Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-29-2017, 09:06 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Video Game Deep Cuts: That HQ Donut County Trivia
The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.
[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This installment includes a look at indie standout Donut County, the potential dystopia behind HQ Trivia, and lots more besides.
Well, this is the penultimate round-up of the year, with a smattering of ‘best games of the year’ lists included (sorry I didn’t get to all of them – there’s so many!) As I just noted on Twitter, Super Mario Odyssey is my personal game of the year – being warm, welcoming, polished, and non-judgmental about length of play time.
But there were so many more games to love – many of which I didn’t get to because I was busy compiling these lists, ironically. Still, I’d rather you all had information than I finished another game – which is how my brain works, luckily for your ability to read lots of cool stuff in one place. Happy holidays!
No Man’s Sky Players Had Their First War And It Killed An Entire Civilization(Gita Jackon / Kotaku – ARTICLE) “No Man’s Sky fans can’t exactly play with each other, but they still like to come together to celebrate their communities. Somehow, a new player-created holiday became a story about conflict, betrayal and the disappearance of an entire civilization.”
The best video game levels of 2017(Various / AV Club – ARTICLE) “You’ve already heard from us about our favorite games, but we also wanted to dig deeper and applaud some of the most memorable sequences that helped make 2017 such a tremendous year. After all, every game contains multitudes of moments and decisions, and even a mediocre release can occasionally come together into something transcendent.”
Magic Leap: Founder of Secretive Start-Up Unveils Mixed-Reality Goggles(Brian Crecente / Glixel – ARTICLE) “The last time the company spoke publicly in any great detail was about a year ago, when it invited Wired magazine to its South Florida headquarters to see the tech in action, but not to write about what the hardware looked like. Earlier this month, Glixel received a similar invitation. [SIMON’S NOTE: An extremely in-depth look at the tech from Brian Crecente – basically, it’s Hololens with somewhat bigger field of view. Which is… fine?]”
The AIAS Game Maker’s Notebook – Neil Druckmann(Ted Price / AIAS / Libsyn – PODCAST) “Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog sits down with Insomniac Games’ Ted Price to discuss trailer reactions, The Last of Us, narrative vs gameplay, and the drive to create something meaningful. Neil Druckmann is the creative director for The Last of Us, Uncharted 4, and the upcoming sequel, The Last of Us Part II.”
‘Donut County’ is a love letter to LA(Jessica Conditt / Engadget – ARTICLE) “From 2002 to 2014, Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t exist in Los Angeles. Hell, during that time there was just one Dunkin’ store in all of California, at a military base on the state’s southern tip… In fact, it was one of the first things independent game developer Ben Esposito noticed when he made the move from New York to LA.”
Saving the History of Video Games(Waypoint / YouTube – VIDEO) “Waypoint meets Frank Cifaldi, the founder of the Video Game History Foundation. The history of video games are in danger of disappearing. Not just the games itself, but the packaging, the culture, and the experience of the players. We join Frank on his quest to save these relics.”
Women In Video Game Development in 2017: A Snapshot(Lucy O’Brien / IGN – ARTICLE) “Several months ago, I asked 55 female and non-binary game development professionals from around the globe about the moment the light bulb switched on for them, the moment they thought video games are for me. Each answer was unique.”
Indie Games You Missed in 2017(HeavyEyed / YouTube – VIDEO) “It’s that time of year again! Let’s go over some indie games you missed in 2017. Thank you all for this amazing year, I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store.”
HQ Trivia Is a Harbinger of Dystopia(Ian Bogost / The Atlantic – ARTICLE) “That all sounds great. So why do I feel such dread when I play? It’s not the terror of losing, or even that of being embarrassed for answering questions wrong in front of my family and friends. It’s the dread that the app represents some awful, plausible future not yet realized, but just over the horizon: one where expertise isn’t measured by knowledge, but by instinct tripped out on illusion.”
