naked-sky-entertainment
Latest
Darkspore heading to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, resume indicates
Darkspore appears to be headed to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, courtesy of developer Naked Sky Entertainment (Microbot). Twitter-based internet detective Superannuation spotted a reference to the port in level designer Jordan Patz' resume (PDF link), which says he "worked with Maxis to modify Darkspore for release on Xbox/PS3." Though EA has never officially announced the title for anything other than PC/Mac, a recent interview on GameRant with Maxis executive producer Mike Perry indicated that the game could be ported to consoles if the community demanded it. It seems, however, that plans were already underway. When contacted, EA offered a "No comment," and we've yet to hear back from Patz or Naked Sky Entertainment.
MicroBot review: Biohazardous waste
Developers love to hear that their gameplay is "fluid." Extensive amounts of time are spent polishing and tweaking in order to find that perfect motion that gives their game that oh-so-sweet liquidity. And when they pull it off, it's great ... except in the case of twin-stick shooter MicroBot, where it's somehow detrimental. MicroBot takes fluidity too far. The player takes control of a tiny robot searching a human body for other (infected) robots in order to destroy them. Of course, that means you'll spend your time floating around with the more molecular parts of the human body, so be prepared for some appropriately, well, floaty controls. %Gallery-105174%
MicroBot wiggling to PSN on January 4
There you were just last week, frustrated at all your Xbox 360 pals getting together to play co-op antibody-battling twin-stick shooter MicroBot -- without you. If you're still looking to play MicroBot on your PlayStation 3, the game's heading to PlayStation Network tomorrow, January 4, for $10. MicroBot has you piloting a tiny ship inside of a human body (read: Innerspace), destroying diseased enemies and working with a partner to complete objectives. We'd suggest meeting some new friends before jumping into the co-op, though. These fair-weather folks don't sound very nice and, frankly, you deserve better.
MicroBot trailer shoots up innerspace
MicroBot, EA's dual-stick infection-blasting shooter, has a new trailer for future-tech doctors to observe. It also gives us a glimpse into our darkest nightmares as the pod is attacked by what appears to be sperm.
MicroBot preview: Inner conflict
MicroBot is the first and only game I've played where your character is introduced to the world through the needle point of a syringe. The "world," as it turns out, is actually a living human body, pumping with plasma and microscopic ... enemies? Your character's intent is ambiguous in MicroBot, but it's clear upon picking up the controller that, like so many other games, your goal is to destroy everything that might pose a threat to you. What those things are and what you're doing inside the body, however, remains a bit of a mystery. (Surely those evil nanites don't deserve to be in here.) The first thing that struck me about MicroBot -- a top-down Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network shooter from EA and Naked Sky Entertainment -- was the impressive graphics engine, a proprietary solution from the dev team. Sure, you're controlling a MicroBot on a 2D plane, but depth of field trickery shows off various happenings in the body in the forefront and background, giving the environment a grander scale despite its 2D perspective. And the game's procedurally created world assures that no two playthroughs of any environment will be identical. The second thing that struck me was the game's sense of momentum. As a robot floating around inside a human body, careening in any particular direction too fast could result in an accidental death. It also gives the environment a more dangerous presence. Our worry? Who knows what happens to a human when robot parts are left to scatter throughout the internal organs.%Gallery-105174%
Star Trek D-A-C gets new ships, modes, major online fix
Paramount has announced that a free update is now available for the Xbox 360 version of Star Trek D-A-C. The update adds two new ships to the game, the missile cruiser and the support frigate. The missile cruiser packs heavy, long range attacks, while the support frigate can heal friendly units and destroy escape pods. A new single-player survival mode has also been added as well. The online portion has been updated with more options, like configuring bot AI and the number of points needed to win. Probably the most important addition, however, is host migration. This will automatically switch hosts if the current host decides to quit -- rather than simply dropping everyone from the game. Considering we were dropped several times even in the trial version, that's probably a good addition. %Gallery-78934%
Star Trek D-A-C coming to M-A-C
Paramount has announced that it's bringing the downloadable Star Trek D-A-C -- based on the recent film -- to the Mac. The game will be released with the help of TransGaming, meaning it will utilize Cider, software that allows PC games to be run on Macs. In other words, your hopes of experiencing the mediocrity of Star Trek D-A-C in an Apple native format have just been dashed. Sorry. The game is scheduled to launch this December and is currently available for pre-order at GameTree Online.
