Who doesn’t love steam? Probably console-only users since they’re never experienced the awesome that is steam. Everyone else who’s used it knows that steam is the de-facto standard in ..well.. pc gaming in general. It’s a store, a community, it’s a game launching platform, it has cloud saving and there’s sales on games you want all the time!!
Today, I’m proud to announce that it’s gone mobile and is currently in closed beta. All you have to do to try and get into the limited beta is download the app and then sign in. Just click the above picture to get more details!
Every once in a while a game comes along that doesn’t necessarily garner massive critical acclaim, but still somehow manages to build a cult following that will defend it fiercely. That is exactly what Deadly Premonition did when it released in early 2010. While I am in no way trying to sell Deadly Premonition as a perfect game, there are many things about it that I couldn’t help but love. The sheer oddness of the story alone makes it worth playing, and while its location and characters undoubtedly draw inspiration from the television series Twin Peaks, the game still manages to have an identity all its own. A lot of the characters are memorable despite the fact that you know almost nothing about quite a few of them. The town of Greenvale itself is one of my favorite things about Deadly Premonition, giving you an adequately sizable world in which to explore buildings, find collectibles, and speak with the locals.
Deadly Premonition does of course have its faults, with archaic controls, below average graphics, and a disappointing soundtrack being chief among them. Something like an axe making no noise while being dragged across concrete may not sound like a particularly big problem but it irritated the shit out of me at times. However, even with these problems Deadly Premonition managed to keep me engaged in its endless cycle of weirdness, plot twists, exploration, and yes even its occasional plunges into increased absurdity. Even some of the puzzles required an attention to detail that was surprising. While the Raincoat Killer may not instill the pure “HOLY SHIT RUN!!” or “Why is that thing raping a mannequin?” feelings that Nemesis and Pyramid Head left us with, he is still a pain in the ass in his own right, frequently showing up out of nowhere to make you run, climb, and push boxes while throwing axes at you.
I wont get into too much detail about this next part in order to avoid spoiling anything, but your character frequently speaks to someone named Zach about everything from movies to television series to real life killers. So not only is the game unique and fun but it’s also educational, a real winner for all ages…. hmmm actually scratch that last part, I don’t want any hate mail from angry parents. So if like many people you have let Deadly Premonition pass under your radar whether it be because of below average review scores or just not knowing it existed, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. Will it change your life? Probably not, but it just may surprise you.
Warner Bros. has announced that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will release on the Xbox 360 on April 17. So those of us who didn’t have a PC to play it on when it came out last year will finally have the opportunity to play one of last years most highly regarded titles. As if that wasn’t already enough to look forward to, CD Projekt Red has also revealed that all of the post-launch content that is already out for the PC version will be bundled with the Xbox 360 version, along with brand new content. At the start you will have four hours of new playable content and 30 minutes of new cutscenes. Add the fact that even more DLC has been promised later on down the road and the countdown to April 17 becomes even more unbearable.
Hey guys! Welcome to our second Developer Interview! Over the past few weeks I have been busy playing Indie games from the 360 Marketplace and I found an amazing gem everyone should try, DLC Quest. Now yes, I could review the game…but instead, I emailed the Indie Superhero behind this satirical adventure! Ben Kane, of Going Loud Studios, had some great things to say about his dev. process on the game, and Indie Developing in general.
Q1: What was your job on creating DLC Quest?
In a word: everything. Well, almost everything. It’s a one-man show here at Going Loud Studios, so I’m responsible for all the concepts, design, writing, coding, artwork, marketing - you name it! The one exception is music, which I choose to outsource for the sake of everyone’s ears. Fortunately, there are some really great musicians out there willing to share their work.
Q2: Were there any problems you ran into, during development, that halted progress for a substantial amount of time?
Normally I’d have a good anecdote for you here, but the development of DLC Quest was a bit of an anomaly for it. From start to finish, I spent about 7 weeks on the project and everything just went really, really smoothly. I had a solid idea of what I wanted to do from the beginning, so the execution was a flurry of coding, pixel art and energy drinks.
Q3: Do you have any tips for Indie developers, on how to get back on track after running into a problem in development?
