Title: Men’s Room Mayhem
Format: PlayStation Network Download (223 MB)
Release Date: May 21, 2013
Publisher: Ripstone Publishing
Developer: Sawfly Studios
Price: $1.99 (US), €2.49 (EU), £1.99 (UK)
ESRB Rating: T
PEGI: 7+
Men’s Room Mayhem is also available on iOS and Android.
The PlayStation Vita version was used for this review.

For all the years I’ve been gaming, not once did I think I’d be playing a one based on ‘spending a penny’. Some of you may not be familiar with the idiom, it was the cost of using a public toilet in Britain at The Great Exhibition of 1851. But it’s 2013 and here I am, sat on my sofa guiding people around a men’s room before they have an accident.

Gameplay:
You play as the janitor guiding your patrons around to the urinals, toilet cubicles and sinks. Just like in real life, if they touch each other a fight will break out and you forfeit their points, it also adds to the mayhem meter. If they don’t make it to a toilet or urinal then you’ll have a mess to clean up at the end of each wave and it also adds to the mayhem meter. This meter has five spaces, they all get filled then any more accidents and it’s game over.

Men’s Room Mayhem is built round using the touch screen and is basically a line drawing game. You use your finger to touch a person and draw a line which they’ll follow. You get points for getting them to the correct sanitation fixture and out the door, with bonuses along they for a near miss with another patron, close calls and washing their hands. A multiplier is awarded for having more people in the room at the same time.

Each game is made up of waves which last about a minute and get progressively harder. At the end of a wave is your chance to clean up, scrubbing the blood from fights and any accidents remove them from your mayhem meter and then you have any remaining time to clean the room for bonus points.

It’s a simple premise with easy controls which makes it easy to pick up and play by almost anyone. Each character moves at a different pace which means timing is key to success, there are also special characters which add to the mix. I like the hippie who stops and listens to the music, forgetting what he was supposed to be doing, silly hippie.

There are trophies in this game, but no platinum; some of these trophies are obtained by completing objectives during the game, like survive three waves without a single fight. All of the objectives add to the longevity of this little game which is best played in quick bursts. There are online leader boards but not a big focus on them.

Visuals:
There are five locations from country pub to night club and they all look good; well as good as a men’s room could get. Locations and characters are cute and simple but I would have liked a little more variety, but you never know, that could come in the form of DLC? There are some nice little touches but yet one thing which frustrates me is there are no reflections of any character, so unless they’re all vampires it’s a strange omission.

Audio:
For a small downloadable title the audio is surprisingly good quality, nothing that you’d find me whistling later that day but good for this game.

Online/Multiplayer:
This game is single player only.

Conclusion:
I’ve had this game for awhile now and enjoyed it a lot, there is something strangely addictive about guiding people around a men’s room. A greater emphasis on score chasing would have been nice. While it’s not a big game I did feel like I got my money’s worth. It’s a good little distraction and a novel idea which could have easily been ruined by a high price point. Spending a penny (or 199 of them) on this one is a good idea in my book.

Score: 

* All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from the game using the Vita’s built in screen capture feature.

As promised a couple weeks ago Call of Duty: Ghosts was shown off at the Xbox Reveal. So without further ado here is the Official reveal trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts.

In another video released today was a look at the new Call of Duty engine Infinity Ward has made for next generation consoles. If you want to see what is in store for the next Call of Duty like new character animations and customization, lighting, a dog in a mocap suit, and fish AI, check out the behind the scenes video below.

Unfortunately for PlayStation Call of Duty fans it was announced that Microsoft’s timed exclusive DLC partnership will continue next generation.

Now that you have seen Call of Duty: Ghosts in action, what do you think of the next installment in Call of Duty franchise?

Email us at Podcast@PSNation.org

Check out our SPONSOR! Sign-up for the free trial and get a FREE Audio book (Only valid in the US and Canada)-
http://AudiblePodcast.com/PSNation

Stitcher.com
http://landing.stitcher.com/?srcid=681

Subscribe to our PlayStation Home Video features in iTunes:
http://blip.tv/psnation/rss/itunes

www.psnation.com
http://twitter.com/PS3Nation – Torgo
http://twitter.com/PJFJosh – Phillip_J_Fry

