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E3 Streams: 'The Long Dark,' 'Yooka Laylee,' and more!
E3 2015 is officially underway and the gaming world's been set ablaze. Xbox One backwards compatibility! A Final Fantasy VII remake for PlayStation 4! There's also a metric ton of brand new games. JXE Streams is giving you the opportunity to chat directly with the developers from the E3 show floor starting today at 1PM ET. We're going to have the devs behind The Long Dark, Zodiac, The Banner Saga 2, and Yooka-Laylee live on Twitch.tv/Joystiq.
Joystiq Weekly: Sony financials, Destiny review, Minecraft sale and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. What would you do with $2.5 billion? Sure, Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson isn't pocketing the entire sum from Microsoft's acquisition of Mojang, but something tells us he'll uh, be okay for a few years. Unless you're keen on buying small nations and playing a real-world game of Risk, it's tough to imagine spending your share of a massive buyout like that. There was loads more to this week than business deals involving yacht-sized bags of money, though. There's hope for a playable taste of Final Fantasy 15 in 2015, reviews for Destiny, Hyrule Warriors, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, a full timeline of Minecraft's progress from day one and loads more, all awaiting you after the break!
Final Fantasy series developers unveil Zodiac for Vita, iOS
French developer Kobojo has assembled a team of Final Fantasy series veterans for Zodiac, an upcoming multiplayer online RPG for iOS platforms and the PlayStation Vita. Taking place in a persistent online world, Zodiac features gameplay that spans side-scrolling 2D environments interspersed with turn-based battles. The project boasts the involvement of Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 10 scenario writer Kazushige Nojima and Final Fantasy Tactics composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, among other creative talent. Zodiac is due to launch in 2015. [Video: Kobojo]
Zodiac Dodge asks you to save a monkey from a familiar Mario enemy
If you thought Flappy Bird was ripping off Super Mario Brothers, you're going to throw your iPhone down in rage when you play Zodiac Dodge. The game's premise is simple, but well executed; users control a monkey across a circular 3D isometric board. Your job is to grab as many bananas as possible before a swarm of bullets gun you down. For the sake of accuracy, lets call these bullets "Bill." The action comes fast and furious, with the average game time lasting just a few seconds until you get the hang of things. Even then my best time was only around one minute of playing. What's frustrating is I can't blame my low score on cruddy controls. Moving is tight and responsive. I'm just awful at dodging this hail of living bullets. While its difficultly is punishing, the addition of health power-ups keeps Zodiac Dodge from feeling unfair. There are even handy clocks that pop up from time to time that slow down the pace of the bullets. "Bullet time" if you will. Of course they wouldn't call it that and risk copyright infringement, so they've called it Matrix instead. Obviously there are other players who are mastering the game. Thanks to the included leaderboards I know there's at least one person out there who has managed to score 59,800 points. With such simple game play mechanics it would be easy to write this one off as a quick burner game, but then you discover the game's included achievements and get sucked right back in. Currently there are only 10 achievements to be unlocked, but if developer Maple Syrup Games is smart they'll add more in a future update. Zodiac Dodge is a great choice for your kid's iPod touch before a long car trip. The bright graphics are colorful and its platforming action has the charm of a brutal arcade classic. The latest update introduced a graphics upgrade, so it seems like the developers are committed to improvement. I'm still trying to figure out what the zodiac has to do with the title, but it doesn't really matter. There's a monkey out there that needs my help dodging bullets. Until he's safe, the stars can wait. You can find Zodiac Dodge right now for free in the iTunes Store.
Polaris' pool-cleaning robots get updated with added intelligence, four-wheel drive
It's been almost exactly a year since Zodiac Pool Systems last expanded its line of Polaris-branded pool-cleaning robots, and it's now back with two more additions that fill out the top and bottom end of its lineup. That includes the company's most advanced robot to date, the $1499 Polaris 9400 Sport (pictured above), which adds four-wheel drive for the first time, as well as the company's new accelerometer-enhanced ActivMotion Sensor technology -- something Polaris says allows the robot to continually sense where it is in the pool and optimize its cleaning action accordingly. The 9100 Sport, on the other hand, gets neither of those new additions, but it'll "only" set you back $799, and will still clean pools up to 40 feet long in about two hours. You can get a closer look at those, as well as the company's existing offerings, at the source link below.
First Impressions: Lucent Heart
Once again I have been tasked with taking a look at an upcoming or newly released MMO, this time one called Lucent Heart. The game has been brought to us by Gamania, the same company responsible for the adorable Hero 108. Each time I am asked to play one of these games and to report to you lovely readers what I found, I am a little frightened that the game will simply suck. Yes, I know, "suck" is not a very good descriptive term, and it does not quite detail exactly what I disliked about something, but if a game is just not meant for me, it can be hard to describe why. No, I did not just spoil my entire article for you by telling you how I felt about the game in one word (you should always read to the end anyway). I've described to you how scared I am of finding a game that does, indeed, suck. Lucent Heart does not suck. In fact, I was relieved to find a game that, like Iris Online, seems to offer the same overall wonderful experience that so many of these Anime-style, not-from-our-shores games seem to avoid. Of course, Lucent Heart has plenty of issues, so let me tell you about those as well. Click past the cut, will ya?
Lucent Heart asks: What's your sign?
