BSR TV! Is back with more news for you to wet your whistle. Tom and Rich discuss the finer points of the Titanfall Gameplay, Batman: Arkham Origins, Zelda 3DS XL Rumor, Gamestop Black Friday ad, and whatever else we feel like.

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This month’s podcast features:
Tyson, Kiley, Jimmy, Nick, Lucas, and Tom

We are happy to re-introduce the Big Shiny Podcast in its new “bite-size” format! Each week we will be releasing a new (pre-recorded) episode of the Big Shiny Podcast! with topics rotating between Geek/Movie News, Videogames, and Comics/Collectibles. Each episode will clock in right around one hour for your listening pleasure!

This Week’s Topic: Video Games!

Headlines:

• BSR’s 24 Hour Game-a-Thon Fundraiser for Rescue Rovers
• ETRIAN Odyssey
• Grand Theft Auto V ($1 Billion+ in Sales!)
• The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker HD
• Star Wars 1313

Discussion: Steam OS, SteamMachines

As always, thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and rate us! Have feedback for the Big Shiny Podcasters? Want to suggest a topic to cover? Want to just give us a shout? Feel free to drop the host of the BSPC!, Tyson, an e-mail at tyson@bigshinyrobot.com!

DC All Access is a new feature, hosted by Blair Herter and Tiffany Smith, that DC Comics plans on publishing via their Youtube page every Tuesday at 10AM PT. Their first episode can be found here, and their second is posted below. DC All Access will feature weekly giveaway’s and provide inside looks into all things DC Comics. Not just for Comics fans, DC All Access is set to feature news on everything DC. This episode has an interview with Jim Lee on Superman Unchained; an interview with Vertigo Exec Shelly Bond on Fables Encyclopedia and the Fables themed game The Wolf Among Us; Inside Mad with John Ficarra; and a new look at Batman: Arkham Origins detective mode.

Sound off in the comments or give me a shout out on Twitter @MarkAvo.

Some stories affect readers deeply, and those readers in turn expect to have their stories represented faithfully when transferred from source to screen or in this case, source to game. Being a relatively newcomer to the Fables universe, and playing through the first episode of Telltale’s new point and click title, The Wolf Among Us, I didn’t find myself lost at all. It was a gripping murder mystery with interesting characters who seem to have plenty of secrets and shared backgrounds. That is good. Not everything needs oodles of exposition from the word go. Some audiences are capable of making cognitive connections by themselves and don’t need to have everything spelled out for them at every turn.

I know it’s hard to present established material in a way that’s faithful to the original and will excite fans at the same time as it remains accessible for people like me who know next to nothing (and would be put off by more aggressive cameos and references that are needed to read said material to get).

Maybe, The Wolf Among Us is holding many of its cards close to the chest in order to build on the mystery and “magic” of Fablestown and it’s cast. And in many respects the game is for both new and old; new in that it keeps from answering every lore question, and old in that it shares in a knowing nod and wink for those who know the paths of the various features characters. And maybe the game has likewise shown that certain things aren’t as what we might have imagined they’d be or described in the Fables series to a tee, so there is an element of possibly changing the course of a few characters or events, or even filling in the blanks.

It could be one of those things where you, as a reader of the comics, are unable to imagine what it would feel like to be a non-reader of the comics. Like people who read the Harry Potter books most likely got more enjoyment out of the movies than the people who didn’t. The Wolf Among Us isn’t going to great lengths to explain every little thing, I believe that’s intentional. Unlike The Walking Dead game that beat you over the head with the same plot elements and tragedy ad-nauseum, The Wolf Among Us intentionally leaves many things without greater detail in order to better fuel the mystery element to the overall story. People don’t need to know every single detail of a world they’re reading about/watching/playing, and in some cases they’re better off not knowing.

