Valley: Blue Isle Studios’ Newest Is Intentionally More Jumpy Than Scary

Posted on April 23, 2016 by geelw

Blue Isle Studios made a name for itself with Slender: The Arrival on PC and then consoles, but the studio wisely decided not to become the all jump scare all the time game factory fans of that horror hit wanted it to be. Its upcoming title, Valley is a very different game than Slender was, although some are making direct (and probably unfair) comparisons to Gone North Games excellent first-person puzzle platformer A Story About My Uncle.

The trailer below certainly has a few things going for it that game didn’t as well as what looks like a tonal shift from freeform 3D platforming to a bit of slightly frightening business:

As for what’s what with the story and what to expect from the gameplay, here you go:

Valley is a First-Person adventure unlike any other. Hidden deep within a remote region of the Rocky Mountains, you find yourself bewildered within a secluded valley. With the power of a recently discovered L.E.A.F. suit (Leap Effortlessly though Air Functionality), run and jump your way through beautiful forests, dangerous ruins and vast environments; all the while utilizing the power to control life and death to uncover the startling secrets of the mysterious valley.

Features

Move faster, jump higher: make your way through the world of Valley™ using the incredible speed and agility of the L.E.A.F. suit.
Manipulate life and death: the L.E.A.F. suit grants its pilots the phenomenal power to both give and take life from any living thing.
Experience a unique twist on death: the more you die, the more the valley will die around you.
Enhance yourself: upgrade your suit with new abilities and strengths.
Explore: the world of Valley™ is filled with forests, wildlife, ancient ruins, charming creatures, dangerous enemies and other mysteries.

Six screens below to ogle:

The varied environments combined with the intriguing gameplay makes Valley quite intriguing and well worth a play to see how the mechanics work. If it all works well, Blue Isle will have what’s looking to be an even bigger hit than Slender was, provided that game’s legion of fans is willing to try something different. Valley lands on PC via Steam (so far), PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this summer.

Gallery: Niten

Posted on April 22, 2016 by geelw

“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”
– Miyamoto Musashi

That quote from Musashi’s classic The Book of Five Rings is seemingly what Edinburgh, Scotland-based indie developer Donald Macdonald is aiming to convey with Niten, an upcoming first-person exploration game currently available for backing on Kickstarter that blazed through the Steam Greenlight approval process in a mere ten days. Created with Unreal Engine 4 and Speedtree assets, MacDonald’s interactive adventure looks absolutely glorious with an open world beckoning to be fully explored as the story plays out:

In search of the past and the present find yourself lost on a remote island off the coast of Japan. Uncover the mystery where ancient Japanese culture meets breathtaking scenery, blossoming cherry trees and a sky that tells a story in its self. Watch the weather turn and see the sun go down, feel the chill of the morning mist and let the glowing fireflies guide you as you search to uncover the truth of the island.

As for that island, let’s take a look at some gorgeous screenshots below the jump. Passports ready? Good. We’re off: Continue reading →

Something About Three Kings Lost Makes This #TBT A Lot More Wistful

Posted on April 21, 2016 by geelw

“Sometimes it snows in April.” Thanks to not sleeping last night (working on a few projects for the site plus tackling a small freelance job) I was quite out of the loop today and only heard the news that Prince died when I walked in the door. While I wasn’t a die-hard super fan like a few friends, the fact that he did just about EVERYTHING on his studio recordings and was so prolific that it made me wonder if the man ever slept. That sort of work ethic has always impressed me, but it’s always sad to see someone so talented leave so soon. Anyway, I’ll just leave this clip here (it’s been circulating the internet like a satellite today). In a way, I feel sorry for the kids today who never got to see any of these legends live or don’t know of how much they all changed the music and entertainment scene. All were human and had human problems, but on stage or on whatever you listened to them on, your brain and body were moving to beats that still resonate and motivate when the need arises.

Back in a bit. My favorite Prince song? Wow. Much of Purple Rain aside, I guess this one because it made me laugh (that dancing in the video is awesome but amusing) and even more so when it was covered by an icon from a previous era whose career got a massive boost afterwards.

Meanwhile, in Japan: EDF 4.1 Keeps On With the Fun Stuff

Posted on April 20, 2016 by geelw

Here’s something you don’t see every day in Japan: an extended game video entirely in English that seems made for western audiences. Then again given the popularity of Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair worldwide, it seems that D3Publisher there is smart enough to have this new video all ready for distribution wherever people are playing their game. Anyway, enjoy this slice of humor, EDF style and go pick this one already if you have a PS4. It’s one of the better (okay, BEST) bang for your buck titles on any console with well over 100 hours of play which can easily double or triple if you get pulled into online play with like-minded EDF troopers.

Lost Reavers Beta Hands-On: Fun, But Needs Some Old West Tweaking

Posted on April 18, 2016 by geelw

While it hasn’t sold in the numbers Nintendo has liked to have seen, the Wii U isn’t dead just yet. Bandai Namco’s online-only action shooter/RPG-lite exclusive Lost Reavers popped up last Friday as a public beta until April 26 (the final version goes live a day later) and after some extensive playtime, the jury is in on the gameplay (solid and accessible fun), but out on the lack of certain features that make these online games hugely popular and more enjoyable to western audiences. Let’s start with what works before commencing with the constructive criticism, as some things can and should be ironed out once the final release is out.

