Real talk: Costume Quest looks AWESOME (caps are appropriate here because I actually yelled "awesome" while typing). It's a celebration of a childhood Halloween tradition that many of us hold dear to our hearts, but with a delightful fantastical spin. For starters, the young hero's homemade cardboard robot costume can transform for into a rocket-wielding giant mech if he gets pissed off enough...
Reynold (or twin sister Wren, should you choose to play her) has a problem. His/her sibling has been kidnapped by real monsters during their Hallowe’en trick or treat trip. They’ll eat him/her if s/he doesn’t get him/her back, and even worse, s/he’ll get grounded.
So begins Costume Quest, the latest slice of wonderful comedic madness from Double Fine, the Tim Schafer-headed studio responsible for Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. It’s a western-developed JRPG set on Hallowe’en night, and it’s coming this Autumn via XBLA and PSN. That’s how it begins, but how does it continue? Click on and I’ll tell you, because yesterday I played through quite a chunk of it.
Anyone waiting for Tim Schafer and his Double Fine minions to release a Psychonauts or Brutal Legend sequel may want to take a number… in hell, when it freezes over and is ruled by flying pigs and President Ralph Nader. Those not willing to wait so long, however, can get their Double Fine fix this fall with the release of Costume Quest, an XBLA and PSN entry representing the studio’s new initiative to make some “smaller” games...
At Microsoft's Spring Showcase last week, we got our hands on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and tried out the game’s twist on the gun game type escalating weapons mode, Arsenal…
It must get pretty boring being unstoppable. Imagine how Superman feels after yet another fight involving the same ordinary mortal fleshbags he could crush with a twitch of his little finger; he must long for a bit of Kryptonite to shake things up and present a challenge for once. It sometimes felt that way playing the original Crackdown – you were a super-powered, genetically engineered clone capable of outstanding feats of strength and dexterity, but you were the only one in existence.
Crackdown was a surprise hit during the first couple of years of the Xbox 360's life. Coming packed with a code for the Halo 3 beta certainly helped its initial sales, but once word got around of its wonderfully free, super-powered, open-world carnage, it rapidly became a solid cult hit. The fans cried out for a sequel, and this summer we'll have it. But how to follow up a cult classic?
Having had several hands-on hours with Crackdown 2, right now we'd say that the devs are taking an approach of 'If it ain't broke...'. Probably wise, given the first game's rabid audience, but is it enough to create a genuinely worthy sequel? Here's what we discovered as we played...
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