There are quite a few different genres being released this month from Platformers to Racing games. If you are interested in having a game for a specific system, or simply want a game remade such as “Donkey Kong Returns 3D” or “Resident Evil: Revelations,” then this is a great month for you.

RPG

(5/7 Tuesday) “Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut” (Wii U)

(5/22 Wednesday) “The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing” (PC)

“Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut” is the extended cut of the cyberpunk role-playing game exclusively for the Wii U. The game will feature a new augmentation, the Neural Hub, using the Wii U’s Gamepad. This expansion also includes two new levels.

“The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing” is a game based on the tribunals of young Van Helsing, son of the monster hunter Abraham Van Helsing from the novel Dracula. The setting of the game is in gothic-noir 19th-century Eastern Europe with monsters, magic, and strange technology.

Platformer

(5/9 Thursday) “Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move” (Nintendo 3DS)

(5/24 Thursday) “Donkey Kong Returns 3D” (Nintendo 3DS)

“Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move” is a puzzle game and the fifth game in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. The game will have the player placing blocks on a board to make a path for the Minis (small Mario-like robots) so they can reach the goal in every level. There will be at least 180 levels in all.

“Donkey Kong Returns 3D” is the remake of the Wii game “Donkey Kong Returns.” The game has been optimized for portability on the Nintendo 3DS and features layered side-scrolling levels that come to life with the 3D capabilities. Eight new levels have been added in the Golden Temple as well as a new mode for an easy on-the-go play.

Action

(5/14 Tuesday) “Dust 514″ (PlayStation 3)

(5/14 Tuesday) “Metro: Last Light” (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)

(5/21 Tuesday) “Resident Evil: Revelations” (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC)

(5/28 Tuesday) “Fuse” (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

“Dust 514” is a game that takes place in New Eden and is directly connected to the MMORPG “Eve Online.” In fact, actions in one game will affect the political and economic status in the player’s other game. The player will be able to customize various aspects such as skills and specialize their roles and tactics on the battlefield. Though the game doesn’t have a single-player campaign, there will be a survival game mode which will pit players against A.I. controlled drones.

“Metro: Last Light” is a first-person shooter set in the post-apocalyptic world and is the sequel to “Metro 2033.” The game is meant to be a story-driven experience and will have the player fight with exotic man-made weapons. The player will fight against both human and mutant enemies. The game is designed to be an immersing atmosphere.

“Resident Evil: Revelations” is a port of  the game of the same name that had been previously been exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. The game returns to the survival horror gameplay such as a limited supply of ammunition and more emphasis on puzzle solving and exploration that has been missing from the newest installments. The game will be ported to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC.  

“Fuse” is a four-player cooperative game set in the near future, where a team of four misfit agents must team-up to stop an evil corporation from getting an alien substance called Fuse. Each character will have their own Fuse-powered weapon that will serve different purposes throughout the gameplay. Each character will also have their own skill tree, which will allow the player to upgrade each level.

Racing

(5/21 Tuesday) “Fast & Furious: Showdown” (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PC)

(5/28 Tuesday) “Grid 2″ (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)

“Fast & Furious: Showdown” is a cooperative racing game and will tie into the events of the sixth movie. The game will also bridge the events between each film in the franchise.

“Grid 2” an upcoming racing game and the sequel to “Race Driver: Grid.” The game will feature various real world locations such as Paris and the U.S., as well as vehicles from four different decades.

Image credit: The Incredible Adventure of Van Helsing via Facebook

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Helsinki, Finland — Umbra Software, the provider of state of the art rendering optimization middleware, have announced that Guild Wars 2, the highly-anticipated MMO from ArenaNet, is taking advantage of Umbra’s occlusion culling technology. ArenaNet has integrated Umbra’s technology into its rendering pipeline early on in the development process to make sure that the beautiful world of Tyria where Guild Wars 2 is set in is realized in the most optimized fashion possible.

