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Quick Attack: Awesomenauts

By
Kyle Baron
– May 16, 2012Posted in: PlayStation 3, Previews, Xbox 360

Quick Attacks are Vagary.TV’s way of giving you, the reader, a glimpse at a game we are playing. This could be a game we are reviewing in full or just something we picked up for a few days to kill some time but, either way, it will highlight thoughts and impressions from the first hour or two of gameplay. 

In this Quick Attack, we take a look at Awesomenauts for Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

  • Awesomenauts, like League of Legends, DOTA, and Demigod before it, is a multiplayer online battle arena game. A what now? Yeah, don’t worry about it. What that means is that you ,some human controlled buddies, and some computer controlled tiny dudes (creeps) have to shoot and blast your way through enemy turrets and a similar troop assortment to destroy the enemy base. Watch the video above for a better idea!
  • The six characters are spread out across different specialities and are all extremely well balanced
  • The in game currency system is smart. Kills, assists, and healing your buddies gives you money to use on powerful upgrades that change the way your character plays in meaningful ways: One upgrade turns the amphibian brawler Froggy G’s tornado move into a damage reflecting attack that’s great for attacking turrets, while another turns support sniper Yuri’s slow aura into a healing spell for allies. The currency system works both ways, so trying to avoid feeding the enemy money with careless deaths creates a lot of tension and strategic risk vs. reward decisions.
  • The two to three player splitscreen online and offline is incredibly easy to set up, even in tandem with friend invites. Unfortunately, there are occasional drops in frame-rate during spawn animations when splitscreen is used.
  • The art style is vibrant and visually interesting while making it easy to tell what’s going on in even the most frantic of situations. During our preview at E3 2011, the developers said that much of the art was Bucky O’Hare inspired and it really shows.
  • A real-time ping counter on the scoreboard gives you an idea of the connection quality of the match, and host migration works well for the most part. Both of these features are sorely lacking in many online games today, so Kudos to developer Ronimo games for getting it right.
Every friend of the four I’ve shown this game to has had the same reaction. Their first impression was frustration and outright indifference. Without fail, they all came around and mirrored my sentiments on how addicting and incredibly fun Awesomenauts is once you get around the learning curve of a few games. Unlike many MOBA games, which last 45 minutes to an hour, the quick 5-15 minute matches of Awesomenauts make even the most disastrous game negligible in the span of the daily hour or so us adults have to play games.
 
Awesomenauts is one hell of a 2D action game that somehow manages to cater to busy lifestyles while having an incredibly balanced, strategic, and approachable design that breaks new ground in the often unforgiving heroes vs. towers and creeps MOBA genre. I’m hesitant to use gushing hyperbole when talking about a game, but trust me when I say that it’s worth giving a chance.
 
 

 

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Unboxing: Diablo III Collector’s Edition

By
Chris Scott
– May 16, 2012Posted in: PC/Mac, Previews

Diablo III is finally here and per the usual Blizzard standards it comes with a superb Collector’s Edition. While you wait for the servers to clear up and let you play, take a look at what goodies come packed inside their giant sized CE.

Please excuse the photo quality, they were taken on an old iPhone. 

Fresh from Amazon, the box itself.

Diablo makes his presence felt once the lid comes off.

 

Small box inside the box. I wonder what could be inside...

 

Diablo statue with USB Soulstone containing Diablo II and its expansion.

Diablo assembled. My wife is not happy with its placement in our house... my dresser

Soundtrack CD, Behind the Scenes DVD & Blu-Ray, and a bunch of guest passes.

What we came for, the game itself.

Diablo III artbook.

A look inside the artbook.

Now if you will excuse me, it is time to kill some demons. Look for a Quick Attack on the game followed by a review in the very near future.

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Quick Attack: Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition

By
Chris Scott
– May 16, 2012Posted in: Columns, Editorials, Previews, Quick Attack, Xbox 360

Quick Attacks are Vagary.TV’s way of giving you, the reader, a glimpse at a game we are playing. This could be a game we are reviewing in full or just something we picked up for a few days to kill some time but either way it will highlight thoughts and impressions from the first hour or two of gameplay. Opinions could change before our final though.

In this Quick Attack, we look at the first few hours of Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition for the Xbox 360.

