May 9, 2016

Langrisser Re:Incarnation -TENSEI- | Review

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Jason Nason

I don’t know where to begin with Langrisser Re:Incarnation -TENSEI-, which for the rest of this review I will simply refer to as Langrisser. The game is a strategic RPG for the Nintendo 3DS and is very similar to the Fire Emblem series of games. Though while latest Fire Emblem game has a lot of style and polish, Langrisser feels somewhat dull.

That’s not to say that the game isn’t enjoyable. It does have an engaging story and has great character design, but some of the battles feel very drawn out and some of the in game elements are clumsy and awkward.

In the game you play as Ares Lovina, whose village Borcelaine is attacked by the Imperial Army of Light. In an attempt to protect his village he recedes to a church and draws a sword. Only the sword happens to be the Holy sword Langrisser, which only a true hero can wield the sword. Why has Emperor Autokrato IV ordered the army of light to attack the village? What happened to Ares’ sister Licorice? Ares goes on a quest to find these things out.

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I Accidentally Made a Game Girls Love

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Renee Gittins

When I started Potions: A Curious Tale a year and a half ago, I didn’t know where it would lead me. I didn’t know that it would be an inspiration for girls. I didn’t know that I would become an inspiration for them.

I made a game that I would enjoy and, as I was a woman developing the game, I produced a game that girls and women enjoy immensely. This wasn’t my intent, though, and I only stumbled onto that realization after over a year into development.

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Dead Island Retro Revenge Is a 16-bit Zombie Killing Side Scroller

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Deep Silver has revealed a brand new incentive for potential owners of the Dead Island Definitive Collection – a 16-bit side-scrolling entry in the franchise titled Dead Island Retro Revenge! This newest title is of course inspired by 90s beat’em up staples like Streets of Rage and Final Fight and its’ debut trailer is voiced Jack Black.

In Retro Revenge players take on the role of Max who must slaughter his way through army soldiers, criminals and the undead in order to save his pet cat. Alright, so the plot is a little thin, but that is to be expected given the inspiration for Retro Revenge, what it lacks in narrative it hopefully makes up for with melee focused combat where players are rewarded with power-ups for achieving a high combo multiplier.

It is clear that Deep Silver is clearly targeting an older male demographic with Retro Revenge given the 16-bit art-style and the narration by Jack Black. It doesn’t quite look like something I’d sink a lot of time into but I’m sure some of our older readers might enjoy this retro inspired throwback.

Dead Island: Retro Revenge will be available as part of the Dead Island Definitive Collection which includes remastered versions of the 2011 original Dead Island its expansion-like sequel Dead Island: Riptide. The collection launches May 31st 2016 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. I’m not sure who asked for a remastered Dead Island Collection but this is apparently a thing we will be getting at the end of the month.

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Renee Gittins Featured in My Selfie Life

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Fionna Schweit

Renee Gittins is no stranger to struggle, she’s been fighting her whole life as a girl gamer, a female engineer, and now a female indie developer. Renee can now add to her list of accomplishments female TV star. Fusion brings her struggles to life as she wrestles with a male dominated world of game developers to get her game Potions: A Curious Tale into PAX Prime, to show it to the world. Follow Renee on her journey, and watch from her perspective as she tells her story this week on My Selfie Life (Fullscreen account required to view, but a free trial is available, episode will also air on Fusion TV later this summer).

My Selfie Life is a new production from the folks at Fusion which follows several people in their daily lives. Renee’s episode follows her journey in to the world of developing games as she rushes to get a playable build of her game Potions: A Curious Tale to PAX. Renee took some time out of from her Kickstarter to answer a couple of questions for me about how it feels to be coming to the world of live TV and the screens of the Fullscreen network.
My first time exhibiting Potions: A Curious Tale, at Power of Play 2015.

Renee’s first time exhibiting Potions: A Curious Tale, at Power of Play 2015.

One of the most difficult things faced by Renee on any given day is how much the world of game development is seen as a man’s world.  Renee has always faced discrimination, as a major player of online MMO’s she has often written about how attitudes change when other gamers find out she is female. Now a bit of that struggle will be shown to the world thanks to Fullscreen. Follow Renee as she talks about how her upbringing has helped her to overcome obstacles, how being self taught affects her work, and her day to day rush to get her game to PAX!

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Renee demos her game, Potions: A Curious Tale, to a publisher at PAX Prime in her My Selfie Life episode.

Q: Renee What is it like to have your whole life put out there on TV? Something like a million people will see this video which contains details of your personal life do you fear it will effect your future or your safety?

It was pretty intimidating, actually. I was scared of giving people ammo for harassing me or saying I am somehow unqualified due to what they would see.

