Check Out 'The Hunted', a Dual Stick Multiplayer Shooter Posted: 08 Oct 2014 11:41 AM PDT I've always enjoyed games that do interesting things with your field of view. People gave Doom III a lot of crap, but only being able to see what your flashlight showed you added a weird layer of suspense to the game. Well, in a vaguely similar vein, F5 Games' upcoming dual stick shooter The Hunted throws you into multiplayer battles where vision is everything. Check out the gameplay video:
It's a cool idea, as in these top down games it's typically impossible to ever hide, as everyone can just see everything. In The Hunted, hiding around corners or behind pillars should totally work. Regardless, it's a tool twist on a type of game that's been done to death on the App Store, which is always a welcome change. |
Apple Dispatches Invitations for October 16th Event Posted: 08 Oct 2014 10:03 AM PDT Just as the rumor mill predicted, Apple sent out event invitations this morning for their October 16th event. It'll be held at the Town Hall auditorium at the Apple HQ at 10:00 AM Pacific on October 16th. The tag line of the invitation is "It's been way too long."
Chances are this will be a pretty predictable Apple event, starting out with Tim Cook bragging about how many iPhones they've sold then moving on to talking about the release date of OSX Yosemite, then unveiling a bunch of new hardware. The internet suspects this will include new iMacs (with retina displays?), potentially a new Mac Mini, and of course new iPads. The new iPads, like every other new iPad unveiling, will very likely be thinner, faster, get slightly better battery life, have marginally better screens, and hopefully will include Touch ID. There could be some other surprises too, but we'll have to wait until next Thursday to find out. |
'Adventure Xpress' Review - Delivering An Enjoyable Match-3 Experience Posted: 08 Oct 2014 09:08 AM PDT Adult Swim has a done a great job with its iOS titles and now, with the help of developer PikPok, they are taking on the Match-3 genre. Adventure Xpress [Free] continues the excellent off-beat motif of most Adult Swim titles with you taking the role of a mail courier in a fantasy setting. Meanwhile the Match-3 gameplay is a bit simplified, but has everything needed to offer an enjoyable experience (even with the freemium elements). When it comes to gameplay, Xpress focuses less on introducing new concepts and more on streamlining Match-3 gameplay to a point where it's easily accessible even with some Action-RPG elements. Entering a locale on the game's map pits players against 2-4 monsters. Taking down a baddie typically rewards a bag that contains randomized loot. Defeat all the enemies to open up the loot bags and earn experience. Advancing across the map is fairly straightforward, although Xpress does offer a few optional, more difficult battles that reward premium currency.
From a freemium standpoint I found Adventure Xpress to be pretty fair without any significant causes for concern. The free-to-play elements are restricted to two facets of gameplay: a timer-based system for replenishing potions (which are used to recover health and restart battles) and a freemium currency that's used to unlock weapons, armor and spells earlier. Eventually, the difficulty does ramp up and you may find yourself using a few potions and having to make a decision to wait, but it's relatively easy to replay previous maps to grind for experience and gold which lets you upgrade your equipment. Some players may balk at the necessity for grinding, but the actual Match-3 gameplay in Adventure Xpress is very well done. Battles never feel drawn out, and there's great balance between strategically matching tiles and potentially hitting big combos. The spells feel a bit tacked on, but there's some strategy involved with building up spell levels vice launching them ASAP. Also, even though they basically amount to bigger stat numbers, upgrading weapons and armor feel meaningful, and later upgrades offer some interesting choices as far as stat priority.
The only disappointment I really encountered is the lack of enemy variety. Each area really only has a handful of unique enemies that are interspersed with generic bandits that appear across all areas. In addition, other than stat increases, there's little in terms of special moves or traits for enemies. Also the story in Xpress, which is told mainly through the letters you carry to the various locations, isn't much to write home about. The above disappointments will probably be primarily reserved for those looking for a deep Match-3 adventure. While I don't think Adventure Xpress has enough depth to satisfy that demand, it's still a pretty fun Match-3. The light RPG elements add just enough motivation to come back, while the large map and loads of battles (as well as increasing challenge and the occasional need to grind) make for plenty of content. Most importantly, the gameplay does a great job of balancing between approachability and challenge which is even more impressive consider its freemium nature. There's little reason not to at least try Adventure Xpress and if you're wary of freemium to begin with, this one is certainly worth checking out. |
Posted: 08 Oct 2014 06:42 AM PDT You can tell we're steaming ahead into Q4 when Wednesdays are filled with big name games you were actually looking forward to, versus just a couple games you recognize. Almost all of these games were on our radar on some level before their release threads started showing up in our forums, and it's hard to say which I'm most excited for. Regardless, the pre-Christmas rush, or whatever you want to call this time of year… It's the best.
