The first big change seems to be the introduction of ‘Pure Shot’. This is being heralded as an innovation to how players shoot on goal. Apparently, shooting has been transformed since the last game, giving players the intelligence to adjust their stride, positioning and timing to strike the ball with precision. It seems as though this will make striking the ball more accurate and realistic, leading to more satisfying goals and, most likely, devastating misses. This also seems to go hand in hand with the new ‘real ball physics’, meaning that a well struck shot will leave the soccer ball flying through the air like an arrow and a poor shot will leave it bobbling around the pitch.

EA have also stated that players will now be able to ‘protect the ball’ to help dictate and control play in midfield. This is a welcome addition to the FIFA series. It was something that they attempted with the realistic dribbling and close control of FIFA 13, but it was far too easy to barge the players out of possession. This often left midfield feeling over crowded, with as much free space as my six year old 20GB XBOX hard drive (not much space at all). Hopefully, now players like Arsenal’s Wilshire, Juventus’s Pirlo and Barcelona’s Iniesta will actually be able to control play, make powerful runs and pick those characteristic pinpoint passes with enough room to swing a proverbial cat.

In previous FIFA titles, scouting was incredibly passive, allowing your scout to jet to far off lands and bring back players like some exotic animal that was best seen and not used. These players often took an age to improve and were never really overly useful for the team. Now it seems as though the players you’ll be bringing in could have a real effect on your squad. Hopefully this will enable you to choose players with attributes that will actually help refine and boost your squad rather than just sit on the bench, sucking away at your precious budget. Finally, EA have promised that AI players will have attacking and defending intelligence. Now, this was a change that they initially brought to FIFA 13 but, sadly, it wasn’t overly effective. Players did seem slightly more intelligent, true, but they still made idiotic mistakes that, in professional soccer, would leave a player benched – probably for eternity.

It looks like FIFA 14 is shaping up to be the best the series will have ever offered. I’m pretty sure that I said that in last year’s FIFA preview. Keep an eye on inMotion Gaming for all of the latest information on EA’s next instalment to the FIFA series.

Written by

Alec Ward

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JRPGs, or Japanese Role Playing Games, have always been a touchy subject within the gaming community. They were (and to some, still are) insanely popular, especially in the 90’s and early 00’s, with such classic masterpieces as Chrono Trigger, most of the numbered Final Fantasies, Secret of Mana, and so on. They are directly responsible for some modern gaming trends. At least two or three of them usually fall on the average gamer’s best games ever made list. Despite all this, the JRPG subgenre has been the target of multiple recent criticisms. Most claim this style of gaming has gotten ‘stale,’ with the cliche’d plot of ‘teenage boy and girl fall in love, save the world’ running rampant throughout many titles calling themselves JRPGs. If the plot bears at least some originality, then it’s the character design being called out; both males and females in this flavor of role-players end up looking awkwardly feminine most of the time.

As much as this editor loves the JRPG genre, he has to admit that most of those aforementioned criticisms do ring true. However, some titles released over the past few years do give us some hope. Despite some criticisms due to a very linear story, Final Fantasy XIII was a fine game; its sequel was even better. Two JRPGs released state-side last year, The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles, were both brilliant titles that brought some much-needed ingenuity to the dying genre. And now another promising title, Pandora’s Tower, is being localized for the United States, and is due for an April 16th release on the Nintendo Wii.

Pandora’s Tower is an action/RPG that was released in Japan about two years ago. It was developed by Japanese studio Ganbarion, and will be published in North America under XSEED Games. Pandora’s Tower is the third in a trio of games being localized due to the continuing efforts of Operation Rainfall, a fan-mounted movement asking for the localization of quality JRPGs. The other games have already been brought over; they were The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles.

Although Pandora’s Tower dips into the cliche’d ‘boy must save his girlfriend’ trope, the game offers so much more than a fantasy love story. Pandora’s Tower follows a young man named Aeron as he sets out to break a terrible curse placed on his love, Elena. This is achieved by traversing thirteen towers and slaying certain beasts within each. Aeron must work quickly, however–he only has a limited time before Elena is lost for good.

