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Halo: Spartan Strike goes top-down on PC, mobile in December
Microsoft announced a new top-down Halo spinoff today for PC and mobile: Halo: Spartan Strike. Developed by 343 Industries and Vanguard Games, Spartan Strike will arrive on Windows 8 devices and Steam on December 12 for $6. Spartan Strike bears strong resemblance to the developers' other third-person shooter that launched in July 2013, Halo: Spartan Assault, though it is not a direct sequel. Rather, the upcoming shooter is set during the events of Halo 2 and has players guiding a Spartan through cities, jungles and other environments while using an "all-new arsenal of weapons, abilities and vehicles" such as the series' popular Warthog vehicle. Spartan Strike will include 30 missions filled with Covenant and Promethean enemies. Head past the break for Halo: Spartan Strike's launch trailer. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Sunless Sea update goes 'steel' with major combat changes
Sunless Sea's "Steel" update is now live for all players, and brings a major change to the game's combat. The roguelike seafaring RPG previously featured turn-based combat, deemed "tiresome" in our time with the Early Access game in July. As demonstrated in a video provided by Failbetter Games after the break, the Steel update brings combat out of the game's menus and into the same top-down overworld in which players pilot their ship. The new real-time combat system still relies on players charging weapons and keeping enemies within range, though the latter is now represented by a red arc that circles their ship. Failbetter also "made some changes to the way the map is laid out in terms of balance and variety" and recommends that players start the game over with a new captain and chart to get the most out of the Steel update. The update entered a beta phase late last month. Sunless Sea is available through Steam Early Access and DRM-free on the developer's site for $18.99. [Image: Failbetter Games]
Mobile shooter APB: Retribution announced
Players wanting a little more shooter action while on the go will soon be able to jump into APB: Retribution, a top-down tactical shooter developed expressly for mobile devices. Not too much more is known about the game (like whether or not it is multiplayer let alone massive is any way) other than it is set in the same universe of the MMO APB: Reloaded. Retribution is the first step along the planned route of expanding beyond the main MMO. This project was completed in six months, and Blazing Griffin, working with Reloaded Productions, already has a spin off planned. APB: Retribution is slated to release for iOS devices this month.
Quest for Glory creators join with Brawsome to launch Kickstarter for Hero-U
Corey and Lori Cole are the creators of Quest for Glory, a highly regarded series of role-playing adventure games that first arrived in 1989 and then continued as a series of sequels through 1998. Now, the couple is planning another game called Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption, and they've taken to Kickstarter to try and raise $400,000 to make it.That's a tidy sum, but this is a substantial project: Not only are the Coles developing the title, but Australian game developer Brawsome is on board as well, having recently released its own puzzle/RPG game, MacGuffin's Curse. Hero-U is set to play like a tactical, top-down RPG, but it is also supposed to include the charm, puzzles, and story that the Coles and their games are known for.If you're interested in contributing, the team is offering most of the usual Kickstarter bonuses, from a simple digital copy of the game and soundtrack, all the way up to the chance to get a personal D&D adventure from the Coles, or to appear in or help out with Hero-U's design yourself. The team's got about $290K left to earn and 26 days to get there, but given the pedigree of the folks behind this one we'd guess their chances are better than most.
Dungeon Defenders shifts into an RTS with Summoner hero class
Dungeon Defenders has expanded its perspective on PC and Mac gameplay (and probably life and love and stuff) with the new Summoner character, who can conduct battle from on high as if in an RTS. Overlord Mode allows the Summoner to supervise entire armies from a top-down perspective, altering the game entirely.Along with omniscient battle control, the Summoner gets two pets, can levitate for 15 seconds, build an army from sentient crystal and basically wreak havoc on the battlefield, as the above video shows. The Summoner DLC pack is available via Steam for $4.%Gallery-156098%
Sideways Racing from Bjango looks great, plays not so
Sideways Racing from Bjango is another example of a reinvented old-school top-down racing game for the iPad. You might know Bjango as the developer of one of the most well-known Mac system monitor programs iStat Menus. Sideways Racing is the company's first foray into iOS gaming.
PadRacer lets you draw your own track, join two iPads together and steer with iPhones
Retro 2D top-down racing is enjoying somewhat of a comeback thanks to the iPad. The large screen and adaptable control schemes mean that games like Micro Machines are once again fun to play on a portable screen. PadRacer is one such top-down racing game that takes retro to a whole new level and attempts to leverage the power of the iPad and iPhone to bring an enjoyable social gaming experience. %Gallery-124399%
Wingnuts 2, an original Mac game, takes off
Freeverse has announced that Wingnuts 2, a top-down aerial arcade shooter game, is now available for online purchase and download. The title benefits from being an original and exclusive Mac game, developed and playable exclusively on the Mac. Freeverse co-founder Colin Lynch Smith mentions the advantages of developing games solely for the Mac over on Inside Mac Games:"This is the biggest game to be written specifically for the Mac in years. Targeting just the Mac means no performance compromises (and lower system requirements)-- and we can design in cool OS X specific technologies like CoreImage and iSight integration."It's about time that game developers woke up to the benefits of creating games specifically for the Mac platform. Hopefully this will be the first title of many in a resurgence of big name Mac-exclusive titles.You can grab a demo of the game at this link and a video of the game (complete with an example of the fancy CoreImage effects) is available here. A DVD boxset of the game will ship in early July, but if you can't wait that long the game is available as a whopping 550MB download for $29.95 over on the Wingnuts 2 site.[Via Joystiq]