“Umbra 3 provides an excellent solution for our expansive, open world environments. We are very happy with the choice we made with Umbra and the support we’ve been given by the Umbra team” said Patrick Laukaitis; the Senior Software Engineer at ArenaNet who has worked closely with Umbra’s engineering team throughout the production of Guild Wars 2.

“ArenaNet are one of Umbra’s earliest clients and closest partners, so we are excited to see the game nearing completion. Guild Wars 2 is epic in scope, so it’s been a fun challenge to meet the technological needs of Patrick and his team; they’ve really pushed us to take our middleware to the next level” stated Umbra’s Chief Technology Officer Otso Mäkinen.

Guild Wars 2, which has already garnered several most anticipated games of the year awards, is currently in beta and will be released on August 28, 2012.

Umbra 3 is a rendering and performance optimizing middleware that is used to improve frame rates and help to create visually striking game worlds.  Umbra 3 does this by optimizing critical parts of a game such as rendering, audio and game logic. Umbra automatically generates portals for game environments, no matter how large or continuous – completely taking away tedious manual work from artists.

Developers taking full advantage of Umbra’s technology include: Bungie, BioWare, Giant, Guerrilla, IO Interactive, Sony Online Entertainment, Square Enix Inc., Tripwire, NetEase, Remedy Entertainment and many others.

Umbra 3 is available for evaluations from http://www.umbra3.com

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London, U.K. – Codemasters today announced that F1 2012 will be launched in the UK on September 21st for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Playstation computer entertainment system and PC. F1 2012 is the next game in the award-winning, multi-million selling Formula One series from Codemasters as part of an exclusive multi-year deal with Formula One World Championship Limited that takes players to the heart of the sport like never before.

A new developer diary, also released today, details several of F1 2012’s new features including the Young Driver Test, which will act as the game’s tutorial mode, teaching the player about the nuances of racing a Formula One car. Featuring the first glimpses of F1 2012 gameplay footage, the new developer diary can be viewed at www.youtube.com/formula1game.

Commenting on the inclusion of the Young Driver Test, F1 2012’s Creative Director, Stephen Hood said: “The aim for the 2012 game is to make more of a complete Formula One experience. [The Young Driver Test] gives those up and coming drivers track time to showcase their talents and it’s wonderful that we are able to copy the elements that happen on those real Young Driver Test sessions in the game.”

F1 2012 is set to deliver the most accessible and immersive Formula One game for fans of all abilities with improved control and feedback for players using a gamepad and tutorial Hot Lap videos for each circuit narrated by former Formula One driver and TV pundit Anthony Davidson. With more features yet to be revealed, F1 2012 is set to be the ultimate Formula One experience to date.

In F1 2012 players will feel the unparalleled thrill of becoming a Formula One driver with a host of new features, wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements and extensive competitive and co-operative multiplayer components. F1 2012 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship, including the debut of the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Austin, Texas and the return of Germany’s famous Hockenheim circuit to the calendar.

F1 2012 is in development at Codemasters Birmingham for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC and is available for pre-order ahead of its September worldwide release. To get all the news straight from the studio, race over to www.facebook.com/formula1game or follow the team on twitter at www.twitter.com/formula1game.

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Bracknell, U.K. —Kalypso Media announced on August 10 it’s bringing charm, humor, and skill back to games with Alien Spidy, a digital action-adventure game starring a swinging alien spider, slated for Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation Network, and Windows PC slated in North America this fall.

Coupled with its official arrival in North America, Kalypso Media unveiled a robust new trailer to illustrate the game’s unique look, and launched a fully interactive Website, www.alienspidy-game.com/us/. You can download it here: https://www.yousendit.com/download/TEhYZXR3cG9Ea1gwZXNUQw

Alien Spidy engages players to step into the web of an intelligent alien spider whose space ship has crash landed on Earth. In order to escape, Spidy must rescue his female companion, Virgil, and collect the lost parts of his craft. Alien Spidy’s unique web-swinging mechanics and beautifully illustrated environments make the game accessible to gamers of all ages, but it’s the game’s increasingly tough levels that are likely to engage hardcore players.

