Hydrophobia
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Hydrophobia trailer floods our hearts and minds
Dark Energy Digital fired off a new trailer for its exceptionally moist episodic action title Hydrophobia earlier today. As always, the water which protagonist Kate is forced to traverse looks wonderful (in a deadly kind of way). We're perplexed, however, by all the fire featured in said video. We're no scientists, but shouldn't that turn the aforementioned water into, well, steam?
Hydrophobia will come to PS3, says developer
Podcast GameHounds spoke with Rob Hewson, Pete Jones and Deborah Jones of Dark Energy Digital in its latest episode to discuss the upcoming downloadable "episodic" shooter, Hydrophobia. Announced as an XBLA exclusive, it appears that Hydrophobia will one day make its way to PS3 as well. Around the 59 minute mark, one of the podcast's hosts asks, "Will there be a version for PS3?," to which the developers respond, "Yes, there will be." No further details were probed, nor offered. A number of high-profile XBLA games have made a delayed appearance on PSN, including Braid and the upcoming Castle Crashers. Based on anecdotal evidence, it appears Microsoft's exclusivity typically lasts for over a year -- meaning PS3 owners will likely have to wait quite some time before seeing Hydrophobia on their system of choice. %Gallery-74474%
Hands-on: Hydrophobia (XBLA)
It's been nearly five years since Dark Energy Digital began work on the water physics-based action-adventure game Hydrophobia. In that time, the developer has shown approximately nobody the game -- heck, before I heard about the game heading to Xbox Live Arcade last summer, there hadn't been a lick of info on it in nearly nine months. But with this week's announcement of the game's XBLA exclusivity (and subsequent playability at PAX East), Joystiq was offered its first chance to play the title this morning. I'm happy to report that ... it's pretty good! Alright, so, while Hydrophobia probably isn't going to be taking top spots on my 2010 GOTY list, I could certainly see it making an appearance on my "best of XBLA" list this year. The demo immediately made me think of playing Shadow Complex at last year's E3 -- it doesn't quite look like what you'd expect from XBLA, and the developers made sure to repeatedly affirm the game's "AAA quality" throughout my hands-on earlier this morning. Whether guiding the game's main character, Kate, through platforming areas or underwater, the gameplay itself felt like a solid base for what could be a very interesting (six-hour-ish) experience. %Gallery-74474%
Hydrophobia exclusive to XBLA, playable at PAX East
As if the thought of getting early hands-ons with Skate 3, Mafia 2, Red Dead Redemption, co-op Splinter Cell: Conviction and ... uh, well, tons of other games at PAX East wasn't enticing enough, we've just received word from Hydrophobia developer Dark Energy Digital that the game will also be available on the show floor. Moreover, the game has been announced as exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade (no word on whether the planned three-episode release will still get a retail counterpart). We'll be diving into Hydrophobia's flooded corridors this weekend and speaking with the developers, so feel free to dump a torrent of questions for us in the comment section below if you're so inclined. %Gallery-74474%
Hydrophobia site set for reveal this week
True to its name, news on Dark Energy Digital's episodic XBLA (puzzle? horror? action?) game, Hydrophobia, has been the very definition of a trickle. Every few months, the thing emerges Loch Ness-style to reassert its existence, then promptly dives below again. If the game's official site is to be believed, though, the peek-a-boo routine may be ending. Visitors to the page are now greeted with a timer counting down to 12 AM ET Friday, and the developer's Twitter feed promises, "All will be revealed very shortly," adding, "something big is coming." This whole countdown page thing is a little "mid-to-late 2008" for our tastes, but we'll be willing to forgive, if the reveal leads to some promising details about the game. [Via CVG]
Hydrophobia rain cover promises to keep your DSLR dry, mysterious
Alright, so a new rain cover for a DSLR isn't the most exciting of developments, but the folks at Think Tank Photo have managed to put a bit of a new spin on the idea with their new Hydrophobia 70-200 and Hydrophobia 70-200 Flash covers (both based on the company's pro-level 300-600 cover). Those, as you've probably discerned, will accommodate a DSLR with up to a 70-200 lens (and, in the latter case, a flash), and protect it during even the toughest downpours. What's more, you can actually attach your DSLR and simply carry it by the rain cover, and the two sleeves are big enough to not only let you control the camera (with the help of a clear window 'round back), but swap out batteries or memory cards as well. Of course, this one doesn't come cheap, with the basic model running $139, and the flash-accommodating model setting you back $145.