If Pandora’s Tower is already sounding like a JRPG version of Shadow of the Colossus meets Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, don’t worry–that’s a good thing. Both were incredible games; the former being the primary argument for games being art, with the latter as one of the more unique titles in one of gaming’s most iconic franchises.

Pandora’s Tower Trailer

If you’re reading this in an RSS feed or an email, click here to watch the video.

Pandora’s Tower looks to be a rather enjoyable spin on the JRPG genre. Check back with inMotion Gaming after the game’s April 16th release for a full review.

Written by

Christopher A. Carlson

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Update: 3 April 2013

The demo for Injustice: Gods Among us is now live for the PS3 and Xbox 360! No word yet if Wii U players will get access to it. The demo contains playable versions of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor. Get it now to hold you over until Injustice’s April 16th release!

Original Article

When they hear that a game focused solely around super heroes is in the making, gamers tend to be skeptical. Developers continue to fail in meeting our expectations of superhero games and in doing so their efforts flop like a fish fresh out of water. Now, there are some great licensed games out there, such as the Batman Arkham games and Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions. However, they’re so few and far between that the term ‘superhero game’ is usually associated with something mediocre-to-terrible. Remember last year’s The Amazing Spider-Man?

Thankfully, NetherRealm Studios’ latest fighting game looks to defy that stereotype. It shows that it’s very much possible to have a game featuring our favorite heroes, which is both exciting and high in quality for a modern video game. This is Injustice: Gods Among Us.

I may be putting a lot of faith in the success of this game, but the plentiful trailers and the genius idea of having the characters face each other in a tournament is doing wonders to build up hype leading up to the April 16th release. NetherRealm has had a lot of experience with fighting games with its successful Mortal Kombat franchise from before Midway Games filed for bankruptcy, and it isn’t their first time using DC characters either. They released the title Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe a few years ago, albeit to mixed results. Fans were psyched about pitting Mortal Kombat characters against popular superheroes such as Superman, but in the end were disappointed by the lack of violence that the Mortal Kombat brand is known for. NetherRealm learned from their fans and are making a second attempt; one that will hopefully satisfy both comic fans and Mortal Kombat vets alike.

DC still prohibits NetherRealm from using that Mortal Kombat brand of graphic violence when it comes to their characters–no decapitations, no fatalities, and no unique ways of splitting someone in two. You might think that puts a damper on NetherRealm’s signature violence, but they’ve come up with a new style of action that will not only keep everything just as intense, but fits the concept of super heroes fighting each other like a glove. For what it lacks in over-the-top violence, Injustice reciprocates with crazy jaw-dropping action.

When first seeing a fight in progress, you can definitely tell this is a NetherRealm game. The characters and environments are realistic and dark, every punch is felt as it connects, and the familiar HUD is in the corner, containing a bar that fills up with each attack landed and taken. However, underneath the familiar exterior are several new mechanics that make Injustice stand on its own from other games in the fighting genre. All the characters–heroes and villains–are split into two different classes: Power characters and Gadget characters. Power characters are the over-powered fighters who can throw cars like cardboard boxes, while Gadget characters rely on their speed, agility, and as their name states, gadgets, to take down opponents. The one question that everyone has been asking is how can someone like Batman stand a chance against, say, Superman in a fight? There’s definitely a reason for the balance among the characters, but NetherRealm hasn’t revealed what it is, as it’s likely an important plot point. Just know that there’s a reason for everything. Check out the video below for the official Injustice story trailer.

From what we can tell so far, the story revolves around the ‘human’ characters standing up against the superheroes. The why of it all is beyond me, but the circumstance is uniting heroes and villains to form a resistance. Hopefully the story is stronger than NetherRealm’s previous games, as that’s been a constant downside to their games for years.