  • Minecraft gives you the option of playing a tutorial and learning the basics of the game or diving right in. Being as I had no clue what I was doing, I took the tutorial option and was quite glad I did. Minecraft can be quite daunting even when knowing how to “play” it but the tutorial at least gives you the basic knowledge you need to survive, including how to navigate the interface.
  • Once the tutorial is done, the game lets you continue playing right from the tutorial world. While I messed around a bit with the prefabricated village outside the starting area, I quickly left to create my own world where I would have to create everything.
  • What I quickly found out was that Minecraft can be quite brutal. The early game is all about gathering as many materials as you can and creating a shelter before nightfall. I’ll admit I had more than a little trouble early on. Despite having played the tutorial I was still overwhelmed during my first couple attempts. I could not seem to get it together enough to be ready for nightfall and when it gets dark it gets very dark.
  • Night is best described as the most game-like part of the game. When darkness comes, so do enemies and it creates an atmosphere reminiscent to the best survival horror games. There is no purpose to the game other than to survive and being unprepared for darkness is a sure fire way to get yourself killed. I know I did multiple times.
  • After resetting my world multiple times, I finally got the hang of things and was able to create a solid shelter (of Sandstone), which I have continued to upgrade. I now have furnished the inside with a bed, a chest and my crafting tables as well as have put in a nice wooden deck to the beach and a fenced in garden off the side. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you get your first structure built and now I have the itch to build bigger and better things.
  • Once I started surviving the nights I was able to begin the other main aspect of Minecraft, exploration. Minecraft on Xbox 360 is a 1000 X 1000 grid which is immensely large. I have a lot of water in my world and have had to build a boat and go cruising to explore the other islands. The boat controls leave a lot to be desired but still I’ve found myself enjoying my daily exploring excursions.
  • I’ve yet to create an actual mine, the idea is somewhat daunting but I know if I want to get the best experience out of the game I am going to have to go underground.
  • I’ve also yet to play with anyone else and while multiplayer is obviously a big selling point for the game, and I want to try it out, I have not felt that I’ve been missing anything by not playing with others.

Minecraft is fun but there isn’t much game there and even less direction. It will appeal to players that enjoy being given a sandbox and the tools to play in it, those preferring a more directed experience will want to stay clear. Look for our full review from Tony Odett in the near future.

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Playstation Spring Showcase

By
Royel Edwards
– May 13, 2012Posted in: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable/PSVita, Previews

Every time Sony has some sort of event going on in Toronto, I always try my best to attend because you get personal hands on time with amazing games that are yet to hit store shelves. This year, Sony’s theme was ‘Playstation <3 Canada’ where most of the games that were shown were being made by Canadian developers. Most of the games I played were extremely fun and I can’t wait to get my hands on the final copy of these games when they release this spring and summer.

Soundshapes

I’m a huge fan of games that blend music with gameplay. Soundshapes for the Playstation Vita is something I can’t wait to play when it comes out. The animation is really smooth and looks great on the Vita.

As you make your way through a level, your actions will make small pieces of music that will continue to build as you progress. It’s really fun to make music within a video game and I think more developers should explore it.

Lights! Camera! Party!

Looking at the crowd gathering around the people currently playing a round, I instantly saw that it was a different twist on party games. The first thing that came to mind was that it kind of had a Mario Party vibe, yet it didn’t have a giant board game to walk around and had no die to roll.

Being a Playstation Move title, I can definitely see people making good use of the controller which needs a little more titles under its belt. There were a lot of different mini-games to play in the game’s current build and most of the game’s charm was because of the humorous touchesin those mini-games; they used crazy little monkeys that had you doing everything from beating your chest using the move controller to painting an outhouse door to give the monkey a little bit of privacy as he sits on the toilet shouting at you. I laughed. Things like these make game party games worth playing.

Retro City Rampage

First of all, I have to say that this 8-bit open world game looks amazing on the Vita.

As soon as the Vita was given to me I was on a bus in the game. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, so I drove around the area until I accidentally hit a few pedestrians moments later. It gave me a lot of points so I decided to cause a little bit more mayhem by driving the school bus through a park, killing everyone I saw, which gave me a chain combo which brought a smile to my face. What happened next was hilarious. A few police cars started chasing me around the city but I didn’t let that stop me. I quickly did a U-turn and smashed into three of the police cruisers following me. I figured out how to get out the bus and things just got better. Apparently I was equipped with a bazooka so I did what anyone else would (in a game of course) and I blew them to smithereens until the game told me I had acquired a silver metal.

Papo & Yo

I’ll admit that I haven’t heard a lot about this game but, after  just watching someone play it for three minutes, I can’t wait to play it in the comfort of my own home. I have to say from what I saw in the demo that this game is incredibly unique. In Papo & Yo, a PSN exclusive, you take control of a young boy adventuring through the streets of South America solving puzzles to continue. My favourite part of the game was when the guy who was playing the demo wasn’t sure what he was doing or what he was supposed to do and there was a box on the floor in-game that said “hint.” Obviously I thought it would bring up some sort of menu or text would appear on screen giving you a little bump to get the puzzle completed, but nope, none of the above. The character put the box over his head and there were hand drawn clues in the box. I thought it was funny and really creative. You could even move the box around to get more clues and I just loved that.

