The whole shebang too. The helmet, the leather jacket, and the sweet jetpack. Dark Void’s jetpack is noticeably sweeter than the Rocketeer’s though. See for yourself. Doesn’t that just look like a helluva good time? Dark Void disappeared from the map since its first public showings last summer, but it’s finally re-emerging. These videos show a dramatic improvement in visual quality. The muddy browns of earlier builds have been replaced by sterile but very attractive greys and blues. The gameplay looks like it’s congealing as well. The shooting play I got to see last summer was pretty messy, a weightless blend of Gears of War and Uncharted. Here it looks like its got some oomph behind it, especially the aerial combat. If Dark Void controls in the air as good as it looks here, it’s going to be a game for the ages. Why haven’t there been more jetpacks in gaming history? It seems like such a no-brainer. (Link: GameLife) Related links: Gone Vertical: Eyes-on With Dark Void Going Vertical: How Capcom’s Developers Are Changing the Landscape of 3D Games
Can I be the first to say that I LOVE the Rocketeer, but that game looks pretty damn average.
The cinematic portion at the start is stilted and poorly paced. The actual combat looks repetitive and draining, and then they commit the cardinal sin of any game.
Quicktime events.
WHY DO THESE EXIST? They are not fun in ANY way shape or form, it's merely a way for frustrated animators to create little pieces that they think look cool, pretend that you are controlling them, but are really just watching a pre-made piece of animation with the added downside that you are penalized or perhaps even killed if you don't mash some random buttons quickly enough.
A pity... I'd love to see an actual new Rocketeer game.... such a great feel that film.
One thing I can tell you, Simon, is that even last June the button-pressing when hijacking the saucers looked less like your typical press-x-while-cutscene-plays-to-finish-cutscene and more like the sort of command action you see in Shadow of the Colossus when you stab a colossus' weak spot. Small comfort, I know.
Know what's awesome? Joe Johnston, director of Rocketeer, is directing the Captain America movie. Perfect fit, that.
John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.
Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.
Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.
Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.
Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.
Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.
Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.
Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.
Send tips to 61fps@nerve.com