New Games |
- E3: 30 minutes to give all of my love to E3 2011
- New Cave Story 3DS screens to get excited about
- E3: Freaking out over Forza Motorsport 4 feature list
- E3: Ridge Racer Unbounded: Crash and create cities
- E3: A Disneyland superfan plays Disneyland Adventures
- Minecraft beta 1.7 is the 'adventure update'
- E3: Hands-on with (the awesome) Awesomenauts
- Get six indie games for five bucks
- E3: Hands-on with Backbreaker: Vengeance
- E3: Bit.Trip Complete bundles the series on one Wii disc
- E3: Square says Eidos saved them at E3
- E3: THQ not upset by Wii U -- they did it 18 months ago
- E3: Ken Levine explains Bioshock Infinite's Sky-Lines
- Three alleged Sony hackers arrested in Spain
- E3 Intermission: Check out this FFVII stop motion video
- Codemasters website hacked last week, now they tell us
- E3: Month delay for Rage, idTech 5 unsuitable for Skyrim
| E3: 30 minutes to give all of my love to E3 2011 Posted: 10 Jun 2011 01:54 PM PDT
Last year, my video producer Andy and I made video about trying to make the most of the last 45 minutes of E3. We didn't plan on doing another video like that this year. The pressure of trying to replicate the spontaneous nature of the original video just ruined the fun of it. Then, before we knew it, there was only a half an hour before E3 was over, and I realized that once again, there was so much stuff that I didn't get a chance to see, and people that I didn't get to say goodbye to. Forcing spontaneity wasn't an issue, as I was genuinely desperate to take one last hard, loving look at E3. With that idea in mind, Andy and I show floor running, video camera and microphone in hand. Thanks to Charles "voice of Mario" Martinet, everyone's favorite Nintendo representative Shannon, the guys at Mega 64, Samus Aran, She-Joker, Tara Long, Hamza Aziz, Max Scoville, Sherri Macale, that cow guy, the staff of Square-Enix, and all of the other people who knowingly (or unknowingly) contributed to this video. Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 -- I miss you already. | ||||
| New Cave Story 3DS screens to get excited about Posted: 10 Jun 2011 01:00 PM PDT With E3 officially over, now is the time to get back to being excited over the games that are actually coming out in the near future. One of these games is Cave Story 3D. Releasing for the Nintendo 3DS on August 9th (only two more months!), the game will be a direct remake of the unbelievably classic original Cave Story, only this time redesigned with fancy 3D graphics! True, the original sprites are much moire charming, but there is something about this colorful new polygon look that still gets me excited. But maybe it's just the fact that it's Cave Story we are talking about. They could remake the game with macaroni art and I would probably be just as enthused. Check out the new screens in the gallery. What do you think? | ||||
| E3: Freaking out over Forza Motorsport 4 feature list Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:50 AM PDT This is silly. You show me this, you tell me that, and then you tell me it's coming in October. That's a dick thing to do, Turn 10. I really like you guys, but you just can't throw these shiny things up in my face and expect me to be patient. This week at E3 I got to sit down and hear Turn 10's Dan Greenawalt barf out a constant stream of feature reveals and refinements for Forza 4 in a behind doors meeting. Every feature he listed had me nodding in agreement and approval in the beginning. As he continued on my nods got bigger and more approving. I'm sure they were obnoxious nods. Toward the end I felt like raising my hands up in the air and shaking them in praise like they do in a gospel church service. Oh lordy!
