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Watch nearly five minutes of Grand Theft Auto 5 gameplay right here
Grand Theft Auto 5 is almost here -- just another month and a half until launch -- and we're just now seeing our first real look at the gameplay therein. Rockstar released a lengthy gameplay trailer this morning, featuring everything from yoga to skydiving; there's of course a generous heaping of fast driving and third-person gunplay. Come to think of it, of all the verbs on display in the trailer, "carjacking" isn't one we saw in action. Which is a little weird considering the game's name, no? Anyway, we expect there'll be plenty of grand theft auto to perform when GTA5 launches on September 17th. For now, enjoy the madness below.
Routine coming in 2013, Oculus Rift support and scary robots in tow
Lunar Software has finally given us terrestrials our first glimpse into the in-game world of Routine, its moon-based first-person horror game that originally debuted at last year's Gamescom. Aside from giving us a healthy dose of the game's neo-80s post-VHS visual aesthetic, this trailer also reveals that the game will be released on Steam at some point in 2013, and that it'll support the Oculus Rift. Look, we're going to be honest: We're not entirely sure we could handle something like this in conjunction with the Oculus Rift. We like space and suspense and atmospheric isolation as much as the next group of touched individuals, but we also enjoy how consistently dry our pants are at all times.
Chillingo's COO, head of production talk Icycle, the company's freemium strategy
I got to run through almost all of EA and Chillingo's upcoming titles at E3 a few weeks ago, and one theme was very clear: The company is investing heavily in the freemium business model, and plans to use its quality and expertise to convince customers to generate an ongoing cash flow for its developers. Earlier this week, Chillingo invited me to speak with COO Ed Rumley and the company's Head of Production Andy Needham. We discussed this current trend in monetization as it applies to Chillingo's titles, and how the company approaches publishing in general. "The pay per download market is a challenging market right now," Rumley tells me. Chillingo's goal with each title it publishes is to "bring out the star rating and polish the diamond in the rough." Rumley is proud that Chillingo has hosted a very quality catalog so far, with high ratings all around. But the only way the company can do that, he says, is to "make sure the best game is delivered for the consumer in the right way." That often means that games need a strong, ongoing flow of income via in-app purchases, rather than just an initial bit of profit at sale. Chillingo will soon publish Icycle: On Thin Ice, which is one of the best games I saw at GDC. I was, however, disappointed to see that the company had added freemium options for E3. Needham called it "a game that will influence people one day, and it's a game that we want to make sure we get right. No sort of bolt-on freemium model would work with this game." Instead, Needham and his production team have tried to come up with some freemium elements that leave the game itself untouched. "Anybody could play this game fairly all of the way through it [without paying]," Needham says. "You can even unlock an additional game." And you can do that all without having to pay a cent. Instead, the freemium elements are there for convenience, Needham says. The freemium currency can be used to buy a "spare wheel," which allows the player to restart in place after a loss, instead of having to begin at the start of the latest level. "The in-app purchase is there really to help people enjoy the experience by not having to step back all of the time," says Needham. "What we wouldn't do is compromise the gameplay in order to get those dollars." Other than the work around freemium titles, Rumley says Chillingo is finding plenty of new games to publish, both from current and new partners. "(The number of) unique developers is actually up about 60 percent year on year," says Rumley, "so a huge amount of developers are coming to us." Current developers are choosing to re-publish with Chillingo, too, says Needham, and a big part of that is the company's acquisition by EA a few years ago. Chillingo's production team routinely works with EA. "We're able to share and learn a lot of the findings that they're making, and they're able to view our games and recommend them," says Needham. In the end, says Rumley, Chillingo is focused first on quality. "We know how to deliver that four-and-a-half star quality rating," he says, and make "the games that treat the consumers the way they deserve to be treated." Icycle: On Thin Ice is indeed a beautiful game, and Rumley says the company is dedicated to making the developer's talent and experience shine through, all while making sure he's compensated as well as he can be. "At no point will the monetization distract you from what it is," promises Rumley. "It's a beautiful game and it's exceptionally playable." Icycle: On Thin Ice is due out sometime later on this summer.
