New Games |
- Mega Man Megamix artist now has a deviantART account
- Spot the signs of war in this new Star Wars: TOR trailer
- New Skyward Sword vids pimping zombies and fish dragons
- Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3's batsh*t crazy new modes
- Rainbow Moon postponed, but shiny new screenshots
- Guild 01 trailer kills bird feet DEAD
- EB Expo 2011: Interview with Battlefield 3's DICE
- Payday's silent killer, the Cloaker
- Burgled: Project Zomboid hit with another major set back
- Do things with these new Battlefield 3 multiplayer shots
- Street Fighter is getting the Bishoujo figurine treatment
- Comments of the week: Delicious bits of internet
- NYCC: Grand Theft Auto III on iPad is pretty, different
- This Liara T'Soni figurine remodel looks better, right?
- NYCC: More cosplay and floor madness
- NYCC: Brush up on The Darkness with a new app
- Layton spin-off to bend minds on iThings
| Mega Man Megamix artist now has a deviantART account Posted: 16 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT I don't know how many of you will care about this bit of news, but it involves one of my favorite manga artists, Hitoshi Ariga, and I'd like to try and share some of my joy with all of you. Ariga has served as a graphic designer for various videogames in addition to his work as a mangaka -- his output includes a Star Wars one-shot and the manga adaptation of The Big-O. However, he's most well known for his contributions to Mega Man, in particular the Megamix and Gigamix mini-series. If you are a fan of the Blue Bomber and have not heard of much less read any of these fantastic comics, you need to move your little mouse pointer to those Amazon links above and purchase all six volumes right away. In the West, the only way to get your Mega Man fix outside of the games was through Captain N (Green Smurf Mega Man) or the Ruby-Spears cartoon (Teenage Roided Mega Man). The less said about the former, the better, though the latter was decent if a tad on the silly side. Still, every hot-blooded fan in the 90s wished for a darker, more action-oriented adaptation that took the series to untold heights. Those wishes come true in Megamix and Gigamix, which take an adrenaline-pumping spin on the mythos and keep raising the stakes. Ariga's character redesigns are fresh yet familiar, and while the villainous Robot Masters are more threatening than ever, each retains a healthy dose of levity for balance. I could go into greater detail, but I need to reel it all in and address the reason for this post. Ariga has recently opened up a deviantART account in order to gain wider exposure in English-speaking territories. So far, his posts have ranged from monster designs he provided for a children's book to Terra from Teen Titans. On the Mega Man front, he's posted a little Roll number as well as a portrait of the bosses from Mega Man Zero 3, the Eight Gentle Judges. I can't wait to see what he uploads next, and hope you all will follow the man and start supporting his work. HitoshiAriga [deviantART] | |
| Spot the signs of war in this new Star Wars: TOR trailer Posted: 16 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT
In anticipation of its December 20 release, and to hopefully satiate the fan base for a few more weeks, BioWare has released a new trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic. First shown to New York Comic-Con audiences, it gives players a small peek into a galaxy far, far away that is oddly populated with many human-like species. It speaks of the signs of the imminent clash between Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire: the deepening corruption of Coruscant, the secret wars on Nar Shaddaa, and the rebellions on Balmoora. On an interesting side note, I don't think they said the word "Jedi" once in this video. Interesting trailer, but I think the hundreds and hundreds of players that are still waiting their beta invite would much rather a weekend of time with the game. | |
| New Skyward Sword vids pimping zombies and fish dragons Posted: 16 Oct 2011 02:00 PM PDT In the latest Talking to Women about Videogames (post coming on Tuesday), I had the audacity to say that Mass Effect was the last great single player-only series in gaming. That was silly. It was arguably even sillier when a few Youtube commenters corrected me, stating that Skyrim (a game they have presumably not yet played) is the real last great single player experience in gaming. That got me wondering; where were the Zelda fans at to defend their favorite series? Isn't anyone out there ready to declare that Skyward Sword (another game they have presumably not yet played) is the really realest last great single player experience in gaming? All I know is, the game looks like it has everything it needs to be one of the best Zelda games ever made. The graphics look amazing by any standard, the swimming looks similar to the excellent Zora Link-stuff from Majora's Mask, there are switches to whip, water spouts to ride, spiked walls to dash from, and... purple zombie Bokoblins? All great in theory. We'll see for ourselves next month if Nintendo pulls it off in practice. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Lake Floria and Ancient Cistern subtitled trailers [GoNintendo] | |
| Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3's batsh*t crazy new modes Posted: 16 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT Still mad that Ulitimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is coming out less than a year after you paid full price for the prequel? Get over it. Your 'tude might lead you to miss out on the most crazy-crazy-crazy-all-the-time experience in fighting game history. Heroes and Heralds mode is free, post-launch DLC that will allow you to collect cards based on other Marvel and Capcom characters, giving your fighters new properties and abilities. Unlike Street Fighter X Tekken's newly announced Gems Mode, which Capcom's Seth Killian says is "actually trying to (be) balance(d)", Heroes and Heralds mode is place where you can "just throw balance and sanity to the wind completely". With new combos, invisibility, super armor, projectile invincibility, and parries (complete with Daigo moment), I can see why he might say that. It also sounds like Galactus will be getting a mode where you can finally play as the god-like planet eater. My question is, who will possibly be able to put up a fair fight against that dude? I'd like to say Gold Lightan or PTX, but I think we all know there is really only one right answer to that question. | |
| Rainbow Moon postponed, but shiny new screenshots Posted: 16 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT It looks like tactical RPG fans on PlayStation 3 will have to wait a little while longer for this one. Rainbow Moon, developed by SideQuest Studios, has been pushed back to the first quarter of 2012. But to help tide you over until next year, SideQuest has shared some of its most recent work on Rainbow Moon. The story follows the adventures of Baldren in his quest to seal up a dimensional gate that opened up after he was warped to Rainbow Moon. Now stranded in unfamiliar territory, and with hordes of monsters turning this world into a nightmare, Baldren must gather his strength, find new allies, and find a way back home. Rainbow Moon looks to be another in a long line of bright and colorful turn-based strategy RPGs. The developers are also boasting a story that lasts over 30 hours, but has yet to share any details on the gameplay systems. We'll have to wait and see what kind of splash SideQuest Studios can make with its first entry in the RPG genre. | |
| Guild 01 trailer kills bird feet DEAD Posted: 16 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT [Update: I failed to catch the few seconds of Kaiho Shojo gameplay in this video. My mistake! Sorry internet!] While it's a shame that this interview-focused trailer hasn't been translated into English yet, it's still great to get an up-close look at both the games of Guild 01 and the developers who are making them. This is the first time that I know of an "all star game jam" to come to the major consoles, and the concept alone has me excited. Seeing Suda51 (No More Heroes, Lollipop Chainsaw) Yoshiyuki Hirai (comedy group America Zarigani), Yasumi Matsuno (Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy XII) and Yoot Saito (Seaman) all gushing about their projects gives me goosebumps, even if those goosebumps are in un-subtitled Japanese. It's also exciting that Guild 01 is planned to be the first in a series. I'm hoping they get Swery 65 (Deadly Premonition), Takeyasu Sawaki (Okami, El Shaddai), Keiji Inafune (Mega Man, Dead Rising) and Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya (Cave Story, Ika-Chan) for the next go-round. So which of these games do you think looks the best so far? For me, it's a tie between Suda's Kaiho Shojo and Matsuno's Crimson Shroud. Then again, those are the two games that are yet to show off any gameplay, so its sort of a moot point. I'm just psyched to see those Dungeons and Dragons dice rolling, and that bird foot getting shanked. Birds are jerks (except for the cool ones). | |
| EB Expo 2011: Interview with Battlefield 3's DICE Posted: 16 Oct 2011 10:00 AM PDT Battlefield 3 is on shelves in less than two weeks and he seems surprisingly relaxed. The same goes for his colleague. Both of them have been on the road for two straight weeks. First Moscow, then Sydney, and now here on the Gold Coast for the EB Games Expo. Today, they fly home to Sweden via four different planes. Presumably to lay in wait for the game's release and get some well-earned rest. DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson, and DICE community manager Daniel Matros pull up a couple of chairs and give me some of their valuable time. The EB Expo is loud and hectic but we manage to have some peace and quiet to discuss what Battlefield 3 will be at launch and where it's going in the future.