“We believe Alien Spidy is a gem of a game,” said Jonathan Hales, Managing Director, Kalypso Media Digital Ltd. “With its quirky lead character and broad accessibility, this title is extremely fun to play for any age. As players get deeper into the later levels, however, they’ll find it gets tougher. We really want to challenge the hardcore gamers.”

Spanning more than 60 levels and three distinct landscapes, Alien Spidy takes gamers deep into the treacherous world of insects, zooming down into the cover growth of forests, the tricky Lilli pads of ponds, and the echoing darkness of caves. Each level is crawling with a variety of enemies large and small, landscapes filled with tricks and traps, and surprises to boot.

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Hangzhou, China – - Neologic Animation Inc., an educational software company in the People’s Republic of China, released the results of its 7 year research and development study into effective early childhood education methods.

Led by Dr. Jisheng Wang, the Company’s head Psychologist, the team of renowned, published psychologists and early childhood education experts released a report outlining the “Eight Areas of Intelligence” of human beings.

“By incorporating these eight basic areas of intelligence into all of ‘Naniya World’s’ games, children will learn not only at a conscious, but also unconscious level,” said Chief Psychologist Dr. Wang.  “Language, Mathematics, Logic, Music, Space, Body-Sport, Interpersonal Relations, Self-Cognitive and finally Nature-Observing Intelligence are all carefully and meticulously incorporated into the Company’s game development model.”

The team has studied several thousand cases and has concluded that non-cognitive factors directly influence a child’s learning performance.  They have concluded that these areas of intelligence development play a large role in a child’s overall development and performance.  The team has meticulously arrived at a series of 108 learning capacity tests that can systematically analyze current educational status, learning capacity, and most importantly can recommend suitable learning methods.  Studying the results of the tests combined with advanced network techniques ultimately came about and created the website “Naniya World”, which is geared towards students from, grades one through six.

The site’s many exciting methods of study, including interactive flash games, animations, videos and other content to explain subject knowledge and content.  One of the major intentions of the website is to foster independent and creative thought.  This is done by incorporating art, music, sports and other such modules instead of forcing students to take in knowledge passively and mechanically.  Children can simultaneously absorb cultural knowledge while also improving their comprehensive learning capacity.

For more details about the study, please refer to the R&D Results Fact Sheet.

 About Neologic Animation Inc. (the “Company”)

The Company is an educational software development and marketing company; currently developing a website to be marketed as “Naniya World” for primary school students in China.  The website’s goal is to educate children how to develop and hone their creative skills through interactive educational games that incorporate Adobe Flash. The games incorporate a curriculum that has been developed by some of China’s top professors and child psychology experts. It sets itself apart from other after school programs in China because it deviates from the traditional methods of Chinese education.  The Company’s mission is to inspire every child in China to become the best student they can possibly be by showing them that learning is fun.

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505 Games, a global publisher of video games, has announced that Top Gun: Hard Lock for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation3 computer entertainment system has shipped to North American retail outlets. The Windows PC version is available for download at http://www.impulsedriven.com/.

Top Gun: Hard Lock lets fans fly into the danger zone as an all-new crew of elite naval aviators taking air combat to new heights.  Players engage in adrenaline-fueled, dog fights to tailgate MiGs at Mach 2 and master the game’s Hard Lock feature to perform high-G aerial combat maneuvers in order to destroy enemy pilots.

“More than 25 years after its debut the ‘Top Gun’ brand is still going strong and we are proud to be part of that heritage with the release of  Top Gun: Hard Lock ,” said Ian Howe, president, 505 Games North America.  ”Our game lets fans experience an all-new storyline as well as the same high-octane action found in the film, allowing them to immerse themselves in the ‘Top Gun’ universe like never before.”

Featuring 14 playable planes, including a selection of licensed planes such as the iconic F-14 Super Tomcat, Top Gun: Hard Lock also features a single-player campaign that spans 15 exhilarating missions and an all-new modern-day storyline.  Players can also compete online in an addictive multiplayer campaign that supports up to 16 players.

