PAL-region fans awaiting the launch of the highly anticipated The King of Fighters XIII are in for a treat. Leading independent UK publisher, Rising Star Games, has today announced the pre-order package for its upcoming release of The King of Fighters XIII. This pre-order package will include a limited edition 4-CD soundtrack from the history of the franchise.

This is on top of the contents of the retail box, which includes the game disc, double-sided A3 poster (artwork on one side, move list on the reverse), digital art disc, and reversible sleeves (design specific to format). For those not in the know, The King of Fighters is the flagship series of legendary fighting game publisher-developer SNK Playmore. While games like Street Fighter have gone into 3D, the KOF series has always rocked in 2D.

The King of Fighters XIII features the final chapter in the Ash Saga storyline and brings about huge developments in global online play, vastly improving the experience from previous KOF games. The game features 30+ playable characters including the return of Mai Shiranui (YES!!!) and Yuri Sakazaki. There’s also an overhaul on the fighting mechanics, with new NEO MAX super moves, faster gameplay and camera control.

THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII will be released in the PAL market November 2011, courtesy of Rising Star Games www.risingstargames.com.

What I learned a couple of days ago was that a year before Ralf Jones (a.k.a Paul) was kicking ass in SNK’s Ikari Warriors, he was the main character of an earlier SNK arcade title, T.N.K III. Players are tasked with destroying a weapon on an island, and to do so, will need to eliminate enemy troops and tanks with extreme prejudice, and they get to do that in a tank.

Each hit from enemy units will cause the tank’s energy bar to drain and thankfully there are power-ups to replenish the energy bar. Other power-ups provide bonuses to weapons and there’s one that takes away every other power-up, making not taking it a no-brainer. There are 12 different levels to go through in the game and you’ll definitely need them power-ups.

The  game features an interesting control scheme whereby a switch will cause the tank turret to rotate in notches, allowing the tank to move independently and aim at a separate direction at the same time. While I do not have a problem with the turret control (I find it rather cute actually, archaic as it sounds in the previous sentence), the tank’s movement controls translates rather poorly in the PS Mini port of the game.

My advice would be to ditch the analog stick in favour of the direction pad, but then again do not expect it to work as well as an arcade joystick. To me, the control scheme made the game a little of a pain in the ass but what’s not to love when faced with classic arcade gameplay. Like every other SNK ports to the PS3, players are given a little more extra when it comes to saves, cheats and even configuration and networked multiplayer capabilities.

Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates T.N.K III at a 4 out of 5. The game is available on the PSN Store at a price of USD 2.99. A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.

From a video game design point of view, I can actually categories the games that I play into three different categories: minimalist, middle ground and sandbox. Minimalist games tend to be perceived as simple, but truly, these are the ones that are easy to play (the rules are clear cut), but prove to be really hard to master. Such games include stuff like Tetris, Chess and even games like Flower.

Middle ground games tend to inject a little more versatility, and yet the player will always know that he is bound by invisible boundaries and are linear in nature. FPS games such as Call of Duty and Killzone are games that offer up plenty of action with goals in mind, be it a boss fight, reaching checkpoints, finishing at the top of the leaderboard or capturing an enemy base’s flag.

It’s the last category that fascinates me the most. Don’t let the term fool you, these sandbox games tend to be really vast and expansive and allow players to do one major thing, which is to create their own stories. Such games include Red Dead Redemption, inFAMOUS, Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto are all in this category, and with the exception of the latter (I haven’t really played it), all of them are my favourites.

I’ve been playing a little bit of Deus Ex: Human Evolution lately, and I can’t help but be impressed as the game has all the makings of a sandbox game. I’ve only gone through the first mission and already there are so many choices at the behest of the player but it’s even more linear than say….inFAMOUS. I’ll give the game some more time before coming to a conclusion (sand box or middle ground), but in the mean time, Deus Ex is looking more and more like Game of the Year kind of material

Consoles were pretty hard to come by back during the day from where I came from, so in order to build up a some sort of retro gaming knowledge repository, I frequently read Retro Gamer magazine, a publication originating from the UK. At one time, I was into buying old 2nd hand consoles like the SNES, which in hindsight, wasn’t such a good idea.

