New Games |
- Cheer a crying giant and save the world from his tears
- Dragon's Dogma soundtrack coming via Square Enix
- Zack Zero demo to hit PS3 tomorrow
- Sony Online Entertainment announces SOE Live event
- DTOID Interview: There are NO fish in Assassin's Creed 3
- Silent Hill: Book of Memories delay officially confirmed
- Robert Bowling leaves Infinity Ward
- May the Kinect Star Wars launch trailer be with you
- Live show: Little Big Planet multiplayer on Mash Tactics
- Review: Armored Core V
- Dungeon crawler Legend of Grimrock goes gold
- Flixist X Dtoid to host a post-PAX East viewing of The FP
- Preview: One more turn into the Fray
- 1-bit Ninja now has a Lite version
- Review: Amalur: Reckoning - The Legend of Dead Kel
- Mistborn series to get a prequel game next year
- Preview: Darksiders II is inspired by the best there is
- Audiosurf Air beta sign-ups are currently open
- Telltale gives us some actual Walking Dead gameplay
| Cheer a crying giant and save the world from his tears Posted: 26 Mar 2012 04:00 PM PDT "A very good videogame." - Jonathan Holmes That's the sum total of the description I was given before playing Atakachik, a Flash game from a few years ago which Holmes inexplicably turned up with this evening. When this happens, I go in with the expectation that "good" is a relative term which probably means "weird." It usually means it's fun also, but weird is the main thing. Atakachik does not disappoint in either respect. There's nothing about the gameplay which is original, as you're just shooting waves of oncoming enemies while trying to avoid other targets crossing the playfield. The weirdness, however, is so complete that it's enjoyable even if it's derivative. These aren't zombies, after all, but huge baby chicks which are in actuality the tears of a crying giant with a baby doll's head, all of which may or may not be the hallucinations of a man deep in the throes of madness from starvation. And you aren't armed with a gun but the power of love, represented by animated clay hearts. So it's sort of like Gal Gun without the rail movement or the desire to take a thousand showers. The game is really cute, in an odd way, kind of like our dear, sweet Holmes. It's easy to see why it resonated with him, from the theme of love and friendship being the things which hold our fragile Earth together to the kooky musical accompaniment. It's also worth noting that the game does have a conclusion and isn't even all that hard (though frantic by the end). By the time you're sick of playing it, you've probably finished. I'm not doing the oddity justice, though. You should probably check it out for yourself. |
| Dragon's Dogma soundtrack coming via Square Enix Posted: 26 Mar 2012 03:00 PM PDT For the second time in Square Enix's record label history, the company is publishing a soundtrack produced by an outside game company. A new listing on VGMdb confirms that a two-disc soundtrack for Dragon's Dogma will be released by Square Enix on May 23, 2012 for the price of 2,800 Yen ($34 USD). For those who are curious, UTV Ignition's El Shaddai was the first outside title whose soundtrack was published on the Square Enix label. |
| Zack Zero demo to hit PS3 tomorrow Posted: 26 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PDT
Crocodile Entertainment will be releasing a demo of their 2D side-scrolling shooter Zack Zero to PlayStation Network tomorrow. Subject to a fairly severe drubbing in reviews (including our own), the visually attractive but technically-challenged game received a rather significant update and it seems Crocodile is hoping that people will give it a chance if they don't have to pony up cash to do so. The update doesn't address all the problems reviewers had with the game (some of the issues appear pretty fundamental to the design), but there are some major changes. Fall damage has been removed, control improvements have been implemented and an annoying "level up" screen has become an opt-in affair. I figure if they're going to put that much work in, I can give the demo a try. |
| Sony Online Entertainment announces SOE Live event Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PDT Sony has announced details for the annual fan event for players of their massively multiplayer titles. Formerly known as Sony Fan Faire, the long weekend of MMO fandom has been rechristened, "SOE Live." The event, which brings together players from around the world to engage with the developers of their favorite online games, will be taking place at the Bally's hotel and casino in Las Vegas October 18-21. The event will feature panel discussions and a variety of live events. And we can no doubt expect a number of announcements to come out of it. Anybody going to make the trek to Sin City this year? |
| DTOID Interview: There are NO fish in Assassin's Creed 3 Posted: 26 Mar 2012 12:30 PM PDT |
| Silent Hill: Book of Memories delay officially confirmed Posted: 26 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT Konami's going to have one helluva of an overdue fee on the Book of Memories. It looks like the game is delayed yet again. In a statement to RipTen, Konami confirmed the sad (?) news, saying:
Given how Konami has handled the Silent Hill franchise as of late, this may come as neither a shock nor a disappointment. Could they be polishing it up to avoid the disaster that is the Silent Hill HD Collection? Whatever the case, the "new" date (likely a placeholder as it is on a Thursday) is listed as May 31, 2012. Konami Confirms 'Silent Hill: Book Of Memories' Delayed [RipTen] |
