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A City Sleeps review: Bullet purgatory
PC, Mac A City Sleeps marks a bold new direction for developer Harmonix. After spending the last several years working on the big-budget Rock Band and Dance Central franchises, Harmonix is now scaling back its internal studio culture, forming small independent teams within the company to encourage new gameplay concepts that can be fleshed out quickly. A City Sleeps is the first project to launch in the wake of this major shift for the studio. While it doesn't require any musical instrument peripherals to play, the finished product retains much of Harmonix's signature charm, skillfully implementing rhythm-driven gameplay elements in the context of a side-scrolling, arcade-style shoot-'em-up. A City Sleeps succeeds on many fronts, but its short length and uneven difficulty curve make it a tough prospect even for hardcore shooter fans.
Arcade-style shoot-'em-up Raiden 5 coming to Xbox One
Seibu Kaihatsu's Raiden shoot-'em-up series will return on the Xbox One, a teaser trailer shown at Microsoft's TGS booth revealed this week. Tracing its origins back to the 1990 release of Raiden in arcades, the vertically scrolling series saw multiple ports and releases across 16- and 32-bit consoles. Arcade-born series predecessors Raiden 4 and Raiden Fighters Aces made appearances on the Xbox 360, and the upgraded Raiden 4: Overkill was revealed for the PlayStation 3 earlier this year. Raiden 5 is due to launch for the Xbox One in 2015. [Image: Moss / Seibu Kaihatsu]
Beat and shoot-em-up in former Titanfall, God of War devs' To The Death
Indie developers Scary Mostro and Section Studios launched their Kickstarter campaign for To The Death today. The game combines beat-em-up and arcade shooter elements together, as players control one of two warriors that are dashing towards one another, hacking away at everything in their path. As To The Death's story goes, the warriors killed each other and are now stuck in The Crawl, a purgatory-like world between life and death. The two studios are led by developers with a deep history in the industry, with To The Death's game design and engineering coming from Scary Mostro's Todd Alderman and Francesco Gigliotti. Both Alderman and Gigliotti are credited as lead designer and engineer respectively at Infinity Ward on the Call of Duty series, and later worked on Titanfall for Respawn Entertainment. Likewise, To The Death's art direction comes from Section Studios Creative Director Cecil Kim, visual development lead for God of War 3. To The Death is in development for PC, Mac and Linux with early access tentatively planned for August. Scary Mostro and Section Studios are seeking $400,000 by February 19 to fund its development.
Sina Mora gets one mora port on iOS
Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture's picturesque steampunk shmup, Sine Mora, has landed on iOS. Sine Mora is currently available as a $5.99 universal download and requires iOS 6.0 and above. It is not yet optimized for 4th generation iPhone and iPod Touch devices, according to the product page. iTunes reviews suggest a Facebook login is required for both saving the game and accessing the leaderboards, and that the game does not run in full-screen on iPad. We've inquired with Digital Reality to confirm the details and will update accordingly. Sine Mora is currently available on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PC. Our review said the game's time-control mechanic "gives less dedicated players a chance to enjoy one of the industry's more vibrant genres while simultaneously giving hardcore players a new spin on an age-old formula."
G.rev's Mamorukun Curse! shoot-em-up arrives on PSN July 16
Japanese developer G.rev (probably best known as the co-developer of Ikaruga with Treasure) has announced that it will be bringing its cartoony shoot-em-up Mamorukun Curse! to North America, courtesy of publisher UFO Interactive Games. As you can see in the trailer, there's some serious bullet-hell action, with the big innovation being that scrolling up the screen is manual rather than automatic. This version will also include the Japanese DLC, which means two new maps, two new characters, and full Trophy support. Mamorukun Curse! showed up in Japan back in 2008 as Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta!, but it'll finally arrive in the US on July 16, at a price of $19.99.
Qute Corporation returns to shooting 'em up with Ginga Force
Qute Corporation has made a name for itself putting together popular, fan favorite shmups like Judgment Silversword and Eschatos, and the company's latest title follows that trend closely. Ginga Force is on its way to the Xbox 360, and as you can see from the trailer above, it's got lots of bullets and spaceships, and one being shot at the other many different times in many different ways.Other than the trailer above, there's not a lot of information on the new game. Eschatos was released only in Japan, but as a region-free title. But Qute has yet confirmed whether the same will be true with this one. Ginga Force is due out across the ocean later on this year.
