About Author: Mark Seymour

Description
Follow him on Twitter: @marktseymour or read more at www.wakeupandsmelltheashes.com

Posts by Mark Seymour

1

Interview: Skulls of the Shogun dev on asynchronous multiplayer and XBLA

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on July 19, 2012Posted in: Feature List, Features, Interviews

It’s 30-minutes til the doors slam shut on day two of Rezzed; Brighton’s PC and indie games soiree featuring the likes of Gunpoint, Hotline Miami and, of course, Skulls of the Shogun. Hot stuff, but it’s no doubt to the chagrin of Borut Pfeifer – developer at 17-Bit – that I’ve asked him to describe Skulls in just 20 words at this late juncture.

“It’s turn-based strategy infused with the spirit of an action or arcade game. It’s fast, no grid, with multiplayer.”  Nailed.

Skulls of the Shogun marks 17-Bits’ attempt to haul the turn-based strategy shenanigans of something like Advance Wars (possibly the greatest game ever made) onto Xbox Live Arcade. No easy feat; the Xbox is without touch screen, without keyboard and mouse and about the only example I can think of turn-based strategy game built solely for XBLA is Band of Bugs. Gulp.

With that in mind, I chat with Borut about how Skulls has been tailored to XBLA, why 17-Bit chose the platform and, mostly, the intricacies of the recently announced asynchronous multiplayer. What’s an asynchronous multiplayer? Read on!

Continue reading “Interview: Skulls of the Shogun dev on asynchronous multiplayer and XBLA” »

Tags: , ,
5

What we are playing: July 15

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on July 15, 2012Posted in: Features, What we are playing

What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to. 

Nick Santangelo - I finished up the Dawnguard DLC forSkyrim this week. The damn game froze on me twice during the last boss but finally got through it on the third try. I’m also working my way through Dungeon Fighter Live for my review which will be up on the site soon. Finally, I built a PC for the first time this week and am getting into the world of PC gaming that I have largely neglected for the past 29 years.

Perry Jackson -  Other than the occasional game(s) of Spelunky, I picked up Dungeon Fighter Live on Friday and it’s so much fun, reminds me of Guardian Heroes but much deeper in the RPG department. I’ve also been going through Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD but I can’t talk about it. I can say random skate lingo like Totally Radical Brah! and Sick Moves! But that’s all I can say.

Matt Liparota - A bit of a slow one for me, but early in the week I played a heck of a lot of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations multiplayer. You kids can keep your Call of Doodies and Battlefrogs or whatever shooty-shoot games the popular kids are playing; I’ll take hiding in a bale of hay to stab my buddies in the back any day of the week.

Ross Adams - Played some Dungeon Fighter Live on the our Thursday night stream, pretty fun. Was surprised how deep the RPG stuff is, there’s a ton of crafting options too. Also managed to get C&C Red Alert 2 working online, so myself and a couple of buddies have been waxing nostalgic with that, it’s still awesome fun.

Christine Mitchell - I picked up the Rihanna Dance Pack for Dance Central 2 so been playing that. Also finally completed Limbo this week, had a cheeky bit of help though. The rest of my weekend has been spent glued to Tropico 4. Totally hooked!

Mark Seymour  - Funny that Nick should build a PC this week, as that’s my plan for the coming seven days. I’ve spent hours glued to hardware sites mulling over computer organs and other such things: i5s, 1600Mhz something or other, Sandy Bridges… I know what I’m doing. Got to play a bit of Borderlands 2 last weekend as well so I dipped into the original with some buddies. The sequel looks set to be much, much better.

Your turn.

Tags: , , ,
1

Expendables 2 trailer here to thump your face off (also out August 17)

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on July 10, 2012Posted in: Media, News, Videos

Boom! Punch! Kapow! Explode! Kablam! Arghhh! Splat! Pew! Woosh! Blam! Boom again! The Expendables 2 launches on August 17. Kaboom! Have you watched the new trailer yet? Smash! I can barely see beyond all the virility, but I make out 14 separate explosions and four close-quarters primal executions (with a side helping of good-natured torture). Kasplat!

The release of The Expendables 2 on Xbox Live Arcade coincides with the launch of the second Expendables movie, also out in August. The game, a twin stick shooter published by Ubisoft, stars four Manly-Man Meat-slabs from Muscle Land on a mission of utmost machoism. The goal? To thump the face off everything and everyone on Planet Earth and prove that, with enough muscle, any problem can be punched until it’s no longer a problem at all. Oh, and they’ve got to rescue “an extremely valuable, kidnapped Chinese billionaire.” Sounds manly!

The four-player affair acts as a prelude to the film so expect the explosions, thumps and one-liners to segue neatly from one medium to another. POW!

 

Tags: , ,
5

Toy Soldiers: Cold War and others half price this week

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on July 10, 2012Posted in: News

Do you like saving money? Of course you like saving money! Join us, then, as we embark on an adventure across the fields of frugality. Next stop: The Microsoft Studios Sale. This midsummer week boasts no less than five games all slashed, sliced and diced in price. Wallets at the ready, thrifty friends.

