E3 Days 1-2

Yeah, I’m being original up there. It’s 10pm here, I’m tired as hell, and I want SLEEP! But first, because I care, I’m going to say what I thought about the things I payed attention to today and yesterday. Probably not as much as I’d like to say, but that can come later, I think. For now, enjoy these minute, barely competent descritpions:

Red Faction: A lot of you have already played the multiplayer (if not, download it). It’s sweet. You get a bunch of ok weapons, and an amazing super sledge hammer. Then you get backpacks that make you jump high, move fast, cause mini-earthquakes, blast through solid concrete walls, or heal yourself. Then you do this with 9 other people who are all doing the same thing. I’ll be honest, in my young mind, this is how badass I always thought Laser Tag would be. It is amazing. Haven’t even tried single player, and I still want this game. – Arbitrary Grade/Description: Game that made me feel like a child with Star Wars action figures again.

More!:

Screens/Hype: AvP 3 -> 3 Screens

I’ve just finished another article, and I’m actually happy with this one. Hopefully it’ll be making it’s way to GSW soon, and I hope you all like it. As I said, it’s the first one I’ve really liked in a while, so I hope the feeling is mutual. To help send me off to bed, I present to you three new screens (it looks like they must be screens, bullshot are way smoother than this, mostly) from AvP 3. Delicious:

I have to say, I’m very excited to play more of the Alien and Marine. The Predator was always fun in multiplayer, but as a single player experience, it just felt like another super-powered shooter guy… Also, of course, I hate the movies, meaning the trappings of that fictional race offend me, whereas the eternal struggle of Alien and hideously outnumbered Marines is music to my ears.

I’d be remiss (I say that a lot) if I didn’t mention that we have some new blogs on the roll over there. The blogroll, that is. Aside from Game Design Advance, we also have Fullbright. Both feature interesting, exciting article written by people who are (one supposes) even more interesting and exciting. If you’re curious, check them out. That’s it for tonight, I’ve scoured my blogs, my friends, the people who I don’t even like to read. Nothing that just has to be linked before sleep showed up though. Desole (look, too lazy to paste in the accent!). I do promise that both a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and a mystery article are forthcoming, along with several reviews. Gotta make that pre-E3 push. Until later.

Aliens + Guybrush = Win

I know what you’re thinking. It must be one of those days if he’s posting this early. No, it’s not. Not yet. Instead, it’s a day when, upon boarding the internet, I find two very cool things. The first is what is apparently the first AvP (new edition) screen to be released (via Joystiq). Check it out:

I hope, as Joystiq says, that this is indeed a screenshot. If it is, then it’s going to look good, at least. I’m suddenly excited for the prospect of a game featuring aliens and space marines that isn’t a 3rd person shooter, and doesn’t have anything to do with CliffyB. Count me in as hopeful? Apparently more news and screens will be released as the day progresses. Looking forward to it.

In a great bit of news (and if you don’t think it’s great, then leave now), Joystiq tentatively reports that The Secret of Monkey Island may be coming to XBLA. Would that not be sweet? It’s not confirmed yet, but it’s something nice to think about.

If you’re lucky, I’m going to do some Stalker: Call of Pripkyat linking/talking later today. I know you’re looking forward to that!

Update: Indeed, we now have a teaser trailer at Joystiq and a two new screens (one from Predator PoV, and for the Alien). You know I’ll be playing the Alien exclusively. Here you go, all of you who remember Monolith’s absolutely brilliant second outing for the series with fondness. Still the most interesting, fun multiplayer FPSs I’ve ever played, hands down. I doubt the servers are still up (and it wouldn’t look quite as sweet as it used to), but if they were, I would go online and hop about as the Alien, just because.

Stuff to Talk About (like no more White Wolf!)

First, the good news: Kotaku has 3 Mass Effect 2 screens to look at. And by screens I mean concept art. I know, it’s not too exciting. But it really is. One shows a ruined set of rooms, with palm trees outside. Mass Effect 2 will have palm trees. Sweet.

