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Today's most stylistic video: DS Zelda controls
With Zelda: Phantom Hourglass nearly released--well, for Japanese gamers, that is--GameTrailers has posted a few brief gameplay clips that show the touchscreen controls. Gamers outside of Japan will have to wait until later this year to play the DS RPG/adventure. (Make the wait even longer by watching Japanese commercials for the game.)Start forming opinions on the controls. After the break, watch demos of movement, swordplay, and curved boomerang throws, all handled with the stylus.
Today's multiplying videos: Rabbids gameplay
The second Rayman Raving Rabbids is in production, and GameTrailers has posted a series of in-game clips from Ubisoft's gaming event. The Rabbids trailer and these clips seem to downplay Rayman even more than the first game. (Here's hoping the shipping version has little to do with the appendage-free mascot. Let Rayman thrive in the platformers; he doesn't add much to these mini-game buffets.)See gameplay clips of bunnies spitting carrots, playing baseball, rodeo riding, and serving food after the break.
Moviewatch Extra: Starcraft 2 gameplay
Hot on the heels of screenshots and the trailer from Starcraft 2 comes this gameplay video! Man, it's an exciting time to be a fan. Thanks for the YouTube link, Fisker! You can also download the video from RapidShare. Follow the cut for one more video on YouTube.[thanks again, Rich]
SC2 gameplay pics
Yes, folks, this site is going to be Starcraft 2 Insider for the next little while. Somehow I don't think you guys'll mind too much -- we're all Blizzard fans here, right? Anyway, I turned up a few gameplay pictures from the Starcraft 2 announcement, and here they are! IGN also has many excellent official screenshots over at their site [thanks, Rich]. Although that seems to be getting hammered right now, they're definitely worth checking out. The game looks a lot more like Starcraft 1 than I would have expected, which is a good thing, in my opinion.%Gallery-3309%
Friday Video: Ouendan 2 footage helps us out
Do we need an excuse to put up videos from Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2? Well, it's Friday, and that means videos, which obviously means there's a need for Ouendan footage. Also, we really dig that title. We don't do a lot of importing around here, but exceptions may have to be made in this case. Check after the jump to see why we're loving Ouendan almost as much as our favorite Ace Attorney.
Why do we gank?
Hot on the heels of that craziness in Mexico comes an article on QJ.net talking about that touchiest of subjects, ganking. In the article they talk about a European forum post put up by Varneras that lists reasons why people gank. He says that some do it simply because they believe it is expected gameplay on a PvP realm. Others gank players out of a feeling of sport. Now, I play on a PvE server, so my experiences with ganking have been limited, largely because I find no real interest in raiding Crossroads. Recently however I had occasion to live some real life gankage when I went to The Bulwark to finish off Alexi Barov. As our group formed, a similar group of horde also gathered, taunting in their most creative fashion, and salivating for the upcoming fight. By the time we began the quest, there were about four hordies joining in, which made trying to keep our healer alive a bit of a challenge. However, it also made the fight more interesting, and in the end more than a little adrenaline flowed through my veins. So I sit here thinking on the subject of ganking, and although there are obvious negatives, I think the practice brings a sharpness to our game play we wouldn't have otherwise. For example, one of my few forays into a PvP realm I rolled a little paladin. As my character loaded into Northshire, I noticed an honor guard of level 60 players - this was before the expansion had been released - there to guard me and my fellow newbies as we attempted to level through the content. This isn't something I've ever seen on my original server, and so I was surprised until I realized why they were there. If they were there, so were the Horde rogues, ready to filet my level two pally body and dance upon my corpse. As much as I would love to hear about the reasons why you as players gank, I am also interested to hear if anyone has any experiences similar to mine. I came away from the encounter with a sense of Alliance solidarity, and a greater appreciation of how adaptable and inventive the players of World of Warcraft can be within this virtual universe.
Friday Video: History and strategy
A combination of sim and strategy plus online multiplayer means that you probably don't care much what Anno 1701 looks like, at least, if you're a strategy fan. It's playable? Great, say the devotees. That's all we need. The rest of us, however, like a little video action, and we've got this PC-to-DS game on display after the jump. In Anno 1701, your mission is to civilize the wilds of North America; discover appropriate land, stick a flag in it, and build your civilization. For added giggles, consider that this game is being released for the DS in the UK and Australia, and not in the U.S. (at least, for now). Sounds like a case of art imitating life to us. For all you Brits, this is your chance to get in there and show us colonists who's boss!
