Το Unreal Dev Kit ξεπέρασε τους 50.000 χρήστες – Gameover.gr

Η Epic Games ανακοίνωσε ότι το δωρεάν Unreal Development Kit ξεπέρασε τους 50.000 χρήστες, μόλις μία εβδομάδα από την κυκλοφορία του. Το Unreal Development Kit παρέχει πρόσβαση στα ίδια tools της Unreal Engine 3 και στην ίδια τεχνολογία που χρησιμοποιούν διάφορα παιχνίδια, όπως τα Gears of War 2 και Unreal Tournament 3.[next]

 

Desde o dia 5 de novembro – ou seja, há apenas uma semana -, quando a Epic Games disponibilizou gratuitamente o seu kit de desenvolvimento “Unreal Engine 3” para PC, o site já atraiu cerca de 50 mil usuários, em 130 países. Programadores podem ter acesso às ferramentas de desenvolvimento de jogos em 3D, para uso não-comercial, no site oficial do Unreal Development Kit (UDK).

“Estamos muito animados em ver a aceitação de UDK  e o registro  de 50 mil usuários em apenas uma semana, como também ansiosos para ver os jogos incríveis e as aplicações que irão advir dele”, disse Mark Rein, vice-presidente da Epic Games, em seu site oficial.

Já os interessados em utilizar a engine para fins lucrativos, deverão seguir os termos de licenciamento disponíveis no site. Em breve, a 3D Buzz – empresa líder e especializada no treinamento do UDK – lançará uma série de tutoriais em vídeos sobre a engine, aumentando ainda mais a sua biblioteca multimídia que, atualmente, conta com cem vídeos.

O UDK são ferramentas de desenvolvimento criadas para o game Unreal Tournament. Todo o seu conjunto de tecnologias e possíveis integrações e aprimoramentos são aproveitados para a criação de novos games. Jogos como  Borderlands (Gearbox Software), Bioshock (2K) e Medal of Honor – Airborne (Eletronic Arts), entre muitos outros títulos, foram lançados com o kit Unreal.

Fonte: www.udk.com

Epic Games has released a free version of the Unreal Engine 3 Devkit for PC users. An excerpt from their press release reads as follows:

“An unprecedented milestone in game development, the release of UDK awards free access to the same world-class tools and technology used by many of the world’s best video game developers and publishers. Unreal Engine 3 is a constantly evolving game engine, and UDK contains all the most recently added features and technological enhancements, including many that have yet to be seen in an Unreal Engine game. Furthermore, Epic Games will release ongoing, upgraded builds of UDK for free.”

For more details, checkout the official Unreal Development Kit website.

Uma versão gratuita de Unreal Engine 3, motor gráfico usado em games como “Gears of War” e “BioShock”, foi disponibilizada pela Epic Games. Assim, desenvolvedores, profissionais ou amadores, ganham a chance de usar a tecnologia sem colocar a mão no bolso.

O Unreal Development Kit pode ser baixado por qualquer um e dá aos usuários acesso à tecnologia do motor de jogo como Unreal Editor, Unreal Content Browser, UnrealScript e outras ferramentas. A lista completa pode ser encontrada no site da produtora (em inglês).

Para fins não-comerciais e educacionais, o uso do software é gratuito, e condições serão aplicadas a desenvolvedores que usarem o kit para comercializar jogos.

“Estou empolgado com as possibilidades que o Unreal Development Kit abre para aqueles que buscam entrar nos negócios de jogos mas não têm meios para adquirir ferramentas e tecnologia de alta qualidade como as nossas”, disse Mark Rein, vice-presidente da Epic. “UDK é Unreal Engine 3, que tem sido usado para criar jogos em uma grande variedade de gêneros, assim como simulações militares, filmes animados e mais. Usuários são apenas limitados pelas suas imaginações”.

A Epic Games afirmou que dará suporte ao software com versões atualizadas regularmente. Embora o kit esteja disponível apenas para PC, a companhia considera a hipótese de fornecer versões para desenvolvimento em consoles.

Download: UDK Unreal Development Kit

Fonte: Jogos/UOL

There will be plenty of headlines today saying Epic Games VP Mark Rein declared all future Epic Games releases will include some level of support for Microsoft’s upcoming Project Natal. Rein either misspoke or became too excited in an interview with the UK’s Official Xbox Magazine, however, as Epic’s business guy released a much more tempered statement to me.

The confusion stems from Rein’s comments to OXM where he wavered back and forth between talking about Natal support in future Epic Games-developed products (of which none have so far been announced) and simply being part of the standard developer tools for Unreal Engine 3.

“I think any future Xbox games we make will have some Natal support,” he told the publication. “We always want to have something that exploits the unique capabilities of a platform.”

Rein backed off from confirming a mandate for future Epic Games (such as a hypothetical Gears of War 3) releases to include Natal features when I contacted him this morning, however.

“At this point I’m only speaking for the engine,” he said to me over e-mail. “I was speculating on the kind of things I, as a gamer, could see implemented in Natal for shooter-style games. Sorry if there was any confusion there.”

Produced 2009.10.11

Lusipurr and Ethan are exhausted after an entire day podcasting. Ginia tries to cheer them up by talking about her WoW characters, but this only serves to drive Ethan mad. Suddenly, Lusipurr sees a penis! What will happen next? Listen to find out!

* * *

Setting aside all humour for a moment, I’d like to make a personal appeal to our readers. Some of you may be aware that Chris Privitere of CatFancy is participating in SarcasticGamer’s Extra Life fundraiser, aimed at combating childhood cancer. I’d like to encourage you to participate.

I know that the economic situation in the world is pretty grim right now for most people, but if you find yourself possessed of a little extra money, why not consider pledging it as part of the Extra Life project? After all, you were probably only going to spend it on games anyway. How about using it to help someone who might grow up to become part of the next generation of gamers and game designers? Because, really, if you don’t, we might end up being stuck with Wii shovelware forever.

So please, won’t you consider pledging your money today in support of Extra Life?

Thank you.

~S. P. ‘Lusipurr’ Cooper
Site Coordinator, Lusipurr.com

In an interview with Xbox Magazine UK, VP of Epic Games Mark Rein had this to say about the company’s plans to use Project Natal with it’s Unreal Engine.

