Last year Sony announced that they were working with five Chinese indie devs on the creation and localization of their games as part of the China Hero Project. Now that it’s a new year, Sony has announced another seven games they’ll be giving assistance to. They run the gamut from action RPGs to horror, to online shooters. Whatever your taste, there’s likely something for you here.The first game announced is AI-LIMIT, developed by Palm Pioneer (who is also currently working on adventure game Tales of the Neon Sea) and Team AI. The game features a woman named Arrisa, who reminds me quite a bit of Nier Automata‘s 2B, running around a future environment. Along the way, she encounters various robots that she combats with a sword. She also has a flying assistant that doubles as a flashlight. While I hesitate to say it’s a rip-off, the design on AI-LIMIT‘s robots is rather unique, it sure does give me Nier vibes. Maybe that’ll work in the … [Read more...] about Sony Announces Seven More Games as Part of China Hero Project
China floating city
The 20 best PlayStation 1 games
Sony’s PlayStation celebrates its 25th anniversary next December. Of course, Sony has never been one for dragging its feet, so the company has already kicked off its birthday celebration with a commemorative mini-PlayStation console crammed full of 20 games. Some of those selections make perfect sense — if you’re out to make huge stacks of cash, you’re obviously going to include Final Fantasy 7 — while others ... well, let’s just say that Battle Arena Toshinden wasn’t all that remarkable back in 1995, and time hasn’t been especially kind to it. The PlayStation Classic’s lineup feels a little muddy, so now seems a perfect opportunity for me to take a step back and define, objectively, the 20 actual best games released in the U.S. for the original PlayStation. I’m not necessarily saying these are the games that should have been on the PlayStation Classic, but ... these are the games that should have been on the PlayStation … [Read more...] about The 20 best PlayStation 1 games
Total War: Three Kingdoms goes all-in on heroes
Total War: Three Kingdoms is bringing the series' grand strategy formula to ancient China. It's the first large-scale historical Total War game since Attila, and while it's still about massive real-time battles and turn-based empire building, there is a strong focus on the legendary heroes competing to form the next great dynasty. Heroes have distinct personalities and loyalties. They can be great fighters on the battlefield, or masterful city governors. They can kill for you, spy for you, or even betray you and throw your faction into civil war. There's more to say about how the game plays on the battlefield, but today I'll focus on characters, because they represent the biggest change for the series. Everything described here is represented in 'romance' mode, which incorporates the mythical elements of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Three Kingdoms also features a more realistic mode that changes in-game events and dilemmas, and changes how the heroes are depicted in the … [Read more...] about Total War: Three Kingdoms goes all-in on heroes
Screw Lovecraft, let’s talk about other horror universes games could explore
H.P. Lovecraft told some great stories, sure. His ability to push readers to attempt to grasp ‘unknowable truths’ and ‘unspeakable horrors’ and to build stupefying worlds out of impossible geometries was largely unmatched in the public eye upon discovery of his work. But despite his widespread posthumous fame and contributions to horror, we’re tired of videogames’ love affair with Lovecraft. There have been some great Lovecraft inspired games throughout the years, but the bulk throw in some tentacles, weird shapes, the occasional penis statue, and call it a day. The horror genre is infinitely deeper and wider than one (undeniably xenophobic and racist) man’s work. We believe games can do better. Here’s just a few horror universes set forth by our favorite creators that future games could pull from.Anything from Junji ItoCold open. Flip through these images.Image 1 of 4Image 2 of 4Image 3 of 4Image 4 of 4Spirals and fish and … [Read more...] about Screw Lovecraft, let’s talk about other horror universes games could explore
Alt.Ctrl.GDC Showcase: Doors to the City
The 2018 Game Developer's Conference will feature an exhibition called Alt.Ctrl.GDC dedicated to games that use alternative control schemes and interactions. Gamasutra will be talking to the developers of each of the games that have been selected for the showcase. You can find all such interviews by clicking here! Doors to the City will have players taking to spherical cities to do skateboarding tricks, doing so using a modified Tech Deck that responds to touch. By pressing on various parts of the Tech Deck, players can guide their movements through these miniature planets, all while surrounded by a soundtrack that gives the place a sense of home. That's no accident, as developer Ben Poynter set out to capture the love and connection he feels for NYC with this game of skateboarding and exploration. Gamasutra spoke with him to learn about capturing this sense of home out of invented cityscapes and infinite skate parks, which players will be able to experience … [Read more...] about Alt.Ctrl.GDC Showcase: Doors to the City