Voodoo Vince, one of the most memorable characters from the early Xbox days, is back for another round!
Whether you’re an old fan of this New Orleans-themed platformer or you’re new to the party, you can get your voodoo fix with Voodoo Vince: Remastered, available today for Xbox One as a console exclusive, as well as for Windows PC from Microsoft’s Windows 10 store and Steam.
Released in 2003 as an Xbox console exclusive, the original Voodoo Vince was only ever playable on the original Xbox.
Thirteen years, six months, and twenty-five days later, this remaster spearheaded by creator Clayton Kauzlaric and made possible by Microsoft’s ID@Xbox program brings the cult classic up to today’s technical standards, while retaining the fondly-remembered story and gameplay exactly as they were.
LEGO, loved it as a child but even more as a grown up thanks to the amazing games that bring to life so much of the universes that make up my nerdliness. From Star Wars to DC and MARVEL Comics, LEGO Games have transported me to those worlds time and time again. So it is rather fitting that TT Games have now given fans the chance to create their own universes in LEGO thanks to LEGO Worlds.
I never could get into Minecraft but always respected the potential it offered the more creative players out there with some truly amazing builds but for me, LEGO has always felt like the most obvious use of such player creation mechanics and now finally, we have that very game. I was honestly not sure what to expect with LEGO Worlds but I have to admit I was both impressed but frustrated with the game in equal measure.
What took me by surprise to start with is how the game is presented to the player and clearly someone in the design team has played Little Big Planet as the game features a Narrator that both explains what is happening but also adds a nice sense of humour to the game, especially when you are just starting out. The premise is that you are an explorer but when your spaceship is damaged by meteors and crashes on a strange LEGO world. The narrator explains that you must find Gold Bricks in order to repair the ship and continue your journey to become a ‘Master Builder’, something that the Narrator makes sound so awesome!
The first thing about LEGO Worlds that strikes you is just how accessible it is for players of all skills. It brilliantly uses familiar LEGO game systems to bring the creative elements to life in easy and fun ways. The first tool you are giving is perhaps the most powerful one in the game, the Discovery Tool. It can be used to scan any and all items in the worlds you visit, and once scanned and unlocked, it can be used to create more of them in the world or to remove them and serves as the player’s first taste of manipulating the LEGO world around them.
The opening hour or first three worlds that the game takes the player too serve as a nice tutorial, as these training worlds give a superb look at how the mechanics of LEGO worlds work. Each world will give the player a new task to complete along with collecting more Gold Bricks in order to improve the Space Ship allowing it to travel to new and larger worlds which will in turn increase the player’s Builder ranking with the ultimate goal of becoming a Master Builder. The game will clever give the player more tools to help them shape and craft the world around them. The Copy tool allows you to literally copy anything within the world and gives the player the chance to edit it and save it so they can bring it with them anyway they go, so if you build an amazing house on one world but cannot face doing it again, you can simply copy your creations and using the discovery tool, place them in any world you visit going forward. The Paint tool allows you to well, paint objects in the world to whatever colour or colours you feel like.
The Landscape tool allows a player to manipulate the world around them, raising hills and mountains or creating landmasses. It is a hugely powerful tool once you become more experienced in the game especially once you have mastered the build tool. The Build tool allows for precise building rather than copying or simply recreating something using the discovery tool. This is the tool that will allow players to create masterpieces and whilst I lack the skills to really create something rather epic, you can already see what other players and teams of players have created online, and it is staggering what you can do in this game.
The worlds themselves are procedurally created, that means each world is random and generated by the game itself. The worlds all have a different environment and theme such as the Candy World full of sweets and houses made of Candy with Gingerbread people running around or the Forrest World where you will find some very Robin Hood themed characters and buildings. There are so many different environments to enjoy and discover and with each world being uniquely made, there will always be a surprise once you start visiting different worlds. One of the best features to LEGO Worlds has to be the ability to invite friends to join you in your worlds, something the main LEGO Games must adopt as a mandatory feature going forward.
Inviting a friend to enjoy your world makes this game to a whole different experience to enjoy. For example, I was able to invite my good friend’s six year old little girl to join me in the world. The sense of wonder and just pure fun for her to explore a LEGO world was joyful. I was able to create bicycles for us to ride, helped befriend animals like horses and pigs to also ride on and create a house for her with a garden. The power of LEGO Worlds to inspire a younger audience is wonderful. This would make a superb game for parents to share with their kids and with the price being a very forgiving £19.99 in most retailers at the moment, it is a great educational game with controls which are easy for younglings to pick up and use.
