Monthly Archives: March 2019
Rand Miller Talks MYST and Obduction Game Development
In Episode 8 of Humans Who Make Games podcast, host and comedian, Adam Conover, talks with game legend and CEO of Cyan Inc., Rand Miller, in a bonus episode. Miller, known for MYST, Riven, and Obduction, shares details on making his spiritual successor to MYST 20 years after its release.
Listen to Humans Who Make Games Episode 8.
Miller talks about how his studio, Cyan Worlds, has always focused on creating worlds for players to immerse themselves in. MYST, which was launched in 1993 and remained the best-selling computer game of all time for a decade, was created for players to get lost in, but only with the technology that was available in the nineties.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Final Hands-On Preview: Not Just a Soulsborne
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice may have the DNA of a Soulsborne game, but if there was one thing that became clear to me after spending three hours with it, it’s that Sekiro is entirely its own beast. Sure, it’s a difficult yet rewarding action-RPG with a sprawling world full of darkness and mystery around every corner. But it’s the mechanics that set Sekiro (out March 22 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One) apart from the Souls series and Bloodborne that have me the most excited.
A lot has already been discussed with regards to the posture system that is at the core of Sekiro’s combat, but it’s worth emphasizing just how different this system makes the fights feel from anything else From Software has ever done. Basically, instead of having a traditional stamina meter, Sekiro allows you to attack, jump, and roll as much as you like. This facilitates an extremely fast and relentless pace to the action. To succeed at Sekiro’s combat, you absolutely must balance a steady stream of offense, while also being constantly at the ready to defend, because even the most basic of enemies will parry your own strikes and deliver a counter of their own to turn the tide of a battle.
HBO’s Latest Digital Series Is a Period Revenge Drama
Netflix isn't the only streaming network that's branching out into international programming these days; HBO has been utilizing its digital platforms and on-demand services to bring the best projects from its overseas divisions to viewers in the US for months now.
Following on from the success of HBO Asia's Tokyo-set Sherlock Holmes adaptation, Miss Sherlock, and the horror anthology series Folklore, IGN can exclusively reveal the next international series coming to HBO subscribers is the action-packed period drama Grisse, which is available beginning March 6 on HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO On Demand, and partners’ streaming platforms. The show premiered on HBO Asia's networks in October last year.
Judgment Gets a Western Release Date
PlayStation exclusive Judgment will be released in the west on June 25, and also comes with a host of pre-order bonuses.
The Yakuza spin-off arrived in Japan last year, but comes west with a full English dub alongside the usual Japanese V/O and English subtitles.
Physical pre-orders will include a reversible cover featuring the Japanese cover art and a studio sticker.
Digital pre-orders will go live on March 7 and those who do choose to pay up front will get early access to the full game on June 21 and a static PlayStation theme.
Morbius: Tyrese Gibson Cast in Spider-Man Spinoff
Tyrese Gibson has joined the cast for up-and-coming Spider-Man spinoff movie, Morbius: The Living Vampire.
Gibson has been added to a growing list of talent cast for Sony’s next Spidey-less Spider-man story, according to a new report published by Variety. Gibson, who has become a mainstay of massive action movie franchises such as Transformers and The Fast and The Furious, has not yet revealed who he’ll be playing.
He’ll join Dr Who’s Matt Smith, also playing unknown role, Emerald City’s Adria Arjona, who will play Martine Bancroft and of course Jared Leto, who’ll be playing the titular sucky-handed vampire man, Morbius.
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Death Stranding Is A Little Behind Schedule, Says Kojima
Death Stranding has fallen slightly behind Kojima Productions' internal planned release date, according to the man in charge.
Hideo Kojima made the statement in an interview with J-Wave . As translated by IGN Japan, Kojima explained:
“It’s common for studios to fall behind their planned release date, and Death Stranding is very slightly behind our initial plan, but not behind by much.”
Of course, Death Stranding has never been given a public planned release date, so it's unclear as to how much of a change that'll effect.
Elsewhere in the interview, Kojima explains that the nature of making an open world game means that he's constantly making adjustments and playtesting new versions.
Nintendo Reportedly Adjusts Smartphone Games to Make Players Spend Less
Nintendo, it seems, is getting in trouble with its smartphone development partners for being nice.
Per sources of the Wall Street Journal, Nintendo is concerned about being seen as greedy by consumers, and actively tells its partners - including DeNA and CyberAgent - to adjust games so that players don't spend too much.
As for why a publicly listed company would try to make less money, a Nintendo employee apparently told WSJ that the company sees smartphone games more as advertising for its core console business than a straight moneymaking opportunity.
We’ve Finally Seen the Sum of Days Gone’s Parts
Since its reveal at E3 2016, I haven’t really known what to make of Days Gone. It’s a zombie freaker* game. OK. It’s a big open-world adventure. Alright. It’s also about resource management and survival. Sure, cool - but what is it? What does the sum of all these disparate parts actually look like as a video game in this, the year 2019? Well, after getting to play roughly five hours of it for myself, I finally got a taste of what the full Days Gone experience actually looks like.
The first hour of my demo took me through most of Days Gone’s opening, introducing basic mechanics, concepts, and characters. I quickly felt at home with the controls, since the systems at play all very familiar to anyone who’s spent time in an open-world action/adventure in the last few years. The elements we’ve seen before are executed extremely well. Stealthily scavenging for supplies while sneaking around an abandoned motel crowded with zombies freakers is appropriately tense, and the same goes for trying to discreetly (or not) clear a bandit camps to unlock a new fast-travel point. Walking into one of their ambushes (the chances for which can actually be reduced by eliminating the aforementioned camps) is equal parts shamefully frustrating and exhilarating, choosing from a wide variety of useful skill upgrades is decidedly nerve-wracking, and melee and ranged combat encounters are, for the most part, both exciting and brutally satisfying.
Devil May Cry’s Story in 7 Minutes
Devil May Cry is a series renowned for its stylish action, but beyond all of the gunslinging, sword slashing and royal guarding, there is, in fact, a story. So, if you’re just jumping into DMC for the first time with Devil May Cry 5, here’s the entire plot summarized as quickly as we can rightfully do it.
First off, this is Dante:
He’s a red coat wearing, demon form bearing, gun-wielding, death-dealing, rocket riding, high flying, son of a gun. Or that’s what he would be if he was described by Ric Flair (WHOO!).