Third Rate Game Play: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II

Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode II System: Xbox Live Arcade Developer: Dimps/Sonic Team Publisher: Sega Player: Mark Experience: Played Episode I, hated it

(Check after the jump for the full article)

NYCC 2013: Dustforce

For four days, people came to the Javits Center in New York City to experience one of the largest conventions on the east coast: New York Comic Con 2013!  Fans of comics, movies, television shows, and toys came together to revel in their hobbies, and with them came video game companies to show off their wares for the upcoming holiday season and beyond.  We here at 3RM attended a few of those days, and we have impressions and video to provide from our experience!

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Tony:

At Capcom’s booth there were a number of downloadable titles on display, and one of them was the console port of Hitbox Team's Dustforce, a combo-heavy platforming game about dust and ninja janitors.

Dustforce stars four unique janitor ninjas in their effort to clean the corrupting filth of the world. The team consists of a blue janitor with his broom, a red janitor with her push broom, a short purple janitor with feather dusters, and an old green janitor with his vacuum cleaner. While each have similar controls, they each have slightly different movements, such as jumping a touch higher or attacking faster. The point of the game is for these ninja janitors to race through each stage and clean up as much mess with as much ninja skill as possible. Playing the demo I got to try out a forest area covered in leafs in need of sweeping. Racing into the stages, my janitor would run along walls, across ceilings, and clean off any leaf-covered animals in the stage all while avoiding multiple hazards.

The gameplay of Dustforce was very reminiscent to N+ and other wall-running platformers. The largest difference Dustforce brought was its focus on cleaning up the stage while racing through them. As I ran through the stages, I would clean off the surface I touched, be it floors, walls, or ceilings. Besides wall-jumping, the janitors could also quickly dash forward, double-jump, and even super clean the entire screen once they accumulated enough of a combo meter. Occasionally, I stumbled onto enemies made up of dust or animals turned evil by the dirtiness. By attacking these airborne enemies, I not only freed them from the clutches of messiness but also my janitor earned the ability to jump again to reach higher enemies or more leaf-covered flooring. The major emphasis of this title was to clean off all the surfaces without stopping in order to keep the combo score increasing. At the end of each stage, I was ranked based on my time, how much I cleaned, and the combo score.  Clearly this game was designed more about mastering the combos than beating the stages, as they were nowhere near as frustrating as other indie platformers out there such as Super Meat Boy. However, I did have some difficulty judging my jumps and accurately using my cleaning skills. In order to clean a wall or ceiling, I had to move the joystick in the direction of the mess before I got there. This tended to throw me off, but it could have just been poor reflexes.

The game’s graphical style was a unique blend of colorful geometric forms. Rather than represent each character and leaf with realistic detail, everything was simplified to simple vector forms of color, designed as if everything was toon-shaded. The game also ran at a silky smooth framerate with fluid animations, which complimented its fast-paced action. As for the game’s audio, I sadly wasn’t able to make it out in the noise convention hall, so I will have to judge that at another time.

Dustforce, the ninja janitor platformer, was a joy to play, but I could see that mastering each level is where this title is going to push players. I do hope that the other regions in the game offer unique platforming gimmicks to keep it fresh in order to stand out from all the other challenging indie platformers. With its unique style and premise, I look forward to give this title another go when it comes out on consoles.

Dustforce is available now on PC, Mac, and Linux, and it being ported to XBLA and PSN this upcoming January.

PAX East 2013: LocoCycle

Twisted Pixel attended PAX East once again, this year, and this time, it demonstrated its newest upcoming title for Xbox Live Arcade, LocoCycle.  We got to grab footage from one of these romps through the Canyon stage, and you can see that splendor above.

LocoCycle has players assume control of the sentient, super-powered motorcycle weapon I.R.I.S. which, after being struck by lightning, decides to no longer be a weapon.  With the unwilling help of her mechanic Pablo, she rushes off into the desert, and it is there that her creator Big Arms decides to put an end to her existence, much to Pablo's chagrin on the whole matter.  Over time, she will face off against multiple operatives from Big Arms and eventually the dark motorbike S.P.I.K.E. to impede her escape.

