. These scenes are beautifully animated and stilled. For those interested, head on over to steam, download it, and enjoy!

Stay tuned for our upcoming review in the very near future!

To download Wrack and save 10% on it at this time: http://store.steampowered.com/app/253610/

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Gets the Sho’ Started Now!

October 1, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Dustin Murphy

Ever wondered what happened after the events of the Kirijo group meeting up with The Investigation Team? Well for those who managed to beat down the story, discover the secrets of Miss President, and even beating their ‘friends’ senseless, we were given an amazing story that followed so tightly between the events of Persona 3 FES and Persona 4’s timeline, and it has been continued as of now. As of September 30th, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax has launched, and in turn is about to prepare players for something unforeseen before; the P-1 Grand Prix is back and has been renamed as the P-1 Climax. As of yesterday, players can also take their time to enjoy a free download period for DLC characters Adachi and Marie.

Developed by ATLUS and Arc System Works, players are able to experience this title on both the XBox 360 and the PlayStation 3. In this newest entry, we learn that players will get to take on a brand new and seemingly more mentally demented and twisted storyline than before. In the the continuation where Persona 4 Arena left off, players will once more get to visit the storyline of both Persona 3 and Persona 4’s teams. This time they however, will be preparing for the Sho’ by putting on their sneakers, capes, and glasses, and then duking it out across your T.V. screen once more. However, this is with a new twist as several new fighters enter the cast in order to take out the new mastermind for whoever it may be. Who are these fighters? Junpei Iori, Yukari Takeba, Rise Kujikawa, and more. Though we also get to see the first new glimpse of our latest entrant; the dual katana wielding and rather large threat, Sho Minazuki. The worst part of this? Sho has an impostor that can wield a Persona.

For those that are more of the BlazBlue-esque fan, ATLUS and Arc System Works have included an Arcade Mode, Attack Mode, Golden Arena Mode, which also lets players earn experience and customize each character with unique skills. Think that’s all? Yu can always take on the always amusing and fun multiplayer mode to take on other online or even offline for that matter. Doing so will allow player to show off their skills, but also experience an all new way to have fun with this insanely entertaining series!

So that’s not a bearable amount of content to you? Well we know something that is! Until October 7th, owners of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax can get their hands on Adachi and Marie free! Oh and their DLC will feature additional story portion for Adachi called “Episode: Adachi”. Within these DLC’s the third playable DLC: Margaret; will be available for 4.99 USD beginning on October 7th, when Adachi and Marie revert to the same price. The original story of Persona 4 Arena is available for $9.99, along with a boatload of amazingly fun customization packs: Navigator voices, glasses packs, and character colors.

Official Information from our friends over at ATLUS:

Reminder: any customization DLC that players purchased for the original Persona 4 Arena will automatically be unlocked for P4AU. Please visit http://atlus.com/p4au/dlc/ for full details about downloadable content.

P4AU is available now for $59.99, and every pre-order and launch copy will include the inflatable Teddie Bop Bag and Set #1 of the Persona Tarot Cards while supplies last. (Set #2 is included in the upcoming title, Persona Q). Launch details, tutorial videos and more are available on the official website, http://www.atlus.com/p4au

Get Ready for Rock ‘n Roll Prime Time with Ubisoft’s RockSmith 2014: Headbanging onto the Xbox One and PS4!!

September 27, 2014September 27, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written By Devon Day

How many of you like Rock? Metal? Punk? Well, I know I do. Rock music is still a big factor in many peoples pastime, myself included. Well, how about playing those legendary themes yourself? Nonono, not some of the stuff that only last for a good couple of days. I am talking about some of the most influential albums of their era, and that is exactly what RockSmith 2014 is all about. Utilizing the RockSmith Real Tone Cable which is, a 1/4″-to-USB cable, you will be able to use your own guitar; processing the various sound cues from analog to digital.

For those of you worrying that said audio enhancement may take a hit on the game’s visuals, put those fears to rest. Running 1080p at 60 frames per second, lighting effects, physics, and shadow effects all will come in full HD. For the songs? 50 will be available on the disc, while 300 will be available for purchase, along with more content coming each week, so you can continually sharpen your guitar skills. For those of you who owned either an Xbox 360 or PS3, Ubisoft will allow you to carry over any tracks you have onto your account, so your all time favorites are not lost within the unfortunate Rock ‘n Roll limbo area.

With all that said, you ready rock? Ready to headbang? Ready to increase your own guitar skills to the likes of Dave Mustaine, Jimmy Hendrix, or even Kirk Hammett? Well, you are in luck, as this musical powerhouse from Ubisoft goes live November 4, 2014!

That now all said, what are your thoughts of the RockSmith franchise? Does it bring good towards up and coming bands? Will this new iteration be a big impact. What songs or albums would you like in the newest installment? Please leave your thoughts below. As always, on behalf of the entire BATGR staff, thank you for reading and we hope to see you again. Until next time, this is Devon Day;

Checking Out.

From Screen to Reality – Taylor Davis – Violin Player and Game Music Musician

September 27, 2014September 27, 2014 / Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page
Written by Dustin Murphy

Ever wondered what would happen when a very talented musician decided to cover some of your favorite compositions or 8-bit chiptunes ever? I always have and what we’ve been given in multiple formats by many very talented musicians out there. One I’ve taken a custom liking to is Taylor Davis, whom I found by accident one day. Let alone has she covered songs from games such as The Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy, but her talented array spans across multiple genres of media.

So what makes hers so unique? The raw talent she demonstrates through both choreography, costume choices, but also scenery. This all has played a major role in the influences of how much I have liked or disliked a song. In truth? I’ve only found a few things I’d hat knitpicked at, but that’s because I actually noticed only small things that irked me more than anything; nothing big. Many of her pieces are actually quite well done, enjoyable, and well – something I’d suggest buying if you have the chance.

Some of her pieces that are her best are her takes on songs like “Song of Time and Song of Storms” (link provided below), which absolutely astounding arrangements. The question that some may ask are how she does her arrangements? With the help of Adam Gudman, the entire album she did for The Legend of Zelda could truly be called a remarkable masterpiece that any The Legends of Zelda fan would truly enjoy. So go check her out at the websites linked below and give her a try for you music fans! Stay tuned for our next from “Screen to Reality” as we take a look into some of the gaming industries talents whether they are gamers, cosplayers, and or musicians!

Taylor Davis’ Official Pages:
www.taylordavisviolin.com
www.twitter.com/ViolinTay
www.facebook.com/TaylorDavisViolin

Blast Away The Game Review

A little bit of news, a little bit of reviews, and bit of games from around the world for you.

Author: Dustin Murphy

Super Smash Bros for Wii U Gets Street Dated

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Review: Wrack – Wracking the Enemies in Their Delicates One by One

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Review: Persona 4 Arena – Taking a Step into the Ring

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Taking a Glimpse into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

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AirMech Arena Gets Assassin’s Creed Mechs!

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Rogue Wizzards Announced by Spellbind Studios

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Wrack Now Available on Steam

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Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Gets the Sho’ Started Now!

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Get Ready for Rock ‘n Roll Prime Time with Ubisoft’s RockSmith 2014: Headbanging onto the Xbox One and PS4!!

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From Screen to Reality – Taylor Davis – Violin Player and Game Music Musician

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