Revisiting Anamanaguchi’s ‘Capsule Silence XXIV,’ Music Gaming’s Most Revolutionary Misadventure(Zane Warman / Billboard – ARTICLE) “Taken at face value, Capsule Silence’s creation packs a story of shadowy, blue-chip gaming developers who exploited a growing band’s money, talents and identities, cheapening them by presenting the wider world with a bloated, corporate rendering of their art. [SIMON’S NOTE: this was one of the weirdest things in a long time – great to see a deconstruction of it.]”
Creating ‘Burgle Bros’: The Fantasy of the Heist(Tim Fowers / GDC / YouTube – VIDEO) “In this 2017 GDC talk from the Board Game Design Day, Fowers Games’ Tim Fowers discusses how games are ultimately a test of character and how he used rogue-like mechanics to drive players to critical choices that create emotion and tell unique emergent stories in Burgle Bros.”
Are lootboxes the slot machines of video gaming?(Adam Goodall / The Spinoff – ARTICLE) “Lootboxes have embedded themselves in the gaming industry – and audiences are not happy about it. Adam Goodall talks to a free-to-play developer and a public health expert about why lootboxes were inevitable, and how we can change the direction they’re taking the industry.”
Mom, ‘Final Fantasy’ and the Language of Gaming(Rami Ismail / Glixel – ARTICLE) “I grinned, and halfway through my amusement I suddenly realised that while my mother could read up on the games news, there was another language that my mother did not speak: the language of games. For all her enthusiasm and knowledge of the medium, she had never once held a controller, or booted up a video game.”
The best games you might have missed in 2017(Clayton Purdom / AV Club – ARTICLE) “In 2017, “indie games” (I’ll stop using the quotation marks) are a commodity, almost a genre unto themselves. All three major consoles have touted themselves as the true home for independent developers, sometimes creating massive marketing campaigns around games made by smaller, non-traditional teams.”
Memory Matters: A special RAM edition of Dirty Coding Tricks(Brandon Sheffield / Gamasutra – ARTICLE) “Memory constraints are a thing of the past, right? Turns out they’re not. Not only do many off-the-shelf engines manage memory poorly, many platforms still have some rather aggressive memory requirements. Then there are disc and cartridge-based size limitations on top of that.”
A month on the road: My indie developer road trip (Blake Hester / Polygon – ARTICLE) “”What the hell does this have to do with video games,” I asked myself. I was staring up at Provo Canyon in the middle of Utah, jaw dropped at the scale of it all. There was no cellphone reception, no technology and certainly no video game in sight. [SIMON’S NOTE: this is a CRAZILY big road trip article talking to indies, and is wonderfully humanizing about the people behind the games – take the time to read.]”
Horizon Zero Dawn Documentary(Noclip / YouTube – VIDEO) “How does a studio known for linear first person shooters design one of the most well regarded open world games of the generation on their first attempt? Noclip travels to Amsterdam to talk to Guerrilla about their epic journey bringing Horizon Zero Dawn to PlayStation 4.”
Is Secretive Virtual Reality Startup Magic Leap Dreaming Up the Future of Music?(Marc Hogan / Pitchfork – ARTICLE) “Our tech overlords have come to a realization: The internet is as ambient as the air we breathe. Confined first to computer screens, then phones, tablets, and watches, online information may soon be seamlessly embedded into our lives like never before. [SIMON’S NOTE: The Sigur Ros project is strictly not a game, but lots of interactive elements, of course.]”
How a counterfeit NES console opened up the Russian games market(Alex Calvin / Eurogamer – ARTICLE) “Back in the 90s, if you had mentioned the names Nintendo and Sega to a kid in America, Japan or Europe, their face would have likely lit up… But if you said these words to a child in Russia, they’d have looked at you blankly. These companies were not present in the region at the time. Say ‘Dendy’, however, and you’d invoke that same kind of magic.”
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[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at tinyletter.com/vgdeepcuts – we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra & an advisor to indie publisher No More Robots, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-29-2017, 09:06 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Learn to better critique game projects at GDC 2018!