Sadly though the very nature of LEGO Worlds also becomes its more frustrating problem, which I first discovered whilst playing co-op and then playing solo. This game has a lot of bugs with more than one game breaking issue I really hope will be addressed and corrected. The draw distance of the world is quite frankly shocking at times. Just running around on a world for more than 20 minutes caused issues for me, as the world would fail to generate correctly as I moved around meaning whole chunks of the environment would be missing at times. This led to falling off or even through the world forcing me to reload that world. This happened far too many times and particularly in the small worlds that the game opens with before collecting enough gold bricks to move to bigger worlds. I do not understand why the game does not simply create the world and then the whole thing is left to be explored rather than trying to generate it constantly based on where the player is moving means the world can break if it fails to do it quickly enough.
There are also the tedious tasks that characters in each world will offer the player to do to earn Gold Bricks or new items and designs. There are only so many times you can enjoy bringing ice cream to a character to get a small amount of LEGO pegs to spend or befriending animals by giving them the green or red apple they want which then leads to them following you around non stop, even if say you are trying to build a tree house for one character to get earn a Gold Brick only to have the horse somehow follow you up to the top of the tree and constantly get in your way as you are trying to build. These tasks needed more variety to make them worth while especially when once you learn or gain an item you can just give it to anyone who asks for it, removing the challenge once found.
But with those frustrations aside, I cannot help but really love LEGO Worlds, from its online co-op to user friendly controls allowing for very quick pick up and play. The narration is great fun and the freedom to explore and create in each of the worlds is rewarding enough to make investing time genuinely satisfying. The problem of draw distance is holding back the game on Xbox One for me, and future updates must address and improve on this problem. But sharing this game with friends does lift it and it will make a great game for parents to share with their kids. The surprises each world can have just make you smile as the player, I remember the first time I discovered you could also explore the ocean in a world and was soon swimming with Dolphins, Stingrays and riding an Octopus and it was so delightful.
But the issues are game breaking at times, and it does take the shine off it more than it should which is a shame. But it has the potential to be great if it is supported in the future. LEGO Worlds is worth playing if you are a fan of the LEGO games and want to create your own world and just explore a LEGO universe.
Here is the official launch trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, which is set to premiere the first of five episodes on 18th April for $4.99 or equivalent on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC, and Mac, as well as available to download on the App Store and Google Play. The series will also be available as a special ‘Season Pass Disc’ on 2nd May at retailers across North America for $29.99, and on 5th May at retailers for the rest of the world.
The special ‘Season Pass Disc’ will include Episode One: Tangled Up in Blue, and will grant access to download the subsequent four episodes via online updates as they are released in the coming months of 2017. Additional platforms for release are yet to be announced.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series is a brand new story of the universe’s unlikeliest Super Heroes: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. In the wake of an epic battle, the Guardians discover an artefact of unspeakable power. Each of them has a reason to desire this relic, as does a ruthless enemy who is the last of her kind, and who will stop at nothing to tear it from their hands. From Earth to the Milano to Knowhere and beyond, and set to the beat of awesome music, you wear the rocket-powered boots of Star-Lord in an original Guardians adventure, where your decisions and actions drive the story you experience.
The series will feature a star-studded cast of voice talent, including Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series) as Star-Lord, Emily O’Brien (The Young and the Restless, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor) as Gamora, Nolan North (the Uncharted series, Pretty Little Liars) as Rocket, Brandon Paul Eells (Watch Dogs) as Drax, and Adam Harrington (The Wolf Among Us, League of Legends) as Groot.
Here is our review of the DatAshur Pro USB Drive from iStorage.
The iStorage datAshur Pro is the world’s most secure, easy to use and affordable USB 3.0 flash drive, employing PIN code access with military grade XTS-AES 256-bit hardware encryption. The datAshur Pro incorporates a rechargeable battery allowing the user to enter a 7-15 digit PIN onto the on-board keypad before connecting the drive to the USB port.
All data transferred to the datAshur Pro is encrypted in real-time with the built in hardware encryption engine and is protected from unauthorised access even if your datAshur Pro is lost or stolen. The datAshur Pro automatically locks when unplugged from the host computer or power to the USB port is turned off and can be set to timeout (lock) after a predetermined amount of time.
Specifications
USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Capacities up to 64GB
FIPS 140-2 Level3 validated
CESG CPA / NLNCSA – certifications pending
FIPS PUB 197 certified
IP57 certified – water/dust resistant
Bootable drive
AES 256- bit hardware encryption – no software required
OS & Platform independent
Who are iStorage?
