Gaming News
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Your voices have been heard, and a long-kept secret is out. The long-awaited, much-anticipated Alan Wake Remastered – the complete Alan Wake experience is now available at Australian retailers.
Featuring both story expansions ‘The Signal’ and ‘The Writer’ and a brand new developer commentary, Alan Wake Remastered is releasing on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and for the first time ever – PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 with full DualSense support. The path has been long and shrouded in darkness, but the road ahead lies written. Dwellers of Bright Falls, veterans of the light, thrill-seekers of the future – this is for you.
The Remedy team and their collaborators over at d3t have been working hard to make the legacy of Alan Wake fit for a new generation. Those of you who are looking to revisit the quaint town of Bright Falls to experience a tale close to your heart, do not fret – Alan Wake Remastered will not alter what’s held dear by so many of you. We know that rewriting history has its consequences, and just like you, we’re not looking to bring the Dark Presence our way prematurely. Instead, Alan Wake Remastered brings back what you know and love in an elevated state, to give fans and those new to the tale alike a chance to experience Alan Wake in a new light.
Alan Wake Remastered includes the main game as well as its two separate story expansions – ‘The Signal’ and ‘The Writer’, all rendered in all-new 4K visuals. The game’s cutscenes, quirky cast of characters, and majestic Pacific Northwest vistas have all been enhanced for a visual impact that matches its unnerving atmosphere. The tense, episodic story is packed with unexpected twists, heart-stopping cliffhangers, and jaw-dropping, intense bursts of combat where it takes more than bullets to banish the darkness that lies ahead.
Alan Wake Remastered is now available at Australian retailers on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
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The Far Cry series is known for a combination of stunning visuals, big explosions and unbelievable storytelling. The last few, in particular, have been truly outstanding introducing antagonists that are deep with purpose and emotion. From UII in Far Cry Primal to Jacob, John, Faith Seed from Far Cry 5 or Pagan Min from 4. The story of these characters and the talents of the actors portraying them keep you invested in the game from beginning to end.
That’s why we were really excited to hear that the master of “Villainry” the one and only Giancarlo Esposito was the antagonist for Far Cry 6. His work in Breaking Bad as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul were some of the most powerful moments of television and when he was revealed as Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, it was breathtaking.
As Anton Castillo in Far Cry 6 he invokes a powerful dictator in the games fictional setting of Yara.
One of the reasons his performance is so powerful (from what we have seen) of course comes down to his amazing acting ability, but also the words on the paper and the imagination of the overall setting and story.
In this interview I caught up with Narrative Director of Far Cry 6 Navid Khavari, to talk about the game’s upcoming release and what it was like working with Giancarlo Esposito.
We also chat about creating a game with such large scope in the middle of a pandemic.
Far Cry 6 is available to buy from October 6 on PC, PlayStation and Xbox Systems.
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The Super Monkey Ball concept is a brilliant but incredibly simple idea:
little monkeys are trapped in air-tight balls (think bubble soccer). The idea is to get your monkey from A to B collecting as many bananas along the way by tilting the world rather than controlling the ball itself.
Remember those old wooden games where you have to tilt it around to get a small ball bearing through a maze? Same concept. But a lot more fun!
Example:
Image: Shutterstock: ID: 68240635 By Rikard Stadler
Review
Before we start talking about the latest incarnation one thing has always stood out to me with this series. It’s the fact that the best version of these games was probably 20 odd years ago on the Nintendo Game Cube, other’s have been fun but none have captured that same feeling. Maybe it was just the timing of the release and selection of games around it or perhaps it was my own mindset at that time, but that for me is the best version.
However, with Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, it does feel like they have found those right ingredients again and put out a really solid and fun family-friendly game with an amazing amount of content.
The game is packed full of features beyond the initial “play through the levels that progressively get harder”. And they’ve even partnered with other franchises like “fall guys” to deliver other playable characters as DLC.
You play as AiAi and his monkey buddies to thwart the nefarious Dr Bad-Boon (great name) who is trying to keep the world’s banana supply away from you.
(Image: 5 Star Games)
There are 10 beautifully coloured worlds with over 300 stages, so we are talking HOURS of gameplay. Some of the levels you’ll recognise from previous titles in the series and that is just a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, those Iconic levels are really part of what makes this title so much fun.
I reviewed Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania on a PS5 and the step-up in graphics was extremely noticeable. The comic book style storytelling was easy to skip past when it became a bit too much but it was also important to take it in every now and then as the illustrations are quite stunningly put together.
There aren’t many games on this console that can boast to be a family party game either, so it was great to sit down and play with the kids who enjoyed the 4 players local co-op. There are also online leaderboards as well to give you more multiplayer experiences.
When you start talking about modes, I didn’t think I’d see more variations than when I recently played the Puo Puo Tetris game. But Monkey Ball Banana Mania is like “modes on steroids” with multiple ways to play the game that really make it feel different each time. This will add to the longevity of the title.
Stand Out Modes
Dark Banana Mode - 10 new stages where you’ll have to AVOID glowing rotten bananas to reach the goal
Golden Banana Mode - Collect ALL the bananas in these 10 special stages to unlock Golden AiAi in the main game
Reverse Mode - Reverse the start point and goal for an extra challenge in these 10 stages
Original Stage Mode - 23 blast from the past stages from the 2001 and 2002 classics with the original difficulty restored
DX Mode - 46 stages from the original Super Monkey Ball Deluxe restored for the first time.
3 New Render Modes – Add special filters or capture your best gameplay moments with Monochrome Render Mode, Sepia Mode, and Photo Mode
Party Games: All 12 original party games including Monkey Racing & Monkey Soccer.
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt that this is the ultimate Super Monkey Ball experience. For players that have never played one before there is plenty of tutorial levels to make you an expert in no time. The fact that you can play in 4 play co-op makes it a unique experience in itself on modern consoles that have tended to lean more towards single-player and online multiplayer titles.
Availability
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania launches at Australian retailers on 5th October 2021 for Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania will also support Xbox Series X Smart Delivery immediately on release, ensuring players only have to buy the game once to play it on their favourite Xbox console. Additionally, buy the PS4™ version and play the PS5™ version at no extra cost.
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One of the most popular in the series Diablo® II: has been remastered with a new version called Diablo® II: Resurrected.
The rerelease breathes new life into Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed ARPG and its expansion, Diablo® II: Lord of Destruction®, from beginning to end.
Return to fight for Sanctuary and discover the fate of the mysterious Dark Wanderer rebuilt in all-new 3D graphics, brand-new cinematics, remastered audio… and the same classic Diablo® II gameplay you remember.
Now you'll be able to enjoy the previously 2D world of Sanctuary recreated with 3D visuals and high definition sounds all the way up to glorious 4K (2160p) and 7.1 surround with remastered and re-recorded sounds to take advantage of PC capabilities.
You can even see just how much has changed with the legacy toggle which gives you a real-time before-and-after comparison with the classic game.
There will be a load of "Toggle on", "Toggle off".. repeat throughout your play.
The new and improved version of the game doesn't stop there as Blizzard Australia teamed with The Hench and Scrap Foundry team and SteamKittens to build a perfect cosplay of Tyrael and the results are absolutely breathtaking.
The definitive Diablo II experience is available now on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4 & 5.
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