Hydrophobia
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Silver Lining: Hydrophobia and the fearless mingling of ideas
'Silver Lining' is a column from freelancer Taylor Cocke dedicated to highlighting moments of real potential in less than perfect games. This week he examines Hydrophobia from (the now defunct) developer Dark Energy. Hydrophobia has all the makings of a great game, but where it fails is commitment. The Dark Energy Digital-developed game attempts to do too many things at once, but never succeeds at any of them. What's frustrating is the clear potential each idea had, and the huge divide between what its characters are ostensibly feeling and the gameplay itself.Exemplifying this lack of commitment is the amount of times Hydrophobia shifts between genres in the first act alone. Opening with a dream about drowning, Hydrophobia transitions from a platforming section drawing heavily from the Uncharted series, into a physics puzzler, before finally settling into a cover-based shooter.Hydrophobia doesn't execute any of its selected genres well enough to warrant the middling amount of time a player will spend to learn each. In some cases, the design decisions made in some sections undermine some of the game's good ideas, which only led to disappointing critical reception.%Gallery-103404%
Hydrophobia studio shut down
Hydrophobia developer Dark Energy Digital has been shut down, administrators confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz.The site reports that the company's assets have been combined into a "pre-packed" deal with the recently created Dark Energy Publishing, a new company founded in January by Dark Energy Digital owners Pete and Deborah Jones, along with technical director Gary Leach. GI.biz also notes the new outfit may "take control of physical assets and IP at a bargain price."Hydrophobia struggled to find a large audience, despite significant attempts to fix the game after it launched. We've contacted Dark Energy Digital's administration team for comment.
Report: Hydrophobia studio facing closure
Hydrophobia developer Dark Energy Digital is allegedly preparing to shut down. GamesIndustry.biz reports layoffs have begun, with affected employees concerned about outstanding pay from the company, which is said to be deep in debt.Hydrophobia struggled to find an audience after diving into the digital distribution pool with less-than-adequate form, despite attempts by the developer to right the ship soon after launch. We've contacted Dark Energy Digital for comment.
PSN Tuesday: Hydrophobia, DC Universe Online F2P, more PS2 games
Dark Energy Digital decants Hydrophobia Prophecy onto PSN this week -- free for Plus members, $10 for everyone else. In other format-change news, the multiplatform side-scroller Max & The Magic Marker comes to PS3, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe goes downloadable, and DC Universe Online officially becomes free-to-play. Also enjoying a change of hardware as of this week: three new PS2 classics -- Raiden III, BloodRayne, and Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland; and two more PSOne imports. Check the PlayStation Blog for a more exhaustive list of this week's PS3 and PSP downloads.
Hydrophobia Prophecy predicted for PSN next week
Hydrophobia Prophecy, Dark Energy Digital's publicly iterated action adventure title, will arrive on PSN in North America and Europe on November 1 and 2, respectively. "The PlayStation 3 is now by far and away the best looking and best playing version of the game on any platform - it's in a different league compared to the original release, with many game systems reworked from the ground up, compelling new mechanics and a deeper back-story," said Dark Energy Managing Director Peter Jones. The PSN version includes Move functionality and the "Darknet" feedback system, which lets players give direct critiques and praise to the developer. After a belly-flop of a launch on Xbox Live Arcade last year, Dark Energy Digital's game came back with the "Pure" update, fixing concerns from the original launch. "Prophecy" is the same game, with further refinements, and will be available for $7.99 in the US, £5.10 in the UK, and free to PlayStation Plus members.
Future Nokia phones repellent, says water (video)
Nokia's latest "super" hydrophobic coating doesn't take half-measures. This new technology binds a layer of nanotech magic to the surface of its devices that literally bounces liquids away. Although we've been told the nanotubes at work here are most effective with water, other liquids (and smudgy fingerprints) should also find the treated surface difficult to latch onto. Due to the thinness of this waterproofing solution, a spokesperson told us here at Nokia World that even the inner workings of a phone could be treated in the same way. No more incidents in the bathroom? Count us in. Check the video after the break for some slo-mo water slippage. %Gallery-137709% Zach Honig contributed to this report.
We foresee a Hydrophobia Prophecy trailer
Dark Energy Digital, which refused to let Hydrophobia's initial release issues halt the franchise in the making, is set to launch Hydrophobia: Prophecy -- not a sequel, but a remake -- on Steam in May (and PSN sometime after that).
