Miracle of Sound: Level 3 Album Review

Miracle of Sound is back once again with an album full of songs written about games, TV programmes and films. 

Composed and written entirely by Gavin Dunne who releases under his band name, Miracle of Sound, Level 3 features gaming tracks based on games such as Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Borderlands 2 and Assassins Creed III.

As with the previous two albums, Gav embraces and experiments with plenty of different genres to fit with the tone of the game, programme or film he is singing about. For instance, 'His Father's Son' resembles a sea shanty blended with Native American influences-exactly like the game itself. 

Stand out tracks on the album include the newest release, Dream of the Sky, which is based on Bioshock Infinite, Breaking Down The Borders (Borderlands 2), The Savage Side of Me (Tomb Raider), The Best I Can (Telltale Games' The Walking Dead), and His Fathers Son (Assassins Creed III).

The non-gaming songs are just as great, with 'Halfman's Song', about Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones, is one of the best tracks on the album. 

For me though, no Miracle of Sound album is complete without a tongue in cheek ditty, and thankfully, Level 3 delivers on this too. 'Wigglesticks' is a brief track mocking Resident Evil 6's over-reliance on Quick Time Events (I enjoyed that game, but come on, it was a little too much at times!), 'The Call of Duty Circus' explains the typical type of Call of Duty gamers you'll encounter whilst playing online, whilst 'Doorfighter' is based on the plethora of door opening sequences in Medal of Honour. 

The Miracle of Sound: Level 3 album is available to buy as a digital downloaded copy via his Bandcamp page now. 

My Day at the Eurogamer Expo

So today I went along to the Eurogamer Expo at Earls Court, London. Whilst I've been to several other cons plenty of times before, this was my first ever time at Eurogamer! Join me as I give a run-down of what I got up to during the day.

8.40am, my train arrives at Earls Court station. I promptly go and join fellow Tweeter and blogger James Hare (aka RealityGlitch) in the line, and queue until the early entry and press lot are allowed in at 10am. In the line we witnessed plenty of people go crazy over freebies, and I picked up plenty of Streetpass hits. Then finally, 10am rolled around, and the doors opened...

Cheesy grin :s (photo taken by James Hare).

Inside:

Myself and James headed straight to the Tomb Raider section. It's one of my most anticipated games right now, and I wanted to avoid the queues this early on. You'll read my "hands on" impressions of this in a separate post soon, but in short, Tomb Raider's demo felt fluid, it was fun, and pretty refreshing to see Lara actually struggle for once. 

After this, we headed on to the Wii U section, where we were shown the "Panorama Mode" on the Wii U tablet. Choosing a Japanese scene, this mode placed you in the setting. Moving the Wii U tablet 360 degrees, up and down allows you to explore the scenery. In this case, I was able to walk through a busy Japanese street, traverse through cherry blossom trees, and take a ride in a cart with a Geisha. I was actually rather impressed with how clear the screen and footage looked, and I can imagine this is a fun little time waster when you first get hold of your Wii U console.

James Hare playing the Panorama Viewer on the Wii U Tablet

Also in the Wii U section, we tried out three mini-games in Nintendo Land; Donkey Kong's Crash Course, Luigi's Ghost Mansion and Animal Crossing: Sweet Day. I loved playing these, especially the Animal Crossing game! Children are definitely going to love these fun and easy to understand games, and they make great party games. (My full reviews of these will be in a separate post). Sadly I never got to try out Zombi U, due to the ridiculous average queuing time of 3 hours. Unfortunately it seemed that a lot of games had similar waiting times, and yet this was ten minutes in to the early opening!

After spending near enough fifty minutes inside the Wii U section, we headed off for a look around the place. The venue was huge, and there was plenty of games of all different genres and systems! Also, I was surprised to see that the merchandise section was so small, after being used to the abundance of stalls in cons such as the London MCM Expo, but ah well, I was here for one thing today-the gaming. It didn't stop me buying this though!:

Today made me realise how much people love a freebie. A good freebie at that, too. For instance, Insert Coin Clothing handed out a bunch of free t-shirts, keyrings, stickers, promo codes and a hoodie, and honestly, it was like being in the middle of a mosh pit at a metal gig when items were thrown. I happened to catch the end of one shirt, before being practically jumped on by a hoard of guys desperate for their chance of owning a free t-shirt, worth £35. Alas, I didn't grab the shirt, but I didn't have a chance...I'm surprised it even stayed in one piece after all the tugging!

