Dead Island 2: Deep Silver Comments on its Disappearance from Steam

     Strange news arrives from the Banoi archipelago.  The day before we get the Dead Island Definitive Editions along with the added Retro Revenge beat  em up created for the collection, but then some more mysterious occurrences have surfaced.  Dead Island 2 has vanished from Steam.

     Luckily Deep Silver has already commented on it:

"Dead Island 2 is in development with Sumo Digital. Once we have new details to share, we will do so."

    It's been a couple years since it was first announced and then there's been turbulent times throughout production- leading to Yager Development's departure and Sumo Digital taking over.  Considering E3 2016 is only a few weeks away, this isn't the best news to be hearing.

     It seems all right that Deep Silver has commented that the game is still on the way, but it does give us pause with a long history of problems.  Even original Dead Island developer Techland had offered their services and to take over, but alas, Deep Silver went with Sumo Digital anyway.  Think of what Techland could be doing after their unbelievable Dying Light.  Well, we'll just have to wait and see what comes of our favorite zombie infested tropical paradise.

     Sources [ NeoGAF ] & [ Steam ] via [ Gamerant ]

Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes is Coming to Television

     A mere week or so before the third book in Stephen King's Bill Hodges trilogy, titled End of Watch, hits book store shelves on June 7th, a 10 episode television adaptation of the first book, Mr. Mercedes, has been announced.

     King's book is a pure hard-boiled detective novel:

In the gloomy pre-dawn hours of a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of unemployed hopefuls are lined up for a job fair. Without warning, a merciless driver plows through the crowd in a roaring Mercedes. Eight people are killed; 15 are wounded. The killer escapes into the early-spring fog never to be seen from again. Until now... 

Detective Bill Hodges is a battle-hardened and streetwise crime fighter originally assigned to the Mercedes killings. Now retired, Hodges has lost his way in boredom and depression craving the thrills of taking down the region’s most notorious criminals. When a disturbing letter from the Mercedes Killer arrives at his door, Hodges soon finds himself uncontrollably drawn into a cat-n-mouse pursuit with stakes beyond comprehension.

     The part of retired detective Bill Hodges will be played by Brendan Gleeson, while the villain and IT tech worker and part time ice cream truck driver Brady Hartsfield will be played by Anton Yelchin.  Both of these actors are tremendously talented and the show sounds like it's off to a great start with just the cast.  I'm really curious as to who they'll get to play the roles of Jerome and Holly, as they are extremely important parts in the book, and subsequently the sequels.

     If this does even remotely as well as Hulu's adaptation of 11/22/63, it'll be an amazing show.  Many fans will be looking forward to seeing "The Happy Slapper" in action.  Honestly, I hope it does well enough to warrant making a second season for Finders Keepers, and then finish it off with the third book as the third season.

     Mr. Mercedes will premiere in 2018 on both DirecTV and AT&T Uverse.

     Source [ The Hollywood Reporter ]

The Last Guardian: Update from Ueda Interview in New Edge Magazine

     It's been a very, very long wait for all of Fumito Ueda's fans since the 2009 announcement of The Last Guardian until today's confirmation that yes, it will indeed hit Playstation 4 this year.  With only a month until E3, this has reinvigorated the hype for us.  Sadly, it isn't all great hype.
     In Edge Magazine's issue 294 issue, Ueda himself says, "Since this is the year we will see the game's release, I do have some worries, but I'm also very excited."

     What concerns me is this new mechanic that has been mentioned.  Their preview mentioned the human boy character using a mirrored shield while Trico (the bird-cat-beast) fires a beam of red lightning from its tail at what you aim the shield towards.  It's stated that it'll be used for puzzle solving mechanics, and presumably as an attack at some point.
     There's just something slightly off-putting about the tail beam.  I get the shield.  Previous games had magic swords, so having some kind of magically imbued shield would be plausible as well.  But the creatures shooting lightning from their tails is something that feels a bit too strange.  I won't judge it yet though, because with Ueda still on board, I'll wait to see how it's handled in game.

     What does keep me highly excited is Trico itself.  As Yorda from Ico was independant and would frustrate players as well as help, Trico has been modeled as its own being, with its own will and wants and desires.  Ueda goes on in the interview to say,

     This creature isn't like the cute pets that exist in other games, or an ally that's really useful. The role of the creature is ambiguous; that's something we wanted to express in the game, and it doesn't always do what you ask it to do. That's one of the themes of The Last Guardian. It's something that's difficult, and completely different. I want to create the next thing - an experience that people have never had before.

