Believe it or not, E3 wasn't all big name developers and publishers, even though the insane show floor would make most believe otherwise. No, actually, it turns out that there were quite a few indie developers around enjoying the sights and sounds that I was able to catch up with. The first of which was the guys from Muteki Corporation, who had a few really rad things to show off.
Dragon Fantasy - There's already a thread in our upcoming games forum, but here's the gist- Muteki, like most of us old school gamers grew up with all kinds of fantastic old school RPG's. The battle system is basic, the graphics are pixelated, and the story is gloriously cliche... And that's just the way we like it. Dragon Fantasy is an homage to these games of yore.
Give it a look:
Next up was Game Studio, a neat little utility that we got a semi-secret look at during GDC earlier this year. It's in the same vein as Game Salad and other similar easy game creation suites, except this one exists entirely on the iPad. My favorite feature of it is the drag and drop game logic portion.
Check out this extensive walkthrough:
Last, but certainly not least, was a look at an impending update for Super Jetpack Dragon IV [Free / HD]. It shifts the gameplay style from an endless running kind of thing to a level-based platformer. It's pretty neat, and more features and functionality in existing games is always welcome around here.
We've posted about Shadow Gunafewtimes now, but really haven't gotten much confirmation that the game will actually look (and perform) like it does in the trailer footage. Heck, being skeptical about such things is entirely reasonable too, as it seems like over the course of video game history more than a few developers have released trailers that are either pre-rendered or captured running on hardware that far exceeds the target platform. And really, I suppose as a game developer the greatest compliment you can get is producing something that is so good that people don't think it's real.
Well, I can assure you all that Shadow Gun is real, and the footage that has been shown so far really does reflect how the game looks and plays. Sure, it doesn't seem like there's much gameplay yet aside from a basic third person shooter, but this seems like an awesome starting point.
Here's the game running on an iPad 2, I do some zooming in on the character model so you can see the lighting:
Pretty crazy, right? If you're wondering what's going on behind the scenes, Unity just released the following video that reveals it's not witchcraft, wizardry, or other forms of sorcery... It's actually really clever way to handle character models and lighting. Give it a look:
I'm really looking forward to Shadow Gun, I just hope that Madfinger Games builds an awesome game around these graphics. I'm worried that it could potentially turn into another Samurai II, which as mentioned in our review looked incredible but was somewhat lacking in the gameplay department... So let's cross our collective fingers that this isn't the case here.
I heard you guys like gameplay videos. Well here are a ton. Gameloft had a ridiculous amount of games to show off at E3, and all of these games are scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2011. Of course no pricing was discussed (except for Let's Golf 3 which will be free) but we can likely assume these games will all be priced in line with Gameloft's fairly predictable pricing schemes.
March of Heroes - Gameloft's first Unreal Engine 3 game is a first person shooter that basically plays like all of their other first person shooters with a bit more eye candy thanks to the new and improved engine. Oddly enough, the engine switch alone doesn't make the game look that much better. Polygon counts seem low, and almost out of place compared to the nice shadows generated by the game engine.
Some levels are environmental-focused, check out this underwater portion:
BackStab - I'm not exactly sure what to think of this. It seems like Pirates of the Caribbean meets Assassin's Creed, which could be a very good thing if you like both franchises and would love to see them mushed together in to one game.
9mm - This linear adventure game is highly inspired by Max Payne, complete with an over-the-top bullet time mechanic. Unfortunately, the color palette of the game is rather dark so the quality of the hands-on video isn't the greatest.
Let's Golf 3 - I've had a great time with all the Let's Golf games, and I expect the third installment to be no different. This time around, Gameloft will be dabbling in the free to play world. Hopefully we don't hit a pay wall too early.
Block Breaker 3 Unlimited - A crazy block breaking game with power-ups, multiple areas for blocks to be broken on each level, and channels you can shoot your ball into to transfer between them. This was a lot of fun.
Silent Ops - Gameloft seems to be re-using a lot of its Splinter Cell gameplay with this pseudo-sequel. The game has a very similar look and feel to it, including the fairly dark color palette that my camera didn't capture so well under the E3 lighting.