Dyad

Dyad was the second musical game at the showcase. I was excited because it was the only game that had some crazy visuals that were always flashing, moving, and spinning. At first I wasn’t sure what the object of the game was, but after they explained it to me, it was pie. The only way to move through the level was to grab flashing lights to pull yourself along. On your own you don’t move at all and trying to pull on enemies will slow you down.

Sorcery

Sony is finally making a game that will put the Move controller to good use with what seems to be a pretty big title. I didn’t have enough time to try it myself but from what I saw there is going to be a lot of mixing different spells together to make more powerful ones such as fire. You can also swing your arm in the air to make whirlwinds to send at your enemies. This game is looking a lot better than what it used to look like when I saw it around E3 2011. They’ve added a lot more detail. I do think, however, that this game isn’t exactly for people looking for an approachable pick up and play Move title. I’m sure a game of this kind is definitely going to need to have a training mode. Either way, if you want to make good use of your Move controller, Sorcery is it.

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Quick Attack: Sniper Elite V2

By
Don Parsons
– May 10, 2012Posted in: PC/Mac, PlayStation 3, Previews, Xbox 360

Quick Attacks are Vagary.TV’s way of giving you, the reader, a glimpse at a game we are playing. This could be a game we are reviewing in full or just something we picked up for a few days to kill some time but either way it will highlight thoughts and impressions from the first hour or two of gameplay. Opinions could change before our final review (there will not be one for this title) though.

In this Quick Attack, we look at the first few hours of Rebellion’s Sniper Elite V2 for the Playstation 3, X360 and PC (played on the PS3).

  • The game starts with a low-toned narration of the events transpiring. You are trying to capture Nazi scientists who built the V2 rocket. I wasn’t really overwhelmed by the plot in the first hour, nor did I find it engaging or entertaining. It did, however, explain why the game was tagged “V2″ (a clever addition, as this is the second Sniper Elite game).
  • Advertised as having slow-motion, brutal “kill shots”, the game follows through with that promise. Every vital hit is a “kill shot” that looks amazing, but after a few dozen, I was wishing I could skip them. I didn’t want to turn them ALL off, mind you. But being allowed to hit X, [] or anything else would have been great.
  • The levels are sprawling and offer various ways to reach and handle your objective. The second stage, I could have completely snuck around some guards and handled them silently. Instead, I climbed up to the second floor of a building and shot one in the head, which then caused a swarm of other guards to come out. Yeah, I should have dealt with them quietly.
  • After both levels I played, I unlocked things. But I never actually found a way to equip them. So either you change your gear in later stages or the game does a poor job of telling you how to change it. Or it’s for co-op.
  • The most enjoyment I got out of Sniper Elite V2 during my few hours of play time was the “challenge” mode. Much like any other “survive x amount of waves” modes, you hole yourself up in a good position and try to see how long you can last. I could see myself completely skipping the tired, uninventive campaign all together and having some fun with this mode.

In closing, I’d just like to say there are a few small sparks of genuis in Sniper Elite V2. Sadly, they are so few and far between that I can’t give it a recommendation. That said, I’m sure some people could find some entertainment in it.

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Release Radar- 15 Games in Q2 2012 You Should Know About

By
Don Parsons
– April 5, 2012Posted in: Editorials, News, Nintendo 3DS/DSi/DS, Nintendo Wii/WiiU, PC/Mac, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable/PSVita, Previews, Xbox 360

It’s that time of year again. One quarter down, and time for another. While we are not cramming big name franchises into the picture this quarter, there are still plenty of quality games on their way. A lot of them are high profile, and some you may have never heard of…until now. A few of us at Vagary.tv have sat down and put together this list of 15 games we think you should be aware of in the coming few months.

Be advised, this list is by no means represents every game coming in the next couple of months. There are still a plethora of other games coming, and some you may want more than any of these. Also, dates are always subject to change, which is why Inversion and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier are not part of this list. Enjoy! ~ Don

Heroes of Ruin
Developer: n-space
Publisher: Square-Enix
Projected Release: April 2012

The lack of quality games on the Nintendo 3DS has been a major issue with the system, but early in 2012 things have picked up with a good variety of quality games. Heroes of Ruin looks to continue that trend in quarter two as Square Enix drops the unique action roleplaying game on gamers. Featuring, what Square Enix calls, a seamless drop-in, drop-out multiplayer experience, a deep customization system and new challenges to download daily via Spot Pass, Heroes of Ruin has the potential to change the handheld landscape.

