Game Insider

The Baconing Is DeathSpank’s Meatiest Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:55:00 +0000

The Baconing, DeathSpank’s greatest and most delicious adventure EVER! The game will be available to download tomorrow from PlayStation Network. The Baconing is part of the PSN PLAY promotion so if you purchase the game before September 19th you will also receive co-op character DLC, Roesha – One Bad Mutha. Also, if you are PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can still get 20% off the full game price!

When we started developing The Baconing we didn’t want gamers to feel like they HAD to play through the previous DeathSpank games before taking onThe Baconing. We decided to make this game accessible for anyone to jump straight into, ensuring that new players and returning fans alike can both equally enjoy this game. Those familiar with DeathSpank will certainly experience just as much familiar fun plus a bucket-load of improvements too.

This is, by far, the funniest DeathSpank to date. We had an absolute blast making it, and it was an unwritten rule that we needed to laugh every day while working on the game. We added our comedic touch which was brought to life brilliantly by some incredible voice acting.

The world and characters we have created for this game are, let’s say….colorful to say the least! Mix this with some of our favorite, familiar sci-fi themes and references — from Tron to Mad Max to The Jetsons — and you’ve got a porky recipe for hilarity.

It just wouldn’t be a DeathSpank game without a new co-op sidekick for a friend, co-worker, lover, spouse, stranger-on-your-couch, or all of the above to help vanquish the hordes of evil. And have we got a guy for you: Meet Bob from Marketing! He’s a hammerhead shark in a business suit with an ferocious appetite for justice and leveraging a target market!

Bob wields a swordfish to poke holes in bad guys, shoots lasers from his eyes, devours enemies for health (he doesn’t care if they’re dead or alive), and can stealthily swim underground to take enemies by surprise. All in all, an incredibly deadly sidekick.

And one of the best things about Bob is that he was a suggestion from one of our fans. What better way to show we listen, than to create something in the game they suggested. We love our fans!

The Baconing is a game Hothead is incredibly proud of, because we created the entire adventure ourselves. Every mechanic was reviewed, and nothing was off limits when we looked at revamping many of the game systems. If it didn’t fit properly, we cut it. If it worked already, we improved it. If it was frustrating, we streamlined it. If it was edible, we ate it. You get the picture. And we’re certain everyone will be pleased with the results.

So before you download it tomorrow, enjoy our sizzling launch trailer for The Baconing above.

Who’s The Greatest Hero On Your Sofa?

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:36:00 +0000

Following on from the 2010 Move-exclusive smash-hit Start The Party! comes a heroic sequel that will turn every party into a race to save the world.

Packed with over 20 fun filled mini-games, Start The Party! Save the World! puts you, your friends and family into the heart of the action and on the screen. The evil Dr Terrible has gone berserk and is trying to destroy the world – use your PlayStation Move to stop him!

See how with the trailer below:

Get your face in the game and interact with some wacky objects that will appear straight into your living room: save stranded divers, defuse bombs before they explode, splat shoals of mutant piranhas, do battle with dinosaurs and zap alien invaders out of the sky.

As you can see, they are pretty dangerous missions – but no need to worry: you can always ask your friends and family to help out.

Every mini-game can be enjoyed in two types of multi-player mode: pass the controller to get your friends into the action or use both a motion controller and a Dual Shock to play simultaneously.

But pay attention: they might decide to hinder you instead… after all, this game is all about discovering who’s the greatest hero on your sofa!

And there are many ways to prove you are the best: speed the action up in Quick Fire Mode; select your favourite mini-game in Free Play or compete with your friends to be the ultimate hero in Party Mode.

So… are you ready to Start The Party?

VIDZONE UPDATE: HOTTEST New Videos, Gemini Exclusive, Emeli Sandé Competition + Even More Festivals

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Not for a while have we had this many hot new videos for all of you… You think I am just saying that because I have to, but you would be wrong, surely you know by now that I speak only the truth. When I saw the list I was genuinely impressed. Have a look below, oh and if that doesn’t impress, then keep reading, we seriously have something for everyone (unless you don’t like music of course… in which case… might want to give this one a miss).

Hot New Videos Playlist

New videos from:

Lady Gaga – Yoü And I
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly
Mika – Elle Me Dit
Miss Dynamite – Neva Soft
Nicola Roberts – Lucky Day
Professor Green - At Your Inconvenience
Will Young – Jealousy

Gemini – Graduation: World Exclusive

With your apparent love of VidZone based Dubstep goodness we thought we would give you a world first look at the video for Gemini’s smasher “Graduation”. Following hot on the heels of Nero, Chase & Status and Modestep I have a feeling you are going to like this one.

VidZone Competition: Win tickets to see Emeli Sandé (UK only)

Coming from nowhere to win our hearts and top the charts with debut single ‘Heaven’, Emeli is touring and you can win tickets to the hottest show in town with VidZone, click here for details and to enter.

THIS WEEK
Festival Fever Continues at VidZone – Reading/Leeds Festival (UK, Ireland), Rock en Seine (France), Creamfields (UK)

Not many festivals left to feature now but we are winding down the season with three of the best. Featuring 30 Seconds To Mars, Jane’s Addiction, Foo Fighters, The Chemical Brothers and more…

Artists Of The Week -Foo Fighters

A week late but worth the wait (I hope my rhyme makes up for it) Dave and the gang rock out featuring all of the bands videos from ‘Everlong’ to ‘Walk’.

Greatest Hits – Snow Patrol

While not policing the arctic, Mr Lightbody and crew make music just for you, so we are celebrating by featuring all the bands videos as well as new video for ‘Called Out In The Dark’.

VidZone Recommends – The Kooks

Luke, Hugh, Pete and Chris have newness for you and a lot of amazing oldness for you too. So watch all the classics plus new video “Is It Me” from the bands highly anticipated album ‘Junk Of The Heart’.

Artist Spotlight – Sugababes (UK Ireland)

All the Sugababes want in life is to be free hence their latest video ‘Freedom’ we have that plus Behind The Scenes Footage for your viewing pleasure.

VMA TV

The world famous Video Music Awards are upon us again so check out all the videos nominated for the forthcoming awards and let us know your favourites. Including… Beyonce, Kanye West and Foo Fighters!

Darren Hayes – Celebrity Playlist (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand)

Ex Savage Garden front man come solo artist has so very kindly picked his favourite videos of all time as well as his own new video ‘Talk Talk Talk’.. well he didn’t pick that one… but we thought we should put it in there.

NEXT WEEK
Festival Roundup

Post festival blues a’knockin? Keep the party going with our Festival round-up featuring live videos from some of this Summers top festivals!

80's Party TV

Without this decade pop music wouldn’t exist, watch it to love it or watch it to laugh, either way watch videos from Blondie, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson and many more.

OTW -Talay Riley

Featuring on many top artists’ tracks such as Chipmunk and now making it on his own with latest video ‘Make You Mine’ plus acoustic versions of ‘Humanoid’, ‘Say’ and much more

Artist Spotlight – Washington (Australia, New Zealand)

Aussie songwriter and multi instrumentalist, Megan “Washington” Washington has a new video ‘Holy Moses’ we also have some Behind The Scenes footage so you can get to know the girl with a big city name.

VidZone Recommends – Rise To Remain

We do, because we love metal… and it doesn’t get much better than this. Featuring new video ‘Power Through Fear’

OTHER STUFF

Don’t forget to like our new face book page below. We will be shutting down our old one soon so make sure you get over to the new one. Plus there is loads of competitions and stuff to enter there so it’s definitely worth it.

Twitter - http://twitter.com/vidzone

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/VidZone/229267403752915

Website – http://www.vidzone.tv

Video Requests – playstation@vidzone.tv

Customer Support – ps-problems@vidzone.tv

‘Heads-Up’ Game Store Update 24th August 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:54:00 +0000

Hello Guys – it’s Wednesday and it’s PLAY time!
Yes, the first of the PlayStation Network PLAY titles launches this week in the form of Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition. If you haven’t already pre-ordered the title you can grab it from today and get the GILL character unlock as part of the package.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition, one of the most revered, deep, and sophisticated fighting games of all time, now takes the battle online. Fighting game fans new and old owe it to themselves to experience this mastery of 2D fighting. Throw down with enhanced HD-filtered graphics, arcade-perfect gameplay, GGPO seamless multiplayer, YouTube replay sharing, new art, and I am assured there is no Capcom Online DRM (for those of you who were worried).

If you have pre-ordered, after the publish today you can visit the PLAY section and download a bundle of the Trial/Unlock/DLC at no cost. You should also be receiving an email in the next day or two as a reminder.

And for those of you in Italy, Capcom (after discussion with us) has taken the decision to hold back the publish of SF III for you guys, which should only be for short time – this is because we are currently planning to involve Italy in the PLAY program, but without the pre-order element. I will keep you Italian consumers updated on this as much as possible but the plan is to provide you with the titles, free gifts and the chance to get a free copy of PAYDAY: The Heist too. I will update you with the status on this as soon as I can, but we are working on it.