At GDC in 2009, OnLive was originally unveiled with an incredible amount of entirely reasonable skepticism. The prospect of a service that removed the high-end gaming console and/or PC from the equation and instead did all the heavy lifting in a remote datacenter before streaming your game in HD via the internet was difficult to imagine at the time. Hell, when you stop and think about it, it's still hard to imagine today.
It's here though, and after a quick signup you can be on your way to effortlessly streaming a (as of this writing) collection of 100 different PC and console games. In fact, if you're still at all skeptical about OnLive, I highly encourage you to give it a spin. You'll be inside of a game in less than five minutes, and you can see for yourself just how well it works. The only real requirement is an internet connection that allows you to ping under 80ms to the OnLive servers and enough bandwidth to receive a HD stream. If you've got that, you're good to go.
Currently, only the OnLive Viewer is available for the iPad, but in the not too distant future we'll be able to play the entire OnLive catalog on the iPad. Players will be able to choose between a less-than-ideal set of virtual controls, or purchasing a bluetooth controller to pair with the iPad. I got a chance to fiddle with both today, and while the on-screen controls are functional, the controller is definitely the way to go.
Check out how it all works in the following video:
The folks are OnLive aren't ready to commit to release dates, controller cost, and other details, but it's said to be coming "soon" and the controller is going to be "reasonably priced." Since the whole OnLive Micro Console currently sells for $99, and has been given away for free with a few pre-order promotions, I'd find it hard to believe that the iPad-friendly controller would cost any more than $50-- But that's pure speculation on my part.
As I mentioned on Twitter earlier today, it feels like this changes everything. I couldn't believe how well the whole setup worked, and with Apple's new HDMI adapter, plugging your iOS device into your TV via HDMI to play a game in HD resolutions streamed from the internet just feels like the future. The iOS OnLive client even has support for touch and gesture-based controls, it's just up for developers to build games around them.
Perfection is a strong word, but Capcom isn’t shying from using it when describing Street Fighter 4: Volt, a fleshed out iPod Touch and iPhone sequel to the original Street Fighter 4 [$4.99]. Volt will feature a cast of 18 characters, and will see the addition of Wi-Fi competitive play, which was something its predecessor lacked. It’ll also, according to Capcom, offer “perfected” action with a control feature set reminiscent of the original game.
Of those 18 characters, four will be new to iPhone and iPod Touch series: Balrog, Vega, and Cody will make their debut alongside a “mystery character.” If I were a betting man, I’d bet that this mystery dude is one of the four new cast members of Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition -- Yun, Yang, Evil Ryu, or Oni.
The teaser trailer revealed during E3 shows a lot of the in-game action, but it doesn’t do a great job at expressing that the touch controls can be customized, just like they can be in Street Fighter 4. Neat!
Looking good, right? No word on price, but Capcom has confirmed that launch will be soon -- the game should be available on the App Store this July.
Will Wright, the visionary behind The Sims franchise and the creator of Spore, is getting back into games design with his new studio, Super Fun Club. At E3, Wright revealed that this new title, which is ‘likely’ to hit tablets, smartphones, and Facebook according to UK news site Eurogamer, is based on science fiction author Bruce Sterling’s “Maneki Neko.”
"He describes a karmic computer that's keeping a balance of payments between different people, and causing them to interact with each other in interesting ways to improve their lives even though they're strangers," Wright told Eurogamer in an interview. "They earn karmic points that are redeemed by having somebody else help them."
The game doesn’t have a name yet, but it should be out within a year. Wright said as much on the record, kinda, as he explained his thoughts on how the conventional development model is morphing into one that demands quick production as opposed to slow, two-year cycles.
The Maneki Neko is a Japanese sculpture of a cat with its paw raised to the air. In the short story of the same name, this gesture is some sort of sign of a secretive AI-based gift economy. Talk about a wild premise for a game, right?
Wright is an inventive guy with a lot of off-the-wall game ideas and thoughts -- this one included. It’ll be neat to see him on phones and tablets since these are part of a handful of platforms that allow for this next level type of craziness without significant financial repercussions. I’m excited to see what he can do, too.
Next week is going to be insane. WWDC. and E3 are both taking place at the same time. If you're a gamer, there's going to be so much news to take in next week that it might take two weeks to read it all.
