Capcom in Japan has announced that they will be holding off on the release of Shuma-Gorath and Jill Valentine character DLC for Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. This DLC was originally set for release on March 15th, tomorrow, but has been pushed back to an unknown release schedule for the time being. The reason for the delay was not stated but it can be placed upon the disaster that occurred in Japan last week.
Now these characters were set for international release on the same day but it is currently unknown if this delay will spread beyond Japan and cause the characters to be released later everywhere, or if it they will be available tomorrow for everywhere outside of Japan. The two characters were to be bought individually for either 400 MSP or $5 depending on your console of choice.
Both Sega and Sony have announced delays to their major game releases of Yakuza: Of the End and Motorstorm: Apocalypse. These two titles have had their release dates set to “To be Announced” after the company has said that various circumstances have caused a delay to the game release. Both of these titles were meant to be released in Japan on March 17th but, although neither company said it aloud, after the recent events in Japan the publishers may have thought it best to delay these two titles.
Motorstorm: Apocalypse features players racing through a wasteland after earthquakes had devastated the land and Yakuza: Of the End features a zombie outbreak in a fictional city in Japan but is based on Tokyo which can be credited to their delay. Most noticeable however is the fact that Irem has canceled Disaster Report 4 entirely. Though they apologized to their fans the game will not be seeing a release, or at least not for quite some time due to the main disaster that happens at the beginning of the game which is a Japanese city being torn apart by an earthquake as the main character arrives there.
In other news Andriasang also reports that Sony is closing down their PlayStation repair and info center due to the fact that it is located in the Miyagi Prefecture and is one of the hardest hit areas of the earthquake and tsunami. Though Yakuza: Of the End and Disaster Report 4 were only recently given set release days in Japan they had not been planned for a international release at the point of the delays/cancellations but MotorStorm: Apocalypse which has been set for international release may also be delayed overseas because of this.
So Dragon Age 2 is finally out and is being met with mixed reviews. The most common argument around is that it isn’t as good as Origins but it isn’t terrible. Fair enough. Worse things could certainly be said, so you would imagine that Bioware could take the criticism with dignity. Unfortunately, Bioware has proven itself unable to act like a professional company.
Bioware has been caught red handed writing a misleading review for Dragon Age 2 on Metacritic. The review has since been pulled once they were found out, though the introduction blerb was saved in the cache. How did they get found out exactly? Read on.
A user on Reddit (popular global forum), GatoFiasco, was reading the top user review and noticed something about it that didn’t quite fit. It sounded almost patronizing, calling the game flawless and stating that any negative reaction to the game is merely a conflict of personal preference. So GatoFiasco decided to check out the user who posted this review, Avanost (who has since deleted their Metacritic profile) and discovered that their only review was the Dragon Age 2 review. Interesting. GatoFiasco then googled the name, Avanost, and found their profile on Plurk, revealing a name, Chris Hoban. Taking this search with a grain of salt, he realized this could just be another person on the internet with the username of Avanost and so he wasn’t expecting anything to come of it. However, a simple google search of Chris Hoban reveals that he is, in fact, an applications engineer at Bioware.
As I have pointed out, Bioware has since removed the review and Chris’s profile from Metacritic at an effort of damage control. So what does this all mean? Obviously the company wants their game to sell well, regardless of its actual value since the employees of Bioware need to put food on the table. Nobody is going to say the product that they are selling is bad. That’s not even what we are saying, Dragon Age 2 isn’t bad, but it isn’t the immaculate gift from God that this review made it out to be. This show of deceit, however, puts Bioware in a tainted light, the same kind of light that Eidos has been known to revel in with the firing of Jeff Gertsmann, a former reviewer for Gamespot who refused to give Kane and Lynch a favorable review against the wishes of Eidos. It is unknown if Bioware is the host of any other tom foolery similar to this. In all honesty, I wouldn’t doubt it. With this cute, little stunt many fans have lost their trust in Bioware and I’m a little inclined to side with them. Deception such as this cannot be tolerated. Bioware, I hope this is the only time this has happened and that this employee is punished appropriately.