My best advice is to take a break, then reassess, make a decision and move on. Go get some food, some sleep, some fresh air and just give your brain a chance to think about something else for a while. Working on a side project, or some completely different aspect of development (like art versus code) is a great way to keep up momentum when you hit a roadblock. Later on, try to take an objective view of what the problem is and think about how it can be fixed, worked around or dropped altogether. Seek advice if needs be. Then you really need to just pick a resolution and move on - sometimes the best solution is just the one that gets you moving again.
Q4: Did DLC Quest start out as something different than the finished game?
It’s startling how similar the final game is to my initial “vision” for the project actually. Normally things evolve quite a lot through development, but DLC Quest was a bit of an exception. I did originally have grander plans for the platforming aspects of the game, such as enemies and ways to fail, but I felt they added little to the game and existed only because it seemed like a platformer “should” have those elements. Those sorts of things were cut pretty early on in the concept stages though.
Q5: Are there any plans for an expansion for DLC Quest?
For the moment, I’m not working on an expansion. There are so many things to poke fun at in the industry that it’s hard not to come up with ideas for a follow-up of some sort though…
Q6: What was your favorite part of the game?
I personally love the sheep in the game and the way players react to them. Without fail, everyone attacks the sheep as soon as possible. There’s no reason to, but it seems ingrained in the a gamer’s mind to do it. It’s an interesting result, though I won’t read in to it too much :)
Q7: Were you playing anything during development, that helped you continue making the game?
One of the great downsides to being a full-time indie developer is that you can end up dedicating all your time towards your own games and not play anything else. I definitely put my head down and worked in a vacuum for most of the project. I think the season changed without me noticing.
Q8: If you could tell any Indie Developer one thing, to help in creating their game, what would it be?
My best advice is to pick something really small and finish it. Finishing a game is much different than taking a game 90% of the way to completion. You learn a lot about polishing and the user experience by doing that. So just take a small idea, like cloning Pong or Breakout, and make a complete game out of it. Then share it with others to get feedback. You’ll learn a lot more than you’d expect and then you’ll be hooked!
Ben, the 8BM Team and our followers thank you for doing this review, and good luck on your future projects!
That wraps up our second Developer Interview! Hope you enjoyed it and we promise to bring you more in the coming months.
Right off the heels of Gamestop leaking the announcement of RE6 comes some more details on the game itself. Most interesting of which is the 6 player co-op. I for one love me some co-op so having a decent size group will make things much more enjoyable. After reading some reviews and impressions from the latest 3DS entry and the “Raid Mode” that it includes, I can only hope that this is an expanded version. 11/20/12 can’t come soon enough.
So it looks like its finally going to come out, and this year no less. Guild Wars 2 developer, Arena Net, confirmed today that the game would be releasing this year and that more beta action was on the way and as soon as this spring. There’s even talk of a public beta as well. Color this one impressed, I honestly thought this game wouldn’t be out until 2013. Let’s hope I’m wrong because this is the last game that I have hope for pulling me away from WoW. Go team Gee Dub!
Well this could do it, this could force me from being a staunch supporter and lover of any and all things Blizzard to a corporate hating troll. It appears that there’s a new job listing for a “Franchise Development Producer” and said duties would include “work(ing) with major consumer brands to facilitate product placement and licensing within the world of Blizzard Entertainment’s next-gen MMO that enhances the gameplay experience.” It’s been in games previous but have always come across as a slap in the face or worse. In-game ads are one the most hated tropes that exist in games today. Nothing breaks the immersion more than an ad for Skittles or Pepsi.
I love Souleye’s brand of chip-tune magic. It hearkens back to the old days of Capcom and Konami in a way that few others manage to grasp. Check out the video below and see for yourself!
Hey guys, early last week I sent an email to graphic designer, Jon Caplin, who is currently developing Reprisal, an 8-bit god-like RTS, similar to From Dust. I have been playing the game for the past few weeks and suggest you to do the same!
Now that you have done that, he was also awesome enough to answer a few questions for the wonderful readers of 8bm. Being the first Dev interview, the 8bm team is very excited about this! I hope you enjoy it, and we will most definitely post a review when the game releases!
