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Alt-Minds is a 'transmedia fiction' from Amy publishers, coming November 5
Lexis Numérique is setting its sights on its next title: Alt-Minds, a game the publisher claims will feature "a true transmedia fiction." Its first title since launching the less-than illustrious horror game Amy, the European publisher says that Alt-Minds will arrive on both PC and Mac on November 5, along with a companion app.Alt-Minds follows the story of five young scientists working on a mysterious physics experiment. While the PC/Mac game will tell the core story, players will also be able to use the location-based app to find story clues in the real world, and get (oh so not creepy) texts and phone calls directly from the story's characters.The experience will take place over eight weeks, with participants being given clues or missions at any time during the period. If you can't be on your computer all of the time, the game will also have a "catch-up mode," to access past missions and re-play live events. To help tell its story, Alt-Minds will have a web series of ten seven-minute episodes, explaining the scientific background of the proceedings as they unfold.The full experience will be free for everyone for a week. After that, players will need to pay about $5 per episode or around $30 for the entire series.
Sony Xperia T for AT&T achieves FCC victory
We witnessed the Sony Xperia T make its way through the FCC approval process a few days ago, but there was still something drastically missing: compatibility with AT&T LTE. But as some images published by UK retailer Phones4U attested to, we figured it was only a matter of time. Now that time has come, as the FCC pushed through the Xperia Mint Amy LT30at (the global Xperia T is the Mint Rita LT30p, if you're keeping track) today. Not only does the Amy sport the requisite AT&T-friendly bands (4 and 17, with support for bands 2 and 5 as well), some of the docs specifically call this device out as the AT&T version. We've always admired Sony's bluntness around FCC docs when other manufacturers attempt to hide as much information as possible. To do some digging of your own, have a look-see at the source link.
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!]
Amy review: Survival boredom
Video games, in general, require that we suspend our disbelief to some degree. We can forgive the unbelievable or the improbable so long as the experience remains entertaining. Games are full of trivial details that make no sense -- eating food magically heals wounds, a three-foot tall wall is insurmountable by a grown adult, etc. -- but we overlook these small annoyances for the sake of enjoyment. The thesis of Amy, based on my experience, is very simple: Take every one of those annoyances and build an entire game out of them.%Gallery-131352%
Price-fixing PSN: Amy to launch Jan. 17 for $10 in North America
The PSN version of Amy will hit North America on Jan. 17 for $9.99, the same day and price as the XBLA version. After previously announcing the PSN price to be $3 more than the XBLA price, Developer Lexis Numerique asked the US audience through a Facebook poll if it wanted a cheaper game, but one week later. It turns out Americans are more patient than we thought, but just as frugal. Now it's official -- Amy will launch in Europe on Jan. 11 for €9.9 (£7.99, 800 MS Points) on PSN and XBLA, and on Jan. 17 for $10 (800 MS Points) in North America on both consoles.
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!
Latest Amy trailer delves into the game's key relationship
It's dangerous to spend time in the world of Amy without the game's eponymous little girl. For instance, the disease that's killing the game's other main character? That will totally ravage you should you step away for too long. Talk about strict punishment for poor babysitting!
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."
Meet Amy's shiny-eyed support characters, Father John and Prof. Raymond
We still don't have much solid information about Amy, the survival horror/adventure title due on PSN this fall and XBLA "eventually," but thanks to the videos posted up top and down below, we do know that the game's developer is taking the human face very seriously. Father John (above) is convinced that rampant global catastrophes and the viral outbreak affecting Silver City are sure-fire signs of the End of Days, and like any good man of the cloth he's taken it upon himself to train survivors from the safety of his "shelter-church." Professor Raymond (after the break) is shrouded in even more mystery, if you can believe it: all we know so far is that he's sometimes mentioned by the main character during phone calls, and that he looks completely unimpressed with floating through a featureless black void. We can't help but be impressed with how much facial fidelity is being squeezed into a PSN title, but publisher Lexis Numerique claims that emotive non-verbal communication is of "critical importance" to the title's design philosophy. "If Amy sees a gruesome creature behind you, she won't have to yell: you will know."
'Amy' dev Paul Cuisset discusses game's autistic character, female leads
Flashback designer Paul Cuisset heads up French studio Vector Cell, developer of forthcoming PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade title Amy. Beyond the scary monsters and spooky name, Amy is a game about two female protagonists in the near future. One is a little girl named Amy, who suffers from autism, and the other is Lana, a woman who must protect Amy from the monsters that have appeared. Cuisset speaks to his unique character choices in a recent interview with Edge, explaining, "Amy is verbally impaired but she's not completely autistic ... you discover in the story why she doesn't want to speak." While he understands the risks involved with making a game starring two ladies without guns who run away from monsters, Cuisset says "the story of Amy and Lana is very important to us, and it justifies the risk we've taken because I think it's a good one." To him, "most games look the same and tell more or less the same story" nowadays, and he's grateful for digital platforms like PSN, which have room for games that might be deemed risky. Cuisset makes a point we can't help but agree with, and wish we heard more from developers. "A good story needs good characters, and good characters need good relations to build something. I think that we tend to forget that we can do something different in games." Amy arrives this summer on PSN first, and on XBLA "eventually."
Take Amy's hand on PSN this summer
Since we hadn't heard anything on PSN survival horror exclusive Amy since it was announced in February, we'd let it fall comfortably off our radar. But now we've read the first gameplay details and seen new screens from the project -- headed by Flashback creator Paul Cuisset -- and it's right back there on the radar just ... you know, blooping away, or whatever it is that things on radars do. The town of Silver City has been torn apart by a mysterious virus, and the one hope is a young girl named Amy whose presence seems to be the only cure. As Amy's protector, you'll lead her out of Silver City, holding R1 to take her hand. The tender gesture won't just be used for guiding her, you'll also be able to feel her pulse through the Dual Shock, with an increase in her heart rate providing a warning for an oncoming increase in danger. The emphasis is on stealth, or "exfiltration" as Cuisset puts it, avoiding conflict with the terrors plaguing Silver City just long enough to get Amy to safety. There are a few other tidbits in this post on the PlayStation Blog, but none more exciting than the fact that we'll be able to start leading Amy out of Silver City at some point this summer. Just a heads up: You'll probably want to go ahead and start watching this Hootie and the Blowfish classic to prep for our inevitable review headline pun. %Gallery-126761%
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]
Soul Calibur IV's Amy, Cervantes and Zasalamel revealed in screenshots
While Soul Calibur IV's trio of Amy, Cervantes and Zasalamel were first revealed this week in the pages of Famitsu, we find that we're often far too busy to be bothered with flipping through a magazine looking at pictures, let alone one we can't even read. That's why we're thrilled that Namco Bandai has sent out some screens showing off the characters as they make the high-def leap from the PS2-exclusive Soul Calibur III to this summer's sequel. Still, as fearsome as Cervantes is (just look at that pirate scowl, you know he means business), we still wonder how even he will handle dealing with Jedi. %Gallery-6043%