From the gameplay demo we saw, the game primarily plays like Spy Hunter, as players drive I.R.I.S. swiftly through the landscape.  On occasion, players will have to shoot down the oncoming opposition, and if shooting them does not work, I.R.I.S. can leap up into the air and beat up the enemies with melee attacks, including the use of Pablo as a bludgeon or boomerang.  Furthermore, there are times in the missions where QTEs dictate the action within the sequence.  All the while, the game ranks your performance with each section, like a true action game. Not to mention that the game is filled to the brim with Twisted Pixel's patented humor.  Looks to be quite an intense and equally hilarious game when it finally releases.

LocoCycle will be released for Xbox Live Arcade in the coming months.

PAX East 2013: Super TIME Force

Alex:

Capy and Double Fine shared a booth at this year's PAX East, and Capy's contribution was its action shooter time explosion experience that is better known properly as Super TIME Force.  I got to see it at last year's PAX East, but this year I finally got my hands on a controller and play the game with the help of Tech Director Kenneth Yeung.  You can see that playthrough in the video above.

Super TIME Force is an action arcade shooter akin to Contra and Metal Slug.  However, not only is there a large variety between each of the members of Super TIME Force, but dying is but a slight obstacle toward victory.  When a character dies, the game pauses and starts to rewind, allowing players to choose a point on which to respawn and either use the same character or choose from the team anew.  There are still limited lives, however, not to mention a very limited timeframe in which to complete each mission.  If you save a replayed life that is about to die, you regain the life you would have lost.  To help the limited time, the levels are full of hidden Clox which can add time to the total mission limit.  Not only will you find improvements for time, however, but you can also find other warriors to assist in your missions part-way through.

The game is intense, make no mistake.  The graphics may be low-res sprites, but they are heavily animated and move swiftly through the stage.  The game's explosions and graphical effects make the action that much more extreme, and that can occasionally catch you off guard when you are busy seeing spited graphics the way Capy has made the game.  Unfortunately I cannot speak for the music as I was in a loud booth without headphones when I played the demo, but I can only imagine how much more intense the experience would have been with that audible sensation throughout.

It is not an easy game, however, as even touching an enemy can result in instant death, and the need to slow the game down each time a character dies could become a little old in the long-run, though that is just my assumption from the demo.  The game felt very fast-paced and, as an action shooter, it was an exhilarating experience.  While it was a phrase coined by the game itself, I think the term kookabunga matches the experience I had pretty well.

Super TIME Force is expected to release later this year as an XBLA exclusive.

PAX East 2013: Max: The Curse of Brotherhood

Some of you may remember an indie title involving a young boy named Max and a magic marker.  Well, he is back, but this time, developer Press Play is making it exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade in: Max: The Curse of Brotherhood.

In The Curse of Brotherhood, Max comes home one day to find his little brother, Felix, playing with HIS stuff in HIS room. Frustrated, Max looks online to find a way to get rid of his brother and finds a strange poem on a website. After reading it aloud, a vortex opens, and a large claw reaches into the room, grabs Felix, and pulls him into the void. Without hesitation, Max leaps after his brother and begins his journey to save him from a world filled with evil. Luckily, Max has the power of a magical marker which can manipulate the world around him. With the mystical marker, will he be able to save his brother from before its too late?

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood plays like a 2D platformer with 3D graphics and physics. While Max can jump and climb, those actions will not be enough to avoid deadly spikes and raging monsters. Using the power of the magic marker, Max can change the environment in multiple ways such as creating vines to swing on or jets of water to push Max forward. At one point in the demo, Max used the marker to manipulate the vines, join them together making it one large vine, and then cut it so the player could swing Max over a wide chasm. Another part had Max raising up the ground with the marker so he could create more vines that would help him avoid a spike trap. Obviously manipulating the environment is the major focus of the game as well as running form massive monsters sent to squish the young boy. 