     I find it so amazing that we'll be getting a character that will be doing things for itself, and not just what we want it to do.  It'll follow its own nature and do what it wants, and that's a very refreshing take on companion characters.  That's also coming from someone that at times wanted to shove Yorda off a ledge for her stubborn refusal to follow where I needed her to go.  It was a chore just to even convince her to sit on a save couch so I could save the damn game.

     For my related posts [ The Last Guardian ] [ ICO ] [ Shadow of the Colossus ]

     Source [ EDGE Twitter ] & [ IB Times ] via [ Gematsu ]

Outcast: The Whole First Episode & A Short Review (Robert Kirkman & Cinemax)

     Cinemax has done a couple great things for their upcoming series Outcast.  First, they posted the first episode in its entirety for our viewing pleasure, and second, they've already renewed the show for another season before its televised debut.  Outcast is based on the comic book of the same name from Skybound/Image Comics created by the team of writer Robert Kirkman, of The Walking Dead fame, and artist Paul Azaceta*.

     I wrote quite a while back that the show's creators appear to, "have given great life to this tale of demonic possession and the toll it takes on those that deal with it for their whole lives."  So far, I think I was spot on with those words.  Patrick Fugit's Kyle Barnes is a man trying to hide from a world that fears him, attempting to live his days in an odd form of normalcy compared to those around him.  Fugit does a great job of playing the role of pariah.  You can see how tired he looks as he tries to bridge the gap between the life he had, and the one the one he's currently struggling with.  A history of demonic possession is a dark path to tread and Fugit presents it beautifully.  He is extremely believable in this role, and I can't wait to see what he'll do as the series progresses.

     There's also only a handful of people that are willing to aid Barnes, including Reverend Anderson (Philip Glenister), Kyle's adopted sister Megan Holter (Wrenn Schmidt), and Chief Giles (the always amazing Reg E. Cathey).  Each of them is distinct in their role and do a tremendous job of supporting Barnes.  As the series proceeds, they'll all get their chances to really shine.

     Cinemax has certainly gained me as a viewer.  The supernatural-horror genre has been relatively sparse on television lately, and what shows there are turn out pretty terrible.  Even Kirkman's The Walking Dead devolved from survival horror into something much less appealing.  I feel it's lost the grounded horror focus it started with.  It seems to have been missing the real psychological tension that hit audiences in the first season  That's coming from someone that read the first 100 issues.

     Anyways, I read the first two story arcs of Outcast as they hit the stands monthly about two years ago, and they absolutely nailed it for the show.  They captured the creepy atmosphere perfectly, and the tremendously eerie presentation of the possessed child in this episode is downright brilliant.  Seriously, that kid deserves an award for how disturbing he makes himself.
     This show has been handled extremely well so far, and now there's only 9 more episodes to go.  I'm now hopeful enough that I think the show will be far superior to the the source material.  That is definitely something I never thought I'd ever say.

     Outcast will possess us all beginning Friday June 3 at 10pm on Cinemax.

     *As a side note, I'd like to really, REALLY recommend some of Kirkman's other comic series' such as Invincible (the only series I've read monthly since it started!), Destroyer, and The Irredeemable Ant-Man.  As for the incredible Azaceta, I've been a fan of his since his art in the Grounded comic book series.  That's one that I would recommend to any longtime fans of superhero comics in general.

451 Media: Self Storage: Issue 5 Review

"If you found a zombie in a storage locker...  would you keep it?"

     That's the premise of Self Storage put forth by series creator Clay McLeod Chapman and artist Matt Timson.  With that beginning they've given us an every man with Chris Smith.  He's just a guy trying to get by in life by picking up what others left behind in their storage sheds.  Bidding on containers and hoping for some great treasures to pawn at a profit, he buys Unit 83.
     Instead of potential riches he finds a teenage zombie named Jessica.  Once he's purchased this container and finds what's inside he must now find out who put her in there and why.