Q1. How has your style as a designer helped you mold Reprisal into what is it?
I studied fine art but my work would always consist of freehand drawn lines and points. It was quite technical. I was then introduced to Graphic design, layout and typography, and soon fell in love with this design discipline. This technical interest has always played a part in my designs and I think that Reprisal and its style reflects this. There is also an element of less is more, keeping the graphics simple and a real sub-conscious tug on retro gaming.
Q2. What is the main thing to keep in mind while playing Reprisal?
The time! It’s one of those games that you can play and time goes by without you realizing. RTS games by nature have this effect.
Q3. Are there any games you have used as a guide during the development?
Yes definitely!Tthe whole game was inspired by a game I played on my Amiga 500 called Populous many years ago. I remember falling in love with the isometric view and it was among one of my first experiences of seeing an isometric view point in a game. Seeing a view point that was so technical without a vanishing point was trippy! I remember sitting down with bits of paper redrawing the view over and over.
Q4. Will there be multiplayer of any kind in the final release?
Not at the moment although I won’t rule it out as on another project I’ve been helping with. We have been creating a multi-player game using Union platform [http://www.unionplatform.com/] which is a relatively new multi-user platform.
Q5. Why did you choose a more ominous force for control, instead of direct unit commands?
The original played from this view point and it just seemed a lot grander giving you control over weather and other natural elements as a sort of deity. Earth, Wind and Fire also gave it a good foundation to create the users powers.
Q6. If you could give beginning indie developers one tip you have learned while working on Reprisal, what would it be?
Hmmm … it’s all about momentum and sticking at it. Create yourself a prototype as quick as possible. I built the original view prototype in an afternoon and within a week had people walking around. Also no matter how excited you may be about a game idea you will find yourselves flagging. The most helpful thing I did was to start the dev blog. In low moments I would post something and see what kind of reaction it would get. Also join forums and share your idea when it’s in development to get feedback. Its great hearing supporting comments and critique from people, which helps you with your project. I joined a pixel art forum to begin with and then went on to more programming based forums.
Q7. What have you learned while making this game, which you will bring into your design work?
I’ve developed a new style in pixel art for myself and by combining pixel art with textures this has given a nice overall visual style that I will continue to play with on other projects in the future. I guess from a geeky point of view it has pushed me into learning ActionScript 3 which I very much held off from and it’s not as bad as I thought. The conversion process took me only an afternoon to get most the game up and running from ActionScript 2. I often use ActionScript in personal design projects [ http://blog.electrolyte.co.uk/?p=341 ] making code generated work so I’m looking forward to using more of the speed and features.
Thank you so much for doing this interview Jon and we all can’t wait to see the final release of Reprisal! Good Luck!
Picking a game of the year is almost always a long, contemplative process. With more amazing video game releases than you could shake a Spriggan at, 2011 made our decision making process even more difficult than usual. All four of our staff members created their own top 10 of 2011 list, with only two games appearing on all four lists. However, only one of those games can be our 2011 Game of the Year. So which game will it be? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or Portal 2? Our 2011 Game of the Year is…..
Wheatley and company barely edge out the Dovakhiin and his dragon slaying abilities, crowning Portal 2 as 8bm’s first ever Game of the Year. It is an extreme rarity for me to finish a game and then not be able to think of at least one or two things that could have made it better. When I finished Portal 2 for the first time and put the controller down I knew I had just played a perfect game, in my eyes at least. The gameplay was flawless, the story was entertaining and at times downright hilarious, the voice acting was some of the best I have ever heard, and the pacing of the puzzles made it so that by the time you felt bored with them, the game had already added something new to keep them interesting. The Co-op campaign wasn’t incredibly long but it didn’t need to be. Some of the puzzles were devilish and infuriating but never unfair or cheap. The Portal games have captured the hearts and minds of gamers all over the world, and I for one would be ecstatic about a Portal 3.
Agree with our Game of the Year? Leave comments sharing your thoughts and your own selection.
You know when think back to a game you played as a kid, and wonder how it would look now? If you have ever wanted to know how 8-bit and beautiful 3d graphics would work hand in hand? Well this video does just that. If you were ever a fan of mega man, you will thoroughly enjoy the amazing work!
