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Joystiq interview: Dementium's Renegade Kid
You may not recognize the name Renegade Kid, but chances are you're familiar with some of the more than twenty titles this tiny three-person development team in Austin has jointly had a hand in creating, including games such as XS Games' The Red Star, Aspyr's Stubbs the Zombie, and Namco's Sigma Star Saga. Now working as an independent developer under the Gamecock umbrella, Renegade Kid will soon launch its first title this Halloween with Dementium: The Ward, a first-person survival horror game for the Nintendo DS.We recently had a chance to gab some time with two members of Renegade Kid, co-owner and creative director Jools Watsham and fellow co-owner and art director Gregg Hargrove, and we spoke to them about what it's like to work under their Gamecock overlords (did I say overlords? I meant protectors), as well as as just how crazy they must be to attempt a game as ambitious as Dementium on the DS as their freshman effort. Read on.%Gallery-3636%
Friday Video: Putting your game face on
We just can't resist these Dementium trailers. They're fresh and different, which definitely grabs our attention, but they seem to demonstrate a great spirit as well -- a blend of comedy, "mature" content, and gameplay that we wish showed up in more trailers and commercials.Though we'll say one thing: if blood ever splashed up from our DS while we were playing a game, we think we'd be asking for a refund. After we stopped uncontrollably freaking out, anyway.
Friday Video: Bloodletting and cockroaches
While everyone else in the room was bemoaning the presence of cockroaches in this chilling new trailer for Dementium: The Ward, this blogger was simply stunned by the music. The last thing we expected to hear was Concrete Blonde's "Bloodletting" from the album of the same name, and yet it was strangely fitting despite the lack of singer Johnette Napolitano's amazing vocals. It's quite a slick little trailer; while light on the gameplay footage (which is okay! we've seen it), the video is heavy on mood, and we think it will definitely get you excited about spending time in The Ward.And we ain't lying when we tell you that it's a pretty creepy trailer -- definitely a step up on the perversity scale for DS games. See for yourself after the break.
Dementium set to scare up sales on Halloween
The survival horror title from Gamecock and new developer Renegade Kid, Dementium: The Ward, is set for release on Halloween. Spooky! We just hope the game follows up. From the impressions and this spiffy boxart, however, it looks like we may be nightsticking monsters while mowing through the holiday haul this year. If there's two things the DS needs more of, it's violence and horror. The website has been updated with the new date, which was confirmed via press release this morning.
All-new video from Dementium: The Ward
At this point, we're about ready to offer Gamecock our firstborn child, because they are really rolling out the hotness for the DS. On the tails of recent good impressions of the upcoming Dementium: The Ward comes this new trailer, which features -- are you ready? -- nightstick beatdowns. Even if the rest of the game looked awful, we might sign up just for that. Of course, now we fully expect Renegade Kid's second DS game to be Touch! Police Brutality or something along those lines.Did we mention we have an unhealthy appreciation for video game violence? Just go watch the trailer already. %Gallery-4929%
DS Daily: On shooters
Shooters are rare on the DS, but not unheard of, though they often debut to mixed reactions. Metroid Prime Hunters is one of the system's most polarizing titles, and the same seems true of the more recent Touch the Dead. Yesterday's impressions of Dementium: The Ward seemed promising, and of course, IGN's Matt Casamassina continues to insist that someday, we're going to see Halo DS, maybe, kinda, probably -- not really. But do shooters really belong on the system? The touchscreen and other controls manage to do a lot of things really well, including some things that are really off the wall, such as acting as a full-fledged guitar. But is the DS suited to shooters? Considering the smaller screen size, some system limitations, and the unique control system, we can't help but wonder if we really need shooters, or if they're suited to the system.Don't get us wrong -- we love a good FPS. But that doesn't mean we necessarily have to have one on every available system, so we think it's a fair question. On the other hand, is there any reason not to have any FPS titles on the DS? Where do you stand?
Good news from The Ward
Can there ever be good news from the insane asylum? Only if it's coupled with news of a worthwhile gaming experience, and it looks like that just might be the case with Renegade Kid's Dementium: The Ward. Our evil masters at Joystiq got a little facetime with the shooter at E3, and they only had good things to say on the subject. The controls are smooth, says Alexander Silwinski, and certainly reminiscent of Metroid Prime Hunters, but since Dementium's pacing is a little slower, the game is easier to handle. Item selection is apparently a breeze, with the exception of a shortcut to the oft-needed flashlight, and puzzles make sense. The only downside is that the game apparently only takes about seven hours to complete, but maybe the story -- on which we have very few details at this time -- will make up for it.%Gallery-4929%
Full trailer for Dementium: The Ward
We've seen the tiniest of teasers, but now we can enjoy the full trailer for the upcoming title Dementium: The Ward. From this short video, the debut from developer Renegade Kid looks a little like the recent Touch the Dead, but with a few more character models. And should we be surprised? The games have a similar basic premise -- guy awakens in hospital and finds he must fight for his life -- but Dementium is more than just a shooter ... and it seems to have a few more character models to boot. Publisher Gamecock has really been all over the DS lately, and from the looks of these releases, we hope they decide to stay.
Today's most horrifyingly dual-screen video: Dementium trailer
When independent publisher Gamecock announced Dementium: The Ward, from developer Renegade Kid, they promised the game would "set the bar for mature handheld games." If this newly-released trailer is any indication, they're on the right track. Decaying corpses, flashlight exploration, and a hint of gun-play. And the graphics aren't too shabby, either.Dementium: The Ward will be on-hand on Gamecock's EIEIO party during Min-E3. Video, care of Gametrailers, embedded after the break.%Gallery-3636%
GDC 07: ... and that's a wrap!
Well, now that GDC '07 has come to an end, it's time to look back over the DS Fanboy experience. Here, you'll find all of the GDC news and content in one convenient location. Even without a lot of direct information from Nintendo, it was still a great show for DS fans.News:Classic Suda 51 weirdness hitting the DSThe Ward sneaks into the newsMiyamoto keynote reveals design inspirationThe making of Ouendan and Elite Beat AgentsBarnyard Blast: Swine of the NightMakeup and Japanese housewife simsHousewife Superstar: home-ec minigamesSquare Enix demos game development gameHands-on impressions:Phantom Hourglass impressionsPokemon Pearl impressionsPhantom Hourglass multiplayer mode demoedVideo:Phantom Hourglass footageMiscellaneous:Even Reggie's limo driver is famous!DS Fanboy lands at GDC: what to expect
GDC 07:The Ward sneaks into the news
Brand new for GDC week -- The Ward, a horror-themed FPS-plus set in a hospital. Developer Renegade Kid is brand new and looks to be bursting out of the gate with this one. Per their website, the company only received an official stamp of approval last month, and they're already showing off a (very short) teaser for the game. The Ward both sounds and looks interesting, and while the idea of waking up in a world gone wrong isn't particularly new, a game doesn't necessarily have to be the most original idea to be good. If we're to believe the developers, The Ward is an ambitious undertaking. "We're pushing the Nintendo DS to its' limits, with chilling environments, demented enemy characters, and real-world weapons all realized in 3D," says Gregg Hargrove, owner and Art Director at Renegade Kid. The nominal FPS is also set to contain many other gameplay elements, such as touchscreen exploration (a la adventure gaming?), puzzles, and oh, hey ... multiplayer!That's a lot of goodness out of nowhere. Let's hope it delivers! The Ward is set for this fall, if it finds a publisher, and our man on the floor at GDC, Andrew Yoon, is going to see if he can't find these guys for a closer look. After the jump, you can check out the teaser trailer and more screens.
