That’s the issue with Tournament of Legends (ToL). I actually can’t answer the question. Maybe it’s because I’m still caught up on what ToL isn’t: that’s Gladiator A.D., a realistic M-rated bloodbath. Somewhere along the way, High Voltage lost sight of this vision, and somehow knocked Gladiator A.D. down to a T-rated waggle fest.

One on one 3D fighting is the end result, with a cast of characters that’s been seen countless times before. There’s Medusa. There’s a Valkyrie. There’s a Minotaur. There’s…a Steampunk Robot. Each of these characters can be given weapons (from defeated foes, no less) and enchantments for some level of customization. Does this sound old hat yet?

Perhaps it’s not as bad as I’m making it sound. The fighting is extremely simple: a waggle leads to an attack, B blocks, and A (with the nunchuk) leads to unique special moves. There’s nothing over the top about this, which is all too fitting for the Wii, a system not known for overly deep control elements.  In a surprising turn of events, this part of the gameplay is surprisingly satisfying.

Keep in mind I’m not a Blazblue, Vs., or any other fighting series purist. To me, ToL’s largest accomplishment is that during the unadulterated moments of fighting, I actually enjoyed myself. It’s such a shame that these moments are few and far between. You need to get 3 KO’s on the opponent to win. Each time you knock them down, it’s time to waggle away (for your opponent, to get back in the fight, for you, to boost health). Something similar occurs in between the Wii Sports Boxing like rounds, as well. Analogous to rubbing your stomach and patting your head, you can spin the nunchuk’s analog stick and shake your Wii Remote around to build back your armour and regain health. Maybe I’m uncoordinated, but it seems like resource management – a horrible shame seeing as it is the replacement to the aforementioned Gladiator.

And those glorious moments of unadulterated gameplay continue to get interrupted yet. Haphazardly in the middle of a match, the local denizen of the stage interrupts you: stopping the game dead in its tracks as you go through some quick play events to try and save yourself from the wrath of Poseidon, Centaurs, and an irritated dragon. This is where my confusion about how I feel the game begins. Are these at all necessary, or do they add a flair to ToL?

I can’t answer that, even a few days removed from picking up my early copy. More so, my confusion continues in terms of the graphics. On one hand, they are clear, vibrant, and lively. On the other hand, it’s almost as if HVS tried too hard. The character details seem to be so overdone they become lost in a sea of their own ambitions.

In fact, I think that summarizes High Voltage entirely now. Lost in a sea of its own ambitions. ToL does offer a thinly veiled story mode with some cheesy voice acting and lines, too. And yet again I’m not sure if I should see the overzealous gladiator as hilarious or pathetic. There’s something to be said about a special move that involves summoning a lion, but the delivery is just so…bad. Yet, it’s intoxicating. The best comparison I can give you is watching a really scary movie – you know the horrific part is coming up, but you can’t peel your eyes off the screen. And somewhat amazingly, ToL has this effect.

At $29.99, there could be worse ways to spend your money. Outright, purists of the fighting genre best take a wide berth. Beyond that, though, it’s a wishy washy area full of moments that will leave you unsure about what you think of Tournament of Legends. Because of that fact, I can’t offer anything more than middle of the road. It’s a shame Tournament of Legends doesn’t live up to its name.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars

Perhaps Sega is trying to trump Nintendo in delay announcements?

Through about a month or more of various video leaks and complaints about Sonic’s eye color without a single update to the official Sonic the Hedgehog 4 website, Sega has released a new press release today.  This news is also scheduled to be announced on Gamespot’s weekly Today On the Spot show.

The two significant announcements from the press release are as follows:

• The game’s release is being delayed until near the end of the year
• iPhone and iPod Touch versions confirmed

While the Apple platform versions were technically confirmed a while back (though with no official press release), the delay of the game’s overall release is a bit more interesting.  The Sega Blog’s own RubyEclipse assures that, “we’ve mixed internal suggestions alongside fan feedback to make some new, positive changes to the game.” That’s probably in case anyone was wondering why a game that appeared to be completed is going to be delayed (or at least as far as Episode 1 goes).  Either Sega really wants to delay the game to change it based off of fan feedback, or they want to get revenge at those who leaked footage of Episode 1 and change a bunch of things to make them irrelevant… or so people can brag about how they witnessed the ‘Sonic 4 Episode 1 Beta’ and make fan sites about it.

The blog also mentions, “Finally, there are rumors that something very special relating to Sonic 4 is coming around a special date this June.” Most likely relating to E3, but if Sonic 4 is proof of anything, it’s that Sega likes to play with everyone’s mind.

Update: You can view the Gamespot interview here.

(Source: Sega Blog/Press Release)

Yes, that’s right a new 2D sonic game is coming out for all major consoles in the Sonic 4, and as the name suggest they are most definitely cutting out all the gimmicks of previous games… or at least one can hope.

Seriously though, Sega promises that Sonic will be the only character. No Rouge. No Cream the Rabbit. And thank you almighty gaming god in the sky – no Big the Cat. Just the hedgehog we’ve come to know and love, just like the good old days.