Developer VectorCell revealed the release dates and prices for their upcoming survival horror title Amy and both systems get an advantage while giving something in return.
Xbla- January 11th for Europe and January 11th in US priced at 800 Microsoft points, equivalent to $10 (€7.82 £6.46)
Psn- January 11th in Europe and January 10th for the US with a price of 12.99 (€9.9 £7.99)
So 360 players will save three bucks but have to wait a day while PS3 users will have to fork over three extra dollars but get it a day early.
I’m a huge fan of wipeout. No, i’m not speaking of the current gameshow that was ripped off from the japanese show. I am, of course, speaking about the amazing futuristic racing shooter that originally started on the ps one.
After seeing this video, it brought back all the old dreams I had of becoming a pilot for one of these amazing crafts! How cool would it be if this actually became a real life thing? Granted, I’m not a big fan of being blown to little bits by the competition but it’d be amazing to race on these crazy tracks!
If you’d like to learn more about the game, check here. It’s easily one of the best racing games ever made. Also, check out an old site of wip3out designed by the super talented designers republic to get a feel for the style and design of the game.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been playing the Imposters beta on 360, like I’m sure some of you have. If you didn’t get in on this interesting game this will fill you in on what you missed.
First things first! The Intro
Now that we got that out of the way, to the game itself!
Gotham City Impostors, or GCI as no one calls it, is a comical shooter that oddly feels like Call of duty and Team Fortress 2’s baby. The controls and pretty easy to use and the maps are simple yet elegant.
Game Types:
In the beta, they only let us play Fumigation and Psych Warfare. Both of them are great adaptations of much loved game types from many shooters out there.
-Fumigation is your basic Domination match type where teams battle to take three points on a map. The difference is the tug-of-war gameplay it creates. As your team captures and holds points, the air starts to fill with bats or toxic gas. Each point taken increases the point gain for your team. But if you lose those gas blasters your team starts to lose points. This makes for some very interesting last minute victories.
-Psych Warfare
By far my favorite of the two, this game mode works much like demolition from CoD. You pick up a battery in a neutral location, then carry it to the enemy’s side of the map and attach it to a propaganda machine. After 30 seconds of charging, the machine goes off and demoralizes your enemies. For the next 30 seconds, they can’t shoot or see very well. They can, however, slap you to get a few kills. If you are demoralized you here “You suck, you suck. Your friends have given up and you should just go home.” While this goes on, the winning teams here “You are awesome! You are strong!” It makes for a little comic relief if you are losing horribly.
The unlock system in the game also has a few unique touches. Every few levels you recieve unlock keys that are designated as Weapon, Gadget, Body Type, Attachment, and Fun Facts (the perk system). Use these unlock keys sparingly at first because it takes a while to get more.
Class customization is along the same lines as CoD. You have weapons to unlock, with attachments that range from the conventional red dot scope, to the oddly useful odor sniffer, which shows your enemy’s locations to you. Under class customization, you also have the choice of 5 body types! Each has their pros and cons. They range from a skinny guy, to a hulk of a human being, and everything in between. And for the girl gamers out there, you have a female body type in the mix.
Gadgets are where the game truly stands out. You can unlock grappling hooks, roller skates, spring boots, glider wings, and X-ray goggles which show all enemy positions to everyone on your team. Your choice of gadgets can really turn a fight in your favor.
Character Customization allows you to make your own Impostor, complete with joker face paint or a batman flapper hat. You even have the choice of voices. These choices are purely visual and audible, but it lets you stand out in the streets of Gotham.
To add to the craziness this game already throws at you, you have 1000 levels to gain! You heard me! 1000 glorious levels of unlocks and challenges!
The best part about this game might just be the price tag! For 1200ms points, or 15 dollars on the psn, you could be the proud owner of a widely tested arcade shooter that plays much better than some bigger titles on the market right now.
Long story short, is you are a batman fan, shooter fan, or both, GET THIS GAME! or at least try the trial when it releases early January.
