SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (May 21, 2012) – SEGA^® of America, Inc., SEGA^® Europe Ltd., Gearbox Software and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products are thrilled to announce that the highly anticipated first-person shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines™ will be in stores worldwide on February 12, 2013. As the authentic addition to the ALIENS franchise canon, the game’s stunning visuals and adrenaline pumping action will deliver breathtakingly immersive single, cooperative and competitive multi-player modes. Providing for an innovative asymmetrical competitive multiplayer experience, Aliens: Colonial Marines lets players fight in first person as the ultimate combatants – the United States Colonial Marines, or in third person as the universe’s deadliest killers – the Xenomorphs. Plunging into familiar and new environments from the iconic film franchise, players will have to fight the fear and face the true horrors of the ALIENS universe.

“I am thrilled to announce the definitive launch date for Aliens: Colonial Marines,” said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software. “Aliens: Colonial Marines is the culmination of a life-time of inspiration from the films and relentless passion and drive from the exceptionally talented development team behind the scenes.”

“We knew this game would be incredible from the moment Gearbox began developing Aliens: Colonial Marines,” said, Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing for SEGA Europe and SEGA of America. “Now that the title is in its final stretch of development, we can confidently release the exact date that gamers will finally get to experience this blockbuster thrill-ride.”

 

“SEGA has a proven track record with the ALIENS franchise. ALIENS vs. PREDATOR released by SEGA in 2009 became one of their top-selling titles,” said Gary Rosenfeld, Senior Vice President for New Media for Fox Consumer Products. “We look forward to working with them and bringing an exciting new way for fans to immerse themselves in the ALIENS world.”

In partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and developed by critically acclaimed studio Gearbox Software, Aliens: Colonial Marines will bring new levels of bone-chilling suspense and adrenaline-filled action to the renowned franchise. Aliens: Colonial Marines begins with an ostensibly abandoned ship, the U.S.S. Sulaco, recovered in orbit around LV-426. Players lead a group of highly trained United States Colonial Marines as they board the deserted craft to uncover the fate of the crew. They will have to fight to survive unspeakable horrors and their own anxieties as they chase down the truth behind a galaxy-spanning deception that places humanity at the mercy of the most murderous and deadly species in the universe. Aliens: Colonial Marines features authentic environments, such as the surface of LV-426 and Hadley’s Hope, weapons inspired by the film series and is designed to provide an exhilarating and engaging new chapter in the ALIENS universe.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be available in stores across the globe on February 12, 2013 on PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. A release date for the announced Wii U™ version will be revealed at a later time.

For more news, follow SEGA on Twitter @SEGA, Gearbox Software on Twitter @GearboxSoftware or like Sega on Facebook  and for more information, please visit  here.

and the other being just reckless diving aerial attacks:

(start at 2:15 if you want to see DIIIIIVEEEEEEEEEEE KIICCCKKKK)

So with that said, just what is Flap! exactly? Well it’s an iOS game that puts you in control of a duckling trying to navigate his world and saving other ducks who have been imprisoned by geese. The game technically is a runner because you’re going from one side of the screen to the other by natural, but limited flight (flapping your wings) and bouncing off of trampolines to cover distances. The closer you land to the center of the trampoline the better the bounce. There are power ups to help you along the way which you unlock by collecting coins/spheres as you bounce around. Some of them include perfect jumps every time you touch a trampoline or a magnet that attracts the collectables around you. My personal favorite so far has been the rocket pack. The world shifts between night and day. Day is the time you want to be playing in because at night the normally harmless creatures on the map tend to turn into jerks and try to impede your progress. Think about starting a new game in Simon’s Quest and rather than go to the right once you leave town you went to the left, remember those werewolves that shot fireballs at you? Yeah me too, they were assholes but it’s the same concept just not as jerky. Instead of just being tough bastards they just try to throw you backward and hinder your progress. The reason why that’s important because if you fall into a pit or TOUCH THE GROUND in anyway you die. I guess ducks don’t like grass or something but those are the rules.

The controls are very straight forward. You drag down on your screen to make your duck dive (yeah) and you swipe to make him flap (he has limited flight you, so you have to be careful). Power-ups activate on their own pick up so you don’t have to worry about that. The only activation you have to worry about is spending coin to use one of the better power ups and to do that you just tap the power up you want. It took me a little time (I am so bad at touch screens) but once I got used to diving without flapping my distances improved tremendously.

With all that out of the way, the game looks cute. The animation is solid if a little repetitive but there’s not much going on. The backgrounds and stage design do suffer from the Flintstone/Scooby Doo effect (where backgrounds are just reused in different colors) but that isn’t that a major issue for a title like this because they nailed the cute factor. The music isn’t annoying but it’s great that you can run your own stuff in the background. I find that Eurobeat goes amazing with this game. The sound effects aren’t that many but they pretty accurate with actual duck quacking.

