Teleka Preview: Q&A with Obel Isk – by REZ

November 25, 2007 at 25:8 | In Interviews, Previews | 4 Comments
Tags: , , , ,


Above: Main characters (left to right) Obel and BUBZ in the stylish look of Teleka

On 64Digits, there are 4 fairly popular games that steal the show. Among these are Platformed and Teleka. Today, I (Clay) talk to 64Digits celebrity, Obel Isk (Zane), about his highly intisipated project, Teleka. 

CLAY: What was your original inspiration for Teleka and when did you begin forming the game itself?
ZANE: My original inspiration for Teleka? If it’s gameplay you’re wondering about, I got most of my ideas from one of the older Zelda games. Teleka started out as just a simple minigame called DodgeBubble. You were in a room full of floating bombs coming after you, and you could destroy them by tricking them into ramming into one another. I wanted to give it a story, and it kinda snowballed from there. I started that about two and a half years ago.
CLAY: I see. So Teleka has some major history behind it. What sort of ideas came from this snowball effect?
ZANE: Hehe, snowball effect. I love that phrase. As I said, it started out as just that little top-down shooter. But then I had some crazy ideas. I thought it would be cool if your character could create cyclones that you control. I eventually got bored of the whole minigame scene, so I decided to make it into an adventure game. I dropped the top-down perspective, and placed a little emphasis on exploration. I gave it some worlds to explore and some characters to interact with. I also invented some new items, such as that throwing star among others.
CLAY: I think we’ve all seen the concept art on 64D. How well is that style transferring to a GM game, and what’d it take to achieve that look? 
ZANE: I’m not sure if one can even call that concept art. That’s actually how the graphics look in-game. Though I must admit, it looks a little odd. Pre-rendered 3D graphics on a 2D plane might seem a little awkward. With today’s standards, especially in console gaming, most games are presented in realtime 3D. But then again. If you’ve ever played the first Oddworld game, you can probably notice how the game is completely two-dimensional, but the graphics are prerendered. Perhaps Teleka can carry on its legacy? Anyway, achieving the right look was a pain in the ass from the start. I’ve restarted Teleka about six times, three of them due to graphical changes. But I’m finally satisfied with the look now, and this will be the final thing.
CLAY: I understand Teleka features everything from cuddly robots to space age geckos. Can you give us some background on the story?
ZANE: BAHAHA! CUDDLY! Heh, you crack me up sometimes. The geckos are the cuddly ones, trust me. BUBZ will massacre you and your entire city if he’s willing to. Anyway, the main plot is just the typical bad-guy-looking-for-something fiasco, but there are also a few subplots. BUBZ is banished and sent on an impossible mission, Obel is sent with him, and Aster is protecting BUBZ and Obel while trying to hide something the Dystopia is looking for. I would say more, but I would probably get carried away.
CLAY: What kind of gameplay can I expect? What word (i.e. genre) best describes it?
ZANE: I hate sounding like a broken record, but it’s a Zelda-ish adventure game.
CLAY: Sounds like you got a long road ahead of you. Simple question, are you receiving any help on this game? 
ZANE: Occasionally. At school I discuss my ideas with my friend Asterisk. He helps me loads with concept and music. There’s also Kenon, who I often consult for ideas. Oh yeah, and Andes. He helps me with all kinds of ideas, such as bosses and items. Serprex and a few others have also helped me with development. 
CLAY: Anything special about the game’s score?
ZANE: There are a few things. The song “Invader from Inside” was composed way back for the first incarnation of Teleka, but eventually I decided to remake it for the game’s new feel. The song will be used for a very “heated” part of the story. If you haven’t heard the song, just ask me and I’ll let you have a listen. Also, in the song “Dystopia Incarnation,” which will probably be used for kind of a trashed city scene, you can hear background vocals near the end. It’s me speaking, but the sound is heavily manipulated.
CLAY: Sounds like you’re really paying attention to all aspects of the game. Well, thats all for now. Any final thoughts? 
ZANE: Yes, I know I’m a little late, but I would like to thank Al Gore for his work and congratulate him for the Nobel Prize he won recently. Manbearpig is at large, and he must be stopped!

DDDEVASTATIONNN – Reviewed by Fabio

November 10, 2007 at 10:10 | In Previews, Reviews | 1 Comment
Tags: , , ,

Classic games. You have to love them. Whether it be Castlevania, Metal Slug, Streetfighter, or even Super Mario. Radnom Games is producing a classic with a bit of a spin; DDDEVASTATIONNN. DDDEVASTATIONNN takes on similarities to Contra, another classic. You play as a silhouetted character whose identity is unknown. Your objective? Fight your way through levels riddeled with enemies. Sounds like the regular formula, right? Wrong. DDDEVASTATION is unique to many ways that people fail to realize. The graphics are a simple, solid color with simple shapes and different colors. It all flows together in a way that is ascetically pleasing to the eye. Different colors represent different things. For example, red represents an enemy. The way you progress through each level in comparison to other platforming shooters is much different as well. All in all the experience itself is somewhat refreshing amidst the dozens of other platforming shooters coming out these days.