Cheat code required for Star Trek D-A-C Achievement
UGO reports that Star Trek D-A-C, which released to XBLA this week, rewards players with an Achievement for entering a cheat code. More specifically, the only way to unlock said Achievement is to enter a cheat code. Reportedly called the 'Kobayashi Maru' Achievement, it's based on a training exercise from the Star Trek universe in which James T. Kirk had to cheat in order to win. The code itself hasn't been discovered, but it supposedly improves the capabilities of the player's ship within the game.If only there was a code that restored what little hope we had for Star Trek D-A-C.[Via 1UP]
Star Trek D-A-C hits XBLA in May, new screens hit right now
We already told you as much as we knew about Star Trek DAC when we grilled the game's senior producer and some folks from the film back at GDC 2009. Unfortunately, today's "new" information on the game from Paramount Digital Entertainment, Bad Robot Interactive, CBS and Naked Sky Entertainment (that's a mouthful!) did little to bolster our knowledge banks.We do, however, have a batch of new screens from the upcoming game coming to XBLA next month (and PSN/PC "shortly thereafter"), featuring gameplay with some very Star Trekkian vistas. The movie hits theaters on May 8, so expect to see the game appear on XBLA "near" the film's launch.%Gallery-51012%
RoboBlitz hands-on impressions
So, my 360 automatically downloaded the trial version of RoboBlitz this morning, and I finally got a chance to sit down with it around lunch time. The first thing you will notice about RoboBlitz is that it looks gorgeous. It looks like an original Xbox game and is even decent as a 360 title. Squeezing all this into 50 megs is a work of technical wizardry and other developers should pay attention. Once you're done marveling at the graphics, it's time to start the game proper.
RoboBlitz makes physics phun on XBLA
Boy, oh boy, do we love fresh, new content on Xbox Live Arcade. Today is a landmark day for the service, as it's receiving its first game powered by the Unreal Engine. We've covered all the RoboBlitz we could stand since we first learned of its existence, and now we finally get to try it out. If you're currently unable to grab the game yourself -- say you're at work or school -- then why not have some with physics all on your own? It's almost as good as playing the game itself! See that pencil on your desk? Pick it up. Now drop it. Did you see it fall? That's physics. Now just keep doing that all day until you get your hands on the game. It's like infinite entertainment. If that doesn't do it for you, rest assured, we'll get some hands-on time with the game and give you our impressions as soon as possible.
RoboBlitz T-shirt contest: Day 5
This is it folks, your last chance to win a RoboBlitz T-shirt. As usual, before we get into today's contest, we must announce yesterday's winner. And the winner of yesterday's fine T-shirt is ... Cth, for a very creative weapon idea: the pen is mightier than the sword. It's kind of a complicated idea, so we suggest you read Cth's description for yourselves. So, here we are ... the final day of our RoboBlitz contest extravaganza. Today is the day that many of you have been waiting for, a chance to win a men's XL RoboBlitz T-shirt. The other puny large men's shirts and the tiny women's shirts would never fit your manly girth. Well now is your chance, because today, we're making the contest easier than it's ever been. RoboBlitz is about tackling your objectives in any way you want. You can do it however you please. In the spirit of this freedom, today you can choose to leave a comment about anything. Just comment on this post. It doesn't matter what you say, you'll be entered to win this mythical T-shirt. So, leave a comment and make history.General contest stuff: Only one entry per person. Winners will be contacted via email in order to obtain shipping information. This contest is open to residents of the United States only
RoboBlitz T-shirt contest: Day 4 [update 1]
And the mighty RoboBlitz T-shirt contest keeps moving across the land, distributing T-shirts to those in need. Before we announce today's contest, we must pick a name from the proverbial hat. The winner of yesterday's RoboBlitz shirt is (fanfare) Beef! Beef's dream robot is named Ephraim, which is apparently Beef's real name as well. It seems that Ephraim's primary function is to be a clone of Ephraim. Some of you came up with other really good ideas, too. Read 'em all right here.Now, what to do for today's contest ... we should really start coming up with these beforehand. Let's see ... okay, we have an idea. RoboBlitz has some really interesting weapons (don't believe us? Watch this). To enter today's contest, leave a comment describing an interesting, fictional weapon. You know, something that would be fun in a video game. The winner -- randomly chosen -- will receive a women's XL RoboBlitz T-shirt. We'll get the creative juices flowing by coming up with a weapon first. We would create the Poodle Launcher, which would launch specially trained ballistic poodles (properly shaven for aerodynamics, of course). So there you go, get crackin' and good luck.Update: This contest is now closed. Click here to see the winner and enter the latest contest.General contest stuff: Only one entry per person. Winners will be contacted via email in order to obtain shipping information. This contest is open to residents of the United States only.