The end of the year is nearly here, and today Game Developers Conference organizers want to quickly let you know about one of the great talks taking place at GDC 2018 in March!
This session, part of the GDC 2018 Educators Summit, will see Carnegie Mellon’s Jessica Hammer and Broken Rules’ Martin Pichlmair explaining how you can more effectively critique games and game projects.
Their talk “Improving Critique of Game Projects with Expert and Peer Feedback” presents best practices, common challenges, and successful formats around providing critique. In addition to providing material on expert-led critique, Jessica Hammer and Martin Pichlmair will share two experimental approaches for improving peer feedback on game projects.
Plus, considerations for selecting and implementing appropriate critique methods will be discussed. While originating from education, the presented techniques are applicable to a wide range of design areas, from game design to visual arts; make time to check it out, and you’ll walk away with skills you can use in your own work!
Plus, we have plenty more GDC 2018 announcements to make in the coming months. For more information about GDC 2018 visit the show’s official website, and subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS.
Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Americas
Killing Floor 2: Krampus Christmas Seasonal Update Arrives on Xbox
Hi, I’m the new game director at Tripwire Interactive on Killing Floor 2. I’ve worked closely on this project from the very beginning as the creative director, so I’m excited to be heading up Killing Floor 2 content updates for the foreseeable future. Enough about me though — let’s talk about this amazing update arriving just in time for the holidays on the Xbox One family of devices!
Killing Floor has always been known for its seasonal events which started years ago with the original Twisted Christmas update on PC back in 2010. Now with Killing Floor 2, we’re looking to take our annual Xmas-themed event to the next level with the release of the Krampus Christmas Seasonal Event!
Just like in year’s past we’ve added all-new holiday-themed Zeds complete with their own unique looks and new voices. You’ll also face off with a huge, nasty boss: Krampus! Please save Xmas and rid us of this terrible villain before he gives all the boys and girls coal… along with beating with his stick!
What would a Killing Floor 2 holiday be without a new weapon under the tree? For this update we’re excited to be adding the UMP submachine gun to the game for the SWAT perk. We also have a brand-new holiday map complete with its own demented Xmas soundtrack.
In the map you must infiltrate Krampus’ Lair and take him out once and for all. In case you weren’t aware, Krampus kidnapped all of Santa’s workers and changed them into the monstrosities that have only one mission: kill you and ruin Xmas! The map also has new objectives that, when completed, give you vault money and your very own pajamas!
We’ve also added 50 new limited time seasonal items that can only be obtained during this event as well as 100 new vault items to deck out your characters. We’ve had a blast putting this special holiday event together for Killing Floor 2 and hope that you enjoy it. The Krampus Christmas Seasonal Event is going on now and runs through to January 9. So, let’s get in the festive spirit and take back Xmas from Krampus!
In this series of features Nintendo Life contributors will share thoughts on their most memorable games of 2017. This entry by upcoming site editor Dom Roseigh-Lincoln focuses on the high profile port of DOOM to Nintendo Switch.
If you’d have sidled up to me six months ago and whispered in my ear that one of my favourite games of 2017 would be a port of a 2016 shooter I’d have recoiled at that blatant invasion of my personal space, then cracked a wry smile at your fictitious hot take. DOOM? On Switch? In a port that isn’t just good, but great? You’re having a laugh, mate.
Well, let’s just say I’ve put on about a stone of weight with the amount of humble pie I’ve eaten in the last month because Bethesda and Panic Button did something seemingly impossible with that id Software reboot. Not only did they get the entirety of DOOM’s gloriously violent single-player campaign on Switch, they made it look disturbingly good, too. Sure, it’s not going to give PS4 or Xbox One any sleepless nights in the visuals department, but bar a few simplified textures and less dynamic lighting its an impressive feat of developmental alchemy.
It’s hardly been gutted either. Every level, in its full glory, can be enjoyed on Switch, so you snap demon necks and stomp on their heads as Doomguy just as it was originally intended. Sure, not having the map editor does take some of the sheen off an otherwise impressive package, but retaining its two cores modes – including the latter’s full online functionality – cements Switch as a fine place for any shooter to call home.
Then there’s the multiplayer. Oh, the multiplayer! It’s this mode that takes the biggest hit when it comes to graphics, but we knew this would be the case so it’s hardly a killing blow. Much like the classic, sprint-fast days of Unreal Tournament and Quake III Arena, DOOM’s online deathmatches move at such breakneck speeds that there’s no way Switch’s hardware is going to be able to load textures as fast as you’re running and blowing other players into gore with a Super Shotgun.
But here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter. With only the occasional amount of slowdown, that sacrifice is ultimately worth it. Being able to leap into TDM, Warpath or any of its other familiar yet addictive modes from the comfort of your sofa, bed or toilet is a unit-shifting selling point in itself. It’s proof positive that twitch-style shooters can work on Switch without relying on bucket loads of paint and skater boi fashion choices.
Add in a new challenge system for unlocking new armour for your death-dealing avatar – a setup far superior to the one in place on other platforms – and you’ve got one of the best ways to mooch about online in Switch’s current lineup of games. Even if you’re terrible at shooters, you’re still not going to struggle for long. This isn’t about precision – part of DOOM’s grisly charm is its run, gun and run again formula that turns every firefight into a bullet-trading joust.
So yeah, I love this damnable thing a lot, that much is obvious, but I guarantee you’ll only need to spend a few minutes in its mad-eyed company to realise you love it too. As a vanguard for the future of FPS on Switch, DOOM is the perfect candidate for the job. Bold, brutal and baptised in buckets of blood. And on a Nintendo console, no less.
Nintendo Has Reportedly Delayed the Roll-Out of 64GB Switch Game Cartridges
The Nintendo Switch has, overall, had a wonderfully successful 2017. Like any new device on the market, however, there have been some issues of varying scopes, one of which has been the ‘Switch tax’, in which some retail games on the system carry higher price tags.
It’s a topic we explored in detail, learning that part of the issue is around the costs of proprietary cartridges used in the Switch. Publishers have to order them from Nintendo, and at present cartridges up to 32GB are available – however, the more capacity they have the higher the price, so in some cases publishers get smaller cartridges and force mandatory downloads on consumers. One example is L.A. Noire, published by Rockstar – the game is 27.4GB on the eShop, and if you buy the retail version there’s a mandatory 13.1GB download (on our EU copy), so logic suggests (give or take some space for practical concerns) the publisher opted for a batch of 16GB carts from Nintendo in order to maximise the profit off each sale.
Beyond that, however, some publishers willing to spend more on the highest capacity Switch media may still find 32GB isn’t enough, especially in this era of enormous game downloads on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. There’ll be disappointment, then, if a report by The Wall Street Journal (paywall) is accurate.
The report cites “people familiar with the matter” to say that Nintendo has pushed back the roll-out of bigger 64GB capacity cartridges. Originally planned for the second half of 2018, Nintendo has apparently informed major partners that they’ll now arrive in 2019, as it aims to resolve technical issues and ensure high levels of quality in the final media.
How much will this affect Nintendo? It may prompt some publishers with particularly sizeable games (in terms of file size) to reconsider release windows, but due to the nature of the hardware we’d suggest it’ll be a minority of games that require that size of card. As various examples have also shown, publishers aren’t shy of buying smaller capacity media and forcing gamers to download the rest, in any case.
Time will tell on whether this delay, if the report is indeed accurate, has much of an impact on any third-party releases on the Switch.
The Steam Selection Committee has spoken again for the 2017 Steam Awards Nominees. Come back every day from December 21st to January 2nd to vote for each award, and find out the winners on January 3rd!
December 21st 10 AM PST The “Choices Matter” Award – Games are about agency, and this award is for the game that has it in spades. Maybe it’s because there are 31 ways you can breach into a villains lair. Perhaps there are dozens of potential partners for you to build a romantic future with. Or maybe you find yourself constantly saying “Where oh where should I plant those turnips”? In all three scenarios there is a common bond: the choice was always yours.
-The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -Divinity: Original Sin 2 -Life is Strange: Before the Storm -The Walking Dead: A New Frontier -Dishonored 2
December 22nd 10 AM PST The “Mom’s Spaghetti” Award – There are games that make you excited. There are games that make you happy. Then there are games so intense that they elicit a physical reaction. We’re talking weak knees. We’re talking sweaty palms. We’re talking fear-induced accidents. We’re talking your friends reminding you to breathe. We’re talking about mom’s spaghetti.
December 23rd 10 AM PST The “Labor of Love” Award – This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the first unveiling of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation. This game, to this day, is still getting new content after all these years.
-Team Fortress 2 -Warframe -Titan Quest Anniversary Edition -Path of Exile -Crusader Kings II
December 24th 10 AM PST The “Suspension of Disbelief” Award – Let’s be honest: games can have some pretty ridiculous elements in them from the stories that drive the action, to the items required to conquer obstacles, to even the protagonists themselves. This award is for the game that has a key component, which when described out of context, seems totally insane, but while playing the game doesn’t even make you bat an eye, because in the moment it makes total sense.
-Saints Row IV -Goat Simulator -South Park the Fractured But Whole -Rocket League -Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
December 25th 10 AM PST The “The World Is Grim Enough Let’s Just All Get Along” Award – Games delight and entertain us, giving us much needed breaks from the sorrows and low points of our lives and let’s be honest, for a lot of people it’s been a rough 2017. That is why the SASC has chosen to celebrate a game that doesn’t involve combat or conflict.
-Stardew Valley -Cities: Skylines -Slime Rancher -ABZU -To the Moon
December 26th 10 AM PST The “No Apologies” Award – This award is for the game that you love unconditionally. Does it have some faults? Maybe. Do other people not understand your love for it? Sure. But make no mistake. There is no guilt here. Only pleasure.
December 27th 10 AM PST The “Defies Description” Award – This game is like… well actually it’s more similar to…picture a combination of… ya know what, I can’t describe it, just play it.
-Garry’s Mod -The Stanley Parable -Pony Island -Antichamber -Doki Doki Literature Club
December 28th 10 AM PST The “Cry Havoc And Let Slip The Dogs of War” Award – The Bard said it best. This game doesn’t necessarily offer the biggest explosions… it offers something better. Potential. Potential to be a rampaging force of nature. Or not. Who knows. You’re an agent of chaos and no one is going to tell you what to do.
-Just Cause 3 -Total War: Warhammer II -Broforce -Red Faction: Guerilla Steam Edition -Middle-earth: Shadow of War
December 29th 10 AM PST The “Haunts My Dreams” Award – This award is slightly a misnomer, because this game doesn’t just haunt your dreams. It consumes your thoughts every waking moment of the day. This game doesn’t demand your time. You give it willingly.
-Counter-Strike: Global Offensive -Dota 2 -Dark Souls III -Factorio -Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
December 30th 10 AM PST The “Soul of Vitruvius” Award – The Vitruvian Man was Leonardo’s celebration of the ideal form. And in that spirit the SASC looks to celebrate the game with the most lovingly rendered character be it human, alien, anthropomorphic cat people, or even a piece of produce.
-NieR: Automata -Rise of the Tomb Raider -Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice -I am Bread -Bayonetta
December 31st 10 AM PST The “Whoooaaaaaaa, Dude! 2.0” Award – The Academy wasn’t clear enough in the awards description last year. Let’s try this again. This award is for the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” of video games.