While the “plot” is thinner than a sheet of rice paper on a recently paved road run over by a dozen brand new steamrollers, it’s not *why* you’ll be playing at all. The game is a throwback to a simpler arcade style of play: Run through maps killing monsters and picking up drops before making to a relic room where that prize is retrieved by a single player and carried to an exit warp while the others protect hm or her. Most maps are relatively short and can be completed in less than five minutes to closer to ten minutes each with a good set of teammates. The Unreal-powered visuals are okay and occasional lag and bug issues (that will hopefully be squashed before launch) aside, the game runs at what looks like 30fps most of the time. While it’s a third-person game, each of the four classes plays differently and the heavy gunner guy has the only optional first-person view. My own preferences are the third person furthest view camera because it allows for seeing more of what’s around you, but there’s also a second third-person view that adds a targeting cursor as well as a lock-on function that should help casual players get used to things quickly.

Continue reading →

IFFY News Is Not “Iffy” At All. It’s Quite Awesome For JRPG Fans

Posted on April 17, 2016 by geelw

So, Idea Factory International has been a bunch of busy bees of late. This is a great thing for fans of their console and PC games as a number of cool projects are coming soon and you’ll be wanting to get that disposable income dispenser (or wallet, purse or whatever you keep your plastic in) pointed in the general direction of whatever you’re reading this on to do some pre-ordering now or flat out buying later. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s hop to it!

MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies Limited Edition Pre-orders!

Look at it. Just LOOK AT IIIIIIIIT!

Isn’t is all so CUTE AS HELL? Yes it is! And all that stuff is a measly $62.99? Excellent. Now stay out of my way while I hug my monitor into a different shape (squeeeeeze, CRACK!!… oops). Um, anyway. For a more sedate (and actually informative) look at what’s in the box, see below:

Somehow, even that teeny-tiny unboxing is CUTE. Or David and Ari at IFI are giants straight out of Attack on Titan (without the crazy faces and people eating) and that box is the correct size. Hmmm… Anyway, go get that LE before it sells out, I say. The game hits retail and digital May 10 (a few days after my birthday IFFY you’re buying me a gift. HINT. HINT. HINT.

Continue reading →

Gallery: SEVERED

Posted on April 16, 2016 by geelw

In Severed you play as a distraught warrior, who is lost in a fantastical world. She is tasked with the challenge of knitting together pieces of her story from both the past and the future. Our heroine will embark on a journey through a surreal non-linear world using a gesture based combat mechanic to defeat enemies in this first person adventure. Unlock new abilities, discover secrets of the land, and grow in power as you master both offensive and defensive techniques. Let Severed be your mystery to unravel.

Despite not being the biggest fan of touch screen or gesture-based games on the Vita (why can’t I use a stylus on this handheld?), Drinkbox Studios’ SEVERED caught my eye (ow!) with it’s gorgeous stylized visuals and overall “not for the kids” plot. Memories of a few arcade games and the Super NES sleeper Shien’s Revenge also came to mind, which means I’ll most likely have a blast playing this. Granted, I wasn’t so fond of Guacamelee (fun to play as it was), but I never judge a developer by ONE game (I just judge my taste in games I should have liked more when I first played them). Anyway, this new Vita title should be out digitally on PSN at some point this year. It’s screaming for a Wii U/3DS port, but we shall see what happens over time, right?

Some lovely screens below:

The gameplay looks smooth enough and those graphics sure are easy on the eyes (unless you’re that poor sap in the tree above), so it looks as if Drinkbox will have another hit on their hands (and in my hands as well).

Godzilla Resurgence: Oh, He’s Just Mad About His Skinny Dino-Arms

Posted on April 15, 2016 by geelw

Gojira sez: “Aw, COME ON NOW! Why’d you guys gimme these scrawny back-scratchers? WHYYYYYYYY!”

Hmmm, either someone’s been watching Cloverfield and taking notes… or it’s a Godzilla flick from Japan that might actually be worth taking a plane trip to see. It seems that Toho Studios wasn’t all that fond of that Americanized Godzilla reboot from 2014. That or they’re clearly shown that they can do the legendary character more justice by taking him back to his roots, making him about ten times more hideous (and man, does that work out well, scrawny back-scratchers aside) and setting him loose in Japanese cinemas on July 29, 2016. While there’s no word of an English localization, I’m betting the fact that there just so happen to be TWO versions of the poster might mean something. Maybe? Hopefully?

Meanwhile, back at the trailer park:

This longer look at the film shows the meaner, uglier, Hideous Sun Demon-like Godzilla strutting his stuff in full CG and what looks like actual rubber suit form and looking mighty tough. Put this on your radar and hope that Toho is getting some decent voice actors as this isn’t a comedy coming your way for sure.

Ph, and you really wanna know why he’s SO damn mad? He can’t even scratch his back with those short arms. That and just LOOK at that skin of his? Those claws of his have ripped it up pretty badly already. I’d be pissed off too, Graaaaar!

Gallery: Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan – The Awakening

Posted on April 15, 2016 by geelw

Okay, who knew Cameroon (yes, that Cameroon) had an indie game development studio working on a colorful Action/RPG partly inspired by Japan’s Tales of franchise and a few side-scrolling brawlers some of you may have spent a lot of money in back in the arcade era?

Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan – The Awakening is out NOW and can be purchased directly from the developer or on Steam (both at a 15% discount).

If that colorful trailer above and those equally colorful screenshots below the jump are any indication, Kiro’o Games has a winner on their hands worth playing.

Continue reading →

Lost Reavers Killed My Productivity Today (Thanks, Bandai Namco!)

Posted on April 14, 2016 by geelw

So yeah. I only planned to give that Lost Reavers beta a try for oh, about an hour or two. I got online at noon (after a few attempts at logging in after midnight failed because the beta wasn’t ready for its close up), and the next thing I know it was 6:47 and anything else I had planned earlier was toast. More in-depth impressions to come tomorrow. It’s fun and really easy to get into but REALLY needs an offline solo and up to 4-player co-op mode so even MORE people can play it.

Back in a bit. My eyeballs need a break, I’m at level 16 and there’s a big, bad boss that needs to be dealt with (later this evening, perhaps?)