Yowser! What a week that was PHEW! Well we, along with the rest of the games industry, were totally wiped out by the humungoid nature of this years E3. As such it was a pretty quiet weekend but I have a feeling this wee is shaping to up to be fairly busy in it’s own right! Missed any of the posts over the last 5 days or so? Then we have them all laid out below for you to peruse 
Holy crap there has been ALOT of news around this week courtesy of E3. Well as we are only a small band of happy gamers we have picked and choosen a few of the more choice nuggests to post about this week – offering our own “special” opinions on these things and more. If you have been in a coma (congrats on waking up btw!) then you might have missed some of the info so here it is once again for your enjoyment. Please come back soon for yet more news, reviews, previews and industry exclusive Q & A sessions.
At the end of the Nintendo E3 press conference, Reggie Fils-Aime said that Nintendo could indeed make edgier games as well. And with that, a new Metroid game entitled ‘Metroid : Other M’ was announced.
This game will be a collaboration between Nintendo and Ninja Gaiden developer Team Ninja. From the brief trailer that was shown, it looks like a combination of old style platforming Metroid and the first person stylings of Metroid Prime. Reggie said the game would ‘delve deeper into Samus’ story’. Certainly sounds like an interesting game. It will be released sometime in 2010.
Well, the Nintendo press conference has been and gone. And there were certainly some interesting things that came out of it. One of the biggest things I noticed when watching it is that Nintendo have gone absolutely Mario mad. Even more so than usual.
It was pretty much expected that Nintendo would announce a new Mario game at E3. However, Nintendo didn’t announce one Mario game. They didn’t even announce 2 Mario games. In fact, they announced 4, yes FOUR new Mario games.
Nintendo kicked off the conference with the first game, ‘New Super Mario Bros Wii’. This will be a 2D platform game, just like the DS version, and it will support 4 player co-op, with a competition to collect coins and other such things. If you happen to drift off screen or die, you will be placed in a bubble and the other players may help you if they wish.
Next up was ‘Mario & Luigi : Bowser’s Inside Story’ for the DS. In this, Mario and Luigi get ingested by Bowser, and you control them and Bowser throughout the game, with actions performed by each affecting what happens to the other. This has been slated for release this Fall.
Thirdly is a DSi Ware Game, ‘Mario vs Donkey Kong : Minis March Again’. This new game will feature the ability for players to create their own levels and share them over Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. This will be released on June 8th.
And last, but by no means least, a game that I certainly didn’t expect to be announced, ‘Super Mario Galaxy 2′. Not much was revealed in the trailer. It looked very similar to the original, but this time Mario can ride Yoshi in the game.
So there you have it. More Nintendo E3 news coming soon!
Wow – what a mommoth weekend of posts from your friendly neighbourhood bloggers here at BrutalGamer.com. Not only do we have a plethora of news and rumors but several top notch opinion pieces as well! Not to mention our stunning exclusive review of Red Faction : Guerilla earlier today! So please read on and enjoy the weekend content you probably missed whilst out enjoying the sun.
Enjoy this issue of What did I miss :-
Nitro Games are currently developing a new PC strategy game called ‘East India Company’, which is about building the world’s trading empire and trying to be the biggest trading empire of the world. We were lucky enough to be able to have a Q&A session with the game’s Lead Designer, Kim Soares. You can find the Q&A below.
Q. Can you briefly sum up what East India Company is about?
A. East India Company (EIC) is a unique combination of trading and war. You take the helm of your chosen nation, aiming to forge the greatest trading empire. As was the case historically, in EIC trading and naval warfare go hand in hand. Neither can exist without the other.
Q. Will there be a resources model in the game. If so, how will it work?
A. Only one resource, Iron Wares, is needed for upgrading buildings. This is mostly available in your Home Port in Europe, and so needs to be transported to your colonies. It is more about the economy really: You have to be able to import large amounts of different valuable items such as silk, tea and spices from the East Indies to your home port in Europe. As rival companies are trying to do the same, conflicts and outright wars are inevitable. So you need warships to protect your trading ships and that costs money which you gain from trading.
Q. What can you tell us about the single player aspect of the game?
A. There are several campaigns spanning a timeline of 50 to 200 years. The Grand campaign takes place from 1600 to 1800. In the campaigns, you aim to meet specific campaign mission goals. These goals are mainly import quotas for specific items, but you also have to conquer ports in East Indies and fight rival companies.
