Sims 4 - Come To Life

OMG well there it is! The first look at the Sims 4!!!!!! Let's talk over some of the main facts shall we before my head explodes!
The biggest announcement in this trailer was obviously the addition of emotions to the Sims 4, while our Sims have always been an emotional bunch this is the first time that your Sims will experience actual emotion that will impact on their lives. Furious, Happy, Sad, Depressed, Flirty, Confident, Inspired, Hysterical, Focused, Bored, Fine, Angry and Flirty are all emotions that can be seen in the trailer and each one brings new animations and interactions to our Sims. Lyndsay Pearson, a producer on the Sims 4 says:

 “You have the ability of what to do with that emotion. If your Sim is furious, that may seem like a bad thing, but it actually means they can write a special book or paint a special painting or go for a really good run and have a really great workout.” 

I love the idea of putting emotions into the Sims 4 and i think its a great continuation of moodlets that were introduced in Sims 3. I look forward to  seeing these new emotions in action and getting to see what I can achieve with each of them. I also think that there is a possibility new expansion packs will include new emotions, like Sims 3 expansions that included new moodlets.

Another striking feature from the new trailer is the enhanced build mode. Since I love building in the Sims I was very excited to hear that EA and Maxis were upgrading Build/Buy mode, and I have so far liked what I see within this trailer. Rooms are now placed onto lots and expanded by dragging to create the desired shape. Pre-set rooms can also be placed straight onto lots (known as blueprint mode in Sims 3) and entire rooms can be picked up and moved, including furniture, to a new location. Items around the home also enhance the new Emotion feature as some decoration can induce certain emotions in Sims nearby. The height of walls also seems to be changeable, shown in a short clip in the trailer. I do hope that there is an option to draw walls like in previous games as I like to create odd shaped rooms in my houses, but as for now I have nothing to complain about.

The new Create A Sim mode seems to enhance the already diverse features of Sim editing. There will be 18 editable points on each Sim that you can click and drag to edit, eliminating the need for sliders and menus. Sims can be made much more in detail this way and will help to ensure each Sim is individual. Another way each Sim will be individual is the way we get to choose a manner in which they perform their actions, allowing us to have our Sims be erratic or move with elegance.

Some things that you might not have noticed in the trailer were the improved lighting tones in the game, that created a soft glow over the world, making the game feel more smooth and light, and the all new music and voices that played in the background of the trailer, which sound very crisp and I like the music style of choice here too. I also love the new tagline for the game, with the Sims 3's being "Play With Life" Our brand new slogan for the SIms 4 is: "Come To Life".


I cannot wait to see more of this game as Gamescom happens, I'll be sure to post news as it happens right here

Thanks guys
Josh

The Sims 4 at Gamescom 2013

With the big reveal of The Sims 4 first game play just around the corner I just thought I would dedicate a post to some of the speculation about the upcoming game

By far the biggest argument is the art style of the new Sims. EA and Maxis wanted Sims 4 to be inspired by the previous games in the series, and to be an accumulation of all of the best features from the series. the new art style of the Sims is definitely more cartoony than the Sims 3, and nods to the more angular art style of the original game. As soon as the picture shown above was released a huge internet debate: "Realistic Sims vs Cartoony Sims".

 

I have read thousands of comments reading "I hate the new style" "I want realism" and "I want my Sims to look real not animated" but I can't help liking the new designs and I feel that people who like it are being lost in the sea of all those people quick to shout "dislike". Personally I feel the new Sims keep a very Simish feel to them and have the same charm and personality that we see in our current Sims. The Sims was never meant to be a representation of real life but a life simulation (see what I did there?) that embellishes the rather mundane world we live in, if it were not our Sims wouldn't be running around as Plant people or eating magic jelly beans from a bush. I feel the cartoony art style really fists in with the crazy Sim world and does something that more realistic Sims do not in fitting into this mad, mixed up world of the Sims. We like to care for our Sims and we all get attached to them (admit it, you do) but I don't think I could if they were too much like real people. We all know that characters trying to look human never quite cut it, which is why animation companies like Pixar use a stylised version to animate humans. In fact when things are so life like, but still obviously not they fall into what is known as the "Uncanny Valley", a dip in the scale of the human likeness chart that creeps out our brain (for more info on this check out Vsauce's YouTube video called "why are things creepy" and yes the video is free of scarring images it just Elaine ten science behind it)

Anyway, so there is my view on the new art style but I would love to hear from you guys what you think about it, and your expectations for The Sims 4 in the comments below

I'll be reporting on all of Gamescom 2013 right here on Clix It so watch this space

That's all for now guys
Thanks
Josh

Nintendo Direct - August

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Directly To You

Well another Nintendo Direct is on the way promising to give us new updates on the games in the line up for this summer and autumn

There have been some rumors about a bigger announcement that Nintendo has been keeping under wraps but we will have to wait and see if those rumors are true

the Direct will be today at 3pm UK time at: www.nintendo.co.uk/Nintendo-Direct

Check back here for more info after the video!

