Videogames highlights – August 2013
Virtual reality helmets are quickly replacing stereoscopic 3D as the new trendy craze of gaming publishers and developers, so much that John Carmack decided to take the chief technology officer position at the start-up Oculus Rift. The well-known creator of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake graphic engines has been always interested in the potential of the VR experience coupled with video games, and it seems that Carmack will continue to work at id Software despite his new obligation. Maybe gaming technology has become too complex to be still of interest for the talented American coder? Capcom, Epic and Crytek – among the others – disagree on that.
Aaru’s Awakening
It has a chicken face, a sloth body but it is able to teleport itself almost outright around the game scenery. Who is it? But Aaru, of course, the protagonist of the action platformer with the same name in development by the folks of Lumenox Games. Aaru’s Awakening plans to offer a pleasant experience for the eyes and ears other than for the playing brain, with the odd chicken-sloth on a mission against chaos (the “Night” is destroying the equilibrium between the worlds of Dawn, Day, Dusk and itself) which will be able to count on its teleport and charge skills while going through the game’s levels. To be released on PC (Windows, Mac) within the fourth quarter of 2013, on Linux OSes afterward.
Broken Sword: The Serpent’s Curse
From the mists of time a new adventure in the renowned Broken Sword series appears, a work that Revolution Software funded (also) with a more than successful Kickstarter campaign. Unlike the latest two episodes, Broken Sword: The Serpent’s Curse is a completely 2D title while the 3D-rendered scenes should serve only as a junction between the proper gaming sessions. To be released in the fourth quarter of 2013 on computers (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X), mobile toys (Android, iOS) and PlayStation Vita.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
Despite it isn’t what can be defined a masterpiece, Diablo III surely sold a fuckload of copies. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is then the first expansion package< /a> for the hack’n slash that’s eternally connected to the Internet (at least until the servers and the connection work), a new chapter in the story of Sanctuary centered on the recently emerged gothic inclinations of Malthael, a former member of the Angiris Council that now prefers to be called Linda… or rather, the Angel of Death and plans to use the Black Soulstone – and the essence of the Prime Evil version of Diablo contained within – for an unspecified but surely very evil reason.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls brings an Act V with new monsters, bosses, demons and environments, and of course the new Crusader class that “uses battle magic to strengthen allies and weaken foes” (like the Paladin in Diablo II) and a new artisan, the Mystic. The expansion boosts the level cap to 70 and removes it (almost) altogether for the Paragon system, it adds new skills and runes for the existing character classes and introduces new game modes designed to make the demon-grinding action interesting even after the adventure ends. The loot system has been widely overhauled to cut the reliance on the on-line Action House, unfortunately the troublesome and useless need for an Internet connection isn’t going anywhere (fuck you, Blizzard). To be released on PC – and on consoles, but who cares anyway – when it’s ready, together with a a “2.0” patch for the base game. (wallpaper sources: one, two).
Hammerwatch
It’s 2013 and Gauntlet is back, only this time it’s called Hammerwatch: developed by the folks at Crackshell (Jochum Skoglund and Niklas Myrberg with music by Two Feathers), this new indie sensation accepts 1 or more players for a party of 4 elements at most, chosen between 4 different character classes (paladin, wizard, ranger and warlock) which will have the task to clean up 4 (…) different environments of a castle haunted by every kind of monster/foe/thing. It’s Gauntlet, as said, just call it Hammerwatch. Available as digital download on PC (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux); Sir Arthur recommends the purchase on GOG.com.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The hero of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt usually has to deal with proper monsters, but the game experience of the action RPG by CD Project RED is complex and mature so Geralt of Rivia will face that kind of moral choices where a human being behaving like a monster can also be considered as such. The new CGI trailer of the game that doesn’t need CGI (so much it’s visually complex) illustrates one of these possible choices. The remarkable expectations for The Witcher 3 will face the public scrutiny in 2014 on PC Windows, PS4 and Xbox One.
Watch Dogs
In Watch Dogs there is a super-powerful operating system (ctOS) which controls an entire city, from traffic lights to cell phones going through, well, everything that works on electricity and is connected to the net. The protagonist of the new “open world” action adventure by Ubisoft that mimics Grand Theft Auto is capable of controlling at will the several nodes of this widespread city network, and the hope is that the hacking elements aren’t just a “trick” but a fundamental part of a complex and rich gameplay. Watch Dogs is to be released on November on
inferior platforms (Xbox 360, PS3), the PC master race (Windows) and the next-gen boxes (PS4, Xbox One). A film based on the game is coming, sooner or later, and there is a useless “app” on mobile toys as well for people that have nothing better to do with their lives.