New Games |
- Here's what Stronghold HD looks like in motion
- Horror game Outlast gets a more extensive trailer
- Wikipad delayed due to a 'minor refinement'
- Crusader Kings II: Sunset Invasion impressions
- A first glimpse of Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut
- Review: PowerA FUS1ON Tournament Controller
- Capcom spoofs Assassin's Creed 3 to promote Okami HD
- The DTOID Show's Halloween Special! Gaming News! OoOoO!
- I love the song in this Painkiller Hell & Damnation vid
- A new teaser for Until Dawn creeps up the internet
- Get your paint on in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for Wii U
- Review: Thundercats
- Borderlands 2 ships 5M copies, XCOM deemed a success
- Sound Card 009: The top ten Castlevania songs OF ALL TIME
- Exclusive: Cave Story+ O'ween, Aban Hawkins update & more
- Have a timely new Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs trailer
| Here's what Stronghold HD looks like in motion Posted: 31 Oct 2012 04:00 PM PDT Following up on the news that Firefly Studios is putting out "HD" versions of Stronghold and Stronghold Crusader, we now have more specifics to work with. This is actually coming in the form of free patches for owners of the aforementioned games (and also Stronghold Crusader Extreme) which will bump up the resolution cap from 1024x768 to 2560x1600. That means you'll have the option to view the full map on a single screen, a welcome feature for an older strategy series such as this. The studio has dedicated websites for both the original title and Crusader showcasing screenshots of how it all looks in practice. Really, any excuse to jump back into early Stronghold is a good excuse. Look for the HD patches on GamersHell and GameFront to start, followed by additional mirrors thereafter. New players can grab either re-release on GOG.com, Amazon, GetGames, and DotEmu starting tomorrow. |
| Horror game Outlast gets a more extensive trailer Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:00 PM PDT First-person survival horror game Outlast grabbed our attention recently with a short teaser video which showed its asylum setting and emphasis on the "survival" part of the genre. Today, as promised, there's a four-minute trailer that's more cohesive. While this is real-time, in-engine footage, it's taken from a tech demo and should be treated as such. Hopefully, this is more proof of concept than literal vision of what's to come. While the graphics themselves are perfectly fine, and I think there's a lot of potential from what we know about Outlast so far, developer Red Barrels has some serious work ahead. Granted, the game isn't due out until next year, so there's time. But as we saw earlier with the new Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs trailer, the competition is stepping it up. |
| Wikipad delayed due to a 'minor refinement' Posted: 31 Oct 2012 02:30 PM PDT The Wikipad gaming tablet was scheduled to launch today, but that date has been pushed back indefinitely to allow improvements to be made to the device. Those who pre-ordered it at GameStop will be getting a special bonus gift and upgraded bundles. In an official statement, the Wikipad team noted that it has been "relentlessly working with our manufacturers and partners to perfect the Wikipad bundle to ensure our first product is the best tablet and entertainment experience at launch. There is a last minute opportunity to enhance the Wikipad bundle as well as a minor refinement needed to ensure our first customers are completely satisfied with the Wikipad." Again, no word on the new launch date, but that's promised to be revealed soon. |
| Crusader Kings II: Sunset Invasion impressions Posted: 31 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT In the world of medieval strategy games, there isn't a more terrifying foe than the Mongolian Horde. Riding out of the east, it chews up everything in its path, devastating entire nations. The horror of this wave of pillagers, raiders, rapists, and conquerors doesn't really have a counterpart in Western Europe -- indeed it ends up benefiting them, as any foe in the east rapidly has to focus his resources on dealing with Genghis and chums. On a freezing cold afternoon in Stockholm, I saw the rest of Europe get its comeuppance in the form of an Aztec invasion. The latest piece of DLC for Crusader Kings II, "Sunset Invasion," subverts history and has the Aztecs pay a visit to the old world before we can reach them and steal all of their gold. It's the first time the Paradox Development Studio have tackled something not based on real history, and it's a wee bit crazy.