Animal Crossing: New Leaf Review - Better that stepping on a Pitfall Seed?

It's been around 2 months since Animal Crossing: New Leaf came out and after a few community projects and some mortgage repayments I think a review is in order!

On Trial Today:

Name: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Platform: 3DS
Developer: Nintendo
Game Type: Life Simulation
Audience: 3+ 
Gaming Style: Casual
Franchise: Animal Crossing

I have always been a huge lover of the Animal Crossing franchise and (as you can see from my various rants right here on Clix it) I could not wait for the next installment to appear following it's announcement back at E3 in 2011. My Wild World town was called Sun Town (not very creative but hey I was young!) and my City Folk town was Sunville (again not very creative but I like to keep the theme running), in order to keep the "Sun" name in my town I named this town Sun Cove as a nod to the new coastal featurs in the game like Island and cliffed beaches.

Gameplay

The game is very fun to play and the controls are easy to work and new players will be running round like a pro within minuets of loading up. As usual there is no specific goal to the game and you are free to make whatever you like of the game weather that be a sparkling utopia or desolate wasteland (hopefully you'll choose the first!). The big game point this time around is the huge amount of customization which is available to you. 

The Biggest point being the new Public Works Projects that allow the Mayor (that's you thanks to a bit of a mis-communication between you and the Mayor's secretary Isabel when you arrive). These projects allow you to build many object in your town ranging from cafes and lamp posts to campsites and bridges.

You can build these anywhere there is room and once you have decided Isabel will rope off the area and place Lloyd the Gyroid at the entrance to collect you money to fund the project (Other villagers will donate but its more like loose change, it will be you spending the big bucks here). You can pay off each project at your own leisure but you may only have one project on-going at a time.

Me Paying off my Cafe

Once paid off the object will be built overnight and the next day you can hold a ceremony for the new public work, in which your villagers will celebrate everyone's (your's) hard work to raise the money.

"Yay for everyone!"

As always you can wear any of your own (or others') designs as a shirt, with Pro Designs making a return so you can customize your threads using the front back and sleeves as separate canvases. In New Leaf it is now possible to project your own designs onto furniture as well as re covering many of the items available to you with the help of your local Re-Tail alpaca, Cyrus. Cyrus is the husband of Reese and they both work in Re-Tail, the recycle shop that buys your items for 20% more than the Nook twins and allows you to put your own items up for flea market at your own price, as well as letting you purchase items left for sale by other villagers. He is not available at the start of the game but as soon as you have completed certain criteria (which I won't list here as to not spoil your experience) he will wake up and offer his services.

My new bridge!

Another great feature is the ability to build your house anywhere giving you free reign over your location. I placed mine by the main bridge and the slope to the beach giving me good access when I started up my game. After a while I did feel the need to build an extra bridge to stop me having to run around the entire town just to get to Re-Tail! Fair warning though, this freedom of placement is extended to your villagers so when they move in watch out or you may find those perfect cherry trees of yours have been demolished by a new french frog called Constau! (can you tell I wasn't happy about this when it happened?). 

Another brand new addition to the game was the introduction of Main Street, Just across the railroads you will find an area where all of your local shops are in one handy location. The street expands the more you shop and I have nearly unlocked all of the shops, which is an achievement in itself! 

Leif and the Garden Shop

To the east of the entrance you will find the Nookling's shop, The Garden Shop, The Able Sisters, Shampoodle and Kicks. The Nookling store goes through upgrades as in other games but is run by Timmy and Tommy, Nook's nephews. The store upgrades the more you spend so go on treat yourself to a nice new chair or how about that wall covering? They also sell a new item called the fortune cookie which you can eat to get a numbered ticket to then exchange for Nintendo themed items (so far I have Link's sword, a Yoshi egg, Pikmin, Mario's Kart, a "?" block and an NES) these cookies are bought with play coins that you get from walking around with the 3DS on standby (the same currency used in the AR games.)