Daily iPhone App: Leaping Legends is a snarky endless runner from Everplay
You may remember (or, like me, still be playing) Ninjump, the vertical endless runner from Backflip Studios. Kris Jones of Everplay Interactive (who we've covered here before) is also a big fan and has borrowed the idea for Everplay's latest title, Leaping Legend. In fact, Everplay has borrowed a lot for this one -- not only does the gameplay innovate on Ninjump's core idea, but there are all kinds of wacky in-jokes and references hidden in Leaping Legend and its various mechanics. You play a knight who constantly runs up two walls by jumping back and forth. There are various powerups to grab along the way (like a shield or sword to defend or attack as you go), and you can move up or down the screen to dodge obstacles. I found this game tough, but then again, I didn't use any of the plentiful boosts that you need to buy with collected coins. There are also skins to buy, and items to help your progress as you conquer various goals and achievements. One minor issue I have is with restarting the game. There's a button clearly labeled "replay" which actually sends you back to the main menu, and its placement is awkward. My finger often opened up Game Center or turned the sound off instead of restarting the game as I wanted. A minor tweak would take care of it, but in a game like this where you're meant to go back to the beginning over and over, it was more of a frustration than it needed to be. Other than that, Leaping Legend is a fun title, with some solid core gameplay and references to everything from Zelda to Skyrim. I'm still looking forward to Everplay's Ace of Blades, but until then, this will do just fine.
Daily iPhone App: Solstice Arena is Zynga's shot at multiplayer online battle arenas
I first got to see Solstice Arena, Zynga's latest iOS entry, at GDC earlier this year, and then had a short meeting again last week with the publisher at E3. But you no longer have to take my word on what it's like: The game arrived on iOS worldwide last week, so you can grab the free-to-download title at your leisure. And I recommend you do. Zynga has a reputation for pushy freemium elements in goofy casual titles, but I can confirm this game has none of that. This is a true mobile MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) title, similar to League of Legends, but very iOS-centric in its delivery. The game has been simplified in a lot of very smart ways, producing a high-quality title that's very impressive. In my own play, I've found some minor balance issues (the healer character, for example, seems awfully overpowered, especially when teamed up with a burly bruiser), but I am sure those will get evened out as the game gets periodic updates and tweaks. And while yes, this is a freemium title, that part is also done very intelligently. The freemium elements are mostly confined to customization and convenience. Just like League of Legends, the game opens up a number of free heroes to play every week, so there's ongoing variety even if you never spend a dime. And if you do, real money can only buy you custom skins for the heroes you own, or can pay for boosts in your own XP, so spending money doesn't affect the gameplay at all. Prices are a bit high (which is something else I expect will likely be tweaked in a future update), but all in all, the freemium elements almost never get in the way of the gameplay, which is very respectable on Zynga's part. In short, Solstice Arena is exactly the kind of game Zynga needs to help cleanse its reputation as a money-grabbing casual publisher. I would hesitate to call it truly hardcore (I think the game needs about double the heroes and maybe another map or mode to really start comparing its depth to a standard PC MOBA), but it's definitely a "mid-core" experience that delivers a lot of fun. If you're a MOBA fan or just want to see what Zynga is doing right lately, give it a download and a try on iPhone or iPad.
Destiny gets its first gameplay trailer
Bungie showed off a gameplay demonstration for Destiny, the developer's next first-person shooter, at Sony's E3 press event today. The trailer featured acrobatic moves and co-op action with players battling alongside one another with different character classes. Destiny is coming to PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime in 2014.
The Soapbox: Diablo III's auction house ruined the game
After his departure from the Diablo III development team, Game Director Jay Wilson released a statement that the introduction of an auction house "really hurt the game." While players predicted doom the moment the Real Money Auction House was announced, Jay argued that the gold auction house was equally to blame for the game's fall from grace following its absolutely stellar launch sales. I don't normally agree with what Jay has to say on Diablo III, but in this case he does have a very valid point. Diablo II was consistently popular for over a decade thanks to its immense replayability. At its core, D2 was a game about building new characters and gearing them up by any means necessary. Every enemy in the game was a loot pinata just waiting to be popped, and players farmed endlessly for a few sought-after unique items. You almost never found an item that was ideal for your particular class and build, but you could usually trade for what you needed via trade channels and forums. Blizzard claimed that the auction house was intended just to streamline this process, but when Diablo III launched, it was clear that the entire game had been designed to make the auction house almost necessary for progress. The fault here lies not just with the concept of an auction house but with the game designers. That's right: I'm here to argue not only that Jay Wilson was right about the auction house ruining Diablo III but also that it was his own damn fault.
Grid 2 gameplay trailer drifts through Japan
This gameplay video for Grid 2 shows a racer drifting around turns on a downhill course in Okutama, Tokyo in Japan. Grid 2 is coming to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on May 28.
Daily iPhone App: Wizard Ops Tactics offers well-made tactical battles
Wizard Ops arrived on the App Store a couple of years ago -- it was a wild and wooly take on magical combat that played more like a shooter than a fantasy RPG. Developers Phyken Media have now returned to the world of Wizard Ops, though not the genre, with a new title called Wizard Ops Tactics. As you may have reckoned from the title, Wizard Ops Tactics is a turn-based strategy game, where you move various wizards and combatants around a 3D board, casting spells across various terrains to beat the other side. Just like the original Wizard Ops, the graphics on this one can get a little goofy, but also like the original game, the depth of gameplay is very impressive. Each turn consists of a planning phase and an action phase, and while you can use as much time as you like to plan your turns, lining up the right moves in quick succession can get you combo bonuses and even allow you to get a nice advantage over the other team. Wizard Ops Tactics is great fun, offers lots and lots of content (you can play through a full campaign or get involved in turn-based multiplayer, all while unlocking new units and customizing your current ones), and it's completely free to download and play. Even if you didn't try the first Wizard Ops game, but are looking for a great example of turn-based strategy, go pick this one up today.
Rawbots pitches custom robot battles in a sandbox
Rawbots is a multiplayer game in which you build and program robots to battle other players in a sandbox arena. Designer Alex Rozgo and the Rawbots team is pitching the game on Kickstarter, where they're trying for $300,000 to deliver the product on the PC, Mac, Linux, Wii U, and possibly the PS4. Rawbots intends to have various parts available for the making of your mechanical minions, which can then be traded with others using contracts and blueprints. The structure of the world is meant to combine different types of gameplay, enabling you to put together various levels designed for FPS or RTS-style interaction. So far, Rawbots has only picked up a few thousand dollars, but the project has over a month to go. The team is also selling early access to the game on its website for $29.99.