Let this be a lesson to you, do some research before you buy a game and don’t base your opinion off of one review.
Edit: Zomg! Reddit found this article! Check out the story at its source.
EA Mobile has released a new free update for Dead Space coinciding with the release of iPad 2. If you thought Dead Space for the iPad was good just wait till you play it on iPad 2. The new update, created specifically to utilise iPad 2’s new and improved hardware performance capability, which now improves the game’s overall graphics, visual and performance speed. The update also improves Dead Space by adding look sensitivity and Y-axis inversion thanks to iPad 2’s improved built-in accelerometer. “Dead Space showcases the power of the iPad 2 bringing the psychological thrill of this award-winning game to players in new ways,” said Travis Boatman, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile. “The faster core and graphics capabilities of the iPad 2 open up possibilities to reach new levels of quality in EA’s games never before seen in a portable device like this”.
Dead Space will be available for iPad 2 when the device launches worldwide on March 25, but if you’re lucky enough to already own an iPad 2 (I’m looking at you America) you can download the new Dead Space update right now. For more information on Dead Space check out review here
Here at Capsule Computers, we wouldn’t be allowed to tell you about games unless we played them ourselves, which is why we’ve decided to start up a weekly post telling our readers what our editors are playing. Feel free to tell us what games you are playing this week too!
Editor-in-chief: MasterAbbott
Been playing Double Dragon on the iPhone for the past week. Wrote the review (here is the link), been speaking to the developers of the game on Facebook and Twitter and they are really cool; they always take the time to reply to questions. Will also have some interview questions lined up hopefully this week – just waiting on them being sent back so I can post them up. Double Dragon is a remake of the original and with a truckload of extra’s thrown in along with some challenging achievements that will keep you busy for hours. This is probably one of the best remakes ever made for the franchise. I hope it makes its way over to the consoles (XBOX and PSN) One thing lacking which I hope will be resolved in an update is online multiplay via wireless/internet instead of bluetooth. If you have an iPhone and love the 2D beat ‘em ups this is a game you MUST own! Do you have what it takes to take down the Black Warriors and rescue your beloved Marian? Then step up to the plate pick up the baseball bat and come out swinging!
Senior Editor: Travis Bruno
This week I’ve been playing a few games that I haven’t touched in a while. Managed to complete another chapter of Deadly Premonition despite the fact that it’s quite terrible despite a surprisingly well done story. The fact that they make your character actually need to eat and sleep in the middle of the very awkwardly handled situations is interesting, and also who the world is Zach? Besides that I’ve been playing some Pokemon White on the side to gather all of the different Pokemon that I missed and enjoying the end game content. Other than that, spending some time here and there on Black Ops multiplayer that is mostly what I have been focusing my time on; I could go on and on about the other games but it would be very long. In summary: Hyperdimension Neptunia, YS I & II, Bulletstorm, Record of Agarest War and some Phantom Brave. Been tearing my way through Dragon Age 2 as well. Did they possibly beta test the game at all considering the amount of graphical issues it has? Honestly.
Senior Editor: Dylan Radcliffe
Bought Bulletstorm when it went on sale on Amazon for $40. I was surprised when the Epic Edition came in, rather than the normal edition that I actually ordered. The bonuses aren’t that amazing, and I would’ve been fine without them; never even going to touch the Gears of War 3 Beta. Bulletstorm is one of those games that loses its charm as you crank up the difficulty; it is fun tossing people around for the enjoyment of simply toying with them, but when the difficulty is increased and killing people is no longer easy, it just becomes tedious. On the other hand, I am an Achievement Hunter and there are difficulty based achievements; no point in running through twice. I have to admit though, killing people in different ways so you can get more points and in turn get cool weapons and upgrades is a brilliant gameplay mechanic!