If you're a developer, there are two ways you can contact me to set up a meeting at either event if you haven't already:
Solve this CAPTCHA to get my Google Talk name (which is also my email address, hence the anti-spam captcha) and shoot me an instant message. I'll be around all day and most of the weekend, and able to get you booked into a meeting slot and collect all pertinent pieces of contact information very quickly.
Send an email to tips@toucharcade.com with either "E3 2011 Meeting" or "WWDC 2011 Meeting" in the subject line so I can filter your message properly. Include what days you're going to be at the event in question, contact info, and anything else you feel is relevant to booking a meeting with us.
Scheduling meetings via IM is highly preferable, since I don't need to play email tag! I can't wait to see everyone next week, and while I'm sure that covering two major gaming events in one week will make all of our collective hairs just a little more grey, it will be worth it.
It's hard to believe it's already WWDC (and E3) season already. The always-accelerating fast-paced nature of the App Store (and mobile devices in general) have made this year absolutely fly by. Anyway, if you're unfamiliar, WWDC is Apple's event which falls around the same time every year and is usually kicked off with a keynote address by Steve Jobs. While this event is entirely Apple-centric, E3 is all about video games of all kinds. Unfortunately, these two events fall on the same week this year, which is going to make covering both events pretty tricky, to say the least.
To determine which days I'm going to be spending at which events, I really need developers to get in touch with me! Think of this as an iOS-specific battle of Team Edward versus Team Jacob. Which event corresponds to which Twilight heartthrob I'm not entirely sure of, but it's important you get in touch with me all the same.
There are two ways you can contact me to set up a meeting at either event:
Solve this CAPTCHA to get my Google Talk name (which is also my email address, hence the anti-spam captcha) and shoot me an instant message. Assuming I'm around, I'll be able to get you booked into a meeting slot and collect all pertinent pieces of contact information very quickly
Send an email to tips@toucharcade.com with either "E3 2011 Meeting" or "WWDC 2011 Meeting" in the subject line so I can filter your message properly. Include what days you're going to be at the event in question, contact info, and anything else you feel is relevant to booking a meeting with us.
I can't wait to see everyone at both events. Also something to keep in mind, I'm local to the Los Angeles area now, so if you're in town for E3 and are going to be staying an extra couple days so we don't necessarily need to meet up specifically during the event, that will help me out considerably to know that!
So which is it, Team Edward or Team Jacob? Which event is which? I'm thinking WWDC is definitely Team Edward, but it's open for debate.
I met with the guys from True Axis in the hall outside of the media lounge on the last day of E3. Having flown all the way from Australia, and dead tired from three days of non-stop video game insanity, they let us in on their plans for the future of Jet Car Stunts [$1.99 / Free], its sequel, and a tilt-controlled sidescrolling shooter, Space Tripper.
Space Tripper is a port of the PC/Mac game with the same title by PomPom Games. True Axis have taken this game filled with bullets, enemies, lasers, bosses, and all forms of other mayhem and turned it in to what they're calling "the most optimized iPhone game of all time." It's immediately evident that they've put tons of work in to this game, as much like Jet Car Stunts, the framerate of the game is incredibly fluid, even with tons of things going on.
Controlled with the accelerometer, you tilt to move your ship and touching one side of the screen turns your ship around while the other changes weapons. Like any good shooter, there are times when your ship is absolutely surrounded by enemies and bullets, and as you can see in the following video, the bosses even fill up half the screen just like they're supposed to in a game like this.
While Space Tripper looked really awesome, True Axis is hard at work both in increasing the content available in Jet Car Stunts as well as putting together its sequel, Jet Car Stunts 2. Currently the sequel is little more than some concept images of the many cars they plan to have in the game. Everything from a monster truck looking vehicle with huge tires to a sports car with wings like a fighter jet will be included, and True Axis is hoping to make each car feel a little different. There are also plans for some kind of level editor, although no details have really been fleshed out yet.
A 26 level pack is coming to Jet Car Stunts very soon, and if you've been looking for an even greater challenge in the game, this DLC is going to be for you. The levels True Axis showed off included driving upside down, flinging around high-banked curves, and even a level with a crazy jump that required you to essentially bounced your car off airborne barricades like a jet powered pinball.
As mentioned, this level pack should be available any day now, and the sequel likely won't appear until next year. They're hoping to have Space Tripper released next month, and you can expect a review from us as soon as it hits the App Store.
