Don’t worry people, 343 got it right.
I’m sure that many were nervous when they learned that Halo 4 was being helmed by a brand new studio. After an impressive showing at this year’s E3, it’s been becoming more and more apparent that not only does 343 Industries know what they are doing, but they are pushing the series in a fresh, yet familiar direction.
If Muramasa: Demon Blade and Metroid had a baby…
When I looked into this year’s Summer of Arcade, this one stuck out to me the most. Between the art style and insane looking combat, I felt like this game would stand out amongst the rest of the arcade titles released. Now that all of them are out, many might consider this Summer of Arcade one of the weakest. Thankfully, Dust: An Elysian Tail delivers on its initial promise of a beautiful art style and intense combat engine, but there is a lot more to the game than just looks.
Such an amazing gaming package that gamers will need a cigarette after experiencing it.
Imagine if you will, that video games never went into the third dimension. Instead of the polygon arms race that began in 1995, game artists and designers simply continued to hone the craft of 2D, hand-drawn sprites. What would the video games industry look like today? With that picture in your head, imagine that character-action games like Devil May Cry and God of War still existed, but were known for their gorgeous animation and parallax scrolling as much for their over-the-top combo systems and precise control schemes. Enter Dust: An Elysian Tale, a game that seems to come from this amazing alternate gaming reality.
Five new titles coming to Xbox Live.
Keeping with tradition, Microsoft has announced their titles for the Summer of Arcade promotion. Microsoft’s Phil Spencer gave a list of the five titles that will be hitting XBLA this summer.
This DLC is absolutely not worth $7.99.
Super Stardust Delta is a great game, but one that’s severely lacking options. The Blast Pack is the prescribed remedy for its ailments; however, it’s not an effective dose. Four new modes with limited content just don’t do the trick.
A twin stick shooter on a portable? Unpossible!
Launch titles that showcase a system’s features have become all too common. These games are typically built on a gimmick, like augmented reality, tilt, or touch. But in the case of Super Stardust Delta there are no gimmicks, just a showcase of the dual analog sticks – a first for portable gaming. Housemarque has done a fantastic job in bringing the twin-stick-shooter genre to portables with its sequel to the already phenomenal Super Stardust HD on the PlayStation 3.
Available now for the PlayStation Vita.
Bungie's passing the torch to 343 Industries
Bungie doesn't make Halo games anymore, but they have still maintained the game stats and player service records for the Halo games thus far. Well, that will change on March 31, because Bungie issued a statement today saying that all live data will now be handled by 343 Industries.
Brick and mortar stores have plenty to fear from last year’s growth of digital sales.
Digitally distributed game sales have continued to blossom on Xbox Live Arcade according to analyst firm FADE. In 2011, sales of games on XBLA increased 18% over the previous year, with From Dust bringing in the most money. Fruit Ninja Kinect had the best showing for a Kinect game, ranking third in the number of copies sold.
