TopWare Interactive has released four new screenshots from their upcoming RPG, Two Worlds II. Due out this Winter for major consoles, PCs, and MAC computers – Two Worlds II will feature an all-new GRACE graphics engine, which these screens showcase.
See all four screens, After the Break!
Logitech has announced a replacement gaming keyboard for their venerable Logitech G11. The Logitech G110 will feature enhanced lighting effects, a number of useful pass through ports including audio and USB, as well as a very thin form-factor. It retails for $79.99 and will be available this November at their official product page.
Activision has released a trailer for another upcoming downloadable character to their Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Psylocke. No word yet on when all of these characters will become available for purchase, but Activision promises more information soon.
THQ has released a new TV spot for their upcoming WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010, which is due out on October 20th across North America and on October 23rd in Europe. The game features a new character creation system as well as a ‘Story Designer Mode’ as well as having around 60 real-life wrestlers to play as or against.
Activision has released a new trailer from the upcoming racer, BLUR, showing off the game’s power-ups as well as split-screen racing. The game is due out early next year on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows PC platforms.
You may recall the splash the SAW Haunted Attraction made during last year’s Halloween season. Well, that maze was designed by Jeff Schiefelbein and his IMAGINATION Design Studios. This year, they have re-branded the event to be now forever known as Sinister Pointe and along with this new name comes two new haunted mazes to experience: Interactive Fear and Silent Hill (based on the Konami video game franchise). Not only that, but Sinister Pointe also offers the Slaughter Yard scare zone in front of the ticket booth to keep victims terrified while they wander about.
Our tour of Sinister Pointe took place on Thursday, October 8th when they were staffed by what Jeff Schiefelbein himself would call a ‘skeleton crew’. I mention this as what would transpire when we entered the mazes was nothing short of awesome…
The first maze we entered was Interactive Fear, a take off on the ideas of group participation Schiefelbein introduced last year in his SAW Haunted Attraction. Guests are tasked with performing a series of tasks in order to progress through the maze. Whats more, a short time after entering the maze you will be given a choice of two paths to take, each sending you on a slightly different adventure than the other. We asked the cloaked reaper-like figure at the intersection of the two paths to point us in the direction of the scarier direction and continued on. I don’t want to talk too much about the actual activities you will be tasked with as that would spoil it for you – I just suggest you give yourself over to the scary experience for what it is – a huge amount of fun.
I have a lot of experience with haunted attractions and one thing that surprised and impressed me with Interactive Fear, aside from its scart activities, was its dark motif. A lot of that maze is gone through in almost total darkness. Black walls, floors ceilings – this is in contrast to many maze designers who believe packing their ‘masterpieces’ with as much crap as possible is a good thing. Interactive Fear attempts to deprive you of your normal senses to enhance the experience, which it does to great effect. Added to this is a killer soundtrack by local musician John Autopsy which drives on with hard beats and bass tracks.
The Silent Hill maze, based on Konami’s video game series and the 2006 motion picture, was our second stop of the evening. Passing by the eerie Silent Hill welcome sign (which, incidentally, looks like it was taken straight from the film) its is hard not to get a little freaked out as anyone who has played the games or seen the film will tell you it is not a smart move to knowingly walk into the town of Silent Hill – but we went anyway, the things I do for you guys… Seriously…
The first stop in the maze is the bathroom set from the film, complete with janitor-creature effect. A great attention to detail has been put into the maze, with IMAGINATION Design Studio custom-making all the props and set pieces. Throughout the experience you will come face-to-face with various monsters from from the mythos including nurses as well as having multiple brushes with the notorious Pyramid Head. In our go-round, Pyramid Head was relegated to a role of being part of the set mostly as props, gags, etc. When we spoke with Jeff later, we learned that they were a bit late with the costume and that they will have an actual actor in the full costume within the week! Take note, people, as the Silent Hill maze was creepy enough without this addition. Having Pyramid Head lurking about, dragging that gigantic blade across the ground will send the terror-levels even higher.
Remember my mentioning the ‘skeleton crew’ earlier in this piece? Well, I did so because what talent was there filled the maze with the energy I would expect from a crew twice their size. They continually brought intensity and scares and they should be commended for their efforts.
After our experiences with the mazes, I got the chance to talk with Jeff for a few minutes about Sinister Pointe, Konami, as well as his plans for the future. The first thing we touched on was that he is planning to move the whole Sinister Pointe attraction to a larger and permanent warehouse for next year’s run. Also, Jeff explained that he and his design studio created all of the props, masks, and costumes themselves – including creating molds, etc! Konami provided artwork and press relations as necessary but could not produce the previously-mentioned. As if this was not impressive enough, they did it all in roughly two months from start to finish.
When asked if there was a message he wanted to pass directly on to you, Jeff replied:
‘We just want people to know that we are out there and we are here competing with the big guys. We don’t have a fraction of the funding that these guys have and we are here to be their competition. So we plan on being around and you are going to hear a lot more from us.’
We hope so, Jeff, we really do as Sinister Pointe was a great experience which had some really impressive production values, shrieks, and creeks. If you live in Southern California, you owe it to yourself to check this one out before it leaves for another year!
The Sinister Pointe Official Website
Sinister Pointe is open on various days throughout October from 7p to 10p on weekdays and 7p to Midnight on weekends. A combo-ticket providing entry into both mazes costs $20 dollars. See the official site for more information.
Electronic Arts has released a new walkthrough video for the track at Brands Hatch in Kent, England. Need for Speed Shift was released on September 15th.
