I’m pretty sure that artwork has ever got me as excited about a videogame, but taking a look at Outerlight and Ubisoft’s released teaser posters for their upcoming game for Xbox Live and Steam, Bloody Good Time, and you can’t help but wonder what lay ahead for the game.
Due for release later this year, Bloody Good Time looks well, bloody good. Using B-movie style and substance, the game is a competitive multiplayer shooter for up to 8 players that takes place on a Hollywood set in which wild and varied sets- from creepy hotels to whispering beach houses- can be chosen to backdrop the explosive carnage. Just taking a look at the announcement trailer for the game induces humour, silliness and a barrel of laughs from its stereotypical moguls.
Giving the opportunity to play as any one of a whole array of B-movie characters with a promise for wacky and … Read More.
Hudson Soft, the global publisher behind such titles as Bomberman, is now making its face known within Sony’s Playstation Home in a quite bizarre virtual area named “Hudson Gate” that “will serve as a base for all things Hudson”. Games, product information and virtual item shopping (yikes!) will all be featured in the area that can be seen in the screenshots available on this page.
The new area will also include a “Dolphy” racing game, the virtual pet races taking place in the lounge and allows users to watch, vote and participate in the racers of up to 8 Dolphies. And if all that weren’t enough. Hudson also add a “Dolphy Room” to the mix that will let players breed their own Dolphy pets to race. Strange, indeed.
For more information on Hudson Gate, visit: http://www.hudson.co.jp/home/eur/.
Everyone knows the beauty of paper. It’s crumply, yet fragile make up shreds through most of your life. Indeed your life will begin on paper and end scrawled upon it as the certificate of what you achieved gets framed and hung in your children’s hallway. Paper is where all good ideas start and where the bad ones are mapped out in minute detail. It is the medium which can brag to be the bearer of all good news and moments of astute genius that we just do not want to let go. However brilliant it is though, paper is taken for granted and it is time that it showed its teeth. And Yet It Moves might just be the game that will make you respect this fragile fabric once again.
[caption id=”" align=”aligncenter” width=”399″ caption=”When blocks evaporate depending on which way you're … Read More.
There is something very special about Shank for me, probably stemming from my fond memories of Double Dragon and Final Fight. But this isn’t the first 2D brawler to come to the current gen consoles, so what makes this different?
To start with let’s take a look at the game’s visuals, it’s an almost perfect art style with a solid amount of character to it. All you need to know about Shank’s story is told in the grimace of the lead protagonists face – “shit just got real!”
Shank’s moment to moment gameplay also pans out like you’d expect, walking left to right taking on gangs of bad guys with a few tasty boss battles in between and with a smattering of platforming. Things starts out simple with light and heavy attacks combined with a selected firearm and the well used evade move (you’ll be using this a lot). It is … Read More.
1983. Programmable home computers were emerging and the computer games retail market was poorly organised to say the least. The major high street stores like Boots, WH Smith and Woolworths etc. wouldn’t touch it. How could it be categorised? Were computer games toys, or published material like Books or recorded media like music Records, or were they consumer electronics?
Toys, Books and Records were very tactile. Customers could fondle these little beauties before deciding to purchase or not. Computer games on the other hand were a different kettle of fish. How could it be possible to stock Cassette Tapes where customers could load them into a computer, wait 5 minutes or so for it to load, then play for 10 minutes before deciding not to purchase? Staff would need training because of the very technical nature of the product and to top it all … Read More.
We’ve heard it time and time again but we can’t deny it, Rock Band is a favourite here at Midlife Gamer central. No question, it’s now the go-to game for that rhythm-action itch you can’t help but sooth without tapping your way to rock glory on plastic peripherals. If the now 2000-strong song availability for Harmonix’s Rock Band doesn’t have you totally gripped yet, then just take a glance at some of the artists that are to feature in Rock Band 3, out at the end of this year.
EA have just released the full setlist for the game, including tracks from ‘The Smiths’, ‘Echo & The Bunnymen’, ‘Queen’, Bob Marley, John Lennon and erm, Amy Winehouse.