Labelle in the accessory department

Harriet showing me her new hair dryer

The garden shop is rather an extension of the first with the sloth named Leif selling 2 packets of seeds, a shrub (bush, sapling or ceder sapling) and either an Axe or watering can (both of which are no longer sold at nooks). The able sisters is much like before offering clothing (including trousers) and the custom design facility. Once friends with sable she will get a new sewing machine where you can turn your designs into QR codes and have friends scan them with their 3DS' to get your designs and vice verse.Adjoined to the familiar shop is an extention where Labelle sells her accessories (apparently she has quit her job at Gracie Gracie in the time between City Folk and New Leaf). Shampoodle is the same as before, offering ways to customize your hair with a riddle like question system and a funky dryer but with the added option of coloured contacts after 2 haircuts which I haven't yet tried!
Kicks, the shoe shiner from City Folk, has gone up in the world and has his own shop (named after himself) that offers a similar service to the Able Sisters but sells clothing for your feet! Shoes and socks can be brought from him to make your lower half look better, because Nintendo obviously take their shoe care seriously.

Check out my new hair :)

Lyle  and a tired looking Nook

Me and Shrunk using "Flourish"

To the West of main street includes the Post office where you can send mail and save your cash. You can also access the loan repayment system to repay your mortgage and you can connect to the net to download special gifts from Nintendo. Nooks Homes is next. Here Nook sells new mailboxes, pavements, exterior walls, roofs, doors and fences for your house making this you most customizable house ever. Lyle from the HRH is set up here allowing you to check your HRH points, eliminating the need for all of those HUNDREDS of letters they used to send you, big hooray fro a clean mailbox! Pete will be pleased. Club LOL is one down from Nooks where Dr Shrunk will perform his jokes for food, allowing you to learn new emotions, and this time you can learn them all! The Dream Suite is the next building where you can visit dream versions of other towns to get ideas of how to decorate your town and houses. If allowed you can also take some of their designs so you can use them once you wake up. Sadly you can't take fruit and things but come on, that would be too easy!!! Once per day you can also upload a "dream" of your town to Nintendo to allow others to visit from their Dream Suite's, you also get 5,000 bells for doing this so why not?

Sure for the clients, absolutely
not for the 5,000 bell reward!

Katrinas fortune shop is the next in line where you can get your fortune told to try and boost your luck for the day, which can be very powerful in making the day a day for gold finding or tripping and falling. The photo booth is situated after that allowing you to take a photo for you ID card, you can use emotions while inside to create some cool pics. (Just in case you wanted to know at any time you are able to press R and L to take a screenshot to your SD card, which is how I have been taking these pics here!). The Museum is on main street too but will be either east or west depending on the location of the coast in your town (it will be the opposite). At the museum you can donate bugs, fish, fossils and paintings as normal but once the second floor is built you can display your own exhibits buy buying a room and decorating it how you like! Celeste runs the Gift Shop upstairs too, where you can buy display cases and other museum stuff for your home or exhibits and silver tools once you have donated enough to blathers downstairs.

I could go on for hours about the Gameplay, and I haven't even mentioned the Island  but I think I have covered the main points here, ill try to cover the Island games in and extra post later on!

Graphics

This game has a major improvement on the graphics from the Wii version. The world is much more textured, especial the animal textures, than before and the rolling world really looks 3D with the lighting and shading put onto it. The tree's have been re-designed too with a more rounded trunk, when chopped there is also a chance that the stump will have a design in the middle. Fruit trees have darker leaves than non fruit trees allowing you to tell the difference even when they are not bearing fruit which is a nice helpful addition to the game. The effects that occur during actions like the little kick of dust when running or the rock cracking when you find the day's gem rock all add to the charm of the game. While they re-introduced the grass wear to the  graphics, Nintendo made the wear rate slower and the re-grow rate faster, especially in the rain, so the world feels really alive. The way some of the new bugs have been animated also look pretty cool, like the new "walking leaf" which takes the appearance of a furniture leaf and then turns into a big when you get close.

Music

The new music in the game this time around takes a more relaxed sound than in previous games, and certain times of day incorporated certain sound to create the feeling of passing time. For instance the midnight theme is really slow and full of metallic sounds whereas midday uses wood and piano to create a more awake and lively theme. The club mixes of KK tracks are awesome too, the theme nights where music from other Nintendo games are featured are my favorites as I enjoy geeky nods to other games.

Closing Comments 

Overall I have LOVED playing the game and have really enjoyed myself while creating my town. The highly customizable content makes this game so free to play and allows me to do what I like when I like, so I can freely choose what I want to do with my game. The game is really fun to play and there are so many challenges to take on like creating the perfect town, growing and selling delicious fruit, completing main street, filling the museum, paying off your mortgage and more the game is practically endless.

