Online Saturday - Disney Speedstorm - Poor Tutorial And U.I Detract From Good Racing And Graphics

Welcome to Online Saturday.

For today's video i'm trying out the free to play Nintendo Switch game Disney Speedstorm. this game is out on other platforms and had been out for a little while before as something akin to a paid beta. but now it's free to play and i went in expecting a polished game with a robust selection of characters and tracks. unfortunately, wasn't the case.

The game starts with what looks like a good tutorial and across many sections it says what menus and stuff are. but it's because it looks so useful that when it turns out to not be comprehensive it comes across as a half finished tutorial. there are some basic stuff not covered by the tutorial, like the rails and jumps, some basic moves, like charged attacks, and things are made worse by some poor U.I choices.

one of the very first things the game asks you to do is choose your racing style. but it doesn't define what either is. you can change it in the menus later, but even then it doesn't give much more detail. this lack of detail is apparent throughout the U.I and a real missed opportunity to make the came more accessible and easy to understand. throughout the video i complain about many different aspects of the game that are poorly explained, if they are at all.

These choices give the game a feel of a mobile phone game. but in trying to be minimal and be useable across many devices, it has instead come across as a mobile game that's surprisingly not as accessible or as straightforward as you'd expect for a Disney title. it's almost like it has an identity crisis. a key example of that is how the game promotes energy drinks and uses them to level up characters. it's well documented how multiple energy drinks can be bad for health, so it having such a prominent use in this game is almost baffling and it doesn't really make much sense in the game's universe anyway.

Whilst the game has many issues, one of them isn't the racing itself. whilst there are things you'll have to work out yourself because the game won't tell, the core racing itself is good. but, in the beginning, it doesn't feel fast. instead of breaking the game into speed categories, your speed is determined by your character's stats. so the higher the level your character is the faster they'll go. i don't mind it, but i'm a little unsure as to whether or not the online multiplayer is going to be successfully balanced. the game does use drifting and it doesn't take long to get used to. each character has their own selection of weapons as well as a character specific move. for the offline races, it felt exciting, close, and it often came down to the wire. 

But, even tho it's an option on the main menu, you can't start with Online. you have to do a minimum of 9 offline races before you can unlock the Online mode. and even then it's only a ranked online mode. it felt very strange to me that the first online mode unlocked is ranked instead of unranked. the two online races i took part in felt unbalanced, with a couple racing ahead and none of use seemingly able to do anything, or the game giving us anything, to catch up to them. it didn't feel as fun or as balanced as the offline racing did and it's why i'm concerned that the online modes are going to be unbalanced. but having this be the first online mode people play feels like a quick way to turn people off online as it could just be not fun.

This might be a fun game to play offline, and if that's all you want to do then i would recommend the game. but if you're looking to play it online, then i wouldn't recommend the game and suggest you wait until the game is patched. not only because of how unbalanced the online felt, but also because it seemed like the online mode was struggling with there being disconnections and poor connections. i have no idea what region it's placed me in, so i can't comment if that's the reason. with the game in the state it's in, it feels like a shame that such fun core racing mechanics have been placed into a poorly designed mobile phone game. coupled with the weight of the Disney brand behind it, it's a case of what could've been.

Switch Funday - Asphalt 9: Legends - The First 45 Minutes

Welcome to Switch Funday!

Asphalt 9: Legends is a game i've had on my Switch for a long time, but i've never played it. it could be, in-part, that i've always considered Asphalt to be a mobile game series. but it's Switch Funday and i was in the mood for a racing game.

First thing i'd like to say is that i came away from this game very impressed. some of the design and user interface stuff feels old, but the core gameplay itself was a lot of fun. it felt like it took the arcade drift fun from Ridge Racer 7, the cars from Gran Turismo, and the wrecking from Burnout to create a racer that at it's core is rather fun and enjoyable.

the only negative that really stood out regarding it's core gameplay is the length of the races. whilst the races may share parts of a course, they can vary wildly in distance. if it took less than a minute, it felt too short. it would be a guess to suggest that this was from it's origins as a mobile game. but when they're short, a mistake or two is all it takes to lose the race. there's not enough time for a comeback. the Ai is rather good and seems to try, combined with a boost that doesn't seem that much faster than everyone else, makes the short tracks feel a bit of a chore rather than something to look forward to.

Considering how old the game is on Switch, i was also impressed by how good it looked. there wasn't too much complex stuff on screen, but what was there was clear, big, and colorful. there were some texture pop-in issues with stuff in the background, but that was only really noticeable when things were going slow. the sense of speed when you're going fast and the type of racer it is means that in a race there's little time to admire the scenery so i didn't notice if pop-in happened. it doesn't have the most crisp graphics and i'm sure i spotted the game showing my car with a floating head inside, but i do feel that it's good enough. even the menus were fine.

I'm glad i checked out Asphalt 9: Legends and i do recommend people try it. it's free to play from the eShop and has a huge amount to unlock. it's a bit of a retro racer with modern ideas that mostly pulls it off.

Ubisoft And Gameloft Announce Dungeon Hunter: Alliance Is A Launch Title For The Playstation Vita

Ubisoft and Gameloft have announced Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, an upcoming Action RPG for the Playstation Vita. Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is a launch title that can be played in single player or with up to 4 other players. the game has over 30 levels to explore, some other areas will be randomly generated, and it makes use of the PSV touch screen to let players pick up items, back touch panel casts spells, and the accelerometer counters rival curses.

Screenshots

Key Features :

• A unique multiplayer experience on PlayStation®Network: team up online with your friends or with players across the globe! The game difficulty will adapt to the number of players. Do your training and climb the ranks in the online global leaderboards.

