Yes the exclamation mark is necessary because their won’t be any proper action on this website until tuesday night. Where are we going? I’m glad you asked, we are embarking on a ferry trip to Spain via the Pride of Bilboa below.
God Speed, good buddy!
So remember readers there won’t be any news, features, reviews or the like until Tuesday 19/05. Have fun everyone, lets hope Konami doesn’t announce Metal Gear Solid 4 for the 360 or anything while I’m away.
In a rather unprecedented move Bioware has released a pre-e3 video on Mass Effect 2. What seems so strange about this is why nobody has done this before because the video below does an excellent job of building the excitement for the big June reveal. We have covered this before on Gaming Goodness but we are all over any development regarding ME and by the looks of it ME2 looks even better. Although the better looking, darker in tone sequel is perhaps over done at this point, you can trust Bioware and Corey Andruko to absolutely deliver.
Its not every day we actually have some first hand, exclusive news to report on Gaming Goodness but the kind folks at Crystal Core have granted us an interview with intrepid co-founder Tyler Trevell. We would like to thank Mr Trevell for his time and his interesting insights into what its like working in an independent self funded company in times of recession, studio ethics, future title Degeneration Theory, and more.
Gaming Goodness: What problems have you had to overcome in order to set up this development studio?
Tyler Trevell: Starting up without any initial funding or support was a huge problem. With the help of Scott Miles (Co-Founder), I formed the company, decided on a route that the team would eventually take and started looking for other people to join the team. From previous experience, I knew that the hardest developers to find are Character Artists, so i sent off a couple of emails to people who might consider joining the project. We picked up our character artists within 3 days of searching, who also brought along a concept artists. The four of us started coming up with a game concept. While I continued to find additional artists, a musician, and a programmer (Which we’re still looking for!)We are now a team of eight, with a few positions still open (programming, animation, etc.) Work on Degeneration Theory has began, we will be starting the pre-production of the title this month.
GG: Are their any other mods/games/projects which the team has worked on previously?
TT: Not together, however I can say that I’ve helped out on a fair few projects in the online community. As far as the others go, similar experience or university placements are a common occurrence amongst the team.
GG: Any key studio values you would like gamers to be aware of?
TT: We love games. We want to make them, for other people to play. We believe strongly in being a part of the developers community, and will continue to interact with our consumers and fan base.
GG: What is the main premise behind Degeneration Theory?
TT: While we’re keeping quiet for now, all i can say is that you will be expected to survive in conditions that effect the whole of mankind.
GG: What platforms can we expect to see Degeneration Theory on?
TT: While we’re developing an internal prototype for the Windows PC at the moment. We are expecting to release on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. There has been no discussion with outside parties about exclusivity to a particular platform (yet!)
GG: What genre would you place Degeneration Theory?
TT: This is something that the team has lost sleep over a lot. Where does our game fit in with the rest in the market. While it is definitely in first person, I guess the best way to place it into a genre, is to say that it includes many different genre’s all at once.
GG: When can we all expect to see more of Degeneration Theory?
TT: You can expect to begin to hear and see more about Degeneration Theory over the next few months. If your interested in our developments, a discussion board will be made available this weekend.
GG: What game/s are you playing at the moment?
TT: At the moment? Just myself? I’m playing Killzone 2, World at War, and Fallout 3.
Here at Gaming Goodness we don’t always concentrate on the big studios, sometimes its good to dial it down a notch and concentrate on the grass roots studios. Which brings us to today’s modest yet exciting announcement regarding a new independent development team which is based in the UK, named Crystal Core.
A small development team at its core (pun) this small studio is respectfully self funded and at this time is concentrating all of its efforts in its first project named Degeneration Theory which is pictured below. Details regarding this project haven’t been made public as of yet but the concept art below alludes to an interesting, dark and apocolyptic premise. We’ll keep an eager eye on these fellows over the coming months to see how this ambitious project is shaping up, if you would like more infomation be sure to visit their website here.
Looks rather intriguing doesn’t it, playing as a protaganist that seems to be causing the woe in cataclysmic New York. Radical Entertainment first came to the gaming worlds attention on the release of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. For a title that should have all intents and purposes been absolute tosh, it was actually very good and has left a lasting impression on the good gaming landscape. Enough at least to wonder what their next title will aspire to, and its looking great.