From their website:
iStorage is the trusted global leader of PIN authenticated, hardware encrypted data storage devices, that include: USB Flash Drives, Hard Disk Drives, and Solid State Drive formats. We deliver the most innovative products to securely store and protect data to Military specified encryption levels, safeguarding your valuable business information whilst ensuring compliance to regulations and directives.
The iStorage range of products are accredited across the range, include FIPS 197 (Advanced Encryption Standard, Computer Security Standard, Cryptography), FIPS 140-2 Level 2 (Tamper Evident, and seals), FIPS 140-2 Level 3 (Responding to attempts of a Physical attack), IP57 (Protected from limited dust ingress and water immersion up to 1M), CESG (National Technical Authority for Information Assurance), CCTM (Claims Tested Mark).
What’s in the box?
The box contains the drive and a quick start guide.
A Closer Look
You can even add laser etched text or a logo if you want to personalise the drive, something that could be very useful if you wanted to brand them for your company.
Using the Drive
When you want to use the drive, you press the Key button and wait for the locked padlock LED to be lit. Then you press the buttons that correspond to the PIN number (within 10 seconds) and if that is successful the green unlocked LED will light up.
You then have 30 seconds to plug the drive into your computer. Once connected the blue LED under the key button will light up and you are ready to use the drive.
Final Thoughts
The DatAshur is the same size as an average USB drive, with the only different being the front panel with the keypad and LEDs.
Using the drive is very simple – just enter your code and the drive is ready to use. When you have finished with the drive just remove it and it locks automatically.
One nice feature is the ability to have an Admin code on the drive, so if you forget your code you can use that one to gain access.
You may be wondering why the drive has a keypad and why you wouldn’t just use the keyboard on your computer to unlock the drive. It’s to stop keyloggers and brute force attacks from gaining access to the drive.
If you enter your code incorrectly 10 times in a row (for example if someone else is trying to guess your code) the user code is deleted. The only way to access the drive is to use the Admin code and reset the user code. If the Admin code is then entered incorrectly 10 times in a row that too is deleted and this time all the data on the drive is also deleted thus protecting whatever you stored on it, so you should feel safe in the knowledge that whatever happens your data is safe and secure.
The drive is recharged when it is plugged into a powered USB port, so don’t worry too much about it losing charge.
Unlike the DatAshur Personal 2 drive which is primarily aimed at home users, the DatAshur Pro is aimed squarely at business and government users who demand that extra level of protection and security for their data – and the DatAshur Pro certainly delivers!
When the drive is in its case, it is also certified as waterproof, but obviously try not to put it in water, just to be on the safe side!
The drive is bootable too which means you can load an operating system on it and boot your computer straight from that.
Speed wise the drive delivers up to 116MB per second read and up to 43MB per second write. But remember, it is hardware based encryption so that is far more important than speed.
The drive weighs around 25 grams so it’s nice and light and slips easily into your pocket.
Available now in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, with prices starting at £69.
Today EA has announced Star Wars: Battlefront II, to be a new take on the Rebel Alliance, think again. The new game will focus on the Imperial troops as heroes and the Rebels as terrorist insurgents. And you’ll be able to jump into the war on 17th November.
Mark Thompson, game director at Motive Studios, said that his dev team began working on narrative for the game around the same time that The Force Awakens was in theaters. With all the movies, having dealt with the Rebellion as heroes, it wanted to turn the tables.
“We wanted to give the Empire heroes,” he said. “Who are the soldiers that lead the rank-and-file Stormtroopers? Who are the elite pilots that inspire kids to join the Imperial Academy? Focusing on Special Forces soldiers gave us a chance for a new hero.”
Motive, which is focusing on the game’s story while DICE focuses on multiplayer, came up with idea of placing the story right at the end of Return of the Jedi when Death Star 2 blows up. “We wanted to turn that victory into a loss,” Thompson said. “We wanted to look at the soldiers that were committed to their beliefs … who wanted to avenge their emperor.”
And that is how Iden, the commander of Inferno Squadron, was born. The goal was to create someone above the rank-and-file, with the swagger of an elite soldier that could do it all. “What we came up with was this new elite TIE fighter commando hybrid that was lethal in space or on the ground.” From infiltration to sabotage, with weapons or gadgets, Iden can do it all.
Of course, Motive needed to get approval from Disney and LucasFilm for this direction, which is part of the expanded canon of the Star Wars universe. “We wanted compelling narratives that have strong game play elements,” said Creative executive Steve Blank of LucasFilm. “We love Motive’s idea. They wanted to explore the Imperial perspective and we had never done that before.” And with Iden, Blank said that the concept worked perfectly with the new viewpoint.
