MotoHeroz will be available for through WiiWare on September 15th for 1500 Wii Points. The racer from RedLynx runs at 60 frames per second, includes three game modes and over 100 tracks! It is 2 to 4 players and for more check out the Launch Trailer above and the press release below.

September 7, 2011 (Helsinki, Finland) — RedLynx (redlynx.com) said today that MotoHeroz, its highly-anticipated release for Nintendo’s WiiWare service, will release in both Europe and the Americas on September 15 for 1500 Wii Points™.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be bringing MotoHeroz to WiiWare,” said Tero Virtala, CEO of RedLynx. “With its rich mix of single player gameplay, local multiplayer, and online challenges, we think we have delivered one of the most complete gaming experiences in the downloadable console space.

“Now it’s time to let the gamers try it out and decide for themselves.”

About MotoHeroz

• Single player story mode with rich characters and lush environments
• Two to four-player party mode that’s easy for anyone to pick up and play
• Daily online competition based on Global and Friend-based Leader Boards
• Steady 60 FPS, widescreen support, and blazing fast load times
• Packed with content, including 100+ tracks and three game modes
• Simple but effective physics that deliver an addictive gameplay experience

“Gamers need only remember one thing,” said Antti Ilvessuo, Creative Director of RedLynx. “Fifteen hundred Wii Points on the fifteenth. And get three friends over to check out Party Rally! That is all.”

About RedLynx

RedLynx Ltd. is a multiplatform game developer and publisher based in Helsinki, Finland. Since its founding in 2000, it has developed and published more than 100 games on many platforms, including Xbox™ LIVE Arcade, WiiWare™, Nintendo DS™, Sony PSP®, Apple iPhone®, Apple Macintosh®, PC, web, and mobile phones.

RedLynx and MotoHeroz are trademarks of RedLynx, Ltd. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Kaboom!

The AI in the game is actually very good so the main goal is really to take them out with power up you require.  It is real easy to fly off the track into a canyon, ram into a wall or sink into a lake which the AI never seem to fall victim to.  The AI pretty much stays on the track the whole time.  With all the hazards of the different tracks you unlock (18 total tracks), there is some nice scenery as well as a nice variety of tracks for an arcade game at least.  With the AI’s uncanny skill to stayed glued to the track no matter the mode you should try and take them out.  You can do this with the many power ups you can pick during a race.  Some of the power ups include Missile Launchers(Candy Cannons), Oil Spills, Speed Bursts, Repair Kits, Confetti Bombs, Plungers with Weights Attached to them and one of the best is an Inverter that flips the entire course among many others.

Along with tracks and challenges, you’ll also unlock other vehicles that are very creative looking while still keeping their cartoon style look as the whole game does. Round can end in seconds making some races very short and the rounds determine who will win the race, for instance not ever round must be one for you to win a race.  In single player you can choose between Challenges, Time Trial and Custom Race.  You will get to choose between car speed which is either Normal, Fast, or Turbo that must be unlock and act as difficulties.  Challenges is the main part of the game and switches between different modes from a simple race with power ups of course to Time Trails to Knock-out-mode to Score mode where collecting golds coins increases your odds of winning.  Time Trial is pretty obvious while Custom Race lets you choose all the setting and modes whether it’s Knock-Out Mode where you must destroy as many cars as possible, Time Mode, or Score mode where the highest score wins.  You can get score by collecting coins, doing jumps and of course blowing up another car.

Strange… just strange.

Playing online might be hard because there is not many people playing the game online, but you will find a few.  You just have to make sure you have good cars unlock or you will get smoked.  Even though the controls are overly simple as you almost never take your finger off the gas,  cars to have different pros and cons, but not by that much.  Multiplayer is always a maximum of 4 players just as single player and local multiplayer.  The local multiplayer is also a nice addition to have as well as the leaderboards.  I’m sure this game is fun on the PSP but it didn’t really have anything special about that stood out to me playing it on the Xbox 360.  It is just a kart racing game that we have seen so many like it before that I don’t think it’s worth the $10.00 however if it was $5.00 I think it would be the perfect deal if this kind of game is what you are looking for.  It is supposed also come out for Wii Ware and the PS3 this year.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

dtp entertainment and keen games today announce the UK release dates for TNT Racers, the great value fun and frantic arcade racing game for PlayStation3, PlayStationPortable, Xbox360 and Wii.

TNT Racers will be available for download in the UK on the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network for Xbox360 (£7.99) on February 9^th 2011 and on PlayStationNetwork for PlayStation3 (£7.99) on February 16^th 2011.

UK release dates for the WiiWare for Nintendo Wii (£7.99) and PSP (£6.29) formats are set to follow shortly afterwards.

TNT Racers features 18 action-packed racetracks for up to 4 players. Built for ‘pick up and play’ fun for all the family, new players and seasoned gamers can experience the thrill of the chase and high-octane game play together.

Key to the heart-stopping action in TNT Racers is the fun of the multiplayer experience. As well as playing solo, up to 4 players can compete locally together or do battle against friends, family and other players online in a non-stop social competition.