Hydrophobia flooding retailer shelves as well as XBLA
As details slowly drip out of Xbox World 360's recent hands-on with upcoming water-based puzzler Hydrophobia, the game's developer, Dark Energy Digital, is putting Internet-less Xbox 360 owners' fears to rest. In addition to releasing the game as three chapters on Xbox Live Marketplace, Hydrophobia will be getting a disc release at the end of next year. Also of note, despite the game's grandiose scale, it weighs in at under 250MB -- well under the allowed 2GB file size for XBLA releases that Microsoft recently increased. We've reached out to Dark Energy Digital to nail down some of the more slippery details on Hydrophobia and will update you as soon as we hear more.%Gallery-74474%
Hydrophobia floats to XBLA, goes episodic
click for screens of what Hydrophobia looks like now We haven't heard anything about Dark Energy Digital's water physics-based horror/puzzle game Hydrophobia in nearly a year, which makes today's news that the game is heading to XBLA rather than getting a full retail release all the more jarring. According to a preview of the game by Xbox World 360 UK (as reprinted on CVG), not only is Hyrdrophobia getting the digital distribution treatment, it'll be heading to Microsoft's console in the form of "three episodes of around five hours each, to be released within a twelve month window." The preview contains undoubtedly the largest glut of info on the game we've seen since we first heard about it way back in 2007 -- when it was still planned for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Apparently the episodes could continue if they prove successful enough, though no word is given on if they'll ever head to PS3 and PC. The game has already missed its planned March 2009 release window and dropped a few consoles for its eventual release, so we've reached out to Dark Energy Digital for more details. [Update: Dark Energy Digital got back to us with some fresh shots from the game (seen above).] %Gallery-74474%
Hydrophobia flows to March 2009
Blade Interactive, developer of the upcoming waterlogged survival adventure game Hydrophobia, has told Eurogamer that it plans to self-publish the game in March 2009. Hydrophobia takes place on the Queen of the World, a massive city-sized ship with a teensy problem, it's sinking. The protagonist, Kate Wilson, as it turns out, is deathly afraid of water. It kind of makes you wonder why she applied for a job on a giant boat, but we digress. The game focuses on water based puzzles and incorporates an impressive liquid physics engine to facilitate them.Blade Interactive already has a sequel planned, the hope of which floats on the success of Hydrophobia.[Via Joystiq]
Blade Interactive to self-publish Hydrophobia in March '09
According to a Eurogamer report, Hydrophobia developer Blade Interactive will self-publish its waterlogged, third-person adventure in March 2009. Set aboard a sinking ship, which we're informed is by far the worst kind of ship, Hydrophobia has players solving numerous aquatic puzzles and has bloggers clumsily incorporating unnecessary water words into any articles they write about it. Should the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 game make a splash next year, the sequel is certain to surface soon after.
Hydrophobia sequel planned, original still unreleased
It's not that strange for a developer to announce plans for a sequel to a successful game. It's not even that unusual for a publisher to make it clear that it intends to turn a successful game into a successful franchise, either. Somewhat rarer is the announcement of a planned sequel to an unpublished game without the backing of a major publisher. Enter Blade Interactive which, in an interview with PS3 Attitude, made it known that it has sequel plans for its upcoming water-filled survival adventure game, Hydrophobia. Whereas the first takes place on the Queen of the World, a huge floating city, the second game will take place in "a drowned Boston."The first game, lest you've forgotten, is being touted in particular for its impressive water physics. It all sounds very intriguing, let's hope the first game ... ahem ... makes a splash so that the story penned for the sequel doesn't have to go to waste.[Via Joystiq] Gallery: Hydrophobia
Liner before the tugboat: Hydrophobia dev. talks sequel
Survival action game Hydrophobia has been running silent and deep since it was unveiled over a year ago for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Recently, Sony's "semi official" Euro blog ThreeSpeech did a three-part piece on the game. Now, PS3 Attitude has an interview with the developers at Blade Interactive, revealing that the game already has a location all set for the sequel. Could we kindly get a release date for the first one?Whereas the first Hydrophobia takes place on a sinking ship, The Queen of the World (loosely based on the Freedom Ship), the sequel will occur in a "drowned Boston." We'll now have to wait and see if the first game is any good before we commit our excitement to a sequel taking place in PAX's 2010 East Coast location. %Gallery-3017%
Hydrophobia unveiled, wows with water effects
