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NYCC 09: Velvet Assassin hands-on
click to embiggen When we first got our hands on Velvet Assassin nearly eight months ago at E3 2008, we were impressed. The level of polish exhibited for a game still months from any formal release was a good sign to us that the game was on the right track to becoming one of few stealth/action titles we might really enjoy. We delighted in sneaking up behind a group of unwitting Nazi soldiers, pulling a pin from one of their grenades, and watching the resultant explosion of humanity from a comfortable distance. Not just for the obvious reasons but because little touches like that helped to make VA feel like a living world and brought you into the role of French WWII-era assassin Violette Szabo, the interesting real life person the game's based on. And though we were assured the grenade trick has been left in the game (even if it wasn't in the most recent build we checked out just before the 2009 New York Comic Con), enough has changed since we first met protagonist Violette Summer to be concerned. The polish once exuded by German developer Replay Studios' first game for the Xbox 360 has all but vanished, leaving behind kludgey player animation, poor enemy AI and glitch-prone graphics. With two months to go until the "April launch window" of VA, we're hoping (but not exactly confident) they can bring back the experience we had so many moons ago.%Gallery-17268%
Velvet Assassin delayed until early 2009
Gamecock's Velvet Assassin needs to polish its blades a bit longer before it's ready. Previously announced as a fall release, the silky stealth-action title stumbled on something in the shadows, falling back until sometime early next year. According to Eurogamer, the move was made to make both the European and US launches more in line, while giving German dev Replay Studios more time to iron out any wrinkles in the fabric instead of rushing to add to the glut of an already crowded holiday shopping season.
Velvet Assassin to cut throats on Xbox 360, PC this fall
German developer Replay Studios and indie publisher Gamecock dropped a friendly reminder that both studios plan to drape us in tufted fabric and slit our throats this fall, when Velvet Assassin ships for both the Xbox 360 and PC. As a stealth-action game, the title will drop players into the boots of real-life World War II allied secret agent Violette Szab as she goes toe to toe with the German war machine. Beyond the biographical backdrop and historically-inspired setting, there isn't much known about the game. However, the publisher notes that Velvet Assassin will include "lush, surreal visuals" and "a ground-breaking stealth combat system," both interesting qualities ... though we hope the devs know how difficult blood is to get out of velvet without sending it to dry cleaning.
Gamecock's WWII stealth shooter 'Sabotage' becomes 'Velvet Assassin'
We doubt that many of you had even heard of Sabotage, an up-and-coming Gamecock joint based on the incredible true story of World War II hero (for the Allies, at least) and secret agent extraordinaire Violette Szabo, but we think it's worth mentioning when a game upgrades from a title as generic as "Sabotage" to something unique; something that sounds purchase-worthy. That's why we're totally behind developer Replay Studios' decision to remoniker the stealth action shooter Velvet Assassin.Lucky Austintonians will get a chance to check out the newly eponymed game at Gamecock's E.I.E.I.O expo this coming Thursday -- the rest of us will have to wait for Velvet Assassin's Fall 2008 release to digitally fill Violette Summers' sneaky leather shoes.
