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Joystiq impressions: Tomb Raider Underworld
Inspiration seems to be cyclical in the games industry. Well, at least in the case of Tomb Raider Underworld. Many of the improvements we saw in the latest preview of the upcoming Lara Croft adventure seem to come directly from last year's Tomb Raider-inspired Uncharted. Considering the wide accolades Naughty Dog's title received, that's certainly not a bad thing.There are a lot of elements which make us think back to Nathan Drake's quest for treasure. Perhaps it's the environment: the lush jungles of Thailand, with their deserted, decaying ruins reminding us of that other lush, ruin-filled jungle. But there are other similarities to note here, as well. Crystal Dynamics' creative director, Eric Lindstrom, told us that the team was trying to make Lara more human in regards to her abilities. She'll interact with the environment, by pushing foliage out of the way. She'll stumble when she makes large jumps. For the first time, Crystal Dynamics is working with motion capture, to make sure Lara feels a bit more believable.We've heard this pitch before, no? Lara will be holding off ledges, and she'll look towards the direction of a place she can grab on to. We saw Lara jump from one pillar to another, but before jumping, she reached out her arm towards the next pillar to indicate the potential action. Then we saw her approach a narrow walkway, cautiously, lifting her arms for balance as she crossed. We watched her stumble a bit too, struggling to make her next jump.%Gallery-32983%
F.E.A.R. 2 trailer proves children are creepy
Let's face it. Kids are scary. Think about it. We tell them stories about cooking witches in ovens, tell them that cribs belong in trees and that the babies therein inevitably come tumbling down. Is it any wonder that they wind up so damned creepy? Just think of all the horror movies that use children*. The latest trailer for F.E.A.R. 2 -- which highlights that the game is now actually called F.E.A.R. 2 -- showcases lots of nasty monsters and sweet weapons, but we were particularly struck by Alma, the super creepy girl antagonist. More specifically, we were struck by her whispering "You can't hide from me" at the end of the trailer. Now, if you'll excuse us, it's time to hide. *Don't click this.
Project Origin bringing the F.E.A.R back
Did you know that Project Origin was a sequel to F.E.A.R? We're guessing there's a chunk of you who probably didn't, but from now on there's no excuse. Monolith Productions and WB Games inc. have purchased the F.E.A.R name off Activision Blizzard, who retained the license after Monolith switched publishers to work on the sequel. Seemingly Actiblizz feel that they don't need it anymore, along with a few other Sierra franchises. So why not just call it F.E.A.R 2 and have done with it? After all the effort they went to with their Name Your Fear contest, it would be a shame not to use the winning name, Project Origin, in some form or another. As a result the game will now be known as F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin. Lovely. Currently it's set for release worldwide in mid-February. That's around the same time Killzone 2 is due to hit, in case you're wondering.
Project Origin gets its F.E.A.R. back and a release
In a very weird turn of corporate events, Warner and Monolith just announced that they've acquired the F.E.A.R. name and license back from Sierra who initially was going to create their own non-Monolith involved F.E.A.R. sequel. So, with the new name purchase, Project Origin will no longer be the spiritual successor to F.E.A.R. but will instead be the official sequel, now titled F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Even with the newly acquired F.E.A.R. name, Monolith will be keeping "Project Origin" in the name not only because of the branding they've already being doing, but because they promised the fans. Along with the name change, Lith has confirmed that F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin will release to retail on February 10th, 2009. [Thanks, Rob]
Name change: 'F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin'
Monolith and Warner Bros. sure appreciate all the hard work you put in to deciding the name of the "spiritual successor" to F.E.A.R., but let's face it, Project Origin doesn't quite ring like ... F.E.A.R. 2. But, as the backstory goes, Sierra owned the franchise name and, up until the Activision-Blizzard merger, the company was supposedly working on its own F.E.A.R. sequel. But then, well, Sierra hit a snag. Sensing that all was not well, Warner Bros. sent over a gift basket full of money, and back came the rights to the franchise name. So, here Warner Bros. and Monolith are with the original name and the name that's been used in all the marketing to date. Solution? Combine the two. And the final answer is ... F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin! In stores February 10th, 2009.
Alma and Project Origin both need more dev time, game delayed into 2009
In other release date delay news, we've just learned that Monlith's Project Origin (the true sequel to F.E.A.R.) will not make it to retail shelves anytime this year and is tentatively planned for a Q1 2009 release. The delay news comes from Lith's art lead Dave Matthews who confirmed during Leipzig that they'll release Project Origin on multiple platforms in early '09. Though, you you just can't wait, you can always catch a glimpse of Alma and all the bloody violence later this week during PAX where we're told it'll be demoed on stage.
