Dark-Void
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New Dark Void trailer kills robots by land and sky
We appreciate the helpful tips provided in the Dark Void trailer you see above, which instructs its viewers on the many options afforded to them when it comes to staving off hordes of robotic assailants. Like, it's great to know that we can choose between popping between cover points on the ground or fly through the air using a futuristic hover pack, shooting dudes as we float. However, who in their right mind would ever exercise the first option when the second is available? Check out the video above to see the dichotomy in motion, and don't forget: The only time you shouldn't go with the hoverpack is if there's an even cooler jetpack somewhere nearby. %Gallery-24248%
Dark Void Zero not DSiware exclusive; blasting onto iPhone and PC 'soon'
Capcom's aggressive digital distribution strategy has led to major releases on everything from WiiWare to Xbox Live Arcade to PlayStation Network to Windows to iPhone, but there's been one notable absence: DSiware. Nintendo's underpromoted service hasn't had the support of a major release, so its easy to understand why Capcom targeted the platform with Dark Void Zero, the "8-bit" tie-in game due for release later this month. But while Capcom has found great success on the console platforms – including its 8-bit Mega Man 9 – they don't have any plans to release Zero there. However, they do have plans for some other platforms. "We are actually going to be releasing on iPhone and PC, can't say exactly when but I'll say 'soon,'" a Capcom producer told Joystiq. "Xbox Live, PSN, I don't know yet. I would love to do it on those consoles." And there you have it: If you want to try and play a "very hard" game (her words) on your iPhone, with no physical buttons, you're welcome to do that "soon." We'll stick to the DSiware and PC releases, we think.
PSN Thursday: Into the Dark Void of 2010
Today's PSN update, the first of 2010, isn't exactly packed, but there's some good stuff in there. Check out the Dark Void and Matt Hazard demos. There's also the latest Borderlands expansion pack, which takes players to the Underdome. On PSP, there's a whole lotta comics to download. Check out the full PSN update after the break. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Stare into a Dark Void demo this week
Capcom announced today that a demo for its upcoming jetpacktion game, Dark Void, will be available this week on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. The demo, which promises "a combination of thrilling aerial dog-fighting, unique vertical cover action and on-foot combat," will be released Wednesday, January 6 on Xbox Live Marketplace and Thursday, January 7 on PSN. Wait, did it say we'd be fighting aerial dogs? Total nightmare material. Should you decide you like strapping fire to your back and hanging with old pal Nikola Tesla, the retail Dark Void game will be released on January 19. Expect the DSiWare spinoff, Dark Void Zero, sometime in January, as well. %Gallery-24248%
8-bit Dark Void Zero rocketing to DSiWare in January
Mega Man 10 isn't the only pseudo-NES game coming out of Capcom in early 2010. Capcom is expanding Airtight Games' jetpack adventure, Dark Void, with side-scrolling DSiWare game Dark Void Zero. Zero follows Rusty, one of the first humans to land in Dark Void's world, as he fights the Witchers with Nikola Tesla's help. Like Will from the next-gen games, Rusty has a jetpack, which can be used to hover in place or fly upward. Unlike the next-gen adventure, Rusty's fight is presented as a somewhat Metroidvania-style NES game, with graphics reminiscent of Capcom games like Strider and Bionic Commando. Rather than making a quick promotional game, Capcom seems to have gone all out for Dark Void Zero, recruiting Dark Void composer Bear McCreary to create an authentic NES soundtrack for the game. Capcom has also invented a fiction not just for the game, but about the game, portraying it as a lost dual-screen PlayChoice-10 project. See a trailer and some thrilling in-game footage after the break. According to GameSpot, Dark Void Zero will be available in January for 500 DSi Points. %Gallery-80772%
Dark Void dev diary introduces us to 'Teslapunk' technology
Quick question: In a hypothetical war between inventor extraordinaire Nikola Tesla and an advanced race of robots, who would win? The answer is, of course, entirely dependent on the version of Tesla we're talking about. Real-life Tesla stands a pretty good chance -- after all, that debonaire mustache is probably capable of disabling most electronic devices. The safe money's on The Prestige's Tesla, who was played by David Bowie, who can disintegrate any synthetic material using nothing but the power of his rocking. The Tesla in Dark Void looks like he'd stand a fair chance as well. Check out the above dev diary to see the warring factions of technology present in the game, and to get a few more sweet, sweet glimpses of the title's jetpack-based combat.