So what else is publishing today? We’ve got lots. Plenty of trial and unlocks, we’ve got demos for PES 2012, NHL 12 and Space Marine (and we’ve made it available in Germany for Plus subscribers), there’s also a truck load of DLC (including some for White Knight Chronicle II) and loads of Street Fighter III avatars.

And don’t forget the PSP sale starting today – check out Andy’s post for the full listing, there should be something for everyone in either this bunch of offers or the next.

Okay I will be on and off for comments today and I’ll also be back for comments tomorrow, but if I get swamped Andy will step in.

See you all later on!

Special Offer Selection

For all this information go visit Andy Stewart’s new Special Offers Update.

Trial & Unlock (PS3)

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition (£11.99/€14.99) Rating: PEGI 12

Availability: Not available in Italy

Hamilton’s Great Adventure (£7.99/€9.99) Rating: PEGI 7

Availability: All Locales

Backbreaker: Vengeance (£11.99/€14.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, India, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, or UAE

Crazy Machines Elements (£7.99/€9.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in South Africa

Full Games (PS3)

Disney’s Cars 2: The Video Game (£47.99/€59.99) Rating: PEGI 7

Availability: Only available in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden

Dead Space (£15.99/€19.99) Rating: PEGI 18

Availability: Now available in all locales

Arkedo Series: 01 – JUMP! (£1.59/€1.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Australia or New Zealand

NEOGEO Station (PS3)

Baseball Stars 2 (£7.19/€8.99) Rating: PEGI 7

minis (PS3 and PSP)

Availability: All locales

Revoltin’ Youth (£1.74/€1.99)Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: All locales
Rating: PEGI 3

Doodle Fit (£1.74/€1.99)Availability: All locales

Availability: Not Available in India, Portugal or Spain

Demos (PS3)

NHL 12 Rating: PEGI 16

Availability: Not Available in India, Portugal or Spain

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

(Single Player Demo)

Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: All locales
Only available in Germany for Plus Subscribers

PES 2012 – Pro Evolution Soccer Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: All locales

Add-On Game Content (PS3)

Dead Block – More Dead to Block Map Pack (£2.39/€2.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Brink

Fallout And Spec-Ops Combo Pack (£1.19/€1.49)
Brink Doom®/Psycho Combo Pack (£1.19/€1.49)

Rating: PEGI 6
Availability: All Locales

EyePet – Lucky Dip Styling Pack: Rain 1 (free)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Dragon Age 2

All-Class Item Pack II Bundle (£3.99/€4.99)

(contains the following content also available separately)

Mage Item Pack 2 (£2.39/€2.99)
Rogue Item Pack 2 (£2.39/€2.99)
Warrior Item Pack 2 (£2.39/€2.99)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3

‘True Dynasty Warrior Gundam… May Your Life Be Eternal’ (£0.79/€0.99)
Final Trial Against the Giants’ Extra Mission (£0.79/€0.99)
‘Humankind and Gundams’ Extra Mission (£0.79/€0.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not Available in New Zealand

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planewalkers 2012 – Foil Conversion “Ancient Depths” (£0.79/€0.99)

Availability: All Locales

Motorstorm Apocalpyse

Eurogamer Racing Truck (free)
Games Radar Superbike (free)
Glowing Wheel Rims Pack (free)
Summer Livery (free)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales

Rock Band Network

Demons with Ryu – Emmure (£0.99/€1.49)
Epic Symphony In A Flat Minor, Third Movement: Zero Hour – Van Friscia (£0.59/€0.79)
Give It Up! Give It Up! – His Statue Falls (£0.99/€1.49)
River Of Glass – Rishloo (£0.59/€0.79)
Zombies!! (Coming Out Tonight) – Ultra Saturday (£0.59/€0.79)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not Available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Israel, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE

Rock Band 3

Incubus Pack 01 (£2.49/€3.99)

(contains the following songs also available separately)

Adolescents (£0.99/€1.49)
Pardon Me (£0.99/€1.49)
Wish You Were Here (£0.99/€1.49)

500,000 Bucks (£1.39/€1.75)
Take Off Your Hat (£1.39/€1.75)
Re-Entering Earth’S Atmosphere (£1.39/€1.75)
From The Desk Of Tony Montana (£1.39/€1.75)
Yoo Are The Light Of Zartha (£1.39/€1.75)
Child, You Always Knock Me For A Loop (£1.39/€1.75)
Sleep Tight, Daddy (£1.39/€1.75)
Shut Up And Pick Your Weapon (£1.39/€1.75)
I’M In Way Over My Head (£1.39/€1.75)
All Hail K! All Hail J! (£1.39/€1.75)
I Coulda Been A Contender (£1.39/€1.75)
It Is A Good Day To Die (£1.39/€1.75)
A Pandacide (£1.39/€1.75)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not Available in Belgium, India, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation and Ukraine

White Knight Chronicles II

Black Knight Ticket (free)
Dragon Knight Ticket (free)
Moon Princess Ticket (free)
Sun King Ticket (free)
White Knight Ticket (free)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales

Worms 2: Armageddon

Retro Pack (£2.99/€3.59)
Time Attack (£2.99/€3.59)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales
Both available at 15% off for Plus subscribers

Avatars

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

Akuma
Alex
ChunLi
Dudley
Elena
Gill
Hugo
Ibuki
Ken
Makoto
Necro
Oro
Q
Remy
Ryu
Sean
Twelve
Urien
Yang
Yun

All available @ £0.20/€0.25 each

Themes (PS3)

Studio Themes

End Of Anarchy Dynamic Theme By Check Morris (£2.39/€2.99)
Peaks And Flow Dynamic Theme By Jeffrey Bowman (£2.39/€2.99)
All You See Is Rbg Static Theme By Roya Hamburger (£1.59/€1.99)
Feeding Time Dynamic Theme By Matthew Green (£2.39/€2.99)
Elements Static Theme By On Repeat (£1.59/€1.99)

All 20% off for Plus Subscribers

Games

Bane Of Yoto Dynamic Theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Abstract

Dynamic Abstract Background Theme 2 (£1.59/€1.99)
Dynamic Jazz Session Theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Nature

Dynamic Calm Lake Theme (£1.59/€1.99)
Dynamic Swimming Pool Theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Sci-fi/Fantasy

Alpine Assassin (£1.99/€2.49)
Dragunov Theme (£1.25/€1.59)
Gold Tiger Mp5 Theme (£1.25/€1.59)

Wallpapers (PS3)
Fast Draw Showdown Wallpaper (free)

Availability: Not Available in Germany

Videos (PS3)

Brink Gameplay Trailer #1 – Weapons
Brink Gameplay Trailer #3 – Teamplay/Objective
Gldx Trailer 1 – Preview
Renegade Ops Upgrades Trailer
The Cursed Crusade – E3 Trailer

‘Heads-Up’ Game Store Update 31st August 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:31:00 +0000

Hi everyone, it’s Store update day and the second title in the PlayStation Network PLAY series is released today – The Baconing – the third instalment in the saga of Deathspank, defender of the downtrodden and thong enthusiast.

You are DeathSpank, a hero and the ultimate Dispenser of Justice. You must defeat the Anti-Spank and his army of Cyborques, before they cast an evil shadow over Spanktopia. Discover exciting new worlds and battle hordes of enemies as you search to unlock the secret within the Fires of Bacon.

Your free gift with this title is an extra character, Roesha, who will be available to download from next week’s publish – you can grab it from the PLAY Offer section on the Store, where you’ll also be able to pick up your pre-orders.

Also new this week, we have Elevator Action Deluxe from Square Enix, a retro-reboot of the classic spy, document collecting arcade game from days of yore. Well, 1983 was not quite the days of yore but it was a long time ago in videogames! The original arcade game is included in this release so you can see what all the fuss was about.

We also have the PSN version of 4 Elements HD, a digital BD version of TV Superstars and as usual, plenty of DLC to expand your titles, including a new Toy Story 3 LittleBigPlanet 2 bundle.
The Resistance 3 Multiplayer Beta also stops being a Plus exclusive today, so you can all try out the multiplayer ahead of the game’s release on the 9th September.

I’ll be around most of the afternoon today, mercifully I am meeting free until 5pm, so I’ll be around for your comments.
I’ll see you from 2pm – bye for now.

For full details of the games available in the PSP Power Sale please see Andy Stewart’s Blog post, here.
Blue Toad Murder Files: Episode One is now permanently free of charge
A bundle of episodes 2-6 is also available.

