Joseph Thomas

It’s fair to say that the console wars are going just as strong as ever, and as ever, console exclusives are playing a big part.
The internet is a dangerous place of warfare and ‘one-up-man-ship’ as fans of […]

Rebellion, the independent developer behind the hotly-anticipated Sniper Elite 3, has today announced that a limited special edition of the game will be released, though only 1000 copies will be produced.

The Sniper Elite 3 Limited Special Edition will be self-published by Rebellion for the 27th July release date, and is only available from Rebellion’s own Gamestore. It’s currently listed for £89.99 on the site, £50 more than the standard edition.

Though the game is set to be released on most consoles, including the Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, this special edition is exclusive to the PC version of the game.

The special edition contains huge amounts of content, including some items and in-game content that you can’t get elsewhere. The full contents of the box are:

The Sniper Elite 3 game on 2 DVDs.
Access to all Sniper Elite 3 DLC packs, including any released or announced in the future.
A game tin with an individually numbered card sleeve.
A host of documents including schematics and maps.
A hand-signed card from the Sniper Elite 3 team.
A limited edition Sniper Elite 3 t-shirt.
Playing cards containing hand-illustrated representations of the various forces in the game.
A firing range poster.
A set of 6 Sniper Elite 3 postcards.
A Sniper Elite 3 fabric badge that’s attachable to clothing, bags etc.
A printed version of the game’s instruction manual.

 

The limited edition can be pre-purchased now from the Rebellion Gamestore for £89.99, and the game will be released on 27th July for all consoles!

Nothing gets gamers drooling quite like E3. It’s undoubtedly the highlight of the gaming calendar every year and by now the rumour mill is already going crazy with guesses as to what might make an appearance at […]

Nintendo have revealed that an adapter will be released allowing gamers to play the Wii U’s Super Smash Bros. with Gamecube controllers.
The Gamecube controller Wii U adapter was revealed by Nintendo on Thursday […]

Sega have revealed an entirely new Sonic Boom character to debut in the upcoming videogame and TV show.
The new character, Sticks, in a jungle badger, who will play a significant role in the series and strike up a powerful friendship with existing character, Amy.

Sega also revealed a bit of background for the character, describing Sticks as a ‘force of nature in every way,’ especially suited to fighting as a result of spending most of her life alone in the wilderness.

This isolation is slated to have a huge impact on her personality and role in the games, with Sega describing the character as unfamiliar with social interaction and struggling with ‘the concepts of sharing, compassion and friendship’.

Hiroyuki Miyazaki, chief content officer for the Sonic Brand at SEGA of America discusses the significance of Sticks’ introduction to the Sonic series,

 

“Sticks is a significant addition to the Sonic Boom universe and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. She brings a quirky personality and perspective to the team dynamic, and we look forward to sharing this energetic and funny new character with the world.”

The Sonic Boom Series
The Sonic Boom series was announced back in February as an enormous multi-platform and multimedia project.

The series will include Wii U and 3DS games, a new range of toys and even a new TV series based on the continually popular Sonic series.

The most striking aspect of the series is the redesign of the classic Sonic characters.

Described as ‘bold’ and ‘brave,’ the animation style is very different for the Sonic Boom series that the classic style, and it hasn’t been welcomed by all fans, though Sega has promised to continue the classic Sonic design in its other games.

Sticks will be making her debut in the Sonic Boom TV series in Autumn/Fall this year, and the spin-off game around the same time.

Mario kart 8 Characters: The List
To celebrate the upcoming release of Mario Kart 8, I decided to put together a ‘definitive’ ranking of the Playable Mario kart 8 Characters. This list will consider the significance of a character, their role in the Mario series and above all, my personal preference.

Feel free to disagree, just let me know in the comments which you agree with and which you think I’m completely wrong about!
MII (N/A)
I’ve left the Mii out of this list, just because they haven’t got a story at all. But obviously, if it was based on my personal Mii, this would shoot right up to Number 1…

THE KOOPALINGS (LARRY, MORTON, WENDY, IGGY, ROY, LEMMY AND LUDWIG) (23)
The first of many new introductions to the series on this list, the Koopalings are technically 7 separate characters, but it felt easier to treat them as one.