Glenn, Josh, and Mark discuss “hidden gems” of the PS2 and PSP.
4:04 – Gunhound EX
11:27 – Field Commander
20:39 – Castlevania – The Dracula X Chronicles
37:12 – ZHP
41:13 – Everyday Shooter
44:50 – Hammerin’ Hero
48:00 – R-Type Tactics 2
50:28 – Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed
54:50 – Darius Burst
1:01:22 – PC Engine Best Collection – Star Soldier
1:07:34 – Echochrome
Break Music is from Super Darius on the PC Engine CD
1:15:37 – Futurama
1:21:37 – Taito Legends 2
1:32:02 – Blood Will Tell
1:36:50 – The Red Star
1:39:18 – Indigo Prophecy
1:48:50 – Sega Classics Collection
1:53:38 – Thunderforce VI
1:54:26 – The Mark of Kri
1:57:25 – Pac Man World 2
2:03:20 – Mega Man Anniversary Collection
2:07:15 – Rez
2:10:19 – Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law
2:13:50 – Silpheed
2:17:00 – Shadow Hearts

#Comedian is Patrice O’Neal

#Gamer Nights on the PS Nation forums!
http://psnation.org/forum/forum

Email us at Podcast@PSNation.org
Voicemail line is: 715-502-9773
Or if you have Skype, use wdt-torgo
PS Nation Facebook Group
http://stitcher.com
http://twitter.com/PS3Nation
http://twitter.com/PJFJosh
www.retroids.com
www.psnation.com
http://AudiblePodcast.com/PSNation
*PlayStation Nation Merch! http://zazzle.com/psnation

#It Is Written
http://www.myspace.com/itiswrittenband
http://www.facebook.com/pages/It-Is-Written/44757816299
- New Album is on iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/message-in-a-vial/id522397505

- Also available at CD Baby!
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/itiswritten

Title: Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery
Format: PlayStation Network Download (561 MB)
Release Date: May 15, 2013
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Lucid Games
Price: $2.99 (US), €1.99 (EU), £1.59 (UK)
ESRB Rating: E10+
PEGI: 7+
Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery is also available on iOS.
The PlayStation Vita version was used for this review.

Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is the name given to an ape-like creature that supposedly  inhabits North American Forests. Only seen in a few blurry photos and never up close, unless of course your named Jacob Jones one of Camp Eagle Feathers newest members. Together they’ll have to solve devious puzzles to find out what’s truly going at the strange summer camp.

Built and designed by Lucid Games, who previously made Travel Bug for the PS Vita. Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery is an episodic title set in a papercraft world. But is this mystery worth unfolding or should it be scrunched up and thrown in the bin?

Gameplay:
The game starts off with your character Jacob Jones and his parents, on his way to summer camp. There is a good selection of puzzles which intertwine with the story and can be intelligently ingenious; fans of the Professor Layton games would feel right at home. To move around the world you simply swipe the screen and J.J  moves to the next area, or a touch of the screen to interact with objects or people.

Story wise this game suits all ages but with a wicked adult undertone that’ll appeal to the grown-ups. I found myself not wanting to play until the wife & kids got home so they could enjoy it too. “But what if it’s really gory or explicit later on?” I muttered to myself, “I better complete it first just in case.” I continued on, for my family.

Picking up cans, found littered around the camp adds credits to your phone which allow you to get hints for the puzzles. I know that sounds strange but it makes sense in the game and is a nice way of making you explore the environment.

I used the hints to see how easy it made the puzzles, I didn’t need to, honest. You use your phone to either Check Hintbook (messages), Call Uncle Ed, Call Big Bro or as a last resort use one of three puzzle passes. Your brothers will be doing various things each time you call them and the clues they give are well thought out.

Visuals:
This is one of the most beautiful games I’ve played in ages. It’s a gorgeous treat to the eyes with an excellent attention to detail. Using the Unreal 3 engine to make a paper craft world that oozes with its own personality and charm; Lucid Games have outdone themselves. All of the characters in the game are unique and look great, so much so that I want some figures of them to adorn my PC desk.

In many reviews you may have noticed how the PS Vita screen makes games look better, well this is no exception. Colours look rich and the style really works well, it even looks great when you tilt the Vita – which alters the perspective, allowing you to see around things.

Audio:
Voice work is very good and suits each character well. For such a low priced title, this sounds anything but. Voice talent from the likes of Mac McDonald (Captain of Red Dwarf), Jo Wyatt (Perfect Dark Zero) and even Jay Benedict (Foyle’s War). The music which is composed by Chris Mann who has worked on everything from Aardman Animations to Pepsi Ads.

Online/Multiplayer:
This game is single player only.

Conclusion:
As you may have guessed, I really like this game. There is so much to do in this episode and it’s such a great price. You can brag about your completed puzzles on Facebook and Twitter which is nice but the best part of completing a puzzle is the tense ‘am I correct’ moment at the end, even when I know I’m correct I still find myself playing along.