“We are going to work with Microsoft to make that available to Unreal Engine licensees who want to make Natal games. So, if you want to make a game on Natal, you want to get a big headstart and use the same tech as Microsoft, come talk to me. We are the unofficial engine of Natal, or maybe the official, I don’t know. In other words, we consider ourselves the “economic engine of Natal”. You want to make money with Natal, come talk to us, we’ll help you.“

He also commented on the FPS genre and if Natal has a place in it.

“I can totally see myself sitting in front of my TV using Natal to play games like Gears of War, Call of Duty, or whatever first-person shooter with my buddies. I want to do a hand signal that tells my friend, “Go over there.” Instead of even saying it on Live, I just want to motion, “Go over there.” Or if I want to throw a grenade, I just lift my right hand off the controller, throw the grenade, then put my hand back on the controller.

I don’t think we’re going to change the hardcore experience that so many people love so well. Look at Gears of War, we sold over 11 million games – people clearly like that kind of experience. Call of Duty sells millions every time it ships. People clearly enjoy that experience. You wouldn’t change Halo, but you could, if you had Natal, at least to simplify some of the controls.

In other words, you could get away with a simpler control scheme, as it’s really easy to remember throwing a grenade when it’s really throwing. I can see that working in multiplayer games, then you get your hand right back on the controller and keep playing, stuff like that, maybe a wave, maybe a taunt. I’m sure that when more people have this technology you’ll see some of the hardcore games adapt to it.

But I don’t think it’s necessary, I don’t think that’s their goal, I don’t think you need Natal for that kind of game. The thing I like is selecting your movies by swinging your hand, right and left, that just seems so natural and obvious, and that’s kind of what you do with your own DVDs, you go, “Uhh, which do I want?”

You can read the whole interview here

Once in a long while, a new game will come along that stops you dead in your tracks and forces you to take notice. A game that makes you want to smile, eat Skittles and watch mystical midget Unicorns dance to the beat of ‘Rappers Delight’. OK, maybe that’s overkill, but I am indeed smiling right now. Not just because of that visual of midget Unicorns getting funky in my head, but because of a little game called Shadow Complex. What’s making me smile the most about it, you ask? It is the level of quality Shadow Complex provides, and especially the price to download and own this Xbox Live Arcade gem. Xbox Live Arcade was created for games like Shadow Complex, and I hope this game starts a trend of high quality games, for a ridiculously low price. Microsoft could have easily charged more, and people still would have been happy with their purchase.

It took me a while to finally download this game. I don’t know what it was. Maybe I didn’t know enough about the game itself due to lack of marketing, or the fact that Epic Games was behind the production. Yes, I am still bitter about Gears of War 2 being a crappy game. Beautiful to look at, but lacking in the ‘fun’ department. Hate all you want, Gears is not a fun game to me. So seeing Epic’s name behind this title was a turn off. But Chair Entertainment, makers of Undertow, seemed to be behind most of the development. So I shoved my stubbornness aside, bought the game, and I am so glad I became more open-minded.

In Shadow Complex, the main character, Jason Flemming (modeled after Nathan Drake from Uncharted?), and his girlfriend set out to explore some caves in the Pacific Northwest. His girlfriend enters the wrong cave at the wrong time and gets captured by some sketchy militia-style soldiers. These soldiers, part of the ‘Progressive Restoration’ movement who just killed the Vice President, are equipped with some advanced technology, which Jason will acquire throughout the game. This unfortunate misstep sets off a chain of events that has Jason trying to save his girlfriend, and stop these home-grown terrorists from starting a massive civil war in the United States. The game is based off of the Orson Scott Card novel, Empire, which pits the Left Wing and Right Wing against each other in a second civil war. (On a side note, the film rights to Empire, have been acquired by Warner Bros. Should be interesting!)

The game itself is pretty much a 2D side scroller with 3D elements, inspired by the game ‘Super Metroid’. What I found most enjoyable about this game is the progression throughout the levels after finding new parts to add on to your high tech ‘powered exoskeleton’. Jason becomes more badass the more items you find. Strap on a jet pack to get some boost out of your jumps. Strap on your scuba mask to breathe under water for an unlimited amount of time. Strap on some armor to help stop bullet damage. And the best part, strap on some jet pack jump boots and speed run through your enemies, run upside down or even run on top of water like Jesus. The animation and visual effects shown when your speed run kicks in is fun to watch and the visuals in general are top notch. Probably the best you’ll find on an Xbox Live Arcade title to date.

The weapons Jason will acquire consists of a automatic machine gun, grenade launcher, missile launcher and a foam launcher. Pretty much the norm for most games. Though the foam launcher lets you shoot foam that will freeze your enemies for a few seconds so you can take them out. It also has other uses in the game, like sabotaging equipment and security doors so you can get past them. Another addition to the wonderful toys at your disposal is a hook, similar to the hook in ‘Lost Planet’, which comes in handy when you need to attach yourself to a wall to take cover, or dispose of unsuspecting enemies. In all, these weapons and the benefits of your powered exoskeleton combine to make Shadow Complex a truly enjoyable experience. I found myself enjoying the game more and more as the game progressed.

My one small gripe about this game, and there really isn’t anything else I can think of other than this, is when you leave a section and come back at a later time. The same enemies you dispatched just a few minutes ago can magically come back to life and you have to kill them all over again. Minor glitch, but it could be annoying for some. Like me.

If you’re on the fence about this game, or if you are just one of a dozen or so people left to play this game, seriously, what are you waiting for? Shadow Complex is Most Definitely Worthy to download on Xbox Live Arcade. Trust me, it’s worth the hard drive space. It’s $15, and it gave me about 6 1/2 hours of gameplay in the campaign. Not to mention the Proving Grounds ‘challenge’ mode which pits you against the clock, racing through obstacles to get to the other side in time. Which I am finding more than challenging as I have yet to conquer this one. It’s the best bang for your buck and with Epic’s reputation on DLC, you’ll probably see some decent extra content coming your way in the not too distant future. Hopefully by the end of the year.

Played Shadow Complex already? Share with me what you liked and dis-liked about this game in the comments!

Gears of War 2: Review

An “Epic” Sequel

Gears of War 2 is almost everything you would expect when you want to play a gory shooter filled with chainsaws and blood splattering against the screen, or is it?  This time around there’s a lot more to Marcus and Dom than simply ripping the locust to shreds with chainsaws and ducking behind cover in a cloud of bullets.  In this sequel, Epic gives you everything you experienced from the first game and more.  On top of the aggressive shooter style gameplay that Epic dishes out so well, we also see a cinematic style of game that really highlights what Gears of War 2 is all about.

