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DeepWorld is a 2D Minecraft-alike coming to Mac and iOS
If you threw a bunch of gaming catchwords in a hat and then pulled them out one by one and put them in order, you might have an approximate description for the upcoming Deepworld. It's a 2D, steampunk, post-apocalyptic sandbox MMO, with Minecraft-style creation, and block graphics that open up to a quite varied and vast game world. Deepworld is almost a game that sounds too good to live up to its promise, but its developers Bytebin (consisting of three guys who have a ton of experience in server architecture, but not quite as much in game development and design) understand they're promising a lot. But the version they kindly showed me at GDC last week definitely lived up to that promise, as least as just two of their characters wandering around the world together. Deepworld's graphics may not look great in screenshots (they're ... "stylistic", you might say), but as you explore more and more of the world, there's a charm there that can't be denied. Only after a makeshift shelter was built, complete with lanterns spreading pools of light, and a storm began in the background, with lightning flashing across the sky and acid rain coming down hard, did the game's beauty really make itself evident. There's a lot of beauty in the various mechanics, too, though. One of the devs describes the title as "a game based on a sort of scarcity," and that scarcity refers to all of the various resources in this originally barren world. As you dig down, lava can be found, which creates steam, which can then be transferred into pipes and used to power technology. There is a crafting system, but unlike Minecraft (where items have to be discovered and built), the game basically just offers up a menu of what's available to build from the various resources you've collected. The interface is nice as well -- you can build whatever you want just using the cursor on the Mac version, and while the iOS version is still under development ("There's a few kinks with touch," Bytebin says), being able to "draw" creations on the iPad's screen will be nice. The biggest issue with Deepworld probably isn't in the game, however: It'll probably be with keeping the servers up. The title is subdivided into 1200x800 block "zones," and the devs are hoping to limit those zones to a certain number of players (and maybe eventually even charge players to customize and save those zones). But there will be a metagame of sorts in "improving the ecosystem" of each zone, so it's not hard to see that Bytebin may run into trouble, if the game turns out to be uber popular, in keeping its servers afloat. Bytebin understands the concern (and again, the team's background is in running large servers for corporate software, so they have a fighting chance at least), but we'll find out for sure how they do when the game goes for an open beta later on this year. Alpha is set to take place "in a few weeks," and there's a beta signup for the game available now. Deepworld looks really fascinating, and it's a title we will probably be proud to have on Mac and iOS.
GDC 2012: Forty minutes with Derek Smart and Line of Defense
"I didn't want to make another Derek Smart game because usually when you mention 'Derek Smart' and 'game', gamers tend to run in the opposite direction," Smart told us when we asked about Line of Defense. That's quite a candid intro, and it set the stage for an interesting 40-minute interview that featured plenty of insights into 3000AD's latest offering. Smart, of course, has something of a notorious reputation in the online community, and while we won't go into that here, it is worth noting that he's focusing on the work and letting his game do the talking.
Ibb and Obb: the ten-second preview
Ibb and Obb is a PSN (for PS3) platformer built around the idea of who characters who can occupy either side of the screen, divided by a line. In essence, they can walk above or below the ground, turning upside down when they pass through certain portals. Players have to cooperate, sometimes on opposite sides of the screen, sometimes on the same side, in order to pass obstacles -- and when one dies, the other does too.In the sequence captured above, players each have to run past the three enemies, then jump over the sawblade guy. The first player to get across has to wait, avoiding another enemy, for the second player to arrive, at which point they have to cooperate to boost one up through the portal. Then the enemies can be killed from below.I watched a pair of GDC attendees work on this sequence for a good five minutes. When they finally got through it, they got up and left, leaving me alone to check out the game for myself. Which would have been great, except I was alone, without a co-op partner. This brief video probably captures the experience better than my own playthrough and writeup would have, anyway.