After playing some great little co-op mini games with a bunch of people in the Wii U section, we headed to Borderlands 2. I was a huge fan of Borderlands, near enough completing every achievement, and seeing as I have not bought the sequel yet, I was looking forward to giving this a go. As I expected, Borderlands 2 hasn't changed much from it's predecessor  but then personally I thought this was fine, as I never had many qualms with the original. (Again, my hands on review will be in a separate post!).

Photo taken by James Hare...check out my concentration face, yo.

I then tried out Dance Central 3, playing a Nicki Minaj track (no, I'm not a Minaj fan, but then it was fun nonetheless). It's more of the same, but I love the previous two. I've often mentioned that it is a great way to get in shape, and it looks like DC3 will add even more energetic dance routines, as well as a  more varied playlist. My hands on review will come up soon!

The indie game section had some interesting looking titles, but unfortunately a few of them seemed a little disappointing. I tried out The Button Affair, a endless running game that sees you avoiding obstacles such as lasers, trapdoors and gun-wielding enemies. Sadly it all got a bit samey too quickly, and the graphics weren't really that impressive either.

After a lot of walking around, we tried out Carmageddon Funsize, an iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad version of Carmageddon, remastered for the handheld generation. It looks like it'll be a lot of fun, but in all honesty I found the controls a little too clunky, and ended up getting a bit frustrated. Perhaps I was just rubbish at the game, but I'm sorry, I just didn't find it that enjoyable. 

The final game myself and James tried out today was The Cave, which is due for a release on XBLA, PSN and Wii U. An adventure game with a puzzling twist, this co-op game was a lot of fun. I also bagged a free tiny figure at the end of the characters I chose to play:

Hands On coming in a separate post!

So all in all, my day at the Eurogamer Expo was great. Yes, there was a lot of queuing, but there were so many impressive games on offer, plus it was nice meeting some Twitter people. I'm looking forward to the next one! 

Now, check out a few more photos:

Photo taken by James Hare. Me with Sonic!

A panorama I took of the show floor. Please click here to see the bigger version.

Check Out Borderlands 2's Launch Trailer!

Borderlands 2 is out tomorrow (in North America at least), so Gearbox Software/2K Games have released their official launch trailer.

In Borderlands 2, players must team up (or go it solo, if you prefer) to take out Handsome Jack, whilst collecting tons of loot and guns in an effort to save Pandora from the Hyperion Corporation. 

The launch trailer introduces us all to Handsome Jack, with plenty of gun fights, action and a funky soundtrack. Personally, I cannot wait. 

Check out the trailer below. The game launches tomorrow in North America and this Friday, the 21st September, in Europe.

Borderlands 2 GeForce GTX PhysX Trailer

The new Borderlands 2 trailer shows off the effects that the GeForce GTX system has in this upcoming sequel.

This GPU-accelerated PhysX technology allows for greater detail in game, including more realistic movements of items such as flags, as well as more detailed weapon firing, explosions and more. It really makes a lot of difference, and judging by the trailer, looks great!

The trailer below shows Borderlands 2 running on a GeForce GTX graphics card on max settings. Enjoy. Borderlands 2 will be released on the 18th September 2012. 

Borderlands 2 Top Trumps & Browser Game

Publishers 2K will be releasing a set of limited edition Borderlands 2 Top Trumps cards as part of a pre-order incentive at selected UK independent retailers.

There will be other pre-order incentives with the big retail chains such as Game, but independent stores will get cards that feature 30 of Borderlands 2's weapons. There's only 5,000 packs of cards to be dished out across the country, so it's strictly a first come, first served deal. 

As well as this, 2K and Gearbox Software have also released a "de-make" of the game which can be played by browsers for free now. You can check that out here.

New Borderlands 2 Trailer Introduces Four New Characters

2K Games and Gearbox Software have released a new trailer for Borderlands 2.

The trailer introduces four new playable characters, and is narrated by the games bad guy, Handsome Jack. 

Borderlands 2 invites fans of the original to explore brand new areas of Pandora, and also boasts new characters, enemies, weapons, skills and story. 

Check out the video below. Borderlands 2 will be released on the 21st September 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. 

Borderlands 2 Launch Date Announced

The sequel to 2009's excellent Borderlands has landed itself a release date. Gearbox Software confirmed earlier today that Borderlands 2 will be released on the 18th September 2012 in the US and the rest of the world will get it on the 21st September. 


