We've heard of buyer's remorse. Even seller's remorse. But mailer's remorse? That could be afflicting developer Ready at Dawn, as the company jokes that it might have been too hasty when it turned its back on Sony's portable and marked all of its PSP dev kits 'return to sender.' The company announced in June that it was "officially done with PSP development," but after seeing both Daxter and God of War: Chains of Olympus among the top 5 PSP games sold on Amazon last week, the studio is cheekily patting its own back.
"Maybe we should reconsider this whole 'no more PSP games' thing because we seem to be pretty good at it," reads a post on Ready at Dawn's blog. We're inclined to agree, even if it is in jest. With a few more studios like you around, maybe the PSP wouldn't need a life raft to stay afloat.
With just 8.47MB to spare, you can create a whole post-apocalyptic world on your PC. Bethesda has followed through on its not-quite promises from Penny Arcade Expo and released the aptly-titled Garden of Eden Creation Kit, a set of mod tools. According to the description, everything in the game can be modified, so feel free to go LittleBigWasteland, and please, let us know how it goes.
A handful of new Heavy Rain previews hit the interwebs today (Eurogamer, 1UP) and are definitely worth a gander for those curious about this enigmatic adventurer. However, we're especially fond of Eurogamers' supplementary vital statistics piece, chock-full of numbers our blogging-robot hybrid brains can more easily digest.
Some of our favorite stats: The script used for the game was about 2,000 pages long and features about 60 scenes, each lasting 15 to 20 minutes apiece (given the nonlinear nature of the game, you won't be seeing all of those during any play-through). All motion capture was done on-location at Quantic Dreams' Paris studio over a span of 9 months. Over 70 actors and stuntmen were involved and had their faces scanned in for use in the game.
What neither preview mentions is anything related to the story, which Quantic Dreams is keeping very quiet. Heavy Rain is expected to hit retail sometime late 2009.*
In addition to tomorrow's for-pay Street Fighter outfits, Sony will be gifting LittleBigPlanet fans with the first part of a free, two-piece SackSanta costume for your SackBoys (or SackGirls). Stage one is the Santa suit; the hat and beard will be available on the PlayStation Store (again, for free) the following Thursday, December 18.
Like the milk & cookies you leave out for the real Santa, this costume will magically disappear from the PS Store come January 8. We're assuming it won't be replaced with a coal costume.
Could Microsoft be looking to test the waters of full, current-gen game downloads that EA's already swimming in with the disc-less Burnout Paradise on PSN? Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Lionhead's most important head, Peter Molyneux, said he thinks a digital release of Fable 2 – X-Play's GOTY – via Xbox Live "would be a great thing for this studio to work on."
But Peter, where's the hint in that? Ah, it was when asked specificallyif there are already plans for this to happen that the famed designer said, "I can't say anything else on it – I would be killed to death." Killed. To. Death. So, if it really were happening, he'd risk being killed to ... a fate beyond death?
Poor Rygar. It's taking longer than expected to remember where he misplaced his "Diskarmor." And let's face it, without his trademark weapon, Tecmo's mythical hero is just another muscle-bound oaf with bad hair. That's probably why the company has delayed Rygar: The Battle of Argus, with the upcoming Wii-exclusive now set to slice through retail shelves next February.
The delay is the second that the game, which was expected impact player's muscles this week, has suffered, and while no official reason was given, 1UP theorizes that Tecmo simply wanted to keep the title from being lost in the holiday shuffle. Tecmo is expected to make an official announcement soon regarding the delay. Until then, we suggest Rygar check the freezer (we've found our car keys in there more than once).
That patch for Fable 2? Lionhead's still on it. In a community forum post, the dev says that the title update designed to exorcise a few naughty bugs from the game is "currently being tested and finalized," although there's still no specific roll-out date.
The patch will address a number of issues, but the ones that most players – and there are a lot of Fable 2 players – have been affected by (namely the Monk's Quest and Bowerstone furniture shop glitches) will thankfully be thoroughly nixed. Lionhead says of the Monk's Quest bug: "This will fix the problem if you've already hit it, too." So, for those who haven't already restarted the game to continue past this point in the main quest, you won't have to. Those visiting the furniture store late in the game will also find that there's more to buy there than ... a single book.
One of the game's more disturbing "issues" – the ability for your character's children to be marked as targets for assassination – is being dealt with, since assassinating children ... it's not so cool. Nine fixes are detailed in the post, although Lionhead says there are many more less common issues addressed by the patch.
Devoid of generic rage and frustrating deaths, Prince of Persia marks quite an easy, effortless end to 2008's video game gauntlet -- at least, according to reviewers. Though the platforming has been simplified, most seem to agree that the expansive world and chemistry between the two lead characters make for a worthwhile experience. We're also seeing the word "magical" appear quite often.
IGN UK (94/100) calls Prince of Persia an "incredibly polished, tremendously enjoyable and utterly lovable experience." It supposedly builds on the best elements of previous games to create an "absolutely unforgettable adventure" that's "magical in every sense of the word." Well, probably not the Harry Potter sense of the word.
Game Informer (87.5/100) notes that the simplified platforming is an "elegant and simple way to show off thrilling acrobatics, but it also steals control away from the player." However, it deems the tradeoff worthwhile, as "the more relaxed control input still demands skill and careful timing." Either way, it's "unlike any other game you'll play this year."
