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Jane Jensen's Gray Matter PC demo available now
Look, we weren't going to say anything, but it's obvious that your brain isn't operating at maximum capacity today. You've probably got some residual tryptophan slurry sloshing around in there -- what you need is to really flex your cerebral muscles. There's really no better way for you to do so than to check out a recently released PC demo for Gabriel Knight creator Jane Jensen's long-in-development mystery/adventure title, Gray Matter. See, it's got the name of your brain goop right there in the title, so you know it's a thinking person's game. The game was actually released in Germany earlier this month, and will arrive in the rest of Europe next February -- however, no US release plans for the full title have been announced. To unravel the full mystery therein, you're going to have to pony up for the German version of the game (which includes a full English voice track) or import the game, which is, in and of itself, kind of a mystery. Oh, Jane Jensen. You got us again.
German version of Gray Matter available now, playable in English
Jane Jensen's adventure game Gray Matter was last given a February release date, following multiple delays. That release date is still accurate ... however, the game is also available now. Allow us to explain. While the launch date for the US and UK release is still months away, Gray Matter is now available in Germany, in both retail and downloadable formats. It features English voice acting, so you should be able to understand the story. In fact, the official site notes that the German version is "fully playable" in both English and German. The convenience of playing early doesn't come cheap, however: the Gamer Unlimited download costs €39.95 ($54).%Gallery-95686%
Gray Matter slips to February 2011
UK-based adventure game publisher Lace Mamba Global has announced another unfortunate "slippage" of Gray Matter. As developer WizarBox and co-publisher dtp entertainment work to get the hard-to-handle contents of Jane Jensen's game in order, Lace Mamba has "no alternative but to delay the release until the chosen date," according to an announcement. (Prior to today's delay, the game was scheduled for release this month.) The latest chosen date for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions? February 25, 2011 in the UK (which, by the standard retail calendar, would put Gray Matter in North America on February 22.) "[W]e now know for certain that the date we have is the date Gray Matter will be available," declared Lace Mamba's Jason Codd, perhaps jinxing the project again. "[D]ue to the tight time frames, and the need for more polishing of the game we had no alternative but to make a quick decision and delay the product until February," Codd explained. "This will give the development team more time in ensuring that the game measures up to the standards that have been set" -- now, are those the original 2004 standards, or ...?
Dance! It's Your Stage gets crunk on XBLA Sept. 8
"Plants versus what now?" is what you'll be saying on September 8 when XBLA plays host to Dance! It's Your Stage, a port of a German Wii game developed by Sproing. According to the dev's website, you'll "practice 20 unique choreographies and dance your way up from the Street Stage all the way to the TV Studio" all under the watchful eye of Detlef D! Soost, who's basically like our favorite German dancer/choreographer. So you can keep your wonderful, wonderful game, PopCap. We plan on being a little busy dropping $10 for a reason to dust off our DDR mats and churn out some dance butter. (That's something the kids are saying now, right? Churning out dance butter? That's a thing, we're pretty sure.) Click here for a sneak peek that's sure to get your dance milk solidifying.
Gray Matter has its mind set on October release
We got an extensive demo with Jane Jensen's oft-delayed adventure game Gray Matter at E3 (more on that soon) but she did give us one item we couldn't wait to share: Publisher DTP Entertainment is currently targeting an October release for the PC/360 title. Considering we've previously heard March of 2010, 2009 and 2008, well ... let's just say we're writing the date on our calendar in pencil. Maybe not even that. Maybe sidewalk chalk. %Gallery-95686%
Jane Jensen's Gray Matter confirmed for Xbox 360
Gray Matter, Jane Jensen's long overdue adventure game, is also making its way to the Xbox 360 when the game finally launches later this year (... allegedly). Originally announced for PC years ago, there had been talk of a console version -- but for the Wii. Publisher dtp entertainment states the controls have been adjusted for Microsoft's console, but "other than that, Gray Matter's PC and Xbox 360 versions are absolutely identical." Jensen was the mind behind the acclaimed Gabriel Knight adventure series during the 90s. Hopefully, this'll be the year we finally get to wrap our brains around Gray Matter.
Divinity II: Flames of Vengeance add-on coming this August
If you just so happen to be the square wheel that couldn't get enough of Divinity II: Ego Draconis last year, you're in luck. Publisher dtp entertainment has announced that an add-on will be released later this year, adding more than 30 brand new quests and about 15 hours of gameplay to the RPG. Divinity II: Flames of Vengeance will see release on the PC and through the Xbox Live Marketplace, and will update the game's world of Rivellon a completely revamped engine (for graphical and performance upgrades) as well as new updates on characters familiar to players of the first game. There's no price yet, but it is targeted for a release in August 2010. In the meantime, you can browse the gallery below to see early screenshots of the add-on. Commenters have been saying to us that this game suffers from more than its share of bugs and issues, so maybe an engine revamp will help smooth that out. %Gallery-87418%
March is the latest release date for Gray Matter
The last release date given for Jane Jensen's comeback adventure game, Gray Matter, was "2009," following delays in 2007 and 2008. However, the hot new trend for games coming out in 2009 is not coming out in 2009, and publisher dtp entertainment has adjusted its schedule accordingly.According to a new press release, the publisher now plans to release Gray Matter in March. Eventually, we suppose, one of these release dates is going to be the real one, but we have no way of knowing which until the game comes out. At least progress is being made: dtp announced that voice work for the English version is complete.[Via Eurogamer]
Cyberpunk MMO Otherland launches game preview site
It was only a few months ago when we first got word of a new cyberpunk/VR-themed MMO in development. Otherland is based on the the sci-fi novels of Tad Williams, which deal heavily with the interplay of the virtual and the real. Otherland is being built on the Unreal 3 engine by Singapore-based development studio Real U, a wholly-owned subsidiary of dtp entertainment AG in Germany.The Otherland information page states the game will release in 2011 for PC, and it could potentially offer some interesting dimensions to MMO gameplay. The site states: "MMO fans can expect a fascinating gameplay experience. Based on the globally successful novels, the Otherland gameplay is distinguished by a unique narrative structure. Rather than retelling the story, players will experience their own individual stories within the Otherland universe and will encounter many of the familiar characters from the books. The game world will change dynamically around them during the course of the game."