RoboBlitz T-shirt contests: Day 3 [update 1]
The RoboBlitz contest train keeps a-rollin' along. Now, before we get started with today's contest, it's time to announce Friday's winner. And the winner of a women's large T-shirt is ... Jack Lukic for his Green Eggs and Ham inspired quote: "Look a box,inside is a fox!"Congratulations, Jack. Now for today's contest. RoboBlitz has cool robots. We like robots. We're betting that you like robots, too. So, today we'd like you to make one. No, you don't actually have to build one -- this isn't BattleBots. Just leave a comment about your dream robot. Give it a name and describe what it does. The winner will receive a large men's RoboBlitz T-shirt. Also, we know some of you have been holding out for XL sizes. Well, fear not, for they are coming. We still have a men's and women's XL to give away. In the meantime, start dreaming up robots.Update: This contest is now closed. Please click here to see the winner and enter the latest contest.
RoboBlitz T-shirt contest: Day 2 [update 1]
Okay, first thing's first: yesterday's winner is (drum roll) Beezer, for his comment, "Just turn a glass full of water around! Pretty impressive, isn't it ?" That's something pretty fun you can do with physics, I guess .... Anyway, on to day 2 of our fabulous contest. Today's contest is for the ladies (or anyone who wants a woman's shirt anyway). The shirt to be given away is a large women's T-shirt. This one is a lovely sky blue with dark blue collar and sleeve cuffs, and Blitz in the middle. It's oh so attractive and the boys will just love it. So, let's see, we need a contest. Ooh, ooh, I know! RoboBlitz has a catchy hip hop theme song, so let's do something in the spirit of song. To enter today's contest, all you have to do is leave a comment that rhymes. By the way, that means you will have to use at least two whole words. Get rhyming and good luck. Our (random) winner and our next contest will be announced on Monday.Update: This contest is now closed, to see the winner, click here.General contest stuff: Only one entry per person. Winners will be contacted via email in order to obtain shipping information. This contest is open to residents of the United States only.
RoboBlitz hitting Steam
The proficient program plumbers at Valve have issued a press release announcing the imminent arrival of RoboBlitz on their digital distribution network, Steam. Developed by Naked Sky Entertainment and powered by Unreal Engine 3, the action game is largely comprised of physics, explosions, robots and maladjusted space pirates (it says here). Tian Mu, CEO of Naked Sky, explains that after realizing how hot Steam was, he simply needed to have his game all over it."Steam is an attractive platform for the release of RoboBlitz. We're looking forward to being able to release to Steam's huge PC audience. Additionally, we have long-term plans to expand RoboBlitz with new content. Through Steam, we have a great avenue for delivering the game and updates directly to over 10 million gamers' PCs."RoboBlitz will see release in the "coming weeks," most likely alongside the previously announced Xbox Live Arcade version. The game is priced at $14.99 on Steam -- that roughly translates to 1200 MS Points on the Xbox 360, should the price remain the same on both platforms. Check out the (fairly old) trailer after the break.