It didn't take me long to decide on the score for this game and I doubt many of you will be shocked that I give Animal Crossing: New Leaf

5 out of 5 Clicks

I will try to keep you updated on my town here so check back

that's all from me for now
Josh!

SUMMER IS HERE

Hello Everyone!

Summer is here and i'm back from my vacation! stay tuned for some exciting clix-able news right here on Clix It!

Nintendo at E3 2013

Well I hope you all were able to tune in for the amazing Nintendo Direct @ E3 yesterday! It was filled with fun, energized and action packed content that is gaurenteed to make any Nindendo fan wet themselves with pure excitement (what do you mean did I wet myself?...no.......maybe). After seeing Mr Satori Iwata present us with a gaming banquet of mega proportions I was all but ready to keel over, but THEN!!! well you'll just have to carry on reading for that one ;)

After last year's somewhat E3 disaster, Nintendo they came back all guns blazing and certainly kicked off the show with a bang, answering one of the Nintendo communities' most asked questions

What type is Sylveon?  

Well our questions were soon answered as Iwata introduced the first of the E3 trailers which was for Pokemon X and Y. Now I bet many fans, myself included, were like "This isn't new" considering we have known about it for months. Yes we saw some new Pokemon and were given a tantalizing view of what the 3D Pokemon world looks like, including new battle sequences, but this was not surprising considering the lack of information about the title since it's announcement. 

Two new Pokemon that could be seen in the trailer

Then Nintendo went and hit us nay-sayers in the face with the biggest announcement since we learned that Parasect is actually controlled by that big mushroom on its back! In addition to the 17 types of Pokemon that appear in the game today a NEW Fairy type has been added and that it is indeed the type of that elusive eveelution Sylveon. 

Now this has thrown a spanner in the works! old Pokemon such as Jigglypuff, Gardevoir and Marill are all now part Fairy type as well as their previous attributes. Fairy type is Super Effective against Dragon type making it the only type to be so, other than Dragon itself. Moves like Moon Blast and Fairy Wind were shown indicating a whole new move set that will be added to the game

Another interesting addition to the game is a minigame like featre called Pokemon - Amie. This mode sees you playing an interacting with your party Pokemon, feeding them, stroking them and playing games like mimiking the macial expressions of your Pokemon. 

Feeding Sylveon in the Pokemon - Amie mode

All of this adds to your Pokemon's friendliness towards you and adds a new in depth game mechanic. Pokemon X version and Pokemon Y version are set to release worldwide on October 12th

With that many fans were screaming at their screens........what? just me?.......... and couldn't possibly think of anything that would cause such a ruckus in a gaming community! Well hold on to your hats because there is more in store!

What is so lucky about those weird waving cats?

Next we were greeted with the friendly face of Mario himself i
n a brand new 3D multiplayer Wii U title Super Mario 3D World. Yes folks this is the 3D mario title that Iwata has been hinting at in the last few Nintendo Directs. The trailer began with the typical grass level with Mario stomping a Goomba and running to collect some coins that some loose pocketed old pensioner has left on the ground. The game changers come hidden within the scene as a first glimpse of the new see-through warp pipes can be seen in the background, the coins Mario picks up are in fact invisible until he runs over them and new masked rat type enemies are seen running treadmill style on a rolling piece of grass. The "Oooos" and "Aaaas" came as Mario hits a "?" block to reveal a golden bell which he uses to transform into.....Wait for it...........Cat Mario. 

Mario in top and tails (mostly tails)

A bit anticlimactic I admit but hear me out. Your new feline attire allows you to perform some cataclysmic new attacks like a cat scratch and an awesome mid air pounce at enemies, as well as new wall climbing features that allow you to scale vertical surfaces and even to clime the flag pole at the end in order to reach the 1-Up at the top, which could be catastrophic for those that can get a little catty when their high score is swiped from under them....I should stop with the cat jokes or I might have to go and get a cat scan......I couldn't resist!

Other additions include the supplementing of hidden green stars (hint at Mario Galaxy 3?) for star coins/star medals and the first 3D title to have a multiplayer mode. In this mode 4 of you can roam around the world tackling levels as cooperatively or as competitively as you want. Mario, Luigi, Toad and wait....who's that? OMG its Peach! Yes Peach is a playable character in this game (begging the question of who has been kidnapped) and we get to see her in all of her pink floaty glory and suped up with Fire Flowers and... Urm cat Suits... hehe. Each player has their own ability too. Mario is well rounded and all of his skills balance each other out, Luigi can jump above the rest, Toad is a master of sprinting and Peach can float a little in the air to give the player a slower fall. All of these mechanics give each player a reason to be played and I can see each one being used in the single player mode to improve times, get to new areas and to ultimately shake up game play. That's right! all of the characters can be played in single mode meaning player one is no longer tied to Mario for every adventure.

