Borderlands fans have a lot to look forward to. With a prequel right around the corner, its almost easy to forget about Telltale Games little spin-off Tales From the Borderlands – which takes place after the events of Borderlands 2. Today, the first batch of screenshots tell a lot, and have been offered up to give us a first look.
As you can see, that famous art style has been left in tact, which should work wonderfully with the story-driven gameplay that we expect from Telltale.
Here are some further details to chew on as well about the narrative:
Featuring two playable characters, the story is told from two unique perspectives that will alternate as the story progresses. These characters include Rhys, a scheming, low-level data-miner within Hyperion who’s plotting his own grand ambitions; and Fiona, a clever and classic fast-talking con-artist born and raised on Pandora out to pull off the grift of a lifetime.
While they themselves aren’t vault hunters, both Rhys and Fiona will also come across vault hunters such as Zer0 and other characters from the world of Borderlands 2 throughout the series, as all events in Tales from the Borderlands will be part of the official Borderlands story canon.
Check out the screenshots below and stay tuned, as there is sure to be more news about platforms and more of that nature as we get closer to E3.
Overview
Out of all of Nintendo’s intellectual properties, Kirby is the one I hold near and dear. Sure, it wasn’t my first, and I don’t get addicted to the titles like I do to the likes of Pokemon, but no other mascot can take me to that special place that the pink fluff can. Fans like myself have been waiting for Kirby to land on the 3DS for a good while now, and without missing a beat, that star has fallen onto the platform in the form of Kirby: Triple Deluxe. Now with new modes, new abilities, and that same, easy-going gameplay, does this title mark a high point for the franchise, or is it wading in those safe waters that a lot of other franchises have took? Lets find out.
Story
I’ll be the first to say that Triple Deluxe does not have a deep, meaningful story, but what Kirby game does? This title, just like all other installments of the franchise carries itself with a carefree plot about a small, pink hero simply trying to save the day. This time, an evil force has kidnapped King Dedede, and Kirby must run up a beanstalk through a number of worlds in order to catch the foe and free the king.
Yeah, Triple Deluxe does not go out of its way to tell you a tale for the ages, but why should it at this point? Kirby titles are all about speaking volumes with charm and imagination, and this one is no different as it effortlessly captures a delightful atmosphere. We see so many titles try to do this time and time again, some going out of their way to present some convoluted backstory just for you to like the main protagonist. Kirby simply puffs along and greets the player with a wave, jumping on a star where you can’t help but attach yourself to him and take off on a brand new adventure. Its a special achievement that very few titles in this industry can capture, but Kirby manages slam down that welcome mat and put a smile on your face within minutes, awaiting for you to come on board and just play.
Gameplay
Kirby titles – or the more traditional platformers for the brand, have always stuck to nearly the same formula since 1991, relying on smooth and easy-going gameplay to take the player throughout each level, with a great number of abilities to utilize for everything in-between. Triple Deluxe is the same in that aspect, as the controls are second nature to anyone playing just seconds after starting the game. If you have even touched one of this title’s predecessors (or even Smash), you know what to expect. Jump, puff up, float, inhale, exhale, run, and slide. Its that simplicity that gives Kirby his core, and makes the series so accessible to the masses. Sure, its easy, but that is the charm. Hal build the world and foes within around the formula, so the “new” experience comes with the content within.
So lets talk about the content. The first new thing in the main game for fans to check out will be the brand new abilities. Along with the returning favorites such as cutter, wheel, whip, leaf, and so on, Kirby can now don the bell and circus hats. The bell ability allows Kirby to chuck bells at opponents from afar, or pull out a bell and beat the beats out of the unsuspecting foe. Circus is more of an acrobatic ability, giving the pink wonder the power the evade with quick reflexes, blow up deadly but humorous balloons, and juggle to nab enemies from below. Much like Return to Dreamland, there are not a lot of past or new abilities that are required to proceed, but this gives the player that element of freedom, where you simply move on with the power best suited to your own preference. Some might complain that this makes the game even more simple, but with the large array of abilities, the fun factor overwhelms that issue entirely – allowing you to make your way up the Dreamstalk to the beat of your own drum (or bell).