This game is definitely enjoyable overall and is worth a pick up. For me, it fits perfectly with my travels and it’s deep enough where you can constantly analyze your techniques, learn the levels and improve on your overall game. I feel that I definitely helped me a little with my dive kick aim in traditional fighting games.

Here are some little tidbits about the game

Game Center contest: Highest score via Game Center by Thursday, May 24 at 7PM PST win be crowned the Flap! King (or Queen) and win a 32 GB iPad 3

Flap! has Game Center functionality, iCloud statistics backup, built-in social networking with Twitter, Facebook and Text.

HD version will be $1.99; standard version will be $0.99

One of the most notable examples I can think of is the DLC for Grand  Theft Auto IV. The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and the Damned were much better than the original game. Part of it I would have to theorize is with the cast and soundtrack available within the game. Most people couldn’t relate to an Eastern European that lives on that side of Brooklyn. err I mean Liberty City (I know I couldn’t) so the character and setting change helped. Also the GTA IV soundtrack was a little bit weak on initial release but with the DLC helping out it became a better overall soundtrack (in my opinion.)

Which brings me to my current situation with Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and it’s DLC focusing around the good guys that you play as in the multiplayer mode, Echo 6. While there has been an uproar over the selling of DLC that is on the disc, especially in the case of Street Fighter X Tekken, the Slant 6 team has given the first mission for free (which I think might have been on the disc unfinished). The Echo 6 pack includes three missions and features cameos from major RE series characters like Jill Valentine, Carlos, Claire Redfield and Sherry Berkin. Also the mission layout and pacing feels much more complete and thought out versus the original campaign. The characters don’t interact much between each other but there is definitely seems as if there more dialogue. The characters actually talk about what’s going on, part of it I think is they’ve never been through something like this while the Umbrella team knows exactly what’s going on so it is old had for them. With only 4 missions on the book the Echo 6 campaign is shaping up to be better than the Wolfpack campaign.  Which brings me to the question, why wasn’t this included on the disc at launch ? This would have helped the games overall standing with critics who fault the lackluster story.

So what are you to do? Ask the company for more DLC and then  pay for it to get what you should have received in the first place? With companies on the  web and possessing the ability to interact with with fans that’s a distinct possibility which never would have happened during my youth. It’s also a sad sign of the times, where a company can push out a unfinished game and then add on the working components to the game later for a fee or never at all if they feel it isn’t worth it. I feel that the DLC avenue could be a very powerful tool for consoles however right now  companies are still trying to figure it out. My only hope is that they don’t ruin it with  blatant plays for money.

What do you guys think? Have you had an experience where the DLC was actually better than the game for you I’d love to hear all bout it.

It’s Mahhhhhhhhvel baybeee on the iOS. Marvel vs Capcom 2 one of Capcom’s more popular fighters (10 year life) and the source of some of the funniest commentary in any video game. Bringing this to iOS seems to be a no brainer right? Well not quite, I’ll explain in a minute. For those who don’t know MvC2 is a 3 on 3 fighting game where you can switch out to your teammates on the fly. You can pick from various Capcom franchise to put them up against people from the Marvel Universe. If you need more info about MvC there’s a ton of resources available online.

So one of the most hyped up fighting games ever is on iOS what could go wrong? Well apparently plenty. This is good port of the Dreamcast version of the game which is the closest thing you can have to the cabinet. However there are some issues that definitely need patching and addressing. The first of them is that the some background graphics in some of the scenes look straight off of a PlayStation. The problem glares at you when you pick your character, win a match, look at a high score, navigate the menu, etc. If it’s not the actual stage backgrounds which are fine it’s many of the other screens. While there are limitations on what you can do with iOS I feel that there are too many unpolished parts of the UI (user interface) and other objects before you get into the match.  Another issues is  that the background warps horribly during super moves. It looks as if your screen is broken in the back while two heroes slug it out in your palm. Those are the only major issues that related to the games graphics I’ve came across. The sprites are fine for the most part except for Morrigan. Poor thing has had her sprite reused so many times since the first game she appeared in.

