gameplay
Latest
Rumor: Maxis insider claims SimCity servers not essential
Though EA's official stance on SimCity's persistent Internet connection has been that it's absolutely required for the core game to function, a report from Rock, Paper, Shotgun claims that is not the case. An inside source who asked to remain anonymous told RPS the online servers are "not handling any of the computation done to simulate the city you are playing."According to the source, the servers are coordinating social messages between cities in a region, as well as "cloud storage of save games, interfacing with Origin, and all of that. But for the game itself? No, they're not doing anything."Even when the servers go down, certain cities have stayed online and playable for a period of time, suggesting off-site computation is not entangled in the main gameplay loop. The RPS source claims servers are also being used to repeatedly check for instances of hacking and cheating – and the game's verification messages to servers are creating queues and hampering responsiveness.Finally, the source casts doubt on EA's claims that a single-player version of this SimCity would be impossible to produce. "It wouldn't take very much engineering to give you a limited single-player game without all the nifty region stuff." EA's current public reasoning about why the game needs to stay online has done little to quell frustration voiced over the game's tremendous launch issues.Joystiq has contacted EA for comment regarding the source's claims.
Marvel Heroes shows off Iron Man in action
Everyone wants to pretend to be Iron Man. You've got all of the ingredients of greatness: a crippling alcohol problem, a problem with authority, a tendency toward self-destruction... wait, those parts aren't cool. So perhaps it's for the best that Marvel Heroes focuses instead on the fun parts of Iron Man, wherein you have totally awesome power armor and the ability to fly. The latest trailer for the game cashes in on excitement for the upcoming movie, showing off everything that you can do inside the suit. All of the standard Iron Man powers are on display, ranging from repulsor beams to flight to force fields. But which version of the armor do you have to use? Whichever one you want, as the game sports variants ranging from the original Iron Man armor up to ones lifted from the upcoming film. But you don't have to take our word for it, as you can watch the full video just past the break.
Disney adds a little originality with Toy Story: Smash It
Last time I spoke with Disney's Bart Decrem, I asked him about the company's plans to put out original mobile games. Lately, they've been on a bender of rebranded iOS hits, including Temple Run Brave, Monsters Inc. Run, and Where's My Perry?, which is a branded remix of Disney's own original Where's My Water? title. Decrem told me that the team had plans for original titles, but that when they had a hit franchise, "you invest in them aggressively and you evolve them aggressively." The team's latest iOS release, Toy Story: Smash It, is actually a pretty good compromise. Yes, the game is based on the popular Pixar series, and yes, it eagerly reuses characters, art and music from the three Toy Story movies. But unlike Disney's rebranded titles, Smash It isn't based on any game I've heard of, even if the gameplay is reminiscent of other catapult-style games like Catapult King and the old Wii title Boom Blox. As the various Toy Story characters, you hurl projectiles at other characters perched on block-based structures, trying to take as many down as possible. In the sense that it's not based on an existing game, it's kind of original, I guess? I'd still like to see Disney mix up their gameplay even more -- the company had such a big hit with Where's My Water? because they tried something completely new, and I haven't seen Decrem and company take a risk like that since. Meanwhile, if you want to play Toy Story: Smash It for yourself, it's out on the App Store now for US$0.99.
New Lego City: Undercover trailer is on the hunt
This new trailer for Lego City: Undercover flashes its wit while showing off its open-world-style gameplay. The game will launch March 18 on Wii U and April 21 on 3DS.
Injustice: Gods Among Us fight tapes show off Bane, Harley Quinn
NetherRealm Studios and DC Comics are hosting a series of popularity contests over on the official Injustice: Gods Among Us website, pitting heroes and villains against each other in a tournament-style bracket where fan votes determine the hypothetical outcome.Sounds fun and everything, but what we're primarily interested in are the gameplay videos released once a winner has been determined, the first two of which can be found above and beyond the veil. We're not going to spoiler the outcome of either fight, obviously, but we will say that Bane's abilities look very reminiscent of Kabal's from Mortal Kombat, while Harley Quinn has more than a little bit of Mileena about her.The next round of voting starts on February 11, so we're anticipating more videos in a couple weeks.
Remember Me trailer goes behind the music
This behind-the-scenes video of Capcom's Remember Me discusses how the soundtrack fits into the game's "Neo Paris" setting. Remember Me is coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in May.
Massively Exclusive: Blacklight: Retribution shows off the end of the world, part 1
If you're a fan of Perfect World Entertainment's competitive MMO shooter Blacklight: Retribution, you're in for the end of the world. The game's latest update, World's End, is coming after the end of this week's scheduled maintenance, and it's a big one, complete with new playable characters, new specialized assault robots, and new maps to shoot your way through. Chronos, the new hero, is meant to act as a group's computer specialist, with an innate ability to hack control nodes faster. He comes equipped with an auto-turret and HRV decoy by default, allowing him to place traps or simply defend himself while hacking. These skills will be put to good use in the new maps, Decay and Trench, with the former featuring close-quarter alleyway combat and the latter giving plenty of mid-range sniping spots. Take a look at the official launch trailer just past the update screenshot gallery, and stay tuned this week for more previews leading up to the patch launch! [Source: PWE press release] %Gallery-126205%
EVE Evolved: Retribution is freaking awesome!
