Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Andrew Rainnie - UK Correspondent
Fallout 4 is real… for real this time
Despite many gamers and journalists falling for the Fallout 4-styled hoax set up at TheSurvivor2299, it seems that the game does indeed exist (as if there was any doubt). Kotaku has discovered a possibly Fallout-related casting call put out by a casting director previously connected with other Bethesda titles such as Dishonored and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Although it does not reference the Fallout franchise directly, the documents do allude to several multiple locations and settings from the series. The script also includes the famous opening lines of the previous games: “War. War never changes.”
In addition to the script, other information has trickled out of the casting call, including references to the Institute, the Fallout alternative reality version of MIT. There are also allusions to the Commonwealth, the name for what remains of the state of Massachusetts. This possibly suggests that the world of the next game may span an entire state, making it the biggest game in the series yet.
Meanwhile, “the prick behind Survivor2299” has taken to Reddit to discuss why he launched the hoax site and what he hopes Bethesda will do with the next installment in the Fallout series. It is well worth a read.
More than $200 million has been pledged towards games on Kickstarter
Wading through the huge number of statistics that Kickstarter makes available through its site, the crowdfunding center’s “Games” category has recently hit a new milestone: The number of pledges towards game projects, including video games and board games, has passed the $200 million mark. This figure does count pledges that were made to unsuccessful projects, but stripping them away reveals that successful campaigns still account for an impressive $178 million.
While Kickstarter allows a vast variety of creative projects, from films and music albums to clothing, jewellery and nifty inventions, the Games category accounts for just over 20% of the $920 million that has so far been fed into the crowdfunding machine. It has now overtaken the Film & Video category as the biggest money maker on the site.
Since Warp Zoned started its monthly Kickstart This! column in 2012, the amount pledged to games has risen from $83 million last year to $112 million this year, with a couple of weeks left to go. That increase of over 25% has gone to funding high quality independent titles such as Knite & the Ghost Lights, Stasis, and Monochroma.
Kickstarter has now been running long enough that the games that have been previously funded through the system are starting to see the light of day. Sadly, not all of them have lived up to the hype. But with high profile titles like Broken Age, Shovel Knight, and many other Kickstarter-funded games set to be released soon, the viability of crowdfunding as a sustainable business model will definitely be put to the test in 2014.
Posted in News
Interview: Deep in the [Stuff] With Bullet Bros’ Jason Stokes
From the bold opening line of the trailer that immediately articulates the level of excrement the brothers-in-arms constantly reside in, Bullet Bros wears its guts on its sleeve. The game features two mercenaries who can link together for some outlandish and original manoeuvres, as well as hook cars, choppers, and other vehicles together for maximum devastation. Unfortunately, the project did not find much love on Kickstarter, collecting pledges for only a third of its $80,000 target. Warp Zoned caught up with creator Jason Stokes in the bloody aftermath of his criminally-overlooked campaign. (more…)
Posted in Features, Interviews, PC, Previews, Top Story
Indie horror adventure Stasis reaches full funding on Kickstarter
With only five days left in its epic 33-day Kickstarter campaign, 2D/isometric/horror/adventure game Stasis has achieved full funding, edging just over its $100,000 goal. The game, developed by South African brothers Christopher and Nicolas Bischoff, takes inspiration from classic point-and-click games such as The Dig, as well as space horror films like Ridley Scott’s Alien.
Last month, we talked to Chris Bischoff about the game, its development, and the funding process. Now that it has reached its target, PC gamers can look forward to exploring the derelict space station known as Groomlake when the game is released sometime in Fall 2014. Meanwhile, supporters can look forward to the wide array of rewards, including an official soundtrack composed by Mark Morgan, of Fallout fame.
To celebrate this achievement, the Bischoff brothers have released a new teaser trailer that feautres the point-of-view of the game’s fictional Cayne Corporation.
Interview: Stasis Developer Christopher Bischoff Talks Sci-Fi, Scares, and South Africa
In the November edition of our Kickstart This! column, we briefly looked at the dark sci-fi world of Stasis, an isometric adventure game from Johannesburg-based game developer Christopher Bischoff. I recently chatted with the designer to delve further into the belly of the deserted spacecraft named Groomlake, along with old LucasArts titles, South African gaming, and an unheard-of cinematic gem from William Shatner. (more…)
Xbox One TV input has no love for British framerate, workaround found
It looks like the much lauded live TV integration feature of the Xbox One has hit a tiny snag in the UK.As reported by numerous sources (including The Escapist, VideoGamer, and OXM UK), Xbox One owners have said that when watching their Freeview or Sky feeds through the system, the image was “juddering” so much that it was unwatchable.