EA previews titles from Chillingo and Firemint: New Flight Control, Burnout Crash, more
EA had a large suite set up at GDC last week to show off its various new and recent offerings. Here's a quick roundup of what the company is working on for iOS, including among all of its recent acquisitions: PopCap, Firemint, and Chillingo. PopCap was up first -- the popular casual games developer has just released Zuma's Revenge HD on the App Store, and it's a very faithful port of the old arcade title originally released on PC. There's not much new to say about this one -- if you liked it on PC, you'll like it on Apple's iOS devices. I did ask PopCap's about Bejeweled 3 as well. That game has been out on PC for a while, but we haven't really seen a port of it on iOS just yet. But there was no news to report -- PopCap is taking its sweet time working on new titles, and is instead mostly just concerned with putting its popular catalog on as many titles as possible. We may have to wait a while to see another original title arrive on iOS. Next up was a game that a lot of Flight Control fans will be surprised to hear about: Flight Control Rockets. The space-age follow up to the extremely popular Flight Control title was developed by Firemint, but I'm sorry to say that I found it not quite as elegant as the previous version. The title has gone freemium, and you now earn coins as you play, which can then be spent on all sorts of upgrades for your station and skills (or, of course, purchased via in-app purchase). There are some good new ideas in the game, like a combo score that builds up as you line-draw ships of the same color into your station, and lots of new ship types, including ships that break off into two, ships that speed up after being guided home, and even a "snake ship" that is actually a series of ships that will follow each other wherever you draw the first one. There are also "robot helpers" that you can hire, three maximum for each time you play, that will either make things easier for you (by helping you score higher or guide ships in automatically), or change up the gameplay (there's one called a "hardcore bot" that will turn off all of your warnings, but give you more XP as you play). In addition to the player's XP, you can also level up each of your bots, and unlock extra abilities for each of those as well, and there are also "power crystals" you can buy via IAP to earn XP faster. If that all sounds complicated, you're right -- as I said, the first game had a sort of understated elegance to it, and this version is a lot more complex (and maybe even burdened, you might say, by the various in-app purchase possibilities available). But we'll see what players think -- Flight Control Rockets is due out later this month. EA's also working on a World Series of Poker app that even the company's rep admitted was very similar to the already-available Zynga Poker: It's completely online, a freemium title driven by microtransactions, and includes a lot of social fuctions (and even a subscription "VIP" service, if you're so inclined). Unless you're already interested in Zynga's social poker offerings, you might not be too interested by this one, but it's worth saying that EA's app also includes Omaha play, and a few nice metagame options, like the opportunity to quest for a WSOP ring. The poker game is due out early summer. Finally for EA's core lineup, the company is also porting the popular downloadable console title Burnout Crash to iOS, and developer Criterion Games has made quite a few improvements just for this platform. Most notably, the controls are now all touch and swipe based -- rather than going with an odious virtual stick layout, players now swipe their crashed cars around the screen, trying to line up as many explosive and destructive combos as possible. The game looks great (and will probably look even better on the new iPad), and there are new tweaks to the various game modes (Road Trip is now called Road Block) and a lot of nice features (Autolog has been implemented in full) to play with. Burnout Crash is a paid title that should be out later this month. EA recently purchased Chillingo, and that company's titles were on display at GDC as well. The most interesting offering was a really gorgeous flying game called Air Mail, which seems quite well crafted by N-Fusion Interactive, and just looks terrific on the iPad's big screen. The company did go with virtual buttons and a joystick for the default controls (though they are rendered beautifully anyway), but the most interesting feature of the game are the "Advanced Mode Controls," hidden in the game's menus. For that scheme, players use two thumbs on the screen to control either one of the plane's wings, and then can move the iPad or iPhone around in real space, using the gyroscope and accelerometer to guide the plane. It's hard (and I crashed quite often while using it), but once you get the hang of it, it's not only very exciting, but you can also do some pretty spectacular stunts. Air Mail offers a full campaign of more than 20 missions, but I'm most excited about the Explore mode, which just lets you fly around the game's amazing environments at will for as long as you want, finding and collecting various objects. Among Chillingo's other offerings is an interesting title called The Act, which is basically an animated romantic comedy movie that you control at certain times. The premise might be a little strange, and I found the "controls" a little confusing (at one point, I was supposed to swipe towards a woman to try to get my character to be attracted by him, but (as in real life, I suppose) the feedback on whether she was interested or not was a little unclear). Still, The Act's animation looks very well-done, and it's a project that's quite a few years in the making. We'll have to see how it comes out later on this year. Obviously, EA and its various mobile acquisitions are really hitting on all cylinders lately. There's definitely a big trend towards freemium and microtransactions, and I worry a little bit that some of the titles (Flight Control Rockets, especially) are going a little too far in that direction, and away from the core gameplay that really makes the absolute best iOS titles so popular. But we'll have to see how players respond going forward: If a title that heavily relies on the trappings of freemium games doesn't do as well as expected, maybe we'll see a return to a more subtle approach.
