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MechAssault dev Day 1 Studios teases new mech game
Way back in the early days of Xbox Live, there was no online Halo, no Modern Warfare, no Battlefield. No, what you played back then was Day 1 Studios' MechAssault, which came bundled with Xbox Live, and it was glorious. Day 1 has concentrated mainly on the FEAR series for the last few years, but a new trailer teases a return to its mech roots.Quite literally, actually. Dare we hope for a new MechAssault? An HD re-release? It's anyone's guess at this point but, at the very least, the inclusion of robots seems to be a shoo-in. Whatever the project is, it's slated for 2012.
MechAssault Phantom War dev diary #5
IGN has been doing a series of developer diaries for MechAssault Phantom War and they just released #5. This diary talks with Bob Baffy about voice overs, music and sound effects for the game. The tech wiz explains how difficult it was to score music for the DS since the speakers aren't as powerful as ones for a PC. His team ended up starting from scratch after one score attempt and realizing that, halfway through game development, they were too ambitious. Voice overs he enjoyed and they recorded over 300 lines of dialogue. That seems quite a bot for a mech game if you ask us. This isn't the most exciting of the dev diaries but it is from an angle most people don't think about. It is easy to forget that someone made that gunshot sound when spraying bullets. Plus, every part made in a game to create a whole puzzle takes a lot of people and they each deserve credit for their work. So, next time you blow an enemies head off, remember that someone out there made that sound just for you.
LucasArts teams with MechAssault crew
LucasArts has announced they will be partnering with MechAssault developer Day 1 Studios to produce an original IP for next gen consoles. Details won't be revealed until a later date, but Next Generation speculates the collaboration will yield an online action title befitting of Day 1's rock 'em, sock 'em robot roots. The Xbox developer is also handling the 360 port of PC shooter F.E.A.R, due in November.
LucasArts partners with MechAssault team
LucasArts has formed an unholy alliance with Day 1 Studios, creators of original Xbox Live mega-hit, MechAssault. The two studios, with their powers combined, seek to create an original IP exclusively for next gen consoles. From the horse's mouth (i.e LucasArts' Peter Hirschmann),"LucasArts is determined to deliver outstanding new ideas to next-generation consoles, and our partnership with the great people at Day 1 Studios creates another opportunity for us to bring innovation and creativity to the market. The phenomenal technology created by Day 1 directly affects gameplay in extremely innovative ways- and it perfectly complements the engaging story and intriguing characters you'd expect of a LucasArts title."Mechs wielding lightsabers? Count us in.
Chromehounds review: it ain't pretty [update 1]
Gamebrink has posted an import review of the much anticipated Chromehounds. Bad news: it looks to be sub-par at best. Neither a slow and methodical mech sim, nor a fast and arcadey shoot 'em up, Chromehounds can't seem to make up its mind. From the review:"The first thing you'll probably think to yourself when you start a game of Chrome Hounds is, "Wow, this is really slow." No matter which type of Mech you choose to pilot you'll always feel like movement around levels is way too slow. That along with the fact that it's usually the case that the more weaponry you have on your Mech the slower it moves, and you've got all the ingredients for boredom. Now I guess this would be fine if the actual process of aiming, moving, and firing required a lot of micro-management thus making it a simulation type game but Chrome Hounds unfortunately has very limited controls."Ouch. The review does note that the much hyped mech customization is very deep. Unfortunately, the online portion -- ostensibly where you'd be using your custom mech -- is not easy to navigate. The online persistent war is great in theory, but finding people to play with can be a chore apparently. What's that you say, you just want to play a quick deathmatch game? Too bad, because it's not an option. If you want to have a good time online you'll need five buddies who can be online whenever you are, because that's the only way to play. Also, the music selection is pretty slim. That is to say, there is exactly one piece of background music. On the plus side, um, the graphics are pretty good. Gamebrink's advice: if you've got Live Gold, give it a rental. If not, skip it.For my part, I wish it weren't so. Anyone still going to give it a try? Update 1: it looks like Gamebrink completely failed to mention other online modes, which do in fact exist. Good thing, too, because I actually enjoyed the demo. And, for what it's worth, Famitsu scored the game 33/40. Not bad. My apologies for linking what I assumed was a well informed review. Ken and Chris G. sicced the ravenous weasels on me last night and I have learned my lesson.
Mech Assaults DS, charges filed
Though we spotted this about a month ago, Majesco Entertainment has officially revealed some concrete information regarding a DS version of MechAssault, now subtitled Phantom War instead of Shadow War. Personally, we would have gone with Spook Hostility, but we understand that mech fans would prefer if Majesco took this seriously.Judging by their standard PR list of features, they are. Developed by Backbone Entertainment (they worked on the PSP's Death Jnr), the game allows you to commandeer over 20 types of vehicles, upgrade weapons, engage in four-player wireless combat and just generally obliterate anything you can aim your guns at. The only point of worry may come in with the use of the touch screen: "The touch screen lets players intuitively ‘touch’ the cockpit controls to hack into giant ‘Mechs, eject pilots, switch weapons and check battle techniques."That sounds a lot like "There's an in-game menu at the bottom screen," a design that may prove to be irksome in the heat of battle. We thought that aiming via the touch screen (just like in Metroid Prime: Hunters) would be far more intuitive and closer to the dual-analog control of the Xbox titles. Still, we'll wait and see what the exact control scheme is before we stomp on a game that, at the very least, promises giant robots for our puny portable.[Thanks mandarin!]
Mech Assaulting the DS?
Potentially incorrect online retailer listing news now, as GameStop has put up a page for a MechAssault game on the DS. Apparently, MechAssault: Shadow War will be released by Majesco this coming May. Now, there's at least a vaguely believable element here, as Majesco is also publishing a portable version one of Microsoft's other big franchises, Age of Empires, on the DS. Naturally, we're drawn to any game that features gigantic robots wreaking havoc, so we'd be quite pleased to see this one adapted to a stylus driven blast-a-thon in the vein of Metroid Prime: Hunters. But then again, Majesco may just decide to go with recent silly trends and make it a tactical card battle game instead.[via DSupdates]