UNIT 83

     After finding the zombie Jessica some things go very, very wrong and people have died.  Chris had to leave the storage facility and he subsequently left a couple less-than-admirable redneck co-workers in charge, and leaving some dumbasses in charge is always a terrible idea.
     While Chris had been out trying to piece together the mystery behind Unit 83, his coworkers wanted to inject some hilarity into their day by putting the zombies to use.  Showing that things aren't all about work for these guys, they played some paintball games with their zombie cargo.  Or at least they tried to.  Things went sour during their fun and games through the labyrinthine hallways, leading to even more deaths, and a rapidly increasing number of the undead.  The sheds are filling up as quickly as the body count.

RENTAL PAYMENT DUE

     Since leaving his idiotic co-workers in charge, Chris's mistakes have come forward and it's time to pay for them.  Last couple issues had some surprising deaths, cranked up the tension, and gave us more of the backstory of what led to Jessica being contained in Unit 83.  Self Storage 5 continues the series' tradition of ramping up of the stakes, allowing us a couple moments of levity and humor, then hits us with a high-cost loss of life.  And then this issue ends with someone returning to claim what is rightfully theirs from Unit 83.  A cliffhanger ending that definitely leaves us every bit as hungry for more as any one of the brain-eating monsters currently locked up in the storage facility.

     Self Storage is a brilliant handling of the all-consuming zombie genre.  It combines the culture of Storage Wars with the horror of The Walking Dead, and adds a dash of comedy right out of Shaun of the Dead.  The creators are proving that the undying genre is one that truly will not stay down when used in new and interesting ways.  Clay McLeod Chapman has found an ingenious way to provide a wonderfully entertaining commentary on our inability to let things go.  Both for those that have died, and for our material possessions- the whole reason public storage sheds were created in the first place.  It really makes me wonder, what is the true cost of not letting go?

     Self Storage 5 will be available May 25th.

     [ 451 Media Twitter ] [ Official Site ]

*Review copy provided by 451 Media, Thank You!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan Launches Today!

     Platinum Games' highly anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan is out today, and they've put out a great launch trailer to go with it.

     Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan has got to be a better game than TMNT: Out of the Shadows, and if Transformers: Devastation was any indication, it'll be fun as shell.  Here, we get an art style influenced greatly by the IDW comics series, and a whole lot of 4-player online co-op play.

     For more of my Turtles related posts [ TMNT ]

Black Tower Enigma: Short Review

     I came across this in late April when Ogre Pixel announced the game was free to play.  It was a genuine treat to find as it isn't like many games out there.  Black Tower Enigma is something very special in that it is a tightly knit puzzle game with a tremendous amount of story crammed into a tiny package.

     Players take on the role of Wigo, an orc whose wife had the misfortune of putting on a magic dress gifted to her by a mysterious fairy.  The dress caused her to be lifted high into the sky and towards the Black Tower.  So he journeys to the tower to free his stolen bride.

     Players must ascend the tower, floor by floor, by solving puzzles through the riddles contained in books strewn about the archives in each floor.  Reading the books provide both hints and clues to finding solutions to get to the next levels, and sometimes hints are left on previous floors (all read books are accessible in the pause menu).  In addition, the the books also give players plenty of back story with some history of Wigo's world.  There are tales of elves and dwarves, and the wizards inhabiting the land to add a surprising amount of depth to the small game making it feel much larger than it is.

     None of the puzzles are overly taxing for those with a keen interest in reading the clues, but they aren't too easy either.  They maintain that perfect middle ground of challenge, and keep players interested without frustration.  There's plenty of items to interact with, but finding the correct solution requires a specific answer to each floor's riddle, necessitating a certain order at times.  So each solution adds just a little extra satisfaction because it takes wits and not sheer guesswork to get to the next level.

     Black Tower Enigma is a tremendous little gem, and there aren't many games that are nearly as captivating as this is.  It's a short and ingenious tale loaded with tricky puzzles and a brilliant story that can be beaten in about an hour.  The story even ends with what could very well be a hint for a follow up game or sequel involving a dead giant.  Ogre Pixel's own blog hinted at a possible future installment with this little gem of a title, After Black Tower Enigma.  After playing through this, I would gladly buy a sequel.  Hopefully it'll be much lengthier, but honestly, with this level of quality, I wouldn't mind another short game.

     Black Tower Enigma is free on [ Google Play ] [ iOS ] [ PC, MAC, Linux ]

Terminator 2 Mobile MMORPG on the Way from Developer NetEase...

...But, sadly, it may not make it out of China and to western audiences.

