EL33TONLINE: News archive for February, 2010
Darksiders was for me one of those titles that seemed to have flown under the radar, but kicked the year off to a flying start. It was so refreshing to not have to live through the hype cycle and be on constant spoiler alert. It was brilliant to be completely surprised by this epic game that came from nowhere and now all I can hope to do is encourage as many gamers as possible to get their hands on it, and look forward to the sequel of course!
Darksiders sees players stepping into the role of War, the first Horseman of the Apocalypse. This formidable foe is deceived into prematurely bringing about the end of the world. Thereafter, War stands accused of inciting a war between Heaven and Hell and is stripped of his powers but decides to return to Earth, which is now under the grips of demonic forces, to punish those responsible. However, the journey he faces across the decimated Earth is not easy as he is hunted by a band of vengeful angels as well as terrifying creatures from Hell, some of whom he must forge uneasy alliances with in order to continue his quest.
Continue reading El33tonline’s review of Darksiders.
Aliens VS Predator is the latest game from franchise veterans Rebellion that allows gamers, as well as fans of the Alien and Predator universes (not mutually exclusive), to jump into the skins of the Marine (weak but endowed with heavy weaponry), the Alien (quick and terrifying) and the Predator (powerful and technologically savvy), as each faction meets one another in dark corridors, open jungles, Alien infested hallways and ancient temples in a battle for survival, using their specific strengths to ensure they don’t meet their end in a gory, explosive death.
As you run through these environments, it’s clear Rebellion has learned a thing or two, as far as presentation and spectacle is concerned, since the developer’s own Aliens VS Predator on the PC in 1999, and has moved with the times providing a game of undeniable visual quality and tense atmosphere, complete with classic sound effects (think Pulse Rifle fire and Alien squeals) to pull you straight into the experience, making a very good first impression that goes a long way to keeping you engaged.
As with all videogame first impressions, they may last, but if the underlying experience is too negatively intrusive, they fade fast which allows you to start focussing on this under par campaign structure and that poorly executed gameplay mechanic, which is exactly the case with Aliens VS Predator. As a singleplayer game, as detailed as the visuals may be, it feels half-finished and (to some degree) rushed, with sparkles of interest glittering here and there.
As a multiplayer game, however, the vision of Aliens VS Predator starts to shine through, and despite some flaws and connectivity issues, it’s the saving grace of the total package, becoming more than half of the reason you would consider picking the game up in the first place.
Continue reading El33tonline’s review of Aliens VS Predator.
A little over a year ago I conducted a series of interviews with a diverse, influential and talented group of developers both from and based in South Africa, which resulted in an article for industry trade site Gamasutra entitled ‘The South African Game Development Scene: Past Present and Future,’ which attempted to look at the history of game development in the country and surmise how an industry may rise and move forward here.
A lot of the interview material was unfortunately left out of the article for reasons of conciseness, and I say unfortunately because almost every response I was given was a gold mine of information and history that could potentially not only benefit aspiring South African game developers, and game developers in other developing nations looking to make a living in this industry, but also inform gaming enthusiasts around the world as to the complexity, and joy, of making videogames under difficult circumstances.
So after lying dormant on my hard drive for a year, I’ve decided to spruce up the interviews, which are just as relevant now as they were then, and start posting them here on El33tonline in a six-part series, continuing today with part three, and an interview with Danny Day (read part one and part two at your leisure).
Danny Day (known as ‘dislekcia’ in the online development community) is the founder and leader of South African game development community Game.Dev and owner of indie game developer QCF Design (which stands for Quarter Circle Forward), and has been creating and developing games in different forms for most of his life, finding his first great success with the innovative and stylised multiplayer shooter, Monochrome.
Ater working at a variety of contract jobs and studying during his teens to early twenties, Day founded Game.Dev and had a brief stint as a network programmer at South African developer, I-Imagine, working on Final Armada.
While doing much to encourage the local game development community and advocate its growth, Day founded QCF Design with the intention to focus on the development of original, smaller-in-scope independent games on a variety of platforms, as well as work on contract advergames, and continues to grow the Game.Dev community with regular development competitions (such as the recent Competition 24 dealing with the theme of ‘Coherence’) and meet-ups (a good example being the community’s gathering at rAge 2009).
Day has been extremely busy since I corresponded with him regarding the interview, so where I can, I’ve included more recent information (that he was kind enough to send my way) after each relevant question to bring you up-to-date.
Let’s begin the interview:
Continue reading The Lost South African Game Developer Interviews Part 3: Danny Day.
The big news of the week for the Japanese hardware chart is that the PS3 beat the Wii, sales boosted by the debut of the PS3 version of Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition at number 1 with 143 000 copies and Heavy Rain at number 6 with 27 000 copies.
The PS3 sold 32 130 units for the week ending the 21st of February, up from last week’s 24 811, while the Wii sold 31 652 units, plummeting down from last week’s 37 501.
The latest data from Media Create has revealed that Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition for the PS3 has debuted at number 1 on the software chart with 143 000 copies.
