Archive for March 30th, 2010

THQ's fighting game agreements already encompass an eight-year agreement with WWE and a successful annual franchise in the UFC Undisputed games. That family will grow when they announce a new game from a "major developer" at E3 this year, though the title and property have not yet been divulged.

"The fighting group is actually taking on the management of another game that we're going to announce at E3 that has a certain amount of melee combat in it but it's... we'll announce it at E3," THQ core games VP Danny Bilson told CVG. "It's a major developer and you'll get exactly what I'm talking about when I'm able to talk about it. It's really cool, it's another one of the things I'm doing to rebuild everything around the core division of THQ."

Bilson cautioned that it may "two, three years to build an awesome game," but he's setting a high bar for the new reveal, whatever it may be. If the new game doesn't belong to the WWE or UFC brands, the list of other possibilities can't be too long. My personal wish is that THQ understands how mainstream oil-soaked Turkish Yagli Gures wrestling is about to become now that Hakan is in "Super Street Fighter 4." If that's the case, they could be the first game publisher on the block to have franchise waiting for all those new fans.

What do you think THQ's new fighting game announcement will be? Would you play a Yagli Gures game? Share your predictions in the comment section below.

Hideo Kojima may have said that delaying a game is the greatest crime a game developer can commit, but "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker" has now drifted away from May 25th to a June 8th release in the U.S. European and U.K. delays have followed suit, and the U.K. will be last in line, almost two months after "Peace Walker" hits Asia.

The June 8th U.S., June 17th European and June 18th U.K. dates have all been confirmed now on Konami.jp. Kojima took personal offense to the Asian market delay earlier this year, but even his stern words couldn't anchor Konami's original May plans for North America.

The Costa Rican-set PSP game, which takes place 10 years after "Metal Gear Solid 3," will still make it out for the summer, and that's better than can be said for a lot of chronically delayed games of the last few years. ("Splinter Cell: Conviction" comes to mind.) There will also be a "Spirited Green" PSP-3000 bundle hitting on June 8th in the U.S. with "Peace Walker" included for $199.99.

How do you feel about the "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker" delay? Do you think it will be worth the wait? Share your expectations in the comment section below.

Forget everything you know about "Red Steel," Ubisoft's Nintendo Wii launch title, a FPS that was meant to wow gamers with its guns-'n-swordplay action. Or don't. Because your memories of that sorry experience will only make "Red Steel 2," at best described as a spiritual successor to the original 2006 release, look all that much better by comparison.

The Basics

The story starts out in an appropriately jarring manner. A black screen fades away to reveal that you're looking through the eyes of the protagonist after he's been bound by his hands with a rope tied off at the other end to the back of a motorcycle. The rider guns it and takes off, dragging you along the floor of a rocky, dirt-covered aqueduct. Your tattooed captor has stolen your katana and left you powerless... until the dumbass drives you through a fire, setting your ropes ablaze and giving you access to your trusty six-shooter. One lucky shot, a horrific bike crash and a short altercation later, and you're free in a dusty, future/western landscape, fighting your way through legions of baddies while spending earned cash to improve your skills and tools.

The Highs

Chop-Suey
The swordplay doesn't offer 1:1 movement, even with the required Motion Plus attached, but it is undeniably entertaining, easy to pick up and fun to master. The gradual unlocking of special attacks and counters results in a gentle-yet-entertaining learning curve.

Shop-Suey
Throughout the game, destroying objects, killing bad guys and taking on jobs nets you cash-money. Those funds can be spent on upgrading your katana, buying additional skills and special attacks -- always with an accompanying training sequence -- and pimping out your various firearms. The number and variety of available upgrades unlock gradually, based on your progress. In short, the game is very balanced in this regard.

Dripping With... Style
Visually, "Red Steel 2" is superior to most other Wii games out there. Ubisoft Paris went for a cel-shaded look, which both complements the setting and looks far better than the last game's more "realistic" design (which wasn't very real).

The Lows

This Place Looks Familiar...
While the visual style in "Red Steel 2" is excellent, the actual design of your surroundings... isn't. The scenery changes somewhat as you progress through the game, but the sort-of-open world design feels like it is repeated far too frequently from level to level.

