It’s within the game’s formula of being a twin-stick shooter where it sets itself apart from latter, as well as other games of such a commonly used narrative. While the intentions here are mediocre at best, the story is passable since the player’s attention should be entirely focused on its gameplay. Where the game chooses to utilize cut-scenes for specific moments within the game, they are kept to a brief minimum, hoping to place the player back into the action as soon as possible. Given the game’s lack of concentration to its characters and story, this is something I can appreciate.

" While the intentions here are mediocre at best, the story is passable since the player’s attention should be entirely focused on its gameplay."

Right from the beginning of the game there’s a selection of four characters to choose from, and as the player makes their way throughout the game additional characters will be available, each providing new ways of play thanks to their class-based skills. Where Cactus for example comes armed with an assault rifle and a flamethrower, others such as Lemon, Coral, and Holly come equipped with lasers, shotguns, missile launchers and so on. One thing in particular that I found to be enjoyable within these selection of weapons lies within its supercharge mechanic.

Also known as Mega Weapons, it’s function is an obvious one: Destroy your foe, your weapons gets buffed, unleash chaos. Simple yet effective. Had the game not made use of this, I feel it’s safe to say that things would have become rather stale. It has to be said that although my connection to these characters felt limited at best, they should carry enough personality to keep players amused and engaged throughout their experience with the game. Something along the lines of a children’s television show produced by the likes of Cartoon Network is where these characters hold reminiscence.

With that being said, it carries a slight familiar charm to that of Platinum Games’ The Wonderful 101, along with similar gameplay mechanics of Sierra Entertainment’s Geometry Wars 3. Where the former gets away with enough diverse gameplay and exciting action sequences, and the latter to that of a competitive nature with a killer aesthetic design, this game doesn’t quite manage to reach such varied levels of entertainment. Gameplay takes an approach that’s geared towards those who enjoy competition and difficulty. Providing the player with what is essentially two distinct health bars, the first corresponds to the character’s battery pack, which in turn represents the character’s life.

"With that being said, it carries a slight familiar charm to that of Platinum Games’ The Wonderful 101, along with similar gameplay mechanics of Sierra Entertainment’s Geometry Wars 3."

As this battery pack continuously depletes over the duration of gameplay time, the player must remain on top of their game and replenish its sources by defeating enemies. The second being provided to the player is one that I consider to be rather pointless to say the least. Representing the character’s health status, this is where enemies inflict their damage. Should the player be deprived of their health, they can simply mash away at the buttons and respawn to full regeneration, so long as their battery pack contains enough charge. As the game’s progression system works via a series of hubs, each with their own set of levels to take part in, each of these levels contain stages which play-out as a series of horde modes.

Clearing out each of these levels grants access to each of the game’s many boss battles, who then grant further access to the next hub world. As mentioned previously, the game plays out as a top-down twin-stick shooter, and while it’s satisfying to play with a mouse and keyboard, the nature of the game recommends you play with a controller from the comfort of your sofa. It’s not by any means mandatory, but as indicated by the local-cooperative choice of one to four players, the developer’s intentions seem rather clear.

"Should the player be deprived of their health, they can simply mash away at the buttons and respawn to full regeneration, so long as their battery pack contains enough charge."

Although the game’s combat mechanics are solid and provide a fair amount of diversity given the core mechanics of the game being a twin-stick shooter, one thing in particular I wasn’t to keen on was the game’s visual restriction in level design. While the game is by no means bland, it would do well in mixing up its level design in the way how things are played. It’s worth keeping in mind that the core mechanic of gameplay functions as a horde-based, twin-stick shooter, but the inclusion of an on-rails, bullet-hell sequence would’ve been a welcomed addition.

Similarity is too much of a common theme, as the similarities that exist within each level becomes one that’s expected upon entering the upcoming stage. Given the environment of the game is bound to that of a spaceship it would have been nice to see alternative stages, as opposed to just elevators, boarding platforms, and hallways. The game’s aesthetic design is best described as cartoonish science-fiction dipped in a shiny metallic rainbow.