Shortly after the Retribution expansion's deployment, a thread popped up on the EVE Online forums that proved to me that the expansion had been a massive success. In the thread titled So that's what victory in this game feels like, miner Tiberius StarGazer explained that he has always felt like he had no way to get back at people who wronged him. After losing millions of ISK in ships to pirate attacks, he was almost ready to give up on EVE. But when Retribution landed, he was able to sell his kill rights to the public so that every player vigilante who crossed his attacker's path could try to take him down without warning. After just a few hours, Tiberius got a notification that put a smile on his face: He had his first taste of revenge. He'd dealt more damage back to his attacker by clicking a button than had ever been done to him, and the attacker wasn't happy about it. He threatened to find Tiberius and kill him again, and that simple miner's reply said all I needed to know about how successful Retribution has been: "I have deep pockets. Every kill you make on me, I will add as a bounty on your corp; every kill right, I will sell. I can't fight you but others can and you will have to lose five times my loss for wronging me." Retribution has finally given industrialists a reliable way to get revenge and use their wealth as a weapon! In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the PvP that's springing up in empire space, how the new flagging mechanics affect baiting, and what the ship revamp means for new players.
Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney gameplay trailer is puzzling
This trailer for Level-5's crossover game Professor Layton Vs. Ace Attorney shows off some of the courtroom drama and puzzle-solving players can look forward to. Well, that's the action most players can only hope for, since the game has yet to be announced for North America.Professor Layton Vs. Ace Attorney is set to release November 29 in Japan for 3DS.
Daily iPhone App: Kumo Lumo combines colorful design with original gameplay
Kumo Lumo is one of the most recent games from Chillingo, and it's a good one. The gameplay itself here is hard to describe -- it's an arcade game, maybe? Though there's a little bit of simulation in there, and some puzzle elements in terms of how you learn the game and its characters, too. But the real draw here is the aesthetic: Kumo Lumo is definitely gorgeous, especially on the iPad's bigger screen, and the sounds and textures of this one are not to be missed. Basically, as you can see in our video below, you play a cloud, flying around a spherical planet that turns underneath the screen as you go. When the game begins, you're simply raining on trees to grow them, but as the story progresses, you get more elements added to the gameplay, like enemies to stop or obstacles to avoid. Each level of the game has a certain goal to beat, and when you've beaten that goal, you get a star rating and can move on. There's a light in-app purchase scheme to leveling up your abilities, but it's very low pressure, and Kumo Lumo is completely free. The highest levels can be a nice challenge, but the lowest levels are great, colorful, casual gameplay put together in a really original fashion. Don't miss this one for sure.
Sir, You Are Being Hunted by Stealthy Alpha Footage
Budding super villains may want to rethink the whole army of robot henchmen thing. If this Sir, You Are Being Hunted footage is any indication, the robot intelligence and its sudden noise investigation skills leave a lot to be desired. In one encounter, a robot is dispatched by a bear trap. Those things aren't even designed with robots in mind!In Sir, You Are Being Hunted, you're tasked with surviving on an island that is procedurally-generated, dodging robot hunters out to get you and scavenging for food along the way. Sir, You Are Being Hunted reached its Kickstarter goal two weeks back and currently has 12 more days to go before the crowdfunding campaign comes to a close.
Daily iPhone App: Micro Miners combines Lemmings and mining in a cute brew
Back before he invented Minecraft, developer Notch made a little Java game called Miners 4K, which had you digging tunnels on a 2D playing field for little miners to find minerals and other goodies below the dirt. Another developer named Jean-Philippe Sarda later decided to take that idea and run with it on Apple's iOS platform, and the result is this game, Micro Miners, out this week on the App Store. You can see the basic gameplay idea in the video below: The game's sort of like Lemmings, in that you guide the path of a bunch of little creatures without actually controlling them. Instead, like Where's My Water, you swipe across the screen to dig down into dirt, trying to guide them around obstacles to various deposits and other goodies. The action can be relaxing or frantic, depending on where you are in each level, and while the graphics are definitely not extremely polished, they're well-designed in that it's always very clear what's happening in the game. Micro Miners is a smart and fun take on Notch's original title, and for just US$0.99 in the App Store, it's definitely worth playing. Give it a look if the video below interests you.