Parked outside the west hall of E3 this year was a black party bus covered in Gameloft logos and graphics from their latest games. Inside they walked us through a few games that are nearing release, and a few others that are coming soon. The star of the show was Ultimate Spiderman Total Mayhem, a 3D beat 'em up obviously based in the Spider Man universe with an art style straight out of the Spider Man comic books.
Available sometime towards the end of this summer, Ultimate Spiderman is controlled like all third person Gameloft games, with a virtual joystick that controls your movement and a set of buttons that handle your punching, web slinging, jumping, and other actions. As you fight more guys, an energy bar increases below your health that allows you to unleash an "ultimate combo" which sends Spider Man in to a web-spinning frenzy, damaging everything on screen.
The demo Gameloft was willing to show was fairly brief, but I did get a chance to fight a whole mess of bad guys, fight a mini-boss of sorts, and even experience a few quick time events where your spider sense kicks in to do things like avoid falling obstacles. The first level included everything you would expect in a Spider Man game, fighting on streets, climbing up a building, and finally hopping from roof top to roof top.
The second level they showed involve quite a bit of web slinging. Vaulting yourself forward and swinging between buildings is interrupted by a seemingly constant stream of incoming missiles which using your spider sense you can avoid and leap off of. Overall, both levels were pretty cool, but like quite a few recent Gameloft games, the various gameplay components that make up Ultimate Spiderman all feel transplanted from other titles. Fighting had almost had a Hero of Sparta [$1.99 / Free] feel to it with spider webs mixed in, controlling Spider Man felt a lot like controlling Iron Man in Iron Man 2 [$6.99 / Free], and there was even some rail sliding portions that reminded me of the exact same segments from Avatar [$6.99].
This isn't entirely bad, as if you haven't played these other games all the things that make up Spider Man will seem to go together very well-- But, if you have been playing every Gameloft release, it will be very apparent that you're just playing another conglomeration of Gameloft gameplay mechanics with a Spider Man skin on top. Hopefully when the game is finally released it will include a bit more to set it apart from other Gameloft games aside from the Spider Man license.
Other Gameloft games included Hero of Sparta 2, which picked up where the original left off with you going back to attempt to lift the curse from your homeland and go head to head with Hades. Launching for both the iPhone and iPad, Hero of Sparta 2 will likely be an easy purchase for anyone who enjoyed Hero of Sparta, as the game offers more of the same but this time with substantially better looking graphics.
Let's Golf 2 is also in the works, and just like Hero of Sparta 2, it's Let's Golf with even more holes (108 in total), more playable characters, more stuff to unlock, and better looking graphics across the 6 included environments. I had a great time with Let's Golf [$1.99 / Free], which is incredibly apparent in our review from last year and it's actually still my favorite golf game for the iPhone. I'm really looking forward to Let's Golf 2.
A sequel to Dungeon Hunter [$4.99 / Free] is in development as well, with three classes and much like the original Dungeon Hunter 2 has plenty of loot to gather, quests to complete, and monsters to slay. The biggest new feature in Dungeon Hunter 2 is online co-op multiplayer. Yes, online co-op multiplayer. Gameloft was reluctant to discuss exactly how the multiplayer would work, but if it's implemented well Dungeon Hunter 2 could potentially be absolutely amazing as few things are more fun in my opinion than dungeon crawling with friends.
Other than that, a bunch of Gameloft games which don't have iPad versions are getting upscaled to HD releases. These include Splinter Cell Conviction [$9.99], Blockus [$4.99], and The Settlers [$4.99 / Free]. Each game is basically the same as the iPhone version with higher resolution graphics with the main exception being Blokus which is coming loaded with single device multiplayer.
This afternoon I met with the guys from Taito outside of the west hall of E3. Unsurprisingly, they have quite a bit on their plate right now both between updating their existing games, releasing new ones, and promoting an odd array of Space Invader themed utilities. Originally I was rather confused, both wondering why Taito would release these utilities and who would download them... Then I realized exactly who would download them-- The army of people with severe Space Invader fetishes like our own Blake Patterson.
