Gamesugar

September 23, 2010

Demo Report – Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
On the chance you’re not familiar with Ninja Theory, the recently revealed developer for Capcom’s freshening of Devil May Cry, most of the sound bites and two-second headlines attached to the team involve an emphasis on story. Since it has been awhile since Heavenly Sword, the burden of expectation and elaboration those words create is on their upcoming title Enslaved, which currently has a demo available for PS3 owners, and hits retail shelves for the PS3 and 360 in two weeks.

The push is that Enslaved has an epic story to tell, which probably means to tap our expectations of the scale and drama. All I can say is that the last epic I remember reading also had the word Odyssey in the title, and for some reason remains rather respected to this day, but my eagerness to read it again is on par with my willingness to sit and watch a game rather than play it – which is nil by the way.

Traditionally when developers emphasize story, we are left watching rather than playing, in an environment that creates two separate experiences, failing to take advantage of the medium – expertly demonstrated by Metroid: Other M recently. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a good story, rather that my enjoyment of one doesn’t blind me to there being a very bad sort of old-school out there.

My interest in Enslaved is short and sweet in trying to discover which side of this it comes down on. After giving the demo a try, I’m earnestly still not certain.

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August 19, 2010

Trailer Park – Catherine

Filed under: News Feed — Tags: , , — Jamie Love @ 12:23 pm

Catherine
After a title reveal, scans, and screenshots, a trailer has descended for Atlus’ not-another-Persona game Catherine – though it really comes across as a mature evolution on where Persona 2 was at back in the day.

On the upside, you don’t need to speak Japanese to see that this is the most interesting project Atlus Japan has conjured in quite a long while – whether that helps explain the port-mania is open to debate.

Catch the trailer after the break, poor little lamb.

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August 17, 2010

Mass Effect 2 Heading to PS3 in 2011

Filed under: News Feed — Tags: , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 4:24 pm


Today came the announcement from Bioware and EA that Mass Effect 2 will be heading to PS3s come 2011–while the original game will remain an Xbox exclusive. Microsoft was quick to assert that the only way to experience the “full” Mass Effect universe remains safely on their console, carefully ignoring the quickly forgotten Mass Effect Galaxy for the iPhone.

While this is tremendous news for Playstation 3 owners, current fans of the series can be forgiven for groaning collectively with the knowledge that bullshit exclusive content wars for ME2 and the inevitable sequel are almost certainly imminent.

July 21, 2010

Demon’s Souls Gets Life Extension

Filed under: News Feed — Tags: , , , — Jamie Love @ 5:16 pm

Demon's Souls
One of the more interesting emails I received today was a press release announcing Atlus’ continuing support for Demon’s Souls with news that they would extend North American online support through to at least March 2011. A big part of the reason I find this interesting is because I had no idea there was any concern about the game losing that support anytime soon – such thoughts simply never occurred to me.

So it’s good news for veterans and newcomers alike that Atlus will be keeping the lights on, with the world tendency system even shifting to pure white for a couple of weeks in celebration. That’s great news and all, at least until March.

However, considering that the game won’t even be a year old in North America until October 6, I’m not sure I like the state of affairs when we hand out cookies for things we used to take for granted. I’m not trying to be a downer here, I know everything is disposable and the next big game is the priority, the new economy and all that jazz – I’m just saying it feels odd.

Anyway, you tell me, how long should a game based around creating online communities on a major console be supported?

July 12, 2010

Review – Transformers: War for Cybertron


My familiarity with High Moon Studios is only through my unpleasant collision with the demo for their previous effort, The Bourne Conspiracy. With that product failing to resonate with me in any way despite my almost physical yearning for a Bourne game (later satisfied by Splinter Cell: Conviction), the discovery that these were the minds behind War for Cybertron was somewhat ominous.

It was encouraging to hear them speak on that game; it filled me with confidence and finally made the reality of the product that much more bitter. If you’ve followed the material released for War for Cybertron, then you may have experienced a similar swell of confidence: they speak as fans, and as you fire up the disc (or immaterial Steam delivery, as the case may be) there is no doubt as to their honesty. To my infinite relief, this release has been calibrated with great care for the Transformers follower, much in the way Arkham Asylum was a love letter to Batman adherents. While War for Cybertron does not quite reach the heights of the latter effort, it represents the game Transfans have long deserved.

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June 26, 2010

Review – Alpha Protocol

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 9:04 am


With Alpha Protocol, Obsidian Entertainment has opted to take a break from their usual routine of producing sequels to established high-profile franchises in the hopes of establishing a lucrative IP all their own. Despite drawing quick comparisons to Bioware’s Mass Effect, Alpha Protocol is clearly it’s own game, though this is as often to its detriment as it is to its credit.

You control Michael Thorton, agent of the eponymous Alpha Protocol, who quickly becomes embroiled in an international mystery that’s equal parts deep and deeply confusing. You’ll be required to employ stealth and brute force to complete your missions, while, more uniquely, using your wit to navigate the conspiracy in which you’re entwined. The game offers a number of intriguing innovations designed to immerse players in the espionage experience, and many of these are admirable attempts—but a critical lack of development and numerous design flaws leave the experience awkward and unsatisfying.

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June 16, 2010

Under the Radar – Journey

Filed under: News Feed — Tags: , , , , — Jamie Love @ 9:33 am

Journey
Journey is the title of the next PlayStation 3 release from thatgamecompany, what the studio is calling an “online adventure experience” in an exotic land where players explore an ancient civilization whilst walking, gliding, and flying. Journey’s immediate hook for your attention is online play that will encourage players to explore this strange land with other strangers met along the way.

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