Cave's Watanabe on the benefits of premium app pricing
Conventional wisdom says that expensive iOS and Android games don't sell, but in a speech at GDC, Mikio Watanabe, COO of shmup developer Cave, frankly stated the exact opposite. In a presentation entitled "Japanese Retro and Social Games on Smartphones," Watanabe gave advice to developers looking to port their companies' legacy IPs to the rapidly blossoming smartphone and tablet markets.His advice? For starters, keep the games running at a good clip instead of focusing too much on graphical clarity. "When games are running quickly, the human eye misses tiny imperfections in the visuals," he noted, encouraging developers to try to shoot for an average of 50 FPS or better. To increase the profitability, he encouraged developers to include unique and interesting DLC to spur in-app purchases.
Imangi finds success, and more choices, with Temple Run
Imangi Studios' Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova have been making solid games on iOS for years now, from their original hit Harbor Master and their charming dual-stick shooter Max Adventure. But it wasn't until Temple Run this past year (which I first saw in an off-the-record prototype form at GDC last year) that Imangi really hit it big. The freemium game has over 40 million players already, and it's consistently sitting up among the top-grossing spots on the App Store. Imangi's perfectly happy with that success, if not a little overwhelmed by it. "This is ridiculous, what is happening," says Luckyanova. Temple Run actually came at a great time for the couple -- they've just purchased a house, and they have a baby on the way, so they'll definitely be busy ove the next few months, even without a new game. And Shepherd says that's the plan: While Imangi has "a lot of ideas, they're all on the back burner for now." The current goal is to push Temple Run as far as it will go. First things first, that means an Android release -- Imangi has announced the game will arrive on that platform on March 27. After that, says Shepherd, you might see Temple Run in a few other places, including the Mac App Store, and somewhere on the web, in a browser-based form. The couple has also had requests for versions of the game on PC and Facebook, so they're considering those as well. The issue with having this kind of success on the App Store, however, is that once you get a popular game up and running, your inbox starts to fill with all kinds of offers: Merchandising, porting, offers for other markets, and different amounts of money that come with each. Imangi says they're considering all of these, but their main goal is to stay as independent as possible. "We like being independent," says Shepherd. The couple have always had an artist working with them as a third developer, and have since brought on a few more people to help with support and other tasks, but "we're not trying to grow," they say. And that's the biggest issue with selling the company itself. Certainly, they've had offers from bigger publishers, but "if we were to really sell the company," says Shepherd, "we'd have to grow the team a lot." And while they admit extra resources might be nice, Imangi still seems perfectly happy as a core team of two. On iOS itself, Temple Run is getting an update in the next few weeks, with more objectives to take on, possibly more environments to run through, and some "powerup stuff" as well. But outside of that, Imangi is taking a well-deserved breather on development at the moment, and focusing on simply growing all of the business they have. What advice do they have for other developers searching for freemium success? "You need to start with solid work," says Luckyanova. Imangi's been putting good games together on iOS for a while, and so it was probably only a matter of time before one of their titles was able to pay off.
GDC 2012: The Tattered Notebook attends Brasse's community panel
What do dwarves and Monty Python have in common? They both feature prominently in Linda "The Brasse" Carlson's GDC 2012 talk about the front lines of the SOE community relations team. Given the recent roller coaster ride of the ProSiebenSat.1 deal and the turmoil on the forums that followed, I found it interesting to hear what it's like to be a member of the community management folks as they try to handle being in the middle of it all. While her talk was mainly aimed at community managers in other games, there were a few tidbits that players would probably find interesting and maybe even surprising. Read on for the highlights!