For any developer, the launch of a game is both exciting and stressful. But in the case of Battlefield 3, the pressure raises up several hundred notches. Not far from where we're sitting, a line stretches far back into the show floor filled with people from all walks of life. They're waiting to play a few minutes of the game at the EA booth and the line is three hours long. The presence of so many people wanting to get their hands on their game, even for a moment, is something that is omnipresent for DICE. Lars explains the current vibe at the studio, saying "There's a lot of nervousness going around. People saying 'Did you see that? Did you see what they said over there?' I think everyone is extremely jumpy. I wouldn't say it's fear but it's your baby and you just want it to go extremely well." Daniel is also aware of the the whole gaming world's excitement for the title. "This is the absolute biggest project we have ever taken on. We've always wanted to make Battlefield 3 ever since Battlefield 2 released and we all feel some form of pressure in one way or another." "The most important thing though," he continues, "is how we handle that pressure. We have to keep our heads in the game and keep working and working. Even though the game will be fantastic at launch, it will be even more fantastic when it's released because that's when the real job starts." Last week, the beta ended for Battlefield 3 and received a lot of mixed reactions. Implementing any feedback from the beta into the final game has been a mixture of expectations and surprises for DICE. Lars is confident about both. "You always need to look at what type of game you have. We can't release whatever we have just because we have a [launch] date. I think it's been extreme dedication and focus on the team to make sure we have a great game when the date comes. I would say we have exceeded my expectations in what we managed to accomplish with this game." "It wasn't like when things surfaced in the beta we were caught by surprise and started fixing the main game. The main game was more or less done," explains Lars. "It was more validating what we knew. We just checked our lists of already implemented fixes and said 'Yeah, yeah we know about that one' or 'Oh yeah, that old one.' But then, there were things we found. The pace of scoring, that people were scoring so quick took us by surprise. A lot of good findings that will make it a better experience." Despite a long history of dedicated fans, Battlefield 3 stands as DICE's most high-profile release to date. Pre-orders for the game have broken previous records set by Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and every time a further piece of information is released about the game, people sit up and take notice. Which brings new challenges; new players who have never touched a Battlefield before will be jumping into this one in record numbers. Lars begins to talk about how that will be a relatively painless process. "Everything can ease you in from single-player and going into co-op with a friend and really getting the core of the gameplay. But then of course we have our matchmaking and a very gradual introduction of all of the gameplay and the unlock system. The easiest to get into would be Team Deathmatch and then find your way into the more advanced modes. I think there really is something there for everyone." Unsurprisingly, Daniel agrees. "It really fits our Battlefield formula and the style of play we have which is easy to learn and hard to master. The hardcore players of course will adapt early because they're used to the jets, they're used to the tanks. Players that haven't played Battlefield before, it's very easy to step in." As the interview progresses and the long, long line near us shuffles forward, I notice something I did not expect: enthusiasm. Both Lars and Daniel have been working and traveling for far beyond what normal human beings should be capable of, so I expected at least a slight weariness in them. But it is the complete opposite. Both of them are beaming and eager to tell me about every inch of the game. The main part of which, will be the multiplayer. Once it launches, hardcore players will rank up and unlock weapons quicker than most mortals. Post-launch, the game will continue to support and feed into such gameplay styles. "What we've seen over our history of the big community we have it's that players stick to Battlefield even if the game is two years old," states Daniel. "We still have tournaments in Battlefield 2 and still a lot of players in Bad Company 2. In six months, I think people will have finally gotten the gist of what Battlefield 3 is. Because by then, they've unlocked a lot of stuff and been playing through the maps so may times that they know the sweet spots. So what we're going to see is the community coming together as one to play the maps the way they're supposed to be played." The last word goes to Lars, who is confident of Battlefield 3's long-lasting endurance: "We have an operations team that has been working since before the beginning of the year with potential post-launch content and plans. If you know DICE from earlier titles, we keep going along the life cycle of a title. So six months from now, it's just the beginning of a long relationship." The interview wraps up and we shake hands. As I leave, both men are eager to reach their next appointment and then finish for the day so they can return home. That said, the feeling of pride is almost tangible. Both Lars and Daniel are noticeably proud of the work they are doing. In less than two weeks, maybe they can have a night off. | |
| Payday's silent killer, the Cloaker Posted: 16 Oct 2011 09:00 AM PDT [This is the second in a series of five guest blogs from OVERKILL Software creative director Simon Vicklund about the forces that stand between you and incalculable wealth in Payday: The Heist, coming soon to PlayStation Network. Stay tuned to Destructoid as we continue this series up to the release of Payday on October 18th] Hi again! It's Simon Viklund of the OVERKILL crew who is back to educate you on the many different virtual law enforcers that will stand between you and the virtual cash/diamonds/gold bars you're supposed to steal in our upcoming PS3/PC co-op FPS game Payday: The Heist! Yesterday we started talking about the special units of the game, focusing on the Shield. As mentioned then, whenever you spot a special unit you can use the "shout-out" commando to tag it. This outlines the unit so that you and your teammates can cooperate more easily in order to take him out. Today we're focusing on this guy: The Cloaker - a special unit that often uses alternative entry points in order to appear out of nowhere, and he moves quickly and silently. He has a silenced SMG that he uses with a surgeon's precision from a distance, and he'll sprint towards you if he gets the opportunity and incapacitate you through one swift strike with his electric baton. And then he'll stand around and beat you a little more just for good measure! Whether you've successfully taken out a Cloaker or you're lying on the ground getting beaten by one while your teamates who come running to your rescue, every combat ready robber should be on the lookout - because Cloakers often move in groups of three: If you've got one pinned down or killed, chances are there are more Cloakers lurking in the vicinity. The Cloaker is the kind of enemy that tests your diligence to maintain a fully loaded weapon, because if you empty half a clip into the Cloaker and then need to reload, he's gonna use that time window to run up to you and knock you out cold! He is a hard-handed teacher, but eventually the Cloaker will have taught you to keep doing tactical reloads, and not run out on your own when you've been informed that Cloakers are on the scene! We've been told that the Cloaker - because of the green light emitted by his night vision goggles - bears a striking resemblance to the protagonist in a certain 3rd person sneaking game... We can only say that we're intrigued by the idea that those who are heroes in other games are the bad guys in ours! Payday: The Heist is a downloadable co-op FPS game for PSN (PS3) and Steam (PC), and it comes out this month. Check out www.overkillsoftware.com, www.payday-theheist.com and our Twitter account "overkill_tm" for news! Return tomorrow to read about the next special unit, called the "Bulldozer".