Have a filter through the 83 song list and hope that EA can continue to provide a platform for Rock Band to rise to dominance at the behest of the more metal-orientated Guitar Hero: … Read More.
More delightful gaming chat from your hosts, including nightmares, MMO addiction & genitalia oriented theme parks.
What have we been playing?
Matt gets both hands on Starcraft 2 & has some fun times with Shank.
Daren discusses Alchemy on Android OS, explores turntablism with DJ Hero and worries about his time with Aion.
This weeks news topics
The UK is set to get a dedicated TV gaming channel, Final Fantasy XIV gets an open Beta date and an interesting XP limiting mechanic, Cryptic Studios confirm a new Neverwinter title, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep not coming to PSN, further updates on the PS3 hack, Shank has issues on the Xbox 360, Microsoft banning pirates of Halo: Reach, voice chat improvements planned for the next 360 dashboard update, Demon resurface as a gamer specific ISP and EA Sports MMA will not be released in Denmark.
The usual suspects: Retail Roundup, New Releases, the Twitter … Read More.
Bonjour, G’day, Howdy and hello to all you faithful Gasm lovers out there and hello to any newbies too, settle down relax and get ready for your Trailer-Gasm! initiation.
I’ve tried to tick all the boxes this week, offering a little survival horror, a little MMO and not to mention a big old dose of some familiar faces and some innovative platform gaming.
Well what are you waiting for? Oh right you want to know what’s in store? Well allow me to happily oblige you…
Gaming has been littered with successful partnerships, Banjo & Kazooie, Sonic & Tails, Mario & Luigi to name but a few, however we have had very few successful quads… Until now, doubling its numbers from 2 to 4 its Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, offering 4-player co-op for the very first time.
Now personally I am a huge fan of the old style platformer, sit me down … Read More.
Simply put Madden NFL 11 is an alright game. That’s about as plainly as I can put it. It is a shrug raiser, lip curler, feet shuffler of a title. Though however basic I would like to put it and be done with it Madden NFL 11 isn’t going to let me go that easy. It’s just that those pond splashers over the way do have a penchant for overcomplicating the simple. So in turn sharing my opinion was never going to be that simple either.
Especially when it comes to sports, the Yanks tend to make the plain into the elaborate. That which starts with Cricket ends in Baseball. That which starts with Hockey ends by being played on ice. And that which starts with Rugby ends with American Football. The trouble is that with all this complication going on in one place, how does a game that is … Read More.
Float along like a cloud, childlike and boundless. Drift astride a caring wind and plant yourself a plucking petal.
thatgamecompany are taking these concepts and turning them into some of the most compelling games of our recent console era. Anyone who has played Cloud, flOw or Flower knows how much desire, focus and energy thatgamecompany manage to put into their simple game ideas. But how do they make it look so simple? Marconi decided to find out…
Marconi: First of all can you tell us who you are and what you do at thatgamecompany?
Kellee Santiago: Hi, I’m Kellee Santiago. I’m President and Co-Founder of thatgamecompany. I co-founded the studio with our Creative Director, Jenova Chen in 2006, after we met each other at the University of Southern California Interactive Media MFA program, at the School of Cinematic Arts. Now our studio is 10 people, and my work focuses on business development … Read More.
Well just got back from the Gold Coast, Warner Bros Movie World, DreamWorld, that nonsense etc.
Anyway I had a dabble with LIMBO when I got back yesterday…………….. Now before we get started there is something you should know about me, I am on some kind of existential free love vibe, ying yang thingy bob, Blimp blop knick knack Jesus Bing Bong, so please don’t be put off. High on life as you were…….
Regardless, I enjoyed this game immensely, my one regret is that I can’t gift it to somebody else. Yes, there is a little bit of value a issue here. BUT, that is in a way, is a good thing.
Let’s go back now and look at Braid, which in itself -for my mind- was a work of art. Strange that these words are more often bandied around for Arcade titles as opposed to full games (shame on you … Read More.
