Posted by: Cybermario @ 2:04 pm 
Square Enix released a new batch of screenshots for Final Fantasy XIII-2, we cant get tired of seeing more about this fantastic game, and of coruse we hope you are as delighted as we are.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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November 18, 2011
New Final Fantasy XIII-2 Screenshots
Enjoy!
October 31, 2011
Review: MLB Bobblehead Battle
It is October and it’s a good month for baseball, so why not grab a ball, a glove and go out to… nah why don’t we just turn on our Xbox 360 and play with MLB Bobblehead Battle from Konami? That’s right, this is the second installment in the MLB Bobblehead series for the Xbox Live Arcade and it’s a lot of fun!
Gameplay
The second installment in the MLB Bobblehead series is here with the arcade style baseball we loved in the first game, but now there is a cool twist in the gameplay. I’m sure many of you will like!
First this feels less of a baseball title and more a “let’s go crazy and have fun” kind of game, much like Mario Superstar Baseball for the Gamecube and the Wii. The field is like a giant checkers board, well… sort of, with green (single) and orange (out) squares all over, 4 ramps that can send your ball flying away or slamming against one of the many walls in the field. So either you get a home run or the ball can fall in a green or orange square, this is a lot of fun and quite different from the first game.
The layout of the squares change from time to time keeping the game interesting and fresh, you really can’t figure out where the ball is going to land! So it’s a gamble, even if you hit a really nice swing you can’t end landing on an out. Man i hate how the AI landed on a triple in my last game, grrr!
The game features trading cards (based on the japanese Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu games) and you can do all sort of crazy things with them like using a gigantic bat to increase your chances to hit the ball, special throws at the speed of light and much more.
Just like before all the league teams are available. Something special and worth mentioning is how you can edit the stadiums, i truly loved this feature and is fun to mess with, i like when developers let you play and customize things.
The features from the first game returns as well, letting you pick a quick game, season and more including co-op.
There can only be one! (Insert awesome swords battle here please) Just like in highlander, this game is a one versus one battle, the batter against the pitcher, there are no fielders at all, it’s one of many differences from a standard baseball title, giving it that special something gamers will enjoy.
Downside
It’s my understanding this game is basically Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu , or at least it’s using elements such as the trading cards in the gameplay mechanics, so why not give us a US release for Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu for the fans of the japanese games? I love imports and having a Jikkyou game released for XBLA would have been awesome!
Aside from that, my only complaint for MLB Bobblehead Battle is the batter box, as a pitcher i have no problem with it at all, easy to use, but as a batter is a bit annoying to move the bat to actually hit the ball, this was the exact issue i had with previous MLB Bobblehead games and sad to see it did not improve. Would be better if it was more like in Nicktoons MLB.
Extras
Again, no avatar awards or gamer pictures.
Overall
If you love arcade style baseball games and you enjoyed MLB Bobblehead Pros, this is an excellent title for you and a must have in your collection.
MLB Bobblehead Battle is extremely fun with lots of baseball teams to pick from, stadiums you can customize and much more. All in all it’s a fantastic choice to spend a good time playing. Available in the Xbox Live Arcade marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points.
We give the game an 8 out of 10
~Mario
August 23, 2011
More Final Fantasy XIII-2 Screenshots, delight!
We just got new screenshots of Final Fantasy XIII-2, as usual we drool for the fantastic details and promising gameplay of the upcoming title from Square-Enix. We at anime courtyard are excited as time for release gets closer, hope you enjoy the screenshots as much as we do!
Also a piece of artwork was released, you can enjoy it by checking our Image Gallery, kupo~!
August 15, 2011
Toy Soldiers: Cold War Review (XBLA)
“War was never this fun!” is what defines this fantastic game. I do say that with a big smile and a pair of sore thumbs to prove it, after a session i was hooked from start to end of the campaign.
As i played the game it was giving me a free ticket to memory lane, making me remember the GIJOE toys from the company Hasbro, the style in which they present the game made me go back to my childhood. Sadly i missed the first title in the series, something i now regret.
This, the latest title in the Summer of Arcade for the Xbox360 arrived with a real blast, we had some good titles in this promotion but Toy Soldiers Cold War may be one of the best!
Gameplay
This is a sort of tower defense type game, after a brief tutorial to learn to use the different turrets at your disposal, you are deployed to your first mission.
The objective of the game is to defend your base from the russian strikes, the more russians that make it thought your defenses and invade your base will substract hit points, so you have to prevent that from happening.
You have several types of turrets to help you defend the base, including Machine Guns, Anti Tank, Anti Aircraft, Mortar, Artillery and Makeshift (which is a sort of toxic weapons turret).