I can’t get over how much this looks & feels like a console game on the go. The quality of graphics, audio and story is excellent. My wife and kids got home and are now playing it obsessively, I didn’t mention the sacrifice I made on their behalf.

As you might have guessed, I’m looking forward to the next episodes and think it’s an outstandingly good game. This papercraft mystery is definitely worth unfolding.

Score:

* All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from the game using the Vita’s built in screen capture feature.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger releases on May 21st and to prep everyone Ubisoft and Techland released the following launch trailer. The trailer goes over gameplay mechanics like Concentration Mode and Sense of Death. Also covered are the game modes Story, Arcade, and Duel. There is a lot of information in the trailer so if you are interested to learn more about the game definitely hit that Play button.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger comes out on PSN on Tuesday for $14.99.

To build up some hype and possibly distract people from Microsoft’s announcement tomorrow, Sony has released a teaser trailer for the PlayStation 4′s console design. The trailer shows a blurry black box with a couple really up-close shots of the console.

Sony plans to do the full reveal at E3 on June 10th.

With Sony releasing a console teaser before Microsoft reveals their plans for the next generation tomorrow the console war has officially started. Do you think Sony teasing the console design is an attempt to force Microsoft to go all out tomorrow and show everything? If so, will Sony hold out till June 10th to show more?

Sony announced today that Killzone Mercenary for the PS Vita will now release in North America on September 10th and September 6th in the UK instead of the original release date of September 17th. That means everyone can get their hands on the game a week early and allows the game to get the heck out of the way of Grand Theft Auto V’s release on September 17th.

In addition to that news, it was also announced that Killzone Mercenary will recieve some pre-order bonuses.

Blackjack’s Briefcase:

• 48 hour Double XP booster 
• In-Game Cash Bonus, which will let you grab some weapons and upgrades immediately. 

GameStop(US) Exclusive(also includes Blackjack’s Briefcase):

•  ISA M224-A1, usable in both the single player campaign and multiplayer.

Source: US and EU PlayStation Blog

I gotta say, I was pretty bummed to not have been able to head to Judges Day this year (as I am every year.) So just imagine my surprise when Sony sent the same build to us today. I basically have about 6 hours for this preview before the embargo lifts, but this is an incredibly small section of the game’s campaign, taking place in 2 distinct areas. I have no idea where this transpires in the story, and as we always do, this will be completely spoiler-free.

The goal for this preview is to detail the gameplay, environment, and pretty much everything BUT the story elements. I’ve opted to turn the lights on as I boot this build up, and actually, I’m pretty stoked that I get to play this on my huge plasma with surround sound, instead of a small monitor and headphones. Let’s get to it!

The first section available is in Lincoln, PA. You start out on a road, but jump into the woods right away. The lighting hits you right away too, as the sun creeps through the tree branches (the sun is at the point that photographers call the “magic hour” which is a great touch for the mood). You can tell immediately that there will probably be a good deal of exploration, as you can search around for items to pick up and add to your inventory. Controls are very responsive, and feel pretty different than those in the Uncharted series. Also, I noticed that I don’t think that you can fire your weapon unless you’re holding L1 to aim (no run and gun.) This probably isn’t a bad thing though, since ammo is scarce.

I come to a fenced-in area, with a small shed off to the side. As I climb to the top of the shed, I find a pipe with scissors taped to the end. This can act as an upgrade to my normal melee attack, and a tutorial pops-up to let me know that I can upgrade any melee weapon, bit that use is limited because items damage when used. For example, I can craft an upgraded melee weapon if I have scissors, a roll of tape, and a Baseball bat. It’s a good use of crafting, especially since it seems pretty simple (unlike some RPG’s I’ve seen.)

I scope a plank resting against a wall, and it seems that’s what I’ll have to use to get farther in to the area. This was tricky since there wasn’t any type of tutorial. I figured that I could use the plank to walk across to the shack that’s inside the fenced area, but I didn’t’ know how to so. I tried a few different things until I put it in the right place, dropped it across the gap between the two shacks, and headed across with Ellie.

At this point, I enter the town, and something spooks Ellie, so we duck into a building. I scrounge a bit, and man, the lighting! The sun is actually heading down into the horizon, and beams shoot through the windows with a glow the permeates anything in its path. Stunning! We go outside, and then I see what spooked Ellie, a zombie-thingy. It doesn’t see me at first, and being me, I shoot at its head (instead of just going past it or melee’ing the hell out of it. My aim sucks, and it grabs me, tearing at my neck… and I’m dead! Yup, this isn’t one of those “I can shake the zombie thingy” type of games. I restart at the checkpoint, and this time, I take the bastard out with a couple of headshots, but another is nearby and makes a run for me. This time, I’m ready and take it out with ease. I can tell already though, that you definitely want to avoid conflicts at all costs.

