Can you feel it? That deathly chill that raises gooseflesh on the back of your neck? It’s alllllmost here and it’s coming for YOU. Yup, Demon’s Souls, From Software’s upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive Action/RPG is headed your way from Atlus.
Eight tantalizing new screenshots are calling out to you from below the jump like a siren warbling on the rocks… enjoy. You did remember to preorder the game, right?
Since I’ve gotten a few e-mails about the Q & A’s I’ve set up, here’s a follow-up or two to fill you in:
1. I’m still waiting for the fine (and very busy) folks at Xseed to get those Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga Q’s I sent off a while ago back this way. But remember, folks: Xseed is comprised of a really small team with multiple projects going simultaneously for the Wii and other platforms.
2. I have an interview coming back this way soon with a few team members at Big Blue Bubble, the folks working on Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, a great looking first-person RPG for the Nintendo DS set to be published by Aspyr. It would have been back sooner, but another site or magazine with more clout bumped my former “exclusive” so they could get their scoop first. And so it goes in this industry…. ah well.
I’m also working on a few other potential interview subjects for the near future – stay tuned…
Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi
Developer: Ivolgamus
Publisher: O-Games
# of Players: 1 – 6 (Wi-Fi/Hot Seat)
Score: B-
Having grown up playing plenty of board games as a kid before moving onto electronic entertainment, my interest in them has never really left as I’ve gotten older. It’s been pretty interesting over the years to see how different game developers translate classic table games into virtual form. Some conversions succeed better than others, but it’s certainly an odd balancing act at times. Go too far from the spirit of the original version and it’s sacrilege to the hardcore fans of the old game. On the other hand, too dry a digital translation, and modern gamers will ignore the product for something shinier with more moving parts. O-Games’ Hurry Up Hedgehog! definitely leans more into the latter category, but there’s a fair amount of depth under the simplistic presentation. If you’re a fan of classic board games with up to five like-minded friends, the game offers up quite a decent (if rather plain-looking) gameplay experience.
What time is it? It’s Infinite Space Anime teaser trailer time! These two are pretty cool – enjoy!
Other than Q2 2010, Sega hasn’t quite announced a concrete release date for this tactical space strategy RPG, but as long as they keep these videos rolling out, the wait isn’t so bad, huh?
Hey! If you’re in the NYC area on Saturday, September 5, 2009, why not make the most of it and boogie on down, up, sideways or however else you can over to the Nintendo World Store located in Rockefeller Plaza (which is near Rockefeller Center, by the way).
Why? Well, it’s the Muramasa: the Demon Blade Release Par-tay, that’s why! Details below the jump…
One of the cooler portable games I’ve been keeping an eyeball on this year has finally made its way to retail. Majesco’s latest Nintendo DS game, Marker Man Adventures, developed by Glyphic Entertainment, is now in stores at a more than reasonable $19.99. Now don’t go confusing this up as some sort of quickie, slapped together Scribblenauts cash-in, folks. The game is a pretty nifty physics-based platformer/puzzle game, as you’ll see in the bit of the press release below the jump… Continue reading
Leave it to Capcom to go and cook up one of the coolest, craziest pre-order T-shirts I’ve ever seen (beating even that insanely groovy tie-dyed Raz T-shirt from Psychonauts) and they know it. Gamers who pre-order Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles for the Wii from GameStop will receive a ridiculously versatile T that, when pulled over the head, turns into an instant zombie disguise.
The T’s were first introduced at this year’s San Diego Comic-con and of course, the killer reaction from the crowds meant more gamers will get the chance to nab one of these goodies. It’s goofy… but really effective at first glance, as you’ll see below: Continue reading
The fine folks down at Austin, Texas-based Renegade Kid are at it again. The award-winning developer of two of the best technical achievements (and fantastic game experiences, by the way) for the Nintendo DS, Dementium: The Ward and MOON are set to scare your pants (and possibly whatever else you’re wearing) off yet again with Dementium II, set for a 2010 release through publisher Southpeak Games. This small team of talented guys really knows how to get the DS hardware to do just what they want and based on these early screens, DII could be their best work yet…
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Deep Silver Vienna/Sproing
Publisher: Deep Silver
# of Players: 1
Score: A (95%)
sub·jec·tive (suhb-jěk’tĭv) adj.
1. a. Proceeding from or taking place in a person’s mind rather than the external world: a subjective decision.
b. Particular to a given person; personal: subjective experience.
2. Moodily introspective.
3. Existing only in the mind; illusory.
4. Psychology: Existing only within an individual’s mind.
Most horror-themed video games are extremely subjective in that each person who plays them will generally have a different overall experience. Those that frighten easily will baby-step through their play sessions, saving frequently, checking maps and trying their very best not to to die horribly. The more fearless, bolder gamers accustomed to faster-paced play will blaze forward, taking on all comers in a quest for kill counts while often blissfully unaware of the developer’s intentions in attempting to set a particular mood. This type of player generally never flinches unless the game adds in “jump” scares like those found in hundreds of horror movies or live haunted house experiences in some amusement parks. A third type of gamer takes the middle road, going into every game “cold” in order to fully appreciate every nuance as they let themselves become completely immersed in the game world.
Welcome, dear reader to Deep Silver’s incredible Wii exclusive, Cursed Mountain…
… and I couldn’t be more pleased, although it seems that the kids who want exploding zombie heads every three seconds may be a bit annoyed by the intentionally languid pacing. And the fact that there are NO zombies in the game, only really annoyed ghosts and more pissed off demonic things (that can still kill as quickly, mind you). The game layers on the gloomy mood right away and the overall sense of dread combined with the brilliant score makes for some nicely creepy moments. The game’s general atmosphere has the feeling of the last depressing section of Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller crossed with a dash of Masaki Kobayashi’s classic K(w)aidan and the lonelier moments of Kubrick’s The Shining. Hopefully, that will help some of you reading this in terms of placing the game’s tone.
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