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Strider somersaults onto PS4, Xbox One and other systems this Feb.
Strider brings its sci-fi ninja platforming to PS4 and PS3 on February 18 in North America, with Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Steam welcoming the game the day after. The latest revival of the classic series comes courtesy of Double Helix, the studio behind the recent return of Killer Instinct, and the fare to get back on board is $15. The other news from today's announcement is Strider includes two challenge modes in addition to the main story mode: Beacon Run is a slice-and-dice speedrunning challenge, and Survival mixes up harder and harder waves of enemies to defeat. Both modes feature leaderboards, as does the main campaign. Joystiq ninja extraordinaire Dave Hinkle got hands-on time with the game couple of months back, and he was encouraged by its ability to mix old with new. "Even in my brief encounter with Strider, I felt it successfully toed the line between those old-school sensibilities of punishing platforming segments and unforgiving enemies with modernized mechanics such as ciphers and catapulting," he wrote. "Strider didn't feel like a mindless affair of running left-to-right and slashing everything in sight. Instead, Strider made me think about how I needed to stab every enemy in my path, proving that the mind is the ninja's greatest weapon." [Image: Capcom]
Killer Instinct's next free-to-play fighter is Thunder
The Killer Instinct free-to-play character tour continues with Chieftain Thunder replacing the vicious furry Sabrewulf as the gratis brawler in Double Helix's Xbox One revival. Thunder wields devastating tomahawks in the reimagining of the arcade and SNES cult hit, which features a handful of characters from the original game in the series. Since launching alongside Microsoft's Xbox One in November, the free-to-play character slot has rotated three combatants into the fray, first offering players a taste of the action with fan favorite Jago. Killer Instinct offers players the opportunity to purchase characters individually for $5 or as a bundle featuring the game's first eight characters, beginning at $20. Currently only six fighters are available, with returning characters Spinal coming soon and Fulgore coming in March.
Killer Instinct review: Content breaker
We'll be rolling out Xbox One review coverage all the way through launch on November 22. Read all of our coverage right here! Killer Instinct isn't finished yet. It's an attempt to get players to buy into a promise that the full game is still on the way, that investing now will guarantee an experience on par with other fighting games – eventually. Right now, there's little else aside from training, survival and online modes. There isn't a story mode or an arcade mode, though the latter is promised for the future. There are only six fighters, with two more to come during the game's first season of content. As it stands, Killer Instinct is a streamlined fighter designed as a far-reaching modular experience, which highlights one of its key problems: a dearth of content.
Killer Instinct to launch alongside Xbox One
Microsoft's revival of Rare's fighting series, Killer Instinct, will be a launch game for the Xbox One. Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer told me Killer Instinct is "being overseen by people who are really core to that franchise," and suggested the developer, Double Helix Games, was getting a "bad rap" for its recent history of movie-licensed games. "I think the developer is getting a little bad rap around this game," Spencer said. "We found a developer who really cares about the game. They're building a great game at 60 frames per second." Though it seems to have coalesced into a real product made purely from recurring internet wishes, Killer Instinct is practically seen as an ambassador for Xbox One's improvements to online matchmaking. "Obviously, multiplayer is pretty core to what the game is right now, but when you think about asynchronous matchmaking, and I don't know if it really came across [during Microsoft's media briefing], but while you're playing your match, your next fight is being set up. So, you're literally just carousel-ing from fight to fight. A fighting game, given its round-based nature and how long the rounds are, is a great opportunity to showcase the asynchronous matchmaking." Of course, that isn't to say Twitter had no participation in the matter. "And then, yes, my Twitter feed is always lit up with, you know, there are a few games - Crackdown being one, Killer Instinct being another. When are you going to do this game? Everyone thought there was going to be a Kameo 2, or ... I don't get a lot of Brute Force 2."%Gallery-191172%
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters to take shape next summer
Next summer, after you're done gallivanting across the galaxy with celluloid Green Lantern Ryan Reynolds, his adventures will (unsurprisingly) continue on your home video game console in Warner Bros.' Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters. (We know what you're thinking and, yes, it will be confusing when Sex and the City 3 is released next summer with that exact same subtitle.) Details are scant at this point, but as you can tell by the name and image (bigger version after the break) sent out with the press release, GL will apparently be battling the robotic Manhunters, an interstellar police force replaced by the Green Lantern Corps. As you might remember, the title's being developed by Double Helix games, a studio that's had mixed success up to this point. Here's hoping for a home run ... made by giant green baseball bat composed entirely of mind energy.
Front Mission Evolved pushed back to September 28, 2010
When we announced Front Mission Evolved's September 14th launch date we joked that Square Enix had neglected to check the calendar. You know, because September 14 is also "International Halo: Reach Day," a notable religious holiday. Also there's another video game coming out that day. Now Front Mission Evolved has been pushed back two weeks, to September 28. The funny thing is, other high-profile games are arriving on that new launch date -- sometimes you just need to mecha decision, we guess. Update: Check out pre-order bonuses after the break.
Front Mission Evolved shoots for September 14 release
Spring has turned to fall for Front MIssion Evolved, as Square Enix has announced the game will launch on September 14. The latest entry takes the SRPG franchise into a new direction: third-person shooter. Double Helix, of Silent Hill: Homecoming fame, is developing. Square Enix also announced that the PC version will be playable in stereoscopic 3D, which effectively swaps out the gameplay depth from the strategy games for visual depth. It's great we finally have a solid release date, Square Enix, but you probably should've checked the calendar before deciding on September 14. Just saying!
Hands-on: Front Mission Evolved
Many franchises attempt to break apart from familiar genres in an effort to expand their fan bases. Metroid went first-person, Halo went RTS and Square Enix's long-standing, tactical RPG franchise, Front Mission, has turned into a standard third-person action game.For players still clamoring to return to the world of MechAssault, Front Mission Evolved may help cater to their needs. While the game's current state looks pretty rough, the Robot vs. Other Giant Robot action is fun, fast and fulfilling. Front Mission Evolved features a limited array of weaponry, but its quick pace actually had me hooked while it lasted. If the action becomes a little too harsh -- and the game did pose a challenge during my brief demo with the Xbox 360 version -- tapping the 'Y' button slows down time and turns every weapon in your arsenal to an automatic victory cannon.There isn't much to the action: Run through a linear level and defeat the enemies that get in your way. It isn't the Citizen Kane of gaming, but the demo was entertaining. At least half of it was.%Gallery-70585%
Front Mission evolves in E3 debut trailer
Welcome to the new Square Enix, folks. We can see how the debut trailer for Front Mission Evolved is meant to appeal to the Western audience. Look at how cool, dark and brown the game is! Americans love that stuff! It certainly looks like Double Helix Games (Silent Hill Homecoming) is preparing the series for a Star Trek-esque reboot -- how will fans react? We'll have impressions from the E3 show floor and an interview with the game's producers later this week. Stay tuned.