Second, it looks like The Witcher: Console Edition The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf is being put on hold, because CD Projekt ran out of money to pay the guys who they contracted to make it (if you listen to those guys) or because those guys (Widescreen Games) failed to meet deadlines repeatedly (according to a CD Projekt spokesperson. Either way, that’s too bad. I would have liked to see The Witcher reach a new audience that might have missed it the first time around. But since I have it already on my PC (and can run it), I’m not too broken up.

For specifics (if you care), why don’t you take a look at this (linked from Evil Avatar):

Details are sketchy, but the following facts have been confirmed: after the release of The Witcher, CD Projekt Red took the financial obligation of starting 3 projects simultaneously, a console port of The Witcher, and two more titles based on The Witcher intellectual property, one of which was The Witcher 2.

As the financial crisis hit, the studio was affected as well, finding itself incapable of managing all three projects and forced to lay off a significant portion of its staff. The third Witcher IP project was canceled, and its entire crew was let go or left of their own volition. A second round of layoffs followed as The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf was canceled, including around two dozen people losing their jobs yesterday.

Well shit, I hope that The Witcher 2 is still on track… That would be unfortunate if everything went badly over there. And I figured these guys were doing ok after selling a ton of Witcher copies? I guess no one is safe, not even the guys who spell “project” like badasses.

Update: From the EvAv forums:

“All funds and manpower have been redirected to a single project, The Witcher 2, which will be a multi-platform title for PC and consoles.”

YES! Kind of. Still shitty for all of the people who got fired. Huh, if you care to read, there’s some interesting PR work being done by Widescreen, the French company who was handling the port. After the break, if you are so inclined:

Impressions/Screens: More Tales From Terabyte

Sorry for the dry spell (which I almost spelled speel), I’ve no excuse other than that I was sick/in Boston/getting used to the new ordinateur. Now that the plague that afflicted me is losing its hold on me, it’s writing time. There’s a lot of games that I’ve been playing, thanks to the new computer.

Far Cry 2: fun, really fun, in that it takes all of the sneaking, planning, assaulting, long range awesomeness of the first game and cuts out the aliens. Also cool in that it features an upgrade mechanic that I love, because I’m a sucker for that kind of thing. It also lets you create different “builds” of the main character, essentially. I’m rocking a stealth build, with a dart rifle, silenced MP5, and silenced pistol. Sweet. I also like the graphics (very much), and the acting and light story aren’t bad either. Things that annoy me: the car patrols. I don’t mind that there are car patrols on roads, I don’t mind that they are tough, and I don’t mind that there are a lot of them. I can use fast cars, stay off roads, or just walk. The problem is that the armed jeep is the most common car, and the bad guys have “armored jeep radar.” If you hop in this car, they will spot you from two sectors away and fuck you up. I think it’s cool that I have to stay off roads and use small fast cars to avoid detection. It feels interesting. It kills me that 70% of the cars I can easily get to are armored jeeps, inviting me to an asskicking. I end up walking a lot. Which is slow. Oh, and I’m not really sold on The Jackal, his ‘oh snap’ Nietzche quote at the beginning. Maybe it’s the fact that he sounds like a hilarious 10 packs-a-day Kieffer Sutherland, or the fact that he’s never that smart or insightful (and that his words of wisdom are often patently dumb), but I’m annoyed by his gravelly voiced “realism.” Maybe that’s the point? Give me a counterpoint then, some other dumbass to listen to.

The Witcher: What can I say, this game is great, and now it looks great. I’m about to hit Vizima proper, where I will be investigating murders, exploring swamps, and befriending elven rebels. Yes.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Fun, in that clunky way that it is. It’s hard to believe that this is an Obsidian game, because even their most messed up titles have been better than this (I have played KotoR 2 4 or five times, for instance). It looks pretty good, but I can’t run it on high. How old is this game? When I go out into the wilderness, it chugs. I mean, my computer isn’t top of the line, but it’s close. This shouldn’t be an issue. Curses. Also, my thief rocks. Really, like Drakensang, it’s just a distraction for the game this computer was mostly built for. Dragon Age, I’m waiting.