Continue reading “Toy Soldiers: Cold War and others half price this week” »

Tags: , , , , ,
5

What we are playing: July 1

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on July 1, 2012Posted in: Features, What we are playing

What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to. 

Christine Mitchell - I got a new kitten this week so I took some time off work to settle her in so I also got loads of time to play games. Her name is Tali and she’s been helping me play Kingdoms of Amalur and Tropico 4. She’s not too impressed by my Dance Central 2 skills though.

Perry Jackson - Finished up Walking Dead Episode 2 which completely shattered the first episode in terms of moral choice and compelling narrative. At points, I legitimately felt bad for the things I had done and who witnessed it. Also started up Spelunky which Todd and I can’t stop gushing about. You’ll hear more on the podcast and I’m about to start up Quantum Conundrum. So much XBLA going on here.

Ross Adams - I reviewed Episode 2 of The Walking Dead, really impressed by what Telltale are doing, you can read my review for more thoughts. Also picked up a cheap copy of Syndicate and played through the co-op, some really cool systems for upgrading and stuff, a lot of fun.

James Heiger - Busy gaming week for me. Played a bunch of the Epic Quest table on Pinball FX2. Then I played through the second episode of the Walking Dead. The game truly forces you to make tough choices. I finished out the week playing Penny Arcade Episode 3. So far so fun.

Nathan Bowring - I picked up and finished The Walking Dead Episode 2 this week, and while it had an amazing narrative it freaked me out. Also continued building my world in Minecraft and played a few rounds of Halo Reach.

Matt Liparota - I started the week out by buying Link’s Awakening on the 3DS eShop and literally spent my Sunday doing nothing but playing that – so that’s been happening a lot this week (it’s also got me considering going back and finishing all the titles in the franchise I’ve never beaten, so that should be fun if I actually do it). I also spent a good deal of gaming time this week back inSkyrim (though I didn’t pick up the new DLC yet) taking back the land from the Empire (sorry, guys, but if you’re going to start the game by trying to chop my head off, I’m going to play for the other team).

Mark Seymour  - Combination of Dawnguard, Space Marine and The Walking: Dead Episode 2 this week. Dawnguard was disenchanting, eschewing Skyrim’s greatest features (exploration) while shining light on its many foibles (story and endless loading screens, chiefly). Space Marine is even dumber than I anticipated while The Walking Dead left me fuming. Trouble is, I can’t explain why without giving everything away (although Telltale do a stand up job of that that anyway).

Some of us have been whispering about this year’s Summer of Arcade over on The Twitter. We think many of the games outside of the annual soiree are more exciting than those in it. What is your view, good reader? And, as always, what have you been playing this week?

Tags: , , , , ,
3

Dungeon Fighter LIVE out July 13

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on June 28, 2012Posted in: Media, News, Videos

Obnoxiously titled hack-and-slash game Dungeon Fighter LIVE: Fall of Hendon Myre launches on Xbox Live Arcade July 13. We thought as much.

Dungeon Fighter LIVE (presumably you have to shout this part) boasts four-player online/offline co-op, dungeons aplenty, items to trade with your fellow adventurers and more monsters than you can swing a six-foot sword at. We reported that Dungeon Fighter LIVE would cost a modest 800MSP back at the start of the month, although this hasn’t been confirmed alongside the announcement.

Here’s a noisy trailer that debuted at E3:

Source: playXBLA

Tags: , ,
10

What we are playing: June 24

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on June 24, 2012Posted in: Features, What we are playing

What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to. 

Perry Jackson - Played through Max Payne 3 and boy, did that game get better reviews than it should. Not that it’s bad, it just has bad pacing issues and Max is super clunky in cover. That being said, the narrative is still rad even if it’s pretty noir-cheese sometimes. Other than that, the Humble Indie Bundle keeps on giving still. Playing through Super Meat Boy with an SNES controller is kind of the best, sorry 360 controller.

Matt Liparota - As summer continues, I find myself revisiting games I haven’t played for a while – I dove back into Skyrim earlier this afternoon, a game I haven’t played too much of because I foolishly bought it during the glut of good games early in the year. I also played a bit of Max Payne 3, a game I’m enjoying well enough but can’t seem to get into enough to marathon through to the end. Late in the week I also dusted off my 3DS to take a crack at some of the post-game content in Pokemon White. Looking forward into next week, I’m excited for the Amazing Spider-Man game – though I’ll probably hold off on picking it up, both to creep on reviews and to wait until I’ve seen the movie when it hits next month (what with it being a sequel and all).

Steve Melton - Stepping away from Trials Evo and Joy Ride Turbo to start another play-through of Mass Effect 3 in preparation for the Extended Cut DLC that comes out on Tuesday.

