Piyo Blocks 2 is an iPhone puzzle game similar to Bejeweled. It actually has the exact same game structure as one of my favorite Nintendo DS games, Zookeeper, and has quickly climbed the ranks to become one of my favorite iPhone games as well.
The overall game structure is familiar territory - match three alike tiles either vertically or horizontally. What sets this game (and Zookeeper) apart is that as tiles are being matched and disappearing, you can quickly match other titles simultaneously, and string together combos. Once you get a feel for the game's rhythm, you can easily string together monster 20+ combos for some insanely huge pointage.
Piyo Blocks 2 has a wide variety of gameplay modes: "Piyo" mode has you match an increasingly-large number of blocks for each color before advancing to the next level, "Hyaku" mode has you match 99 blocks of each color and advances your level after each one hits 99, "Time Attack" gives you four minutes to get as many points as you can, and "Three Seconds" requires you to match three blocks every (you guessed it) three seconds. The game also supports LAN or Bluetooth 2-player modes but I didn't get a chance to try those out.
Lastly, the game is part of the OpenFeint system, sporting leaderboards, online challenges and achievements. It also has an unlockable Turbo mode easter egg (click on nine birds at the menu screen) which throws a whole new spin on everything once you've mastered the pace of the game. There's an HD version on the iPad that is just monstrous, and I think it simply has too many blocks on the screen for its own good (try the demo before buying that one).
Overall, there isn't a whole lot to separate this game from my beloved Zookeeper, but I think that paying $3 to get it on my iPhone is well worth it.
Note: according to the game's developer they've pulled down the game from the App Store in anticipation of an update that should come in the next couple of days, which will include some new features.
Speaking of ways in which Microsoft plans to send my entire family and me to the poorhouse this winter, what do you guys think about the fact that they are raising the yearly Xbox Live Gold Membership fee up to $60?
I have to be honest, but to me $5 a month isn't such a bad deal for all the content you get (and all the content you will be getting with Hulu, ESPN, and whatever else they have coming). Maybe I've just been brainwashed by the system, but I don't think we are getting such a bad deal, especially when you compare it to PSN *blech*.
How about you? Agree? Disagree? PS3 Fanboy (Giang)?
Again, this weeks list will be split up by platform, due to the variance of games arriving on both systems this week. Check it out below:
XBLA Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (prequel to Dead Rising 2) - Releases September 1st for 400MSP.
PSN Castle Crashers - Released August 31st for $14.99. Sam & Max Episode 5: The City That Dares Not Sleep (finale to S03 "The Devil's Playhouse") - released august 31st, free with purchase of full season ($19.99)
Update: It looks like the R.U.S.E. demo is only available to Playstation Plus subscribers for the moment. You can, however, still download the PC (or Mac) demo from here provided you have a Steam account.
This week there are demos for not just one, but two high-profile games coming out on XBLA and PSN - Platinum Games slick new third-person shooter/action title Vanquish, and Ubisoft's new strategy game R.U.S.E.. However, the R.U.S.E demo only appears to be available on PSN and PC for the time being, though should make an appearance on XBLA in the near future.
According to Joystiq, both demos became available on PSN on August 31st, while the demo for Vanquish, subtitled Vanquish - Velocity Attack, will release on XBLA on September 1st.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm definitely excited to check both of these games out. Platinum Games proved that they could deliver a slick, fast-paced and fluid action game when they released Bayonetta, and Vanquish looks to take that template and ratchet it up another couple of notches with even more acrobatics, and a lot more guns.
Meanwhile, R.U.S.E. is Ubisoft's attempt at adding a brave new twist to the strategy genre, with the aim of the game being to defeat your opponent by means of subterfuge and deceit. It looks like this is going to be one strategy game where the person with the most devious tactics will come out on top.
Like all men, Barry Steakfries loves to run, jump perilous obstacles, shoot monsters in the face and travel the world via breaking the time space continuum. For 99 cents on the app store, Monster Dash combines the simple Cannabalt survival platformer formula with an extra layer of strategy and skill.