Perhaps the easiest way to convince an eager fan base of their excitement for a franchise is to produce a pre-rendered cutscene, full of the action they want from an open world title. But regardless of that the themes the trailer alludes to are really exciting and makes even the least interested watcher wonder what its all about. Is it the future? Why are innocent people being killed? What has happened to good old NY? What are the motivations of the main protaginist? Does he want to survive or just punish those who have wronged him? What the hell is actually going on?
Take my girlfriend for example, she had never heard of the game before but it has already made a lasting impression, just after a two and a half minute trailer. Good job Activision, but lets try and drum up a little more anticipation before the June 12th release.
Okay so as pre-release deals go, this one seems to be a little shady. Sony have acquired timed exclusivity for the Pal release of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, an Atari published game. What this effectively means is that the Sony platforms will expect the game to be released on the original release date of 19/06 but on the 360, DS, PC it will be out later in the year.
Obviously this kind of agreement between Atari and Sony doesn’t come for free, and is benificial for both companys staggering the release date so that is spikes nicely for a sales quarter boost. This agreement co-insides nicely with the BluRay release of Ghostbusters worldwide on the 19/06. But is the extra money really worth risking the wrath of all 360 gamers in Europe? Especially when the rest of the world will be enjoying the next chapter in the Ghostbusters universe on whatever platform they wish, while us lucky, lucky people get to eat a nice piece of Synergy pie. Thanks Sony!
Slimer, Slimer - how could you?
As a fully fledged Englishman I know nothing of what Americans call football. With enough protection to offend a Catholic priest and game time which can only be described at delayed there isn’t much which attracts about real life American Football. But something overtook me when I purchased the original Blitz: The League for 360, it was mostly due to the price, when I became immediately intrigued to try and understand arcade football.
What I was met with was immediately a blast with action packed violence which erupted into the screen demanding attention and admiration. This title was crass, unadulterated fun and I loved it. Perhaps it has nothing to do with the resemblance to the sport, more the attention Midway have bestowed on the violence, rivalry’s and injuries which players can’t help falling in love with. You’ve just ruptured that players spline, here are some power-up icons to destroy more players livelihoods.
Tough on the outside, goo-ey in the middle.
Today, after months of playing, I have finally finished the damn thing and it was a frustrating mess at times but was incredibly rewarding when the following happened. It was the final quarter, my team was down by a six points – worth one touchdown and their was only seconds left on the clock with my team in possession of the ball about forty yards from the touchdown mark. Following a Herculan throw from my quarterback to a wide reciever, we managed to gain a touchdown as the clock whittled down to zero seconds left of the game. Only one play remained to make up the necessary deficit, make a field goal to tie the game, or throw a conversion to gain two points thus winning the game. But going for the latter would be tough and risky, if a conversion wasn’t made the game would be lost, and kicking a field goal is pratically a given at this point.
So does a team go for a win, or settle for a draw and over time? The Kalamazoo Krazies went for a conversion and made it with the last play of the game, beating the final game of Blitz’ story campaign. Now that drama written down for the masses sounds contrived, predictable and very hollywood. But the fact it came from a game with little to no storyline and was entirely birthed from the action on the field, much like the sport it is trying to emulate. Its gaming like that which has made us all fall in love with this past time in the first place.
The new Bionic Commando has some large arm grapples to fill, not only did the majority of the SNES players love the original but Bionic Commando: Rearmed was one of the best examples of an XBLA update. So it was with a little bit of sceptism that I approached the demo, how would a game which always suited a 2D plain make the transition in 3D. Well I’m happy to report that all is well with Swedish Grin’s take on the classic swinger.
Gameplay is fast, visuals are vibrant and this titles interpretation of swing mechanics is the most fun since Spider-man 2. You swing with the right trigger and let go as you grapple onto to another piece of the scenary, its all about keeping the momentum whilst making your way quickly to the target. As a result the good players are incredibly hard to hit while those struggling with the grapple become easy fodder. Scoring is also subtly different from your average multi-player bolt-on as the points you score change depending on how you dispatched your victim for example if you snipe them while they are in the air you gain a x2 multiplyer, or if you kill multiple targets in quick sucession.
