Posts tagged haven
Things I Know and Don’t Know About Puzzle Chronicles
Apr 13th
FACT: Videogame press events often have alcoholic beverages on hand. Therefore, if you're looking to learn about a game you haven't seen before, your best bet is to get to that game early in the evening before everyone gets their drink on. That was my key mistake when checking out the upcoming Puzzle Chronicles at last week's Konami spring press event. By the time I had finished seeing all the other games on my list, nobody was around to answer my questions about this upcoming puzzle game for PSP, DS, PSN, XBL, and PC. From the outset, it looks like an enhanced version of Puzzle Quest but there's clearly more to the game than that.
So, with that said, here's what I know about Puzzle Chronicles.
- At one point, it was known as Deathbringer. I'm not sure if the name change is a good one or not.
- It plays sort of like Puzzle Quest, only horizontally. You match colored gems as they scroll across the screen and when you make a match you cause damage against your foe. There's also the concept of controlling more of the playing board–as you match gems, you'll take over more of the game board, leaving your opponent less space to match gems on his side.
- The character and environment graphics have a hand-drawn look to them. As one of my colleagues told me, the art style is reminiscent of Bible-story cartoons. I can't decide if he meant that as a compliment or not.
- Even though this was a puzzle game, the controls were a bit unresponsive and confusing. To rotate a gem-sequence you had to press left on the d-pad. Also, it seemed like it took way too long for pieces to finish scrolling from one side to the next.
Here's what I don't know about Puzzle Chronicles.
- How to win. This doesn't mean I didn't win during my time with the game; I actually did manage to beat one of the quick battle monsters I fought. I'm just not sure how I did it. I definitely matched up some like-colored gems. At one point, I think I even managed to accidentally create a necklace of some sort. Perhaps it was the “win necklace.” Other than that, I wasn't entirely sure if I was supposed to be lining up gems horizontally, vertically, or both.
According to Konami, Puzzle Chronicles will also include local and online battling, dungeon exploring, five minigames to unlock new items, and a persistent hero that can be used across all modes in the game. Sounds good. Now all I have to do is figure out how to play it.
Get the full article at GameSpot
Konami readying realistic Iraq War shooter
Apr 6th
Japanese publisher picks up Six Days in Fallujah, developed with input from real-life veterans of titular battle at Close Combat-maker Atomic Games; due out in 2010.
Although half of the dodeca-platinum Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare took place in an eerily similar Middle Eastern country, Iraq itself has not been the subject of many games. In fact, the only title to actively tout its re-creations of actual battles from the ongoing conflict is the PC shooter KumaWar, which received explosively poor reviews.
One battle that got a KumaWar redux was Operation Phantom Fury, also known as Operation Al-Fajr or the Second Battle in Fallujah. The conflict took place during several weeks in November and December 2004, when Iraqi forces and US Marines forcibly occupied the central Iraqi city. The metropolis of 250,000 had become a haven for insurgents following the First Battle of Fallujah (aka Operation Vigilant Resolve) in April 2004, which saw the Marines attack the city following the killing of four Blackwater security contractors. The Washington Post estimates that over 25 percent of all the city’s 39,000 homes were destroyed during the fierce fighting, the intensity of which can be witnessed via numerous YouTube clips.
Today, both the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times are reporting that several Fallujah veterans are advising developer Atomic Games on an ambitious new war game, Six Days in Fallujah. Published by Konami, the game will be based on the diaries, photos, videos, and memories of the former Marines and will attempt to re-create the fighting in the city as accurately as possible.
“We replicate a specific and accurate timeline–we mean six days literally,” Atomic president Peter Tamte told the Journal. “We track several units through the process and you get to know what it was like from day to day.”
To take Six Days in Fallujah to near-hyper-realistic levels, Atomic Games will also incorporate video clips of Marines recalling their experiences fighting in the city. The Marines will also play themselves in the self-styled “game-amentary,” which is reportedly using classified satellite photography for accurate re-creations of neighborhoods. It also helps that the developer, best known for its Close Combat series, makes training simulations for the US military using game technology.
Six Days in Fallujah will be based on an all-new engine designed to create realistic structural damage for the game’s almost completely destructible environments. Players will be part of a four-person fire team tasked with taking out any insurgents they encounter.
“For us, the challenge was how do you present the horrors of war in a game that is also entertaining, but also gives people insight into a historical situation in a way that only a video game can provide,” Tamte told the Times. “Our goal is to give people that insight, of what it’s like to be a Marine during that event, what it’s like to be a civilian in the city and what it’s like to be an insurgent.” Atomic has not yet decided on whether or not insurgents will be playable.
Six Days in Fallujah is expected out sometime next year. According to GamePro, the game is in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
British Army launches game-based recruitment
Apr 6th
“Start Thinking Soldier” campaign to target online games players; Army says two-thirds of 17- to 21-year-olds have no career path in mind.
Military forces around the world haven’t been slow to see video games as useful recruitment tools. Young people well versed in shooters are regarded as ’ideal’ for piloting Apache helicopters, while the US Air Force took advantage of Halo 3 as a recruitment tool. The US Army launched America’s Army, an online first-person shooter to encourage people to enlist, and most recently, the U.S. Army Experience Centre opened in Philadelphia, loaded with 19 Xbox 360s, interactive map screens, and simulated attacks from an Apache helicopter.
Now, the British government is set to use a similar tactic to help enlist the nation’s youth in the armed forces. A campaign titled “Start Thinking Solider” will include an online game where players have to escape enemy tunnels from a first-person perspective, find the parts to make a bomb in an enemy stronghold, and answer multiple-choice questions.
Research conducted for the British Army recently found that 68 percent of 17- to 21-year-olds had no career path in mind. The campaign, consisting of four television commercials, will be targeted at that group, each ad highlighting a particular area of Army expertise, including teamwork, decision making, leadership, and fitness and mental sharpness.
At the end of each ad, viewers will be asked the question “What would you do?” and are encouraged to head online to answer the question via the interactive game.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
