New Games |
- Live show: Back to Far Cry 3
- Dead Space 3 demo heading to Xbox 360 and PS3 next month
- Preview: AMC's The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct
- Forza Horizon gets Recaro car pack on New Year's Day
- 'Amazing ATB' in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
- Strange: A Demonica suit in Shin Megami Tensei IV?
- The Daily Hotness: Merry Christmas... WUT!
- Brawl in the Family is home for the holidays
| Posted: 26 Dec 2012 09:35 AM PST [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.] So it seems I no longer have a grenade permanently stuck to my wrist anymore in Far Cry 3. Merry Christmas to me! To celebrate, I'll be jumping back into game, and trying my best to finish it up before lord knows what happens again. Wish me luck and be sure to come check it out on Mash Tactics! Also, long time friend and community member "Nox" has just released an awesome app for Chrome and Firefox, that allows you to easily see when all of your favorite Dtoid.TV and Streamtoid broadcasters are on and doing their thing. Go show it some love! QotD: What did you get for Christmas? |
| Dead Space 3 demo heading to Xbox 360 and PS3 next month Posted: 26 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST Electronic Arts and Visceral Games have announced that a demo for Dead Space 3 will be dropping on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on January 22, 2012, giving us a couple short weeks before the horror game's full release on February 5. Those who want to nab it a week earlier can do so by registering their Origin ID for an early-access code redeemable for the Xbox 360 demo. And speaking of Origin, there's been no mention of a possible PC demo, so don't hold your breath for that. The video embedded above is a well-made, no-nonsense recap of the Dead Space story so far. Even if you've played both main-series games, it's still a good refresher. You might even learn a thing or two. |
| Preview: AMC's The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct Posted: 26 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST It’s been an exciting year for The Walking Dead. The comic series reached its 100th issue, the TV series has hit its stride in the current season, and Telltale Games’ adventure title has broken new ground for storytelling and reinvigorated a near-dormant adventure genre. Now, AMC’s TV series makes its videogame debut in a new action horror title. Set before the main events of the TV series, the developers at Terminal Reality are determined to bring their own take on surviving the zombie apocalypse in their new single-player-focused survival horror game. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [previewed]) The developers at Terminal Reality (Ghostbusters: The Video Game) were excited to be able to work on a zombie game, and they were even more delighted to work on a title for a series like The Walking Dead. Players will take on the role of fan favorite from the TV series, Daryl Dixon. Glenn Gamble, system designer at Terminal Reality, felt that Daryl was the obvious choice for the player character. “He seemed like the natural choice," Glenn told me. "He’s better suited for survival and what we wanted to go for." Taking place during the beginning of the outbreak, Daryl and his brother, Merle, must band together with other survivors and make it through hordes of walkers as they travel across Georgia looking for safety. The developers felt that this unexplored time frame would allow them to grow and flesh out Daryl‘s past with his brother Merle. To stay consistent with the TV series, Terminal Reality and the writers of the show collaborate often and brainstorm ideas on how to shed light on the duo's history. Moreover, Daryl and Merle are both fully voiced and performed by their respective actors (Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker) from the TV series. “They were really happy to be doing it,” Gamble recalled of one of the recording sessions with the actors.
Our presentation began with the “Lemon Hill” level of the game. In this stage, Daryl and Merle head into an overrun town to reunite with Merle’s biker gang. To do so, they need to clear out the undead and gather as much supplies as possible. Prior to this, the developers selected the mission at the player hub, which is basically the character’s vehicle with his supplies, such as maps and weapons, scattered across the hood of your current vehicle (the characters are always on the move, of course.) When interacting with the map, players can chart out their course and check their progress, and selecting the knife will start the mission. Like many recent zombie games, Survival Instinct emphasizes the survival horror gameplay over pure action. Daryl will be able to take advantage of melee weapons, firearms, and even his crossbow to take down walkers. Since it emphasizes survival, you will have to take several things into account before engaging hostiles: resources are limited, the undead come in large numbers, and you’re almost always alone. To survive, you have to play smart and be cautious of your surroundings. Running in guns blazing will only result in a quick death. Walkers are easily attracted to noise -- “human noises” as the developers put it -- such as gun fire, bottles breaking, humans running by them, etc. Fortunately, you can take advantage of this by luring the horde away from your objectives, and baiting lone zombies towards you for quick stealth kills. Creating tension and maintaining atmosphere was a key focus for Terminal Reality, they even went as far as making the FOV (field of view) appear closer to give the impression that walkers are invading your personal space in order to heighten the tension further. On the surface, and when looking at early pictures, it doesn’t seem to be as dense as described, but there’s much more to this game than it appears. One of the major elements of Survival Instinct is player choice. As you progress through the game, you will be able to pick your routes, which will ultimately determine which levels you’ll explore. While there will be some levels that are mandatory for narrative purposes, a good chunk of stages are optional, and everyone’s playthrough of the game won’t be exactly alike. Another feature that the developers were keen to talk about were the road events. While traveling between waypoints (large levels), the game will prompt you with a randomized side mission that will task