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Flashback remake coming to PC on Oct. 1
The re-imagined version of side-scrolling action game Flashback will be available on October 1 through Steam. The new version of Flashback launched as a Summer of Arcade game last month for Xbox 360, and is set to come to PlayStation 3 at a later date. Although based on a classic game from 1992, this Flashback may rile those who come to it with nostalgia. Our review called it a half-baked Cool Sci-Fi Game™ remake that "lost [Flashback's] identity entirely." The game currently has a Metacritic rating of 51.
Flashback review: Identity lost
This isn't the Flashback I want to remember. This isn't the protagonist, Conrad B. Hart, this is some smarmy Nathan Drake wannabe doppelganger with a pocket full of bad one-liners. This is a version of Conrad whose drive to rip the lid off a conspiracy threatening the whole planet is diminished by his overly bro-tastic attitude and complete lack of tact in all things. This update of Flashback takes all of the intrigue and gravitas of an epic sci-fi story and bafflingly bloats it with terrible plot points and half-heartedly tacked-on mechanics that feel out of place and majorly useless.
Xbox Summer of Arcade 2013 full schedule, pricing revealed
This year's Summer of Arcade event kicks off on Xbox Live August 7 with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the Starbreeze-developed Xbox Live Arcade game where players must simultaneously control a pair of brothers stuck in the wilderness. Brothers will launch at 1,200 MS Points ($15). James Silva's Charlie Murder, a 2D beat-em-up starring a punk band for 800 MS Points ($10), will launch the following week, on August 14, Major Nelson reports. On August 21, VectorCell will push out its remake of classic adventure game Flashback for 800 MS Points ($10), and rounding out this year's festivities is TMNT: Out of the Shadows on August 28 for 1,200 MS Points ($15).
Amy patch addresses criticism and player feedback
We had more than a few problems with Amy, and apparently we weren't alone. Amy developer VectorCell has released a patch on XBLA and PSN that addresses some of the (many) issues present in the game. The patch revises the game's save system (our biggest gripe), now saving at every checkpoint instead of forcing players to restart an entire level if they choose to quit.A few illogical bits have been rectified as well. Notably, dying after a checkpoint no longer removes the health-restoring syringes and powers that have been acquired up to that point. Furthermore, "most sequences can now be skipped," which is great news given Amy's generally ponderous presentation. If you happen to have Amy, it should now be more playable at the very least, though no amount of patching will repair its nonsensical story.[Thanks, Christian!]
Lexis Numerique explains Amy's PSN price disparity, poll to decide US price
After the announcement of the price and launch date for Amy yesterday, many (including us) were perplexed as the title's pricing disparity. Specifically, the US version of the game was revealed to be 800 MS Points ($10) on Xbox Live Arcade, while the PSN version would cost $3 more at $12.99. The reason lies in the nebulous nature of Microsoft Points, according to Lexis Numérique CEO José Sanchis. In the US, $10 will buy 800 MS Points. In Europe the cost is €10, or about $12.73. In other words, noted Sanchis, the prices of the PSN and XBLA versions are essentially equal in Europe, but the exchange rate creates a disparity in the US. To rectify the situation, Lexis Numérique has set up a Facebook poll -- an app that requires a Facebook account and your permission, incidentally -- to determine whether Amy's US PSN price should remain at $12.99 or be reduced to $9.99, the same as its XBLA counterpart. There is, however, a catch: Should the community choose to lower the price -- which seems likely, given current poll results -- the PSN release will have to be delayed at least a week "because of logistic constraints" with Sony's platform. The poll closes January 9.
Amy to launch next week with a mysterious price structure
Developer VectorCell may be trying to tell us that things won't be normal in Amy -- its prices and release dates are more complicated than they first appear. Amy will drop in Europe on Jan. 11 for XBLA and PSN, and the US version will launch on Jan. 11 for XBLA. The US PSN edition launches on Jan. 10. That wasn't so hard -- but we haven't yet gotten to the prices. Amy will cost $12.99 (€9.9, £7.99) on PSN, and 800 MS Points on XBLA. 800 MS Points converts to $10 (€7.82, £6.46), which, for the mathematically challenged, is $3 less than the PSN version. It must cost a lot to come out a day early, or maybe this is just another way for VectorCell to keep us in the dark. The game is also coming to PC, but VectorCell says it won't be until "several months after the PSN/XBLA version, and we can't announce a date yet because we haven't totally finalized our distribution deals." What a twist!
Amy trailer infects you with knowledge about zombie contamination
In VectorCell's Amy, the main character Lana becomes infected with a zombie virus, which progressively worsens as the game goes on, unless she maintains contact with the title character or encounters another kind of remedy. In the trailer above, we see what the contamination does to Lana, and we're introduced to a few methods of staving off the encroaching zombosis. Although, as the video demonstrates, there's a use for being partially zombie'd, as you can shuffle through zombie crowds unperturbed. You know, for when you want to mingle with some zombies.
Interview: Amy's guiding hand, Paul Cuisset
In the survival horror genre there are moments every player remembers: the sound of shattering glass and the snarl of undead dogs breaking through the windows of a mysterious mansion in Resident Evil; the intensifying crackle of radio static as unseen enemies give chase through the foggy streets of Silent Hill. With upcoming downloadable title Amy, director Paul Cuisset (best known for his work on Flashback) and his team at VectorCell hope to add their own trademark moments to the genre. First and foremost, Cuisset said his goal was to bring survival horror back to its roots while simultaneously moving the genre forward. "I think there are many players who, like me, liked the time when survival horror games were not only about action, but also about atmosphere and feeling weak," Cuisset said. "Although the genre has evolved a lot, I'm convinced it's still possible to bring something new."
PSN-exclusive 'Amy' inbound from Flashback creator
You may know French game designer Paul Cuisset from what is widely considered his masterwork, Flashback, an adventure game released by Delphine Software in 1992. You might also know him from his work on what is widely considered to be a really bad game ... Shaq Fu. Cuisset is no doubt hoping that his latest project, a PSN-exclusive action game called Amy, has little in common with the latter. In development at VectorCell, a sub-division of Flash and mobile game company Lexis Numérique, the planned Q2 2011 title, as described by UK site Electronic Theatre, stars a female protagonist named Lana (not Amy -- twist!), who, along with a young girl named Amy (ah, there we go), must escape from the fictional Silver City. The town's been struck by a meteorite and has, as a result, become overrun by mutated humans -- and the special forces battling them. The synopsis sounds like the makings of a survival-horror game, but no actual gameplay specifics have been detailed. Still, we're intrigued to see what Cuisset can do with what could easily be just another zombie game concept. [Image source: Electronic Theatre]
