General gaming

General gaming

How Killer is Dead Could Learn From Grasshopper's Past

Posted: 09 Apr 2012 05:48 PM PDT

Goichi Suda is a busy man. As creative director on the recently released XBLA baseball title Diabolical Pitch, as well as next month's much anticipated Lollipop Chainsaw, you'd figure that the guy would want to take a vacation. Lucky for us, Suda51 has no time for sleep, as evidenced by the details of Grasshopper Manufacture's next title that have slowly started to trickle out. It's called Killer is Dead, and aside from being a multiplatform assassin-simulator set to release in 2013, most of the details about the game have been gathered from various pieces of concept art. We do know that Suda will serve as the executive director of the project, allowing his distinct tricks and trademarks to be felt throughout the game. Because of this, we felt like it might be a good time to take a look at Suda 51's past and highlight some elements that we'd love to see return, and some facets of his games that we wouldn't mind seeing retired.

suda

Killer7

Contrary to their similar titles, Killer is Dead is not a follow-up to 2005's cult hit Killer7, but that's not to say that the two won't share anything in common. I'd love to see Grasshopper take the David Lynch-ian madness that blanketed Killer7 and absolutely run with it. Suda dealt with themes of terrorism, split personalities, and Freudian theory in ways that few other video game developers have ever attempted to tackle. The dense story, wealth of references, and intricately woven themes all combined to create a rich narrative that fueled conversation long after the credits rolled. If you search the internet for a plot summary of the game, you'll quickly stumble upon a slew of novella-sized ramblings that are completely staggering in their depth of analysis.

Is Authenticity Enough to Make Aliens Colonial Marines a Blockbuster?

Posted: 09 Apr 2012 05:21 PM PDT

As Gearbox CEO and President Randy Pitchford walked towards a makeshift stage at the Hickory Street Annex -- the venue for Gearbox Software and Sega's big Aliens Colonial Marines event in Austin, Texas -- it was hard not to notice the lengths publisher Sega had taken to drive home the message of authenticity regarding their new Aliens game. A swarm of marine-style folding chairs surrounded the stage, with a couple of Nerf-style pulse rifles that fire foam darts scattered about. The dinning area was dressed to resemble the cafeteria aboard the U.S.S Sulaco from Aliens, complete with a friendly catering staff dressed in military fatigues. A prop knife could be found at each table for any brave attendee to try their luck with the roulette-style "thing with the knife" the android Bishop performs in the film. Even the 1986 original movie prop of the Alien Queen was there -- on loan from 20th Century Fox -- assuming a menacing pose as she stood tall behind members of the press seated at the event. In fact, she was the first thing we saw as we exited the elevator.

Dozens of outlets had gathered to see a stage demo of ACM's campaign mode before diving into hands-on multiplayer sessions. Thankfully, the 15-minute stage demo didn't disappoint; showcasing a game dripping with authentic environments, enemies, equipment, and a solid foundation for fun multiplayer action. From pulse rifles that look and sound like actual USC Marine-issue movie replicas to motion trackers that function as tools to build tension and awareness, everything you'd expect to see appeared in Gearbox's ACM stage demo. At the close of the presentation, the Colonial Marines repeled a massive Xenomorph attack, but an explosion stranded a small crew aboard the infested Sulaco as the screen faded to black.

A Man Chooses, a Slave Obeys: The Mass Effect 3 Ending Debate Rages on

Posted: 09 Apr 2012 04:15 PM PDT

Feature

Header

A Man Chooses, a Slave Obeys: The Mass Effect 3 Ending Debate Rages on

Can games really give us the freedom we've come to expect?

By: Scott Sharkey April 9, 2012

So, Mass Effect 3 finally happened. It's been a few weeks, and it finally seems like people have calmed down a little about how much they did or didn't hate it. Don't worry, I know that this topic is a horse that's already been beaten into pink slurry and put in school lunches, but exactly why so many people got their respective genitalia tied in knots over this brings to mind the fairly broad topic of choices and consequences in games. Mass Effect's ending was polarizing-- where "polarizing" is a word that game directors use when they apparently mean "everyone thought it was balls" -- but what that says about our expectations and how much games have changed over the last few decades is far more interesting.

If you were somehow lucky enough to miss the last three weeks of Mass Effect 3 discussion, here's a quick synopsis.
Posted by Shri Krishna

Total Pageviews

statcounter

View My Stats