| Robert Bowling leaves Infinity Ward Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:30 AM PDT Robert Bowling, effectively the industry face of the Call of Duty franchise for the last few years, announced today the resignation of his position as Creative Strategist at developer Infinity Ward. No word yet on what Bowling might be doing next, but it's going to be a total change in employers, at the very least. In a message posted to his Twitter feed, Bowling noted that this also ends his employment at Activision, ruling out the possibility that he may be moving on to another studio under that publisher's umbrella or to a position within the parent company. Bowling is a good communicator and seemed intent on engaging the fans of the Call of Duty series, great qualities to have in a guy at the helm of a major gaming franchise. Best of luck to him in his future endeavors, whatever they may be. Today, I resign from my position ... [Robert Bowling's Twitter] |
| May the Kinect Star Wars launch trailer be with you Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PDT
The Kinect Star Wars launch is just around the corner, and as such, Microsoft is rollin' out the launch trailer! Get a glimpse of pod racing, Rancors, flashing lightsabers, and the many other fun ways you will be publicly humiliating yourself upon the game's April 3 debut. And by "you" I mean "I" because, having realized this is the closest to the Force I'm ever going to get, I'll be making this a day one purchase. |
| Live show: Little Big Planet multiplayer on Mash Tactics Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:30 AM PDT As a new week starts, it's once again time for "Multiplayer Monday" on Mash Tactics! Today, King Foom is harkening back to an old personal tradition of playing Little Big Planet and Little Big Planet 2 with the viewers. With LBP being a veritable playground of creative absurdity, it's a sure formula for good times. Tune in, or join in with your own custom Sackboys, game types, and levels. Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4p.m. Pacific on Destructoid's Twitch TV channel. Watch King Foom play a variety of games, each day with its own theme. With a heavy focus on community and viewer interaction, you can be as much a part of the show as anything else.
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| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PDT There are many theories on why mech games died out. The question I have is "why are they coming back now?" Perhaps these two issues are tied closer together than some may think. It’s a matter of innovation, I believe. With new concepts made possible through improved network and graphical ability, the once tired mech genre stands a chance to fight again with games like Hawken, MechWarrior Online, and Armored Core V. After all, it seems throwing a mech into an FPS is the latest gimmick (see: Gears of War, Killzone, F.E.A.R.) Maybe people want a whole game based around that concept? After playing Armored Core V, I have to deduct that people will still be wanting that game. To put it bluntly, this one just isn’t very good.
Armored Core V (Xbox 360 [reviewed], PlayStation 3) If you are also new to the series, prepare to have some distant observations reaffirmed through play: ACV is one of the most archaic, obtuse, and frustrating games of this generation. It’s also one of the most ambitious. As if releasing a hardcore mech game in 2012 isn't enough, ACV introduces some rather interesting online features. Like previous entries, the main draw of ACV is the incredibly in-depth customization options. Fans call it the Forza of mech games for good reason: There are so many possible combinations that it can be daunting to choose one. Everything from the legs to your booster can be altered to accommodate a subtly different playstyle. The game is at its best when you go online with a motley mech crew. One may jump across buildings with a sword in (mech) hand, while another might slowly walk toward a vantage point for its sniper rifle. I imagine most players will stick with a specific build after a couple rounds. Weapons, however, will continue to be swapped, if only out of necessity. A key feature of combat is the three different weapon damage types -- having the right kind of weapon available can be crucial to a mission. There were times where a fight went from near impossible to stupid easy because I didn’t have the right weapon attached. Coming to grips with this can be both massively rewarding and frustrating at times. It’s the love it or hate it calling card of the series and ACV absolutely nails this aspect. For those keeping count, that's one thing the game gets right. Despite the title, ACV isn’t a direct sequel. Actually, it’s a reboot of sorts in a series that goes well beyond five entries (more like 14). I know: how very Japanese of them! In an effort to stay contemporary -- the graphics and audio sure as hell aren’t pulling their weight here -- developer From Software (Dark Souls) designed the game around a persistent online world. The game is closer to Monster Hunter than an MMORPG, however. Like that beloved Japanese series, playing offline is an option but much of the game’s appeal is lost in the process. One of the first things you'll do upon booting up ACV is starting or joining a team. Teams can include up to 20 players who can claim/defend territory (the game's persistent world, as mentioned above), take on missions together, and trade items. Every victory a team member achieves