Drakensang: Looks great, more playable now that it’s steady, still a bit silly and clunky, but, sadly, a more enjoyable, solid experience than NWN 2, so far. I’m liking all of the gameplay much more than that in NWN 2, so unless Obsidian’s game can pick up the pace story-wise, I may be Drakensanging exclusively from now on. Weird.

Mass Effect: Did I ever say that I love this game? I hope so, because I could play it a million times. It looks much better (and this matters, trust me, for this game), and the tactical and combat commands are light years ahead of the 360 version. Bioware, I’ll say it straight: if releasing your games on consoles gets you more money, I’m happy for you. BUT. Your games are better on (good) PCs. It’s not like they’re dumber on consoles, they’re just too complicated for the system and the controller. I’m sure Dragon Age 360 will be a good game, but it’s going to pale compared to the PC version. Time to go free Liara, and start kicking ass around the galaxy, with good Shepard, who looks a bit like Errol Flynn. Win for me! Oh, and it looks this good (I had to post a screen, to prove how awesome the new comp is):

That’s about it, I need to go get some work done, so I’ll see you later.

Hype/Screens/Videos: I am reminded of Zeno Clash

I dunno if y’all saw that Steam advisory about a sweet new game using the source engine called Zeno Clash, but RPS has a very interesting interview/writeup about it, and I’d suggest checking it out. After that, I would also recommend checking out this rocking trailer from their site. The colors and art are amazing, the combat looks fun (and will hopefully be as fun to play). Basically, it looks like nothing I’ve seen before, so I’m eager to get my hands on it. Soon, it would appear, I’ll get my wish, and through Steam no less. Awesome.

Hype/Impressions: Venetica + Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble

As the title of this post suggests, I will be discussing two things today! First, as I recall I linked to a post/screens of Venetica a while ago. Venetica is about the daughter of death, who hangs out in Venice traveling back and forth between life and death and being awesome. It’s made by a German developer, who are also the people (I think) behind Drakensang. For the non-francophiles out there, this game is about Dragonblood. Shit be awesome. I’m gonna download the demo as soon as I get the chance to reboot into PC. For now, a screen from the increasingly interesting looking and sounding Venetica:

Here’s an exerpt from the Kotaku writeup of the game (or maybe they got it from somewhere else? There’s a lot of typos). It’s sounds fucking sweet, if I do say so myself:

It’s not just Good that awaits Scarlett in the Twilight World – the pure evil lurks there too, waiting the daughter of Death. Those who know the story of Venetica are aware of the bad necromancer, who is the source of all evil in the game’s story. He, Viktor, empowered himself with the Grim Reaper’s supernatural powers and now threatens the world. So, it’s not only countless horrific creatures that are waiting for Scarlett. Viktor’s powerful accomplices also hound her..

Equipped with supernatural powers, Viktor’s allies await Scarlett in the Twilight World once she has defeated them in the world of the Living. Now, Scarlett will face her real challenge: Using their powers, the evil helpers transform themselves into huge beasts, becoming even more powerful now that they reached the realm of the Dead.

Venetica’s Twilight World offers even more to the players: It’s not only special NPCs and enemies that resurrect in the world of the Dead – also Scarlett herself uses the underworld to re-awake. This allows her to generate herself tactical combat advantage, for instance by repositioning herself unseen while staying in the Twilight World, and afterwards surprisingly returning to the world of the living.

There is another special connection between Scarlett and the Twilight World: Her literally eternal love to Benedict, who dies just at the start of the game, bounds her to this world. Scarlett will meet her love regularly. In fact, Benedict will be the one who reveals Scarlett’s supernatural powers and who trains her in how to use them.

Many additional skills and abilities allow Scarlett to make even more use of the Twilight World, for instance by summoning creatures or by giving her unusual insights in both the worlds of the Living and the Dead. So, the Twilight World offers a full load of innovative gameplay features to Action RPG gamers.

Secondly (you knew it was comng!), I’ve just started playing Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble, and I’m enjoying myself. I’m still a little fuzzy on how I’m winning/osing some of the challenges, but I like the catchy era-appropriate (I suppose, since I’m not 80 years old) music, the tone of the writing, and the amusing, anti-adults stance many characters take. It’s a very cool adventure/puzzle game, and I’d suggest checking it out. Perhaps I’ll link to it, now that I think of it. I wish I cold think of a third thing to post about, so as to make the post title a lie, but I can’t. I fail. Oh wait!