These utilities all have been done before, but never with a Space Invaders theme. They're all free, and the calculator is actually pretty cool with various easter eggs if whatever you're calculating results in certain special numbers such as 1978, 41, and 10 others. They all include various advertisements for Taito games, and there is a 99¢ version of the calculator that strips these ads.
Gardening Mama is in the works, an iPhone port of an existing Nintendo DS game. Just like Cooking Mama [$6.99 / Free], Gardening Mama will use the touch and tilt interfaces of the device to plant and cultivate various plant life instead of cooking. All we need now is a way to hook the two games together so you can cook in Cooking Mama with the ingredients you grow in Gardening Mama. Gardening Mama is still in development, but they expect it to be released later this summer.
Space Invaders HD is scheduled for release in July, and is going to be the classic game of Space Invaders redone for the iPad. It's a little hard to not roll your eyes at a "HD" version of a retro game like this, but they've actually done quite a bit to make the game really cool. Most notably is a single device two-player mode that works just like the cocktail table arcade machines, with players taking turns and the screen orientation switching just like back in the day.
Taito is using Space Invaders HD to test the waters before determining what else to do with the iPad, but not having "HD" versions of their existing games shouldn't dissuade you from checking them out on your iPad. The pixel art used in their iPhone games all look great with the iPad's scaling.
The next retro classic Taito is bringing to the App Store is Bubble Bobble, and I doubt I'm alone in hoping this game gets the same amazing treatment as Space Invaders did in Space Invaders Infinity Gene [$4.99]. Today all they were able to show is a basic demo of the game running with touch controls, but they assured me that Bubble Bobble for the iPhone would feature both a "retro" mode, and a new game mode they weren't willing to talk any specifics beyond telling me to not "expect something just like the original."
Moving on to game updates, Taito is committed to updating their popular games, both either through free updates or via in-app purchases. Cooking Mama has already had a few updates with new recipes, and there are even more coming. Taito is even debating recipe packs, potentially with seasonal or holiday themes.
Space Invaders Infinity Gene is getting a huge update, with both free and paid components. Everyone who owns the game will get access to a new ship, and the ability to turn the game sideways to shift the perspective in to a horizontal shooter. In-app purchases will be available to unlock different themes for the game.
These themes include Darius, Metal Black, and Night Striker. Each theme comes with their own unique ships, bosses, and remixed music that any fans of the original games should instantly recognize. Taito hopes the update will land on the App Store sometime next month.
As I mentioned before, they've got quite a bit in the works at Taito, and it's hard to not look forward to their future efforts on the platform especially with how great some of their recent releases have been-- Especially Space Invaders Infinity Gene.
Venan Entertainment, creators of Space Miner: Space Ore Bust [$1.99 / Free] and Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! [99¢], were at E3 this year crammed in the corner of the mobile section. The two new titles they had to show off were Ninjatown for the iPad, and a brand new freemium arcade game based on Space Miner called Space Miner Blast.
Space Miner Blast will be supported by unobtrusive in-game advertising, with optional DLC which will add features to the game and disable advertisements entirely. Most of the original Space Miner has been stripped out in favor of a quick survival game with a very basic upgrade system. All you do is see how big of a multiplier you can keep going by blasting as much ore as you possibly can (while defending against enemies of course). Here is a few minutes of gameplay:
Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! for the iPad retains the same feel of the iPhone game, with upscaled graphics and a new timed mode which will soon also be released in an update for the iPhone. You have 25 seconds to start, and with every 100 meters you climb adds 15 seconds to the clock. The original Ninjatown for the iPhone works great upscaled on the iPad, but if you've held off on buying it and own an iPad it would make sense to wait for the iPad HD release.
Announced at GDC in 2009, OnLive takes the concept of cloud computing to the next level in providing high-end video games running at HD resolution streamed in realtime over the internet playable on any device capable of running the OnLive client connected to an internet connection with a downstream of at least 5 megabit. Following its announcement, speculation ran wild regarding whether or not this sort of remote technology could even possibly exist and provide the same lag-free experience as a home console.
OnLive had an impressive presence at E3 this year, with playable clients running on the OnLive set-top box, Macs, PC's, and we even got a peek at the games running on the iPad. On a computer or the actual OnLive device, the experience was flawless. According to the people I spoke with at the event, everything we were seeing was being rendered and streamed live from their datacenter hundreds of miles away to the E3 show floor. I'm still skeptical, as the technology as it was presented to me today just seems too good to be true. If a simple set-top box or a client running on a low-end computer can in fact easily stream high-end HD video games for a low monthly fee it really does have the potential to change the face of gaming forever.
