The game doesn't have zombies or a slender man, so that already separates it from 90 percent of the horror games out in the past two years. Three dudes from Poland are building
Darkwood, tree by tree, and are
scraping together crowdfunding monies on Indiegogo. (If you've never visited Indiegogo, for all intents and purposes, it works just like Kickstarter.)
Darkwood is survival horror from a top-down perspective, with inky-black nighttime encroaching on your flashlight beam, a mouth-breathing, heart-squeezing soundtrack, a few neatly scripted gotcha moments, and a population of surreal characters--wait until the power generator starts griping about the freakish child playing the piano. It's driving him nuts, he says. It says. The power generator says. It's weird. Also,
Darkwood features randomly generated levels and permadeath, which obligates me to use the word "roguelike" when checking off its feature set. If you're unsure what a roguelike is, don't worry,
many of us are, too. Suffice it to say, randomly generated levels and permanent death. There: done.
Darkwood's inventory screen appears extensive, even for adventure games, but it looks like you'll need all those tools to board up windows and Macaulay Culkin some Home Alone traps out on the front lawn. I just hope
Darkwood doesn't turn into too much of a guess-what-items-go-together game. It's hard to be scared when you're angry.
by:
Nathaniel -
posted:
5/14/2013
1:14 PM
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Remember Me is set in a pretty scary sounding time and place - cyber-Paris, 2084. Memories are bought and sold, and the giant corporation called Memorize has gained control of 99% of them. That sounds scary to me. Is a person still a person if they no longer own their own memories? And any corporation owning 99% of anything is eyebrow-raising. An obviously evil videogame corporation owning 99% of something means they must have learned how to use it to control society. Scary scary scary.
If you're interested in the backstory of the whole "owning memories" racket, then check out
Antoine's Journal. Antoine Cartier-Wells is the man that developed the Sensen engine that first allowed the storing, and subsequent buying, selling, and trading of memories.
If you just want a smile put on your face, then the following video should be just what the doctor ordered. Produced by Devin SuperTramp, the short film offers more insight into Antoine Cartier-Wells and his motivation to create the next generation of social networking. Don't ask me how NERF gun battles and extreme dog washing accomplish that.
Remember Me comes out on June 4 in North America and June 7 in Europe.
by:
Mike -
posted:
5/14/2013
1:02 PM
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CD Projekt RED, developer of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, released
REDkit, the tool behind their acclaimed RPG.
Now in open Beta, REDkit allows players to return to The Witcher 2 to create their own mods and "non-linear RPGs."
"For CD Projekt RED, RPGs are all about telling amazing stories," said Adam Badowski, head of CD Projekt RED. "We want to give players the power to tell the same kind of non-linear, branching stories that made The Witcher games so popular. Our fans have helped us for years to make our games the best they can be, and REDkit is part of embracing our community as a partner in game development."
The developer kit allows players to create new characters, place cameras, create dialogue, and create a dynamic day/night cycle to make the world more believable.
To download REDkit, head here.
by:
Mike -
posted:
5/14/2013
12:55 PM
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Gearbox Software released Krieg the Psycho, a new playable character with a split personality, for shooter/loot fest
Borderlands 2.
For 800 Microsoft points ($9.99) you can take control of the new melee-based character. His Buzz Saw Action Skill lets him eliminate enemies up close or at range with a thrown attack.
As with all of the other characters, Gearbox has spent a fair amount of time writing contextual dialogue for Krieg, so expect a good amount of taunts and quips.
Check out the trailer below for a more in-depth introduction to the bandit psycho.
by:
Jeremy -
posted:
5/14/2013
10:39 AM
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So much for the top secret concept as 2K Games and 2K Marin are showing off quite a bit of official gameplay footage of their upcoming game
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. The pacing definitely appears to be picking up in the new game as it shifts to a third-person, squad based shooter. THe action looks a lot more intense as you are right in the thick of things this time rather than playing out as a strategy game.
You can check out the new footage below. The Bureau launches on August 20, 2013 for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.
by:
Jeremy -
posted:
5/14/2013
10:07 AM
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When the PlayStation Store updates later today, it will bring with it a some great deals for members of the
PlayStation Plus program. First off,
Knytt Undergound is joining the Instant Game Collection for both the PlayStation 3 and the Vita. Cyril
reviewed the game back in January and found it to be an absolutely marvelous experience.
As great as that is, it is also worth noting that the best deal coming with the update might be the deep discount being offered on the
stellar Metro: Last Light. Members of the program can purchase the digital release of the PS3 game, which launches today, for $47.99. That is a 20% discount on a day one release! Not a bad deal, especially considering it is a phenomenal experience.
by:
John -
posted:
5/14/2013
8:46 AM
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Finally, NVIDIA's
Shield is an official product and today they've
announced the pricing information and pre-order option. For $350, you can own this 5" IPS Tegra 4 hand held that can play Android games and stream Steam games when it comes out in June. Pre-ordering starts May 20th.
Seeing it at CES, I was really impressed by it and was hoping the pricing wouldn't be too bad. At $350, it's at the upper echelon of what I would pay for, but the package is pretty cool.
Shield will be coming out with Android 4.2.1 and NVIDIA promises monthly updates. We'll see how that goes, but I would love it if they kept up with any OS improvements that Google releases. Apps that don't support landscape will be an issue. When I talked with NVIDIA at CES, I was told this would be unlocked out of the box so if that's the case, I can't wait to see what some hackers can do with it.
I know a lot of folks are going to be interested to see how Shield does. It's a brand new type of product for NVIDIA and it's going to compete with plenty of smartphone options out there. It'll be the first product, if I am not mistaken, to use Tegra 4 and I think it'll be a good example of how powerful the mobile chip can be from Team Green.
by:
Jeremy -
posted:
5/13/2013
10:00 AM
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We told you last week that the dry spell wouldn’t last long! This week hits the ground running with a bunch of titles for fans of all genres. I will be honest, it is hard to just pick 3 recommendations for this week. There area bunch of great choices out there but since I must limit my selection, I will go with the following trio of sequels:
Anomaly 2: It is time to go back on the tower-offense as the sequel to Anomaly Warzone Earth finally makes its way to the PC. Things are getting really interesting this time around as part two introduces players to the world of a versus tower defense / offense game. Let’s see how you stack up against not only the computer, but your friend.
Sanctum 2: First person-tower-defense at its finest returns in Sanctum 2! If you never played the original, you definitely missed out. The game meshes together two of my favorite genres for an completely original experience. This time around you will get to choose from multiple character classes and a variety of enhancements for both your towers and your character.
Metro- Last Light: This is, without a doubt, THE big title for the week in my books. The original
Metro 2033 was such an amazing experience and a game that I consider to be one of the finest of the current generation. After spending countless hours with the sequel, I have no doubt that Last Light will continue in that tradition. From developer 4A Games, the new chapter continues the adventures of Artyum as he learns to live with his decision to wipe out the Dark Ones at the end for the first game. Keep an eye out for our full review VERY soon and just know ahead of time that you are definitely in for a treat with this one.
This week’s full lineup: