Halo: Reach is now less than four weeks away. Bungie has released another ViDoc, entitled ‘A Spartan Will Rise’. The video shows off the members of the Noble team as they fight the covenant.
Halo: Reach is set to release on September 14th, 2010.
Enjoy the video.
It turns out people around the web are getting mad that the video doesn’t have a spoiler alert. It is the “Fall of Reach” for a reason, we all know how it is going to end.
Very exciting news for all Wii owners today as THQ have now announced the new uDraw Game Tablet for the Nintendo Wii. What is this new product? Take a look at THQ’s official announcement below for all the details.
The device is a small white handheld tablet with a 4″ x 6″ drawing space and detachable, pressure-sensitive stylus designed to offer more subtle control and precision than available on the traditional Wii Remote. The Wii Remote docks discretely within the uDraw GameTablet, allowing the device to draw power directly from the Wii Remote. A convenient storage area hides the Wii Remote wrist strap and stylus when not in use. The uDraw GameTablet also features tilt-and-roll movement options, allowing players to interact and control in-game characters by moving and directing them through game levels. Additionally, SD-card support enables players to save and print their artwork and other uDraw creations.
“The uDraw GameTablet is designed to target consumers of all ages this holiday season with a compelling price point and familiar drawing-inspired gameplay mechanic that has been enhanced for today’s tech-savvy families,” said THQ Chief Executive Officer Brian Farrell.
“We’ve designed the uDraw GameTablet to offer something for everyone: the kids can doodle, save their creations on an SD-Card and print their artwork for display on the refrigerator. Students can improve their skills through in-game tutorial lessons. And the whole family can sit down together for family game time with products like Pictionary,” added Executive Vice President, THQ Kids, Family, Casual Games and Global Online Services, Martin Good.
“We are impressed with THQ’s innovative design and focus on bringing a new gameplay experience to the Wii owner with their uDraw GameTablet,” said Steve Singer, vice-president of Licensing for Nintendo of America. “Nintendo is committed to providing fun and unique experiences and THQ’s uDraw GameTablet seems destined to continue that trend.”
Packaged with the uDraw GameTablet, uDraw Studio was designed as a showcase piece for the capabilities of the device and features a robust set of art creation modes and user-friendly tools that help players create anything from simple doodles to intricate masterpieces that can be saved and shared.
There will also be two separate games for the new device launching on the same day. One being Pictionary and the other being a the new “Dood’s Big Adventure” where players will navigate their customizable Dood through 60 levels across four gameplay modes in a world where coloring books come to life and user-created doodles, characters and background art populates the in-game world.
Fans of Mario Paint have been itching for a similar title to come to a next gen console and this new device could be it which in my opinion is wonderful. The uDraw GameTablet comes ready to play with the uDraw Studio game and is scheduled to be available Holiday 2010 in the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $69.99. Pictionary and Dood’s Big Adventure are planned to hit store shelves on the same day for a suggested retail price of $29.99 each. Check out the trailer below and for more information check out http://www.WorldofuDraw.com.
Tell us what you think of the new uDraw Game Tablet as well in the comments below.
Check out the video… Need I say more? Racing fans should have this game on their list.
F1 2010 uses the EGO Engine used in DiRT and GRID, and will be out in North America on September 22nd, 2010. Europe gets the game on on September 23rd, 2010 while the UK gets it on September 24th, 2010.
Enjoy the Video
While Brink has been pushed back into 2011 Bethesda and Splash Damage have already announced the pre-order items.
It is not known on what systems the bonuses are for, nor if they are even available for all versions, but the items themselves have been revealed.
Amazon pre-orders get you the ‘Psycho’ bundle, which gives extra customisation options and special gear use, including the Caesar Revolver, new silencers such as a soda can, a tortured soul tattoo and a fearsome Grin Face Mask.
Best Buy pre-orders gives you access to the Fallout pack, which includes bespoke goodies like SMG skins, custom tattoos and a bandana, which is all based upon Fallout.
Finally, GameStop pre-orders give you the Doom pack, which comes with a screaming soul T-shirt, SMG skins, a Hellspawn tattoo and a Doom bandana.
Being a Doom fan, I am definitely going for the Doom Pack from Gamestop. What pack is everyone else thinking of getting?
Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, revealed at QuakeCon 2010 that RAGE, the highly anticipated title from id Software, will be available on store shelves and online in North America on September 13, 2011 and in Europe, Australia and New Zealand on September 16, 2011. Developed by id Software – legendary creators of DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein – RAGE is slated for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows.
RAGE features intense first-person shooter action, breakneck vehicle combat, an expansive world to explore and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id’s revolutionary id Tech 5 technology. Set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, you emerge into a vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as bandit gangs, mutants, and more. From the pioneers of first-person shooter gameplay, RAGE promises an experience like no other.
While at E3 2010 RAGE manage to pick up an impressive collection awards, including the Gamer Critics Awards for Best Console Game, Best Action Game and a Special Commendation for Graphics. IGN awarded the game Best Game and Best First Person Shooter. Additionally, the game was awarded Best First-Person Shooter, Best New IP, Best Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 game as well as the Game of the Show of E3 2010 by GameTrailers.
“Gamers all over the world can now officially begin the countdown to the launch of RAGE,” said Todd Hollenshead, president of id Software. “At id, the development team continues their work to complete our newest franchise that will once again elevate the shooter genre.”
“RAGE will set the new standard for first-person shooters,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “The awards and buzz coming out of E3, and at QuakeCon, shows that we’ve got a huge hit in the works with this game and we are really looking forward to getting it into everyone’s hands.”
Check out “Follow My Journal” to get a start on the action at www.rage.com.
Developer: Her Interactive
Released: Out Now
Genre: Adventure
Price: $19.99 (Buy now!)
Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy is no less than the the twenty first installment of the popular point & click adventure game series from Her Interactive. For those unacquainted with the books, games or movies or TV series, Nancy is far from your average 16 year old. She is in fact a grade A super-sleuth, think Sherlock Holmes in a mini skirt, and this latest instalment tests her powers of deduction to the absolute limit.
In Warnings at Waverly Place Nancy goes undercover at a private and very exclusive all girl academy hoping to solve the Mystery of the Black Cat. Nancy must learn the identity of the insidious Black Cat as they have been sending increasingly threatening letters promising all sorts of nastiness. As the adventure begins all girls that are candidates for the valedictorian are under threat and one by one strange and underhanded things start to happen to them taking them out of the running. One is framed for allegedly plagiarizing course work whilst another somehow ingests nuts in the cafeteria despite everyone knowing that she is very allergic. On the surface that sounds pretty harmless, by modern videogame standards at least, but things suddenly turn very sinister when she goes into anaphylactic shock and almost dies. Apparently the ‘prize’ is worth the crime as the girl who becomes valedictorian will have the choice of going to the college of their choosing with a full scholarship. Acting as a fellow student Nancy must befriend each of the girls and gain their trust in order to uncover who is sending these letters and why before more misdeeds are carried out.
During the Game you get to know the girls by talking to them in turn and by later interacting with your cellphone. Throughout the game you will meet many interesting, if somewhat stereotypical, characters (goth and bullied nerd present and correct) each of whom has their own reasons why they want to be the valedictorian and anyone of them could therefore be the Black Cat. These girls form tight social circles and acting as Nancy the player must use their skills and guile to be accepted, gaining trust by performing tasks or errands to help them out. These tasks help move the story forward whilst keeping things interesting and interactive. Gossip is also very hot on campus and often times you will find that you are the brunt of such talk. Text message alerts from other students will keep you ahead of the game, let you know whose dishing on who and also act as a pointer as to what might need to be done to progress.
Nancy must follow the rules of Waverly Academy in order to remain undercover. First point of call is changing your name to Becca as it appears that young Nancy is quite well known, by name recognition at least. You also get given an area of responsibility with Nancy’s, um Becca’s being the school’s snack station where you are expected on duty at least once a day to avoid demerits. Too many demerits will see you expelled which basically means game over! Demerits can also be obtained by making too much noise or staying out past curfew so keep tabs on your time by looking at your cell phone. Alternately doing positive things like actually turning up for work and doing a good job or playing memory games on the library computer earn merit points.
As a self confessed fan of the point & click genre Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy doesn’t disappoint and its puzzles and challenges, from darts and building DNA molecule structures to photography and chasing squirrels are many and varied. The game contains more than enough puzzles and quests to keep would-be super sleuths and ardent adventure fans busy for hours.
Whilst I am new to this series and I can honestly say that this one game has made me a fan and I now look forward to trying out the other titles in the well stacked Nancy Drew back catalogue. It goes without saying that I will also be keeping a sharp lookout for future installments. Her Interactive have done a great job with this detailed and immersive title with an easy to use interface and brilliant voice acting helping to make the story even more appealing with perhaps the only only negative being that the locations can become a touch repetitive as you never really step outside the school grounds.
Overall Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy is a fine example of the point & click genre at it’s absolute best and I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game to it’s conclusion.
Highly recommended.
Fans of the popular Stronghold series now can celebrate as Stronghold 3 has now been announced! FireFly Studio’s much loved franchise will be having the newest installment published by SouthPeak Games. The Stronghold franchise has sold in excess of five million copies to date, generating over fifty million dollars in revenue.
Here is the official Announcement from SouthPeak:
“Stronghold 3 is an extremely impressive addition to our continually growing portfolio,” said Melanie Mroz, SouthPeak Games’ CEO. “We believe that Stronghold 3 will be an important growth driver for SouthPeak and that the Stronghold brand will benefit from our proven distribution, sales and marketing expertise. FireFly Studios are creating a true masterpiece, pushing the boundaries of what can be expected in this type of game. Millions of existing fans are sure to be excited by this incredible leap forward and new fans will be introduced to a game of superior quality and exceptionally broad appeal.”
Features are set to include:
Castle building has been the foundation of the franchise and has been significantly improved, providing players with unprecedented control over the placement of buildings. This allows them to create their kingdom with a precision that compliments their carefully planned tactics. What’s more, village planning is no longer confined to a grid system; players can now create castle walls that flow gracefully… until they’re blasted to pieces by the enemy.
Also new to the series are night sieges, which should open up a whole new door of strategy. Players will have to hunt enemy soldiers cloaked in darkness and carefully choose their weapons in order to survive the dark hours.
With a whole new graphics engine with amazing details on every environment and a newer, more refined physics engine, Stronghold 3 is looking quite promising for hardcore fans of the series and new players alike.
Stronghold 3 is set to release in the first quarter of 2011. For more information you can check out www.stronghold3.com.
THQ’s boss of core games, Danny Bilson has announced that the publisher is in talks with a major filmmaker regarding the production of a Saints Row movie. The film’s release will tie in with the third game in the series, which is currently in development. If all goes to plan they are set for simultaneous release.
With the upcoming Gamescom event this year in Cologne, Deep Silver has announced a special treat for all in attendance this year. Members of MAMM, Martial Arts Meets Media, who are responsible for choreography and motion capture in several scenes of Deep Silver’s new adventure game Lost Horizon, are going to perform on the Deep Silver stage on the Saturday of the fair.
Here is a bit of info from the the official press release:
Martial Arts Meets Media (MAMM), founded by David Török, consists of top-class, multiple award-winning Wushu athletes. Török himself, the current four-time German champion, created the intricate martial arts choreography for Lost Horizon. Twins Leyla and Necla, who took on the roles of the protagonists for Lost Horizon’s motion capture, will demonstrate some of their scenes to visitors live.
Perfect body control, spectacular combat techniques, top-notch acrobatics and a multitude of exotic weapons are going to leave the audience breathless. “In combination with the graceful movements and female elegance of Tai chi, Wushu is an athletic highlight that will capture everyone’s attention. We are proud to be able to show this fascinating sport through motion capture in Lost Horizon, and live on the Deep Silver stage at gamescom,” says MAMM manager Rainer Hoffmann.
Steffen Schamberger, Senior Producer at Deep Silver, says: “We are very happy that we were able to work with David and his team for the relevant scenes in Lost Horizon. With his professional support, we achieved an exciting, believable implementation of these sequences.“
Lost Horizon is the third title issued by Animation Arts, the developer of the award-winning Secret Files series. With its classic 1930s setting, fascinating locations such as Hong Kong, Tibet, Berlin, and Morocco, and the eventful search for one of humankind’s greatest secrets, Lost Horizon sure to bring in mystery fans back to their PCs for some solid storytelling and exploration.
A point and click title with graphics worthy of having top notch mo-cap actors sounds like a wonderful idea and I am excited to see how this will play out in Lost Horizon. On August 21 at 2 PM, the Wushu pros are going to show elements of Chinese martial arts at the publisher’s booth in hall 7.1, B041, as part of the Lost Horizon game presentation at this year’s Gamecom event. If you can’t make it to that, breathe easy as the game will be coming out to all on September 24, 2010.