These turrets can be upgraded as you defeat enemies and gain money, not all the enemies can be defeated with one type of turret, for example machine guns wont do much against heavily armored tanks, while anti tank turrets will obliterate them.
Creative and detailed scenarios for each stage
As a bonus when an enemy soldier or unit display a red star and you get the kill (this does not count, if the AI is controlling the turret or vehicle) you get a Barrage to make use of special attacks.
These include bombarding the area; aerial support with heavy artillery, a nuke or my personal favorite a commando using a bazooka and a machine gun which is a parody of Rambo, truly funny and made me laugh a lot, just to hear him say “You wanted a war? You got a war!”.
The way Barrage works is random so you dont know which support you will obtain, sometimes it’s a life saver and other times it will not help you destroy the current wave of soldiers.
Aside of the turrets you can get a vehicle or two to help you stop the red menace! You will have the chance to pilot and drive tanks, helicopters or even a powerful jet.
"I just wanted to go home!" unleash a powerful barrage!
Co-op
The game offers both, online and offline co-op and versus modes. This is a very good asset as many developers add just one of them, the offline mode features a split screen.
Downsides
Camera can be annoying, i cant deny that. Often using a turret or a vehicle, as you move the angle to aim at enemy units it’s common to see a building blocking the screen as it gets behind your vehicle.
This can be nasty especially when you are in a pinch and need to destroy the enemy fast. Other than that.. to be honest, i can’t find any other issues with the game.
Defend your base, destroy the enemy
Extras
Oh boy! The guys at Singnal Studios decided to spoil us here, giving us a good amount of freebies including Gamer Pictures and 3 different avatar awards, including the commando hairstyle plus the red bandana, a neat military jacket and a shirt.
Overall
All in all, Toy Soldiers Cold War is a tower defense game you mustn’t let pass, good soundtrack with excellent gameplay and controls. Online and offline co-op and versus modes, plus upcoming DLC, giving this title a high replay value that’s worth 1200 Microsoft Points. For more screenshots of the game please visit our image gallery.
So join the Toy Soldiers army and get ready to defend the freedom and our right to order a whopper with fries and a vanilla milkshake, we need you soldier!
we give the game a 9.4 out of 10
~Mario
July 27, 2011
The Adventures of Shuggy Review (XBLA)
Valcom Games brings us this summer The Adventures of Shuggy,a game that proves 2D is not dead. By playing with time travel and gravity mechanics this puzzle game is a nice break from many FPS flooding the market today that focuses more on graphics than gameplay value, this title for Xbox Live Arcade gives us that and more.
Story
Our good Shuggy has received a huge mansion as part of an inheritance, but something seems to be wrong and the mansion seems to exhale steam everywhere, besides being infested with strange creatures.
Our hero decides to take action and regain what is rightfully his. Will Shuggy be able to solve all the puzzles that await him in this entertaining adventure?
Gameplay
In this game you must solve the puzzle that is presented to you in every room of the mansion. in which you must collect all the jewels to obtain a key. As you collect keys you can unlock new zones: Dungeon, graveyard, Clocktower and more all filled with puzzles and challenges for your enjoyment.
Time travel challenges create a shadow clone of shuggy that will follow every step you did before, often used to click a switch while you get near a door that is locked. When the timer resets, your shadow clone starts to move, if you collide with him you die and have to start the challenge from the begining.
Every time the timer resets a new shadow clone will spawn, so watch out and or plan your steps carefully or this can turn into a mess.
Other challenges play with the gravity, where everything will be upside down and others where the walls will be the ground, avoiding enemies and spikes all over the room. Sounds simple but the changes in gravity can be confusing at times, giving the game a truly interesting touch.
Rotating the rooms to complete an objective, making use of switches or teleporters are also part of the challenges you will encounter. For example the boiler room has rooms in which balls of fire will be spit from hot lava in the bottom, some rooms with switches require you to work with clones or friends of Shuggy trapped in the mansion.
There is a nice variety in the puzzles and that makes the game a definite winner.
Controls are responsive and flexible, it’s easy to get cocky and go right to your death because of this but controls wont work otherwise, i like them, it’s a matter of timing your movements properly.
Multiplayer
What can be better than a nice puzzle game to play? Well, That’s enjoying it with friends over xbox live of course. Competing with people over Xbox Live can be fun, although multiplayer was not what I expected, it is a nice complement to the game.
Overall
The Adventures of Shuggy brings back an old formula to the current generation of consoles proving 2D has a lot to offer with high gameplay value.
If you like puzzle games with lots of variety, a nice amount of challenges and a nice retro look definitely this game is worth the 800 microsoft points. I recommend this game and it is most definitely a good purchase for your collection.
We give the game a 8.5 out of 10!
~Mario
