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Firefall dev says new MMO shooter will transcend the 'circle of suck'
Red 5 Studios CEO Mark Kern has been around the game development block a time or two. With a resume that includes StarCraft, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, and World of Warcraft, he's no stranger to successful multiplayer titles. So why is he heading up the development of Firefall, a free-to-play MMO/shooter hybrid that aims to stand genre convention on its head? Well, precisely because it aims to stand genre convention on its head. "If I see another action MMO combat game with exclamation points over quest givers, I'm going to commit seppuku! We're pouring so much money [into] a very stale formula," he recently told PC Gamer. Previous attempts at blending MMO and shooter gameplay have resulted in what Kern colorfully terms the "circle of suck," but Firefall will break that mold due to its unique mind meld of both genres. "Let's get the shooting right, and selectively add in the MMO elements. Let's take the idea of open world sandbox play and feature hundreds of players instead of four- or eight-player co-op. Let's take towns, crafting, and resources and combine it all together. And that group would be a much more fun game when we started playing it than anything we'd tried before," Kern says.
Shank 2: Back for more
Klei Entertainment's Shank was a lovable, uncomplicated indie beat-em-up. The game's protagonist went on a murderous rampage using whatever he had lying around, including guns, a big knife, a chainsaw, and a few other items. It's probably no surprise that the recently announced Shank 2 is more of that kind of thing. The backgrounds are nicer and more colorful, Shank's enemies are more varied, and the controls are refined. It's a better, cleaner Shank experience. The indie charm is still there, and the whole game is more polished. Oh, and there's one big feature that will probably make the game for fans of the series: An endless online co-op survival mode.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD will have online co-op through PSN and Xbox Live
The HD version of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker offers nice bonuses beyond sharper graphics and dual analog controls. Today, Hideo Kojima announced that Peace Walker will feature online co-op (or CO-OPS, as it's known in-game) on Xbox 360 and PS3 via infrastructure mode. It is possible to play the PSP version online, but to do so requires Sony's "adhocParty" app, and a connection to a PS3 that is using a wired internet connection. This version will be as simple as it is with any other Xbox Live/PSN game. And, Kojima confirmed, it'll run in 60 frames per second even with 4 players. While you grudgingly admit that you want to buy the games again, now in the HD collection, here's a little perspective: Peace Walker is being sold separately in Japan, but it's just one part of a bundle here.
Space Marine gets 'Exterminatus' co-op DLC in October, free for everyone
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine may be pushing its meaty shoulders into retail this coming week, but its co-op mode won't arrive until "early October" says THQ. The mode, with the Latin-derived name "Exterminatus," will be made free as a download to "all players" according to THQ's release. Exterminatus contains two separate "scenarios" in which four-player groups can maneuver their bulky trio of classes around, chainsawing through everything in their path. Global leaderboards are also included, posing "dynamic challenges" to players and supporting additional "score modifiers" (read: Skulls). Some confusion was raised over the game's co-op back in August when a GameStop advert pinned the co-op mode exclusively to GameStop pre-orders, but today's announcement clearly refutes that information.%Gallery-132494%
Battlefield 3 co-op preview: Army of one
If EA weren't already inviting so many comparisons between the two, maybe I'd feel guilty about juxtaposing the co-op section of Battlefield 3 that I played with the co-op ("Spec Ops") section of Modern Warfare 3 I played this week at Gamescom. Like MW3, my colleague Alexander and I were given hands-on time with a specific co-op mission in BF3 -- the same one played on-stage during EA's press conference. Unlike Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games' demo, however, Battlefield 3's co-op section didn't feature any interesting kink in the experience. Moreover, Battlefield 3's co-op section wasn't co-op at all, other than the fact that I was playing it with a buddy. It could've been ripped from any section of the campaign and I'd have been none the wiser. While the Spec Ops mission we played in MW3 was built around the concept of cooperative play, with one player acting as eye in the sky and the other as bomb defuser, the mission in Battlefield 3, well, it wasn't. It was just a campaign mission with two people.%Gallery-130745%
Trine 2 trailer charms with co-op
Whenever we embroil ourselves in a fantasy-themed game, we like to imagine ourselves as total loners -- you know, like a bunch of regular ol' Aragorns. The co-op-heavy trailer for Trine 2 posted above makes us rethink our lonely, lonely strategy.
Bombshell: End of Nations to be free-to-play
Conquering the world just got a lot more affordable, as Trion Worlds announced that its MMORTS End of Nations will be released as a top-notch free-to-play title. This decision means that players can not only obtain a copy of the client for free, but play through the solo, co-op, and the persistent-world multiplayer conquest modes as well. Trion's Dave Luehmann hopes this will give End of Nations a competitive advantage when it launches: "Being able to offer a premium game such as End of Nations for free sets us apart in this industry. At Trion, we strive to innovate online gaming while emphasizing the delivery of the best core gameplay experience available. Our decision to release End of Nations as a AAA free–to-play title is guided by these principles." Trion will be offering an optional subscription package and a game store to enhance players' experience. The store will sell customization and convenience items, and Trion has clearly stated that it will not be selling "pay-to-win items" through it. During our hands-on impressions from last year, we noted that the title was probably not best suited for a monthly subscription, so it's good to see Trion freeing the game from that business model. End of Nations will be available to players at this month's Gamescom.
