John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
People kept asking, so I figured I'd make a new thread for the 5 or 6 people interested in this title.
The game is much improved over the E3 build. Everything has a pleasent, soft glow to it. And despite many screens, I didn't notice any significant jaggies at all, it all looked pretty smooth to me. Note that the objects in the rooms weren't super highly detailed, but they were appealing and the art was charming.
There were only 2 Elebits in the first demo, but this version had probably 5 or 6 different varieties. I noticed different personalities too - the blue ones were always sleeping and walked really slow when disturbed, the red ones were lightning quick and always went ! whenever a light was shown near them, orange Elebits fly, yellow ones shoot out sparks, etc. Knowing their personalities, I think, will play into where you find certain kinds and the best methods to trap them.
Some people will be happy to note there are items in the game, so it isn't a straight search-n-capture. There was a ball you could break open that had an electrical field, that if you dragged it around it stunned any Elebit it touched. Also, there was a blue tube that if you smash it, gives you 15 seconds with a Rainbow Homing Laser that locks on to any Elebit on screen and drags it straight to you. The object is to keep capturing them, and different parts of the room and later the house open up to you, depending on the electricty level. You have to physically turn the remote to turn on faucets, open door handles, etc. The game does have some noticable physics too - You can't just point and click to open a cupboard or door. You press A to lock your beam on it, and you have to physically move the beam in the direction the door is hinged to open it. For example, in the kitchen, you have to grab the cupboard by its handle, and if its hinged on the right, you have to move it to the right to open it - movements in any other direction have no effect.
As far as control goes, it's really sensative. You can't make big gestures - but if you do very subtle ones, it works beautifully. It barely requires any movements at all, you basically glide across the screen. If you flail, you fail. Some of these suckers are fast, so you have to be quick! One thing that felt a bit awkard was walking and firing at the same time. I couldn't really get that down, because if you move the pointer to the edge of the screen, it turns - so if you're walking in one direction you tend to drift in others. It just takes a bit getting used to, and walking felt a bit stiff anyway - you can tell the main focus has been in the laser movements, not the players.
Anyway, wasn't much else in the build I was playing. Basically same levels. At least there is more variety, and tighter control. I didn't get to try multiplayer, but methinks that could be where the money lie.
Any questions?
The game is much improved over the E3 build. Everything has a pleasent, soft glow to it. And despite many screens, I didn't notice any significant jaggies at all, it all looked pretty smooth to me. Note that the objects in the rooms weren't super highly detailed, but they were appealing and the art was charming.
There were only 2 Elebits in the first demo, but this version had probably 5 or 6 different varieties. I noticed different personalities too - the blue ones were always sleeping and walked really slow when disturbed, the red ones were lightning quick and always went ! whenever a light was shown near them, orange Elebits fly, yellow ones shoot out sparks, etc. Knowing their personalities, I think, will play into where you find certain kinds and the best methods to trap them.
Some people will be happy to note there are items in the game, so it isn't a straight search-n-capture. There was a ball you could break open that had an electrical field, that if you dragged it around it stunned any Elebit it touched. Also, there was a blue tube that if you smash it, gives you 15 seconds with a Rainbow Homing Laser that locks on to any Elebit on screen and drags it straight to you. The object is to keep capturing them, and different parts of the room and later the house open up to you, depending on the electricty level. You have to physically turn the remote to turn on faucets, open door handles, etc. The game does have some noticable physics too - You can't just point and click to open a cupboard or door. You press A to lock your beam on it, and you have to physically move the beam in the direction the door is hinged to open it. For example, in the kitchen, you have to grab the cupboard by its handle, and if its hinged on the right, you have to move it to the right to open it - movements in any other direction have no effect.
As far as control goes, it's really sensative. You can't make big gestures - but if you do very subtle ones, it works beautifully. It barely requires any movements at all, you basically glide across the screen. If you flail, you fail. Some of these suckers are fast, so you have to be quick! One thing that felt a bit awkard was walking and firing at the same time. I couldn't really get that down, because if you move the pointer to the edge of the screen, it turns - so if you're walking in one direction you tend to drift in others. It just takes a bit getting used to, and walking felt a bit stiff anyway - you can tell the main focus has been in the laser movements, not the players.
Anyway, wasn't much else in the build I was playing. Basically same levels. At least there is more variety, and tighter control. I didn't get to try multiplayer, but methinks that could be where the money lie.
Any questions?