Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War & Rise of the Tomb Raider are all likely to appear at Microsoft's E3 Press Conference, but what else does the software giant have up it's sleeve?
Developer Monogon Games describes Interloper as a real-time strategy game with five-minute matches, but I would call it an RTS for people who hate the genre. This quirky example features all of the catchy conquering, tactical thinking, and fast-paced combat of the average real-time strategy game without being burdened by the base building, resource management, and game duration that scare off some of the potential audience. Toss in puzzle-like maps, an unusual setting, and faintly surreal visuals and sound, and you have a pick-up-and-play RTS for the masses that even genre veterans can appreciate for its innovations and challenge.
Simplicity is Interloper’s greatest asset. This is a two-player game in which you battle the AI or an online human opponent on small and slightly-less-small maps that never feature more than a handful of key assets to claim. The main unit is a Sentinel, a big mama that looks like a manta ray or some kind of microscopic bug, depending on which of the three tribes you are controlling (the appearance of Sentinels and color are all that differentiate the factions). Your goal is to swim through the fluid-filled corridors of each map (which are colorful and cute here, but would probably be gooey and gross in reality), claiming domain as you go. After you pass, tunnels turn your faction’s color, reminding me of ʼ80s arcade classic Crush Roller. Taking 75 percent of a map results in an instant win, which isn’t particularly easy as the enemy Sentinel and his pals are doing the exact same thing as you.
Interloper looks like Crush Roller--on drugs!
Maps feature a small number of key control points that are claimed by Sentinels. You provide juice to unit-producing centers called Assemblers by connecting them to local Power Sources, at which point they begin to automatically crank out Drones. In keeping with the quasi-organic appearance of the game, these core units look like spermatozoa...or tadpoles, depending on how you look at these things. Drones can then be used as shock troops to attack enemies en masse, or sent over to the only other building, the seed pod-resembling Factory. Here, multiple Drones are turned into the game’s three other unit types. Defenders absorb three hits of damage, making them great guards. Snipers automatically blast enemies from a distance with a recharging shot. And Destroyers serve as assault tanks that can take three hits as well, while also regenerating over time.
Smart unit deployment is another essential. Even the three specialty units offer a lot of tactical depth. I loved using Snipers, which can be brutally effective at preventing enemy attacks and blowing away Drones on their way to enemy Factories. Get a mass of Snipers in the right place--which isn’t always easy, as the enemy does this, too--and I could lock down maps in short order by setting up murderous choke points. Defenders were incredibly helpful in blocking enemy approach routes and guarding Sources. And Destroyers were perfect for late-game assaults that cleaned up large numbers of enemy Drones. I loved rolling them out in the end to obliterate the last remnants of my rival’s sperm army.
Enemy AI is generally excellent when playing solo, which features a campaign of sorts with an absolutely perfect series of tutorials along with skirmish. The AI can also be adjusted via multiple settings that up the general difficulty, add to aggression, and so forth. I was challenged on most maps by the default AI. I could quibble with some of the computer’s tactics: it would occasionally get bottled up early on, which led to almost instant destruction, but it never failed to move in on areas that I left unprotected. And it sure did beat me on a fairly regular basis. Multiplayer is something of a concern right now, however. Not many people are playing, making it tough to find a match. Since the single-player is limited when it comes to the number of maps, this could impact longevity. Still, for $10, you’re getting a lot of game here.
Sober second thought is paramount when capturing and protecting those oh-so-valuable and oh-so-vulnerable Sources.
The atmosphere is distinct. I was never sure if I was in some kind of parallel dimension, a microscopic world of bacteria, or a stoner’s daydream, but it worked. Everything is weird, but not too weird, and the aesthetics never interfere with gameplay. Colors nicely blend light and dark, as well, with everything getting brighter and brighter and even pulsing if you’re cruising to a win. Sound is as offbeat as the graphics. A techno score reminiscent of second-rate Tangerine Dream (yes, that’s a compliment) and brittle sound effects accompanying unit destruction adds an oddly fitting, yet oddly sterile, sci-fi mood.
Interloper distills the core elements of every good RTS and adds a little extra to put it over the top. No matter if you love or loathe traditional real-time strategy, the deep tactics and puzzle solving crammed into a nicely condensed package here come highly recommended.
Hitting a new level in a role-playing game isn't always terribly exciting--but it was for one player in comes a terrific level-up video in which a player reaches level 20 by slicing off his enemy's head. This, for some reason, sends the now-headless body sailing into the ocean.
Well done.
I've only leveled up a few times so far in The Witcher 3 and certainly haven't done so in as epic a fashion as this player. Have you? Let us know in the comments below.
Pixar on Tuesday released the first trailer for The Good Dinosaur.
The Disney-owned Toy Story studio's latest animated film takes place in a world where dinosaurs didn't get wiped off the face of the planet by an asteroid.
"Arlo himself is what we would have become, able to articulate and have certain emotions and connection to family," Sohn said. “They've become us, essentially… I'm trying to treat Spot in a very kind of animalistic way, where he doesn't speak very much. He's very feral."
Raising Hope's Lucas Neff provides the voice for Arlo, while John Lithgow, Bill Hader, Judy Greer, Neil Patrick Harris, and Frances McDormand also voice characters in the movie.
The Good Dinosaur won't be the only Pixar movie released in 2015, as Inside Out hits theaters later this month.
Part one of our predictions / expectations for E3 2015. We're talking about what we expect to see from Bethesda, Microsoft, Nintendo, VR, Indie games and PC Titles, what they need to show to win E3, and what we WANT to see.
Valve has introduced a new refund policy for Steam that allows you to return games and DLC within two weeks of purchase, provided you haven't played the content in question for more than two hours.
With seemingly no fanfare, the new refund policy went into effect today. The latest Steam client update . This new refund policy seems like a major--and very welcome--step forward.
Despite the fact that . It takes footage of Super Smash Bros. and cuts it in short clips of Mortal Kombat X-ray attacks, which provide a graphic view of characters' bones being crushed, stabbed, broken, and so on. It's made all the better (or more unsettling, depending upon your perspective) that the choice of X-ray clips line up so well with the Smash Bros. attacks.
The video's already gotten a strong response, and Sterling has said he'll be creating a sequel. He's also taking suggestions--what would you like to see next?
Ubisoft has said it will announce multiple new games at E3 2015 and confirmed comedian and actress Aisha Tyler will once again be hosting its press conference.
"E3 is always a very special moment for the entire gaming community because we all come together to share our visions for the future of entertainment and reveal the games into which we've been pouring our energy and passion," said co-founder and CEO of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot.
"We love being a part of this great community, and our talented teams continue to take risks, push boundaries and offer more freedom, and choice within our games so that we can create long-lasting, enriching experiences for the players."
Ubisoft also released a teaser for its E3 press conference. Watch it below.
In addition to these new titles, Ubisoft is expected to show off . Although it did not provide specifics about the mysterious game, the publisher said it will be available sometime in the company's current fiscal year, which means it should be released before April 2016.
It is unclear what impact the forthcoming shutdown of Infinite Crisis will have on Turbine staffing levels. We've followed up with the company to find out.
After an extended beta period, Infinite Crisis saw its full release at the end of March 2015.
Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War & Rise of the Tomb Raider are all likely to appear at Microsoft's E3 Press Conference, but what else does the software giant have up it's sleeve?
Play with the original Kano, Sonya Blade, and Liu Kang skins in this Klassic Skin pack for Mortal Kombat X.
Part one of our predictions / expectations for E3 2015. We're talking about what we expect to see from Bethesda, Microsoft, Nintendo, VR, Indie games and PC Titles, what they need to show to win E3, and what we WANT to see.
Watch extended gameplay footage from Verdun featuring the Giant Bomb crew.
Check out all of Tanya's fatalities, brutalities and x-ray in Mortal Kombat X. NSFW!