will help level up the member and team, gaining access to more missions in time. It’s a cool concept that doesn’t amount to much due to clunky design. I imagine every player’s experience with ACV’s menu and systems will vary. For me, it was a very poor one. For starters, the team aspect felt utterly pointless. I changed my team a couple times, during my play sessions, and came across the same problems. No one was ever online on my team, and when they were there was no way to play with them. Thankfully, you can hire mercenaries that take the role of team members on missions. These mercenaries are just other players in the same boat as you who want somebody to play with. You will have to share the mission income with these players, but it’s often worth it. Well, sometimes. Getting one of these guys into your game can be a painful process in itself. For whatever reason, the game would frequently deny my requests, forcing me to exit out of the mission and start another. Magically, it would suddenly work after repeating this process. There are a lot of strange issues like this in the game’s design. "Polished" is one thing that no one can call ACV. Once you get into a story mission (which there are ten of), you’ll run into a whole new host of problems. One of which relates to the co-op aspect. If your co-op buddy leaves the game, you are forced out as well. This would be fine if you could keep your checkpoint or if these missions weren’t 30+ minutes long. This, however, is not the case. I found myself getting so frustrated with losing progress (we are talking at least three hours), I played most missions solo. Neither player even gets anything if they forfeit, which makes it even worse. Here is the absolute worst part of all of ACV: After a match, the game forces you to send a message to the other players. I'm all for ridiculing these jerks, except all the messages are positive! "SUPERB JORB!!!" It's like that scene where your mom walks in on your older brother beating you up and then she tells you to apologize for getting beat up. Except it happens repeatedly and you can't hit them back when mom leaves. The missions themselves are pretty shoddy, feeling like a 360/PS3 launch title in their presentation and design. You go from point A to B with very little variety in enemy type or objectives. You can look forward to such thrilling things as a sewer that loops three times for no good reason (this actually appears in two missions, since the game has only eight maps), a turret that can kill you in one shot, and some horribly cheap boss fights. You’d be wrong in thinking ACV is hard. It’s not. It’s just terribly imbalanced and unfair. I went from one of the most grueling enemy encounters in one mission, to the next being an absolute cakewalk. The game is baffling in its difficulty spikes. Most of the challenge will come from the disadvantages of your particular build. You may come across a section that requires you to dodge fast, but you are built for slow, direct combat. I wouldn’t say this is a pro or con; it’s just the nature of this type of game. However, I’d like to think there are ways to offer alternative routes for alternative playstyles. Regardless, ACV is decidedly not progressive in its design despite the forward-thinking online wrapper surrounding the game. If you are in need of extra in-game income, ACV offers a couple options. At any time you can jump into different non-story missions. Order missions are simple in presentation and last about a minute to complete, most of the time. You just take down ridiculously underpowered enemies and move on to the next mission. Invasion missions let you and your team claim territory in the game’s persistent world. In execution, however, they play out just like an Order mission. The only difference is that you can have three team members with you and an Operator who can direct your team by setting waypoints and marking enemies. The main draw of ACV is Conquest, which is its 5-on-5 multiplayer mode. Once you learn the nuances of the game’s combat, you can have some really exciting matches in Conquest. It’s a shame then that this mode is tied to some bizarre concepts. You aren’t just playing team deathmatch; you are fighting over the game’s persistent territory. As a result, you need to spend team points to even play this mode. Team points are a form of currency you acquire upon winning a match in any other mode. So, even if you are a serious AC player, you’ll be just as frustrated that the game sends computer-controlled mechs to defend your territory if a real player isn’t around. If all this sounds confusing and dumb, it’s probably because it is. Even when I look past all of ACV’s hit-and-miss ambitious concepts, it is a very poorly designed game at its core. On a technical level, it is full of glitches and weird little quirks. Presentation-wise, its graphics, audio, art direction, and story are terrible and not in that charming dated way of other From Software games (here’s looking at you, Ninja Blade). Even the mechs don’t control like you want. They are far, far more sluggish and heavier than the ones in AC4 that let you fly around the sky like a Gundam cartoon. The game’s opening sets the tone very well: This is a new Armored Core. It’s one where the mechs are beat to hell and the world is in tatters (even more so than before). Everything from the inexcusably bad audio design to the weird delay on boosting conveyed this aesthetic -- probably not in the way the developer intended, however. Even once I worked past the game’s convoluted, tutorial-free systems and understood how to build a mech, I found myself in a constant state of despondency. I just can’t get myself to care about the customization and persistent world when everything surrounding it so poorly designed and not the least bit fun. I mean, at least give me loot. Give me something! ACV will make Chromehounds fans mourn that game’s passing and will leave genre newcomers crying out in frustration. A good mech game is hard to find, these days. |
