New Games

---

• There is no Cow Level in Diablo III, but there is this...
• These LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes pics look familiar
• Metal Gear Solid HD Collection hits Vita on June 12
• Resonance all set for June 19, pre-orders are now open
• Collaboration: Nintendo and an old friend
• Serious Sam Double D XXL, SS3: BFE headed to XBLA
• Ubisoft details Far Cry 3 closed beta
• CCP opens DUST 514 closed beta sign-ups
• Live show: Bearded retribution with Phil in Max Payne 3
• Rayman Origins 3DS demo celebrated in trailer
• Unemployment Quest: Kicking joblessness in the nuts
• What are you the most excited for at this year's E3?
• A feast of new One Piece: Pirate Warriors visuals
• Lollipop Chainsaw Special Edition includes Jessica Nigri?
• Halo 4 art gets animated
• Review: Akai Katana

There is no Cow Level in Diablo III, but there is this... Posted: 17 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT I would have immediately forgotten that some people on the Internet weren't fond of Diablo III's art direction way back when, but then Blizzard turned the would-be drama into something that the rest of us could laugh about. The joke has gone a step further and materialized into a full-blown secret level. Between the cupcakes, rainbows, smiley faced clouds, unicorns, and all the colors you could ever want, Whimsyshire sure is a magical place. Instructions on what's needed to reach the level can be found here. And here's an alternate video showing the entrance for good measure. Nicely done, Blizzard. Diablo 3 players find level of rainbows, unicorns [Shacknews]

These LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes pics look familiar Posted: 17 May 2012 03:30 PM PDT The super sequel to LEGO Batman: The Video Game is suiting up for its big release next month, and and so, it's time to get better acquainted with some of its stars. These parody portraits of The Joker, Catwoman, and Robin should look familiar, particularly to Arkham City fans (or anybody to visit a games blog in the past year, really). With them comes a bit of new character info, including abilities; Catwoman will Double Jump and The Joker will be immune to poison. Robin will have the Magnet Suit, meant for use on certain walls, the Ice Suit, which makes him immune to the effects of ice, and the Acrobat Suit, which -- in tandem with the Zorb Ball -- allows him to solve puzzles. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes comes out on PC, Wii, 3DS, DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Vita and a partridge in a pear tree on June 19. 2012.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection hits Vita on June 12 Posted: 17 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT If you can live without the inclusion of Peace Walker in the PlayStation Vita version of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, you'll be pleased to know that Konami has set the game's launch for Tuesday, June 12. While I'm not a Vita owner myself quite yet, I have a feeling that getting big-name games like Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater on the system will be greatly appreciated by those of you who haven't been getting much use out of your Vita lately. You ... you do exist, don't you? Tell me I'm not alone in sitting here patiently, waiting for those "killer apps" the legends speak of for the handheld I couldn't resist picking up on day one.

Resonance all set for June 19, pre-orders are now open Posted: 17 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT Independent point-and-click adventure game Resonance seems like one to watch. Knowing that Wadjet Eye Games is attached to the project (in collaboration with xii games), I'm sure many of you already do have this on your radar. It'll be available on Tuesday, June 19 and pre-orders are now being accepted. GOG.com has you covered for the digital version. Bonuses include the soundtrack, a digital poster and wallpapers, and some developer diaries; you'll also save 10% by pre-ordering. For dedicated fans, Wadjet Eye is offering a limited-edition boxed copy of Resonance for $24.99. This collector's edition comes with a Steam key for the game that purchasers will get on June 19, a printed poster, the soundtrack, and other digital content. Truth be told, I can't remember the last time I got a PC game that wasn't distributed digitally. There's something to be said about indie studios who give customers the option to buy a physical copy.

