Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince Collector's
Edition

post from Escape Games 24 on 25 February 2011 11:06:22 PM. © Escape Games 24

Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince Collector's Edition is another sequel of Dark Parables point and click adventure type Collector's Edition downloadable hidden object games from Download Games 24. Many centuries ago, a princess kissed a frog and transformed him into a handsome prince. Unlike the fable, they never ended happily ever after. It is rumored that the Frog Prince is still alive and now

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/escapegames24/~3/jhbIZyU86Fg/dark-parables-exiled-
prince-collectors.html

Digg this

Survey: Do you prefer Japanese games with subs or
dubs

post from Destructoid on 25 February 2011 11:06:16 PM. © Destructoid

Do you prefer Japanese voiceovers with subtitles rather than the typically localized English voiceovers? A Japanese gaming publisher really wants to know.

It is my pleasure to bring you an exclusive Destructoid survey conducted in partnership with a major Japanese company. We are looking to conduct a relatively informal survey and open conversation on the topic of Japanese titles (especially those that have never made it to North America). At the heart of it they're curious if a product remaining somewhat pure to its Japanese roots might be better received by serious J-gamers in the States. Your answers will be DIRECTLY influencing a significant decision on an upcoming title.

The survey will appear in this space at 8pm. Until then, your comments and discussion will also be considered so we strongly urge you to speak your mind freely. Please respect the time of our partner and keep the conversation on topic and informative.

This is your moment to be heard. Gambatte!

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Magicka gets new patch, 'Mea Culpa' apology DLC

post from Destructoid on 25 February 2011 11:06:16 PM. © Destructoid

Magicka gets new patch, 'Mea Culpa' apology DLC screenshot

Arrowhead Studio's accidental friendly-fire simulator Magicka is a pretty sweet game, but to wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that at launch it was....a little rough around the edges. Even two hundred thousand and some sales later, it's much less so, thanks to Arrowhead's aggressive post-release patching. But it looks like Arrowhead themselves realized that pain, and now they've released some free DLC along with the latest patch.

Called the "Mea Culpa" pack, it includes a new wizard outfit, a new sword, a new staff, and new spell for use in the campaign and challenge modes. Check out a picture of me wearing it in the gallery.

As for what the new stuff does, I'll leave it to Arrowhead's uncomfortably close-to-home descriptions to tell you:

1 Staff - "Bugged Staff" - summons a swarm of bugs.
1 Sword - "A broken sword"
1 Robe - "Patched Robe"
1 Magick - "Crash to Desktop - Magick - zaps any foe (or friend)

To get you in the right mood, they've also cooked up a brand new song, available for free download here, called "The Gamer And Magicka".

Good on Arrowhead for understanding our pain and maintaining a sense of humor. NOW GET BACK TO PATCHING, I FELL THROUGH THE WORLD AGAIN.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Lucid Games formed by ex-Bizarre Creations staff

post from Destructoid on 25 February 2011 11:06:16 PM. © Destructoid

Lucid Games formed by ex-Bizarre Creations staff screenshot

A spot of good news has come out of Bizarre Creations' closure in the formation of a new studio by ex-employees. Lucid Games is the name, and it's being led by Pete Wallace, who was previously a development director at Bizarre.

"The idea is to take the spirit of Bizarre Creations and see if we can improve on that," he told the Liverpool Daily Post. "People were aware there were going to be cuts. But the closure of the studio just wasn't expected at all. Most people didn't want to move away from the area, even though they're well-placed to go and work in Seattle or Canada."

Commercial director Andy Davidson continued with a mission statement of sorts: "We want to get back to the levels of innovation and creativity at Bizarre that made Activision so keen to acquire it."