Project Origin pushed back to early 2009
Project Origin, Monolith's everything-but-the-name follow up to F.E.A.R., has slipped on all of that spilled gore, sliding back from the game's previous fall release until sometime in early 2009. The news came from Project Origin art lead, Dave Matthews, who took time during the Leipzig Games Convention to break the news -- and fans' hearts – confirming that players will have to wait until the first quarter of 2009 to find out just what Alma has been up to. Softening the blow a bit, new details surrounding the upcoming shooter also emerged from last week's event, including news that the sequel will include more interactive and varied environments than those seen in F.E.A.R., while enemy A.I. has also been amped up as well. According to Monolith, the story itself will also be improved over the original, giving us all the more reason to think that maybe Project Origin is worth waiting for after all. Source – GC 2008: Project Origin Progress Report, IGN
Watchmen episodes are a prequel to film, novel
The two-episode Watchmen series that was announced yesterday will be a prequel, according to a preview from 1UP. You can choose to play as either Nite Owl or Rorschach, with the other controlled by AI or via split-screen co-op, in the time before masked heroes were outlawed. The third-person action games take place exclusively at night is set to be M-rated. While they brought on some heavy-hitters for the story -- notably Wolverine creator Len Wein and Watchmen illustrator Dave Gibbons -- we're always hesitant when someone other than the original author tries to expand a story. Still, an M-rated series with visuals reportedly "worthy of being a now-generation game" and Rorschach's infamous makeshift flamethrower? We remain cautiously optimistic. Watchmen episodes will be released around the same time as the film (March 6, 2009).
Watchmen based games to go episodic
Let's go off-topic for a moment. Watchmen is probably one of the greatest graphic novels ever created and the film looks totally rad. From director Zack Snyder, the guy who directed the film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300, and partially penned by David Hayter, of Metal Gear fame, it looks like it's going to be one helluva flick. The problem with creating a great movie is that, inevitably, someone will want to create a game based on it. Variety is reporting that Watchmen is no exception to this rule but the game based on the film (based on the graphic novel) is taking a different approach. Warner Bros. has announced it will release two downloadable episodic games on Xbox Live, PC and PSN to coincide with the theatrical and DVD releases of the film. Developed by Deadline Games, which is currently working on Faith and a .45, we don't know much about the content of the games but we hope a smaller game will work out better than licensed titles of the past. We also hope for world peace and an end to fanboy flame wars -- guess how that's going so far? [via Joystiq]
Watchmen becomes two-part episodic PSN game
Any graphic novel nerd will hold a special place for Alan Moore's Watchmen. In addition to the upcoming movie (trailer, above), there will be a coinciding licensed game. Watchmen will be released as a two-part episodic title on XBLA, PSN and PC. The first part will release in tandem with the theatrical release, while the second will release in time for the DVD/Blu-ray release. This should, hopefully, give developers more time to work on a quality title. "We don't want a low-quality console game that will get lost at retail," said WBIE senior veep of production and development Samantha Ryan. "A downloadable game allows us to deliver the experience that fans expect." The Watchmen games are expected to be rated M. [Via Joystiq]
Watchmen getting episodic games on PC, PS3, 360
Watchmen is just full of surprises. We would have never thought anyone could make a competent movie of the epic graphic novel but, if the trailer is any indication, Zack Snyder may be doing just that. We also would have doubted that the book could be made into game form, but it seems Warner Bros. is surprising us once again. The company will release two downloadable episodic games on PC, Xbox Live and PSN, to coincide with the theatrical and DVD releases of the film. All we know is we can expect Nite Owl and Rorschach in an action title developed by Deadline Games, which is currently crafting Faith and a .45. We actually think making shorter games to hit deadlines is a smart way to break the terrible licensed games cycle. But of course, if they're short and terrible ...
Project Origin's FEARsome E3 trailer
A new trailer for Project Origin (a.k.a. "The F.E.A.R. sequel) has surfaced in time for E3 2008. It's got everything you expect: in-game cut scenes, bloodied walls, demons climbing on walls, robot war machines, and a girl on a swing. Your date with destiny is embedded above.
Video: Again, we begin to F.E.A.R. a swinging Alma
Late yesterday, Monolith release a dark and fresh Project Origin trailer especially for E3. And while we're sure the main focus of the trailer is supposed to be the in-game footage, gory visuals and explosive action, we couldn't help but focus on Alma and her creepy as hell swing. Seriously. An evil supernatural being is scary enough, but when that evil entity is a little girl AND she's swinging on a swing under moonlight ... now that's messed up. Check out the new Project Origin E3 trailer after the break as we hope to get our hands on the game sometime during E3 this week and gauge whether or not swing sets play a major role in the storyline.
Zero Punctuation whips it good with Lego Indy
Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee takes on both the Lego Indiana Jones game and the latest movie in his latest review. For his take on the game, the ornery critic comes up with an equation for figuring out how much you'll enjoy playing as Indy in the blockified platformer. If doing mathematicals isn't your thing, just think about how much fun you'll have killing Short Round -- or Willie -- over and over again. Although it still doesn't beat the cathartic Jar-Jar killing of the Lego Star Wars game. This week's NSFW ZP review of Lego Indy can be found after the break.
Scared stiff: Why should we care about Project Origin?