As the game starts you watch a cut-scene with a woman in the background saying something about the end of the earth or whatever, and C.O.G. soldiers are fighting off a wave a Locust once again.  As the gameplay begins you are charged with training a new rookie named Carmine.  This is basically a training session for those who are either rusty on the game or who have never played Gears of War, and before you know it you are right back into the same action as in the previous game.  You learn quickly that the Locust army is stronger than ever and they have a new secret weapon to sink cities, and the last beacon of hope, Jacinto, is next in line.  The C.O.G. (Coalition of Ordered Governments) is making its last stand against the Locust, and they are taking the fight to their doorstep and invading their stronghold.  It of course is up to you to save humanity.

It all sounds like a typical story, but Epic has done a much better this time around at making the story a little more engrossing and persuasive.  While this background story is going on, the game is highlighted by Dom’s search for his wife who has gone missing.  Throughout the game you really feel for Dom, and as the story progresses you get a deeper understanding of just how much he is hurting.  Without giving away too much of the story, I will just have to say that it’s nice to find a game that really knows how to make you truly hate “bad-guys”.

Like I said before, this game is pretty much the same style as Gears of War, but it does bring in a few welcomed changes.  They have added a few extra characters which mix it up and provide some interesting dialogue, though I feel that they are not truly needed in the game and were simply added to give you more characters to choose from in Multiplayer.  New weapons have also been added and make the game experience much more pleasant, you can expect to wield a Flamethrower, and even a Mortar to name just a couple.  A lot of the weapons have even been upgraded or changed in order to make up a larger variety of weapon types, and you can bet that you will never feel like you are lacking a good arsenal.  There are now finishing moves that you can perform when an enemy has been taken down and is crawling on the ground.  With eleven different finishing moves, you can do anything from beat your enemy in the face, use your shotgun to hit their head like a golf ball, or pick them up off the ground and use them as a “meatshield”.  That’s right, this time around you can have some cover when walking around out there in the middle of a gun fight.  The new system allows you to pick an enemy up using the A button and hold them in front of your body to use as a shield to protect you from gunfire.  On top of using an enemy as a shield, one of the new weapons in this game is a large metal shield that you can hunker down behind as you crawl towards the enemy, unfortunately you will only be able to use your pistol though.

The engine also runs a lot smoother this time around with only a few minor problems.  You will now experience larger areas with a higher volume of enemies.  This is even shown off in one of the later levels where you will be facing off against well over forty enemies at a time while riding a Brumak.  The controls also run cleaner and you have a much easier time sticking to the walls that you actually meant to take cover behind, as opposed to the previous game where you would end up taking cover behind a wall that exposed you to the enemy instead.  The engine has been tweaked allowing for some better textures and better load times, but there are still problems with watching the textures load when a level starts.  While this is doesn’t take away from the gameplay, it still would be nice to see this fixed in a future game.

Gears of War 2 offers up a pretty good multiplayer experience, and it’s easy to spend hours sitting back playing with your friends or matching up online.  There are a wide variety of game variants to play through such as Warzone, Execution (where you must execute the enemy to kill them), and Wingman (where you partner up in twos) just to name a few.  The multiplayer is good but it doesn’t stand alone like Halo 3 multiplayer.  In fact, if you’re going to buy the game, make sure that you are going to enjoy playing the campaign and don’t expect an amazing online multiplayer experience.  With that said, multiplayer isn’t completely lacking in this game, in fact, it does have one of the best, if not the best, multiplayer modes in gaming history.  That’s right everyone, I’m talking about Horde, a game where you fight off up to 50 waves of progressively harder Locust enemies on a multiplayer map.  If you choose to play online you will be matched up with four other people and placed on a multiplayer map and the waves will come at you one by one.  As the wave numbers go higher so do the difficulty of the enemies.  After ten waves, the cycle starts over and the enemies get a boost of strength, defense, and accuracy.  If you play locally on your own Xbox then you have the choice to play Horde by yourself or with up to four other people.  Horde is ridiculously hard and that is the exact reason why people get so addicted to it.  It also gives the game a great sense of teamwork because it allows you to work together against a brilliant AI.  In so many ways, I would have to say that I would have probably bought Gears of War 2 for Horde only, but let’s not take away from how well the campaign was designed.

Bottom Line:

This game is great, and is worth every penny, even when it was full price.  The campaign is very fine tuned as opposed to the first game, and the multiplayer is very good overall, and Horde takes the cake.  There are a couple of things that could use some work, such as dialogue and texture loading, but so much of the game is great that you are never really bothered by those insignificant issues.  The design is great and Epic is, well, “Epic” at what they do.  Go out and buy this game very soon, because the Horde won’t wait around forever.

9.0

This summer, just like past years, was rather weak in terms of really solid video game releases.  It seems that the industry likes to wait until we’re near saving up for the upcoming holiday season before releasing any of the big sellers.  Though physical releases we’re few and far between we got some really great digital releases this summer.  It started off with ‘Battlefield 1943‘ and ended with ‘Zombie Apocalypse‘ and a few titles in between.  The most notable digital release this summer, and perhaps my favourite, was Chair Entertainment’s ‘Shadow Complex’.

Shadow Complex is a 2.5D action-adventure side-scroller developed by Chair Entertainment and published by Epic Games on the XBox Live Arcade.  The game is said to be heavily influenced by ‘Super Metroid’ and ‘Castlevania’ and is based off of Orson Scott Card’s novel Empire.

Sceptical at first to drop $15 on this title I soon found out what all the hype was about.

From the beginning the it is clear to see where the game’s influences lie.  It feels like Castlevania, Metroid, and Metal Gear all got together and had a baby.

At first it seems to play out like any other side-scroller however being imersed in a fully 3d environment and only being able to move in 2D adds a whole new level of depth to the game.  Gameplay is fairly straight forward; controllers are simple and you are given a clear start and finish point for each task at hand.  That being said there’s alot of secrets to be unearth in the game.  Most abilities and upgrades aren’t handed to you, rather they must be uncovered.  I’ve found myself on numerous occasions straying away from the main storyline in search of hidden items.  While it is easy enough to get back on track I would have seen a slightly different (not necessarily easier) system in place.

Though I’m only about 60% or so through the game I’ve found a great level of variety in gameplay and have not found myself confused as to what to do.  Boss fights are straight forward, the puzzle aspect is somewhat challenging at times, and colour-coding with the help of your flashlight lets you know where all the nooks and crannies are.