A bulk of the issues center around gameplay and features. First of which centers around inputs being dropped or in some cases not read. In a fighting game inputs are how you control your character and key to doing anything. MvC2 has a nasty habit of not reading button or directional taps properly. It’s really hard to match the accuracy of a control pad or arcade stick with a touch screen or maybe it isn’t but there’s definitely something wrong as some matches things are crisp while some my characters do what they want.  Another issue is that quite frankly there’s not enough screen and there’s too many buttons. Even if you use simple mode which sets MvC2 to a 4 button mode from 6 and you make the joy stick and buttons nearly invisible sometimes you just can’t see the characters. You can try playing it on compact mode and moving all the buttons to the bottom to alleviate this but it brings me to my next problem – it’s extremely hard to find a configuration that is comfortable and practical where you can use the controls properly. I feel that this game would be perfect on a iPad but on phones it really suffers. And to top it all off they make you unlock all the characters (again if you already did this on the Dreamcast.) Why is unlocking a big deal? In this game you earn points based on how much/long you play them which you then use to buy characters and colors. Most people play their mobiles in transit. Are you really going to sit down and try to unlock ‘dat’ mango Sentinel if you have consoles at home or other things to do? I felt like this was a way to force some life into this game. I think they should have let everyone be unlocked from the start so you can learn some new characters on your way to work/school or try to recreate your own EVO moment.

"Ahhh just like old times"

Overall it is still MvC2 and a solid port but it really needs some patching. I’d say hold off on downloading it until the first round of patches. If you really need some Mahvel in your life then by all means go for it but I feel that there are better Capcom fighters on the market.

X-men: The Arcade Game

After years of complaining companies have started bringing the classic quarter eaters back to modern console. The cartoon big three beat-em ups, The Simpson, X-Men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, were always my favorite. I downloaded all of them when they hit the market place for Xbox and have been happy with my purchase ever since. Once I found out that these guys were on the iOS I had to get them and test them out.

For those who don’t know a beat em up is the type of game that you walk from point A to point B pummeling everything in your way then fighting a boss. Once you beat the game you usually start all over again. The appeal of these games is to figure out ways to beat them on one credit which is the sign of skill and the fact you’ve memorized the patterns of every enemy and boss.

The game itself is a direct port of the arcade with some of the art work (mainly the character art) redone. So the visuals and audio are just as good or bad depending on your stance as you remember them. However the sound effects of the characters getting hit and hitting seem a bit low, which could be a bug.  The controls are good and well sized for the screen. While MvC2 fills the screen this game takes a less is more stance and shrinks the buttons down and places them in parts of the screen where they aren’t too intrusive or covered by your thumbs. The controls are responsive and you’ll have no problem beating up on the Brotherhood and hordes of Sentinels ( still haven’t figured out how throw enemies consistently but that’s just my poor skill).

At the 99 cent price point I feel this game is a great way to kill time on the trains, waiting for appointments or just looking to kill time while gaming.

There have been a ton of articles written about the brony culture from an outsiders perspective (you can Google them) this isn’t going to be one of those them. This is going to be more of a personal one, telling you about my experience and why I choose to represent Equestria  to the fullest. I do get quite a few puzzled looks as to why I have a plastic pony on my book bag (which is my favorite pony Applejack.)

My indoctrination into the herd started a year or two ago. I used to lurk the hive mind of the internet and during my travels I would stumble across pony threads that would contain images like this:

My curiosity was piqued and I decided to check out the first two episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which was a two-parter. As I initially expected, it was very girly for the first few minutes. What I did notice was that it was very colorful and the flash animation was pretty damn crisp. I recognized one of the voice actors right off the bat, it was Tara Strong . Tara is a fairly prolific voice actress, and during this time to me she represented X-23, a character I used in Marvel vs  Capcom 3. In any case, the episode seemed very tame until they introduced Nightmare Moon (or Luna, a horse that controls night), and the escape from prison on the moon in which she was placed by her sister, Princess Celestia. Celestia and Luna are deities of sorts because they control the day and night cycle. It’s later revealed that Nightmare Moon was once a princess too, but went nuts with jealousy over how all the ponies loved the day and slept through the night. Ultimately, she tried to cause an eternal night so all the ponies loved her too.  Yeah, she did it for the love of the ponies, but she really tried to cause an eternal night? Wow, okay I’m interested in this. And from that point it went on, I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the pony universe. They battled hydras, dragons, Cerberus, giant ethereal celestial bears, manticores, cockatrices, changelings and just about every mythological monster save for Medusa and probably Typhoon. There’s even an episode about sharing featuring  Native Americans. In this case they were buffalo and the whole episode was about how their stampeding land was taken from them by settlers out west for apple trees which were crucial to the settlers there. There was even a Star Trek homage when they had Q-like character appear and spread chaos on the show. The best part was that the character was voiced by John de Lancie. The subject matter and pop culture references made the show stand out to me, but what really endeared me was how the producers embraced the community and made references to memes in the show.

I’d like you to meet Derpy Hooves. She is a pony that was born by pure chance. Her derpy eyes were caused by an animation glitch, but that didn’t stop fans to taking a liking to her. She grew in popularity so much that in this past season  she was given a speaking part. She also was at the center of some controversy, some people…am I right? In any case, the level of fan and production interaction is refreshing. We do sometimes get it in the gaming industry, but here it seems more genuine.