The game returns to the comic-book like cel shaded look which the first one adopted so well, and reportedly focuses more on role playing elements, prompting Gearbox to cite this as a "role playing shooter". 


Like most games nowadays, there are bonuses for pre--ordering Borderlands 2. More information on this can be found via Gearbox's website. 


Check out the launch date trailer below!

Also, if you need a bit of refreshing, check out my review for Borderlands 1. 

Gearbox Honour Fan Who Passes Away

What do you do to honour the memory of a deceased gaming buddy? Get in touch with good 'ol Gearbox of course.


When Borderlands fan Michael John Mamaril sadly passed away at the age of 22, his friend Carlo wanted to somehow pay tribute to his dear friend. Knowing how much he enjoyed Borderlands, Carlo contacted Gearbox to see if they could pay tribute to Michael in Borderlands fashion. 


Honouring Carlo's request, they put out a eulogy using the game's happy service robot Claptrap, and have rendered Michael John Mamaril as an NPC in Borderlands 2. This is definitely one of the most touching and generous acts of fan appreciation ever.


You can listen to the eulogy here on Destructoid.

Borderlands Review

Borderlands 2 was announced back in August, and to show my enthuisasm at this upcoming game, I have decided to share with you my review of the original Borderlands which I have decided to write in celebration of this news.

Hybrid games are often released on the Xbox 360. Combining several different game genres into one creates a refreshing experience for the gamer, and thus revamps what could simply become another victim of an overly tried and tested genre. Borderlands, released by games company Gearbox Software in 2009 is a great example of this genre mixing. Originally billed as a cross between the first person shooter elements of Halo, and the role playing adventuring in Diablo, Borderlands brings a stylistic cell-shaded treat to your TV screens, complete with plenty of playability.

Upon starting the game, you will notice that the Halo claim may not exactly be that fitting. For, this is not a big scale war of the species. Instead you are thrust into a outlawed wasteland setting, where looting, pillaging and bounty hunting are rife. Borderlands in fact combines the quest element in RPG's with the standard functions of a first person shooter. Exploration is the key in this largely expansive game, and only by exploring will you pick up missions or find people to brawl. Set on the fictional planet of Pandora, 

Borderlands allows you to play as one of four characters. Each character carries different abilities, and can change your gaming experience depending on what one you choose to complete the game as. Firstly, there is Mordecai, from the "hunter" class. With Mordecai you are more precise at stealth shots (sniper fans, you'll be in for a treat here), and comes equipped with his own falcon to deliver some expertise finishing moves. Second, you can choose to be Lilith, from the "siren" class. She can turn invisible to enemies once her action bar is charged up, and packs incredible strength. Thirdly, pick Roland, from the "soldier" class if you want someone who is proficient with weaponry (shotguns in particular), and can easily deploy turrets for extra enemy damage. Lastly, there is Brick, from the "berserker" class. He is specialises in explosive weapons, such as rocket launchers, and he also has a great attack called "berserk" which sends him into a fit of rage just perfect for a bit of melee combat. 

Once you have chosen your character, you are then thrown out into the wasteland of Pandora to earn yourself some money. The treasure hunting aspect of the game is probably one of the most enjoyable aspects. All loot is randomly generated, so you will never know where you will stumble upon a hoard of money, or gun that doubles your damage.The hunt for these multitude of goodies becomes rather addictive, and combined with the shooting, melee fights, driving and mission completing, creates a game that many gamers will become hooked to. 

Once you have completed the first mission (which acts as a loose tutorial), you are free to accept and complete the rest of the bunch. You can pick up missions on bounty boards which you can find with the help of your map, or interact with the games NPC's to unlock some more. In simple terms, the missions are pretty similar. Simply accept your mission, drive to the destination, perhaps collect an item or engage in a fight, and then drive back to collect your bounty. However, each mission is different from one another, and are incredibly fun to complete. If you choose to, there are challenges you can complete for extra objectives. The challenges that you can engage in can be found in your games menu, and will be ticked off when you have completed them. Complete them all to get an achievement! 

Like many RPG's, Borderlands has a level up system. Players are able to collect points through completing missions, knocking down opponents, finishing races, collecting weapons on your travels, and much more. Your character becomes much stronger as the game progresses and your level increases. This levelling up system brings another motive to the game besides all the shooting and exploring, and actually makes you feel like you have achieved something at the end of a mission or fight when you notice that your character has progressed up another rank. Levelling up allows you to unlock a multitude of weapons, and helps to make the game a little easier for those who are struggling at the lower levels. You will find that at a higher level, your character is able to complete missions with much higher level enemies, so the opportunity to experience more game play is therefore opened.