A unique feature in TNT Racers is ‘Shadow Racing’. When players are thrown off the track, they immediately rejoin the action as a shadow racer, taking revenge on remaining players and ensuring everyone is always in the thick of the action.

Dedicated players who work their way up the leader boards are rewarded with free game content including new cars, new tracks and achievements.

There is also plenty to keep the single player occupied with three different single player modes. As well as 45 Challenges across three different speed classes, there are time trials and custom races where racers decide the victory criteria and place the pickups on the track.

Game Informer has that latest screens for the Jurassic Park game from developer Telltale Games.  The game is currently slated to come out sometime soon this year (Q1 2011) and will be released for the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, iPad, iPhone as well as the Wii as an arcade game.  The screens looked pretty good for an arcade game and I’m looking forward to Jurassic Park: The Game based on the movie/novel.  It is supposed to be an episodic game series, which I suppose you will be buying more than just one game if you want to play it all, hopefully they just make the episodes cheaper if that is the case.  Other than the screen Game Informer has more info about the game straight from the developers themselves.  View the rest of the screens and the article here.

Sonic’s back in 2D- the way he should be

From the moment you fire up the title screen you can tell that Sega are trying to play up the retro aspects of the game. From the title screen music, to the arbitrary “defeat Dr. Eggman again” storyline, the game feels almost like a direct continuation of Sonic 3 (albeit with a significant leap in the graphics department.) In terms of the way the game plays it truly does feel worthy of the title of Sonic 4. You still run to the right side of the screen, you still collect rings and you still only need the D-pad and a single button. The only new addition to Sonic’s repertoire is the homing attack that has been ripped straight from the more recent 3D outings. It certainly helps make the game feel abit more up to date with modern titles but, whilst it isn’t a game destroying problem, there can be some issues with the homing attack that will lead to a few frustrating misses here and there. There are also several new speed traps and boosters that vary based on which stage you play. Nothing genre changing, but it helps Sonic 4 retain the same sense of speed and excitement that characterised the mega drive originals. It really does feel like a beautiful homecoming.

It’s a shame there are no new level ideas. I’m getting pretty tired of the Green Hill Zone…

The level design also reeks of these old school sensibilities, for better and for worse. A lot of the levels are fun and are just what you’d expect from the 2D Sonic titles of old, but they also have a tendency to throw up some really cheap jumps and puzzles, and some of the boss fights are plain ridiculous. Now don’t get me wrong, when it comes to old school games a little bit of a steep difficulty curve isn’t just welcome, it’s practically necessary. I usually relish the challenge, but in the case of Sonic 4 there’s something about it that just feels cheap. Really cheap. The lack of checkpoints can be damn annoying as well, and it really detracted from my enjoyment of some of the game’s later stages. The visual aspect of the level design also feels a bit stale in comparison to the rest of the game. I understand that they wanted to hark back to the golden days of Sonic, but a lot of the textures look like they were literally lifted from the original Sonic trilogy. Worse things have happened, but it certainly fails to inspire on a visual front.

In terms of the general graphics quality the best way to describe Sonic 4 would be smooth. The game looks pretty sweet running at 1080p and the frame rate never lags behind the fast paced action of the game. Some of the animations took me a while to get used too, but the static character and enemy designs do a good job of referencing the classic Sonic design, whilst simultaneously bringing it into the current generation of gaming. The sound does a similar job with the catchy, chirpy melodies we loved on the mega drive, but without going all the way and using cheap 16-bit midi sounds. My only criticism with the presentation of Sonic 4 is in the repetitive nature of the music, particularly in the boss fights. Combine the over-used boss melody with some of the cheapest stuff I’ve seen in a platformer for a while and you’ll learn to hate the bosses in Sonic 4.

Wow another casino level? I’ve never played one of these in a Sonic game before…

Sonic 4 might not be perfect, but it’s still a game that is worthy of your time and money. Yet the short lifespan of the game prevents me from recommending it whole-heartedly. With only four worlds to go through Sonic 4 is unlikely to last more than a few hours of solid play. There are time attack modes, leaderboards and a decent achievement/trophy list to keep you coming back, but these are unlikely to lengthen the game’s longevity in any meaningful way. It is with this short lifespan that the pricing strategy becomes a real issue. This game is only meant to be the first part of Sonic 4. In spite of this it is still being priced as a 1200 point/ $14.99 whopper. This wouldn’t be too bad if it weren’t for the fact that I felt I wasn’t getting the full experience. Hell, they might have gotten away with it if they just pretended this was the full game, but knowing I wasn’t getting the full picture for the price bugged the hell out of me.