Sword Beats Gun
The sword is easily accessible at any time and it blocks bullets as well as incoming melee attacks. Firing your gun is as simple as a press of the B button... but there's rarely a need to, unless you want to take out an Explosive Red Barrel(TM) from afar. It is so much more stylish -- not to mention entertaining -- to run up and cut your enemies down with a few quick slashes and a deeply satisfying finishing move.

Kill, Rinse, Repeat
If the combat isn't enough to keep you happy, then you'll grow bored very fast. "Red Steel 2" quickly settles into a pattern of "do mission, return to job board, collect more missions, repeat." There are boss battles, an unlockable challenge mode and a few other elements to keep things varied... but your enjoyment of the game will depend entirely on how much you take to the combat mechanics.

The Verdict

"Red Steel 2" is the latest in a string of sequels that have seen a significant improvement over their predecessor. Yes, we're looking at you "Assassin's Creed" and "Mass Effect." Ubisoft's chief success here is in ditching just about everything from the first game, outside of the basic "kill people with swords and guns" concept. If you've been looking for a quality Wii game to get your action fix with, look no further: "Red Steel 2" is here.

This is officially one of my favorite interview clips ever. Some producers get pretty excited about the game they're working on, but not Yoshinori Ono, the producer of "Super Street Fighter 4." This dude bleeds enthusiasm and it comes through in an awesome interview.

In this case, I asked Ono-san how the developers create the ridiculous ultra combos in "Super Street Fighter 4." Apparently the best way to do it is to, quite simply, act them out, complete with maniacal laughter. Oh to be a fly on the wall of Capcom Japan...

Apple's App Store, which just last week began to allow app gifting, now has a new point of entry through an official App Store Facebook page. Vitrue, the same company responsible for the official iTunes Facebook page, made it all happen, though their new hub noticeably makes no mention of the iPad.

"With more than 170,000 apps available in the App Store and with more than 3 billion downloads, bringing the incredibly popular App Store to Facebook was a perfect fit," states a post on the Vitrue Blog. "Both the App Store and Facebook are currently two of hottest application development platforms today, so bringing the two together is a match made in heaven."

The new page sports Facebook fan-page standards like comment threads and a wall, but it also encourages users to recommend apps to their friends and search for new apps via updated lists and spotlights. They don't have many photos, though.

The page's profile specifically mentions apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, but I wouldn't be surprised to see an update fairly soon with the iPad in there as well. Civilian Apple users obviously can't access iPad apps yet, but once the device ships, it's going to feel left out if Vitrue doesn't put them up on there too.

What do you think of the new App Store Facebook page? See anything useful on there? Share your opinions in the comment section below.

Ever since Will Wright left EA, the gaming world has wondered what his next epic undertaking would look like. The designer who engineered "Sim City," "The Sims" and "Spore" set out on his own almost a year ago to do something new, and it now looks like that new thing will be a TV series called "The Creation Project" for Current TV. Unsurprisingly, Wright's interactive design roots show a little bit in the concept's audience participation premise, which seems to be a reality series about crowd-sourcing a new program.

The series will be partially driven by a "StoryMaker Engine" that pools viewer input via online/mobile devices, according to IGN. That system will reportedly gather user-generated storyboards and ideas to create an entirely new show altogether. Once a storyline wins, the show will be produced and air as two half-hour episodes. Wright will be getting a hand from former president of Spike TV and Nickelodeon Albie Hecht, who has signed on to produce, and their final product may show up by the end of 2010.

From the limited information available, it sounds like Wright may be making a bid to become the Simon Cowell of a nuanced "TV Producer Idol" type of program. Anyone familiar with his work knows that he has brains, but will be refreshing to see some cross-industry pollination going on if "The Creation Project" takes off.

Do you think Will Wright will be able to make a TV series series work? What do you think of his pitch? Share your reactions in the comment section below.

Blending together mechanics and perspectives from different genres and stuffing them into a single game is a bold move. In good hands the experience is rewarding; but in less experienced hands, the alchemical rigors are passed on to the player. XS Games' "The Red Star," a PSP port of a 2007 PS2 release, is a good example of successful implementations. It's too bad I didn't like it.