Who doesn’t love steam? Probably console-only users since they’re never experienced the awesome that is steam. Everyone else who’s used it knows that steam is the de-facto standard in ..well.. pc gaming in general. It’s a store, a community, it’s a game launching platform, it has cloud saving and there’s sales on games you want all the time!!
Today, I’m proud to announce that it’s gone mobile and is currently in closed beta. All you have to do to try and get into the limited beta is download the app and then sign in. Just click the above picture to get more details!
Every once in a while a game comes along that doesn’t necessarily garner massive critical acclaim, but still somehow manages to build a cult following that will defend it fiercely. That is exactly what Deadly Premonition did when it released in early 2010. While I am in no way trying to sell Deadly Premonition as a perfect game, there are many things about it that I couldn’t help but love. The sheer oddness of the story alone makes it worth playing, and while its location and characters undoubtedly draw inspiration from the television series Twin Peaks, the game still manages to have an identity all its own. A lot of the characters are memorable despite the fact that you know almost nothing about quite a few of them. The town of Greenvale itself is one of my favorite things about Deadly Premonition, giving you an adequately sizable world in which to explore buildings, find collectibles, and speak with the locals.
Deadly Premonition does of course have its faults, with archaic controls, below average graphics, and a disappointing soundtrack being chief among them. Something like an axe making no noise while being dragged across concrete may not sound like a particularly big problem but it irritated the shit out of me at times. However, even with these problems Deadly Premonition managed to keep me engaged in its endless cycle of weirdness, plot twists, exploration, and yes even its occasional plunges into increased absurdity. Even some of the puzzles required an attention to detail that was surprising. While the Raincoat Killer may not instill the pure “HOLY SHIT RUN!!” or “Why is that thing raping a mannequin?” feelings that Nemesis and Pyramid Head left us with, he is still a pain in the ass in his own right, frequently showing up out of nowhere to make you run, climb, and push boxes while throwing axes at you.
I wont get into too much detail about this next part in order to avoid spoiling anything, but your character frequently speaks to someone named Zach about everything from movies to television series to real life killers. So not only is the game unique and fun but it’s also educational, a real winner for all ages…. hmmm actually scratch that last part, I don’t want any hate mail from angry parents. So if like many people you have let Deadly Premonition pass under your radar whether it be because of below average review scores or just not knowing it existed, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. Will it change your life? Probably not, but it just may surprise you.
Warner Bros. has announced that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will release on the Xbox 360 on April 17. So those of us who didn’t have a PC to play it on when it came out last year will finally have the opportunity to play one of last years most highly regarded titles. As if that wasn’t already enough to look forward to, CD Projekt Red has also revealed that all of the post-launch content that is already out for the PC version will be bundled with the Xbox 360 version, along with brand new content. At the start you will have four hours of new playable content and 30 minutes of new cutscenes. Add the fact that even more DLC has been promised later on down the road and the countdown to April 17 becomes even more unbearable.
Hey guys! Welcome to our second Developer Interview! Over the past few weeks I have been busy playing Indie games from the 360 Marketplace and I found an amazing gem everyone should try, DLC Quest. Now yes, I could review the game…but instead, I emailed the Indie Superhero behind this satirical adventure! Ben Kane, of Going Loud Studios, had some great things to say about his dev. process on the game, and Indie Developing in general.
Q1: What was your job on creating DLC Quest?
In a word: everything. Well, almost everything. It’s a one-man show here at Going Loud Studios, so I’m responsible for all the concepts, design, writing, coding, artwork, marketing - you name it! The one exception is music, which I choose to outsource for the sake of everyone’s ears. Fortunately, there are some really great musicians out there willing to share their work.
Q2: Were there any problems you ran into, during development, that halted progress for a substantial amount of time?
Normally I’d have a good anecdote for you here, but the development of DLC Quest was a bit of an anomaly for it. From start to finish, I spent about 7 weeks on the project and everything just went really, really smoothly. I had a solid idea of what I wanted to do from the beginning, so the execution was a flurry of coding, pixel art and energy drinks.
Q3: Do you have any tips for Indie developers, on how to get back on track after running into a problem in development?