Collaboration: Nintendo and an old friend Posted: 17 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT [For his Bloggers Wanted essay response, ReeceH92 shared his dream re-Collaboration between Nintendo and Rare. If only! Want to see your own words appear on the front page? Get writing! --Mr Andy Dixon] When I was young, I played platformers. Actually, I played a lot of platformers. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, the gaming market was crammed full of them; good ones, too! A significant chunk of my childhood memories are dedicated to my adventures with Mario, Sonic, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Jak and Daxter--and another delightful duo by the names of Banjo and Kazooie. But where are they now? Crash and Spyro are dead, with their respective developers Naughty Dog and Insomniac now creating games for older audiences. Sonic has had a very bumpy ride, with Sonic Generations and Sonic 4 being the only recent triumphs. Mario is still going strong and has entertained millions with Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, so at least there's something right with the world. But where is his competition? The indie scene has been creating countless 2D platformers in these last few years, and I couldn't be happier about that. But I miss my 3D console platformers. There are very few platformer mascots around to excite the kids of today as they did my younger self. These days, the sounds of children screeching and cursing fills my Xbox headset while I'm playing Call of Duty or Left 4 Dead, and there's something very wrong with that. It's not that I have a problem with young gamers playing games with age limits well above their own. After all, I grew up playing Resident Evil and look at me! I can do write words good! And it's not even that they're insulting me with language they have no right to know so early on in their youth. No, what pains me is that they won't have any gaming heroes they'll fondly remember adventuring with (with the exception of Generic Soldier No. 1). And that's why I think it's time that Nintendo and Rare collaborated. It's been done! I hear you cry. Well, I want them to get back together. It's time to show those kids that shooting people in the face is nowhere near as cool as an anthropomorphic bear and his bird buddy! But Banjo-Kazooie is still alive! Remember Nuts n' Bolts? Sure, but how many kids do you know who played that game? Only fans of the old games played it, and most of them were put off by the change of gameplay that the new vehicles introduced. No, I'm talking about Banjo-Kazooie on the Wii U, or even the 3DS. I don't care if it's in their own game, starring in Smash Bros., or maybe even alongside Mario in a crossover game. Sonic got his chance, so why not Banjo? In its prime, Rare was a second party developer for Nintendo, responsible for such hits as Goldeneye, the Donkey Kong Country series, Perfect Dark, and Jet Force Gemini. In 2002 they were bought out by Microsoft, leaving their successful partnership with Nintendo for their new home on the Xbox 360. Now, I don't mind Rare making games for Xbox, but I think we'd all agree that it's really not the right system for them. You could argue against that by saying that the platforming gap in the Xbox market means that Rare are in fact right at home where they are, and that the power of HD allows them to create some beautiful games like Viva Pinata. However, Nuts n' Bolts, Viva Pinata and Kameo didn't sell as well as they could have, or should have. While children's Wiis around the world sit under a layer of dust, young gamers are instead playing the aforementioned shooters and jumping up and down before a Kinect. They've all had a good time with Mario, Kirby, and Sonic, but sadly the remaining few Wii releases before the Wii U launches will only appeal to the most dedicated gamers and Nintendo fans. It's too late for the Wii, but when the Wii U is released and making noise again, Nintendo needs something new. Or, technically speaking, some of their old friends. With Nintendo's promotional power, Banjo-Kazooie could return as a serious rival to Mario, just as it was to Super Mario 64. Nintendo needs Rare, and children and gamers need new platformers! As much as I've ranted on about Banjo-Kazooie, even a brand new IP with Nintendo's publishing would be great. Going by Rare's past library, it has never disappointed with the Big N by its side, both critically and commercially. Both companies produce excellent games, and reuniting Rare's developing talent with Nintendo's (hopefully) successful new console and defiant marketing could only mean good things. Not to mention the excitement of fans and Internet buzz it would produce. After all, we all know kids' cartoons are declining, so they at least need fun characters in video games. Won't anyone think of the children?!