Primarily known as Bowser’s henchmen, the Koopalings haven’t really been given much of a starring role themselves at any point, and are more often just fodder for Mario to defeat on his way to Bowser. Until there’s a bit more definition between them, and they start to show a bit more capability, it’s hard to move these from the bottom of the pile!
METAL MARIO (22)
Metal Mario is a strange addition to the Mario franchise, serving most often as a difficult boss or final opponent in Mario sports games or the Super Smash Bros. series.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t really have much of an explanation or reason for being around, so it’s difficult to really root for him.

 
PINK GOLD PEACH (21)
The ultimate proof that Metal people need love too! Introduced as a spin-off from the Metal Mario character,

Pink Gold Peach gets a better ranking simply for being a new character: that’s always more exciting.

 
LAKITU (20)
Lakitus are most often relegated to boring jobs like umpire and filming Mario’s adventures, but Mario Kart 7 finally saw a Lakitu get its chance for glory as a playable character. It’s a big step for Lakitu, a character with not much of a role normally, and much less iconic than a lot of the other Mario characters.

Perhaps a few more appearances as playable characters will turn that all around!

BABY LUIGI, MARIO, PEACH, DAISY (16-19)  

Because they’re all basically the exact same, I’m going to deal with these babies altogether. They are cute, and I’ll be honest, I spend a good amount of my time on Mario Kart playing as these, but as far as the characters go, they just don’t have one.

In the nicest way, the babies just feel like a way to make up the numbers, even if they’re actually quite talented racers.

 
TOADETTE (15)
Toadette suffers from a regular curse in the Mario series: she seems to have been introduced just to give a partner to another character, and apart from that, she’s not really contributed much.

But still, every Toad has to have someone to love them.

 
BABY ROSALINA (14)
Baby Rosalina has a bit more intrigue than the other babies, just because she’s new and probably one of the cutest.

She does fall to the curse of the babies though: they’re really just a bit pointless as characters and genuinely just seem there to make up the numbers!

 
WALUIGI (13)
A distorted, evil version of Luigi, Waluigi was first introduced in Mario Tennis, and has since been portrayed as the brains to Wario’s brawn.

Despite this, Waluigi has never really had a massive role in any game, except for Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix: not the most serious of Mario games.

 
DAISY (12)
Essentially Peach Version 2.0, Daisy seems to have been introduced just to give Luigi his own princess to match Mario and Peach.

She’s appeared in a huge number of Mario games since her inception, and has even managed to appear as a regular character in the Super Smash Bros. games, but she’s never really been as interesting as many of the other characters.

She’s always come second to Peach, and has never really had much of a role, which explains why she falls a bit lower down in this list.
WARIO (11)
A bit of an odd-ball character, it’s safe to say Wario is one of the more unusual villains. Designed to be the perfect opposite of Mario, Wario’s name comes from a combination of the Italian plumber’s and the Japanese word for ‘bad’.

Wario has managed to do quite well for himself, achieving his own games such as the WarioWare and Wario Land series, but he’s never really achieved the iconic status of some of Mario’s other enemies.

 
KOOPA TROOPA (10)
The original source of the iconic Mario shell, the Koopa Troopas originally appeared as Bowser’s henchmen, but since then they’ve enjoyed a more random relationship with Mario, sometimes serving as enemies and sometimes as allies.

Along with the Goombas, the Koopa Troopa are probably the most recognisable and widely-known enemies of Mario, and he’s quickly wormed his way to player character status in quite a few recent titles, including Mario Golf and previous Mario Kart games.

Iconic, quirky and the source of the unforgettable shell, Koopa Troopa deserves the increasing prominence it’s getting!

 
ROSALINA (9)
One of the newest editions to the Mario family, Rosalina first appeared in Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii in 2007, but she’s quickly become very popular. Since her first appearance she’s appeared in 9 games and was recently selected to make her debut in the Super Smash Bros. series later this year!

Rosalina was one of my most common choices for Mario Kart Wii, where she was a ‘large’ character with huge speed, but poor handling: almost the polar opposite of her new ‘Baby Rosalina’ counterpart!

SHY GUY (8)
Shy Guy is probably one of the cutest and most likeable villains in the Mario games. Having appeared in countless Mario games as a NPC or enemy, fans were thrilled when Shy Guy was originally announced for Mario Kart 7.