The Baconing (£9.99/€12.99) Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All locales
The Baconing will be available at no cost to those who have pre-ordered this title as part of PLAY and available at 20% off for Plus members

4 Elements HD (£6.29/€7.99) Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales

Elevator Action Deluxe (£7.99/€9.99) Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All locales

TV Superstars (£14.99/€19.99) Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All locales

Left to Die in Zombhai (£2.49/€2.99) Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All locales

Snowy: The Bear’s Adventures (£7.99/€8.99) Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales
Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: Not available in Germany
Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: Not available in Germany

YooStar 2
I work only 16 hours a day (£1.39/€1.75)When the goin’ gets tough (£1.39/€1.75)Mrs Hangley’s a lot better than you (£1.39/€1.75)The promise of a woman (£1.39/€1.75)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation and Ukraine

LittleBigPlanet 2
Toy Story 3 Costume Kit (£4.79/€5.99)Mr Pricklepants Costume (£1.59/€1.99)Lots-o-Huggin’
Bear Costume (£1.59/€1.99)Trixie Costume (£1.59/€1.99)Dolly Costume (£1.59/€1.99)
Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All locales

Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 – Cherudim Gundam Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in New Zealand

Championship Jockey: G1 Jockey and Gallop Racer – Variety Pack (£1.99/€2.49)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Elite Pass (£6.29/€7.99)
Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: All locales

Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 – ‘Ancient Depths’ Full Deck (£0.79/€0.99)
Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All locales

Homefront – The Rock Map Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: All locales

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition – Street Fighter III Dipswitch Pages (£0.79/€0.99)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All locales

Rock Band Network
Bed Intruder Song (Feat. Kelly Dodson) by Antoine Dodson & The Gregory Brothers (£0.99/€1.49)Betus Blues (Retro Remix) by db Soundworks (£0.59/€0.79)Caves by Chiodos (£0.99/€1.49)Pray For Plagues by Bring me the Horizon (£0.99/€1.49)Turning Sheep Into Goats/Systematomatic by Rishloo (£0.59/€0.79)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not Available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Israel, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE

Rock Band 3
I’m With the Chili Peppers Pack (£6.69/€9.99)
(contains the following tracks, also available separately)By The Way (£0.99/€1.49)Californication (£0.99/€1.49)Look Around (£0.99/€1.49)Monarchy Of Roses (£0.99/€1.49)Otherside (£0.99/€1.49)Parallel Universe (£0.99/€1.49)Scar Tissue (£0.99/€1.49)The Adventures Of Raindance Maggie (£0.99/€1.49)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not Available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Israel, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE

Games
Spelunker HD Theme (Retro) (free)Spelunker HD Theme (HD) (free)
Abstract

Military (£1.19/€1.49)Skull (£1.19/€1.49)Dynamic Blue Flames Theme (£1.59/€1.99)
Animals
Fish (£1.19/€1.49)Monkey Business (£1.59/€1.99)

Nature
Campfire at Night (£1.59/€1.99)Dynamic Sea Background Theme (£1.59/€1.99)Dynamic

Volcanic Lava Theme (£1.59/€1.99)Dynamic Waterfalls Theme (£1.59/€1.99)
Places/Landmarks
Destination: Brooklyn Bridge (£1.59/€1.99)
Sci-fi/Fantasy

Dynamic Bots Sci-Fi Theme (£1.59/€1.99)Dynamic Dragon Warrior Theme (£1.59/€1.99)My Pet Zombie Dynamic Theme (£1.59/€1.99)
Sports

TV/Movie
Warner Bro’s ‘Horrible Bosses’ Theme (Germany) (free)Gatling Gears Launch TrailerAce Combat Assault Horizon E3 TrailerAssassin’s Creed Revelations Gamescom TrailerCrazy Machines Elements In-game TrailerWrecked: Revenge Revisited WeaponsTrailerResistance 3Resist TrailerFollow Capelli TrailerThe Road Trailer

InFAMOUS 2: Festival Of Blood – Witness The Resurrection

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 07:50:00 +0000

Greetings from the deck here at Sucker Punch Productions! As many of you may have heard we had an excellent panel at PAX Prime last weekend about creating our 2D cutscenes. Those lucky enough to attend got a sneak preview of a cutscene from inFAMOUS 2: Festival of Blood, and a free inFAMOUS 2: Festival of Blood t-shirt to boot. We can’t wait to share more details about Festival of Blood, so here’s the sneak peek. Let us know what you think in the comments!

If you want to know how we created these sequences you can read our detailed summary of our PAX Prime panel, A Panel on Panels: Creating the Comic-Inspired Cutscenes of inFAMOUS 2, over on SuckerPunch.com. For more updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

View the original article here

Co-op, The Battlefield 3 Way

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 11:09:00 +0000

Hi all! This is Tommy Rydling, Product Manager at DICE. Having just come back from a great GamesCom show in Germany, here’s your chance to learn all about the co-op campaign in Battlefield 3 that we showed off on PS3.
We designed co-op is designed to be the perfect blend between the strong narrative from single player and the open-ended action from multiplayer. We are fusing the replayability of multiplayer with a pick up and play mentality to create a totally new flavour of Battlefield.
Co-op follows the same philosophy as our award-winning multiplayer game mechanics. Teamwork is practically never forced upon you, but working together will make things much easier and — more importantly — lead to victory.

“Snake-66 is mission go!”

The missions in the co-op campaign are for the most part asymmetric. This means that one mission can have you piloting a helicopter while your friend is the gunner, for example. Other situations have one player disarming a bomb and the other one defending him. Or (as you could see in our press conference playthrough at GamesCom) you can do tandem kills to avoid detection. There are also other mechanics requiring teamwork, such as spotting enemies to make large firefights easier, or the essential concept of reviving one another to avoid ending up at the game over screen.

The co-op missions in Battlefield 3 all take place in the same world as the single player campaign, and follow a unique series of events that lead up to an explosive finish. Players in co-op will take the role of soldiers that are not tied to any one particular branch of the Armed Forces. This is an intentional design decision to allow for a vast variety in gameplay in the different co-op missions.

Extract Hamid El Zakir
At GamesCom 2011, we ran Battlefield 3 in co-op for the first time, with the mission Exfiltration on 10 PlayStation 3 stations. During the five days of the show, thousands of fans and journalists got hands-on time with Exfiltration.

The mission revolves around a defecting informant, El Zakir, that you and your co-op friend need to escort to safety. The mission starts outside the building where El Zakir resides. You need to move in, remove any opposition, and extract the target. If you can make it that far without raising a single alarm, there’s a little bonus in it for you. Part two of Exfiltration has you clearing a path for your convoy so you can reach the outskirts of the city, before entering two of the vehicles and assisting by manning the top-mounted machine guns. There’s much more to the mission, but that gives you an idea of what to expect.

Man down! Give your co-op buddy a helping hand to stay in the game.

Lend a helping hand
To survive through the co-op missions, you’ll need to stay close to your buddy. If he goes down, lend a helping hand with the new co-op “Man down!” mechanic, that lets you revive him in the heat of battle. While being down, you can still use your secondary weapon to defend yourself, while slowly crawling to a safer spot where your friend can help you without getting shot. If both of you go down, it’s game over.

You fight together. You die together. And you score together. After having cleared a co-op mission with your friend, your total combined score will be displayed via Battlelog, our suite of free social features that connect all Battlefield 3 players. Missions are designed to be shorter than single player missions, so you can easily do multiple rounds in an evening to try and beat your friends’ high score. The best score of your Friend will be displayed for each mission, so you know what to aim for.

Difficulty is high. We are definitely going for a tough challenge in all missions. Also, since competitive players will likely try each mission several times, all of the co-op missions contain randomized elements to keep every playthrough fresh. Clearing the co-op missions not only gives you scores and bragging rights – it also has benefits for your multiplayer career. There are a number of weapons that you can unlock in co-op and take with you to the regular multiplayer modes. These unlocks are based on your combined scores accumulated throughout the co-op campaign.

We hope you enjoyed this first look at Exfiltration. It was very rewarding meeting our fans at GamesCom, and we hope you stay tuned for more blog posts here at the PlayStation blog as we move ever closer to launch. And don’t forget there’s an upcoming Open Beta in September!

PlayStation Home: More Zombies And Alice Cooper

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 06:25:00 +0000

PlayStation Home will be taken offline for scheduled maintenance this Thursday 25th August at 8AM BST. During the maintenance, you will be unable to access PlayStation Home. Here’s a taster of what to expect from the update…

We have unconfirmed reports of a second wave of zombies ravaging the once peaceful island resort of Banoi this week as the undead virus continues to thrive. It is as yet unknown how far the virus has spread throughout PlayStation Home and authorities advise stocking up on the weaponry now available at the local store before leaving the area.

In a more peaceful corner of PlayStation Home, Diesel have a few tricks up their sleeve. Here’s what they have to say:

Here at Diesel we’re as proud as excited mountain goats to present you with a whole heap of tantalising new things. Our Island now has quaint, but not too posh huts that you can now own as your very own personal space to do with what you will. House parties, soirees or even teddy bear tea gathering all excepted.

