Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Andrew Rainnie - UK Correspondent
Space Pioneer could be flying onto Wii U too
After a slew of doom and gloom articles, Nintendo’s Wii U may be finally finding its feet. During a recent investor’s meeting Nintendo announced that the Wii U is nearing the six million mark in sales, while both The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD and Super Mario 3D World have sold over one million copies each. And while the announcement that Mario Kart 8 would be revving its engines put fans into overdrive, another game was tentatively announced for the console.
Ambitious spacefaring project Space Pioneer, which featured in the most recent edition of Kickstart This!, will be released for the Wii U should the game reach its initial goal of $150,000. At the time of this writing, the Kickstarter campaign had reached just under $20,000, with 39 days to achieve the remained 87%.
Space Pioneer is being developed by Space Enigma Studios, and seeks to be an entertaining, as well as educational, experience, with a number of real world astronauts, architects, and scientists of various fields helping the studio realise a universe for players to explore and colonise. As well as the exploration, there will also be plot threaded throughout the narrative, driven by a mystery regarding some ancient artefacts. Given the talent involved, this could be the next Mass Effect.
Posted in News, PC, Wii U
Tagged Space Pioneer
Microsoft wants to give you $100 towards an Xbox One… if you trade in your PS3
It is now an open secret that the gap between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is growing from a small crevice to a Grand Canyon. And Sony may soon to leave its competitor eating dust when its new console hits Japanese stores next month. In response, Microsoft has resorted to what some may see as desperate measures. They have started sending out emails offering PlayStation 3 owners $100 towards the cost of an Xbox One if they trade in their console at their local Microsoft Store by March 2.
Perhaps to make the offer look less self-serving, the $100 credit can also be obtained if you trade in an Xbox 360 S or Xbox 360 E system as well.
The move is very peculiar, especially as the cost of the new PlayStation 4 is almost $100 less than the Xbox One. Fans looking to upgrade to either next-gen console would be able to trade in their old ones at the likes of GameStop, without having to take part in Microsoft’s deal. The ill-conceived plan seems to indicate that the company is all too aware that it risks being left in second, possibly even third place, in the next-generation race.
The big question is, what will Microsoft do with all the PlayStation 3 consoles it receives?
Kickstart This! The 4K 2K14 Edition
2014 is barely three weeks old and already there is so much to be excited about. The next-generation consoles are stepping into their stride, CES gave us our first taste of the next wave of 4K televisions, and there is a treasure trove of potentially awesome games seeking funding on Kickstarter. Like Noah going into the ark, we’re kicking off the first edition of the year with some pairs. We have two RPGs, the collective world-building Story, and the more classic adventure RPG The Meridian Shard. After that is a pair of robotic logic puzzle games, Level and Algo-Bot. Finally, there is a single space-set games project vying for your cold, hard cash: Space Pioneer.
And a-one, and a-two… (more…)
Posted in Features, Mobile, PC, Top Story
Tagged Space Pioneer
Rumor: Nintendo’s “new business structure” is a hybrid console/handheld codenamed Fusion
Nintendo didn’t do so hot in 2013. Their sales projections for the Wii U were way off and the subsequent stock drop caused every gamer with an opinion to scream that the company’s fate is written on the walls in Mario’s blood. It also lead to wild (and often baseless) theories and rumours speculating what the future of the company holds. Especially after President Satoru Iwata told shareholders about Nintendo’s “new business structure”:
“We are thinking about a new business structure. Given the expansion of smart devices, we are naturally studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business. It’s not as simple as enabling Mario to move on a smartphone.”
One particularly insane theory has emerged thanks to a report published on Gamin Realm a few weeks ago pertaining to Nintendo’s next home console. Considering the level of detail that their “inside source” was able to deliver, it is either too specific to be fiction or too insane to be real.
The anonymous report claims that Nintendo’s next console will is codenamed “Fusion,” which is certainly a lot better than Dolphin, and might even carry that name after it is released. The “Fusion” name is a clever bit of wordplay because Gamin Realm’s source states that the machine will merge the home console and handheld markets into one device. A similar device was suggested by GamesIndustry International last week, though it seems to have been written without any knowledge of Gamin Realm’s report.
The report includes a barrage of technical info, but essentially, the Fusion’s GPU is said to be capable of four times the number of teraflops as the PS4, while the CPU would be based on IBM’s POWER series, which in theory could mean backwards compatibility for Wii and Wii U titles. As well as supporting four “Fusion DS” handheld units, the machine would be backwards compatible with the Wii U’s GamePad. And not only would it be 4K-compatible, but it would also be available in two models: A 60 GB version with a Holographic Versatile Disc drive or a 300 GB version without a disc drive.
