First look: Path of Exile
It seems like everyone has an idea of what the “ideal” dungeon crawler entails. With Diablo III just released, it may be a little hard to get hyped about another lootfest, but fledgling company Grinding Gear Games would like you to take a moment and see what they have to offer.
Last weekend they opened their beta up to everyone, and we got to take a look at what equated to about 5-7 hours of content. I did my best to complete all everything available, and I can honestly say I came away very impressed.
At it’s core it is a typical isometric dungeon crawler. Progression is loot-based and stat-focused, dungeons are dark and dreary, and longevity comes from finding ideal builds and doing boss runs. The main difference comes in its amazing skill system and its optimization of all the little things.
Being still in beta, many aspects are subject to change. So let’s take a look at the more concrete features that are confirmed to be available at launch. Mainly the skill system.
What’s In Your Summer Shame Pile?
Summer time is upon us, which for many means it’s time to be cut free of obligations and spend some much needed free time playing video games. The summer season has traditionally been a dead zone for major game releases, so a lot of people like myself spend their time catching up on some games from the last couple years, trying to cross a few off of the backlog. I’ve been working on my own personal summer pile of shame, hoping to tear through some games that have been looming over my head for the last few months. I missed a bunch of games last year, and I have a long summer ahead of me if I plan to tackle some of these longer PS2 JRPGs that I’ve let pile up. Read on after the jump to see what some of Substance TV’s writers are planning to play over the summer!
Help bring Diamond Trust of London to the DS
There have been many fantastic Kickstarter projects as of late, but very few of them are centered around delivering an already finished game. Jason Rohrer, developer of some very clever PC indie titles, is looking to do just that. His latest creation Diamond Trust of London (with a much longer title forced by Nintendo) is a relatively historical diamond smuggling game set for physical release on Nintendo DS.
This competitive game sees each player managing a diamond smuggling operation in Africa. You will spend your time planning flights, managing your cash surplus, and paying agents to carry out your operation. Meanwhile your opponent will be racing to do the same. The true challenge will come in finding ways to slow your opponent down, and that complexity lies in the strategic bribing system.
Super Dungeon Explore Expansion Detailed
Soda Pop Miniatures announced the brand new expansion to their classic video game inspired adventure board game Super Dungeon Explore last month. Missing from the very scare details was a good idea of what an expansion might entail.
Today Soda Pop gave a much better response laying out what we can expect, and the different ways we can acquire it.
For those who haven’t heard of it, Super Dungeon Explore is a adventure RPG for up to 5 players (one of which will be the villain) in which a small group of heroes descend into a dungeon in hopes of clearing it’s depths of evil, and the game concludes with an epic confrontation with the dungeon’s boss. The unique direction this game takes is in its strong inspiration from classic JRPGs such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. From the many characters all the way to the game’s terminology fans of classic gaming are sure to be in heaven while they play through each adventure.
Man Selling Alleged Ninja Gaiden NES Prototype
In the last few years the collecting of rare and uncirculated games has reached a fever pitch. It doesn’t take many classic games selling for tens of thousands of dollars for families to go scouring through their attics to see if they too might have a title that is capable of paying off their second mortgage. Unfortunately this has also led to the creation of several fake, or bootleg copies entering the mix forcing each new discovery to be heavily scrutinized for its authenticity.
Today’s diamond in the rough is brought to you by an unnamed person on the Sacramento Craigslist. The ad titled “NES Ninja Gaiden I Prototype Game – 1987 EPROM Rare!” tells a story of an individual receiving the game from a family member who passed it on to them in the late 80′s. The game remained in storage until rediscovered, and examined to be an extremely rare “prototype” of Ninja Gaiden for the NES.
This particular “prototype” has several things going for it as the game’s innards contain a PCB that is similar to many other prototype games which were unused in the commercial production of the original game. Conversely the exterior is a plain NTSC NES cart with the word ninja written in sharpie on it. While many prototypes do not bare a illustrated label, they typically contain some sort of semi-official looking markings beyond part of the title scribbled on the cart.
At this time, the owner is looking for 500 bucks and seems very reluctant to ship the cart unless very specific (and unclarified) terms are met. If you would like to scour the details, and help join the cause to properly identify this cart, you can investigate the ad here. If we hear of any outcome we will be sure to let you all know.
Do you think this is a legit prototype? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Beastie Boys Intergalactic Sonic CD Remix
The passing of Beastie Boys founding member Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch marks a sad day for the music community. Although he is gone, his spirit will live on in the music he created these past few decades. As the Beastie Boys were masters of the remix, YouTuber DJYuzonboy creates a fitting mashup of Beastie Boys ‘Intergalactic’ and Sonic CD’s ‘Collision Chaos’. Whether your a fan of music or video games, this song testifies to the enduring nature and legacy Adam Yauch left behind.
Yuzo Koshiro a Music Composing Copycat?
When it comes to video game music, Yuzo Koshiro is one of my personal favorites. For those of you who don’t know who this titan of tunes is, he’s responsible for creating the music of some of our favorite video games, most notably the Street of Rage series. Now his music always had that 90′s dance and hip hop flare, but you’d be surprised to find out just how much he was influenced by other artists of the time.
DJYuzoboy has done us all a favor and matched up a a selection of tracks that may have influenced Yuzo Koshiro during the early 90′s when he composed the Streets of Rage soundtrack. Some songs have faint similarities while others are eerily similar. Listen for yourself.
Do you think this is influence or a straight copy of the music? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
