Nidhogg

Snake, a snake, oooh, it'a snake

My blog engine decided not to save my lengthy note on Dwarf Fortress and my browser decided to crash (seriously, what is wrong with Firefox these days?), so instead of dwarves and axes, today we will have swords and snakes- both making appearance in the indie game in making called Nidhogg.


I actually knew without checking that Nidhogg is a mythical creature of Norse legends, a giant snake living in the roots of the World Tree - but that's just because I have read Thorgal comics as a kid. What I didn't know, however, was that it was actually a dragon and also - that it was a sword name, which explains the title of the game. Ah, yes, the game.

Developed by Meshof, indie developer already known to indie gaming world, Nidhogg is shaping up to be a sword fighting simulator. It looks like something that would come out of crossing Prince of Persia and a post stamp infused with LSD (just look at these clouds!). You can read more about the game on the project webpage and be sure to have a look at the trailer - even if the game turns out to be crap, the trailer alone is a contribution to world cultural heritage. Yes, it is that good.

[ via IndieGames ]

Starcraft II has landed

Hell, that time is now

It almost seems unreal to have finally reached this moment after all these years of waiting, but here it is at last: Starcraft II has gone live. And what a game it is, ladies and gentlemen.

I wrote a long piece on Starcraft II Beta mulitplayer for a Polish gaming website Gamezilla (you can read it here in my mother tongue and here in pidgin gibberish produced by Google Translate). Whatever small annoyances there were in the first phase of Beta, in the second phase they have been completely ironed out and I see no change between the last moments of Beta and the currently available multiplayer mode. It has been polished to near perfection - but it is but a one facet of this masterpiece.


Another one is the single player campaign and frankly, it is like a movie. Have you seen the story trailer? You owe it to yourself - it is epic. I admit not having seen much of the campaign yet, what with having work and all, but so far it's been incredibly atmospheric. If you enjoyed the story of the original Starcraft, then you shouldn't be disappointed by this one either - it's more of the same, but bigger and more badass. If you happen to have forgotten the details, don't fret - not only can you get a recap in English on Kotaku and in Polish on Polygamia (the latter is far better and more detailed actually, however unfortunately only available in that weird language of ours), but also there is an abbreviated version presented to the player during the installation process of the game.

I will probably write a full-blown review some time later, but for now I am totally into Starcraft II. The price tag is hefty, especially for us, working masses of the third world, but I think it is worth it. It's incredibly epic experience with excellent story and almost perfect presentation, probably the game of the year and for some - even of the decade. Whether or not I will be one of them remains to be seen, but so far it's incredible. Barts out.

Blender 2.53 released

And boy, it's a tasty one

The newest version 2.53 of the excellent free 3D creation tool, Blender, has just been released. The numbering scheme is a little deceiving, so let me explain: 2.4x is the current stable branch, with 2.49 being the latest official version, 2.5x is the development branch and all versions, including this last one, are considered alpha/beta, and 2.6x will be the next official stable branch. As I said, it is somewhat convoluted, but the bottom line is that Blender 2.53 is a relatively mature beta version with most features available and good chunk of bugs squished.

Image rendered with Blender for open movie Sintel

General reception has been rather positive so far, albeit I have seen some balanced criticism as well, which is to be expected with the amount of changes that went through with this release. You can download Blender 2.53 for your system of choice here, read the release log here and see it in action here. In somewhat related news, Sintel movie production is reaching its final stretch and Freestyle (NPR rendering module for Blender) is also coming along nicely. Good news!

[ via BlenderNation ]

Google Street View invades Krakow

This almost sounds as one of these Rocco movies...

Guess what I saw from inside a tramway in my current city of Krakow? Google Street View car with their characteristic camera setup, precisely at this location:


I was really glad to see it. First, it means that Poland is taking a little step towards the future, and secondly, out of many Google services I have a soft spot for this one. Why? - I hear you ask.