-Hotline Miami -Luna -Antichamber -CPU Invaders -The Evil Within 2
January 1st 10 AM PST The “Best Soundtrack” Award – There are very few things that can enhance a game better than music. The right song can set the tone for every aspect of gameplay, from simple exploration, to climatic boss fights. This award is for the soundtrack that captured the essence of their game so perfectly that it effortlessly immersed players into the game world.
-Nier: Automata -Crypt of the Necrodancer -Undertale -Cuphead -Transistor
January 2nd 10 AM PST The “Even Better Than I Expected” Award – We’ve all been there. You get super excited for a game, you pre-order it, and you anxiously wait as it downloads. Then you finally play it. How do you feel now? If the answer is “Elated beyond words because even I, a conductor aboard the hype train, was blown away with how good this thing was” then you have found the perfect candidate for this award.
VOTING RULES Every day, from December 21st to January 2nd, starting at 10 AM Pacific, a new category will be available for voting. Each category will only be open for voting for 24 hours before moving onto the next category, so be sure to check in every day to vote! The 2017 Steam Award winners will be announced on January 3rd.
Define product and technical specification with producers, game designers, artists and other engineers.
Design, build, test, deploy entire game systems and support other engineers.
Produce engineering proposals, cost estimates, schedules, and other documentation to support project development.
Ensure that the quality of products made at the studio meets BANDAI NAMCO standards and its customer expectations.
Create an efficient and productive work environment.
Team leadership including mentoring, goal setting and career development for your reports.
Qualifications:
A degree in Computer Science, related field, or equivalent experience.
7+ years of professional experience with at least 3 shipped mobile, console, PC game titles.
Expert knowledge in programming with C++, Unity/C#, iOS/Objective-C, Android/Java.
Broad knowledge of game development processes with expertise in at least 2 of the following: physics, AI, gameplay, rendering, online, tools, UI, audio.
Experience in building various pipelines and workflow to deliver high-quality product.
Excellent knowledge of common algorithms, data structures, patterns, and the ability to apply them to problems while keeping constraints and performance in mind.
Able to create, manage and track schedules for a team of engineers.
Demonstrated knowledge of good software engineering practices.
Positive attitude and ability to provide and receive constructive criticism.
Self-motivated, strong work ethic, able to work independently.
Objective profiling, analytical, and optimization skills.
Strong sense of ownership.
Problem-solving skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills to interact with a wide range of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.
Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.
Tell Us How You Use Light and Dark Themes on Xbox One
Team Xbox wants to know more about how you use themes on your Xbox One. Let us know which theme(s) you use, whether you switch between Light and Dark themes throughout the day, and what you’d be interested in seeing from the feature in the future. This survey can be found in the Xbox Insider Hub on Xbox One and is available to all Xbox Insiders.
Not currently an Xbox Insider but have feedback to share about your experience with Light and Dark themes on console? Simply download the Xbox Insider Hub app from the Store and complete the Survey today to take part!
Dimension Drive might be a familiar name to some, but unfortunately it wasn’t always known for the game itself. A news story broke in May 2015 about the crowdfunded project from Dutch studio 2Awesome, but it was for the wrong reasons. What the two man team experienced was agonisingly documented as their project was short of the required goal, only to be seemingly rescued before the relevant donation’s account was outed as fraudulent. Needless to say the campaign was promptly relaunched, and the pleasing end result is that the game is now available on the Nintendo Switch.
Turbulent history not withstanding, Dimension Drive is a 2D, vertically scrolling space shooter following female pilot Jack, who has acquired a fragment of mysterious technology from a well travelled and all conquering alien race known as the Ashajule. Jack is the sole survivor of one destroyed civilisation. Flying her ship – the Manticore – and accompanied by on-board artificial intelligence system V.E.R.A (British soap opera reference only just barely resisted), they venture out on a journey to rid the universe of evil.
The thing is that this technology allows space craft to shift between two inter-dimensional planes. Rather than serving solely as a plot device, the dimension shifting Macguffin is important to the gameplay, too.
