Witness Mr Iwata unboxing a Wii U Premium Pack for the first time!
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
Review: Mark of the Ninja – Xbox Live Arcade
A ninja is powerful yet fragile. Quick but deliberate. Mark of the Ninja is a stealth platformer that puts you in control of a Ninja who’s clan is in danger of extinction. Observe your enemies from the darkness, manipulate them with simple yet versatile tools, and experience what it is to be a Ninja. From the award-winning studio that brought you Shank, Mark of the Ninja is a game about finesse, manipulation, and sacrifice.
Mark of the Ninja is a completely fresh gaming experience, a 2D stealth action platformer unlike anything else . The basics are simple, remain shrouded in darkness and become invisible to your enemies. The main objective of the game is be remain unseen, stay out the light and avoid making noise as to avoid detection. Of course this is all accomplished using your stealthy ninja skills, while clinging to walls and ceilings, hiding in air vents or crawl spaces, ducking in door ways or behind various objects and swinging around using your grapple hook.
While in stealth if you sneak up on an unsuspecting foe you’ll be rewarded with an especially graphic and violent cut scene of you executing your mark. Deliver a silent kill and earn extra XP, hide the body and earn more. Being a true stealth game sneaking past your enemies without killing them offers even more rewards and is an acceptable play style. Starting the game with only a basic set of moves, executions, and distraction items you earn medals that you can then use to purchase new unlocks. New items and techniques open up new options for dealing with your foes, early in the game you can only peak through grates but after a couple levels you unlock the ability to do executions from these hiding places.
The animation and graphics in Mark of the Ninja is beautiful, you’ll often forget you’re playing a video game and think you’re watching an R-Rated anime. The unique art style and world is stunning and sets it apart from everything else out there. The cut scenes are beautifully animated and flow seamlessly between the stages. The execution animations are graphically intense making those stealth kills especially rewarding.
While not the longest game, Mark of the Ninja does have a lot of replay-ability. Earning all the unlocks and completing side challenges will have you coming back for more. A new game plus mode will also add extra challenge to the campaign while letting you keep all your upgrades and unlocks right from the get go.
While the story isn’t amazing and some stages in the later half of the game can be platforming nightmares this isn’t enough to tarnish an amazing and unique experience. Mark of the Ninja is easily one of the best games I’ve experienced this year. For those of you worried about creativity in games disappearing worry not and look for amazing indie gems like Mark of the Ninja to carry the flame of creativity and innovation.
SCORE: 9 / 10
Mark of the Ninja
Published by: Microsoft
Developed by: Klei
Genre: Stealth Platformer
Release Date: September 7, 2012
System: Xbox Live Arcade
MSRP: 1200 MS Points
Rated: M for Mature
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
The Last Of Us Playthrough – PAX 2012
So, the first thing I did when I hit the show floor was b-line it straight to Sony’s booth to check out The Last Of Us. Sony had a private theater where Naughty Dog community manager Arne Meyer was demoing the game for us. Unfortunately The Last Of Us wasn’t hands on but it was very impressive none the less, being played on a 100″ screen and booming sound system I was literally blown away. Lucky for you Sony has posted the footage from the event and you can check it out below.
New gameplay footage from Naughty Dog’s forthcoming post-apocalyptic PlayStation 3 adventure.
via The Last Of Us PAX Prime playthrough – YouTube.
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
Sony 84″ 4K TV Only a Measly $24,000
After recently revealing their new 84″ 4K TV Sony has finally put it up for pre-order. For a measly $24,000 you can be one of the first to own the XBR-84X900, Sony will even install the TV for FREE. Obviously being a bleeding edge product I imagine demand won’t be very high but in a couple years I’m sure the price will come down considerably as 4K becomes the mainstream standard. Let’s not forget that this TV is 84″ and most current TV’s top out at 60″ to keep the prices down. Sony also announced a 4K Blu-ray player to go along with this TV and rumor has it that the next PlayStation will be 4K compatible. Currently though there are no providers supporting 4K HDTV let alone 1080p and I don’t see that changing any time soon so it will probably be a good couple years before we’re gaming on a 4K set.
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
PAX Prime 2012 Cosplay Gallery
Hold a gaming convention and the Cos-players are bound to show up. I definitely didn’t get them all but there were some great costumes on site. Check out the gallery of images I took from the show.