This first post is about a question I’ve been thinking about recently and one that I feel might not have a definitive answer. What role does advertisement have in gaming? A few weeks ago I was playing a game and during one of the loading scenes there was an advertisement for facebook. Now initially it didn’t bother me; probably because I like and use facebook. But it did get me thinking. What if it had been something else? Would I have felt the same way? I think I would have been a bit put off had it been an ad for something like Burger King or a promo for Despicable Me. OK… maybe not that last one (awesome movie!) lol. This is something a lot of people are passionate about on both sides, and the difficult thing is that … Read More.
If you’ve never heard of Gish, or in fact seen any footage of the game in action, then look no further than the video posted below. The entirely physics-based platformer is a joy to witness in motion, combining simple yet effective levels with a wide array of enemy types and brilliant physics-based action from lead blob of tar ‘Gish’, who can assume different body densities based on the opposition at hand, whether an enemy or obstacle.
Winning numerous prizes since its release in 2004 (including IGF’s 2005 Grand Prize), publisher Chronic Logic have recently announced the 1.6 update for the game which will add over 40 new levels and positively great-looking new ‘versus’ levels, as well as allowing players to pay what they want for the title, with all registration and DRM totally removed.
Get downloading from http://www.chroniclogic.com/gishorder.htm or visit http://www.chroniclogic.com/gish_download.htm for a demo of the game. If you have already … Read More.
‘Developer Profiles’ is a series of articles that take a look at some of our favourite companies within the industry, reflecting on past work and looking forward to future titles.
The Midlife Gamer’s amongst us often forget sometimes that we are in fact mere mortals. Yes, when we pick up our plastic guitars and strum away to high-def notes that fall to the hit zone, we’re often swept up in the moment, nodding our head to the rip-roaring track and jumping around the stage/living room in order to feel like the rock legends we all crave to be. Whether it be through hitting the virtual high-hats and bass of our drum kits, or picking up the mic for some ear-deafening singing, Harmonix have created some of the most influential and most exciting party games ever to be released onto consoles for the home.
Reading the back story of Harmonix- or … Read More.
Based on the upcoming animated flick from Zack Snyder, Warner Bros’ Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole- The Videogame is an “action flight game” in which players take on the role of young “guardian” Shard tasking to uncover the truth by the mysterious “evil ones”.
The latest screens to come from Warner Bros. HQ have just release, and although we here at MLG object to Warner Bros’ press release in how it explains “kids will assemble an unlikely band of heroes as they take on the role of the Guardian”, the screens look surprisingly attractive with detailed 3D models, despite the low-res textures.
Developed for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC by Krome Studios (the team behind Microsoft’s Game Room and Scene It? Box Office Smash) and Tantalus Media for the DS, Legend of the Guardians: TooG is out this September.
A reptilian eye surveys the dig-site; thousands of tons excavated to reveal the settlement from the age of man. From this high vantage point foundation lines can be seen of the once mighty walls of the fabled Varanas. There is no mistake this time, this is the place.
For a Scalok, Froomas was not extraordinary, his eyes although sufficiently slimy seemed to lack that gleam that drove the women Scalok wild. His ears were far too symetrical and his claws just weren’t long enough, not for lack of trying. But today he had proved his critics wrong, he had finally located a human settlement, a place where real live men had actually walked and breathed. Froomas was dizzy with the excitement just thinking of what treasures he would unearth. He was so giddy infact he failed to notice his apprentice running up the hill towards him, he appeared to be … Read More.
I’ll not lie, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising was one realism level to far for me. From one shot kills to highly intricate tactical manoeuvres from AI, perhaps I’ve been a little too well treated by modern day shooters such as Modern Warfare and Medal of Honor that I’d forgotten what “demanding” really meant.
On release, Dragon Rising secularised its audience, even if it was a highly polished and outstanding FPS in its own right. Today, Codemasters have announced that its sequel, subtitled ‘Red River’, is currently in development and set for a 2011 release.