You see, the reason for that is that it has allowed me to go back and see fragments of places where I lived when I was nostalgic and could not go there. You wouldn't believe me what a wonderful feeling it is to be able to have a virtual walk down one's past locations that are currently unavailable for one reason or the other. What you see on the image below is the place where I lived in Japan. One of these windows was mine for some time - but due to a certain chain of events, I don't have even one photo of it. Nevertheless, I was able to stroll around it in Google Street View and it felt great to see it once again.


Additionally, Google Street View makes our lives a little funnier sometimes.

Alice Returns!

Sadly, no Cheshire Cat in sight

It's been already hinted at a couple of times (here or here, for example), but now is all official: American McGee's Alice will return, losing its creators name in the process. There's a slightly unsettling teaser available and a bunch of images to whet your appetite:


The original Alice game was great in terms of story and atmosphere, a little less so in the gameplay department. Still, it was fresh, original and the gameplay was not as terrible as some described it nowadays - I manged to complete the game, which means it was neither too boring nor too difficult. As for the recent American McGee's games, they were somewhat disappointing, but nevertheless I trust the man and hope that Alice Returns will turn out at least good (with a chance for greatness).

And while we wait, there are some excellent fanarts to have a look at in the meantime - you should especially check this particular DeviantArt gallery for lots of pretty images., but I also liked this official teaser image, too.

Where is my heart?

Long time no see, PSP

It's been a while since I last wrote anything related to PSP gaming, with the exception of mentioning new God of War as one of the things I liked in the last E3. Truth be told, after very lazy 2008, I sold my PSP in early 2009. There were simply too few new games to keep me interested. After about half a year I already missed occasional Lumines playthrough. Now, in 2010, the tides seem to have changed: not only there are more new games lined up, but also some titles got me interested to the point where I am considering buying PSP again. Where is my heart? is one of these titles.


Where is my heart? is a sweet retro platforming game with lovely pixel graphics and a twist: instead of putting the whole level on the screen at once, the game has it divided into a number of panels. It looks somewhat similar to a comic book, except for a fact that panels are not arranged in any order, but rather make a random composition. The image that I chose to accompany this post doesn't actually present the concept very well, but I decided to show sweet pixel art style rather than the chaotic structure of the game. The mini-trailer below, however, does better job to convey the idea :

Contrary to Youtube, Vimeo is much less prone to disappearing videos and this one comes from one of the game authors, Bernie Shulenburg, therefore I allow myself to insert it here, because the chances are it won't go away anytime soon. If it disappears, though, please let me know.

If you enjoyed this extremely brief trailer, you can find three more in this post and read a little more on the game on its page on Copenhagen Game Collective. You can also download a very early build of the game and try it on your PC (Java required). While it is obvious that it is more of a prototype, rather than a demo, it shows the potential of Where is my heart? There are two things that make this title stand out from the crowd for me: comic panel effect somewhat resembling Comix Zone and the overall art style that somehow reminds me of Hayao Miyazaki's animations. It is incredible how suggestive pixel art can be despite its deceiving simplicity.

I will be keeping an eye on the development of this game and will let you know when it's completed. Who knows, I might even write a review.

[ via GameSetWatch ]

Illuminator - full version released

Illuminate again!

I didn't expect it to happen so quickly after my recent post, but here it is: the full version of freeware indie game Illuminator, remake of a classic title from a legendary Action 52 cartridge. I have already written about it previously, so now just a short recap: the game is a platformer in which a boy with a flashlight has to kill goblins and other creatures in a dark home at night by shining light at them. And it is a ton of fun!


The execution isn't perfect: there are some flickering bitmaps, menu font is ugly and game seems to slow down (on 2GHz processor!) when there's a lot of lighting effects and creatures on the screen. However, these are minor qualms - I can easily overlook them all in a small, independent production, especially when it turns out to be as much fun as Illuminator is. The mix of retro graphics, excellent music and sound effects, as well as rock-solid gameplay is strangely addictive. I have already spent more time with this game than with some of the recent commercial titles.

On a related note, when I wrote about Illuminator last time, I forgot to mention that it was an entry to a retro remake competition, aiming to recreate some classic Action52 titles. If you have time, have a look at some other games from that bundle, there are some really neat ones.