My best advice is to take a break, then reassess, make a decision and move on. Go get some food, some sleep, some fresh air and just give your brain a chance to think about something else for a while. Working on a side project, or some completely different aspect of development (like art versus code) is a great way to keep up momentum when you hit a roadblock. Later on, try to take an objective view of what the problem is and think about how it can be fixed, worked around or dropped altogether. Seek advice if needs be. Then you really need to just pick a resolution and move on - sometimes the best solution is just the one that gets you moving again.
Q4: Did DLC Quest start out as something different than the finished game?
It’s startling how similar the final game is to my initial “vision” for the project actually. Normally things evolve quite a lot through development, but DLC Quest was a bit of an exception. I did originally have grander plans for the platforming aspects of the game, such as enemies and ways to fail, but I felt they added little to the game and existed only because it seemed like a platformer “should” have those elements. Those sorts of things were cut pretty early on in the concept stages though.
Q5: Are there any plans for an expansion for DLC Quest?
For the moment, I’m not working on an expansion. There are so many things to poke fun at in the industry that it’s hard not to come up with ideas for a follow-up of some sort though…
Q6: What was your favorite part of the game?
I personally love the sheep in the game and the way players react to them. Without fail, everyone attacks the sheep as soon as possible. There’s no reason to, but it seems ingrained in the a gamer’s mind to do it. It’s an interesting result, though I won’t read in to it too much :)
Q7: Were you playing anything during development, that helped you continue making the game?
One of the great downsides to being a full-time indie developer is that you can end up dedicating all your time towards your own games and not play anything else. I definitely put my head down and worked in a vacuum for most of the project. I think the season changed without me noticing.
Q8: If you could tell any Indie Developer one thing, to help in creating their game, what would it be?
My best advice is to pick something really small and finish it. Finishing a game is much different than taking a game 90% of the way to completion. You learn a lot about polishing and the user experience by doing that. So just take a small idea, like cloning Pong or Breakout, and make a complete game out of it. Then share it with others to get feedback. You’ll learn a lot more than you’d expect and then you’ll be hooked!
Ben, the 8BM Team and our followers thank you for doing this review, and good luck on your future projects!
That wraps up our second Developer Interview! Hope you enjoyed it and we promise to bring you more in the coming months.
Right off the heels of Gamestop leaking the announcement of RE6 comes some more details on the game itself. Most interesting of which is the 6 player co-op. I for one love me some co-op so having a decent size group will make things much more enjoyable. After reading some reviews and impressions from the latest 3DS entry and the “Raid Mode” that it includes, I can only hope that this is an expanded version. 11/20/12 can’t come soon enough.
So it looks like its finally going to come out, and this year no less. Guild Wars 2 developer, Arena Net, confirmed today that the game would be releasing this year and that more beta action was on the way and as soon as this spring. There’s even talk of a public beta as well. Color this one impressed, I honestly thought this game wouldn’t be out until 2013. Let’s hope I’m wrong because this is the last game that I have hope for pulling me away from WoW. Go team Gee Dub!
Well this could do it, this could force me from being a staunch supporter and lover of any and all things Blizzard to a corporate hating troll. It appears that there’s a new job listing for a “Franchise Development Producer” and said duties would include “work(ing) with major consumer brands to facilitate product placement and licensing within the world of Blizzard Entertainment’s next-gen MMO that enhances the gameplay experience.” It’s been in games previous but have always come across as a slap in the face or worse. In-game ads are one the most hated tropes that exist in games today. Nothing breaks the immersion more than an ad for Skittles or Pepsi.
Fuck. That.
I love Souleye’s brand of chip-tune magic. It hearkens back to the old days of Capcom and Konami in a way that few others manage to grasp. Check out the video below and see for yourself!
Hey guys, early last week I sent an email to graphic designer, Jon Caplin, who is currently developing Reprisal, an 8-bit god-like RTS, similar to From Dust. I have been playing the game for the past few weeks and suggest you to do the same!
Now that you have done that, he was also awesome enough to answer a few questions for the wonderful readers of 8bm. Being the first Dev interview, the 8bm team is very excited about this! I hope you enjoy it, and we will most definitely post a review when the game releases!