Or would the experience be better served doing one or the other here… either making a game just for fans, that included everything you already knew and was full of those little squee-worthy references and scenes that make any good adaptation so welcome, or make it more geared towards newcomers with an infodump-style setup. You can’t be everything to everyone, but I sort of feel like leaving one group pissed and another elated is better than a general feeling of “meh” or disappointment from all involved.

The Wolf Among Us is smart, slick, cool and outstandingly well written. The characters are instantly engaging and the action holds a surprising amount of tension for what are essentially very well staged QTE’s. All I can say is that I enjoyed the episode immensely and I can’t wait for the next one.

–Dagobot

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Midnight City and Scientifically proven announced today that their new platformer Blood of the Werewolf will be hitting Steam October 28. Along with this announcement came a bucket of screen shots as well as some concept art for the monsters being utilized. This title promises to mix classic monsters with 2d platforming at its finest. Without going too far I will say that the content looks like a more cartooned version of the Castlevania games that we gamers are so fond of.

BOTW focuses on Selena, a young wife and mother who also happens to be the last surviving werewolf. After her husband is murdered and her child is kidnapped she picks up her crossbow and fires up her vengeance engine. The game is also being touted as a “throwback to platformers of yesteryear making perseverence and a stalwart resolve necessary.

Blood of the Werewolf focuses on the precision, memorization and timing aspects of games that have taken the back seat for far too long. 

Blood of the Werewolf launches October 28 as a digital download on Steam for $9.99, and is heading to consoles Q1 of 2014. You can check out our gallery of screen shots below, and the full press release just after.

MIDNIGHT CITY AND SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN ANNOUNCE

BLOOD OF THE WEREWOLF COMING TO STEAM

 

Inspired Platformer Reimagines Classic Monsters and Retro Gameplay Bringing Old-School Challenge to New-School Players

 

Edison, NJ – October 22, 2013 – Midnight City, the recently founded indie label of Majesco Entertainment Company(NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of games for the mass market, is proud to announce Scientifically Proven’sBlood of the Werewolf will be slashing its way onto Steam (PC) on October 28. Classic 2D platforming partnered with a stylistic reimagining of horror’s most iconic creatures and monsters provides an old-school challenge with new-school flair. 

 

Developed as an homage to the hardcore platformers of yesteryear, Blood of the Werewolf harkens back to a time where perseverance and dedication were the hallmark traits of arcade and console players; a time when games dished out unrelenting savagery on player characters, but were met by the stalwart resolve of an entire generation.Blood of the Werewolf focuses on the precision, memorization and timing aspects of games that have taken the back seat for far too long. Simply put, Blood of the Werewolf seeks to put the “game” back in video games with challenging gameplay and rewarding results in the quest for mastery.  

 

Blood of the Werewolf centers on Selena, a woman leading a dual life as a loving wife/mother and one of the last werewolves alive. Her husband murdered, her child kidnapped, Selena sets out with nothing more than a crossbow and a thirst for vengeance. Traverse ten exciting levels and five boss battles as you seek out your son, held captive by the one and only Dracula. Experience dynamic gameplay using Selena’s crossbow to thwart enemies from a distance, while bringing the fight up close and personal in werewolf form – instantly transforming by the light of a full moon. Full air controls add to precision jumps – with a special double jump for werewolves only. Fully upgradeable weapons and hundreds of hidden collectables await you along your journey. Discover ancient talismans to unlock the true power and potential of your werewolf abilities. Online leaderboards track your best time, number of deaths and level ranks to support bragging rights and competition with friends. Don’t forget to keep your eye out for fireflies; they often lead to special hidden surprises! 

 

Blood of the Werewolf is rated T and will release on Steam for PC via digital download on October 28, 2013 for $9.99. 

 

Blood of the Werewolf is also planned for console release in Q1 2014.

 

For more on Blood of the Werewolf, please visit our Steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/260250/

For more information, please visit our website: www.midnight-city.com

For more on Scientifically Proven, please visit: www.scientificallyproven.com and follow @BotWerewolf for updates.