[ via IndieGames ]

Oddbox coming to PC

A box full of Oddworld

It is not exactly the latest news, but I have recently found out that PC might finally see two Oddworld games it so painfully lacked in the past, namely Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath. They would be coming via Steam in a package including the two previous titles as well (Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus).

Oddbox... yesss...

This information comes from this interview with Lorne Lanning on Bitmob (excerpts here and here, in case the first link went down). It got me quite excited, because I remember how great the first two games were and how I mourned the lack of the other two. It would be awesome to catch up on Oddworld series!

As for the PS1 versions being available on PSP that I have heard about some time ago, I have not seen them on European PSN yet, but then again, they might have escaped my attention. I highly recommend them, though, having previously played their unofficial port on my PSP - these games look great on this little screen.

Also, on a related Oddworld note, you might find this post on Art of Oddworld Inhabitants interesting.

Illuminate!

It burns, it burns!

Illuminator is what would come out of crossing Labirynth movie with Home Alone game. In this curious little indie game player is put in the shoes of a kid that is fighting goblins in an empty home at night - or homes, actually, because he is traveling through interdimensional portals between them.


The only way to kill goblins is to illuminate them with the flashlight, the only problem being that it must be at full power to deliver strong flash, otherwise it won't be effective. For the flashlight to charge, it must be turned off, leaving player in the darkness, full of lurking goblins. In order to see them coming the kid must use Christmas lights, stroboscope lamps and other things scattered around the house. The result is a quite tense game that requires balancing between staying in the shadows and illuminating ones way, which keeps the player at his toes and even manages to be slightly scary, despite using lovely 2D pixel art.

The game is still a little rough around the edges - no menu, flickering graphics here and there - but definitely worth checking out. You can download it from here or see the gameplay in this Youtube movie.

[ via IndieGames ]

Army of Trolls takes on Desktop Dungeons

And it's even better than it sounds!

Among great indie games that I have missed and needed to have shoven into my face was Desktop Dungeons, incredibly addictive rougelike-like game. You can find the short review by yours truly here. I am mentioning it for two reasons: one, new version has just come out and two, via this tweet I found that the pixel artist known as Army of Trolls started working on a new tileset for the game - and it looks even more gorgeous than Derek Yu's one!


You might not immediately recognize Army of Trolls' nickname, but it is the same guy that brought us Evil Dead DS mockup and huge Pixel City poster. I can't wait 'till he finishes his work - unfortunately, he said it will take a while due to his move. On a bright side, we can always hope that a new Desktop Dungeons version will appear in the meantime. Also, keep your eye on this thread with alternative tilesets - there's some eye-candy in there too.

Deus Ex trailer music available for free

And more goodies, too

Remember that great Deus Ex: Human Revolution trailer? The one I got so excited about that I had to write a whole lengthy note on it? One thing among many that made it great was the music playing in the background. Now, it can be downloaded free of charge from Deus Ex: Human Revolution website. I have to admit it has been playing on my mp3 player for the last week or so - it really is great!


The artist behind the music is Michael McCann, who also created the score for Tom Clancy's Endwar trailer, as well as Splinter Cell: Double Agent - incidentally, these tracks can be downloaded from his webpage. Enjoy!

Seven Portal 2 gameplay videos

Portalicious!

For me, one of the highlights of E3 2010 was the announcement of the new Portal game. I linked to the excellent trailer ("I think we can put our differences behind us... for science... you monster") in the E3 wrap-up post and if the video disappeared in the meantime, there is one embedded on RockPaperShotgun.

Recognize her?

Following the trailer are seven more videos, showcasing a bit of gameplay from the beginning of the game, featuring independent GLaDOS personality core that sounds like Simon Pegg in Star Trek, and new game elements, such as the orange lubricant. It all finishes with another brilliant quote from GLaDOS, one that is as deranged and threatening as ever (near the end of the last video). Future looks brightly for Portal fans, a little less so for the test subject known as Chell...

You can see all the videos together on VideoGamesLoop (source: GameTrailers) or on Polish website Polygamia (source: Youtube) or, should they all go down, here, here, here and here on RockPaperShotgun. Enjoy!