Let’s get down to the gameplay. From what you can tell from the videos, the game seems to focus on being equally entertaining and jaw-droppingly epic. This is evidenced by the way you can utilize the environment to your advantage. Power characters can smash cars over their opponent’s head, while gadget characters can use cars to hop behind their adversaries. Lasers, rockets, robots, portals; just about anything can be used to turn the tide of a fight. Stages are much more than a couple of tricks though. Characters can be smacked straight through a wall, floor or ceiling if hit hard enough. This commences a cringe-worthy (and sometimes hilarious) sequence showing the character hitting objects and hazards before landing in a whole new area of the stage.

If you watched the videos above, you may have noticed the insane moves that the characters pulled off. When you fill up your battle meter all way, you can perform what’s called a ‘super move’, which naturally deals a copious amount of damage. I’m not going to announce any of them, because they’re such a blast to watch for the first time, but that’s just one of the things you can spend your battle meter on.

If you have at least one segment filled, you can use the classic combo breaker to get out of a nasty situation. Or, you can initiate an epic clash between the characters, which has the players bet a certain amount of their bar. Whoever bets the most wins the clash and gets significant damage dealt to their opponent.

Netherealm has a knack for having lots of characters, and a healthy amount of bonus content outside of the story and multiplayer. Injustice is no exception! So far twenty-two characters have been announced, with potentially more on the way. Also count on there being tons of collectibles and minigames to play on the side from the main story.

Injustice: Gods Among Us comes out April 16th and it’s building up a lot of hype. What do you think? Does it look like a smash hit, or a dud? We at inMotion Gaming love to hear from our readers, so leave a comment below and give us your opinion!

Written by

Jonathan Gipson

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Rocksteady managed to capture the image of Batman from the latest movies perfectly not only just Batman, but his rouges gallery as well. Mark Hamill’s portrayal of The Joker was phenomenal. That is another thing that needs to be touched upon. Not only are these games great from a game play point of view. They were also amazing from a story telling point of view. We all know that the next Batman game from Rocksteady will be set in the DC golden age and will feature many Justice League members. Before that however we have something else. Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition

Armored Edition will be an enhanced version of Arkham City that will be released on the new Nintendo Wii U console. It has not been set in stone as of writing if this game will make it out on the launch, but it will be out before the holidays. With that being said just what new tricks and twists do Rocksteady have for us? Lets start with the Official E3 Trailer:

Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition E3 Trailer

The first thing noteworthy is that the story of the game is the same story which we had previously played through in the last game. Armored Edition though will include all the DLC (downloadable content) that has been made available for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions. This includes all of the character skins and most notably the amazing extra chapter Harley Quinn’s Revenge. It really is going to be a treat to have all of this content in the one package.

Of course this is far from a straight port and there are some really amazing new gameplay elements. Batman and Catwoman now have an upgraded and more bad-ass armor suit. What this new suit basically does is when you are taking down a bunch of thugs you will be storing energy and then you can unleash this energy using ‘B.A.T mode’ and your moves will be more powerful, quicker and delivered with more strength.

Armored Edition is going to take full advantage of the Wii U Gamepad; it will not only make use of the Wii U GamePad’s touch screen, but also the gyroscope as well. All of Batman and Catwoman’s gadgets will now use the Wii U GamePad. So even if you have played through the game numerous times on the other consoles it is still going to be a blast learning how to use all of these gadgets again. Also you can pick your gadgets with a simple tap of the controller.

One gadget that looks like its going to be a ton of fun with this new controller is the cryptographic sequencer. On the other versions you would need to use your analogue sticks in order to unlock doors and so on. On the Wii U however this is like a mini game where you need to use the GamePad in order to hack into things. Another great example of how the Wii U GamePad works with the gadgets is the remote Batarang. You use the GamePad’s gyroscope to control the batarang. Its worth noting that you have the option to turn off these GamePad specific controls and just use the traditional controls if you so wish.