Q: Do you think that this video which specifically talks about harassment will provoke even more reaction from your internet trolls? I mean you have even had death threats before.
Yes, I think it’s a deep, personal look into my life that’s going to be getting a lot of attention. The more attention it receives, the more trolling I will have to deal with. I’m actually a bit scared about it, because I expose a lot of personal self-doubts in it. While I’ve talked about them in the past, I feel like it’s different seeing me break down in front of a camera.  I never want to have to experience the harassment that some women in the industry have, with people sending them pictures of their front doors and calling the workplaces of their friends and family members to start trouble. I always want to feel safe in my own home.
A girl plays Potions: A Curious Tale at PAX Prime in My Selfie Life.

A girl plays Potions: A Curious Tale at PAX Prime in My Selfie Life.

Q: So your big push the Kickstarter is almost done, what do you think it will feel like when its finished? will you be sad if it fails, or will you just be relieved that it is over?
It’s hard to say. I really, really want to be successful, but I know that 45% of funding in 40 hours is going to be a really hard task. Still, with over 700 backers, it helps to know that there is interest and support out there. I tend to expect a lot out of myself and would probably take unsuccessful funding pretty harshly at first, but I know that I’ve come such a far way that there’s nothing to be ashamed of.
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Q: In the video you come to tears at one point over how much of this game is your heart and soul, and how afraid you are of the world judging you about Potions, and how no one might show up at PAX, with PAX long behind you and another watershed moment approaching, how are you feeling now? Are you to the its all over but the crying phase? Or have these last 40 hours made you ever more resolute to reach your goal?
I’ve cried a number of times over the last month, I’ve really even barely slept for most of it. I’m putting myself and my game out there, not only for people to judge, but for them to support. Without their support, I lose my dream, and that’s really, really scary. Potions: A Curious Tale is so much a part of me, even more the longer I work on it. It is part of my soul and I’ve put thousands of hours into its development, it’s really a part of me at this point. Yet, even though I’m scared, I know how to push forward, even if it’ll be through tear-blurred eyes.
Indie games are place that anyone should be allowed to play in and Renee is out to prove that’s true. I personally hope you will follow her on that journey, and please consider helping out in the final 40 hours of her Kickstarter. Renee has put her soul on view for all of you out there to see, because she wants you to see that you too can do it, go out there and follow your dreams.

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20XX: A Rougelike take on Mega Man X

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Erika

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What happens when you take the ideas and feel of a Mega Man X game, add in random levels and powerups, a bit of permanent death, and a season it with multiplayer? You get 20XX, by Batterystaple Games. Bad cooking comparison aside, This game was designed by someone who absolutely loves the Mega Man X series, and it really shows. Even though it’s in Early Access on Steam, the version I’ve played (0.951b) is very solid in terms of gameplay and feel. From what it looks like, the development team is quite receptive on supporting and developing their game. It’s one of those games that have a neoretro design to it that any gamer from the mid-90s would feel right at home with if they were playing on a SNES or PS1 back in the day. Having played several of the Mega Man X series myself back then, 20XX is a really good callback to those days and is just as enjoyable without some of the frustration of a few of the later entries in the X series. Read More

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Super Mario MashUp Pack Coming To MineCraft Wii U

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo will be bringing some of its timeless mascots and set pieces to the world of MineCraft with the optional “Nintendo MashUp Pack” for the Wii U Version of the game.

Revealed today on Nintendo’s official YouTube Channel, this new add-on includes skins themed after classic Nintendo characters like Wario, Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad. It also includes tile sets that will allow players to build giant versions of their favourite chatacters or even a replica of the Mushroom Kingdom Castle from Super Mario 64.

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‘Five Nights At Freddy’s’ Dev In Negotiations To Remake Games For Consoles

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Indie horror sensation Five Nights At Freddy’s could get a remake on current generation consoles according to the game’s developer, Scott Cawthon. According to Scott he is already in talks with “a few companies” about fully remaking the games to take advantage of the 8th generation of consoles.

The original Five Nights At Freddy’s and its’ sequels were developed in ClickTeam Fusions 2.5 – an visual orientated game development suite that eschews traditional scripting languages like C++ or C# for an easy to understand “Event Editor” grid system. While Fusion 2.5 is a very versatile creation suite that supports a number of platforms – and version 3.0 looks even more promising – it currently does not support major games consoles, making a full remake necessary.

FNAF and its spin-offs became almost overnight sensations after the first game’s massive success on YouTube in 2014. The player takes the role of a night watchmen during the 12 AM – 6AM security shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a Chucky E Cheese analogue. Developer Scott Cawthron has developed 2 direct sequels to the original game and one less than praised attempt to turn the series into an RPG.

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