The community itself has been absolutely amazing by creating music, art and even fighting games based on the series. This series has brought out some pretty creative and talented people. Below is one of my favorite rap songs of all time, and it’s pony based.

There has been a ton of parodies released and since it’s the internet, Rule 34 is always in play. The thing that surprised me most was that as bad as the ‘net can be, often the fans of the series have been positive.

Why have I chosen to become a brony and join the herd? I think I’ve always been a brony to be honest. I just haven’t had the word for it. Bronys are generally happy and positive people. I have always been one to try to see the good side of things no matter how bad a situation may be. Each of the main ponies represents something different in the series. Together they form the Elements of Harmony, something that is essential to the survival of all. In any case, my favorite ponies in the series are; Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Applejack, a southern apple farmer represents honesty. Rainbow Dash, a high flying Pegasus daredevil represents loyalty. Pinkie Pie, a uhh… rock farmer and party hostess represents laughter.  These are the three things that I feel that represent me the best. Also, the fact that Applejack is a blonde just like my favorite character Cammy in the Street Fighter series.

I knew within a few episodes that I was a fan of this show, my Facebook and Twitter feeds reflected that. Initially people thought that I was trolling because at the time, it was the thing to do. However, in time people began to relent on their stance against ponies, at least when it came to me because they realized I was a genuine fan of the show. Eventually I became the Pony King to most of the people that know me. Someone even painted a picture of me in all my glory. What does it mean to be the Pony King? Well it’s just that I was everyone’s favorite brony. I guess that says a lot about me and the community. If you remember, I brought my Applejack toy with me to EVO to calm me down and keep me focused. Applejack has made her trip with me to other tournaments as well, and this year and people aren’t making fun of it like they used to. Not only that, but someone that I was dating (it’s complicated now) got me an amazing hoodie from the show, and an MLP ice cream cake.  A girl getting a guy a cake based on a TV show for little girls may have been seen as very questionable back in the day, but today it’s fine. I guess that’s just a sign of the times.

For me, watching the show is part of my Saturday ritual. I do what have to do during the day, come home, prepare food then watch the day’s episode and unwind. The episodes for the most part are good, but I hate some character specific episodes because not all of the characters are very interesting (I’m looking at you Rarity and Spike). Eventually I found myself gripped by the stories presented. As simplistic as they were, I often tried to figure out why the bad guy was a bad guy. In this season’s finale, I knew something was wrong but I couldn’t figure out why it was wrong, or what the bad guy was up to until it was revealed, and man I was blown away. When I suggest this show to people I tell them to watch a few episodes, because it takes you a while to get acclimated to Equestria.

This year at PAX East I have never gotten so much bro-hoof (hand shake using just the knuckles, think of a pound) just for wearing my Applejack t-shirt. I won’t lie to you, it felt incredible to be just accepted by a random assortment of people not based on my skin color,gaming ability, fame levels, money, or etc, but just based on the fact that I like ponies. I even gave out hugs! I don’t  feel as if I have trouble making friends, sometimes I’m very likable but I could see how if you are a Flutterguy (A shy brony. The name comes from Fluttershy, who is the most timid on the show) being a fan ponies could give you common ground with another person, and make it easier to talk with them. Acceptance is a powerful thing.

So come hug me bro.

What I’m giving away is a replica of the Normandy from ME2. It’s going to cost you absolutely nothing financially, if you don’t live in NYC I will pay for your shipping (See what I did there? Shipping,I’m giving away a ship? You know what if I have to explain it then never mind). It’s a totally free contest but it will cost you some effort,just how much effort is up to you.

I decided that I will give this away via art showdown. The rules are very simple draw me as your favorite mass effect character and give a little blurb as to why I am this character. The second part isn’t necessary but it will help people(the judges) understand why you drew me like that. It doesn’t have to be amazingly done. We’ll accept any kind of art it just has to be digital(so we can put it on the site and Facebook). So get your crayons, pens/pencils. Photoshop ,Microsoft paint, whatever you use ready and get creative.

The way it will work is that you will submit your master piece by either tweeting it (@chocolate_lemon or @therealphire) or emailing it in. Then we’ll post the best on the Chocolate lemon Facebook and let the fans decide. Winner gets the ship, I’ll use that image as my avatar for a month and you get a hug from me, you’re welcome.

Some other rules, anyone that works or has appeared on Chocolate Lemon(site and show) are ineligible for this. This is about the readers or fans. Bribery in the form of delicious treats will not be accepted. You only get one entry so submitting multiple times will mean you have to pick your best art.The deadline is MAY 25.. If you win and you live outside of NYC you’ll have to give me your address or a PO Box to ship to make sure you’re ready for this.