It’s a shame with Sonic 4 as, for all its flaws, it is a pretty solid addition to the series and it certainly beats playing another rubbish 3D Sonic game. That said it just all feels a bit too understated. If only it had come a few years earlier, or it was just a little bit cheaper, or there was just a little bit more content (like the full game cough, cough). Unfortunately for Sega they have done the right thing, but it has come far too late to properly redeem the Sonic franchise. I regretfully feel like Sonic has had his time. It was a fun ride, but it’s time we let the old hedgehog die in peace.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Our hero comes in the form of a regular earthworm (called Jim surprisingly) who finds himself endowed with super strength and a handy plasma blaster when an experimental super suit falls on top of him from outer space. A loose plot follows with Jim trying to defeat the evil queen slug-for-a-butt in order to save the beautiful princess what’s her name. It could be more easily summarised as go to the right side of the screen. That’s really all you need to know as Earthworm Jim is not a game based on an intricate story and narrative. Instead Jim has always been renowned for its absurd and surreal sense of humour, that still holds up to this day. If you’ve never had the pleasure of launching the cow, then stop reading and buy it now as you’re a deprived individual who must make up for lost time.

Back in the days when anthropomorphic protagonists were in

Everything in this game defies, and makes fun of, platform conventions of the time, from the enemies and weapons, to the levels themselves. Any game that warns that the first boss will vomit fish at you if you anger him is a success in my book. The level design and boss fights especially are quite varied as well, from a mission that involves defending an AI partner, (the infamous Peter Puppy for those in the know) to a boss fight that sees you beating a giant snot ball tied to a bungie jump chord. What’s even more impressive is the fact that the original was released so long ago. There are more ideas in one level of Jim than there are in most modern franchises, and all the zany ideas on display still go down well today.

It’s also nice to see some effort being made in extending the experience from the original game. Not only are there three brand new, never before seen bonus levels to unlock but also an entirely new co-op campaign that has been newly designed for this HD remake. All the new levels fit in well with the originals and the co-op levels, whilst not life changing, are well designed enough to ensure you and all your friends need to work together to get to the end in one piece.

That’s a lot of Earthworm action crammed into one screen

Sadly not all is well in paradise as, for all the variety present in the levels, some of them can be just plain maze-like and unforgiving. There are a few sections that just seem a little too old-school and could’ve done with a little bit of modifying. I’m not saying that our modern generation of gamers need extra hand holding or anything like that, but these particular sections were ridiculous enough sixteen years ago, so it would’ve seemed sensible to give them a touch up for the re-hash.

On a similar level it is sad to see a lot of balancing issues re-occurring in the HD remake unchecked. You still can’t jump and shoot which, whilst a standard aspect of the original, felt a little strange when I’m so used to more recent 2D shooters. More frustrating are the hit boxes (particularly the hooks used to whip around the levels) which are, ironically, still a little hit and miss. Sadly it seems like there was almost too much respect for the source material during development, to the point where many of the original game’s imperfections still remain. Thankfully there is a good side to it all, as it’s still the same core gameplay that you know and love. There has been a slight tweak in terms of the difficulty level, with new easier modes of play available aside from the classic mode. This a welcome addition however, as the new points of entry grant the game an accessibility it never had in its original incarnation.

Another key change has been made to bring Earthworm Jim into the HD era, culminating in the new visuals on display. It may be little more than the smoothing out of a few textures here and there, but it brings the worlds and their inhabitants to life like never before. It all adds up to a visual experience that can only be described as Earthworm Jim the way it was meant to be seen. They might not be the most technically impressive graphics you’ll ever experience, but for a download only title it’s hard to find fault with them.

In terms of the audio on offer you’ll be both pleased and disappointed to find that not much has changed in the past sixteen years. On the plus side the SFX and vocal bites are just as you remember them. They’re classic Jim and will still bring a smile to your face. That, and you never do get tired of hearing him say “groovy.” On the other side of the coin we have the background music tracks. Whilst they retain a retro charm to them, I’ve always just found them a bit “meh.” It’s not enough to detract from the game, but it certainly pales in comparison to the rest of the package.

Not the greatest visuals, but it is clearly a cut above the original

Having forked out 800 Microsoft points, how much bang can you expect for your buck? Well the single player story is long enough on it’s own, and this time around you can actually save and continue from where you left off without the need for passwords. On top of that the new bonus levels, whilst short in comparison to the rest, mean that Earthworm HD is a game that just keeps on giving. Don’t even get me started on the co-op aspect of the package, as there are not only a myriad of levels to get through but also a choice of nightmares with both local and online play on offer. It’s a shame then that the achievements don’t quite keep the experience going in quite the same way. It’s not that they’re bad as such, but they just lack the humour of the game relying on collectables and ridiculously difficult timed completion affairs. For all the humour lacking in the achievements though, the avatar awards make up for this. I’m not usually into the whole avatar clothes thing, but a super suit for my avatar is almost worth the entry price of the game on its own.

What is their to say about Jim? It’s nice to have him back after all this time and in his comfort zone of the 2D realm. It’s a nice game just to have on your hard drive and there’s enjoyment enough here for both fans of the original and those who missed out on the Earthworm action the first time around. No matter how you look at it Earthworm Jim HD is a return to form and I can only hope that this will start a trend that culminates in Earthworm Jim 2 HD and maybe even an entirely new sequel! When all is said and done Earthworm Jim is not a perfect gaming experience, but you’d be foolish to miss out on it. I’d only recommend giving it a miss if you’re an easily frustrated gamer as, for better or worse, Earthworm Jim HD is as old-school as they come.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 3.