Serious Sam Double D XXL, SS3: BFE headed to XBLA Posted: 17 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT Xbox Live Arcade is showing Serious Sam even more love. Two games, Serious Sam 3: BFE by Croteam and Serous Sam Double D XXL by Mommy's Best Games, are coming to the platform later this fall. Talk about a pleasant surprise for gamers who didn't have the opportunity to play these on PC. Not much of substance was said about SS3, though Croteam is promising to bring over the full experience. There were plenty of details regarding Double D XXL, on the other hand. It's an expanded version of Nathan Fouts' PC game with more weapons, enemies, challenges, and missions. There's even a shotgun that shoots bees. This version will also have local cooperative support for two players. Absurd games tend to have pretty enjoyable co-op, so that ought to be a good fit.

Ubisoft details Far Cry 3 closed beta Posted: 17 May 2012 11:30 AM PDT For two weeks this summer, 360 and PS3 users will have the opportunity to play through Far Cry 3's multiplayer beta. Ubisoft has detailed some of what you can expect. Up to 16 players can merrily shoot the crap out of each other in one of six playable classes. Various modes and maps will be available, including Firestorm mode, where one team attempts to douse the other's base in gasoline. Pyromaniacs rejoice! Hundreds of upgrades and customization options will also be shown off, so plenty to do for the tinkerers out there. It's a closed beta, so invitation only, unfortunately. Buying Ghost Recon: Future Soldier from GameStop on May 22 will net you an invitation, as will being a member of the GameStop Power-Up Rewards scheme. You can redeem the codes on the GameStop site from May 22. Since only letting customers of a redundant shop into the beta for a modern game is completely absurd, there are other ways you can get an invite. You can nab a beta key on Facebook, but there's only 500 available. Ubisoft will also be giving away keys via other methods soon, so keep an eye on their site and Twitter if you care.

CCP opens DUST 514 closed beta sign-ups Posted: 17 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT DUST 514 continues to intrigue me as someone who appreciates the complexity and scale of EVE Online but would rather get into the fiction another way -- preferably one in which there's more shooting and less spreadsheets, if at all possible. As such, DUST seems right up my alley. CCP has opened up registration for the game's closed beta over here, so if you aren't an active EVE player or didn't attend the Fanfest, you can still get in on this. Assuming you have a PlayStation 3 with which to play the beta, put your name in the running and you'll receive an email if you've been selected. Fingers crossed!

Live show: Bearded retribution with Phil in Max Payne 3 Posted: 17 May 2012 10:30 AM PDT It's time for another Phil-In Show, today on Dtoid TV. The temporarily beardless mastodon himself, Philanthr0py, is dive-shooting into Max Payne 3. Phil has been looking forward to this one for some time, and he's finally ready to Bullet Time all the things. He's planning on doing about two hours of the campaign, and then the rest of the show in multiplayer with the viewers. Tune in and kill the pain. Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4p.m. Pacific on Dtoid.TV. 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.

Rayman Origins 3DS demo celebrated in trailer Posted: 17 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT As you may already be aware, a demo for the 3DS version of Rayman Origins became available as part of today's Nintendo eShop update. Ubisoft wanted to make sure that you found out, so they passed along this trailer. The demo itself consists of three stages which offer a good overall sense of what the full game contains. There's a traditional platforming stage with hidden areas to explore, as well as one of the forced scrolling platform levels. And, finally, one of the shoot-em-up mosquito stages appears to round out the pack. I loved this game on Xbox 360 and this feels like a pretty good translation of the experience, albeit with cloudier visuals and less frames of animation. The 3D effects make the backgrounds look terrific, though, as there was plenty to work with in terms of creating a sense of depth already. Much as I enjoyed it, I have to confess to turning that effect off pretty fast, as my rapid and energetic pressing of buttons kept making the 3DS angle shift to make the image out of focus from my perspective. My bigger issue is with the circle pad. You might as well forget it's there and go straight for the Directional Pad. Sure, any self-respecting platform game player would have done that automatically, but some of us have a penchant for self-torment. That spongy thing feels absolutely useless for the level of precision I'm used to having in this game. The D-Pad is much better but I'm still struggling more than I expected I would. I'm not sure if it's the game or my relative inexperience with the layout on the 3DS, but something is affecting my timing. I suggest you give the demo a try before you decide if you're going to shell out for this portable version of Rayman Origins. It appears to be a pretty solid port to the handheld -- often no small feat, to be clear -- but if you have the ability to play one of the other versions for console or Vita, I'd probably encourage you to go that route. If you have no other option, it's still going to be a pretty great game, I suspect, but I think I'm likely to skip this release.

