Demo-Lition: Sonic Fan Remix

Yeah, I’ve heard of Sonic – he’s that little blue hedgehog with the sick looking sneakers and white Michael Jackson-like gloves who can run really fast and do cool stuff.

I’ll admit that I haven’t really been that much of a Sonic fan in all my years. The last time I played a Sonic game was on PC, and I can’t even remember which one it was. But I think it had Tails in it. Or maybe it was Knuckles. I don’t know.

I used to watch the Sonic cartoons though – those were pretty cool.

So I’ve proven that I’m not the biggest Sonic fan ever, so that should actually give me a bit of an advantage while playing this, seeing as I won’t be overly biased with it, hopefully.

But when NAG Online had a post up one day talking about a fan-made Sonic game, made using the Unity engine (what game isn’t nowadays, besides though made using Unreal Engine 3?), I was intrigued. And they nicely promised that it would be on the next NAG cover DVD – which it was (the December 2010 issue).

After I’d pretty much finished Fallout: New Vegas (got bored, started over with a new character), I decided to try this little demo out. And I’m all ready looking forward to the full release – if it ever happens, before someone slaps a C&D (cease & desist) on it or something.

As you see by the screenshots, the game is very beautiful when cranked up to its full graphical potential. And it gets even better when you fire it up. The trees sway in the wind, and the water sparkles in the distance. Rain pours down in the one level, and the effects are just grand to say the least. The animation then is superb. If you thought that Trine was a good looking game, then this one should please no end.

The trial version, or demo, consists of a fair three levels, based on Emerald Hill, which should be familiar to those who’ve played Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and the obvious point of the game is to try and collect as many rings as possible, and get through the level in the quickest time, all whilst dodging or taking out the flying, swimming, and and… rolling enemies of Roboland, or risk bumping in to one of them and spilling your well-earned rings.

I’ve read some negative comments surrounding the demo, with some claiming it to be too colourful. Well, it is – if you’re used to playing something like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., or F.E.A.R., where the colour palette doesn’t really go beyond grey and brown most of the time.

There might be a few bugs in the demo, which is to be expected. One I came across was when I bumped into one of those springs which send you speeding up steep hill with ease, and Sonic died instead – forcing me to start the act from the beginning. This also happens on objects such as blades of grass or flowers, too, rarely.

So once again, I’m not the biggest Sonic fan out there, but if you are sceptical of this little demo being real, then you need to download it and play it right now. It’s available for PC and Mac. I personally would love to play the full thing, especially seeing as it’s a free download affair.

Download it:

http://sonicfanremix.com/
http://sonicresearch.org/sonicfanremix/
http://www.geenzo.com/sonicfanremix/SFRMac.zip (Mac version)

Demo-Lition: Sonic Fan Remix

NAG Competitions Every Day For 3+ Weeks This December

NAG Magazine’s online presence, known as NAG Online, is going to be having a long series of competitions this month, running from the 1st of December right up until the 24th – Christmas Eve, naturally. That’s one competition every day.

Prizes up for grabs include hardware to games and so on. All you have to do is either comment on the post of each individual competition (you need to register to do so), or send an email to NAG. And if you do, you automatically get entered in to the competition in question. By commenting, instead of emailing, you also become eligible to win a USB flash drive courtesy of Corex.

The winners of the competitions will be drawn in January (likely the NAG staff will be having a little holiday for a while). Only South African residents may enter the comps by the way.

Source: Competition: 24 Days of Giving - Competition: 24 Days of Giving [NAG Online]

NAG Competitions Every Day For 3+ Weeks This December

Chaos Computers Tech Expo 2010

All ready as of last week, the 17th of November, Chaos Computers has been having a Tech Expo at CapeGate Shopping Centre.

I only saw the advert in the latest Tygerburger just the other day. Whoops. Chaos had an event like this last year about the same time, and at the same place. Hard to believe it’s been a year since I posted about it.
The Expo is situated in the centre court and will run until the 15th of December. You’ll be able to try out some gadgets, including the much talked about Xbox Kinect.

I must still go and check out the new Chaos Computers store in Willowbridge. They moved there from Kenridge two or three months ago.

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Source: Tygerburger

Chaos Computers Tech Expo 2010

NAG December 2010 Issue Out This Week

This Thursday sees the December 2010 issue of NAG magazine arrive.

Previews (typed erroneously as “Reviews” in the contents) include BioShock Infinite. The reviews section offers up Medal of Honor and Call of Duty: Black Ops, as well as Fable III and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II – which some claim was one of the year’s biggest disappointments.
The cover DVD has a few things to offer, like a demo of a fan-made Sonic title, which according to some puts Sonic 4 to shame – not that I’ve played it. There’s also Arcania: Gothic 4, which I’ve read some describe as similar to Thief: Deadly Shadows (?).

I see that one of my DVD suggestions made it onto the disc this month, with the free full game named White on there. Everyone loves a free game. And there’s a total of 139 movies on the disc too…

Source: NAG Online

NAG December 2010 Issue Out This Week

300th Episode of The Verge Imminent

I was watching The Verge the other night, only to hear Pippa say that the 300th episode of the show is coming up next month, on Wednesday, the 8th of December 2010, to be exact.

And that’s not all! There’s a competition taking place to mark the momentous occasion too. It’s running from now until the 7th of December, the eve of the milestone episode – when ironically that other rubbish, The Ginx Files, will be airing. But to its credit at least there are new episodes and not repeats all the time.

So about this competition: the prize up for grabs is an Asus G-Series Laptop complete with 3D Vision – all valued at R17 000. All you have to do to win is post a photo of yourself, with something that includes the Asus logo, and the number 300, on the The Verge Facebook wall. So no real room for creativity, then.

You can also email the picture to theverge@dontlookdown.tv.

Source: The Verge

300th Episode of The Verge Imminent

Now Playing - Fallout: New Vegas

Despite the mixed reviews, the other day I purchased Fallout: New Vegas.

There was no way I was going to pass on it. I was interested in it whenever I saw pictures or watched a trailer of it.

This game, despite looking as though it could probably have been just nothing more than a mod for Fallout 3, was handled by Obsidian – a studio which consists of several guys who worked on the original Fallout games. The game goes back to the west coast this time, and takes place mainly in the Mojave, with locales such as what remains of Las Vegas being the main attraction. But, unlike Washington DC, the place seems to have been spared the same level of destruction. The surrounding towns though are a different story.

In my opinion, FNV is even more atmospheric than Fallout 3, and there are several little improvements and additions this time around. Of course, there are a number of bugs too – but luckily a have a couple of patches to help sort this out. Nevertheless, even then, I’ve come across a few annoying ones – mainly surrounding the companions.

In addition to the companions, you have other useful things such as a reloading bench where you can break down and make ammo, as well as campfires which help you create edible food stuffs from things you find out in the desert.

And the best part is you have more guns! And there’s quite a selection too: from the .357 Magnum, to the Service Rifle (M16), as well as numerous others. I was rather chuffed to see that there are now 9mm weapons, including a pistol to replace that horrid looking 10mm one, which still exists in this game. I just don’t want to use it.

Overall, I’m enjoying it so far. Great characters and missions in the game, and it really feels like the Wild West at times. Some people love FNV, and others hate it. I would fall in to the first camp. Despite its faults, I find it immensely enjoyable.

Now Playing - Fallout: New Vegas

Apocalypse Then: No One Lives Forever

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Apocalypse Then: No One Lives Forever