After kicking off their pre-sales campaign last week for the upcoming TerrorBytes: The Evolution of Horror Gaming documentary, CreatorVC is bolstering the roster of participants for the five-part series. They’ve announced that in addition to the 35 participants (which you can check out from the official TerrorBytes website), an additional three personalities have been added: Denis Dyack, Sam Barlow, and Yoshiro Kimura.
For those who need a refresher, Denis Dyack is the director of the 2002 Lovecraftian GameCube horror title Eternal Darkness, along with being the director of the first entry in the Legacy of Kain series, 1996’s Blood Omen. Sam Barlow is the director of Immortality and Her Story (and currently working on two new projects), as well as a writer on Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Lastly, Yoshiro Kimura is mind behind the cult PlayStation 2 favorite Rule of Rose, and the executive producer of Grasshopper Manufacture...
For those who need a refresher, Denis Dyack is the director of the 2002 Lovecraftian GameCube horror title Eternal Darkness, along with being the director of the first entry in the Legacy of Kain series, 1996’s Blood Omen. Sam Barlow is the director of Immortality and Her Story (and currently working on two new projects), as well as a writer on Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Lastly, Yoshiro Kimura is mind behind the cult PlayStation 2 favorite Rule of Rose, and the executive producer of Grasshopper Manufacture...
- 2/15/2024
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
Being a homeowner can sometimes be its own little horror story. Just this week, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with a wet spot that showed up on my wall after it rained and how to handle finding a black widow in my backyard garden. In real life, I’ve got to either do it myself or figure out who to call to get it taken care of. In the world of Home Safety Hotline, a new game from the developers of Night Signal, all you have to do is call the titular service for any problems your having around the house. The game casts you as an operator helping callers figure out what’s wrong with their house, ranging from mundane problems, like bees or termites, to issues of a more supernatural nature, like bed teeth and attic gnomes.
The gameplay loop is a relatively simple one.
The gameplay loop is a relatively simple one.
- 1/31/2024
- by Aaron Boehm
- bloody-disgusting.com
BAFTA-winning designer Sam Barlow has teased his next two games – one in the vein of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and the other a “very cool” sci-fi horror.
British designer Sam Barlow keeps challenging the conventions of videogames with each project he makes. Known in the 2000s as the creative mind behind Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, he later broke out as an indie developer with the terrific Her Story, Telling Lies and Immortality. Those all used live-action footage and cunning user interfaces to create some truly absorbing interactive thrillers; the latter rightly won a BAFTA for its narrative in 2023.
Since then, Barlow’s been quietly working on two follow-up titles, which have recently been given teasing entries on Steam. The first, currently dubbed Project C, doesn’t give away much – there are some atmospheric graphics of a woman’s eye and what appear to be red clouds or smoke,...
British designer Sam Barlow keeps challenging the conventions of videogames with each project he makes. Known in the 2000s as the creative mind behind Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, he later broke out as an indie developer with the terrific Her Story, Telling Lies and Immortality. Those all used live-action footage and cunning user interfaces to create some truly absorbing interactive thrillers; the latter rightly won a BAFTA for its narrative in 2023.
Since then, Barlow’s been quietly working on two follow-up titles, which have recently been given teasing entries on Steam. The first, currently dubbed Project C, doesn’t give away much – there are some atmospheric graphics of a woman’s eye and what appear to be red clouds or smoke,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
Fans of Half Mermaid and Sam Barlow’s point-and-click horror adventure game Immortality (which Aaron reviewed here) will be happy to know that the developers are working on two projects, which are referred to for the moment as Project C and Project D. That being said, Half Mermaid has launched Steam pages for the two respective games, but are playing it coy with blacking out a lot of the info.
Project C is referred to as being a new cinematic title, which according to the description will have something special “for the first time ever” in a video game. Looking at the tags (if they’re to be believed), the game will be a psychological horror cyberpunk title that utilizes full-motion video. Meanwhile, Project D is a Survival Horror title that takes place in 1983, and involves a nurse. The tags for Project D have it as a cinematic Metroidvania with a female protagonist.
Project C is referred to as being a new cinematic title, which according to the description will have something special “for the first time ever” in a video game. Looking at the tags (if they’re to be believed), the game will be a psychological horror cyberpunk title that utilizes full-motion video. Meanwhile, Project D is a Survival Horror title that takes place in 1983, and involves a nurse. The tags for Project D have it as a cinematic Metroidvania with a female protagonist.
- 1/23/2024
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
‘Motorway’ Director In The Driving Seat
Cheang Pou Soi (better known as Soi Cheang) whose latest film “Mad Fate” will premiere this month at the Berlin Film Festival, will be further honored next month when the Hong Kong International Film Festival makes him its Filmmaker in Focus.
He was born in Macau, but gained his footing in the much larger Hong Kong film industry, under the tutelage of Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau, Joe Ma, Wilson Yip and Johnnie To. He achieved a breakthrough with 1999 digital video “Our Last Day.”
“Cheang is a key figure among Hong Kong’s post-1997 generation of filmmakers and notable for his sombre but unmistakably personal visual style,” Hkiff Society director Albert Lee said in a statement. “He seldom deviates from mainstream storytelling conventions, but innovatively explores new boundaries of filmmaking across different genres, from horror and thriller to action films. In the stark dystopia he creates,...
Cheang Pou Soi (better known as Soi Cheang) whose latest film “Mad Fate” will premiere this month at the Berlin Film Festival, will be further honored next month when the Hong Kong International Film Festival makes him its Filmmaker in Focus.
He was born in Macau, but gained his footing in the much larger Hong Kong film industry, under the tutelage of Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau, Joe Ma, Wilson Yip and Johnnie To. He achieved a breakthrough with 1999 digital video “Our Last Day.”
“Cheang is a key figure among Hong Kong’s post-1997 generation of filmmakers and notable for his sombre but unmistakably personal visual style,” Hkiff Society director Albert Lee said in a statement. “He seldom deviates from mainstream storytelling conventions, but innovatively explores new boundaries of filmmaking across different genres, from horror and thriller to action films. In the stark dystopia he creates,...
- 2/3/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Lava Media has acquired the rights to bestselling children’s book series ‘Gajapati Kulapati’ and is building an immersive world of animation, toys, games and apps based on the beloved elephant. The story of a funny, kind-hearted elephant, Gajapati Kulapati won the Best of Indian Children’s Writing (Bicw) Award in 2018 and is a publishing phenomenon. A perennial bestseller in 9 languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu, the beloved elephant has become one of India’s best-known original characters.
‘The White Tiger’, featuring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao, and Adarsh Gourav, was a global sensation, reaching number one on Netflix in over 60 countries. Produced by Mukul Deora and Lava Media, the Oscar and BAFTA-nominated film has been viewed by over 27 million households.
Lava is developing the series with BAFTA and Emmy-nominated writer Sam Barlow, known for his work on such iconic children’s properties as Bob the Builder,...
‘The White Tiger’, featuring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao, and Adarsh Gourav, was a global sensation, reaching number one on Netflix in over 60 countries. Produced by Mukul Deora and Lava Media, the Oscar and BAFTA-nominated film has been viewed by over 27 million households.
