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New Two Worlds DLC: Tainted Blood
After its announcement late last month, the first of two new downloadable content packs for Two Worlds has been released. Entitled "Tainted Blood" the new DLC offers 4 new multiplayer maps and over 35 new quests that can be accomplished with friends. The DLC also includes a new PVP multiplayer mode in which players "battle to control magical orbs within a variety of arenas." All in all, according to the press release, Tainted Blood should add 10 hours of gameplay to Two Worlds. Should you desire Tainted Blood (and who doesn't?), it will run you 600 Microsoft Points. We've received a handful of new screens of the DLC, which you can peep in the gallery below. Remember, there is still another batch of DLC planned for April as well as a full expansion called Temptation set to arrive sometime this year. We're reminding you so that you won't forget to not download those either.[Via Press Release]%Gallery-3889%
EIEIO 08: Section 8 details fall from the sky
click to embiggen It's been a long time since we first heard about TimeGate Studios' Section 8. Based on the "not even pre-alpha" game on display at this year's EIEIO, it's going to be even longer before we see a final game. It's currently slated for the third quarter of next year on Xbox 360 and PC. But developer TimeGate Studios – they did the F.E.A.R. expansions, if you'll recall – did give a short gameplay demonstration, and revealed one of the major facets of the Section 8 experience. The game's name comes from the nickname given to the future 8th Armored Infantry, of which your character is a member. This group consists of soldiers who have volunteered to wear a super-powerful armored suit (awesome!) and be launched into combat from space. The joke is that you would have to be crazy to volunteer for that, so the squad is informally called "Section 8" after the military code for a psychologically-motivated discharge. %Gallery-4522%
'Steampunk Fantasy' game Edge of Twilight coming to PS3
Southpeak Games has announced today that it will be publishing Australian developer Fuzzyeyes Studio's 2009 title Edge of Twilight. Though hitherto relatively unheard of, the game was assumed to be for Xbox 360 and PC only, though the press release sent out today confirms that Edge of Twilight will also be heading to PS3 at the same time. The game's website is open and what little there is seems very intriguing. The idea of a "steampunk fantasy" is not something we've come across very often, but it sounds very promising. The game is being developed using the Unreal Engine 3 which, six months ago, would have had us worried. Unreal Tournament 3 has since shown us that UE3 games can rock on the PS3 and past tragedies such as Stranglehold and Blacksite can be forgotten. We have to say, we're getting some definite Legacy of Kain vibes off of this one (check out the main character, Raziel Lex). We're sticking Edge of Twilight on our radar and look forward to any updates between now and its release sometime next year. [Via press release]
SouthPeak announces Mister Slime for North America
SouthPeak games is putting out a new action adventure game called Mister Slime. Development duties will be handled by Lexis Numérique. SouthPeak executive vice president Katie Morgan calls it "fresh, tactile, fun, and addictive. That is what Mister Slime is all about."The game releases in April, but has been available in Germany for quite some time now. For some screens, hit up our gallery below. Past the break you will find the press release.%Gallery-17549%
SouthPeak announces anime slasher X-Blades
Earlier this morning, SouthPeak Games announced that it's bringing X-Blades, a third person anime hack and slash, to the Xbox 360 later this year. And from the press release (viewable after the break) it sounds like X-Blades is some sort of anime gone wild, death and destruction fest of magical enchanted'ness. That's the best way we can describe it. Analyze the press release and analyze the "blade-swinging bombshell" Ayumi in the three screenshots below. Anyone feeling the X-Blades?%Gallery-17241%
Two Worlds multiplayer expansion DLC details [update]
Update: That was quick. We just confirmed with SouthPeak that this new DLC content has nothing to do with the Temptation expansion. They are different in their own unique ways.SouthPeak just announced two new downloadable content expansions for their mediocre RPG Two Worlds and we're sure the handful of fanboys who own the game are uber excited. The two DLC packs will be released one month apart, one hitting the XBLM in March while the other arrives in April, both for 600 Microsoft points. Each DLC pack will add new multiplayer maps, co-op missions, new weapons and player versus player challenges to the unfamiliar world of Antaloor. We're also not certain if this newly announced DLC is the content that was planned for the Two Worlds: Temptation expansion or if it's something entirely different. We'll get in touch with SouthPeak for a little clarification, but until then, feel free to browse through the new DLC screenshots in the gallery below.%Gallery-3889%
Roogoo to puzzle on XBLA, PC
Two Worlds didn't exactly make SouthPeak a household name, and we're willing to bet Roogoo won't either (oh well, there's always Ninjatown). But the North Carolina publisher has thankfully taken a step back from last year's grandiose flop and teamed with developer SpiderMonk Entertainment to release a simpler project, Roogoo. The game title lacks any coherent meaning, until you consider that gameplay is based on the simple concept of matching different-shaped blocks to corresponding holes -- an exercise many of us practiced back in diapers. And so, "roogoo" is perhaps a nod to those days of gurgling baby-speak. In development for Xbox Live Arcade and Windows, Roogoo is better described as a puzzle game which "tasks players with guiding meteors in the form of shaped blocks though a series of rotating disks as a means of saving planet Roo and the entire Roogoo race." Didn't you know? Your parents were training you to one day save a doomed alien race! Roogoo is slated for release this April. [Via press release] %Gallery-15863%
What's going down in Ninjatown
We're confident in our belief that Ninjatown is the only ninja game in history to feature cartoon hearts on its box. It's all due to the super-cute style created by Shawn Smith that the bizarre dichotomy between cute and cold-heartedly murderous can be maintained. For example: the game is a strategy game, which means war. The black-suited ninja is less than one second away from committing an act of violence on the boxart, and yet the ninjas' Smurf-Village-like dwellings overpower that and elicit an "awwww." We've got the first direct-feed screens of the game in our new gallery, and the same feeling applies: yes, these are people who primarily identify as ruthless assassins, but ... we want to huggle them.%Gallery-15839%[Via press release]
Bring on the Roogoo and bring on the XBLA happy!