     According to the video's description Terminator 2 is a "new sandbox post-apocalyptic mobile MMORPG that blends role playing, shooting, racing and action gameplay together."  It looks pretty decent.  Well, at least as fun as Terminator Genisys: Revolution.  Especially if it is actually a 3rd person shooter and not a mostly rail shooter with 3rd person elements.

     Terminator 2, formerly known as Project: The Wild, is being created with a "self-developed engine called NeoX and is meant to blend amazing graphics with a great storyline into one large cinematically-based, immersive world.

     No launch dates have been given yet.  I'm crossing my fingers that this'll make it's way over here for all of us western mobile gamers.

     Official site [ Terminator 2 MMORPG ]

     Source [ 2p ]

Techland: Dying Light 2, A New Fantasy IP, and Thoughts

     Techland's CEO Pawel Marchewka spoke with Eurogamer at the conference Digital Dragons and mentioned a couple juicy tidbits about two of their projects currently in the works.

DYING LIGHT SEQUEL

     The first is that he mentioned a Dying Light sequel.  There was talk of Dead Island, but as Deep Silver owns that IP, they would focus on what's "more important to them," and that would be Dying Light 2.  That is a little sad as Dead Island could definitely use them for a new game, especially after the turbulent times that Dead Island 2 has been in over the last year and a half.  I'd really like to see what they could do with that series after the astounding work they put out with Dying Light.  And to be fair he didn't officially say that their Wroclaw Studio was working on this sequel, but had rather implied as much.
     The potential for future Dead Island games remains, though. as Techland is at least on working terms again with Deep Silver and are remastering Dead Island for The Definitive Edition which will release on May 31st.

A NEW FANTASY IP

     The second item however, has me even more excited.  Techland's new IP will be, "An open-world fantasy game with RPG elements- maybe in a slightly bigger sense than Dying Light ... it's RPG elements rather than RPG game."

     Although he made sure to say that the game is NOT Hellraid, which is still sitting "shelved" for them.  Marchewka says he's open to options, and maybe hoping that maybe there could be another trusted developer work with them on something for it and Techland could simply serve as publisher in a sort of collaboration.  The same goes for their Call of Juarez IP, the last game of which, Gunslinger, was absolutely amazing.  He's open to some options.

THOUGHTS

     As for the fantasy IP- this could be something really outstanding.  I mean, in reality, they could truly give Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls games a run for their money.  Especially if they got rid of their damn item degradation system that has annoyed me with their zombie games.  A crowbar isn't going to break after cracking 30 zombie skulls, that's just plain ridiculous.
     Even if it isn't Hellraid, think of how they've grown in the past year or so since it was shelved, and then think of what they can do with what they can do with what they believed was a better idea.  This is a tremendous opportunity to give fans a taste of the range they can create.  I will be eagerly awaiting the official announcement for this title and now have very high hopes.

     When it comes to Dying Light's sequel, well, who doesn't want to spend a little more time in that world they've created?  It's currently one of the handful of games I continually return to because it's so well done.

     Marchewka says both new games have been in progress for roughly a year, and should be ready in about 3.  Three years is a long time to wait... but, hey, look at how amazing they did with their last couple games.  I can wait.

     Source [ Eurogamer ]

Titan Quest Mobile: Available NOW! (For iOS)

     Mythological-based hack'n slash classic Titan Quest is now available for iOS devices!  Nordic Games and DotEmu have done a tremendous job if this launch trailer is to be believed.

     DotEmu has been adapting the computer game's controls specifically for mobile touch screens and it looks amazing.  Alongside an HD graphical enhancement, they've added tons of extra features:

A huge, open world to explore

Full day/night cycle

80 different mythological creatures

1200+ items to discover

30 different character classes 

150 different character skills

Colossal playtime of more than 60 hours 

Scale-able difficulty modes: weapons and enemies match your skill level 

Dozens of unlockable achievements to discover

Cloud saving: start a game on your phone and continue on your iPad

No ads, no in-app purchases. Full Premium experience - Enjoy the full content for one price!

     This is one of the few games I'd instantly recommend to pretty much anyone.  It's been a decade since it first came out, and it still looks amazing.  So, go forth champions, and reclaim the ancient world from the escaped titans.

     Titan Quest is available now for [ iOS ] and "coming soon" for Android.