Unemployment Quest: Kicking joblessness in the nuts Posted: 17 May 2012 09:30 AM PDT The specter of unemployment is a pretty foul thing, especially these days. Most stable full time jobs have ridiculous numbers of applicants and young people dipping their toes into the job market now face a tough time. This is what 26 year old Charles DeYoe experienced when he graduated from SUNY-Buffalo last year. Tired of people saying it was his own fault, he decided to take the initiative. He crafted a game loosely based on his hunt for work: Unemployment Quest. He describes it as a "non-epic role-playing game." Players must fight through a variety of obstacles such as the "1%," who intimidate rather than fight, online job applications, and emotional states such as doubt or shame. It clocks in at around four hours long, and the final portion of the game is a job interview in a department store. You never find out if you get the job or not, emphasizing the uncertainty of being unemployed.  DeYoe has been doing all the work himself; doing all the coding, art and creating the soundtrack. Unfortunately, making a game when you have zero income is hardly a walk in the park, and DeYoe hit a brick wall. Good thing this Kickstarter craze is still in full swing. He started a campaign to raise $1000 so he could distribute the title. There's no doubt about it that it was a success, he's got over $8000 in pledges now.  The jobless-gent-turned-game-designer has gotten a lot of support from both gamers and the horde of folk still unable to find work. I know exactly what it feels like to graduate and then find no work beyond part time crap that doesn't even cover rent. It's what drove me to write more. Not surprisingly, there have also been detractors. His campaign was featured on another site, where folks questioned his need for the capital at all, while others criticized him for making a game when he doesn't have a job. Some people obviously haven't heard of self-employment. No employer? Better not create anything, guys. With the extra money he's been pledged, DeYoe plans to make more physical copies of the game which he's bringing with him to ConnectiCon this year. I wish him the best of luck, it's great seeing someone working hard to get out of their rut, especially when it means they are making videogames.  New Video Games Takes on the Challenge of Being Unemployed [USNews.com]