Top Gun: Hard Lock was developed by Headstrong Games, a division of Kuju Entertainment, under license from Paramount Digital Entertainment.  The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system versions are available for a SRP of $39.99 and the downloadable Windows PC version is available at http://www.impulsedriven.com/ for $29.99.  The game has been rated “T” (Teen – language and violence – content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older) by the ESRB.

Be a part of the action at http://www.facebook.com/topgunmovie and for more information about Top Gun: Hard Lock please visit www.topgungame.com. To view the explosive launch trailer visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj8K-wx027Q

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‘NFL Blitz’ was a popular Midway Arcade series, now owned by EA, which was known for taking its own spin on football. The ‘NFL Blitz’ series was never a “true” adaptation of the sport; NFL simulators were meant for EA Sports’ ‘Madden’ and 2K’s ‘NFL Football 2K’ series while Blitz just stuck with the arcade formula and gave something the lighter sports fans could easily enjoy, chaos on the field and “late hits.”

The Blitz games allowed you to enter cheat codes prior to the game starting, which let you change the look of the field, ball, players, and some gameplay codes that can make things a little easier or harder for you. If you want to know more about Blitz’s history, click here.

On January 3, EA Sports released ‘NFL Blitz’ as a PSN and XBOX Live download. Before this, the last Blitz game to be released was ‘Blitz: The League 2’ in 2008. The League games took the most of the arcade elements out of the Blitz series and went for a more realistic style and brought Blitz into a new hyper violent sports game by including real, and sometimes nasty injuries.

It was because of this that the NFL license dropped from the Blitz games and the series took a downward spiral. Though still entertaining, they were no longer the Blitz series that everyone remembered. That is, until EA picked up the rights and returned Blitz to its former glory.

The Gameplay

For those of you new to the Blitz franchise, be ready for illegal moves, unrealistic plays, crazy teams, and the arcade classic invisible walls. In order to understand how and why these work, you have to know the two rules of Blitz:

Rule #1: There are no rules on the field. Any means for you to take out the ball carrier are allowed, including pass interference. If you are in threat of getting tackled, spin yourself to act as a shield or just knock down your opponents like bowling pins (sound effects included). You may also use your turbo meter to assist against your opponents. Though the meter runs out fast and slowly recharges, if you play your cards right, your team might burst into flames (literally) so you don’t have to worry about your turbo running out.

Rule #2: There are no out of bounds or offsides. There are invisible walls that keep you in the playing field and on your side of the field, until the play has started. This keeps the action simple and heated as well as helps give your character, in defensive position, a running start towards the QB as he runs in place on the line of scrimmage until the ball is hiked.

Worried about the two minute clock since you cannot run out of bounds? At the end of every play the clock stops. It’s just part of the rules of Blitz.

With EA’s revival of the Blitz series, they have returned Blitz to its bright colors, arcade controls, as well as the wacky character skins such as, Ninjas, Robots, Hotdogs, and many more including Zombies (Yes, they do the ‘Thriller’). Some of the new features brought into the series are:

• Blitz Gauntlet, which is where you face three sets of three teams in order to battle the bosses to unlock them as playable skins.
• Blitz Battles, where you go head to head with people online or even join up with a friend to battle others in two on two team battle.
• Elite League, where you build your own personalized team using your favorite players as well as banners and logos from your favorite teams to make your own personalized Blitz team.
• Online Coop, where you join up with an online friend to battle other online teams.
• The Blitz Store, where you use Blitz Bucks (earned through online play) to purchase logos and players for your custom team, gallery images, Fantasy Character skins, or cheat codes (All cheat codes can be used without having to purchase them, except for the fantasy characters).

EA’s ‘NFL Blitz’ is a true revival of the Blitz series and a fantastic game with solid gameplay for both sports and arcade fans. The only complaint I had with the game is that they did not allow late hits at the end of the plays. Besides that EA did a great job with reviving the Blitz series and the game itself does not disappoint.

Score: 4/5

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A hallmark of Forza 4 is that it is easily accessible to a novice racer.  It has a menu system that would not confuse a small child, yet is still challenging to an adult. You will not need to worry about a complex series of licenses that you will need before you can begin your first race.

