11 years ago
Roundabout review (Xbox One)
Roundabout was developed and published by No Goblin on Xbox One. It was released on February 20, 2015 for $14.99. A copy was provided by No Goblin for review purposes.
Where do I begin when reviewing Roundabout? The absolutely ridiculous ’70s B-Movie FMV cut-scenes? The insane gameplay? The bonkers music and voice acting? Or maybe with the fact that when I beat the game I was at 29 percent completion — not even 30! Roundabout is an almost review-proof game, but I’m going to try.
In Roundabout, you play as Georgio (of course, played by a woman, because why not), a limo driver who can’t seem to stop spinning. The game has a top-down point of view, and an open world in which you pick up people who need you to take them places and complete wacky objectives. It’s like a cross between Crazy Taxi and the old top-down Grand Theft Auto games — except you can’t stop spinning, which turns everything into a game of figuring out how to maneuver without blowing up.
11 years ago
Fable Legends will be free to play
Lionhead Studios has announced that Fable Legends will be free to play for all Xbox One users with a Gold subscription and will also be free on all Windows 10 PCs. All story-related content will be free for everyone, and everything that is directly related to gameplay will be able to be earned and unlocked. In addition, there are customization aspects of the heroes that can be bought with real money or earned via an in-game currency transaction.
There will be a rotating cast of heroes available for free for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time before they are eventually rotated out for a new cast; however, all progress on each hero is saved between free weeks. This process is very similar to how League of Legends alternates which champions are free each week for players. There will also be a way for players to earn each hero, and those heroes will also be available for purchase for those willing to pay.
The game’s director, David Eckelberry, made an in-depth video explaining the decision-making process and reasoning behind the game becoming free to play. Lionhead has also posted a FAQ on their website, which can be read here, that answers most questions that players might have in regards to the announcement. Take a look at the video for yourself after the break.
11 years ago
Trine 3 announced
Today Frozenbyte revealed the third installment in their co-op puzzle platforming series Trine. Titled Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power, the game will continue the story of the Three Heroes as they embark on a brand new adventure. Details are limited right now, but the announcement trailer offers a glimpse at what the game will look like. Check it out after the jump.
Trine 3 will launch later this year, initially on PC. While it has not been announced for Xbox platforms, it’s worth noting that the past installments of the series did make their way to consoles.
11 years ago
#IDARB: It gives away a red box
Mike Mika has a problem. Gamers who’ve secured free copies of #IDARB, his multiplayer hybrid basketball/platformer game, likely don’t consider it to be a problem, but for Mika and his team at developer Other Ocean Interactive, it absolutely is. And it’s one that the head of development at Other Ocean can’t help but exacerbate.
“The problem we have, everything is so…we’re just so fixed in our ways,” the design director tells XBLA Fans, “it’s like, ‘Well, this should just be free. It should just be free.’ And we’re probably part of the problem when you hear people complain about free-to-play games, and how that’s been a race to the bottom on being able to make money. I can see how that happens, because while we’re putting this game together it feels like the right thing to do by all the gamers is to give [#IDARB] to them. I’m sure it’s dangerous. We can’t afford to keep giving it to them.”
But he wishes that they could. While acknowledging that giving too much away is “dangerous,” Mika says that his studio is “definitely erring on the side of being as extremely fair as possible.” No one who’s followed #IDARB (It Draws a Red Box) would dispute that that’s exactly what Other Ocean has done with its game. Mika solicited the help of every gamer with an opinion when designing #IDARB. Then he gave his game away for free before it released. Then he again gave it away for free when it released. Now he wants to give some additional #IDARB content away for free — all of its additional content, actually. But he can’t do that; he’s got a family to feed, and a studio to make profitable. So how does Mika do that? Where does he draw the line between what’s free and what’s for sale? He’s not really sure.