Saidaioujou, Cave's latest shmup, to hit Japanese Xbox 360s next year
Cave's newest arcade shoot-em-up, DoDonPachi Saidaioujou, is coming to Japanese Xbox 360s next spring, the company announced today. Saidaioujou hit the country's arcades back in April. The shmup specialists only just released 2011's Akai Katana on Western shores, so it may be a while before Saidaiojou's brand of vertical bullet-hell reaches us. In the meantime, we can look ahead to the game's dress-up shtick. Your ship's abilities and the game's difficulty depend on which outfit you choose for your supporting "elemental doll." Naturally, the skimpy bikini results in the hardest difficulty – though all the outfits look pretty skimpy, as you can see in the arcade game's trailer above. In addition to HD visuals, a new easy mode, and a 360-specific mode, the console port will receive a new elemental doll. Presumably with new outfits. Presumably skimpy.
Retro/Grade preview: A step forward, backward
Much like the classical pianist who has thoroughly mastered his craft and finds the act of reading sheet music to be perfectly droll, the multicolored gem charts of Guitar Heros and Rock Bands have become easy pleasy lemon squeezy. If you've been playing those games since the genre's inception, you can probably tap and strum through most songs on the hardest difficulty settings. It is unlikely, however, that you could do so backwards while dodging increasingly violent salvos of enemy lasers. 24 Caret Games' PSN-exclusive indie shoot-em-up Retro/Grade asks you to do just that, forcing you to use your brain (and your digits) in a manner which you're almost certainly unaccustomed to. In case you haven't been following it (you terrible dummy), here's the pitch: You're a pilot who's flying his spacecraft through a reversed flow of time, dodging enemy fire as it's sucked back into their ships, while re-collecting your own fired bursts by navigating to the appropriate track and strumming, in time, on a guitar peripheral. (Or a controller, if you're so inclined.)
TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Velocispider
Lord knows why you'd want to actually combine a spider and a Velociraptor, but developer Retro Dreamer did anyway, and the result is Velocispider, a fun pixelated shoot-em-up game that's out universally on the iPad and iPhone. The Araknasaur (as the creature's called) serves as your cannon for some wacky reason, and it's your job to tilt the iPhone left and right to control the little abomination of nature through waves of enemies of all kinds. The game's quite fun, and while it's pretty simple, the addition of power-ups keeps things interesting enough to chase your highest score. Once you hit a record, you can share it with Game Center integration as well, and then go back in and try to score even bigger. Retro tunes and really charming enemy designs (along with a skeleton story) make this a real winner. Definitely check it out -- Velocispider is available on the App Store for US$0.99.
Madfinger announces new Shadowgun game, with Tegra 2 and Kal-El support (update: video)
Madfinger Games, the Czech Republic-based company behind Samurai II: Vengeance, has just announced Shadowgun -- a futuristic, shoot 'em up game for Tegra 2-equipped Android phones and tablets. Available on both the Tegra Zone app and Android Market, Shadowgun promises to bring console-quality graphics and performance to mobile platforms -- presumably with the extra geometric detail and high-res textures we've seen in other Tegra 2-tailored games. Madfinger is also developing a version for devices powered by NVIDIA's forthcoming quad-core processor, alluringly known as Project Kal-El. Price and availability have yet to be announced, but you can find more information in the PR after the break. Update: NVIDIA has just released a demo video, see it for yourself after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
App review: Rage HD (iPhone)
The iOS App Store might already have its fair share of addictive and compelling games on offer, but when John Carmack comes calling with his latest megatextured shoot-em-up, you've got to sit up and pay attention. Rage HD: Mutant Bash TV isn't so much a full-fledged game in its own right as it is a teaser for the forthcoming Rage FPS for the PC, and yet even in its pretty limited running time, it managed to woo and thrill us with its visceral gameplay and arresting visuals. It's easily the best-looking game we've yet seen on a mobile device and provides a fine demonstration of just how far Apple's hardware -- on the iPhone 4, iPad, and fourth-gen iPod touch -- can be pushed when some appropriately adroit hands are at the graphical controls. But, of course, games are supposed to be fun to play, not just to look at, so why not join us after the break to see how well Rage HD handles its mutant-bashing duties?%Gallery-107875%
iPhone It In: Sketch Nation Shooter
The iPhone App Store is littered with small-minded games. Sure, they may be fun, but they're far too often devoid of any real, long-lasting appeal. Sketch Nation Shooter is more than just the antithesis of those games ... it's the antidote. SNS not only allows you to use your iPhone to create a game from the ground up, but also gives free access to the multitude of games that others have already made. And did I mention it's just a buck?
Raystorm HD storming Japanese XBLA and PSN May 5
Though "mum" is still the word on the stateside release plans of Taito's renovated shoot-em-up Raystorm HD, Japanese scrolling aerial warfare enthusiasts will be pleased to know the game's recently announced, completely imminent release date. According to Japanese gaming news site Game Watch, Taito has confirmed the game will arrive in Japan on XBLA May 5 for 1,200 and PSN May 6 for 1,500 yen. Just like every other time we've written about Raystorm HD, we'll contact Taito to see if we can find out anything about the game's North American release. Should we hear anything back, we'll travel directly to Vegas, because we've obviously been stricken with an impossible amount of good fortune.