you with such objectives as raiding an abandoned farm, searching a sheriff station, or clearing out debris on a highway. Though you can ignore these events, it’s recommended that you attempt them when you are low on resources. Of course, there’s always a risk when engaging in these side missions. While you can acquire more supplies and resources, you leave yourself vulnerable to attack. Though it wasn’t shown in the demo build, a major part of the game will be banding together with fellow survivors on your trek through Georgia. During missions with Daryl, players can meet other survivors in the field and bring them back to safety after completion. Unfortunately, the amount of survivors you can have is limited by the amount of seats in your vehicle. Eventually, you’ll either have to cut someone loose or decline a request for admittance from a survivor. When your group is a manageable size, you take advantage of the extra hands by sending them out on tasks. Similar to games like Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, the player will be able to assign individual survivors with their own unique objectives while the player is out in the field such as gathering supplies, collecting gear, and even finding more survivors. There is a risk, however. If the mission proves to be too difficult for them, or if you give them weak gear for their assignment, then there’s the possibility of them never making it back alive. This creates an interesting risk/reward system. Should you risk your survivor and supplies for the possibility of getting a greater income of supplies? The choice is up to you. Though it’s very early and a long way from release, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct seems like a game with a lot of great ideas that’s backed with wildly popular mythology. With that said, the journey itself looks to be an exciting and clever prospect. There’s an enthusiastic respect for the series on the part of Terminal Reality, and their excitement about the game is very reassuring. |
| Forza Horizon gets Recaro car pack on New Year's Day Posted: 26 Dec 2012 04:00 AM PST Turn 10 and Microsoft have worked it out so that you can welcome the new year with six new cars for Forza Horizon with their Recaro car pack. In this pack, which launches on Jan. 1, 2013, you'll get a 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV, a sexy 2012 Logus Exige S, a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR, a 1995 Ford Mustang Cobra R, and the impossible 2012 Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition. Oh, and a 1983 GMC Vandura G-1500, a.k.a. child abductor van, as shown above. Hide your kids. This pack will be available Jan 1 for 400 MSP, and individual cars can be purchased for 240 MSP. Season Pass owners get it for free, of course, and will also get a bonus car, the 2009 Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster. |
| 'Amazing ATB' in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Posted: 26 Dec 2012 02:00 AM PST The latest issue of Famitsu [via Game Nyarth] reveals several new battle systems details in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. There's not a solid name for the new battle system yet, so they're calling it "Amazing ATB" for now. I think the name is a keeper. As we've heard a bit about before, commands will be mapped to the controller's face buttons, and direct movement of Lightning's movement will be available during fights. Her equipment, accessories, and abilities will be formed into sets called Styles that can be switched out during battle. All of this combines to give the feeling that you're still controlling a multi-member party, though you'll only be controlling Lightning alone. Winning battles will earn points that can be used to increase available world time and upgrade Lightning's equipment. Monsters will appear in and around cities, appearing from black hazes. About half of the game's monsters are new. Lightning's new costume, which was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, can be changed during the game, along with color choices. So I guess it's not just pink and purple this time. [via gematsu and All Games Beta] |
| Strange: A Demonica suit in Shin Megami Tensei IV? Posted: 26 Dec 2012 01:00 AM PST If you've played Atlus' DS title Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't, just know that there is at least one tie between Strange Journey and upcoming 3DS RPG Shin Megami Tensei IV. The latest Famitsu reveals some new details on SMT IV, including a bit on new character called the Black Samurai, a mysterious figure in a familiar outfit. Check out what this samurai is wearing in the above picture. It looks like Strange Journey's demon summoning/controlling Demonica suit, doesn't it? It's a perfect match! Could this be a tie-in? Or maybe just a nod to Atlus fans. Still, very cool. Siliconera says this Atsuko Tanaka, who was Ultimecia in Dissidia: Final Fantasy, voices this Black Samurai.
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| The Daily Hotness: Merry Christmas... WUT! Posted: 25 Dec 2012 03:59 PM PST
Why the hell were any of you on the Internet today? Spend some time with your families! Goodness gracious! Hope you all got exactly what you deserved! Destructoid Originals: Community: Contests: News: Offbeat: |
| Brawl in the Family is home for the holidays Posted: 25 Dec 2012 03:30 PM PST
As Christmas wraps up and MAGFest fast approaches, we celebrate the Yuletide season with the gift of song. The previous four strips of Matthew Taranto's Brawl in the Family (454, 455, 456, and 457) have seen Dedede, Pokémon's Bug Catcher, Ganondorf, and Luigi traveling to adjoining universes for their holiday vacations. My favorite was Luigi's trip to Hyrule, where he successfully supplanted Link as the Hero of Time, but they were all charming as BitF comics tend to be. For episode 458 (mistakenly numbered 358), Matthew pulled another musical number out of his magic bag of tricks. He and his wife Sarah sang a lovely rendition of the holiday classic "Home for the Holidays" as all the Nintendo vacationers returned from their journeys abroad. Very touching! I also suppose this is as good a time as any to remind you that Matt is one of the team members on the upcoming Nintendo Force magazine! Hurray for him! And hurray for all of us for being along for the ride! Merry Christmas, duders! 458 - Home [Brawl in the Family] |
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