Previews

New York Comic Con has come and gone and we got our hands on a new release and some upcoming games, including a newly announced title. Three Xbox Live Arcade games were on display at the Microsoft booth. There was the recent Robot Entertainment release Orcs Must Die, a welcomed multiplayer demo of Trials Evolution and the newly announced Fusion: Genesis, the first game coming from Starfire Studios. Though our time at the event was limited, we also did get to see the guys from Demiurge Studios and play some more Shoot Many Robots.

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This preview was originally intended to be a podcast. Unfortunately unbeknownst to us the recording software crashed mid-podcast. Instead we’ve put together a preview based on that podcast. Apologies and enjoy — and special thanks to NBA Jam On Fire Edition producer Cody Sawatsky for taking the time to talk to us.

Is there honestly anyone out there that doesn’t have fond memories of NBA Jam? It’s part of every adult gamer’s past, whether pumping quarters into an arcade machine or playing some late night Tournament Edition with a friend on the Super Nintendo. Over the years the game has evolved, with several iterations in the 90’s, a solid last-gen release in 2003, and last year’s retail release. But perhaps the biggest jump in innovation comes in On Fire Edition, out tomorrow on Xbox Live Arcade.

While the 2010 edition of NBA Jam was meant to be true to the arcade, On Fire Edition takes those principles and set them on, well, fire quite frankly. NBA Jam producer Cody Sawatsky cited over 1,000 gameplay tweaks, changes and enhancements were made since the 2010 installment, including updated AI, new playable characters, easter eggs and more. It’s kind of like taking a new Camaro and stuffing in an even bigger engine, a kickin’ stereo and a set of sweet rims.

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Video games have long made life after death a very diverse drag to say the least. From the loose, graphic interpretation of Dante’s Inferno to less disturbing (yet no less tragic) fates of those in Final Fantasy X doomed to monsterhood without a summoner’s sending. Haunted Temple Studios thankfully is making death a lot more enjoyable.

The tone is set very early in the demo build here at Fantastic Arcade. Fallen samurai general Akamoto finds himself missing one of his swords and waiting in a line outside a temple for entry into the afterlife like a Jersey Shore cast member awaiting for entry into an A-list Hollywood party. His prospects look about as promising as he discovers most of whom he’s in a crowd with will never get in and are being tricked into calmly waiting what will never happen to maintain order. This revelation predictably angers the deceased general whom sets off in recruiting other to fight their way into the underworld and also confront a mysterious imposter. The story it its core taps inspiration from revenge tales but mixes that serious storytelling into a more light-hearted universe.

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Three of our favorite games last year were Blur, Snoopy Flying Ace and Hydro Thunder Hurricane. While all three titles received critical praise and similar review scores, two were heavily marketed (Blur and HTH), two were licensed properties (Snoopy and HTH), two were budget XBLA titles (Snoopy and HTH), and unfortunately only two sold well (Snoopy and HTH). SkyDrift is poised to launch next week on Xbox Live Arcade and hopes to replicate the critical success of its progenitors.

At first blush, SkyDrift feels like the offspring of Blur and Hydro Thunder Hurricane. The game plays very similar to Blur, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing et al. Player’s race against their opponents using various weapons to gain and maintain the lead. The game adds a few elements along the way to expand the formula, such as reverse maps and elimination races, but it’s largely stuff players have seen before. Which isn’t to say SkyDrift doesn’t execute this formula well, far from it, the game just isn’t all that original. We haven’t played the entirety of the game so we aren’t going to rule out a few potential surprises that change our tune.

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After the announcement and all-too-short teaser trailer from E3 2011, we’d been anxiously waiting for anything new regarding Trials Evolution. The sequel to the tough-as-nails Trials HD will …
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Hothead Games is aiming to make The Baconing the best entry yet into the DeathSpank series. Fans wrote in with all of their complaints and ideas and now Hothead …
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We got the chance to play Renegade Ops at the Sega Arcade down at San Diego Comic Con and we have to say the game is looking fantastic. Developed using the same engine as Just Cause 2 Avalanche Studios’ Renegade Ops is a twin stick shooter involving a black ops team specialized in vehicular combat–their goal: stop the terrorist agenda of Madman Inferno. Players take control of one of four different operatives each with their own vehicle and special ability. Players can join up alongside a buddy locally or up to three other players online.

A dynamic mission system gives players primary and secondary objectives to score points and advance the story which is voiced over entirely and accompanied by crisp comic-styled panels. Players compete competitively for points and cooperatively for mission completion all while  completing objectives in the most over-the-top, explosive way possible. Renegade Ops came about when Just Cause 2 developers turned the camera top-down and started messing around with the vehicles, so expect all the same fun with explosions, action and chaos. Read More

Orcs. They’re green, they’re smelly, they’re rude, and they cheat at poker, so they must die. But it shouldn’t stop there, their transgressions upon humanity are so notorious that they shouldn’t just die, they should be punished for having lived. No game features as much orc-centric punishment as Orcs Must Die! from Robot Entertainment. Use sadistic traps and powerful weapons to sort, punish and mow down waves of brutish creatures in this real time strategy turned fast paced action game.

At first glance Orcs Must Die! is a game of strategy requiring much thought. It requires players to manage space with different traps dealing different amounts of damage and have various affects on enemies. Tar traps slow and magma tiles burn, spike traps impale and archers perforate, and when conducted properly the trap symphony comes together in a comical crescendo of devilishly delivered death. However the action is just as player focused as it is trap focused. Our hero’s faithful crossbow can dole out headshots or hectic rapid fire and can supplement his repertoire with other weapons like one that shoots ice and one that can lay down a powerful firewall. Orcs Must Die! is a hybrid title like no other.

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First person shooters typically use the right trigger to fire; for various styles of attacks, beat ’em ups often use X, Y and B; Radiant Silvergun has different weapons mapped to A, B, X, Y, left and right bumper and right trigger. In short, its heavy on the guns. Radiant Silvergun, developed by Treasure, will be joining Guardian Heroes (also developed by Treasure) in the Saturn-to-XBLA port ship. Much like Guardian Heroes, Radiant Silvergun also has some older mechanics that work surprisingly well despite being difficult to acclimate to.

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Many young players will see Guardian Heroes and have no idea it’s actually a port from the Sega Saturn. This anime-styled brawler supports three 2D planes rather than a fully traversable 3D plane, tons of characters to play and unlock, a branching story arc with several different endings and encounters which, if opted out of to go down a different path, will never be experienced. This fast-paced HD-ified port brings some old mechanics into the present. The good news? It doesn’t feel a bit dated.

The controls are fairly intuitive, with X standing in for light attacks, Y for heavy, and A for a quick dodge back. B is reserved for special abilities—in the case of our Mage demo, that was magic. Those straightforward controls were balanced by a unique addition: the left bumper and left trigger, which jump planes toward and away from the player. Navigating planes takes a little getting used to, but it soon becomes second nature. (Though the adjustment period is a little more extensive when you’re trying to do this in the heat of combat.

In the interest of time, we skipped through the dialogue of the story—we were in a bit of a rush to see the meat of the gameplay. The story was told in pretty typical old-school fashion though: portraits of the characters would pop up on the screen and the camera would shift to them. It certainly feels very retro; it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but gamers that have gotten used to rich cinematics and other “modern” accoutrements may feel a bit estranged.

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