Keep in mind that the following isn't even a full feature list for Forza Motorsport 4. It's just the bit the decided to release at E3 to tease us. Game makers and their PR representation love to hold a lot of the good stuff and let it trickle out. I'm sure there's more good news coming. For now, this is more than good enough. Autovista: We've already told you a bit about Forza 4's gawking mode, Autovista. You'll be able to look at and in some of the loveliest cars ever created. I saw stunning recreations of vehicles that look closer to a car commercial than a videogame in this mode. It comes complete with Top Gear commentary. This mode is pure eye candy for lovers of vehicles. Kinect support: We've already covered how Kinect was worked into Forza 4. The features are optional, but they're mostly useful and fun. Everything from head tracking to car gawking is supported by the motion sensor. Career mode changes: The career mode has changed a bit since Forza 3. The World Tour mode takes you across the world, not through a calendar. The game learns from cars you've chosen and events you're picking to give you more of the same choices. This means that you'll sort of pick your own path with your preferences. Difficulty and Ai are also tweaked according to your choices and performance. Keep that Forza 3 save file: Do you still have your save file from the last game? Good. Keep it. You'll get some really nice goodies in your garage as a gift. Forza 4 looks at your progress from the last game and gifts you extra vehicles for your hard work. It's possible to take on some of the early races with supercars. Events and AI: There are more kinds of events to pick from. Autocross, multi-heat and drifting modes are in the mix, and you'll find that there will be varied numbers of cars in the races now. In the multi-heat races you'll find that one leg could be in the daytime and another set at night. Turn 10 wants to keep things fresh and exciting. A new Track Day mode has you seeing how may cars you can pass. The game looks at your skill level and then determines how many cars you'll need to successfully pass to proceed. In a demonstration of this mode Turn 10's Dan Greenawalt showed off the game's fancy new AI. The AI-controlled driver passed in a very natural way, sometimes weaving, and other times more aggressively whipping. From what I saw I'm already a bit scared to race against this new AI. Car Club: Car Club lets you share driving tips, strategies, and more. What's better is that you can even share cars with your club. It's like borrowing a car without having to pay for one. Rivals Mode: Rivals Mode lets you race...a computer. It's cool, as you're really racing the races of other gamers. You can pick from other pre-recorded races and try to beat their times. If you do, the'll receive notification that you topped their times. Racers will be matched by the server. A nice bonus is that your races in Rivals Mode count toward career mode progress.
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| E3: Ridge Racer Unbounded: Crash and create cities Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:13 AM PDT I love the Ridge Racer franchise for its style and its fast, arcade-y racing action, but not much has been done with the core formula in awhile. A new game, Ridge Racer Unbounded, is out to add something new and unexpected to the mix: Destructible environments. I got a behind closed doors look at Ridge Racer Unbounded this week at E3. I was glad to see that Developer BugBear Entertainment (FlatOut titles) has kept all the original style and approachability of the classic Namco racer, but seeing my first car-to-wall collision in a demo was a bit of a surprise. The Finnish studio obviously has love for the series, so it seems they're taking care to preserve the Ridge Racer feel and look, even with this radical addition. It's early, but I see what they're getting at, and I think it looks like a lot of fun. Standard racing and drifting in races builds up a meter that can be used for the destruction of Shatter Bay, the game's new setting. Once charged up, you'll find a marker on some environment pieces. These marked pieces invite a collision, and the end result is usually a fantastic crash and a bit of a shortcut. I saw a section of the demo where a car that was supposed to take a sharp turn but decided to plow straight into a building instead. The car continued through the building and out the other side, with glass and metal sparkling in the sunlight and onto the ground. Sure, the car was a bit damaged, but the racer was placed ahead of the pack through this shortcut. There's a lot more than just big, breakable set pieces in RRU. Walls, pillars and even other cars are awaiting your love taps, and they're all actively tracked with a robust physics engine that ensures that no two collisions are the same. BugBear says that these aren't pre-canned animations, which means that you