HeroClix TabApp adds DC Comics figures
The HeroClix TabApp is an interesting, if not all that impressive, app for the iPad that uses HeroClix figurines in conjunction with iOS to make a game featuring the superheroes of the HeroClix series. When it first launched earlier this year, the app featured only Marvel heroes. But apparently the series is doing quite well, because HeroClix has now added some DC heroes to the mix. There are two packs available. One includes Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, and the other is a "Dark Knight Rises" special featuring Batman, Bane and Catwoman. And the app, as you can see above, has been updated with new content for all of the heroes, so if you buy those packs, you can unlock and play the new games and settings. Unfortunately, this app isn't all that great, as I said in the review linked above. But it's good to see that this is getting more popular. Hopefully we'll see more and better interaction between the digital and physical worlds in terms of gameplay on iOS.
Forge reveals a new trailer of beta gameplay footage
While it's still very much in beta, Forge is a title worth watching for all PvP fans in the audience. Our last hands-on explored a fairly recent build, but unfortunately text pieces do a poor job of showing off what the game actually looks like in practice. So if it piqued your curiosity but you weren't in the beta, you were kind of out of luck. But there's good news today, as the team behind the game has released a fan-made trailer assembled from beta gameplay footage. The trailer is fairly short, as trailers are wont to be, but it still gives a picture of what the game looks like in terms of animation and gameplay. Take a look at the full video just past the cut, which covers both navigation and combat from the viewpoint of several classes within the game. There's reason to hope that release dates and pricing information might not be too far off, either. [Source: Dark Vale Games press release]
Player guide explains Mabinogi 2 Arena gameplay
After the recent release of various videos demonstrating the upcoming Mabinogi 2 Arena, players have voiced questions about how the gameplay works and which predecessor it will more closely resemble, Mabinogi or Vindictus. In answer, Steparu has put together an initial explanation of the combat mechanics and gameplay. The guide maps out the keyboard controls for both attacks and counter moves; fighting is controlled by only seven keys (X, Z, C, and 1-4), with one more (Q) bound to consuming potions. It also highlights one of Mabinogi 2 Arena's unique features -- the fact that attack animations change depending on where an enemy is situated and what condition it is in (such as stunned). Once in battle, Mabinogi veterans will recognize that mobs glowing different colors signifies which skill or action the mobs are using.
Even after Overstrike, Insomniac's Fuse continues to change
Even if you happen to be the biggest fan of Insomniac's Fuse, formerly called Overstrike and coming to consoles next year, you may have missed one little detail in the brand new video released by Insomniac and EA yesterday. Izzy Sinclair, the hacking and healing main character, has a brand new look to her clothing, something that's a little more casual than the tactical gear she was wearing on the previous preview footage.That's a change that came directly from player feedback, Insomniac's Ted Price told Joystiq yesterday, and he says there may be more coming. "We're continuing to tweak the game's look and colors," he suggested. Insomniac's fans have been very vocal about the change from the game's original concept back when it was called Overstrike, and Price admits that "there are always going to be questions about our tone shift and that's just something we accept."But Price also says that despite the back and forth about the game's tone, the development team is also getting clear input about the gameplay itself. "The most gratifying feedback we have gotten recently, he says, "has been from our playtests, where we see both the press here and overseas and then occasionally consumers play the game. We've been really positively surprised with how quickly people pick it up, how readily they begin working as a team and just how happy with how much fun they're having."%Gallery-168274%
BioShock Infinite gameplay trailer is its own beast
This BioShock Infinite "Beast of America" trailer shows off the streets of Columbia and demonstrates Elizabeth's helpful ways in combat.As the first trailer for the game seen in months, this video was the result of a community vote on the game's official Facebook page. BioShock Infinite is slated to launch on February 26, 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Need For Speed: Most Wanted gameplay video is in hot pursuit
This gameplay trailer for Need for Speed: Most Wanted shows a full race in which the driver navigates the city of Fairhaven to outpace his opponent (yes, similar to Criterion's Burnout series). Need for Speed: Most Wanted is scheduled to launch October 30 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
The Mog Log: Generating a wow factor in FFXIV
The more I see about Final Fantasy XIV's relaunch, the more anxious I get. If there's any doubt remaining in the minds of others, let me be entirely transparent: I'm a big fan of Final Fantasy XIV. Wonders never cease, I know. To say that I'm looking forward to the new version is pretty much irrelevant. Of course I'm going to play it when everything changes over; I'm playing it now and would continue to do so even without the promise of rebirthing realms. But while I was discussing the game over dinner with Ms. Lady a few nights ago, she said something that struck me as very relevant: "It's going to need to really be awesome to pull me back." And she has a point. I'm getting a bit anxious because the new version thus far seems to set the bar at a very respectable level that's still nowhere near as high as it needs to be, and I wonder whether it's even possible to hit the mark it needs.
Latest ZombiU gameplay video invades London
Ubisoft released a new trailer for ZombiU, which involves gameplay and touch-screen weapons management from the "Tower of London" level in the game. ZombiU was listed as one of the launch titles for Wii U during today's Nintendo Direct press briefing.%Gallery-165273%
