3d-game-heroes
Latest
3D Dot Game Heroes dev adds Vita support to its Orochi engine
If you're a fan of 3D Dot Game Heroes, then you're likely familiar with Silicon Studio. Perhaps a lesser known part of Silicon's business is the studio's middelware work in Japan with its Orochi engine. Now the engine supports the PlayStation Vita, Andriasang reports. The PlayStation Vita is due to launch in Japan next month. Orochi is a native Japanese language game engine originally conceived as a means to port Windows-based games to the Xbox 360 and PS3 -- 3D Dot Game Heroes was originally conceived as a means to showcase Orochi. It also handles a multitude of development tools including graphics, AI and physics.
3D Dot Game Heroes update adds Sackboy, other new features
We all learned the tragic news that Sackboy wouldn't be appearing in a new video game for a few months longer than we thought. What this post presupposes is: Maybe he will? Not as a part of an officially sanctioned LittleBigPlanet adventure, mind you -- rather, he's been added to the roster of playable characters in Silicon Studio's 3D Dot Game Heroes in an update launched earlier today. The patch also adds 50 player-made heroes to everyone's lineup, allows players to carry weapons over into their New Game + files, and incorporates a handful of bug fixes, which can be read about in detail after the jump. Could the game's former lack of Sackboy actually be considered a bug? We'll have to think on this for a while.
Atlus to be merged into parent company Index Holdings
Index Holdings, the parent company of 3D Dot Game Heroes publisher and Shin Megami Tensei developer Atlus, has announced its intent to completely absorb Atlus to better manage the company's resources. The dissolution is expected to take place on October 1, provided Atlus, Index Holdings and subsidiary company Index agree to the terms of the merger during board meetings being held today. It's unclear how this deal could affect future releases from the prolific RPG developer and publisher. According to Game Watch, a representative from Index Holdings explained that upcoming titles would still be released under the Atlus brand. We've contacted Atlus for further clarification.
Meet your new 3D Dot Game Hero
Atlus searched far and wide its 3D Dot Game Heroes character hub for a new face for the game, in its "Make-a-Hero" contest. Finally, it found someone man enough, and cannon enough, for the job: Mannon. After the break, see some of the user-created heroes who almost got the job.
We can't rap our minds around the latest 3D Dot Game Heroes trailer
Without the proper prior information, the 3D Dot Game Heroes trailer posted above would seem like a rare miss for Atlus' clever marketing machine. After all, it features a fairly horrific rap about some of the game's bonus modes, most of which have been shoehorned into an incredibly awkward rhyme scheme. However, once you realize the commercial is a parody of this 1986 Legend of Zelda ad, you realize -- well, it's still a trainwreck, but it's a parodical trainwreck. Better still, it's an appropriate parodical trainwreck, considering the rest of 3D Dot Game Heroes borrows inspiration from Nintendo's emerald-hatted adventurer. And by "borrows," of course, we mean "straight-up plunders."
3D Dot Game Heroes 'Hall of Heroes' character-sharing hub launched
Are you particularly proud of the homebrewed 3D Dot Game Heores character model you recently whipped up? You know, the one that looks like Link/Mario/Belmont/Your favorite Final Fantasy archetype? Great news -- you can now share your pixelated protagonists with other players, or simply borrow the fruits of their labors, using the recently launched "Hall of Heroes" web hub. There are only a handful of characters live on the hub right now, but they all look like they'd serve as worthy saviors of the land of Dotnia. Especially the one named "Rad Naner," which is a banana wearing sunglasses and riding a skateboard.
UK election campaign spills over into 3D Dot Game Heroes
If you're in the UK and are having a hard time getting a handle on the upcoming general election, perhaps seeing how the three party leaders perform as blocky, giant-sword-wielding heroes will help your decision-making. SouthPeak has added downloadable 3D Dot Game Heroes characters based on party leaders Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. (Perhaps Southpeak is semi-overtly referring to the UK's top politicians as blockheads?) The downloadable politicians are accessible from the "Vault" section of the 3D Dot Game Heroes EU website, which is also home to the web-based character editor. For those of you outside of the UK, there are three new "Guy in a Suit" characters on the site. 3D Dot Game Heroes will be released in Europe on May 14 and in North America on May 11.
