Dontnod Entertainment’s new game is coming soon – no, it’s not Life is Strange 2.
Vampyr is set in the flu-stricken streets of 1918 London, you are protagonist Dr. Jonathan Reid. As a doctor, you have taken an oath to find a cure for London’s flu-ravaged citizens. As a vampire, you are cursed to hunt those you vowed to heal.
It’s coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC this November. Check out the new E3 trailer below:
I present to you 5 reasons why a Doctor Who game can’t work. (Believe me, I would really want it to).
THE CHARACTERS: Any fan of Who will be able to safely say that one of the show’s most impressive traits that has secured its place in television history for forty-eight years now is its character drama.
When the programme returned in 2005, it placed a central focus on the life of Rose Tyler, a teenage shop worker who found herself caught up in the life of a time-travelling alien. We followed Rose and the Doctor over the course of thirteen episodes, witnessing the tragic destruction of the planet Earth, the invasion of London by the Slitheen, the horrifying effects of the return of a lone Dalek on the Time Lord and ultimately his startling regeneration prompted by love and loyalty from his most devoted companion. More than ever before in the ‘classic era’, Russell T Davies placed a distinct focus on the companion and each of the emotional ramifications of these ground-breaking events on her, something which made for brilliant television seven years back and still rings true with Steven Moffat’s interpretation today.
Now, unless game developers have plentiful cut scenes to the point of Metal Gear Solid, Doctor Who video games are going to have to tone down the focus on the emotions and actions of the protagonists to the point that much of the heart of the show may be removed in the process, thus possibly leaving us with a dull imitation of the programme rather than a realistic depiction.
THE VISUALS: A simple one to explain, really: until BBC Worldwide actually invests some proper time and cash into making the graphics of a Doctor Who video game look as if they were intended for a current-generation console release rather than for the PlayStation 2 or GameCube in 2004, we’re never going to be able to be totally satisfied with the results of the final product. We had the atrocious 2010 frankenstein creature that was Return To Earth for the Nintendo Wii, and the hideously retro style of the Layton-alike DS effort Evacuation Earth. We need a modern game with modern graphics.
THE MYSTERY: Ever since An Unearthly Child kicked off the show’s extraterresterial and time-shifting exploits with its romp to the age of cavemen in 1963, fans have been constantly amazed at what the BBC can achieve in terms of Who’s special effects budget and rendering of alien worlds and past/future timelines. As soon as you move into the video games industry, then, you’re given an obligation to try and match that sense of wonder and mystery that comes every time the Doctor and his companion step outside the TARDIS doors, an obligation which BBC Worldwide ignored as they brought us spaceship corridors, junkyards which are hugely reminiscent of Earth’s and other lifeless environments.
Eternity Clock at least used multiple time periods and incarnations of London (as well as Storm Cage, an alien prison), a more daring set of locations than any past endeavour by developers, yet that was still fairly lacking in ambition on SuperMassive’s part. Nothing will surprise me quite as much as the show can when I walk out of those blue police box doors, and that that will always be the case in Doctor Who video games.
THE SCRIPT: Once again, this comes down to the format of the episodes in their modern day context, but to an extent it relates back to the ’63-’89 era too. If you go back and look at any single story of Who, I guarantee that you’ll be able to find some great one-liners that come back to haunt the characters later (“It is returning…it is returning through the dark…and then, oh but then…he will knock four times…”), romantic or family-based heart-warming dialogue to bring the audience together in joy or laughter (“I’ll suffer if I have to kill you.” “More than the entire universe?” “Yes.”
The grand extent of the humour in Return To Earth was the Cyber-Men demanding an AI be converted, only for her to keep retaliating with “But I do not want to be converted”. Really?
THE PLOT RESOLUTIONS: How can you ever top the huge cliffhangers the show has in video game? It’s in moments like these where Doctor Who shines totally as a television show, and which convince me that there is no way of accurately portraying the drama in a gameplay-focused product without losing a whole heap of what makes it great along the way.
What are your thoughts reader, can there ever be a good Doctor Who game?
Out of nowhere we have a new trailer for the highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts 3. You can find it below (I’ll just go and lie down now!).
At the E3 press conference for Electronic Arts, known as EA PLAY, they unveiled new DLC’s, sequels and a couple of new IP’s, one of which is looking to bring back the beloved split-screen experience. Rising from the success of the hit 2013 title, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Way Out focuses on delivering a true co-op game, making it a must to continue through the story with a friend.
Starting off in prison, you’ll follow Vincent and Leo, two inmates drawn to each other and adhered a bond formed by one goal, to escape prison. Footage taking you through the escape itself and the epic journey afterward, high-tense moments are sure to ensue in this duo’s adventure.
Showcasing the use of split-screen by viewing a cinematic on one side, and controlling gameplay on the other, moving through the story seamlessly works beautifully. The reveal trailer gives gamers plenty of footage of how well this works and a grasp on the entertaining protagonist couple. With street-style brawls, gun shoot-outs with cops and a broad range of settings, A Way Out looks to fill every reason we still need co-op story gameplay.