| Dungeon crawler Legend of Grimrock goes gold Posted: 26 Mar 2012 09:30 AM PDT
Legend of Grimrock is a first-person dungeon crawler made by a small team of industry vets. If that sentence alone doesn't get you all riled up, I'd recommend checking out the embedded trailer. If you're still not dancing around the room then perhaps indie first-person tile-based RPGs aren't your thing. And that's fine. Really! I totally get it. Some people can't handle the strategic and punishing battles that they'll encounter. Us brave ones can spend some time over at the official site and slowly drink in all of the information on the game. The most recent news is that the game has gone gold and is finished. The launch details for the PC version will be revealed next week, but that doesn't mean they'll be done working! As they put it: "...we don’t think it’s the end of the road, more like a fork in the road with ways branching into all sorts of interesting directions: iOS, Mac, map editor, sequel, new IP, living in a dumpster totally broke…" After spending so much time with Dungeons of Dredmor and Binding of Isaac, I can only welcome Legend of Grimrock into my inevitable-death embracing soul. |
| Flixist X Dtoid to host a post-PAX East viewing of The FP Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:45 AM PDT
[Update: Still a little ways from getting those 100 reserves! To sweeten the deal, Holmes has committed to giving out prizes at the event, ranging from free games to a home made burritos. Don't miss out on your chance to experience this once in a life time health hazard!] After a long weekend of hardcore partying with the Destructoid gang at PAX East, the first thing you'll want to do after the doors close on Sunday is crawl back to your hotel rooms and curl up under the covers, right? Well... f*ckin'... WRONG! You are going to party with us some more because we are a pleasant bunch of motherf*ckers! Remember that Dance Dance Revolution-themed, dystopian future movie The FP we talked about the other week? Want to come see it with us? Sure, you do! At the Boston Common 19 theater on April 8 at 8 PM, the lovely Matthew Razak and Andres Bolivar of Flixist along with the huggable Jonathan Holmes will host a special screening followed by a post-film discussion. All you gotta do is head on over here and reserve a ticket for $9. We need at least 100 reserves to make this a reality. This promises to be a fun-filled evening, the perfect cap to the PAX festivities. The movie looks to be pretty damn solid as well, according the glowing review Alex and Jenika Katz gave it on Flixist. Whether the movie is good or not is irrelevant, however. Don't you want to spend more time with us? We're really nice people once you get to know us! |
| Preview: One more turn into the Fray Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:00 AM PDT Like so many "older" gamers who grew up during the X-COM glory days of turn-based strategy almost 20 years ago, the folks at Parisian indie studio Brain Candy have been craving some good old TBS action. Not just any kind, because due to the formative effect of the age of Unreal Tournament and Counter-Strike, they wondered why there wasn't a good multiplayer TBS game yet. As it happened, they set out to create their own simultaneous turn-based strategy game to fill their niche: Fray. Fray (PC [previewed], Mac) As Brain Candy admits, when you think "simultaneous turn-based strategy," it's hard to get around the Frozen Synapse comparison nowadays. Since they weren't aware of another game in the genre being developed, the team's development of their core ideas was never influenced by last year's surprise strategy hit. Not that there is any ill will between Brain Candy and Mode 7. Far from it -- they maintain a friendly relationship of cooperation as only indie studios with somewhat competing titles can. Fray's focus is on taking the turn-based format and making it into a multiplayer game which marries the online playstyle you traditionally expect from first-person shooters. That means respawns and action points, deathmatch modes with simul-turn resolution, and class-based teams coupled with character customization. It sounds too crazy to actually work, but surprisingly enough, it does. Fray is a top-down game in 3D, meaning you can zoom in a little and rotate the camera, but you'll stick with a zoomed out view for battlefield clarity. While the game doesn't show it, it is made up of hexagons to indicate how far you can move each turn. For the purpose of this preview, a round of deathmatch was played using an alpha build of the game. After selecting four out of six available classes (Tank, Medic, Sniper, Support, Shadow, and Assault), each player's team of unique units is randomly placed on a spawn point somewhere on the map. Each turn, a player has a limited amount of time to plan his actions. Each unit has a set amount of action points, indicated by a bar at the bottom of the screen, with which it can move, perform a special action, or shoot. You can move a certain amount of hexes, shoot