Taking place in the remote and hostile Tajikistan, Red River’s campaign takes place over three distinct acts whilst being supported for up to four-player co-op in a ‘drop in/drop out’ system. Amongst its touted improvements, Codemasters are heralding that the sequel has set out to refine inventory selection and have also gone further in improving AI and … Read More.
Space has a lot going for it. What I mean is that there must be something out there. Something we can use, harvest or just blow up for mere trouser wobbling giggles. It sure would be fun to explore a little bit more of it. However, no one is willing to put the effort in these days. Where are the hoards of people willing to go boldly and visit places no one has ever been before? It’s because of these selfish people that we are still left to dream, and instead of actually being there we have to use our imagination, which is exactly what folk were doing in the 1950’s! Is this really progress?
The good thing though with imagination is that it breeds creativity and creativity breeds products and things to distract us from that which we must be doing. Sometimes these are good and sometimes these be … Read More.
Twisted Pixel is the studio behind colourful, artistically designed, and critically acclaimed The Maw, and last year’s Splosion Man (a part of Microsoft’s ‘Summer of Arcade’), known for its devilishly difficult levels but simple gameplay idea involving a man who “splodes”. In development of Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley, we chatted to the studio about its intentions, history, and why Comic Jumper ought to be paid close attention.
Richard Birkett: Could you tell us here at MLG who you are and what you do?
Sean Conway: My name is Sean Conway. I am a video game designer for Twisted Pixel Games.
RB: Next, a question we ask everyone we speak to here at Midlife Gamer, what is your favourite
beverage and biscuit (also called cookies outside the UK)?
SC: My favourite beverage is beer. Cookies? I don’t eat those things. The only Cookie I know charges $20 for a lap dance!
Your lovable hosts return with gaming chat… and tales of dentistry.
What have we been playing?
Matt take s trip down memory lane with Halo 3, talks up Civilization Revolution on the iPhone and after a rough ride with Red Dead Redemption he returns to the loving arms of Gay Tony.
Daren gives early impressions of Metro 2033, shares his thoughts on Starcraft 2 from a non RTS player perspective and gets deeper into Aion.
This weeks news topics
Batman: Arkham City is announced, Machinarium reduced in price for a limited time, no Kinect in Fable 3, no day 1 online multi-player for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Gran Turismo 5 Signature Edition detailed and discussed, Puzzle Quest 2 released on Steam and Blizzard getting moderation happy with tales from both Starcraft 2 and World of Warcraft.
The usual suspects: Retail Roundup, New Releases, the Twitter Section and the Sexy Quiz.
We adored Vector Unit’s Hydro Thunder Hurricane when it was released on to XBLA this year, so much in fact that we gave it an 8 out of 10, hailing it as “one of the most fun and compelling racers in recent memory”. We wanted to know more about the team behind the game, so we caught up with Matt Small to talk about the resurgence of the racer, future DLC for HTH, and the possibility of another entry in the ‘Thunder’ series…
Xero: Could you introduce yourselves to the Midlife Gamer community, who are you and what do you do?
Matt Small: My name is Matt Small. I’m the Creative Director at Vector Unit, which at our company is kind of a hybrid between a Lead Designer and an Art Director. For Hydro Thunder Hurricane, I designed all the tracks, built the 3D models for several tracks and boats, and … Read More.
I’m falling! Falling I said! Down and down, deeper and uglier I fall. I may fall with no style, but to fall with grace is an art. To turn that art into a game is also a questionable route for any studio to take, but one independent studio did it and to critical acclaim. They took this boring hobby and made it into an award winning title full of kissing, hugging and praising your fans.
So to find out more about how and why you would do such a thing, and what life is like in the indie world I settled down to a nice chat with Ichiro Lambe of Dejobaan Games and fell into a conversation…
M: First of all, can you explain a little about who you are and what you do at Dejobaan Games?
IL: Absolutely!
M: The next question is one we ask every person we talk to here … Read More.