Lava is developing the series with BAFTA and Emmy-nominated writer Sam Barlow, known for his work on such iconic children’s properties as Bob the Builder,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Click here to read the full article.
Developer Half Mermaid’s Immortality is a lot of things: ambitious in scope, endlessly playable and eerily mysterious. The game has players sifting through live-action footage from three different films — plus the cast’s behind-the-scenes rehearsals and press junkets, among other surprises — on a playable version of an old Moviola editing bay. Each film is an erotic thriller from a different decade, and the lighting, tone and pace of each project carefully recreate details of each era of cinema. You’re essentially a time-traveling movie detective, with the ability to rewind or fast-forward and zero in on images to match cut to other sequences of footage.
The title, released on Steam in August, was also just released on Android and iOS phones via Netflix Games in mid-November, making it free for Netflix subscribers. It’s been nominated for a slew of end-of-year awards,...
Developer Half Mermaid’s Immortality is a lot of things: ambitious in scope, endlessly playable and eerily mysterious. The game has players sifting through live-action footage from three different films — plus the cast’s behind-the-scenes rehearsals and press junkets, among other surprises — on a playable version of an old Moviola editing bay. Each film is an erotic thriller from a different decade, and the lighting, tone and pace of each project carefully recreate details of each era of cinema. You’re essentially a time-traveling movie detective, with the ability to rewind or fast-forward and zero in on images to match cut to other sequences of footage.
The title, released on Steam in August, was also just released on Android and iOS phones via Netflix Games in mid-November, making it free for Netflix subscribers. It’s been nominated for a slew of end-of-year awards,...
- 11/30/2022
- by Jon Peltz
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The biggest night in gaming is back, live from Los Angeles, and we finally know the list of nominees who are set to be honored at the ceremony. Airing on Dec. 8, The Game Awards 2022 will see the industry come together to celebrate the latest and greatest the year had to offer, from the big AAAs that dominated the sales charts to the smaller indie hits that captivated us. In fact, it’s a particularly big year for indie darlings competing in the Game of the Year category.
Unsurprisingly, God of War: Ragnarok and Elden Ring lead the nominations, and are both favorites to win Game of the Year. The former, with 10 nominations, is a critically-acclaimed sequel to what is Santa Monica Studio’s action-adventure masterpiece, which also happened to win Goty in 2018. The other is the latest Soulsborne title from FromSoftware, who most recently won Goty in 2019 with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Unsurprisingly, God of War: Ragnarok and Elden Ring lead the nominations, and are both favorites to win Game of the Year. The former, with 10 nominations, is a critically-acclaimed sequel to what is Santa Monica Studio’s action-adventure masterpiece, which also happened to win Goty in 2018. The other is the latest Soulsborne title from FromSoftware, who most recently won Goty in 2019 with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
- 11/14/2022
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Many developers try to make ‘cinematic’ games. Quantic Dream and Supermassive create interactive movies, featuring scenes punctuated by quick time events or story choices, while Kojima Productions inserts long, lavishly directed sequences, generally requiring no interaction from the player. Immortality, the latest game from Sam Barlow’s Half Mermaid, shows its love of cinema in a different way. Rather than emulate the experience of movies with long cinematics, it ties the language of cinema into its mechanics, story and themes in significant ways. Performance, framing, editing and all other elements of film are integral to making sense of the overall experience.
Much like Sam Barlow’s previous games Her Story and Telling Lies, you’re tasked with searching through a massive database of footage. In this case, the footage in question is from the three unreleased films of Marissa Marcel, a promising young actress who vanished without a trace. Instead...
Much like Sam Barlow’s previous games Her Story and Telling Lies, you’re tasked with searching through a massive database of footage. In this case, the footage in question is from the three unreleased films of Marissa Marcel, a promising young actress who vanished without a trace. Instead...
- 9/12/2022
- by Aaron Boehm
- bloody-disgusting.com
Before listening to this week’s discussion on Immortality, please check out last week’s conversation on Scanner Sombre, Lidar.Exe, and Gamescom 2022!
At 30, I tend to think I have experienced a great deal of what games have to offer. Not to place a cap on the medium’s potential or to say there’s a drought of quality titles, yet I often find I more or less know what I’m getting myself into before sitting down to play a new title.
And that’s fine. I still enjoy all manner of games across all genres, but a game these days rarely makes me reexamine the potential of storytelling in games.
[Immortality Enters From Stage Left]
Then there’s Immortality, which challenged my perception of the possibilities of storytelling in games, doing so in the most precise and intriguing ways. Half Mermaid and creative director and writer Sam Barlow build upon the Fmv frameworks...
At 30, I tend to think I have experienced a great deal of what games have to offer. Not to place a cap on the medium’s potential or to say there’s a drought of quality titles, yet I often find I more or less know what I’m getting myself into before sitting down to play a new title.
And that’s fine. I still enjoy all manner of games across all genres, but a game these days rarely makes me reexamine the potential of storytelling in games.
[Immortality Enters From Stage Left]
Then there’s Immortality, which challenged my perception of the possibilities of storytelling in games, doing so in the most precise and intriguing ways. Half Mermaid and creative director and writer Sam Barlow build upon the Fmv frameworks...
- 9/6/2022
- by Neil Bolt
- bloody-disgusting.com
Click here to read the full article.
Games publisher Annapurna Interactive has tapped industry veteran Chelsea Hash to helm its internal development studio, which launched in 2020 and is based in Los Angeles.
She will lead development on Annapurna Interactive’s new, unannounced project together with with technical director Brett Lajzer, senior producer Evan Hembacher, art director Cosimo Galluzzi and environment artist Nate Grove.
More from The Hollywood ReporterGaming Management Firm Loaded Signs Twitch Streamer QTCinderellaSummer Game Fest Reveals Developer and Publisher Lineup for June ShowcaseAmerican Sign Language Xbox Channel on Twitch Is a Game Changer for Deaf Gamers: "We Can Finally Participate"
Hash served as game director on 2021’s sci-fi adventure title Solar Ash from developer Heart Machine, and as a technical art lead on What Remains of Edith Finch from Giant Sparrow. Both titles were published by Annapurna Interactive.
“We’ve worked closely with the people at Annapurna Interactive...
Games publisher Annapurna Interactive has tapped industry veteran Chelsea Hash to helm its internal development studio, which launched in 2020 and is based in Los Angeles.
She will lead development on Annapurna Interactive’s new, unannounced project together with with technical director Brett Lajzer, senior producer Evan Hembacher, art director Cosimo Galluzzi and environment artist Nate Grove.
More from The Hollywood ReporterGaming Management Firm Loaded Signs Twitch Streamer QTCinderellaSummer Game Fest Reveals Developer and Publisher Lineup for June ShowcaseAmerican Sign Language Xbox Channel on Twitch Is a Game Changer for Deaf Gamers: "We Can Finally Participate"
Hash served as game director on 2021’s sci-fi adventure title Solar Ash from developer Heart Machine, and as a technical art lead on What Remains of Edith Finch from Giant Sparrow. Both titles were published by Annapurna Interactive.
“We’ve worked closely with the people at Annapurna Interactive...
- 6/6/2022
- by Trilby Beresford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2022 Tribeca Festival rounds out its lineup with the official games selection, announced on April 26. The events will celebrate the convergence of games, entertainment, and culture through nine interactive experiences.