We’re also introducing items that no telemarketer would dare rival: a vintage sewing machine, transgenic fruits and a nice fluffy army kit with all you need for a successful bellicose campaign. And best of all? All profits Diesel make will be given to the charity: Only The Brave Foundation, who work in education, agriculture and development in many countries around the world.

Over in the AAA store, it’s time for a little bit of Alice Cooper!
Ol’ Black Eyes is back! The shock-rock master returns with his epic new album ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’, produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, KISS) and featuring huge guest spots from rock and pop megastars like Rob Zombie and Ke$ha! To mark this most monstrous of occasions, Alice comes to PlayStation Home with a whole host of incredible new items stamped with his own unique and darkly warped twist including mind-blowing stage props and one-of-a-kind outfits from his latest tour.

Visit the AAA store today to delve deep into Alice’s nightmare and get that edge your apartment and avatar desperately needs. Do it now, or Alice might just ‘Bite Your Face Off’!

In other news, Lockwood Publishing is very proud to present the new Silicon Lounge personal space from Sodium. The Silicon Lounge is a personal counterpart to the Sodium Hub festival environment; allowing friends to get together and party under the desert moonlight for the first time.

We like to think that this magical party space is the perfect solution to all your entertaining needs. Set in a secret desert location, the Silicon Lounge contains everything players need to host parties the likes of which PlayStation Home has never seen. Make a statement in this neon paradise, show off your moves on the interactive animated hexagonal dance floor or surprise your friends with luxurious gifts from the integrated Lockwood Gift Machine. And of course, when you’re all partied out, relax in the space’s hidden underground chill-out snug – if you can find it that is!

The Silicon Lounge personal space from Sodium contains:

Ultra-cool after dark desert setting
Colourful and stylish neon environment
Animated interactive melodic dance floor
Integrated Lockwood Gift Machine
Luxury underground hideaway snug
Teleporters to Sodium2, Sodium
One and the Sodium Hub
Animated raised stage area

The Silicon Lounge also comes in 3 excellent value bundles. Look out for the Silicon Lounge in the Lockwood or Sodium store this week.

Double Time are back and this time, things are going to get messy. Lockwood’s leading sports brand have produced everything you’ll need for a day’s paintballing.

Before you embark on a paint-firing mission, you’d better make sure you have everything on Double Time’s checklist:

Paintball Shoes – When the ground is slick with splattered paint, you need shoes with grip.
Paintball Gun and Gloves – Only to defend yourself, naturally.
Paintball Body Armour – When those paintballs are zinging at you at 200 miles per hour, they HURT! Double Time’s lightweight body armour will ensure you get through your game with minimum bruising.
Paintball Trousers – You don’t want to use your designer jeans for this!
Paintball Mask – Because a paintball in the eye is not something any avatar should have to experience.

Got all that? Okay, then you’re good to go! . . . What do you mean you don’t want to get it dirty? Oh well, Double Time have thought of that too, you pristine little creature, you – slip into the non-splattered version if you want the look without the mess. Value packs are available containing both a clean and a splattered set of clothing.

In the Threads store, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night shirts are now available in Konami’s Retro Collection. Sport your favourite character with Dracula, Alucard or Death. Also check out Konami’s new Gothic range of clothing with some arcane apparel for female avatars.

Due to popular demand Baseline Battle is back! And just in time for the US Open. Whether you’re defending your title or competing to be the new champion, you’ll be mad to miss out on this ace game. Available in the Home Square from this Thursday.

House Of The Dead: OVERKILL Extended Cut – Creeping Flesh

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:24:00 +0000

Not content with simply revealing the first exclusive level for the PS3 release of House of the Dead: OVERKILL, I’m back to give you the scoop on the second one too. Set in the cosy confines of an abattoir taken over by a meaty disease of sorts, Creeping Flesh delivers you more of the additional awesome content we’ve lovingly added to the extended, and definitive, edition of OVERKILL.

We pick up the story with Varla and Candy again, and this time circumstances lead them to the local abattoir. I’m not going to spoil any of the story and the detail around what leads them there, but let’s just say it’s the standard House of the Dead fare; there are guns, motives for revenge and mutants galore, all wrapped up with the usual Grindhouse styling.

As you can see from the above image, there is something of a meaty infestation starting to take hold inside the building, and internally we’ve affectionately referred to this as the meat wall (there is also a meat tunnel later in the level, so that’s something to look forward to). Varla and Candy find themselves fighting amongst this wall of flesh, and as they proceed through the ‘meat factory’ they’ll be forced to take action against the new mutants shown above too. These mutants take the expression ‘meat shield’ to a new level, seeing as the additional flesh they’re lugging around makes them slightly more impervious to gunfire than your standard mutants: it’s body armour made of bodies, so to speak.

I also wanted to give you a sneak peak at the level boss, which is one of the most horrid creations I’ve ever seen in a House of the Dead title. Meat Katie is a savage hybrid of mutant and…cow. Yes, cow. I can only imagine where all that anger has come from, but my personal belief is that she’s harnessing the powers of all the lost cow souls from within the abattoir. Don’t mock, you come up with better!
Anyway, Meat Katie is armed with a massive cleaver, and has a nasty habit of flinging large chunks of meat at her intended victims; I imagine Varla and Candy have had plenty of practise avoiding unwanted meat, so it’s probably not too much of an issue though. In other words, you’re going to need good reflexes, steady aim, and perseverance, because this melee monster is going to take a lot of bullets until she’s beaten.
I hope this serves to only get you more excited about this exclusive PlayStation Move title, and confirm just how much effort the team at Headstrong have put into making the game even more brilliant this time round. You’re in for a meaty treat later this year!

PlayStation Home: Sodium 2 Update And Deus Ex Sneaks Into PS Home

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:48:00 +0000

The Velocity Racing League enters a new phase this week with the highly anticipated Sodium2 Nemesis Update.

With the start of the Nemesis stage of the Velocity Racing League a new challenge awaits you in the form of a new track – Wasteland Spires. Set within the site of an ethically questionable and borderline illegal mining operation on the exoplanet Iridos, the twists and turns of this track will see you speeding past the abandoned machines and facilities that the long-gone corporations left behind. What’s more, you’ll also be able to prove your worth on the reverse version of this track.
New technological advances pioneered on Iridos have also paved the way for a new set of Velocity Racer upgrades, also released this week. New rocket boosters and hover engine upgrades will give you even more customizability options for your craft, allowing you to make the decisions that could see you sitting pretty at the top of the Sodium2 leaderboards.

Your hard fought quest for bragging rights also gets a boost with the introduction of the Holo-rank system. When you enter the Launch Grid, your level will be displayed on the back of your avatar for all to see – wear it with pride!
Also added are a range of smaller improvements to Sodium2 based on your feedback such as the ability to quickly select new classes of vehicle in multiplayer, and removing chat bubbles in race. Head to Sodium2 now to check out all the Nemesis Update has in store.

Konami brings their wildly popular hip-hop karaoke title, Def Jam Rapstar, into the world of PlayStation Home this Thursday. The Def Jam Rapstar Sound Studio is a new personal space styled after a state-of-the-art recording studio and befitting a world-class hip-hop artist. Pick yours up from the Estates store in the PlayStation Home Shopping Centre.

Also new this week, we have a range of clothing from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the critically acclaimed cyberpunk prequel from Square Enix. Head over to Alter Ego to kit yourself out in Adam Jensen’s overcoat, shades, and combat armor.

Lots of PlayStation Home users have been asking for more canine companions, and LOOT have answered that call with their latest release of three cuddly Schnauzer puppies. Head over to the LOOT store in the first Shopping Centre to take home Snoop, Georgie or Mona from Thursday. Don’t worry – they’re already house-trained!
Once upon a time in the West, the good, the bad and the ugly people of the fledgling United States of America endured hardship beyond measure. Now nDreams brings you the Wild West pack to keep you warm on your trails, cut-outs and backdrops to add a touch of Western flair to your apartment and the almighty Tumble Weed Cannon; all of which can be yours for only a fistful of dollars (or equivalent). Also available as a bundle, for a few dollars more.
Feeling a bit under the weather? Well then, get nursed back to health with this week’s offerings from Universal in the form of an Alice Cooper-esque Nurse’s outfit bundle! It includes a hat, glasses, gloves and dress.
Keep the summer alive with the new SingStar Summer outfits out this week, including the Beach Babe, Beach Hunk and his and hers Holidaymaker outfits, all available from the SingStar Store and of course everyone’s favourite Threads store.