While players will get to play Iden during the bulk of the single-player campaign, there will still be opportunities to become one of the iconic heroes that fans are familiar with. The game will let players see the inside of Imperial and Rebellion ships using a mechanic that will allow a switch from an Imperial perspective to a Rebellion one, without seeming contrived. “There will even be one mission where you get to play as Luke Skywalker,” Thompson said.
As for multiplayer, DICE wanted to be able to span all eras, so characters such as Darth Maul and Yoda will join Rey and Kylo Ren. as seen in the above trailer will be playable in the fights. “The blaster, ship, family, faith, friends … all are part of the heroes journey,” said Bernd Diemer, creative director at DICE. “We made the heroes more physical, and given them careers so you can actually make them more powerful with new abilities that let you personalize your play style.”
But the key to matches will still be the troopers and their different classes. “But we wanted to also explore how a lowly trooper can become a hero in a match … the guy who turns the battle at the last second. What are the tools we need to give you to make that possibility a reality?”
Each class will have a different “authentic” look, based on the planet they were on. Upgrades that are added will also look different based on location.
And Criterion is back working on the vehicles. There will be space battles, something the community has asked for, but the team is working to make the battles “meaningful,” and not just thrown in. Since players will be assuming the role of an elite TIE pilot, it is imperative that controls are easy to use and players get a feeling of real speed. “We plan on treating the ships the same way we treat the troopers and heroes,” Diemer said, adding that there will be plenty more ships and vehicles this time around. There will also be hero ships, like the Millennium Falcon.
“Not a single weapon or outfit will be in the game that the team hasn’t discussed in depth,” Diemer said. “Details must be good and every pixel is important. We geek out a lot.”
“It will feel like Star Wars,” Blank said. “It will be Star Wars.”
The game will be coming on 17th November, coming to PC/Xbox One and PS4, but the Xbox One version of Star Wars Battlefront II will be two-player offline split-screen co-op. Diemer said that there will be Early Access for some, but didn’t offer details.
That could mean through a beta, or more likely through EA or origin Access membership, meaning that members would get a week or two jump on everyone else. We can likely expect more at EA Play around E3.
It’s time for our Two Minute Review of the Nintendo Switch Starter Kit from Venom.
Features
Keep your Nintendo Switch controller safe and protected
Robust EVA case with internal mesh pocket for additional accessories and games
Glass screen protector included to keep your controller screen free from dirt and scratches
Also includes applicator, cleaning cloth and a set of earbuds
Who are Venom?
From their website:
“Since 1999, UK based Venom has designed and manufactured gaming accessories. We pride ourselves on producing quality products at an affordable price. All our products are designed in the UK by our dedicated design team to create desirable accessories to enhance the gaming experience.”
What’s in the box?
The box contains a carry case, screen protector and earbuds.
A Closer Look
Final Thoughts
If you have just purchased a brand new Nintendo Switch you might want to keep it protected – why wouldn’t you?
The Starter Kit from Venom has everything that you need to do just that. There is a hard case that both protects your Switch and controllers, but also has a mesh pocket inside to keep game cartridges, earphones, etc in.
There is also a tempered glass screen protector included in the kit – you will want to fit that as soon as possible, after all, you wouldn’t want to scratch your new Switch would you?
Last but not least there is a set of earbuds included which you can use on your Switch, or on any other device too.
The official poster and teaser for Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been released!
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin and Tom Karnowski.
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI IS IN CINEMAS FROM DEC 15TH 2017
It’s time for our Two Minute Review of the Venom In Ear Stereo Gaming Headset.
The In-Ear Stereo Gaming Headset has a soft ear hook and ear grommets for maximum comfort during gameplay with a built in ergonomically designed in-game volume control.
Features
13mm speaker drivers for superior sound clarity
Ergonomically designed In-line volume control unit for in-game volume
Soft ear-hook and 3 sets of ear grommets (small, medium and large) for a true fit
Adjustable & flexible microphone for in-game chat
1.2 meter flat cable with 3.5mm to 2.5mm adaptor provided for Xbox 360
Compatible with PS4, Xbox One (requires Official Stereo Headset Adapter), Xbox 360, PC & Mac
Who are Venom?
From their website:
“Since 1999, UK based Venom has designed and manufactured gaming accessories. We pride ourselves on producing quality products at an affordable price. All our products are designed in the UK by our dedicated design team to create desirable accessories to enhance the gaming experience.”
What’s in the box?
The box contains the headset, user instructions, additional ear buds, the mic, a remote and a cable to use it on the Xbox 360.
