Thursday, April 18, 2013

Injustice: Gods Among Us review: power and polish

Injustice: Gods Among Us presented NetherRealm Studios with a unique challenge--step away from the franchise that made you famous and apply that same magic towards the DC Comics pantheon. The makers of Mortal Kombat were more than up to the task, adopting a whole new fighting system, while simultaneously refining several elements first introduced in 2011's MK reboot. The result is a fighter that will resonate with devoted comic book aficionados, as well as diehard fighting game fans.

It would have been easy for NetherRealm to rely on the classic Mortal Kombat formula, however Injustice is structured more to resemble a more traditional fighting game, doing away with MK staples like the run and block buttons. Quick button inputs are still required for combos, but the truly quick player can juggle opponents and continue working them over even after they've been slammed to the ground.

ARMA 3 Has “Several Future-Proof Technologies” Like DirectX 11 and PhysX

ARMA 3, Bohemia Interactive’s upcoming military shooter, looks pretty good – if you haven’t noticed the plentiful screenshots by now – and part of this is due to the massive scale of the game. Speaking to Project Lead Joris-Jan van‘t Land, we inquired about the engine behind ARMA 3 and how it differs from the second game.

van’t Land stated that, “Our proprietary Real Virtuality 4.0 engine powering Arma 3 is an evolution of the engine. There are several future-proof technologies that make it a big step forward. The key ones are definitely DX11 and PhysX.

Ragnarok Odyssey Ace Delayed, New Release Date to be Decided

GungHo Online Entertainment had recently announced Ragnarok Odyssey Ace, a so-called enhanced port of Ragnarok Odyssey with new quests, a random dungeon and new enemies. While originally set for a July 11th release on PS3 and PS Vita, it seems the game has since been delayed.

Of course, there was only an official release date for the PS Vita version. The PS3 port’s release was still up in the air. As for the reasons behind the delay, GungHo has cited “unspecified circumstances” as the reason for the delay.

Batman: Arkham Origins devs detail relationships, setting

Batman: Arkham Origins is rolling back to an earlier time in Batman's history, making for a tricky minefield of storytelling. We already know where these characters will end up, which runs the risk of making the plot lack stakes. But WB Montreal has explained more about how it will make this piece of the story stand out, notably by playing with its earlier iterations of characters.

"He's used to winning at the start of our story," creative director Eric Holmes told Game Informer. "He's used to being the strongest guy in the room, the fastest guy in the room. That changes tonight, so on some level that's going to crush him, his ideas of himself but it's also a great opportunity to grow."

Illinois library rejects request to stop stocking M-rated games

 Residents of Elmhurst, Illinois will not be barred from borrowing M-rated games at their local library. The Chicago Tribune reports that Elmhurst Public Library officials this week shot down requests from a group of residents seeking to change the library's policy, citing no connection between violent games and violent behavior.

"There's no evidence I can see between these games and violent behavior," library director Mary Beth Campe told the paper.

She and other board members said they believe the inclusion of M-rated games in the library's catalog is a matter of freedom of expression, protected under the First Amendment.

Indie Gala offers indie games... and Mass Effect 2

Indie Gala has launched a campaign to help the Vancouver game development community, and it has enlisted help from some Canadian friends. The name-your-own price game bundle is offering seven games, including Mass Effect 2 from Alberta-based BioWare and Shank 2 from Vancouver's own Klei Enterainment.

Paying the bare minimum of a penny on the Indie Gala will get you Rebuild. If you're slightly less of a cheapskate, you can pay $1 or more to get Kill Fun Yeah!, Shadowgrounds, and Zombie Driver HD. Finally, if you pay more than the average (approximately $6, as of the time of writing), you'll also net Gimbal, Shank 2, Mass Effect 2, and DLC for Zombie Driver. Two more mystery games will be unveiled next week: one for the lower tier, and one for the higher tier. Both will be unlocked if you've already paid. Most of the games activate on Steam or Desura, while ME2 activates on Origin.

Microsoft Zoo was to take Zoo Tycoon in new direction

 A former Frontier Developments designer has shared new art and information for Microsoft Zoo, a game with an aim of taking Microsoft's Zoo Tycoon franchise in an "exciting new direction" before it later became Kinectimals.

Graphical user interface lead Anil Glendinning wrote on his website (via NeoGAF) that Microsoft Zoo was a third-person adventure game that was part zoo creation and part animal interaction. His website has since been pulled down for "maintenance."

Beyond: Two Souls Box Art Revealed

Quantic Dream has revealed the box art for Beyond: Two Souls and it’s really great. It stands out a lot due to the colours. The game stars Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe.

The box art is very unique and also a lot different than the ones we see nowadays.
“We worked together with the team at Quantic Dream to choose an image that we felt was both cinematic and in keeping with the emotional journey that the final game will take you on. We hope you like it,” the blog post reads.

Former Battlefield producer would like to see DICE return to future setting

 Former Battlefield producer Gordon Van Dyke would like to see developer DICE leave the "safe haven" of the modern setting and make a new future-set Battlefield game. However, he questioned if the Swedish develop has the courage to do so.

"Battlefield 2142 successor on Frostbite Engine would be amazing," Van Dyke wrote on Twitter (via Pixel Enemy). "But does DICE got the balls to leave the safe haven of a modern war setting? Hope so."

This fall's Battlefield 4 takes place in a modern setting.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D preview: max slider

There isn't much to say about Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, given that the original Wii game is a known quality. Retro Studios' 2D platformer was always a looker, playing with depth in a way that made the game feel far more dynamic and exciting than other games in the genre. It was a perfect fit for 3D, which is why it transitions so well onto 3DS. In fact, it's probably my favorite use of 3D on Nintendo's handheld so far.

Outside of Super Mario 3D Land, not many games have enticed me to turn the 3D slider on. And even when I turn it on, I usually keep it on the lowest possible setting. With Donkey Kong Country Returns, however, I found myself wanting to keep the 3D running at maximum strength.
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