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Renegade Kid buries Dracula, working on something new
Moon developer Renegade Kid has pulled its fangs out of the Count's supple neck, revealing in a post on the company's website that the secret "Dracula" game it had been working on with Gamecock "is no longer in development." The post goes on to say that the IP is still owned by Renegade Kid, and the company is open the revisiting the project "should an opportunity to resurrect Son of the Dragon present itself in the future." Having only now become aware of the game's true name, with little else known of the rumored Wii project beyond some early artwork from last August it's difficult to feel too drained by this news.The same goes for Renegade Kid, it seems, with studio boss Jools Watsham brushing aside the news with a standard 'no comment,' telling us instead that the studio's "current focus is on the development of our new game, which we'll have more news on soon." Whatever it is, we hope his excitement is enough to pull the stake out of players' broken hearts.
DS FPS Moon eclipses into January 2009
Publisher Mastiff sent word that the lunar orbit for its Renegade Kid-developed Moon has degraded, knocking back the DS first-person shooter from its previously announced November release date until January 13, 2009. As for the why, Mastiff top dog Bill Swartz tells Joystiq, "Moon is too important a product to rush it out the door, just to make a holiday," leaving us to wait another month before we land on the big ball of cheese looking for things to shoot with the stylus.
Joystiq interview: Renegade Kid versus the Moon
When independent developer Renegade Kid first announced its follow up title to last year's Dementium: the Ward, few details were offered as to what it was exactly that the studio was up to. Titled simply Moon, the game was said to again be played from the first-person, but beyond the vantage and supposed setting, we were left wondering. It didn't take us long to tire of the guessing game however, so we arranged to speak with Renegade Kid's owner and creative director Jools Watsham to find out more about the company's latest offspring, how it differs from Dementium, and why the studio opted to go with a different publisher, in this case Mastiff, rather than Dementium publisher Gamecock. Read on to see what he had to say.%Gallery-20326%
Renegade Kid calls Moon 'more ambitious' than Dementium
Dementium: The Ward, developer Renegade Kid's debut release for the Nintendo DS, certainly pushed the frontier of what we expect from handheld gaming, but it was far from perfect. Company co-owner Jools Watsham conceded as much to us during a recent interview, but added that Renegade Kid's next project, the recently announced DS title Moon, will be even "more ambitious" than the studio's freshman effort."We're being much more ambitious with the environments, particle effects, enemies and cinematic cut-scenes," commented Watsham. "Even though we pushed the DS with Demenitum, we were still being slightly cautious due to our time frame and growing experience with the platform. This time around with Moon, we are being a little less cautious while still be expressive and ambitious."He also took a moment to reflect back on Dementium, noting that the survival horror title's save system was a particular sticking point among those who played the game. "Most people hated the save system in Dementium... Moon is structured very differently than Dementium. The game is presented in episodes, and within each episode there are checkpoints that save your progress."For more from Renegade Kid's Watsham on Moon, including Moon's possible future for the Wii and why the company's decision to go with publisher Mastiff instead of Dementium pub Gamecock is really much ado about nothing, check out our full interview on Monday and the first screens from the game below.%Gallery-20326%
Renegade Kid's Project M revealed as DS action title 'Moon'
From the fetid halls of Dementium to the vacuous surface of the moon, developer Renegade Kid has proven that it isn't shy about taking its first two projects into uncharted territories. Publisher Mastiff has revealed that the dev's second project, previously known as "Project M," is in fact a futuristic action title for the Nintendo DS simply called Moon.While we'll continue to wait for a simulation of that timeless Saturday night ritual of flashing our bare posteriors to cars on the freeway, Moon instead will take us to the lunar surface in 2058 for a first-person adventure that according to Mastiff's hilariously titled "Head Woof" Bill Swartz is "frequently violent" and "always disturbing." We'll have to take his word for it, as neither screens nor a release date have been released, leaving us to replay Dementium and squint at the screen while mentally replacing crazed mental patients with equally crazed aliens -- we should do all of our previews this way.