Each selection will vie for the Tribeca Games Award, which honors an unreleased game for its excellence in art and storytelling through design, artistic mastery, and highly immersive worlds.
The games program features the world premieres of “Immortality,” an interactive trilogy in which players can explore the legend of Marissa Marcel, a film star who disappeared, through her work; “Oxenfree II: Lost Signals,” the mind-bending follow up to the critically acclaimed narrative adventure “Oxenfree,” from Night School Studio; and “Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course,” another helping of classic “Cuphead” action with new weapons, magical charms, and more.
In 2021, Tribeca Festival featured its first-ever games selections, including Ember Lab’s visually stunning “Kena: Bridge of Spirits”; Luis Antonio’s interactive thriller “Twelve Minutes,...
Each selection will vie for the Tribeca Games Award, which honors an unreleased game for its excellence in art and storytelling through design, artistic mastery, and highly immersive worlds.
The games program features the world premieres of “Immortality,” an interactive trilogy in which players can explore the legend of Marissa Marcel, a film star who disappeared, through her work; “Oxenfree II: Lost Signals,” the mind-bending follow up to the critically acclaimed narrative adventure “Oxenfree,” from Night School Studio; and “Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course,” another helping of classic “Cuphead” action with new weapons, magical charms, and more.
In 2021, Tribeca Festival featured its first-ever games selections, including Ember Lab’s visually stunning “Kena: Bridge of Spirits”; Luis Antonio’s interactive thriller “Twelve Minutes,...
- 4/26/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: The Queen’s Gambit co-creator Allan Scott has set his next project, the crossover drama from Millionaire Matchmaker star Patti Stanger and Kissing Booth producer Andrew Cole-Bulgin.
The as-yet-untitled scripted project, which isn’t attached to a network yet, will follow a young dating expert from a Jewish family of matchmakers navigating her way through 1970s New York City and New Jersey, as she seeks to turn her family trade into an empire.
Along with Sam Barlow project Minsky, the series represents one of the first major shows for Scott since he wrapped on Netflix smash The Queen’s Gambit, which he co-created with Scott Frank.
The Anya Taylor-Joy-starring hit took Scott and Frank 30 years to get commissioned but was one of the streamer’s most-watched of 2020, a successful gamble taken by Netflix’s UK-based scripted boss Anne Mensah.
Scott, who was BAFTA nominated for 1997’s Regeneration and is a former whisky executive,...
The as-yet-untitled scripted project, which isn’t attached to a network yet, will follow a young dating expert from a Jewish family of matchmakers navigating her way through 1970s New York City and New Jersey, as she seeks to turn her family trade into an empire.
Along with Sam Barlow project Minsky, the series represents one of the first major shows for Scott since he wrapped on Netflix smash The Queen’s Gambit, which he co-created with Scott Frank.
The Anya Taylor-Joy-starring hit took Scott and Frank 30 years to get commissioned but was one of the streamer’s most-watched of 2020, a successful gamble taken by Netflix’s UK-based scripted boss Anne Mensah.
Scott, who was BAFTA nominated for 1997’s Regeneration and is a former whisky executive,...
- 3/16/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Elden Ring’s record sales have many calling it the most successful IP in years, but some fans and industry figures are debating whether or not calling Elden Ring a new IP sends the wrong message about its success.
This debate kicked off around the time that GamesIndustry.biz and other outlets first reported that Elden Ring was not only the best-selling game of 2022 so far but one of the most successful games in recent years. In fact, many early Elden Ring sales reports noted that the game enjoyed the biggest new IP launch in Europe since 2016’s The Division.
Elden Ring is the biggest new IP in Europe since The Division in 2016 and the biggest launch since Call of Duty: Vanguard
EU sales split:
44% PC
27% PS5
16% Xbox
13% PS4
European Monthly Charts:https://t.co/mWzpKuZw87 pic.twitter.com/RHkvRgtaT9
— Nibel (@Nibellion) March 15, 2022
While pretty much everyone agrees that Elden Ring...
This debate kicked off around the time that GamesIndustry.biz and other outlets first reported that Elden Ring was not only the best-selling game of 2022 so far but one of the most successful games in recent years. In fact, many early Elden Ring sales reports noted that the game enjoyed the biggest new IP launch in Europe since 2016’s The Division.
Elden Ring is the biggest new IP in Europe since The Division in 2016 and the biggest launch since Call of Duty: Vanguard
EU sales split:
44% PC
27% PS5
16% Xbox
13% PS4
European Monthly Charts:https://t.co/mWzpKuZw87 pic.twitter.com/RHkvRgtaT9
— Nibel (@Nibellion) March 15, 2022
While pretty much everyone agrees that Elden Ring...
- 3/15/2022
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
In an extensive video interview, the legendary Shinji Mikami spoke about his career, influences, and the horror gaming genre at large. It’s a fascinating session that we highly recommend you check out (which you can do right here) if you’re at all interested in any of those topics.
However, there’s one particular moment in the interview that has caught the attention of many horror gaming fans, including Silent Hill: Homecoming and Her Story writer, Sam Barlow:
Mikami on fans who like RE1's camera and controlshttps://t.co/3nDLlWuDQN pic.twitter.com/vhl8xoRj3a
— Sam Barlöw...
However, there’s one particular moment in the interview that has caught the attention of many horror gaming fans, including Silent Hill: Homecoming and Her Story writer, Sam Barlow:
Mikami on fans who like RE1's camera and controlshttps://t.co/3nDLlWuDQN pic.twitter.com/vhl8xoRj3a
— Sam Barlöw...
- 10/21/2020
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
On Twitter, Sam Barlow (writer of Her Story and Telling Lies) revealed that he’s trying to pitch a follow-up to his 2009 horror game, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
Tfw an interviewer asks what you'd do to make a Shattered Memories follow-up today but you can't tell them because you're currently pitching that thing pic.twitter.com/ztnbcjjBck
— Sam Barlow (@mrsambarlow) October 7, 2020
Barlow expands upon that statement in a separate tweet in which he mentions that a follow-up to Shattered Memories is not the premise of his mysterious “Project A” game. However, he suggests that a Shattered Memories follow-up could be developed soon thereafter and fans could even consider the success of his next game to be a “downpayment on the Shsm successor.”
While Barlow doesn’t specifically use the phrase, it really sounds like he’s pitching a spiritual successor to Silent Hill: Shattered Memories rather than a direct sequel to Konami.
Tfw an interviewer asks what you'd do to make a Shattered Memories follow-up today but you can't tell them because you're currently pitching that thing pic.twitter.com/ztnbcjjBck
— Sam Barlow (@mrsambarlow) October 7, 2020
Barlow expands upon that statement in a separate tweet in which he mentions that a follow-up to Shattered Memories is not the premise of his mysterious “Project A” game. However, he suggests that a Shattered Memories follow-up could be developed soon thereafter and fans could even consider the success of his next game to be a “downpayment on the Shsm successor.”
While Barlow doesn’t specifically use the phrase, it really sounds like he’s pitching a spiritual successor to Silent Hill: Shattered Memories rather than a direct sequel to Konami.
- 10/8/2020
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
Film journalists, critics, directors, and more are showing support for writer-actress-filmmaker Amy Seimetz on social media after news surfaced she has an open restraining order against “Primer” and “Upstream Color” director Shane Carruth. Seimetz starred opposite Carruth in “Upstream Color” and the two had a relationship that ended in 2018. Seimetz filed for the restraining order against Carruth on June 12, citing years of emotional and physical abuse. One alleged incident that occurred at a hotel in 2016 found Carruth strangling Seimetz until it was hard for her to breathe.
Seimetz’s restraining order gained visibility on social media after Carruth tweeted an image of the “Upstream Color” soundtrack on vinyl with part of the restraining order document sticking out from underneath it. The photo’s timing has led many people in the film community to wonder if Carruth is trying to take attention away from the release of Seimetz’s acclaimed new film “She Dies Tomorrow,...
Seimetz’s restraining order gained visibility on social media after Carruth tweeted an image of the “Upstream Color” soundtrack on vinyl with part of the restraining order document sticking out from underneath it. The photo’s timing has led many people in the film community to wonder if Carruth is trying to take attention away from the release of Seimetz’s acclaimed new film “She Dies Tomorrow,...
- 7/28/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Bernard Boo Sep 25, 2019
Full Motion Video (Fmv) games are finally back and better than ever. But what took them so long?
This article is part of our History of PC Gaming series.
In 1983, Fmv games introduced us to the future. At a time when graphics were defined by sprites and basic polygonal models, the arrival of the first Fmv (Full Motion Video) games felt like a gigantic technological leap forward for the industry.
The genre’s earliest pioneers, Sega’s Astron Belt and Cinematronics’ Dragon’s Lair, showed how you could use new innovations, such as the LaserDisc, to integrate pre-recorded videos, often of real actors and sets, into games to make them more immersive. But these ‘80s arcade cabinets were just proofs of concept. By the early ‘90s, developers began to embrace the CD as their format of choice on PC and consoles, and the golden age of the Fmv genre was born.
Full Motion Video (Fmv) games are finally back and better than ever. But what took them so long?
This article is part of our History of PC Gaming series.
In 1983, Fmv games introduced us to the future. At a time when graphics were defined by sprites and basic polygonal models, the arrival of the first Fmv (Full Motion Video) games felt like a gigantic technological leap forward for the industry.
The genre’s earliest pioneers, Sega’s Astron Belt and Cinematronics’ Dragon’s Lair, showed how you could use new innovations, such as the LaserDisc, to integrate pre-recorded videos, often of real actors and sets, into games to make them more immersive. But these ‘80s arcade cabinets were just proofs of concept. By the early ‘90s, developers began to embrace the CD as their format of choice on PC and consoles, and the golden age of the Fmv genre was born.
- 9/25/2019
- Den of Geek
Telling Lies is an intriguing video game narrative experiment from start to finish. Our review of Sam Barlow's new game...
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Release Date: August 23, 2019
Platform: PC, iOS
Developer: Sam Barlow & Furious Bee
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Genre: Full motion video
With Telling Lies, video game auteur Sam Barlow expands on the concept of his first independent foray, Her Story. Players unravel an intricately woven story of betrayal, sex, obsession, espionage, and murder (and any other neo-noir motif you can think of) by perusing hours of live-action footage revolving around a handful of people whose lives are entangled in strange and shocking ways.
The tricky thing about this review is that the entire game is focused solely on the narrative, and depending on your approach, it’s possible to uncover some of the game’s biggest secrets within minutes of touching your keyboard. Barlow has been exceedingly tight-lipped about...
tumblr
Release Date: August 23, 2019
Platform: PC, iOS
Developer: Sam Barlow & Furious Bee
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Genre: Full motion video
With Telling Lies, video game auteur Sam Barlow expands on the concept of his first independent foray, Her Story. Players unravel an intricately woven story of betrayal, sex, obsession, espionage, and murder (and any other neo-noir motif you can think of) by perusing hours of live-action footage revolving around a handful of people whose lives are entangled in strange and shocking ways.
The tricky thing about this review is that the entire game is focused solely on the narrative, and depending on your approach, it’s possible to uncover some of the game’s biggest secrets within minutes of touching your keyboard. Barlow has been exceedingly tight-lipped about...
- 8/21/2019
- Den of Geek
Bernard Boo Aug 1, 2019
The follow-up to the excellent Her Story, Telling Lies, is more ambitious and riveting than its predecessor.
Back in 2015, Sam Barlow’s Her Story broke new ground with its investigative gameplay, which tasked the player with watching interrogation videos of a woman suspected of murder, digging up the truth of the alleged crime by using reason, deduction, and keen behavioral observation. The game won several awards for its innovative concept and engrossing narrative, and fans have been eagerly anticipating Barlow’s next project.
Releasing later this year, Telling Lies expands on Her Story’s formula in both scale and complexity, though the similarities are strictly conceptual -- a sequel this is not. You play as a woman who has come upon a confidential Nsa database containing surveillance videos that follow four people whose lives are intertwined in ways that are up to you to uncover. The search...
The follow-up to the excellent Her Story, Telling Lies, is more ambitious and riveting than its predecessor.
Back in 2015, Sam Barlow’s Her Story broke new ground with its investigative gameplay, which tasked the player with watching interrogation videos of a woman suspected of murder, digging up the truth of the alleged crime by using reason, deduction, and keen behavioral observation. The game won several awards for its innovative concept and engrossing narrative, and fans have been eagerly anticipating Barlow’s next project.
Releasing later this year, Telling Lies expands on Her Story’s formula in both scale and complexity, though the similarities are strictly conceptual -- a sequel this is not. You play as a woman who has come upon a confidential Nsa database containing surveillance videos that follow four people whose lives are intertwined in ways that are up to you to uncover. The search...
- 8/1/2019
- Den of Geek
Sam Barlow is a writer and game designer perhaps best known for his interactive movie Her Story, a murder mystery told entirely through police interrogation clips that was released in 2015. In it, viewers investigate a crime by searching and sorting through a database of videos, trying to piece together what happened and why. Her Story's dark, fragmented narrative proved to be an instant success for Barlow, receiving rave reviews and selling hundreds of thousands of copies almost overnight. Four years later, Barlow is set to release his next interactive opus, Telling Lies, a far more expansive movie game produced in partnership with Annapurna Interactive, the games imprint of Annapurna Films, known for producing some of Hollywood's biggest indies. And like Her Story, Telling Lies...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/6/2019
- Screen Anarchy
There's an all new narrative-driven game called Telling Lies coming out later this year. It's a spiritual successor to Her Story, so if that catches your interest, keep reading with us here at Cinelinx!
Sam Barlow and Annapurna Interactive have released the casting details for Telling Lies, the all-new narrative game and spiritual sequel to Her Story that will be available later this year.
The live-action main cast includes:
• David: Logan Marshall-Green
o Best known for: Upgrade, The Invitation, Prometheus, Quarry, Damnation
• Ava: Alexandra Shipp
o Best known for: X-Men: Apocalypse, Love, Simon, Straight Outta Compton
• Emma: Kerry Bishé
o Best known for The Romanoffs, Halt and Catch Fire, Scrubs
• Max: Angela Sarafyan
o Best known for Westworld
Vivien Lyra Blair, best known for her role as “Girl” in Bird Box, also has a speaking role in the game.