Hydrophobia Prophecy coming to Steam on May 9, then PSN
Though Hydrophobia Prophecy may sound like a new entry in the Hydrophobia series (as part of a planned trilogy), it's actually a PlayStation Network and Steam release of last year's aquatic Xbox Live Arcade title. It was later given a substantial, feedback-driven overhaul in the "Hydrophobia Pure" update following a chilly critical reception. Hydrophobia Prophecy popped up in a recent Australian ratings board listing, and was today confirmed as heading to Steam on May 9 and PlayStation Network at some point after that. Like the game's Pure iteration before it, Prophecy augments the original game based on player feedback. "This comprehensive reinvention of the title includes upgraded graphics, brand new gameplay mechanics, exclusive new levels, a reworked back story, a dramatic new ending, recast voice acting and much, much more," the game's announcement reads. The updated version also includes an in-game service called "Darknet," allowing players to "deliver specific opinions at any point during the game, which are automatically augmented with contextual data about the game state at that time." It's an even more direct line of communication than the developer's "Listening Post," which was erected in January to gauge played feedback online. We're hoping that by the time Dark Energy Digital gets around to working on that promised sequel, it'll be able to crowdsource the whole thing.
'Hydrophobia Prophecy' pops up in Australian game rating
Last we heard from Hydrophobia and the game's developer, Dark Energy Digital, the studio was doing its best to respond to fans' criticisms of the first, not-so-warmly received installment. The plan all along, however, has been a Hydrophobia trilogy, which likely explains why a listing for something called "Hydrophobia Prophecy" has popped up on the Australian Government's classification website. Outside of noting Dark Energy Digital as the "author" and Microsoft Game Studios as the publisher, the listing provides little other information. Though it does confirm some important basics, like acknowledging that Prophecy is a video game and not, say, a line of Hydrophobia-branded sunglasses. We've reached out to Dark Energy Digital, but we're not exactly holding our breath for confirmation.
Xbox Live leaderboard data shows how House Party promotion fared
GamerBytes did a little number-crunching on the Xbox Live Arcade leaderboards for last month, and while we don't have exact numbers on Xbox Live titles (other than Major Nelson's usual list of most-played and purchased games), these are usually a rough indication of what business was like on Microsoft's network last month. Bionic Commando: Re-armed 2 was the biggest disappointment, picking up fewer than 10,000 players on the leaderboards, compared to over 130K first-week sales for the first title. Hard Corps: Uprising, the first game to come out under Microsoft's "House Party" banner, brought in a few more players, at around 27K, and Bejeweled Blitz Live did pretty well (for a game that's on nearly every platform known to man in its basic form) with over 14K new players in the single week of February it was out. Sales were big drivers -- Hydrophobia picked up over 10,000 new players thanks to a sale, and Geometry Wars 2 saw a huge bump as well. Outside of the new titles, Pinball FX 2 and Trials HD continue to grow their leaderboards.
Hydrophobia devs try to right the ship with 'Listening Post'
We'll give this to developer Dark Energy Digital: it refuses to let Hydrophobia sink into the abyss without a fight. Late last year, the studio released the "Pure" update, which was one of the most substantial post-launch overhauls ever performed on a game. Now, the company is activating the "Hydrophobia Listening Post," asking the community what it wants from the game universe (and, likely, its planned sequels). The Listening Post is presented as a series of questions on the Hydrophobia game site that seeks to incorporate player feedback into development. Creative director Pete Jones says the company was "absolutely blown away" by the response to Pure and believes "there should be a two-way relationship between developer and players." If you still haven't dipped your toes into Hydrophobia (whose price was permanently dropped to 800 points [$10] on Xbox Live Arcade last month alongside the update), the game will be ripe for more feedback when it goes on sale next week for $5.
Hydrophobia, Dance Central deals in upcoming Xbox Live marketplace updates
The next couple weeks of Xbox Live marketplace updates include deals for Harmonix's Dance Central and a "Get Wet" theme, which does not actually include the game Wet. For the week of January 24, Dance Central DLC will be 160 MSP apiece ($2, a buck off). The "Get Wet" promotion for the week of January 31 includes Hydro Thunder Hurricane for 800 MSP ($10, 33 percent off), Aqua at 400 MSP ($5, half off) and the upgraded Hydrophobia for 400 MSP ($5, also half off) The list also reconfirms the launch dates of the Call of Duty: Black Ops "First Strike" map pack, Breach and Bionic Commando Rearmed 2. Check out the full schedule for the next couple weeks after the break.
Hydrophobia overhauled in 'Pure' patch, dropping to $10
Hydrophobia launched this past fall alongside numerous tepid reviews, including our own. In an effort to mend some of the damage done by said reviews, the game's developer is issuing a major title update tomorrow -- dubbed "Hydrophobia Pure" -- with a laundry list of fixes so long, only Lady Gaga's maid could outdo it. Hydrophobia developer Dark Energy Digital claims to have addressed level design, AI behavior and the cover system, and has promised to remap controls to something more general -- A to jump, LT to aim. There's also "more realistic character water resistance" -- there was virtually no way to predict AI reaction to a flood of water when we last played the game. Hydrophobia's trial version is also getting tweaked and being lengthened "to allow players to sample more of the game for free." Alongside the dozens of fixes, the game's price is dropping from 1200 MS Points ($15) to 800 ($10) as of tomorrow, so hold out for another 24 hours if you've been fixin' on buying the XBLA title. The developer also noted that the fixes in this update will apply to future games in the Hydrophobia series, as well as the eventual PSN version. Head past the break for a detailed list of the changes in tomorrow's title update and a video of the changes in action.%Gallery-111734%
Hydrophobia review: That sinking feeling
During a huge party on the Queen of the World -- a luxury liner filled with the world's rich and privileged -- terrorists attack. And not just any terrorists, but terrorists with a little too much respect for economist Thomas Malthus. Hydrophobia would be impossible to discuss without bringing up Malthus, whose seminal work "An Essay on the Principle of Population" posits that population growth will eventually outstrip human resources, whether they be food or energy or jobs or some combination of those. In Hydrophobia, this future has come to pass. The "Neo-Malthusians" are hell bent on murdering as many of the ship's denizens as possible to do their part in controlling overpopulation. Protagonist Kate Wilson is the only one in a position to stop them but ... wait for it ... she's just an engineer. (Yes, it's all very "Seagal in Under Siege.") Room after room is filled with at least some amount of water, which is a real issue for the game's unwitting hero who is, as the game's name hints, afraid of water. Sure, it's unconventional, but I actually really like the premise for Hydrophobia. The game? Not as much.