Check out these cool cats

Of course this is a Wii U game so how does the Gamepad tie into all of this fur balling mayhem? A player can use the touch screen to freeze enemies and moving parks of the world just by touching them, and can reveal stacks of hidden coins and "?" blocks by poking at suspicious areas of the screen to make them appear. The pad can also be tilted during play to move the in game camera around, allowing you to view the scene from many angles to help you uncover any missed green stars or coins. While I don't feel this is a major improvement on the Mario Bros U brick placement, and that an extra item pocket like in 3D land would have been more beneficial, I think the features will come in handy during the game and will make the game enjoyable for more than one person even in single player! Overall I am REALLY looking forward to this game, the HD capabilities of the Wii U have been fully exploited in this game and the level design is filled with all of the charm and.... Mario-ness that makes us fall in love with the titles again and again! Available December

After that huge Mario installment I bet your all out of wonder from the Mushroom Kingdom? Wrong!!!

Why stick to the laws of physics?

YES!!! here is the one I have been waiting for Mario Kart 8. The next game in the much loved Mario Kart series is here and it looks like Nintendo have taken the best bits from recent games and POWed them all together. Firstly the return of bikes could be seen from the outset of the trailer as could features from MK7 such as gliders and underwater tracks. The graphics have had amajour revamp to fit into the Wii U's 1080p graphic software and allowing us to enjoy the whole game in stunning HD, The framerate has also been increased to 60fps which to the common folk like you and I means that the game will be smoother and more realistic to view. Iwata also said they are re-tuning the wi-fi mode to keep up with this framerate reducing lag and stalling when online. The lighting and shading effects have also been majorly improved which is part thanks to the Wii U's graphic drives that allow advanced shadow design.

All of this may seem a bit technical so lets get back to gameplay. After underwater and air sections of track from MK7 many were wondering what on earth Nintendo would do to plus it in MK8. Well that was answered rather quickly with the groundbreaking (or should I say ground-defying) new feature of the Anti-gravity. After rolling over special pads Mario and friends' wheels will spin onto their sides and glow causing the Kart or Bike to hover in mid air, drivers can now stick to all surfaces allowing them to drive on walls and even to go loop-the-loop on special upside down track sections.

"What a feeling, when were driving on the ceiling"

Some of the new tracks are especially designed to endorse the new driving mode and feature vertical and double sided tracks to spice up gameplay and to give you new ways to cheat your friends out of 1st place. Other new tracks were shown including a charming village full of trams (yes trams!) and an entire world made out of sweets and chocolate :3

Some old worlds are returning, as expected and I definatly saw Melody Motorway and Piranha Pipeline form MK7 in the video. No official list of powerups have been give as of yet but I am hoping for some fresh items for us to grab and throw at our enemies with wild abandon! I did see some Fireflower fireballs floating around and along with a shell or two though, and I spotted that coins have been re introduced which suggest Kart customisation is again possible. 

Not much information has been give about this title yet but I will keep my eyes peeled and report more as I find out new info Iwata did give us the tantalizing new prospect of an enhanced multiplayer experience, promising some new functionality with Miiverse that I am looking forward to uncovering, and saying that this game will offer more online modes.

Mariokart 8 for Wii U is set to release in Spring 2014

Now for another game that will bring all players around the Wii U

Who's up for a party?

Now for one of my favorite game series from the Wii, Wii Party U! after it's introduction in a previous Nintendo Direct I have been really excited about the new game and have wanted to hear more.

I was pleased with the announcement of 80 new mini games for me and my friends to get way too competitive over and liked the look of some of them. The pole volting one looked rather run as did dodging giant boxing gloves to avoid being pounded to oblivion! We have already seen some of the "table top games" that are playable on the gamepad for this title and were shown a new Scalextrick style racer played solely on the game pad. A new board game world was released that takes the form of a sprint down a mid-sea zig-zag bridge with like 10 dice and a gaggle of friends to race to the end which I fell is a nice addition to the game and adds a new flavor to the already established Board Game Island.

Unfortunately Nintendo has pushed back the release of the game to October as they did with Wii Fit U, which has been pushed back to December. While i am disappointing about the wait I am happy that Nintendo are taking the time to fully upgrade the games as much as possible before release, which makes me feel valued and important as a Nintendo fan.