In one respect it is easy to reminisce about old school shooter experiences like R-Type or even more recent bullet hell titles like Sine Mora EX, as Dimension Drive on paper sounds like another to simply get in line – it isn’t. Not completely, anyway. You will be frantically dodging incoming enemy fire, avoiding structural obstacles and trying to pick up green energy blobs or other power ups. Enemy ships dart around the screen, relentlessly firing in waves, spirals or circle patterns. So far, so familiar. It would be easy to dismiss this as another generic shooter until you see a screenshot, or more specifically see it in motion. While it does invoke feelings somewhere between tension and exhilaration – like trying to pull of a perfect loop de loop to avoid a screen filling tractor beam or being involved other such intense space dog fights – Dimension Drive has one ace up its sleeve that sets it apart from its competitors.
The hand drawn characters presented in static cutscenes – along with parallax scrolling levels – are detailed and polished, even if some obstacles are more difficult to make out as the game progresses. The mix of crunchy guitar riffs and meandering synth soundtrack are equally accomplished. Taking full advantage of 16:9 and the Switch’s widescreen display, Dimension Drive’s battlefield is split equally into two, akin to any racing couch multiplayer, except you are in charge of both.
If this brings back memories of Star Fox Zero‘s dual screen shenanigans, let it be known that while it is easier to deal with here it might require the same perseverance. By tapping B your ship will cross over from one side to the other, with the corresponding position on the other screen displayed as a small purple orb. After a few stages you’ll earn new abilities that will allow you to shoot behind and slow your craft’s speed. Each of the worlds feels distinct, but as the different sides are asymmetrical, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish structures from background when things get hectic. One misplaced or mistimed transfer will result in a spectacular, explosive end.
In the early skirmishes there a couple of brutal difficulty spikes, and it might be painfully tough to get to grips with. It’s like memorising the twists and turns of a race track. Rhythmically alternating between screens to navigate laser gates, impassable architecture or weaving in and out of tight alcoves to retrieve the last power cube is integral to progressing, and this micro-management – combined with the genre’s gameplay tropes – isn’t easy to master. With practice, however, there is plenty of opportunity to accumulate high scores. The reward for switching between the two planes to take out all possible enemies and gather all the power ups is not only numerical, though.
Dimension Drive isn’t a game you should be content with giving up on easily, or merely stumbling through; that said there is a level of coordination that will frustrate or even overwhelm some. Its relentless attack patterns and environmental hazards – and demands for rapid reaction speeds – can result in satisfaction like all good shooters, and push the player to develop their skills and read the game in a new way. This certainly leads to real high points, though we should note that the broader design doesn’t always excel in the same way as the concept – take away the dual screen hook and it is a competent but not revolutionary shooter.
In addition to the single player campaign there’s also a two player cooperative mode where two pilots can tackle levels from the main story. For the less-skilled audience it can turn into a confusing and hilarious mix of ridiculing each other’s abilities. Get better though, and it turns into an immensely gratifying synchronised experience. Have you ever tried to play both sides of a splitscreen multiplayer game? The rational answer is no, but Dimension Drive requires the same level of simultaneous manoeuvring in order to fully appreciate it.
Conclusion
It’s not been the smoothest of journeys to release for Dimension Drive, and nor will yours be through its initial twelve stage campaign, but it is a polished and engaging shooter that asks more of each player. This is definitely not a ‘turn your brain off at the door’ kind of bullet hell experience, but it’s worthy of the effort. Failure will be frequent, and frustratingly so in the early stages, but it’s not cheap and beating a section or level never feels unattainable. There is a specific type of coordination required that will take time to perfect, and for some it might overwhelm, but Dimension Drive is a game that can be as rewarding as it is demanding.
Review: Max: The Curse of Brotherhood (Switch eShop)
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a puzzle-platformer that is actually just over four years old now; it originally released in 2013 on other consoles as a sequel to Max & The Magic Marker (a Wiiware and Nintendo DS title). Now the game has made it onto the Switch, no doubt hoping to sit amongst the numerous success stories we’ve been seeing for indie developers on the eShop. Can it perch itself proudly amongst the stars of the show, then, or have these last few years been unkind to it? Let’s have a look.