won't grow bored of bashing and crashing. At the end of the presentation BugBear teased what looks to be an online component. A video showed the skyline of a new city with what looked to be an online screen name creation credit. Another followed. Then blocks of more cities were lined up as if to imply that they would all be connected. BugBear staff all but confirmed that players would be able to create their own cities to drive and crash through, and then share them online with other players. That could be quite fun. I know what you're thinking: Split/Second meets Burnout meets Ridge Racer. Maybe. There seems to be a bit more going on here, though. It is a street racer with destruction, but BugBear is aiming a bit higher with a a bit of a storyline and what seems to be an online city building component. Oh, and style. This one title could both excite old Ridge Racer fans and invite new ones along for the ride. Ridge Racer Unbounded is one to keep an eye out for. Ridge Racer Unbounded is slated for release in 2012 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. | ||||
| E3: A Disneyland superfan plays Disneyland Adventures Posted: 10 Jun 2011 09:10 AM PDT For anyone that may have missed it, Kinect-exclusive game Disneyland Adventures was announced during this week's Microsoft E3 press conference. Basically, the game allows you, the player, to wander through a meticulously recreated version of Disneyland and "ride" any of the rides, which essentially transports you to a variety of Kinect mini-games based on Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, or whatever ride you choose to enter. Being a gigantic fan of Disneyland -- and having been to the park more times that I can count -- I wanted to see if someone that loves Disney (and isn't a little girl) could enjoy this game. I liked Disneyland Adventures, but am not sure if it is something I am going to purchase. And that makes me a little sad, since when I saw the game announced I kind of cheered. The most impressive part, by far, is the recreation of the park. It is perfect. I mean, every restaurant, every food cart, every water fountain -- they are all there and completely in the right location. The game is early in development, and there are still a lot of details like trees and walls missing, but, all in all, the recreated park is the right size, the right layout ... pretty much the right everything. It really is incredible. I'm not going to lie: I was running around as my little girl character laughing and giggling along with her as I turned a corner and saw one of my favorite attractions. But, alas, controlling the game in and out of the rides was a big chore. Again, this is an early build and things will most likely be fixed, but I had trouble being accurate when walking around the park. Moving is performed by holding your arm up and "pointing" in the direction you want to go. This works in large areas, but trying to make sharp turns is near impossible. At one point I just missed the entrance to Alice in Wonderland, but could not for the life of me turn around to get to it. It drove me insane! I ended up just giving up and trying to see if the churro stand by Big Thunder Moutain was there. (For the record: It was!) The mini-game "rides" themselves were fine, but nothing special. They are nice to look at -- especially given the Disney-theming -- but play just like the games in Kinect Adventures. It is promised that almost every ride in the park would eventually have a mini-game (as opposed to the two in the demo), so that is something to look forward to. Beyond the initial excitement of running through a perfect recreation of Disneyland, there was not much more I was interested in while playing Disneyland Adventures. I am going to give the game the benefit of the doubt due to its early development status and the fact that I adore Disneyland, but I am not sure how this Kinect game is going to turn out. Will anyone that's not a little kid have fun with Disneyland Adventures (read: me!)? I sure hope so. I really want to love this game. | ||||
| Minecraft beta 1.7 is the 'adventure update' Posted: 10 Jun 2011 08:40 AM PDT Now this is more like it! Designer Markus Persson has posted details about the 1.7 update for Minecraft on his blog. It's going to be the "adventure update." The team wants to keep the specifics secret, but it will focus on rewarding players for exploration and combat. Modding support "on a small scale" is also getting its start with version 1.7. "We'll be giving the source code out to a very VERY small group of people before the release of 1.7," he writes. "We'll use those experiences to work out the final details, then we'll get the modding api out as soon as possible after 1.7 has been released." Excellent news all around. Post E3 information dump! [The Word of Notch] | ||||