The Sunset Invasion is a random event that happens late in the game. Aztec explorers arrive on the shores of Western Europe; their apparent goal is innocuous -- they just want to shift lots of beads. Much like hippy street vendors trying to offload crappy bead necklaces, these Aztecs are not to be trusted. Not long after they arrive, an invasion fleet appears, and all hell breaks lose. What they lack in technology, they more than make up for in sheer numbers. It's like the whole population of South America decided to take a bloody holiday to Europe. In the game I witnessed, they landed in Spain, and quickly started harassing Castille, Aragon, and Portugal, much to the dismay of those nations. In almost no time at all, this war machine had swallowed up most of northwest Spain, and the native powers were doing naught but throwing troops away in a pathetic attempt to slow down their progress. Normally, when one sees an unpleasant neighbor getting schooled by an enemy, it's best to leave them to it or maybe pick apart the carcass. With the Aztecs, however, it's a considerably more international concern. Teaming up against them seems like the smart way to approach the horde from across the ocean.
New unit models and detailed character portraits have been added, giving flavor to these exotic invaders. Leaders wear multi-colored feathered head dresses, warriors dress up in garish and intimidating costumes, and their weapons are a far cry away from the swords and spears of the European armies. While they are not playable due to being awful pagans, they still have quite a bit of an impact, much as the Mongols already do. With them, they bring a new disease that ravages their enemies and spreads throughout the lands they attack, and the dynasties of Europe now have to worry about their hearts being ripped out and made as a sacrifice to the Aztec's distant gods.
Once they settle their new, oppressed provinces, the Aztecs can start to create cavalry and make other advances, increasing their power and the risk of other nations being attacked the longer they linger. Paradox has been working on an oft-requested feature where conquerors can rename captured lands with culturally appropriate alternatives, so Europe may eventually play host to some suitably exotically named provinces that few would be able to pronounce. The quirky nature of Crusader Kings II's character creator means that some very unusual Aztec leaders crop up organically. One such leader was the result of an Aztec and Mongolian coupling, and he strutted around with his oh-so fabulous feathered garments, while sporting a very fetching handlebar mustache. That's a leader I can admire.
There's no doubt that it is more of a novelty than serious DLC. It doesn't add much to the core game beyond the typical fixes and tweaks that get added with each expansion, regardless of whether or not one purchases it. Yet with the huge scale of the invasion, there's certainly going to be hours of wars with the blood-drunk would-be conquerors. For those who want their historical strategy absent any fantasy, it can be turned off on the launch menu just like a mod. "Sunset Invasion" will be available for download from November 15 for $4.99. I'll be kicking some Mesoamerican arse with my reconstructed Roman Empire the moment it goes live, I can assure you. |
| A first glimpse of Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut Posted: 31 Oct 2012 01:30 PM PDT
Rising Star games dropped a little tease of Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut today, and what a tiny morsel it is. Following about a minute of quotes about the release from fine publications such as Giant Bomb, EGM and Destructoid (whoever the hell that is), we're given roughly five seconds of FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan breathing heavily in the rain. So, the video is nothing particularly special. But Deadly Premonition is, and I'll take any excuse to further profess my love for this small town suspense thriller. You hear that world? I love Deadly Premonition and I don't give a damn who knows it. Still, five seconds? Come on, Rising Star. We can do better than this. |
| Review: PowerA FUS1ON Tournament Controller Posted: 31 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT Wired, high-performance, specially tweaked "pro" controllers are all the rage these days with how popular tournament gaming has become. PowerA throws their entry into the ring with their latest, the FUS1ON Tournament Controller. I've given the Xbox 360 version a solid testing by playing through a dozen or more varied games to see just how "pro" this controller is.
FUS1ON Tournament Controller (Xbox 360 [reviewed], PS3) PowerA says that they've consulted with a group of professional gamers and have used their best tech and materials to make this premium controller. It certainly looks the part, with its sleek looking design and distinctive analog sticks. The braided cable is 10 feet long and feels like a quality component. The ribbed stock grips also look nice, but feel a bit off in my hands. Thankfully, the grips are changable, and matte and "soft touch" grips are also included, along with a mini screwdriver. My only design gripe is that the metallic painted brand emblem at the top of the controller seems a bit cheap for the $79.99 asking price. And while we're on looks, it should be noted that the FUS1ON also features illumination options. A small button on the back lets you select from five different backlight colors for the analog sticks and face buttons. Off is also an option. A sharp-looking black and orange accented protective travel case is included for transport.