Make a 3D Dot Game Heroes hero and win the coolest foam sword of all time
We work in a profession which has us coming into contact with an inexplicably large number of fake armaments, so we feel like we can speak with some authority when we say that the foam sword seen above is the coolest foam sword ever. How can you go about acquiring one of these ultra-rare, pixelated beauties? All you have to do is make something using this simplified, online version of 3D Dot Game Heroes' character creation engine, and you could win the non-lethal blade and a copy of the game. You have until May 11 to whip up a blocky hero and submit a picture of it to SouthPeak (the European publisher of the title) for consideration. Sadly, the contest is only open to our European allies, though the character creator is available to everyone. We demand equality on both sides of the Atlantic! Everyone should have a stab at winning these squishy sabers!
New 3D Dot Game Heroes video: 'The Hero Your Hero Could Be'
Dearest Atlus, These cute 3D Dot Game Heroes videos just have to stop. Your latest, a delightful parody of the equally delightful Old Spice "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" commercial, is just too good (see attached video after the break). We realize you have to compete for attention by creating informative, entertaining videos, but how are other niche publishers supposed to compete? The boys downstairs have already ascertained the high quality of the game, and your continued insistence on marketing the product now borders on overkill. Honestly, it's really not fair to all the other American publishers of quirky Japanese games. Sincerely, J. J. Joystiq Sr.
Review: 3D Dot Game Heroes
Silicon Studio set out to make a game primarily as a means of showing off its graphical effect middleware -- and then chose a retro-style action RPG as that showcase. That shouldn't work at all. But somehow, the developer managed to pull it off; 3D Dot Game Heroes is a faithful, expertly crafted reproduction of NES-era gameplay that happens to highlight spectacular visual effects in a logical way. The studio pulled this impressive feat off by designing a world composed of giant cubes, essentially 3D versions of 8-bit sprites. This style is overlaid with insane visual effects, like an exaggerated depth of field that makes everything look miniature, and surreal, sparkling water. Even the spells are winkingly based on graphical effects like shaders and parallax maps. It's essentially the lost NES Zelda game. Or, rather, it's a parody of the Zelda series executed so perfectly that it is itself an excellent Zelda game. %Gallery-70578%
Game Informer puts Link in 3D Dot Game Heroes
It was almost too obvious: 3D Dot Game Heroes looks a lot like Zelda, it lets you make characters, boom: You put Link in it. Done. But like all innovations that were so natural as to be almost self-evident, someone had to be first. In our case, that someone is Game Informer's Tim Turi, whose achievement you can find after the break. Congratulations, Tim. It may have been obvious, but that's what they said about going to the moon and now who's on Dancing With The Stars, eh?
Latest 3D Dot Game Heroes trailer is Error
It's no secret that From Software's 3D Dot Game Heroes borrows -- and borrows heavily -- from the Zelda series. So, Atlus, cheeky publisher that it is, has released a new trailer for 3D Dot Game Heroes that outright exposes the game's aping of Zelda. Give it a watch and see if you can spot all the references.
Latest 3D Dot Game Heroes trailer is predictably awesome
It's kind of weird to say this, but the consistent awesomeness of 3D Dot Game Heroes trailers is starting to feel downright cruel. Seriously, how much cheeky, retro goodness are we expected to take? The latest trailer piles it on yet again, showing off anything and everything you ever loved about adventure RPGs. Adorable heroes, dungeons, massive bosses, boomerangs, it's all there. The trailer even offers a glimpse at the game's character editor. Which brings us to the cruel part: the May 11 3D Dot Game Hereos launch is still over a month away. Come on, Atlus, have a heart and stop with the trailers.
Atlus offers video walkthrough of 3D Dot Game Heroes, Twilight fanfic
Atlus has proven to be the distributor of some of the funniest press releases we regularly receive. The party responsible for a majority of that humor, PR manager Aram Jabbari, recently stopped by Playstation.Blog HQ to give a brief video demonstration of 3D Dot Game Heroes, which you'll find posted above. The video shows a walkthrough of one of the game's Zelda-esque dungeons and, appropriately, includes a number of irreverent jabs at 8-bit classics. Though legal reasons prevent Jabbari from naming specific games the title lampoons, he was more than happy to show off his homemade Vampire protagonist's massive sword, remarking, "I'm sure Bella will find that impressive." Oh, Aram. Don't ever change.