Lucent Heart, the free-to-play anime-flavored MMO by BeanFun, takes a different approach to its combat-role system. Although you do find the classic trinity of tank, support, and DPS buried in the system somewhere, the roles are broken into the 12 signs of the zodiac. Each of the four base classes and all of the eight advanced classes can take on any of these roles. The Zodiac System adds enhanced flavor and strategy to the game. When Lucent Heart asks you, "What's your sign?" it's not trying to ask you out on a date. The developers of Lucent Heart gave Massively an exclusive break-down of each of the zodiac roles. For instance, those born under Sagittarius take on the classic DPS role. They hit hard and keep the damage coming. Sagittarius has its own special armor to help differentiate it from the other classes. Hop past the break to see the zodiac system exactly as the developers gave it to us. Then be sure to jump to the BeanFun forums for more information on how you can join beta testing.
Zodiac Online enters open beta February 10th
Zodiac Online, the free-to-play offering from Ingle Games, entered closed beta early last November. Since then the folks at Ingle Games have been hard at work refining things, fixing bugs, and just generally preparing to move to the next phase. That next phase will arrive in just a few short days: open beta begins February tenth. The game predictably revolves around the Chinese zodiac, challenging you to assist the twelve creatures of the zodiac to defeat the forces of evil. If you fall in the "make love, not war" camp, never fear. There is another side to Zodiac Online that says "give fate a chance and let it turn into a romance." This game has a fate system based on astrology that will give you a heads up when a player is nearby that you are particularly compatible with -- or particularly incompatible with -- so you can follow up if you're so inclined. Check out the Zodiac Online site for more information and to register for open beta!
Zodiac Online enters closed beta
Zodiac Online, the free-to-play MMO with a Chinese zodiac theme, entered closed beta on Sunday. They've made quite a few changes since alpha: "we've corrected many bugs and added a lot of new content, now Zodiac Online Closed-Beta test is coming back in a very different appearance!" If you took a look at the game in alpha, the new content -- including the addition of PVP -- may warrant a second trip to try the beta. The Zodiac Online storyline centers around the twelve Chinese zodiac signs - the dragon, tiger, ox, etc. -- and their battle against a force of demons heralding doomsday. Your job is to help the zodiac envoy defeat the demons. Beta keys are available through several outlets, including the Zodiac Online Facebook group, prearranged giveaways, and the "Good Wishes" program in which you register on the ZO site, leave good wishes in a forum thread, and receive your key. (Zodiac Online obviously isn't too shy about handing out beta keys.) Closed beta is expected to last "several weeks depending on test results," and beta key information is available on the official site.
Zodiac and Alticast to power Cisco / Scientific-Atlanta tru2way set-top boxes
There stands a good chance that you've never heard of Zodiac Interactive nor Alticast, but if a Cisco / Scientific-Atlanta tru2way set-top box ends up in your abode in the near future, there's an even better chance that those two firms will play a crucial role. The duo has just announced plans to plant its embedded software within tru2way STBs, with the combined solution enabling cable providers to "deliver interactive services and applications including next-generation interactive user interfaces, guides, messaging and advanced VOD." Additionally, MSOs will be able to more easily offer subscribers "advanced services such as TV widgets," though there's currently no timetable for when a completed box will be made available. Did we mention that the widget race was officially on?
SDHC driver released for Palm OS devices
It looks like those still hanging onto a slightly aging Palm OS device now have a new option that'll let 'em breath a bit of new life into it, as one Dmitry Grinberg has released a driver that adds SDHC card support to a whole host of the devices. That includes the Tungsten T, C, E2, and T5, the LifeDrive, the Palm TX, and the Zire 31 and 72 -- support for other devices, including the Tungsten T3 and, yes, even the Tapwave Zodiac, is also promised. That boost in storage doesn't come free, however, but we're guessing there's at least a few Palm loyalists out there that'll gladly accept the $21 price tag to get a taste of what 32GB of storage is like.[Via TamsPalm]
Vice City's watery playground
It's common knowledge that you'll now be able to play in the water in the PSP's Vice City Stories. Although swimming was introduced in the PS2's San Andreas, this handheld iteration of the popular series will feature the most complex water-based gameplay in the franchise's history, according to IGN. Each vehicle in the game will respond to the game's new water physics model: they'll bob in the water, be affected by currents and be slowed down by drag. (It's like you're buying GTA and getting Wave Race for free.) Using the jet-ski, you'll be able to do drive-by shootings on the water, terrifying rich boat owners. The APV sounds exciting, as you'll be able to drive it around and enter the water when you really need to make a dramatic getaway.With speedboats, yachts, sailboats, zodiacs, airboats, and more, Vice City Stories "might have the largest collection of sea-based vehicles in gaming history," which is especially impressive when you consider the platform's diminuitive size. By making the waterways important to gameplay, gamers can expect tons of mini-games: swimming events, boat and jet ski races. Heck, if you feel like being a good guy and wash your hands of all the sin you're committing, there's no better way than to partake in a water rescue mission. Is anyone else concerned that this game might feature too much content?Vice City Stories hits stores at the end of this month.
David Fincher talks Final Cut Pro
David Fincher, the director of such movies as Fight Club and Panic Room, is using Final Cut Studio to edit his latest film, Zodiac. Apple has posted a very nice video profile about Fincher's use of FCP; if you are even vaguely interested in video editing you should check it out.