Gearbox On Creating A Canon With Aliens: Colonial Marines

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 19:36:00 +0000

I checked out Aliens: Colonial Marines when I popped over to the SEGA gamescom booth to say hi to a friend and, within minutes, it became one my highlights of the show. I’m not as familiar with the Aliens films as many – I remember seeing one of them on TV as a child and not sleeping well for a few days – but judging it purely as a shooter, it is looking very impressive.
The level shown was a beautifully lit labyrinth of corridors on-board a craft sent to investigate LV-426, 11 months after Ripley escaped in Aliens. The most memorable aspect for me was the animation of the Xenomorphs and my skin is crawling as I type just thinking about them. This added to the level design, which always leaves you feeling exposed as creatures pour from every angle and air vent, produces an unnerving shooter that piles on the tension.

After the demo, I spoke with Gearbox Chief Creative Officer Brian Martel about working with such an iconic IP and why his team is best suited to bringing the essence of the Aliens films to the interactive space.

Earlier in the week, Rocksteady Studios told us that they had been given the creative freedom to build their own ‘Batman canon’ with the Arkham games. Is that what you’re trying to do with Aliens: Colonial Marines?

That’s exactly what we’re looking to do. Fox has been great to work with and SEGA has been a good partner in building the bridges between developer and IP holder. Fox is a little more flexible with the canon than other companies out there, but they do have to be careful not to annoy directors – if you put together a proposition that assumes a particular film never happened, the director isn’t going to like that very much and Fox may have plans to work with them again in the future.

We’re able to introduce our own elements that we feel are right for the interactive space, whether that’s weapons or new types of aliens, and we’re aware that in doing so we’re adding to the existing canon.

What is the essence of the Aliens films?

The aliens aren’t just looking to kill you, they’re trying to propagate the species and take you elsewhere so they can get you face-hugged. That’s the threat and it forms the scary aspect of the world, and then you also need to have the high action aspect. If you watch the film Aliens, there aren’t too many scare moments; it’s scary because you know what’s going to happen if you get caught but it’s action-packed, and to make a great game like this you have to have lots of aliens, lots of stuff to shoot at. You need the diversity between extremely quiet all the way up to high-octane.

What are the differences between creating fear cinematically, in a film, and doing so in the interactive space?

A lot of it is the same, so you’re going to have audio cues that catch the player unaware and you always want to use some misdirection, drawing the eye to one spot and then making something happen elsewhere. But at the end of the day, with a co-op shooter it’s pretty hard to truly scare the player so that’s why Colonial Marines is more action driven. It’s not like Dead Space, which has a fright around every corner, or something like Condemned, which was pure tension throughout.

We could talk about the Aliens IP all day; what gameplay innovations are you bringing to the table?

You’re going to see a lot of growth in terms of what you expect from a Gearbox game that is co-op focused. Obviously, things like the look and atmosphere belong to the Aliens universe, but underneath you’re going to get a sense of something that is totally Gearbox.

Why is Gearbox the right developer to take on the Aliens IP?

If you take a look at our track record on working with IPs, whether it’s Half Life or James Bond, we’ve been true and honest with what it needs to be. We’re one of the best at that, looking at what gamers want and expect from the license and giving it to them.

What’s more important to Aliens fans: familiarity or surprise?

It’s important to have these little signposts or fan service moments, such as finding out what happened to Burke or seeing what happened to Hudson when he got pulled down. But then you also have people coming in who might never have seen the movies so we’re bringing something for everybody.

Move Compatible 4 Elements HD Coming To PSN 31 August

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:27:00 +0000

It’s Alex from Boolat Games, back here after a long delay to share wonderful news from our company. The all-new 4 Elements HD, full of PS3 exclusive content, will be available at the PlayStation Store on August 31st. It’s so exciting!

The story takes place in vast and ancient kingdom. Evil forces have corrupted the balance between the four elements causing the altar of life to run dry. You have to unlock four ancient books of magic, collect 16 mysterious cards and restore this kingdom to life.

Here are few things you’ll like most about 4 Elements HD. First of all is the unique game mechanic. Imagine the classic, addictive matching gameplay where you freely draw the chains of same-colored pieces instead of just moving pieces one by one. Explosive bonuses, spectacular visual effects in Full HD resolution and intuitive controls using DUALSHOCK 3 or PlayStation Move make for a compelling and addictive experience.

Some of you may have seen or even tried the original game, but 4 Elements HD is all about exclusivity. It includes a vast array of new features and improvements including re-playable levels, trophies and global leaderboards. Moreover, each player gains a castle to manage and upgrade using points earned by completing levels. Enhanced controls, designed exclusively for PlayStation 3, with full PlayStation Move support as an option will be comfortable for both experienced players and newcomers. I’m sure this game will entertain your whole family for only £6.29/€7.99!

Seeing is believing; simply watch the trailer so you know what I’m talking about. Stay tuned for updates as lots of new stuff is coming soon for 4 Elements HD!

Recording The Resistance 3 Soundtrack At Abbey Road

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:26:00 +0000

When we set out to make Resistance 3, we wanted to make it a more emotional and personal story of Joseph Capelli’s harrowing journey to New York City. It’s a brutal game, showing how humanity must heroically survive against the odds. A big element of that was making sure that our score and soundtrack represented this new emotional take for R3. It was a sincere pleasure on the part of everyone here to work with composer Boris Salchow on the score for Resistance 3. Boris was here constantly, seeing the game and talking to our team, he wanted to be invested in the story and create a great score, and we’re confident he’s done that.

It was also a pleasure to have the score for Resistance 3 recorded by an orchestra at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. The same studio that The Beatles recorded in was used to record our score, and our colleagues in Europe were there to record the action, and give you this behind the scenes look at the Resistance 3 Score and Orchestra recording session at Abbey Road:

We’re very excited about the release of Resistance 3 next week. We hope you caught the news about our R3 Beta Player Appreciate program and the new 2.05 patch for the beta – you still have a few days left to play and qualify, and the beta is on the store and available to everyone now. For all the latest updates, be sure to follow Insomniac Games on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or join the conversation at MyResistance.net or on eu.playstation.com

View the original article here

Need for Speed: The Run – 200 Racers, One Avalanche

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:05:00 +0000

You may recognize Executive Producer Jason DeLong on Need for Speed: The Run from our live E3 show, which we streamed live from our PlayStation booth earlier this year. Interactive cinemas, fast cars and loud tunes propelled The Run at E3, but all along EA Black Box was quietly scheming to reveal more at gamescom.

In my play session, I chased after a pearl white Laborghini Aventador down a treacherous mountain road on Independence Pass in Colorado. Then it happened: I found myself staring at an oncoming avalanche from behind the wheel of my car, plowing and drifting through chaos while I sat comfortably in a dark room at EA‘s show floor. I couldn’t help but smile after my demo session with Need for Speed: The Run, knowing that I finally got to play a true-to-forml Michael-Bay-inspired Hollywood action racer on my PS3.

I got a few minutes with DeLong and picked his brain about a retaining the authenticity and how the high-tech Frostbite rendering engine opens up new storytelling vistas for this action racer.

View the original article here

Castaway Island TD

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 05:22:00 +0000

People love the Castaway series, and there's a lot to love. That plucky protagonist with his spiky hair. His adorable pets. The funky tropical locale and seafaring music. Tower defense fans looked on in envy. Well envy no more, because Likwid has come to your rescue with Castaway Island TD. some controls from the action rpg originals, you actually have to move your character around with the [WASD] or [arrow] keys and interact with potential tower slots through the [spacebar], using the mouse to select which option you want. You also have to move around yourself to collect the coins that enemies leave behind when they die. In addition to attacking enemies with towers, you can also lay traps for them, either by clicking on the desired trap in the lower right or by hitting hotkeys [1] through [8]. Traps drop right where you are. The game includes the signature pet feature of the earlier games. You permanently pick one of three pets to help you, and they act automatically. The one big drawback is if you're hunting for a "speed up" button. There isn't one.
This is no mere rushed attempt to exploit a franchise by exporting it to another genre all slapdash like. The makers clearly put some thought into making this its own game, and they understand what the genre's fans like. So you can stand proud, tower defense fans. You have a Castaway game of your very own!
Play Castaway Island TD
View the original article here

TransDimensional

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:57:00 +0000

It's not a well-publicized fact, but we here at JayIsGames spend a lot of our time hopping between dimensions. You might even call it a hobby. We fund our massive office parties through jaunts to the Dinero Dimension, load up on snacks from the Elemental Plane of Nachos and relax in the Waterbed Universe when it's all over. It should come as no surprise, then, that we felt a certain kinship with the robotic hero of TransDimensional, a new platform adventure game from Willem Rosenthal. hero is an employee of the Trans-Dimensional Personal and Business Travel Agency. He can go about his job by using the [left] and [right] keys to walk around, [Z] to jump, [C] or [down] to interact with the environment and [shift] to carry items. When he's eventually armed, our robotic buddy can use his weapon with [X] and aim with [up] and [down].
It doesn't take long for our metal friend's first job for Trans-Dimensional to go wrong and he's thrown into another dimension thanks to some malfunctioning hardware. He finds himself in a strange land of bureaucrats, scientists and hippies. It's your job to lead him home...or at least as close to home as he can get!