targets within range of your weapon, etc. At the end of a turn, both players watch as their planned actions play out simultaneously in real time. So far, that might sound very familiar to anyone who has played a simul-turn game before, but Fray adds enough to make it feel fresh. For starters, units can run out of ammo. As long as a unit is within a Support class's area of effect, indicated by a circle if you hover over the unit, it will receive fresh ammo. A Tank is tough unit to get rid of in a combat situation, but it doesn't just depend on health and armor alone. Any unit who is within a Tank's area of effect will have some of the damage it receives diverted to the Tank. Medics heal with a medic gun (think Team Fortress 2) and can drop a healing turret on the battlefield, but only if that class is configured to have a healing turret as equipment. By configuring your classes, you can tailor your units to carry different weapons and equipment to fit your tactics. Using a piece of equipment, such as placing a turret, may cost you a few action points, but it's always nice to have a turret dominating a section of the map. Cover works by breaking line of sight, making it very hard for an enemy to hit you; the line of attack indicated by clicking on a target simply stops when it hits cover protecting an enemy. Different stances don't serve as simple stand, crouch, and prone positions, but instead give you different bonuses depending on your class. Some classes might use a stance to move faster, while others can use an "attack move" stance to shoot at any target they encounter, without having to plan attacks in advance. Maps even offer bonuses you can pick up by moving over them, giving a unit a temporary stat increase, health, ammo, and the like -- bonuses you will need if you opt not to include a class that provides healing and ammunition to your team. As you can probably guess, it leads to a game of tactical movements and actions where you want to lure or push your opponent to move into pre-positioned lanes of fire, block off his escape, circle around to flank his support units, or play around with established military strategies. If a unit dies, you can choose to respawn it at certain spawn points on the map, which in turn means that any unit you kill in a deathmatch mode might end up harassing your rear a few turns later. To protect the pacing in a multiplayer turn-based game, each turn has a default 90-second timer (this timer can be adjusted to shorter and longer settings) which makes planning turns fast-paced without feeling too rushed. There's certainly a bit of a learning curve in the first few turns, as you experiment with your various classes, weapons, stances, and equipment, but anyone familiar with the genre should have no problem easing into it. Once you do, it can become a game of perfecting how you use your classes, and how to mess with your opponent's head. The relatively fast pace and the way combat is resolved makes it feel like your are the commander of a squad playing a round of team-based multiplayer in a shooter. It's nothing like Natural Selection 2, but the type of play and tactics seen in both online shooters and top-down turn-based strategy games has certainly made a good transition to the format Fray is experimenting with. If you hadn't guess by now, Fray is a pure multiplayer game. Brain Candy would love to create a full single-player campaign, but the amount of options at your units' disposal makes creating a proper AI very problematic and time-consuming for the small team. If you're wondering how this is different than Frozen Synapse, it is because units' action in that game revolves around only a few basic actions: walk, aim, crouch or stand, and fire -- a small enough amount of permutations to be able to cope with when programming AI. Add in different weapon choices, equipment, and different stances per class, and you can get a picture of what you would have to deal with when creating a working AI for Fray. Besides deathmatch and team deathmatch, various other modes will be available in the full game when it launches. Players can choose a corporation to play as, which can yield XP bonuses depending on your corporation's performance over a period of time (e.g., weekly bonuses for the top corporation). Leveling up units will also unlock new weapons and equipment, and different tactical bonuses can be gained by ending a turn quickly or by using a stance, for instance allowing you to move a little bit faster in the next turn. One thing that struck me was how mod-able the maps are to suit different styles of play. Even on a map with an open environment and a few bits of cover, the difference between deathmatch, team deathmatch, and King of the Hill modes will easily affect how you play the game, and the potential for many modes and fans coming up with crazy ideas seems limitless. Currently, maps are spread across three "environments"; Paris, the typical cityscape with streets and urban trash to hide behind, a laboratory setting with corridors and gardens for more claustrophobic combat, and a Virtual Reality environment. Being a big fan of Frozen Synapse, it looks like Fray will have little trouble co-existing alongside it with its multiplayer focus and completely different styles of play. Fray is in the last weeks of alpha at the moment, where early fans who pre-ordered the game have been helping out with development and bug tracking. A beta phase is planned to start in a few weeks, and players who end up buying the game after playing it in beta will keep their XP and stats. Like Mode 7's darling, there will also be a "buy one, get one free" scheme to lure a friend into serving as XP fodder while you throw your head back and laugh maniacally. [If you want to know more about Fray's development, take a look at Brain Candy's posts on the Community Blogs!] |