Shoot 1UP headed to PSN
Developer Nathan Fouts tells Co-Optimus that his label, Mommy's Best Games, is working to bring Shoot 1UP to PSN. The Xbox Live Indie Game turns the tables on the shoot-'em-up genre by allowing the player to build a mass of ships and basically become a sentient bullet hell, tossing back as many projectiles as enemies are able to dish out. If you think about it, it's not terribly fair that only Xbox gamers have gotten the sweet taste of shmup revenge. After all, Sony fans have been battling through these things since Einhander. When this cosmic injustice is addressed, we're hoping Shoot 1UP can retain its $1 XBLIG price tag.
Brand new 2D shmup 'Dux' released ... for Dreamcast
It's a sad fact that at the end of every console war, a remainder of die-hard zealots from each camp stay behind, waving high their console's battle standard while refusing to endorse any and all future pieces of hardware. Such a camp surely exists for the Sega Dreamcast, and while time may have forgotten these stubborn warriors, the kind folks at developer HUCAST have not -- they recently released a 2D horizontal shoot-em-up titled Dux exclusively on the extinct piece of Sega hardware.Dux is currently selling for the bizarre price of $27.90. Fortunately, it won't be the last game to come out on the system -- HUCAST is nearing completion on another Dreamcast-exclusive shmup titled Last Hope: Pink Bullets, which was presumably co-developed by The Shins.
SNK developing King of Fighters shmup for XBLA
We've always enjoyed SNK Playmore's long-running fighting franchise (the aptly named King of Fighters series), though we often find ourselves stuck with an inexplicable desire to see the series' adroit brawlers fly effortlessly through the air while shooting bullets out of their hands.... No, you know what? We're not going to lie to you. We've never thought that. Nobody has, ever. Until now, that is -- Famitsu recently outed SNK's latest, and arguably most bizarre project ever: An Xbox Live Arcade shoot 'em up based in the KoF universe, tentatively titled King of Fighters Sky Stage. Based on the early screenshots we've seen, we're still trying to decide whether the game is going to be awesome or too awesome. Maybe you haven't heard: People. Flying. Shooting. Bullets. Out. Of. Hands.[Via Kotaku]
Prepare to evade space on February 16
Click image for more colorful screens It didn't make it to us in January as hoped, but a press release just hit our inbox, asking us to pass along the information that Evasive Space, the game that Yuke's and High Voltage have been collaborating on, is going to be available to download on February 16 for 1,000 Wii Points. A bit pricey? Sure, but for such an interesting and unique game (it's a shmup without all of the, uh, shmupping), we're willing to shell out and give it a try. What say you all?%Gallery-37316%
Ocean Commander the rarest of things: a disc-based Wii shmup
Thanks to the Virtual Console, the Wii could become the best console for shmups since the Saturn, yet not many publishers have released original shoot-'em-ups on old-fashioned discs. To date, the exceptional Blast Works has been the pick of a small group that also contains Castle of Shikigami III, Monkey King, and Milestone's Ultimate Shooting Collection.All of which means Ocean Commander will face a depeleted formation of opponents when it launches in Q1 2009. Set on a waterlogged Earth in 3011, the game sees you piloting the Ocean Commander ship, a dextrous craft that can change form, though precisely which forms isn't mentioned in the press release. The title uses the Wiimote and Nunchuk (which allows for 360° aiming), and there will be a dozen upgradeable weapons, 21 levels, and 30 stages. Of course, such stats can't compete with Blast Works' infinite number of levels and stages, but count us interested.%Gallery-32402%[Via press release]
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 7/21/08
After the craziness of E3, we were ready to get back to a bit of normalcy. And what could be more normal than some shmups being released on the Virtual Console? Nothing, that's what! So, hit up the video above for the games in motion, then be sure to head past the break for the rest.
Bargains on Bully and bullet hell
If you're the type to never pay retail on anything, especially video games, the like-minded misers at the Cheap Ass Gamers community have found two worthwhile Wii deals for you: Bully: Scholarship Edition - $26.99 (Amazon) Castle of Shikigami III - $19.99 (GameStop) If you haven't looked into shoot-em-up Castle of Shikigami III before, make sure you check out the videos we posted a couple of months ago -- there's a flying butler! Amazon also has CSI: Hard Evidence on sale for $19.99, but we have a feeling that not many of you will be too excited to pick up this video game adaptation of a poor man's Law & Order.[Via CAG]
