Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Andrew Rainnie - UK Correspondent
Kickstart This! Defect, Disciples of the Storm, The Nascent: An Anecdote of Aetherholme
During E3 2015, Sony used its press conference to announce that the long-awaited sequel, Shenmue III, would be coming to the PlayStation 4. In the days since, the consolemaker has confirmed they will be helping with development costs, though the game was initially launched on Kickstarter by Ys Net, the studio responsible for the game’s development. The team, led by director and producer Yu Suzuki, could not have asked for a better setting to make the announcement. The game set a new record for reaching the $1 million mark on a crowdfunding platform, managing to hit that figure in 102 minutes, and then passing by its $2 million target in a little over nine hours. It has now gone on to become the second most-funded game ever.
Of course, this stunt has once again raised ethical questions about large corporations testing the waters with crowdfunders. Yu Suzuki was forced to clarify how the Kickstarter funds would be used once it was revealed Sony would be stumping up a sum of cash to complete the game.
Regardless of whether you believe it was morally dubious or not, let us now turn our attentions to a trio of gaming projects that cannot rely on a big E3 announcement to secure funds. We start with ship-building shooter Defect, before revisiting an old classic in Disciples of the Storm, and finishing with the cel-shaded, self-referential side-scrolling platformer The Nascent: An Anecdote of Aetherholme. (more…)
The Changing Face of Bethesda’s Heroes Led the Way at E3 2015
Bethesda’s first-ever E3 Press Conference was chock-full of goodies, from Dishonored: Definitive Edition for next generation consoles to a new Doom and its intuitive SnapMap creator. But there was also something else to celebrate during the presentation, as the company’s two biggest announcements, Fallout 4 and Dishonored 2, both offered the choice to play as a female character. And believe it or not, every game showcased by Bethesda will give players that same choice. (more…)
Posted in Opinions, PC, PS4, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, BattleCry, Dishonored 2, Doom (2016), E3 2015, Fallout 4, Horizon: Zero Dawn, ReCore, The Elder Scrolls Online
I Wish Sony Had Let The Last Guardian Fade Away
Sony put on an incredible show during this year’s E3 Expo, debuting new IPs from Guerrilla Games and Media Molecule, as well as offering further glimpses at long-awaited titles such as No Man’s Sky from Hello Games and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End from Naughty Dog. Yet it chose to open its presentation with perhaps the most long-awaited title of all time, The Last Guardian. (more…)
Posted in Opinions, PS4, Top Story
Tagged E3 2015, Final Fantasy VII, Shenmue III, The Last Guardian
Iwata is Listening: 5 Things Nintendo Needs to Hear After Negative E3 Reaction
In a year when big hitters like Microsoft, Sony, and Bethesda gave exciting, extraordinary E3 presentations that included a smooth blend of new tech, surprise reveals, and gorgeous gameplay videos, the reverse is true for Nintendo. The company, who gave up on live E3 presentations two years ago, delivered a lackluster Digital Event that sought to highlight games due out this year or early next year. This effectively ruled out showing any new footage from the still untitled Legend of Zelda Wii U, despite the fact it was revealed at last year’s E3. Not content with backing itself into a corner with this decision, we were told that the company’s new platform, the NX, would also not be touched upon. Yet, given how meager-looking the titles were for the Wii U, it has led to rampant speculation that the company is holding upcoming games back for its next console.
In summary, Xenoblade Chronicles X was shown. Again. Super Mario Maker was shown. Again, and not just from E3 2014, but also from the Nintendo World Championships. Yoshi’s Woolly World was shown. Again.
3DS owners fared far better, with the announcement of new games such as The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes and Hyrule Warriors Legends, a port of the underrated Wii U game. There was also a new Paper Mario-esque title, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and an odd Samus-lite Metroid game, Metroid Prime: Federation Force.
There were a few surprises for the Wii U, but not the good kind, and certainly not the ones fans wanted or expected, such as Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash or Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (which is, essentially, Mario Party with Animal Crossing characters). The initial reaction to the presentation was best summed up by our good friends over at Nintendo Life:
As a Wii U owner and general advocate for Nintendo, I was not as angered as many who chose to vent their anger on social media, but after Sony and Microsoft made pitch-perfect presentations, to say I was disappointed in Nintendo’s efforts would be an understatement. Nintendo President (and part-time puppet) Satoru Iwata seemed equally aware of the reaction from gamers and fans around the world, taking to Twitter to reassure them the company was listening: “Thank you for watching until midnight. We take the various opinions for this year’s Digital Event very seriously. I would like to continue our efforts to be able to meet more and more of your expectations in the future.”