- Chris Scott

Kinect Star-Wars
Developer: Terminal Reality
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Projected Release: April 2012

The success of the Kinect is certainly debatable but there is one thing I cannot deny and that is that my kids love playing it. You know what else they love? Star Wars. Sure, Kinect Star Wars (or is that Star Wars Kinect) looks like a combination of mini-games but when it comes to motion gaming, those games tend to work best as they can offer quick bursts of fun and not wear out their welcome. As long as Kinect Star Wars allows me to lightsaber fight my son and “use” the force to do cool things on my television, this game will be a winner.

- Chris Scott

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Developer: CD Projekt Red Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Projected Release: April 2012

The Witcher 2 was one of the top RPGs of last year, but its PC only status — and the behemoth that was Skyrim — meant that it did not nearly get the billing it deserved. Thankfully, the console release is nearly upon us. I hope your high fantasy hankerings haven’t been fulfilled by Skyrim and Kingdoms of Amalur, because the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings provides a much more mature and visceral experience. This offering is the full “Enhanced” treatment, giving you the opportunity to explore the full version of an already widely acclaimed action rpg. Challenging combat, tough decisions (resulting in a plethora of different endings and wildly different play through possibilities) and a true adult experience another fantasy go around that much more satisfying.

- Tony Odett

Mario Tennis Open
Developer: Camelot Software Planning
Publisher: Nintendo of America
Projected Release: May 2012

While the Mario Kart series is the most well-known of the Mario themed sports titles, the Camelot developed Golf and Tennis games are largely regarded as some of the most fun on their respective platforms. Camelot will bring Mario Tennis Open, the first new Mario Tennis title in over six years, to the 3DS, strengthening an already impressive 2012 slate of releases. While support for the 3DS’s gyroscope might be a minor touch, the ability to play online matches could make Mario Tennis the go to game for competitive play.

- Chris Scott

Note: This is what you can do when you pre-order. You know you want to.

Sniper Elite V2
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: 505 Games
Projected Release: May 2012

One might say a developer would be insane to go back to World War 2 and do another shooter. However, with the proper spin, and a few new details, they might be able to go back to the well once more. Sniper Elite V2 has done just that, adding heavily detail sniping mechanics with a unique co-op system to put a new twist on the greatest war Earth has ever known. Add some visceral, bloody, and jaw dropping sniping cam shots showing bones breaking, lungs puncturing and heads being ripped apart, and you have a game that is definitely worth a solid look. The last Sniper Elite game was a solid title that was sadly overlooked. So, for some solid 3rdperson shooting action, with an extra helping of gore, look no further than Sniper Elite V2.

- Tony Odett

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Interview: Designer Jenova Chen talks about Journey

By
Kyle Baron
– March 5, 2012Posted in: PlayStation 3, Previews

Jenova Chen, co-founder of Thatgamecompany, is the creative director of Journey

Game designer Jenova Chen grabbed my attention in a crowded teleconference when I heard him characterize the game Journey as a metaphor for life; you begin without knowing anything, you may or may not meet people to help you along your way, and then we all eventually die.

Journey, the third game from developer Thatgamecompany, has players wake up in a desert as a cloth garbed humanoid. As you wander through the dune speckled desert, sand cascading around your feet, you discover ancient ruins, puzzles, and occasionally other human-controlled wanderers who are playing while connected online. You and the other player can go your separate ways or play the game together. There is a catch, however; you and the other player are unable to communicate using anything other than a simple one-tone chime and are both left unnamed.

“Showing players’ names is too much information,” said Chen. Giving an example, he said “JenovaChen1981 is too much information that is not related to the game itself,” saying that it shows other players that he is an Asian man in his twenties, rather than just a human being. Chen said that player names and any form of communication take you, the player, away from the game experience and the intended emotional impact of Journey. “These are all distractions from what the game is truly about,” he said, adding that the multiplayer aspect of Journey is about the emotional connection between human beings.

I asked Chen why, throughout Journey and previous games he’s worked on like Flower, is there always such a value placed on mystery and absence of information. “There is so much information in our lives that it makes us feel that we know everything,” he said. “When we know everything it makes us feel less in awe.” Chen said that the emotion in an adventure game like Journey should be discovery. “We would rather let you play and discover, yourself.”

Chen responded to potential doubts among players hesitant to play through Journey’s approximately three to four hour long story. “People who say our game is too short – honestly, I don’t care,” he said. Grinding experience, returning quests, and repeating puzzles are game design tricks that Chen says are used to increase the length of games. “If our goal is to communicate a strong feeling…I feel we are responsible to communicate that as effectively as possible. If we start to let people level up, do the same puzzle three or four times – the only reason we’d do that is to extend the experience and I just can’t do that.”