Another awesome addition that pops in quite often is the Hypernova ability. I would have categorized this with the other hats, but it happens to be a bit more special. When Kirby touches a magical plant, he instantly is granted the power to suck up every enemy in sight, along with parts of the stage and everything that isn’t bolted down to the ground. Sure, it sounds a bit gimmicky, but it works and is one of the most devastatingly charming techniques to appear in a Kirby game in years. The utilization of this power also makes it stand out, as players can move heavy pieces to solve environmental puzzles or deflect large attacks. For instance, one stage will have you pull a snowman’s head to its body, where it joyfully rewards you with stars once connected, while other moments will lead to Kirby pulling on lasers to melt ice from above, opening up a new pathway for the sake of progression.
The stages themselves also add a great deal of freshness to the formula. If you have played any platformer in the past few years (namely Shantae), you may have noticed that a lot of developers have been toying around with the idea of going into the backdrop of the stage. Well, Triple Deluxe is layered and attempts this as well, and in my opinion executes it to a great degree. By jumping on a specific warp star, Kirby can ride into the background, where he can explore the stage in a whole new way and discover secret stars and items buried within the fauna of the stage. Starting out, I kind of thought that this would be a rare occurrence, but as it turns out, nearly every stage within the game uses this concept. Sometimes the player will have to take a cannon and clean house to clear a path in the background, before swapping sides and enjoying the safe travel zone they creates. Other moments will have you bouncing back and forth constantly. Its clever and chaotic, but also a blast to experience when bosses are tossed into the mix.
So you have all of these layers. The standard, fun platforming we got with Return to Dreamland. The new element that allows Kirby to jump in and out of the foreground. A Hypernova ability that allows Kirby to suck everything up in sight. Even a gyroscopic control scheme enters during moments of the game, but never comes off as intrusive as it has been in other titles for the same platform. You would think as “easy” as these titles are, that everything would be cake due to the amount of ideas working at once. Well, not entirely. Kirby Triple Deluxe earns its name by blending its ingredients into one savory entree, where the player is rewarded by…get this…PLAYING THE GAME! If you go in with the mindset of beating the game, you will be done in around three to five hours – tops. If you want to go in and collect every item, it could take you a great deal longer. There are a few stars amongst each stage, and some are hidden quite well. Keychains also litter the landscape, and have fun little homages to past titles with original art and sprites. It is a completionist’s paradise in many ways, and it only opens up more after beating the game once.
From the start however, players can grab some friends and play the new mode deemed Kirby Fighters, which is kind of like Super Smash Bros. meets your standard HP based brawler, but with only Kirby hats and abilities. The mode is ridiculously fun, but also teaches us that some hats will always top others. Its honestly really interesting just to think where this idea could go, as with a little more work- I could see this as its own product one day. Dedede’s Drum Dash is more of a rhythm based platformer where the big bird must land on drums to the beat to gain height and collect coins. Fun, but not nearly as engrossing as Kirby Fighters, I must say. Players also have a boss rush mode to compete in and have the option to play as Dedede in a speedrun of the main game, which by the way is fantastic. As I said, there are a good number of layers to this title, and the 3DS is thankfully a welcome home to Kirby and all of his tricks here.
Visuals
I never thought I would say this, but having exceptional graphics may be the only thing that slightly hurts Kirby on his 3DS debut. Much like a lot of the gameplay itself, Triple Deluxe looks a lot like Return to Dreamland, which came out on the Wii a couple of years ago. The colors are vivid and happy, the models and environments are smooth, and the textures all pop with the elements working together, but my big qualm comes that this title looks too much like that Wii title. That isn’t a bad thing, but when you are in an age where people are not buying the Wii U because it seems like a Wii or are skipping out on Mario because it has the same visual style of the last, it will probably make some think that like Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, this is just a portable remake if they don’t have the gaming education to presume otherwise. Trust me, its a far cry from that game, but I could definitely see some confusion due to the visuals alone.