The game opens with a beautifully animated (almost Pixar standard) cutscene where Max becomes exasperated at his younger brother, Felix. Using the search engine ‘Giggle’ for some advice, Max stumbles across a chant of sorts that he reads aloud, accidentally getting his brother stolen through a magical portal in the process. Jumping straight in to save him, Max finds himself in a strange world full of platforms, puzzles and enemies to fight his way through.
Split across several chapters, you’ll be facing all of these gameplay elements within themed worlds; the usual forest and lava-type levels are all present here, as well some occasional, less commonly used ideas that really shine when encountered. As well as the standard jumping up and over platforms, you’ll also come across a number of chase sequences throughout your adventure. The difficulty of these moments never becomes a mighty, daunting challenge, but they will definitely cause several deaths and introduce a welcome bit of intensity when they arrive.
The best part by far, however, and the mechanic that the entire game revolves around, is the way in which you must use a magic marker pen to solve puzzles. The pen will unlock various abilities as you reach new chapters, essentially allowing you to interact with scenery in a new (but similar) way each time. Starting from specific points on the screen indicated by set colours, you can use the marker to draw shapes with branches or vines for travelling, or even raise platforms and create gushes of water to propel yourself or objects around. The creativity isn’t fully free – you can’t just draw any shape anywhere – but the puzzles allow enough wiggle room for them to be a lot of fun.
Despite being limited to a just a handful of abilities, the puzzles are always a little different to before; you’ll never see the same piece of scenery or puzzle layout twice. Each one arrives at just the right time, too; just as you are in danger of getting slightly bored, a new way to solve puzzles will unlock. This welcome pacing remains throughout, and with a very generous frequency of save points the supposedly dramatic action can actually feel quite calm and relaxed. It may not have been the developer’s intention, but we actually enjoyed this gentler approach – the puzzles, and taking the time to figure them out, work much better when you know you won’t have to keep repeating things if you mess up.
Thanks to the nature of the Switch, if you choose to play the game in Handheld mode you will be able to use the touchscreen to draw with your finger. Or, if you prefer, you can use a combination of the left stick, right trigger and face buttons on any controller setup you like. Both methods work just fine, although we’d argue that playing with a controller in your hands feels slightly more precise. Dragging the marker around the screen with a control stick isn’t really any slower than using your finger and, in fact, using your finger means that your hand will sometimes be in the way of where you are drawing. We’d also recommend playing on a TV if you can as there are times when the camera pans out to particularly wide shots – it isn’t awful in Handheld mode, but this was a game designed for traditional home consoles and that becomes particular apparent in times like this.
The art of each world you visit, and especially the animation of the game’s cutscenes as we mentioned earlier, are lovely at times. The performance of the game on the whole isn’t quite as strong as it would be in an ideal world, though; you’ll notice a lot of blurry edges, blurry backgrounds, and moments where everything just needs half a second to catch up. This never impacts the playability of the puzzles or causes any level of frustration – it just prevents it from being a truly top-quality package. Essentially, the puzzles and the interaction with the scenery are the things that will win you over here; any visual resolution woes are mostly forgotten.
Conclusion
Max: Curse of the Brotherhood uses a wonderfully implemented drawing mechanic to solve puzzles that can often feel familiar, but are usually just about different enough to remain fun and fresh. The platforming, chase sequences, and even the final boss won’t put up too much of a fight against you in the seven-or-so hour campaign, but you may find yourself occasionally stumped by the odd puzzle that strays from the norm.
It isn’t quite perfect, and there are several small areas where we feel the game could be improved, but ultimately we had a great time playing through the adventure and enjoyed the core mechanic. It can’t quite compete with the true elites of its genres but it is definitely a welcome addition to the eShop – if you love the puzzle-platform genre and want to add another game to your collection, this wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
