Tag: fps

Alien FPS

In space, everyone can hear you shoot – Alien returns with new FPS outing

by Tom Buxton, posted in Videos

Fox’s video game division – FoxNet – evidently plans to follow in Creative Assembly’s wake after 2014’s smash-hit horror FPS Alien: Isolation – yes, the one where the bad guy couldn’t be killed by just shooting it – delivering new virtual escapades for the franchise’s eponymous Xenomorphs:

Takeaways:

  • FoxNext’s plan of action? Introduce Cold Iron Studios into the fold, a development team hosting talent from renowned past productions such as BioShock Infinite, Metroid Prime 3 and City of Heroes.
  • The studio in question will take the reins on an FPS title based within the Alien cinematic universe, set to launch on both PC and consoles in – one would hope – the not-too-distant future.
  • Aaron Loeb, FoxNext Games’ President, says the acquisition and commission come as part of his company’s efforts to “build a multi-platform, multi-genre portfolio of great games” going forward.
  • As for his goals with this portfolio’s freshman contribution, Loeb adds that Cold Iron is striving to “create an action-packed persistent world, steeped in the mysteries of this beloved Alien universe”.

Authentic, Riveting?

Now, as enticing as those latter comments sound and as much hope as Alien: Isolation delivered for the series’ video gaming prospects with all its chilling, claustrophobic set-pieces four years ago, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

For every authentic, riveting narrative experience like Isolation, after all, there’s been an authentic but mechanically generic cash grab like Gearbox’s uncharacteristically hollow Aliens: Colonial Marines. Indeed, given the brand’s hugely inconsistent silver screen instalments, its fandom knows better than most the importance of levelled expectations.

At the same time, however, Creative Assembly’s Game of the Year-courting tour de force in cinematic gameplay proved that the franchise still holds rich potential to thrive outside of space auditoriums; that FoxNext has taken a bold gamble on a relatively unknown quantity like Cold Irons to tap into this promise only sweetens the deal, then.

Stay tuned to Nitchi Gamer in the coming weeks for more details on the Alien saga’s latest – and, if we’re lucky, greatest – foray into the crowded but still celebrated FPS market, and be sure to let us know what you want to see from the project below.

New FPS – Soldiers of the Universe – has players fighting terrorist organizations in the Middle East

by Chris Wheatley, posted in Videos

Turkish developer, Rocwise Entertainment, brings a military shooter to the PC in their debut release – Soldiers of the Universe. In this story-driven first person shooter, soldiers fend off against terrorist organizations from Northern Syria, Southeast Anatolia and Istanbul, players will take part in The Republic of Turkey’s military organization, The Akinci Warriors.

Soldiers of the Universe pits players against Middle-Eastern terrorist organizations.

Players take on the hero of Hakan, a soldier who has been thrust into the role of The Universe, of the Akinci Warriors; a position which was formerly held by his deceased father, Selim Kahraman. Seeking to avenge his father, Hakan will lead military organizations to take down the many enemies of the state. Of course, Hakan will not be alone in his fight for revenge, at his aid will be three other players to help stop the Middle Eastern terrorist organizations.

Start your reign against terrorist organizations with the four heroes featured in Soldiers of the Universe: the protagonist Hakan – or better known as Eagle, the serious marksman Hawk, the foul-mouthed technological nerd – Owl, and the intelligent, sarcastic linguist – Vulture. With these four men, take the fight of The Republic of Turkey, and give the terrorists of the Middle East everything they have coming to them.

Check out the trailer below from Rocwise Entertainment, and check back in at D-pad Joy later in the week for our official review of Soldiers of the Universe, which is available now on Steam.

Star Wars: Battlefront II Featurette Teases Story Campaign

by Tom Buxton, posted in Videos

Not so long ago on a wave of internet forums not so far away from our fine domain, EA incurred their fair share of wrath over the absence of a single-player campaign mode in Star Wars: Battlefront.

But if the latest featurette for their upcoming follow-up to the 2015 franchise reboot, Star Wars: Battlefront II, reveals anything, it’s that the publisher and its development teams appear to have learned their lesson two years later.

Titled ‘Telling a New Story’, the video (below) describes – via the words of Lucasfilm’s creative execs – how EA’s Motive team pitched “a soldier’s story” set between 1983’s Return of the Jedi and 2015’s The Force Awakens to developers DICE and the Lucasfilm Story Group, an Imperial-aligned lead character its USP.

According to Motive’s Game Director Mark Thompson, we can expect protagonist Iden Versio to be “a loyal member of the Empire” and the “perfect candidate” to believe in her tyrannical employers’ merits given her family’s Imperial heritage.

“Something we really wanted to get into in the story is to meet the people inside the Empire,” Thompson says. “Stormtroopers and everyone inside the Empire, they aren’t conscripted or forced – they’re brainwashed and programmed from an early age to believe.

“And what we do with the audience is we take them to a place where they can understand Iden, why she makes the decisions that she does.”

But while comments like these – and the team’s voiced commitment to delivering “great character and gameplay moments” during the campaign – will surely generate hype for the FPS sequel, that doesn’t mean fans will give it a free pass.

After all, few will likely have forgotten the intense controversy surrounding not only the 2015 Battlefront outing’s absent campaign but also its overall lack of launch content, especially compared to the noughties Pandemic originals’ ample offerings.

The quasi-reboot released with just four planets – Hoth, Endor, Sullust and Tatooine – that November, with the other four – Jakku, Bespin, the Death Star and Scarif – as well as plenty of locked gameplay modes only becoming available once players had swiped up the hefty £40 / $60 Season Pass.

Already DICE has confirmed Battlefront II won’t follow its predecessor’s staggered content strategy, the Season Pass ditched for now and the DLC approach (if any) still to be determined, with goodwill also having been built by the presence of Yoda, Luke (who’ll also star in the campaign), Rey (ditto) and other fan favourites in the launch trailer.

Until EA brings a fleshed-out gameplay demo along to the studio’s EA Play event at E3, though, the true likelihood of Battlefront II‘s success where its predecessor failed remains as uncertain as Rey’s parentage.

Star Wars: Battlefront II hits Xbox One, PS4 and PC this November 15th, with its EA Play showcase due on June 10th-12th.