What are you the most excited for at this year's E3? Posted: 17 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT Every year, E3 rolls in surrounded by a sea of hype and anticipation. Sometimes, this hype is surpassed with giant waves of unexpected news and announcements. Other times, the show ends in disappointment, as many of the new games and exciting reveals are anything but. It is too early to predict what side this E3 will eventually fall on, but, with only a few weeks until the big show, one thing is certain: There is a lot to be excited about. But what are you the most excited for? For me, it has to be the Wii U. I just love new console reveals and truly can't wait to get my hands on that thing. (Plus, Mario in HD!) More specifically, I am also excited about The Last of Us, hopefully some new (playable?) footage of The Last Guardian, and, my personal loves, Pikmin 3 and the new Paper Mario for the 3DS. Keep reading to find out what some of the other Destructoid editors are excited about, and then hit the comments to let us know what you think. What is the one thing you can't wait to hear more about at this year's E3? Is there a specific game? A new console? An announcement that is not official but you feel may be coming? Let us know!   Would you like a long, detailed explanation of why I will cream my jeans over anything Beyond Good & Evil 2 related, or should I just leave it at that image?   The Last of Us. That's it. Jaded.   All I really want out of E3 this year is for Nintendo to blow us away with their online strategy. I want games to be linked to accounts, and possibly some sort of cloud based service on offer. I want full confirmation of how a friends list will work, and possibly some Wii U online details. It would be nice if they possibly acknowledged their inability to address a proper digital storefront on the Wii, how they fixed it on the 3DS's eShop, and how they plan on fixing it even further for the Wii U. If they somehow offer a WiiWare/Wii VC transfer deal like they did for the DSi to 3DS, I'll also be pretty happy.   Any flicker or glimpse of next-next gen.   I'm curious about this action-adventure game Harmonix is making. Maybe they won't unveil at show, though. I'm also curious about Retro's next game. I wonder what Nintendo franchise they'll take a stab at next? I predict a Star Fox Wii U reboot that will blow people away. Other than that, I'm excited to hang out with everyone from Destructoid!   To get my hands on all the first-person shooters. Apparently I was the very first person to RSVP to the Halo 4 special event. I don't know if I should be proud of that or not.   Oddly enough, I'm actually excited about seeing Nintendo's conference. Not that I'm a fan of what everyone already expects of them (fuck no), but I actually want them to present something that makes me say, "Alright, that's pretty cool. I'll give them that one." Something that actually attracts me as a hardcore gamer, and not the "Nintendo fan" that I haven't been since I was 13. I didn't even bother looking at the Wii U last E3. Did not give a single fuck. I actually miss owning their hardware, though. And while I'd own mainly hardcore games on it, it's nice to have that variety and potential of all three consoles. After an entire generation of offering absolutely no incentive for me to buy their stuff, it'd be nice if they suddenly stated, "Oh, by the way, we're partnering up with [Big AAA Publisher] to provide exclusive, hardcore titles not seen anywhere else!" I'd shit my pants and throw my money at them. I mean, I know that probably won't happen. Nintendo has had entire conferences where they didn't show a single bit of software, after all, but I like being proven wrong ... in that pleasant way where I still get something nice out of my misjudgement.   It would be great if Sony came out and showed a nice, long gameplay demo of The Last Guardian, and followed that up by announcing a concrete release date. And preferably, that release date would be sometime in 2012. A man can dream, can't he?   It sounds like a lot of people are excited to see what Nintendo is up to! I am as well, but I could care less about "online strategies" or "hardcore partnerships". What I care about is the videogames. Yes, it is the videogames that I like the most. This is first year in a while that Nintendo has something to prove on all fronts, and that need to act could lead to great things. Both the 3DS and the Wii U really need to really come out with guns blazing, and Nintendo knows it. This is not a year where they can rest on their past successes. Seeing that they've already announced Pikmin 3 and a new 2D Mario game, I'm feeling pretty confident that they are in the right mindset to show Nintendo fans what they want to see. Not to be rude, but if you're not a Nintendo fan, I'm not sure why you'd want Nintendo to start trying to cater to your tastes all of a sudden. To have the company start to conform to the styles of other developers would only work to make the world of videogames less interesting. I won't be watching the Microsoft presentation hoping to see a new old-school platformer or a lighthearted exercise in expert game design, so I don't see why you'd want to check out Nintendo's press conference for the potential "hardcore-ness". Besides, the last time Nintendo announced a "hardcore AAA exclusive", it was Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Great game, but no one bought it. Not sure if that's a road that anyone would want to go down again. I'd love to be proven wrong on that though! As for new games. hoping to see some of Killer is Dead, Nicalis's 3DS/Wii U project, Playstation All-Stars, Dragon Quest X, Team Meat's new game, Resident Evil 6, Code of Princess, Bit. Trip Presents: Runner 2, Adventure Time: Hey Ice King!, Fatal Frame 2, The Last Guardian, The Last of Us, and The Last Story. Whoa, that's a lot of "lasts" this year! Also really hoping Capcom announces a new Mega Man game and that it doesn't look awful. A new Darkstalkers title would be nice surprise as well. Besides games, I'm just excited to see my Dtoid family and my game developer acquaintances/heroes again this year. There is never enough time at E3, but I hope to make the most of the time that I have.   I don't have anything I'm excited for, but I don't really function that way. Watching everybody else get hyped up for games and then have them fail to meet their expectations over the years has made me far more measured when it comes to my own anticipation level, lest I suffer a similar fate. No, excitement happens in the moment, whether it's witnessing the rapid-fire information dump of the press conferences or wandering the floor and discovering an approach to a game problem I haven't seen attempted before. And that's what I'm actually looking forward to, being excited. E3 is raw spectacle and energy and you can't help but get a little on you.   I'm with Conrad. There isn't anything specific I'm super excited for, because the games they show are usually along the lines of "like that one game you like, but different." The last E3s were only really fun to watch unfold from home when something went hilariously disastrous, such as the Konami press conference of E3 2010, or Ubisoft's press conference with the laser tag nonsense. Having said that, if they show a new Deus Ex game, a new big budget space combat game like TIE Fighter or Freespace 2, or a submarine-based underwater action-adventure where you crew a ship I-War style with a Hunt for Red October mission, I'll lose my shit.   ---- Now it's your turn. What are you the most excited for at this year's E3? TO THE COMMENTS!

