Posts Tagged ‘PS3’

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.

It has been a long week, in no way helped by the fact that we had to record this show twice thanks to technical problems. Fortunately the dry run meant that even with my general exhaustion we were able to keep the show mostly on track, and when we didn’t it was at least funny.

We kick off as always with ‘Heaven and Hell’ (featuring the World Cup) before the ever-present ‘What Have You Been Playing?’ For a change this show Darren has been indulging in games that could technically be called current, though while Portal ‘Mac’ has technically just been released it might be pushing it to call it new. I on the other hand have been playing the very current Alan Wake, which I have been gushing about online for some time, so I take this opportunity to redress some of the balance.

After this it is on to news. E3 kicked off the day we recorded with the Microsoft Kinect event (yes, I call it the Kinetic during the show, but I am sure that was their plan) so we do touch on the show a little bit in news, as well as some other headlines that caught my eye.

Finally we rap up with a feature on in game collectables. A topic inspired by Alan Wake, a game that manages to undermine its own narrative by poor implementation of in game pick ups.

I hope you enjoy the show, leave any comments or feedback below or drop us a mail.

The DoFuss Show – 29 out of 100. [ 1:09:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I am not that familiar with the third person fighting genre. It may be my own fault, a lack of commitment to learn the complex mechanics. But even with that caveat Bayonetta depressed me; proving mashing buttons was enough to reach the finale, offering no incentive to hone my skills.

So it may be my fault that I didn’t enjoy Bayonetta, my own lack compulsion to submerge myself in the experience. It’s stylish environments and exuberant moves initially drew me in, but I quickly discovered that smashing my palm on the controller was enough to reveal everything the game had to offer.

Even the frantic gameplay and titillating lead character were not enough to hold my interest.

Unfortunately its appearance could only carry it so far, and with no discernable story, there was only the combat to hold my attention, which it rarely did. Even bosses, who proved spectacular on the first meeting, had their impact muted by multiple encounters.

Part of my ease of progress through the game came from the generous checkpoint system that allowed repeated failure. I was happy it was included but it left me able to brute force my way through the game only mastering the dodge ability. Not wanting to dismiss the game I tried again on ‘hard’, but ‘hard’ translated to ‘insurmountable’, so gave up disillusioned at my skills.

Everything about Bayonetta screams style. Yet despite the skilled execution it failed to hold my attention beyond the initial wow. Set pieces and boss fights were the clear highlights, but simply didn’t offer enough of a draw for me.