Interview: Atlus on localizing 3D Dot Game Heroes
Atlus is following up the surprise PS3 hit Demon's Souls with another From Software title: The retro-inspired action RPG 3D Dot Game Heroes. While we wait for the game's May release to plunge North America into a new retrogaming renaissance (or just be fun), we spoke to Atlus's Manager of PR and Sales, Aram Jabbari, and editor Scott Strichart about the strategy for localizing the game, about its retro roots and about Spelunker. Joystiq: How did Atlus arrive at the budget pricing for this game? Aram Jabbari, Manager of PR and Sales, Atlus: We made a conscious decision early on to make the game as irresistible a value as possible. While the door isn't entirely closed on Atlus Spoils goodies, we are presently leaning towards passing on as much savings to our beloved fans as possible. Though we feel the game is far meatier in content than the 8- and 16-bit games it lampoons, we are also cognizant of how a simpler retro gaming experience compares to some of the epic current gen releases, at least in the minds of some gamers, and we want to do everything in our power to entice them to experience 3DDGH for themselves. %Gallery-83457%
3D Dot Game Heroes' first English language screens
Click to Ys into the galleryAtlus has seen fit to bestow some new 3D Dot Game Heroes screenshots upon us, featuring a noteworthy addition to the game: the English language. These are the first screens of the localized version, which means that we can now make sense of the character editor for the first time! Some of these screens also feature something else that rarely makes it into 3D Dot screenshots: the UI. There's actually kind of a lot of stuff on the screen, which is a surprise given the otherwise retro presentation. Of course, being an Atlus game, some clever dialogue is also on display, like the reference to the classic Ys combat system in the screenshot featured above. %Gallery-83457%
Atlus shipping 3D Dot Game Heroes in North America on May 11
In a late-night press release, Atlus announced that it is in fact the company publishing 3D Dot Game Heroes in North America, confirming its status as the publisher of choice for fans of both Zelda homages and From Software games. The company even went so far to give the PS3 game a precise date: May 11, a day which will play host to an unheard-of number of underlines and gold stars on our calendar. GameStop, however, says May 3. We're willing to accept "May" as specific enough for now. We've got some delightful new screens in the gallery below, if, like us, you're nowhere near over the novelty of giant pixels rendered in HD. Update: Commenter Orchard Pear points out that the GameStop listing also prices the game at just $39.99. If that turned out to be the final price, it would basically be a miracle performed by the gods of retro gaming. %Gallery-78343%
Metal Gear Solid 4's hero as a 3D Dot Game Hero
One poster at Hachimaki didn't keep us waiting at all for a custom 3D Dot Game Heroes version of Metal Gear Solid 4's Old Snake. The game isn't even officially released in Japan yet! But this artist got hold of a pre-street-dated copy and set immediately to work on an Old Snake avatar in the game's character editor. Snake will have No Place to Hide in the wide-open, blocky expanses of 3D Dot Game Heroes' kingdom, but he'll presumably be able to compensate with a combination of Close Quarters Combat and Long Distance Swords. Update: See a video after the break. [Via Andriasang]
See the history of 3D Dot Game Heroes' world in new trailer
Don't get too angry when the discussion about From Software's 3D Dot Game Heroes centers around classic Zelda. It's plainly obvious from this new trailer (after the break) that From is not only being totally up front about the game's inspiration, but inviting comparisons. The introductory story sequence, the environments, and even the music strongly recall Nintendo's flagship adventure series. But From has done a great job of making something that doesn't just appeal to our nostalgia -- we're just as excited about this game on its own merits. We're ready to start upgrading our swords to ridiculous extremes. Not that nostalgia isn't an important part of it! Blogger Maxell011 (via GameSetWatch) pointed out the game's loading screens, which remake famous game boxes in Dot Game Heroes style. That Castlevania (above, with the original box) homage might be enough to sell a few copies.
LGJ: 3D Dot Game Infringement
Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq ("LGJ"), a column on legal issues as they relate to video games: If you're like me, then you've likely been following Joystiq's coverage of 3D Dot Game Heroes and thinking "I really, really hope this gets translated and released in the US." After all, if you're a gamer like me then you love the idea of a 3D homage to the 2D games you grew up with. Of course, it's less likely that you're a lawyer like me, and so it's also less likely that you read through the comments and had an immediate reaction to the countless cries of copyright infringement in the game. Those repetitive, vocal cries have brought me to this column, which aims to answer the big question: is 3D Dot Game Heroes copyright infringement? Let me start off by saying the analysis here is just my opinion, and a court could always find otherwise. Where this discussion really needs to start is what elements seem to be infringing. Now would be a good time to view the trailer or some screenshots, if you haven't yet. The main complaints I've heard, and can see from the trailer, are the environments (both overworld and dungeon) bear a striking resemblance to the Zelda universe (The Legend of Zelda and Link to the Past, specifically), while the hero characters bear a striking resemblance to those from the Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior past. Some of the monsters also bear quite a resemblance to Zelda baddies. And, of course, the music is certainly inspired by classic Zelda music. So, case closed, right? Well, no, that's not how copyright infringement works.