If Silent Hill taught us to be afraid of fog and Fatal Frame was quite clear in its mandate that ghosts are not to be screwed with, Monolith proved with a little acronym called F.E.A.R. that little girls are truly freaky. The much vaunted PC shooter married run-and-gun gameplay with survival horror in a way that, while not being terribly unique, still managed to achieve a synergy wholly uncommon in video games. However, shortly after F.E.A.R. landed on retail shelves in 2005, Monolith parted ways with BFF publisher Vivendi, a move that left all but the game's name in the hands of the developer, forcing the studio to re-brand its IP. And in 2007, Monolith turned to the gamer community, asking for creative types to submit ideas for what the sequel should be called. The result, as it turned out, was Project Origin. But even with a name for its new baby, the question remained, and admittedly still lingers, as to if Monolith can recapture the lightning in a bottle that was F.E.A.R. To this end, we recently cornered designers Craig Hubbard and John Mulkey to ask them both why we should care about their latest offering. %Gallery-26247%
Metareview -- Lego Indiana Jones
He's uncovered the fate of Atlantis, bested an infernal machine and rummaged through an emperor's tomb, but everybody's favorite Nazi-punching archaeologist faces his greatest challenge in a world made entirely out of toy blocks. Lego Indiana Jones has arrived to fairly favorable reviews, with most critics approving of the game's silent, comedic send-up of classic movie moments. If you're not the only kid in the house and enjoy collecting lots and lots and lots of things, you could do worse than tossing the developer your idle cash. IGN (80/100): "Traveller's Tales has once again delivered an experience that boils down to smashing stuff over and over again while searching for secrets, while also managing to make that formula fun and addictive. It's certainly not a huge leap over the LEGO Star Wars titles, and in fact still has some of that series' issues, but it's no less enthralling and certainly a fun adventure worth taking on." 1UP (75/100): "Lego Indy's main quest isn't terribly expansive -- you can finish it in a weekend, and that's if you take your time -- but the game's unquestionably built for completists, with a ton of hidden treasure and extra characters (you can unlock pretty much every character in the films, right down to Last Crusade's castle butler). It's easy to dismiss as kids' fare, but Lego Indiana Jones is a light, enjoyable action game, especially if you've got a willing friend for co-op play." Eurogamer (70/100): "This is all starting to sound a bit grinchy, so at this point I feel I should point out that my five-year-old son, who helped me with the hands on preview, is currently at 99.7 percent completion on our second save game with just one character left to unlock. He's certainly commented on the absence of familiar features, and seems less enthused about collecting billions of LEGO studs now that there's not as much to spend them on, but he's still been happily replaying his favourite levels over and over, just as he did with Star Wars." [Note: Listed reviews are for the Xbox 360 version. The game is also available on PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP, PC and DS.]
New Project Origin video compares, gushes blood
While some may look to water and its undulating physics as the standard for current gen eye candy, developer Monolith's yardstick is apparently a tad more crimson. The studio has released a new video for its F.E.A.R. follow-up, Project Origin, showing off the way blood will be handled in the upcoming sequel by comparing the previous game's visceral cherry mist to what can be best described as Project Origin's syrupy goop. On the game's recently launched community website, Monolith FX guru Mark Wood explains some of the work that went into the project's interesting, if messy, take on in-game gore. Writes Wood, the team is working to make the blood "visible from far away, while still feeling meaty and satisfying at closer range," something he concedes was lacking in the original F.E.A.R. The end result looks a bit like blasting strawberry jelly out of a bad guy, which in all honesty should be reason enough to get you to watch the video below.
Lego Indiana Jones demo now available for PC
With early buzz for the new Indiana Jones movie being wishy-washy, fans may need to find solace in playing the Lego Indiana Jones game on June 3rd. The PC demo is now available for download and should also be packaged with the Indiana Jones DVDs coming out today. No word yet on console demos for Xbox 360 or PS3, but we've got some calls out for info. We can't imagine there'd only be a demo for PC. Clearly, somebody from marketing would've "chosen poorly" if that were the case.
Lego Indiana Jones gameplay video swings into our hearts
Though we were already excited about Lego Indiana Jones, our desire for the game is something more akin to fever pitch now that we've seen the above gameplay video. It features almost all our favorite Indy moments just as we remember them from our childhood only, you know, stubbier. One of the more pleasant surprises is that although the characters all look (as you would expect) as if they were created from molded plastic, the environments are really nicely rendered. We say that so we have a grown up reason for being so excited, but the truth is that there's a part where he whips Willie and kisses her and it's adorable.
Project Origin video blowout
Monolith has dropped not one, not two, not three, but four new Project Origin trailers for gamers everywhere to ogle. The first, embedded above, deals with the Replica Elite Powered Armor. It is, quite simply, a mech capable of laying waste to all in its path. The video make sure to drive this point home, destroying buildings and vaporizing soldiers that stand in its way (or even in the general vicinity of its way). The second video (embedded after the break along with the other two) concerns the return of one of the enemies in the original F.E.A.R., the Assassin. The Assassin is an acrobatic, pseudo-invisible badass with a penchant for killing. Sound fun? Of course it does. The final two videos are fly-throughs that show off Project Origin's spooky environments. Be the first kid on your block to watch them all.