In use, I immediately came to appreciate the FUS1ON's analog sticks, which are lower and wider than your standard Xbox 360 or PS3 analog sticks. The top of the stick is really wide and almost flat, which made them easier to hold onto in far extremes, like what you might encounter in a racing game. It felt like more of the meat of my thumbs stayed on the top of the stick, making it feel more secure in use. I liked the feel of steering while playing some Forza Horizon, and that's likely because the action on these sticks are really smooth. I don't know that I felt more of the claimed precision in shooters, like Call of Duty: Black Ops, but I felt fully capable in aiming and movement, and I definitely noticed the smooth movement. Maybe the difference in throw range made for slightly more accurate feeling aiming, but it's hard to be sure. The face buttons are high quality parts that are responsive and sport admirable action. The triggers have a shorter travel distance than you might be used to from a standard Xbox 360 controller, but they worked well in every game I tried them out on. PowerA says that the d-pad is pro gamer inspired, and features precise 8-way control. My experience in my go-to d-pad testing games, like Dig Dug, Lumines, and Street Fighter II, says differently.
The Xbox Live Arcade release of Dig Dug is notorious for showing d-pad responsiveness weaknesses when it comes to directional changes; with the standard Xbox 360 d-pad it is nearly unplayable. The classic quarter muncher could be played with the FUS1ON, but turns came late, and sudden changes of direction didn't always register reliably. It's somewhat stiff action also gave me troubles Street Fighter II HF, as quarter-circle moves were harder to pull off. Forget about half-circle sweeps! The d-pad fared somewhat better in puzzle games like Lumines Live!, where the diagonal directions are rarely used. For shooters and other games that might be played in a gaming tournament, the FUS1ON should serve well. I could definitely see players taking to the wide, smooth analog sticks. I wouldn't worry much about the d-pad outside of puzzle games that require its use. For shooters, where the d-pad is assigned to item or menu changes, it should be fully sufficient. The MSRP of $79.99 is a lot to ask for a controller, even it it is a "pro," premium option. For anyone considering other controllers to give them an edge in competitive play, try the FUS1ON out. The analog sticks alone may be worth the outlay for you. |
| Capcom spoofs Assassin's Creed 3 to promote Okami HD Posted: 31 Oct 2012 12:30 PM PDT
Okami HD released on PlayStation Network this week, but Capcom seems to think you might have another game on the brain. They released this new video by way of a reminder and, seeing as they have new Okami hoodie merchandise coming down the pipe, decided to have a little fun with the competition in this Assassin's Creed-inspired short. We're currently hard at work on a review of Okami HD. Stay tuned! |
| The DTOID Show's Halloween Special! Gaming News! OoOoO! Posted: 31 Oct 2012 12:15 PM PDT Because we didn't report on it enough this week, Grand Theft Auto V is coming out this spring, officially. If you didn't hear, you obviously don't hang out with enough nerds -- but Disney bought Lucasfilm, including Lucasarts, ILM, et al. The Wii U tried to scare us with some kind of ridiculous digital nonsense, but it's more dumb than anything else. A bunch of spooky games got new trailers today including Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, Until Dawn, and Castlevania: Mirror of Fate. Finally, Tara runs down a bunch of creepy, cheap, and short games to check out in honor of International Skeleton & Pumpkin Awareness Day. |
| I love the song in this Painkiller Hell & Damnation vid Posted: 31 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT
The launch trailer and opening cinematic for Painkiller Hell & Damnation is dark and pretty dramatic, but it's set to to a strangely upbeat song, "Painkiller," by Siri Svegler. This odd mix works well together. I'm sure I'll be singing the song for the rest of the day. The PC game is out now, on Halloween, which is perfect when you consider its setting and story. The Steam page for the game is currently showing that preorders are still open, with the unlock happening later today. It should be good to go by the time you read this. If you're going to go the console route for Painkiller Hell & Damnation, you'll have to wait until January 22.
