Allgraf have released their Terraria-like space survival builder game Darkoutfor the world to try out. With a dark, science fiction aesthetic, the adventure game aims to set itself apart, though.
Join editor Joe Morgan as he shows off the first half hour of the game. You’ll experience the crash landing on a foreboding new world, minor tussles with some upset indigenous life, some chopping, harvesting, and building. Unfortunately, you’ll get to experience some of the frustrations with the game as well.
We livestreaming gameplay footage on our Twitchpage. We’ll be sure to upload it to our YouTubepage later for those that missed the livestream as well. Also be sure to follow us on Twitter, and Facebooksince we’ll let everyone know when a livestream begins that way. Be sure to leave a comment here or head on over to our YouTube page and leave a comment so we know what you think of our newest feature.
During Spike TV’s VGX event earlier today, many big announcements, reveals and world exclusives were revealed. One of them related to the ever-increasingly famous cast of Tim Schafer’s Kickstarter baby Broken Age. Joining stars such as Jack Black and Wil Wheaton is Elijah Wood.
The actor will voice the male playable character Shay. Hopefully video from the reveal will be available soon so that we may include it in the article. Those who watched it live could see the enthusiasm, love and knowledge of the project and adventure genre in general that Elijah has. In fact, he contacted Tim before – proceeding to follow him on Twitter – back when the Kickstarter campaign was originally being funded, expressing his gratitude that someone was exploring the nostalgia-inducing genre again. He was a huge fan of The Secret of Monkey Island, and after direct messaging each other, he excitedly accepted the proposal to voice the co-lead.
If you thought that Telltale Games would be making the next Borderlands game then boy you need to play the lottery because that would probably be the last thing I would have expected, even with them announcing a Game of Thrones game earlier today. You see, today during this year’s VGX Telltale Games and Gearbox announced that they were working on an adventure game set in the Borderlands universe.
Two new characters have been shown so far but all we know is that they are not Vault Hunters, but Handsome Jack still wants to kill them. Currently no consoles have been announced for the game but it is set to be an episodic release that will start being released sometime in 2014.
It looks like before Square Enix focuses on putting out the next game in the Tomb Raider series, they are going to try and get at least a little bit more out of the one they released earlier this year. Today at VGX the company has announced Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The game will be released on January 28th in North America and January 31st in Europe. The game will feature the fancy TressFX hair rendering that the company mentioned before, a “next-gen Lara model” and additional content which includes:
The fully rebuilt game for next-generation consoles
The Tomb of the Lost Adventurer
Eight DLC multiplayer maps
Six DLC multiplayer weapons
Four DLC multiplayer characters
Six outfits for Lara
Dark Horse digital comic book “Tomb Raider: The Beginning”
Brady Games digital art book “Tomb Raider: The Art of Survival”
“The Final Hours of Tomb Raider” documentary series
As far as the versions of the game go, the DualShock 4 controller on the PS4 will light up red and orange while using a torch and flash whenever Lara shoots a weapon. The Xbox One version allows the player to change equipment and navigate the menu by using their voice with the Kinect and inspecting relics and viewpoints by moving their body.
Rumours have been confirmed today with Telltale Games set to produce an episodic Game of Thrones adventure series. This news was delivered via Spike’s VGX awards and also the Telltale Games official Twitter. The game is to be based on the hugely popular HBO television series, however, the studio has also stated it will draw upon all forms of the George R.R Martin’s fantasy fiction for inspiration.
The series is due for a 2014 release. The gameplay will be similar to previous Telltale Games episodic adventures, such as The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, but the studio has stated their desire to feature big battles which is a staple in Westeros. Other information such as what characters or time period we’d expect to see, or what platforms will receive the game are yet to be released.
It's TRUE! We're working with @HBO to create an all-new episodic game series based on GAME OF THRONES in 2014! #VGXpic.twitter.com/d5GkhS2MOw
It looks like the wait to pick up the story of Clementine once again is almost over as the Steam page for The Walking Dead: “All That Remains,” which is the first episode of Season Two has been updated and given a release date. If this release date is true then that means the new season will begin on December 17th.
At the moment Telltale Games has not officially announced this release date, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, the episode is set to be released this month and after the last teaser image released, there is a pretty good chance this release date is real.
Today the official website for Chou Megami Shinkou Noire Gekishin Black Heart was launched by Compile Heart and along with it come some of the firsts screenshots for the game as well as the debut trailer, all of which can be seen below.
In Noire Gekishin Black Heart players will be following the story of Noire as she takes on a number of new adventures and can make eighteen friends. A few of these friends have been given names such as Esther, Morū, Sango, Tsunemi, and Riddo. Any guesses as to what games they are referencing? Currently Noire Gekishin Black Heart has no release date in the West from NIS America but it is set to be released in Japan on May 29th.