Borderlands supports multi-player playability, which is a welcome addition. Using this, players are able to play through the game with up to another three players. Together you can complete missions, shoot it up and generally just muck about. Sharing the experience with a bunch of friends rather than flying it solo through the wasteland seemed much more fun, and having your buddies there to back you up in a fight makes a lot of difference. I recommend investing in headsets though, so you and your friends can actually talk about what you plan to do! 

As for criticisms, in all honesty, Borderlands does not really suffer from many. The only aspects I would point out is that at times the map got a little tricky to navigate, and the game, like many others, suffers from the occasional "glitching" bug. The rarer weapons also appear to be too rare at times, which is a pain as I found myself discovering repeated weapons from time to time when in all honesty I was itching to start using a brand new one. However, these criticisms remain a small niggling feeling, rather than something that could potentially spoil the gaming experience. 

Luckily, as the world of Pandora is incredibly vast, it does take a considerably long time to fully complete this game, especially as if you are intending on unlocking every achievement in this game, you will be required to complete this game more than once (for instance, there are character specific achievements so you need to have played with each of them at some point to gain them). 

Once the main storyline has been completed, you are free to continue your game play to complete any left achievements, discover new weapons and locations, and more. You will notice that the second play-through is much harder. Enemies are tougher, and deal much more damage than before, so this brings a refreshing challenge to the proceedings. Once you have exhausted this freedom though, there are plenty of excellent downloadable content extras to download on the Xbox 360 marketplace. Having completed all of them, I would strongly suggest downloading "The Island of Dr. Ned" DLC. This brings a new twist to the game, as well as a new location-zombies, a crazy doctor, and a B-movie feel. It also takes quite a long time to complete this DLC pack, so it is definitely worth the Xbox points you had to part with to download it. 

Borderlands was one of the most engaging, addictive and lengthy games of 2009. The cell-shaded cartoon style gives the game a bit of unique charm, and gives the game a slight comic book feel. The characters are well-thought out, and bring different aspects to the game, depending on which one you choose to play as. There are a multitude of missions and challenges to complete, as well as the ability to treasure hunt for money, weapons and objects. 

The multi-player function is a welcome addition, as it allows you to enjoy the game not only with a second player in the same room, but with people over the Xbox Live connection also. Playing this game as a duo, threesome or quartet is definitely recommended as it brings a bigger level of enjoyment to the proceedings than just playing it solo does. Although the story in Borderlands may seem rather loose through the majority of it, it is littered with enough gags and enjoyable moments to become totally immersed in it. This is a great example of a hybrid genre game, and combined with the hours of downloadable content, no wonder this game became such a huge seller. 

Borderlands 2 Teaser Trailer

Borderlands 2 was recently announced earlier this month to much enthusiasm from fans of the original best-selling game. More details about this announcement can be found at my previous Borderlands 2 article. 


Nothing much has been confirmed up until now that is. The first teaser trailer introduces a brand new character, but other aspects can also be noted:

• It appears that the desert wasteland of the first Borderlands will be joined by new grass and snow terrains. 
• Although the art-style is continuing on from Borderlands, it is definitely much sleeker and comic-book looking than before.
• The character featured in this teaser trailer wields two weapons. Perhaps we shall be able to use two weapons at once in Borderlands 2?

So, if you wish to see a muscled-up guy blast some Skags, then you can do so by viewing the trailer below:

Borderlands 2 Announced & New Smash Bros News!

As many of you know, I am one of the writers for the Game section of MCM Buzz. Each time I have written an article over on that site, I shall post a link to each one of them on 8-BIT Girl. I know a lot of my readers may appreciate checking these out at some point.

Borderlands 2?
The first concerns the official announcement of Borderlands 2! It's predecessor shifted over 2 million copies in the first two months of release, so a sequel was inevitable. 


You may read more about what we are to expect in Borderlands 2 and other information by clicking right here. 

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New Super Smash Bros. Wii U Details
Masahiro Sakurai, the brains behind the hugely successful Smash Bros. series, as well as the upcoming Kid Icarus game has finally announced a few details about the latest Smash Bros. outing. 


This new Smash Bros. will be released on the Wii U as well as the Nintendo 3DS, and Sakurai promises that this version will be a huge improvement over it's predecessors.


So, what are we to expect from the new Smash Bros.? Hopefully a few questions will be answered over at my article.