THQ confirms co-op for Space Marine, but may be DLC
We've seen Warhammer 40k: Space Marine a few times now, but the one mode we still haven't heard about is a possible co-op mode. That feature appears to have been outed, however, in a Gamestop promotion that appeared last week. Promised in a pre-order bonus, among a few other things, is a "5-player co-op: Bonus FREE game mode (Day 30 DLC)." The problem is, the game's fanbase isn't quite sure how to take that – does that mean you get co-op only as a DLC mode that's paid for everyone but Gamestop pre-orders, or is it free for everyone? "8 vs 8 online MP" is also listed on the card, and we already know that's included on the game disc. A community manager on the game's official forums posted over the weekend in what appeared to be an attempt to clarify things that the co-op mode had indeed been delayed by 30 days post-launch, but that it would be free to those who purchased the game "brand new." That suggests an online pass-style setup, not a new trick for THQ. But that forum post was itself deleted (cache here), suggesting that it too wasn't the real story. So we went to ask THQ ourselves, and the official word from the company to Joystiq is this: "Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will have co-op. We are looking forward to announcing more details later this month!" There you go. Co-op confirmed. As to how it will be implemented, we'll all have to wait and find out.
Serious Sam 3 to offer four-player splitscreen, seriously
Croteam, the folks behind the upcoming Serious Sam 3: BFE, must be seriously crazy about nostalgia, because they've decided to include a feature PC gaming hasn't seen in quite a while: Split-screen multiplayer. The developer has announced that the game will indeed allow for up to four players to play on the same screen, with the help of a keyboard and mouse and up to three gamepads. All of the versus and co-op modes will allow for splitscreen play, so just like old times, you'll be able to see what your friends are up to, helping or hampering them as you will. Check the screens below to see what this chaos looks like. %Gallery-130256%
Dead Island co-op trailer kills zombies with teamwork (also: knives)
There seems to be only one rule when it comes to successfully escaping the dead island of, err, Dead Island: Leave no man behind. Unless, of course, that man has already been turned to the ranks of the shambling dead. Then you leave them behind with something sharp in their brain.
Uncharted 3 beta begins the end with a co-op campaign
The Uncharted 3 beta is only open until July 14, but Naughty Dog and Sony aren't done adding goodies to the game. The final additions will be made to the beta tomorrow, July 10, including a never-before-seen map, Yemen, and players' first chance to play the co-op campaign. This is also the final week to earn beta rewards, which include the Treasure Hunter's Starter Pack and in-game cash on day one. Sony announced that over 1 million unique players have taken part in the Uncharted 3 beta -- if you haven't, join the crowd today to play the co-op campaign tomorrow. You sheep.
Rumor: Mass Effect 3 getting four-player co-op mode
Though it's been quite a while since we've heard anything regarding Mass Effect 3's once-rumored multiplayer functionality, Eurogamer and CVG are both citing anonymous sources who claim the title will have a standalone four-player cooperative mode. The mode will feature a handful of missions which won't interact with the main storyline, and are designed to have a high replay value. Considering we spent around 40 hours mining for Element Zero in Mass Effect 2, we don't think our attention is going to be very hard to retain. Speaking to Eurogamer at E3 last week, BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka wouldn't confirm nor deny the co-operative missions, instead saying, "We haven't talked at all about multiplayer in the Mass Effect franchise, but we're exploring multiplayer in all of our games and all of our franchises." Sounds like he's either deflecting, or hinting at a multiplayer update to Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, which might be the single most illogical assumption we've ever crafted.
Kirby Wii preview: King Dedede, you, and me
It's hard to speak about Kirby Wii without a tinge of regret, and harder still to do so after seeing this video of a very similar, cancelled Kirby title for the GameCube. The game was never quite "cancelled" per se, but it was put on hold for quite some time while its developer, HAL Laboratory, pursued other projects -- Picross 3D and Face Raiders, among others. Among a mess of other logos flashed at the end of Nintendo's E3 2011 presser, Kirby Wii prominently stood out, reminding us that the game still exists. And when I spotted the game in Nintendo's press area available at a hands-on kiosk, I jumped at the chance to finally play the six year old game. What I found was a New Super Mario Bros. Wii meets single-player Smash Bros. Brawl mashup, with a hefty dollop of pink fluffy Kirby covering everything. Something not quite as "hardcore" looking as the GC game, but not far off.%Gallery-125891%
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City preview: Left 2 Die
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City certainly isn't Left 4 Dead, but I wouldn't blame you for confusing the two. ORC is, after all, a four player co-op zombie shooter, featuring a variety of zombie types that largely resemble what both Left 4 Dead games featured before it (a large tank-like zombie, a zombie who scurries on the ceiling and reels you in with his tongue, etc.). In fact, other than a third-person perspective and a Resident Evil landmark setting, I was getting some serious déja vu playing ORC. Except for one crucial point: it wasn't quite as fun as Left 4 Dead.%Gallery-125731%
Crimson Alliance sends you and three friends a-crawlin' again
Here's a look at some gameplay of Crimson Alliance, that Certain Affinity-developed four-player dungeon crawler that was officially announced last week. It looks like pretty standard hack-and-slash fare, with three different players (color-coded, seems like) bashing, casting, and slicing their way through dungeons of baddies, collecting the sweet, sweet loot that drops from their corpses. We would say something here about how constantly fighting wave after wave of enemies in dimly-lit dungeons eventually gets boring, but you know what? If the quality and polish are there when they need to be, it doesn't. It really doesn't.