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| A new teaser for Until Dawn creeps up the internet Posted: 31 Oct 2012 11:30 AM PDT
Sony released a creepy new trailer for the upcoming "teen horror" game from Supermassive, Until Dawn. There's a creepy cabin, buzzsaws, a dude who looks like he's having a bit of a bad day and Polaroids of kids with numbers on them. Looks like Halloween to me. I just have a few questions. How did the killer get the guy suspended like that? A winch? I can't imagine you'd get such a reliable, quick result from a hand crank and pulleys. Would you need to rent a special one, or would I just be able to use the kind you see on pick-up trucks? Why do I ask? Oh, no reason. Just curious. It's been a time since I watched a proper, hormone-fueled horror film where 80% of characters under the age of 25 are expected to die. Probably not since the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street back in 2010. I assume the formula is pretty much unchanged, but we rarely see that kind of horror in our videogames, so I'm pretty enthusiastic about checking this out. |
| Get your paint on in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for Wii U Posted: 31 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition has added some pretty weird modes and features. We've already talked about the goofy Nintendo-themed costumes the game adds, and new screenshots today show off the game's Paint feature. You're able to customize characters using the Wii U Game Pad's touchscreen with this Paint feature. You'll see examples of this above and in our gallery with these Halloween-themed paint jobs. Mind you, nothing is stoping you from drawing penises on everything. |
| Posted: 31 Oct 2012 10:00 AM PDT The Thundercats reboot was, by most accounts, a tragedy. Unlike most of the property rehashes that account for a worrying amount of modern entertainment, the new Thundercats series was actually pretty well regarded and, from what I saw of it, deserved the praise. Naturally, this could not last. Cartoon Network had no faith in the series and it was canceled. With the show now buried, it seems like a bit of a waste to release an official licensed tie-in. Maybe somebody was hoping it would sell well and reignite interest? That's sadly not going to happen, because Thundercats for the DS is pure, unfettered garbage.
Thundercats (Nintendo DS) Thundercats is a simple beat-'em-up-style platformer, and when I say simple, I mean this wouldn't even look advanced in the early '90s. With its substandard graphics, featuring largely featureless character models and muddy, flat scenery, the game looks like a slightly below average SEGA Genesis title, and plays like a dumbed-down Golden Axe. From its visuals to its distinctly dated music, it's clear Aspect Digital was attempting to evoke a "retro" feel. However, unlike games that use the retro aesthetic to communicate a developer's love for bygone years, Thundercats exploits it to cut corners, skimp on features, and ultimately provide a bland, tacky series of one-note levels. Playing as Lion-O (obviously), Thundercats' victims go from short stage to short stage, mindlessly hacking at identical opponents who attack in a predictable fashion and are more than happy to line up for their own lumps. The cat's sword swings feel totally disconnected from their targets, carrying zero sense of impact as the blade slices in front of enemy character models with only the vaguest trace of an "explosion" effect to demonstrate a strike. The game's idea of challenge is simply to throw as many opponents and bullets at the player as possible, and never does it try to deviate from that path with any nuance.
Lion-O himself is simply unpleasant to control. He moves slowly, with an awful double-jump that has a pointless delay and palpable lack of responsiveness. His attacks are sluggish and his ponderous animations cannot be canceled, with most player damage suffered due to his inability to adequately dodge or avoid incoming fire. As he fights, he builds up a power meter, allowing him to unleash a blast of energy in a straight line. Its specific direction of fire makes it pointless to use in many situations, though admittedly it can be effective against bosses. As the game progresses, support characters become available. Three of them (Tygra, Cheetara, and Panthro) unleash powerful attacks, while Wilykit and Wilykat can be summoned to drop healing items or sword power-ups. Support characters are used by spending tokens collected through levels, but Lion-O can only carry up to three at a time. Thundercats offers a disjointed sense of progression. Short beat-'em-up stages can precede multiple boss fights in a row, or Godawful platforming sections that expose just how inelegant Lion-O's jumping is and usually cause death (without checkpoints) thanks to how hard it is to tell what part of a platform can be safely landed on, and what our heroic cat will just gormlessly fall through. None of these sections flow well together, especially thanks to how repetitive and boring the boss battles are.
