When Evolve was first announced at the beginning of the year, 2k Games and Turtle Rock didn’t have much to say about it except that it would be 4 vs 1 and that it already had a pre-order bonus. But that changes a little bit today as it finally has its very first trailer to show off what the game will be like.
Featuring four humans on an alien planet trying to hunt down a massive alien, it is easy to see the similarities to Turtle Rock Studios previous hit Left 4 Dead. The main difference this time being however a more sci-fi twist and a more competitive multiplayer focus with the fifth player being the giant monster themselves.
Those wanting to see the shiny visuals they can expect from the current generation consoles can watch the new trailer for themselves embedded below. Evolve is currently set to release in Fall 2014 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
In a surprisingly shrewd move, publisher Reality Squared Games (R2Games) has sponsored renowned cosplayers to cosplay as the titular ‘angel’ characters from their title League of Angels, which entered into a closed Beta in December before being released in January. The names on the list of those modelling include Maridah, Ginny McQueen, HezaChan, and Riki LeCotey (aka ‘Riddle’ and star of Heroes of Cosplay).
So far Maridah is the only one to have completed her costume of”Lorelei” and has had shots shared on social media outlets. McQueen’s “Sylvia” is also nearing completion while HezaChan’s “Amora” and Riddle’s “Prospera” portrayals will be expected around the middle of March. The majority of photos from these shoots will be made exclusive to subscribers of the League of Angels newsletter (For which you can sign up here). Teasers for the cosplays are also regularly dished out through the social media pages of League of Angels on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
The League of Angels game itself is a turn-based fantasy MMORPG strategy browser game. The game appears to include aspects of PVP and PVE with the option for players to seek out the eponymous ‘angels’, of which there are currently 9, and restore peace to a world torn asunder. You can sign up and play the game first-hand, here.
I personally think that R2Games support of the cosplay medium is a great idea for marketing games to the geek community but what do you think, dear reader? Do you believe that the realm of fandom and marketing should remain clearly delineated? What say you?
Overview
The first episode of The Wolf Among Us showed a glimpse of Telltale being able to apply their award winning narrative style to another property with just as good of results. The change in focus from survival to investigation even allowed it to stand out from The Walking Dead and show it as it’s own beast. Though unfortunately, The Wolf Among Us suffered a long wait between the first and second episode, which is sure to have left an aching in players dying to know what happens after the shocking cliff hanger.
Story
Episode Two picks up shortly after the end of the first episode, Bigby now reeling after the discovery of a second Fable body and now on a renewed mission to discover the identity of the murderer. The end of the first episode left players on a pretty big choice between who they would be pulling in to question and after a short look at the mundane side of the murders quickly gets to the questioning itself.
Unlike the first episode there are not many new branches for players to choice between this time through. While this is a little disappointing in some regards it does make some sense as there were quite a number of large choices that players had to choose between previously and now there is simply more content spread between those lines of decisions. This has it’s ups and downs and while the first episode had a lot of choice, the lack of them is noticeably stark, but perhaps over time later episode can find a healthier balance of the two.
While there are less choices to be made that change the path of the narrative, there are many more active instances this time around for players to delve into the kind of character they want their Bigby to be. Starting at the interrogation, players can better explore their choice between the good cop or bad cop methodology, which will of course impact how all the different characters will react to him down the road both in the rest of the episode and forthcoming episodes.
The investigation itself moves surprisingly quickly in this episode and because of this feels surprisingly short. This is a little disappointing after the extra wait just to receive the episode, but in terms of quality it is able to meet their previous mark. The amount of content available through difference choices may be impacting the length as well in this case, as players have two different possible interrogations that can each go two different ways, possibly with those characters remembering and/or holding grudges down the line.
Despite the shorter length than the first episode, Smoke & Mirrors has plenty more to offer in the world of Fables, plenty of new characters to meet and locations to learn about. This time around there are more lesser known Fables as well and giving a better idea of what kind of world the Woodlands were before they left. Even getting into the well known like Snow White, Big Bad Wolf, and Crane putting more of the secondary or tertiary Fable characters in at this point shows just how much they can do with the rest of the season.
Gameplay
One of the main aspects of The Wolf Among Us that stands it apart from The Walking Dead is that Bigby can take much more of a beating than anyone else can. This still stands true in the second episode, but ultimately only comes into play once in this episode. But it is still utilized effectively when exploring the character of the player’s Bigby as it adds an extra layer of depth when in the middle of a fight to having to choose to end the fight or keep going.