Senior Editor: Dustin Spencer
Been working on many different things, with the most prominent being Pokemon Black. It seems no matter how old I get, the series always has the power to suck me back in for each generation. I also put in quite a bit of time with Torchlight for the XBLA. Never knew how addictive that game was but I am glad I finally got into it (now I can look forward to the pending sequel). I worked a little bit on Dragon Age 2, but as nice as the new combat system was, I found myself stuck in an invisible wall within minutes of the first battle. I have also been working on a few other things, getting caught up on my backlog anyway with titles like Hotel Dusk and Dragon Quest V (which I am determined to complete). Right now I am mainly looking forward to the 3DS but Monster Tale has my full attention as far as future releases go. It reminds me heavily of Shantae even though it is not quite of the same genre, which has got me very hopeful as a new platformer is always a good thing to see.
Senior Editor: Matt Vella
This week I caught up on a lot of games, got around to finally renting out Dead Rising 2, it’s now number one on my ‘to buy list’. I also finally downloaded the ‘First Strike’ DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops, loving the zombie map, and also got the new DLC for Assassins Creed: Brother Hood, and it’s just as awesome! I also got Apache: Air Assault for Xbox 360 and Guerilla Bob for Mac to review, Apache is pretty average but Guerilla Bob is really fun! I’ve had a great week in gaming! 🙂
Senior Editor: Jed Bradshaw
I’ve finally got around to actually playing Snoopy Flying Ace after purchasing it for 1/2 off quite a while ago.
It’s like MW2. With planes. And Snoopy. Plus, it is diabolically difficult. So far though, I have been digging the online multiplayer, mostly because I can’t get past the first level of the campaign. It is still really fun. I have also played Full House Poker for review (link here.) Finally, I sprinkled in some Geometry Wars, Pacman Championship DX and War for Cybertron.
Editor: Kelly Teng
Being a loyal Pokemon fan since the original TV series, what else could I possibly be playing? Pokemon Black (because let’s face it, Reshiram is so much cooler than Zekrom) is the title that’s eating up the battery on my DS. With the Pokemon franchise slowly becoming the same old game repackaged in a new colour, I admit I was worried…but as soon as I switched it on, all my worries disappeared. It pretty much takes everything I loved from every Pokemon game and upgraded it – which was, I’ll admit, long overdue. I wonder if the guys at Nintendo are running out of steam though, because the starting Pokemon are possibly the worst I have ever come across. Choosing between a blue beaver, an orange pig, or some sort of lizard really doesn’t make me a happy trainer. Overall, it’s everything we loved about Pokemon but the new additions are certainly a welcome.
Editor: Jared Hilliers
I’ve delved into the MMO world yet again, this time with Rift. These games have a tendency to eat all your time, dragging you away everything else in your life, they’re like an overly demanding relationship. The only other game I’ve had time with is Pokemon Black, which is obviously awesome and doesn’t need any reassurances. Rift on the other hand is in its honeymoon period, we won’t know for a few months whether or not it’s a keeper. It’s fun and promising, chasing Rift’s reminds me of Twister when they’re chasing hurricanes, but I don’t think Rift is exactly what everyone is expecting it to be: The next MMOMFG.
Editor: Kellie Wallace
Ive been playing through a few games these last few months. Since finishing Dead Space 2 twice (in a row, I have no life) I waited with bated breath for Bulletstorm. I LOVED it, playing it through once and starting again straight away! Now I play my favourite bits. I can’t enough of Grayson Hunt!
Today I slotted in Modern Warfare 1 after nearly a year of not playing it. I forgot how awesome it is. Now I am waiting for Homefront to be released so I can enjoy it and play it.
Editor: Chris Cerami
Let’s see, where to start? I recently finished Persona 4 after playing it on and off since its release in 2008 (I get distracted easily) so now I’m starting Persona 3 FES, which I’m really excited about. The story seems awesome and I love the art style. On my PSP I’ve also been playing YS I&II, I started Okamiden on my DS, and FINALLY finished Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht, now moving on to Episode II. On top of that, today I played a bit of Scott Pilgrim with a few friends and played an hour or so of 3D Dot Game Heroes.