Overall I’ve found my experience thus far to be incredibly enjoyable despite a few small issues.  The storyline is incredibly dry and questionable at times and the aiming can be somewhat annoying.  Also the dialogue and voice acting is relatively cheesy.  I would still recommend picking up this title, especially at the $15 price tag.  It’s like nothing I’ve played before.

Links:

• Xbox Live Marketplace
• IGN Reviews
• IGN Guides
• GameFAQs

TGS 2009: Μπαστούνια για την Epic στην Ιαπωνία με το Gears of War 2 | byteme

Ο Michael Capps εξήγησε λεπτομερώς τα προβλήματα που αντιμετώπισε η Epic Games με την ιαπωνική έκδοση του Gears of War 2. Το πρόβλημα, λοιπόν, σύμφωνα με τον Capps, δεν ήταν το ότι χρειάστηκε ολόκληρη ομάδα προκειμένου να μεταφράσει τα κείμενα του παιχνιδιού, όσο το ότι έπρεπε να ασχοληθούν αρκετά άτομα με την τροποποίηση του περιεχομένου του τίτλου (core παιχνιδιού συν DLC) προκειμένου αυτό να είναι εντάξει με τα ιαπωνικά «ήθη και έθιμα».[next]

Oto i kolejny już wpis z kolejną recenzją. Trochę mi to zajęło i mam nadzieję, że stoi na podobnym lub nawet wyższym poziomie od poprzedników Tym razem, tak jak zapowiadałem, prezentuję recenzję Gears of War na X360.  Zapraszam do czytania.

Gears of War to jeden z flagowych tytułów konsoli Microsoftu, stworzony przez Epic Games, wydany w 2006 roku i okrzyknięty wielkim hitem. Rok później ukazała się trochę rozszerzona wersja tej gry na PC-ty, co chyba rozpoczęło modę na „czasowe exclusivy” na Xboxie 360. Jest to taktyczna gra akcji z widokiem TPP, jakich niby od groma na konsolach w dzisiejszych czasach, ale czy ta gra reprezentuje sobą coś więcej? Przekonajcie się z recenzji

Z fabułą jest podobnie jak w grach z serii Halo. Na pierwszy rzut oka – niby przeciętna, ale uniwersum zostało wzbogacone o komiksy i książki i cokolwiek tam jeszcze jest i dzięki temu wszystko zyskało na wartości (swoją drogą to bardzo dobry zabieg, nie dziwię się, że producenci polskiego Afterfalla postanowili wstrzymać pracę nad swoją grą, żeby bardziej rozszerzyć uniwersum). Akcja toczy się na planecie o nazwie Sera – coś jakby na alternatywnej wersji Ziemi lub jednej ze skolonizowanych przez ludzkość planet. Na tej planecie zamieszkiwanej przez ludzi, odkryto nowy surowiec zwany Imulsją. Wkrótce osiągnął on bardzo wysokie wartości na rynku, co doprowadziło do wojny między państwami, bo każdy przecież chce mieć najwięcej tego co jest najwięcej warte I tak oto ludzkość toczyła tam swoją wojnę o ten surowiec przez 79 lat (okres ten zwany jest Pendulum Wars w uniwersum GoW) aż do pamiętnego dnia zwanego Emergence Day. W owym dniu, z podziemi wyłoniła się humanoidalna rasa obcych zwanych Locust (w polskiej wersji – Szarańcza), która wymordowała wielką część ludności, która i tak już była zmęczona wojną. Ludzkość (a raczej rządzący) w akcie desperacji, zbombardowała swoje własne miasta, które roiły się po atakach od Szarańczy. Niestety, niewiele to pomogło, ponieważ spod ziemi wylazły kolejne zastępy Locustów, a do tego mieszkańcy, którym nie udało się uciec z miast na czas, a przeżyli atak, całkiem stracili zaufanie do swoich. Od tej pory ludzkość starała się przetrwać tocząc kolejne walki z wrogiem. W grze wcielamy się w rolę Marcusa Fenixa, żołnierza COG (Coalition of Governments), który został skazany na 40 lat więzienia po tym jak podczas wojny z obcymi najeźdźcami zignorował rozkaz, aby ratować swojego ojca uwięzionego w jednym z budynków obleganych przez Szarańczę.

Gra zaczyna się w momencie, gdy Dominic Santiago (a.k.a. Dom), stary kumpel Marcusa uwalnia go z więzienia i przywraca go znów do służby, bo jak mówi, przyda się im każda pomoc. Od tej pory zaczyna się właściwa akcja. Wkrótce Marcus razem z Domem dołączają do oddziału Delta pod dowództwem podporucznika Kima i towarzystwem gapowatego szeregowca Carmine’a, z misją odszukania drużyny Alpha. Owy team posiada rezonator, którego wojsko potrzebuje, by zmapować tunele Locustów i zdetonować bombę w miejscu, gdzie ich by najbardziej zabolało. Warto wspomnieć też, że kontrolę nad Domem może przejąć drugi gracz w trybie kooperacyjnym na podzielonym ekranie lub przez XBL.

Klimat i kolorystyka w grze są mroczne i ponure, pasują do zdewastowanej przez zarówno ludzkość i Locustów przestrzeni. Rozjaśniają ją za to świetne postaci w grze (mowa tu o Delta Squadzie w dalszej części gry). Przyznaję, nic mnie bardziej nie cieszy w strzelankach (no, może poza broniami ), jak postacie, które mają zawsze coś fajnego/śmiesznego/ciekawego do powiedzenia. Niektóre dawne FPSy przeszły przecież do historii, dzięki barwnym bohaterom i ich odzywkom typu „Eat shit and die”, “I live… again!” albo „It’s time to kick ass and chew bubble gum…”.

Gra oferuje nam 3 poziomy trudności: Casual, Hardcore i Insane. Ten pierwszy jest naprawdę prosty i dla początkującego sprawi niewiele trudności, Hardcore ma już swoje trudne momenty, a Insane może czasami już doprowadzić do szewskiej pasji Na szczęście loadingi w tej grze są błyskawiczne i ledwo zauważalne, co może ostudzić ewentualne wzburzenie.

Interfejs w grze ogranicza się do trzech rzeczy, które gdy nic się nie dzieje, są niewidoczne. Są to: pasek amunicji z ikonką wybranej broni, menu wyboru broni pojawiające się, gdy wciśniemy któryś z przycisków na D-padzie oraz zarysowujące się czerwone koło na środku ekranu, reprezentujące nasz stan zdrowia. Gears of War, tak jak każda dobra gra, ma w sobie kilka nowości dla gatunku wyznaczających nowe standardy. Jedną z nich, jest aktywny system przeładowywania broni. Pozwala on uzyskać szybszy reload i większe obrażenia, jeśli uda nam się wcisnąć w odpowiednim momencie przycisk przeładowywania.

