open world
Latest
Fuel turbos to retail May 2009 (plus: first in-game trailer)
Codemasters has just revealed that Fuel -- an open-world, off-road racer that claims to make Burnout Paradise seem like a postage stamp in scale -- will begin cruising the countryside sometime this May.To promote this momentous announcement, a freshly greased Fuel trailer has made its way online, showcasing some in-game footage. If the trailer's first thirty seconds are anything to go (anywhere) by, then Fuel's open world element just might be enough to differentiate it among the competition and demand our attention.
Suda51 says changes coming to Desperate Struggle's open world
Some people didn't find Santa Destroy to be as open and navigable in No More Heroes as the rest of us did, and Suda51 has definitely heard those concerns. During a recent interview with GameSetWatch, he said to "expect big changes for No More Heroes 2's open world." If by big changes, you mean bigger lawns to cut, more trees to shake, and bigger alleyways to mutilate dozens and dozens of enemies in, then we're on board with Desperate Struggle! Other than that, the interview mostly focuses on the difficulty foreign talent has adapting to their new surroundings at Grasshopper Manufacture. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read the interview in its entirety, however. So hit up this link right here. Need to catch up on the latest No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle news? Well, you're in the right place! Read up on who will publish the thing, as well as some of Suda51's goals with the new game. Also, jump into the discussion about MotionPlus and online play, both of which Suda51 is thinking about implementing.
Nintendo conference screen mega-roundup!
Click for full-sized image Nintendo announced a lot of games last night at their Japanese conference. Many of them, like Punch-Out!! here, were brand new. Some, like Supan Smasher and Cosmic Walker, we still don't know anything about. But we've got screenshots. So many screenshots. After the break, you'll find galleries of all the new games, along with new screens of some upcoming games we've known about for a while. Of special interest to us: the previously-announced Oboro Muramasa Youtouden, coming to the US as Muramasa: The Demon Blade, because it looks super hot, Karaoke Joysound Wii, which appears to have art by Parappa creator Rodney Alan Greenblat, and Takuto of Magic (Wand of Magic), which appears to be a followup to Taito's LostMagic on the DS. %Gallery-33381%
Nintendo conference video reveals one billion new games
Well, it's a bit late for accurate estimation. Let's just say a lot of new games. And rather than write a separate post about each new game seen for the first time in this Nintendo media conference video, we'll just list out every new game we see in the order we see them, with a bit of description in case you can't figure out which is which. We'll also point out known games for which we're seeing the first video. Okay? Let's Tap, developed by Prope, published by Sega. The sidescrolling platformer/fireworks ... thing. Karaoke Joysound, developed and published by Hudson. We knew about the game, but this video was the first look. It's the one with the rabbity avatar. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. We saw scans of this remake this morning, and now there's the first video. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii. It's the one that looks like a Taiko game! Coming December 11! And many Nintendo-published games for 2009!
Producer: Paradise City a 'postage stamp' compared to Fuel's size
Four-letter racing game news now, with developer Asobo talking up the tech it's concocted for its open-world racer, Fuel. The in-game map, a blend of satellite information and procedurally generated data which stretches across 5,000 virtual square miles, would reportedly be a couch potato's worst nightmare if assembled via traditional means. "In the context of that map, which is one small corner of it, when the guys showed us this technology, if you were to build it in a traditional manner it would fill about four Blu-rays," Fuel producer David Brickley tells VideoGamer.com. "A gargantuan amount of data, just enormous."That last word is what we'd normally use to describe, say, Burnout's Paradise City, but Brickley seems to imply that we need a change of perspective: "I did a little Power Point internally to do it and it zoomed them [Fuel and Paradise City] in to each other. It's like a little postage stamp because I think it does like four kilometres or something." Well, Criterion, it seems come 2009, you'll be licked in terms of sheer size. But will there be a restart option?
The Digital Continuum: WAR's secret PvP sauce
Before the game's launch day came, a lot of people found themselves thinking there was a stigma that came with Warhammer Online. There was a concern that you couldn't play the game without having to participate in PvP or that the PvE content assumed a much smaller role within the game. People were just plain scared/worried/concerned about PvP in general. Today when I log in I'll find countless strangers and friends all participating in some form of PvP content during their play session. So just what is Mythic's apparently potent secret sauce?