Killer Instinct by all means is a classic title in video game history. For anyone who have forgotten, or isn’t aware, it was an arcade fighting game released in 1994, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo and Midway, and was the first arcade fighter to ever use an internal hard disk drive, allowing it to hold massive amounts of data and handle detailed graphics. It was known for having a unique auto-combo system where players could preform up to 80+ hits, the introduction of combo breakers, and rather than having best of 3 rounds, players were given double-energy bars to fight to the death. On top of this, it had a dark theme too it, similar to Mortal Kombat in regards to violent finishing moves known as ‘No Mercies’, similar to MK’s fatalities, as well as dishing out ridiculous amounts of awesome blood. The game also had a much loved soundtrack, which spawned it’s own cd called ‘Killer Cuts‘, which was available with every copy of the game’s Super Nintendo port. The Super Nintendo version was also well known for having the notorious black cartridge, as opposed to the common grey one. The game was also later ported to Game Boy, with obvious downgrades. Killer Instinct’s popularity led to a sequel, Killer Instinct 2 1996, which was ported to the Nintendo 64 as Killer Instinct Gold. Many rumours since have been spread about the possible Killer Instinct 3, which has unfortunately never seen the light of day. However, for a game with that doesn’t exist, it sure does have a lot of history to it! Let’s take a look at the history of Killer Instinct 3 over the past15 years and see what fans and gamers are still dreaming about…
RARE GAMES GRABBED BY THE GHOULIES, CONKER, & BANJOE KAZOOIE TEASE KI3
In 2003 Rare released a game called Grabbed by the Ghoulies, and in 2005 they released a game called Conker: Live & Reloaded on the Xbox. Both games teased KI3, hinting that it could possibly be in the works. These small, tiny insignificant cameos spawned many, crazy rumours, and got many fans excited. To hype up Killer Instinct 3 even more, Rare’s beloved Banjoe Kazooie even joined in on the fun of teasing about a third KI.
Conker reads a magazine with the KI logo, Grabbed By The Ghoulies features KI on an xbox cartridge.
Watch Conker playing Killer Instinct on a gameboy while playing Sabrewulf’s theme song here.
Banjoe Kazooie even decides to hint about Killer Instinct 3!
2007: Rare Releases Christmas Card Teasing KI3
Almost ten years after Killer Instinct Gold, after much begging from fans for a Killer Instinct 3, Rare began to tease and hint about Killer Instinct 3, in small ways to tease fans, beginning with a Christmas card in 2007 featuring Banjo Kazooie. As you can see in card below, you can clearly see a christmas stocking saying ‘KI3’. Fighting fans every where went crazy, and the internet exploded. A simple search in google is clear evidence of this, as it flooded almost every game-releated forum you could think about at the time. But fans would get their hopes up many, many more times.
2008: FANS GET HOPES UP OVER A ‘KILLER CLASSIC’
A few months later in February 2008, fans again got their hopes up. A magazine called Xbox World 360 included a few small words in a section of their magazine talking about subjects that would be mentioned in the following month. The sentence was simply: “”….and a KILLER secret game” and went on to say “Let’s just say, it’s a biggie, a reinvention of a CLASSIC” Many assumed Killer Instinct 3, because of the use of the words ‘killer’ and ‘classic’. But this was not the case, fans again would have to wait and hope for the next instalment.
2008: SUPPOSED ‘LEAKED’ KILLER INSTINCT 3 MUSIC SHEET
Many rumours surrounded the title, including that there was even a secret team working on Killer Instinct 3. Then in September 2008, this music sheet was apparently leaked to fan site mundorare.com, and once again fans were excited. Many even went so far to try and create the music hinted on the sheet, the most popular of which has been re uploaded to youtube countless times, and it can be heard here.
2010: SUPPOSED ‘LEAKED’ E3 LINE UP
Later in 2010, this image hit the internet, claiming to be a leaked copy of the 2010 E3 line up. Many of these games never saw the light of day, but some did. In fact multiple games actually were revealed for the 2010 E3 conference, such as Killzone 3 and Dead Space 2. Many games are actually being made or have been made, such as Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 3, amoung others. Of coarse though, titles like Battletoads, Call of Duty: MMO and Killer Instinct 3 remain our many gamers ‘we wish it existed’ lists!