Bellator MMA Onslaught brings arcade-style grappling to XBLA and PSN
During GDC, Deadliest Warrior publisher 345 Games showed off its latest licensed project, a mixed martial arts game based on the "Bellator" MMA organization, which can be seen on 345 partner Spike TV. 345 informed me that the major hook of Bellator is that fighters advance through single-elimination tournaments rather than having bouts chosen.In general, however, the idea is that you don't have to be a person who knows the nuances of MMA organizations, or an armchair MMA strategist, to understand the gameplay of Bellator MMA Onslaught, as it's designed with simplicity and pick-up-and-play qualities in mind.In the demo I saw, punches and kicks were mapped to one button each (left and right punch, left and right kick), and grappling maneuvers are mapped to the right stick, allowing you to reach out and then push the right stick in different directions to perform different holds, attempt to get out from a hold, etc. -- the technical stuff of MMA fighting, turned into a simple mechanic.The version I played was considered early -- the TV-style UI was not yet present, and developer Kung Fu Factory and 345 had yet to even decide on all the mechanics to be included. The final game is due this summer.%Gallery-150468%
Hothead Games looks for a Big Win on iOS
Hothead Games is actually an old company by most iOS standards: As marketing director Oliver Birch told me at GDC last week, the company is actually turning six years old this week. Previously, they mostly made PC and console games (most notably the Penny Arcade Adventures, and Ron Gilbert's Deathspank), but recently, Hothead has been pushing more and more towards Apple's App Store, and Birch says that while Hothead definitely "supports all of the games we've got out there, really, we're all about mobile now." Which makes sense -- between the collectible card game Kard Combat, Jetpack Joyride-alike Sea Stars, and the excellent Gem King (formerly known as Kickin' Momma), Hothead already has a nice run of iOS hits. And the company is now looking to follow all of that up with a new game, out now, called Big Win Soccer. Big Win Soccer is probably unlike any soccer game you've played before -- in fact, it's more of a collectible card game than anything else. The idea is that you have a team of players (represented by cards), and you can activate various stats and abilities on them (also represented by virtual cards). When you play a game against someone else online, you don't directly control the players. Instead, you watch the game play out, and the various abilities and stats you chose to represent your team go into the final outcome. After the game, you can earn coins, which can be used to buy and win even more cards, making your team stronger and better. It's ... an interesting idea, though if you're turned off by the trappings of freemium games, you will find plenty of them here: You have a certain amount of energy to play with per day, and can't play beyond that point, and of course the collectible card system is also driven by (optional, admittedly) in-app purchases. Hothead wants you to spend money, it's clear. While there is a card game to be had here, the strong suggestion to supplant your normal play with money is always there. In its short life on the App Store so far, Big Win Soccer has been a huge success, so much so that Birch says the game melted a few of the company's servers (I don't think it literally turned wires to liquid, but Birch wasn't clear). The overwhelming demand for the game on its server software means that Hothead hasn't publicized the game's launch much, but apparently it hasn't had to, given how many players are trying to log in. Reviews for the title are stuck down around two or three stars only, but most of the reviews talk about the servers going down, not the actual gameplay itself. If the game turns out to be a success, Hothead is all ready to follow up: Birch also showed me Big Win Hockey, and it's probably a safe bet that Hothead will expand the line as much as it can, allowing fans of all sports to play their favorite games through the various card collecting mechanics. Birch also showed off a few other titles, each at various stages of development (including one which isn't quite ready for the press yet, he says). Zombie Air is Hothead's next release -- it's a freemium title that also plays sort of like Jetpack Joyride, but instead of just an endless run game, it actually consists of quite a few different levels, as zombies take to the air to fly in customizable planes across a post-apocalyptic United States. The game has a fun and cartoony look, but the freemium model is very evident here as well -- Birch said Hothead is using a lot of the "learning from Sea Stars" to put this one together. So Hothead clearly has a nice slate of titles ready to go. When the company was working on the console, Birch explained, they used to take twelve to eighteen months to put games together, and these days, "we can make a game now in weeks." Is that such a good thing, though? Deathspank and the Penny Arcade Adventures were both interesting, original titles, not bogged down by the trappings of freemium, and Hothead's latest titles, while very well-produced and colorful, don't skimp on the monetization. Birch agrees the concern is there, but says that Hothead needs to be profitable, and wasn't necessarily so back in the console days. He also admits that the company is learning along with its audience just what works best. "We're trying to work it out," he said: How the audience can really enjoy and appreciate Hothead's games, but also make sure that "we get something out of this as well."
Vita 'AR Hockey' works without cards
All right, so the existing Vita AR games aren't hits. But Sony's still trying, demonstrating a new AR game at GDC that's more impressive than the current lineup. It's Pong.AR Hockey, which the Sony staff assured me was currently only a tech demo, is an air hockey game in which two players face off over a rectangular surface, each controlling their paddle by physically shifting left or right.Unlike, say, Table Soccer, which uses six damn cards, AR Hockey can build a playing field out of any rectangular surface it detects -- basically, any corners the Vita can see. This is the "markerless" AR tech shown by Sony back at TGS, and it seems to work just fine, even if you move the Vita around to change your perspective on the game. Though, as one nearby attendee asked, "Why would you want to do that?"