Sam Barlow (repped by UTA) is the creator of the...
Sam Barlow and Annapurna Interactive have released the casting details for Telling Lies, the all-new narrative game and spiritual sequel to Her Story that will be available later this year.
The live-action main cast includes:
• David: Logan Marshall-Green
o Best known for: Upgrade, The Invitation, Prometheus, Quarry, Damnation
• Ava: Alexandra Shipp
o Best known for: X-Men: Apocalypse, Love, Simon, Straight Outta Compton
• Emma: Kerry Bishé
o Best known for The Romanoffs, Halt and Catch Fire, Scrubs
• Max: Angela Sarafyan
o Best known for Westworld
Vivien Lyra Blair, best known for her role as “Girl” in Bird Box, also has a speaking role in the game.
Sam Barlow (repped by UTA) is the creator of the...
- 1/19/2019
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Amber Hall)
- Cinelinx
Matthew Byrd Aug 16, 2019
Telling Lies will try to build upon the brilliant Her Story with help from this cast.
Writer/designer Sam Barlow and Annapurna Interactive are teaming up to bring us a spiritual successor to the revolutionary indie game, Her Story.
Called Telling Lies, this title is described as a "spiritual successor to Her Story." It deals with the process of how governments can collect feeds from various personal cameras across the world. Specifically, it focuses on a stolen Nsa hard drive that features footage players must sort through in order to connect the stories of several characters featured in the footage. It will be a much larger game than Her Story, and it seems that it might lack the simple "hook" of the original's murder story. Instead, the draw will be discovering why all these people matter.
However, it seems that the game will utilize a set-up similar...
Telling Lies will try to build upon the brilliant Her Story with help from this cast.
Writer/designer Sam Barlow and Annapurna Interactive are teaming up to bring us a spiritual successor to the revolutionary indie game, Her Story.
Called Telling Lies, this title is described as a "spiritual successor to Her Story." It deals with the process of how governments can collect feeds from various personal cameras across the world. Specifically, it focuses on a stolen Nsa hard drive that features footage players must sort through in order to connect the stories of several characters featured in the footage. It will be a much larger game than Her Story, and it seems that it might lack the simple "hook" of the original's murder story. Instead, the draw will be discovering why all these people matter.
However, it seems that the game will utilize a set-up similar...
- 1/18/2019
- Den of Geek
United Talent Agency (UTA) is expanding its foothold in the video game industry. The talent agency just acquired two esports companies — talent agency Press X and management company Everyday Influencers — it announced on Wednesday.
The acquisitions will add 90 top esports athletes and streamers to UTA’s portfolio, including “League of Legends” stars Aphromoo and sOAZ, along with streamers Imaqtpie, Pokimane, and Disguised Toast. This reportedly makes UTA the only talent and entertainment company currently representing both esports talent and streamers, as well as game developers.
“As we identify and adopt early trends within the digital ecosystem, we recognized that the acquisition of Press X and Everyday Influencers would be a forward-looking opportunity for us,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. “The gaming sector is projected to reach over $135 billion this year and esports and streaming are critical components of any strategy for growth. For UTA, these categories are complementary to our...
The acquisitions will add 90 top esports athletes and streamers to UTA’s portfolio, including “League of Legends” stars Aphromoo and sOAZ, along with streamers Imaqtpie, Pokimane, and Disguised Toast. This reportedly makes UTA the only talent and entertainment company currently representing both esports talent and streamers, as well as game developers.
“As we identify and adopt early trends within the digital ecosystem, we recognized that the acquisition of Press X and Everyday Influencers would be a forward-looking opportunity for us,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. “The gaming sector is projected to reach over $135 billion this year and esports and streaming are critical components of any strategy for growth. For UTA, these categories are complementary to our...
- 6/27/2018
- by Stefanie Fogel
- Variety Film + TV
When you think of the full motion video game genre, there are some immediately negative associations which spring to mind. This includes questionable acting, terrible green screen environments, and less than stellar picture quality.
But over the last few years, we have seen a renewed effort to reclaim the genre and act on its full potential, with titles like “Her Story,” “The Bunker,” and “The Late Shift” giving players a higher quality of interactive experience and further blurring the lines between filmmaking and game development.
To understand the future of the genre, however, you first have to look into its past. “Night Trap,” which was recently re-released onto modern consoles, is arguably the most popular game from the first wave of Fmv titles and was created mainly as a proof of concept for new technology. It was the brainchild of Rob Fulop, Tom Zito, and Digital Pictures and was originally...
But over the last few years, we have seen a renewed effort to reclaim the genre and act on its full potential, with titles like “Her Story,” “The Bunker,” and “The Late Shift” giving players a higher quality of interactive experience and further blurring the lines between filmmaking and game development.
To understand the future of the genre, however, you first have to look into its past. “Night Trap,” which was recently re-released onto modern consoles, is arguably the most popular game from the first wave of Fmv titles and was created mainly as a proof of concept for new technology. It was the brainchild of Rob Fulop, Tom Zito, and Digital Pictures and was originally...
- 5/7/2018
- by Jack Yarwood
- Variety Film + TV
Cutting-edge showcase runs April 21-28.
The 2018 Tribeca Immersive programme will feature cutting-edge work from Vr artists Chris Milk, a conservation project narrated by Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o, and an anti-bullying thriller from genre specialist Alexandre Aja.
The Virtual Arcade line-up will showcase 21 world premiere Vr/Ar projects and five Storyscapes experiences. The programme will run from April 20-28 at the Tribeca Festival Hub, with Tribeca Cinema360, a new Vr theatre, screening content from April 21-28. The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival presented by At&T, now in its 17th year, will run from April 18-29.
This year’s Tribeca Immersive programme includes 33 Vr experiences.
The 2018 Tribeca Immersive programme will feature cutting-edge work from Vr artists Chris Milk, a conservation project narrated by Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o, and an anti-bullying thriller from genre specialist Alexandre Aja.
The Virtual Arcade line-up will showcase 21 world premiere Vr/Ar projects and five Storyscapes experiences. The programme will run from April 20-28 at the Tribeca Festival Hub, with Tribeca Cinema360, a new Vr theatre, screening content from April 21-28. The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival presented by At&T, now in its 17th year, will run from April 18-29.
This year’s Tribeca Immersive programme includes 33 Vr experiences.
- 3/8/2018
- by Jenn Sherman
- ScreenDaily
One of Eko's most significant projects to date is just a few days away from its premiere. The studio acclaimed for its interactive video projects (you may know it by its previous name, Interlude) has shared a trailer for #WarGames, which will reimagine the 1983 film of the same name when it is released on March 14.
#WarGames, like its source material, will tell a story of cyber warfare through the eyes of the attractive young people committing it. As is typical of Eko projects, #WarGames will feature a branching path, with viewer decisions influencing the arc of the narrative. There will be multiple active feeds occurring at once, and the stories each viewer chooses to watch will shape the story he or she witnesses.
#WarGames, which has been in the works since 2015, is a partnership between Eko, MGM, and m ss ng p eces. Sam Barlow, a standout in the indie...
#WarGames, like its source material, will tell a story of cyber warfare through the eyes of the attractive young people committing it. As is typical of Eko projects, #WarGames will feature a branching path, with viewer decisions influencing the arc of the narrative. There will be multiple active feeds occurring at once, and the stories each viewer chooses to watch will shape the story he or she witnesses.
#WarGames, which has been in the works since 2015, is a partnership between Eko, MGM, and m ss ng p eces. Sam Barlow, a standout in the indie...
- 3/1/2018
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
The classic 1983 Matthew Brodrick film WarGames is being revived for a modern audience. The film is the inspiration for a new interactive series called #WarGames in which viewers can finally answer the AI’s iconic taunt: “Shall we play a game?” Instead of focusing on Cold War paranoia like the original movie, this series will focus on "modern espionage, hacking and government conspiracy."
We've got a new trailer for you to watch today that gives us our first real look at the series and what the experience will be like. It actually looks really cool! The interactive series will launch on mobile, HelloEko.com, Vudu.com and Steam later this month.
The story follows a character named Kelly (Jess Nurse), "an ex-military brat turned hacker activist, as she and a team of international hackers band together in an attempt to bring about peace. As events escalate, they may have done more harm than good.
We've got a new trailer for you to watch today that gives us our first real look at the series and what the experience will be like. It actually looks really cool! The interactive series will launch on mobile, HelloEko.com, Vudu.com and Steam later this month.
The story follows a character named Kelly (Jess Nurse), "an ex-military brat turned hacker activist, as she and a team of international hackers band together in an attempt to bring about peace. As events escalate, they may have done more harm than good.
- 3/1/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Wargames is a 1983 sci-fi hacker movie starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy. Now a WarGames reboot is coming in 2018, but it's not your typical reboot, as it will be released as an “experimental interactive series” in which viewers can finally answer the AI’s iconic taunt: “Shall we play a game?”
MGM has teamed up with the interactive video company Eko and they have been working with the HerStory creator Sam Barlow on putting a modern spin on the campy ’80s sci-fi film. The new WarGames is titled #WarGames, and instead of focusing on Cold War paranoia it's being rewired to focus on “modern espionage, hacking and government conspiracy.”
The teaser for #WarGames shows only flashes of footage from the series mixed with real TV news footage and references to real-life news events including, Yahoo’s 2013 email hack, the 2014 Sony hack, the 2016 e-robbery of a bank in Bangladesh, and the Equifax security breach.
MGM has teamed up with the interactive video company Eko and they have been working with the HerStory creator Sam Barlow on putting a modern spin on the campy ’80s sci-fi film. The new WarGames is titled #WarGames, and instead of focusing on Cold War paranoia it's being rewired to focus on “modern espionage, hacking and government conspiracy.”
The teaser for #WarGames shows only flashes of footage from the series mixed with real TV news footage and references to real-life news events including, Yahoo’s 2013 email hack, the 2014 Sony hack, the 2016 e-robbery of a bank in Bangladesh, and the Equifax security breach.
- 12/7/2017
- by Kristian Odland
- GeekTyrant
More than two years after it was first announced, an interactive program based on a 35-year-old film is taking shape. Eko, a media company known for the branching paths and viewer choices that define its videos, has shared the trailer for WarGames, a digital reimagining of the 1983 movie of the same name.
In the 1983 version of WarGames, a teenage wunderkind portrayed by Matthew Broderick inadvertently wreaks havoc at Norad after breaking into a supercomputer. Eko's modern take on that plot will update the original concept by linking it to current events. The project's trailer refers to recent hacking scandals, such as those that targeted Yahoo and Equifax, while using foreboding images to hint at its own fictional brand of cyberwarfare.
Eko inked a deal with MGM, which owns the rights to WarGames, back in 2015. At the time, the interactive media company was still known as Interlude, but it has since changed its name.
In the 1983 version of WarGames, a teenage wunderkind portrayed by Matthew Broderick inadvertently wreaks havoc at Norad after breaking into a supercomputer. Eko's modern take on that plot will update the original concept by linking it to current events. The project's trailer refers to recent hacking scandals, such as those that targeted Yahoo and Equifax, while using foreboding images to hint at its own fictional brand of cyberwarfare.
Eko inked a deal with MGM, which owns the rights to WarGames, back in 2015. At the time, the interactive media company was still known as Interlude, but it has since changed its name.
- 12/6/2017
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
John Badham’s 1983 thriller film “WarGames” is getting a 21st century reboot courtesy of MGM and entertainment company Eko. The film has been reimagined as an interactive television series, similar to what Steven Soderbergh and HBO have done with “Mosaic,” in which viewers are able to shape the story by choosing which direction the narrative takes.
Read More:‘Mosaic’ First Trailer: Steven Soderbergh’s Murder Mystery is an Interactive App and an HBO Limited Series
The interactive television series is entitled “#WarGames”and is created by video game designer Sam Barlow, best known for his work on the “Silent Hill” franchise. The original “War Games” starred Matthew Broderick as a young hacker who gains access to a United States military supercomputer programmed to predict possible outcomes of nuclear war.
“With ‘#WarGames,’ I was thrilled to take the questions raised by the original movie and ask them again in a world...
Read More:‘Mosaic’ First Trailer: Steven Soderbergh’s Murder Mystery is an Interactive App and an HBO Limited Series
The interactive television series is entitled “#WarGames”and is created by video game designer Sam Barlow, best known for his work on the “Silent Hill” franchise. The original “War Games” starred Matthew Broderick as a young hacker who gains access to a United States military supercomputer programmed to predict possible outcomes of nuclear war.
“With ‘#WarGames,’ I was thrilled to take the questions raised by the original movie and ask them again in a world...
- 12/6/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Every year, the New York Film Festival descends upon the city’s most passionate cinephiles, bringing flashy world premieres and giving New Yorkers a chance to finally see films they’ve been salivating over since Cannes. For the experimentally minded, the Convergence series is a chance to explore immersive storytelling such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive multimedia projects with an eye on the future.
Read More:Massive Robert Mitchum Centenary Tribute Set As Nyff 2017 Retrospective — Exclusive
The sixth edition of the annual program announces its full slate today, including three Vr horror experiences from Dark Corner Studios, a Vr documentary series exploring the lives of Pakistani citizens from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and a game about sci-fi hallucinations from Tender Claws. In addition, Nyff is partnering with Lucasfilm to premiere their new virtual production technology with a public presentation. The never-before-seen technology harnesses the power of Vr as...
Read More:Massive Robert Mitchum Centenary Tribute Set As Nyff 2017 Retrospective — Exclusive
The sixth edition of the annual program announces its full slate today, including three Vr horror experiences from Dark Corner Studios, a Vr documentary series exploring the lives of Pakistani citizens from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and a game about sci-fi hallucinations from Tender Claws. In addition, Nyff is partnering with Lucasfilm to premiere their new virtual production technology with a public presentation. The never-before-seen technology harnesses the power of Vr as...
- 8/25/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The 16th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Just announced its winners for this year. Check out our complete list of the winners and nominees below.