Todd Schlickbernd - I’ve been playing almost nothing but Magic: the Gathering Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 for a week. After the review and the guide I’m exhausted on Magic, but I genuinely enjoyed every part of it. The puzzle challenges were an absolute beast to complete! I’ve been re-leveling in Borderlands after losing my save file a year ago, I figure I’ll want that completed game save for the new game. Other than that, no more racing games on XBLA for a while developers, I’m good for a while. Except Rush. I could go for another Rush.

Ross Adams - Been slowly making my way through Diablo III: Standard Edition, for how simple it is the combat is really satisfying, especially with the Monk. Also been playing some Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Dark Void, both of which I grabbed in the Games on Demand sale. They’re…well they’re just about worth the four quid I paid, I’ll say that.

James Heiger - I played a fair amount of Marvel Pinball: The Avengers Chronicles. It really is a fantastic package. It has been pretty quiet this week otherwise.

Nick Santangelo - I didn’t get too much gaming in this week, but I did make time for my usual dosage of Halo Reach multiplayer.

Nathan Bowring - A slow week for gaming for me. I played a little Minecraft and inched ever closer to reaching Field Marshal rank in Halo Reach.

Shawn Saris - When I haven’t been raging at Starcraft 2 or Diablo III, I have been playing LEGO Batman 2. I love the Lego games and this one is no different. Now that each character has a voice, it just adds to the fun.

 

And now you, good reader, what have you been busying yourself with? Looking forward to anything special?

Tags: , , , , ,
10

What we are playing: June 10

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on June 10, 2012Posted in: Features, What we are playing

What we are playing is a weekly column published on Sunday. Select members of the team talk about the games they’ve been playing over the past week and which they’re most looking forward to. 

Christine Mitchell - Been playing a load of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Can’t believe the studio went bust, I’m really enjoying it so far.

Nick Santangelo - Like most gamers I’ve long wanted to attend E3. I finally did so for the first time this past week, and it was great. The Big Three conferences were mostly disappointing, but I played a ton of fun game demos, like Hell Yeah!, Pid, Borderlands 2, Happy Wars, Hybrid, Quantum Conundrum and Ascend: New Gods. I also played a few that I was less enamored with, such as Resident Evil 6, Hitman Absolution and RAW.

Perry Jackson - Humble Indie Bundle V for me mostly this week. Sworcery and Lone Survivor made it definitely worth the price of admission to get 6 other solid games with it. Oh yeah, that E3 thing happened. It looked pretty cool.

Steve Melton - So close to getting 200/200 on Joy Ride Turbo. What a fun game. Unlock system could have been a bit kinder, though. Other than that I dusted off my Kinect for some Fruit Ninja and Kinect Star Wars.

Matt Liparota - Been a good couple of weeks for gaming for me – I’ve been playing a TON of Diablo III and Max Payne 3, and I finally got around to picking up and playing Bastion. This past week I dove back into Batman: Arkham City with the Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC and enjoyed playing as Robin a heck of a lot more than I thought I would. In the coming week I’m hoping to wrap up Max Payne and my first playthrough of Diablo.

Mark Seymour - Only just recovering from a stupor brought on by the most embarrassing trio of E3 conferences in memory; buoyed by reports that there were some exciting games on the floor though. High hopes for Lollipop Chainsaw this week too.

Your turn.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1

Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with discounted Microsoft Points (UK only)

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on June 1, 2012Posted in: News

Splendid news for those living in Blighty. In celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (that’s this weekend), Microsoft is offering discounted Microsoft Points from its online store. Hooray! Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait for the Royal Mail to push them through your letterbox and they probably won’t be operating for the next four days, so you can’t bury your head in Minecraft instead of Jubilee celebrations.

Still, it’s a pretty good offer. 4200MSP, normally priced at £34.99, will set you back £24.49 while the price of 2100MSP packs has lowered from £17.59 to £12.25. To take advantage of the offer, deviate away to the Microsoft Store, ram your virtual trolley full of virtual money and then take it to the checkout. Enter the code: “JubileeOffer” into the promotional code box and voila, discounted make-believe money.

Might be a good time to stock up before a promising-looking summer for XBLA.

Source: SavyGamer

Tags: ,
14

XBLA sales figures for the month of April

By
Mark Seymour
– Posted on June 1, 2012Posted in: News

Before we go marching on into the land of statistics… Yes the following figures are based on leaderboard data. No it’s not entirely accurate. It is, however, the best barometer we have. Onward!

It’s been a fine two months. We’ve seen the likes of Trials Evolution and Minecraft shatter records, Fez and The Walking Dead revitalise dusty genres and titles like Skullgirls and The Pinball Arcade bolstering genres with an already strong showing on XBLA. Not to mention Fable: Heroes, The Splatters and Anomaly Warzone Earth rounding out a special 8 weeks.

Rewind a little to April and actual sales data isn’t quite as cheery, at least not across the board. As usual, Gamasutra has the full rundown.

Continue reading “XBLA sales figures for the month of April” »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Page 1 of 812345...Last »
Proudly hosted by Caro Cloud Hosting