The other difference is the use of investigation, this time around players have more to investigate and have to actually try and piece together what the clues mean to the bigger picture, something that doesn’t come up very much in The Walking Dead. With the way the story continues to weave itself it will be interesting to see how much more of the investigation plays a part of the rest of the story.
The biggest addition this time around are extended scenes where players choose how threatening they want to make Bigby. The choice between having him actually smashing things up or simply threatening to or actually being pleasant to other characters. While more or less a series of binary choices, the depth that it gives each scene provides a lot for the player to decide how they, as Bigby, will react to the continued pressures of everyone treating him as the Big Bad Wolf. Just another aspect of Telltale knowing how to let players decide through doing instead of just dialogue.
Visuals & Audio
Continuing with the cell shaded graphic novel style visuals is a no-brainer at this point, so the more interesting aspects of the visuals comes down to just what the characters look like themselves. The more intriguing character styles come down to Georgie Porgie and Jack Horner, whom those that know their nursery rhymes would certainly not expect the characters to look, much less talk like this. But, even better still make the looks and character make sense within the context of living in New York.
The voice acting of the episode likewise does a great job continuing to hit the mark in quality, as the additional characters still sound authentic and fit their respective roles. Even with all the possibilities that players can choose between when going through the episode, the conversations remain fairly fluid as they proceed marking how well written and preformed it is. The music likewise continues the feelings of the noir style of narrative, even across the different locations Bigby visits this time around.
Overall
Despite an unexpectedly longer wait than was originally foreseen, The Wolf Among Us Episode 2 is able to maintain the same level of narrative quality. Unfortunately, with also having a shorter length than the first episode, it puts the episode in an interesting position. Is this what players can expect down the road? Or will this be simply on of the shorter episodes in the season? Hard to tell, but none the less the quality of the content still more than meets what Telltale is known for and leaves some excitement for what else will come.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Today Aksys Games has announced that they will be publishing Arc System Works’ XBlaze Code: Embryo, a visual novel based in the same universe as the Blazblue series, in the West and are currently planning on releasing it sometime this summer.
XBlaze was announced back in 2012 and the story takes place 150 years before the events of the first Blazblue game. The story will follow Touya Kagari, a high school student that is suddenly attacked and pulled into circumstances he has difficulty understanding. There will be multiple paths for the player to follow which will result in a number of different endings, including a gag ending.
Today Tecmo Koei has released the second developer dairy for Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z and this time around the developers from the three companies working on the game discuss what sort of enhancements they have made to Yaiba to make him not only a ninja you would want to have a drink with but also one that is capable of all different kinds of attacks.
The dev diary can be found below and as for Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z itself, it is still set to be released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on March 4th in North America and a few days earlier on February 28th in Europe.
Today a new venture for Tecmo Koei and Omega Force has been released for the PlayStation Vita in North America. Toukiden: The Age of Demons, where players take on the role of a Slayer, a warrior skilled with hunting down Oni that threaten humanity, is now available at retail as well as a digital download.
To go along with the game’s launch, the company has also released a launch trailer for the game which can be found below. To learn a little bit more about what went into creating Toukiden, check out our interview with the game’s producer Kenichi Ogasawara here.
Coffee Stain Studios (Sanctum 2) posted footage of Goat Simulator as a joke. Originally, the video was meant to share some light hearted programming testing the indie developers were doing. The footage of a goat climbing ladders, kicking over buckets, and flying through the air went viral last week.
Due to popular demand, Coffee Stain Studios will be finishing the game. Players will be able to play a goat wrecking things in the spirit of old school skating sims and Katamari Damacy. Goat Simulator will be released later this spring on Steam. Pre-orders are now available at the official Goat Simulator website, which will provide a Steam code and 3 days early access. Goat Simulator is priced at $9.99 and will be available for windows only.
As the size and quality of films go up, there is a greater need for cards capable of reading and writing data at high speeds. Kingston is now shipping out their new SDHC/SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3 cards which are designed for professionals and the so called “pro-sumers.” Available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacity, the cards are rated to write at 80 MB/s and read at 90MB/s, smoking past the Speed Class 3 minimum of 30 MB/s.
The cards are designed making use of the new USB 3.0 speeds, allowing for recording high quality Full HD, Ultra HD, and 4K2K resolutions videos.Devices that aren’t compatible with UHS-I can use the new cards as the Speed Class 3 cards will behave like Class 10 cards. The cards are backed with a lifetime warranty and free technical support.
Wargaming has announced the launch of Update 8.11 for World of Tanks. The largest addition set to be gained from the update is an enitrely new combat mode, known as Confrontation. Have you ever wanted to see which country is stronger in the wonderful World of Tanks? Well now you can.