Check out the official E3 trailer below and check back for more updates upon the release of A Way Out, coming early 2018.
There have been some great indie games released on Steam, here’s a few we selected for this week. You might discover a wonderful experience in this mix:
Zzzz-Zzzz-Zzzz
A psychological puzzle platformer with nods to Metroid and Castlevania – immerse yourself in this beautiful dreamscape.
Lines
A unique ‘abstract zen experience’. Place or remove the dots to initiate a race where the dominant colour wins. Lines also features endless hours where you can create your own levels with the Steam Workshop!
Conarium
Run, hide and lose your mind in a chilling Lovecraftian game and challenge the ‘absolute’ limits of nature – soak up the atmosphere with your headphones at night.
Passpartout: The Starving Artist
See the world through the eyes of a French artist: create art and battle against the stuffy self-proclaimed art critics, survive your wine and baguette addiction and settle your debt.
World of One
Delve into a dark, depressing Poe-esque puzzle platformer with planet-based physics and mystery.
The Artifact
You are woken up from hypersleep in the future with a mysterious alien artifact – can you unlock the secrets of this short puzzle game?
Sentience: The Android’s Tale
A complex, choice-based narrative adventure game: see the world through the eyes of an android and encounter relevant questions about the future of AI and the human condition.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
Sumptuous hand-drawn animation and a re-orchestrated soundtrack make this worth your time – a high quality remake, now available on Steam – check out the trailer here!
Randall
In a dystopian world that doesn’t seem like such a departure from our own future, people are content living under constant surveillance and are happily enslaved – break the chains of tyranny and mind control as Randall in this attractive platformer.
Monolith
A top down, rogue-like, NES/SNES shoot ’em up with procedurally generated elements and a cracking chiptune soundtrack.
Fortune favours the brave, but can that adage extend to a spin-off from Microsoft and Lionhead Studios’ Fable series which boldly takes inspiration from The Witcher 3‘s Gwent card game?
Either way, there’s officially not long now until we know for sure, since developers Flaming Fowl Studios and Mediatronic have confirmed that Fable Fortune will launch – albeit in an early access build of the full product – this July 11th.
Set for release on Xbox One and PC, Fortune tasks franchise veterans and newcomers alike with gathering the cards to wage tactical, turn-based warfare either in single-player or PvP modes.
On top of that, the standalone offshoot’s main gameplay trailer (below) teases the chance to relive “old memories” from Fable‘s fantastical past or “create new ones”, with characters both iconic and original seemingly appearing along the way.
The idea of pitting such a nostalgia trip against other Collectible Card Games (CCGs) in a crowded market featuring Gwent, Magic: The Gathering and more would already seem daunting in and of itself, but a far greater challenge lies in Fortune‘s path.
In the wake of original dev Lionshead’s closure last year, Flaming Fowl took the project on and – after an ineffective Kickstarter campaign – had to scrap together funding itself, meaning they’ll doubtless want its sales to justify such costly toil on their part.
Indeed, given the underwhelming sales of Kinect spin-off Fable: The Journey in 2012 and the lack of further franchise announcements from Microsoft, Fortune could feasibly serve as the long-running saga’s swansong. No pressure, then.
With any luck, though, by launching in its quasi-alpha form next month rather than during the kill-or-be-killed autumn season of blockbuster AAA titles, this potential series finale may well reap plenty of much-needed recognition ahead of its full-scale release.
Come July 11th, expect to see Fable Fortune‘s early access build hit Xbox Live for £9.99 / $14.99 / €12.99 sporting a 20 pack of cards including rare Flaming Fowl and Giant Egg designs, with a free-to-play version following at a date TBA in late 2017.
Expect our review of Fortune around that time as well (not to mention our coverage of Microsoft’s other major 2017 titles as they’re revealed at E3 this week), but until then, here’s the full gameplay trailer in all its top-down glory…
RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance is set for release on February 13th, 2018. We now also have some concrete story details confirmed:
The player assumes the role of Henry, the son of a blacksmith, whose peaceful life is shattered when during a mercenary raid, ordered by King Sigismund himself, his village is burnt to the ground. By bittersweet fortune, he is one of the few survivors of this massacre, after which he takes fate upon himself to help fight for the future of Bohemia, and is dragged into a bloody conflict of a raging civil war.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance will be released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. Are you excited about the game? Make sure to check out the trailer below to see Henry in action!
Axiom Verge: Multiverse Edition is now coming to the Switch (awesome!), alongside the Wii U, PS4 and Vita versions.
The Axiom Verge: Multiverse Edition will include the following:
Developer Thomas Happ had this to say:
People often asked me about the early days of Axiom Verge – about how I was able to make a game completely on my own over the course of 5 years of evenings and weekends while holding down a full-time job. The long form documentary format really made it possible for me to take the time and explain that process as well as go into some detail about the difficulties of balancing work and family responsibilities.
You can watch the trailer below – which console will you be buying the game for? For me it has to be the Switch. Let us know in the comments below!
Tarsier Studios are keeping us on our toes by publishing more information on their new DLC “Secrets of The Maw”!
On June 7th they published a mini-interview with the producer Stephen Halett to give some much-needed answers to questions asked by fans.
According to Halett, there were things left unanswered at the end of the game (a statement on which I totally agree), and they are now taking the opportunity to answer some of those questions – revealing more story about the The Maw and its inhabitants. They consist of three chapters working as self-contained stories, and will be released in an Expansion Pass format.
We get to experience more of The Maw as an underwater prison, and what happens to children that are brought there – through the adventures of the new protagonist, The Runaway Kid. We can also then assume that the speculations about the protagonist’s name being Seven has been debunked – unless they at some point change their minds.
Each chapter is set in a new environment with new gameplay features and challenges, such as more difficult puzzles and implementing water mechanics:
When asked about why they wanted to involve a new character, Halett says they wanted a different perspective when shedding light “on the darkest secrets of The Maw”. He continues to say that The Kid’s and Six’s stories will cross paths several times over the coming chapters – learning more about her story while playing another.
The three chapters are ready to be pre-ordered on Steam and the PlayStation Store, and will respectively be released in July, November and January.
This should be interesting… I feel dread and excitement at the same time… I mean… *cough* LET’S DO THIS.
The new trailer for Middle-earth: Shadow of War shows off some epic story scenes to come, and quite frankly, it looks awesome.
It shows Talion and Celebrimbor as they use the power of the New Ring to forge an army and confront the deadliest of enemies, including Sauron himself!
The video also features a host of new allies, villains and creatures that ‘The Bright Lord’ will encounter. Excited? Watch the trailer below.
Old Man’s Journey is a short and unique point-and-click adventure game from the independent game studio Broken Rules, based in Vienna, Austria. They have made a game about life experiences, and everything that entails – love, happiness, regret, and reconciliation.
We follow an old man who lives in a beautiful house out by the sea. The game starts off with him receiving a letter, with the content left to be revealed at the end. As he gathers his backpack and walking cane, we join the old man as he ventures out on a journey through land and sea.
There are 15 different levels, or scenarios, in the game. Upon finishing each one, the man sits down on a nearby bench and scratches his white beard, pondering and re-exploring his past. With each memory, we collect more and more pieces of the story.
The level design of the game should be given high praise. Each level represents a different memory in the old man’s life, telling us where he has been and where he might be going. This way, we slowly progress through the old man’s life experiences up to the present.
The environment plays a huge role in the aspect of gameplay. In order to help the old man on his journey, the player has to manipulate the terrain around him, which I think is quite unique. Each level contains puzzles where you have to twist your brain a little, but never so much that it hurts. It never gets too challenging. Many might see that as a negative, but I rather enjoyed sailing through without much difficulty in a game like this: it is, after all, an atmospheric casual game.
This game lives and breathes for the aesthetics. The memories look painted with watercolors, letting you experience art in a beautiful way – I feel like I’m walking through different paintings. With beautiful ambience such as the sounds of the ocean or the wind through the mountains, and simple yet gorgeous music with a present guitar and accordion, Old Man’s Journey provides a symphony for your eyes and ears. Putting on headphones and immersing yourself in the music and sounds when playing this is highly recommended. (THIS GAME IS GORGEOUS).
Amidst all the wonderfulness of the game, I encountered a few bugs where I had to restart some of the levels over again. This became all the more bothersome when I was right at the end of said levels. Along with a few graphic bugs as well, I felt that it broke up the flow of the game, which was fairly annoying when I’m in a meditative state of serenity.
I feel like I should also give a fair warning that Old Man’s Journey has little to no replay value. There’s no extra puzzles to solve, for example. When you figure out the ending to the story… it ends. Maybe that’s a message about life. Still, it would have been nice to have something else to do afterwards. That being said, the game is roughly 2-hours long, so it’s clear that the developers have created something to be played in one sitting, as there is no manual save function either.
Old Man’s Journey is a short and delicate game with a touching story. The music is simple, yet beautiful. Combined with an impressive art style and unique gameplay, Broken Rules has created a powerful piece of expression. I suggest you visit the Steam page while I dry my tears.
Cubit The Hardcore Platformer Robot HD (that’s the full title folks!) is coming to the Wii U eShop tomorrow – for both the US and Europe.
The basic idea of the musical platformer? Game developer CoderChild (a former Ubisoft programmer who decided to go it alone) explains with some enthusiasm:
With only one button to jump, you must help Cubit to go from platform to platform, while you avoid obstacles and enemies through the different scenes of the game.
Perhaps you think this makes this game not difficult, right? Well, you are right; this game is not difficult… this game is Hardcore! Choose the path you want to do in each game and reach each of the 3 endings available!!
Some of the key features of the game include:
Our thoughts
Cubit The Hardcore Platformer Robot HD certainly looks like a lot of fun, especially if you’re into rhythm-platforming games. There seems to be some meat to the bones here as well, with quite a lot of content in the package.
Check out the trailer below to get a taste of what it’s all about. Will you be trying this one out? Or is your Wii U covered in dust and hidden away? Let us know!
