Namco Bandai IGNITE Interest In Their Upcoming Games With Special Event
by Staff Writer
February 4, 2011
Namco Bandai Games invited us to a special event known as IGNITE 2011, and it’s their first joint event. They had a lot of upcoming games to present including showing off their iOS lineup. There were a lot of different things in many directions, but their biggest iOS game is TNA Wrestling Impact which is coming Spring 2011, and will be universal.
This is the fully licensed TNA title which will give you 3D wrestling on your iOS device, and is poised to be the best in the App Store. The heart of the game is the single player career mode with either an established wrestler or one you create yourself. All the well known personalities are included such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, etc. Each wrestler has their own special video entrance before the fight, and there is a deluxe back and forth conversation amping up before a fight.
The game includes signature moves as well as the ability to fight with chairs, in cages, using the rails, and posts of the ring. The game has the traditional controls of analog stick on the left, and punch, grab, and run action buttons on the right. Game Center will be included with the ability for online multiplayer, and there is local multiplayer as well.
With the hands on time we had with TNA Wrestling it feels good with a real open feel allowing for all kinds of wrestling moves in a free flowing environment. Ridge Racer will be coming to the iPad with a new HD version in the middle of February, and after playing a bit, it’s more than just the iPhone version on the iPad, as the gameplay is definitely improved.
Namco’s classic titles also made news with Ms. Pac-Man coming to the iPad sometime before Valentine’s Day. To further that theme Pac-Man will be getting a Valentine’s theme just in time for the holiday. Puzzle Quest 2 will be updated soon with Game Center online multiplayer which allows for all kinds of matches including experienced and non-experienced players to play head to head on a level playing field.
One of the neatest games we saw was Bird Zap which is from the makers of Buccaneer Blitz which Namco also published. What makes it neat is that it combines the mechanic of Fruit Ninja with match three style, and the Angry Birds type theme. There are rows of birds that scroll across the screen sitting on wires, and you try to make matches with electricity that flows from your finger.
The game is extremely fast paced, and as you progress there are new types of birds, and more rows of birds, but it’s so easy to control the match making process. It’s one game to definitely keep your eye out for if you like match three of Fruit Ninja, the theme of Angry Birds and especially both. Brain Exercise 3 will be coming to iOS later this year with a few device specific exercises.
That was the iOS showings, but the Namco Bandai merger is really combining all of their resources for ideas to flow between all platforms, so iOS could be getting some of the other games we saw. One such title is Pac-Man & Galaga Dimension which will be a launch title for the Nintendo 3DS which offers up two new games based on the classics.
There is Pac-Man Tilt which is a platformer that uses the gyroscopic controls which sounds perfect for iOS. Galaga 3D Impact just has you controlling the turret part of the game with gyroscope controls kind of like Star Wars Falcon Gunner, and the only thing iOS can’t do is the 3D which could be taken out. Pac-Man Party is another such title which has great mini-games that could use all the various iOS device specific features.
Now this is an iOS site, but when there are really great looking console games they are worth mentioning wherever you can, and who knows an iOS version just may be in the works though nothing could be said about it. They showed off Ace Combat Assault Horizon with actual in-game footage, and an in-game demo that really showed the amazing visuals, and ease of use which both looked outstanding for an aerial combat console title.
Namco Bandai may have saved the best for last with Inversion which is a third person shooter that looks to change up everything by adding various gravity altering mechanics. There are grav bombs to throw at enemies, and levels playing in zero grav to make it a shooter unlike any other. As mentioned, with more communication between platform development teams theses games may not be exclusive to certain platforms, and iOS could get some more love.
As a side note Power Rangers Samurai is coming to Nickelodeon with a world premiere February 7th at 8 pm, and is back in the hands to the original creators. Namco Bandai is working to bring games based on the new series so keep your eyes peeled.
Overall Namco had a lot to show at the IGNITE Event, and we will keep you posted on everything detailed as the different titles are released.
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