Gotta watch 'em all: Pokemon videos
Just in case you want to be up to your ears in Pokémon right now, but can't (for whatever reason), we thought we'd dig up a couple of videos just to make it worse to help you get through the pain of not having the latest and greatest for the DS. Not sure it's for you? If the already-crazy sales and reviews don't have you convinced, perhaps a few more looks at the gameplay will do the trick.
What's broken with MMOs and their combat?
Do DPS, crafting, tank, and the future of aggro management make your heart go a flutter? Damion Shubert has been doing MMO design for ten years and is currently working on an announced project for BioWare. He held a roundtable on the next generation of MMO design and the big issue was: "Why does combat suck" in MMOs? Thoughts revolved around the idea that combat is overused, simple and easy for people to grasp. Shubert says, "Our combat models right now are asking people to enter no risk situation ... Players choose their own challenges and bore themselves to death ... then they bitch how the games aren't challenging enough. We force them to play cautiously, can you imagine if Gears of War told you not to take risks?" After years of watching MMO players and having access to background statistics of game he says people's penchant for exploitation is key. Player's will try to find the easy way out of anything. He also says one of the greatest innovations of World of Warcraft was how they rewarded their quests. WoW gives substantial rewards for completing quests and leads players down a path rather than having players camp and repeat the same single action over and over again. Shubert emphasizes that combat MMOs are not the only type out there and Korea makes us look pitiful, "They have MMO dance games, golf games and everything else." So, why haven't those types of MMOs caught on in other places and what other types of massive online game would we like to see?
The latest and greatest from FFXII: Revenant Wings
Game Trailers recently put up not one, but two fresh new gameplay trailers for FFXII: Revenant Wings, and if you're interested in this game, you don't want to miss them. If you're not interested in this game ... well, we don't like to talk about real tragedies like that. Which one has you more excited: Revenant Wings or Ring of Fates? While you ponder that, check out the pair of trailers after the jump.
Dragon's Quest IX gameplay snippets
So, Dragon's Quest IX was announced for the DS recently, and though your classic J-RPG senses tingle, they may in fact go quite unsatisfied. As the mainstay series moves to a portable platform, there will also be some significant shifts in the classic DQ experience.DQIX seems to be leaning toward the action-RPG end of the role-playing spectrum, as the traditional random battles have been replaced by a Chrono Trigger-style "see the enemies in the field of play" approach. As all four characters' motion and actions are controlled independently, Square-Enix is pushing a four-player cooperative mode (via Wi-Fi? We still don't know) into the game. The players need not stay together; for instance, one player could journey into a nearby cave in search of treasure, while another can head back to town to pick up some much-needed curative supplies. Sounds simple, yet cool.Stylus control will be implemented, though details remain sketchy; Dragon's Quest IX will be released in 2007, and details remain awesome.
Game industry on console wars: Wii FTW
Gamasutra's moles are popping out of their holes, reporting on Wii versus PS3 woes. In a series of blurb-sized industry interviews, developers, publishers, reporters, and others state their personal choice between the consoles. While some choose neither -- or the Xbox 360 -- the significant majority are buying Wiis.We wish more of the quotes were attributed; most name-brand developers didn't want to be on-record dissing one of the systems. (Some statements even complain about company arrogance.) But depending on how much you trust Gamasutra -- we give them the benefit of the doubt -- this may be a fair sampling of the whole industry.Does industry support for the Wii, or skepticism of the PS3, mean anything? Maybe. As much as anyone, we like the blockbuster games that are expected on the PS3 and Xbox 360. But we balance those with smaller, quirky games; voices in the industry have also been pushing for gameplay and fun over movie-sized budgets and 80-hour weeks.Sure, the HD consoles have accessible, fun games, especially in the download channels. And the Wii will have epic, AAA titles. But Nintendo is talking big about the Wii being the paramount console for gameplay, and that may speak to the ideals of the industry. If that emphasis speaks to consumers, however, remains to be seen.