A Closer Look
Final Thoughts
The Venom In Ear Stereo Gaming Headset is compatible with the PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC and Mac. You an also use them on the Nintendo Switch!
The headset itself is pretty small and light weight, and it looks good too! As well as the in ear part of the headset, there is also an ear hook to help hold it in place, which actually is quite comfortable. You also get 3 different size ear buds too so make sure you select the right size to make sure you maintain your comfort!
The mic is removable and easy to fit, so if you don’t want to use that and you just want to use the headset to listen to something then it won’t get in your way.
The quality of the mic is good and it could be positioned easily.
The overall length of the cable worked well too!
The is also a remote that can be used to, so if you just want to listen to music you don’t need to have your device on show.
Overall the Venom In Ear Stereo Gaming Headset is small, light weight and works well with good quality sound coming from both the earphones and the mic. If you want something small to use, then definitely take a look at these.
It’s time to do a two minute review of the Nintendo Switch Starter:Kit from Snakebyte.
Who are Snakebyte?
Established in Germany 1997, the snakebyte group is a leading global provider of consumer electronics. The Company has offices in Germany, Shenzhen, the US and Hong Kong and develops and distributes a wide selection of products specializing in connected media devices, gaming, simulation, drones & RC products. In addition, the Company provides its services in the OEM/ODM sector, working with partners to realise their goals and stay ahead of the competition. The snakebyte group have high levels of expertise in hardware engineering and software development, experts at creating an ecosystem in which technology and media can co-exist and provide state-of-the-art experiences for the consumer.
What’s in the box?
The box contains the bag, game case for game cartridges, controller caps, stereo in-ear headphones, screen protector, cleaning cloth and soft card.
A Closer Look
Final Thoughts
If you have just purchased your lovely new Nintendo Switch then you will probably want to protect it. The Starter:Kit provides everything you will need to do just that. It contains a screen protector, which is very easy to fit, thumbstick caps if you so wish to use them (I find its a personal preference if you use these or not, personally I don’t bother, but I know other people who do) and also a carry case which protects the Switch and the controllers.
There is also a hard plastic carry case which will protect your Switch and carry all your other items too!
The Starter:Kit doesn’t stop there though. There is also a set of in-ear headphones, which whilst not giving you the best quality sound, certainly do the job.
The final item in the box is a cartridge case that can fit a couple of game cartridges to keep them safe too!
All in all if you want to protect your Nintendo Switch, plus you want a few other items, then take a look at the Starter:Kit. If you are not bothered about the headphones, thumbstick caps or the cartridge case, then take a look at the Snakebyte Carry:Bag instead although the Carry:Bag is not as robust as the case in this kit. For the price, you certainly can’t argue about what you get in the kit!
Available now, the Nintendo Switch Starter: Kit from Snakebyte is priced around £17.99.
Bandai Namco is used to teasing players with unique teasers for new titles, as has already been seen with the announcement of upcoming title Little Nightmares. Now the company is preparing to do the same as it invites players to… prepare to dine.
Although the majority of the latest Nintendo Direct focused on upcoming Nintendo Switch ARMS and Splatoon 2 titles, it didn’t stop the company from revealing a couple of impressive surprises.
The latest Nintendo Direct presentation might have been focused on upcoming Nintendo Switch titles, ARMS and Splatoon 2, but that didn’t stop the company from providing new details on several upcoming Nintendo 3DS titles.
To celebrate the release of The Void, we have a digital copy of the film along with a t-shirt to giveaway.
Prepare for a fresh slice of terror from the warped imaginations of VFX and design masters Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie. The Void is a highly anticipated new horror following a series of successful and prestigious festival appearances.
Encountering a blood-soaked man on a dark deserted road, a police officer rushes the victim to the local hospital. Soon the staff and patients are trapped by a terrifying, otherworldly threat and forced on a hellish voyage into the depths of the building to escape the nightmare.
Shocking, haunting and boasting mind-blowing practical special effects, The Void is a new must-see horror event, starring Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim vs the World), Kathleen Munroe (Alphas), Aaron Poole (Forsaken) Kenneth Welsh (The Aviator) and Daniel Fathers. Written and directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski and from the Executive Producer of The Witch.
How to enter to win
We have a a Digital copy and T-shirt of The Void
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to enter below:
The very first Kirby game was released 25 years ago and Nintendo is planning on celebrating in style. With that in mind, Nintendo is kicking off the celebrations with the release of the free-to-start Team Kirby Clash Deluxe title on the Nintendo 3DS.
