No really, it actually won something. This Matrix video features all sound effects replaced by video game sounds, from various generations and systems… so of course it’s labeled “8-bit!” Despite the mislabeling, it’s a wonderfully entertaining video, especially as you work to figure out where each effect is from. It won Best Sound Design at BECAFest 2013, and was posted online in May of 2013 too, but the internet didn’t catch onto it until now. Such is the way the winds of the web blow! Check out the video below. Read more…
We all know videogame graphics aren’t as important as gameplay, but having some good graphics generally can’t hurt. The Farm 51 is making an FPS called Get Even, and it certainly won’t be out until 2015. But in the meantime, we have a trailer that shows off their use of Thorskan, which allows them to scan an environment directly into the game. The walls and floors look really pretty (or should I say ugly and gritty?), though I noticed the camera quickly flies over the faces on those bodies, so maybe all they’ve got are pretty environments. The studio promises a game that “subtlety [sic] removes the classic division between single-player and multiplayer” and focuses on the memories of the main cast. The trailer doesn’t show any of that, but it does include a few live-action shots, so try not to get too confused when you watch it. Read more…
I’ve mostly outgrown my affection for the typical shonen genre exemplified by franchises like Bleach and Naruto. However, there is no way I can abandon One Piece, be it for the inventive action, energetic characters, and boundless enthusiasm on show. I think at this point I’m enough of a fan to even consider playing a videogame based on a series I’ve so far avoided. Part of that is how accurately One Piece: Pirate Warriors for PS3 depicts famous fights from the story. Read more…
Some bad news for Star Trek gamers. Star Trek: Infinite Space, Gameforge’s browser-based starship combat simulator, has been officially cancelled. In truth, it’s no surprise to anyone, as the developer had been experiencing a number financial setbacks and layoffs over the past year. In order to complete development, Gameforge had been seeking a co-publisher for the title, but according to a recent statement, has finally given up the search. As we had previously reported, the game had been originally scheduled for release in late 2011.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 25, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
As a rule, I usually avoid game-oriented Kickstarter projects, but seeing as this is for an tangible product with some rather impressive applications, I figured it’d be worth mentioning. Introducing the Ringbow Controller — an attachable d-pad designed to interface with tablets and other touch-based devices. The Ringbow was designed specifically to give players accurate control without compromising the ability to touch the interface with your fingers. It just so happens that the controller would also enable developers to map the controls to whatever they way, be it an action, cursor, or event within their game or application. The only draw back being that developers would have to design their games specifically to interface with the device, or at least support it on some level for it to work. The project has a stated goal of $100,000, and is nearly half way there with a full 27 days to go. If you’re still interested in supporting it, a donation of $45 will snag you one of your own when they begin mass production.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 19, 2012 in Videogames
There have been several titles I’ve had eyes on over the past few months, one of which is Arkane Studios’ upcoming steampunk action game, Dishonored. From the looks of things, the game plays like a cross between Deus Ex and Assassins Creed, but that being the case, you can imagine my surprise to learn that the game could be completed in just 12 hours. Of course, in order to do so, you have to ignore story elements, and rush from target to target. According to Arkane, the game can easily take twice as long if you actually stop to eavesdrop on your enemies conversations in order to flesh out the plot and immerse yourself in the story. Apparently there are also 40 unique charms throughout the game that give you small supernatural perks, however you can’t collect them all during a single play-through, so perhaps there’s some re-playability to be had there.
Everyone love the Gorn — after all, who doesn’t have fond memories of Kirk battling a Gorn with styrofoam rocks? I know I do, and that’s why I was excited to hear they’ll be making an appearance in Namco Bandai’s upcoming Star Trek third-person platformer. The game takes place in the Abramsverse, between the first and second film, which is currently in post production. Not surprisingly, Kirk and Spock’s appearance in the game are modeled after actors Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto respectively. We were treated to a fresh trailer during Namco Bandai’s Game Day 2012 conference the other month, but even though E3 is currently full swing, we haven’t seen any new footage just yet. They have, however, release a few more screenshots on the official website, one of which features Kirk confronting a Gorn at phaser point. Star Trek should hit consoles sometime in early 2013.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on May 21, 2012 in Videogames
Meat Bun has unveiled Check Point, their latest line of gaming-inspired fashion tees. The first part of the series feature designs inspired by classic racing titles like Mario Kart, Out Run and Daytona USA. For whatever reason, there also appears to be a design called Ninja Magic featuring what I imagine would be the ninja from Shinobi on a skateboard, the only commonality being that both were incredibly popular in the 80s. That said, it’s kind of strange but awesome design.
