The upcoming first-person action game Hellraid from Dead Island developer Techland has a teaser trailer. It kinda looks like the offspring of the aforementioned Dead Island and Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls games. If they can iron out the bugs that plagued Dead Island, this might end up being a wonderfully addicting gaming experience.
Tag Archives: Videogames
Posts related to gaming or the game industry in general.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon “sequel in mind.”
With sales of the downloadable title exceeding expectations by five times, it’s understandable that Ubisoft would consider making this one-off a franchise. Michael Biehn, the voice of Blood Dragon‘s protagonist, stated in an interview with Microsoft’s Major Nelson that Dean Evans, the creative director for the testosterone-filled retro throwback, has a sequel in mind for Blood Dragon. It’s likely, given the success of the downloadable game, that we will be seeing more of Rex Power Colt in the future. The beautiful, neon laser filled, post-apocalyptic future.
Source: Joystiq
New Crystal Dynamics Title “soon to be announced”
Tomb Raider developer is prepping to announce a new game soon according to a LinkedIn profile. Matt McCulloch is a level artist with Crystal Dynamics and is reportedly working on “wildly cool environments for a soon to be announced title for Crystal Dynamics.” A job posting on Crystal Dynamics’ website for a senior artist position clearly states “a brand new AAA game” which further suggests a new intellectual property.
With E3 right around the corner, it’s easy to hope that “soon” means “really soon.”
Source: Destructoid
Spies Vs. Mercs is Back in Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Upcoming Ubisoft sequel to the long-running Splinter Cell franchise is bringing back the popular Spies Vs. Mercs multiplayer mode which was disappointingly absent from Sam Fisher’s last outing. Fans of the franchise have something to rejoice about amidst their complaints about the disappointing lack of Michael Ironside (which, granted, is a very valid complaint).
Eternal Darkness Spiritual Successor in the Works
It’s been over a decade since Silicon Knights released the highly regarded GameCube exclusive Eternal Darkness. Since then, fans of the game have been demanding a sequel. Silicon Knights and Nintendo ignored these demands and went on about their business. Since its release in 2002, Silicon Knights has developed the critically and commercially disappointing Too Human and X-Men Destiny. The studio has been troubled with bad press all around including these critical disappointments as well as law suits and former employee complaints. Needless to say, it hasn’t been a good few years for Silicon Knights.
Nevertheless, we’re expecting a spiritual successor to their horror classic. Though the teaser posted on IGN and the game’s official website have no mention of Silicon Knights, it is clearly stated that the game is in development from the creators of Eternal Darkness. Titled Shadow of the Eternals, this pseudo-sequel is in development at Precursor Games, a new development studio and likely the result of Silicon Knights’ troubled past. Denis Dyack is said to be involved in the project.
Shadow of the Eternals is being crowdfunded with the campaign beginning on May 6. It is in development for WiiU and PC currently. A synopsis of the game and the trailer are below:
When Detective Paul Becker is called to one of the bloodiest gang massacres in Louisiana state history, only two survivors remain from a brutal conflict between two rival cults. As Becker begins his interrogations of the suspects, their combined recollections will uncover the truth about the ‘Eternals’.
Featuring an ensemble cast of heroes and villains, Shadow of the Eternals will span over 2500 years of history throughout Egypt, England, Hungary, and the United States. Players will question the perception of reality as they try to balance the mechanics of combat, magick, and sanity events to progress through the adventure.
Shadow of the Eternals will take players on a memorable journey throughout time; weaving historical fact with disturbing fiction to create an experience unlike any other.
Sources: GamesRadar, Kotaku, IGN
Gears of War Film Actually Happening?
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything about the long-planned Gears of War movie. First news of the film came back in 2007 when New Line Cinema gained the rights for the film, but it’s been trapped in development hell for several years after losing its director and $100 million budget. However, the film now has a new producer: Scott Stuber. Stuber served as the producer on Seth McFarlane’s Ted as well as the blockbuster bomb Battleship (among others, but Battleship is a pretty stand-out disappointment).
It’s easy to be disappointed with a film adaptation of a videogame before its release given the less than stellar track record of past videogame movies, but it is promising to hear that the script for the film is being developed with Epic games, IP owner of the Gears of War franchise. No one else has signed with the film at this time, but Epic’s involvement with the script and the film now having a producer shows some interest in getting the project off the ground. Whether or not it actually makes it to cinemas (or is actually good) remains to be seen.
Sources: Destructoid, Variety
Quantic Dream Recruiting Veterans of the Film Industry
Quantic Dream’s upcoming Beyond: Two Souls was recently featured at Tribeca Film Festival. The games the studio has worked on in the past are best categorized as “interactive movies” with past titles having deeper focus on non-linear storytelling over intricate gameplay. It’s no surprise then that the French developer is hiring film screenwriters and directors to assist David Cage in bringing his visions to life.
Beyond: Two Souls’ script is about 2,000 pages and was written exclusively by David Cage; having a staff of writers assisting in creating these stories could be a welcome addition to the studio. Their next project, a currently untitled PS4 game, has a staff of three writers, Cage included. The stories told in Quantic Dream’s games are still David Cage’s visions and, as such, he will continue to have the final word regarding all future projects.
Source: Destructoid
Kevin Conroy Absent as Batman in “Arkham Origins”
Arkham Origins developer WB Montreal has passed on casting Kevin Conroy, who has voiced Batman in multiple titles since Batman: The Animated Series, as Batman in the upcoming videogame. WB Montreal stated that since Arkham Origins is an origin story featuring Bruce Wayne in his younger years, they’re looking for someone younger to fill the role. While fans of Conroy’s voice work as the caped crusader will be disappointed, it is understandable that they’d cast an actor with a younger sounding voice to portray Batman in his earlier years. No news as to whether or not Mark Hamill will reprise his role as The Joker.
Source: Kotaku
Ratchet & Clank Film Coming 2015
A computer animated film based on the Ratchet & Clank property is currently in production at Escape From Planet Earth studio Rainmaker Entertainment in association with Blockade Entertainment. Ratchet & Clank as a franchise has been well-received over the years for its imaginative worlds, platforming mechanics, exotic weapons, and its sharp comedic writing. As its writing has been celebrated in the past, it’s encouraging to fans that Insomniac–the developer responsible for the games–screenwriter TJ Fixman is penning the script. Beyond that, Insomniac will be actively involved in the film’s production.
A synopsis of the film was included in the press release announcing its production:
Ratchet and Clank tells the story of two unlikely heroes as they struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet is the last of his kind – a foolhardy ‘lombax’ who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way they’ll learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one’s own identity.
Source: IGN
State of Decay Coming to XBLA this June
Upcoming open-world zombie survival game State of Decay has a new trailer and a June release date. The game is being developed by Undead Labs and published by Microsoft Studios. Synopsis and trailer below:
The end is here. Life as you knew it has gone to hell after the mother of all zombie outbreaks. Now you and the few scattered survivors must band together to survive and rebuild in a 3rd-person action game set in a dynamic open world. You choose where to make your stand, designing and fortifying your home base, performing daring raids for food and ammunition, and rescuing other playable survivors with unique talents. The open, sandbox world develops in real-time, shaped by your actions, dynamically generating content based on your choices and the ever-increasing zombie threat.
Source: Undead Labs
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