Transformers: War for Cybertron Rolls Out June

It’s been a while since we last had a look at Transformers: War for Cybertron, and since then there has been some good media released that gives us a good look at the gameplay. G4TV has a developer walkthrough narrated by Matt Tieger from High Moon Studios, demonstrating the game with Optimus not-yet-Prime.

As the earlier previews suggested, the game really does take a lot from the Gears of War series, and plays like a tight third person shooter. There is more to the basic formula with the addition of abilities unique to each Transformer as well as, of course, the option to transform into a vehicle at any time. Tieger explains that the vehicle form has two modes, a hover mode in which the vehicle controls exactly like the Transformer on foot, with strafing and jumping, and a regular mode in which you can travel forward much faster to “roll out” in style.

Some more details about the multiplayer are known now too. Players will have the choice of playing as the existing Autobots and Decepticons in the myriad multiplayer modes, as well as the ability to create whole new Transformers with a character editor, based on pre-built classes each with their unique capabilities 1)http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/transformerswarforcybertron/news.html?sid=6261295&mode=previews.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I don’t have extremely high expectations of the game, but I’m still looking forward to it. It seems to hit the right notes in terms of fan service and the hands-on impressions out there indicate that it will probably provide some decent value through sheer content 2)http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/video-games-17/war-for-cybertron—tfw2005-visits-high-moon-studios–gameplay-impressions-169615/. The multitude of Transformers to choose from and the drop-in co-op will no doubt ensure a decent amount of replayability.

After the jump, the videos. War for Cybertron is hitting stores on June 22, 2010 for every platform imaginable 3)http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=430620.
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Quote of the Day: Gray Matter

The game employs a new Progress Bar system within each chapter too, revealing how far towards solving a specific problem you are and detailing how many ‘bonus actions’ you’ve managed to solve along the way. Although not necessary to advance the plot, bonus actions allow you to discover more detail about the back-story. (They also reward you with those inexplicably tempting Gamerscore morsels on Xbox 360.) –Kristan Reed, Gray Matter Preview @ Eurogamer

(See also: Mata Hari)

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Guybrush Is Dead. Long Live Guybrush!

Below, you can find the Guybrush – version five – that actually made Monkey Island 2: Special Edition (you can confirm this for yourself by looking at this screenshot) in addition to an assemblage of comparative shots from the forthcoming remake.

Don’t forget to vote for your favourite Guybrush-ne’er-to-be (“Special Edition” is currently in the lead)!

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MAGS April: Part III

Dear all, this is the final entry to my coverage of April’s MAGS compo. For more information on the competition and the previously discussed entries, you should take a look at the first and second part of the article. This Sunday instalment takes a look at the remaining three contestants: Hard Space, Snakes of Avalon and Space Pool Alpha.

Once more, don’t forget to cast your vote! The compo is still ongoing and lasts until the 17th of May.

Hard Space

Our first entry today, Hard Space: Conquest of the Gayliks, continues on the path already taken by Shane “ProgZmax” Steven’s previous game, Limey Lizard: Waste Wizard!, only to bring the parodic aspects even more to the fore. Stevens is also responsible for the vastly, vastly different Mind’s Eye, one of my all-time favourite AGS games.

I do absolutely have to get this out of the way: Hard Space is a parody of the original Star Trek, built entirely on the solid foundation of cock-jokery. The game, set on the ISC (or is it I.S.S.?) Penetrator, “a ship crewed almost entirely by male homosexuals,” 1)http://www.bigbluecup.com/yabb/index.php?topic=40883.msg540428#msg540428 discusses the all-star entourage of Captain Jack Hardin, “the black sheep of the Interstellar Commonwealth.” 2)http://www.bigbluecup.com/yabb/index.php?topic=40883.msg540428#msg540428

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MAGS April: Part II

This is part II of our coverage of the April MAGS competition hosted at the Adventure Game Studio forums. Voting continues until the 17th of May, so you still have some time to check out the entries. The previous part of the article discussed the first four entries to the competition (AGS Footballer Tech Demo, Alphabeta, Dead Hand and Dead Pixels), and the third portion, on Hard Space, Snakes of Avalon and Space Pool Alpha, will be released shortly afterwards, so stay tuned! Today’s part, then, is dedicated to just one game:

Eternally Us

One bad hand and it’s all over. -Fiona

Broken rules aside 1)http://www.bigbluecup.com/yabb/index.php?topic=40476.msg534474#msg534474, context is everything with Ben “Ben304” Chandler and Steven “Calin Leafshade” Poulton’s entry to the compo, Eternally Us. Context-free, the game is, like Steve Ince (So Blonde) calls it, a “beautiful” 2)http://twitter.com/Steve_Ince/status/13309496796 adventure. For a MAGS entry, then, the game is not only breathtakingly complete but also a fulfilling gaming experience.

The game is also yet another extension to Chandler’s formidable repertoire – a constant stream of short, self-contained adventures – that broadly discusses the same primary motifs, vehicles and themes, in many ways tying his output down into a more coherent whole. Conversely, Poulton is best-known for his well-esteemed (though also controversial) The McCarthy Chronicles.

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