Where the game manages to make use of these limiting environments is done so in a technique that’s actually quite clever. As the player battles against hordes of enemy robots which thankfully are quite varied, the battle stage constantly rotates, shifts, and transforms adding a new sense of space without actually transitioning to a new area. This visual overhaul is appreciated as it attempts to disrupt and diversify the player’s traversal, therefore providing challenge which the player must adapt to. It’s here where the similarities to Geometry Wars 3 prove strong, something of an explosive dance floor that thankfully puts a restriction on the use of dubstep.

"The game’s aesthetic design is best described as cartoonish science-fiction dipped in a shiny metallic rainbow."

Think Geometry Wars with bobble heads. With that being said, the game’s soundtrack is pleasing to listen to. Audio design is of an arcade nature, keeping in line with the tone of the game, which can also be listened to from the game’s main menu. Outside of the game’s campaign mode which in itself does provide enough satisfactory replay value, there’s also a community-based skill mode by the name of Daily Drive, and a challenge-based horde mode known as Infinity Drive, both of which are designed to push players to their limits, applying the pressure and stretching their endurance.

Should the game receive downloadable content within the near future, more of the same would be very much appreciated. Assault Android Cactus is a fun and challenging game, striking the right balance between difficulty and enjoyment. Solid in its gameplay and pleasing on the eyes, it’s great to play solo but it’s clearly at its best when played with additional players. This is where the game hits its high-points and will undoubtedly hold relevance in the time which follows its release.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

Serving as a sequel to the two preceding popular Velocity titles, Velocity and Velocity Ultra. The game was developed for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita and it was released on September 2nd 2014.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 2. Characters

Development

The development cycle of Velocity 2X was very understated, with nothing of any particular note actually taking place. The game was designed to feature five separate environments that would feature a total of 50 individual stages further supplemented by twenty five bonus stages.

The game was largely well received upon its early September 2014 release with media critics and gamers alike praising the game for it’s constant yet well scaling difficulty levels and bright, science fiction themed art style.

The game currently sits at 90/100 on Metacritic with an average user score of 7.9. Polygon.com and GameSpot.com scored the game 9/10 across both the PS Vita and PlayStation 4 builds. Our own Alex Jackson scored the game 7/10, saying that the “Story is bad enough that you’ll tune it out”.

Story

The story of our protagonist is partly explained to the player by way of a series of flashback stages that help recap the events that have transpired and how Lt. Kai Tana came to be thrown across the galaxy and ultimately tells us how she came to be augmented by her various cybernetics. Lt. Kai Tana must break free from the clutches of the Vokh Empire with the aid of her follow inmate Hjun Ralan III, a Jintindan slave.

Gameplay

Gameplay is the main aspect of Velocity 2X given its scrolling, fast paced action. Players are quickly reintroduced to the LT’s teleporting jet, the Quarp. Gameplay in the jet primarily takes place on a vertically scrolling plane but with the twist of moving sideways lateraly via the ships integrated teleportation mechanic.

Gameplay on land however, when the player takes control of Kai Tana, the game takes on a decidedly metroid-esque action platformer feel that feels right at home in the games science fiction world. Kai Tana’s abilities to dart around and phase through certain walls introduces a mechanic that allows both combat manoeuvres and evasive dodges. This “Teledash” can also be used to some extent as an attack. Vokh guards come at Kai Tana with shielding that can be depleted by Teledashing through them, thus opening them up to attack.

When the player acquires the telepod, that can be thrown, the telepod takes on a new dimension as a means of movement and combat accessory.

Characters

The Quarp – While not exactly a character, the Quarp is its own gameplay entity completely separate the land based portions. The Quarp is Lt Kai Tana’s transportation and fighter jet.

Lt Kai Tana – Kai Tana is the games primary protagonist and is a skilled combatant. She also pilots the teleporting fighter jet, the Quarp.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive is a latest title in the Counter Strike franchise from Valve. It features an updated engine and is scheduled to be released next year.