| 1-bit Ninja now has a Lite version Posted: 26 Mar 2012 07:30 AM PDT A Lite [free] version of 1-Bit Ninja has just hit the App Store. Despite the fact that it's a precision based platformer, the game actually works incredibly well considering the touch-based control method, and hearkens back classic monochrome graphics that give homage to the original Mario Land. The night that I bought the game, I played it for a pretty solid few hours -- not bad for a game that came out of nowhere. |
| Review: Amalur: Reckoning - The Legend of Dead Kel Posted: 26 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PDT One might wonder if a game like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning really needs a downloadable content expansion along the lines of "The Legend of Dead Kel," given the enormous amount of quests and content already available in the core game. Quest and area exploration fatigue can start to kick in by the time you enter Klurikon, after all, and it's likely you still have quite a few side-quests in your journal that you never bothered to complete. It's good to know, then, that "Dead Kel" goes above and beyond what you would expect from a piece of Reckoning DLC. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - The Legend of Dead Kel (Xbox 360 [Reviewed], PS3, PC) Dead Kel is somewhat of a notorious and undead scallywag, enough to deserve his own legend in Rathir. He has been raiding precious supply ships important to the war effort, so it's up to you to embark on what sounds like a suicide mission; travel to the island of Gallows End from which no ship returns, and hunt down Dead Kel. As if your prospects couldn't get any worse, you are accompanied by a new character, Captain Brattigan, who is as naive as she is a nymphomaniac who can't swim, with a reputation of wrecking her ships to boot. It comes as no surprise that you end up shipwrecked on the island of Gallows End, which isn't quite worth calling a continent, but comparable in size to the desert lands of Detyre. You are not the first to crawl ashore on Gallows End like a drowned rat, as other shipwrecked survivors from decades past have carved out a living on the island in the form of the small village of Cape Solace. All is not right, however, as the village is full of zealots who are mysteriously tied to a deity named Akara, who protects them from the rage of Dead Kel.
The main quest of "The Legend of Dead Kel" is your standard Reckoning fare. You are sent to different locations on the island in your quest to find the dread pirate and a way home across the seas, and encounter a few of his boss henchmen in the process. Along the way, you learn more about the God Akara, the village's history and religious rites, and unweave a few strands of Fate wherever you go. If you enjoyed Reckoning, you'll simply find more of the same kind of combat and exploration in this DLC's main quest. However, it's the side-quests, additions to the Reckoning formula, and the small touches which provide the most, and more novel, forms of entertainment. The side-quests provide some of the more humorous conversations and thought-provoking quests in the entire game, with many a darker and adult theme permeating life on Gallows End, even if these themes are ultimately not explored to their full potential. Messages in bottles can be found across the idyllic shipwreck island, and pieces of treasure maps can be found in chests to lead you to dig spots for shiny new loot. While the search for collectibles keeps you occupied and eager to explore, much of the fun in "Dead Kel" comes from the completely optional renovation of Gravehal Keep; a ruined fortress of the Dverga, a race of Dwarven mariners who last ruled the island. The monster-infested Gravehal Keep looms over the Cape Solace, which can be claimed for your own. What is without a doubt the best addition to Reckoning is that you can upgrade and populate this ancient fortress to turn it into our own castle from which you can eventually rule like a king. With each upgrade, which costs materials you'll easily find while completing quests, a new wing or shop will open up and new NPCs will offer distractions. A scout can be sent off to collect various items and materials from unsalvaged wrecks, a combat trainer will present you with gold if you quickly kill creatures in a makeshift arena pen, and a bona fide animal trainer can provide you with pets if you supply him with meat, fish, and bugs. These pets offer bonuses to your stats depending on which one you choose. Feed them some more food, and these bonuses will increase. It's a silly bonus addition made sillier when you send the animal trainer to find and domesticate one of the new enemies in "Dead Kel," the Root Golem. This is basically a troll, but a kind that can tunnel underground to move towards you, or grab Boggarts from below the earth to throws at you. Yes, it's Maokai from League of Legends. Eventually, Gravehal Keep offers a host of characters, like a librarian who will translate ancients books you find on your travels on Gallows End, NPCs on the island you can direct to seek safety in your keep to serve as shopkeepers and armorers, and other characters who will offer rewards you wouldn't expect after