Zynga announces Solstice Arena, a social MOBA coming to mobile
Back at GDC earlier this year, I was invited to what I was told was a very limited meeting with Zynga. The company, which of course made its name with social Facebook games and recently has been trying to pivot to mobile platforms like the iPhone and the iPad. Most of Zynga's games tend towards the casual (simply because Farmville is the company's biggest hit, and that's where their success lies). But at GDC, they wanted to show me something different. It was a "midcore" game, they said -- a game that had the complexity of a hardcore title, but was accessible enough for iOS' large audience to enjoy and rally around. The game was being put together by a developer named A Bit Lucky, which had already built out a few social titles already, and it was going to be a "multiplayer online battle arena" title -- a MOBA game, very similar to the extremely popular League of Legends. The game they showed me was Solstice Arena, which has just been officially announced by Zynga. Now, the MOBA genre is a tough one to pull off on mobile -- it's traditionally a very PC-centric genre, originally based on real-time strategy, with lots of mouse-specific controls and keys to press. But the MOBA genre has been attempted on iOS before, so it's definitely not impossible to pull off. Zynga's real innovation on Solstice Arena is going to be the game's format: Instead of the traditional five players vs. five players, the team has boiled the game down into 3v3, all fighting on what's essentially one lane. There are still towers to take down and various heroes to fight with, but having just three people on a side means the game is more concentrated, and individual players can make more of a difference. The other big change from traditional MOBA is that Solstice Arena's main mode is timed, so matches are less about the long, dragged out battles than they are about quicker skirmishes. This fits the mobile platform as well: quicker matches are more doable on portable platforms, obviously. While it is a much more complicated game than a lot of Zynga's other offerings, Solstice Arena still makes use of social and freemium elements for sure. In addition to online matchmaking (for both skill and team setup, promises A Bit Lucky), there will be social hooks in the game, and the title will have a metagame in the form of items that can be leveled up outside of matches. There will be an in-app currency, and it'll be used to purchase heroes, buy boosts, and other outside of game elements. Obviously, the developers don't want the game to simply be pay-to-win, but this is Zynga we're talking about. While not everything is figured out just yet, it's not a stretch to predict there will definitely be no shortage of places in the app to spend real money if that's what you choose to do. Still, even in this early stage, Solstice Arena looks like fun. Lots of the abilities are fairly simple -- they're designed to work on a touchscreen, so many of them target an area or a direction rather than a specific target. But there is a nice mix of hero classes, from casters to support, fighters, and assassins. And there are some fun mechanics being developed as well -- acing the other team by killing all of your opponents at the same time is called a "Power Play" and gives your team a temporary boost in power. There are also plenty of items to pick up around the game's field, which confer various individual or team bonuses as they go. Solstice Arena is due out for mobile platforms soon -- Zynga will run a beta first, probably in a market like Canada or New Zealand, and then bring the game out to more App Stores worldwide after that. A Bit Lucky also tells us that soon after that they're hoping to have the game running on both Mac and PC as well, depending of course on the game's reception and what kind of audience the title eventually finds. Solstice Arena is a fairly gutsy move for Zynga -- it's definitely more complicated than what most people expect from the company, and given the success of League of Legends and Dota, Zynga's going after a very specific audience that might not have played their titles before. We'll keep an eye on Solstice Arena as development moves along, and let you know when it's finally available to try for yourself.
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - combat
I've mentioned in the past that sometimes plans get changed dramatically between when I plan my next column and when I actually write it. This week, it turned out that I could stop being mum about the Final Fantasy XIV beta. So that meant throwing out plans and starting back over. In fact, it meant starting way over, since I found myself with so many things that I wanted to talk about it was difficult to figure out where to start. So I'm starting with the obvious. I'm going to talk about aspects of the first two beta phases in as much detail as I can realistically fit into a column starting with one of those obvious cornerstones of video games: combat. This isn't meant to be about impressions so much as dissecting and analyzing what I've played to this point, what is working, and what isn't. If you want to know my more in-depth impressions of killing things in Final Fantasy XIV's early test version, read on.
Daily iPhone App: Bookworm Heroes takes Popcap's wordfinding classic social
The big deal with Popcap's latest big entry into the App Store, Bookworm Heroes, is that it's social. It's a version of the company's popular wordfinding game given a social twist, so that you can play against your friends, neighbors, or just random people online. But here's the thing I most don't like about Bookworm Heroes: It's social. Yes, the thing that might most appeal to you about this one is the thing that makes it least appealing. Bookworm Heroes isn't a bad game. If you love the Bookworm series (the first version of the game has been on the App Store for a while), Heroes shows off the same polish and excellent gameplay that the other titles offer. But Heroes is only social, which means that to play, you've got to wait for your opponent to pass a turn back. And if you don't have anyone else interested in playing (like me), you have to stick with random opponents, which just weren't very successful for me -- either I forgot about their games and ended up forfeiting, or they forfeited the game for me. At any rate, Bookworm Heroes is excellent -- if you have friends to play with (or kids interested in playing with you). It's available as a free download right now. As for me personally, I'm looking forward to an iOS port of Bookworm Adventures. I'd much rather play a full game against the computer than a half a game against someone else across the Internet.
