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Divekick preview: The two-button brawler

Mike Suszek — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:00:00 EST

Iron Galaxy Studios' Divekick, which started out as a purely independent Kickstarter success story, pokes fun at the aspects of the fighting genre that people both love and loathe. It competes well in the genre it trivializes, and it does so with both hands in its pockets.

The build I played at PAX East used a fight stick with two buttons slightly larger than the palms of my hands. That underscores the key ingredient to Divekick: it introduces an appropriate level of depth for a fighter that only uses two forms of input. Smacking one button down would tell my character to jump in the air, while the other had them hopping backwards. Combinations of these buttons resulted in jumping in the air and kicking downward at an angle, or activating a character-specific ability when the "kick meter" filled up. Successfully kicking my opponent just once in the cat-and-mouse fighter won a round, with the match going to the first character to win five rounds.

Instead of memorizing button combinations, the playing field is leveled for all combatants, as timing is everything in this game. I found myself adopting familiar fighting game strategies, attempting to lure my opponent in before nailing them with a quick hop and kick. Other times, I would close the gap between us with a high vertical jump and kick, a risky proposition given the amount of time available for my enemy to counter. Kicking my opponent in the head wasn't just satisfying, it was a tactic that carried over to the next round, as the player suffering the blow began the first four seconds of the round in a daze. The daze slowed their movements, giving me a clear, but not absolute advantage.

Gallery: Divekick (3/27/13)

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Divekick preview: The two-button brawler originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capcom announces Darkstalkers Resurrection at NYCC [Update: Now with trailer and screenshots]

Jordan Mallory — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:46:00 EST

Capcom has just announced Darkstalkers Resurrection, an PSN/XBLA Darkstalkers collection expected to release early next year at $14.99/~~1,600~~ 1,200 MS Points. The game, announced during a Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Panel at New York Comic Con, is under development at Iron Galaxy Studios and will bundle the arcade versions of Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge and Darkstalkers 3 together as a single downloadable title, ala Marvel vs. Capcom Origins.

Both games will run on GGPO and will include the standard Ranked Match/Player Match online setup standard to Capcom re-releases. Replay sharing and YouTube functionality are also present, as are HD filters and a gallery of unlockable art assets and bonuses, including the work of Udon and custom artwork by Stanley Lao.

When the time came to choose which Darkstalkers game would receive the HD treatment, the decision to release two games as a bundle was one of necessity, according to Capcom producer Derek Neal.

"We were agonizing over which to release," Neal told us shortly after the game's announcement. "They're the two most popular, fan-favorite games of the people who have played Darkstalkers way back when and loved it. There's a group that loves Darkstalkers 2 and a group that loves Darkstalkers 3."

Eventually, Capcom concluded that the only way to keep everyone happy was to release both games as a double-pack.

Update: Capcom has informed us that the XBLA price point of 1,600 MS Points listed in the press release after the break is incorrect, and that the game will in fact be available for 1,200 MS Points.

Gallery: Darkstalkers Resurrection

Continue reading Capcom announces Darkstalkers Resurrection at NYCC [Update: Now with trailer and screenshots]

Capcom announces Darkstalkers Resurrection at NYCC [Update: Now with trailer and screenshots] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Avatar Famestar' introduces persistent, cross-game rewards to XBLA

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST

When Iron Galaxy's Wreckateer is launched next week - the second game in Microsoft's Summer of Arcade annual promotion - it'll include a brand new feature that will show up in several upcoming XBLA games: Avatar Famestars. We first heard the name back in February when a trademark popped up for the phrase, but what exactly is it?

"Avatar Famestars is a new program from Microsoft Studios and is part of a select group of games that delivers new and exciting ways to play online with your friends and compete for social recognition," says Microsoft. Okay, what does that mean? A variety of in-game challenges (think: "get a perfect score five times on this game mode") are included in Avatar Famestar-supported games, and you'll earn rewards based on earning Famestar points (think: Avatar stuff).

Those rewards will cross from game to game, as will your point total. It's kind of like Ubisoft's UPlay program, but less ubiquitous - for now, Avatar Famestars is locked to your Xbox 360, though we wouldn't be shocked to hear about it heading to Surface, Windows 8, and Windows Phones in due time.

Beyond Wreckateer, Microsoft's adding Avatar Famestar support to already released games Full House Poker, and A World of Keflings, and several upcoming games: Fire Pro Wrestling, Homerun Stars, and Avatar Motocross Madness. Unfortunately, it's not clear when any of the already available games will get the update, but we expect upcoming games will simply debut with the functionality. Wreckateer launches next Wednesday on Xbox Live Arcade, and it'll be the first game on Xbox with Avatar Famestar support. Keep an eye out for our review early next week.

Gallery: Wreckateer

'Avatar Famestar' introduces persistent, cross-game rewards to XBLA originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wreckateer smashing up XBLA this spring, and it's totally your fault

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST

Ever since you stormed -- and consequently destroyed -- your first sandcastle, you've relished the perverse joy in the destruction of inconsequential structures. And for you, oddly specific sufferer, Iron Galaxy Studios is crafting a great outlet for that particular fetish with Wreckateer. First revealed by various international rating associations, Wreckateer was finally officially announced last week during a San Francisco press event.

Heading to Xbox Live Arcade exclusively, Wreckateer employs Kinect as the sole controller and represents players in-game with their XBL Avatar. Players grab rocks of various types in a ballista (read: extra large slingshot), step back to take aim, and let loose to take down castles in as few shots as possible. "When we originally pitched it, we pitched as Angry Birds meets Boom Blox with some Burnout Crash Mode sprinkled in," Iron Galaxy's Dave Lang told us during a recent demo.

The latter part of his description plays out in mid-air, as the ball hurtles toward said castle -- players can add English to the ball or alter its trajectory by waving their hands, and some ammo types allow for other effects. One such ball splits into three separate, smaller balls attached by a string, allowing for bigger point chains and higher scores. At its core, Wreckateer is a high score game based around a singular, effective concept: throwing rocks at stuff. Microsoft Studios is publishing the game, and it's expected some time in "Spring 2012." So, like, soon.

Continue reading Wreckateer smashing up XBLA this spring, and it's totally your fault

Wreckateer smashing up XBLA this spring, and it's totally your fault originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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