And the winners are.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Todd Howard (Director of Bethesda Game Studio)
Pioneer Award
Markus “Notch” Persson
Ambassador Award
Tracy Fullerton
Audience Award
Life is Strange (Dontnod Entertainment)
Game of the Year
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red)- Winner
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Kojima Productions / Konami)
Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Rocket League (Psyonix)
Innovation Award
Her Story (Sam Barlow) - Winner
Super Mario Maker (Nintendo Ead Group No. 4 / Nintendo)
Undertale (Toby Fox)
Splatoon (Nintendo Ead Group No. 2 / Nintendo)
The Beginner's Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)
Best Audio
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games) - Winner
Star Wars Battlefront (Dice / Electronic Arts)
Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios / Microsoft Studios...
And the winners are.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Todd Howard (Director of Bethesda Game Studio)
Pioneer Award
Markus “Notch” Persson
Ambassador Award
Tracy Fullerton
Audience Award
Life is Strange (Dontnod Entertainment)
Game of the Year
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red)- Winner
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Kojima Productions / Konami)
Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Rocket League (Psyonix)
Innovation Award
Her Story (Sam Barlow) - Winner
Super Mario Maker (Nintendo Ead Group No. 4 / Nintendo)
Undertale (Toby Fox)
Splatoon (Nintendo Ead Group No. 2 / Nintendo)
The Beginner's Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)
Best Audio
Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games) - Winner
Star Wars Battlefront (Dice / Electronic Arts)
Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios / Microsoft Studios...
- 1/4/2017
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Jason The X)
- Cinelinx
Rob Leane Nov 3, 2016
Charlie Brooker’s latest creepy predictions are coming true even faster than the previous Black Mirror ideas. Major spoilers...
This article contains spoilers for Black Mirror series 3.
See related Class: trailer for episode 4 Class episode 3 review: Nightvisiting Class episodes 1 & 2 review: For Tonight We May Die & The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo Doctor Who Christmas special: Moffat and Capaldi discuss superhero episode
In the gap between Black Mirror’s haunting Christmas episode White Christmas, and its first Americanised season on Netflix, I began to notice a lot of news articles pointing out the similarities between real life and the unsettling predictions that Charlie Brooker based his first seven anthology episodes around. Not least a certain situation involving a pig and a Prime Minister.
Eagle-eyed Den Of Geek readers may remember that I wrote an article about that. It was a lot of fun, in a terrified-for-the-future-of-mankind sort of way.
Charlie Brooker’s latest creepy predictions are coming true even faster than the previous Black Mirror ideas. Major spoilers...
This article contains spoilers for Black Mirror series 3.
See related Class: trailer for episode 4 Class episode 3 review: Nightvisiting Class episodes 1 & 2 review: For Tonight We May Die & The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo Doctor Who Christmas special: Moffat and Capaldi discuss superhero episode
In the gap between Black Mirror’s haunting Christmas episode White Christmas, and its first Americanised season on Netflix, I began to notice a lot of news articles pointing out the similarities between real life and the unsettling predictions that Charlie Brooker based his first seven anthology episodes around. Not least a certain situation involving a pig and a Prime Minister.
Eagle-eyed Den Of Geek readers may remember that I wrote an article about that. It was a lot of fun, in a terrified-for-the-future-of-mankind sort of way.
- 11/3/2016
- Den of Geek
Have you had your fill of shooters, beat ’em ups and time-consuming RPGs for the foreseeable future? Everyone experiences genre fatigue at one point or another, so we’re on-hand to notify you of an incredibly cheap alternative.
The Humble Narrative Bundle is the latest video game bundle on offer for fans of interactive stories, offering up to seven unique works of fiction for less than the price of your lunch. As always, what you get depends entirely on how much cash you’re willing to part with.
See below for the individual tiers:
Pay $1 or more to receive:
Her Story Read Only Memories Cibele
Pay more than the average (currently $4.14) to receive:
All of the above Broken Age 80 Days Sorcery! Parts 1 and 2
Pay $10 or more to receive:
All of the above Shadowrun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition
While all the games on offer are well worth the price of admission,...
The Humble Narrative Bundle is the latest video game bundle on offer for fans of interactive stories, offering up to seven unique works of fiction for less than the price of your lunch. As always, what you get depends entirely on how much cash you’re willing to part with.
See below for the individual tiers:
Pay $1 or more to receive:
Her Story Read Only Memories Cibele
Pay more than the average (currently $4.14) to receive:
All of the above Broken Age 80 Days Sorcery! Parts 1 and 2
Pay $10 or more to receive:
All of the above Shadowrun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition
While all the games on offer are well worth the price of admission,...
- 6/1/2016
- by Joe Pring
- We Got This Covered
Well folks, it’s that time once again: time to spend the next few weeks arguing all over the internet about the best game of the year. As for PopOptiq, we’ve already done our squabbling, the result of which can be read below.
There was a veritable barrage of excellent games released this year, from overstuffed triple Aaa bonanzas to a couple of games so indie as to be fully developed by only one person each. You’ll find both manner of games in our list as it follows.
We’re very happy with the way the list came out, and we couldn’t be prouder of the wide-ranging, exemplary titles that our team selected. We hope you will be as satisfied with the list as we are.
10) Axiom Verge
Developed by Tom Happ
Published by Thomas Happ Games
Available on Mac, PC, PS4
At E3 2015, Nintendo caused an...
There was a veritable barrage of excellent games released this year, from overstuffed triple Aaa bonanzas to a couple of games so indie as to be fully developed by only one person each. You’ll find both manner of games in our list as it follows.
We’re very happy with the way the list came out, and we couldn’t be prouder of the wide-ranging, exemplary titles that our team selected. We hope you will be as satisfied with the list as we are.
10) Axiom Verge
Developed by Tom Happ
Published by Thomas Happ Games
Available on Mac, PC, PS4
At E3 2015, Nintendo caused an...
- 12/15/2015
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
Frictional Games
The rise of indie games is happening so fast that both the PS4 and Xbox One are scrambling to prove that their console is the place to go for the best of the bunch. In truth, both consoles (and of course the PC) are now brimming with excellent titles made by small-scale independent developers, who may lack the budgets and marketing clout of the big publishers, but more than make up for this with raw creativity and ingenuity.
As indies increase in prominence, many of its developers are now getting funded by major publishers to help realise their games, too. You could argue that when the business-oriented concerns of a publisher start getting involved, then a game loses its ‘indie’ status, but indies are defined by more than just their production process.
Defining an indie game is an endless debate thanks to all of the above, but for...
The rise of indie games is happening so fast that both the PS4 and Xbox One are scrambling to prove that their console is the place to go for the best of the bunch. In truth, both consoles (and of course the PC) are now brimming with excellent titles made by small-scale independent developers, who may lack the budgets and marketing clout of the big publishers, but more than make up for this with raw creativity and ingenuity.
As indies increase in prominence, many of its developers are now getting funded by major publishers to help realise their games, too. You could argue that when the business-oriented concerns of a publisher start getting involved, then a game loses its ‘indie’ status, but indies are defined by more than just their production process.
Defining an indie game is an endless debate thanks to all of the above, but for...
- 12/11/2015
- by Robert Zak
- Obsessed with Film
As we reported earlier this month, The Game Awards will be live on December 3rd, on a bevy of streaming sites. Now, here are the nominatees and the categories.