Though he’s loveable and one of the iconic Mario characters, he’s just never really had enough story or character about him to really make him take off as some of the other characters have, but he’s been around for years now, and he’s just too cute to insult!

 
TOAD (7)
For a long time an unsung hero in the Mario games, Toad only recently started to appear as a playable character in video games, having been relegated to NPC, assistance roles in the past.

Perhaps the most likeable and cheerful of Mario characters, it’s hard to hold anything against Toad, and it’s great to see him finally gaining more and more of a role in the series, and a sibling/love interest/best friend (no one really knows) to match!

In Mario Kart, he’s got all-round average stats, making him good for any player type, and his cool Kart designs are always a nice little extra.

 
PEACH (6)
Along with Mario, Peach is one of the most established Mario characters, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Despite being iconic, Peach just spends most of her time waiting to be saved by Mario. I mean, you’d think she’d have found some defence against Bowser by now. As close to a love interest as possible for such a child-friendly game, Peach and Mario have enjoyed a long-lasting relationship (if that’s what you can call her being repeatedly saved by him), and in Mario Kart they usually boast similar stats.

A firm favourite with many female Mario Kart players, but a little bit too helpless throughout the rest of the Mario series to really establish herself as one of the best characters.

 

 
DONKEY KONG (5)
Donkey Kong hovers on the border between ally and enemy of Mario. Originally introduced in the arcade game, Donkey Kong in 1981, he’s been the opponent of Mario at numerous points since then.

Despite his intimidating appearance and tendency to try and kill Mario every now and then, Donkey Kong is actually immensely popular and serves as something of a mascot for Nintendo, though he still lags behind a few of Nintendo’s more iconic characters.

 
LUIGI (4)
Luigi suffers from a huge case of sidekick syndrome. He’s essentially the exact same as Mario. Heck, he’s even taller. He’s just never quite got the same level of hype and adoration as his red-wearing brother.

Nintendo has recently tried to show Luigi some love with the ‘Year of Luigi’ to celebrate 30 years since Luigi’s first appearance. Luigi’s Mansion 2, Dr. Luigi and New Super Luigi U all tried their best to bring Luigi level with Mario, but I think Luigi’s going to forever just be Mario’s greener brother.

 
BOWSER (3)
Aside from Mario, Bowser is arguably the most recognisable character from the series (even though I’m sure a lot of people will disagree!) Mario’s eternal nemesis, you can be sure he’s always there with his evil laugh to try and ruin Mario’s life, but despite that, it’s hard not to love him.

One of the heaviest and strongest Mario Kart characters, you’ll feel it if he comes barrelling into you, and once he gets up to top speed there’s not much that can stop him!

Bowser is the perfect example of a cool villain, and even though he’s utterly dastardly, everyone has a little soft-spot in their heart for Bowser.

 

YOSHI (2)
Who doesn’t love Yoshi? He’s usually a bit of a jack-of-all-trades in Mario Kart, and he’s undoubtedly the cutest thing ever to come from Nintendo. Sure, you can’t understand a word he says, but he’s one of the Mario series longest serving characters and he’s had his own fair share of games dedicated just to him.

The perfect combination of nostalgia, cuteness and driving skill, Yoshi only just misses out on the top spot.

 
MARIO (1)

Some people will say this is a bit too obvious, but come on, was there ever going to be any other winner?

Give a controller to any new Mario Kart player and you can be almost sure they’ll go straight for Mario.

Not only has he got good all-round stats in the Mario Kart series, but for 23 years Mario has been the eternal nice guy, saving the princess and fighting the forces of evil. Plus, he’s got a cool accent, an awesome moustache that men worldwide are jealous of, and he’s one of the biggest names in all of gaming. He deservedly sits at the top of the Mario Kart 8 rankings.

 

So there you have it! My ultimate ranking of the Mario Kart 8 Characters. Feel free to let me know in the comments below if you agree/disagree with any of my choices! If you want to read another Mario Kart related article check out  22 Years Of Mario kart Games – The Retrospective

Mario Kart 8 will be released for Wii U on 30th May!