Five minutes inSIDE inFAMOUS
The first PS3 title from Sly Cooper creator Sucker Punch was shown behind closed doors at E3, which is a shame. inFAMOUS looks great, leveraging its developer's talents in art design, animation, and platforming to create an electrifying open-world action experience. We've already reported on what we saw of this promising 2009 title; now it's your chance to get a five-minute guided tour of the game. There are no edits in this HD vid (courtesy of G4), so you get a feel for what it's like to have a developer walking you through its creation. Of course, this also means there's plenty of running around not doing much, since all the cool bits haven't been condensed into a trailer. The parts of this video that stand out most are the platforming (strong Assassin's Creed vibe there), a moment in combat when the player "restrains" a foe to the ground with electricity, and a very unique use of his powers – acting as a human defibrillator to jump-start the heart of a dying pedestrian. Click here to watch the full clip at G4. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Latest Darksiders trailer is artsy, open, adventurous
"There's my steed!" Looks like we'll get to control a god of war War himself and do it with style in Vigil Games' open-world action game, Darksiders: Wrath of War. Considering that Joe "Mad!" Madureira of X-Men and Battle Chasers fame is the developer's creative director, the fact that it's looking smoking hot doesn't surprise us.This new video of Darksiders features Madureira and Vigil's general manager, David Adams, talking about all of the nifty stuff you can see and do thanks to the game's open world nature. It's worth noting that the video is from the upcoming E3 demo of Darksiders, meaning that we'll get our hands on the game's latest milestone later this month to report on all the nitty-gritty (and pretty-pretty) details.%Gallery-26826%
Joystiq impressions: Prototype (360/PC/PS3)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Hands_on_impressions_with_Prototype_360_PC_PS3'; After a recent demo of Sierra's Prototype, I came away feeling a little less excited for the title than when I started. I'm still anticipating its Fall, 2008 360/PC/PS3 release, assuming it ships on time. I think it could be an exciting third-person action/mystery. But I'm uncertain about if it will become a cohesive experience by then; I saw well-executed elements but I'm not sure if they will combine.And admittedly, Prototype's open-world scope is much too big to take in from a single demonstration. The fast, physical action and control look better than other games, with the player able to change fighting techniques and attacks at any moment. Developer Radical Entertainment didn't spill too much about the story, only repeating that you play an amnesiac with the ability to morph into other peoples' identities.I hope that plot can connect to the action. I think it could, especially because the character gains the memories and abilities of the identities he steals. And while the anti-hero is becoming a cliche, Radical stressed that you're not trying to save Manhattan from its plague of monsters. You're out for yourself, and the story is supposed to explain why.%Gallery-5779%
Joystiq impressions: Saints Row 2 (360/PS3)
Never before has a videogame so accurately allowed characters to pantomime taking a dump on a slain enemy. Years from now, when every game has a dozen user-selectable taunts built into it, we'll all look back on August 26's Saints Row 2 as the game that started the virtual dumping trend. And as this article was posted, in the comparison between Saints Row 2 and GTA IV, only the former could claim the virtual, pantomimed dump. Your move, GTA IV. There's more to Saints Row 2, and the rest of it also caters to adolescent boys (or the adolescent boy in us all). You can play co-op with a friend online and just fly helicopters, drive boats, race cars and motorcycles, and otherwise play in the updated Stillwater setting. If you want to follow the story missions--purported to be "darker" than the original by developers--you can both drop in and out of a single-player game in a way that keeps track of each players progress, so you don't miss any content. But, who are we kidding? THQ had fans of Saints Row at "pantomimed dump." %Gallery-19838%
Joystiq hands-on: Red Faction: Guerrilla (360/PC/PS3)
At a recent THQ game event, another writer asked me about the original Red Faction. I told him it was one of the first games to use destructible environments. And then as I kept talking, I added qualifiers and backed off from that statement. Eventually, I rambled on to say it was also the first not-fully-successful game to do that in a long line of unsuccessful games. It was still cool -- smashing through a window was impressive -- but it didn't give the destroy-anything sense that the developers pushed.Due late this year, Red Faction: Guerrilla could finally deliver on that promise, although it has caveats of its own. Still on Mars, this time you play almost the entire game above ground. I had fun smashing holes into buildings and even destroying them with a sledgehammer. But I missed the underground, mining elements of the original. If everything is supposed to be destructible, why not the ground, too?On a technical and design level, it makes sense that a destructible ground would be a lot to ask. But it sure would be satisfying. Even without that option, Red Faction: Guerrilla could be a great game%Gallery-19834%
Two Worlds expansion Curse of Souls hits the Marketplace
While we doubt Oblivion will credit Reality Pump's Two Worlds as the wind beneath its wings, we still can't help but wonder if it's cold there living in the shadow of Bethesda's role-playing opus. Nevertheless, the lesser of the two open-ended RPGs continues to get love by way of downloadable content, the latest of which dropped today over Xbox Live. Dubbed Curse of Souls, the 600 point multiplayer-focused affair is the game's second, following the already available Tainted Blood, and promises, among other things, an extra 10 hours of content spread over 35 new quests. The download also adds a player-versus-player arena throwdown in the town of Tharnburg, no doubt making for a thrilling spectacle for the handful of players still frolicking in the world of Antaloor as they wait for the game's recently confirmed sequel.[Via Press Release]
This ... is ... trailer! Debut trailer for This is Vegas
If the images released a few days ago weren't enough to whet your appetite for the upcoming action title This Is Vegas, then try this debut trailer on for size. The footage looks early but the Vegas hook is sure to draw people in, especially those who think they can fool Gil Grissom. The open world action is slated to hit the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this winter from Midway's internal studio Surreal Software, makers of The Suffering and Drakan: The Ancients' Gates. By the way, no one fools Gil Grissom.
New GTAIV scans found in the wild [Update]
Update: Some details in the original Games Aktuell article are reprinted from prior releases, no new information was made available in the article from what we know. We need to learn how to read in German.Xboxygen got their hands on the latest issue of the German gaming magazine, Games Aktuell, which is loaded with fresh details and screens of Grand Theft Auto IV. Among the ten new images scanned from the issue, a slew of new info some existing details were reprinted. NeoGAF forum members posted some details last year, including:
