It has been four years since Shinji Mikami, the father of Resident Evil, announced he was starting his own Japan-based studio under the name Tango Gameworks. In more recent years, he has acted as the Director on the influential action game Vanquish and collaborated with Suda 51 on Shadows of the Damned. The first game to come out of Tango Gameworks is set to release in only four months time. The Evil Within promises to deliver a survival horror experience, which Resident Evil has strayed from for quite some time.

At PAX East 2014, the line for The Evil Within wrapped around multiple corners for all three days that the show floor was open. The presentation that I was privy enough to be a part of, didn’t divulge any additional plot elements and besides a brief video introduction from Shinji Mikami, not a single word was uttered.

The first demo at PAX East, puts Detective Sebastian Castellanos inside a metropolis ravaged by crumbling buildings and building shooting upwards towards the sky infested with blood-thirsty inhabitants that move and act quite similar to the infected villages in Resident Evil 4. The camera panned numerous times during the demo to show off the expansive nature of the city, showing off the visuals of everything moving around Sebastian. The only person not impressed was Sebastian himself. It didn’t matter if two walls were closing in on him, or his next step would send him into a deep ravine, he remained silent and completely obvious to the happenings in the environment.

I made a point to ask the publisher Bethesda that was at the event regarding my observation and I was ensured that certain elements of the game are still being refine and polished up in time for launch. It wasn’t specified at the event, but I’ve come to learn that the areas shown are quite a few hours into the game, so seeing the devastation and the zombie like creatures weren’t new to Sebastian.

The zombie-like beings attacked both alone and in groups, but nothing more than a few were shown on screen at once. It may have been just for the demo, but Sebastian employed a full arsenal to dispense of anything in his path. Heads exploded with carefully placed headshots and bodies were flown back with immense force with the powerful shotgun. The demo also showed Sebastian burning bodies, but nothing has been noted about what happens if you fall to do so. Much like in the recent Resident Evil games, the enemies have some intelligence, shooting blindly in Sebastian’s general direction with different types of weapons.

The second demo was received much more favorably from the audience cheering throughout. One of the games Nemesis style antagonists, Boxman, hunted Sebastian across a dimly lit basement/boiler room area. A few shots with a shotgun or revolver will explode the metal head of this grotesque creature. Entering a new room or section however will see him reappear out of thin air. At one point he appeared off screen and gave the entire audience a scare when his massive weapon come crashing down over Sebastian. The demo was short, but I counted that Boxman appearing at least five times, maybe more as I lost count when the presenter almost died from an attack. Thankfully, he had an overpowered healing item that fully restored his health (I’m sure it was modified). The crossbow was shown off to an applause as the special bolts can be used to freeze or explode targets. The bolts can be crafted at any time. Switching weapons slows down the action to a crawl, but doesn’t pause the game to keep the tension high.

While I don’t expect every game to mimic the way Nathan Drake would reach out for walls or have a comment about everything that happens, but Sebastian’s character felt static and detached from the game.

With four months to go, “rough” would be a apt way to describe The Evil Within. The frame rate was hitchy, and textures seemed muddy up close. The expansive vista of the city impressed, as did the way the environment constantly shifted. The enclosed basement area had fog/mist covering much of the environment and added to the tense atmosphere.

I hope the talented team at Tango Gameworks can polish up the presentation prior to release, as the gameplay from a hands-off perspective seems to be on par with Resident Evil and The Last of Us. The Evil Within certainty had flashes of survival horror, but I won’t be able to judge the game as a whole until the retail release in August.

http://www.selectbutton.com/previews/pax-east-the-evil-within-preview/

A sequel to 2009′s more lackluster Wolfenstein title, players return to the role of B.J. Blazkowicz, stuffing their size thirteen combat boots into the backside of Nazi soldiers. And super soldiers. And robot dogs.

Actually, The New Order almost feels like a return…a Return to Castle Wolfenstein, no doubt. Puns aside, the next release in the long running series returns to its first-person shooter roots, eliminating a lot of the open world and oddness that came with the previous title.

I spent some time with the game at PAX, enough to get inside Agent Blazkowicz’ head and see just how rough the future will be with the new Nazi menace. The first few minutes of the game started fast, with B.J. and another soldier flying towards a Nazi stronghold within a squadron. Beset by strafing fire from Nazi jetfighters (they are really advanced in this game), I did my best to take them down before abandoning the plane for a nearby one.