If you like what you see please Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Also feel free to check out our other Cosplay gallery here: PAX East 2013 Cosplay Gallery
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
iPhone 5 to be unveiled next week
As expected invitations have been received by major media outlets to an Apple event next week.
Looking at the invitation image you can see the shadow of the number five so it’s probably safe to say that the iPhone 5 will be unveiled. Will the leaks turn out to be true or will Apple surprise us with something no one has ever seen? Stay tuned next week and I’m sure the Internet will explode with all the information you can handle.
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
Review: New Super Mario Bros. 2 – Nintendo 3DS
To say the truth there isn’t much “new” in New Super Mario Bros. 2, but that isn’t a bad thing. Nintendo has taken a relatively safe, if it ain’t broken don’t fix it approach to a classic formula that everyone already loves. That doesn’t mean that Nintendo hasn’t made any progress in the series though. There are a bunch of new features however probably not as many as an old school Mario veteran may like.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 shares the same old princess has been kidnapped story line but this time the Koopalings make a return to power as the main baddies. You’ll find Mario traversing the Mushroom Kingdom on an overhead map similar to the prequel and Wii versions with multiple routes and secrets to be found. There are over 8 worlds filled with Ghost Houses, Mushroom Houses and of course the end of world Boss Castles. Gameplay is classic Super Mario Bros at its finest, jumping and bouncing along all the while merrily collecting those shiny golden coins. My favorite addition to the game though is the return of the Super Leaf which turns Mario into Raccoon Mario and gives him the ability to fly. In addition to the Super Leaf though Mario can wear coin boxes on his head for huge coin bonuses and use the new Golden Flower to hurl golden fireballs that turn everything into coins. The Giant Mushroom and Tiny Mushrooms also make a return but you’ll only use them a couple times during the entire adventure.
The biggest features to be added though are the Coin Rush and Co-op modes. In Coin Rush you are challenged to collect coins across 3 random levels having only 1 life and against the clock. The big reward here though is that all the coins collected are doubled after each level is successfully completed. This mode will definitely add to the re-playability of New Super Mario Bros. 2 and be essential to completing the games extra goal of collecting 1 Million Coins. Co-op is pretty much just that, using 2 systems and unfortunately 2 carts you and a buddy can earn double the coins and take down bosses together. Co-op is definitely a welcome feature as every game is better when playing with a friend, unless that friend totally sucks.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is without a doubt another solid addition to the Mario series. If you’re a fan of Mario there is a lot to like here, however you may be a little disappointed if you were expecting something radically different. I on the other hand knew what I was getting into and that was classic 2D platforming perfection. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is definitely the best 2D platformer on the 3DS and worth a look whether you’re into Mario or not.
SCORE: 8.5 / 10
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Published by: Nintendo
Developed by: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer
Release Date: August 19, 2012
MSRP: $39.99
Rated: E for Everyone
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
Through the Matrix: Official Transformers Fall of Cybertron Video
by Ricardo Ferreira
Metroplex comes to the aid of the Autobots in this amazing Trailer for Transformers Fall of Cybertron.
Review: THEATRHYTHM Final Fantasy – Nintendo 3DS
by Ricardo Ferreira
Theatrhythm is an exceptional celebration of all things Final Fantasy.
I picked up Theatrhythm on a whim and was pleasantly surprised by an amazing little game that totally surpassed my expectations. If you don’t like rhythm games move along there’s nothing to see here. However if you’ve enjoyed titles like Elite Beat Agents or even Rock Band there is alot to enjoy here. The icing on the cake though is the amazing Final Fantasy music taken from all the titles over the storied history of the franchise. Theatrhythm is a simple yet quickly to get complex Rhythm action game that mainly consists of tapping and dragging the stylus accross the 3DS screen to some of the Greatest Final Fantasy tunes. There are plenty of gamplay modes that are enriched with simple RPG elements from forming a party using lead characters from the various Final Fantasy titles and even a leveling up mechanic. The game consists of 3 modes, Series, Challenge and Chaos Shrine which include their own challenges and tons of unlockables which add to the extreme replayability of this title. Theatrhythm even has a multiplayer mode where you and up-to 3 other players can join forces to take down enemies, unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to try this mode out for myself. All in all Theatrhythm is a great game that came out of nowhere to pleasantly surprise me with its addicting gameplay and music.
Must buy for Final Fantasy Fans or just Rhythm game fans in general
SCORE 9/10
Here’s a video of me killing Sephiroth during a One Winged Angel playthrough.
GEEKOHOLICS 
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