The town is deserted, and plants have started to grow over everything. As I’m searching a garden for items, I noticed that if there are more than one item in arms reach, you pick everything up at once instead of each individual item (THANK YOU!) There’s nothing going on here though, and the lack of movement is downright creepy. It’s one of those “it’s too quiet” feelings. Then, a slight music cue and I freak out! Of course, nothing was there. Damn you Naughty Dog.

Ack! Another of “the infected.” Since I’m a wuss, I waste a molotov cocktail on it. I’d crafted a couple earlier just in case. I’m sure that I should have just melee’d it to take it out, buuuuut that molotov did the job. I’ll regret this choice later on, or at least I expect that’s the case.

I fall into a trap set by the man we’re looking for, and all hell breaks loose as you defend Ellie while she attempts to cut you down. The infected move in from all around, and running away makes a LOT more sense then trying to kill them all. The action is crazy, and yeah, I died a couple of times along the way. This requires a lot more finesse than straight-up gunplay, so obviously it’s not normally what I play, and that’s a good thing.

There are a few stealth elements at your disposal. You’ll have the ability to pick up things like bottles and bricks, and instead of throwing them directly at someones head, you can throw it in an opposite direction to distract them, allowing you to slip by. Also, there’s an ability (deemed ‘Listen Mode’, which can be disabled) to hold R2, making the screen fade to black & white, and activating a sort-of sonar. You’ll be able to see outlines of your enemies through objects and walls. You’ll be relatively vulnerable while doing so, but it’s an excellent way to strategize what you’re going to do next. As seen in past demos, the enemy AI is completely contextual, so if you show that you have skills with your gun, they’ll actually back-off and either run away, or attempt to regroup and flank you. From what I played, this feature is the real deal too. They reacted quite differently in the two playthroughs.

On to Pittsburgh now. It starts at a point seen in one of the trailers, with a man acting as if he’s injured. Joel guns the truck to get away only to be rammed by a bus. The action gets intense immediately, as Joel and Ellie are both accosted before they can get out of the truck. A lucky headshot on another enemy, and they quickly back off to rally themselves. This gives me time to creep a bit and get into a better position. I only have 2 shells in my shotgun but I figure that if I take one out with it, the others may scatter.

After I take them all out, Ellie and Joel explore a couple of the buildings, and we find a workbench, offering me a chance to upgrade my weapons etc. The crafting system is very straightforward and easy to use, which makes me happy. That ends the second area of the preview.

What ‘The Last of Us’ is not is derivative. It’s not simply Uncharted with infected enemies, it’s not Resident Evil, and it’s not the standard “Zombies” game. The gameplay is much more deliberate, requiring you to scrounge for supplies as much as possible. There’s a good deal of exploration, and unless you hold L2 all the time, you won’t be running everywhere by default. The dialogue between Joel and Ellie doesn’t feel forced, and fits the mood of the situation nicely.

In the short amount of gameplay that I experienced, it hits every note in terms of pacing and mood. The use of sound has a drastic impact on your psyche as you move through the overgrown areas that you need to traverse. Sounds are used sparingly though, which actually affects the player even more. The action is visceral and impactful, and the brutality of your situation makes you feel the . ‘The Last of Us’ plays with your head, and as a hoard of infected race toward you, just try to remember that shooting them is the last thing that you’ll want to do, especially when you realize that you only have 2 bullets.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

12►

The full reveal looks to be happening on May 21st, but you can check out the first trailer for Japan Studios ‘Panopticon’ now. It looks to be a Vita title, but who really knows?

It’s finally official, and not surprising, it’s coming to PlayStation 3. With promises of all-new physics, a “more compact engine” to speed things up in terms of load times and flexibility, 200 more cars on the disc, 7 new tracks in 17 variations, and now even using adaptive tessellation in the visuals, it probably still won’t seem like too big of an update on the surface. From the looks of it though, there’s a lot of “new and shiny” under the hood. Also, they’re definitely expanding Gran Turismo’s reach outside the confines of the PS3, with interactivity with not only the website, but with portable devices like phones and tablets.

Check out the trailer:

and the PR Speak:
“Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. today announced Gran Turismo®6 (GT6™), the latest version of PlayStation®’s best-selling franchise, will be released in Holiday, 2013. The news was revealed today by legendary Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi at an event held to celebrate 15 years of the 70-million-selling series.