Daily iPhone App: Cut the Rope: Time Travel sends Om Nom through the centuries
Cut the Rope is one of the most-downloaded apps on the App Store, and its developers, ZeptoLab, have made quite a character out of its lead, Om Nom. The series' latest incarnation is called Cut The Rope: Time Travel, and it's available on the App Store (in both iPhone and HD versions) right now. As you can tell by the title, Time Travel sends Om Nom through a crazy creation off into various time periods, and the biggest innovation in this game is instead of just feeding one candy to one creature, you have two pieces of candy to safeguard through the game's physics-based puzzles. Om Nom is joined by a period-specific friend in every level, and that friend also has some candy to eat. Additionally, every time period also offers new tools to play with, like chains that need to be cut a specific way, or a time-freezing tool you can use. One of Cut the Rope's charms is that it's always been very casual, and ZeptoLab's polish is on display here for sure. But I found some of these puzzles fairly hard, so I wouldn't be surprised if this one is a little bit tougher than the other Cut the Rope games. It's also interesting that while the first Cut the Rope was published by Chillingo, ZeptoLab has essentially abandoned that partnership, as they're self-publishing this game as well. That doesn't mean anything for the gameplay, but it is a fairly unique choice by ZeptoLab, as many developers that work with Chillingo stuck with the company. Aside from the game's publishing status, however, Cut the Rope: Time Travel is another excellent iteration of the popular series, offering plenty of new levels to explore, and another big helping of Om Nom's charm. ZeptoLab has doubled up the puzzle-based gameplay, and put together another sure winner for Cut the Rope fans. The iPhone version can be had for $.99, and the HD version is $2.99.
Sir, You Are Being Hunted in this new gameplay video from Big Robot
Sir, You Are Being Hunted, but you should really take a break and watch this gameplay video. It won't only give your tired body a moment of rest, but the tactics demonstrated could save your life in Big Robot's tweedpunk, procedural stealth game, Sir, You Are Being Hunted. It's a win-win, as far as "being hunted" goes.This is the first video in a new series, and it demonstrates strategies behind fleeing, healing, hiding and, occasionally, shooting at the enemy AI. Take a peek and if you like what you see, pre-orders for Sir, You Are Being Hunted are live now via the Humble Store.
Zynga unveils Battlestone, an action RPG coming to iOS soon
Zynga's been on an interesting pivot lately. The company made a name for itself on Facebook, and most of its business is tied up in big games like Farmville and its sequel. But that audience is slowing down in growth, if not declining, which has prompted Zynga to experiment on mobile platforms like iOS. Last year, Zynga published Horn, which is a very impressive action / adventure title on iOS, and this year I expect to see more games like it as Zynga targets the "midcore" audience with nice graphics and complex gameplay. Battlestone is a great example of that. It's a newly revealed game from the House that Farmville Built, and as you can see above, it looks very impressive. It's an action RPG in the vein of Diablo, but made for mobile platforms, and with a slightly more casual look. Battlestone will let you pull one hero from multiple choices to fight through varied 3D environments, swiping and tapping across the screen to get involved in combat. It definitely sounds fun -- Battlestone should be available in the US soon, as it's already being tested in a few markets around the world. Zynga's real challenge with these will be to balance "midcore" gameplay with its preferred freemium promotional practices. The company grew very quickly thanks to its "social" gameplay, but as it has grown bigger and bigger, Zynga's depended more and more on desperately trying to make its games viral. If they can tone that down in these more complicated titles in a way that still allows them to keep things profitable, the company will be able to find a whole new audience to replace the one that's getting more and more bored with all of the "cow clicking" that Zynga originally started out with.