Jedną z tych większych innowacji zaś, jest system chowania się za przeszkodami. Jest bardzo prosty, mamy do dyspozycji wiele manewrów. Możemy biegać sprintem, przeskakiwać z jednej osłony do drugiej, rzucać się na różne strony niczym Max Payne (tylko bez bullet time’a ) i wiele innych rzeczy, bez których nie obejdziemy się w grze jeśli chcemy wyjść cało z walki, a to wszystko wykonuje się za pomocą jednego przycisku! W większości dzisiejszych strzelanek z kamerą TPP można znaleźć naśladowców tego systemu, ale przyznaję, że w żadnej z tych gier nie dorównuje on temu z Gearsów (chociaż podobno twórcy zaczerpnęli pomysł z kill.switch, ale tyle co z tą grą miałem do czynienia, to nie mogę się o tym zbyt wiele wypowiedzieć).

Jak przystało na strzelankę, mamy tu całkiem pokaźną liczbę broni. Jedna z nich, zwana Lancerem, jest prawie że maskotką gry, bo gdzie indziej znajdziesz karabin maszynowy z bagnetem w postaci piły łańcuchowej? Brawo dla twórców za design. Poza tym mamy tu Hammerburst – ulubioną broń słabszych Locustów, strzelającą seriami o sile ognia trochę większej od Lancera; Boomshot – granatnik, w który są wyposażeni więksi przeciwnicy; jak zawsze nieśmiertelny Shotgun o wiadomym działaniu i przeznaczeniu; Torque Bow – zabójcza, unowocześniona wersja łuku strzelająca wybuchowymi strzałami; klasyczna Snajperka; Hammer of Dawn – laserową broń, której można używać tylko przy określonych warunkach i okazjach oraz 2 rodzaje pistoletów, granaty i stacjonarne CKM-y. Nie jest to może zbyt wiele, ale wystarcza, zwłaszcza, że Marcus może nosić ze sobą tylko 2 rodzaje cięższej broni (tak jak w Halo) oraz 4 sztuki granatów i pistolet. Każda z broni poza normalnym trybem strzału ma atak wręcz, a w przypadku Lancera jest to włączenie piły łańcuchowej. Ta zaś jest dosłownie zabójcza, bo większość przeciwników ginie po jednym kontakcie z piłą, przez co będziecie chcieli mieć ją zawsze przy sobie „na wypadek” Granaty zaś po zetknięciu się z przeciwnikiem przy ataku wręcz, przyczepiają się do niego i wybuchają po kilku piknięciach jak miny. Warto też dodać, że przed rzutem każdego granatu, widzimy jego przewidywaną trajektorię lotu, co jest bardzo pomocne.

Przeciwników w grze jest kilka rodzajów, w tym bossowie. Na początku będziemy mieli do czynienia z podrzędnymi Locustami zwanymi przez członków drużyny Delta „Grubs” – (dosłowne tłumaczenie to „larwy”, ale w GoW 2 zostało to przetłumaczone na „Ścierwa” – bardziej oddaje to charakter gry). Ten rodzaj przeciwników różni się miedzy sobą głównie uzbrojeniem, a także opancerzeniem (jak wybiegnie na was brzydal z gołą klatą i pistoletem, to nie spodziewajcie się zbyt dużego oporu, gorzej, jak byłby to typ w hełmie, z kamizelką i uzbrojony w Lancera). Poza nimi, będą na nas szarżować Wretche – szybkie, małe, zwinne i bardzo hałaśliwe kreatury, które na szczęście można powalić jednym solidnym uderzeniem broni. W miarę postępu gry spotykamy także trudniejszych do pokonania przeciwników, takich jak Theron Guards (uzbrojeni w Torque Bowy i Lancery), Boomery (potężne grubasy z granatnikami) oraz wielkich i spektakularnych bossów, na których nie wystarczy opróżnić całego magazynka.

Inteligencja naszych wrogów w Gears of War należy do naprawdę, jednej z lepszych spotykanych w grach. Grubs’y i Theroni potrafią prawie to samo, co gracz, czyli wszelkie chowanie się za przeszkodami, wychylanie się zza nich, rzucanie granatów, flankowanie przeciwnika, kucanie, uniki – tego wszystkiego możecie się po nich spodziewać, więc nie radziłbym szarżować na przeciwnika nie mając w pobliżu jakiejś zasłony. Po Boomerach czy Wretchach nie spodziewałbym się jednak zbyt wielkiej inteligencji, bo ich zadaniem jest zadanie jak największych obrażeń przed śmiercią , co jednak nie znaczy, że są łatwi do pokonania, zwłaszcza w grupach.

Gears of War działa na znanym i dzisiaj już bardzo popularnym silniku Unreal Engine 3. Niesie on ze sobą wspaniałe widoki i efekty (jeśli tylko twórcy się postarają oczywiście), ale także wyostrzanie się tekstur w czasie gry tuż przed oczami gracza. Może i dzięki temu mamy mniej ekranów ładowania w grze, ale czasami to po prostu brzydko wygląda. Niestety, to sprawa silnika i w każdej grze korzystającej z UE3 zdarzyło mi się być tego świadkiem. Poza tym animacje i cała reszta stoją na bardzo wysokim poziomie (a w sequelu jeszcze na wyższym, ale to już temat na inną recenzję )

Muzyka w grze należy do czołówki. Po raz kolejny oznajmiam, że mamy tu do czynienia z jednym z najlepszych soundtracków w grach, wyjątkowo mi przypadł do gustu. Czy lepszy od tego w serii Halo? Powiedziałbym, że porównywalny, bo ciężko wybierać Głosy postaci również są tu genialne. W roli Marcusa wystąpił tu John DiMaggio, którego możecie znać z roli Bendera z Futuramy czy Jacka z Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines. Cała reszta czołówki wypada równie świetnie, jak nie lepiej (zwłaszcza duet: Cole i Baird). Pozostała część udźwiękowienia też wypadła bardzo dobrze. Nie ma się do czego przyczepić, więc zdało egzamin.