Q1. How has your style as a designer helped you mold Reprisal into what is it?
I studied fine art but my work would always consist of freehand drawn lines and points. It was quite technical. I was then introduced to Graphic design, layout and typography, and soon fell in love with this design discipline. This technical interest has always played a part in my designs and I think that Reprisal and its style reflects this. There is also an element of less is more, keeping the graphics simple and a real sub-conscious tug on retro gaming.
Q2. What is the main thing to keep in mind while playing Reprisal?
The time! It’s one of those games that you can play and time goes by without you realizing. RTS games by nature have this effect.
Q3. Are there any games you have used as a guide during the development?
Yes definitely!Tthe whole game was inspired by a game I played on my Amiga 500 called Populous many years ago. I remember falling in love with the isometric view and it was among one of my first experiences of seeing an isometric view point in a game. Seeing a view point that was so technical without a vanishing point was trippy! I remember sitting down with bits of paper redrawing the view over and over.
Q4. Will there be multiplayer of any kind in the final release?
Not at the moment although I won’t rule it out as on another project I’ve been helping with. We have been creating a multi-player game using Union platform [http://www.unionplatform.com/] which is a relatively new multi-user platform.
Q5. Why did you choose a more ominous force for control, instead of direct unit commands?
The original played from this view point and it just seemed a lot grander giving you control over weather and other natural elements as a sort of deity. Earth, Wind and Fire also gave it a good foundation to create the users powers.
Q6. If you could give beginning indie developers one tip you have learned while working on Reprisal, what would it be?
Hmmm … it’s all about momentum and sticking at it. Create yourself a prototype as quick as possible. I built the original view prototype in an afternoon and within a week had people walking around. Also no matter how excited you may be about a game idea you will find yourselves flagging. The most helpful thing I did was to start the dev blog. In low moments I would post something and see what kind of reaction it would get. Also join forums and share your idea when it’s in development to get feedback. Its great hearing supporting comments and critique from people, which helps you with your project. I joined a pixel art forum to begin with and then went on to more programming based forums.
Q7. What have you learned while making this game, which you will bring into your design work?
I’ve developed a new style in pixel art for myself and by combining pixel art with textures this has given a nice overall visual style that I will continue to play with on other projects in the future. I guess from a geeky point of view it has pushed me into learning ActionScript 3 which I very much held off from and it’s not as bad as I thought. The conversion process took me only an afternoon to get most the game up and running from ActionScript 2. I often use ActionScript in personal design projects [ http://blog.electrolyte.co.uk/?p=341 ] making code generated work so I’m looking forward to using more of the speed and features.
Thank you so much for doing this interview Jon and we all can’t wait to see the final release of Reprisal! Good Luck!
Picking a game of the year is almost always a long, contemplative process. With more amazing video game releases than you could shake a Spriggan at, 2011 made our decision making process even more difficult than usual. All four of our staff members created their own top 10 of 2011 list, with only two games appearing on all four lists. However, only one of those games can be our 2011 Game of the Year. So which game will it be? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or Portal 2? Our 2011 Game of the Year is…..
Wheatley and company barely edge out the Dovakhiin and his dragon slaying abilities, crowning Portal 2 as 8bm’s first ever Game of the Year. It is an extreme rarity for me to finish a game and then not be able to think of at least one or two things that could have made it better. When I finished Portal 2 for the first time and put the controller down I knew I had just played a perfect game, in my eyes at least. The gameplay was flawless, the story was entertaining and at times downright hilarious, the voice acting was some of the best I have ever heard, and the pacing of the puzzles made it so that by the time you felt bored with them, the game had already added something new to keep them interesting. The Co-op campaign wasn’t incredibly long but it didn’t need to be. Some of the puzzles were devilish and infuriating but never unfair or cheap. The Portal games have captured the hearts and minds of gamers all over the world, and I for one would be ecstatic about a Portal 3.
Agree with our Game of the Year? Leave comments sharing your thoughts and your own selection.
You know when think back to a game you played as a kid, and wonder how it would look now? If you have ever wanted to know how 8-bit and beautiful 3d graphics would work hand in hand? Well this video does just that. If you were ever a fan of mega man, you will thoroughly enjoy the amazing work!