Expected features:

If you’re interested in this new IP from Codemasters, then you have to see this developer diary. It gives a lot more details about the guns in the game, and we have to say, it’s quite interesting. The game is being made by the same team that created Operation Flashpoint: Red River.

“FPS fans are going to enjoy Bodycount because it actually feels impactful to fire a weapon. It’s got a consequence, something always happens. We’ve spent a lot of time crafting that and making it feel really violent,” says Andrew Wilson, Game Director. “Firing a weapon in real life is a visceral, dynamic experience”.

The arcade shooter will be out on September 2nd for the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Meanwhile, you can follow the official Twitter channel here.

Random, generic FPS

2010 has been a great year for gaming, and 2011 promises top be even better. Tonnes of titles have already been announced, and all of them look to be damn interesting. The most interesting of all are the First Person Shooters to be released, probably. A plethora of First Person Shooters is already lined for release, and all of the said games look to be very interesting.

Here, we have compiled a list of the 14 most interesting First Person Shooters to be released in 2011. Remember, this list is not ranked, and all the games have been listed randomly, in no specific order of preference.

Enjoy the list!

RAGE (September 2011)

A First Person Shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world with mutants to kill? Well, that’s not a new premise, but it sure as hell is interesting. But with racing elements similar to that of Burnout and MotorStorm, and role playing and sandbox elements thrown into the mix? Perfect, especially considering the fact that id Software are handling this game. While we do not know a whole lot of stuff about this game, we definitely cannot wait to get our hands on it.

Battlefield 3 (TBA 2011)

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2- Vietnam were just plain awesome, so there is no reason for one to believe Battlefield 3 will not be so. But we know practically nothing about this game yet. All we know is that it will be developed using the Frostbite 2.0 engine, and that it will be released on the PC, PS3 and XBox 360. We don’t even know it’s release date yet- 2011 is just tentative. But we know one thing for sure- BF3 will be awesome as hell. Why? Because it’s Battlefield.

XCOM (TBA 2011)

A brand new imagining of the classic series, X-COM, XCOM has shifted its genre to First Person Shooter this time around. And that is all we know about it. Nothing- nothing at all is known yet. The game will revolve around an extraterrestrial threat, and an FBI officer investigating it, but what else will be in the game, we have no idea. We will find out soon enough though… hopefully.

Homefront (March 2011)

Developers Kaos Studios are confident that their game will be awesome, so much so that they have already started working on a sequel. And after all that has been told about Homefront, we are pretty confident as well. While Homefront is not extraordinarily innovative and doesn’t stand out from the ever growing FPS crowd, it provides with a lot of new interesting tweaks and innovations, and supposedly will have you attached to the characters and the world built in the game… well, let’s wait and watch!

]]> https://gamingbolt.com/top-14-first-person-shooters-of-2011/feed 40 17381 https://gamingbolt.com/how-shooters-control-on-kinect-ugly https://gamingbolt.com/how-shooters-control-on-kinect-ugly#comments Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:46:29 +0000 http://gamingbolt.com/?p=12004

Well, yes. This is how shooters might control on the Kinect, the upcoming Xbox 360 motion sensing peripheral. This specific games looks horrible. Yes, horrible is the only word.

It looks awful, first of all. The graphics are horrible, and this is definitely not the kind of shooter I would want to play. Check out the video for yourself.

The first video shows the player firing at a Helghan airship with a freaking huge bazooka-type weapon. Instead of just blowing up, the ship loses controls over its mechanics, does several 360º summersaults and crashes into the ground with an awesome explosion effect.

The second video shows the player shooting at Helghast with jetpacks. The Helghast gets shot, its jetpack breaks down, thrusts the Helghast ten feet in the air, and comes crashing back down in an unintentional (or maybe otherwise) comic sequence.

Guerrilla are sure making Killzone 3 an all-over package, what with it already supporting 3D, motion controls, featuring stunning visuals, tried and true gunplay, not to mention the fairly interesting cinematic deaths.

Killzone 3 is due for a 2011 release. Keep watching this space for more info.