GDC 2012: The Repopulation demonstrates world-building elements
GDC literally has a little of everything, from indie developers to major studios, from free-to-play games to shooters to arena battles to retro to family... there really is something for everyone. As a massive fan of sandboxes myself, I was pleased to get to spend so much time with Above and Beyond Technologies' lead dev and co-owner Josh Halls and artist Kevin Grove as they demonstrated some of the features in their upcoming title, The Repopulation. (And I would have even spent longer if I could have!) While I had a monopoly on the team's attention, I had the chance to see some of the customization available to characters, both in appearance and gear, as well as get the lowdown on the world building element. We actually walked through the building of a nation, a feature that will make many a sandbox fan giddy! Although Josh was quick to point out that only a few items were available at this point in development, there was certainly enough to get a feel for the system. And I am looking forward to it!
Trine 2 DLC brings six new stages this summer; Frozenbyte's next project a new IP
A fresh batch of Trine 2 DLC is dropping this summer, and it will include six new stages, a shiny new story and new skills. XBLA Fans picked up the news from Frozenbyte marketing director Mikael Haveri during a GDC 2012 panel this week. Haveri also said there would be a lot of puzzles based on light, water, low gravity and magnetic elements.Frozenbyte's next project is an original IP set to launch at $15 for unannounced platforms, Haveri teased to XBLA Fans. At that price, we feel confident expecting a downloadable release.
Yasuhiro Wada waxes nostalgic about Harvest Moon
Yasuhiro Wada has been engaged in the games industry for over 20 years, but lately he's been more into management than actual game production. With the formation of Toybox Inc, however, he joins the ranks of Japanese developers like Yuji Naka and Keiji Inafune – developers who left top management positions at major companies to pursue more active creative roles at smaller startups. While his name might not be the biggest in the biz, he's responsible for one of the most quietly influential games in the industry: Bokujou Monogatari, known outside of Japan as Harvest Moon.Wada grew up in the countryside, where he dreamed of eventually making his way to the big city. When he finally did get to Tokyo, however, he learned that there are some elements to good ol' country living that deserve appreciation. It was this experience that served as the inspiration for a game idea: A non-combative game that conveyed the simple pleasures of country life. It wasn't an easy pitch, and Wada had to build rapport at his company first with a portfolio of small successes. It took about 2 years to build both the record and the budget necessary to propose Harvest Moon to his higher-ups, but his patience paid off in both development and marketing experience.[Image: GameFAQS]
Overheard@GDC: The craft of mining
Minecraft creator and recent millionaire Notch held a fireside chat with Spyparty's Chris Hecker, seated alongside a pixelated fire roaring across a plasma screen in one of the large halls at GDC. Hecker and Notch kicked off the chat with two bottles of Sierra Nevada and a cheers, and for one hour, a roomful of fans and developers listened to the pair of them talk about the intricacies of Minecraft's development in some of the most riveting, "you had to be there" moments.But one thing Notch said applies to everyone, even those who weren't cool enough to be in the room:"There is one thing that hasn't been found," he declared, referring to the Easter Eggs and cool tricks buried in Minecraft gameplay. Grab a beer (or legally applicable beverage) and get diggin', folks.
Taito's Ishida: 'Expect to see more Groove Coaster'
If you've played Taito's beautifully abstract iOS music game, Groove Coaster, you probably want more of Taito's beautifully abstract iOS music game, Groove Coaster. And you'll have it. During an interview today, producer Reisuke Ishida told Joystiq: "People can expect to see more Groove Coaster in the future." As for the details, like when, or whether it's in the form of game updates or a full sequel, we got "No comment."One (vector-based, icon-covered) avenue he'd like to explore is a console port, much like the XBLA/PSN port of his iOS shooter Space Invaders Infinity Gene. "There's no plan for a console release of Groove Coaster yet, but if it's possible it's something that I'd like to do," Ishida said. "I don't think the controls would be much of an issue; it's pretty simple controls." Ishida said he kept consoles in mind while designing Groove Coaster. "I didn't want to add something that wouldn't be able to be communicated for consoles in the future."In terms of non-Groove Coaster games, Ishida teased a third game in what he called the "Infinity Gene series (which currently includes Infinity Gene and Groove Coaster). "It'll probably have a similar aesthetic to the previous two games, but people shouldn't expect another shooting game. It'll be something different."Ishida quickly clarified: "I'm not saying I'm never going to make shooting games again, just not for the next project."