Now is as good a time as any to point out that having Lion-O say, with a poorly compressed voice clip, "Thundercats, HOOOOO," every two minutes is not very enjoyable. As mentioned, stages have no checkpoints, and saves between levels are literally a case of pot luck. At one point, I returned to the game to find that it hadn't saved anything for two levels. It was at this point, I must confess, that I decided a better use of my time and the game would be to toss it into a river -- something I plan to do at my earliest convenience. There's not really much else to be said about Thundercats because there's nothing else to it. It's a bottom-of-the-barrel brawler that might have been really appreciated in 1985, but is outclassed and humiliated even by the standards of the 16-bit era. It hides behind nostalgia like a coward, attempting to distract from its unpleasantness by convincing the player it's part of the "good old days" of gaming, but nobody exists who could be foolish enough to fall for its ploy. And this is how Thundercats ends. Not with a bang, but with a truly disgusting DS game. |
| Borderlands 2 ships 5M copies, XCOM deemed a success Posted: 31 Oct 2012 09:30 AM PDT Take-Two Interactive has disclosed its financial report for its second quarter fiscal 2013, which saw GAAP net revenue of $273.1 million, up from last year's $107 million for the same period. This was attributed to Borderlands 2 and catalog sales of Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption (Can we get that sequel yet?) in addition to a 108 percent year-over-year growth of digitally delivered content. Of course, hearing specifics on a per-game basis would be nice. For Borderlands 2, "one of the most successful releases in 2K's history," there have been over 5 million units shipped to date. Firaxis Games' XCOM: Enemy Unknown wasn't given exact numbers, but Take-Two called it a "critical and commercial success." That makes me very happy indeed. [Thanks, de5gravity] |
| Sound Card 009: The top ten Castlevania songs OF ALL TIME Posted: 31 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT This Halloween, you might feel like turning down the lights and cranking up the frights with a run through of a classic game like Resident Evil or Silent Hill. But for my time and money, nothing beats the premier name in action horror -- Castlevania! Castlevania may not be the first thing you think of when someone says "horror," but there really is no greater poster child for the genre. This is a series that originally drew inspiration from old Universal and Hammer monster movies, paying homage to icons like Frankenstein's Creature, the Wolf Man, and of course Dracula. Over the years, it started to incorporate monsters and myths from cultures the world over. Castlevania is really just one giant hoedown with nearly every ghoul and foul hellspawn from all of human history. And what better way is there to celebrate such a remarkable franchise than with a totally objective list of the best Castlevania songs of all time? From gothic jazz to vampire rock, each tune is distinct and memorable in its own way. I guarantee that, by the time you finish reading this list, you'll feel like a badass, whip-cracking, axe-throwing, superhuman hunter of the night!
Every franchise has "that one game" that makes everyone scratch their head and exclaim, "What were they thinking!?" For Castlevania, Judgment is that game. Everything about it is just wrong -- the wrong genre, the wrong platform, the wrong art style, etc. But the soundtrack is oh so right! Most of the tunes are high-octane arrangements of iconic themes from throughout the series, but there is a small handful of original pieces. The opening theme, "Darkness of Fear," is so intense that it might actually sucker you into playing this filth!
Speaking of the wrong art style, who at Konami thought it was a brilliant idea replace Ayami Kojima's brilliant character designs with that? Thankfully, the rest of the game didn't fall prey to the same lapse in sensibility. "Condemned Tower" is one of those tracks that starts off slow and forlorn then crescendos until it reaches a mighty crash. It's a prime example of how Castlevania music is as much about building atmosphere as it is about delivering infectious, head-bobbing melodies.
Symphony of the Night was the start of a new Castlevania era in more ways than one. The music in particular took on a whole new dimension, thanks to composer Michiru Yamane. This was neither her first game nor her first Castlevania title, but this was the project that properly demonstrated her range and expertise. Blending classical, techno, and rock styles, she forged a spirit all her own. Players are introduced to that spirit in "Dracula's Castle," heard as Alucard tears through the opening section like a... well... like a bat out of hell.