The demo only offers 1 game map and it is very small, a good showcase for the swing mechanic and fast paced combat. Hopefully the retail release has some bigger maps because it can feel constricting at times. The map is small but it serves the purpose of bunching the small 8 player base together, which makes for some excellent battles between multiple individuals. Fights also look extremely cinematic when players fully utilise the grapple and swing scenery. As opposed to Lost Planet when players could only grapple onto certain materials, in Bionic Commando you can grapple onto anything including weapons and players, so it rewards players who know what they are doing with their left arm.
The demo also showcases a short trailer for the story mode which, at this stage, looks drastically better than the multi-player mode. Cut-scenes, theatrical score, and some impressive set pieces give the impression that this title is shaping up rather nicely for its June release date. Demo’s are supposed to convert nay-sayers into pre-orders and this one completely did a number on me. If you have even the faintest interest in Bionic Commando, this relatively small download will provide a good few hours of entertainment and will make you decide if this re-imagining is for you.
In true gaming goodness fashion and in response to reader requests, here is another top 10 list for what we all want in the next Fallout. Somewhat of a sequel to the successful Ten things Dead Rising 2 needs to have feature, lets see how succesful this one will be.
Bethesda have confirmed that even though Vegas won’t be a direct sequel to number 3 it will follow the exact same RPG/shooter action and will be developed by the talented people at Obsidian. A little word about Obsidian, they have become to go to guys for Dev companies which wish to flesh out their existing franchises yet don’t want to be involved in all that developing hub-up, its the gaming equivalent of getting someone else to do your work, yet you get to take all the credit. Its a formula Obsidian know extremely well after their work with sequels for both Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
A word of warning though, this list may include spoilers ranging from the subtle to the downright irresponsible so if you are still fumbling your war through Fallout 3’s campaign, you might want to give today’s feature a miss.
1. What happened to the rest of the world?: Amazing as post apocolyptia is, it would be entertaining to see how the West Coast faired against the onslaught of Nuclear annihilation. Perhaps gamers will also get to learn what happened to the rest of the world, were we all embroiled in Nuclear War a la 1939 or has the world simply forgotten America due to the Nuclear War? Throughout the 40 hour Fallout 3 campaign these questions kept swirling through my head so hopefully some answers will be provided.
2. Blood Sports: Vegas is the centre of the world when it comes to exhibition sports, none more so than blood sports. Boxing, UFC, Kick boxing, you name it Vegas can showcase it. So it makes sense to have a great death match arena to fill the gap which was surprisingly absent in Fallout 3. Competitive combat is central to all RPGs and Bethesda’s previous game had the best of them all, Arena. This was where you could bet on either red or blue team and also participate in 1vs1 or free for all and win cold hard cash. In a world full of death and violence perhaps there is no better way to cool off than to watch two participants squeeze the life out of one another.
3. Comedy: Some of the most memorable activities in the wasteland were when you were dealing with deeply troubled survivors and their inability to deal with their depressing reality. But as tragic this was it was also incredibly funny, for example taking part in the super hero war between Ant-agonizer and the Mechanist, visiting the Republic of Dave and tolerating the lovely little devils of Lamplight. But no matter how great these side quests were there wasn’t anywhere near enough of them, especially when compared with Oblivion. In a world where the majority of the population has been nuked to near non-existence, a little light comedic relief can go a long way.
4. Choice: There was one story which became synonymous with Fallout 3, the choice to nuke the settlement of Megaton or not. It was a great addition to the game which forced the player to make tough choices on whether they wanted to see some irradiated fireworks or save almost one hundred NPC’s. It sounds an easy choice to make on paper but in the game even usually sadistic players went for the more karma friendly option. Choices which genuinely impact gameplay are something most RPG’s allude but rarely deliver, Fallout 3 constantly delivered throughout the whole story and with Obsidian’s history, they will undoubtedly build on this dynamic.