Blade Interactive has finally unveiled Hydrophobia, a survival action game whose creators are hoping will show gamers something different. In the game, you play Kate, an engineer with no combat experience and a fear of water on a sinking ship the size of a city (loosely based on the Freedom Ship) who must use the incoming waves to help her on her path to rescue survivors and take on terrorists.What Blade is hoping will set Hydrophobia apart from the others, visually, is HydroEngine, which purportedly simulates water like never before. It "reacts dynamically to its environment. It flows from source, it bubbles, it gets surfaces wet, it has a current, it's persistent," according to Xbox World 360, who saw the game in action and walked away impressed. We're hoping to get some video uploaded soon because these images, though visually beautiful, do nothing to show off the HydroEngine in action.The physical properties of water will also be used as a key gameplay component, and the Xbox World 360 preview covers a few of the more intriguing examples. The game is a big departure for Blade, whose catalog includes a series of billiards titles and Pocket Racers for the PSP, but the developer reportedly hired a wide range of talent for this project, including industry veterans who worked on Splinter Cell and Fable 2 ... and an astrophysicist!No release date has been announced; Hydrophobia is being developed for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.%Gallery-3017%
Hydrophobia announced, very wet
WorthPlaying has the game announcement and synopsis for Hydrophobia, a survival adventure game that pits you on a city sized ship in the middle of the ocean. Unfortunately for you, there's a terrorist attack on the boat and your character, Kate Wilson, is not only part of the security detail on the Queen of the World, but she's also a hydrophobic, which she developed in her early teens. A slew of screens and a full breakdown of how the gameplay and story meld is available by following the "Read" link. The use of the HydroEngine for the water is very promising and worth the read. Is this a potential sleeper hit?[Via Digg]
Blade announces their HydroEngine... so, thirsty?
Well, my invisible girlfriend incessantly reminds me of her fear of drowning, so I had to ask her to wait downstairs as I type this post about Blade's next-gen fluid dynamics HydroEngine -- the engine used to render all the crazy water physics and whatnot in that Hydrophobia game in development.The HydroEngine proudly boasts effects that have "never been seen in videogames before". Research and development director at Blade, Huw Lloyd, said this about the new engine: "We could have been forgiven if we had merely produced a tech demo...but this new game is a robust next gen game in its own right that pushes the limits of the new consoles. Our HydroEngine is the result of nearly 3 years intensive development work... Water in games has so far been merely a flat plane with ripple effects and other graphical smoke and mirrors applied to it. The HydroEngine is different in one key respect - the water flows. It looks and behaves exactly like real water."It's interesting to think about -- one of the most simple things in the world, water, turned out to be one of the most complicated things to replicate on computers. Now we may finally have something to do that. Hydrophobia may be worth the price of admission if these boasts bear truth.
Blade Interactive reveals Hydrophobia
Caution: if you've a crippling fear of drowning, torrents of water, or reading about copious amounts of water, close your eyes (and your browser). If you can handle the new secret game revealed from Blade Interactive, which is no longer a secret, read on. The game was code-named Hydro, now entitled Hydrophobia. It's been in the works for years now, just waiting for next-gen consoles to come along so it can get rolled out. The game boasts to be "like no other, utilising Blade's groundbreaking technology to deliver an experience which is set to redefine the boundaries of gaming."So, what can we expect here? A survival horror type of game with insanely realistic water physics? From the looks of the concept art, the main character appears to be female along with... some other girl? No one else pictured seems important (like the guy who's definitely on fire). I'd make a joke about Fear Effect, but that wouldn't make too much sense. No point in mocking a game without knowing more about it! C'mon, Blade Interactive, show us a bit more. We'll be waiting!
Hydrophobia: Snooker dev names secret project
Blade Interactive has put a name to its "top secret" project: Hydrophobia. Best known for its World Championship Snooker series, Blade looks to have ditched the cue for a waterworld action-adventure. Despite "several years" of development time, Blade remains stingy, holding back details. With only a sampling of concept art released, it's difficult to discern what Hydrophobia will offer.We do know that the game is likely destined for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (a PC version is possible too). The concept art hints at a Joanna Dark-looking heroine, up to her neck in water, battling a corporate foe (Electrocorp). With titles like Bioshock nearing completion, Hydrophobia is gonna have to rise above a boiler plate plot to be successful; that or it's back to the pool hall for Blade.[Via Eurogamer]