There are so many charming animations in the game however, that its hard not to let out the biggest grin imaginable while playing. For instance, one of the most memorable moments for myself were these two little Waddle Dee that were joyfully playing in the background. I just obtained the Hypernova, and noticed a straw-like pipe that connected the areas together. Without hesitation, I made Kirby inhale like crazy, and the Waddle Dee latched onto a rock, holding eachother’s hands until they met their quick demise just seconds later. Its that attention to detail that gives this title its heart, and gave me some memories that simply bring joy in retrospective.
Audio
The audio is also wonderful, with a lot of the same tracks from past games, along with new and remixed tunes to present this title as a new experience. Quiet, melodic beats give icy areas a peaceful atmosphere, while fast, chaotic tunes are sure to keep you on edge while going against a giant boss. Kirby also still has his lovely little voice and the effects are all pure quality, so its another great thing to see that the audio was handled with care for this portable entry.
Overall
Kirby Triple Deluxe is an exceptional portable platformer. I am sure other critics would choose to disagree due to the low difficulty, but why can’t a game just be a game for once? Over the past few years, indie platformers have been in heavy rotation, tying together archaic gimmickry to make a new product, only to be wrongfully labeled innovative as a result. This title doesn’t want to change the world, it just wants you as the player to have fun. What is the best part of Kirby titles? The abilities, of course. So when you increase the inhale by 100x and create a never-ending smorgasbord for the player to take advantage of for no reason other than that magical little “F” world, we as the player get everything we could want in what is a decently packed cartridge full of charm and care-free entertainment. Triple Deluxe is platforming perfected that leaves plenty of room for dessert, and a pretty great lesson for newer developers on how to reward your consumer by simply giving them what they paid for.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Daedalic Entertainment and Nexus Game Studios took a tally of the items and references to popular movies, video games, and tv shows in their upcoming game Randal’s Monday this week. The list has now surpassed 560 individual references in this point and click adventure game. Geeks and nerds are an extremely diverse lot and the developers of Randal’s Monday hope to have something for geeks of all stripes to recognize.
Randal’s Monday is a point and click adventure game about Randal having a Groundhog Day, just like the 1993 film. After a night of hard partying at his friend Matt’s engagement party on Sunday, Randal wakes up with the engagement ring in his pocket, fired from his job, and facing an impending eviction. Randal decides to sell the engagement ring to make ends meet, resulting in Matt’s suicide. Now Randal is stuck in a time loop, reliving Monday over and over in an attempt to save the ring and Matt’s life while preventing the collapse of the universe.
A-1 Pictures has recently confirmed via a Nico Nico broadcast that the acclaimed PS Vita port of Persona 4, retitled as Persona 4 The Golden, is getting an anime this July.
The anime will apparently retell the story of the original TV series but will add a new character, Marie. Check out the trailer below for yourself.
Released in 2012 and published by Atlus, Persona 4 The Golden enhanced the original PlayStation 2 RPG for the PS Vita with improved visuals and additional content such as voices and online features.
Indie Gala and Capsule Computers are feeling the need… the need for speed this week! The Every Monday Bundle #6 has a vehicular theme this week, headlined by Twisted Pixel Games’ Lococycle. For a single purchase, gamers will snag eleven great indie games.
LocoCycle stars a self aware motorcycle that is programmed to be a super assassin. She’s now on the run after deciding freedom sounds more fun. Unfortunately for her engineer Pablo, he’ll be joining her on this high speed quest as his pant leg is caught up in her chassis.
Collateralis a futuristic racer that will see players driving their flying taxi cab armed to the teeth with weapons in an attempt to escape the city of New Bedlam. The game features an vibrant city with several distinct areas like China Town and the Redlight district. The game comes with Desura keys and has already been Greenlit on Steam!
Igniteis an arcade racer that encourages players to draft, drift, and slam into their enemies to rack up nitro boosts. However, racers will need to balance their use of nitro in the Race mode, as extensive use may literally burn away their score.
Metal Drift see see players racing against each other in futuristic hover tanks armed with cannons, rockets, and other weapons.
