Alan Wake Xbox Live Arcade Image Analyzed November 10, 2011
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Now, we have known Remedy has been in development of a new Alan Wake game for a while now, as Remedy teased us a few months ago. They had said they were working on a new Alan Wake game, and it wasn’t going to be a sequel or DLC. Armed with just that information, I spent a whole article with my own speculations on what it could possibly be. Well, now we know what it is. Earlier in the week, Remedy has announced that a brand new Alan Wake game is in development and it will be released exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA).
Remedy has already promised that even though the game is going to be released through XBLA no sacrifices will be made to any of the core gameplay we know and love from the very first game. They have also stated that if you had removed the cutscenes, the physical space the game took up in the retail disc was around 2GB, which nowadays is small enough to fit maximum XBLA file size specifications. Anyone remember when maximum XBLA filesize was 50mb?
Well the first image of the new game has been released. For legal reasons I’m not going to embed it here, but feel free to check out where its being hosted. The cool thing is, a lot can be speculated on from just the single image! I looked at it myself and drew my own conclusions about it, but some other die hard Alan Wake fans I’ve talked to have noticed things in the image that I had missed!
First off, it looks like we aren’t in Washington anymore! Both the background enviroment and Alan’s attire speak volumes to that. Gone are the forests of the Pacific Northwest, replaced by a desert enviroment. Alan’s attire appears practical given the rugged enviroment. Alan could be somewhere in the midwest or even the south. The background and designs of the buildings around him do scream Montana or the Dakotas (which aren’t that far east of Bright Falls), but given Alan’s attire (and the steer on his belt buckle) he could be as far south as Texas.
Alan is still brandishing a flashlight but he has a new weapon in his hand. Upon initial inspection I thought it was some kind of power drill but other people have commented this is actually a nail gun. The player may be forced to using more improvised weapons in this new game. Not content with just one power tool, I’m sure a lot of people will be asking if a chainsaw will also be on the list. There is a light pole behind him (which were heal/savepoints in the first game), so it looks like all the light based gameplay of the first game is quite intact.
A die hard Alan Wake fan also noticed an improvement to the graphics engine has been made. Paticularly, the model for Alan Wake (played by the actor Ikka Villi) looks a lot more like the actual human actor in the new picture than he looked in the original game. I remember Remedy mentioned they had improved their technology a few months ago (before the new Alan Wake game had been teased) so this is probably the first official image of that new techonology as seen in a product.
Next off is the most obvious thing you can take from this and that is the Night Springs sign on the right side of the picture. Night Springs does not really exist in the Alan Wake world. Night Springs was a fictional series in the game which was probably influenced by shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Over the course of the game, some of the televisions in the game will show various episodes of the show. The major significance of them is that Alan’s agent, Barry Wheeler, had mentioned Alan had written a few episodes of that show, although I don’t think we saw any episodes he had written in the game. In the opening of the game, Alan did have a nightmare (which served as the game’s tutorial) that he was driving towards Night Springs, which was to make it clear to the player he was in fact dreaming. Sarah Breaker did mention in the first game that the older residents of the town were fairly certain that their town was the original inspration for Night Springs. I mean Night Springs is pretty much the opposite word of Bright Falls. Could Alan be traveling through fictional episodes of the series that he created?
Another tidbit no one has really talked about. I’ve kind of sat on this information for a few months now but the Poets of the Fall (who recorded the song “War” for the game’s soundtrack) did tweet that they heard The Old Gods of Asgard recording some new songs. I wonder what that was for…
The first full trailer for the new Alan Wake game will premere on the Spike Video Game Awards Show on December 10th, 2011. If you can’t wait till then a teaser for the trailer has just been released and you can watch it here.
Halo Waypoint and Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Update November 6, 2011
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Given the fact that Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is being released in just a few days, a lot of content has been released this month detailing what is to come for all the Halo fans!
First off, a major update is coming to the Halo Waypoint, which is accessible through the PC, Xbox 360 and Windows 7 mobile phone. A whole new interface is coming with it, as well as new features.
The Waypoint update should be coming around the time of the Fall Dashboard Update for the Xbox 360. Windows Phone users will have to upgrade their phones to version 7.5 (Mango).
There has also been a ton of new Behind the Scenes videos for people interested in seeing the progress of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. They have been talking about the game quite a bit since the New York Comic Con (where I got to see it playable) but you can take a look at these behind the scenes videos right here.
First off, a little something about the music.
This details a whole new feature for the game, the new Terminals.
And now, a look at the game’s campaign.
They also released a whole new campaign trailer.
GameTrailers.com also has done it again and made another one of their FANTASTIC retrospectives and Halo is the focus. The first part detailed the making of the Halo franchise and the games that released for the original Xbox. The second part focuses on the games that released for the Xbox 360. However, even though only two parts of the retrospective has been released, but they have said a third is coming and it is going to focus on the game’s multiplayer.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is coming November 15th, 2011 exclusive to the Xbox 360.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim E3 Demo November 6, 2011
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When I attended E3 this summer, one of the more fortunate opportunies I had during the event was an invitation to the Bethesda booth on Day 1. As far as I could recall, this booth was not open to regular attendee access, and the three games that were being shown there were only shown by appointment only.
