Konami have announced that they’re bringing a new game to Xbox Live Arcade and PSN called Puddle.
Winner at the Students Showcase division of 2010′s GDC Independent Games Festival, the game is all about physics based sloshing as you direct the required amount of liquid through the levels to the finish. Different fluids have different properties and there are all manner of environmental hazards in your way.
Instantly, it reminds me of WiiWare hit Hydroventure and it is similar in the way you tilt the stage to control the flow of liquid, only that was only water – this features different liquids which should have some different properties.
Focus Home Interactive have announced that they’re publishing a new fantasy hack ‘n’ slash dungeon crawler from developers Wizarbox, the team behind the recent ‘Gray Matter’. It will be a downloadable title, appearing on the platforms of PC, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.
Choosing from a powerful Warrior, a dark Sorcerer or a sneaky Rogue, you must traverse the fantasy realm’s four kingdoms in your quest to destroy an ancient evil threatening the free people. Equip your hero with armor, weapons and items collected from the lifeless bodies of your opponents. Enchant them to create the ultimate armor and the most devastating weapons to destroy your opponents. Bandits, goblins, trolls, kraken, cyclops, dragons: a plethora of mythical demons awaits you. You can even suit up with a friend in the co-op mode, taking down the threat together.
R.A.W. – Realms of Ancient Wars – is slated for an early 2012 release.
Well here’s something different, Insomniac Games (the team behind such great games as Spyro, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance) have unveiled a brand new game – ‘Overstrike’ at E3, a four player cooperative action game for both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Overstrike will be the developer’s first game on a different platform other than the Playstation.
The game’s trailer definitely looks good, which has the right blend of story, action and of cause humour in to the mix. Overstrike features a team of elite agents in Overstrike 9 comprised of – an ex-mercenary, a lifelong thief, a gifted young scientist and a decorated detective, and follows them in their mission (and shenanigans) in stopping global terrorism which threatens to wipe out humankind. Overstrike looks to be a new and refreshing cooperative game filled with very memorable characters.
No E3 would be complete for football fans without an unveiling of one of the world’s most loved football titles, and Konami didn’t disappoint. PES 2012 is going to be jam-packed full of new features that is sure to have fans very excited.
Firstly, PES 2012’s AI system is going to target a new level of realism for gamers. Konami’s new Active AI is a push towards a more realistic replication of team ethics in football, with the players on a team strategically utilising decoy runs, creating space, and defendng as a unit. In addition, the Referee AI has been improved so the refs only intervene when absolutely necessary.
Konami have also upped the controls of the game: jostling is now an important component of one-on-one player confrontations. Gamers will also be able to enable the amount of pass support there is in the game from no support to full support. However, the feature I’m happiest to see is the new Off the Ball Control, which allows the gamer to easily switch players in the team. In defence, the right analog stick will be used to select outfield players.
Check out the trailer for PES 2012 below. The game is scheduled for release in Autumn, 2011.
Rockstar has announced that the complete L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories anthology will be available for free download on Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble.
This offer is only for a limited time, and celebrates the finished product of the collaboration between suspense fiction writers. Titles from within the anthology include Black Dahlia & White Roses by Joyce Carol Oates, Naked Angel by Joe R. Lansdale, See the Woman by Lawrence Block, and What’s in a Name by Jonathan Santlofer. The complete anthology has eight separate short stories, and is available for free until June 12th.
Microsoft has been busy with their daily announcements for Xbox LIVE Arcade titles during E3 week and today is sadly, the last of their announcements. Coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade in 2011 is Bloodforge, a dark and brutal combat game set in an ancient Celtic world. The fate of the ruling gods will be decided at the hands of one man – our hero, Crom.
The game promises beautiful and visceral visuals, a violent and deep combat system fueled by the blood of your enemies, and a deep narrative taking the player through the dark and violent myth and legends of a raw Celtic world.
Well provide you with more Bloodforge updates as they come and look for Bloodforge to slash it’s way onto Xbox LIVE Arcade in 2011.
At this year’s E3, there has been no shortage of announcements for brand new games. Konami and Gaijin Entertainment’s ‘Blades of Time’ is one of them, a brand new hack and slash action game for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. In Blades of Time players control Ayumi a gunsword-wielding treasure hunter set on a mission to find lost bounties on a long-forgotten island.
This hack and slash game will feature a range of enemy types, combos, weapons and special abilities, such as Ayumi’s ability to rewind time (hence the title ‘Blades of Time’). The game will also feature multiplayer in the form of co-op campaign and in player vs player battle. Not much more details on the game are known but expect to hear more about the game further to it release date.
Blades of Time is set to be released in Q1 2012 for Xbox and Playstation 3
Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Summer of Arcade campaign has been extremely successful and in their fourth year they’re certainly taking things to eleven with an amazing lineup of XBLA games. Here’s the insane list of blockbuster arcade releases for the five weeks it’ll be running, starting on July 20.
· Bastion (Supergiant/Warner Brother Interactive Entertainment): Bastion is an action role-playing experience that redefines storytelling in games, with a reactive narrator who marks your every move. Explore more than 40 lush hand-painted environments as you discover the secrets of the Calamity, a surreal catastrophe that shattered the world to pieces. Wield a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons and battle savage beasts adapted to their new habitat. Finish the main story to unlock New Game Plus mode and continue your journey!
· From Dust (Ubisoft): Discover a unique Modern God game where nature is the star. From Dust, is the latest original concept by Eric Chahi, visionary creator of Another World. Behold the beauty of a primitive world pulsing with life and face the might of nature. Beware the danger of a world that is constantly changing under your command. Control the destiny of a tribe struggling to survive and help it recover its ancestors’ lost powers. Immerse yourself in a world as exotically beautiful as it is dangerous. A universe where Nature reclaims what is Hers; and you are your people’s only chance of survival.