God Eater drops one place to number 2 with 64 000 copies while New Super Mario Bros. Wii hangs on to number 3 with 44 000 copies. Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie moves down two spots to fourth with 41 000 copies and Friend Collection sticks it out at number 5 with 31 000 copies.
Beeeep beep… Beeeep beep… Beeeep beep…
“What’s that? Could it be?! Are Aliens coming down the corridor?! No? A Predator?! Aliens and a Predator?!”
Beeeep-beep-beeeep-beep-beeeep-beep…
“Aaaaaaaargh!” (… gurgle)
That recreated series of events can only mean one thing: Aliens VS Predator has finally come into closer proximity and reached South African shores, releasing across the country today on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
El33tonline’s review of Aliens VS Predator will also ‘release’ very soon, so keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you (kind of like in the game) to see what we think of the first-person horror shooter.
[Update] You can now go and read our review of Aliens VS Predator [End of Update]
Earlier in the month Eidos revealed that a demo for Just Cause 2 was in the pipeline, but further details on platforms, pricing and release dates were kept under wraps. Today we received confirmation from Square Enix that the “incredible, action-packed” demo for Just Cause 2 will arrive on Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network and Steam on the 4th of March.
According to the publisher, the demo will feature “a massive 35 square miles of the Lautan Lama Desert, a vast expanse of stunning, sun-scorched scenery taking up just one of the many islands in the 400 square miles of the Panau archipelago. Packed with towns, villages, military installations, mountain ranges, missions and more, the demo will feature an astonishing amount of activities for the player… and opportunities for adrenaline-fuelled chaos are limitless.”
Nintendo fans, it’s time to get super excited, as new details regarding Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M spill out from Nintendo representatives Nate Williams and Nate Bihldorf… was there a ‘two for one special’ on ‘Nates’ or something, Nintendo?
Regardless, the two Nintendo employees speak about all the new features that players of both Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M will be able to get their hands on when the games release later this year, with some new glimpses at gameplay footage spliced in-between all of the exciting talk.
Watch below and get excited!
February has been another bumper month as far as new game releases go. Once again we’ve been spoilt for choice with Bioshock 2, MAG and MX vs ATV Reflex coming out this month. This week also saw the release of Heavy Rain while Aliens vs Predator and White Knight Chronicles hit shelves across South Africa today.
So more than likely you’re feeling the pinch this month, and with other great titles on the horizon in March (including God of War III, Metro 2033, Final Fantasy XIII and Battlefield: Bad Company 2) that pinch will more than likely continue. But don’t despair because there are a number of great specials round and about that could save your weekend. Here’s a round-up of what El33tonline has spotted, please feel free to share any other specials you may have stumbled across with us as well.
If you’re into real-time strategy games on an incredibly massive scale, then Supreme Commander 2 is definitely the game for you, and if you’ve been itching to get your hands on this title you’re now able to scratch that itch (at least a little) with the release of a PC demo for the game through Steam.
The demo for Supreme Commander 2 will give you access to two levels from the tutorial of the game, as well as two missions from the United Earth Federation (UEF) faction, which forms one part of the Colonial Defense Coalition:
Metro 2033, a new and upcoming horror-filled first-person shooter, ‘came out of nowhere’ (or ‘lumbered out of the darkness’) last year to surprise everyone with its apparent quality and unique approach to the genre – kind of a cross between STALKER and Fallout 3, but leaning more heavily towards the former than the latter if you want to make comparison.
Now the release of Metro 2033 is almost upon us and we’re being hit with a barrage of media to ensure that the Hype ‘O Meter is spinning at a nice even tilt, and after watching the latest ‘Kill or Be Killed’ trailer below, which features glimpses at new locations and ghastly enemies, anticipation should be at an all time high, for sure.
Watch below:
SEGA and developers Obsidian Entertainment have released a new set of screenshots to showcase Alpha Protocol, the pair’s upcoming RPG set in the world of thrilling espionage action, complete with underhanded government tactics, secret agent operatives and the threat of impending nuclear war.
I wonder if Hideo Kojima has been visiting the Obsidian offices lately?
Anyway, if you’ll be good enough to cast your gaze in a downward direction, you’ll be able to sneak some peeks at Alpha Protocol (which was recently dated) with six of the latest screenshots from the game. Start casting:
Yakuza 3 features an extremely detailed and open world for you to explore, recreating the sights and sounds of Okinawa and Tokyo in impressive splendour, with all kinds of activities to keep you busy once you start poking around.
For a quick trip around the world, and some glimpses at the kinds of things you’ll be getting up to in Yakuza 3 when it releases on March 9th in the US and March 12 in the UK, head on down below to watch the newly released ‘Locations’ trailer:
SNK Playmore has announced the publisher’s intention to enter the fighting game arena once more, and release another entry to the King of Fighters franchise with The King of Fighters XIII.
EA and DICE have announced that two new multiplayer maps for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be unlocked on the 2nd of March in the US (launch day) and on the 5th of March in the UK.
The map pack features the Laguna Alta map, playable in Conquest mode, and the Nelson Bay map, playable in Rush mode, and brings the total number of multiplayer maps to 10. You can get excited about the new maps in the Day One Map Pack DLC trailer below and enjoy a new multiplayer trailer just after that.
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