 

Follow Midnight City on:

 

Twitter: @Midnight_City https://twitter.com/Midnight_City

Casey Lynch Twitter: @Lynchtacular https://twitter.com/lynchtacular

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midnightcitygames

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MidnightCityEnt

 

Telltale has moved their focus off of Walking Dead just long enough to provide us with another gritty piece of episodic genius. “The Wolf Among Us”, based on Bill Willingham’s “Fables”, is a gritty 80’s cop drama chock full of fairy tale characters, and should not be missed. Playing as the Big Bad Wolf, called Big B by the cast, you are investigating the murder of a mysterious fable after her head is left at your front door.

The cell-shaded animation plays perfectly to the story and style. The soundtrack drives the experience forward flawlessly setting the tone for New York where these Fables are hiding out. The art-style tied to a diverse, and at times  grotesque crew of characters lends to a world of intrigue that we haven’t seen anywhere else. Ranging from the angry and vitrolic Ichabod Crane (who is most assuredly involved in something evil) to the drunk and lazy Colin the pig (who happens to be the Big Bad Wolf’s roomate), there is no lack of interesting characters.

Photo: The Big Bad Wolf and Colin 

Generally I find myself unmotivated to run through anything a second time but The Wolf Among Us has me starting play through number two as fast as I can manage. My first go at the game was mostly as a friendly version of Big B. I want to see just how bad I can make him. I’m not saying that I want to tear a guy’s arm off, but collateral damage happens when you’re saving murder victims.

Photo: Ichabod is a little tense

At $4.99 an episode or $24.99 for the bundle this game is a steal. Play through number one only took me about 3 hours and there is definitely room for at least 2 more to get all the various changes which will include different relationships and controlling who lives, or dies. The characters are fabulous, and the game has a solid amount of reference and humor. Watching Big B interact with the magic mirror is worth redoing several times. Game play mechanics are perfect for the genre, and combat is stressful and taxing. The encounters leave you breathless and are more challenging than anticipated; luckily the Wolf can take a heavy beating. Telltale has been batting a thousand since they released “The Walking Dead” and this is another example, get on board quick you won’t be disappointed. 

Opinion one — Zombietron

Quantic Dream does so much right with this game, it’s hard for me to say that it won’t be GOTY. Like every game that Quantic has developed, it is heavily focused on story and you are guided through it with minimal distractions like invasive H.U.D’s.

Photo: Willem Dafoe as Doctor Nathan Dawkins 

Willem Dafoe and Ellen Page’s performances are absolutely top notch. The bond between those two is completely believable from beginning to end, and Ellen portrays Jodie as a lost soul beautifully. The bond created between Jodie and Aiden is also a testament to how good the writing behind this game really is. Without any words, and entirely through a players gently guided actions we are shown this incredible bond between these two. The most emotional moment in game was the realization that they may be separated due to my choices. (Trust me this doesn’t spoil anything.)

Without mirroring the usual 3rd person shooter Beyond provides just enough run and gun to remind you that it’s an action game. Moving from cover to cover while utilizing your invisible partner to remove or distract enemies is exciting and challenging. (Not to mention heart-breaking when you’re forced to meet the enemies family.) Although I don’t rank this game above “The Last Of Us”, it does offer many advantages including the heart warming endings, as opposed to TLOU’s one humanity breaking finale.This difference is what makes Beyond the incredible piece that it is.

Uncovering the characters rich back-story, and creating an ending that is truly yours sets this game apart.

Multiple friends have experienced a completely different path, and even experienced different scenes because they lost a fight or didn’t make it through a scene the same way I did. This provides multiple opportunities for replay and plenty of incentive to do it. Thematically I also have to tip my hat to the writing crew for addressing the question of God without slapping any one belief in the face, it is simply presented as is, and then set up for what could be a mind-bending sequel.