Dark Void video succinctly summarizes the game in 90 seconds
Capcom's clearly had enough of people just not getting what Dark Void is all about. So, it put together this latest trailer for the game which clears up any confusion. Is it a puzzle game? No. Dating sim? Nay. RPG? Well, only in that you play the role of a guy with a jetpack who can do a whole buncha stuff, all of which is summarized with big letters and clips of the character doing what said letters say he's doing. If, after viewing the video, you're still not clear on what Dark Void is about, we suspect Capcom's next step will be to come to your home and demo it for you. Or it could just release a demo. Yeah, that'd work.
Play Capcom's 2D Jetpack Attack while you wait for Dark Void
Sure, Capcom's vertical-shootin', UFO-jackin', jetpack-flyin' third-person shooter Dark Void won't be landing on retail shelves until January 12, but the developer wants you to spend some time with Will (and The Void) beforehand. If you head over to JetpackAttack.com, you can create and play levels in your browser of a significantly pared down Dark Void spinoff game, Jetpack Attack. After blasting our way through the first level, we didn't exactly find ourselves thirsting for more, though it did (no matter how small the scale) sate our urge for some jetpacking action. And hey, if worse comes to worse, you could always trade it in for gold, right? %Gallery-24248%
Portal lead Kim Swift heads to Airtight Games for 'new, unnamed project'
Best known for her work on Joystiq's 2007 Game of the Year, Portal, Valve's Kim Swift is reportedly leaving her current position for Dark Void developer Airtight Games. According to Develop, she'll be heading up a team of developers working on a "new, unnamed project" for the US-based company. Airtight prez Jim Deal says that he's "thrilled to work with Kim," and that "her addition to the team represents a strategic move ... into new and broader gaming markets." Swift's team will be tasked with creating "games aimed at a more diverse audience" -- a challenge Swift appears ready to handle. "I've learned so much and had some amazing experiences at Valve, but when I heard I had the opportunity to work on innovative titles with my friends over at Airtight, I couldn't pass it up." And now we wait (and hope) for the puzzle-based air combat game that's sure to come of this partnership.
Dark Void trailer is devoid of bullets, rich with scenery
If you're looking for heated exchanges of alien gunfire, the trailer above would be a terrible place to start your search. No, this particular trailer instead focuses on the lush, otherworldly environments of Capcom's jetpack-strapped Q1 action title, Dark Void. Really, with a title like that, we expect the game's setting to be more ... soul-crushing than this trailer would lead us to believe. If that's a "dark void," our apartments are endless abysses of impenetrable blackness. %Gallery-24248%
Dark Void film adaptation announced
Preemptively cutting off complaints that it strays too far from the source material, Capcom has announced a film adaptation of a game you haven't played yet: Dark Void, next year's promising third-person shooter from Airtight Games. In line with the agreement reached between Capcom, Reliance BIG Entertainment and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment production company, Dark Void is primed as a "sci-fi action franchise and potential starring vehicle for Pitt." While the parties involved decide whether or not the movie is indeed the Pitt's, someone should probably point out that as far as starring vehicles go, a jetpack is probably the best one. Players will beat Hollywood to the punch and experience it for themselves when Dark Void lands on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on January 19, 2010 in North America and January 22, 2010 in Europe. Congratulations to Crusty Magic on being the first to comment. You've been emailed a free Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta code. Click here, for more information on this giveaway. Official rules apply.
Dark Void dev diary focuses on that guy in front of the jetpack
For us, the worth of protagonist Will in Dark Void isn't measured by his strengths as human being, but really just his awesome jetpacking. Airtight Games wants us to know there's more to like about the guy and aimed to make Will more in line with the typical Japanese game protagonist -- more believable and less of a "caricature." The above video diary also shows us how Nikola Tesla ended up in the game. Tesla is just one cool dude, whether he's being played by David Bowie, building super awesome defense towers for the Russians, or -- in the case of Dark Void -- spearheading an entire rebellion by inventing jetpacks and gigantic airships.
Secret Dark Void event going down this Monday, Oct. 12
If you fancy yourself a would-be jetpacker, know that Capcom Unity is holding an event to show off Dark Void to San Franciscans this Monday, October 12. Before you get all giddy and start causing a scene in your cubicle/classroom/mom's basement, you'll need to do a few things: Make sure you can clear your schedule from 2pm - 7:30pmish on Monday, October 12 and you can get yourself to the downtown San Francisco area Be at least 21 years old and have a valid I.D. Hit up this link and drop a note stating why you should be chosen And that's pretty much it. Best of luck to those of you trying to attend!