2011: EX MIDWAY-MAN SAYS ‘LOVE IT IF WE COULD REBOOT KILLER INSTINCT!’
Now last week on Twitter, while answering questions on the latest Mortal Kombat title, Ed Boon of NeatherRelm Studios mentioned he’d love to reboot the Killer Instinct franchise if he could. For all those unaware, NeatherRelm is the rebranding of Midway, who published the original Killer Instinct alongside Nintendo. Of coarse this means next to nothing, but it does show at least people are still interested in the franchise, and most likely some fans are gonna get excited over something little like this, but they shouldn’t, its still not coming any time soon!
This tweet was in response to not so serious tweet about a Mortal Kombat Vs Killer Instinct game, but of coarse the internet has already thought of that cross over!
2010: WORDS FROM 3 DUDES AT RARE
So everything so far has been just spectulation, but what does Rare have to say about any of this? A LOT of talks f KI3 occurred in 2010 last year, bringing many hopes up!
The most promising words have came from creative director of Microsoft Game Studios Ken Lobb, the man behind the ‘Ultra Combo‘ in an interview in 2010, at X10. In the interview, Lobb said “I love KI! We wanna make KI, we’re not working on it today…..someday we’ll bring back KI!”
Lobb spoke more of KI3, revealing some interesting information as well. “Actually after KI2, we started KI3 so there was some early work done on it,” he said, “Someday, maybe. I think in some ways – again, we don’t have any plans – but if we were going to do a KI3, we’d probably start with KI1 on XBLA, you know to a.) see if everyone is still interested in the IP, but also as a reminder of what it was like….Street Fighter is a great example of that, right?” he went on to say, “They obviously did Street Fighter 4 last year very successfully, but right before it, Street Fighter HD. It sold very well. I’ve always been a huge fighting game fan so I never really “got out” of Street Fighter, but when Street Fighter HD came out, I played the crap out of it. I was excited to get Street Fighter 4. I think the same thing could work.”
But he’s not the only one from Rare to talk of a third Killer Instinct with Kinect features. Senior Software Engineer from Rare, Nick Burton mentioned KI3 in an interview in 2010 to the official Xbox magazine. When asked about KI, he said “Maybe Killer Instinct Kinect.” And when it was asked if it would work, he stated “You’d have to play our boxing game and decide if you think it would.” Also, the head of Rare itself, Scott Henson, spoke of reviving Rare’s classic retro games for the XBLA. “You can look at what we’re doing with Xbox Live Arcade and you can see how we’ve taken those classics and refreshed them and brought them to the service. We’ll continue to look at those kinds of opportunities.” He also acknowledged KI, showing Rare hasn’t forgoten about the franchise, stating”I know Killer Instinct is very high in the fan list and one we need to continue to keep our eye on.“
NO SERIOUSLY, WILL KILLER INSTINCT 3 EVER COME?
Rare no doubt does not forget Killer Instinct, they’re probably just unsure if it’d sell as good as they’d hope since it’s been so long since Killer Instinct 2.However, gathering from all the information we have, it’s pretty safe to assume that:
Rare hasn’t forgot about Killer Instinct, and it may return one day.
Most likely Killer Instinct will one day receive a HD remake for XBLA, and if sales are good, they may consider a KI3.
If KI3 does come, it MIGHT include kinect features.
When more news on the topic arrives, this article will be updated, so keep an eye on this! In the meantime if you noticed any mistakes, or have any new information on Killer Instinct 3, you can send an email to me at [email protected] or just leave a comment below! Furthermore, if your a Killer Instinct fan and would like to see a third instalment, let us know by putting a comment down below as well! C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!!!
A new release from EA, Liqua Pop, is now out on the app store for both iPhone and iPod touch. EA’s latest is a match-3 puzzler that utilises liquid simulation features to make a pretty slick looking game with some impressive graphics. The goal here is to help Toadie the Frog get to the top of the leaf, but in order to do this you need to pop matching colour droplets by dragging them together to clear the way.