Metareview: Dementium: The Ward (DS)
Dementium: The Ward surprised the hell out of us at Gamecock's E3 retreat at the Hotel California. The survival-horror game brought the genre to the Nintendo DS in an incredibly smooth package. We actually almost missed our next appointment at E3 because the game just grabbed us with an unexpected level of design, unexpected from a survival-horror FPS on a handheld. But did it hold reviewers' attention beyond that initial shock of Renegade Kid's technical proficiency? GamesRadar (80/100): "The DS isn't supposed to do FPS horror right? Those were our initial thoughts too, as you start out in a dark room with a layer of black fog. But as soon as you snag a flashlight (which is immediately), Dementium proves its worth by displaying vast areas, numerous enemies and lengthy corridors with disturbing zeal and no loss in framerate." IGN (80/100): "It's pretty amazing that, for a system that's been out for three years now, there have been very few first-person shooters made for it. The Nintendo DS is a prime (no pun intended) system for the genre, what with its touch screen that can easily mimic the precise movement of mouse controls. Dementium: The Ward fills that void nicely - it's appropriately gory (it is a shooter, after all) but also adds an element of mystery to the whole thing. Some design issues do get in the way a tiny bit, but not so much that you'll hate on the game...and unless you've got the expectations of a PC shooter fan, it's hard to not be impressed with what Renegade Kid managed to pull off on the Nintendo DS hardware." Game Daily (80/100): "Dementium doesn't do anything we haven't seen before, such as playing a piano to reveal a secret, acquiring special colored keycards to open doors and shot gunning monsters. Yet at the same time, the experience feels new, since there's almost nothing like it on the platform, save for the aged Resident Evil Deadly Silence. So shut off the lights, put on a pair of headphones and get lost in this demented adventure. It's without question one of the DS' most under hyped games, and also one of its best."
Scares and heartwarming fan letters at the Dementium launch party
Gamecock held the launch party for their first title, Renegade Kid's Dementium: The Ward last night in Austin, Texas, and we (knew some people who) were on the scene to report on the creepy goings-on. Did any gruesome monster attacks take place? You'll have to wait until the end of this sentence to find out (they didn't)!Apparently people are so eager for a DS horror game that they've been writing in to Gamecock to share their excitement. According to chief executive Mike Wilson, an industry veteran since Doom days, the amount of mail received is unusual for an unreleased game-- which bodes well for consumer interest.The party continued with a short film and a performance by The Unbearables, and nobody fell into the hellish depths of madness or anything. Check out the Joystiq link for video and a gallery! And hit the Unbearables link above for some free music!
Joystiq interview: Dementium's Renegade Kid
You may not recognize the name Renegade Kid, but chances are you're familiar with some of the more than twenty titles this tiny three-person development team in Austin has jointly had a hand in creating, including games such as XS Games' The Red Star, Aspyr's Stubbs the Zombie, and Namco's Sigma Star Saga. Now working as an independent developer under the Gamecock umbrella, Renegade Kid will soon launch its first title this Halloween with Dementium: The Ward, a first-person survival horror game for the Nintendo DS.We recently had a chance to gab some time with two members of Renegade Kid, co-owner and creative director Jools Watsham and fellow co-owner and art director Gregg Hargrove, and we spoke to them about what it's like to work under their Gamecock overlords (did I say overlords? I meant protectors), as well as as just how crazy they must be to attempt a game as ambitious as Dementium on the DS as their freshman effort. Read on.%Gallery-3636%
Gamepro gets freaked out ten times by Dementium
Genuine horror is a bold objective for a handheld game. It's very hard to create an atmosphere when your material is contained entirely in two tiny screens (and proportionately tiny speakers.) In fact, we'd say that it's even harder to make a handheld horror game than it is to make a good FPS on the DS. Renegade Kid seems to be pulling off both tasks with Dementium, however.This fun, spooky feature from Gamepro outlines some of the scary junk that will jump out at you during the game. It's all screaming this and blood-covered that. We suppose that if you're avoiding spoilers, you may want to skip it, but we think that even if you know something is coming, there's still a good chance it'll give you the jibblies when it does bust through the window.