| E3: Hands-on with (the awesome) Awesomenauts Posted: 10 Jun 2011 08:20 AM PDT I love this game. Awesomenauts -- developed by Ronimo Games, the creator of the superb Sword and Soldiers -- is a six-player team-based battle game combining elements from League of Legends, Monday Night Fights, and Worms. That is to say, IT IS AMAZING! I wasn't expecting to like this Xbox Live Arcade / PSN game as much I did, but read on to find out what won me over. #1 (reason I love this game): The look! I mean, seriously. Look how beautiful this game is. Incorporating a very stylized, 2D look, Awesomenauts is colorful, highly polished, and displays beautiful animations for all the many characters in the game. It really is a sight to behold and one of the best looking downloadable games I have seen in a long time. #2: Character classes! For the demo I got to play at E3, there were three playable characters, but the final build of the game (set to release in September 2011) will contain six different characters (with more coming as DLC!). Each character is similar, but possess certain abilities and weapons that set them apart. For example, the cowboy can throw giant sticks of dynamite that cause huge explosions, while the monkey can fly (naturally!), making traversing the gorgeous levels easier. Choosing a character is important and will really affect how the game is played. #3: The gameplay! And, speaking of how the game is played, Awesomenauts finds two teams battling it out in a massive, multi-level arena, trying to destroy the other team's bases. Each team has three players each, with the computer controlling any players that are not joined locally or online. In addition to being able to directly control your selected character, armies of drones will also help you fight the enemy. These drones are generated from turrets and structures that live on each side of the level. These turrets can also attack the enemy and are tough to defeat. The combination of player-controlled mayhem with some aspects of tower defense really combine to form an addictive, strategic experience. #4: The upgrades! Currency can be collected throughout the level (in the form of glowing cubes) and used to buy upgrades for each character. This part is awesome and extremely fun. The upgrades range from more health to massive new, powerful weapons that will help you defeat the enemy much quicker. In a fun twist, when you are killed in battle, you are dropped down from the top of the screen again inside a rocket ship (while your opponent continues to play). While falling, you can collect a bunch of cubes to raise your currency amount, which you can then use to buy upgrades. So, even though your opponent will have time to attack you after you die, the chance to make some money to make you stronger is a nice, fair trade-off. I really loved Awesomeanuts and can't wait to play more when it is released for XBLA and PSN in a few months. The game is super addictive, and, with the promise of chaotic six-player online action, looks to be a great time. It plays great and looks even better! Nice job, Ronimo Games. You seem to have a hit on your hands. | ||||
| Get six indie games for five bucks Posted: 10 Jun 2011 07:20 AM PDT Six independent games developers are joining together to offer a pretty sweet deal. For only $5 (and a post about the pack on your Facebook page), you can get the Indie-Games Summer Six Pack: Aztaka, City Rain, Puzzlegeddon, Bob Came in Pieces, Vizati, and Lylian Episode I: Paranoid Friendship. The games may be old, but as you can see from the links above, $5 is a steal for all six of these. Those without Facebook accounts, or people who aren't willing to take part in a little marketing on behalf of the developers, can nab the bundle for $10. Mac owners beware -- only Vizati and Bob Came In Pieces come with Mac versions. Check it out at http://www.indiegamespack.com/. | ||||
| E3: Hands-on with Backbreaker: Vengeance Posted: 10 Jun 2011 07:00 AM PDT Nick Chester has already provided you with a pretty good idea of what 505 Games' Backbreaker: Vengeance has to offer. But I got to sit down with a bigger build of the game at E3 and thought I would share my thoughts. SPORTS! Backbreaker: Vengeance is a football game that really isn't about football. Instead, it is more of an action-y arcade game that finds players playing though three super quick, highly addictive football-themed modes to rack up as many points as possible to beat your friends' high scores. Sure, you play as a football player, but each mode is more about dodging, jumping, and tackling your way to score as many points as possible. As someone who hasn't really played a football game since Tecmo Bowl on the original NES, I kind of fell in love with this upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game (no release date or price yet announced). Here is a breakdown of Backbreaker: Vengeance's three modes: Tackle Alley: In Tackle Alley, players must carry a football across the field and make it to the end zone. Sounds simple, but other