SouthPeak Games just revealed that they will be taking their first adventure into the murky development bogs of the Xbox Live Arcade with the announcement of Roogoo.We'd love to kick off the Roogoo talk with us gushing about the game's art style, but we guess we should explain what exactly Roogoo is. Simply put, it's a puzzle game where players try to help settle the battle over planet "Roo" by rotating floating discs (which look a lot like those rolling shape baby toys) so that the falling shapes can land on the planet below. Simple enough. Now, since that's out of the way, allow us to gush over the game's art style. It's delicious! So friendly, so welcoming, so ... overly fun! We dare say yum'alicious times four! SouthPeak also mentioned that a Roogoo XBLA release will be happening sometime this April when they promise to bring the colorful falling shapes and the happy too.%Gallery-15860%
SouthPeak tries again with Monster Madness: Grave Danger
Despite its obvious throwback to office fave Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Artificial Studios' Monster Madness:Battle for Suburbia was among our biggest disappointments of 2007, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with sordid gameplay mired in controls that were barely serviceable. Whether this was due to having jumped engines mid-stride, or something as simple as falling asleep at the development wheel, the game's release was quickly – and thankfully – forgotten. It seems, however, that some lessons are hard learned, as publisher SouthPeak today reminded us that the top-down multiplayer shooter is heading to the PlayStation 3 in the second quarter, this time brandishing a new name, Monster Madness: Grave Danger, as well as "a number of new and improved features." There is that thing that mom (or was it Great White?) used tell us about being once bitten twice shy, though the pub's promise that based on player feedback "every Zombie, Werewolf and Vampire has been recalled to square one" is, at least on the surface, encouraging. Among the changes are "completely reconstructed" camera angles, tighter controls, and updated graphics, as well as new costumes and multiplayer modes. The game will also include online co-op throughout the story mode, something that was sorely missing the first time around. Also noteworthy is that Grave Danger is being handled by a different developer, Psyonix Studios, though we can't help but think that the devs must feel like they arrived late to the party under strict instructions to clean up a mess they didn't even make.%Gallery-15410%
Monster Madness for PS3 titled and detailed
Southpeak Interactive has today revealed that the remake of the Xbox 360 title, Monster Madness: Battle For Suburbia, will be released in Q2 of 2008 under the name of Monster Madness: Grave Danger. The PS3 version will have a whole bunch of extra features, including four-player online co-op, better graphics and controls and a collection of twenty mini-games. Is this the first time you've heard of the game? You'd be forgiven if that's the case, considering the 360 version has only an average of 55 on metacritic. We don't expect the above improvements to drag the game out of mediocrity (and, as far as we're concerned, obscurity), but you can't forgive the developers for trying!
Load Inc. creating another XBLA toy racer in Things On Wheels
Developer Load Inc. has a thing for bite-sized vehicles, having already released the diminutive XBLA racer Mad Tracks, and while that failed to inspire much interest from the gaming press there's something to be said for a company that sticks with its passion. Now the studio is working on a second toy car-based project called Things on Wheels, which will be published by SouthPeak Games over Xbox Live Arcade and the PC this summer.Details are light, though SouthPeak notes that the game will feature "non-linear track design," as players race radio-controlled cars from room to room in an "expansive virtual house." It all sounds interesting, though honestly, when it comes to games based around toys, these sorts of announcements just remind us how much we want a sequel to Toy Commander.