NCAA 14 to include physics engine, improved running game
NCAA Football 14 will feature the same physics engine seen in Madden 13, the Infinity Engine. EA Tiburon is calling the engine the "Infinity Engine 2" specifically, which certainly drives the point home about its expected improvements. The developer told Polygon that the engine will be tuned to the same level as its upcoming pro football game, Madden 25.NCAA 14 will also include "ball carrier avoidance," which improves the AI of runners so they raise their arms to push off linemen instead of taking an awkward tackle in the backfield due to incidental contact, as seen quite often with the current iteration of the Infinity Engine in Madden 13. EA Tiburon says other physics-based movements will see marked improvement with NCAA 14's Force Impact system. The Force Impact system is expected to lend more realism to the process of moves such as stiff arms, which will now be targeted to specific parts of a defender and carry out all the way to the ground.Other changes to the game include the removal of the sprint button, which is now replaced with a more realistic speed burst when runners hit the hole in the defensive line. Additionally, ball-carriers will be able to use the right stick to regain any balance lost when breaking tackles. The changes to the running game start with better block targeting for offensive line AI, which EA says is a priority for the NCAA 14 team this year. The publisher will also reveal details about the game's own Ultimate Team mode in May, which is new to the NCAA Football series, but a mainstay in EA's other sports franchises.NCAA Football 14 will launch on Xbox 360 and PS3 on July 9, and will feature former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on its cover.
Shoot a glance at these Sanctum 2 screens and trailer
These screens and trailer for Coffee Stain Studios' Sanctum 2 show off the action-packed shooting in the game. Sanctum 2 is slated to launch on PC, Xbox Live and PSN sometime in 2013.
Camelot Unchained's team puts gameplay over graphics
City State Entertainment co-founder Andrew Meggs shares a tough question that any smaller MMO team has to answer from time to time: What happens when you have to choose between graphics, gameplay, and performance in developing an MMO? In a new blog post, Meggs says that for Camelot Unchained, graphics are the first to go on the backburner. "When it comes down to the sheer number of [polygons], any time we have to choose between that and delivering on our core gameplay, we're going to choose the gameplay," Meggs writes. "That requires certain sacrifices." Even so, Meggs said that the team is adept at putting a lot of personality and flair into the graphics it creates, it's just that the focus is creating a game that lasts: "We know that we're building a world for characters to live in, not a theme park for tourists to visit."
Daily iPhone App: Ridiculous Fishing is ridiculously good
Vlambeer's Ridiculous Fishing is finally out on the App Store today, after a long and rough development cycle that included a well-publicized battle against a clone. But in my humble opinion, the guys at Vlambeer should never have worried. No clone could ever match up to the design talent, brilliant wit and just plain love that's been put into this game. Ridiculous Fishing lives up to its foolish title and then some. You play as a fisherman. To begin, tap to toss a hook into the water. The game then runs in three phases. First, as your hook descends, tilt the iPhone back and forth to guide it past as many fish as you can, as deep under the surface as possible. As you reel it back in, you switch tactics. Tilt to grab as many fish as possible, trying to avoid the jellyfish if you can. Finally, the game gets really silly when your hook reaches the surface. The fish fly up into the air, and you've got to take them out of the sky with whatever firearms you have lying around. Each fish you kill earns money for line and equipment upgrades and finding new species can unlock new areas with new fish to hook and deeper waters to plumb. It's a very addictive gameplay cycle, and it's all backed up with some brilliant art, great sound effects and very catchy music. I've been playing the game for about a week now, and have found it hard to put down. Ridiculous Fishing has seen a little drama even before release, but the team never needed to worry, in my opinion. This is a great game that is among the best we've seen on the iPhone, ever. It's well worth the purchase at US$2.99, though I'll bet we'll see Ridiculous Fishing (and with any luck, more of Vlambeer) around the App Store for a long time to come.