With the exception of Japanese and Chinese tanks, machines of all tiers and balancing weights can now duke it out on a national stage. The mode groups players with vehicles from a specific nation into a force that must combat another country of comparable power. As the the gameplay is still in its infancy as of 8.11, there may be need for some balance tweaks somewhere down the line.
In addition to Confrontation, players will also have the chance to enjoy three new battle arenas, namely an old area in a new season, a classic revamped with rire and rain, as well as a brand new snow swept arena.
Himmelsdorf:
Ruinberg:
Windstrom:
Update 8.11 is now available in Europe and Russia. Players from Asia will be able to try out the new game mode and battle arenas on February 12th, whilst those from North America and South Korea will have to wait until February 13th. In the meantime, check out the screenshots below and prepare for the coming battles. Are you ready for national confrontation?
Video Game Tribute Album The String Arcade Now Available as Digital Download and CD
All proceeds will support Alameda Music Project after-school program for underserved children
ALAMEDA, Calif. – February 11, 2014 – San Francisco Bay Area composer Dren McDonald is announcing the release of The String Arcade, a recording of classic video game music reimagined for string quartet. The crowdfunded album sells for $9.99 as a digital download from Loudr, iTunes, and other channels. In addition, BandCamp offers a $11.99 CD version and free streaming. (See below for store links.) All profits will be donated to the Alameda Music Project, a tuition-free afterschool program that provides intensive classical music instruction to underserved children in grades K-5.
The String Arcade is a carefully curated collection of video game music, arranged for string quartet by Dren McDonald (Ghost Recon Commander, Ravenwood Fair) and Jason Poss (Lord of the Rings film trilogy, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King). Some tracks use a “collage” approach, slicing up and combining various themes from within a game into one piece of music while staying true to the original melody and harmony. Others are more loosely interpreted and embellished to showcase the quartet performers’ strengths. The result is an introspective listening experience that stands on its own regardless of the listener’s familiarity with the source material.
“I’ve never understood why someone would cover a song by playing it exactly like the original artist played it,” McDonald says of The String Arcade‘s unique arrangements. “A lot of thought went into choosing music that would work as an experience from top to bottom. As a point of reference, The String Arcade will probably appeal to people who enjoyed the soundtracks from games like Sword & Sworcery, Dear Esther, or Fez.”
The String Arcade‘s 15 original arrangements (plus 2 CD bonus tracks) were inspired by games from Galaga to Minecraft and performed by local Bay Area musicians, with a special appearance by the Boston-based Videri String Quartet. The eclectic track list spans decades of video game history from stand-up arcade classics, through the 8- and 16-bit eras and the golden age of 1990s adventures, to more recent hits, indie favorites, and mobile/social games. To further the goal of raising money and awareness for children’s music education, several tracks were chosen from games popular among kids including Portal 2, The Legend of Zelda, and Plants vs. Zombies.
“An incredible album which further helps legitimize how culturally significant and artistic video game music has become!” -Tommy Tallarico, Video Games Live executive producer & Game Audio Network Guild founder
“Dren takes the essence of these great game songs and transforms them into the classical style. The result is a new way of looking at these songs in a different light, and in a soothing manner.” -John Romero, game designer (Doom, Quake)
“They are, without a doubt, one my favorite musical groups working in the games field.” -Ben Prunty, composer (FTL, Gravity Ghost)
“The String Arcade‘s take on Scurvy Scallywags is a brilliant arrangement, and in such fine company with so many iconic games!” -Clayton Kauzlaric, game designer (Scurvy Scallywags in the Voyage to Discover the Ultimate Sea Shanty, Voodoo Vince)
Track Listing:
Grasswalk (Plants vs. Zombies)
Echos of Ecco (Ecco the Dolphin)
Ferdinand Wanders Out For a Late Night Haircut (Pettington Park)
Engii (FTL – Faster Than Light)
Sonic 2 Scherzo (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)
Outlaws Title Theme (Outlaws)
Medicated Cow Walks the Cobbled Streets with Disgruntled Goat (Ravenshire Castle)
Scurvy Scallywags Theme (Scurvy Scallywags in the Voyage to Discover the Ultimate Sea Shanty)
Scabb Cemetery/International House of Mojo (The Secret of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge)
Altered Beast Title Theme (Altered Beast) *CD bonus track
Optimism For an Improvement in The John Situation (original composition by Dren McDonald)
Turret Suite (Portal 2)
Minecraft Title Theme (Minecraft)
TRON Arcade Medley (TRON) *CD bonus track
Tango Down (graBLOX)
Dance of the Space Bugs (Galaga)
The Legend of Zelda Title Theme (The Legend of Zelda)