New players to the Forza series, or perhaps players looking to get a leg up on the competition, can look here for few helpful tips on how to make the Forza 4 experience more enjoyable. The drifting, especially in Rivals Mode on the Japanese tracks, will require patience and, as with previous iterations of Forza, lots of practice.

Depending on the settings of the game, there is already a tendency with some cars to swing out in a race, but to do this on purpose while maintaining speed takes focus and skill. This time around, the drift feature seems more accessible to new players, but does require a frustrating amount of skill, at first, to keep a totally clean lap.

TIP: Maintaining a clean drifting lap is essential. Do not bump into a wall, do not spin out, and do not even think about using the rewind feature. It will not do you any good, no matter how high your score is, because it will not count. Do not be afraid to fiddle with the settings either.

Free Play is always an easy way to get some practice without being dragged into a seven race championship in World Tour mode. The fictional track in the Bernese Alps is a special treat because of its changes in elevation, off-camber (against the natural mountain curvature) turns and wide, blind corners.

Players who have played the Forza 4 demo will surely recognize this track and take advantage of that knowledge the first time they see this in Career Mode.

TIP: The edges of the Bernese Alps track are outlined, but do not slow the car. Take advantage of this in practices and races.

Throughout the whole game, it pays to be picky. To do so, you will need a car from a specific manufacturer and use it in the races that have an Affinity Bonus. The Affinity Bonus is an advantage for those auto enthusiasts who collect every car in the game and use every upgrade possible.  Just a single hour of play will yield 100 percent of a single manufacturer’s upgraded parts for free.

TIP: Pay attention to the cars you select when you get reward vehicles. Randomly selecting whatever car looks fast may hinder your future affinity levels if you are forced to use them, due to the way the World Tour mode adapts to each car you are currently racing.

Anyone who has played the third Forza game for over a few hours will earn bonuses as well. Loyalty has its privileges since the bonuses imparted to players who import their profile get a huge credit bonus and a starter car that is not so slow you will go to sleep driving it.

Tip: The World Tour mode will adjust one or two tracks to your new car, while still giving you options to race against lower class opponents in the cars that you have already won.

Following the racing line all the way through the game may seem like the ideal way to go, and for some, it will certainly have its advantages. Beginning with the racing line will give you the ideal color-coded speed you should be doing through each corner, and it tells you where to turn in and accelerate out. However, do not blindly follow the racing line or the AI racer in front of you, because it will slow you down.

Tip: A better way to use the settings is to have the “braking line only,” preferable to many intermediate drivers and those who are brave enough right off the bat to go at the game full throttle. Use only the braking line, and you can learn the course more intuitively from the start without the very bright, neon green arrows.

Following the tire tracks, instead, makes the experience of racing in Forza much more natural and allows for greater variation in driving style. While there is an ideal line for every track, there are some corners that have allowances for slight shifts in the racing line and driving style depending on the type of car being used.

A car with better acceleration might allow for harder braking, rapid turn into a corner that decreases speed, then hard acceleration out. In other cases, a car with lower acceleration, but higher top speed, might be served by being cornered. This maintains a higher overall top speed. Both are successful strategies and a number of variations do exist, so racing lines are not entirely 100 percent static in the game.

TIP: Before you buy it, do a test drive in Free Play. Learn the car’s personality, and see if you can work with it. This is an easy step many forget.

As a general note, instead of hugging the inside corner during a turn which reduces speed-per-turn, use the Apex Cornering Method. It is the accepted practice by most racing professionals today. The Apex Corner derives its name from how a car should turn in from the outside under moderate braking, just barely brushing the top, or apex, of each corner, then accelerating hard out.

While this method might not be the shortest distance between two corners like science would suggest, maintaining the highest rate of speed-per-turn is the actual key here. Incidentally, the tire marks already laid into each track are those of the Apex Corner.

TIP: Off-camber turns, as mentioned above, are especially fun using the Apex Turn because of the greater change in elevation.

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