Of the NES Castlevanias, Dracula's Curse is the undisputed leader. It also packed quite a punch in the audio department... if you were playing the Japanese version, that is. Listen to the first stage theme, "Beginning," and tell me you don't feel that extra "oomph." In Japan, a special audio chip called VRC6 was included in the cartridge, bestowing upon the game a couple of extra sound channels. That meant the music was richer and deeper than other games in the Famicom library. Unfortunately, the NES hardware out West could not support the VRC6, so our music sounds inadequate by comparison.
The song that started it all! I doubt composer Kinuyo Yamashita had any idea how influential her work on the original Castlevania soundtrack would become when she scored Simon Belmont's first battle against the undead horde. To this day, "Vampire Killer" continues to worm its way into just about every Castlevania game, arranged and re-imagined in various styles. It stands as one of the most iconic pieces of game music, alongside such memorable melodies as the overworld themes from Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.
I will put my foot down and claim that the soundtrack to Belmont's Revenge is the best Castlevania sountrack of all. It is so criminally underrated, simply because the title is for the Game Boy. People seem to forget just how powerful the Game Boy's audio capabilities are. Why do you think the Game Boy is the tool of choice for many chiptune musicians? What makes the Belmont's Revenge music so amazing -- "New Messiah," in particular -- is the deep, booming bass that you can only really appreciate by plugging a set of headphones into your portable. It's speed metal! On a friggin' Game Boy! C'mon!
Before Symphony of the Night arrived to rock our world, Rondo of Blood demonstrated what clean, high-quality CD audio could bring to the table. In that opening stage, as "Divine Bloodlines" plays and Richter marches past a besieged European town burning in the background, you get the sense that an epic challenge unlike any you have ever faced before awaits. And no, the version that appears on Castlevania: Dracula X on the Super Nintendo doesn't cut the mustard.
Symphony of the Night, the game so nice I mentioned it twice! "Lost Painting" may be the calmest song on this list, but it's precisely that haunting beauty that I find so incredible. This is Michiru Yamane once again showing off how talented she is, making all other music composers look like chumps. Contrast this with "Dracula's Castle" earlier in the list, and you begin to understand the scope of Symphony of the Night's groundbreaking soundtrack.
Next to "Vampire Killer," Kenichi Matsubara's "Bloody Tears" is the second song people tend to associate with the Castlevania franchise. Because it's damn good. Let's be honest: "Vampire Killer" will always be a classic, but "Bloody Tears" is a musical triumph. That rhythmic bass line, those pounding drums -- they send a chill down your spine. Not out of fright, but out of sheer excitement and anticipation of the struggle to come.
Whoopsies! Looks like I ran down the timer because I was too busy flailing my whip in eight directions to the beat of the GREATEST THEME SONG IN THE HISTORY OF MAN!
Castlevania has some of the greatest videogame music of any franchise, and a simple top ten list was never going to be enough. I'm sure you'll argue about some of these inclusions and wonder why you personal favorite track didn't make the grade. Still, I feel that this list gathers a solid selection of the best music in the series. Of course, there are other songs that barely missed inclusion, but I'd like to honor them anyway. These aren't in any particular order, but you can consider them "further listening." "Awakened Soul" - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night "The Gears Go Awry" - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin "Ripe Seeds" - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge "The Silence of the Daylight" - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest Enjoy the tunes and have a happy Halloween! |
| Exclusive: Cave Story+ O'ween, Aban Hawkins update & more Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:30 AM PDT [Update: Added a very special Halloween illustration by Nicalis artist Linzb0t.] Due to some technical issues, we may have some trouble getting you the full re-run of last Sunday's Sup, Holmes any time soon (though the podcast version is on iTunes.) It's a shame too, as our guest Tyrone Rogriguez, President of Nicalis, was quite generous with the exclusive news drops. At the very start of the show, we got the first official announcement of the Cave Story+ Halloween update/sale for Steam, which is literally the greatest thing ever. Every character and background has been redrawn to celebrate the holidays, with redesigns that range from the appropriately spooky (knife wielding frog-man becomes Chucky from Child's Play) to the appropriate (Cthulu becomes... Cthulu) to the unexpected (fishing Mimiga becomes Darth Vader, ) to videogame related (Curly Brace becomes Samus Aran). There are too many horror film, videogame, and Halloween related references here to even begin to list, but if you really want to get spoiled, check out some of the sprite sheets provided by Cszuslik and see for yourself. Not one, but two Darkstalkes references? Amazing. That was just the beginning of the news cavalcade. We also got to hear about potential updates for Cave Story eShop, the latest on the development of Aban Hawkins and the 1,001 Spikes (now planned for more consoles!), Cave Story creator Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya's new project, the chances for Yatagarasu going online, a launch window for the DS/3DS version of Ikachan, and more, all provided for you below in convenient bulletpoint form.