Being flat is what I would love to be. How one little constanant could change my life persepective and indeed what benefits I would be entitled to. I would save a fortune on travelling costs by posting my little minimalist body through the post. For some their dreams came true when sleeping under a poorly screwed in notice board. For others they turn to Introversion Software to give them all their flat needs and more.
So I took some time out to speak to Mark Morris and found out what it is like to hack, destroy and create a world of flat!
M: First of all can you tell us who you are and what you do at Introversion software?
MM: My name is Mark Morris and I’m the managing Director of Introversion. It sounds very grandiose, but basically I end up doing all the little jobs that … Read More.
We might already have Tony Hawks and EA’s Skate series doing the rounds for skateboarding fans in gaming, but Ubisoft have now entered the frame with unlikely competition. Licensed with the likeness (and name) of professional snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White at the helm, Ubisoft have just released the ‘Transformation’ trailer that looks to show some of what can be expected from the game. It’s all very well, but it’ll have to give us something different to remain distinct and Ubisoft will have to step up their game if they’re not to repeat 2008′s mediocre title Shaun White Snowboarding.
The newly released trailer can be seen below and looks engorged in deft visual tricks that could add enough uniqueness to remain relevant. Its tag-line “Transform Your World” certainly has us intrigued and it’ll be interesting to see how this is implemented into the final game.
Hello and welcome to the Trailer-Gasm! 12, we have a bumper packed episode with no less than 6 trailers for you to take a looksy at, so lets skip all the foreplay and get straight into the new Trailer-Gasm!
Our first trailer comes from the guys who brought us The Sims, the follow up to their 2008 title Spore, its Darkspore which offers a more, well, darker tone. Now sometimes with games like Darkspore I can write an introduction without too much thought, however sometimes its a bit trickier, as is with this next title, Bug Ball is a difficult game to describe but it looks like buckets of fun!
Now here at MLG we are partial to the odd MMO and its always good to see another just around the corner, which is where we bring you the mythological MMO Mythos.
If you needed any more reassurance that gaming was yet to reach the fold of the mainstream and celebrity culture (good or bad), then look no further than the fantastic list of star-studded actors and actresses that are gracing Bethesda’s press release, all set to lend their voice talents to Obsidian’s Fallout: New Vegas.
Among them, Ron Perlman will reprise his role as the narrator of the game, as he has done in each major Fallout game thus far, whilst Wayne Newton voices “Mr. New Vegas” who is set to fill the wastelands of the Mojave as the DJ within the game.
Other big names that have been detailed include Danny Trejo (lead of Robert Rodriguez’s Machete), Felicia Day (The Guild), Matthew Perry (Friends), Michael Dorn (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Zach Levi (Chuck). Pete Hines of PR and Marketing at Bethesda, highlights “the Fallout franchise has taken narratives in … Read More.
Fans of Dragon Ball, rejoice! Not only is the new PS3 and Xbox 360 fighting game Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 to feature a host of new additions, including a brand new combo system, visual and camera effects, environmental destruction and “stunning visual effects” that ought to make this one of the best looking fighters on the market, but Namco Bandai have today announced that the game will also include a full 30-minute animé episode in the style of the cartoon series.
The exclusive episode- entitled “Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans”- is said to be a completely “re-scripted, re-structured and re-edited” version of the first ever Japanese episode. If you manage to sit through the episode in its entirety, a bonus in-game character (in addition to the 90 already there) will be unlocked.
For a sneak preview of the anime, visit www.namcobandaigames.eu on the 18th August.
Sexuality and games have always had an awkward relationship. Plagued by censorship, ignored by a kill streak obsessed audience and subject to derision from an often prudish wider society, one of the most important elements of our culture is often marginalised into crude flash games and Japan only doujinshi. We talk to Mike Amerson of girlfriend sim My Virtual Girlfriend about his company’s first release, why dating sims haven’t caught on in the west and balancing mischief with misogyny…
Xero: Firstly, can you tell us a bit about who you are and what you do?