1UP (B+) approves of Princess rescuing Prince, pointing out that while "this human safety net may seem counterintuitive in offering a sense of challenge, the entire process functions similarly to most other death-checkpoint systems (you die, you go back to a nearby checkpoint), but with the added benefit of giving the action a more seamless feel."
Gamespot (80/100) thinks the "easygoing joy and visual beauty will charm you into forgiving a sprinkling of flaws." They call it "one of the easiest games you'll play all year," but one boasting "some truly impressive level design."
We regret to inform you there will be fewer (well, fewer than usual) creepy crawlies under the tree this holiday season as IGN reports that THQ's Wii-exclusive Deadly Creatures has scurried underground until February 2009.
The delay marks the second for the eight-legged action title, which was originally scheduled to ship in October and then again in mid-December, though like a radioactive cockroach it simply refuses to die. Hopefully the extra time will give the developers a chance to improve on what we played earlier this year. Until then, we'll be replacing the game on our Christmas lists with some much needed bug spray.
Too Human cleaved a line between those who appreciate the subtle nuances of button mashery and others who simply didn't get it. It's a gap, however, that may be bridged somewhat with the one element of the game that managed to garner significant praise. No, not the hoarding of random loot, but the music.
The hour-long Too Human soundtrack, scored by Silicon Knight's composer Steve Henifin and performed by the FILMharmonic Orchestra and Choir Prague, is now available for around $16 from Amazon, Best Buy, iTunes and the CD label Sumthing Distribution's own site. The soundtrack promises an interesting mix, from orchestra to metal, and even "cyber elements" that "are more elegant and organic in style." Whatever, as long as we won't again be forced to watch a Valkyrie descend for the hundredth time to carry Baldur (and our patience) off to Valhalla as the selection goes from track to track.
Xbox 360-exclusive DLC? Lara Croft fans aren't so easily swayed, it seems. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the gallivanting grave-robber has found herself exploring the interior of the PlayStation 3, more than any other system, with the release of Tomb Raider: Underworld. The report notes that 51 percent of the game's initial UK sales (before Monday?) were on Sony's monolithic platform, with the Xbox 360 accounting for 34 percent. The rest is made up of Underworld's PC, Wii and DS versions.
While the news is somewhat surprising -- the Xbox 360 tends to enjoy a larger share of multiplatform sales -- it should be noted that PlayStation 3 owners missed out on the last two, post-reboot Tomb Raider adventures. We'll see whether that reflects in the US sales once the month is over.
BOOMER! HUNTER! OH SH*T! RUN, RUN, RUN!!! Those screams mean so much more when playing Left 4 Dead with people you've got the slightest connection with -- like your fellow Joystiq readers. Considering the entire L4D experience is enhanced (and relatively dependent) on joining up with other non-AI entities, here's a place to meet up and exchange info. Please consider this the official post for the Joystiq community to drop their Left 4 Dead details. A couple quick ground rules:
Please follow FORMAT displayed in the first comment.
This post is only for L4D players looking to exchange details for an enjoyable non-(racist, homophobic, sexist) experience.
This post is only for L4D players looking to exchange details for an enjoyable non-(racist, homophobic, sexist) experience, seriously!
It's been so long since we last heard from A Vampyre Story that we half expected that the undead adventure game from former LucasArts vet Bill Tiller had been sent to the morgue. So imagine as the color returned to our cheeks with news that the Autumn Moon-developed PC adventure was released from its coffin and is now available to stretch its wings as a digital download. While currently it appears that A Vampyre Story is only available from GamersGate, a post on the game's official blog notes that it should begin popping up "on any decent download retail service," including GameTap and metaboli.
First announced more than four years ago, A Vampyre Story is set in Europe during the late 1800s. The game casts players in the gown of a young French opera singer who must escape the hand-drawn clutches of her vampire captive in order to rekindle her former life (and, we hope, the genre's relevancy as well).
Just to be clear, this is magic we're talking about people. Magician's magic! The sorcerers at Konami announced that this February they will wave their styli through the air, casting a spell on the Nintendo DS with Little Magician's Magic Adventure.
The upcoming title is described as a mix of adventure and simulation-style role-playing, where players attend a magic school, learn to cast spells, go on adventures and, yes, build relationships with other students. Little Magician's something or other also promises scads of customizable avatars and some 52 different adventures, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity for cooperative play and chatting using the game's "global magic alphabet." We imagine it's just like the regular alphabet, except it can't wear armor or use two-handed weapons.
Following our recent hands-on with the soon-to-be-released Prince of Persia, we sat down with series producer, Ben Mattes, to chat about how (and why) this new installment – and, in some respects, direction – for the iconic franchise came to be.
Mattes wasn't afraid to cite his team's influences for the project, nor to lavish praise on the competition. He spoke about what wasn't quite right with follow-ups to the acclaimed Sands of Time and how, in a variety of ways, Ubisoft Montreal tried (and sometimes failed) to nail it this time around. Re-creating Guitar Hero-like Zen in the platforming? He thinks that worked.
Read on for Mattes' insight into the game's creation; early hurdles (and lessons learned); the new prince (and what people think of him); and designing combat that doesn't try to compete where, in his words, God of Warhas already "won."
Posts in category adventure
Just to be clear, this is magic we're talking about people. Magician's magic! The sorcerers at Konami announced that this February they will wave their styli through the air, casting a spell on the Nintendo DS with Little Magician's Magic Adventure.