GT6 for PlayStation®3 will bring new levels of authenticity to ‘the Real Driving Simulator’ as well as introducing stunning new tracks and cars and a revised user interface. A new compact game engine will improve operation and increase the flexibility to expand it with downloadable content. Meanwhile, the game is also set for expanded connectivity with other devices such as smart phones and tablets and increased social and community functions.

All of the cars and tracks from Gran Turismo®5, which has sold over 10 million copies since launching in 2010, will be retained in GT6. But notable new additions to the already impressive line-up of historic cars, road cars and the latest race cars, brings the total car list to 1,200 at launch, with new cars set to be continually added online. Several thousand aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars, and players can personalize their own custom cars in game to the greatest ever level possible.

The UK’s famous Silverstone Circuit will be just one of seven new locations in Gran Turismo 6, taking the total to 33, with 71 different layouts available, 19 of them brand new. There will also be regular additions of new tracks set to be made available online. The improved course maker function will provide gorgeous scenery spanning several tens of square kilometers including the magnificent backdrop of Andalucia.

The theme of Gran Turismo’s innovative collaborations with partner companies will increase with the inception of GT6. A number of exciting new projects that blur the line between the virtual and real will be announced in the run up to the game’s launch. Not least of these is GT Academy, a collaboration with Nissan to unearth real racing driver talent that first ran in 2008. It was announced during the event that the competition returns for its biggest ever year in 2013, with the entry mechanic set to take place on an exclusive GT6 demo in July.

Other notable partnerships in the development of GT6 have been with tire manufacturer Yokohama Rubber and suspension company KW Automotive. Both companies are active in the commercial car industry and in racing, and they have acted as technical development partners for the game’s new physics engine, for its tire and suspension kinematic modeling, creating an even more realistic experience for GT fans.

“It is amazing to think that it is 15 years since we first released Gran Turismo,” explained Kazunori Yamauchi, during the announcement at Silverstone Circuit. “Things have changed a lot since then and now Gran Turismo 6 is a further evolution of my dream. We’re pleased to deliver GT6 to PlayStation 3 as we have a very loyal community on that platform. However, we have refactored the game to make it very flexible and expandable, with a view to making many future developments. I am very pleased with everything about the new game and the new additions, but the launch will be only the beginning for GT6. The game will continue to develop throughout its life. I already have many ideas for things I want to achieve in the next 15 years of Gran Turismo!”

The celebration of 15 years of Gran Turismo event at Silverstone included a demo of GT6 featuring the famous circuit. Guests were able to play the game in the familiar circular Gran Turismo race pods before having a chance to take to the real track in cars provided by Audi, Ford, Jaguar, KTM, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota.

Further news about Gran Turismo 6 will be revealed at the forthcoming E3 and Gamescom events and on http://www.gran-turismo.com/”

Summary of new Gran Turismo 6 features announced by Kazunori Yamauchi:

New Game Engine:
Refactoring
Compact, nimble operation
Flexible expandability
A new rendering engine that pushes the limits of the PS3
New Physics Engine
New suspension and kinematics model
New tyre model
New aerodynamics model
Technical partnership with Yokohama Rubber and KW Automotive

1,200 Cars, abundant custom parts, and on-going DLC

From historic cars to the latest racing cars, the game contains a total of 1200 cars.
Multiple aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars.
Players can create their own personalised custom car in the game.
Cars will be continually added online

33 locations, 71 layouts

33 Locations and 71 layouts will be provided from day 1 (7 more locations and 19 more layouts than GT5)
More new tracks will continue to be provided online
New Course Maker

Massive scenery spanning several tens of square kilometers
A new course generation algorithm

Community/Club/Race Organizer:
Players can form their own communities
Various community levels from local and domestic to global
Players themselves can create and manage their own online events
New User Interface

Balancing directional key operation and touch operation
Quick response
Shortening of loading times

Multi Device Compatibility:
PlayStation
Smart Phone
Tablet
PC

At the same time as the PS3 version of GT6 the “Real Driving Simulator” launches, a mobile version and web application version of GT6, will be created to enjoy Gran Turismo’s massive community space.

Real/Virtual “Edge Effect” Activity:
A variety of “Edge Effects”, the chemical reactions between the real world and the virtual world for which the Gran Turismo series is famous, are also planned for GT6. Exciting collaborations between various automotive manufacturers and collaborations with brands crossing different industries will be revealed gradually across the next six months.

Screenshots!:

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]