As you take over foreign ports, you can upgrade buildings such as forts to improve the defences, Trading Posts to make trading more profitable, and Shipyards to be able to build ships more efficiently. Diplomacy can play a major role: you can make diplomatic deals such as pacts and alliances, pay others to attack your enemies and trade with other companies. Stronger companies can also intimidate weaker ones with the threat of war to make sure they comply with their demands.
When hostile fleets engage each other on the strategic level, these naval battles are fought out in the tactical level. In the tactical level you command your ships in RTS-fashion, giving them move and attack orders. At any point during the battle you can take Direct Command of any of your ships. In that mode you command your chosen ship manually, and you can even enter deck level to really experience the battle up close and personal.
Each fleet also has a commander that gains levels and learns new skills. These skills give bonuses to the fleet. Some of them are active and you can use them in battle to give you the edge you need to win the day.
There are also Quick Battle and Scenarios: single battles where you can choose what ships each side has.
Q.Will there be a multiplayer aspect to the game? What can we expect from it?
A. There are three different multiplayer modes, for up to 12 players. Aptly named ‘Last Man Floating’ is a death match where the last player alive is the winner. There is also a team version of that. The third mode is ‘Domination’. In ‘Domination’ two teams compete to tag buoys scattered on the battle area. Once tagged, the buoys will generate points to the controlling side. First side to get enough points wins.
Q. What games/people, if any, have influenced the direction of the game?
A. It is impossible to name any single game, there are so many trading games and games with naval battles our team has played. We set out to make the best ever naval battles seen in a game and I think we have accomplished that. The combination of trade and war is what makes East India Company unique.
You can find the official website for East India Company by clicking here. Big thanks to Kim Soares for responding to our questions.
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It’s never good when a game you were really looking forward to gets swept under the rug because of other major releases hitting retail within the same time frame as the smaller titles hitting retail which have major potential.
And Damnation is one of those games which have unfortunately gotten pushed aside by the bigger titles like Bionic Commando, Red Faction: Guerrilla and Infamous within the same time frame. The game looks like it has some real potential, based in the steam-punk era, and from the gameplay videos (which can be found over on the Damnation website first link of the press release below) reminds me a hell of a lot of Gears of War — which should be taken as a compliment considering how incredible that franchise is.
The game is out this Friday on May 22nd in all territories except the U.S and May 27th for the U.S, check it out!
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PREPARE TO TAKE DAMNATION™ ONLINE AS VERTICAL SHOOTER HITS RETAIL.
New “Multiplayer Moments” gameplay video for Blue Omega Entertainment’s steampunk-themed, action shooter Damnation™ – now available to view or download from www.damnationthegame.com
Thursday 21st May 2009 – 11am (UK) – Damnation™, the game that turns the corridor shooter on its head with its mix of huge vertigo-inducing levels and acrobatic, fluid-movement gunplay, launches tomorrow† for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Gamers can now preview Dammantion’s online experience with the new multiplayer gameplay available to view or download from www.damnationgame.com.
The new Damnation gameplay video showcases some of the most spectacular multiplayer moments players will experience as they duck, dive, leap, climb and shoot through four different, action packed and vertically twisted multiplayer modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill and Capture the Flag. With up to 8 players in each game, attacks can truly from any direction as each map takes full advantage of the scale and height of the game’s vertically themed levels.
In Damnation players assume the role of hero Captain Hamilton Rourke as he embarks on an epic journey to reveal the sinister truth behind Prescott Standard Industries, led by industrialist magnate W.D. Prescott. Together with his fellow Peacemakers, Rourke will engage in high-octane gun battles against hordes of drug-enhanced soldiers and steam-powered mechanical monsters to save the country from Damnation.
Damnation’s single player mode also features split-screen, drop-in-drop-out co-operative gameplay through all of its large-scale levels with magnificent landscapes, each with up to three hours of streaming gameplay and thousands of vertical feet to explore. These stunning open environments provide the backdrop for the frenetic combat, daredevil acrobatics and vehicle based stunts that power Damnation’s exhilarating, fresh and revolutionary gameplay.
Developed by Blue Omega Entertainment in Annapolis, USA, Damnation will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC from tomorrow. To download the new multiplayer gameplay video and for more information on Damnation, visit www.damnationthegame.co.uk.
I registered on the THQ website a couple of months ago. Can’t for the life of me remember why. However, while perusing the internet, it came to my attention that members of the THQ website could get a download code for a demo for their upcoming game Red Faction : Guerrilla, scheduled for release in June.
I played the original Red Faction and found it to be fairly enjoyable, so I thought I’d give the demo a whirl and plumped for the 360 demo. Was about a 700MB download, if memory serves. Relatively small compared to the demos I’ve downloaded recently, which tend to weigh in on the 1GB+ range.
So, I started playing it. Now bear in mind, if you’re looking for detailed analysis, you ain’t going to find it here. This is just impressions from the first quick play through of the demo. The graphics are pretty good, even with all the redness of Mars all over the place. You start with a gun and a big ol’ hammer! And the hammer is a lot of fun, I can tell you.
All buildings and structures in this are fully destructible, and a hell of a lot of fun to destroy. I spent the first half hour just messing around, battering walls with a hammer, then taking out the supports of the building until the roof collapsed. And the damage you do and the collapsing roof were very realistic and well done. Also, the controls are solid, and if you’re used to shooters, then you’ll feel right at home.
There is the odd problem. When shooting, if you’re used to being able to get a more accurate sight, like in Call of Duty, you won’t have much joy here. As far as I could tell, you are stuck with the standard sight, which means killing enemies can sometimes use up a lot more ammo than necessary, as you can’t be more precise about your aim. (Edit : It’s since been brought to my attention on Twitter that you press the left stick for ‘Iron Sight’. Thanks to MeatPlowz for that)
It seems as though the world is quite vast and there is a sandbox element. You don’t have to go to your missions straight away. You can just mess around, and there is a lot of fun to be had by doing your own thing.
Overall, the demo is pretty good. Based on the demo, I’m not really sure if I’d buy this on release day. It’s good, don’t get me wrong. But I’ll probably rent it first. If you loved the previous Red Faction games, you’ll like this one. In any case, the demo will likely pop up generally on 360 and PS3 before too long, so why not give it a shot?
Ah, Noby Noby Boy. How I have frittered away countless minutes with your silliness. And it looks like things are about to get even more silly as Sony have released a trailer for an upcoming multiplayer mode to be added to the game.
This is just a short video that was posted up at the PS Blog. No real detail have emerged yet. It is expected that the game’s creator, Keita Takahashi, will reveal more information during his GDC panel later this week.
To whet your appetite, here is the trailer: -
Recently, I was very lucky to be able to have an Q & A session with Ollie Barder (one of the games designers) from DoubleSix – the geniuses who developed the incredibly frantic zombie butchering game; Burn Zombie Burn!
A. I am afraid I can’t answer this at the moment, sorry.
A. We will be releasing Burn Zombie Burn on PC in the future but not on XBLA. The reason is simple: Sony saw the game, loved it and wanted to keep it exclusive to their platform.
A. Scripting all the levels, balancing the weapons to match that and tweaking the level layout. Basically, getting into the guts of the game that people would eventually play. Then, obviously, getting to play the levels you scripted is pretty good fun too.
A. I think about 8 months, though I started on the team about halfway through that.
A. Staying focused – it’s easy to enjoy playing and developing a game like this and as a result can be all too easy to forget you are making it for other people. When you’re working on a game day in and day out, you get pretty good at it and it distorts your opinion on the learning curve and the difficulty if you’re not too careful. Luckily, feedback so far has been very good. Also, setting the Dev Scores (by beating everyone else on the team) was pretty difficult as well.
A. Well, we’re working on a South Park game for XBLA but that’s pretty common knowledge I’m afraid. Bar that, my lips are sealed!
A. ‘Burn Zombie Burn!’ is a game with a good sense of humour and layered gameplay. Which means, a casual gamer can drop in and kill a bunch of zombies just for the hell of it or they can delve into the game’s system and rinse the score multiplier via setting zombies on fire. Fundamentally though, the core of the game is an infinite play arena based arcade shooter, with a heavy emphasis on score chasing… and killing zombies.
Good evening! Flying sim Tom Clancy’s Hawx is coming out this Friday for the PS3 and 360 and next Friday for the PC. The demo for the game has been available for the game for a bit on both Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network.
The demo is pretty good fun, and I recommend you to try it even if you are only slightly interesting. In preparation for the game’s upcoming release, Ubisoft has just put out a pretty sweer launch trailer for the game, which you can view below.
(Video taken from CVG)
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