5. Gambling, Gangsters,Vice and Death Sports: If we all know anything about Vegas its the following; gambling is plentiful, gangsters love money and vice is plentiful. These attributes are key a to Vegas experience albeit in the future or in a wasteland and what better way to combine all these things than death sports arena style. Its incredible to think how central blood sports are to pretty much all RPG’s and Bethesda’s previous game had the best of them all Arena. This was where you could best on either red or blue and also participate in the sports yourself. In a world full of death and violence there is no better way to cool off than to watch two participants squeeze the life out of one another.
6. A dog that everyone can find: I don’t know about you but I have completed Fallout 3 twice now and still haven’t found the illusive ‘Dogmeat’. Obviously this kind of quest is what makes the ‘Bethesda’ technique so intriguing, one players experience will always be different to another and the fact that quests can sometimes seem to happen randomly is actually pretty impressive. But it can punish some players or prevent them from progressing if critical NPC’s wonder off or disappear from an area which you can usually find them. The dog quest is a great example of this and hopefully Obsidian will be a little kinder.
7. Enemies other than Super Mutants: The Super Mutant storyline in Fallout 3 was fantastic, and without spoiling to much they were much more than simply a product of their environment. But after killing a few hundred of these people catching mofo’s it would be great to be met with another set of enemies other than mutated or normal man. Perhaps a giant poker chip or maybe something special happens when the EMA strain mixes with a particular set of STD’s? Just a horrific idea which shows why I should never be in charge of a R&D initiative.
8. Vehicles: As Vegas is mostly desert once you get outside of the main city it would be nice to be able to be able to travel the post apocolyptic wasteland in style, a Harley perhaps or even a nice futuristic car. They wasn’t a shortage of cars being able to explode around you in last years game, surely there is a mechanic around to fix these dormant motors? Of course who needs fast travel when you can zoom around the map instantaneously with the insta-map, but there isn’t any style in that.
9. More Radio Stations: I’m not talking GTA here, it would just be a bit more varied if there more than just two jabbering disc jockeys in the post apocalypse. Lets mix it up with a female DJ as long as we can keep the atmospheric circa 1950’s soundtrack, and maybe even a Straydog sound-alike, c’mon you know you liked him.
10. A city less devastated: Washington is important, the world headquarters of gambling not so much. As the nuclear was a result of a Chinese invasion of American soil its a likely assertion that Vegas wouldn’t sit very highly on the list of’ ‘Places we must invade.’ Washington was completely toast in Fallout 3 and that’s fair game it is the nations capital and the centre of the nations military but perhaps Vegas has fair-ed slightly better in the post apocalypse than its esteemed cousin.
It's an easy choice.
Sony seems to have problems quelling the constant speculation that they are going to replace the fledgling PSP3000 and Slim/lite with a brand new model which will be a drastic rethinking of their existing hardware, namely the PSP2. But why in the world would Sony do this, in times when the economy is as unstable as in a post war society and when they have also commited to a plethora of new titles heading to their hardcore handheld why on earth would anyone think they are going to announce a new system? Well apparently all it takes is for 1up.com to post a sleek mock up of the new games handheld and the rather odd name of ‘PSP Go’ for the media to explode into a pre-announcement frenzy.
Any test of a rumours true strength is whether it keeps coming back and this one keeps resurfacing, constantly. The biggest issue with this is how risky this bet on new hardware would be. With gamers having less disposable income then perhaps they ever have done in the modern era, is it really wise to put all your eggs in the new hardware basket. People won’t be able to afford your hot new consumer item, and for ever unit you sell you will make a considerable loss, especially if the quality of the mock ups are anything to go by.
But all of us must remember that the mock up is actually by 1UP and they only resemble the details 1uP has heard from various sources close to the design and production on this new model. It would be exciting to see what Sony has up its sleeve but the stability of the Sony’s gaming arm, I really hope that all this speculation is just a rumour. If its not it would be gamings biggest gamble since the emergence of the Dreamcast, and we know how that turned out.
N.B: My review of Valkyria Chronicles has just been put up on Citizengame.co.uk. Definitely worth a read, if you appreciate a some what biased opinion.
Gaming Goodness 