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| Burgled: Project Zomboid hit with another major set back Posted: 16 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT It seems as though developer The Indie Stone just can't catch a break these days. During the past year, they have been locked out of their Paypal funds, had to take their game offline due to major issues of piracy and, just yesterday, their office was broken into. Not much else is known about the incident, other then 2 work laptops were stolen and developer Chris (Lemmy) Simpson's credit card. As soon as news of the robbery appeared on Twitter, the "fan" reaction on Reddit has gone from unsympathetic to crass and cold-hearted. Still recovering from this huge loss of work and from the invasion of his home, Simpson went on a bit of a rant on Twitter. He lashed out at a number of commenters on Reddit and Twitter, as well as other developers. Earlier today, Simpson posted an apology on his blog, trying to atone for his comments last night. In the apology, he also states that he no longer wants to be a part of the, "public face of Project Zomboid." As part of this, he has closed his Twitter account along with discontinuing his blog on The Indie Stone website. This incident couldn't have occurred at a worse time for the Project Zomboid team, as work on the next update was nearly complete. In the statement from The Indie Stone, they reassure all customers that no personal information was contained on those computers and that even though this is another bump in the road for Project Zomboid they will, "come back stronger." If there is one developer that can roll with the punches, it's The Indie Stone. What really shocked me was the overwhelming number of commenters bothered by the fact that Project Zomboid team didn't regularly back up their data...but not bothered in the slightest about the fact the home shared by two developers were broken into. I understand the importance of disciplining oneself to create backups of all of their digital content; but just because you always remember to save an extra copy of your Word documents on your USB key, it doesn't mean that you can't spare a little sympathy for 2 guys that just had something they worked tremendously hard on taken away. | |
| Do things with these new Battlefield 3 multiplayer shots Posted: 16 Oct 2011 07:00 AM PDT Whoa, can you believe that Battlefield 3 is only 9 days away from being released in North America? That's, like, not a long time or something. Now there are bound to be some out there who are a little frustrated or upset with the online pass situation for DICE's upcoming FPS, so maybe these new multiplayer screenshots can help everyone focus on what really matters: the fact that it's so damn beautiful. | |
| Street Fighter is getting the Bishoujo figurine treatment Posted: 16 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT Full disclosure: The header image does not reflect my immediate reaction to or subsequent thoughts on this bit of news. I just thought it would be really, really funny! We barely made it out of the Mass Effect debacle of sex and pent-up frustration, but now Kotobukiya is pointing its anime-ization ray beam at the Street Fighter franchise. This weeaboo nonsense must be stopped! It is too... oh... wait a tick! Street Fighter is already Japanese! Doy! False alarm, peeps! The Bishoujo line focuses exclusively on females, so definitely expect Chun-Li and Cammy to make an appearance. I wonder what curveballs Kotobukiya plans on hurling, though. I'm holding out for Rainbow Mika, myself! Speaking of curveballs, Kotobukiya also announced a sculpt of Jaina Solo, Han Solo's daughter from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. How much more obscure can you get!? Street Fighter is the newest license for Kotobukiya's Bishoujo line [Tomopop] | |
| Comments of the week: Delicious bits of internet Posted: 16 Oct 2011 05:00 AM PDT Yum yum, green goop!