Forth Dimension's second Replicating Reality concept stuffs Half-Life 2 into a virtual reality headset (video)
GDC might be winding down, but we'd be remiss if we didn't catch up with Forth Dimension Displays, the Kopin subsidiary responsible for all those little microdisplays inside your camcorders and, we're told, specialized military gear. While neither of those are terribly exciting to consumers, the outfit's latest concept is. Similar to last year's E3 demo, the company's new rig is built to highlight the kinds of use cases it would like OEMs to build using its microdisplays. The above jury-rigged setup above consists of a helmet rocking two of the company's SXGA (1280 x 1024) microdisplays which are in turn connected to back-mounted drivers which are then attached to your run-of-the-mill gaming PC. But unlike previous endeavors, when head-tracking happened in the helmet, this year we've got a plastic gun stuffed with an air mouse which controls onscreen movement. It's admittedly hacked together and certainly not flawless -- the cursor tended to bob upwards in our time with it -- yet very immersive and an amazing way to frag combine soldiers in the trenches of Half Life 2. But don't take our word for it, ogle at the gallery below, or watch a video of it in all its glory after the break.
Alone in the Dark creator hopes for an HD remake one day
HD remakes are becoming more prevalent in the video games industry, as a means of introducing a new generation of gamers to something they may have otherwise never played. Frédérick Raynal, designer of the original survival-horror game, Alone in the Dark, said he's totally on board with an HD remake."I would love an HD remake one day and I hope it will happen, one day," Raynal responded when asked about the possibility at the conclusion of his GDC postmortem. "I think Infogrames holds the rights; I'm not sure about that."Atari published the last entry in the Alone in the Dark series back in 2008. If someone wants to get a remake out in time for the 20th Anniversary of the original game, they'll have to get it out within the next nine months.
The 'bullshot' dates back to Alone in the Dark
In the games industry, a 'bullshot' is a screenshot that's been manipulated to appear prettier and more exciting than the actual game. It happens more commonly than our tag would have you believe. The thing is, scientists have been trying to determine the genesis of this heinous act for quite some time now -- and we think we've found a prominent example of one of the earliest bullshots in Alone in the Dark.During his GDC postmortem, designer Frédérick Raynal admitted that he drew the back-of-the-box face for Alone in the Dark's protagonist in MS Paint, back in 1992. The main character doesn't look like he does above in the actual game, though the original packaging still shows the hand-drawn visage."We were in September 1992, master state, but we still had no head for the hero." Raynal said that Infrogrames was looking for screens to share at the time, and so Raynal was in a tough spot. He decided he was just going to draw the head in."It is funny because if you still look on the first box for the game, you an see those pictures with the fake head on it." Raynal said the bullshot even made it into the game -- if you don't touch the keys in the main menu, a slideshow featuring the touched-up image will start up. Nobody ever bothered to fix it.
GDC 2012: Wargaming.net on World of Warplanes, clan wars, and taking over the world
Wargaming.net had a huge presence at this year's GDC, and why not? The firm is growing at an exponential rate, and we're not just talking about the fact that it has World of Warplanes and World of Battleships coming down the pike. CEO Victor Kislyi told me that over the past year the firm has expanded to include 700+ employees and a global presence that features development centers in Kiev, Ukraine, and Russia. The firm's flagship World of Tanks title currently boasts 18 million players worldwide, and it is paving the way for the second and third entries in a World War II trilogy. Its clan wars mode is also the starting point for a grand vision of military combat at the squad level.
The Repopulation populates pre-alpha
Above and Beyond Technologies, the studio behind upcoming sci-fi sandbox title The Repopulation, has been spending the last couple of months preparing new features for the game to show off at GDC 2012. Well, the wait is over as a new changelog post on the game's official site gives players a look at all the hard work that's been put into the game over the last two months. Oh, we're sorry, did we say changelog? We meant novel. The team has clearly been slaving away nonstop if the sheer number of changes and additions is any indication. If you're waiting to see these new features in action, though, don't worry. The studio says that some new video footage has been prepared that will be publicly released after GDC 2012. And to top it off, the post announces that the studio "will be opening Alpha testing in June." More information on that will be coming next week, so hang tight and read up, and be sure to stay tuned for our own MJ Guthrie's look at the game straight from GDC 2012.