11 years ago
Slender: The Arrival releasing on Xbox One in March
Blue Isle Studios has announced that their first game, Slender: The Arrival, will be releasing on Xbox One on March 25 via the ID@Xbox program. The game will be coming to Xbox One with brand new story elements implemented, as well as extended levels throughout the entire game. Our review of the original game can be read here and while our final score wasn’t overwhelmingly positive it is still nice to see that the game is making the transition to the next generation of consoles with some added features for players.
A new trailer has been released for the Xbox One and Playstation 4 versions of the game and it can be seen below the break.
11 years ago
Take a look at a behind the scenes video of Shiftlings
Greetings earthlings.
In continuation of XBLA Fans’ previous story here, Sierra has released a video featuring behind the scenes footage detailing the creation process of Shiftlings.
So how will the lovable wacky alien janitors’ survive this adventure? The world will find out on March 4. The game is available to preorder here for $14.99.
The behind the scenes video will be available below the jump.
11 years ago
Pneuma: Breath of Life review (Xbox One)
Pneuma: Breath of Life was developed and published by Deco Digital and Bevel Studios. It was released on Xbox One on February 27, 2015 for $19.99. A copy was provided for review purposes.
If I learned anything from The Road to El Dorado, it’s that it’s tough to be a god. Sure, being worshipped and all-powerful is great and all, but you’ve got to live up to some high expectations. The prospect of being a god is the main conflict in Pneuma: Breath of Life, offering a unique perspective on being an all-powerful deity.
It’s important to emphasize that this isn’t your usual god game. You’re not an omnipresent spirit hovering over society, controlling life forms and building habitats, nor are you slaughtering your fellow divine beings. Pneuma is a first-person puzzler, putting you in the hypothetical shoes of Pneuma. As the creator of a brand new universe, you set out to explore your work and discover your powers. While the set-up may sound captivating, the game doesn’t quite reach god-like quality.
11 years ago
Pillar review (Xbox Live Indie Game)
Pillar was developed and published on Xbox 360 Indie Games by MichaelArts. It was released on February 17, 2015 for $4.99. A copy was provided by MichaelArts for review purposes.
Pillar is a perplexing assortment of puzzling mini-games by Michael Hicks of MichaelArts and was released with trophies on PlayStation 4 and as an indie game on Xbox 360. Hicks was responsible for the game’s design, programming, score and other components. In fact, only one other person, Gonçalo Antunes (art), is credited with working on the game in a role other than tester. As a game that was largely created by one person, the attention to detail is significant, and the player can feel the developer’s passion. Hicks also seems to be very sentimental about his work and appreciative of his family, friends and the community. If you have any interest in Pillar, you may want to take a look at this blog post at some point. It’s pretty heart warming.
As for the game itself, it abruptly starts off with a screen asking, “Who Are You?” and then follows with one inquiring “What Are You?” You are then thrown into the game with no rhyme or reason. In fact, you don’t even see a semblance of a title screen until you press pause. While it’s tempting to cut some slack for a lack of features due to the incredibly small team of people behind Pillar, I’ll be treating the title like any other game. Unfortunately, Pillar‘s seeming lack of direction hampers the potential that it could have.
11 years ago
Neverwinter coming to Xbox One next month
It has been revealed that the Dungeons and Dragons MMORPG Neverwinter will be making its Xbox One debut on March 31. At launch the game will include all base content, …
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11 years ago
Upload Studio updated for Xbox One
Microsoft has released a significant update to the Upload Studio for Xbox One. Users now have more control and flexibility with editing their video files. Game videos can now be a maximum of 30 minutes, composed of fifteen separate components. Also new to this update are several cosmetic enhancements: “new transitions, splash screens, templates, intros, double-box and green screen effects,” according to the video guide released by Major Nelson.
These interface and graphical augmentations provide increased dexterity for video creation. Clips can easily be placed in any order, moved and deleted, with transitions and other effects just as seamlessly applied. In the video released to highlight this update, Major Nelson shows off the new features and how these improvements will make Upload Studio better for all users. Take a look after the jump.