Grave Gamer News & Views — featured

Resident Evil Revelations 2’s Mini-Game is Surprisingly Deep and Stupidly Addicting

Capcom’s latest foray into its series of bio-organic terrors and the hard-faced people that shoot said terrors in the face is probably the most experimental Resident Evil yet.

I could spend more time tuggin’ on your ear about how diverse the skill system is in the campaign or how refreshing it is to finally — finally — see the game’s writing actually try its hand at earnest, believable characterization, but I think I may just wait until the full four episodes release into the wild so as to analyze the whole offering.

In the meantime, there’s Raid Mode. And the internet’s favorite gaming junkets are just starting to catch on to how fucking good it actually is. Despite sticking their ass up at Revelations 2’s inaugural episode, Kotaku’s been plugging in hour after hour in the bonus mode, calling it a “hidden RPG“ within the game. One of Destructoid’s writers has been going at the mode daily. Why? Because it’s incredibly replayable and legitimately addicting.

Life Finds a Way in Jurassic Park: Aftermath

One Fan’s Tinkering with CryEngine Brings Us Attractions So Astounding, the Whole World Will Want to Play It

The screens above are not from an official Jurassic Park game. It’s a painful truth, and, oh, how I wish it weren’t the case.

What you’re seeing is the one man effort of an intrepid modder that goes by “cindercrash.” What began in March 2013 as a way of familiarizing themselves with CryEngine spawned into a two year journey to recreate one of the most famous locales in movie history.

“Pet project” is better coined here than “full-on game,” however, since cindercrash’s goal is to only recreate a chunk of the environment and allow players to explore it. There are dangers, as anyone should expect to find on an island lousy with untamed and unleashed prehistoric creatures, but it’s not a shooter. You won’t be mowing down raptors.

But they can harm you. Just as in the original film, there’s an underlying horror to the grand adventure and it’ll be enough to keep you on your toes as you search the park grounds, now left abandoned, on Isla Numblar. We’ve covered fan projects attempting to virtually rebuild Jurassic Park before, but none have looked so enticing.

Despite 22 years of gaming tech, exactly one developer has ever thought to make an open-world Jurassic Park game (that was Trespasser, by the by, a PC game still supported by the modding community to this very day even though it released in 1998). But who knows? It’s a new era and we actually have a new film to look forward to this Summer. The cogs must be turning somewhere behind the scenes and, hopefully, today’s devs look to Aftermath for some inspiration.

Unfortunately for us, there’s no clear timeline on when the world at large will get a taste of Jurassic Park: Aftermath, either. It is the efforts of one modder’s spare time we’re talking about, after all. Feel free to check on its progress right here. Otherwise, you’ll have to keep dreaming of taking a stroll through the park.

[Story courtesy of Kotaku]

Somebody must have tasked Phil Spencer with two missions yesterday when he took to E3’s stage in Los Angeles: 1) Avoid showing off anything regarding, related to, or even remotely reminiscent of TV apps and 2) Slowly strangle anyone who dares utter the word “Kinect” while staring into their eyes as their soul fades from their body like a light dimming.

I say this because Phil made damn sure the only thing that took center stage besides camera-shy, stammering game developers was the games themselves. What ensued was probably one of the better conferences held by the company in quite some time – Microsoft wasn’t going to let Sony blacken their eye again like at last year’s event.

Below, I’ve collected (almost) every title named at the Xbox presser. Be sure to click on each game’s name to peep an accompanying trailer.

See, don’t I take care of you guys?

>Adr1ft: A Deeply Personal Game About Being Stranded in Deep Space

In a way, you could say >Adr1ft is a disaster game borne from a real life disaster – albeit a personal one.

Before last April, you probably didn’t know the name Adam Orth, then a Microsoft Studios creative director. One Tweet later and Orth became a household name and, thanks to one tasteless hashtag – the now immortal #dealwithit – unwittingly assumed the role of the internet’s pincushion; supplying a face to the contemptible “Always-Online” debate.

The effects on Adam’s professional life were devastating, forcing him to resign from his position at Microsoft. More scathing were the repercussions on his personal life, as well, with some vitriol escalating to as high as death threats made against him and his family. Adam receded from the hate wave of the internet, and seemingly from the world too.

Now, Orth is trying to come to terms with his self-inflicted turmoil through creative expression. >Adr1ft is his way of dealing with it.

The game is being developed by Three One Zero, a Southern Cali studio started by Orth and a handful of trusted colleagues. While the team members were forged in the fires of big budget, AAA development, they wish to distance themselves far, far away from the games they used to create – multi-million dollar shooting galleries the likes of Medal of Honor and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

>Adr1ft demonstrates this wish almost immediately. You control an astronaut that awakens to a damaged and deserted space station. Your crew is missing, likely dead. You haven’t the faintest idea what the hell has happened. You’re alone and your oxygen is depleting.

A core gameplay conceit is finding more breathable air. The lower your current tank is, the more labored and panicky your breathing is. Your vision may even begin blur without enough air. Anxiety settles in not just for your character, but the player.

The game is set in the first-person perspective but bares no resemblance to the first-person shooters dominating the market. There’s nothing to kill and nothing is chasing you. Your biggest enemy is the environment. And, for being the bad guy, it’s rather beautiful. Serene even.

The game is equal parts tension and relaxation. Orth likes to describe it as a mixed salad featuring the exploration of Journey, the immersion of Half-Life, and the caught-in-space disaster scenario found in Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. It’s a gorgeous, ambitious project steeped in intimacy – namely, the alienation Orth has been unable to exorcise from his life since last April.

The game, while massively impressive at this stage, is still in prototyping. Three One Zero is looking for a backer, but given the response to its demo at Vegas’ DICE Summit (bolstered by the use of the Oculus Rift to immerse participants), it shouldn’t be long before a publisher takes the bait. >Adr1ft will probably be seeing a PC release first, but Orth has expressed interest in seeing the game grace next-gen consoles.

Read Polygon’s >Adr1ft interview with Orth hereabouts.

Isolated

Fun fact about Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation – the game is playable from start to finish. With the core experience laid out, the developer is using the time between now and the game’s Q4 release date to polish, tweak, and refine the game.

I’m feeling pretty good about this one. It helps that it looks phenomenal. But I feel especially good that CA is approaching the material at a different angle and that, all around, even on Sega’s part, Isolation is being handled with the same meticulous care you’d show a newborn baby. Or a bomb capable of leaving a crater the size of Nebraska.

Check out more screens hereabouts.