Thankfully companies like SNK Playmore which are bringing their old titles back to modern consoles, giving a chance for players like me to experience yesteryear nostalgia and fun. The service provided by SNK Playmore is called NEOGEO Station and brings high quality PS3 and PSP ports of NEOGEO titles from the 1990s, some of which never seen by the western world.

These titles feature several modern day innovations. Players can save their progression using the Save State function and the NEOGEO Memory Card is recreated by the NEOGEO Station emulator. The most interesting part is the Network Mode, which allows players to play against or cooperatively against other players.

I’ve just finished trying out two NEOGEO Station games this evening. The first one is Saurus’ Shock Troopers, and that’s the game we’re gonna talk about today. Originally released in 1997, it looks to be inspired by games such as Ikari Warriors, but the key difference being the former is a 8-way shooter, and has a lot of versatility in terms of how levels are portrayed. It goes without saying also that the game looks way better as well.

Players have a choice of playing as a single character or in charge of a team which allows players to shuffle between 3 different commandos (out of a pool of 8). The game itself is pretty violent, with plenty of blood when enemy characters are taken out by the myriad of firepower options available. Ever faced-off a fighter jet in a boss fight only to come away with it by using grenades? You got it here in Shock Troopers.

One grip that I do have about Shock Troopers are the controls. It’s pretty hard to get my guys to shoot or move in a particular direction, especially the NE/SE/SW/NW points, and the game has a hard time deciding whether a gesture on the analog stick is to move the character or change the direction in which he/she is shooting. Often it opts for the former, and I get my ass kicked. LOL.

In any case, Shock Troopers is a pretty cool arcade romp. There are 6 rather expansive levels to go through, and like I’ve mentioned earlier, the variety in level design makes the game interesting. Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Shock Troopers at a 4 out of 5. Shock Troopers is available on the PSN Store for the PS3 (USD 8.99) and PSP (USD 6.99).

This is going to be a big one, UTV Ignition Games has unveiled new screenshots for four of its upcoming titles slated to be launched this fall on several different platforms.

Set to be released in August for the iPhone/iPad for USD 4.99, Quarrel is a fresh and original take on the classic word game format.The game combines elements from the likes of Scrabble, Jumble and Risk. For players, strategy is the key to becoming the vocabulary victor in order to take over the opposition’s territories and achieve world domination.

In Quarrel, players control territories filled with various troops who they must use in battle to create high-scoring words out of an eight-letter anagram. The key to victory is simple. Whomever’s word scores more points wins the battle and takes control of the land. The person who wins the most battles, achieves domination of the entire map and wins the game.

National Geographic Challenge! (Wii/PS3/ Xbox 360 – Fall 2011) allows players to explore our planet through its history and geography, providing a journey through the ages and an inside look at the extraordinary extent of mankind’s achievements.  The game will include both single and multiplayer game modes as up to four players can compete in the quest to claim territories on the in-game globe by answering questions correctly while using various tactics to foil their opponents.

Mercury Hg (XBLA/PSN – USD 4.99, September 2011) expands on the addictive qualities of its predecessors, crafting 60 all-new deviously constructed levels filled with hazards and obstacles while adding improvements and polish to almost every aspect of the game. The ‘Mercury Blob’ is still as mesmerizing as ever, moving uniquely under player control, changing color in order to progress through the level and dividing if cut by a protruding surface. The PSN utilizes the unique SIXAXIS motion control to take the experience to an all new level.

Kung Fu High Impact (Kinect – USD 39.99, November 2011) is the first of its kind for Kinect for Xbox 360–a side-scrolling brawler that uses the peripheral’s incredibly accurate body tracking technology to insert the real image of the player on screen. The gamer will be literally transported into the action, as he or she will be able to see real-life combat movements interacting with the enemies and objects on screen.