The Thing was released in 2002 and serves a direct-sequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name. Developed by Computer Artworks and published by Vivendi Universal Games, The Thing took fans of the classic horror movie on a claustrophobic roller coaster ride that, despite a few bugs and issues with the game’s NPC interaction system, was a blast.
The game takes place a short while after the events of the film, with Outpost 31 lying mostly in charred ruins, and tasks the player with leading a US military rescue team to survey the site and find out what exactly happened to the outpost’s 12-man crew… (cont.)
(cont.) It was presented as a third-person shooter that, for 2002, had some very well-crafted visuals which really brought the game’s arctic environments to life. The game’s first level allows the player to directly explore Outpost 31 and is an absolutely treat for fans of the film. Of course, over the span of the game things go terribly wrong and the titular organism is again in danger of spreading to the entire planet. The only one between it and the general population: You. Oh, and possibly R.J. Macready who may or may not have been hiding out the entire time.
This game worked very well on the level of being claustrophobic. Its narrow hallways and intimate interiors really added to the sense of fear – fear not only of fighting the creatures themselves but also that your teammates might at any moment begin turning… The game’s fear/trust/infection system, when it worked, made keeping your squad’s trust levels high an absolute priority, as if you did not, your squad could do anything from run away to hide or even commit suicide!
Unfortunately, the fear/trust/infection system did not always work well, which had some very bizarre effects on your squadmates – often times making it easier just to off everyone you met. Problem with this system is that often times to gain access to locked doors and accomplish other goals was they you would have to team up with engineers you happened across.
The Thing has some very low system requirements by today’s standards and I doubt you could get it effectively running on a Windows Vista or 7 system at all. However, if you can get the Xbox version of the game and still have a system to play it on I highly recommend it – especially now during the scary season!
Being a United Nations Space Command ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) means that you are a generally mal-tempered fellow who gets his kicks by dropping from orbit in a small metal coffin onto the battlefield – usually right into enemy lines to take them by surprise. You are considered the best of the best by most everyone and are looked upon with shock and awe wherever you fight. Nevermind those mythical ‘Spartans’, being an ODST is what its all about! Hoorah!
The game starts prior to the events of Halo 3 as you are a rookie ODST just joining his first squad aboard the UNSC heavy frigate Say My Name. You meet your squadmates, three of which are voiced by Firefly alumni Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Alan Tudyk. The actors all give good, solid performances in their respective ODST roles and it really feels like they enjoyed the work of recording it.
The Say My Name gets into orbit above New Mombasa and starts dropping your HEVs (Human Entry Vehicles) containing ODSTs when the High Prophet of Regret takes his ship into slipspace, creating a massive shock wave which destroys a good portion of the city center, while also throwing all of your HEVs off-course. This slipstream entry should be familiar to those of you who played Halo 3. Most of the game is spent showing the player’s character finding his comrades. You will play as other characters in the game though, mostly to show their sides of the adventure as it unfolds.
Gameplay as a human ODST and not a Spartan-II soldier is definitely a different experience. Not nearly as resistant to damage, you will find that cover and concealment become increasingly important as the battles get heavier. Thankfully, and this could be considered a problem by some, Bungie does not overwhelm you with Covenant forces to deal with in ODST. Sure, the battles will challenge you at times but more often than not you will be stealthily-dispatching your enemies when possible, thinning them out before making a frontal assault.
Part of the ODST arsenal is a helmet which uses an augmented reality system to enhance your vision and better your combat and navigation about the city. When activated it casts an, at first, off-putting filter over the camera and ups the contrast slightly. It doesn’t seem all that useful until you realize that it will definitely help you see in low-light conditions thanks to its wireframe outlining of the terrain. Also, the augmented reality system can be used to hunt for clues to your squadmates’ whereabouts.
Part of ODST will be spent looking for these clues and you will have to put on your detective hat because they can be difficult to find. The city is laid out in a rough spoke and wheel pattern and is fairly open in every mission. If you take the time to explore all the nooks and crannies you will no doubt find health stations, ammo, and new weapons to fight the Covenant with – a heavy pistol and silenced machine gun.
The game will be enjoyed by fans of shooters as well as the Halo series. However, some might be disappointed by the singleplayer/coop campaign’s short duration coupled with the game’s full-release product pricing ($60). Afterall, you pay full-game pricing and you will no doubt expect a full-game. Thankfully, Microsoft and Bungie have thrown in some additions to soften the blow of this high cost. Halo 3: ODST includes every add-on map for Halo 3 as well as three new maps not seen before. Also included in the purchase is the option to beta test Halo: REACH sometime next year.
One of the more interesting things I found with the game was how the developers organized and refined enemy AI. You will often encounter groups of grunts being escorted about by an Elite or Brute. The interaction between the species is really fun to watch and you will have plenty of time to do so when sneaking about.
In Halo 3: ODST, you will not be able to recharge your health after taking a moment’s rest. Instead, you will have to deal with your stamina meter which acts similar to the shield system found in Halo 3. However, you will also have a health display which, if it empties, so do you. You will have to replenish your health and med stations throughout New Mombasa. Along the way you will be aided to these stations as well as clues about other ODSTs by a ‘dumb AI’ known as the Superintendent. The Superintendant will do fun things like change traffic lights, road signs, etc in order to get you where you need to go. Its a fun, yet effective gimmick.
Overall, Halo 3: ODST is a mixed bag of Halo goodness. Sometimes you will yell at it for costing so much and very obviously only being a short expansion. Other times, you will be yelling at the top of your lungs something like, ‘Die covies! Die!’, as you empty whole mags into enemy troops.
BadRadish Entertainment has released a new trailer for their upcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade title, Lodestar 1000. The game takes a new spin on the classic ‘Simon’ gameplay.