Food for thought...

Obligatory post-E3 wrap-up, part three

Finally, the last part - also the longest

Witcher 2

Truth be told, I have never gotten far in the original Witcher. The fact of not having enough time to invest in the long games was the main reason, the other one being my brother who snatched our only copy and left Poland with it. Oh, well. Still, the game was quite good, especially when it got patched, and has met with general approval in the world.

What I liked the best about it was that it took the stories, world and heroes from one of my favourite authors, Andrzej Sapkowski, and treated it with respect. Even though I did not fall in love with all the writing, it could be seen that game creators have read all the books (contrary to film makers who brought us "Witcher" movie - a piece of crap to avoid at all costs), and, what's more, they obviously loved Sapkowski's works, because the transition was really faithful.

For more information on how the new game will play, head on to Kotaku. If you would like to get to know Sapkowski's writing, the English version is available here (there are French, Spanish, Russian and Czech translations, too, so use your Google Fu if you speak one of those languages). Also, I will soon be making an announcement somewhat related to this game - but you will have to wait until the whole thing gets finalized.

Scott Pilgrim

I am waiting for Scott Pilgrim movie together with my geek girlfriend, because we absolutely loved the trailer. I am also interested in the game, as there is one in the making and it contains pixel art by Paul Robertson and music by Anamanaguchi. Humour, nerd references, innuendos, retro ambiance, great visuals and chiptune soundtrack - what's not to love? More info here and here, plus the game trailer that you don't want to miss.

Journey

I am following Jenova Chen's creations ever since Flow. I have yet to play Flower, but my friends were all raving about it and Kellee Santiago used it as to prove that games can be art during her TEDx talk. As for Journey, the screens shown so far are intriguing and I would really like to give it a try, especially after hearing the interview with the author. One more reason to buy PS3.

Bulletstorm

Adrian Chmielarz created the game that is spiritual descendant of Painkiller and includes over the top gore, excessive machismo and somewhat primitive humour. Bulletstorm is not entirely my cup of tea, but I am interested, because the creator of Teenagent and Painkiller has a lot of cred in my eyes. Therefore, I will definitely give it a try, despite some reserve I have towards mindless violence. I tried to frown at the trailer, but when it got the part where the protagonists are being chased a huge wheel... You have to see it for yourself. Also, here you can hear Adrian presenting the game in very decent English (albeit with a bit of an accent).

Enslaved

The game itself may turn out shitty, but I like the world shown in the trailer, the idea behind it and the art direction. It would make a cool sci-fi short story, that's for sure. If I ever get PS3, I will check it out. Filed as "interesting".

XCOM

If only it wasn't called X-Com and therefore wasn't trying to connect itself to one of the best games of all time, I would be both excited about it and, more importantly, I would allow it to have some flaws. As you probably know, X-Com (or UFO: Enemy Unknown as it was known around here in Europe) was a sci-fi strategy - and this one is neither sci-fi, nor strategy. Sadly, some marketing smartass made the decision to use the franchise name in order to milk more money from it. Argh.

Nevertheless, trailer looks interesting. So yes, I am waiting for the game, but with a huge stick in my hand. It has my permission to try to woo me, but one step in the wrong direction, and I will hit it on the head. Hard. That's the result of appropriating X-Com name: you've set the expectations, folks, and now it is all or nothing. It would better be extraordinary, otherwise it's going to get pummeled by all those that loved the original, including yours truly. No second chances - if it is not brilliant, it will get hammered.

All the rest

In short- I don't give a [expletive deleted] about the rest. Kinects, Moves, bizarre flashlight thingies, tons of generic games, silly Sony show, all that stuff is not of interest to me. Booth babes this year also couldn't hold a candle to the ones from Tokyo Game Show. There was a lot of cool things that were of interest to me, but if you have not seen them reported in this post or in two previous ones, it means I don't give a damn (that, or I just missed it).

And now I would be curious to hear your opinion. What did you like and what you didn't? What was the highlight of E3 for you? Let me know via comments!