The game picks up after Sonic and Knuckles and is also is planned to be a episodic adventure, meaning the game as a whole will be split into episodes each being released over a certain amount of time.

The game will be released this summer.
And congrats Sega, although it may be too early too tell, you finally may be doing it right.

Via Kotaku

Last year High Voltage Software unveiled Gladiator A.D., a gritty fighting game set in ancient Rome with, most importantly, MotionPlus support. It looks like a few things have changed since last year’s E3; or rather, a lot has changed. The new title is Tournament of Legends, and it looks like the game is sporting some more light-hearted but flashy graphics. Most notable is the lack of MotionPlus, though, and in its place is Wii remote/nunchuk and classic controller support.

More details on the game:

• Ten playable characters including a samurai, a golem, and a minotaur
• Eight environments
• Each character seeks revenge against Thanatos, the game’s villain
• Each character will have unique stories and reasons for fighting Thanatos
• Three different weapon sets (heavy, medium, light) for each character unlock as you play
• Swing weapons by swinging Wii remote and nunchuk
• Fights are three rounds of 90 seconds, knock out opponent three times to win
• Uses Quantum Engine, pushing details on fighters
• May 2010 release date

Certainly, this is not what a lot of people were expecting when the game was announced last year. The loss of Motion Plus is the most distressing, and definitely changes the tone of the game. Yet this still has a lot of potential and may surprise us all, so watch out for more information in the coming months.

Source

That’s right folks The Conduit finally has gotten a publisher. The game many have praised in E3 finally has gotten itself. The game so many have been wanting to get there hands on. The game you know will be the Wii’s first great FPS. The game we know as The Conduit publisher is…

Not Nintendo!
Not EA!
It’s…

Sega! That’s right seems like Sega has finally gotten to picking up the game following rumors that came out yesterday. Here’s the Press Release:

SEGA Gets Zapped by High Voltage with The Conduit

SEGA to Publish Highly Anticipated Wii Title in Spring 2009

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON—(BUSINESS WIRE)—SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® of Europe Ltd. today announced a worldwide partnership with High Voltage Software to publish and distribute the Wii™ home video game system-exclusive title, The Conduit. The first-person shooter garnered multiple awards at E3 2008, including Best Wii Game by GameTrailers and three awards from IGN: Best Shooting Game (Wii), Best Graphics Technology (Wii) and Best Overall Wii Game. The Conduit is a stunning, futuristic title powered by a new game engine technology that delivers remarkable visuals and effects, as well as a rich interactive experience that is unlike any other title on the Wii.

“The Conduit is one of the most talked-about Wii games this year and High Voltage Software has only scratched the surface of the game in terms of what they have shown so far,” says Simon Jeffery, President of SEGA of America, Inc. “They have proven that graphical and technological innovation can be exciting to the Wii market, and SEGA is thrilled to partner with a team that truly shares our belief in the Wii’s gaming potential beyond the casual market.”

“High Voltage Software’s partnership with SEGA to publish The Conduit represents an important milestone for this studio,” said Kerry Ganofsky, CEO and founder of High Voltage Software, Inc. “SEGA shares our vision for the title and its tremendous potential, which is why we chose them from a long list of potential partners. With their support, we are confident that The Conduit will deliver the definitive shooter experience that Wii fans have been waiting for.”

The Conduit takes players into a dark story in Washington D.C. after a vicious alien invasion has rocked the country. An organization called the Trust has sent in Secret Service agent, Mr. Ford, to go up against the insect-like alien race known as “The Drudge.” Armed with an array of futuristic weaponry and an intelligence-gathering device simply called the “All-Seeing Eye,” players follow an intricate storyline filled with conspiracy, shady government activity and terrifying aliens.

The Conduit’s detailed control system allows players to customize and configure look sensitivity, turning speed, the dead zone and much more. As players delve further into the mystery behind the extraterrestrial invasion, shocking details reveal that the invasion may have been brought on with help from the government itself.

Powered by High Voltage Software’s groundbreaking Quantum 3 engine, The Conduit ensures that players will experience single and multiplayer gameplay with graphical fidelity never seen before on the Wii. The Conduit will also support the recently announced Wii Speak peripheral, allowing online multiplayer gamers the ability to chat as they destroy aliens in each terrifying level. Additionally, the game will take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus for optimal control.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5070399/sega-confirmed-as-conduit-for-the-conduit

Which one do you think will come to the Wii

“As it turns out the BioWare guys, Ray and Greg in particular, are big fans of Sonic–they’ve met Yuji Naka and even have an autographed Genesis. They were very open to a collaboration in which they have creative freedom, but they still run stuff through us just to make sure we’re okay with it, that none of the hard-and-fast rules of the Sonic universe have been broken. We’re pretty much allowing them to build a game that needs to be built. We trust those guys. It’s a bit of a reboot for Sonic, contemporizing Sonic and making him a little bit more appealing to a wider, Western audience. And just putting that BioWare touch of class on that product is going to be pretty cool.” – Sega of America boss Simon Jeffery

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