 

We have a great list of Wii Fitness games for you to check out.
The rise of the Wii back since 2006 spawned a huge new surge in fitness games. With accurate motion sensing technology and some ingenious peripherals, the Wii fitness market called out to a whole new section of gamers across the globe.

There’s a huge amount of Wii fitness games out there, and everyone is bound to find something they’ll enjoy, but if you’re struggling, here’s a helpful list of the Wii titles guaranteed to put a smile on your face while you shed those pounds.
EA Sports Active Series

Almost like your own personal gym, 2008’s EA Sports Active offered personal trainers, 30 day challenges, and a large number of workout regimens. Players can choose their own calorie-burning or timed goals, and can work towards them with personalised routines based on your own preferences and difficulty settings.

Much as a personal trainer might, EA Sports Active also tries to balance the workout, letting you know if you’ve spent too long working on a certain body part. The Wii Balance Board is compatible but not essential, and instead the game relies on a pouch that straps onto the leg and holds the Nunchuk, allowing the game to pick up lower body movements as well.

An expansion pack, EA Sports Active: More Workouts was released in November 2009, and a sequel, EA Sports Active 2 was released in November 2010, adding new regimens and more customisation options.
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp

EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp stemmed from the EA Sports Active series but focusses much more on the male audience, using American Football to diversify the exercises. The game is fully licensed by the NFL and has even more sensitivity than the other EA Sports Active games, using a heart rate monitor to keep track of your heart rate as you progress through the exercises.

The game modes are entirely different to the rest of the series, including routines such as the 40-yard dash and a 60 day challenge of various football drills.
Get Fit with Mel B

Melanie Brown might be more famous for being Scary Spice in the Spice Girls, but she’s branched out a lot more since then.

Get Fit with Mel B offers over 100 different exercises focussing on everything from cardio to toning, and dance fit to kickboxing. The game also offers real-time suggestions to improve your posture, motions and positioning, and even comes with a personal nutrition plan and recipes.

Released in 2010, the game is also available for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, though there is little difference between the versions. The Playstation Move Camera and Xbox Kinect can offer more real-time observation of more body parts, but the exercises are much the same.

 
Gold’s Gym: Cardio Workout

Gold’s Gym: Cardio Workout was released in the UK and Europe as My Fitness Coach: Cardio Workout in 2009. This game uses the ‘shape boxing’ regimen of the Kyoei Boxing Gym, including shadowboxing alongside more traditional muscle and cardio exercises.

The Wii Balance Board is useable but not essential, and the game also comes with nutritional guidance to offer a rounded fitness regime.

 
Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum

Jillian Michaels is best known as trainer on The Biggest Loser, and it’s unsurprising that she’s made the jump to exercise video games. Both a 2009 and 2010 edition was released, using the Wii Balance Board and Remote to complete four types of workouts: Weight Loss, Strength Training, Intervals and Hill Climb.

Players can choose the exercise, duration and intensity to match the regimen to their needs, and in the competitive spirit of The Biggest Loser, players can play against one another in real-time to see who can burn the most calories

 
UFC Personal Trainer

Mixed Martial Arts has grown in popularity at an astonishing rate over the past ten years, and a Wii fitness game linked to the sport was almost inevitable.

Again geared towards male players, the game’s exercises use motions and targets similar to those used in the sport. For example, punching combos and takedowns are common routines in the game.

 
Wii Fit Series

Without a doubt the most well-known Wii fitness game out there, the Wii Fit series is the first option for many players. The first game to introduce the Wii Balance Board back in 2008, Wii Fit offers a diverse combination of aerobic, balance, yoga and strength exercises.

The Balance Board not only increases the number of game types available but also allows the game to record your posture and weight, enabling a more thorough record of progress to be kept.

Leaderboards and competitions between different users of the game make the Wii Fit suitable not only as an exercise game, but a party game as well. Combining fun and fitness is perhaps why the Wii Fit series has stayed so popular.

A sequel, Wii Fit Plus, was released in 2009 with new activities and exercises, and the opportunity to create your own fitness regime so that you can simply click a button and play all of your favourite activities one after the other.

 
Yoga Wii

More therapeutic and relaxing than many other fitness games, Yoga Wii focusses entirely on using the Wii Balance Board to instruct and guide players through more than 30 yoga exercises and positions.