Analysis: Anyone who's played the classic SNES game Earthbound will feel right at home with TransDimensional. The two have a fair amount in common, from their styles of humor to their styles of music; even the scenes when you die are almost identical in both games. There's a certain air of irreverent weirdness about the proceedings that makes TransDimensional feel like something special.
Graphically, the game follows an abstract retro aesthetic. Everything's pleasing to the eye and bizarre enough that it's enjoyable to keep going just to see what strange environment might pop up next. The real highlight of the presentation, though, is the music. It's pretty darn catchy for what might just be random MIDI notes.
In terms of gameplay, TransDimensional is a fairly straightforward platformer. Instant death spikes and pits abound, but the game's far too short for these to become all that aggravating. While you're given a gun fairly early on, it doesn't see a whole lot of use and the majority of the challenges are based around platforming instead of combat. The game's physics are nicely balanced and avoid the "floatiness" that plagues a lot of indie platformers, so while there will probably be a fair amount of falling, it's generally due to player error rather than the game. This can still frustrating but it's much easier to correct.
TransDimensional's unique presentation is pulled off well enough that it's certainly worth a look. At around 20 minutes long, it doesn't require much of a time investment and fans of platformers are bound to have a good time hopping between dimensions. And you won't have to visit the Elemental Plane of Nachos. The cheddar elementals there are killer.
Play TransDimensional
View the original article here

Twisted Lands: Insomniac

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:19:00 +0000

"I don't want to scare you, but we're going to do a lobotomy." Here's a protip; if anyone ever says that to you... worry. Especially when you're the one strapped to a hospital bed. In Alawar Games' hidden-object adventure Twisted Lands: Insomniac, you play Angel, whom you might remember, an amnesiac young woman who was found wandering on a beach and has since been committed to psychiatric care after terrifying visions and hallucinations have reduced her to hysterics. Rather than succumb to the (questionable) efforts of her doctors, she decides to escape, but her bizarre nightmares won't leave her alone and she might not be as crazy as she appears.

In this direct continuation of Twisted Lands: Shadow Town, as Angel you'll travel between the sinister hospital she's been locked in, and a bizarre dark other world. The gameplay is your standard pointy-clicky, puzzle-solvey affair, and you'll hunt for objects and clues under the watchful eyes of a whole host of creepy ghost kids. (Is there any other kind?) While the "skip" button on puzzles takes a long time to charge, the game's "hint" button is extremely helpful and will even point you exactly where you need to go if you click on it during normal gameplay. As such, you might want to resist the temptation to use it unless you want the experience to feel like you're being lead around by the hand by a fussy, over-protective mother. "Did you tie your shoes? Are you sure you have all the puzzle pieces you need to open the infernal gate to the Hellmouth? Make sure you take a tinkle before you go... you don't want to have to turn back!" *sigh* Yes, moooooooom...

Analysis: Insomniac is vastly superior to Shadow Town in nearly every way. Sporting significantly flashier visuals, cutscenes, and even a bit of voice acting, Insomniac is not only presented beautifully but plays great too. Strange things constantly happen around you, clues and scenes drive the plot forward, and the hidden-object scenes are clean and well-rendered so you never feel like you're straining your eyes. The downside is there's a fair amount of backtracking, and the game is more than happy to make you repeat some hidden-object scenes in a relatively short window of time. Fortunately, Insomniac really works to keep you interested and rarely lets more than a few minutes pass without something strange and spooky happening, or the plot advancing in some fashion. You might not call it scary unless you're the sort of person who generally jumps at shadows, but it definitely isn't boring. Having finished Shadow Town isn't necessary a strict requirement to enjoy the game, but there are so many nods and mentions and answers directed at it that a lot of the plot might go right over your head otherwise.
The game's biggest flaws, however, might be both that the hint system makes the game extremely easy if you rely on it, and that even if you've played Shadow Town the plot is sort of confusing. Don't get the wrong impression; if you're looking for an eye-catching, surreal hidden-object adventure then Insomniac is a great choice for a relaxed evening's play, but as you're bombared with strange images and cryptic notes you'll probably be doing your own version of an adorable YouTube pug-head-tilt video more than once. On the other hand, this strangeness works in the game's favour to a certain degree, since you're always driven to find out more about what's going on, and if a purple skeleton or a creepy shadow pops up once in a while as you're doing so, all the better. Twisted Lands: Insomniac isn't quite perfect, but it's a game you can have a lot of fun with, packed full of surprises and weirdness. You can probably expect a playthrough to last over four hours, and if you've been wanting a not-too-spooky but definitely ambitious and well made title to lose an evening in, you'll definitely want to check out the demo.
Currently, only the Collector's Edition for this game is available. It contains a bonus chapter to play, wallpapers, strategy guide, and more. Remember that Big Fish Game Club Members pay only $13.99 for Collector's Editions (or 2 club credits), and collector's editions count 3 card punches of 6 total needed for a free game.

Windows:
Download the demo
Order the full version

Mac OS X:
Not available.
Try Boot Camp or Parallels or CrossOver Games.
View the original article here

Vision By Proxy: Second Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:47:00 +0000

It's the heartwarming tale of a little alien just trying to find his way home by stealing the eyes of unsuspecting people in Vision By Proxy: Second Edition from DeLeonGames, a fully authorised remake of a student project from Georgia Tech (Team Rose) that debuted at 2010's E3 IndieCade showcase. In this little puzzle platforming adventure, you'll guide our little blue bided outsider in search of the missing part he needs to repair his ship after he crashes on Earth. He's only got the one eye, however, and our world looks foreign to him... so it's time to give The Sandman a run for his money and snatch the eyeballs of various characters, which lets you see the world in different ways. Use the [WASD] or [arrow] keys to move, [spacebar] to jump, and click on any eyes you get at the top of the screen, or use the number keys to swap between them.

A little cute and a little creepy (okay, maybe more than a little), Vision By Proxy is a clever concept with a slightly clunky execution. With its repetitious stages it winds up still feeling more experimental than anything else, and a few different eyeballs to yank would have done wonders for keeping it fresh as you go along. Despite this, however, the game still plays and looks quite good, with its storybook illustrations and beautiful artwork. The idea of having the landscape change vastly depending on whose eye you happen to be looking through makes for an interesting spot of gameplay that we'd love to see explored more in the future. Have a peek at it, but just remember; eyeball stealing is not a game and is more likely to earn you a jacket that gives you continuous hugs than it is a nifty flying saucer.

Play Vision By Proxy

Weekend Download

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:46:00 +0000

Kittens, cases, and groups of miserable people in 1800s France? How on Earth does one mix those elements together? Answer: one doesn't! One just adds them to Weekend Download and let everyone else decide which games they want to play! All right!

Case Case (Windows, 13MB, free) - Here's an infuriatingly simple game that would feel right at home on those old LCD handheld "gaming systems". Your goal is to grab the suitcase, and then keep grabbing it as it reappears on different floors. You can move left and right, jump a little, and control the direction all of the doors/bad guys travel in. Each time you touch a white door you move up a level and exit through the gray door. So, before you step in, make sure you aren't stepping out to certain death. Play it over and over again until you get the hang of it, then keep replaying it until you actually collect a few cases before dying!

Go Right (Windows, 21MB, free) - Much like You Have to Burn the Rope, this little game tells you exactly what you need to do to win. Fire it up, go right, and you win! But... actually... what happens if you don't go right? It's not like anything can hurt you. Sure, there's spikes and fire and stuff, but all that narrator is doing is trying to make you mad. Who cares what the narrator says. You do what you wanna do! You and your pet kitty Fluffems!
Les Miserables: The Game of the Book (Windows, 128.5MB, free) - The classic 19th century tale, transformed into a visual, game-like point and click experience.

Les Miserables is Victor Hugo's story of ex-convict Jean Valjean, struggling to redeem himself against the philosophically thick world of Paris, France. It's a love story, it's a story of sacrifice, it's a story of pain. But it's also a story of redemption, and this unique telling of the tale focuses on visual aspects with game-like elements mixed in at appropriate times. It's a very different kind of experience, and one everyone should experience regardless of their familiarity with the source material. The company behind this game, Enter the Story, has several other games available based on works of classic literature, so be sure to check those out if Les Mis gets you hooked!

Mega Mall Story

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:13:00 +0000

Ah, the thrill of the mall! The disdain of the barista serving you your overpriced latte, the obnoxious spraytans loitering outside the polo shirt store calling each other "bra", the sales on stuff you don't need but will buy anyway because you're weak... it can all be yours with Kairosoft's latest installment in the simulation "Story" series (Game Dev Story, anyone?) Mega Mall Story for your iOS device. You've got fifteen years to turn your struggling little strip mall into a sprawling megaplex worth five stars, and while you may not have much to begin with, with a little bit of planning and a little bit of funding to improve and grease the wheels of the local community, you'll be rolling in dough in no time. Selling out was never so addictive!