Tak jeszcze pod koniec odnośnie wersji na PC: właśnie przez nią miałem pierwszy kontakt z tą grą. Przyznaję jednak, że wtedy jeszcze jako zagorzały gracz wyłącznie PCtowy o zamkniętym umyśle uznałem tą grę za konsolowy shit po kilkunastu minutach gry i usunąłem ją z dysku w pośpiechu. Kiedy jednak przy zakupie X360 musiałem sobie wybrać jakąś grę, to sięgnąłem właśnie po GoW’a z nadzieją, że na konsoli będzie lepszy i się nie zawiodłem. Przyznaję, było to naprawdę pozytywne zaskoczenie. Jaki z tego morał? Nie bądźcie fanboyami

Podsumowując, Gears of War to jedna z najlepszych gier akcji na konsolę Microsoftu. Świetna grafika, muzyka, dialogi, dużo dynamicznej akcji i parę dobrych pomysłów czyni z niej dzieło wybitne i wybijające się z wysypu gier w 2007 roku. Dzięki niej też powrócił do łask twórców gier tak ukochany przeze mnie co-op i splitscreen. Polecam, ta gra to „must have” dla posiadacza X360.

W skrócie:

Plusy:

• + MUZYKA!
• + piła łańcuchowa i karabin w jednym = epic win
• + system chowania się za przeszkodami!
• + sterowanie
• + postacie, dialogi i voice-acting
• + dynamiczna akcja
• + przywrócił modę na co-op i splitscreen
• + starcia z bossami
• + grafika
• + sztuczna inteligencja przeciwników

Minusy:

• - rozgrywka może się wydać niektórym powtarzalna
• - niewielka interakcja z otoczeniem
• - mogłoby być więcej współpracy w co-opie poza wspólnym strzelaniem i dzieleniem się amunicją

Moja ocena końcowa: 9/10

Nem só de tristezas foi a passagem da Epic Games pela Tokyo Game Show deste ano. Após dizer que Gears of War 2 não será lançado no Japão porque não valeu o esforço portar o primeiro jogo para o oriente, o presidente Michael Capps admitiu que Gears of War é a maior franquia da companhia, e que “Xbox não é plataforma número um aqui no Japão.” No entanto, ele trouxe novidades positivas à terra do sol nascente.

Capps anunciou no evento que um estúdio completamente novo da Epic Games está sendo aberto em Tóquio. A equipe de lá será responsável por dar suporte aos estúdios japoneses que utilizam a Unreal Engine. É de senso comum que muitos estúdios japoneses tem sido incapazes de trabalhar efetivamente com a engine, vimos um exemplo disso com The Last Remnant no Xbox 360.

A nova equipe pode eventualmente trabalhar em novos games. Capps admitiu que “nós somos fanboys da indústria japonesa… Nós temos profundo respeito pela longa história de excelentes games japoneses,” influenciando o recentemente lançado Shadow Complex da Epic.

Vamos torcer para que esse estúdio aumente a qualidade dos jogos japoneses que usam a Unreal Engine e quem sabe, no futuro, criar uma nova franquia.

O presidente da Epic Games Michael Capps afirma ter se expressado de forma errada durante sua sessão de entrevistas na Tokyo Game Show.

“Capps nos explicou após o evento que se o próximo Gears of War – assumindo que há um – fosse lançado nos próximos “quatro ou cinco anos”, seria para os consoles atuais.

Se for baseado na Unreal Engine 4, no entanto, teria que ser para o próximo round de consoles, porque serão as maquinas que receberão os novos investimentos em tecnologia de engine da Epic.”

Ou seja, Gears 3 não deverá sair na próxima geração já que não deve demorar mais que 5 anos para ser lançado e apenas neste caso – saindo em 2014 – é que seria para a próxima geração.

Mal entendido explicado.

Gears of War 3 deve chegar ao Xbox 360 em 2011.

Essa promete causar muitas paradas cardíacas. Você achava que Gears of War 3 seria lançado no ano que vem, certo? Pensou errado. Pelo menos é o que disse Mike Capps, o poderoso chefão da Epic, à Eurogamer na Tokyo Game Show.

“Se houver um próximo Gears of War, será para a próxima geração de consoles, seja lá quando for isso. Se alguém sabe dizer, por favor me conte! Estamos falando de quatro ou cinco anos, eu acho.”

Capps disse que a desenvolvedora tem trabalhado na Unreal Engine 4 pelos últimos sete anos, e deu alguns detalhes sobre como o tamanho das equipes sempre esteve sob controle no estúdio.

Se o caso acabasse aqui seria uma martelada no coração de milhares de fãs. Mas felizmente a EG atualizou a pequena entrevista e deu nisso:

“O presidente da Epic Games Michael Capps afirma ter se expressado de forma errada durante sua sessão de entrevistas na Tokyo Game Show hoje quando disse “Se houver um próximo Gears of War, será para a próxima geração de consoles, seja lá quando for isso.”

Capps nos explicou após o evento que se o próximo Gears of War – assumindo que há um – fosse lançado nos próximos “quatro ou cinco anos”, seria para os consoles atuais.

Se for baseado na Unreal Engine 4, no entanto, teria que ser para o próximo round de consoles, porque serão as maquinas que receberão os novos investimentos em tecnologia de engine da Epic.“

Uzun süredir açıklanması beklenen Gears of War 3 için Epic Games‘in başkanı Mike Capps‘den açıklamalar geldi.

Yeni oyunun Next-Gen konsollara çıkacağını ifade eden Mike, bu sürenin tahminen 4-5 yıl olacağını söyledi. Böylece Marcus Fenix ve ekibini hüzne boğarak karanlığa karıştı… (Kaynak)

Reprinted from the Independent Weekly

Local gaming joins the spark conflagration

Established and evolving storytelling mediums are at home at SPARKcon, as the annual event expands into new arenas—some stranger than others.

Even with video game sales down this year, games still represent a creative medium that has opened new doors for storytelling, with games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum and The Beatles: Rock Band earning raves from critics not previously enamored of the medium. So it’s only fitting that the newest feature at SPARKcon is gamingSPARK, a representation of both new and established Triangle game makers.

Local games being spotlighted include a sample from Achron, a highly anticipated time-travel combat game from N.C. State University grad student Chris Hazard, Spark Plug Games’ DQ Tycoon, which lets players manage their own virtual Dairy Queen, and Spectral Assault, a physics-heavy adventure created by a group of nine N.C. State students.