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| NYCC: Grand Theft Auto III on iPad is pretty, different Posted: 16 Oct 2011 04:08 AM PDT To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar is bringing the third game to iOS later this fall. They had an early iPad version running on the New York Comic-Con show floor this weekend, and from my short time with it I have to tell you that it looks really good. The original PS2 version of Grand Theft Auto III was no slouch in the graphics department, but that was a long time ago, and things have changed. For this iPad version the graphics have been upped to HD, bringing this classic up to date. My first impression was that it looked like a brand new game with its clear edges and sharp detail. It's definitely one of the better looking iOS games out there already, and it's not even finished yet! Sorry -- they wouldn't let me take pictures. I'm guessing it's high-end visuals have something to do with the game being limited to the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S so far, though Rockstar says they'll make more device announcements later This game was made for a controller, so getting used to the virtual joystick and action buttons took a bit. They worked as expected. Camera is controlled by screen swiping, which I suspect some won't love. Other contextual controls will pop up when needed, and you'll only need to touch/hold/swipe the screen to use them. For example, car pedals come up in driving segments. They're still working on the control, so we'll hold judgement for something closer to final code. It would be nice to revisit GTAIII in an on-the-go version, so we'll look forward to seeing more of this one. | |
| This Liara T'Soni figurine remodel looks better, right? Posted: 16 Oct 2011 04:00 AM PDT Remember last month when I told you that Japanese figure house Kotobukiya teamed up with BioWare to design a statue of Mass Effect's Liara T'Soni? That discussion devolved pretty quickly, didn't it? Let's try that one more time. At NYCC, Kotobukiya was displaying it's upcoming Bishoujo figurine line, with the completed Liara model among them. As you can see in the gallery images below, compared to the unpainted prototype, Liara has undergone some slight revisions as per fans' criticism. Most changes are subtle, such as how her face is a bit more slender, while others are obvious, like her boob reduction. Of course, the added detail thanks to paint job is able to accentuate or downplay features that were understated or too pronounced previously. Those who were concerned over the prototype's "baby face" should be pleased to know that Liara looks a bit more aged now. The floatation device deflation ought also to minimize the "oxersexualization," although how well you think Kotobukiya addressed the issue is up to the individual. Is this remodel, which has been priced at $59.99, something you would be willing to buy? Are you fearful of the news that two more Mass Effect Bishoujo sculpts are being planned? If anything, you should take solace in the knowledge that, sometimes, if you complain loudly enough on the Internet, changes will be made. NYCC 2011: Kotobukiya Bishoujo Liara and other news [Tomopop] | |
| NYCC: More cosplay and floor madness Posted: 16 Oct 2011 03:06 AM PDT Now that it's the weekend, New York Comic-Con is at full craziness. As with any good convention, it's impossible to walk around and not run into people. It's cool and windy outside in New York, but it's blazing hot inside with all the bodies and mouth breathing. And did I make the Avengers movie panel? No. It was either enjoy myself at the event, or wait forever to see the panel. I'm sure it was great. I did chat with some of the girls form Cosplay Deviants, though. Tee hee hee. In the gallery below you'll see more cosplay and a few photos of the madness on the show floor. | |
| NYCC: Brush up on The Darkness with a new app Posted: 16 Oct 2011 02:38 AM PDT With The Darkness II right around the corner, maybe you should brush up on the comic series. That becomes easier today with the newly announced iOS app, announced here at New York Comic-Con. You'll be able to jump right in to the 50 or so launch issues of The Darkness on your iPad or iPhone with this app, and more issues are on the way. The entire backlist will eventually be available, along with exclusive material. The app itself is a free download, and each issue of the comic is $1.99 each. To celebrate this launch, Top Cow, Image Comics, and comiXology have made The Darkness #1 through #6 free until the end of the day, Monday, October 17.
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| Layton spin-off to bend minds on iThings Posted: 15 Oct 2011 08:00 PM PDT
You can never have enough Layton in your life! That's the rule. With that thought, Level-5 has announced Layton Brothers: Mystery Room for iOS devices. Instead of assuming the role of the ol' professor, you'll take command of his son (bet you didn't know he had one) Alphendi Layton and partner Lucy Creila, a pair of Scotland Yard investigators. Also, rather than having you solve bite-sized, brain-teasing non sequiturs, Layton Brothers appears to involve a more direct approach to crime solving. Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is why a male-female duo, unrelated by blood, is referred to as "brothers" in the first place! This was originally a DS game with no ties to the Layton series; in fact, it was part of another Level-5 puzzle series called Atamania. This change in IP and platform might help to give it a bit more exposure. Hopefully, it'll find its way to Western iThingies. Level-5's Mystery Room Reborn as a Layton Title for iPhone [Andriasang] |
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