Fresh hot craziness in latest Dementium trailer
Mixing in gameplay segments with live-action footage (you know, like they've already been doing), this latest trailer for Dementium: The Ward is a tad bit unsettling. There's lots of blood and creepy women covered in it, shouting and popping up in random places frame after frame. The gameplay, though, looks as good as ever. Seriously, this is one of our most-anticipated titles for the DS to date.How awesome is that whole wheelchair sequence?%Gallery-4929%See also: PAX07 hands-on: Dementium: The Ward
Friday Video: Putting your game face on
We just can't resist these Dementium trailers. They're fresh and different, which definitely grabs our attention, but they seem to demonstrate a great spirit as well -- a blend of comedy, "mature" content, and gameplay that we wish showed up in more trailers and commercials.Though we'll say one thing: if blood ever splashed up from our DS while we were playing a game, we think we'd be asking for a refund. After we stopped uncontrollably freaking out, anyway.
PAX 07 hands-on: Dementium: The Ward
Tiny DS demo stations around Gamecock's Fury booth had demos of Dementium: The Ward available, and I made it a point to try Renegade Kid's horror FPS. The graphics may be simple in terms of polygons, but the game does its best to set a mood, which can be difficult on a handheld!I was immediately impressed with the framerate. I'm not a frame-counting expert, but the game ran perfectly steadily at what looked like 60 FPS. The simple geometry of the game's environments and enemies is masked by the lighting effects (you can really only see about five feet in front of you without a flashlight) and a dirtying effect around the periphery of the screen, which is normally black but turns red when you take a hit. These work similarly to the noise and fog effects in Silent Hill to create a mood while hiding technical limitations. Taking inspiration from Silent Hill is generally smart, and this isn't the only example of such influence.
Friday Video: Bloodletting and cockroaches
While everyone else in the room was bemoaning the presence of cockroaches in this chilling new trailer for Dementium: The Ward, this blogger was simply stunned by the music. The last thing we expected to hear was Concrete Blonde's "Bloodletting" from the album of the same name, and yet it was strangely fitting despite the lack of singer Johnette Napolitano's amazing vocals. It's quite a slick little trailer; while light on the gameplay footage (which is okay! we've seen it), the video is heavy on mood, and we think it will definitely get you excited about spending time in The Ward.And we ain't lying when we tell you that it's a pretty creepy trailer -- definitely a step up on the perversity scale for DS games. See for yourself after the break.
Dementium set to scare up sales on Halloween
The survival horror title from Gamecock and new developer Renegade Kid, Dementium: The Ward, is set for release on Halloween. Spooky! We just hope the game follows up. From the impressions and this spiffy boxart, however, it looks like we may be nightsticking monsters while mowing through the holiday haul this year. If there's two things the DS needs more of, it's violence and horror. The website has been updated with the new date, which was confirmed via press release this morning.
All-new video from Dementium: The Ward
At this point, we're about ready to offer Gamecock our firstborn child, because they are really rolling out the hotness for the DS. On the tails of recent good impressions of the upcoming Dementium: The Ward comes this new trailer, which features -- are you ready? -- nightstick beatdowns. Even if the rest of the game looked awful, we might sign up just for that. Of course, now we fully expect Renegade Kid's second DS game to be Touch! Police Brutality or something along those lines.Did we mention we have an unhealthy appreciation for video game violence? Just go watch the trailer already. %Gallery-4929%
Good news from The Ward
Can there ever be good news from the insane asylum? Only if it's coupled with news of a worthwhile gaming experience, and it looks like that just might be the case with Renegade Kid's Dementium: The Ward. Our evil masters at Joystiq got a little facetime with the shooter at E3, and they only had good things to say on the subject. The controls are smooth, says Alexander Silwinski, and certainly reminiscent of Metroid Prime Hunters, but since Dementium's pacing is a little slower, the game is easier to handle. Item selection is apparently a breeze, with the exception of a shortcut to the oft-needed flashlight, and puzzles make sense. The only downside is that the game apparently only takes about seven hours to complete, but maybe the story -- on which we have very few details at this time -- will make up for it.%Gallery-4929%
Full trailer for Dementium: The Ward
We've seen the tiniest of teasers, but now we can enjoy the full trailer for the upcoming title Dementium: The Ward. From this short video, the debut from developer Renegade Kid looks a little like the recent Touch the Dead, but with a few more character models. And should we be surprised? The games have a similar basic premise -- guy awakens in hospital and finds he must fight for his life -- but Dementium is more than just a shooter ... and it seems to have a few more character models to boot. Publisher Gamecock has really been all over the DS lately, and from the looks of these releases, we hope they decide to stay.
Today's most horrifyingly dual-screen video: Dementium trailer
When independent publisher Gamecock announced Dementium: The Ward, from developer Renegade Kid, they promised the game would "set the bar for mature handheld games." If this newly-released trailer is any indication, they're on the right track. Decaying corpses, flashlight exploration, and a hint of gun-play. And the graphics aren't too shabby, either.Dementium: The Ward will be on-hand on Gamecock's EIEIO party during Min-E3. Video, care of Gametrailers, embedded after the break.%Gallery-3636%
Gamecock announces DS survival horror, Dementium: The Ward
The first title to escape from the confines of developer Renegade Kids will be Dementium: The Ward, a first-person survival horror game for the Nintendo DS. Published by Gamecock Media Group, the game promises to "set the bar for mature handheld games" by combining first-person shooter and adventure mechanics into "one nightmarish experience". Presumably, that means the game will be scary and not, you know, Trespasser. The press release notes that Dementium: The Ward concerns an unfortunate protagonist waking up in a desolate hospital, one frozen in time and overrun by gruesome creatures and worse yet, "challenging puzzles." The initial batch of screenshots also indicates that you'll be shining a flashlight on strange lumps of meat, an activity which we honestly can't attribute to any existing DS game. "Dementium showcases what a powerful piece of hardware the DS is, while drawing in a mature crowd that's looking for a title they can really sink their teeth into," says Renegade Kid's owner and creative director, Jools Watsham.Targeting the DS for an original survival horror title certainly seems noteworthy, especially when the platform's current "mature crowd" is either sinking its teeth into Brain Age or a glass of water next to the bed. Renegade Kid's real challenge likely won't be finding an audience, but conveying an unnerving atmosphere on a portable device. (Don't read the concluding sentence, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!)%Gallery-3636%
GDC 07:The Ward sneaks into the news
Brand new for GDC week -- The Ward, a horror-themed FPS-plus set in a hospital. Developer Renegade Kid is brand new and looks to be bursting out of the gate with this one. Per their website, the company only received an official stamp of approval last month, and they're already showing off a (very short) teaser for the game. The Ward both sounds and looks interesting, and while the idea of waking up in a world gone wrong isn't particularly new, a game doesn't necessarily have to be the most original idea to be good. If we're to believe the developers, The Ward is an ambitious undertaking. "We're pushing the Nintendo DS to its' limits, with chilling environments, demented enemy characters, and real-world weapons all realized in 3D," says Gregg Hargrove, owner and Art Director at Renegade Kid. The nominal FPS is also set to contain many other gameplay elements, such as touchscreen exploration (a la adventure gaming?), puzzles, and oh, hey ... multiplayer!That's a lot of goodness out of nowhere. Let's hope it delivers! The Ward is set for this fall, if it finds a publisher, and our man on the floor at GDC, Andrew Yoon, is going to see if he can't find these guys for a closer look. After the jump, you can check out the teaser trailer and more screens.