You'll start out with only a few shops available and a few floors on which to build, but don't worry... that's all going to change. While it might be slow going at first, concentrate on letting your mall build up a modest amount of cash; since you have to pay for restocking, maintenance, and any advertising at the end of each day, you don't want to spend money faster than you can make it. Initially, you won't be able to build many things, but as your reputation increases you'll be able to buy more blueprints, and, if you're lucky, loyal customers will become investors or introduce you to certain people or products that are worth your while. When you've got enough money, you'll also want to start thinking about investing in the local neighbourhood; not only does it look good for you, but it also attracts new customers to the area, and can even apply certain upgrades that will help you in the long run, such as covered walkways for rainy days and an economy that doesn't feel the sting of a recession quite as badly.

There are two types of currency in the game; cold, hard cash and "hearts". Hearts are earned whenever a customer is particularly happy with their shopping experience and can be spent not only on blueprints for new facilities, but also on improving your stores and holding sales. Cash, naturally, is important for the day-to-day running of your mall and building new shops and the like. Your shops can't earn you money if they can't meet the demand of your customers, however, so make sure you keep an eye on them; as shops level up, you can spend hearts on them to increase their inventory, or even add new, more expensive items to sell. All of this is important since you'll have to meet certain requirements in sales, shops, and loyal customers before the mall association will grant you a precious star and bring you that much closer to your goal...

Analysis: While it might be the simplest Story title yet, Mega Mall also might just be the most easily accessible and addictive. Like most recent Story titles, this one sorely needs a fast-forward button, especially in the early stages, but by keeping its gameplay relatively simple and snappy it doesn't take long before your screen is swarming with hundreds of tiny, strange hypnotic shoppers. The ability to pay a small fee to simply swap stores around lets you easily manipulate your layout without losing your upgrades, which means those of us with obsessive compulsive tendencies can lay out everything just so and earn all the combos as they become available without dropping a lot of extra cash.

Of course, it helps that the game can be unintentionally hilarious; I promise you the first time someone storms into your pet store screaming "WHAT'S THIS?!" and drops tens of thousands of dollars on cleaning out your entire stock of puppies you'll laugh (... nervously... ) too. Like most of the Story titles, Mega Mall suffers from repetition and doesn't feel like it necessarily holds a lot of replay value once you've "won", especially since after you've plunked down a good number of shops it kind of feels like the mall is running itself and you're just standing around with a chequebook. Fortunately, there are a lot of stores and combos to find, and since many of them only unlock once you've satisfied certain conditions, completionists will be playing for a long time indeed. The game is chock full of strange characters too, so those of you who have always wanted a store where ducks, UFOs, and luchadores could shop side-by-side in harmony will find a kindred spirit here. Fast and simple but oh so fun, Mega Mall Story is a bright and colourful little game you can lose minutes or hours to without even realising it.

Bastion

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:37:00 +0000

From indie developers Supergiant Games send you to another world in Bastion, a rich, atmospheric action RPG adventure. You take on the role of "the Kid", a white-haired lad who wakes up one morning to discover the rest of the world has literally collapsed away, but finds paths rise up beneath his feet as he travels through a hostile realm to find... well, that would be spoiling things. Discovery plays a big part in your journey as you visit the ruins of a once-great civilization struck down by a Calamity, your only companion a narrator who speaks to you as you travel, gradually filling in the gaps in your knowledge as you discover what must be done.

If you're expecting a more traditional RPG with towns and party members and anything less than an action-packed romp through a series of surreal realms, Bastion might not be the game for you. Most of Bastion's gameplay revolves around effectively mastering the combat, since the world is a lot more unfriendly than it used to be. Enemies constantly harass you as you travel, and defeating them earns you blue shards you can spend to upgrade your weapons or buy other items at the Lost and Found.

The game offers three control schemes; mouse, keyboard, and gamepad, and you can configure the keys under the options menu. The action takes place in real time, with an isometric viewing angle. You'll explore various locations that have survived the Calamity (... somewhat...), fending off hostile creatures and gathering certain items you'll need to ensure the rebuilding of the world.

The Kid is able to carry two weapons at any time: a melee and a ranged, and there are multiple varieties of each to discovered scattered throughout the realm, ranging from swords to pistols to muskets to a magical flame-belching bellows and more. As you progress, you'll be able to build different structures that will allow you to do everything from adjust your equipment, to equip potions that grant passive bonuses, to unlock special challenges by appealing to the deities, and so on. You'll also find challenge areas that can grant you special items and upgrade materials if you feel particularly confident with your weapon of choice. The game has two different endings, hinging on the last decision you make, and completing the game once allows you to unlock New Game Plus, which lets you keep all your equipment and experience among other things the next time you start a new game.

Analysis: If there ever was a game world that made you feel like you wanted to fall on your back in the grass beneath the sun and watch the clouds roll by for hours, Bastion is it. From the amazingly rich, rolling acoustic guitar soundtrack by Darren Korb to the lush colours and striking artwork, Bastion is beautiful from every angle. The narration is one of those things that sounded novel and interesting when it was announced, but also like something that would get old or even annoying as time went by. Happily, the Narrator never becomes unwelcome, but more importantly actually feels integral to the experience rather than a gimmick. As you explore, he comments on your actions and surroundings in a way that not only slowly fills you in on the history of the world, never repeating himself, but also infuses a remarkable amount of personality and character in everything from the environment to monsters to inanimate objects.

The hack-and-slash top-down gameplay brings to mind old classics like The Legend of Zelda or Secret of Evermore, with objectives that mainly consist of "go here", "kill that dude", "take that thinger" and "stop falling off, stupid". Enemies rarely feel like they're smart enough to pose much of a challenge, and seem to rely on simply hitting harder or swarming while you can use the landscape to your advantage. It feels like the game needs a few more big, flashy, different boss battles to break things up a bit. As it is, however, the game still manages to keep from feeling repetitive by creating mesmerizing and alien environments and areas that all feel different and exciting despite the near-identical objectives. The story and narration drives you on, compelling you to want to discover what's around every corner, and you'll never find yourself at a loss as to where to go next.

Bastion is one of those rare experiences you never really feel like you get enough time with. The endings might be a little unsatisfying given how abrupt they feel, but the adventure as a whole is not to be missed. It manages to tell a captivating story in an extremely engaging way that makes you feel as if the events are happening around you and being driven by you Most players will probably spend around six to eight hours on a playthrough, more if they chase down every optional weapon challenge. But the bottom line is... is Bastion worth it? Yes. Absolutely yes. Fans of more traditional RPGs will want to try the demo first, but try the demo they should. It's a gorgeous experience from beginning to end that hits more than it misses, and provides more heart and soul than most other games in the genre out there.

Spirit Soup: The Queensbury Curse

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 01:02:00 +0000

It's been a long, strange year, hasn't it? First your great uncle passed away, then you had to move to the odd little town of Queensbury to help your grandmother run the family soup stall, then a curse hits the town and suddenly the only thing standing between the townsfolk and complete chaos is your great-uncle's magical spirit soup recipe. Wait, wha? Seriously, that's the premise behind newcomer Twilight Games' fabulously goofy new adventure, Spirit Soup: The Queensbury Curse. Yes, seriously.

One morning on your way to help grandma at ye olde soupe stalle, the curse begins to manifest itself with strange formations opening in the earth and even stranger spiked trees popping up out of nowhere, slowly strangling the sunny medieval village of Queensbury and it is up to you (and grandma) to find the recipe, suss out the ingredients, solve a few puzzles, maybe get arrested, and (hopefully) eventually save the town from the malificence that is overwhelming it. You know, the basic adventure staples that include an ungrateful dude whose cart keeps breaking down, a slimy merchant who pays non-union wage, an absentee Queen, and her efficient (and officious) guards. As you do.

Spirit Soup: The Queensbury Curse may be billed as a hidden object hybrid but it really isn't. What it is, fantastically so, is a pure point-and-click adventure game with maybe three tiny hidden object elements in the entire story. Spirit Soup hearkens back to the classic adventure days of yore and involves a lot of wandering around using only the click of a mouse to navigate, pick up objects, and solve puzzles and problems along the way. Included within this wacky story are the usual suspects: a changing cursor to indicate areas of interest, a map to keep track of where you've been, a journal to keep track of your keen observations, a scrolling inventory of odd items to be used at a later point, and a rapidly refilling hint timer to help you along the way. All you have to do is solve a lot of puzzles and problems to help this poor town in distress. Or, you know, leave them to their fate.

