Whoa, where did all these trailers come from? Last week was surprisingly busy in the three-to-five-minute-video-game-videos arena, so I’ll be doing more pruning than usual, but there are some winners up in this piece. Also, totally unrelated, but I held a baby raccoon today. That is all. Here are the trailers!
Transistor
Given that Bastion is one of my all-time favorite games, it seems only fair to be excited about Transistor, the next project from Supergiant Games. Actually, make that imminent, nearly completed project as it is set to release next week on May 20, 2014. I love the art style, the music is thus far amazing, and I’m just excited. I don’t necessarily have expectations; just that I’m anxious to find out what it’s all about.
Wolfenstein: The New Order
I’m still vacillating super hard between looking forward to Wolfenstein: The New Order and thinking what I’ve played and seen so far is incredibly skippable. The demos have touched on so many interesting ideas of necessary violence, psychological sustainability, and other complex personal bits of introspection, but it’s wrapped in a 90s B movie blanket of one-liners and explosions. It also comes out this week on May 20, 2014, so I guess we’ll find out soon where it ends up falling.
Bombshell
So here’s the gist of this exceedingly inscrutable trailer: Interceptor Entertainment, the studio behind the surprisingly fun Rise of the Triad reboot last year, is teaming up with 3D Realms to create an isometric action RPG called Bombshell, which features Shelley “Bombshell” Harrison, a former bomb tech turned mercenary.
There are some serious flavors of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but it’s actually built on the ruins of that Duke Nukem lawsuit from earlier this year between 3D Realms and Gearbox Entertainment. This incarnation of the project is aiming for Q1 of 2015, which seems somewhat aggressive, but those Interceptor guys sure know how to crank out a game crazy quick.
SpyParty
SpyParty is really cool. It’s made for getting in and out of another person’s head while trying to guard your own. I’m sure you’ve heard of it before, but this trailer explains rather succinctly what the actual gameplay is like in terms of mechanics, but it fails to capture how much sweating is involved in panicking to make a decision. This feature on the Omegathon from PAX Prime last year captures pretty well the anxiety involved in playing SpyParty.
Nuclear Throne
Rebranded from Wasteland Kings (I personally like the sound of that a bit better), Nuclear Throne was pretty fun back when I played it and looks like it’s still plenty fun. You might recognize the name from Vlambeer’s idea to livestream development to usurp game clones.
Fantasia: Music Evolved
While certainly less bombastic than its announcement trailer, this video shows a bit more accurately what it’s like to play Fantasia: Music Evolved from Harmonix. Rather than irresponsibly gesture about in some abstract space, you’ll be pseudo-conducting in your living room. And it still looks fun. Expected to release this fall.
Microsoft Drops Kinect Requirements
Not really a trailer, but it is pretty big news. Microsoft has dropped the Kinect requirements for the Xbox One. This video adequately conveys that bit (and the lowered $399 price tag for the lack of the peripheral), but it more interestingly makes it very apparent that the company is only doing it begrudgingly. It’s the closest you’re likely to get to a flustered sigh coming out of Yusuf Mehdi. I would have preferred that they stuck to their guns. It also seems terribly unfortunate for the aforementioned Fantasia: Music Evolved.
A Story About My Uncle
Weird title, indecipherable premise, cool gameplay. From what I’ve read and seen, A Story About My Uncle about a boy who tries to find his uncle and instead ends up in a strange world full of floating rocks, potential aliens, and the ability to swing from stuff like Spider-Man. It comes out May 28, 2014.
Never Alone
If they kill that dog, I swear I will burn Utica to the ground. I can’t take any more animal best friend deaths in video games. Or even close calls. I still never fully recovered from Shadow of the Colossus. But Never Alone seems pretty interesting. It’s being developed in association with Alaska Native communities, drawing directly from cultural fables and the people’s rich heritage. Come this fall.
New Game Plus 