Photo: An unexpected companion 

Referring back to the opening statement I do feel that this will not win a Game Of The Year award, even though it will be nominated by multiple parties. Something that gave Heavy Rain an edge over this title is the finality of the ending. Heavy Rain had no sequel potential and the story could end with no cliff hanger, wrapping up every character. The ending to Beyond (depending on your choice) tied back to almost every interaction Jodie had throughout the adventure, all of these endings regardless of choices eventually converged on a single point in time. This point, however amazing it was ( and believe me, it was awesome.) Forced the writers to take a bit more of a gentle turn with characters, although I must say, the character they chose to bring into that final convergence was genius.

Beyond is definitely in this years top ten, and you’re missing an incredible story of love, companionship, combat, and the supernatural if you skip this one.

Opinion 2 — Sithbot

Beyond Two Souls is an astonishing game, and I love almost every aspect of it. It takes everything that was wonderful and amazing about Heavy Rain and kicks it up a notch. From the jaw dropping graphics to the incredible performances by the leads (Willem Dafoe and Ellen Page),

this game is a vast improvement on every story-driven game that has come before it and sets the bar stupidly high for what is to come.

Photo: Visually the bar is set so high

The drawbacks? Well, the plot does meander a lot, and I would have rather have enjoyed it as a straight play through instead of bouncing around the timeline. I can appreciate the attempt used to tell the story, but it wasn’t executed as well as the rest of the game surrounding it. Also, I really missed the way your choices impacted the story the way they did in Heavy Rain. Sure, there are multiple endings and you do decide how to get there, but for the most part, the decisions you make are locked into the individual vignettes and don’t affect the overall story. So you can be a cold hard bitch or a complete angel, and it will change how that section plays out. but the consequences don’t bleed over into the rest of the story.

Lastly, this is very much more of an interactive movie than an actual game. True, you do control Jodie and Aiden, but much of the experience is spent watching and passing QTEs instead of directly interacting. Personally, I like this approach as it more fully drew me into the story, but this may not be up everyone’s alley, so if you’re expecting an action game instead of a story driven adventure, you may want to pass. Which would actually be a shame because this is one of the most moving, intense and emotional gaming experiences I’ve ever been privileged to enjoy.

Quantic Dream continues to amaze, and I can’t even begin to fathom what they will come up with next. They are truly on the edge of interactive storytelling, and I hope that other developers will take some cues from them on their upcoming projects.

The first video game I ever played was Myst.

Honestly I think that was a major influence in my taste in games today. More often than not I’ll choose a nice, calm puzzler over a shooter any day of the week. In my opinion, exploration trumps a lot of other gameplay elements. So when I got word that Cyan, Inc – the creators of the Myst series – opened a Kickstarter to fund a new IP, I jumped at the chance to help them out.

“Obduction” is a first person adventure game where the player’s goal is to find out more about the world around them. To interact with an understand their environment. The exact details of the plot are pretty scarce right now – and if Cyan has their way, that will be continue to be the case which I think is essential for a game like this – but it has to do with the player being abducted and taken far away from their home. You’ll jump to difference places on your journey, putting together the puzzle of where you are and why you’re there. Apparently you won’t be the only character in the world, and I’m hoping for some cool interactions with the unique NPCs Cyan is known to create. 

Their goal is a fairly high 1.1 million dollars, but at the time of this writing they’ve already managed to raise 200k in less than 24 hours. I’m cautiously optimistic that the project will be funded, and if it is, you can expect a release in late 2015. The game will use the Unreal Engine 4, which looks spectacular, and they’re planning for release on both Windows and Mac.

I’m incredibly excited. Cyan knows what they’re doing when it comes to this kind of game, and they’ve never disappointed before. I can’t wait to see what the end result will look like, and I’m hoping some of you will feel the same.