The spotlight on local gamers takes place at 5 p.m. at Urban Design Center on Friday, Sept.18. It also features a special demonstration of Alii Motion Technology, presented by Alex Lian of Duke University. This cross-platform technology has the capability to turn any standard Webcam into a motion controller for a real-action gaming experience. It might be a sign that the Triangle will be home to those who will create not only the games of the future, but new ways of playing them as well.

Those with a more competitive streak can embrace the area’s biggest gaming hit, Epic’s Gears of War 2, with a gaming tournament that promises a 32-inch Hitachi TV from Integrated Audio Video as its grand prize. The event starts at 1 p.m., and will continue until one chain-gun-wielding super-soldier remains.

Elsewhere this weekend, poetrySPARK encourages experienced and aspiring creative types with an open mic night at Morning Times at 10 E Hargett St. on Friday. Saturday’s poetrySPARK event features a series of poetry readings. from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The themed readings include “Formal/ Metrical,” “Narrative/ Lyrical,” “Humor Me” and “Experimental.” In a related event, storySPARK will feature a poetry slam on Fayetteville Street on Saturday from 9:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

FilmSPARK deals head-on with the issue of film production in North Carolina, showcasing both shorts by local filmmakers and plans for attracting more productions to the area. The shorts series, held at Artspace, includes films touching on everything from the end of Kings Barcade in downtown Raleigh (“The Death of Kings”) to stalking St. Nick for failing to deliver a childhood gift (“Killing Santa”). The shorts run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Artspace on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, SPARK-goers will be able to actively participate in plans for the future of North Carolina filmmaking with “The State of Film in N.C. Roundtable.” The discussion of how to keep North Carolina an attractive state for film production (seriously, the Wilmington-filmed One Tree Hill can’t run forever) includes N.C. Film Office director Aaron Syrett, N.C. State professors Devin and Marsha Orgeron, and the Indy’s David Fellerath. The event takes place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Artspace.

And you can even meet an unusual NC celebrity filmmaker in the form of Chris Knight, who is highlighted Friday as “The Dude Who Took Down Viacom.” Knight’s unsuccessful bid for a seat on Rockingham County’s board of education in 2006 spawned a viral YouTube clip comparing his efforts to Star Wars. Unfortunately, his results inspired a copyright infringement lawsuit from Viacom—a lawsuit he managed to win. Come hear his story at Artspace on Friday from 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m., and take comfort in the fact that North Carolinians are making impressions in all forms of creative media—even those prone to legal scrutiny. —Zack Smith

Lucha por el premio: Una pantalla de Unreal Tournament 2004, el juego de ordenador utilizado en la competición BotPrize. Fuente: Epic Games

Un nuevo concurso podría ayudar al mejor desarrollo de la IA para los juegos y otras aplicaciones.

¿Sería capaz un ordenador de engañar a un grupo de jugadores expertos y hacerles creer que es uno de ellos? Esa fue la cuestión reinante en la segunda edición anual de BotPrize, un concurso de tres meses que concluyó hoy en el Simposio Computacional IEEE sobre Inteligencia y Juegos en Milán.

El concurso reta a los programadores a crear un “robot” a través de software que pueda controlar un personaje de un juego y hacerse pasar por humano, según el juicio de un panel de expertos. El objetivo no es sólo mejorar la IA en la industria del entretenimiento, sino también dar impulso a los avances en aplicaciones de IA al margen de los juegos. El reto de BotPrize es una variante del test Turing, creado por Alan Turing, y que reta a una máquina a convencer a un panel de jueces de que es humano a través de una conversación sólo basada en texto.

“El BotPrize es importante para la IA en los juegos puesto que su objetivo es demostrar que con la IA se pueden crear juegos más divertidos ya que los jugadores tendrían oponentes más interesantes,” afirma Philip Hingston, profesor asociado en la Escuela de Informática y Ciencias de la Información en la Universidad Edith Cowan en Perth, Australia, y supervisor de la competición. “También es importante para la IA en general, puesto que resalta una cuestión importante dentro de la IA: ¿Cómo está relacionada la inteligencia humana a la inteligencia de un ordenador?”

El BotPrize de este año atrajo a 15 participantes de Japón, el Reino Unido, los Estados Unidos, Italia, España, Brasil y Canadá. Los concursantes crearon robots para Unreal Tournament 2004, un ‘shoot-‘em-up’ en primera persona en el que los jugadores compiten entre ellos para alcanzar el mayor número de muertes virtuales. Para el concurso se desactivó el chat durante el juego para que los robots se pudieran evaluar por su, así llamada, “humanidad” o comportamiento “físico”. Además, y para crear más espontaneidad, a los concursantes se les entregaron armas cuyo comportamiento resultaba distinto de las que se usan normalmente en el juego.

Cada juez experto dentro del panel tomó su turno para disparar contra dos oponentes no identificados, uno controlado por un humano, y el otro un robot creado por un concursante. Después de 10 a 15 minutos, el juez trataba de identificar la IA. Para ganar el gran premio, por un valor de 6.000 dólares, el robot tenía que ser capaz de engañar al menos al 80 por ciento de los jueces. Sin embargo, y al menos durante la competición del año pasado, ninguno de los participantes fue capaz de conseguir esta hazaña. Se concedió un premio menor por valor de 1.700 dólares al robot “más parecido a un humano”, creado por Jeremy Cathran de la Universidad de Southern California, por un trabajo al que nombró como sqlitebot.

La inteligencia artificial ha resultado crucial hasta ahora para crear juegos de ordenador convincentes e interesantes, en los que un jugador compite contra otros conductores en Mario Kart en la Nintendo Wii, o contra invasores alienígenas en Halo 3 para la Xbox de Microsoft. A medida que la competición se hace más fuerte en esta industria de 21 mil millones de dólares, los desarrolladores se esfuerzan para que la IA en los juegos sea aún más convincente. Sin embargo, la creación de un buen robot presenta un reto formidable, afirma Steve Polge, programador jefe de Epic Games, la compañía que creó Unreal Tournament. “No siempre es deseable que la IA se comporte como un humano,” afirma. “Los humanos pueden ser oponentes bastante molestos y odiosos.” En vez de ello, afirma Polge, los desarrolladores a menudo se esfuerzan por alcanzar un tipo de “IA que sea capaz de elaborar planes imprevistos y ofrezca al jugador retos espontáneos y sorprendentes, lo cual sin duda hará que los juegos sean mejores.”