Mike Amerson: I’m Mike Amerson, I’ve been a game developer for 10 years as a 3D artist/ animator and I’ve worked on top franchises such as Star Wars and Call Of Duty – PC and console games. My latest (and personal) creation is an iPhone game called: My Virtual Girlfriend. I co-founded a company called WET … Read More.
For those of you who don’t already know, Deadly Premonition is an open-world survival horror that has been receiving wildly mixed reviews from sites in the US. Having been described already as a “potential cult classic”, Rising Star Games yesterday confirmed that they had secured the rights to release the game in PAL territories (previously absent from their release schedule).
Originally entitled Rainy Woods, Deadly Premonition has been a long time coming and was originally shown at TGS 2007, although the critical response reacted the developers into making several changes to the artistic direction.
“Having seen how DP split reviewers’ opinions in America, gamers are itching to get their hands on it to judge it for themselves. We have high hopes for what can only be described as the most distinctive survival horror game that has ever been released” said Martin Defries, Managing Director at Rising Star Games.
This year held through 19th August to the 22nd August, Gamescom in Cologne is in the full swing of preparation before the big event opens its doors for the second year. A number of publishers and developers have already announced what they have planned to show at what is certainly, Europe’s biggest trade fair for videogames.
Namco Bandai is the latest publisher to detail what is in store for the event, showing Ninja Theory’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, another entry in the Naruto series with Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, PAC-MAN Party, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, Despicable Me: The Game and yesterday’s news story, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.
If you hadn’t had enough of golf games by EA’s super release (and wholly entertaining) Tiger Woods PGA Tour, then why not give publisher O-Games’ title out for a spin? Following in Tiger’s footsteps (and animal kingdom infamy), John Daly, or ‘The Lion’, endorses the game, titled John Daly’s ProStroke Golf- a “spirtual sequel” to 2007 ‘hit’ Pro-Stroke Golf: World Tour 2007.
In a capacity to deviate from the behemoth licensed game, ProStroke Golf instead seems to rely on its appointed “trademark” control system that gives a first-person view of club and ball, whilst the developers also highlight that this is very the first game to be built from the ground up for Playstation Move technology, although PGA Tour 11 also features Move compatibility. A paltry 12 courses have been confirmed for the game so far, and the only other addition to the main framework of the game seems to … Read More.
Relationships with the opposite sex can be difficult can’t they? Trying to strike a balance between affection and coming on too strong, knowing when to be brutally honest about that new outfit and when to stay quiet, showing your partner the utmost respect, loving them for who they are… frankly it’s a little draining. So why bother? Why not get yourself My Virtual Girlfriend instead and skip the annoying little hassles of modern dating?
My apologies then to the ladies and gay guys reading this review, this is a product aimed squarely at the straighter than straight lad’s lads. Coming from the small team over at WET Productions, My Virtual Girlfriend is nothing if not open with what it pertains to be. This is a lifestyle product, a badge of masculinity – if you will – as much as it is a video game. It’s the type of iPhone app … Read More.
If you needed any reassurances that Xbox Live’s Indie Games platform can contain products of memorable quality then look no further than Veks and Silence. Meticulously designed and positively oozing with dense and engaging gameplay, the 2D side-scrolling shooter is a throwback to classic games such as Streets of Rage and – a favourite here at Midlife Gamer – the Metal Slug series.
Playing the role of faceless, paper-bagged ‘hero’ “Silence”, the game is split into 13 levels of masochistic and claret soaked action, where the ‘Ratatatatat’ of Silence’s mini-gun and ‘Blast’ of the shotgun compliment the comic book vibe that influences the game’s gorgeous visual style to a tee, along with the crudely animated but well presented cut scenes that lay down a brief narrative of Silence’s bid to rid the city of the undead creatures. Tipping the balance from the 3D graphics that bring Silence to the horizontal … Read More.
Your weekly fix of gaming chat, revelations surrounding female anatomy & the pitfalls of online dating.
What have we been playing?
