Be Excellent To Each Other

New game, it's a collaboration between Suda51 and Shinji Mikami.

It looks a bit like Resident Evil 4-2.

Here's a video of it:


I bloody loved Killer 7 (Suda51 and Mikami's last collaboration), and between them they are probably responsible for more interesting games to come out of Japan in the last decade than any other developers.

Day 1 for me.

Edit: Oh, it's out in June.

June !!

I remember seeing the videos of this at TGS last year and thought it was due out the end of this year - I'd like a demo first but it does look good.

That'll be me Day 1'ing with you, Lewie. This looks terrific and June is probably far enough away so we don't have over-the-shoulder-shooter overkill after Dead Space 2. I think it probably has some uphill climbing to do to distinguish itself and get mainstream success. It looks like they've gone for quirky rather than straight-faced uber dark weirdness, whereas I'd prefer more of the latter. Fingers crossed they pull it off though.

And Killer7 was bloody brilliant, shame about No More Heroes though.

They're hammering these games out! Colour me interested. Very interested! (Magenta.)

Oh yes, this is looking nice Stylistically it reminds me a bit of Resi mixed with some Killer7. Definately one to keep an eye on.

Very interested.

It looks great.

Aside: Why do games still have subtitles turned on by default? Silly.

I like to have subtitles on - in a small house having a game at a volume where gunfights don't shake the house down tends to make conversation virtually inaudible.

I always turn subtitles on as well - mainly because I like to read quickly and whizz through tedious voice acting (unless the acting is particularly good - I'm guessing it's not going to be in Shadows of the Damned). But I can't remember the last game I played where they were on by default - they're usually turned off. I had to turn them on manually in La Noire and Duke most recently, and pretty much everything I can remember before that.

Are you sure you haven't messed with those accessibility settings in your Xbox, Grim...?

Nope.
They're on in that video, though. Mass Effect deals with them best, IMO (ie. they appear a little bit after the person has said their thing, in case you missed it).

Shame we can't turn them off on here.

They usually turn subtitles on in trailers and promo material for the purposes of demonstration and accessibility. i.e. it's better to have them turned on so deaf people can join in the fun than not so people like you don't moan about it.

Pardon?

This comes out on Friday! I am quite looking forward to it.

Why have I ignored this thread so far?

This game looks ace!

7/10 on Eurogamer, but it was reviewed by the mirthless, personality deficient, Simon Parkin. He gave Brink 8/10. So I'm ignoring it. Seems to be doing alright elsewhere.

Still interested. Oh hell with it, I'm getting it full price on Friday. I'd much rather my cash go to Suda so he can make more weirdness rather than any other publisher knocking out another generic FPS.

Gonna grab me some of this at lunch time.

Look forward to hearing what you both have to say about it. Well, what Ian has to say about it really.

I hate you.

I hope it's better than that shitty Call of Duty game.

I'm going to pick this up at lunch too! I sharn't be playing it till later though cause I'm not a layabout student

I played it.

Needs more Call of Dutyification.

I haz dis!

But this will definately come down in price and quickly too. It's getting no support in any of the shops I went to and was 7th in the GAME chart below games that have been out for a while now. I was struggling to find it as well. There's no posters up and you wouldn't know it was even out.

I think it's a load of old bollocks that FEAR3 is getting a big push and there's more space on the shelves dedicated to MW3 than this, and that ain't out till the end of the frickin year. FFS. What does a publisher that has something interesting to show have to do to get any shelf space these days...

Hang on, it's being published by EA! Why haven't they given it more backing? Mind you, it doesn't help that the boxart is appalling.

I have it too!

It's interesting that it's published by EA, and it's also running on Unreal tech. Looking forward to giving it a blast when I get in. I hope it has some sort of unlockable fun modes upon completion, like all of the good Resi games did. Otherwise it's literally just a singleplayer campaign.

Just had a bash for an hour - it's good. It's Resident Evil 5, but insane.

I played an hour last night too and 'Resi 5 but insane' is far too generous. The game hasn't stopped telling me how to play the fucking thing since I started (or the fucking companion skull hasn't shut the fuck up). It just seems more like No More Heroes than Resi. That might not be a bad thing and maybe the game needs to explain all the different mechanics for when I'm left on my own to explore the world (which so far has been entirely linear).

Just don't leave me with that fucking talking skull...

It holds your hand through the first stage, but then you're on your own pretty much. Play it some more!

I have! Now.

And it's much better now. Had about 3 boss fights which were alright. Shame its been all 'shoot the shiny red spot' or 'go into the dark and shot the shiny red spot'.

It ain't blowing my socks off. In fact they're still right up to my knees still.

Well, no. It's Resident Evil 5, only insane.

Is it good or not then?

WHO DO WE BELIEVE?!