With a variety of environments and creative manipulation puzzles, Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood is an Xbox Live Arcade title that people should keep an eye out for. Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood is due sometime in Q2 2013.

PAX East 2013: DuckTales Remastered

Perhaps the biggest surprise coming into PAX East 2013 was the announcement of DuckTales Remastered, a full graphical remake of the original NES classic DuckTales.  Developed by the famed Wayfoward Technologies and published by Capcom, this adventure is expected to bring back the old school gameplay that the game was known for while also providing a greatly improved presentation.

DuckTales Remastered is a full remake of the original NES title developed by Capcom.  Of course, the game has plenty of additional elements to it that is expected of games this generation.  The world environments have been fully modeled in 3D, and the sprites themselves have become fully cel-animated, a style that fits Wayforward's pedigree (see A Boy and His Blob, BloodRayne: Betrayal, and Mighty Switch Force for examples on their sprite animations).  Furthermore, the game features additional story elements to better explain the situations in the full game, and the audio has been completely redone, complete with the original voicecast of the series!

Unfortunately, we did not get to play the game at the showfloor, thanks to the continually capped line to the game, but we did get some footage for us all to enjoy.

DuckTales Remastered is expected to release this year for XBLA, PSN, Wii U eShop, and possibly PC.

3RM @ NYCC 2012: Capcom Videos

We have decided to lump together all the Capcom contents into a single article, mainly because we only got to play one Capcom game playable at this year's NYCC: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.  Check out for impressions soon!

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U Version - Not played by us, in case you were wondering)

Darkstalkers: Resurrection (complete with Ono appearing for autographs)

DmC (some off-screen footage from outside the line waiting for demos)

PAX East 2012: Square-Enix

In PAX East, a number of larger third party developers showed off their lineups for the Summer and early Fall, and we were able to get a few clips of footage of some of those games from Square-Enix.  Unfortunately, we did not get to play too many of their games, as lines were a factor, and we did not get to interview anyone or get too much footage of any of the games shown.  So, rather than provide three very short videos, we have compiled them into one.

Square-Enix had a number of games shown off, though the three we have video footage of are United Front Games' Sleeping Dogs, Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, and Airtight Games' Quantum Conundrum.  We were not allowed to film any of Heroes of Ruin, which was a shame, but at least we got footage for the games we did.  I was able to get a few minutes with Heroes of Ruin, but the game does not lend itself to a showfloor playthrough, particularly with character creation, lots of reading, and looting.  On that note, enjoy the footage we got and stay tuned for our final PAX East videos next week!

Sleeping Dogs is slated for August for PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3.  Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy is slated for release early July for 3DS.  Quantum Conundrum is expected for digital release this Summer.

PAX East 2012: Rock Band Blitz

One of the most active booths at the showfloor belonged to one of the premiere game developers of the music genre: Harmonix Music Systems.  Between the active Rock Band stage and large Dance Central station stood the first playable builds of the company's newest product: Rock Band Blitz!

We got to play some of the game and film gameplay footage from the showfloor, and we were able to get some words from Brian Chan from Harmonix about the game and Harmonix in general.  Check out the interview after the break!

PAX East 2012: Super Time Force and Monaco

While we did get to cover many games at the Indie Megabooth, there were a few that we could not get our hands on nor speak with their developers.  This was partly due to constant activity for both us and the developers themselves, and that is a good thing for the lot!  Either way, we got to get some footage of two of the games which escaped our grasp this PAX East: Capy's Super Time Force and Pocketwatch Games' Monaco.  Enjoy the videos below as our send-off of the Indie Megabooth.  To those we did not cover, best of luck with those awesome games!

Super Time Force is scheduled for release at some point on XBLA, and Monaco has no release date, expected for PC, Mac, and at least one console.