Matt returns to Demon’s Souls and questions his character’s spec., spouts historical ambiguity concerning Mafia 2, is pleasantly surprised with Monday Night Combat, takes Rock Band 2 online, expresses MAG concerns and investigates the darker side of Modern Warfare 2.
Daren has a most delightful time with Machinarium…and nothing else.
This weeks news topics
The teaser trailer for Bioshock Infinite is dissected, the Prestige Edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops is detailed, rumours abound concerning a new Sony gaming mobile phone, digital download charts on the way, wild speculation over the casting of the lead for the Mass Effect movie and finally a tale of teen seduction with an Xbox.
The usual suspects: Retail Roundup, New Releases, the Twitter Section and the Sexy Quiz.
“Once upon a time Midlife Gamer toddled out in the world and stumbled upon many a strange person. In the hope of finding some interesting things out, Midlife Gamer started asking these people question upon question hoping that someone would answer. It turned out that many did answer and thus started a whole bunch of friendships that would last beyond the ages.”
Now my story telling might not be of any fine calibre but I know a man who should know a thing or two about putting a good story into videogames. He is Dave Grossman of Telltale Games.
Marconi: First of all, who are you and what is your involvement with Telltale Games?
Dave Grossman: I’m Dave Grossman, and I’m Telltale’s director of design. This means I’m responsible for anything relating to game design or to writing, and also that other … Read More.
The rhythm-action genre is huge. Fact. It’s one of the reasons for the rise in social gaming, and another reason why Activision continue to blow their own trumpet. Although, whatever you think of playing along to some of your favourite tracks in games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, there’s always that niggling feeling for the hope that someday the same intensity and dexterity of note charts will be available to play for any number of songs in your library of music.
Games like Audiosurf have shown a rise in trying to replicate the feel of tracks through algorithms based on tempo and style, although we’ve rarely seen developers wholeheartedly attempt to re-produce whole denizens of actual tracks for users, without having to pay extra.
However, today InstantAction announced their browser-based, embeddable, “console quality” rhythm action game Instant Jam, that will allow users to play along to thousands of songs from … Read More.
Yes, yes, we know the Midlife Gamer’s amongst us are big fans of One Man Left Studios’ Tilt to Live. We’ve covered the game from its inception (an interview with the developer), to its ‘Frostbite’ update (the news piece here) and now, its move into high-definition with the iPad-exclusive version, Tilt to Live HD.
The iPad version isn’t only a spring-cleaning for optimised resolutions however, no, the HD up-scale will also feature enhanced weapon effects, an arena four times its precursor and “optimised tilt controls” for the platform. One Man Left are also offering everyone the opportunity to try-before-you-buy, with the demo sample featuring its very own leaderboard, with four weapons available to you from the off. The HD version is also set to rebalance award challenges, all for the bountiful sum of $3.99.
Tilt to Live HD is due for release in September. Keep on eye on OneManLeft.com for updates … Read More.
Sony were pleased to impress at this year’s Gamescom with a whole bout of unveils and announcements that look to take them strongly into the end of the year and early 2011. In addition to unveiling two new PS3 models with larger hard drives (320GB and 160GB), Sony also detailed new entertainment services for the XMB (6 new catch-up channels, MUBI movie service and a VidZone update), and an impressive roster of games. They were also all too keen on expelling the notion that the PS3 was suffering commercially after its rocky start, with stats pointing to a 57% increase in hardware sales and software sales up 46% year on year.
A brand new Ratchet & Clank- entitled Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One- that allows for up to four players to team up in a new adventure, was officially unveiled, whilst a Resistance sequel was also shown off to … Read More.
‘Developer Profiles’ is a series of articles that take a look at some of our favourite companies within the industry, reflecting on past work and looking forward to future titles.