* Along with the all new Halloween graphics and pre-existing Christmas themed re-skins, this new update for Cave Story+ on steam also includes a special Machine Gun Challenge mode, and at least one new Halloween themed song remix.. * Ikachan, is hitting DSiWare and the 3DS eShop simultaneously. This new version of the game will have new enemies, areas, and other content. The eShop version will also feature a new aspect ratio, similar to the display utilized with Cave Story eShop. Both versions will (hopefully) be released in December. * Nicalis is looking into a Holiday themed update for Cave Story eShop, to include the Christmas themed re-skin from Cave Story+ on Steam. It's not guaranteed to happen at all, but if it's possible, the free update will be released before Christmas. * Aban Hawkins and the 1,001 Spikes will have +12 playable characters in multi-player Vs. mode, including Aban, his sister, his father, Commander Video from the Bit.Trip series, characters from Tempura of the Dead, and many more. The game will also feature a new multi-player mode where players compete to climb a tower and "save a maiden". The game is now on track for release in 2013. Release has been delayed by the fact that Nicalis keeps adding new content. The publisher is also looking into releasing the game on the PS Vita and on Steam via Greenlight. * Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya is working on a "Metroid-like" game for iOS.
* Yatagarasu was originally developed by 3 ex-SNK staff (an artist, a programmer, and a engine designer) who had formerly worked on the King of Fighters series. Nicalis is helping to make adjustments to the game to take advantage of the 3DS hardware, such as altering the backgrounds to optimize them for a 3D display. The game may have online multi-player, but only if they can get the game running with minimal lag and without other performance issues. Local multi-player lobbies are also a possibility. * NightSky is coming soon to iOS, and will have optional touch control, tilt control, and virtual game pad and button controls. * Cave Story has been rated by the ESRB for the Xbox 360, the PS3, and the PS Vita, but Nicalis has no current plans to port the game to those consoles. In Tyronit e's words - "We submitted all the consoles so that we wouldn't have to resubmit in the future, IF we ever decided to bring to those consoles." |
| Have a timely new Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs trailer Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT
This is certainly an (un)pleasant Halloween surprise. Frictional Games and thechineseroom have posted a teaser trailer for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and here I am, creeped out -- it's not even 9:00am. Today is off to a great start! PC Gamer caught up with thechineseroom's Dan Pinchbeck to get more context for this new horror game set against the backdrop of industrialization in 1899 London. He says that "It's fairly true to the spirit of [Amnesia: The Dark Descent]. There's a definite case of 'don't fix what isn't broken.' We're not going to be arming the player up at all -- you're still going to be hiding for most of it and running and peeking and not wanting to open doors and things like that. I think that's kind of the core spirit of the game really, so we don't want to take that away from the player." Continuing, Pinchbeck notes that it won't be too familiar an experience, saying "We've tried to do some stuff which will keep the player on their toes a little bit, to stop them from being able to play the same way. So there's changes to the way some of the things behave in the game. It's difficult to talk about that without giving too much away really." And, really, I don't want to hear more -- the less we know, the better. The Dark Descent has steadily grown its audience over the last two years. Come 2013, there's going to be a lot of nervous excitement in the air. I can't wait to see people freak out on YouTube. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs interview: we talk to the devs about their scarefest sequel [PC Gamer] |
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