After jumping, I felt the weight of the mission and my comrades’ lives on my shoulder. While some of it felt ripped straight from a Spielberg war movie, the game utilizes short cutscenes between some of the larger fighting to keep progressing the story. I had a second to sit and talk with a younger soldier, giving him some words of confidence. Some comments were also made about it being a transport ship, full of soldiers, and the possibility of all those lives going to waste.

While that plane did not last much longer either, crashing onto the beach began the real meat of the demo. After saving my comrades from giant, mechanical dogs with steel traps for mouths, I made my way through Nazi trenches with guns blazing, sometimes even dual-wielding weapons. There were a few opportunities for me to go different routes through the area, giving players some ability to change up their game. Ultimately though, everything arrives at the same conclusion. I did also find some hidden passages and areas along my way, and in one instance snuck into a morgue. I didn’t find any cool chalices or treasure to steal, but the inclusion of secret areas still felt like a nice touch.

Making it to the stronghold really changed the game in my perspective, adding some excellent layers in both storytelling and gameplay. Fighting my way to the top after Wilhelm “Deathshead” Strasse (an antagonist from both Wolfenstein andReturn to Castle Wolfenstein), I met him face to face after dealing with one of his pet Übersoldaten. My crew and I were captured, and Deathshead being the crazy man he is, gave me a choice of who to dissect. I was not expecting this kind of choice within the game, and while I initially tried to let some sort of behind-the-scenes timer run out, he began making quips that his patience was endless. I ended up picking the pilot from the beginning, and after a short intermission of screams, it returned with Deathshead leaving me to die from incinerators. I left the game right as we escaped, busting out through a window and falling several stories into the waves below.

I can say I felt a bit overwhelmed, but overall the game felt like a return to the addictive Return to Castle Wolfenstein, with the ridiculousness and crazy sci-fi thrown in for good measure. I can also say that at one point, I did pause the game and learn there will be different forms of upgrades available, though I never found exactly what kind. I gathered they might be similar to the previous title, letting players upgrade weapons and equipment.

Fans of the FPS genre and the Wolfenstein series will certainly fall in love with this game. It’s got the build of an excellent story-driven game and it is a great return to the series on top of that. It is slated for released on May 20th, 2014, for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

http://www.selectbutton.com/previews/wolfenstein-the-new-order-preview-return-to-wolfenstein/

At the big event for the PlayStation 4 event last year, Sony revealed a handful of indie developers bringing titles to consoles exclusively to the PlayStation 4. Originally shown at PAX Prime, Switchblade Monkeys had planned to developSecret Ponchos exclusively for PC, until Sony approached them about bringing the title over to the PS4. The updated build at PAX East 2014 showcased the hard work that has gone into the development of the game with unmatched stylized visuals and an unflinching framerate. The PlayStation 4 build also features two-player split-screen online multiplayer.

Secret Ponchos can best be described as a spaghetti western graphic novel, blending elements of multiple games genres together including shooters, fighters and MOBAs. The game features a handful of outlaws looking for legendary status, whether it is dueling or all out eight-player mayhem. The outlaws each come with their own set of skills and playstyles.

Not playing the game prior to this event, I went with the iconic Phantom Poncho for the first round and The Killer for my dominating second round. I thought I handled myself well as a newcomer, placing 4th, but it was explained to me afterwards that Poncho is one of the more advanced characters. Poncho’s primary weapon, the shotgun, is one of the most powerful weapons in the game, but is limited in range. This made for some dicey engagements, forcing me to get up close and personal with other hunters.

The Killer with his twin revolvers has the best range out of the playable characters in this early build of the game. His knife attack can be used as a melee or a ranged weapon by throwing it at a target. Thanks to his alternate fire of unloading each chamber in both revolvers in quick succession, I quickly climbed the leaderboard to the top spot.

Dodging is a key element within the game and essential to quickly evade incoming fire and avoid confrontation when you don’t have the advantage. Power-ups are scattered throughout the map, allowing temporary boosts such as increased damage and speed boosts. Players can take cover behind various parts of the environment, at the risk of losing sight of other bounty hunters due to the inclusion of line of sight in the game.

Revealed at PAX East, Yousuf Mapara, Creative Director on Secret Ponchos and President of Switchblade Monkeys, informed us that the game would be coming to both PC and PS4 after an overwhelming amount of demand for the PC version. In order to accomplish this goal, the game will be part of Early Access on Steam early summer 2014. Early adapters can expect exclusive offers and a few surprises if they purchase the game while it is in Early Access. Switchblade Monkeys wants to keep the game updated with additional characters and maps, but the content will depend on what the community wants.

http://www.selectbutton.com/previews/secret-ponchos-preview-outlaws-paradise/