If someone were to ask you; “Who is the most creative studio in the industry at the moment?”, you might well go with some unknown indie developer or foreign proposition full of enthusiastic ‘artistes’, but most of you will oversee one of the most exciting (and relatively new) studios that are currently at work in Media Molecule. Based in our home country of the UK- Guildford, Surrey, to be precise- Media Molecule was formed in 2006 by former Lionhead Studios employees Mark Healey, Alex Evans, Dave Smith and Kareem Ettouney, who, according to their website “love nothing more than making innovative and creative video game doodads for you to play with. Also ice cream”. In the short space of four … Read More.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a new game released as the fifth and final title of Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade on XBox 360 and which will be coming to PC and PS3 users at the end of September. It is a download only title which differs from the traditional Tomb Raider franchise in that gameplay is isometric and features co-operative play with another character. In fact, as the title suggests, it is not a “Tomb Raider” game at all, but that does not stop the comparison!
It is hard to start any review about a new Lara Croft game without reference to her role as an icon of the industry. Her original appearance back in 1996 set new standards for graphics, puzzles, shooting and, of course, female characters in games. We can all debate whether she is simply a male fantasy figure or a force for feminism, … Read More.
Grasshopper Manufacture are probably best known for their output of hugely distinctive titles, infused with humour and oozing with stylistic nuances, from killer7 to No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. Headed by Goichi Suda (you might now him as Suda 51), Grasshopper have just revealed their partnership with Digital Reality to co-develop a number of games, in which Suda 51 states “we can strongly benefit from having an ally such as Digital Reality in the digital publishing realm, who can provide long term online publishing services to its partners, and to gamers.”
The move perhaps shows where Grasshopper’s future lies, in the downloadable markets of XBLA, PSN and Steam, away from many of the stressors that come from full retail releases, where Suda 51′s games especially are often misinterpreted by the mainstream. CEO of Digital Reality, Andras Peller, highlighted “ this collaboration with a Japanese top-tier … Read More.
The third episode of the Doctor Who: The Adventure Games series- that has now amounted over 1.3 million downloads in the UK- has been announced as being called ‘TARDIS’. The adventure games are proving highly popular for the fans of the sci-fi show, and can be downloaded for free from the Doctor Who website for UK residents on both PC and MAC.
This is the third part of the expected four-part series, as Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, enthuses “TARDIS is a brilliant, brilliant adventure, funny, touching, terrifying, amazing- everything a Doctor Who episode should be”.
It begs a question however: what lies ahead for the most popular TV series and soaps out there? Will we be seeing a point-and-click Coronation Street in the years to come? A Midsomer Murders whodunit’? Only time will tell, but the free-to-play exclusivity and success of the Doctor Who adventure series begs other’s to repeat the … Read More.
There’s a distinct RPG vibe to this week’s show. But don’t worry. We’re still l33t in RL….J/K ;)
What have we been playing?
Matt’s back in work and realigns his attitude towards his gaming, but still finds time for Demon’s Souls and party’s hard with the community in Home.
Daren finds his inner child with EyePet, gives early impressions of his journey into Dragon Age: Origins, discusses the trial of Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light and grinds out some more Aion.
This weeks news topics
Our very own man in Cologne, Oli, joins us and tells tales of Gamescom, a PS3 hack breaks out, Left 4 Dead DLC, Castle Crashers dated for PS3, Portal 2 & Castlevania: Lords of Shadow dates, new PSP rumours discussed, a new MAG beta, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Special Edition detailed, Mass Effect 2 announced for PS3, official EU release date for Kinect, Resistance 3 announced, … Read More.
Retrospective: Mastertronic
September 1st, 2010 by windjunky
1983. Programmable home computers were emerging and the computer games retail market was poorly organised to say the least. The major high street stores like Boots, WH Smith and Woolworths etc. wouldn’t touch it. How could it be categorised? Were computer games toys, or published material like Books or recorded media like music Records, or were they consumer electronics?
Toys, Books and Records were very tactile. Customers could fondle these little beauties before deciding to purchase or not. Computer games on the other hand were a different kettle of fish. How could it be possible to stock Cassette Tapes where customers could load them into a computer, wait 5 minutes or so for it to load, then play for 10 minutes before deciding not to purchase? Staff would need training because of the very technical nature of the product and to top it all … Read More.
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