The Basics

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more incoherent narrative than what "The Red Star" dishes out. It's based on a graphic novel of the same name, which I'll suppose spews the same type neo-Russian dystopian techno-babble that the game does. But while clarity is ever the issue, there's no chance you'll get lost in its straightforward, yet peculiar action.

"The Red Star" is a cross between beat 'em up fisticuffs and a shoot 'em up. You'll control one of three avatars, each armed with upgradable fists and ranged weapons, across a series of short, linear levels thick with bruising foes and bosses. Merciful the game is not. But creative it is -- you'll interact in an environment that rapidly mutates between brawler perspectives while always giving you fluid control of genre-bending combos. Eat that, "Final Fight."

The Highs

Changing It Up Is Nice
The game's fixed camera is a point of entertaining design that is milked to wonderful effect in tandem with the game's high-octane action. As new combat avenues are opened, the game camera frantically adjusts between top-down, side-scrolling, and even isometric 3D perspectives, giving refreshing looks at what could have been otherwise stale battles.

That said, these on the fly switches are the only meaningful "Highs" in a game full of bad design and spectacularly low "Lows."

The Lows

Dying for a Save Point
"The Red Star" is at its best when you're laying on the trigger and evading storms of bullets. There's some minor visceral satisfaction involved. But it's often at is worst at these times, too. The game has a wretched difficulty curve that ramps up without warning, and equally vile level structure that ushers in new, ridiculously hard to kill foes and bullet-spewing boss after boss without warning, making this game a chore to play at best.

Checkpoints: this Game Needs Them
To make matters worse, there isn't a checkpoint system. If you die, you restart the entire level. This is incredibly frustrating since each level has at least two or three boss confrontations on top of several low-level, cheap enemy skirmishes beforehand.

Broken Upgrade System
The weapon, armor, and health upgrade component should have mitigated the game's difficulty … but it doesn’t. Upgrades are ineffectual, flimsy things that yield only the smallest effects. But even if you desire them, you'll find your EXP coffers low: you only earn a meaningful amount experience points by performing well in a level. If you suck, well, you're out of luck.

The Verdict

I wanted to like "The Red Star," but its well-implemented blend of action can't carry the game beyond its faults. The lack of checkpoints, solid upgrades, a cooperative component, and the brutal difficulty demolish its promise.

"Modern Warfare 2" fans have been waiting for the game's first map pack for months, and today was supposed to mark its launch on the 360. Unfortunately, even though the pack can be purchased and downloaded (for $15), players haven't been able to get much farther than that. Starting the game and trying to launch one of the new maps in multiplayer results in a never ending lobby countdown and exactly zero actual gameplay.

An update from Xbox Live rep Larry "Major" Nelson came mere minutes ago, saying that the required title update has just launched for "Modern Warfare 2" and it will allow folks to enjoy the new maps to the fullest:

The MW2 Title Update is now live! It may take a few minutes for everyone worldwide to get it - our apologies for the delay. #MW2

No word yet on whether the title update did the trick, but here's hoping! After all, 15 bucks is a lot of money to spend for unplayable maps.

"The Conduit" bit off the simple task of putting a serviceable FPS on the Wii with multiplayer capabilities. Now, the "The Conduit 2" has been announced, and High Voltage wants to build on top of that model with a few new unnamed modes and customization options. The development team seems to have a good grasp of where they're coming from, as well as what they need to do to improve gameplay for the sequel.

"In the first 'Conduit,' I think the core experience is very [solid]," High Voltage producer Josh Olson told Nintendo Power, according to GoNintendo. Online modes will be a part of the picture as well, according to the report, as will two- or four-player splitscreen play, a setting in Atlantis and new weapons to accompany some old familiar ones.

Olson also recently said that making environments a little more unique would be on the development team's to-do list, although "The Conduit 2" wasn't official at the time.

"If you're playing 'Halo,' or look at a screenshot, you know you're in 'Halo,'" he told Nintendo World Report. "I don't think that's the case with The Conduit. It's a very valid criticism that we took to heart and we're hoping to address in future games."

The first "Conduit" didn't need to be "Halo" though. It just had to be a strong FPS, given the small pond of competition on the Wii. The franchise got a respectable start, though, so this will be a title watch out for as more details emerge.

Did you play the first "Conduit"? What do you think High Voltage should focus on for the sequel? Share your suggestions in the comment section below.

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