I had an absolutely brilliant few rounds of Left 4 Dead last night. I managed to land myself with the the (if they don’t mind me saying so) coolest crew possible. I’d like to single out El_Guapo for being seasoned and knowledgable and understanding, even when the rest of us fucked things up. We made 5 or 6 tries at advanced No Mercy, and got it in the end. We almost finished Death Toll, before some people dropped out. All in all, a very excellent run. Chances are it won’t happen again soon. Later.

Before They Make me Get Back to Work

I have some new pictures from the humorously, improbably named Wet. I guess (according to Kotaku) it was Sierra’s thing, so when they got screwed it went looking for a home, and has supposedly found one. Anyway, here are some cool pictures from it, that prove it will deliver the promise of playing some kind of post-apocalyptic female Max Payne cowboy. Just what I’ve always wanted.

Tuesday!

I’ve been trying to decide how I’ll end my night (CoD4, Yiddish Policemens’ Union, Icewind Dale II), when I happened upon Kotaku’s list of games being released this week. It turns out that this Thursday is when a lot of small-time, cheap PC games are being released. Their annoying weekend guy calls it all “shovelware,” and he’s partially right. Still, there are some very cool games coming out, so I thought I’d make my own, anti-clever-asshole list.

There’s actually a lot of interesting looking games, so I thought I’d post the ones that had cool screens next to the screens, and the rest in a lump at the bottom:

Disciples 3! I just found the second one, and I like it a lot, even though I am still having trouble playing well. It’s like HOMM, but a bit different, more individuals leveling up as opposed to armies. Check out the screens and coverage, it looks interesting. Doesn’t that screen just make you all nostalgic? Maybe?

Next up is Mount and Blade, a game I already mentioned, I think. It’s like Sid Meier’s Pirates!, only in the medievil times, and it tries to be a very exacting sword/horse combat sim. Woot. Here’s a picture that shows you how it doesn’t look pretty at all. Trust me, it’s fun.

Next we have Jagged Alliance 3. Now, to be honest, I haven’t played the first two games, but they sound really cool, and I think it’s neat that a third one is coming out (why does no one talk aboutt his?). Here it is, looking a bit like Silent Storm…

Finally, here is a cool adventure game called Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals. Now wait, I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right: it’s another weird low-budget adventure game based on a series of French books and graphic novels! But it looks cool, like Blade Runner meets an adventure game set in the scary environs of AVP2 (the game!) Check out the review, and a picture. Yay!

Aside from those, there are a bunch of less (by a bit) exciting titles: Galactic Civilizations II:Endless Universe (expansion #3, I think), Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, and one final special guest. It’s a game based on an obscure (for Americans, mind you) French sport. It’s played by crusty old Frenchman in tiny and less tiny towns, and it’s like miniaturized lawn bowling, kinda sorta not (I just know some French people are going to kill me now). Yes, you know you’ve been waiting for it, Petanque Party is coming to the PC! Did I just blow you mind? Or did this guy:

Hype/Videos/Screens: Scary Dark Blood Guys + Amazing Looking Games

I’ve been watching the new Dead Space media pretty closely (here’s all of the videos), and whenever I don’t have to watch the developers tell me how dark and scary it’s going to be, I see a pretty interesting game. The time slowing thingie (what is that exactly), the different weapons and grips, the dismemberment, it all looks interesting, tense, and fun. There are three videos up from the Conference, showing combat, combat, and zero-G combat. The last looks especially cool, with its floating limbs and wall-hopping gameplay. I must sound like the biggest hypocrite when I write about this game, I’m hot then I’m cold (like that awful Kate Perry song!).

I am still annoyed by their webcomic/tv show thing, which continues to be formulaic, silly, and self-important. Do all of the characters need to swear like junior high schoolers? Where’s the adult to tell these people that you can be cool and not say fuck all of the time!? For real! Also, it has become apparent that this prequel thing is a way of borrowing some exposition from the bad Resident Evil movie: dead tissue gets reanimated. The religioin, beacon, and other bullshit looks like it will mean nothing. I guess we’ll have to wait and see on this one (duh).