Fight enemies on the edge of a cliff.

Something you may not enjoy about the experience is the controls. They take some getting used to, and although they are acceptable, there is some room for improvement. But then again, almost everything in the game is different from the conventional shooter.

Another great feature is the unique boss battles. Each boss has ‘parts’ in which you must destroy. For example, one boss might have an arm, head, and legs. Each part has it’s own health value and you must take out each piece to destroy the entire thing. It’s unique quirks like this that make DDDEVASTATIONNN a refreshing experience.

The varying environments in the game add to the experience. The game puts on this feel of always having a living, breathing atmosphere that you yourself are a part of; something many platforming shooters lack. Enemies vary throughout the levels, each with different attributes.


Stunning environments grace the eye.

Something that may turn people away from DDDEVASTATIONNN is its difficulty. I won’t lie, DDDEVASTATIONNN can be VERY hard at times. But, it’s this very aspect that makes the game worth coming back to. Most games people can run through in less then half an hour, but DDDEVASTATIONNN will keep you coming back for more every time. You’ll actually see yourself starting to improve as you play more.

And it’s not just the difficulty that’ll make you wanting more, it’s the simple want for more of the great atmosphere and just a plain want for more of the DDDEVASTATIONNN universe. This game is a mix of classic and new, and it all comes together very well. A challenging game that will keep you entertained for a time to come, DDDEVASTATIONNN is definitely something to keep an eye out for. I highly suggest it both as one of my favorites and a must-play in the GM world.


A swarm of enemies closes around you.

DDDEVASTATIONNN
Size: 8.6 MB
By: Radnom
(http://www.radnomgames.com/)
W.I.P.

4.5 out of 5.

SOUTH – Reviewed by REZ

November 10, 2007 at 10:7 | In Previews, Reviews | 2 Comments
Tags: , , ,

Let me tell you about a WIP thats still not getting the respect it deserves. A game called ‘SOUTH’ by wingboy.

Its hard to review ’SOUTH’ without reminding the readers constantly how intoxicatingly good it is, but as I walk you through this zombie ridden game, I’ll try not to. For you see, ‘SOUTH’ has a little something for everyone. Provided that “everyone” is above the age of 12 and is prepared to see some zombie breasts. Yes, you heard me right. Are you begining to see why this game is so intoxicating?

Before we touch on the major stuff like gameplay, I think its important to mention what everybody sees at first glance, graphics. The graphics of ‘SOUTH’ are well, graphic. The character sprites are very large and detailed, making every encounter with a new kind of zombine both thrilling and fun. The environment sprites compliment the rest of the graphics quite nicely. Pretty much everything has some degree of detail, including the massive/sometimes moderate amounts of blood. Animations, although fluid, sometimes seem a bit wonky. Especially certain zombie walking animations. However, its nothing bad enough to hurt the overall game experience. Not much can be said about the sound effects and music, they’re fitting and they get the job done.


Above: secret areas like this one make exploring levels quite satisfying.

The plot is pretty vague. From what I played in the previous demo, there’s only one cutscene at the begining of the game that attempts to explain what is happening. I’m not even going to try to make sense of the plot, I’ll just tell you what I know. Zombies are running wild in a southern town called ‘Normal’ and as local trench coat wearing-machete wielding badass, its your job to clean up the streets. But you can’t do it alone, so you fuse your hand with a mutant demon that can basically turn you into a laser shooting X-Men character. Alright, I suppose it sounds much cooler without all the pop culture references I added in there, but you get the gist of it.


Above: The game’s main character showing off his trademark ‘electric buzzsaw’ attack

Now here’s the fun part. The gamplay of ‘SOUTH’ is mostly hack ‘n’ slash but you can mix it up by using ranged fireball attacks via your demon hand. You’ll be doing a lot of plowing through weaker, less intelligent zombies but you’ll occasionally run into a fairy clever zombie. In fact, the most dangerous enemies in the game rely on cheap tricks. Although these clever zombie thrills add to the fun, they can get pretty tiresome. For instance, there is one type of zombie that will randomly break through a window and start clobbering you. Seems like a good idea, and its actually pretty fun to fend him off. The problem is, this trick happens too much and you never have enough time to jump back and protect yourself. So get used to the fact that you’ll lose some health no matter what.


Above: These guys will freak you at first when they rip off their faces and charge you but like the window zombie, its a fun yet annoying trick.

All in all, ‘SOUTH’ has a great mesh of graphics, sound effects, and gameplay. The game’s shortcomings in enemy design wouldn’t matter with more zombie types, its all just a matter of lowing repetition.

I realize its not fair to judge WIP, but honestly, I can’t wait any longer to express my liking of this game.

64D PAGE LINK TO “SOUTH”

4 out of 5.

Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.