Welcome to the news section, which will be updated on a daily basis or
when something interesting is available to write about.
A lot of the news will be text only. This is because most news
are usually rumours and inaccurate.
If I take any news from any other site, I will mention where it came
from.
7th of September 2010
Aksys
has posted a hands on flashed based demonstration of 999.
Click on the link, enter your birthday and click on demo. There
is a flash based guide to the game.
More
D3
Publisher has opened up a teaser site for Earth Defense
Force: Insect Armageddon. At the moment the site has no
content but will soon have screenshots, etc.
More
KOF
Sky Stage is an SNK developed shooter that replaces fighters with
flying people. How it will work in practice is anyone's guess.
I suspect that it will probably be just another 'bullet-hell' game.
More
Ni no Kuni: The Jet Black Sorcerer trailer
Trailer: Chenzo Cove (Vincent Mysliwiec)
Chenzo Cove is an upcoming 3D platformer
similar to the Super Monkey Ball series. Players roll a pirate around in a
ball, trying to reach the end of each level in the set time limit.
Apart from the Monkey Ball style gameplay, there are also some 2D plane
sections mixed in between. Then there are a couple of extra modes -
Treasure, which I'm assuming will be a sort of coin collection minigame,
and Race which is shown towards the end of the above trailer. It's only
single player, which is a shame since multiplayer racing would be ace.
Still, looks like it will be good fun. I personally love the Super Monkey
Ball games (well, the original few anyway) so hopefully Chenzo Park will
be just as entertaining. Check out the
Chenzo Park site for more details.
Freeware Game Pick: Sombreros (Dustin Gunn)
Sombreros is an arcade shooter made for
Arthur Lee's
Action 52 remake challenge, where you
play as a Mexican gunslinger who has to retrieve a couple of giant hats
from the bad guys. Ammo is unlimited in the game, and you can also call
upon your sombrero power to pause time and mark enemies for a round of
quick fire shots. Doing this depletes your sombrero gauge, but you can
replenish it by collecting hats from defeated outlaws.
You won't just be shooting at henchmen throughout the entire game. There
are a number of occasions where you have to duel with one or more
gunslingers, and some levels have doors that you have to break down before
you can proceed. The obligatory boss fights are there as well, featuring
gang leaders who can take more damage than the common criminal.
Note that the version of Sombreros highlighted here is unfinished, but we
will keep you posted if the full game ever comes out. Until then, best to
grab a copy of the game in case the project is abandoned (Dustin's last
update was July 16th) and the download link expires forever. (Windows,
4.00MB)
Preview: Legend of Iya (Andrew Bado)
Here's the latest development video from
Legend of
Iya, a 2D exploration platformer that has been in production
for several years now. Originally designed for the Game Boy Advance, the
current iteration of the project is
developed with the PC platform in mind although the author has yet to
decide on whether to release the game for free or not.
Shown above is a mid-boss fight with the elephant monster GunGanesha -
from only the first area of the game. There are plans to release a
short demo for Legend of Iya once the
opening area has been completed, but considering that all of the coding
and art are done by just
one person, it could still be years
before anyone out there will have a chance to sample it.
4th of September 2010
Bad luck comes in threes. I lost connection
with the internet for a week and then my back went on me. So now I
am able resume normal services. I must apologise.
Cave
has released a version of Dodonpachi
Resurrection for the iPhone or iPod Touch. This version of
the game is free and is called
Dodonpachi Resurrection Lite. So now you have no excuse
not to try in out.
More
Atlus
and collectible toy maker Mega Hobby Station, have released a range of
super deformed toys based on the characters from Persona 3 and
Persona 3. Each doll will cost 399 yen ($4.70).
More
Yakuza 4 trailer made for the American audience
Dungeon Siege III gameplay footage
Trailer: Bastion (Supergiant Games)
Bastion is a gorgeous-looking RPG that's
looking rather brilliant. You take control of The Kid, civilisation's last
hope, as he battles his way through evil demons and attempts to build a
safe haven in which to survive.