Analysis: Spirit Soup: The Queensbury Curse is over-the-top, goofy, cheesy, adventurey fun of a type not seen for many, many years, hearkening back to the days of such amusements as Monkey Island and the like, a breath of fresh air in a market increasingly crowded by dark, dank, angsty adventure hybrids. You've gotta love a game where despite the curse the townsfolk go about their everyday business, gouging you for free labor, free repairs, and tossing you in the can for picking berries where you shouldn't.
The graphics are sharp, clear, cartoony 3D of the Pixar school, with appropriate, vaguely Elizabethan era music to back up the adventure. The atmosphere is relentlessly bright and sunny despite the urgency of the curse, and the characters you meet along the way are all amusing and so self-absorbed that most don't even seem to know that a deadly curse is destroying the town around them. The puzzles are a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from amazingly simple to complex, and most of them variations on the standards like pipe puzzles and the like. The few (very few) hidden object elements are so fleeting you might almost miss them in the rush to rescue the townsfolk from a doom that doesn't seem to bother them overtly, which is just part of the fun.

Amazing fun though it is, Spirit Soup: The Queensbury Curse contains a few flaws. Some of the puzzles are almost excruciatingly easy, the hint timer, despite its quick filling time, is of very limited help in some areas, there are a few minor glitches with clickable areas, and the gameplay is rather...well, short, especially if you are not a novice to adventuring. For those who've got more than one quest under their belts we're talking maybe two to three hours playing time, which is pretty short even for these days of incredibly shrinking gameplay.

On the plus side the wacky characters and situations are quite fun, along with the whole premise of the story. How often do you get a chance to play a game where a tasty soup saves the day? Not too often, these days. There are also some extra puzzles of certain varieties that unlock after you've passed a similar type in the game, giving a little extra bang for the buck when the adventure is over. Frankly it's worth it just for the joy of playing a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, opening the way for the amusements of the town of Queensbury and its strange, strange inhabitants.

Can you make a delicious batch of soup to soothe the tortured souls of the curse? Will that dude with the broken down cart (that keeps breaking down) ever get out of your way? Does the Queen really give life sentences for picking berries? Will the stall-holder ever pay minimum wage? Oh, yeah, and will the curse get lifted in time to save the town? Spirit Soup: The Queensbury Curse is worth playing just to find out.

Mobile Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:52:00 +0000

Previously on Mobile Monday: mobile games! Currently on Mobile Monday: mobile games! The future of Mobile Monday: ultra mobile games you can play on your ocular implants!

Hard Lines (universal) - Attention everyone who loves the classic arcade game Snake: Hard Lines is Snake times one billion! Guide Lionel, the glowing yellow line, through several game types as he undertakes epic tasks such as killing all of the other lines, collecting glowing light things, and just generally not crashing into anything. It's classic Snake mixed with the lightcycle game from Tron with a whole lot of style and twists and turns, and you'll have a hard time putting it down.

Velocispider (universal) - In addition to being the scariest thing you could imagine finding in your bathroom late at night, Velocispider is also the lone defender of a trio of endangered araknasaur eggs. Armed with an auto-firing gun, tilt your iOS device left and right to slide along the bottom of the screen, shooting at the aliens above Space Invaders-style. On occasion you'll pick up a nice power-up that temporarily boosts your firepower, but other than that, it's just you and a seemingly endless supply of aliens. Protect those eggs! The free Velocispider Zero is also available.

4Towers (iPhone/iPod Touch) - It's been several years since the first big breakout browser tower defense games started capturing big audiences. The genre has rolled along just fine on the mobile platform, featuring some very stylish interpretations of the strategic genre. As 4Towers wants to prove, you can also have an interesting story to go along with deep, customizable gameplay. Start with a few basic towers defending your base from creeps. Then, when the terrain allows it, combine units to form brand new towers that do some wonderful, wonderful things. It looks great, plays well, and gradually increases the complexity to keep you hooked wave after wave.

Orbital Slingshot (universal) - Every space-based game of orbital gravity physics (see Gravitee Wars for a fine example) rolled into a lovely mobile package, Orbital Slingshot is two parts puzzle, one part arcade game. Your overall goal is to aim a probe and fire its sensors at nearby objects, picking a spot to fire at and adjusting your target to compensate for gravitational pull of the planets. It's never as easy as it sounds! Featuring six modes of play ranging from "hit the planet with the beam" to "try to almost hit planets with the beam" and well beyond, there's plenty of strategy and plenty of arcade action to be had in this tense game. Orbital Slingshot FREE is also available.

NOTE: Games noted as 'universal' have been designed for iPod Touch, iPad, and iPhone devices alike. Any game not listed for iPad will work on the system, but native full screen will not be present. Games listed may not be available outside of North America. Prices are subject to change and are therefore unlisted. Please see the individual game pages for purchasing info.

Canopy

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:48:00 +0000

Nitrome's latest "weird critter" physics arcade game has arrived in the form of Canopy, a mouse-driven title about a hungry monster with enormous hands who swings through the trees, searching for delicious fruit to squish. (Look, we already said it was weird.) The goal is to get to the, uh, goal at the end of each level by climbing through the trees, avoiding enemies and grabbing fruit for bonuses. The creature's hands follow your mouse; just click on a nearby branch to grab on, and the other hand will release, allowing you to climb and swing through the trees. Just be careful; there are other nasty creatures lurking in the limbs, and three hits and you're done for. It ain't all just monkey-bars gymnastics, however; you'll need to learn how to shake the tree you're in to propel yourself higher or lower (you can even shake the trees to dislodge hanging fruit and enemies for points!), how to handle different climbing materials, and more.
Canopy just might be the all-around strangest game Nitrome has put out in a while, but darned if it won't make you smile.

From the energetic, toe-tapping soundtrack to the bouncy gameplay, to the adorable visuals and sound-effects Canopy is feel-good cute candy for the soul. If it doesn't make you melt a little every time our hero lets out a delighted Wookie grrrrroooonk! every time he reaches the end of a level, well, we just don't know what to say. The springy gameplay can be a little difficult to master; if you try to move too quickly, the movement can feel too snappy and unpredictable, and figuring out how to bounce yourself higher by shaking takes practice. Combine that with how tricky some objects can be to grab while you're moving, and the way just being within breathing distance of the ground or an enemy can count as a hit, and some players may find the game too frustrating to handle.

If you can get the hang of things, however, and you'll discover just how creative and fun the game can be. The amount of different content in terms of environment and things to climb on is really impressive, and shaking startled bugs out of trees is never not amusing. Canopy is a game that requires a little time and patience to master, but it's a remarkably endearing and enjoyable little bit of creativity that you'll want to try at least once.

Play Canopy

Escape from Mr. K's Room 3

noreply@blogger.com (Danny Madalus) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:36:00 +0000

Ah, the Mysterious Mr. K, purveyor of locked room escapes, where would our Wednesdays be without him? We can wonder why this strange and mysterious man likes to create room puzzles wherein he locks certain hapless protagonists into various spaces and challenges them to get out, buy why bother? The return of Mr. K to our radar for the third time can mean only one thing — yes, Tesshi-e is back and once again we must battle wits with the elusive Mr. K to find our way out. Welcome to Escape from Mr. K's Room 3 and welcome to Weekday Escape!

Thankfully we have to enjoy the great control structure we have come to expect from Tesshi-e: easy, intuitive inventory control; great English translations (just remember to set the game to English before you start); various options to mute the incidental sounds and oh-so-familiar music; and a handy save feature that is especially useful for going back to find the second, happy coin escape. Yes, of course there is a happy coin escape, this is Tesshi-e after all!

The puzzles are the usual mix of the familiar (could someone please either fix that wobbly picture or burn it?) and the new, and Tesshi-e has even tried its hand at a feature we here at Weekday Escape rather enjoy in our escape games: one clue that serves as the answer for two different puzzles, depending upon how you look at it. It's nice to see the growth in the challenge of the puzzles even if they haven't quite reached the level of, say, Neutral or Kotorinosu. There is still the lack of a changing cursor to deal with, but in this almost empty room there is very little pixel hunting even without the extra help. Perhaps the biggest complaint is that once again the game features a puzzle with Roman Numerals that appears to come from the Windows Japanese font set, which means some gamers will be very confused and only see a blank box instead of the necessary clue.

The one thing that makes Tesshi-e room escapes so popular is not only the wonderful logical flow of the puzzle solutions but the progression that is evident in each new room they release. To see this for yourself, go back to some of the early stuff like Escape from the Dome Room or Escape from the Underground Space and compare to this game. You will see the huge strides made both in control design and puzzle design, making this designer one of our favorites because they are always reaching, stretching, and improving upon the escaping experience. So welcome to Wednesday and welcome to yet another strange friend of Tesshi-e who loves nothing more than to lock hapless strangers into a puzzle room. Mr. K is back and we are very glad, and hopefully he'll be back again as long as no one punches him out for, you know, kidnapping and imprisonment, and forcing them to make their own snow-cones. Seriously bad hosting there, dude.

Play Escape from Mr. K's Room 3