Game of the Year
Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Kojima Productions / Konami)
Super Mario Maker (Nintendo)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red / Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment)
Developer of the Year
Bethesda Game Studios
CD Projekt Red
FromSoftware
Kojima Productions
Nintendo
Best Independent Game
Axiom Verge (Tom Happ)
Her Story (Sam Barlow)
Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios)
Rocket League (Psyonix)
Undertale (tobyfox)
Best Mobile/Handheld Game
Downwell (Moppin / Devolver Digital)
Fallout Shelter (Bethesda Game Studios | Behaviour Interactive / Bethesda Softworks) Lara Croft Go (Square Enix Montreal / Square Enix)
Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate (Capcom)
Pac-Man 256 (Hipster Whale / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Best Narrative
Her Story (Sam Barlow)
Life...
Game of the Year
Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Kojima Productions / Konami)
Super Mario Maker (Nintendo)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red / Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment)
Developer of the Year
Bethesda Game Studios
CD Projekt Red
FromSoftware
Kojima Productions
Nintendo
Best Independent Game
Axiom Verge (Tom Happ)
Her Story (Sam Barlow)
Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios)
Rocket League (Psyonix)
Undertale (tobyfox)
Best Mobile/Handheld Game
Downwell (Moppin / Devolver Digital)
Fallout Shelter (Bethesda Game Studios | Behaviour Interactive / Bethesda Softworks) Lara Croft Go (Square Enix Montreal / Square Enix)
Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate (Capcom)
Pac-Man 256 (Hipster Whale / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Best Narrative
Her Story (Sam Barlow)
Life...
- 11/15/2015
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Matt Malliaros)
- Cinelinx
There’s a moment when you’re playing Her Story where you begin to really grasp the depth and scope of what its creator is attempting. For me, it came when I looked at the scattering of post-it notes stuck to my laptop and realized I still wasn’t sure at all where the truth of the story lied. Or “her” story, to be more specific.
Sam Barlow’s Her Story marks a bit of a paradigm shift for women in gaming. How’s that you ask? Well in presenting a gaming experience where all you do is watch a series of unordered videos of a woman (or women) who is never sexualized, never pigeon-holed, and never asked to conform to a set of gender stereotypes.
From the very beginning Hannah exists as an enigma before the ever-watchful police camera, a camera which becomes your set of eyes in this investigation,...
Sam Barlow’s Her Story marks a bit of a paradigm shift for women in gaming. How’s that you ask? Well in presenting a gaming experience where all you do is watch a series of unordered videos of a woman (or women) who is never sexualized, never pigeon-holed, and never asked to conform to a set of gender stereotypes.
From the very beginning Hannah exists as an enigma before the ever-watchful police camera, a camera which becomes your set of eyes in this investigation,...
- 9/25/2015
- by Mike Worby
- SoundOnSight
Microsoft/Rocksteady/Sony/NetherRealm
So, summer’s in full swing. The gorgeous sun is currently baking millions of beach-dwellers in their droves worldwide, there are all sorts of alcohol-related mishaps ready for the taking left, right and centre… but if it’s all the same with you, I’ll happily forgo that in favour of rattling through another white knuckle game of Rocket League, thank you.
Gaming’s stereotype has warped and dissipated considerably from the basement-dwelling caricature drawn across the 90s – these days your average Candy Crush addict considers themselves “a fan of them video games” alongside the rest of us. Still, there’ll always be room for the best titles to command you plonk your derrière firmly on a comfortable surface, before devoting every fibre of your being to besting what’s on offer.
And what a year it’s been too – we’ve seen the return of...
So, summer’s in full swing. The gorgeous sun is currently baking millions of beach-dwellers in their droves worldwide, there are all sorts of alcohol-related mishaps ready for the taking left, right and centre… but if it’s all the same with you, I’ll happily forgo that in favour of rattling through another white knuckle game of Rocket League, thank you.
Gaming’s stereotype has warped and dissipated considerably from the basement-dwelling caricature drawn across the 90s – these days your average Candy Crush addict considers themselves “a fan of them video games” alongside the rest of us. Still, there’ll always be room for the best titles to command you plonk your derrière firmly on a comfortable surface, before devoting every fibre of your being to besting what’s on offer.
And what a year it’s been too – we’ve seen the return of...
- 7/29/2015
- by Scott Tailford
- Obsessed with Film
Sam Barlow/NetherRealm/CD Projekt Red/Psyonix
Everyone gamer loves dissecting a good story or drinking in a narrative progression across a few weeks’ worth of playtime, but for those in-the-moment concoctions of code where everything comes together to provide all manner of satisfying or memorable scenarios? There’s truly nothing better.
Already you’re probably be thinking which modern titles gave you some of these set-ups, as although 2015 has definitely seen a better showing of top quality entertainment than the barren wasteland that was last year, it’s far too easy to gravitate towards the ‘big three’ of Bloodborne, Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3, rather than shine the spotlight on the many other games worth your time.
Obviously those three key titles everyone’s raving about (or mounting a case against) are going to find their home here too, but what better celebration of all things game-related than...
Everyone gamer loves dissecting a good story or drinking in a narrative progression across a few weeks’ worth of playtime, but for those in-the-moment concoctions of code where everything comes together to provide all manner of satisfying or memorable scenarios? There’s truly nothing better.
Already you’re probably be thinking which modern titles gave you some of these set-ups, as although 2015 has definitely seen a better showing of top quality entertainment than the barren wasteland that was last year, it’s far too easy to gravitate towards the ‘big three’ of Bloodborne, Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3, rather than shine the spotlight on the many other games worth your time.
Obviously those three key titles everyone’s raving about (or mounting a case against) are going to find their home here too, but what better celebration of all things game-related than...
- 7/16/2015
- by Scott Tailford
- Obsessed with Film
Her Story
Developed by Sam Barlow
Published by Sam Barlow
Available On PC, iOS
Her Story is far from a typical game. There are a great many arguments that could be made toward its gameplay and scenario that stray far from convention. Although unusual, these differences make for a compelling experience. Her Story uses multiple strengths to make a game unlike any other in recent memort and for that reason alone it is worth trying. That it revives a old gaming convention and makes it new again, is just icing on the cake.
The less you know, the more you will enjoy the strange world of Her Story. When confronted with what seems to be an old Windows 95 machine and a few prompts, it will take only a little while to get adjusted. Apparently someone has made a search in the computer for ‘Murder’. Not only does this string lead...
Developed by Sam Barlow
Published by Sam Barlow
Available On PC, iOS
Her Story is far from a typical game. There are a great many arguments that could be made toward its gameplay and scenario that stray far from convention. Although unusual, these differences make for a compelling experience. Her Story uses multiple strengths to make a game unlike any other in recent memort and for that reason alone it is worth trying. That it revives a old gaming convention and makes it new again, is just icing on the cake.
The less you know, the more you will enjoy the strange world of Her Story. When confronted with what seems to be an old Windows 95 machine and a few prompts, it will take only a little while to get adjusted. Apparently someone has made a search in the computer for ‘Murder’. Not only does this string lead...
- 7/9/2015
- by Max Covill
- SoundOnSight
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