PAX East 2012: Runner 2: Future of Rhythm Alien

 
In the Indie Megabooth (which I proceeded to call the "Mega Indie Booth"), developer Gaijin Games showed off the first publicly-playable build of its newest game: Bit Trip Presents Runner 2: Future of Rhythm Alien.  Acting as a sequel of the original BIT.TRIP RUNNER, Runner 2 changes the game's style up and adds much more to the already solid game design from before.  We got to speak with the Creative Director himself, Alex Neuse, about the game and how his company has been working out these last couple years. [Check out the preview after the break]

PAX East 2012: Crimson Dragon and Steel Battalion

At PAX East, Microsoft's booth was surrounded by large Kinect setups, demonstrating a number of games that had just come out such as Kinect Star Wars and games that are on the horizon.  We were unable to get any interview or direct playtime with these games, but we do have two gameplay videos for you to enjoy.

PAX East 2012: Dust: An Elysian Tail

The winner of DreamBuildPlay in 2009, Dust: An Elysian Tail has been in development for some time and has kept most of its features a secret. At PAX East 2012, we had a chance to play this game at Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade booth and speak with the man behind the game, Dean Dodrill.  Check after the break for the impressions!

PAX East 2012: Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition

At the Xbox booth at PAX East, Microsoft got to show off its upcoming showcase titles for Xbox Live Arcade, and among them stood one of the most recognized PC games of recent days, the ultimate sand-box game, Minecraft.  Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition was playable at the showfloor, and I got to get a quick spin with the title.  We also got a short but sweet interview with Josh Mulanax from Microsoft to give us some of the lo-down on 4J and Mojang's collaborative XBLA effort. [See after the break for my brief impressions]

PAX East 2012: Double Dragon Neon

When people talk about old-school arcade beat-em-ups, particularly one with two brothers with red and blue jackets on, the majority are talking about Double Dragon, a series which has been in hibernation for a number of years.  Wayforward Technologies and Majesco Entertainment recently announced, however, that the brothers had arisen from their slumber to kick city gang butt in their newest game: Double Dragon Neon!

PAX East 2012: Black Knight Sword

Grasshopper has been the source of many unique games over the last few years, and 2012 is looking to be no different, except now the developer is making games for downloadable distribution!  After working alongside Digital Reality on Sine Mora, the collaboration continues with the dark fantasy, Black Knight Sword.  I got to play it at PAX East 2012, and from my time with it, I was impressed with the style if a little concerned about its gameplay variety. [Check after the break for my brief impressions]

PAX East 2012: Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit

Sega's booth at PAX East featured a number of games, but one game truly stood out as the most off-the-wall of the bunch: Arkedo Studios' Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit.  At the showfloor, we got to meet the mastermind behind the small-but-deadly game company, Camille Guermonprez, and I got to ask him a few questions about Hell Yeah and Arkedo itself.  See our preview after the break.

NYCC 2011: Orcs Must Die!

Our adventure into this year's New York Comic Con was not exactly as peachy as we would have liked, but when is a convention not stressful? We were only able to attend the Thursday and Friday events for both economical and physical reasons, but we got a handful of videos and impressions to make for you all.

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Microsoft's booth had its fair share of unique game experiences, and one of them was a new twist in the tower defense genre: Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die!

The point of the game is to prevent a horde of Orcs from getting into an open rift located at the end of the stage. In order to stop them, players place various traps along the path between the main entrance and the open Rift such as tar pits and arrow-shooting walls. Besides the traps, the player can use a crossbow and a sword to help whittle down any remaining Orcs that have survived the traps. Killing Orcs rewards players with money to set up more traps for the next wave of Orcs. This mix of strategy and all-out combat makes the game stand out from other defense titles. Not to mention the game has a sense of humor and comic art design throughout the adventure.

Orcs vs. Spike-Covered Log. I'm going with the log.