Risto Miikkulainen, profesor de ciencias informáticas y neurociencia en la Universida de Texas en Austin, estuvo entre los participantes de BotPrize que intentó conjugar la mezcla perfecta de humanidad y máquina. Al elaborar el código del robot para el concurso de este año, Miikkulainen y su equipo lo diseñaron para que fuera capaz de aprender rápidamente. “Cuando los humanos juegan con los juegos, se adaptan muy rápidamente,” afirma, “por eso, a la hora de crear el robot, no puedes intentar ser preciso al 100%, puesto que la adaptación es inexacta.”

El BotPrize es un intento por no sólo mejorar la tecnología de los juegos, sino también para fomentar la innovación fuera de la industria, desde la IA que se usa en las simulaciones de los entrenamientos de emergencia hasta los robots del futuro. “Tenemos que tener alguna forma de medir los avances que se dan en la investigación de la IA,” señala Robert Epstein, creador y antiguo director de la competición anual Loebner Prize de Inteligencia Artificial, que incluye el test de Turing convencional. “Por tanto, cuando pones en marcha concursos como el BotPrize, tienes una forma de saber si se ha alcanzado un avance significativo.”

Will Wright, creador de juegos de simulación y éxitos de ventas como Los Sims y Spore, espera que BotPrize anime a los investigadores dentro del campo de la IA a que alcancen la cualidad humana más difícil de conseguir: las emociones. “Las interacciones con las máquinas se están convirtiendo en algo omnipresente dentro de nuestro entorno, aunque no son del todo satisfactorias,” afirma Wright, “por lo que el reconocimiento de nuestra dimensión emocional es una tarea muy interesante dentro de los avances de la IA.”

Esto significa el desarrollo de robots que no sólo puedan engañar a la gente sino que también hagan que se emocionen. “Lo que queremos es construir un modelo emocional para el agente contra el que estás compitiendo,” afirma Wright. “No sólo se trata de apuntar bien. Se trata de crear un robot que simule una danza de victoria sobre tu cadáver.”

Fuente: TechnologyReview. Un test de Turing para los robots de los juegos de ordenador

The last game to come from Chair Entertainment was the interesting but only better than ok Undertow. Flash forward to a recent GDC where members of Epic games stumble upon what Chair were doing with their Unreal engine and Shadow Complex was born. Its a 2.5D side-scrolling shooter likened to Metroid and Castlevania due to its grid based map system, multiple paths and back tracking. Levels are fully 3D but the path is only ever left to right which is a little odd at first. When faced with a stair case in the background leading to a door my natural reaction was to attempt to take this route. But of course I couldn’t as its merely decorative yet this doesn’t stop enemies from shooting you and appearing from such locations. More on that later – read on!

The main story follows Jason Flemming who must rescue his kidnapped girlfriend, Claire, from some evil secret government folk. Not the most original of stories with not the most original character but still, being a platformer, the mechanics are the real star. Looking and even sounding like Nathan Drake from Uncharted – having the same voice actor, Nolan North, helps – Jason is like all the greats, a reluctant hero and supposibly someone we can all relate to. He’s a trained soldier who doesn’t want to kill unless he has to. Luckily for us, in order to rescuing his lady love, he has to. In true fashion Jason starts of with little and gains better weapons and attributes along the way. First he’s able to jump higher and climb walls (if only for a short distance), then our hero gets himself a pistol and this is when things get really fun. The previous platforming and 2D exploration was all good but combine this with a heavy dose of shooting and you begin to get the idea. Ammo will never run out so fear not if you’re not blessed with steady thumb. Aiming is done with the right analog stick and a handy laser sight showed the angle my gun was pointing. I mentioned earlier how the enemies can be in areas where Jason is unable to go – like the background – by simply holding up on the analog stick, I could shoot where I could not tread. For the most part it works well though there have been some occasions when I wildly shot the air instead of the desired target. But times like these were few and far between. Boss fights are not only visually satisfying but highly enjoyable and never so stressful that I wished to cause the control pad physical harm. By this time I had unlocked even more guns to use and was happily disposing of anything in my way. It’s not all about the shooting though and the option of stealth kills was a nice chance to see the unreal engine up close. By crouching and slowly walking up to a foe as to not give away my presence, I could then press B and watch a short animation of Jason punching, kicking or even pushing the guy to his doom. The screen zooms in to the action and quickly pans out again ready for more side scrolling straight away. It never felt like I wasn’t in control of the game for too long and helped pick off enemies when the numbers were stacked against me.

Due to the simple but fulfilling gameplay, there’s not a great deal more to say about Shadow Complex other than it’s a great 2.5D shooter, cleverly masking any annoyances that may have put people off games like Metroid and Castlevania. Paths never become so hidden that I spent longer than needed finding my way. Back tracking feels less forced and isn’t always neccissary but when it does happen, the route is different enough to feel like new. Each difficulty settings is well balanced for all kinds of gamer and It’s not that old either. Shadow Complex is very much worth the 1200 MS points.

4/5

Shadow Complex, developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games

Shadow Complex isn’t the best game you’ll ever play. However, it is by far the cheapest and most convenient gem of a game you’ll be playing this fall.

Xbox 360 owners can download the game on Xbox Live Arcade for a mere 1200 Microsoft Points, or around $15 bucks. Shadow Complex is a major milestone in digital distribution for consoles. Not because it’s the best game available on Xbox Live, but rather because it pushes the boundaries of what gamers can expect to see in the future. The game is beautifully rendered thanks to the Unreal 3 engine and contains immersive gameplay that rivals most $60+ games.

The story (albeit generic) is well-developed and includes fully motion captured and voice acted cut-scenes. The graphics are stunning and the audio is great. The level design is nearly flawless and the upgrades are perfectly paced. Apart from a few aiming flaws, audio glitches, and a sometimes frustrating auto-save system, the game oozes production value.

The developers at Chair Entertainment set out to construct a modern day Super Metroid set in the world of Orson Scott Card’s novel, Empire. After creating the entire game on grid paper, they  enlisted the help of Epic Games to digitize the world.

The result is a 2.5D side scrolling masterpiece that satisfies casual and hardcore gamers alike. Some players will simply blow through the storyline in about seven hours, whereas completionists will spend the extra time to solve the many tricky puzzles and find the hidden upgrades. The Proving Grounds game mode even allows players to compete against friends on timed levels, adding another couple of hours of entertainment.

I personally spent about 13 hours with the game and will likely make a timed run in the future, meaning that I’ll be paying less than $1 per hour of entertainment. And when you consider that I didn’t even have to leave the couch to acquire the game, I’d say that’s a damn good deal.