Developer VectorCell revealed the release dates and prices for their upcoming survival horror title Amy and both systems get an advantage while giving something in return.
Xbla- January 11th for Europe and January 11th in US priced at 800 Microsoft points, equivalent to $10 (€7.82 £6.46)
Psn- January 11th in Europe and January 10th for the US with a price of 12.99 (€9.9 £7.99)
So 360 players will save three bucks but have to wait a day while PS3 users will have to fork over three extra dollars but get it a day early.
I’m a huge fan of wipeout. No, i’m not speaking of the current gameshow that was ripped off from the japanese show. I am, of course, speaking about the amazing futuristic racing shooter that originally started on the ps one.
After seeing this video, it brought back all the old dreams I had of becoming a pilot for one of these amazing crafts! How cool would it be if this actually became a real life thing? Granted, I’m not a big fan of being blown to little bits by the competition but it’d be amazing to race on these crazy tracks!
If you’d like to learn more about the game, check here. It’s easily one of the best racing games ever made. Also, check out an old site of wip3out designed by the super talented designers republic to get a feel for the style and design of the game.
Gotham City Impostors Preview!
For the past few weeks, I’ve been playing the Imposters beta on 360, like I’m sure some of you have. If you didn’t get in on this interesting game this will fill you in on what you missed.
First things first! The Intro
Now that we got that out of the way, to the game itself!
Gotham City Impostors, or GCI as no one calls it, is a comical shooter that oddly feels like Call of duty and Team Fortress 2’s baby. The controls and pretty easy to use and the maps are simple yet elegant.
Game Types:
In the beta, they only let us play Fumigation and Psych Warfare. Both of them are great adaptations of much loved game types from many shooters out there.
-Fumigation is your basic Domination match type where teams battle to take three points on a map. The difference is the tug-of-war gameplay it creates. As your team captures and holds points, the air starts to fill with bats or toxic gas. Each point taken increases the point gain for your team. But if you lose those gas blasters your team starts to lose points. This makes for some very interesting last minute victories.
-Psych Warfare
By far my favorite of the two, this game mode works much like demolition from CoD. You pick up a battery in a neutral location, then carry it to the enemy’s side of the map and attach it to a propaganda machine. After 30 seconds of charging, the machine goes off and demoralizes your enemies. For the next 30 seconds, they can’t shoot or see very well. They can, however, slap you to get a few kills. If you are demoralized you here “You suck, you suck. Your friends have given up and you should just go home.” While this goes on, the winning teams here “You are awesome! You are strong!” It makes for a little comic relief if you are losing horribly.
The unlock system in the game also has a few unique touches. Every few levels you recieve unlock keys that are designated as Weapon, Gadget, Body Type, Attachment, and Fun Facts (the perk system). Use these unlock keys sparingly at first because it takes a while to get more.
Class customization is along the same lines as CoD. You have weapons to unlock, with attachments that range from the conventional red dot scope, to the oddly useful odor sniffer, which shows your enemy’s locations to you. Under class customization, you also have the choice of 5 body types! Each has their pros and cons. They range from a skinny guy, to a hulk of a human being, and everything in between. And for the girl gamers out there, you have a female body type in the mix.
Gadgets are where the game truly stands out. You can unlock grappling hooks, roller skates, spring boots, glider wings, and X-ray goggles which show all enemy positions to everyone on your team. Your choice of gadgets can really turn a fight in your favor.
Character Customization allows you to make your own Impostor, complete with joker face paint or a batman flapper hat. You even have the choice of voices. These choices are purely visual and audible, but it lets you stand out in the streets of Gotham.
To add to the craziness this game already throws at you, you have 1000 levels to gain! You heard me! 1000 glorious levels of unlocks and challenges!
The best part about this game might just be the price tag! For 1200ms points, or 15 dollars on the psn, you could be the proud owner of a widely tested arcade shooter that plays much better than some bigger titles on the market right now.
Long story short, is you are a batman fan, shooter fan, or both, GET THIS GAME! or at least try the trial when it releases early January.