Jeff Lin a.k.a Lyte of Riot Games announced on the Official League Forum today, a new feature for League of Legends coming this year. Team Builder is LOL’s new match-making feature that gives players the chance to queue for the position they would like to play. Players can then begin the match as a balanced team before it begins, with everyone understanding their roles.

The goal is to build a balanced team where everyone’s in agreement on where they’re going and what they’re playing, and in doing so help lay the foundation for good teamwork.

Riot has a track record of focusing on the player experience through their “sportsmanship policy” and their continued support of crowd pleasing events. This is truly seems to be the next inevitable step for them. Players can now queue up for a specific character and will be placed with an expectation to play the role correctly. The system will also match you with equally skilled players in those groups to run well.

How often have you logged on to League of Legends and thought, “I just want to play Renekton today.” Or maybe you want to try a new strategy but can’t find four friends to premade with. We’re always asking how we can make the League of Legends experience better, and one thing that comes up a lot is how players want to feel like they’re in control of their pre-game experience.

This makes playing League better for people like me especially. I’m a huge fan of the game, but rarely know who to pick or how to play my position well. I’m the guy getting screamed at, now I know if I want to play Annie that I will be queued with a balanced team, and can focus on learning my role via forums and practice.  This is simply incredible stuff for League, you can read the full post here, or below.

Via Riot Forums

Hello Summoners!  

Lyte here, and in this post I’m excited to talk with you about Team Builder, a new feature coming to PBE in the near future where you can queue up for a specific role, champion and position and get connected with four teammates that also preselected their preferred role. The goal is to build a balanced team where everyone’s in agreement on where they’re going and what they’re playing, and in doing so help lay the foundation for good teamwork.  

How often have you logged on to League of Legends and thought, “I just want to play Renekton today.” Or maybe you want to try a new strategy but can’t find four friends to premade with. We’re always asking how we can make the League of Legends experience better, and one thing that comes up a lot is how players want to feel like they’re in control of their pre-game experience.

Good teamwork doesn’t just start when the minions spawn or at the first big teamfight. It starts in champion select. Champion select sets the tone of the game and greatly impacts whether you feel like you’re going to have a fun match. So we asked ourselves: what’s the ideal champion select? And how can we improve this process so it happens more often? 

An ideal champ select is one where all five players get their preferred role and feel like they’re all on the same page for the upcoming match. The current matchmaking does a good job of matching up players of similar overall skill levels, but doesn’t have any way to know what a player’s intentions for a given game are. Sometimes things work out perfectly and everyone gets the champion and role they wanted without a hitch. But if multiple players are looking to play the same role or lane, a consensus has to be built in a relatively short period of time. That’s time that could be used to get to know each other, agree on a strategy and build confidence that it’s going to be a fun match. 

Team Builder is intended to bring players together that complement each other’s expectations and intentions from the moment they enter the lobby. When everyone’s aligned on who will be going where and playing what, the only thing left to figure out is how to dominate the opposition. 

Once we had a model for how Team Builder would bring players together, we started looking at matchmaking and how we could evolve it to help further enable good games. One of the most important things for a team’s enjoyment is making sure that they’re matched against similarly skilled players. 

With Team Builder we’ll also be rolling out a smarter matchmaking system that can dynamically account for your experience with a given role, position or champion. First time playing Ahri? Learning how to be a solid Marksman? Venturing into the jungle for the first time? Team Builder’s matchmaking will take all of these factors into account. .

Our goal for Team Builder is to bring players together and build better teams. Because good teams win more games, make bigger plays, and most importantly, have more fun. 

To us, that’s exciting, and we’re looking forward to your feedback. See you in Team Builder,

Lyte

The teaser trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Video Game has been dropped! Looks like it iwll be heading out in Spring 2013. Not a ton of hints being thrown around inside the trailer, we know their will be villains, Spidey will be web swinging, and it will be a video game. The questions then arise about platforms, dates, villains, story, you know the impotant stuff. Here is the teaser folks!