Before Call of Duty and Battlefield 3, there were two games that revolutionized first person shooters. These games were Quake and Unreal Tournament. If you have ever played and love either of these games, a relatively new company IllFonic is sure to give you a blast from the past. The company, founded in 2007, is set to release their new arena first person shooter Nexuiz next month as a part of Microsoft’s XBLA House Party promotion. More info and screens after the break.
Have you ever wanted to design a videogame without having to learn all that pesky computer science? Well, the folks at Robomodo have your back. The studio behind the recently announced Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help get funding for their latest game, Bodoink, a wacky pinball/pachinko hybrid for Kinect. By raising the money without having to rely on a publisher they’ll be able to retain creative control of the game, and they’ve decided to pass much of this control on to the project’s backers (namely, you guys). We spent some time this week with Robomodo lead designer Patrick Dwyer to talk about Bodoink and the Kickstarter (listen to the interview here), and to give the game a try.
New York Comic Con has come and gone and we got our hands on a new release and some upcoming games, including a newly announced title. Three Xbox Live Arcade games were on display at the Microsoft booth. There was the recent Robot Entertainment release Orcs Must Die, a welcomed multiplayer demo of Trials Evolution and the newly announced Fusion: Genesis, the first game coming from Starfire Studios. Though our time at the event was limited, we also did get to see the guys from Demiurge Studios and play some more Shoot Many Robots.
This preview was originally intended to be a podcast. Unfortunately unbeknownst to us the recording software crashed mid-podcast. Instead we’ve put together a preview based on that podcast. Apologies and enjoy — and special thanks to NBA Jam On Fire Edition producer Cody Sawatsky for taking the time to talk to us.
Is there honestly anyone out there that doesn’t have fond memories of NBA Jam? It’s part of every adult gamer’s past, whether pumping quarters into an arcade machine or playing some late night Tournament Edition with a friend on the Super Nintendo. Over the years the game has evolved, with several iterations in the 90′s, a solid last-gen release in 2003, and last year’s retail release. But perhaps the biggest jump in innovation comes in On Fire Edition, out tomorrow on Xbox Live Arcade.
While the 2010 edition of NBA Jam was meant to be true to the arcade, On Fire Edition takes those principles and set them on, well, fire quite frankly. NBA Jam producer Cody Sawatsky cited over 1,000 gameplay tweaks, changes and enhancements were made since the 2010 installment, including updated AI, new playable characters, easter eggs and more. It’s kind of like taking a new Camaro and stuffing in an even bigger engine, a kickin’ stereo and a set of sweet rims.
Video games have long made life after death a very diverse drag to say the least. From the loose, graphic interpretation of Dante’s Inferno to less disturbing (yet no less tragic) fates of those in Final Fantasy X doomed to monsterhood without a summoner’s sending. Haunted Temple Studios thankfully is making death a lot more enjoyable.
The tone is set very early in the demo build here at Fantastic Arcade. Fallen samurai general Akamoto finds himself missing one of his swords and waiting in a line outside a temple for entry into the afterlife like a Jersey Shore cast member awaiting for entry into an A-list Hollywood party. His prospects look about as promising as he discovers most of whom he’s in a crowd with will never get in and are being tricked into calmly waiting what will never happen to maintain order. This revelation predictably angers the deceased general whom sets off in recruiting other to fight their way into the underworld and also confront a mysterious imposter. The story it its core taps inspiration from revenge tales but mixes that serious storytelling into a more light-hearted universe.
Three of our favorite games last year were Blur, Snoopy Flying Ace and Hydro Thunder Hurricane. While all three titles received critical praise and similar review scores, two were heavily marketed (Blur and HTH), two were licensed properties (Snoopy and HTH), two were budget XBLA titles (Snoopy and HTH), and unfortunately only two sold well (Snoopy and HTH). SkyDrift is poised to launch next week on Xbox Live Arcade and hopes to replicate the critical success of its progenitors.