A feast of new One Piece: Pirate Warriors visuals Posted: 17 May 2012 08:30 AM PDT Even the discerning tastes of Sanji would be excited by these new One Piece: Pirate Warrior's images. The are great shots of some of the in game environments, and thankfully the first Arlong arc looks faithfully represented. You can tell a fair amount of love went into the character models, as the expressions and signature moves look like they are right out of the anime. Every additional bit of information that is released on the game just makes the wait until November's European and American release seem even longer. I kind of swore off Musou games after the last Fist of the North Star title, but I'm really excited about this. One Piece: Pirate Warriors is a Playstation 3 exclusive, and will be availabe via digital download and at retail outlets. Now if I could only get me a gold Luffy PS3 over here.

Lollipop Chainsaw Special Edition includes Jessica Nigri? Posted: 17 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT It seems like every new release these days has a special collector's edition of one form or another: paperweight dragons, underpants, sex dolls, whatever. The point is, every game absolutely must have one -- regardless of whether its the biggest franchise of all time or some game you've never heard of. At least the good folks at Grasshopper Manufacture and Warner Brothers are willing to poke fun at this trend a little bit. Lollipop Chainsaw is nothing if not over the top, so they've gone ahead and included a life-size robotic version of Juliet with every super special ultra limited collector's edition of the game. Being a Suda 51 game and all, I'm sure all three of you that actually buy it will be pleased.

Halo 4 art gets animated Posted: 17 May 2012 07:30 AM PDT Now this is exciting stuff; a slow animation which brings together the graphic elements of a piece of Halo 4 art. This is the kind of thing people wait their entire lives to experience and then, in just a scant thirty seconds, it's all over. Life now bereft of meaning, these people will wander the Earth aimlessly until they wither and die.

