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Capcom’s new trailer for their upcoming 3DS survival horror has been leaked. I have to say, I had mixed reactions when watching it – I liked the setting and they certainly have retained the old school Resident Evil atmosphere, but WHO is that woman with the hair?! She is ridiculous! Nice twist at the end though – maybe this will become one of the main reasons to pick up a 3DS.
Another day, another Zombie iPhone game. Boxhead: The Zombie Wars is a port of a popular zombie shooter flash game that has been optimised for iPhone. Unfortunately, in its transition it has retained all the qualities of an average flash game – repetitive, forgettable, unwinnable and eventually kind of boring. Sure, developer MEDL is trying to blend the bizarre charm of their boxlike character models with the (apparently) endless appeal of the shuffling undead, but the market is saturated with this kind of thing. We know they’re trying to be different, but underneath all that apparent ‘quirkiness’ there really isn’t much beyond your basic high-score shooter. …
Confusion, Disappointment, Frustration. That is what I felt as I sat down for another round of Resident Evil 5’s Mercenaries mode with my brother. Was it entertaining? Yes! Co-op definitely works – it’s the perfect way to while away a rainy afternoon. Unfortunately, it isn’t Resident Evil, a series that used to be known for its gut wrenching terror and perfectly constructed tension, pockmarked by brief moments of respite and safety (never had I been happier to see a typewriter). So what was it that made the series so good? And when did it all go so wrong? …
There is something curiously addictive about success. An addictiveness that Kairosoft simultaneously enjoys as a company and provides in their games. Hot Springs Story is the sequel to Game Dev Story – the critically acclaimed management sim that won the hearts and minds of casual and hardcore gamers alike back in 2010. The premise of this installment? Build the best hot spring spa money can buy. The gameplay is beautifully simplistic, the player constructs and expands their spa to boost income and improve the quality of the spa’s facilities. …
What is it that we really enjoy about videogames? Great story? Sure. Immersive world? Definitely. A chance to become somebody totally new? Yes, but more than that – they are a chance for us to experience the impossible. Videogames give us a sense of empowerment and that is where the real enjoyment comes from. Good games give us a chance to break the rules – rules that we would never dare test in real life. Take any of the Grand Theft Auto titles for instance, of course the story is great and the characters are developed but funnily enough, I had the most fun messing about. When I had invincibility, when I had the best weapons and unlimited ammo, when I had the power to do whatever I wanted – that was when I was having the most fun. Now, I’m not simply trying to praise cheating here as any gamer worth their salt knows that using cheats generally makes a game boring and actually detracts from the experience. I am trying to emphasise the joy of experimentation in a game space and the feelings of empowerment that come from pushing an experience beyond its normal limits. …
Look at a list of biggest games of E3 this year and what do you see? Elder Scrolls V, Mass Effect 3, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Killzone 3 and Uncharted 3 to name but a few. What do they all have in common? They are, of course, sequels in long running franchises. However does this signify lack of originality or is this simply the unique behavior of the gaming industry? …