Here’s an exciting bit of breaking news for Resident Evil fans. Series creator, and grandfather of the survival horror genre, Shinji Mikami announced a new horror game this morning. Codenamed “Zwei,” the game is to be developed by Mikami’s new studio, Tango Gameworks. Those of you who may recall, his last entry in the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 4, has been the most successful and critically acclaimed to date. If you’re wondering why he’s no longer with the company, Mikami had been transferred to Capcom’s Clover studio prior to its dissolution following the release of the not-so-successful cult-favorite God Hand. He then worked briefly for Platinum Games, the studio responsible for Bayonetta and Vanquish, before leaving to create Tango Gameworks. There’s no other details to note, other than the game is in the early stages of development and that his studio was acquired by Zenimax, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks back in 2010. For the sake of the genre, let’s hope his latest foray into the world of survival horror is as successful as his last.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Apr 24, 2012 in Videogames
It’s either insane, or absolutely brilliant. Valve has always taken an unconventional approach to game development, but I’ve never known how unconventional — at least, until now. Recently a copy of their employee handbook leaked online, and while I can’t imagine they were pleased about it happening, what’s done is done. The 56 page 2012 New Employee Handbook details the companies internal practices, internal structure (or lack thereof) and comes littered with hilarious diagrams and in-jokes many of which relate to the various games they’ve released over the years.
If you haven’t had a chance to catch this brand new English trailer for Studio Ghibli & Level 5’s upcoming role-playing epic Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, prepare to be amazed. Initially, I was a bit worried when I heard the game had been delayed until 2013, but after viewing the trailer, I’m convinced they’ve done it for the right reasons. Some things are just worth waiting for, and I wouldn’t want anyone to rush such a wonderful looking game. It’s better they take their time and really make everything shine. The voice-overs, for example, fit so well, I’m convinced I wouldn’t want to settle for a Japanese language track, and subtitles. The game is still scheduled to ship sometime in the first quarter of next year for PS3. Hopefully someone plans to pick up its DS counterpart at some point.
It’s a bit of a hot topic right now, but everyone seems to be up in arms over this Consumerist.com “Worst Company in America” poll that recently named Electronic Arts the worst company in America. From what I’ve gathered, over 250,000 people voted to determine the winner of the not-so-prestigious title with Electronic Arts receiving 64% of the votes, with Bank of America trailing at 36%. There’s no question that gamers are passionate about their games, or that Bank of America destroys the lives of countless households on a daily basis with foreclosures, or questionable banking practices, but for whatever reason my twitter feed seems to have exploded with debates backing both sides of the coin, and the tweets aren’t pretty.
I’m sure some of you might already know about Square Enix and their annual rewards program, but for those of you who don’t, you’ll probably want to. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve opened a new game, only to pull out the disc, toss the box to the side and ignore the rest of its contents. I always justify it by thinking I don’t need a instruction manual, or that I couldn’t care less about some pre-formatted health warnings I’ve read a million times, but in doing so, I often miss that little sheet asking me to register the game. I know what you’re thinking — why bother? Find out why after the jump.
It’s a niche series, but I’ve always loved Falcom’s Ys saga. The series has been a staple of staple of the action role-playing genre for as long as I can remember with countless entries in the series, not to mention the numerous remakes or re-releases over the years. It’s not as popular outside of Japan, but niche as it is, Ys has some of the most dedicated fans I’ve ever seen, and Ys: The Oath in Felghana stands as testament to that.
If you’re a fan of giant robot anime, this trailer might make you wet your pants. It features footage from 2nd Super Robot Wars Z Saisei, a PSP game that features characters and mechs from practically every giant robot series to grace Japanese airwaves is like an otaku’s dream come true. Unfortunately, despite having developed a countless number of these Super Robot War titles over the years, not a single one has been localized outside of Japan. Why? The trailer speaks for itself, check out the list of copyrights at the end. Now imagine the nightmare of trying to secure those rights for an international release. It’s a shame, but who knows, maybe it’ll be a possibility someday… maybe… probably not.