Here's the games with threads on our forums right now. It's always possible that surprises might pop up along the way, so stay tuned for our full roundup at 11:00 PM Eastern:
Soft Launches |
'Banner Saga' Review - Story Driven Awesomeness Posted: 07 Oct 2014 02:24 PM PDT Stoic's June announcement is finally upon us. Banner Saga[$9.99] is now available on and designed for iPhone and iPad. This is one of those games that might just change preconceived notions about what mobile gaming is and isn't. The scope of this project should not be underestimated. Very rarely do we find an adventure with this much substance and depth even on one of those 'real' gaming platforms, but here we are. Unrestricted by cables or keyboards, Nothing is lost in translation from award winning PC title to this amazing iOS gem. It's not easy to lay out an epic tale of sorrow and loss without feeling slow or plodding, but Banner Saga does it. Even after multiple play throughs, you will still find yourself facing new challenges that make you second guess each decision. Each step along the path feels like you could be on the brink of tragedy. The pragmatic and somber mood of the game hangs heavy like a sodden wet canvas threatening to snuff out any hope you might have of overcoming the odds. Composer Austin Wintory's soundtrack and the stark Norse inspired backdrop are key in generating and perpetuating this mood.
The story sweeps you into the world following two simultaneous plot lines. This is not a new plot device, but still remains to be a solid story telling staple used by the greats like Dickens and the kind of greats like George RR Martin. Your role in determining story development hinges on conversations you hold with party members and various individuals you come across in your adventures. You are also forced to react to emergencies and formulate ad hoc combat strategies. The difficulty of choosing the correct chat option sometimes borders on the impossible, but other times is pretty simple to figure out. I'm not convinced that it is the perfect system, but the variety functions much better than the typical black and white choices most 'story driven' games wholly consist of. Some of the most harrowing decisions occur when a party member is directly threatened and you might end up losing them from your party. More often than not you can save them, but usually you end up sacrificing something else in order to do so. The last platform you would expect a game like this to do well on would be mobile, but this game has mobile at the core of it's design. Menus, buttons, and the entire interface function fantastically. I even saw some comments in our forum thread that not much has changed from the PC version, which I would consider a huge compliment towards a universally solid interface design. The game is beautiful and the cold barren world is somehow still dynamic and full of life. Banner Saga begs to be played on mobile, but not because you would want to play it in short spurts while on your commute. No, I imagine the ideal place to play Banner Saga is curled up in bed with some hot chocolate. I found myself abandoning chairs in favor of couches or beds as I played more and more. It might just be me, but much like a Lord of the Rings movie viewing, the best place to experience Banner Saga is one you wont mind spending a few hours at a time and reclined as much as possible. I found that the game even uses less battery power than I am used to and was able to play for pretty long stretches at a time. Everything about the game seems like an invitation to pull away from distractions and let your teeth sink in away from anyone and anything else.
What surprises me the most is just how involved I feel in the game. I'm not too proud to admit that I was a bit wrapped up in the story line. I may or may not have even had a few viking inspired dreams over the last few days. Having only played The Banner Saga: Factions on pc, I was able to start with a relatively clean slate when I fired it up on my iPad. Maybe the storyline won't do anything for you, but I found the game capable of delivering a compelling narrative that doesn't allow much to get in the way of telling a story. You might notice that I keep coming back to the story. Without it, Banner Saga would be a prettied up side note and not a blockbuster AAA title. I enjoy the tactical gameplay but it's just unique enough to avoid being called derivative. I don't think Stoic tried to reinvent the wheel with the finished product's gameplay. A good way to describe why this doesn't matter much to me is to compare it to Star Wars. A New Hope and Return of the Jedi didn't have the super flashy extended light saber fight scenes that Episodes 1-3 had, but EP 1-3 had very little story build up and I was more interested in the drama that existed in the original fight scenes and they had much more dramatic tension. In general you won't see stuff that rivals the complexity or magnitude of Final Fantasy Tactics[$13.99] or Disgaea or XCOM[$9.99] in the gameplay, but if you are tuned into the story, combat will carry more than sufficient drama.
The unique gameplay bits, while pretty minor, are still fun and promote strategic planning. Each hero and enemy in a battle has armor and hp pools that can be directly attacked. Armor reduces damage taken and HP increases damage dealt. Dealing HP damage is usually preferable unless armor is high enough to reduce damage down to a nominal amount. Each hero and enemy has a special skill that requires energy expenditure. Energy can also be spent on increasing damage or move distance. The combat system boils down to a basic resource and risk management exercise. Like I mentioned before, I enjoy the combat but its because of the drama. The combat system itself is a little watered down compared to other tactical turn based systems but shines out as being capable of doing it's job without distracting from the storyline. I'm not the guy that gets hyped up for story based games. I am actually the antithesis to that guy. This is that game that will change your mind on story driven games. As soon as you get caught up in the story, Banner Saga will give you a ride well worth the price of admission. |
Players can unlock up to five spells (but can only use three in any battle) that are recharged by matching its elemental tiles, but the spells themselves are pretty basic and limited to elemental damage plus one special effect (healing, stunning, etc.). Character upgrades are limited to purchasing and equipping weapons and armor, and new upgrades are available every couple of levels (experience is earned by winning battles).
No comments:
Post a Comment