On to the next topic. I’ve never played Indigo Prophecy, but I’ve read that it’s a very interesting game, with regards to its narrative and gameplay. It also featured some jarring and stupid plot possibilities (people changing their sexual preferences because the hero wants to have sex with them, as I recall), but was generally regarded as unique and better than its faults might have indicated. Anyway, the people who made Indigo Prophecy are gearing up to deliver Heavy Rain, a game in the same vein which also has absolutely amazing graphics.

That? That’s in-game. Pretty amazing huh? The game sounds really interesting, but I’d have to play its predecessor (apparently the gameplay will be pretty similar) to comment on how good it could be. Regardless, I’m up for a serious, dark, choice-heavy game with interesting protagonists, as long as the rest of you are. Check out the 1up writeup, it’s worth a read.

Hype/Screens: FF XIII and Dragon Age

I took a break from trying to create an evil character in Fable (so hard! I kill so many townspeople, and I’m barely disliked… I might be good just because I can’t be evil) to check out E3 news, and I’m glad I did. It looks like Final Fantasy XIII is coming to the 360, which is nice for people who only have a 360, and is also nice for those of us who might not want to do a 15 GB install or whatever the game comes with on the PS3.

Now on to what really matters. Dragon Age screens!:

Take a look at that last screen. This is where I get really excited, and really worried. This could be Mass Effect meets Baldur’s Gate! Look at it! Then I think about what the graphics (close up) and the HUD remind me of… NWN 2. I know that was an Obsidion release, but Bioware did make the original NWN. I need to stop this before I say something too dumb. From now on, only thoughtful, positive comments will be made regarding Dragon Age. Really

Screens and more Screens

I put a bunch of cool new screens up in the Flickr thingy, from Legendary (formerly and amusingly called “Legendary: The Box”), to Warhammer 40K 2, to Infinite Undiscovery. Go check it out. More importantly, we have some very seksy pictures from Star Ocean 4. We have a giant lizard attack, a beautiful spacescape, a fight with a bow, and, my favorite, a moody gas station moment. Very, very cool. Check it out:

Grizzly Guys

I didn’t get really excited by the original Starcraft (to be honest, I could never beat the Protoss/Zerg campaigns, which pissed me off), except when I need an easily acquired, low-requirement PC RTS to throw around. Anyway, the new game looks very nice (although I won’t be able to run it), as do these screens. Jimmy is back? Will he be rude and sexually suggestive? If so, he’ll be 100 times better than most of you internet criminals. (thanks to Kotaku for the pictures)

New Pictures

Nothing new to talk about, really. Played a lot of Rock Band this weekend, but no one here has the skillz to match Taylor, so I can’t beat any new events on Hard, and thus, no new songs. Which is sad, because I think I have yet to unlock Reptilia? Anyway, pictures of Resistance 2 are up in the photo thingy.

I think it looks very pretty, but then I remember my experience with the demo of the first one. Bland, brown, way too hard, and guns that felt like toys. I like that feeling in Ratchet and Clank, but not so much in my gritty future-apocalypse games.

Review: Titan Quest and Titan Quest Immortal Throne

Titan Quest and its expansion pack (Immortal Throne) owe so many things to Diablo II, it is almost pointless to list them. A point and click attack interface, little to no environmental interactivity, silly plot, gradations of magical items, potions of the blue and red variety, and fast paced action RPG gameplay all hearken back to when Diablo II first hit the gaming scene. Yet to be honest, I enjoyed this game much more that Blizzard’s very popular game. Titan Quest streamlines things Diablo didn’t, and in general creates a gaming experience that I really enjoyed. It adds a unique “Classical Greek” flavor I found oddly attractive, and is pretty to look at, an aspect that makes more of a difference than you would think. It also is free of the slavering Diablo II communities, who re-build characters at every ladder reset, and are generally so hardcore they make me want to stop playing. Despite this praise, in its original format, Titan Quest was practically unplayable for me. Why? One inane design decision was all it took.