· Fruit Ninja Kinect (Halfbrick/Microsoft Studios): The worldwide gaming phenomenon Fruit Ninja has now arrived for Kinect in its juiciest form yet – YOU are the ninja! Your arms are now blades, and the battle against the world’s most delicious produce is just beginning. Fruit Ninja Kinect is an amazing evolution of the slice-em-up genre created by Halfbrick, utilizing next-gen precision power for the juiciest combat ever!
· Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet(Fuelcell/ Microsoft Studios): This side-scrolling 2D action adventure game takes players on a journey through the curious Shadow Planet worlds, unique environments filled with twisted life, surreal ecologies, hostile creatures and environmental hazards. Players explore the depths of several interconnected themed areas, fighting swarms of enemies, battling bosses, solving mind-bending puzzles and acquiring power-ups to unlock new parts of the map.
· Toy Soldiers: Cold War (Signal Studios/ Microsoft Studios): Jump into the fray with playful’ 80s combat action in Toy Soldiers: Cold War! Bring your favorite action toys to life and wage war against the red menace. Need backup? Call in a friend for co-op campaign action on the couch or over Xbox LIVE. Take a break from the main battle with Survival mode and playful mini-games. When you beat your LIVE friends’ scores, they’ll be gunning to reclaim the top spot!
And as always, there’s a few gems that aren’t officially on the Summer of Arcade lineup as they’re higher profile and don’t need the extravaganza but still pack a massive punch. This year we get the sequel to the action-packed Splosion Man and a robot-powered shooter from critically acclaimed designer Tim Schafer and Double Fine.
· Ms. Splosion Man(Twisted Pixel/Microsoft Studios): You got a problem? Yo, she’ll ‘splode it. At the Big Science afterparty celebrating the capture of Splosion Man, a spill of champagne shorts out the safety protocols on the splosionatrix and from it emerges Ms. Splosion Man! Ms. Splosion Man is not a sequel, but an evolution of the original Splosion Man. Coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade in 2011!
· Trenched (Double Fine/Microsoft Studios): Trenched is a hybrid tower defense and third person shooter game, set after World War I in an alternate reality, where the player controls units from “The Mobile Trench Brigade” to fight off robotic species called the Monovision. Players will control giant mecha-style robots with weapon and armor customization through a variety of missions set across the world. Coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade in 2011!
And that’s not all, check in tomorrow as Microsoft is doing a new arcade game reveal every day of E3.
Pull out your chewing gum and put your thinking caps on, because Telltale Games’ Puzzle Agent 2 is set for release on June 30. Sequel to the smash hit Puzzle Agent, Puzzle Agent 2 picks up with FBI Agent Nelson Tethers having “solved” the Scoggins Eraser Factory case. However, with factory foreman Isaac Davner missing and the “Hidden People” mystery largely unsolved, troubled Agent Tethers goes rogue and ventures back to the eerie town of Scoggins, Minnesota to solve the biggest case of his career.
Puzzle Agent is developed in collaboration with comic artist and animator Graham Annable which really adds a lot of character and charm to the game. PC Gamer gave it their “Puzzle Game of the Year” award and IGN listed it as their best iPhone game of E3 2010.
If you haven’t played the original Puzzle Agent that’s okay, because if you pre-order Puzzle Agent 2, not only will you get 10% off but Telltale will give you Puzzle Agent for free! Why? Because Telltale loves you, and you’re their favorite.
“The Puzzle Agent series illustrates what can happen when top indie development talent has an opportunity to shine in front of a big audience,” said Telltale CEO Dan Connors. “As the first game in our Pilot Program, Puzzle Agent validates our decision to create the program and set the stage for Puzzle Agent 2 as well as other amazing indie projects.”
I have to say, I love Telltale, they’re single handedly revitalising the graphic adventure genre while ushering in episodic gaming to the masses. Puzzle Agent is one of those games that really have a soul with it’s Fargo meets Twin Peaks mixed with aSaturday morning cartoon, which is really unique and refreshing to see. If you haven’t tried it yet, go ahead and pre-order Puzzle Agent 2 so you can your free copy. You wont regret it.
Telltale Games’ Puzzle Agent 2 will be available on June 30 for PC, Mac, iPad and iPhone.
All PC and Mac pre-orders receive 10% off and the original Puzzle Agent for FREE.
Original Puzzle Agent iPad and iPhone versions on sale now!
The iPhone version of Plants vs. Zombies has sprouted an update. Popcap Games are pleased to announce that their new update will feature additional content, mini-games and achievements. The update will include a brand new game mode title Zen Garden, as well as six mini-games: Zomiquarium, It’s Raining Seeds, Column Like You See, Slot Machine, Beghouled Twist and Portal Combat. To give you a bit more encouragement to get through these games, Popcap have also integrated a bunch of achievements for you to earn. Wall-Not Attack, which can be gained by completely ZomBotany without using wall-nuts, tall-nuts or pumpkins. Lucky Spin, by getting three diamonds in slot machine. Chilli Free, which can be attained after completely Column Like You See ‘Em without using jalapenos. Enlightened, which can be achieved after collecting Zen Garden, Mushroom Garden and Aquarium Garden plants. Green Fingers can be achieved after growing ten Zen Garden plants to full size. Lastly, you can achieve the title Sultan of Spin by upgrading all your plants in Beghouled Twist. Popcap have also announced that future updates will include Retina Display support, IZombie, Vasebreaker, and much more. You can get all this new content, as well as all original game content for only $3.99AU or $2.99US.