On the show floor, I managed to play through one of the game’s stages. Visually, the games runs smoothly and has a mixed art style between comical and serious. While I am not a huge fan of tower defense titles, I did enjoy placing the traps in places that would help weaken the Orcs so I could finish them from a distance with my crossbow. At times, though, I could mix things up and run in sword-swinging while the Orcs were getting stuck in tar and getting shot with arrows. Thank goodness you cannot die from your own traps.

Well, you have the give the Orcs credit, considering how easily they can die.

However, by the time the stage was completed, I felt the stage had lost its welcome and the hordes seemed very similar with just more Orcs rather than new types of Orcs. Also, I couldn’t find out how to upgrade any of the traps I had set down, which is a staple in tower defense genre. Based on what I played, this game aims to be more like an action based beat-em-up rather than a strategy filled tower defense. I only hope this becomes more balanced in later stages and includes new Orcs and traps. Then again, I did only play a single level early on, so the levels and enemies can only get more devious and innovative!

Orcs Must Die! is available right now on XBLA for 1200 MS Points and on PC platforms.
For more information, check out the game's official site.

NYCC 2011: Trials Evolution

Our adventure into this year's New York Comic Con was not exactly as peachy as we would have liked, but when is a convention not stressful? We were only able to attend the Thursday and Friday events for both economical and physical reasons, but we got a handful of videos and impressions to make for you all.

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This past NYCC, Microsoft had a number of games showcased around its booth, including Kinect titles The Gunstringer and Just Dance 3 and upcoming titles Mass Effect 3 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. Inside the main circle, however, there were three XBLA titles available to play, including newly-announced Fusion: Genesis (we have footage of that game to appear in our Miscellaneous Montage), Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die, and last but not least, RedLynx's Trials Evolution.

Trials Evolution is the sequel to the Summer of Arcade hit Trials HD, and from the time I had to try out the game, it has the same insanity of the original but with a bit more. Graphically, Trials Evolution is just as good as the original, but instead of the darker and enclosed locales, Evolution breaks free into the fresh and dangerous outdoors. The game ran at a super-smooth framerate, and the camera kept itself situated in such a way so as to accentuate each ramp's depths and every sharp turn within the newest escapade.

New locations, new obstacles, new tricks.

Controls are very smooth and should be very close to that of the original XBLA game, which made running through the obstacle course a constantly active experience. Players control not only the bike's speed but also the position of the rider, shifting forward or back on the crazy motorbike. This shifting of weight is what will determine whether the rider makes the jump or gets acquainted with the ground at many dozens of miles per hour. Of course, making those complicated jumps is altogether satisfying! The pull of Trials HD remains as potent as ever this time around.

I somehow doubt he is going to make it.

I did not get a lot of time to look further than a few levels, but from what I played, it was a delight and will certainly live up to Trials HD's style in some way. To see what I experienced, view the video below.

Trials Evolution has no clear release date, but we should expect it soon for XBLA.

I Am Alive, but Only Available Digitally

Reports this week have revealed that Ubisoft's big project I Am Alive has been undergoing massive development shifts and will finally be seeing a release this year as a downloadable game.

I Am Alive was announced at E3 2008, with a teaser trailer depicting the main character running away from fellow survivors, presumably coworkers, after a catastrophic event destroys the city. The video shows him tossing the men a water bottle, only to have them chase it and crash through a glass floor to their demise. A clip of the city before the destruction ends the trailer, with the game title appearing at the very end. It was given quite a deal of hype then, and it silently vanished from the mind's eye.

The game's development has reportedly not been too good. The original game was being developed by Darkworks, the developer behind Cold Fear, but the game has since shifted to another developer, Ubisoft Shanghai. Prior to that, the game had been officially delayed for further development time, hinting that the game had been in uneven shape even before the developer change.

Jeux Video is apparently reporting, via Ubsioft executive and producer Jade Raymond, that I Am Alive will be seeing a release this year, but not on consoles. Instead, the game will be releasing on XBLA and PSN sometime this year. There has been no media for the game since E3 2008, so hopefully new media will arrive before the game goes three years with nothing to show.

SOURCE: Gamasutra