Exclusive: Former Bizarre Creations staff set up new firm [Liverpool Daily Post via Gamasutra]

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Atlus not planning western release of Catherine

post from CountGameula on 25 February 2011 10:18:00 PM. © CountGameula

Catherine, the punishing erotic puzzler from the same team behind the Persona series, won?t be...[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://countgameula.com/post/3575674722

Digg this

Escape from the Lodge

post from Escape Games 24 on 25 February 2011 10:06:01 PM. © Escape Games 24

Escape from the Lodge is another new Japanese point and click type room escape game created by Tesshi-e, who is also creator of Mild Escape, Escape from the Underground Room and Escape from the Forest of the Fairy, Ground Escape, Escape from the Balloon Room and Escape from the Same Rooms games. In this game, you are in trapped in a room and you need to escape the room by finding and using

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/escapegames24/~3/lo9fC8hNTds/escape-from-lodge-wal
kthrough.html

Digg this

Preview: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

post from Destructoid on 25 February 2011 10:05:56 PM. © Destructoid

Preview: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings screenshot

At a recent press event in New York, I saw a demo of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 medieval fantasy RPG from Polish studio CD Projekt. Knowing that the original game had its idiosyncrasies, which is typical of Eastern European-developed videogames, I asked the PR rep, Tom Ohle, if the development team made any concessions to the Western market in order to try and give the sequel a wider appeal.

“CD Projekt’s really a developer that isn’t following industry traditions,” Ohle replied. He went on to say that while the studio has learned from the successes and deficiencies of The Witcher and has certainly made countless improvements to the game, one thing it hasn’t done is dumb down the game. The Witcher 2 remains an old-school PC RPG, through and through.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC)
Developer: CD Projekt Red Studio
Publisher: Atari (NA) / CD Projekt (C. Europe) / 1C (E. Europe, Russia) / Namco Bandai (elsewhere)
To be released: May 17, 2011

The Witcher ran on BioWare’s Aurora engine, but CD Projekt built its own engine for this game; in the studio’s humble opinion, according to Ohle, it’s “the best built-for-an-RPG engine that’s out there.” It allows for a much less linear experience than the first game -- your choices play an even more vital role here, since the storyline can branch in numerous directions, concluding in one of 16 different ways. To drive that point home, the segment of the game that I saw took place around the Dwarven town of Vergan, which is an area that many players might not even see because the plot diverges before you get to it.

That’s one of the many ways in which CD Projekt sets itself apart, Ohle explained. Many big-name publishers wouldn’t likely want to budget for content that most players won’t come across, but CD Projekt feels that it adds to the game’s replayability and makes the game world seem more real. “If you’re [...] walking around and you see a little crack in [a] wall, if you follow it, you might find something cool,” he said.

Ohle told me that the team put a great deal of effort into crafting a believable fantasy world; in order to more fully realize Vergan and make it seem like a place in which Dwarves would really live, the developers drew inspiration from sources such as The Lord of the Rings. Vergan is a decent-sized burg, and I noticed a lot of stone and wood was used in its construction. The local bar is a loud, lively meeting place at any time of day. Dwarven children played in the street while other NPCs uttered a couple of lines of dialogue as protagonist Geralt walked past.

Another major change is the combat system. You don’t have to keep switching between combat styles anymore -- everything occurs in real time, and Ohle compared the new setup to Batman: Arkham Asylum. You have quick attacks (left click) and strong attacks (right click); holding Ctrl slows down time somewhat, allowing you to swap weapons or choose and cast spells (Q). Blocking at the right moment will parry an incoming attack, which gives you an opportunity to counter, while the space bar can be used for dodging.

To fans of the first game, this might sound like a cop-out, but from what I saw, it certainly doesn’t mean that enemies are any easier to take down. In fact, Ohle almost died in a fight with a single large beast because he wasn’t quite powerful enough for the area. Unlike most modern Western games, enemies in The Witcher 2 don’t scale to the player’s level -- as Ohle put it, “If you wander into the wrong place, you’re probably going to get your ass kicked.”