Hydrophobia dev diary teaches '20 Ways to Kill a Malthusian'
The latest dev diary for Dark Energy Digital's downloadable action title, Hydrophobia, shows the developer's 20 favorite ways to dispatch the game's foes, the Malthusians. Most of these means are either bullet, fire or electricity-centric, while almost none involve killing them with kindness.
Microsoft showing off upcoming XBLA games during Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest, an annual, week-long film festival held in Austin, Texas, has broadened its scope this year to include a few high-profile downloadable titles. Attendees can visit the Fantastic Arcade to check out some upcoming games coming from the festival's sponsor, Microsoft Game Studios -- titles including Comic Jumper, A World of Keflings, Hydrophobia and Super Meat Boy. The Fantastic Arcade opens its doors on Thursday, September 23. If you live in the Austin area and want to catch an early glimpse of some of these games, you can check out a schedule of demos and showtimes on the event's official site.
Gorge on Comic Jumper, Hydrophobia, Pinball FX 2, and Super Meat Boy in XBLA Game Feast
Major Nelson has announced the lineup for Microsoft's XBLA "Game Feast" promotion, and, well, we suggest having a metaphorical Tums on hand in anticipation of this smorgasbord. The first course, on September 29, is Hydrophobia for 1,200 Microsoft Points. Twisted Pixel's Comic Jumper follows on October 6 at the same price. Pinball FX 2 will be available October 13. It's free, and can import tables from the first Pinball FX, with each additional table purchased individually. Finally, as discovered earlier this morning, Super Meat Boy will serve as (a kind of disgusting) dessert on October 20, also for 1200 Points.
Hydrophobia's 'Challenge Rooms' test powers slated for its sequel
Our preview of Hydrophobia from E3 2010 covered what we saw in the first installment of the planned trilogy; however, if you want an idea of what to expect in the next installment, we got a better idea by checking out the game's "Challenge Rooms," which unlock only after the player finishes the main campaign. What's tucked after the break may be considered spoiler-ish, so click on through if you're willing to take the plunge. %Gallery-74474%
Preview: Hydrophobia
I played Hydrophobia for the first time this past March at PAX East and, at the time, I was fairly impressed. My feelings on the downloadable title haven't changed dramatically after trying out the game's combat in the E3 2010 build, but I did notice a handful of rough edges this time around. The new parts of the demo essentially picked up exactly where I left off at PAX -- a handful of gun-toting Neo-Malthusians stood in my way and, lucky me, I had just stumbled upon a pistol. As it turns out, the pistol isn't equipped with live rounds -- at least initially, though the Dark Energy Digital rep talked to us about a handful of other types -- but rather "Sonic" rounds that require a charge up for full blast. The idea here is to encourage environmental attacks rather than traditional, cover-based, third-person shooting; flaming barrels, glass panes and electrical boxes littered throughout the environment certainly helped to encourage me as well. In theory this works -- and presumably would work better had I gotten more acclimated to the concept -- but I found myself accidentally igniting exploding barrels and trying to drown foes to no avail far more often that I would've liked. %Gallery-74474%
Hydrophobia to drip onto PlayStation 3 and PC
Before getting our hands on the flooded world of Hydrophobia for the second time at this year's E3, we pushed Dark Energy Digital's Pete Jones to clarify the exclusivity deal his studio has with Microsoft. "We're launching exclusively on 360, just to get that one out of the way [the question] -- but there will be a PS3 and a PC version in the fullness of time," Jones told us, confirming a PC release of the game along the way. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell us exactly how long Microsoft's period of exclusivity will last. "For contractual reasons, I can't exactly say what that time period is," Jones added, also noting that, "Ultimately, there will be disc versions as well. Maybe as a compilation." Hydrophobia has yet to receive a solid release date, but the folks from DED are pushing hard for a release by the end of this summer. That said, if the disc-based release will compile all three games of the planned trilogy, it'll be quite some time before we see it flooding onto store shelves.