The issue has since been identified by HDTVtest to be the small, yet significant, difference between American and British television framerates. Just like the spelling of certain words differs between the two countries, US TVs refresh at a rate of 60Hz, while in Britain, the standard rate is 50Hz. The Xbox One has been set to the American standard, even those units being sold in the UK, making the signals almost incompatible.
Not content with pinpointing the kink in Microsoft’s new multimedia-focused box, HDTVtest has since come up with a solution.
“First, set your Xbox One to auto-detect HDMI (under Display settings). Then, toggle the resolution from 1080p to 720p (or vice versa), which should trigger a prompt window asking if the screen is displaying correctly, and if you want to keep the new resolution. Select “No” before the 15 seconds is up. This seems to trick the Xbox One into thinking that the TV is not compatible with 60Hz signal, and voila! 50Hz output. Depending on your television set, you may need several attempts to succeed.”
Alas, while this solves the issue when watching television, it screws up the console’s primary function… playing games. Xbox One games are designed to be played at 60Hz, which means that users will have to switch between 50Hz and 60Hz depending on what they want to do. This seems like a far cry from the “All In One” experience Microsoft had promised. In fact, rather than having to mess about with the framerate settings, players may find it easier to bypass the Xbox One altogether, and have their TV feed piped into, gasp, the TV itself.
Operation Dead Angels launches “Bayonetta on Wii U” campaign
With Bayonetta 2 soon to be shooting and slicing its way onto the Wii U with a sexy smile, many have been wondering if the 2010 original would find its way onto Nintendo’s new platform. After a teasing tweet from Platinum Games’ Hideki Kamiya suggesting he could port the original to the Wii U before the sequel’s release…
We can. RT @lightningboltac If Nintendo decided to release Bayo1 on WiiU, will u be able to port it in time before Bayo2's release? Or later
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) November 22, 2013
…the Internet has done what it does best, created an online petition to demand something.
The group behind the “Bayonetta on Wii U” campaign is known as Operation Dead Angels. Originally released on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to rave reviews, unfortunately, they did not translate into amazing sales figures. Kamiya has said in the past that if Nintendo had not acquired the rights to publish the sequel, it never would have seen the light of day.
It makes sense for all parties involved to release the original on the Wii U. For one, it will give Wii U fans a better sense of continuity for the sequel. But also, it will allow gamers a chance to revisit what should have been a better selling title, much in the same way Capcom’s Okami found new life on the Wii and PlayStation 3 after its original PlayStation 2 debut.
So if you want to see Bayonetta’s first outing on the Wii U GamePad, join up with Operation Dead Angels and start hounding Nintendo’s various Twitter accounts today!
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2
Kickstart This! The Pre-Christmas Whopper Edition
It’s that time of year again…. When everyone gets anxious about having enough money to afford Christmas presents and keep the heating on… When Z-list celebrities are invited to flick a switch and cast sparkly lights on towns and cities across the globe… When pine trees shudder in fear and reindeer wonder why there are hundreds of cameras pointing at them. But it need not be so glum and terrifying. In the run-up to what has become a period of immense profit for companies, yet an unnecessary burden on the growing number of Scrooges in the world (myself included), it is important to keep everything in check, and offer help to those who need it. Buy gloves for the homeless. Invite your lonely neighbour around for a cup of egg nog or mulled wine. And if you are still in the spirit to bring good tidings, check out the latest Kickstarter game campaigns that need your support.
We have a whopping seven projects to share this month, including the super cute P.A.W.S. – Prime Alien Watch Squad, oddball survival game Dyscourse, the eccentric steampunk detective adventure The Dead Flowers Case, and 2D turn based monster shooter MODUS. Halfway through, things get a little more intense with a throwback to 80s action films in Bullet Bros, tactical FPS assassin title Lonewolf, and finally, the beautifully rendered isometric sci-fi adventure Stasis.
Let’s jingle those bells. (more…)