Microsoft’s latest entry in their series of flight simulators, simply titled Microsoft Flight, is out and it’s free-to-play via its official website. There’s still the option of paying for premium content, with the option to purchase a plane of your own with just an exterior cam for just $7.99. A $14.99 deluxe package gives you the option of a cockpit view as well. As far as missions and such, the $19.99 Hawaiian Adventure Pack gives you free reign of the Hawaiian islands, with 20 new mission and additional challenges to keep you busy. It’s interesting to see how popular the free-to-play platform has become, and I have to wonder if piracy could be the cause. Is it really that more lucrative?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 22, 2012 in Videogames
I always thought it’d be cool to work on one of Konami’s Metal Gear projects, but until recently that would have been a difficult prospect. Konami always handled production of the series in-house, and since relocating to Japan would have been the first of many hurdles, I never gave it a second thought. Several years ago during his keynote at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Hideo Kojima announced that he was looking to expand his studio, and to embrace western development, and now it looks like he really meant it. Kojima Productions recently posted a recruitment page looking for candidates to work on their next Metal Gear project. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 15, 2012 in Videogames
There are so many video games out there, and while most gamers find themselves content with the mundane titles the industry churns out on a regular basis, some look to indie developers for an experience they can’t find anywhere else. These developers slave over their games, often without any benefits or guaranteed paychecks, not because they have to, but because they love to, one aspect of which is the music. Indie Game Music Bundle is a collection of soundtracks from various game composers who’ve worked on some of the most popular indie titles, some of which are among the most amazing scores I’ve ever heard. Their latest bundle features even more music and includes artists like Jim Guthrie, and Tomáš Dvořák. Finally, while the majority of the revenue from this project goes to the artists themselves, no doubt to maintain a steady supply of Hot Pockets, a portion of the proceeds also go to the American Cancer Society and Child’s Play. Click here for more info.
This has got to be one the most unique Smartphone accessories we’ve come across yet. Introducing the XAPPR pistol, a $30 peripheral that fits most Android and iOS devices. You’re probably wondering how it works. First you mount your phone to its stand, then the device connects to your phone with the trigger sending its signals via the headphone port. Currently, there are only a few apps that support the device, most of which require the use of augmented reality. It works well with iOS titles likeSpray’Em, or AR Warsand AR Invaders. There’s also an Android app, ATK, currently in open beta that supports it. If you’re interested in picking one up, you can currently pre-order one from the official website via Paypal, but it won’t be ready to ship ’til June.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 25, 2012 in Videogames
Last Monday, GameStop surprised many of their European customers by closing their shops throughout Northern Ireland and Portugal. Reports state that employees were only given a days notice, and were subsequently required to sign non-disclosure agreements until the retailer made an official statement. It wasn’t long before a spokesperson commented on the closures, stating that the move was part of an existing plan “to exit the UK market from a brick and mortar perspective…” Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 16, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
I love the concept of tablet gaming, I really do, but like many of you, I find the touch controls absolutely maddening at times. This is especially true for any game or app that requires the use of a directional pad. Thankfully, the chaps at Ten One Design could read my mind. Introducing the Fling Joystick and Fling mini — a simple analog nub that sticks to your tablet, or smartphone and holds in place via small translucent suction cups. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 10, 2012 in Videogames
To be fair, I’m not sure what to think of Cyanide Studio’s upcoming Game of Thrones RPG. Seeing as A Song of Fire and Ice is a bit of a hot commodity right now, we would expect the license to land in the hands of an experienced developer. However, that didn’t happen. Instead, in what I can only imagine was a stroke of luck on their part, Cynaide Studios will be delivering several games based on the popular series, the first of which will be a third-person roleplaying adventure. Entitled simply Game of Thrones, the plot follows two survivors of Robert’s Rebellion as their decisions lead them on separate paths throughout the land, only to once again unite them against common enemies in an attempt to save the kingdom. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 28, 2011 in Videogames
With so many games on the market, and so little time to play them all, deciding which was best can be a difficult task. Some writers look at the review scores, or sales figures, while others may take a more personal approach. For me, it’s definitely more personal, but I also understand that labeling something “Game of the Year,” would be a tad pretentious if it weren’t truly worthy. Read more…
Here’s some exciting news for all you Whovians out there. BBC Worldwide just announced the first in a new line games planned for home consoles. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, currently being developed by Supermassive Games in collaboration with BBC Wales, is set for both the PS3 and Playstation Vita early next year. Not much is known about the plot, but we can expect a completely new adventure featuring the voices of Matt Smith, and Alex Kingston reprising her role as River Song. If you only own an Xbox, don’t worry — the game will also be receiving a PC port. For more info, head over to the official twitter feed and be sure to check out a short teaser after the jump. Read more…