Combat is tied to the game’s four skill trees: training, swordsmanship, magic, and alchemy. You can now change your appearance depending on the items you have crafted and equipped; there’s nothing too outlandish, since CD Projekt wanted to remain mostly faithful to the canon of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher books, but you’ll be able to customize Geralt’s looks within the bounds of the fiction. The studio has also revamped the inventory management, a major gripe with the original game.

I saw a section of an option sub-quest -- the demo was half an hour long, so it’s clear that this is a massive game -- in which Geralt was tasked with investigating a series of dead young men. On his way to the catacombs where the most recent victim lay, Ohle ran into some trouble and commenced a lakeside battle. I should note that The Witcher 2 looks beautiful, even in the early beta version that I saw: Geralt and his opponents splashed around in ankle-deep water while his spells dealt damage with colorful clouds that engulfed the enemies.

Once Ohle reached the victim’s corpse, he had Geralt play forensic investigator, examining the body for clues. “Fingernail marks all over his back -- huh, at least he had some fun before he died,” Geralt noted, concluding that a local succubus likely had her way with the man, then consumed the energy within him and left him to die. After finding a book of love poems on the corpse and recognizing it as belonging to Geralt’s friend, Dandelion, a bard, Ohle headed back to Vergan to find him. The game’s quest journal is actually written as if Dandelion were narrating your story; by the end of the game, it will be a compendium of your exploits in book form.

Once Geralt began talking to Dandelion in Vergan’s inn, the game’s dialogue really began to stand out to me. The Witcher 2 can be a damn funny game, and even when it’s not, at least the conversations aren’t cheesy; this time around, CD Projekt brought in a native English speaker to help maintain the story’s quality. Geralt’s plan was to use Dandelion as bait to lure the succubus into revealing her true form. But first, Dandelion wanted to sing his anthem for Vergan to Geralt; when he asked Geralt if he liked it, the monster hunter retorted, “Well... it rhymes.”

The Witcher 2 has a full day/night cycle; the next portion of the quest had to be accomplished after midnight, so Geralt meditated until then. (Unlike in the first game, you can meditate anywhere.) He met up with Dandelion near the succubus’ hideout, and when Dandelion seemed flippant about seducing her, Geralt pointed out that “her beauty’s killed several men,” as far as he could tell. “Now you tell me!” exclaimed a frightened Dandelion.

Here, Ohle actually took control of Dandelion, whose task was to compose a ballad to bring out the succubus. Armed with his trusty lute and poetry book (which you can examine in the game’s journal), Ohle succeeded in arousing the succubus’ attention. At this point, Ohle had the option of going back to Geralt so he could take care of the succubus, but he decided to enter her underground lair himself. “Fucking idiot actually went in!” gasped an exasperated Geralt.

So Geralt followed his friend down into the succubus’ den. A well-endowed naked woman floated before him, with Dandelion strapped to her bed. (The sequel is trying to tell its story in a less silly manner, so the “sex cards” that were in The Witcher are gone, but you can rest assured that there’s plenty of unabashedly mature content in this game.) Ohle told me that he could just attack the demon at this point, but he decided to question her instead. The succubus admitted to having her fun with the formerly-living corpse in the catacombs, but insisted that he was still alive when she finished with him. In a show of good faith, she promised to release Dandelion when he woke up.

The build I saw wasn’t optimized, so the game chugged in spots. I also noticed some hitches in walking around the world, although Ohle explained that the game world is fully seamless, so there won’t be any loading pauses in the retail version. He also noted that players who have completed The Witcher will be able to import their save game into Assassins of Kings, where some of your choices from the first game will influence the outcome of your story. The Witcher 2 isn’t necessarily my kind of game, but I could see that it’s shaping up to be a really impressive PC RPG. Like the alluring succubus in the demo, it can be a cruel mistress, but the ride sure seems like it’s going to be enjoyable.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Hands-On: Fable III: Traitor's Keep DLC

post from Destructoid on 25 February 2011 10:05:56 PM. © Destructoid

Hands-On: Fable III: Traitor's Keep DLC screenshot

At the Microsoft showcase yesterday, I was put in charge of checking out the latest Fable III DLC pack, Traitor's Keep.