players, obstacles, and "out-of-bound zones" stand in your way. Using slick dodge moves with the right analog stick, players can spin, slide, and even leap out of the way of upcoming rivals. It is a simple system, but tough to master, as more and more opponents are added as the levels go on. Vengeance: Vengeance is all about tackling. Which is awesome. When the timer starts, players must just simply tackle all the other players on the screen. Again, a simple concept, but one made more difficult be slowly adding more opponents and scoring zones on the screen. The "scoring zones" are exactly what they sound like. On the field are multiple illuminated areas that give you extra points by running over them. The tricky part is, they are placed in strategic places that, when obtained, will make it much trickier to reach your tackling goals in time. It is a risk/reward system that really pays off and adds to the replayability of the game. Supremacy: The oddest (but no less fun) mode in Backbreaker: Vengeance is called Supremacy. This mode is like a racing game with massive football players. In Supremacy, you control a football player as he races three other football players around a "track" around the field. Along the way, there are turns, hurdles, and "out-of-bound zones" that must be avoided. In addition, players can shove the other opponents into the obstacles and knock them out of the competition. As the rounds continue, players with the highest score are marked with a gold color. This "marked" player can be tackled or knocked out for even more bonus points. Backbreaker: Vengeance is not a football game at all. There are no teams, no quarters, no normal football rules at all, really. What it is is a fast-paced, addictive arcade game that requires players to just try to score as many points as possible in the different modes. With over 320 levels (!), online multiplayer, and high score leaderboards, Backbreaker: Vengeance is shaping to be a must-have for any fan of super addictive pick-up-and-play arcade titles. Heck, I even want it and I don't know anything about sports! | ||||
| E3: Bit.Trip Complete bundles the series on one Wii disc Posted: 10 Jun 2011 06:40 AM PDT As divulged by Gaijin Games this week, the Bit.Trip series is getting the in-store compilation disc treatment for Wii. Bit.Trip Collection, IndieGames reports, will have "many new gameplay challenges," and unlockable video, art, and music galleries. "It's so awesome because we got to include three remixes by one of our really big fans, Ganon95, on the Wii disc," says Gaijin Games CEO Alex Neuse. "Also, Precise Hero, a rapper out of Michigan, has some fan tribute songs on there. Then there are a couple demo tracks that we made that didn't end up making the cut. The disc is also packaged with a soundtrack CD." Nice to hear this series will get even more presence at retail, and hopefully bring on new fans. I'll probably still go with Bit.Trip Saga on 3DS, myself. E3 2011: BIT.TRIP Complete (Gaijin Games) [IndieGames] | ||||
| E3: Square says Eidos saved them at E3 Posted: 10 Jun 2011 06:20 AM PDT There's been talk among the industry that Japan is no longer the powerhouse it once was, and that the West is becoming the new driving force in gaming. Square Enix executive Koji Taguchi lent more credence to that theory, saying that Eidos' E3 games allowed Square Enix to save face from an "almost humiliating" lack of Japanese Square Enix games. "Because we merged with Eidos and had games like Tomb Raider, Deus [Ex], and Hitman, as a company we were able to keep face. But the decline in Japanese titles was almost humiliating. This has been a week where I worried daily about how we can fix this." There's no denying the Japanese division of Square Enix has been struggling, particularly with the disastrous launch of Final Fantasy XIV. Let's hope that Final Fantasy XIII-2 can help restore some confidence, and that Final Fantasy Versus XIII actually releases sometime in the next few years. Square Enix Exec Troubled by E3 Showing [andriasang] | ||||
| E3: THQ not upset by Wii U -- they did it 18 months ago Posted: 10 Jun 2011 06:00 AM PDT You might think that THQ would be nervous about the Wii U, since the Wii U's new controller shares some similarities with THQ's uDraw tablet, but that doesn't appear to be the case. When THQ's Martin Good was asked by CVG if they were worried about the similarities between the two controllers, Good waved away any concerns, and implied that Wii U may even be good for the uDraw, as it may raise interest. "None of this is a surprise. As you know, we thought of it 18 months ago and released it last season. We think we're really on the front for it and well poised to exploit this because we've already been playing with the drawing mechanic and we've got a lot of game designs in the pipe. It's only going to get better with that experience." UDraw boss not annoyed by Wii U controller [CVG via GamesIndustry.biz] | ||||