E3 reader meetup: Monaco
Monaco is basically the game version of the film Heat ... basically. Four co-op players control one class each, working together towards pulling off a successful heist. As you can see in the gameplay demo after the break, Monaco employs an interpretation of a top-down view for gameplay, with pixelated characters navigating perils toward the eventual thievery. If the unique premise doesn't do it for you, the gorgeous graphical style should. Remember Loaded (and Re-Loaded) for PlayStation 1? That's okay, most people don't, but that's the nearest it gets in terms of graphical similarity -- and that was 16 years ago. It's worth noting that Monaco isn't anywhere near as brutally violent/gory as Loaded, they just both feature a beautiful top-down art style. Anyway, developer Pocketwatch Games is bringing Monaco to our E3 2011 Reader Meetup Extravaganza this coming Friday evening for attendees to play, and we think you'd be a fool to miss it. In preparation for the event, Pocketwatch Games kindly sent over new images, which we've dropped into the gallery below. Pocketwatch dev Andy Schatz notes that since maps are "generated dynamically from the level data," folks will be able to create levels with the same complexity as the devs themselves, "or whatever they want." However, we get the feeling that our levels won't look quite as good as Pocketwatch's.%Gallery-125352%
thatgamecompany's Jenova Chen tours the world of Journey
We'll admit it: we're kinda, sorta seriously smitten with thatgamecompany's third game, Journey. As if the two previews we've run didn't already tell you that! Anyway, this recent interview with GTTV is interesting, sure, but look at all that gameplay footage! Beautiful! Check it out after the break.
Nothing can sully this Uncharted 3 co-op trailer (with vertical gun battles!)
We're still five days from E3 [nervous puke] but try telling Nathan Drake he needs to wait until the appropriate time to show-off Uncharted 3's co-op mode. Look at game's title, the silly goof doesn't even know where he's going, you think he can afford to be picky about when he gets there? The reveal went down last night on GameTrailers TV where designer Richard Cambier said that the mode will dust-off some co-op partners for Drake that haven't made an appearance in the franchise in a while. Also shown off in the footage is new, Dark Void-esque vertical gunplay which has corpses falling so close to our hero that you can practically hear them shout "Hey, I loved you guys in Mafia 2!" See for yourself right after the break.
THQ publishing re-formed Turtle Rock Studios' next FPS
Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studios has had an odd career trajectory, having been acquired and absorbed wholesale by Valve after gaining no small amount of attention for its zombie-slaying multiplayer title. The studio re-materialized last March under the supervision of original CEO Michael Booth, and presumably started work on something big -- as evidenced by a hiring push this past February, and their opening of a shiny new studio space. Today, one big detail about said project came to light: It's going to be published by THQ, and released in 2013. In a press release announcing the partnership, Turtle Rock COO Phil Robb said, "This project is the most ambitious thing we've ever attempted," later adding, "We're going to take the first person shooter experience to a whole new level, and we can't wait to show the game for the first time in the months ahead." The announcement lines up with a client list released by talent representation firm Verve (as discovered by supererogatory), which says GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Four Brothers writers David Elliot and Paul Lovett are working with Turtle Rock on a brand new IP for a "top-tier publisher." No more specific window was given for the game's proper announcement, though the press release explains that the title will not be shown off at E3. Or is that just to throw us off the scent? Nice try, you crafty press release, you. As for any complications this might cause concerning Valve's current relationship with the studio remains to be seen -- a THQ representative told us, "To clear up any confusion, we are getting clarification on the Turtle Rock/Valve relationship - and should have that info later today." Stay tuned!
Rage preview: Doomed down
Despite sporting the enhancements of id Tech 5, Rage seemed to be lagging behind at Bethesda's BFG 2011 media event last week. Its generic, post-apocalyptic wasteland setting has become a familiar one in recent years, but it's the simplistic and overly linear shootfest within that's the most dated element of the game. Nonetheless, the team at id Software seems to be aware that a glossy throwback shooter isn't going to cut it in today's over-saturated FPS market and has challenged itself to set Rage apart. The most obvious sign of id stepping out of its comfort zone is in the game's multiplayer design. Believe it or not, there's no deathmatch in the classic Doom sense. In its place is a fine-tuned vehicle-based mode, implementing the game's dune buggies. Multiplayer is expected to be a fairly compact experience, with up to six players able to take part in a few gametypes on a sparse offering of five maps. "If you add game variations just to add game variations it confuses people," said one of the designers during the hands-off multiplayer presentation. "People don't know what to play." %Gallery-121461%
