Blank pixel used during image takedowns
We flew out to Seattle last weekend to check out some games, accessories, and cosplayers at PAX Prime - the convention that doubles as a gamer's haven. We saw some fantastic costumes, but also some great games.
We threw ourselves head-first into previewing games on our first day on the showfloor. Check out what we thought in our day 1 recap.
Joe Danger: The Movie
There aren’t many games that we can honestly say that we love despite frustraing us greatly, but that group finds Joe Danger joining Trials HD. If you haven’t seen Joe Danger before, we can only describe it as 3D Excitebike mixed with LittleBigPlanet. While that may seem like a bit of a weird combination, let us explain: As Joe Danger, the player must make it to the end of a track while avoiding obstacles. This is done partly by navigating the Z-plane, which is where the LittleBigPlanet comparison comes from.
According to the level designer at Hello Games, all of the levels in the single player mode were made using the in-game level editor. Levels are unlocked using stars that can be earned a variety of ways, including collecting all of the letters to spell DANGER in a specific level or by beating the level in a certain amount of time. While at first we found it slightly frustrating that there were no mid-level checkpoints and that we had to start at the very beginning every time, we soon understood the reasoning behind it and came to appreciate it greatly in some of the later levels that we had the chance to play.
Perhaps one of Joe Danger: The Movie’s strongest points is the simple and genuine humor that comes just from playing through the game. At one point, Joe is dressed as a cop and must chase down criminals who are also riding motorcycles; the nonchalant way that he rides up and punches them off their bike is humorous and shows the perspective that the team has taken toward development: make something that’s humorous and fun to play. They have done just that, which is something that is often hard to convey in the short amount of time that the showfloor provides.
While not shown at PAX, Joe will take to more vehicles than just his bike including skiis, jetpacks, snowmobiles, BMX bikes, and more. Hello Games has really pushed the envelope of what an indie developer can do, crafting a game that in it’s unfinished state is more fun than many of the recently released downloadable titles. Keep an eye on Joe Danger: The Movie as 2012 approaches.
Vessel
It isn’t often that we find games that grab us and stand out as something different. Other games may use liquid physics, but Vessel uses it in a way that is uniquely intriguing.
As the story goes, the main character is the inventor of creatures that are mass-produced out of liquid and are eventually abused as cheap labor. These creatures start to malfunction, requiring him to investigate.
The puzzle mechanics in the game come in the form of using seeds, the core of the creatures, to attract and manipulate liquid. Whether this means placing a seed in water to create a creature that opens the door for the player, or using the seed to attract water to cool the lava enough to walk on it, Vessel finds many ways of exploring the liquid theme.
The idea that a creator must use his greatest creation while trying to figure out what went wrong with it was an idea that really stuck with us. While the creatures look like something out of the film Flubber with Robin Williams, they have a certain personality to them that almost makes you feel bad when you have to burst one in order to solve a problem.
The puzzles can get a bit complicated if you don’t stop to think about them and how they fit into the environment, but we were assured that most would be skippable in order to let the player progress through the story for those of you that are less inclined towards a challenge.
Vessel is surprisingly interesting and deep. It will be released on Xbox Live Arcade this winter, so there will be a demo for players curious about getting wet.
Madcatz - Warhead 7.1
In the past, Madcatz has been known for making second-tier products, but they've turned their product line around and are making some pretty cool gear.
Madcatz partnered with Microsoft for its line of co-branded Tritton and Microsoft wireless headphones. There are three tiers of headset, but we're focusing on the top-of-the-line headset: the Warhead 7.1 for this preview.
Aside from the true wireless 7.1-surround sound, the headset is the only wireless headset that doesn’t need an annoying cable between the headset and the Xbox 360 controller. Even better, it doesn’t communicate with the controller at all. Instead, it exchanges signal directly with the console for uncompressed audio with better quality. The headset utilizes 5.8Ghz wireless technology which means clear surround sound at a further distance than typical 2.8Ghz sets.