Well I don't think it's being too generous. It's a pretty fair summary. Resi 5 wasn't exactly a masterpiece, it was just a good solid Resi game. An 8/10. This is more of the same, but a different aesthetic - dirty jokes and crazy Suda51 stuff. I'm enjoying it.

As for the "hot spot" boss battles - isn't that par for the course in a Resi game? It's basically Resident Evil 5: Silly Hell Themed Edition.

edit: I also imagine it'll be £20 in a couple of weeks, and seeing as it apparently doesn't have a "New Game+" or any unlockable modes, I'd wait it out.

It's an over the shoulder shooter like Resi but that's where the similarity end.

It's nowhere near as tight, the levels are samey and dull so far (and I'm at act 3) and I've not ventured beyond anything that isn't a corridor.

And it's not interesting. Garcia is alright. The skull isn't funny. The enemies aren't a challenge. The graphics are below par. The movement is cumbersome. The weapons are ok-ish. Bright red hit spots. Script is below average.

Oh and the puzzles follow this pattern: Door is locked, find key, unlock door. Only door is a door demon and they like strawberries or brains. Of course it's still just a door/key puzzle and the key is almost always right next to the door.

So you can add a lack of any exploration to the list above then. It should be thankful for the Resi comparisons but they're infinately misleading.

Still, a fair way to go yet, so let's not write it off just yet!

Did you play Resi 5?

Several times. Single and co-op. Fought through teeming Zombies and bugs of all sizes in a tense action rollarcoaster that was everything Shadows isn't (so far).

"Fill those cracks with your explosive hot boner"

I got back from glastonbury, and this is out now. Might go and buy it tomorrow...

How has Suda 51 become famous? None of his games have been any cop.

Is it because of his stupid nickname? Which is the equivalent of being called Peter Sm1th, you know.

It's nothing like being called "Peter Sm1th". It's more like being called "Peter Thirteetoo" and writing your name as "Peter 32".

I've liked a few of his games, and even those I don't like I think are pretty interesting.

I'm up to Act 4-2 and it's finally clicked. This is loads better than those earlier stages and it's at least challenging and has become more varied (but no less linear). Barring a tepid side scrolling shooting section, the later levels are more fun and the shooting, although the same, is varied between, say, bigger baddies, following a fish light around while being attacked in the dark, a nice Evil Dead homage, being chased by your undead mrs, a turret-ish section where you shoot giant enemies with your 'big boner' etc.

There's been a couple of good one liners but overal it's obsession with the juvenile or purile titilation might grate with some people (not me, mind). The weapons are getting better and the bosses have been reasonably good fun. I particularly liked some bird guy who can only scream fuuuuucccckkk yooooou in this high pitched whine. In fact since Act 3 it's really started to come alive. It's all a bit silly and I wish Suda could have gone for some more dark horror vibe but perhaps that's for another day.

I think I'm about 4 hours in and only a third of that was a trudge at the beginning. It's turned out nicely!

I'm really enjoying it. Not so much the humour, but the overall aesthetic. The music is absolutely brilliant as well. It's certainly linear, but it has a certain charm that I'm really liking. I'd definitely wait for it to be cheapy cheap, though - I'm trying hard to space out my sessions on it because I get a feeling it's not gonna take too long to complete.

As for Pundy's thoughts on Suda51 - I thought No More Heroes was fantastic. That's all I've played by him. Unfortunately I never played Killer7 because I was probably playing Counter-Strike or something.

Finished!

Time taken was just over 7 hourd and, like WTB already said, there's no reason to play after you've finished. No unlockables, no new game+, nothing. Except the cheevos you might have missed and the game is so generous with the cheevos I picked up 40/50 without even trying.

Overal it was fun, technically not great and merely competent, but a robust if unchallenging shooter. The thing that hurt me the most though is that for a Suda game it was lacking that dark weirdness of Killer7 right up until the end of the last boss when something weird happens and I thought 'yeah that was great' but that was the only part in the entire game. If it had more moments it coiuld have been great but it turned to be solidly average. 5/10

Seems EDGE agrees with me: 5/10. They've been quite hard on all their reviews this week an' all which is interesting especially since a couple of the games reviewed have been out for almost a month...

I still haven't warmed to the new format though.

On it's way to me from Lovefilm. Yay.

Yeah I got my EDGE the other day. Can't say I really disagree with much of what they're saying, although I think the score is a little harsh (so far - I still haven't completed it because I've been distracted by Castlevania).

I think Edge have been spot on with the content of their reviews recently. I think I must be going soft in my old age.

I'd finish and trade Shadows while you can get more than a pound for it. AND THEN PLAY KILLER7 YOU NUMPTY!

So am I going to hate this when it turns up?

Not at all! It's perfectly good. It's just incredibly linear. Also, very disappointing in that it has next to no replayability, which is one of the most appealing things about the Resident Evil games it is essentially derived from. No New Game+, no unlockable modes or anything of the sort.