Hello Everyone! I recently sat down with Hector Fernandez, Co-Founder of Streamline studios, who most recently brought us HoopWorld for the Nintendo WiiWare download service. Hector gave us a detailed breakdown on HoopWorld and the production that went on behind the scenes.
Enjoy the Interview!
Question 1. How did you first get your start in the industry and go on to co-found Streamline Studios?
My first “official” job in the industry was back in 2001, when I worked for EA University. It was during this time that my future partners at Streamline contacted me with a super cool demo reel. It literally blew me away, and I immediately became jealous. I thought to myself, “Here I am wasting away at EA, while these guys are making it happen!” I showed the demo reel to my boss at the time, who said, “These guys are 95% out of 100% awesome! We should hire them.” Within a few days I had given my two weeks notice and then in November I was on my way to join Streamline.
Question 2. What made you decide to release Hoopworld on the WiiWare download service?
WiiWare just seemed like the logical first choice for platforms given the audience and potential for a greater gameplay experience.
Question 3. When a player purchases Hoopworld, what can they expect? (Features and modes, Story, Gameplay, Multi-player)
I like to think of HoopWorld like a game-snack. A quick, pick-up and play experience that has 3 different game play modes; quick match, survival, and tournament mode. However, I feel that the real spirit of HoopWorld is found when playing against a friend – head to head. There’s something super enjoyable about talking trash while laying in a last minute 3 (or) using the shadow ball to take their points!
Question 4. What is the inspiration behind the graffiti painted and city setting of Hoopworld?
City setting? I think you mean jungle, right? 😉 For the logo, we were looking for a young, fresh, urban, energetic, and organic feel. Our designer Laura A. came up with it, and we just loved it!
Question 5. What is Basketbrawl and how does it play out in this title?
Basketbrawling is essentially kung-fu mixed with basketball. For anyone who has played basketball on a trampoline, in the pool (or) against someone you can’t stand; you’ve probably basketbrawled at some point.
Question 6. Power-ups look to be a lot of fun for the game. How will they play into the action?
We have 8 power-ups that effect the gameplay in various ways. They randomly pop-up in a mystery box that players run over, and can be activated by the player at any time. Power-ups are a lot of fun in HoopWorld and can truly change the dynamics of a match. For example, “The Bomb”, instantly knocks all of your opponents out with a massive explosion, while others protect you or give your team a boost. Most power-ups generally last for a maximum of 10-15 seconds. My personal favorites are the Golden Ball and the Shadow Ball, with the Golden Ball you score 5 points from anywhere on the court, while the Shadow Ball drains – 5 points from your opponents score. This is intense fun in the final seconds of a match!
Question 7. How much time and development went into making Hoopworld? Could you explain the process?
The Wiiware version took about 12 months. We had a co-development process with our partners at Virtual Toys that was very collaborative and unique in the sense that the coders were in Spain and we were in Amsterdam. We traded builds, talked over the phone and skyped, and met on a regular basis to discuss the game.
Question 8. There are many different characters and they each have a back story and personality. Could you explain what went into character development?
There is a HUGE back story for this, but the abridged version is that we started with only 7 character on the Xbox 360, and it always felt incomplete. As we entered the Wiiware development, we decided that we should simply create themed teams and more characters, rather than randomly mixing individual characters together. The themes came from the original character designs and snowballed into the teams and courts we have now. We wanted each of the characters to stand on their own, so we created an individual personality for the characters and a world for them to live in.
It all seems logical in retrospect, but when you’re in the thick of development, it’s easy to loose sight of how the small choices can have a great impact.
Question 9. What can we expect to see in the future from Streamline Studios?
More games, entertainment, and fun! I feel like we’re only getting started!
Question 10. Finally, what is your favorite part of developing games and being a part of Streamline?
Proving that tenacity, character, and dedication towards a dream can make it a reality.
Capsule Computers would like to thank Hector and the dedicated staff over at Streamline Studios for taking time to answer our questions about HoopWorld. We will be sure to bring all of our readers updates on all games from Streamline in the future. If you have not played HoopWorld yet, pick it up as soon as you can as it is a fun arcade-style basketball game with some great features. Check out our review on it as well.
Also let us know of what you thought in the comments below. Your feedback may even be read by a member of Streamline Studios and I am sure they would love to hear what our readers think of HoopWorld.