Zero Gear is an multiplayer kart racer built on a physics engine. The game features 15 maps with up to eight racers.
RACE Injection features 38 carts on 31 different tracks found around the world. Players can race in a variety of real life championships with the actual rules. As a bonus, the game comes with five RACE 07 expansions.
Be sure to snag your copy of the bundle at Indie Gala at $1.99 before the price goes up after the first 24 hours of the sale!
The Last of Us’ final pieces of DLC is landing very soon (May 6th in U.S. and May 7th in Australia/Europe) and will give a huge boost to the multiplayer portion of the game in terms of variety with new maps, weapons and skills and also an enhanced difficulty option for the single player campaign. The DLC seems to be contained within three seperate packs which are detailed below along with thier U.S. pricing.
The first pack cost $9.99 and is called Reclaimed Territories which contains four new multiplayer maps including Water Tower, Coal Mine, Wharf and Capitol. The Survivalist Weapons Pack contains four new guns including Double Barrel Shotgun, the Specter Machine Gun, the Enforcer Handgun and the Grenade Launcher at a cost of $5.99. Lastly for multiplayer additions, two skill packs are being released with four skills in each at $3.99 each. Some skill examples include Executioner, which rewards executions with more salvage parts and Scavenger that gives more items from the item boxes. All players will also receive the full-automatic rifle, regardless of whether you buy the DLC or not. The Grounded difficulty option for single player, which will be even harder than the current highest difficulty rating Survivor is also releasing at a cost of $4.99. It is not clear how the difficulty will be increased but we expect larger damage from enemies and less ammo to be available to the player. 20 new trophies are also incoming with the latest patch to support the DLC. Most are multiplayer based however there are 2 gold ones for completing the new difficulty levels normally and in new game plus.
If you want to get all the new and previous DLC including the single player expansion Left Behind at a much cheaper price, make sure you buy the Season Pass before it is permanently removed from the store on May 13th. You can check out the DLC in action in the trailer below and also in a recent live feed that Naughty Dog recorded via Twitch. If you haven’t played the game before or are willing to wait to get your hands on this DLC, The Last of Us Remastered was recently announced for the PS4 which will feature enhanced visuals alongside all the DLC offered on the PS3 version all tied into one purchase.
The demo for The Breakouthas just been released by Pixel Trip Studios. The brand new indie adventure game is reminiscent of titles like The Great Escape and The Secret of the Monkey Island.
The title is set in a WWII POW camp, and you will play as Lt. Guy Kassel, who is shot down in enemy territory and forced to escape and survive the POW camp with the other survivors.. The game includes puzzles, cut scenes, and a very strong and suspenseful soundtrack. The demo provides 6 minutes of gameplay.
The title is being funded through a Kickstarter Campaign, and can be found here to find out more information. There is also a video below to check out a short teaser of the game. If you’d like to try out their demo, you can find the link on their Kickstarter site above or click here to download it directly.
Compatibility: Requires iOS 6.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Description
Mouse in the House is a game of skill and strategy where the player is challenged to solve diverse and interesting levels by using different tools provided at each level. Each level has a unique solution which the player finds by using previous and current level clues. Techniques that are familiar to every player, yet are challenging to master, provide a unique gaming experience that keeps the player engaged as they attempt to overcome the constantly changing patterns of each level.
Gameplay:
Stand your ground against King Fat Rat’s Army of Mischievous Mice, which can be captured 1 or 2 at a time, but the primary goal is to line mice up in rows or columns of 3 in order to capture the most possible at once. The more mice captured at once the more resources that are rewarded, which are needed for continuing through each level. This goal becomes more challenging as new mice with different mechanics are introduced.
Furthermore, when mice are captured, the score multiplier increases which directly improves the player’s scoring ability. At the same time, mice must be captured within 7 seconds of each other, or the multiplier resets to zero. The multiplier feature adds a level of sophistication to the game to allow those that become true masters over King Fat Rat’s Army of Mischievous Mice to maximize their scores, yet is not so difficult that the novice can’t enjoy success. As the player progresses through the levels within the House, they are increasingly challenged to achieve scores needed to win, turning the game into a fast paced puzzle requiring both dexterity and strategy to conquer.
