Life may be busy but that hasn’t stopped us here at DoFuss, so here for your entertainment is the latest show. If you have been counting (and I don’t know why you would have been) you may have noticed this is the thirtieth show since we rebooted last year, which makes it as old as us, kind of.

With E3 coverage drawing to a close Darren and I dedicated this show to looking back on the announcements that caught our shared eye. Of course Move, Kinect and 3DS dominated discussion but we also indulge in some of the games that stood out to us, such as the beautiful Journey and Lost in Shadow. And we like Pierce Brosnan.

Enjoy and check back later this month for the second anniversary of the DoFuss Show.

 

 The DoFuss Show – Some thoughts on E3 and Pierce Brosnan. [59:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Since Silent Hill 2 Konami’s psychological survival horror series has been following something of a downward trend. Now new developer to the series, Climax Studios, buck this trend by making one of the most interesting, but flawed, installments since Silent Hill 2.

It is unusual to see me play through a game that doesn’t grab me immediately. It is even more rare I finish a game that at points actively discourages me from playing, and yet this is exactly what Silent Hill: Shattered Memoires does.

Short and flawed Shattered Memories is none the less is deserving of a play through, maybe even two if you want to see how the game change to reflect your in-game psychological profile.

Shattered Memories creates an incredible world. Moving away from the black rusted ‘dark world’ of past Silent Hills the new ‘dark world’ is one of blue ice that plays perfectly with the games narrative. Add to this the games promise that it was to actively psychoanalyzing me as I played and the hooks were there, but it kept fighting its own accomplishments.

Completely separating the puzzle element of the game from the action sections sees long sections of atmospheric exploration punctuated with horrific (as in bad not scary) chase sections. When I heard that combat had been removed from the game I initially rejoiced as it was always a failing point of the series, but the reality of the change made me less exuberant.

Being hunted with no recourse through Shattered Memories icy dark world was scary, but the tension was constantly undermined by the ineffectually Wii remote flailing I was reduced to every time I was caught by the shambling female figures that pursued me. It was a problem I could have forgiven if stealth was a viable tactic; unfortunately ‘sneaking’ hinted at by the game amounted to turning off the flashlight and doing exactly the same in the dark as I did in the light.

Shattered Memories flaws are redeemed in the last few hours of its six-hour story. Mounting psychological elements are slowly woven in to the story to create an awesome crescendo to events. Shattered Memories is so much better in retrospect that if you are ever fortunate enough to play it you owe it to yourself to finish it. Go on, it’s not that long!

With relatively little on show of thatgamecompany’s (developers of Flow and Flower) latest PSN title my excitement for Journey may be misplaced. But with an idea that appeals to me so much, coupled with the stunning aesthetic and thatgamecompanys pedigree, I can’t help but feel it’s a safe bet.

Set within a desolate desert world, Journey casts the player in as a lonely protagonist trying to find their way to a distant mountain. It looks stunning, with beautiful empty vistas spreading for miles, perfectly in keeping with thatgamecompany’s previous artistically aware titles.

Empty but beautiful.

What does separate Journey from thatgamecompany’s previous work is that it looks like a game. While the goal of Journey still seems firmly routed in the experience and exploration, the player character is… well a character, as opposed to an evolving amoeba or a petal. This more grounded protagonist brings with it more relatable abilities and ways to interact with the word, such as jumping and singing.

To reach the distant mountain it seems the player will have to make use of all the skills available to them as well as the fabric found in the world. Fabric in fact forms an essential part of the games mechanics, granting powers by collecting it, as well as taking on various qualities (such as acting as a platform) when ‘harmonised’ using song.

Most intriguing of Journey’s features lie in its multiplayer. Comparable to Demon’s Souls in its implementation, the multiplayer is an almost passive experience. With no direct communication between characters it is left to the players actions to display intent.

What is even more interesting about Journey’s multiplayer is that it will only be with one other, randomly selected, person at a time. Once a partner is seen in the world, a player can choose to approach them and interact or walk on, whereby eventually another new partner will eventually be drawn in to the world to replace the old spurned one. It is an interesting dynamic that appeals to my antisocial online gaming style.

Due sometime (hopefully) in 2011, I am going to remain excited about Journey until thatgamecompany does something to prove me wrong.

Whenever I have been asked about my most anticipated game of 2010 is I have answered Dead Space 2. It is an instinctive response; the original was far and away my favourite game of 2008. While I feel the game didn’t need a sequel science-fiction survival horror titles prove a rare breed, so I take them where I can get them.

I felt a pang of disappointment and annoyance as I started watching E3 footage Dead Space 2. Isaac Clarke, the games protagonist, has changed. Gone is the clunky practical engineer suit, replaced instead by a more ‘edgy’ outfit. I was sad at the loss of the old distinctive look, worried the game was to be bleached it of personality to attract a wider audience.

New meaner looking suit just feels more generic.

Happily I was wrong.

Whatever the reason for Isaac’s new suit its existence soon faded as I watched the footage. New environments from the games terrestrial setting were on show, most interest of which was a church. A blend of gothic architecture and the games own derelict industrial style were obvious in the building, making it feel familiar but hinting at a diversity that was absent in the original.

New enemies (Necromorphs) of varying sizes were also on show. Attacking Isaac, some of these other otherworldly forms were reminiscent of spiders while others looked like small children with gaping tooth filled mouths. Foes approached in larger numbers than the original game, making pace appear more frantic, another shift in direction for the game I will reserve judgement on for now.

I am eager to jump back into Dead Space’s fiction to find out more about its mysterious parasitic Necromorphs and the delusional Church of Unitology. My only major disappointment from the news out of the show was that the release date has slipped to 2011, but at least it January.