Some cool little features of the game include the ability to release bugs that help both you and Toadie complete your goal. There are seven different types of bugs, some of which can leave behind menacing obstacles. Liqua Pop also has Facebook integration, so when you manage to get a great score you can connect online and boast to all your friends. Overall the game looks like an interesting reaction-based puzzle game, and I look forward to investing some time playing the game.
Fresh new update in the fight to get Mortal Kombat unbanned in Australia! The appeal Warner Brothers submitted to the Australian Classification Ratings Board for banning their up coming fighter Mortal Kombat in Australia, has unfortunately been unsuccessful, and is still refused classification. “We’re obviously extremely disappointed that the Refused Classification decision has been upheld by the Classification Review Board,” Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment Australia stated today. “We want to thank the thousands of Mortal Kombat fans in Australia and around the world who have voiced their support during the appeal process.” Australia’s neighbouring country New Zealand however recently gave it an R18+ rating for “Hyper Violence” so a shred of hopestill remains in the future we can see an R18+ rating down under!
But don’t give up hope! Many are still fighting for both this game and the future of video games by trying to convince the classification board that Australian games should be aloud to be eligible for an R18+ rating! No matter what country your from, you to can fight for the cause! Even if it’s just as simple as signing the Capsule Computers petition to include an R18+ rating for Australia here! You can also read about it here!
Game Name:Torchlight Platform(s): Xbox Live Arcade Publisher(s):Microsoft Developer(s): Runic Games Genre(s): Action RPG Release Date: March 9, 2011 Price: 1200 MS Points ($14.99 USD) DOWNLOAD NOW!
Two years after a highly successful PC release, Runic Games have now brought the much loved Torchlight to the Xbox Live Arcade. If you have never heard of Torchlight before, it is an action rpg in which the player must constantly battle monsters and explore dungeons while completing quests and making upgrades to their character’s stats. This version of Torchlight is relatively the same as the PC release, except with some minor visual upgrades and new in-game content as well as a brand new control interface for the Xbox 360. Here is my review for Torchlight for the Xbox Live Arcade.
Story
This title’s plot puts the player in a fantasy world and in a town by the name of…you guessed it, Torchlight. Torchlight is built right above mines that are rich in Ember, a source of powerful magic in which the whole plot revolves around. Shortly into the game, you learn that this power is starting to corrupt monsters in the below mines, so your character must set out and take down evil that lurks in the dungeons while tackling a plethora of side-quests for inhabitants of the town.
The main plot isn’t very deep and quite simple, but for this title that isn’t a problem as everything in the game is simplified and quests mainly serve as a small purpose to go explore the depths of the various dungeons. The story is mainly told through the other characters you run into as well as a narrator that sets the scene for whichever upcoming area you may be approaching. This method of story-telling works well as there are no interruptions from actually playing the game. I had no problem though feeling involved enough to want to talk to every character and explore every crevice of each cave or dungeon, so progression just comes naturally while the easy to follow plot unfolds on your journey.
Gameplay
As soon as you start up Torchlight, you are given a choice on picking one of three character classes which determine not only the way your character plays, but also their appearance. The characters include the Destroyer, who is basically your standard warrior, the Alchemist, who specializes in magic, and the Vanquisher who is best for ranged weapons and traps. After you choose your character and pet, the player is then introduced to the town of Torchlight in which you will start gaining quests to complete.
Each dungeon beneath the town hosts a ton of monsters and enemies to slay, but what adds the extra incentive to defeat each foe you come across is the heavy amount of looting within the game. A good portion of the monsters in Torchlight drop items. Some of these are as simple as a potion while others might drop a rare piece of equipment which may be very useful in combat or simply worth its weight in gold. Every time you loot an enemy, the items are then instantly filed in your organized inventory, where you can then either equip or use the said item or hand it over to your trusty pet for a quick sale (we will touch up more on pets in a moment). This constantly rotating looting system is handled well by the the easy to use menus which make sorting all your spoils a breeze. Enemies are not the only ones with loot though as there are plenty of breakable barrels, chests, and plot-specific points which hold various treasures that make exploration all the more rewarding as you progress.