While it sounds like fan fiction and should be read while swimming in a lorry full of salt, it also sounds remarkably Nintendo-esque. The Fusion DS screen would still be sub-HD with a 960×640 DVGA capacitive touchscreen. Those in power at Nintendo have often commented that work on a new machine starts one year after the launch of the last, but this seems to be jumping the gun, even with the sad state of the Wii U. However, while Microsoft and Sony are busy slugging it out in the long term, with both companies betting on Cloud computing to elongate the next-gen’s life span, Nintendo could easily launch a new console within four years. The GameCube, which the Wii U resembles in projected sales figures, had a five year run before the Wii emerged.
Whether it is an actual leak of a possible design or just some blogger’s big lie, the predicted specs of the Nintendo Fusion can be found after the break. (more…)
DriveClub stuck in neutral, won’t be ready for PS4’s Japanese launch in February
Evolution Studios’ next-gen “social racer” DriveClub certainly showed a lot of promise back when it was first revealed at the PlayStation 4 introduction back in February 2013. It was initially promised as a launch title, but it skipped the North American and European windows, and now looks to bypass the Japanese launch window as well. According to Siliconera, Sony has officially delayed the Japanese release of the game, from February 22nd (the launch date of the PS4 in Japan), to the ominous “To Be Determined (TBD).”
While no official reason has been given, the most likely scenario is that the game still requires a good deal of polish, not only for the visuals but for the game’s ambitious social feature to work as it was originally envisaged.
Evolution told IGN that it will reveal the revised release date of DriveClub shortly:
“The team at Evolution Studios are working hard to bring DriveClub, a truly next gen driving experience to PS4 and we will announce the release date shortly. We’re really excited about how DriveClub is progressing and thank you for your patience.”
Given the recent bad press surrounding games being released rushed and full of bugs, Sony may want to take its time with what could be a very important franchise for the future.
Valve rethinks Steam Controller, now looks like every other controller
Valve’s original Steam Controller was a rather unconventional piece of kit. But a newly revealed modified version of the controller put it more in line with a standard controller. The new Steam Controller will feature a traditional d-pad and four face buttons (A, B, X, Y) in the standard diamond formation where previously there was a touchscreen akin to a smaller version of the Wii U GamePad.
The change makes it analogous to the PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 and the Xbox One controller, meaning games designed for consoles could be more easily adapted to work with Valve’s new toy. Like the latter, the controller will also use AA batteries rather than a dedicated battery pack, which is a bit of a let-down given how easy it is to charge the likes of the DualShock or GamePad using a cradle dock or mini-USB cable. It will also be packed with an internal gyroscope and players will be able to use a whopping 16 Steam Controller at once if the game supports that many.
Valve has also hinted that more changes to the controller may happen in the future, as the company constantly seeks to refine it during the beta testing process. It seems the developer is keeping future VR headsets in mind while molding the Steam Controller, meaning it could be only part of what Valve has in mind.
[Source: Games Industry International]
Interview: We Take Aim at MODUS With Imagiro’s Allan Wang
Some gaming projects on Kickstarter are criminally overlooked by the general public. Imagiro Studios MODUS, a 2D turn-based artillery shooter set in a chaotic, post-apocalyptic Earth dominated by mutated beasts where humans once reigned supreme, is one such title.
We recently had the chance to talk with Allan Wang, CEO and Story Developer at MODUS developer Imagiro Studios, about the game’s failed campaign, alien monstrosities, Studio Ghibli influences and home-made beaver tails. (more…)
No Man’s Sky will not be delayed… despite British weather’s best attempt
The winter weather throughout the world coming into 2014 has been, in a word, appalling. America was frozen solid, while across the pond, Great Britain was the target of raging storms and a torrent of rain.
One area badly hit was the English town of Guildford, famous for rock band The Stranglers, writer Lewis Carroll, and the show-stealing developers at Hello Games. The game studio, made immediately famous after the 2013 VGX Awards thanks to the glorious trailer for their upcoming game, No Man’s Sky, was flooded on Christmas Eve.
Despite the loss of equipment and development kits, the team has reassembled in a cramped (and undisclosed) location. Powered by the goodwill of fans and lots of cups of tea (because this is England), they have managed to power through the anti-miracle that is the British weather and get No Man’s Sky back on track.
In short, there will be no delay to the game. As Sean Murray, Managing Director at the company, so aptly put it on the Hello Games blog:
At times recently I’ve wanted to be depressed, to wallow, but it’s impossible surrounded by this team. They are literally unstoppable. If we’ve lost some work, we’ll make up the time. We’ll steal dev-kits. We’ll work on a boat. Whatever it takes (not actual stealing… maybe)
Murray also revealed that although the team has considered a Kickstarter campaign, especially in light of their recent loss, it was decided that No Man’s Sky was not the right fit for the crowdfunding site.
If you’re hungry for more No Man’s Sky info, Murray also recently sat down with Edge to discuss the development difficulties in creating No Man’s Sky’s procedurally-generated worlds.
Posted in News
Tagged No Man's Sky