If this is the first you've heard of OnLive, stop by the Wikipedia article and read about it. They cover all the origins of the service, the skepticism, as well as the sheer clout of the executive team behind the company. You can also see the featured OnLive games on the OnLive web site.
Today I got a peek at the iPad client for OnLive, something they stressed over and over was not representative of any final product, but rather just exists to serve as an example of how ubiquitous the OnLive service truly is. When a new platform comes along, all they have to do is write a client for it and you will be able to play all of your games live and in the cloud just like you presumably already have been on your TV or computer easily and seamlessly over the internet.
Because of its raw tech demo state, the controls are less than ideal. The client uses a weird virtual joystick button layout that I don't really think would be very useful for anything outside of just demonstrating what is possible. The following video walks through the OnLive iPad client, and shows Borderlands running, an XBOX and PC game. Also, after that, we load up Dragon Age: Origins, which didn't work because it didn't have gamepad controls, and finally we spectated on some games in session by other OnLive members.
If you watch to the end, you can see a side by side of someone playing a game on the OnLive unit hooked up to an HDTV, that same game is then instantly streamed to both that TV as well as the iPad. The video stream is identical. It really is amazing to see. As explained in the video, they're not sure when or if the iPad client will even ever be available, but needless to say, we've got our fingers crossed.
At E3 this year Disney was showing two new iPhone titles, Tron and Toy Story 3. I had very high hopes for Tron, as the original movie is very near and dear to my heart but I'm really not too sure what to think of the official licensed game after playing so many great games inspired by the light cycle battles from the movie already.
Disney's Tron is being released as something they're calling a "franchise portal", which is going to be a host to numerous individual Tron games and toys, originally launching with a tank game shown in the following video:
As explained in the video, Disney is planning to update Tron consistently leading up to the release of the movie later this year. The game portion of the Tron will start off as a Tanks game but later get free updates with different game types. It's a promise that always causes us a little pause as it's becoming increasingly common on the App Store. I suppose all we can do is wait and see, and see how the pricing works out. But I would have loved to have seen Disney launch with a little bit more than a dual stick shooter.
Oddly enough, this confusing usage of such excellent licenses persisted through their iPhone version of Toy Story 3. Currently, the game has several components: A button trading game where players earn buttons like you would earn in-game achievements then trade them with other people who also have the game, an accelerometer controlled racing game, a hidden object game, a sound board, and others. You can even use the Toy Story 3 iPhone game as a virtual controller for the Toy Story 3 PC game via WiFi.
The accelerometer-powered racing game can be seen in the following gameplay video:
We'll see how both of the games turn out once they're finally released and each see their full suite of associated Tron or Toy Story 3 content unveiled. Meanwhile, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an absolutely fantastic official light cycle update to the Tron game.
Chillingo is in full force at E3, showing a array of titles, some coming soon and some already released. Predators is based on the movie with the same name coming out on July 9th, and as a fully licensed game, features an amazing amount of fan service. You will be able to rampage around as a predator, using staples like net guns, stealth cloaking, and thermal vision. Predators includes both short and long range weapons, as well as the ability to save the heads of your prey just like any self-respecting Predator would.
Developed by Angry Mob, the iPhone studio responsible for Guerilla Bob, Predators has a really similar feel to it both in how the game plays and how little things like the way the in-game camera follows your Predator. Enemies include stereotypical bad guys such as both Yakuza gang members and Russian soldiers among the others you will come across in the game's 24 levels.
Predators is scheduled for release on July 1st for $2.99. But, like most games that shoot for a specific date, they're at the mercy of the Apple approval overlords. Predators is a surprisingly cool game that fans of both the Predator universe and top-down shooters should enjoy.
I heard you guys like gameplay videos. Well here are a ton. Gameloft had a ridiculous amount of games to show off at E3, and all of these games are scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2011. Of course no pricing was discussed (except for Let's Golf 3 which will be free) but we can likely assume these games will all be priced in line with Gameloft's fairly predictable pricing schemes.
