Mars: War Logs

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Thanks for joining us again for the weekly round up of the Deals with Gold. Please remember that all sale prices listed below require an Xbox Live Gold membership. This …
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Spiders Studio’s next project Bound By Flame is already confirmed for the Xbox 360 early next year. It’s described as a dark fantasy RPG that assimilates much of the gameplay crafted in Mars: War Logs, Spiders’ previous offering, and builds upon that foundation with a bigger budget and more development time.

The premise places you in the role of a cursed mercenary, bound to a demonic being who tempts you with power in exchange for bits of your soul. You’ll choose whether to entertain this pact for shunned power in the face of increasingly deadly opposition, or go it alone, training in the purer ways of the hero. Intriguingly, scenarios and experiences within the game are said to change depending on the entity’s influence over you, altering your appearance in the process.

Combat in Bound By Flame unfolds in real-time, similarly to its predecessor with three skill trees dedicated to the holy trinity of combat, stealth and magic, but expanded to a much a larger degree. On the features front, genre staples confirmed to be making an appearance include: a crafting system to create and improve weapons and armor at both ends of the experience spectrum, the option to customize your character’s gender and facial features, and of course, droves of creatures in all shapes, sizes and levels of lethality.

The first teaser trailer seems to confirm that elves, dwarves, goblins and other high fantasy fare are thankfully missing, opting for a more gothic bestiary with somewhat of a Dark Souls vibe. Finally it should come as no surprise, like both of Spiders’ previous RPG offerings, Bound By Flame looks gorgeous. Hit the jump to see for yourself, and definitely keep this one on your radar.

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Before E3 2013, Spider Studios, whom are previously known for developing Mars: War Logs, announced their latest game in development, Bound by Flame. Published by Focus Home Interactive, Bound by Flame was set to be released on XBLA, PSN, and Steam by the end of 2013. However, based on a press release yesterday, the title has been delayed to early 2014. One possible reason for the delay is that Spider Studios announced that Bound by Flame is now coming to the Playstation 4. As of this press release, Focus Home Interactive is only confirming that Bound by Flame is coming to XBLA on the Xbox 360. There is no news about this title coming to the Xbox One.

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Mars: War Logs was developed by Spiders Studios and published by Focus Home Interactive. It was released July 26, 2013 for 1,200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Mars: War Logs is a sci-fi/action RPG that is unmistakably, unabashedly cut from the same basic template used for Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect. The main character is a war veteran with a dark, mysterious, or troubled past. He or she travels with a few companions who provide assistance, special abilities, additional information, and so on. The villain is either an oppressive fascist regime or someone who harbors deep personal resentment for the hero. Throughout the journey, the party is faced with moral dilemmas as they seek to resolve primary tasks and sub-quests, with decision options usually broken down into a binary GOOD or EVIL choice and little in-between. There is an equipment upgrade system, where the player uses spare materials to enhance weapons and armor. The party gains experience points to level up, and skill points can be applied to unlock advanced abilities, feats, and class perks. There are romance options available, depending on the hero’s gender, demeanor, and rapport with his or her companions. This game format is very familiar to anyone who has played any high-profile console RPGs in the past ten years, and even more so for those running the original Baldur’s Gate on PC in the late 1990’s.

So let’s just get this out of the way, rather than meandering around it: if someone is interested in playing a sci-fi/action/open-ended WRPG, they have a ton of options available from half a dozen extremely prolific developers, some of whom started the genre. Many of those options are incredible adventures, spanning entire galaxies, with memorable characters, brilliant dialogue, breathtaking landscapes, and a few of them have dramatically pushed the genre forward in big ways. The market is immensely crowded, and Mars: War Logs is placed in a very tough spot because of that. Priced between $15 and $20, it is clearly aimed to be a mid-priced alternative to mega-funded RPGs from the likes of BioWare and Obsidian, and wants to be a Mass Effect that doesn’t cost $60 at launch. But the size of the budget and price of the game are but small parts of a much larger picture, so how does Mars: War Logs measure up?

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Mars: War Logs, the atmospheric cyberpunk action RPG, is finally coming to Xbox Live Arcade. Announced late last year, War Logs had always targeted XBLA, but took a detour for an early PC release. Fortunately, Roy Temperance and his murky past will finally arrive on the red planet this Friday, July 26 for 1200 MSP.

We’ve logged quite a bit of information ourselves about Spiders’ upcoming offering. From their cleverly named Silk engine that weaves War Logs‘ impressive visuals to the fluid combat system, lifting more than a little inspiration from Batman: Arkham Asylum.