Chili Con Carnage not a port after all
There has been a lot of confusion over Deadline Game's upcoming Chili Con Carnage. From publisher Eidos' initial press release, Andrew thought the game was more of a port of Total Overdose than anything else since it uses the same characters and gameplay. However, according to the game's director, Soren Lund, that's not really the case.Speaking to Computerandvideogames.com, Lund said the game is more of a re-invention rather than a port. While it has the same cast from Total Overdose, the game's stories are completely different, the gameplay has been refined to make the game a "more tight and compact action game" and the free roaming gameplay featured in Total Overdose has been omitted to "provide a much more streamlined and focused gameplay experience."However, Lund said the biggest difference gamers will see between the two games is the style gameplay. "We've made it a much more integrated part of the gameplay, that the player uses the games' different moves and the combo-system to achieve higher and higher scores thus being rewarded with better weapons, dual weapon overdrive, more loco moves, more health, more combo-time etc. etc.," he said. "We unlock new levels, game modes and playable characters depending on the player's level scores. And for the master players, we unlock unlimited ammo and trophies such as concept art and videos etc."As you can see, Deadline Games has seemingly worked hard at separating this game from Total Overdose in both story and gameplay. However, the test will be whether they can get that message out to PSP owners who are very tired of ports. We'll see when the game releases early next year.
When journalists fight, Wii wins!
Remember that guy, the self-professed non-gamer who hated the Wii, but liked the Wii, but hated the Wii? Yeah, the flip-flopper. Well, that guy just got pwned by one of his own colleagues, who has been reading right along with the masses. And in response, he scoffs, "there's one difference between Stan and me on the Wii: I've played it."Ouch. That looks like it could use a little burn cream right there. ITWire's Alex Zaharov-Reutt got his hands on the Wiimote at a press event, and he scoffs at Stan Beer's ignorant commentary. After all, is it graphics that make a "serious console?" No. It's fun, and the Wii is damned serious about fun. Like so many others, he praises the versatility and immersion of the control scheme, and even has props for the graphics -- maybe they aren't up to the standards of the 360 and the PS3, but they're still visually appealing. What's important is that it plays well, and he believes that it will be a hit among all sorts of gamers. And that's the informed opinion.
New Sonic breathes life into the franchise
Andrew Yoon of PSP Fanboy and Joystiq recently got the chance to have a go at Sonic and the Secret Rings, and he came back bubbling over with excitement. This new game seems to be all about the old games -- or rather, the original high speed style. The upcoming Sonic is on rails, putting the focus back on the speedy completion of levels rather than on running around and checking things out. Instead, you just have to deal with things as they come at you, and the Wiimote adds a level of gameplay that keeps it from becoming repetitive.And while there may be a few visual problems, Andrew promises that Sonic and the Secret Rings still manages to be one of the best looking games forthcoming on the Wii -- maybe even too impressive, with colors bursting out in a dazzling array. Despite less than stellar textures, he had nothing but praise for the rest of the visual effects in the game. Excitement is contagious, you know ....
X06: Gears of War gameplay video
Remember when Halo came out, and everyone around the planet collectively dropped their jaws in awe and drooled at the incredible gameplay, and it helped sell bazillions of original Xbox consoles?Then everything was touted as being, 'the next Halo.' Besides Halo 2, nothing was called this more often than Brute Force when it was in development. However, Brute Force pretty much suckedwhen it was released, and we're hoping this doesn't happen with Gears of War as well. We like Gears of War, and don't want it to get sucked into the black hole of the video game store known as the bargain bin.While our experience with Gears so far has been impressive, this gameplay video is a tad underwhelming. What stands out: puny grenade explosions, repetitive shooting, and AI that won't flank you. Although the chainsaw attached to the gun at the end is a nice touch.Check out the video after the jump and let us know what you think.
Gunpey gameplay footage
Some people say I have an unhealthy obsession over Mizuguchi's games. Those people are not incorrect. Gunpey is a totally rad puzzler from the famed Lumines creator, and two new videos showcasing the music-infused puzzle gameplay have been released. The point of the game is to create a line that reaches from left to right... but of course, it's a little bit trickier than it sounds. If you haven't experienced Gunpey yet, now's your chance, after the break.
Movin' with the B-Boys
Man, I feel like it's 1990 all over again. Sony's upcoming B-Boy looks like it'll be a blast. You control a break dancer trying to prove his worth on the street. We've covered this game pretty extensively so far, so read up and then enjoy this lengthy gameplay video.
Link gets his stabby on
What's better on Monday morning than a fresh new Twilight Princess video? Well, we were all out of doughnuts and white chocolate mocha, so this will have to do. Forget working -- start your week off right!Lots of gameplay features on display in this montage. What do you think, readers? How's the game shaping up? Has the full-on conversion to Wii made the game gimmicky, or is this the Zelda we've all been waiting for? Check out the video after the jump and tell us how you feel.
Castlevania: PoR gameplay footage
First we brought you the trailer -- now we offer a look at the actual gameplay of this exciting Castlevania title. Watch closely to see both characters in action. Anyone else simply dying to get their hands on this? Whips and spells and portraits, oh my!