The biggest problem with PC to console ports is usually the control system in one form or another. Thankfully, this is not a problem whatsoever for Torchlight as the new control scheme was perfectly streamlined for the Xbox 360 controller. Attacking each enemy is as simple as mashing down on the X button, while other skills your character learns upon leveling up can all be mapped to either of the triggers or the remaining face buttons on the controller as well as the D-Pad later on. Not only is this method ridiculously easy to use, it also feels comfortable and lets you concentrate more on swarms of enemies rather than fighting to remember where each command is located on the controller.
My favorite part of Torchlight period though was my trusty pet. The Xbox Live version hosts 3 different pets, those being a dog, a cat, and the exclusive Chakawary, which resembles a small dragon. Your pet plays a much larger role than just being a companion on your many quests, as each pet will be right at your side fighting with you and even can learn spells as you progress. As odd as it sounds, fish also play a huge role with pets, letting them transform into different beasts for a short period upon consumption, playing a huge card into your favor upon tougher battles later on in the game. The most useful feature of a pet though is the ability to send them off to shops to sell your loot. Many times in the game you run out of room in your inventory due to the heavy looting so the ability to have your pet take care of this task for you keeps the rotating door of inventory and gold flowing so you can battle on uninterrupted.
Each character has their own skill tree which can open up new abilities and techniques as you level up. Stats are also given upon leveling and are a must for being able to equip stronger weaponry and armor alike. Whether it be staffs, scepters, swords, or any kind of form of offense (or defense for that matter), there is plenty to choose from, making it even more rewarding to loot as there is plenty of useful equipment to be found in just about every dungeon. A small crafting system also comes into play, letting you enhance your arsenal with enchantment or by adding ember to a weapon or piece of armor to boost stats as well, and while just a small touch, it just is another reason why Torchlight delivers when it comes to creating in-depth experience all around with every element of gameplay tying together to create some well oiled gameplay mechanics.
Sadly, there isn’t any multiplayer in Torchlight. There is however the option to gift friends items and online leaderboards, which is sure to add a little more interactivity and competitiveness in players, but looking at the game as a whole, it becomes clear how a co-op mode could have made Torchlight a serious contender against titles like Borderlands, Fable, and even Fallout.
Graphics/Audio
Torchlight has a very unique and quirky art-style which combines the somewhat cartoon-ish 3D characters with the vividly detailed backdrops. The good news is that this works and is visually appealing. There are times where there can be an endless array of enemies all dishing out fully animated attacks at once and yet again, this graphical set-up stood strong and never had any problems with hiccups or framerate issues. The isometric camera view also fits in perfectly, with the ability to zoom in or out at anytime.
Musically, Torchlight has quite a soundtrack, playing a vast array of tunes as you move from floor to floor, with intensity of the music rising upon boss fights. These tracks are not the most memorable, but they do add in some nice atmosphere into the game itself. The voice acting is also well done, though most of the praise for audio must be given to the sound effects of the game, as little things such as a swift whack of a staff or the zap of electricity make performing attacks and spells much more exciting.
Overall
Torchlight is the game to get if you are new or even well familiar with any titles from the genre. The simple yet interesting main plot, complex looting and battle mechanics, and even the nearly perfected new control scheme all tie together to form a strong engine that puts the actual gameplay at the forefront of the experience. This title also has the best use of pets in an RPG I have seen to date, putting our animal friends we have seen in other “A-List” RPGs to shame. It isn’t too often when you see an RPG that can be labeled as addictive, but there is just something about Torchlight that makes you keep wanting to keep going back for more.
It has always been a fantasy of mine to pilot a UFO. And now, with the upcoming release of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, I will finally be able to fulfill this dream.
Check out a 10 minute video that was shown at PAX East. You can see the how the game will work and what the enemies look like. Featuring a variety of weapons, and environments, this game is hopefully an XBLA hit in the making. Even a boss battle is shown. As far as we can tell, this sure looks like one silky smooth game.
What do you think? Better than actually seeing aliens with your own eyes? At least we know it will be better than being probed.