Load Inc.'s new XBLA thing: Things on Wheels
Developer Load Inc. and publisher SouthPeak announced today that they're jumpin' back into the XBLA ring for another go with this Summer's release of Things on Wheels. An RC racer that takes your racing adventures through the house and into the toilet. Sound like Mad Tracks? Well, it sounds like Mad Tracks to us too, but Load Inc. (who, wouldn't you know, did make Mad Tracks) promises that Things on Wheels will be its own fresh racing experience. We'll see about that. One good thing Things on Wheels has going for it is its art-style which can be previewed in the single teaser screenshot above. Enjoyable, no?[Thanks, Boff]
EGM visits Ninjatown
Shawnimals creator and Electronic Gaming Monthly alum Shawn Smith finally broke his silence on Ninjatown, sitting with EGM to talk about the game and share a couple screenshots. We knew to expect plenty of characters from the Shawnimals plush toy line when the Ninjatown trailer debuted, but, until now, we've been left in the dark on how the "action-strategy" title would play.According to Shawn, battles will be split into two phases, building and combat, the first of which allows you to drop in structures and create/upgrade the different ninjas at your disposal. While combat hasn't been finalized, it's expected to include a "puzzle element." We're not sure how that would work with the two screens shown so far, but it certainly sounds interesting!
Dream Pinball with not-so-dreamy art
Previously, we were only able to see one table of SouthPeak Interactive's Dream Pinball 3D. Our dreams usually have much more pinball than that -- like, say, three tables. Sure, they may be startlingly generic-looking pinball tables, but our love for the jangliest genre of gaming is such that we're willing to withhold judgment on the quality of the game until we can see, hear, and bump for ourselves.Although, we admit, it's pretty hard to withhold judgment when we are faced with that Spinning Rotors backglass, with its WordArt logo and guy-jumping-at-bird design. And what's the deal with the title? Is the guy supposed to have rotors, or the bird?%Gallery-13367%[Via GamesPress]
Monster Madness patch aims to fix flaws
Way back in April, we tried out the Monster Madness demo and walked away less than impressed. What was present in the game wasn't bad, but it definitely had issues. Particularly, the game had serious camera and control issues, which made the demo much more difficult than it had to be. It looks like the developers have taken many of the game's criticisms (we weren't the only ones who made them) and addressed them in a title update available now on Xbox Live. SouthPeak informs us that the update includes several tweaks to the gameplay but the biggest change is definitely a revamped control scheme and camera. You may recall (but probably don't) our major gripe with the demo: "the directional aiming is constant. In other words, if your character is facing left, he keeps facing left until you adjust the right stick. It works fine for ranged weapons, but it's a pain to have to manually aim a melee weapon." The new control scheme makes it so the camera and character point in the same direction as the left stick, which is definitely a step in the right direction. Find a complete list of the other changes after the break.Those out there with the game, let us know what you think of the changes.
Two Worlds expansion to tempt you in 2008
Sure, Two Worlds may not have the best reviews or consumer confidence right now, but that doesn't make it beyond salvation (just look at the now-awesome Boom Boom Rocket). An expansion for the game, dubbed The Temptation, is coming second quarter 2008. According to WorthPlaying (pictures), Temptation has what you'd expect from an expansion: new areas, new baddies, new abilities and better AI. The real question is will Temptation tempt you to (re)visit Two Worlds next year?
Two Worlds expansion served up in 2008
Two Worlds wasn't exactly the Oblivion killer it was hailed to be, but apparently that isn't stopping Reality Pump from pumping out an expansion (see what we did there?). The expansion, entitled The Temptation, brings the typical things you'd expect from an expansion. These things include new areas to explore, new monsters to slay, improved NPCs, and a few new skills, most notably active blocking. The expansion is set to hit both the PC and consoles in the first half of 2008. So far the price has not been announced. But then again, you weren't really paying attention anyway, were you?[Via WorthPlaying]%Gallery-18857%
Pinball Dreams has balls of gold, sharks of orange
Shmups aren't the only underrepresented genre on Nintendo's handheld -- the high score whores among us have yet to be treated to a truly killer pinball experience, unless you count Metroid Prime Pinball (bland table design) or Flipper Critters (too distracted with trying to tell a story) as "truly killer." Which we don't. Sorry, fans of those titles.SouthPeak's Pinball Dreams is the latest attempt to fill the flipper-shaped hole in our hearts. Due to also appear on the Wii and PC, the game sports six tables, plus the option of playing with marble, oak, ivory or gold balls; serious questions, that require serious answers, no doubt.The single shot we've received so far is ... not bad. Acceptable. We're a little unsure about the choice to squash the action into just one screen, but we'll refrain from judging too much until we see more of the game. Pretty sure sharks aren't orange, though. FYI, SouthPeak.
Two Worlds gets XBL demo, update (soon)
Despite claims to the contrary, last September's Two Worlds was not the most epic RPG ever. In fact, it was pretty terrible, plagued by broken combat, dated graphics, and dialog that had us clawing at our ears just to make it stop. But like a parent who refuses to listen to reason and instead continues to believe that his or her child can do no wrong, SouthPeak has patted its little terror on the head and released a demo for the game onto Xbox Live. Promising "a huge portion of Two Worlds' expansive single-player map," the publisher no doubt hopes to persuade players to pick up the RPG before it is ultimately swallowed into Oblivion, but we urge our readers to stay strong.On top of the demo, SouthPeak has also confirmed that work is underway on a patch "coming soon" for both the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Two Worlds, addressing more than 50 different bugs and other issues in the game. We scrolled through the list, however, and saw no mention of fun being added into the experience, so we think we'll pass.