KEY FEATURES:
– 70 levels filled with unique patterns to test your dexterity and wits, and more to come
– 14 unique items that can be unlocked to customize your play style
– Take on King Fat Rat every 10 levels
– Game progress synchronization with iCloud
– GameCenter score comparison and score sharing via Facebook
– Full retina display support
– Designed for all ages
– Added Language Localizations
– Updated App Icon
– Facebook bug fixes
– Scores needed for obtaining the 1st star in levels 31-60 have been lowered.
– The diamonds gained from purchases have been lowered to 500, 3,500, and 10,000 respectively. We’ve also reduced the diamond cost of items in the store, making it easier to unlock them with the diamonds gained in levels!
EB Games have listed their exclusive pre-order bonus for Activision‘s next Transformers title, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, developed by Edge of Reality and releasing for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS on June 25.
As seen above, the “Weathered Warrior Pack” features two characters and weapons. Thundercracker and Skywarp are both combat experts on the side of the Decepticons, and can be used in Escalation, the game’s wave-based, four-player cooperative multiplayer, survival mode. The distortion field-generating Glass Gas Cannon and the long-range, kinetic projectile-spitting Electro Bolter will be available not only in Escalation, but also in the story-based Campaign. It should be noted that the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS versions will not be receiving this DLC.
What do The Elder Scrolls V‘sSkyrim, Grand Theft Auto V‘s Los Santos, Red Dead Redemption‘s Wild West, Forza Horizon‘s Colorado, Need for Speed: Rivals‘ Redview County and Far Cry 3‘s Rook Islands have in common? They’re all tiny, minuscule places in comparison to The Crew‘s recreation of the United States of America. Ubisoft‘s upcoming, next-gen Ivory Tower-developed “MMO-CarPG” may not contain an exact, 1-to-1 representation of the U.S.A, but with over 5,000 sq km of landmass to explore, even the largest of the aforementioned worlds could fit inside The Crew‘s map almost 50 times over. It takes approximately 90 minutes just to drive from coast-to-coast, and that’s while sticking to the straightest, on-road path available, in the fastest car available… we were able to go hands-on with the mammoth racer for even longer (about 2 hours) and barely scratched the surface.
Charly Bourget, product manager at Ivory Tower, joined the play session, guiding us through the ins and outs of the game before leading the (turbo) charge in both competitive and cooperative 4-player races. As alluded to, The Crew identifies more-so, in many respects, as an MMO-RPG title than simply a open-world racer with fluid social integration. All ‘Full Stock’ cars you acquire have up to a maximum of 5 tuning specs that you can customise your vehicle to fit within. The ‘Street Spec’, ‘Dirt Spec’, ‘Performance Spec’ and ‘Circuit Spec’ are self-explanatory, but then you’ve also got the ‘Raid Spec’, which features a full crash cage chassis, uprated suspension and transmission, skid plates, off-road tires and more, allowing you to drive practically anywhere with competence. In RPG terms, consider these your “classes”, with each offering unique specialities and advantages. Specific parts – treated like loot that are signified by level – are either won/earned through levelling up, or bought with in-game currency. Around 20 elements of your car’s make-up can be customised, 11 of which are performance based, falling under ‘engine and chassis’.
With over 40 cars included in the game, it does not seem that all 5 tuning specs will be accessible for every single automobile, because the total number of “evolutions” – as Charly evokes Pokemon in describing to us – sits at around 120. However, provided the depth of customisation we sampled, variety should not be an issue. And if you’re worried about potentially unfair match-ups, the team have nullified such insurmountable handicaps through, not only the level-based matchmaking, but also by level-locking upgrades; ergo, if you’re at level 30, you can’t equip a level 35 exhaust, instead being forced to send it to your HQ upon acquisition. This is especially relieving for those with concerns about the inclusion of microtransactions. On the topic of matchmaking, The Crew utilises a background system that intelligently cycles 7 other players in and out of your game world at all times, keeping the total online presence at 8 players consistently, and assuring that two whole crews can be formed and can interact with each other at any given time. Prior to accepting our “Crewmaster’s” invitation to party up, we were introduced to the 510’s – a street gang who’ve made their dubious reputation by smuggling drugs across borders, and dominating Detroit illegal street racing scene.
Story missions focused on the player’s infiltration, and eventual busting of the 510’s, tie together the entire experience and provide a plot for why the player character must traverse the U.S., starting in the Michigan capital, and ending in Los Angeles. Moving on, there was one final step before getting out on the open road – designating points to ‘Perks’. Another RPG-esque system, Perks enable boosts to a multitude of different aspects in respect to both performance and rewards, e.g., nitrous lasting 2 seconds longer, or 5% more cash earned from winning races. Finally, we’re ready to venture onto the streets of Detroit and beyond. Charly invites everyone to join his crew, which is as easy as pressing ‘Y’ at the prompt and confirming with ‘A’. From this point, he is for all intents and purposes ‘the host’, and whatever activity he marks on the map, we are given the choice to accept on our respective screens. Having played The Crew previously at EB Expo 2013, it’s clear after mere minutes that the controls have since been tightened up dramatically. Granted, every car has a unique feel, but regardless of that fact, the overall accuracy and realism in their steering was lacking in that previous build.
New code has also been implemented that ensures players are not stifled by constant crashes; how this is achieved is a matter of calculating intentions – if feedback suggests that a player was in the midst of pulling away from an unavoidable, although partial, collision at the last second, then the game will reduce the inevitable impact and ever-so-slightly guide the player-controlled car left or right from the victim’s, maintaining a significant measure of momentum. If collision is head-on, or there is no input to suggest the player acted to avoid impact, then an appropriately damaging and halting collision will occur. This is quite a smart, helpful system that is appreciated in a game where certain races become wild, sprawling affairs and enjoyment and general traversal could be severely curtailed by accidents in a traffic-heavy zone. Also noticeable is the intelligence of the A.I. Computer controlled vehicles are extremely reactive, and thus feel substantially more realistic than in any driving game that comes to mind. Much of the time, A.I. vehicles are stiff and non-responsive to their surroundings, at least to a certain degree.
In The Crew, vehicles will swerve to dodge a crash, and if you block the road, they will not simply stop and wait for you to move, or scrape against a wall in getting past the obstruction you have caused. These A.I. citizens actually care about their vehicles, rather manoeuvring skill-fully in what is the best, safest way around. Their reflexes are fast, almost as if another player is controlling them; it is extremely impressive. Pedestrians and animals will similarly work to evade your metal machine of destruction, although this tech has been seen in many games past and present. Racing in multiple physical conditions brings their own challenges, but racing at night also ups the ante, requiring more focus and deftness. In technical respects, there’s not much The Crew does that isn’t notable. We proceeded to make our way down to the swampy Bayou, before spending quite a bit of time in sunny Miami.Along the journey, we partook in a few of the 500 skill challenges strewn throughout, comprised of 8 kinds of skill games, earning medals and levelling up as we progressed. The skill games break up a long drive effectively and can become a real distraction in their own right, being fun and varied.
If you get caught up completing skill games (as I did) and your crew is sick of waiting for you to arrive at a race location, you can always tackle them solo at your own leisure. There’s never really any pressure to hurry, however, with missions launch-able from the invite overlay, and their locations able to be used as fast travel points. Speaking of, the only issue present is the level-up/completion notice element of the U.I., which pops up mid-screen without pause, causing you to effectively drive blindly behind it; we were assured this was a temporary implementation. Although there is plenty cooperation to be had – with even some skill games playable in tandem – PvP and Free-For-All missions keep the competitive edge high amongst friends. The Crew could revolutionise driving games for the future; its social/multiplayer functionality is non-obtrusive and fluid to an unprecedented level for a game of this type, its scope is clearly unmatched and, most importantly, it is immensely fun. We can hardly wait for more time with the title, and hope for a solid release date within Q3 to be announced shortly.
A-1 Pictures