To get a sense of what’s in store for those looking to take the plunge into the martian world, hit the jump to hear Spiders’ motivations behind the ambitious downloadable title.

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If Mars: War Logs could be summarized with one word, that word would be ‘ambitious’. With each new bit of news we learn that this game is looking to …
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Mars: War Logs is quickly shaping up to be one of the most visually impressive Xbox LIVE Arcade games to date. It’s an interesting mix of action and RPG. Think of it as one part Red Faction, one part Batman: Arkham series, and one part Mass Effect series.

Players control Roy Temperance, your typical ‘I-have-a-murky-past’ character. War is being waged over Mars’ most precious resource, water, and Roy is stuck right in the middle of it. The setting feels very much like the Mars-in-fiction we’ve come to know over the years, and closely resembles Marauder territory in the Red Faction: Origins film released in 2011.

Combat is handled much like today’s “crowd fight” titles. As with the Batman: Arkham and Assassin’s Creed games, Roy will be equipped to handle multiple foes at once. Three available combat skill trees will help players specialize their character as a melee, ranged or “technomancer” combatant. Players can evade enemy attacks by rolling, and combine melee and ranged attack for maximum efficiency.

Much like the Mass Effect games, Roy will have traveling companions. They will assist him in combat and on his missions, which will be doled out by various NPCs found throughout the game. Roy can use his charm (or intimidation factor) to influence conversations with characters. The game also has a crafting system, powered by items found on corpses or looted from the gameplay world. These can be used to create or upgrade weapons and armor, the latter of which will also change Roy’s appearance. All of these experiences lead to XP that will level up Roy and, presumably, his companions.

Mars: War Logs is being developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive. It’s currently set for a Spring 2013 release, but no hard date or price point has been set. Given what we’ve seen so far we’re pretty confident this will fall into the 1200 MSP or above price range. It seems to be quite an in-depth title, and we’re looking forward to another visit to the Red Planet. Hit the jump for additional screenshots.

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We’ve seen a lot of Mars: War Logs‘ grungy, sun-kissed universe. Everything from cyberpunk screenshots to a serene music video, but we’ve never seen the third-person RPG in action, until today. Focus Home Interactive has released a brand new trailer showing off a combat scheme that appears strikingly similar to Batman: Arkham Asylum. So far, so good.

You’ll wade into groups of opponents, human or otherwise, swinging and firing any number of customizable weapons. You’ll dodge, duck, dip, dive and…dodge the blows and firearms of your enemies, countering attacks with precision timing. Most importantly, you’ll be able to choose your style of combat. Mars: War Logs features a three-tiered skilltree system that encompasses the holy trinity of combat styles.

If you’re a skull-cracker, the Combat tree might be your preferred choice for knock-down-drag-out brawls. The Technomant tree houses the more mystical arts, gifting you the cybernetic voodoo to hurl lighting and waves of energy from your fingertips. Lastly, for the sneaks and saboteurs, the Renegade tree might be the best fit with its emphasis on stealth takedowns and use of traps. Whatever you choose, you’ll be able to further specialize as you advance in level by earning experience for completing quests and finishing off enemies.

Hit the jump for a look at how to navigate the hostile environments of the martian planet when Mars: War Logs releases this Spring.

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Cyberpunk action-roleplaying adventure Mars: War Logs shows off its sunnier side in its first official trailer. Soaked in sunlight and soulful melody, the trailer only hints at the dirty, dingy underbelly that is everyday life for the colonists of Mars.

Mars: War Logs takes place several undetermined hundreds of years in the future where humankind’s colonization of the Red Planet has failed. The surviving remnants of those efforts have devolved into civil war for control of the most precious commodity on the planet: water. Because life’s not hard enough, helping to ensure everyday could be the last are the mutants, the religious zealots and that beautiful sun. That savagely beautiful sun, scourging the surface with solar radiation in doses suitable for proper skin liquefaction.

You’ll take on the role of Roy Temperance, the renegade whose story intertwines with the fate of the planet, as you fight against the aforementioned martian horrors and the corporate ruling class. Boasting a deep stable of intriguing characters, dozens of unlockable skills and perks and customizable equipment, Mars: War Logs is shaping up to be unique, to say the least.

Helmed by Spiders Studios, Mars: War Logs runs on the studio’s cleverly named and obviously gorgeous Silk engine, spinning it’s way toward a tentative “Spring 2013” release date. We’ll keep this one on our radar. In the meantime, feast your eyes on a bevy of silky screens after the jump.

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