Keiji Inafune says Japanese game industry is over, man
Giving Tokyo Game Show attendees a chance to get some hands-on time with Western-developed Dead Rising 2 at a party this week, Capcom's Keiji Inafune stated, "Japan is over. We're done. Our game industry is finished." Bionic Commando producer Ben Judd translated the Mega Man creator's claims to the crowd (that Destructoid captured on video, found after the break), explaining the eulogy as Inafune's reaction to the show floor at this year's TGS.Unsurprisingly, his words were less harsh about his Japanese company's upcoming titles. "Just so that you all don't think that the game industry is finished, Capcom is doing our best," he said. Next year's Dark Void and Dead Rising 2 -- both Western developed games, mind you -- can't hurt Inafune's confidence, eh?
Dark Void pre-order bonus: A gold jetpack!
Did you know that at this very minute, millions of people worldwide are sitting on a fortune in gold? It's true! And you could be one of them! Capcom wants to help increase your gold treasures by one full jetpack, offering the item as a pre-order bonus with Dark Void when it lands on GameStop shelves early next year. Rather than be way boring and send out a press release (though Capcom did that too), we've got the full faux commercial you see above, hilariously detailing the bonus; though a bit of gameplay of the jetpack can be found on the promo's website."My life used to be miserable and meaningless, but thanks to GOLD4JETPACK.com, I don't cry myself to sleep anymore!" Thanks GOLD4JETPACK.com!%Gallery-24248%
New Dark Void videos to fill the dark void in your heart
We realize that Capcom chose to move Dark Void into 2010 for one reason or another, and we know how that makes you feel. You feel angry and sad and betrayed all at the same time but, mostly, you feel empty. Allow us, then, to provide you with some new Dark Void media fresh from GamesCom. Above we have a cinematic trailer for the game, which sets up the overall plot very nicely.What you really want, however, is gameplay footage, and we've got plenty. After the break you will find a video with nearly five minutes of gameplay. So, go grab that old, homemade Rocketeer helmet -- we know you have one -- and strap in.
Capcom: Dark Void delay made room for more features
Dark Void wasn't just pushed back into 2010 to avoid "the crowded fall game season" (the crowded Q1 game season is so much nicer). Dark Void associate producer Shana T. Bryant offered another, more content-related reason to Kotaku, presumably right before she shot their correspondent out of a cannon."The main reason we delayed Dark Void was because we really wanted to spend the extra time we needed to re-polish it and add a new feature," Bryant explained. The new feature is hovering: by hitting the jump button twice, you can now hover in place, rising higher by continuing to hold the jump button. In happy news for people who want to play Dark Void without going insane with frustration, the damage model has also been tweaked such that wall collisions don't result in instant death.It actually sounds like we're benefiting from the Dark Void delay. Don't tell anyone, though! We don't want the few publishers who haven't moved everything to spring 2010 to think it's a good idea. %Gallery-24248%
Dark Void touching down January 12
Sure, we were upset when the gorgeous and fun Dark Void got pushed into 2010, but we guess if you have to be next year, this isn't a bad spot: Capcom announced this morning that you'll be able to strap in to Will's jetpack and helmet on January 12th in the US and January 15th in Europe.So, just hold on to that electric beard massager for an extra week or two before you exchange it, and Aunt Stephanie will have bought you a totally bitching Christmas gift.
Capcom reveals GamesCom 2009 lineup, safety hazard
Capcom has dropped word on the titles it plans to feature at the GamesCom Conference in Cologne later this month, and (for the most part) the games feature a hearty scoop of violence. Kicking things off with the oft-delayed Dark Void, Capcom will feature Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars, Monster Hunter Tri and Spyborgs for the Wii, along with Lost Planet 2 and MotoGP 09/10 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. To promote the Rocketeer/alien battle simulator Dark Void, Capcom is hosting an event in which attendees can take flight in the Dark Void Body Flying Machine, a rigged, vertically-oriented airstream shooting gamers into the air at speeds of up to 180km/h. Luckily, Capcom is also sponsoring taxis throughout Cologne, so if something goes wrong during its "sounds like a tremendous idea on paper" gamer cannon event, attendees can make their way safely to the emergency room. GamesCom runs from August 19-23 in Cologne, Germany.
Bear McCreary explains inspiration for Dark Void score
The pangs of despair we felt upon seeing the recent delay of Dark Void came in two distinct, yet equally heartbreaking flavors. For one, we became that much further removed from the title's jetpack-infused gameplay we've come to know and love. However, almost as upsetting was the fact that we'd have to wait even longer to hear the game's seemingly breathtaking musical score, created by former Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary.Machinima.com recently helped ease the pain by releasing a video interview (posted after the break) with McCreary conducted at San Diego Comic Con '09. It doesn't really feature any of the game's musical accompaniment, but provides us with an interesting look into Bear's creative process -- a process that thankfully extends further than "learn title of game, write entire score in one sitting, give music to developer, earn check, cash check, buy Jet Ski."[Via Capcom Unity]