We found this headset to be the best we've spent copious amounts of time with. The Warhead 7.1 has features that fans have been asking for and more; as if it was made with the intention of being the very best in every department. Price hasn’t been announced yet, but stay tuned as we approach the fall release.
Jetpack Joyride
After Halfbrick Studios found success with Fruit Ninja on iOS, they put out a variety of other games hoping to ride on that momentum, but none seemed to take off as well. Jetpack Joyride changes that.
Jetpack Joyride takes the one-touch gameplay that has served so many other iOS games well. Holding a finger on the screen will make the jetpack rise, while letting it go will make it fall. Hitting the ground doesn't cause a loss, but rather players earn a game over by running into electrical fields scattered along the map.
The player's score is tallied in meters traveled, similar to games like Monster Dash. If you've played Tiny Wings, then the mini-objectives that are needed to level up - such as traveling a certain distance with the teleporter in one match - will be familiar to you. Completing these objectives will give the player coins used to unlock cosmetic changes to both the character and vehicles.
Power-ups can be picked up along the way that award the player with temporary control of a variety of vehicles, from teleporters to the Hog from Monster Dash. Jetpack Joyride retains the fun of one-touch gaming while adding depth, even if only cosmetic. We can see ourselves pouring hours of time in to Jetpack Joyride when it hits the App Store this month.
Alien: Infestation
With the release of Nintendo’s 3DS handheld in March of this year, we weren’t expecting to see many games released for the original DS, aside from the occasional Imagine title or latest Madden release. Alien: Infestation is not only coming out on the DS, but is looking quite good.
The game is built on the “Metroid-vania” style of gameplay with Alien dressings and lore. (An important thing to note is the difference between Alien and Aliens-- there's a big difference in gameplay and setting depending on if the 's' is present.)
Alien: Infestation was originally supposed to be a companion to the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines, but when Gearbox Software took the game in a different direction, Sega knew that Infestation was good enough to stand on its own.
Infestation impresses with its beautifully animated, 2D art style. The action is a bit simple, but fits the game well. Players control a member of the Space Marines featured in the films. When one member is “cocooned” by a xenomorph, the player must take control of another character to rescue the first before the alien egg hatches, killing the soldier.
What we played of Alien: Infestation seemed competent and had some of the best animation that we have seen in a 2D platformer. It comes out in a matter of weeks, so be sure to check it out when it hits!
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
These days when someone asks about the best-looking game, the response usually includes Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and along with that comes the notion that it's "almost like watching a movie.” This is very true; the Uncharted franchise is one of the most overtly cinematic in all of gaming. Not only has this been good for sales, but also as a benchmark to make the industry strive to be something more. In the short bit of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception that we were shown at PAX Prime last week, this goal has carried over to every area of development.
In typical Uncharted fashion, we come upon main character Nathan Drake breaking into an enemy-controlled airstrip accompanied by one of his many globetrotting lady friends, in this case a blonde television reporter Elena Fisher. Drake tells her to get in a Jeep and leave, but as soon she leaves, he's spotted and comes under a storm of enemy fire. He runs through explosion after explosion, spouting wisecracks the whole time through. The cargo plane that he needed leaves, and it looks like our protagonist is out of luck until Elena comes back in the Jeep and they drive off after the plane. Drake steps on to the jeep's hood and jumps to the plane's landing gear.
This is where it gets crazy. After a small rest break, he encounters a large bad guy straight out of Indiana Jones. The two trade punches until one of them opens the cargo hatch, taking everything out the back of the plane. Hanging on to the cargo wrapping on a SUV that's dangling out of the plane’s rear, Drake shoots and climbs his way back on to the plane, just in time to blow an explosive barrel and rip the entire ship apart, ending the demo.
Naughty Dog certainly has some high expectations to live up to after the high praise of Among Thieves, but what they've done with Drake’s Deception is on a whole new level compared to what's been passing for action games lately.