Great Giana Sisters! Infamous Super Mario Bros. clone cloned for DS
Released in 1987 for the era's gaming-focused personal computers – Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad, Atari ST – The Great Giana Sisters was a solid platformer, which isn't surprising. It was, by and large, a staggering Super Mario Bros. rip-off. Nintendo's lawyers had the sisters promptly locked away, but they've somehow escaped.Now, of all things, the game is being remade for a June 2009 release on Nintendo DS. German publisher dtp entertainment is working with Spellbound Entertainment and Bitfield on the title, which will – in addition to updated graphics – support the DS touchscreen and microphone, although exactly how has not been disclosed. In fact, we're not entirely certain that Nintendo knows about the game's existence. Check out the original game's (potentially NSFW) box art after the break. %Gallery-38960%
Beloved C64 Mario clone now on a Nintendo system
Time Warp Productions' The Great Giana Sisters is highly regarded as one of the Commodore 64's best platform games. It was also an unsubtle Super Mario Bros. clone, a fact which resulted in the removal of the game from the market. Even handicapped by total retail unavailability, the game propagated enough to become a classic, as did its much more original soundtrack. Developer Spellbound Entertainment is bringing the sisters back, with a new game on the DS. The graphical style has changed quite a bit, with smooth backgrounds reminiscent of Cave Story, but the Mario influence is still as clear as ever. Publisher dtp Entertainment is planning a June 2009 release (presumably in Europe, where people know what The Great Giana Sisters is).It's not new, but if you're so inclined, you can play the original Great Giana Sisters on the DS right now in the form of a homebrew remake.%Gallery-38929%[Via press release]
Cyberpunk MMO based on Tad Williams' Otherland announced
The German games publisher dtp Entertainment has made the surprising announcement that they'll be transforming sci-fi author Tad Williams' Otherland into a massively multiplayer online game. The title will be a mixture of several different playspaces, riffing on the series concept of competing virtual realities. One area in particular will be geared towards casual gaming and social interaction, a hub area to be called the Lambda Mall. Eurogamer has the story, along with a three-page discussion of dtp's plans and goals for this innovative title. As you can see from the site's screenshot gallery, plans for the game include several different art styles to exist side by side. At its core the game will make use of an 80s/90s "virtual reality" theme, bringing to mind the Metaverse of Stephenson's Snow Crash or the old-style Matrix of the Shadowrun RPG. dtp plans to make use of the Unreal 3 engine for the project, ensuring that the impressive screenshots are likely to be even more eyebrow-raising in action. The game is currently slated for release to the PC in 2010.
Play Summer Athletics on your Wii
Because we really needed another multi-sport game collection on the Wii, dtp entertainment (the German publisher behind the upcoming Next Top Model DS game) is releasing Summer Athletics this ... well, summer. The activities in this title will include jogging, cycling, hurdles, javelin, archery, hammer throw, and swimming. We're not sure how all of those will translate with the Wiimote -- the jogging might be similar to what we've seen from Wii Fit, and we suppose the archery, javelin, and hammer throw events could work. But hurdles? Cycling? Swimming? We'll be interested to see how those turn out.You can also check out the game's teaser site here, which has some nice-looking images from the PC version of the game.[Via press release]
Jane Jensen to unveil next adventure game in Leipzig
It's certainly taken her long enough. Indeed, one can only assume that after writing and completing the excellent Gabriel Knight trilogy of adventure games for Sierra, Jane Jensen was somehow imprisoned in a small room with naught but a couple of random objects at her disposal. After combining every single item with every other one in her possession, she must have finally attained to freedom by combining the giraffe-shaped balloon with the priceless fabergé egg.Since her dramatic escape, Jensen has been hard at work on Gray Matter, a new adventure set to debut at the Leipzig Games Convention later this month. Published by dtp entertainment (they're staunchly opposed to capital-ism, it seems), not much is known about the game aside from a fourth quarter 2007 release. Carsten Fichtelmann, marketing director of dtp, seems pretty confident that Jensen, "a real star of the adventure gaming scene," will be a great asset to the team. "We are very happy to be working with her on her new project, Gray Matter, bringing the adventure gaming genre forward once again."Many would argue that bringing the adventure genre forward would result in it bumping its head against a sealed coffin lid. A great article on Old Man Murray once suggested that the genre had committed suicide, largely motivated by the kind of puzzles found in Jenson's own Gabriel Knight 3. In one infamous puzzle, the protagonist had to create a disguise using a ridiculous combination of masking tape, maple syrup and a cat. In other words, a contrived act of following "daredevil of logic Jane Jensen as she pilots Gabriel Knight 3 right over common sense, like Evel Knievel jumping Snake River Canyon." She's undoubtedly a superb storyteller, but let's hope that she utilizes her own gray matter more effectively when it comes to puzzles this time around.