Unlike many armchair CEOs calling for his resignation, I personally think Iwata has steered Nintendo through a stormy chapter in its history, and is obviously aware that more change may be needed. With that in mind, here are five suggestions on how Nintendo can improve for next year. (more…)
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture will launch on August 11
The weird and wonderfully titled Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, the kooky collaboration between developer The Chinese Room and publisher SCE Santa Monica Studio, is set to make its PS4 debut August 11.
Set in an eerie village in the English county of Shropshire, the screenshots released thus far depict thatched roof houses and quaint British pubs, a million miles away from the popular image of a world hit by an apocalypse. Players will explore the village and the surrounding landscape to try and piece together what took place when the world ended 31 years before.
There will be six location hubs in total, each one telling the story of a separate character. Floating orbs will allow the player to tune into frequencies and conversations from the past, gathering clues as they listen to the long-raptured residents talking and gossiping. The Chinese Room has made the experience an unsettling, non-linear one, so players will be free to visit the stories in any order they see fit.
If this gets your interest up, Dan Pinchbeck, the Creative Director for The Chinese Room, recently dove deeper into the game’s world for the PlayStation Blog. The developer also launched the game’s official website, which is packed with even more information and spooky screenshots.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Ratchet & Clank PS4 remake is actually a game based on a movie based on a game
Insomniac Games has been busy of late, debuting on the Xbox One last year with Sunset Overdrive, plugging a few iOS games this year, as well as developing Edge of Nowhere, the company’s exclusive game for the Oculus Rift. Yet, with such a full plate, Insomniac is returning to its roots with a new Ratchet & Clank game for the PS4.
Instead of producing a sequel to the modestly well-received PS3 title Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, Insomniac has chosen to get very meta, reworking the 2002 original for the PS4, but also adapting part of the upcoming animated feature film about the space-faring duo. Confused? So are we! The PlayStation Blog put it best: “Play the game, based on the movie, based on the game!”
But Ratchet & Clank is more than just a glossy version of the 2002 original game, and has been reworked to specifically tie-in with the film’s plot, which tells the story of Ratchet’s origins. In short, it is almost a brand new game with elements of the original, but with modern controls, sleek graphics, and more missions, planets, and bosses, thanks to the power of the PlayStation 4. You can see the only thing in motion in the E3 2015 trailer embedded above.
But let’s not forget the franchise’s focus on new weaponry, like the Pixelizer, which turns enemies into something out of Minecraft. Old favourites also return, from the Groovitron to Ratchet’s cybernetic bodyguard Mr. Zurkon. If you pre-order the game, you will also get The Bouncer, an exclusive weapon originally featured in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando!
Ratchet & Clank will be available for the PS4 next Spring.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged E3 2015, Ratchet & Clank
Kickstart This! Defragmented, Pixel Starships, Severed World
A short time ago we featured Dimension Drive in our Kickstart This! column. The developer, 2Awesome Studio, thought it had the money in the bag, until one of the donations was deemed fraudulent. However, Kickstarter allowed 2Awesome to relaunch the project straight away, and with two weeks to go the game is already fully funded, so we’re thrilled that everything worked out for the best.
Turning our attentions to some brand new crowdfunding projects, we begin with top-down cyberpunk shooter Defragmented, moving on to starship management strategy game Pixel Starships, before finishing with 2D MMORPG Severed World. (more…)
Kickstart This! CCTV Nation, Overdosed, Power Drive 2000
While my own Kickstarter campaign, The Illuminant Midnight Project, didn’t reach its funding goal, the first big crowdfunding story of 2015, Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee, zoomed past its initial funding goal of £1,000,000 in less than 24 hours, and met its “final” stretch goal a few days later, pushing Playtonic to add further stretch goals. The campaign still has a little less than a month left to run, so there is little doubt it will reach the £2,000,000 goal of free DLC for everybody. The campaign’s success has been built on months of anticipation, coupled with a sweet price point for backers. I pledged £15 to get the game on Wii U, which is insanely good value for the money.
Of course, the former Rare employees have two decades worth of nostalgia to help them succeed, whereas other developers must rely on more modest means to help them complete their gaming projects, bringing us to this week’s Kickstart This! We start with the curious augmented reality game CCTV Nation, before plunging into the depths of hell with top-down shooterOverdosed. Finally, there is stunning sci-fi racer Power Drive 2000.
Where we’re going, we don’t need roads… (more…)