“The problem with a game that’s longer than three hours is that there’s a bathroom break,” Chen continued. A film school alumni, he said that the reason films conform to the duration of a few hours is that it creates a better environment for an uninterrupted experience.

"Just putting people through challenges is not enough"

I remember listening to a podcast back when Journey was announced and hearing the hosts talk about the game and jokingly ask “so where’s the rocket launcher?” Journey developer Thatgamecompany’s catalog of games up until this writing have all involved experiences devoid of shooting. “When is the skill of a headshot going to help you in real life?” Chen said, evoking a chuckle from the moderator of the teleconference. Chen talked about how some adults gravitate towards the social aspects of golf and poker, which he says are skills that are useful in daily life.  He said, “what kind of games are worthwhile for an adult to play? It has to introduce some kind of new perspective. It has to move them in some way.”

“Just putting people [players] through challenges is not enough,” said Chen. “I’d rather see someone go through an emotional roller coaster ride. That way, the connection [to the experience] would be even stronger.”

Jenova Chen’s words about Journey’s depicted metaphor of life resonated with me. I’ve personally felt that life involves a bunch of kids playing at grown ups as they age – each of them trying to find out what it is they want out of life before they run out of time. When Journey launches on the Playstation Network in North America on March 13, I suppose I’ll get to see if Journey is as much a reflection on life as Chen feels it is.

Be sure to check out the full review for Journey, as well as our exclusive on what it’s like to be a co-op buddy in the game.

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Sega Releases Jet Set Radio HD Trailer

By
Royel Edwards
– March 5, 2012Posted in: News, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Sega of America has released a new trailer for the Dreamcast favourite Jet Set Radio (or Jet Grind Radio for us folks in North America) and it’s incredibly nice to look at.

Right away you’ll hear a familiar song from the soundtrack and nostalgia will ensue.

There’s no date for the graffiti-painting adventure except for a summer 2012 release window. I hope Jet Set Radio Future HD is next on Sega’s to-do list.

Jet Set/Grind Radio will release on PSN and on XBLA.

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Quick Attack: Binary Domain

By
Magnus Risebro
– February 26, 2012Posted in: Magnus' Blog, PlayStation 3, Previews, Xbox 360

Quick Attack is where Vagary takes a look at a game we are working on for review and give you, the reader, a small taste of what we are experiencing. Think of it as a bullet-point preview with a review to follow.

Today, I played the first 90 or so minutes of cover-based, morality-based shooter Binary Domain on the Xbox 360. Below are my impressions.

  • The story, while having a certain Metal Gear Solid-esque melodrama to it, seems far above what one finds in the average shooter. Judging by the relatively short time I played, it seems the classic philosophical theme of “Are sentient robots alive?/What is humanity?” will play a major role.
  • The shooting is solid, but pretty standard fare. For a game as fantastical as this, the player character takes damage surprisingly quickly. Sticking to cover is important. The robot enemies take a few too many rounds to kill, but this issue may be helped as I upgrade my guns. There are kiosks in the levels, which allow you to buy supplies and increase weapon stats.
  • The squad-commands were actually useful, contrary to my expectations.
  • The game is heavy on interaction with your squadmates. So far, I have only one companion, a robust black dude with an attitude and a light machine gun to match. Interestingly, nearly all of the interaction can be done with a microphone during in-combat commands and casual chats. Though the list of recognized words is long (it includes the F-bomb, to my pleasure), the voice recognition is quite patchy, which led to several comical miscommunications; specifically, “help” was recognized as “nope” and “yes” as “cheers.”  In order to get it working at all, you have to take a recognition test to give the game references for what your voice sounds like. Oddly, the game recognized me best when I was using a British accent, so pro tip: Put on your thickest cockney.

In conclusion: I enjoyed my time with Binary Domain. It seems to have a substantial, slow-building plot, something I’m always a fan of, and this can redeem the game completely, even if the shooting is merely decent. The NPC interaction is also promising. Expect a full review soon.

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Facebook App for PSVita Pulled From PSN

By
Royel Edwards
– February 24, 2012Posted in: News, PlayStation Portable/PSVita

 

If you’ve visited PSN on the Vita earlier this week you had the ability to download Netflix, Twitter and the Facebook app, but Sony has pulled Zuckerberg’s social networking client from the store.

According to a representative from Sony, they’re working on the issue and will be trying to get the app back and working into the store as soon as possible.

I used it a few times myself and hopefully it won’t be as slow and unresponsive as it was during use when it goes live again.

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