While running across randomly-generated levels forms the core of the game, you'll be dealing with roaming monsters along the way. The left of the screen issues jump and naturally, the right side triggers the gun. While Barry will always have a shotgun at his disposal, its limited reach will only get you so far. There are 3 other weapons you can pick up along the way, each having their own unique killing properties. 3 is a little on the low side, but going by Halfbrick Studio's track record in update support, I trust there'll be more on the way.
Visually, the game will be a fresh breath of air to those accustomed to the sterile environment of Cannabalt. The sprites are lively and fun, as well as the revolving landscape. It also runs smoothly on my old school iPhone 3G, which is always welcome.
While I'll concede that Cannabalt is a post-modern classic, Monster Dash edges out to be a better game. The added depth and flexibility never comes in the way simplicity and Openfeint achievements will have you going that extra mile kilometre.
I have to admit that when Ubisoft first announced Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, I really couldn't have cared less. I heard the initial plans for it (Ezio's new guild of deployable assassins, competitive multiplayer etc.) and it just didn't appeal to me, not even the tiniest bit.
The truth is, I felt that Ezio's story came to a natural end at the conclusion of Assassin's Creed 2, and felt that anything that happened afterwards would be completely irrelevant. I'd much rather see a conclusion to the series, and find out where it's all heading toward. In fact, if I'm being perfectly honest, I saw this game as being nothing more than a shameless cash-in by Ubisoft -- a company capitalising on the popularity of a successful game by creating an cheap, dirty sequel, using recycled assets instead of taking a chance and doing something new and exciting.
That was, until I was reading joystiq, and came across this new walkthrough video from Gamescom:
I have to say that after watching this video my feelings for this game have changed. Mostly. You see, whilst I still couldn't care less about Ezio's epilogue, the trailer looks like Ubisoft have put a lot of thought into the game, and added a whole bunch of new features -- some of which are decidedly cool (horseback assassinations? Blowing things up? Yes please!).
Based on the strength of the above trailer, I'm now quite intrigued by this game, and I can't wait to see how the game fares in reviews. This game might just make my Christmas list yet.
Given that Microsoft's Summer Of Arcade promotion finished last week, you'd be forgiven for thinking that things would be a little slow in download land this week. Guess what? Not happening, as there are a whole bunch of high-profile games being released this week - so much so, in fact, that I've had to split them up by console:
Xbox 360 Shank - August 25th, 1200MSP Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game - August 25th, 800MSP
Playstation 3 Shank - August 24th*, $14.99 US PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap - August 24th*, $6.99 US Motorstorm 3D Rift - August 24th, $9.99 US Press Your Luck - August 24th*, $9.99 US
You can find videos of Shank and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game after the break.
* Please note that these games will release on August 25th in PAL territories.
UPDATE! I just received an email from Paul Olson at 3G Studios saying that he saw this blog post and is offering his assistance to help me get in the game. Now THAT is customer service! I am now a fan of 3G, and you should be, too. (Full email after the break).
Yes, I view Facebook as a legitimate gaming platform, and yes, I was genuinely excited to play the first true Facebook FPS, Brave Arms. I even went as far as signing up early in order to secure my gamertag (Ender - rekkanize). However, the game launched a few weeks ago and I haven't been able to play one single second of it because it constantly tells me that I need to install a browser extension (on all three browsers I've tried), and even though I have downloaded them multiple times, it still won't let me get past the character creation screen.
I have spent probably a total of 30 minutes trying to get into this game to no avail. This defeats the purpose of a Facebook game. They are supposed to be easy and accessible and so far, this is neither nor.
P.S. Brave Arms, I still want to play you, so please fix yourself. Thanks.
Mafia 2 is the story of Vito Scaletta. He's just come back from the war to find that his family is broke and he turns to the mafia as a way to earn back some debt. The story forms the soul of the heavily-inspired sequel taking players into the underworld of 1950's America.
The demo begins in your apartment as you get a call from one of your comrades. The voice acting is particularly good as the pair go back and forth, complete with proper accents and 50's wordplay. The apartment feels equally in place; it looks like 2K Czech has been doing plenty of research in getting the aesthetic down pat - or they've been watching a lot of Mad Men.
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!