I was able to demo RAGE for the first time (which is now out), I caught a full preview of Prey 2 (which is scheduled for release in 2012) but everyone has told me the game I was most fortunate to see was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The game was only demoed behind closed doors and no press were allowed to record footage of it.
Well, now the video is officially out. Since the game is to be expected this month, I thought I’d share with you guys exactly what I saw at E3 this year.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is coming November, 11th, 2011.
Nightwing Coming to Arkham City October 28, 2011
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Dick Grayson, yes the Dick Grayson formerly known as Robin The Boy Wonder, is coming to Arkham City in his current vigilante incarnation, Nightwing.
Nightwing has been previously seen in incarnations ranging from appearances in Batman: The Animated Series (when it was moved to the WB channel) to getting name dropped in other Batman video games like Batman: Dark Tomorrow.
But this is not just a reskinned Batman texture, Nightwing has his own style of fighting and his own special weapons, take a look for yourselves what he can do.
Alternate Nightwing costumes will be included with the Nightwing pack (similiar to what was included with the Catwoman pack), such as a version of him from the Animated Series.
One last thing I’d like to mention is does anyone else think that the model used for him in this game looks a lot like Aaron Scheonke, who played Nightwing in the recent fanfilm Batman: Seeds of Arkham?
Nightwing DLC is coming November 1st to your respective platform. A copy of Batman: Arkham City will be required.
Playstation Vita US Release Date October 19, 2011
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Multiple gaming news outlets are reporting that the Sony Playstation Vita, which I demoed at E3 this year, will launch on Feb 22nd, 2012 in the United States.
The handheld is currently on track for a launch in Japan this December, so we’re going to have to wait a while for it to come to these shores. All speculations are the reason for the delay has to do with a shortage of the device components, which is common for Sony platform launches.
The Playstation Vita will retail for $249 US for a standard WiFi model. If you’d like a version which supports 3G cellular data downloads, it will cost $299 US. AT&T is the lone Vita 3G provider for the United States, and if you buy a 3G model you will have to buy a data plan through them.
Batman: Arkham City Released October 18, 2011
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Today’s the 18th of October, which means that Batman: Arkham City has been released, and yes, there is a Collector’s Edition. I just got back from the midnight launch and take a look at the goodies I got from it.
I have a preview clip of the game from the New York Comic Con I plan to post up tomorrow. I held off posting it because I was worried it would be taken down prior to the game’s release. Since the game’s out now, there shouldn’t be a problem posting it. Until then, enjoy the game’s official launch trailer.
Batman: Arkham City is out now for the Xbox 360 and PS3. PC is coming soon.
What is id Trying to Say? October 10, 2011
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The Unknown Camerperson has been playing RAGE this week and just sent me this.
I think they were used to make Clive Barker’s Jerico.
iPhone 4S Announced October 5, 2011
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Yesterday, Apple has announced the next model iPhone which will be the premere device to house their new version iOS, iOS5. Called, the iPhone 4S, the phone will sport the same dual-core processor as the iPad 2, will have an 8 Mega Pixel camera capable of taking 1080p video, be capable of mirroring through HDMI, and feature the most comprehensive voice recognition system ever devised. These features are exclusive to the new phone.
The gaming capabilities of the iPhone is going to be greatly upgraded as well. GameCenter will be expanded and supported apps will now feature cloud saving, similar to what is already offered through supported STEAM and Playstation Plus. These features are coming with iOS5 and will be made avalible to any supported iDevice.
The iPhone 4S will be made avaible through Sprint, Verizon and AT&T and will have iOS5 already installed. Current iDevice owners (who have an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, any iPad, or third and fourth generation iPod Touch) will be able to upgrade to iOS5 on October 12th through iTunes.
You will be able to preorder iPhone 4S starting on October 7th at your local supporting phone store. The phone will officially be on sale on October 14th, 2011.
Duke Nukem Forever DLC 1 Dated October 5, 2011
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The 2K Games Twitter feed has made the announcement that the first downloadable content for Duke Nukem Forever will be released on October 11th. The “Hail to the Icons” pack includes maps which distinctly parody games made famous over gaming history, and each contain at least one unique weapon from the game they are parodying. Three new game modes will also be included.
The DLC will be free to Duke Nukem Forever First Access Club Members (yes, those same members who got the demo early). All members should be expecting download codes for their respective platform in their e-mail at the DLC release.
Aliens: Colonial Marines E3 Demo Video October 4, 2011
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Okay, I just have one thing I need to say before I show you guys this.
Aliens: Colonial Marines was the very last thing I saw at E3 this past year. People have been really looking forward to this game for many years. The line had been several hours long for most of the three days the event was going on for. On the final day, after demoing the Playstation Vita, I saw the line was short and they were still letting in people to see it, so it became the final game I saw. You can check out my E3 vlog for more details.
The video you’re about to see is exactly the same video I saw at E3, narrated by the owner of Gearbox Software just as he had at the show, and from the looks of it, shot on the exact same setup, which was made to look like an APC. We were told before the theatre demo started that we were not allowed to film the demo, and the SEGA security would do terrible, terrible things to us if we reached for a camera…
Why they chose to do the opening of the demo shot off this setup’s screen is beyond me.
Rant over, ladies and gentlemen, Randy Pitchford.
Aliens: Colonial Marines is coming in 2012 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