As well as breathing new life into Batman’s gadgets the Wii U GamePad also makes the game a much more immersive experience. Your map will be displayed on there in real time taking away the need to pause the game. Also your sonar will be able to be seen on the tablet controller. This controller is going to make you really feel like you are in the game. As we all know its kind of frustrating when you are engrossed in a video game and you need to pause to check the map or select a weapon.

Overall this looks like it is going to be a ton of fun this holiday season. I think even people who have played this on the other consoles will enjoy this. The core gameplay is intact, but these new Wii U exclusive features look like this could very well be the ultimate version of Batman Arkham City.

Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition will be available exclusively on the Wii U this holiday season. The release date is scheduled for 18 November 2012.                                                  .

Written by

Nathan Rossiter

Nathan is a huge Batman fan–not just of Batman games, but the movie, the comics and the TV shows! He even runs his own Batman games website: batmangamesonly.com.

 

 

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Mario’s latest adventure sees our famous plumber heroes Mario and Luigi, as well as some new friends–blue and yellow versions of Toad–having lunch at Princess Peach’s castle (sounds peachy right?). As per usual Bowser turns up way before all the sausage rolls are gone, however this time he’s flying an airship that has a giant fist attached to it. This launches our heroes and toads into the Acorn Plains, unleashing super acorns throughout the area. To sum up–Bowser gets cosy with the princess and our heroes must save her.

E3 Preview Video

One obvious change in this trailer is the graphics, which look absolutely spectacular. The game still retains its cartoon style however this time it’s in HD and it makes a world of a difference. Another key thing to note graphically is that the game truly reflects Nintendo’s playful and creative side, with colour palettes that complement each other and characters that now appear to stand out.

Another big change would of course be the addition of a new power-up, the Super Acorn. This grants Mario the power to hover in the air for a very short time. If that sounds familiar to Mario fans that’s because it is–Super Mario Advance 2 features a feather that allows Mario to hover for a short period of time. Whilst the super acorn is a new power up in its own right, it does feel like it’s been done before; the only difference is this time Mario is dressed as a squirrel.

The addition of several different coloured Yoshis is intriguing, with each Yoshi possessing different powers that will be helpful to players as they progress. Of course in true Nintendo fashion these different types of Yoshi are identified by specific colours. Yellow Yoshis emit light, blue baby Yoshis can blow bubbles and magenta Yoshis can blow up. These Yoshis, whilst being slightly unique, resemble the Super Mario Galaxy 2 Yoshis just a little too much.

One brand new addition of course is the ability to play as you (so to speak), making the Mario magic feel a little bit more real. Whilst there is no advantage to playing as your Mii, it is a nice touch and does bring with it some interesting features.  It appears that players will also interact with other players across WI-FI, through a kind of a world map. This map shows that people have posted “Statuses” with their opinions to certain levels. Their clear time is shown as well, meaning that players will possibly be able to compete with each other in order to beat clear times.

Also confirmed are a few new modes, one of which utilizes the Wii U’s game pad. The new mode is titled “Boost” and will allow five players to join in with Mario’s classic adventures. How this works is that the fifth player is using the Game Pad to place blocks in order to assist the other players. This serves particularly useful for players trying to move fast, reach high areas or who are about to plummet to their doom.

The second new mode for players to have fun with is called “Boost Rush” and it truly sounds interesting. This mode will transform any given level and make it auto-scrolling; this speeds up time and ultimately allows players to compete for a top speed run.

The last mode sees players jumping repeatedly on enemies in order to collect as many extra lives as they possibly can in an all new challenge mode. What’s interesting about this mode is that is seems to make the game a little unique, as most of the modes featured are new for the game.

New Super Mario Bros. U Trailer

New Super Mario Bros. U is set to release the day of the Wii U launch, November 18th 2012 and could be the Mario game that defines the classic series forever.

Written by

Jordan Haslett-Gray

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