First, I have to make a confession: I haven’t played any of the other Fable games for more than twenty minutes, so I can’t give you the most expert analysis. However, I will gladly give you my two cents on what I saw. Read forth!

Fable III: Traitor's Keep DLC (Xbox 360 [Previewed], PC)
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
To Be Released: March 1, 2011 (Xbox 360)/ May 17, 2011 (PC)
MSRP: 560 Microsoft Points

I spoke with Microsoft rep Patrick Perkins and he gave me the lowdown. Traitor’s Keep takes place a few years after Fable III, and you -- your character -- is happily ruling his or her lands. However, your life of luxury has become a bit boring, and you miss going on adventures.

Luckily, some vicious criminals break out of the nearby prison, Traitor’s Keep, and make an attempt on your life. So, being an exciting video game hero/heroine, you embark on a quest to get them back behind bars. Or kill them, whichever.

Traitor’s Keep features three new regions to explore. They are Ravenscar Keep, Clockwork Island, and the Godwin Estate. Of course, like any good DLC, Traitor’s Keep also includes some sassy new outfits for your character, a new breed of dog, and new enemies for you to hit with things until they are dead.

I got a chance to play a bit of Clockwork Island, and I’d love to tell you about it, but my reflections might contain mild spoilers. So, be forewarned.

Clockwork Island is home to a crazy inventor, who is one of the would-be assassins you’re in charge of tracking down. The part of Clockwork Island I was exploring was “The Neighborhood of The Future,” which is basically a warped steampunk version of a suburban cul de sac. Clockwork robots were milling around in front yards, watering flowers.

It should also be noted that my dog was a robot dog. I don’t know if there’s any story behind having a robot dog, or if players’ dogs are magically transformed into robots in the beginning of the new region, a la Secret of Evermore. Either way, robot dogs are cool.

At the end of the robot-filled cul de sac, there’s a large gate leading to the inventor’s factory. One thing leads to another; the gate becomes electrified, and the robots go all Itchy-and-Scratchyland on you because this inventor fellow is an ass. After fighting the robots, you break through the gate. The inventor comes out in crazy steampunk power-armor, and you have to fight him. That’s the end of the demo.

I was told that this DLC is slightly more difficult than Fable III. The idea being that if you’ve beaten the whole game, and you’re playing the DLC, you probably know what you’re doing.

Also, I’ve received confirmation that there are unfortunately NO new prostitutes in the DLC.

Fable III: Traitor’s Keep will hit XBLA on March 1st for 560 Microsoft points. A PC version will be also be available for download on May 17th, the same day as Fable III’s PC release.

Read The Full Article:

Digg this

Is that Modern Warfare style countdown a hoax

by: John Yan
NEWS - Could be. Geoff Keighley got word from an Activision spokesperson that the countdown is a hoax. Is it? I guess we'll find out in four days. I'm still holding out hope that it does have something to do with a Call of Duty game, but if it's not I won't be disappointed. I personally think the series can take a year off and could be better for it. Especially with all the turmoil that happened with Infinity Ward and if the studio along with new team members are working on a COD game, a year off couldn't hurt them.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/Is-that-Modern-Warfare-style-countdown-a-hoax
/Item21683.aspx

Digg this

Parasite Eve Officially Coming To PSN In North
America

According to the ESRB, The PSone Classic Parasite Eve is officially heading to the PSP and PS3 through the PlayStation Network in North America a month before the sequel The 3rd Birthday hits the PSP.

Parasite Eve followed Aya Brea, an NYPD cop turned FBI agent in the second game. In both Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2, Aya [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://site.video-game-central.com/blog/2011/02/25/parasite-eve-officially-coming
-to-psn-in-north-america/

Digg this