 
Your Shape

Despite being released on the Wii, Your Shape chose not to use the Wii Remote tracking system, and instead shipped with its own camera to track exercises and motions.

Jenny McCarthy, model and entertainer, fronted this game, which allowed players to tailor exercises to particular parts of the body depending on their preferences.

 
Zumba Fitness Series

The hottest fitness craze of the momentZumba was destined to land on the Wii. To enable the Wii to properly detect movements a belt was included which slotted the Wii Remote onto the player’s hip: the most used body part in Zumba.

The game supported multiple players, making it a party experience, not just a fitness one, and the wild success of the first game led to multiple sequels.

Zumba Fitness 2 introduced different dance styles, including Hip Hop, Merengue and Reggaeton, as well as music by some of the world’s biggest recording artists such as Pitbull and Nicole Scherzinger.

Zumba Fitness Core in 2012 offered more specific focus on the abdomen and even more new dance styles.

Zumba Fitness: World Party is one of the most recent offerings, with more songs and multiplayer options than previous games.

Zumba Kids was the last game ever released for the Wii in Europe before the console was discontinued, and, as the name suggests, focussed on kids and therefore easier routines.

Did we miss any? Want to weigh in on your personal favourite fitness games? Let us know in the comments below!

It’s now widely known that the Xbox One is lagging behind the Playstation 4, and one of Xbox’s biggest names had weighed in on just why he thinks there’s a 3 million consoles gap in sales.

In an interview […]

Crazy swords and destructive title weapons have come crashing to the iOS App Store in the form of Soul Calibur: Unbreakable Soul, a free-to-play installment of the Soul Calibur series.

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NEW MARIO KART 8 GAMEPLAY FEATURES & MORE
With less than a month to go until Mario Kart 8 is officially released on 30th May, Nintendo released a new Nintendo Direct video revealing just enough information to keep fans excited for potentially the hottest Wii U exclusive of the year.

New items and characters were just some of the gameplay features revealed, alongside Mario Kart TV, a new in-game channel allowing players to watch highlight reels of their races, and a detailed explanation of the online multiplayer component of the game.
GAMEPLAY FEATURES
Mario Kart 8 allows up to 12 players to compete at a time, and offers a wide range of ways to find opponents. For instance, players can choose whether to compete against players from all over the world, or on a much more regional level.

For those players who prefer to race against their friends, Mario Kart 8 is to include chat in the in-game lobbies, so players can talk to one another whilst waiting for their slower friends to join in.

There’s also the option to create tournaments to compete against either friends or other gamers globally at set times to really test who’s best.

As always ghost data will also be recorded so that there’s always friendly competition to race against regardless of the date and time.

 
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Mario Kart 8 also makes it easier to rub a friend’s face in it when they’re left them trailing behind, including Mario Kart TV which allows players to watch highlights of the races and even post them to the Miiverse and Youtube for the entire world to see.

For those who’re interested in watching the very best Mario Kart players in the world, Mario Kart TV will provide access to the world’s most popular highlight reels.

Additional Items and Playable Characters
To top it off, Mario Kart 8 adds to the already extensive list of characters by adding in Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach, the princess’ own equivalent of Metal Mario, bringing the total to 30 available drivers.

New items include the Super Horn, which blows away anything around the player, and the Crazy Eight, a collection of eight items that lucky drivers will be able to use one after the other.
FREE DOWNLOAD WITH EVERY MARIO KART 8 PURCHASED
Nintendo also announced a scheme which will allow players to receive a free Wii U title to download with any copy of Mario Kart 8 purchased.

Whether bought from the Nintendo eShop or at retail, players will be able to register the Club Nintendo PIN that accompanies the game at any point before 31st July 2014 to receive a free download code for one of ten WII U games.

The list of games included in the deal is really impressive, featuring some of the Wii U’s most successful and critically acclaimed titles. The full list is below: 

New Super Mario Bros. U
Pikmin 3
The Wonderful 101
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Sonic Lost World
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Wii Party U
Nintendo Land
GAME & WARIO
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

 

Nintendo only recently revealed a host of other features, including other characters, more details on the impact of antigravity in the latest game and some information on the tracks available.

Mario Kart 8 will be released in just under a month on May 30th, exclusively for the Wii U.

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