The new Downloadable Content introduces four player co-op, so that you can team up with your friends and kick some ass. The add-on also features new enhanced Valparaiso, Nelson Bay, Isla Inocentes and Atacama Desert maps. The maps have been visually enhanced as well, and to add to the element of strategy, the vehicle placements have also been changed.

“The co-op mode requires you to complete a specific objective, which demands a high level of teamwork and effective use of vehicles,” says EA.

Onslaught is availible on Xbox LIVE and PSN even right now for 800 Microsoft points and £6.80 respectively.

6. A new timezone

I’ve had my fill of M4 Carbines, M16’s, AK47’s and Uzi’s, just like back in 2006 people were sick of Thompsons and MP40’s. We need a new setting developers, simple as that. Modern warfare was certainly a neat idea when Call of Duty 4 spearheaded the campaign in a world of dusty towns and nuclear silos- but it just seems that developers don’t know when to stop. They pounce on popular ideas like vultures, and don’t stop munching on it until we, the consumers, are left with a pile of bones- and that doesn’t leave us an awful lot to chew on.

5. Boss fights

It’s pretty unfortunate, but the shooter genre is almost completely devoid of boss fights, let alone interesting ones. Of course, most levels will round off with you fighting waves of minions, but how about a genuine boss? Lost Planet is a step in the right direction in this respect, but it’s far from perfect.

4. More diverse mechanics

Fire. Move. Duck. Fire. Duck. Move.

I’m not saying that developers need to totally reinvent the shooter genre- after all, the cornerstones of most shooters is ducking and diving, then popping up for a quick shot. But a little diversity goes a long way. Take Sniper Elite. Released back in 2005, it is one of a handful of sniper simulators, and probably the only sniper sim to actually be enjoyable. However, it is a shooter nonetheless, and some missions were such a refreshing break from tradition (see above video), that it is immense fun to replay them over and over again.

3. Cover mechanics do actually get boring, you know.

Despite leaving behind the World War Two village-clearing mechanics about 5 years ago, developers have unwittingly moved into the World War One, trench-warfare genre. I’m not talking about setting, but in mechanics. Almost every shooter in the last 4 or 5 years has used the cover mechanic as a cornerstone of combat, but all this does is simplify fighting into a boring battle of attrition.

2. Better storylines

A good story can infinitely improve the user experience, even without really noticing it. Good stories can also be the difference between wanting to continue the game, and giving up at the 50% mark because you simply have no desire to continue. Although story has been pushed to the wayside somewhat in shooters because, ‘They don’t need it’- a game with a good story will logically always be better than a game with a badly designed story.

Plus, shooter storylines are incredibly predictable- all you need to do is glance at the back of the box, and you know the game will be about bad-men-Russians, space marines or terrorists. Half Life 2 managed to create a rich and involving experience, bordering on Orwellian brilliance. Not so Call of Duty.

1. Improved gore and hit detection

We used to be able to shoot people in the legs, and they’d fall over. We could shoot people in the hand and make them drop their gun. Not so any more. Now both gore and hit detection has been simplified to headshots- or anywhere else. Especially with the latest round of shooters which claim to be super-realistic, it would be nice to see a few limbs fly off.

…Oh, wait.

The shooter, which will be releasing on Wii this autumn, has low expectations from many fans after Conduit 1 failed at retail.

“It really was a lot for the team to handle at one time,” Nofsinger said of establishing a new IP and creating an engine from scratch. The result was a game that is fun to play and is solid overall, but never quite manages to excite its audience with inspired visions of a darkly futuristic world that’s being torn apart by aliens.”

“We’re doing whatever it takes to make Conduit 2 the very best that it can,” promised Nofsinger, “because we love the game and our audience.”

High Voltage promises a much more solid game this time, “We’re designing spaces that players will want to fight in.” They aren’t doing anything they aren’t “completely excited about making”.

“There’s a lot more that we still want to accomplish with this game before it ships, and fortunately we still have time to execute on our initial goal to build a game that fully realises our vision of the Conduit world.”

“We truly hope when you finally get the chance to play the game that you like what you play, hear, and see,” he added.

We look forward to it! Conduit 2 releases for the Wii this autumn.