| E3: Ken Levine explains Bioshock Infinite's Sky-Lines Posted: 10 Jun 2011 05:40 AM PDT
Irrational Games has released more info on the upcoming BioShock Infinite! In this short video, Ken Levine explains what the Sky-Lines are, the backstory behind why they were built, and some footage of how they'll actually be used in the game. Everytime I see a Sky-Line gunfight, I get excited. Take a look, and let us know what you think of BioShock Infinite below. | ||||
| Three alleged Sony hackers arrested in Spain Posted: 10 Jun 2011 05:20 AM PDT Spanish police are reporting that they've arrested three members of Anonymous in three separate cities, claiming they are responsible for the hacking attacks against the PlayStation Store. The police are alleging that these three individuals were leaders of a local Anonymous group, and are considering them to be some of the masterminds behind the attack. In addition to being charged with the PlayStation store hacks, these three are also being accused of leading hacks against government websites of a number of countries, two Spanish banks, an Italian energy company, and the website of the Spanish Electoral Board. The police have not released the names of the suspects, but they are all described as Spanish men in their early 30s. Spanish police cuff three Anonymous hack supsects [The Register via Gamasutra] | ||||
| E3 Intermission: Check out this FFVII stop motion video Posted: 10 Jun 2011 04:50 AM PDT
E3 was long and grueling, but it's finally over! Our coverage isn't though -- keep an eye on Destructoid over the next few days, as previews and hands-on impressions will continue to be posted. We'll also be catching up on any non-E3 news that fell through the cracks. Right now, however, our exhausted team is all headed to the airport to fly back home. While you wait for them to get back to their desks and start slaving away again, why don't you watch this neat little stop motion animation video a guy on YouTube made with Cloud and Sephiroth action figures? It's kind of awesome! | ||||
| Codemasters website hacked last week, now they tell us Posted: 10 Jun 2011 03:55 AM PDT You may have gotten an email today from Codemasters about this, even though perhaps you don't remember ever registering anything on their websites. I know I thought that when I got the email, until I remembered I probably signed up for an APB beta ages ago. Codemasters.com was breached on June 3rd, and as soon as it was detected Codemasters took the website and associated web services offline. Since then, an investigation into the scope of the breach showed that whoever hacked it was able to access the following.
While they couldn't verify if anything was actually downloaded, it's better to be safe than sorry. A new website will launch later in the year and Codemasters.com will redirect to the Facebook page for the time being -- although it doesn't do so yet. Codemasters advise you to change your passwords (tip: if you store them, check your browser's stored passwords to see what you used), and to not be an idiot in general if you are asked for credit card info and whatnot. Also: "The safest way to visit your favourite websites is always by typing in the address manually into the address bar of your browser." [Thanks everyone who sent this in] | ||||
| E3: Month delay for Rage, idTech 5 unsuitable for Skyrim Posted: 10 Jun 2011 03:15 AM PDT Rage has been delayed by a month from its September 13rd release date to October 4th (October 7 for Europe), Gamasutra reports. John Carmack has also pitched in on the fact that id Tech 5 would only be used in-house at Bethesda, and told Gamasutra that he's happy to be out the licensing business in order to focus on finishing Rage and working on Doom 4 (and Rage 2 after that). Carmack reflected on licensing their tech in the past. "It's interesting when you look at our technology licensing -- it was never really a business that I wanted to be in. In the very early days, people would pester us, and we'd just throw out some ridiculous terms, and we were surprised when people started taking us up on it." He noted that while id Tech 5's megatexture direction has its uses for games like Rage, it is less suitable for things like Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim where there is a whole open world to render. So while we can expect more id Tech 5 powered games coming from Bethesda, that doesn't mean the publisher is going to have all of its upcoming games run on the new engine. id Software's Tom Willits pointed out that we shouldn't worry that becoming part of Bethesda would limit the studio's traditional openness towards its community, and that the PC version of Rage will still have the SDK and other "stuff" made available to the community. Just don't mod it into your own Just Cause game if you want people to actually be able to run it. |
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