Overview
It’s been widely touted that both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One would be working to bring indie game developers into the fold, with Sony showing a bit more drive to treat with small studios. System 3 Software, a UK-based indie game developer and publisher, were quick to take Sony up on the opportunity with the release of action-platformer Putty Squad (not to be confused with the Power Rangers’ Putty Patrol).How does it hold up, though? Will its nostalgic whims make you putty in its hands or is this old goo best flushed out to sea?
Story
Something has (apparently) gone horribly wrong! All of your red putty friends have been kidnapped by an evil army of domesticated wildlife! You’ll have to fight with cats, dogs, birds, bees, and more to absorb all of your putty buddies and get them to safety!
In truth, it’s all a farce. There’s no sensical story. You’re simply traveling from one world to another absorbing red putties and dashing for the exit.
Gameplay
Originally released in the early 90s for SNES, Putty Squad is a fairly straightforward smash-and-grab platformer. The game also got demos on PC and Amiga, but was never released in its entirety for either.
You control the world’s only blue putty. Red putties have been placed across several levels in nine worlds, and you’ll have to rescue all of them. As an amorphous blob, you have a few tricks up your sleeves to help out. You can walk and jump, of course, but you also have the ability to form a fist and punch enemies, blow yourself up like a balloon to hover around, morph to travel faster, and absorb abilities to use as well. The variety of abilities you can pick up and use it interesting, but at the end of the day very little of it feels like it makes a difference.
As you travel through each stage, there are a small variety of tasks to complete, depending on the mode you’re playing. Whether Marathon or Challenge modes, you’ll want to take out every pup (dog wearing a helmet), collect every star, and try to beat a score while you rescue every putty. That’s really all you’ll be trying to do in Marathon mode, but Challenge mode also tasks you with beating the level in a certain time, not eating any food throughout the level, and never dying. It’s enough to keep you at each stage for 5-10 minutes, making sure you’ve completed every task possible. Once you’ve finished them out, though, you’ll never care to go back and play them again.
Putty Squad feels like a platformer full of distractions instead of something meaty to bite into. The game hasn’t made any significant strides since its original release two decades ago. It’s functional, but there’s nothing exciting or hooking about the game in any sense. It’s just a mad scramble left for you to decipher.
Visuals & Audio Putty Squad is being touted for its port on the PlayStation 4. That said, everything that’s going on with this game in terms of graphical prowess could be handled by your smart phone. The character models look like they were put together by a team of sophomore graphic design students, given that they’re plain and stiffly animated. The game world is also far too busy, making it easy to lose your character amidst the chaos. It’s also difficult at times to tell if something is a platform or part of the background. It’s bright and vibrant, but it’s too much sensory overload.
The audio design for Putty Squad feels serviceable. Each of the themed worlds has music that efforts to match its aesthetics and have you tapping your foot. Many of the sound effects feel as though they carry no weight or were ill-utilized, however. In sticking with its retro theme, it feels as though it’s done nothing to keep itself relevant.
Overall
Overall, Putty Squad is a lackluster remake of a game that never grabbed any staying power. To think it came out 3 years after the original Sonic the Hedgehog and was only recently heard from again should be telling. The sound design is passable, and the visuals are vibrant but cluttered and confusing. The game may be able to keep you entertained for a short period, but it has no staying power or replayability. Only the hardcore nostalgic fans should consider this game, and even then, it may not be worth the price of admission.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Some new screenshots for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation were released today and while one of them focuses on showing us how the new battle screen will look on the PlayStation Vita, the rest of the screenshots highlight the Oracles that will be playable in the game for the first time.
The Oracles are Histoire the Oracle of Planeptune, Kei the Oracle of Lastation, Mina the Oracle of Lowee, and Chika the Oracle of Leanbox. As you may know, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 is the enhanced version of Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 which was released last year by NIS America in the West. Currently it is unknown if the game will be released in the West but it is currently set to be released on March 20, 2014 in Japan.
If, for some reason or another, you simply haven’t had that Street Fighter IV itch scratched yet despite the game being released countless times with minimal expansions and the formula being copied into Street Fighter x Tekken then we have some great news for you.
Capcom has announced that Ultra Street Fighter IV, the game that will feature five new characters, Poison, Rolento, Elena, Hugo, and a mystery character, a number of balancing adjustments, and new mechanics, will be released in early June 2014. The game will be released first as a digital upgrade that will cost $14.99 on the 360 and PS3 and then a month later on the PC it will also be available for that price. A full version of the game will also be released which will feature all previously released DLC costumes at a price of $39.99 on consoles and $29.99 on PC.