The story is barely there to notice, but here it is: you are a Greek warrior, and Titans have escaped their prison and are wreaking havoc throughout Greece. You will chase the Titans from Greece to Egypt to Asia to the Underworld. You are tasked with stopping them, and along the way you will help or kill various denizens of the aforementioned areas. Still, the settings are adequately presented, and even if they don’t inspire, they do give you a sense of being wherever you are supposed to be. Plus, it allows for some cool and disparate character models. I especially liked the Raptors in Asia (because, obviously, there were lots of Raptors hanging around the Great Wall back then).

Let’s get the bad out of the way, so I can get back to telling you to go get this game. Originally, in Titan Quest, you would auto-pick up items, regardless of their worth or magical nature. This wouldn’t be a problem, but your character has a tiny inventory and organizing it is a pain, while there can literally be hundreds of items on the ground in any area: cue hours spent rearranging crummy items you didn’t mean to pick up in the first place.

What does Immortal Throne do to alleviate this problem? It allows you to choose what you pick up, it gives you more item space, and it allows you to use buttons to filter items on the ground, a godsend in the areas where 10s of monsters drop a batch of items each.

Now, to what Titan Quest and its expansion did right from the start. This is a classic action RPG, where combat consists of clicking on (re: killing) offending skeletons, satyrs, tiger-men and cat-women. There are 7 classes, counting the expansion pack Dreamer class, and every character can be duel-classed at a point. This results in a multitude of combinations, from Necro-Druid to Ranger-Elementalist. Needless to say, it would take a long time to explore all of the options. All of the classes are fun to play, with some focusing on melee and some on long range attacks. In a nice touch, the higher-level unique items come tailored to specific classes. It feels really cool to find items not just tailored to the Warrior half of your character, but to the mighty Warrior/Defender combo you have created. Luckily, using these skills is easy enough: most of the time a right click or a numeric key will either set off a power or prepare that power for use. Still, having to press “6” to ready lightning, and then use the mouse to unleash the spell can get you killed in the more hectic encounters.

Speaking of items, there are quite a lot of them and every item changes the appearance of your character. Another small thing about TQ that makes more of a difference than you would think is the inclusion of a DPS (damage per second) readout. This is a godsend; it lets you instantly discern which weapon to pick as opposed to using an item for 10 levels that secretly disappoints. Items change their appearance appreciably as one traverses the 4 (counting Immortal Throne) acts, and it’s always nice to change out of that boring Greek circlet to an exciting new Egyptian headdress.

The spells and abilities on display all pack differing amounts of punch, and a few of them are quite impressive, but Titan Quest is more about the item collecting, gameplay and cohesive art presentation than it is about one-upping Oblivion or the like in the graphics department. Most people will probably find the graphics pleasing, if not spellbinding. Unfortunately, the voice-acting is pretty poor, and the accents border on the ludicrous. I practically turned the sound off in Asia and parts of Greece, so I wouldn’t be embarrassed to play the game. Another problem appears in the form of an often confusing dialogue/quest system. Honestly, after I get a quest to find some ridiculously named Greek, it really annoys me that the game refuses to tell me which town he is in. There are a lot of towns in each act, and this problem worsens when you are ordered to return some bauble to a guy in the middle of nowhere.

This might not sound like a game that can topple Diablo II, but I haven’t mentioned what has sucked away hours of my life: multiplayer. Titan Quest isn’t as fully-featured as Diablo, but as a result it’s much calmer, more sedate community. It changes how you game, and while boss runs are still prevalent, this game never made me feel rushed or hounded like Diablo did. Blazing through Greece on a 6 hour gaming run with 3 friends is truly an experience to be savored, and its one that can be repeated, with different characters, and still retain its fun factor.

In the end, Titan Quest is just a whole lot of fun. I could say that if you like Diablo or Dungeon Siege, you will like this, and I would be right for the most part. To be honest, even if you didn’t like those games, give Titan Quest a try. It’s fun, really fun, and its overwrought atmosphere makes it fresh in a way you wouldn’t expect. Plus playing it with friends really makes the experience one to remember. So, give it a try, and buy the expansion, for your own sanity’s sake.