The way the land builds or collapses around you looks pretty stunning, but
what I'm really interested in is the slick Narrator, who gives a running
commentary of everything you do - but not in a 'you picked up a gem, you
equipped a sword' sort of way, more 'take out those scumbags' and 'The Kid
picks up something fancy'.
The game is coming early 2011, and there's no platform announced as of
yet. Check below the cut for a hands-on video, courtesy of
GiantBomb.
XBL Indie Game Pick: Radiangames Inferno (Radiangames)
Radiangames has just released one of the best XBox
Live Indie Games you can buy. Not only that, but it's a single dollar (80
MS Points). If you have an Xbox 360, you should grab a copy.
If you played the first release in the series, JoyJoy, then
Inferno is like a campaign version of
JoyJoy. If you didn't, here's a longer explanation: You move an abstract
circle around a maze of other circles which are all different colours and
are trying to kill you. You blast lasers back at them, upgrade your lasers
using gold, then blast them even harder. Over 30 levels of increasing
difficulty, you're looking for the exit and destroying anything that gets
in your way.
Once you've completed the game by yourself, grab three friends and play
through it again but with back-up. Four players can go ballistic through
the campaign, and it offers the kind of fun which should only really be
prescribed by a doctor. Did I mention it's a single dollar?
Images from the game that never was; Duke Nukem
Forever.
More
The full opening cinematic for Disney Epic Mickey
One of the inspirations for Duke Nukem 3D
I love Cosplay
1st of September 2010
Sometimes I don't know why I bother. A
technician for Virgin Broadband disconnected my internet connection and I
haven't been able to get online for nearly a week. Normal services
will resume tomorrow.
25th of August 2010
Ape
Escape has been confirmed for release in North America. No
date has been given as of yet.
More
Square
Enix are interested in getting the fans to sing on one of the songs
for Gun Loco. From September the 9th through to October
the 4th, Square Enix will be uploading an MP3 file along with the
lyrics sheet to it.
More
Sanrio
will be launch Hello Kitty online in Europe and the USA today.
You can
download the free version or pay for
the premium retail edition for $19.99.
More
Atlus
will be partnering with Tomy for the release of Naruto vs. Sasuke
and Dragon Blade Chronicles, both games are for the Nintendo
DS.
More
5pb
will be releasing a new shoot-em-up called Bullet Soul.
It is scheduled for release in Japan this winter on the Xbox 360.
More
Super Monkey Ball may be coming back to the arcades. Sega
has trademarked Super Monkey Ball Ticket Blitz in Europe and
the USA.
More
Trailer: Substream (Ben Bradley)
I've got to admit, my initial reaction to the above
trailer was that the graphics could do with a bit more work. Then it
really gets going, and my interest status changed to 'piqued'.
Substream
is 'a music-synaesthesia 3D shooter', according to developer Ben Bradley.
These are fancy words which basically mean that the graphics and the
enemies move in time with the music - and it's shaping up to be something
rather special. The floor bends and dances with the music, rainbows play
notes like a piano, waves crash to the beat... and then it all gets very
weird, with freaky crane-like arms and huge pillars in the sand.
Psychedelic, maaaan!
As far as I'm aware, you won't be able to put your own music into the game
- rather, each level will feature set music. Which is probably a good
thing, given how poor the 'play your own music' style games have been of
late. The game is planned for a 2011 release on PC, and you can check out
more details over on the
official site.
Freeware Game Pick: Enemy of the Solid State (Bento
Smile)
Enemy of the Solid State is a visual
novel which sees the player taking on the role of a scarf-wearing spy,
waiting for his contact to arrive with a special package that he is
supposed to collect. The game is a lot more lighthearted than Air Pressure
and The Life of a Pacifist is Often Fraught with Conflict, featuring a
cast of zany characters to interact with as you try to complete your
assigned mission.
You can switch between fullscreen and windowed mode using the F key. This
Ludum Dare 18 competition entry takes about fifteen minutes to play from
start to finish. (Mac/Win/Linux, 6.09MB)
Plain Sight Only $2 on Steam
Multiplayer hack and slasher
Plain Sight is on sale at the moment, available for 80% off.