having played through Reckoning. Some of it is fan service, while other elements such as being able to sit on the throne and listen to petitions make stabs at Fable III's end-game. The thing is, while the whole range of activities supplied by Gravehal Keep can feel a bit like doing fetch quests at times, much of it is supremely fulfilling to waste your time on, and a lot more entertaining than being the King ever was in Lionhead Studios' "innovative" title. More than anything, "The Legend of Dead Kel" offers no shortage of fun and silliness. Captain Brattigan is crafted to be annoying with a high-pitched voice, yet you can't help but come to like her. This is quite an achievement, since not many characters in Amalur are actually likable or even worth remembering the name of. (Go ahead, think of five memorable characters with actual clothes.) Gallows End becomes a home away from home in the world of Amalur, where the island's areas aren't just spaces to run through as you mop up quests in an efficient order, but instead become the locales where you found a hand inside a crab, or where you were asked to provide meat to feed chickens. It experiments with additions we might see in the Amalur franchise down the line, and a sense that the developers working on the DLC had a lot of freedom to come up with, and flesh out, as many crazy ideas as they could. Unless they were directed to do so, which is arguably just as good. On the downside, Dead Kel himself is remarkably boring. The story behind how his fate is tied to Gallows End is decent if unsurprising, but the resolution of the main quest leaves you unfulfilled and wondering if there couldn't have been better ways to decide how Fate is inevitably disrupted by your hand. It's hard to turn an undead pirate captain into the blandest part of an island adventure, but somehow they've managed to do so. The new loot is a mixed bag, depending on how much you've already played Reckoning. Weapons are not as good as you may have already crafted or found, although some of the new items feature some cool new designs. For the loot-hunters, rings and amulets offer a safer better bet of finding improvements for your build of choice, as does the wealth of blacksmithing components you'll collect throughout your adventures on Gallows End. What could have easily been "just another bunch of quests on a new location" has been crafted into a variety of enjoyable elements to occupy yourself with. It's quite long, too, easily taking you six hours or more to complete nearly everything there is to do on the new island. Moreover, it offers an excellent opportunity to try out a new build if you've been stocking up powerful equipment in your stash, but never bothered to commit to a full respec of your abilities before. The additions to the Reckoning formula and the distinct style of the island of Gallows End serve to turn "The Legend of Dead Kel" into the DLC equivalent of a tropical island vacation. It's a fun trip to a relaxing setting far away from the Crystal War, which lets you explore yet another piece of the Amalur's world at your leisure. |
| Mistborn series to get a prequel game next year Posted: 26 Mar 2012 06:30 AM PDT The Mistborn trilogy of high fantasy novels will leave its mark on this medium with a prequel game in development for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac. Mistborn: Birthright will feature an original story written by Brandon Sanderson and is expected to release "late next year." "As an avid gamer, I'm extremely excited by this opportunity," says Sanderson. "The chance to write the story for a Mistborn game while working with a team of talented developers is, quite literally, living a dream." This RPG is centered around Allomancy, the act of gaining abilities by ingesting and burning different types of metals. In terms of game mechanics, it sounds like a natural fit. I can't say I'm familiar with the books, but having a large base of information to draw from should make Game Machine Studios' life easier. |
| Preview: Darksiders II is inspired by the best there is Posted: 26 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT Though I never brought myself to complete the first Darksiders, I did enjoy it for the length that I played. It was nothing phenomenal in its own right, but it was still a fun experience, due to retaining enough good inspiration from other venerated titles. The sequel, Darksiders II, is not much different, in the sense that it borrows directly from other franchises that have set several standards within DSII's respective genres. If you dig progressing through unwelcoming dungeons, slashing furiously at imaginative beasts, and collecting mounds of loot in the process, then Darksiders II might be for you. Imagine The Legend of Zelda and God of War, minus the fairies and tits. Darksiders II (PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360 [previewed]) Players take on the role of the Horseman Death, whose hobbies include ripping monsters to pieces, donning haggard armor, wielding unreasonably large scythes, and long walks on the souls of your ancestors. After his brother, the Horseman War, is accused of conspiring to start the Apocalypse before its due time, Death embarks on a disobedient quest to prove his brother's innocence any way he can. I suppose if you're a fan of the scary part of the Holy Bible, then DSII's narrative will probably appeal to you ... or it'll offend you, depending on how you look at it. I can't say I personally found the first game's story to be all that