At first blush, SkyDrift feels like the offspring of Blur and Hydro Thunder Hurricane. The game plays very similar to Blur, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing et al. Player’s race against their opponents using various weapons to gain and maintain the lead. The game adds a few elements along the way to expand the formula, such as reverse maps and elimination races, but it’s largely stuff players have seen before. Which isn’t to say SkyDrift doesn’t execute this formula well, far from it, the game just isn’t all that original. We haven’t played the entirety of the game so we aren’t going to rule out a few potential surprises that change our tune.
After the announcement and all-too-short teaser trailer from E3 2011, we’d been anxiously waiting for anything new regarding Trials Evolution. The sequel to the tough-as-nails Trials HD will actually be much harder. Checkpoints will be more spread out, so players have to understand what they’re doing and how they do it instead of accidentally making it to the next checkpoint. Progression will now depend on the medals you earn instead of simply finishing a level, so going for the gold will be better than getting a bronze. Skill games are back, but have been re-imagined to be more rewarding and more skill-oriented. These new ideas are not to frustrate and infuriate, but to make sure players have enough experience before they tackle the harder challenges.
The game will feature wide open spaces and stunning vistas, which are much more beautiful than the closed-in warehouse from the last game. Smoke and water effects are also improved. Players can make their own levels and landscapes with the return of the editor, but now it will be even easier to share and receive levels. Sharing is done over the Track Central Hub, where users can upload their tracks for the world to download and play. There will be categories separating most downloaded and top rated tracks, and even tracks recommended by Redlynx. This will add much more free content to the game, and be quite helpful for our Trials HD Tuesday articles.
Trials Evolution supports four players, both on and off Live. Offline, the four players appear on screen in the same course, and if one person crashes, they re-appear at the next checkpoint the remaining players reach. On Live, the other players are represented by ghosts. Offline tracks are easier than online tracks, for ease in sharing a single screen. You can mark your friends as rivals, so you can easily compare stats to see who’s the best. In a very clever move by Redlynx, hosts can decide whether or not players can bail out during a race. This new installment seems to be headed above and beyond the already great Trials HD, so fans may have a hard time waiting until Fall 2011 for the release of Evolution.
Gameplay videos: Single player | Multiplayer
Source: Eurogamer
Hothead Games is aiming to make The Baconing the best entry yet into the DeathSpank series. Fans wrote in with all of their complaints and ideas and now Hothead is implementing the best of those in their new game. No specifics have been mentioned yet, though there have been a few hints. New producer Mike Inglehart says he has sought to make the game less monotonous while at the same time even more challenging. Fear not though, even with a new producer DeathSpank’s trademark humor will still be intact.
The story is as convoluted as possible, which is perfect for a game like this. Apparently DeathSpank takes the Thongs of Virtue that he collected in the second game and decides to wear them all at once (never advisable). This predictably creates an evil doppelganger of himself: the Anti-Spank. The rest of the game revolves around defeating said Anti-Spank.
More intelligent AI has been promised for this game. Melee enemies will rush you down while ranged enemies pick you apart from cover. This game is designed to be no walk in the park. Many gamers will answer the call by enlisting friends to take up the quest with them, but Inglehart says the focus of this game is single player. The Baconing has been confirmed for XBLA but no release date is currently set.
Source: Joystiq
We got the chance to play Renegade Ops at the Sega Arcade down at San Diego Comic Con and we have to say the game is looking fantastic. Developed using the same engine as Just Cause 2 Avalanche Studios’ Renegade Ops is a twin stick shooter involving a black ops team specialized in vehicular combat–their goal: stop the terrorist agenda of Madman Inferno. Players take control of one of four different operatives each with their own vehicle and special ability. Players can join up alongside a buddy locally or up to three other players online.
A dynamic mission system gives players primary and secondary objectives to score points and advance the story which is voiced over entirely and accompanied by crisp comic-styled panels. Players compete competitively for points and cooperatively for mission completion all while completing objectives in the most over-the-top, explosive way possible. Renegade Ops came about when Just Cause 2 developers turned the camera top-down and started messing around with the vehicles, so expect all the same fun with explosions, action and chaos.
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