It's now purchaseable for $2.00 (£1.60), which is really quite a
ridiculous price.
Here's the scoop: Players bound around the surface of planets, cutting up
fellow robots with their swords and stealing their energy. Slicing other
players up isn't enough for points, however - you need to convert that
stolen energy into explosive power, then blow yourself up, taking as many
players as possible with you.
There are over a dozen maps to launch yourself all over, with up to
20-player madness available. Five game modes seal the deal, from your
standard Deathmatch to a team-based Robozilla takedown.
Paul
Truong, who works at Google, has created a shoot-em-up using HTML 5.
It's completely free, so why not give it a try.
More
Konami
are getting into distribution of Anime based on their products.
The only down sides are that they will only be available in Japan and
will be on the Playstation Network.
More
PlatinumGames will be releasing a demo of Vanquish on September
the 12th. You will be able to play the game on Xbox 360 and
Playstation 3.
More
A
group of fans have made a Wipout type of game.
More
Check out the video below
Fan made Wipeout machine
Time for some Cosplay
The weird
20th of August 2010
Arc
System Works are working on an Xbox 360 game called Hard Corps:
Uprising and it looks a lot like Gryzor/Contra. So,
if
like me your a fan of the old 'skool' shooter, this game is probably
one to keep an eye out for.
More
If you
are own Sony's Home, you will be able to see the trailer for the
upcoming FPS called Black Rock Shooter x. I don't why
anyone would be using Home but knock yourself out.
More
I love
shoot'em'ups and thinks some of them never got the credit they
deserve. Jaleco's shooter E.D.F. Earth Defense Force was
originally released on the Super Nintendo and will soon be released on
Virtual Consol.
More
Some
of the staff who worked with Hideo Kojima left the company to form
their own company. Their first project is called NeverDead
and will be released on the Playstation 3. I just hope we don't
have endure long winded cut scenes.
More
In
Valkyria Chronicles II, you will be able to train a squad of
soldiers. I have never heard of that happening before in a
RPG/strategy type of game.
More
A couple Metroid: Other M TV commercials
Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 trailer featuring Viewtiful Joe
Damzel (MindFlock)
I don't usually post about games that are this early
on in development, but the concept behind
Damzel
has really got my attention. Players take on the role of a bodyguard in a
procedurally generated city, and are given the task of assessing their
surroundings and protecting their VIP.
Described as a cross between Syndicate, ICO and Rainbow Six, the game aims
to create a living world around you, filled with NPCs which are controlled
by an AI director. Each VIP has different social backgrounds and views on
how situations should be handled, so when a threat is detected, you must
decide how much force to use in keeping the VIP safe. Players also command
the rest of the protecting squad, and must tactically place their team to
maximise coverage.
All the details can be found on the
MindFlock site. Right now there's simply
the above screenshot and the concept in full, but hopefully we'll see
something playable sometime in the near future.
Freeware Game Pick: The Journey Down - Over the Edge
(Theodor Waern)
The Journey Down, Chapter 1: Over the Edge
is a point-and-click adventure game that tells the story of Bwana and his
friend Kito, two individuals who run a gas station but were forced to find
other means of making money when the power company threatens to cut their
electrical supply off. Fortunately at about the same time a young woman
arrives at your doorstep looking for a book, and she willing to reward you
handsomely should you be able to help her out with an errand.
Anyone familiar with classic LucasArts games should feel right at home
with the controls here. Left clicking on any interactive object examines
or operates it, inventory items are located at the bottom of the screen,
and moving your cursor towards the top of the window displays the options
menu.
You can press the period ('.') key to skip parts of a dialogue quickly, or
use the escape key to end an in-game cutscene immediately. Note that there
is only one save slot to use, and you might need to fiddle with the
setup.exe file a bit to get the game looking as gorgeous as the
screenshots posted at the
official site.
The first of the four chapters also ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, with
the story to continue in the second part (Into the Mist) due out sometime
in the summer of 2011. (Windows, 122MB)