intriguing, but it does make the lore of the sequel a bit easier to absorb. I'll admit, it is nice to see developers utilizing tapping something other than Greek mythology for once. As for the levels, Darksiders II has a very dungeon-based style of progression. Players will make their way from room to elaborately designed room, defeating waves of monsters, solving slightly challenging puzzles, and attaining keys to unlock other areas. Like I said before, the game feels a lot like Zelda, as backtracking is a common occurrence and treasure chests are numerous. No flamboyant men cavorting around in green unitards, fortunately. I'll admit that some puzzles do throw you for a bit of a loop. Their solutions aren't always obvious (as they shouldn't be), and solving certain head-scratchers provides a real sense of accomplishment. At times, frustration might rear its fat, ugly head, but it's totally worth those moments when you slap your forehead and think, "Ah, of course!" I won't lie, though -- other moments may include your dropping the controller and saying to yourself, "Are you fuckin' serious? That's what I had to do?" Combat is of the fast hack-'n-slash variety, with numerous combos and special moves to clear out several enemies at once. One move I utilized frequently was Death's ability to send a scythe spinning into an area in front of him, stunning and dealing steady damage to enemies in its proximity (bigger monsters didn't budge, though). Death's scythes prove to be very versatile weapons and could easily rival Kratos' Blades of Chaos as some of the most kickass game weapons around. Also, much like during the fights in God of War, a button prompt, which triggers a finishing move, appears above the heads of nearly defeated enemies. Wait until you see him change into his traditional Grim Reaper form as a result -- one of the game's finer "holy shit" moments. For players who enjoy customization, Darksiders II features some pretty decent RPG elements. Monsters and treasure chests provide loot in the form of weapons, armor, and items, all which can be applied to Death for stat boosts. Every set of boots, greaves, or shoulder guards I slapped onto Death provided a different, more menacing look than the last. Even his scythes got a nice visual upgrade each time I found a better pair. By the end of the demo, my Death looked like something off of a heavy metal album cover -- how very appropriate that THQ decided to play Metallica during the event. In regard to how cool Death looks, my favorite aspect of the game is definitely the art. The locales have a very otherworldly feel to them, but not so much that they are completely void of any practicality. Giant wood and steel mechanisms decorate larger areas, providing a sense of age and primitiveness to the setting, as though some ancient, ethereal civilization built everything you see, only to leave it to the ages and let it all rot. At the end of the demo, I encountered one of the game's several bosses. I know I'm not the first to suggest this, but the giant, rock-like creature I battled (known as the "Guardian") reminded me a lot of Shadow of the Colossus. As I rode atop my mighty white steed, I was forced to time my hurdles and sprints in order to dodge its slow, powerful attacks. In order to defeat it, I had to target specific weak spots on its body after certain attacks. While the fight was certainly difficult -- I have horrible timing during these types of battles -- it was also very exhilarating, and a testament to the kind of variety that Darksiders II had. Overall, Darksiders II carries all the elements of a strong sequel to a decent action title. Even with its very blatant inspiration, the game does offer some intriguing and unique creativity, which gives the narrative and its world just enough believability to pull you in. The story and characters are somewhat interesting, the combat is fast and fun, the RPG elements provide some nice depth and variety, and the visuals are pleasurable to gawk at. |
| Audiosurf Air beta sign-ups are currently open Posted: 26 Mar 2012 05:30 AM PDT You haven't grown tired of riding music, have you? I certainly hope not. A website for Audiosurf Air has appeared, and based on the few early screenshots included, there's a lot more where the original's brand of music interaction came from. According to the site, Air will be out later this year. It's also got a sign-up to put yourself in the running for the beta; you shouldn't need me to convince you to do that. I'm eager to see what, if anything major at all, has been changed outside of the improved visuals. |
| Telltale gives us some actual Walking Dead gameplay Posted: 26 Mar 2012 05:00 AM PDT
A new developer diary for the Walking Dead game is here, and it finally shows more than a few seconds of gameplay. For all of you who were somehow expecting this entire time that the game would both feature Rick and follow the TV series, you are mistaken. Telltale's game will be set in the same universe as the comics, which has a number of fundamental differences, character-wise. Skip over to the seven minute mark to get some actual gameplay footage -- while it isn't completely telling of what we're going to get with this episodic package, at least it's something. I just hope it won't end up like Jurassic Park: The Game, and be filled with tons of glitches and half-hearted QTEs. Also, as long as Carl isn't in the game mucking things up, I think I'm going to enjoy this rendition of the Walking Dead. |
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