British developer Rebellion finally gives us a proper look at Aliens vs Predator in a new walkthrough video at Gametrailers. The game was shown for the first time a week back during the pre-E3 episode of GametrailersTV, however it was a very brief few seconds of footage. We now get a walkthrough demonstration of Predator gameplay, hunting the marines and aliens. Parts 1 and 2 after the jump.
Year: 2009
Alan Wakes Up
It had been a long time since we last saw something of Alan Wake; two and half years ago we saw a tech demonstration at an Intel conference, and at the end of last year we saw a brief cinematic trailer. But over the four years that we’ve known about the game, there had been scant information as to what exactly it is. Finnish developer Remedy called it a ‘psychological action thriller’, which told us nothing about the kind of gameplay it entailed. What little else we could tell from the screenshots was that it was set in a picturesque, mountainous settlement and that it had a hefty graphical engine powering it.
However, this morning at Microsoft’s eventful E3 ’09 conference, Remedy finally brought us up to speed on the game and conveyed the essence of the gameplay all in one fell swoop. And it was the highlight of the jam-packed show. Stage demo footage embedded after the jump.
Mo’ Monkey Island
Lightning just struck in the form of Telltale’s all-new episodic series, Tales of Monkey Island. Now sporting a spotless track record and a tremendous presence in the adventure gaming marketplace, Telltale were able to license the franchise from the smouldering ruins of LEC. We couldn’t be happier that the new series also paves the way for the imminent return of Michael Z. Land, the creator of the magnificent iMuse, as well as of Dominic Armato, the one and only voice of Guybrush Threepwood.
Here’s what Ron Gilbert has to say of the situation:
This next year is going to be very interesting. Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer all have games coming out. Someone check the scriptures. Might be a good time to start hording canned goods. 1)http://grumpygamer.com/8280380
Canned goods aside, that’s not nearly all; Telltale’s series is further complemented by LucasArts’ new, self-revised “Special Edition” version of the original Secret of Monkey Island.
This new rendition, then, contains hand-painted HD graphics and re-mastered, re-recorded audio; It also gives you the ability, if you so desire, to switch between the new “Special Edition” and a “Classic Mode”, which allows you to play the game as it always was.
Sounds good? Yes! My only concern for the Special Edition project – cries and whispers of rehashing aside – is that, frankly speaking, the 1080i Guybrush looks like a twat.
Who would have thought?
References
Dear Esther
Note: A review of the Dear Esther 2012 remake can be read right here!
You find yourself standing on a pier, jutting out from a silent shore with only a small house in sight, a rocky mountain looming behind in the mist. You appear to be on an island, deadly quiet and devoid of life except for a lone seagull fleeing at the sound of your step. Venturing forth into the house you discover an abandoned shack with only boxes lying about, and on the walls a curious set of chalked symbols. Setting off on the path behind the house you make your way up the mountain in an attempt to make sense of this desolate place.
Dear Esther,
the gulls do not land here anymore. I’ve noticed that this year they seem to shun the place. Maybe it’s the depletion of the fishing stock driving them away. Perhaps it’s me.
Dear Esther is an interactive first-person adventure. Based on the Source engine popularised by Half-Life 2, it is a free mod that requires the game to run. Created by British games researcher Dan Pinchbeck under the development moniker thechineseroom, the mod is described as an interactive narrative that “puts traditional game technologies to new use”. Essentially the player has one action available to them, and that is to move around and explore the island. The narrative arrives in the form of the atmospheric visuals and sound, and short spoken fragments of story that are triggered at various spots on your journey. The narrator reads out extracts from a letter addressed to someone called Esther, and relates his attempts to follow in the footsteps of a man arriving to the island before him. Throughout his monologue he alludes to his experiences as well as those of other characters, all seemingly related in some way. The accounts sometimes appear literal but at other times feel more metaphorical and nebulous in their meaning.
Natural Selection 2 Teaser
Unknown Worlds have recently put up a brand new website for the forthcoming Natural Selection 2. The previously Kotaku-exclusive teaser trailer is also viewable on the site as of today. I’ve included the trailer in YouTube format after the jump, but you can find the teaser in glorious 1280×720 on the website.
For an indie game developed by as few as four people, obviously NS2 is nothing short of a miracle of economy. While we probably won’t be covering the game as much (due to its move from Source onto a proprietary engine), an interesting facet of their current presale methodology hit me.