Review: Akai Katana Posted: 17 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT I spent $80 on a double-pack of Cave’s Muchi Muchi Pork and Pink Sweets when I visited Tokyo last fall. Some people might think I’m crazy for paying that much on what could easily be a $5 downloadable game. But if you’ve been bitten by the shmup bug then you know who CAVE is and why such a purchase isn’t only acceptable but absolutely necessary as a fan. There are some things money can’t buy, however, such as a way to play a region locked game on an American Xbox 360. This was the case with the overseas release of Akai Katana. Okay, so I could have just bought a Japanese 360 but even I have my limits. Good thing I didn’t because the game has finally reached the West and Rising Star Games has given it the most polished packaging to ever grace a CAVE release. Akai Katana deserves it too, because it is among the developer’s best. Akai Katana (Xbox 360) Developer: Cave Publisher: Rising Star Games Released: May 15, 2012 MSRP: $39.99 Unlike other gaming sites, I’m not going to spend three paragraphs explaining danmaku, CAVE’s history, or Akai Katana’s asinine plot which is confined to press releases and a brief intro/outro. So go visit Wikipedia and come back if you must. Okay, now let’s talk about what matters: mechanics and presentation. More than any CAVE game before it, playing Akai Katana for the first time versus playing it with full understanding of its systems are radically different experiences. On its surface, AK is deceptively simple and familiar to a CAVE fan. You dodge a ridiculous amount of colorful bullets, rapid fire for quick maneuverability and weapon spread, hold down fire for a more powerful direct attack, use bombs when necessary, and enter a spirit form that alters the battlefield. It’s very easy to reduce the game to being Deathsmiles meets Espgaluda, until you get neck deep in the scoring system. AK is a game all about scoring, but it’s so well designed that even players striving for a one credit playthrough will be using many of the same strategies for survival. There are two precious resources in AK’s arcade mode and Climax mode (a rebalanced, uprezzed 16:9 version for 360): energy and gold. Energy is acquired from defeating enemies or by hovering your option -- you know, the little gunner floating around your ship -- over an enemy. There are subtle ways to quickly and greatly acquire energy, which is vital because it fills your spirit meter. Gold, the key to getting a high score, is acquired by defeating enemies in your spirit form. As an aggressive shmup player, AK is a game designed for me. When you enter spirit form, you are invincible as long as you don’t fire your weapon. Enemy ammunition simply bounces around you until they pile into a sea of 200+ pink, blue, and red bullets. In order to clear the debris, you need to destroy nearby enemies that spawned them in spirit form. This creates an unbelievably tense feedback loop of racing into the heat of activity while being in the eye of a bullet whirlwind. It’s exhilarating. Text isn’t the ideal form to convey these concepts nor the nuances to mastering the game. I highly advise taking a look at Rising Star’s tutorial videos to get a better grasp of the game (also available in the game’s menus). Once you understand what’s going on under the hood of AK, you’ll enter spirit form without thinking about it and rack up high scores you didn’t think possible upon your first attempt. It’s an enormous amount of fun, but if you approach the game without an understanding of its systems you’ll be out in the cold. To make things even crazier, there is a drastic reinterpretation of the game within Slash mode. Along with some minor changes to balance, this mode overhauls your spirit form and greatly increases the amount of energy and gold available. Instead of bouncing bullets around your ship, you are always vulnerable in Slash. The trade-off is that you have new super powerful ways to attack. By defeating enemies with rapid fire shots, you gain steel orbs (exclusive to this mode). These fill up a meter around your ship. When you enter spirit form, you can send these orbs across the screen for a devastating attack. In addition to this, you can also gain giant katanas by defeating enemies in spirit form. When you cancel out of spirit form, these will go flying across the screen giving you giant gold medals you need to race to collect. It’s absolutely insane when you pull it off. This is the mode I spent the most time with because the constant tension-and-release of these abilities adds so much to the game. While AK is one of my favorite Cave games mechanically, it falters in its presentation. After suffering backlash from Deathsmiles II’s jump to polygonal graphics, Cave went back to their signature sprite work with this release (originally distributed to arcades in 2010). Even though there are similarities to the original Deathsmiles, AK has a rough, uninspired look to it. Beyond the colorful character art, everything in this game has a bland industrial look. Many Cave games covered the same ground, such as the similarly industrial world of Progear, but they did it with a sense of charm, style, and detail that AK lacks. That’s not to say the game is ugly. The real eye candy comes from the bullets and surreal swarm of gold pieces circling your ship. Perhaps the dullness of the backgrounds and models is out of necessity but it still makes the game feel a bit lacking in presentation. As for the music, it's a major step back for the developer. Feels like they unarchived some old mid-'90s butt rawk in place of something more interesting. Rising Star Games has done an admirable job in packaging the game. The menus are clean, visually pleasing, and easy to navigate -- something that can’t be said about most Cave home console releases. The game still has its rough spots, though. The tutorial videos are hidden (need to press “B” in menu), there is no boss training option (a serious blow for 1cc-seekers), and no way to quickly scrub through replay videos (the fast-forward option is pretty slow). The majority of people may look at Akai Katana from a distance, wondering if the slowdown is intentional (yes) or if a 1cc on Novice counts (no) or if this is a good starting point for a Cave newbie (maybe?) For fans of the genre and developer, Akai Katana is going to be one of the best times you’ll have with a game this year. For everyone else, you may just find yourself ascending to bullet hell heaven if you dedicate some time to learning the game’s obscure but absolutely thrilling mechanics.

You are subscribed to email updates from Destructoid To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610