Tag Archive

ITS: Into The Stars

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Kyle Scarboro

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Word around the information super highway is that this little game, aptly named Into the Stars, is a hybrid of Star Trek Commander and FTL: Faster Than Light, but is it really? The people have spoken and the people are generally right. Into the Stars is filling the void of the lack of spaceship commander based games that are out there. With inspiration gathered from these games and mixing it with a collection of modern ideas and stunning graphics, Into the Stars is paving the way and breaking ground on a genre that has not been explored to its full potential yet.

Into the Stars is the first title to come out of the California based studio Fugitive Games and published by Iceberg Interactive based out of The Netherlands. With just a team of four at Fugitive Games, they managed to squeeze out some of the finest graphics in a space based game that I’ve seen from the Unreal Engine 4. Though, the level of artistry and talent comes at no surprise when mentioning the team behind this game. Being former EA DICE and Spark Unlimited developers means that this game should be held at a higher pillar than most. Some of their past titles they’ve worked on are Lost Planet, Battlefield, and Medal of Honor. If working on AAA titles wasn’t enough, they managed to get Jack Wall to work on their soundtrack. For those who do not know Jack Wall’s works, he is the man behind Myst IV, Jade Empire, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Lost Planet 3, but most notably from the Mass Effect series.

Like most small developing teams these days, Into the Stars was conceived by crowd funding through Kickstarter and surpassed their goal on January 16th, 2015 and by their last day on February 4th, they managed to raise over $110,000. By early July, they were Greenlit through Steam and up for Early Access. Now into 2016, their game is finally released, but does it hold up to the ideals they instilled in their 4,000+ backers and many others who helped through early access?

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“Star Wars Open World RPG” Kickstarter Showcases Game Development Delusions

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Renee Gittins

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A new game has been announced on Kickstarter. It’s an expansive, open world RPG in the Star Wars universe with graphics rivaling Star Wars: Battlefront and “with the feel of The Witcher 3“. The game is set to launch December 2017 if its funding goal of $200,000 is met within the next 26 days. Development has yet to start, the team has not yet been formed, and licenses have not yet been acquired.

If you could not contain your laughter upon reading the last paragraph, congratulations, you may have a sane understanding of video game development.

While Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites have been an amazing resource for game developers requiring additional resources to complete their games, it also has been a breeding grounds for false promises, poorly managed development and even theft. Few developers using crowdfunding are outright malicious, but there are countless who try their hardest and still cannot produce the game they thought that they could on the budget they planned.Read More

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Dying Light | Review

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Les Major

Taking the zombie survival genre we’ve come to know and love, then making it into an open world adventure that lies somewhere between Mirror’s Edge and Dead Rising, this is a fantastic title! There’s something familiar but unique in the first person presentation of Dying Light’s parkour style gameplay. As a runner for a group of survivors you’ll venture out into the zombie infested fictional city of Harran. So what makes this such an experience? Read on to find out.

First off, the parkour style gameplay really sets Dying Light aside. Picture it as similar to some of the action you may have experienced in Mirror’s Edge, mixed with a first person Assassin’s Creed style climbing setup. It’s really something to take a running leap off of a stories tall building with the intent to grab a balcony in the distance. The game encourages you to look toward the ledge you want to grab and this is very much how the mechanic works. You do need to press and hold a shoulder button as well, but otherwise you’ll just jump. Focusing on your goal allows the engine to know where you want to go.Read More

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Gamers, Start Your Engines! The Launch Trailer Is Here!

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Les Major

After a delay in November (we’ll call it a race day rain delay for fun) Ubisoft is on the eve of releasing The Crew! From what we’ve seen of the beta, it promises to be a game changer. Sure, you have the regular races, intense moments, and acquiring upgrades. But The Crew is so much more! The real star of this game is the open world it takes place in. Not just a city, or a state. No, it’s a smaller version of the United States of America!

It sounds pretty outlandish and impossible, but that really is what The Crew brings to the table. Oh, that and it’s multiplayer online enabled. Even though having a huge open world to explore between missions was more than enough, you’ll even encounter other players as you race around the game world. My time with the beta was focused on just seeing the sights and experiencing the great story mode. There’s even more to The Crew which launches off the starting line tomorrow, December 2nd. Read on for the launch trailer!Read More

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It’s like ‘Fuel’ Across America In ‘The Crew’

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Les Major

Ubisoft is being incredibly generous to us with promotion of The Crew, a new racing title coming this November. First off, it should be noted that upon the end of the beta, myself included, many stormed the forum for the game demanding more time. It is that good of a game. Picture a serious career story that unlike open world games where you can get out of your car like Watch Dogs, you’re stuck in the drivers seat but treated to tons of plot development.

The hero is an interesting character, out for revenge and working for the FBI to do it. He also looks like a mix between Gordon Freeman and a sort of Walter White vibe. When you’re first dropped into the game, it’s actually quite a jarring experience. I was watching a cut scene and then realized I was in control of a pickup truck rocketing through open fields south of Detroit with a heavy police pursuit going on. Fortunately you get comfortable with this transition quickly and it does make for a fantastic intro. Everything is very smooth in terms of cut scenes to racing. You’re eased through the story and then see a pan out to your car which drops right into the action.Read More

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An Open World Zelda Like The Original? Yes Plz!

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Les Major

So Nintendo wanted to go back to the drawing board on Zelda and is using the classic original as a focus for their concepts. What specifically? Being able to explore in any direction, rather than just having an experience where you’re following a trail. What does all that look like? You can take a look at the preview video over on Kotaku to see what Nintendo has in store for an open world Zelda Wii-U title.

Let alone, the game itself looks beautiful and Nintendo confirms that these images are in-engine! The Wii U sure is pulling off some amazing visuals and it’s just getting better as time goes on!

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State Of Decay Breakdown | Review

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Les Major

The first DLC expansion to State of Decay is a treat for hardcore fans who want to play out their own survival story without being weighed down by any main story missions. While it may sound strange to purchase an add-on to essentially take things out of the game, this potentially did take a lot of work to accomplish and there is an interesting mildly arcade sort of focus to Breakdown.

Basically the expansion, accessed separately from the title screen, starts you off with Lily Ritter admitting defeat to your situation and looking for a new home base. You are given a choice of three randomly selected ones that have survivors already living in them at the start of this. These seem to be from a slightly smaller pool than the total ten or so, I think it picks three of about a potential five. From there, you basically survive until Breakdown’s main add-on begins, which is finding an RV or similar vehicle marked on the map, which allows you to escape your current area and move on to a refreshed map. It’s still the same valley, but with scavenge areas restocked.Read More

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