Just in case you have not noticed, SNK Playmore has released a whole bunch of retro arcade titles on the Playstation Store this week for the PS3. They are all at a 20% discount for Playstation Plus members right now (which basically means anybody who got onto the “Welcome Back” promo stand to gain from this as well). The following is the list of games:

Playstation Minis:

1. Athena
2. Guerrilla War
3. HAL21
4. Ikari Warriors
5. Marvin’s Maze
6. Ozma Wars
7. Sasuke vs. Commander
8. Vanguard

NEOGEO Station:

1. Baseball Stars 2
2. The King of Fighters 95

Yup, it’s great to be a retro SNK Playmore fan at the moment. Despite not having access to arcades at an early age, I did play a port of Ikari Warrior on a Micro Genius and absolutely loved the game. From the list, I’ve tried out Ikari Warriors, Vanguard and The King of Fighters 95. The latter is one difficult game to play IMHO.

Anyways, what are you waiting for? Head over to the PSN Store to grab these games now. Stay tuned to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for reviews .

How bout spending some time after your 4th of July gaming binge with the usual suspects (CoD, Modern Warfare, etc) with a couple of quirky Japanese imports brought to you by MonkeyPaw Games on Sony’s Playstation Network Import Store. The two games, Rapid Angel and Yakiniku Bugyou are not something that you see everyday, check out the press release below for details:

Rapid Angel and Yakiniku Bugyou Bring Back Import Action

After a few months adjournment, MonkeyPaw Games is pleased to bring you a new batch of subliminally strange Japanese imports for the Playstation®Network Import Store.  New arrivals this week will be Rapid Angel and Yakiniku Bugyou, two titles guaranteed to pull your sense of Asian admiration. These are unique, fresh titles that are coming to digital download for the first time and available at the low price of $5.99 each.

Rapid Angel bleeds Japanese culture.  Anime characters set the scene in this captivating action beat-em-up.  Choose between three heroines, each with their own fighting style and personality.  There is much nuanced charm and detail here, a stylish and well-crafted game. But that’s not all.

There have been many food simulation games over the years.  Something about balancing the art of cooking while pleasing your patrons fits video games well.   The act has that compelling tension that fosters strategy and quick reaction. So with an extended drumroll we bring you a foodie game of Japanese cuisine and eating etiquette.

Yakiniku Bugyou is a restaurant simulation based on that favorite food, red meat.  Yakiniku are thin slices of a various meats barbequed over flaming charcoal.  Like our upcoming summer project BurgerTime World Tour, this food extravaganza will get you hungry just playing! The frenetic puzzler requires being an extra careful, fast and efficient chef. Just don’t overcook the meat and watch your customers for a satisfying result.

What happens when you take Eminem, dressed up as Robin from his “Without Me” music video and then add in some bad-ass Shaolin monk kungfu-vibes? Well, you would get Robin from the upcoming Batman: Arkham City video game. According to IGN, he’s an exclusive pre-order character to play in the game’s Challenge Maps through Best Buy in North America. And in case you are wondering, this IS Eminem Tim Drake:

The following details are also skimmed from the IGN page:

While supplies last, pre-order the game for an exclusive downloadable Robin character. Robin is a fully playable character in the new and improved challenge mode in Batman: Arkham City. The Tim Drake Robin pack is available exclusively to fans who pre-order the game from Best Buy on Xbox 360, PC and PS3.

Robin comes complete with his own unique gadgets and special moves, and will be playable in all challenge maps in the game, as well as two additional challenge maps that are included with the pack: Black Mask Hideout and Freight Train Escape. The pack will also contain a bonus Red Robin character skin.

It’s lunch time and I just caught this new Duke Nukem: Forever trailer on IGN. Viewers digression though, this trailer is NSFW, and it’s pretty over the top. The game is slated to be released in June this year, and yeah, I’m getting the game

Talk about a video game which looked to have been inspired by a comic book (but actually not) finally having its very own comic book series. If you have not guessed it already, it’s inFAMOUS. The story, though being a mix, disjointed bag that doesn’t exactly follow the video game (and I doubt it will win any new fans who had not played the game in the first place), it’s intriguing enough to spark my curiousity.

Published by DC Comics, this is a 6 issue series and I’m guessing all things will lead up to inFAMOUS 2. I for one have been looking forward to that game, afterall inFAMOUS is one of my favourite games of all time.