Released on 08-Jun-2012

• Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL arrives in April

  Some of TV's biggest animated stars will be duking it out for supremacy in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL next month.

  Publisher O-Games has confirmed an April 2012 release date for Papaya Studios' all-star brawler, which sees 26 of Cartoon Network's most famous characters going head-to-head in multiplayer dust-ups.

  Characters from shows such as Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory will all make appearances in Punch Time Explosion XL, with various themed arenas and costumes all available to be unlocked.

  The game includes an in-depth cooperative story mode for up to four players in addition to its standard PvP tussles, while an in-game store allows fans to gain access to clips from their favourite shows.

  Jim Scott of O-Games said: "Playing as popular characters like Ben 10, Johnny Bravo and Billy and Mandy is a unique opportunity to bring the zany personalities and intense action to players on their home consoles."

  Punch Time Explosion XL is coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii and arrives in the same month as the Nintendo 3DS handheld version Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.

  Published: 02/03/2012

• GAME : 3DS update Round-up

  
  

  GAME : 3DS update Round-up

  If there's one thing the latest generation of consoles has taught us, it's that newly purchased gaming systems aren't the finished article when you first take them out of their shiny wrapping. Not to say they 're lacking anything fundamental, far from it in fact, but system updates now mean it's possible for platform holders like Nintendo to dramatically improve a console's functionality and boost the user experience post-launch.

  

  December's free 3DS system update is a prime example, introducing fresh game content, social features and hardware functionality to the console. Here, GAME runs you through all the major new additions.

  
  

  3D Filming!

  One of our favourite new features is the ability to make ten minute long 3D videos with just a few simple button presses. Icons on the 3DS touch screen allow you to select or fine-tune different recording features such as the 3D effect, altering the sharpness and brightness of your video, and choosing whether to film in regular colour, black and white or sepia. The quality of the recordings we've made so far is surprisingly good, although you obviously have to see them in person to get the full 3D effect.

  While the basic ability to record in 3D is a cool feature in itself, special praise is reserved for the three Trick Shot modes. Interval Shot takes still snaps at your choice of intervals, between every half a second and 60 seconds, before playing them in a rapid slideshow.

  Frame Pick, which essentially enables you to create stop-motion animations, is similar to Interval Shot except it lets you capture images of a physically manipulated object whenever you choose, creating the illusion of movement when the series of pictures is played as a continuous sequence.

  Meanwhile, Clip Link enables you to record various video segments which are then mashed together in the same video file. There's no doubt that budding animators and movie makers will spend a lot of time playing around with these simple to use but rewarding new video recording features.

  
  

  New Plaza updates

  The system update also introduces a range of new features for Mii Plaza, the place where 3DS owners can view the Mii characters they've met via StreetPass (which automatically swaps the Miis and gameplay profiles of players who pass each other on their travels). These include a follow-up to the free, in-built 3DS RPG-style game StreetPass Quest, and new 3D puzzles of famous Nintendo characters to complete by collecting pieces from other players.

  

  
  

  You now receive congratulatory messages in the Mii Plaza for achieving goals such as meeting a certain numbers of Miis or ones from different countries (which are displayed on a new StreetPass Map showing the locations of all the Miis you've encountered), or by working your way through StreetPass Quest 2. There are 78 accomplishments to get in total and a congratulatory message for each. They also unlock up to 35 different tunes to listen to in a new Mii Plaza Music Player.

  The new Puzzle Panel pieces we've collected so far are for Donkey Kong Country Returns and Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D. The puzzles themselves are larger than the originals, with 24 pieces to collect instead of 15, including four pink pieces which can only be collected via StreetPass (others can be purchased with Play Coins, a virtual currency accumulated by carrying your 3DS around with you like a pedometer).

  
  

  New Street Pass Quest

  StreetPass Quest 2, in which you control a team of fighters made up of your friends' Miis, challenges players to save three fictional family members kidnapped by slimy monsters and placed in separate cages. It contains branching paths as well as brand new enemies, and even lets players make parties of Miis to carry out team attacks using weapons or magic. The game also offers players the chance to collect a total of 57 hats for their Miis, compared to the original game's 16, but the title's only accessible if you've completed the first one twice.

  
  

  Download Demos

  Additionally, the 3DS system update paves the way for players to download demos of 3DS games, although none have been made available yet, as well as making it easier to browse and pay for games and content in the Nintendo eShop. Players can now transfer games purchased from the eShop, as well as account funds and save data including photographs and audio files, from one 3DS system to another too.

  
  

  Summary

  All in all, the 3DS system update is an impressive release, adding great new hardware functionality, amusing new game content and cool new social features. It has been almost nine months since release and our 3DS feels like a fresher piece of kit than ever before, all of which leaves us eagerly awaiting the next major system update.

  

  Published: 14/12/2011

• Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL coming to consoles

  Crave Games has announced that a version of the upcoming Nintendo 3DS game Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion will also be released on home consoles.

  Like its handheld counterpart, Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion XL sees the stars of some of Cartoon Network's most popular shows going head-to-head in a free-for-all battle.

  Playing as the likes of the Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Samurai Jack or Ben 10, fans will be able to visit familiar locations from different shows and do battle with over-the-top character-specific attacks.

  When Punch Time Explosion XL hits Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii, it will introduce an additional eight characters not seen in the 3DS version, as well as five new arenas.

  It will include in-depth solo and multiplayer modes, as well as an in-game store where players can unlock new costumes, stages and cartoon clips.

  Pete Yoder of Cartoon Network Enterprises said: "The Cartoon Network universe features iconic, unique characters that have ubiquitous appeal for fans of all ages."

  Published: 11/10/2011

As a valued customer we now offer you the facility to sign up to email price alerts. Please enter the price you want to be, or below, and if drops to that level we will let you know...