• Fun "hack & slash" gameplay, enhanced by special controls that take advantage of the PlayStation® Vita hardware: Use the touch controls to pick specific items, the back touch panel to perform special spells, and the accelerometer to counter rival curses by shaking your device.
  
  
• A real quest to complete solo or with others, spanning over 30 levels with an immense world of dungeons, villages and forests to explore, including areas that are randomly generated. Gothicus will never cease to amaze you!
  
  
• All the ingredients for a great role-playing game: choose your class, optimize your hero's development by assigning experience points to the attributes of your choice, and equip your hero with the best armor thanks to the items you collect throughout your adventure.

Press Release

Ubisoft And Gameloft Announce Asphalt Injection, A Racing Game Launch Title For The Playstation

Ubisoft and Gameloft have announced Asphalt Injection, an upcoming racing game for the Playstation Vita. this launch title has 52 licensed cars, 20 tracks, and 10 different event types with more than 100 events to race through. You can play Asphalt Injection with either the PSV dual sticks, the PSV Back Panel, or the Gryoscope Controls.

Screenshots

Key Features

• Arcade racing at its finest with collectibles, crashes, jumps, shortcuts, and nitro for thrilling races.
• 52 licensed cars from prestigious manufacturers including Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin plus legendary models and 2011’s hottest cars.
• Race on 20 tracks from Shanghai to Monte Carlo rendered with cutting-edge graphical effects.
• Master 10 different event types laid out in a full-featured Career mode with more than 100 unique events.
• Enter a next-gen visual experience thanks to high definition car modeling and amazing fluidity.
• Discover unprecedented controls with the PS Vita through dual-stick, back panel or gyroscope controls.
• Experience new social features and broadcast your performance in the Communication Zone to share your latest unlocked car, trophies, best laps and more.
  

Press Release

Gameloft Detail The 10 Games They Are Bringing To The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Launch

Gameloft have announced they are bringing 10 games to the Launch of Xperia Play. 2 of these games will come preloaded on the phone when it launches on 29th March, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline and Star Battalion. the other 8 games coming out at launch include: Assassin's Creed, UNO, Let's Golf! 2, Spider-Man: Total Mayhem, Modern Combat: Black Pegasus, Real Football 2011, Brothers in Arms 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction.





Press Release

BARCELONA, Spain, February 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gameloft, a leading developer and publisher of downloadable video games, has confirmed its support for the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY with a catalogue of 10 of its market-leading titles available on the smartphone's March 29 release date. Two of the ten titles, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline and Star Battalion, will come pre-loaded on the phone. The other games available upon release include Assassin's Creed, UNO(TM), Let's Golf! 2, Spider-Man: Total Mayhem, Modern Combat: Black Pegasus, Real Football 2011, Brothers in Arms 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction.

"I created Gameloft 10 years ago with the goal of bringing video games to all audiences," said Michel Guillemot, President of Gameloft. "The launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY, certified by PlayStation, the first full-featured smartphone to include an exclusive gaming interface, means my initial goal can now become a reality. The controls on the Xperia PLAY enhance the gaming experience beautifully."

Steve Walker, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson remarked, "Gameloft is one of Sony Ericsson's long-standing partners and we're delighted to have their support for the launch of Xperia PLAY. Gameloft has enjoyed enormous success in the downloadable video game market and we're thrilled to have them bring their unmatched knowledge and unique skills to creating fantastic games for Xperia PLAY."

A propos de Gameloft
A leading international publisher and developer of downloadable video games, Gameloft has established itself as one of the top innovators in its field since 2000. Gameloft creates games for all digital platforms, including mobile phones, smartphones and tablets (Apple(R) iOS et Android(R)), triple play boxes, connected sets and consoles. Partnerships with leading licensors such as UNO(TM), Spider-Man(R), James Cameron's Avatar(TM), Ferrari(R) and Sonic Unleashed(R) allow Gameloft to form strong relationships with international brands. Gameloft also operates its own established franchises, such as Real Football, Asphalt(TM), Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus et N.O.V.A Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance(R). Gameloft is present in all continents, distributes its games in 100 countries and employs over 4,000 developers. Gameloft is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN: FR0000079600, Bloomberg: GFT FP, Reuters: GLFT.PA).

Gameloft Have Released A New Trailer For Asphalt 6 On The iPhone

Gameloft have released a new trailer for their upcoming iPhone game, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline. the trailer features lots of gameplay footage of both single and up to 6 player multiplayer. the video also shows that the game has simple tilt controls with a touch to boost.

Gameloft Announce They Have Sold Over 20 Million Paid Games On The iTunes App Store Since July 2008

Gameloft have announced that they have sold over 20 Million paid apps on the iTunes App Store since it opened in July 2008. Since July 2008, Gameloft have developed and published 100 games on the App Store, 18 iPhone and 29 iPad games have been released this year. Gameloft announce that 15 other games are coming out this year including:

• NFL 2011 HD (iPad)
• Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles HD (iPad)
• Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD (iPad)
• Dungeon Hunter 2 (iPhone)
• Gangstar: Miami Vindication (iPhone)
• Star Battalion (iPhone)
• Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus (iPhone)

Press Release

London - Gameloft®, the leading publisher and developer of downloadable video games, has sold over 20 million paid games since the App Store opened in July 2008.

Of the 47 iPhone & iPad games launched from the beginning of this year, 42 titles climbed to the top 5 best-selling games* on the App Store with 25 of the games reaching the number one spot. All of these consecutive and successful launches have helped Gameloft achieve a new level of sales on the App Store. Gameloft’s Let’s Golf ! franchise has continued to perform well with the launch of Let’s Golf ! 2 on the iPhone and the arrival of Let’s Golf ! HD on the iPad. Other notable titles include Iron Man 2, the number-one game sold in the United States and Europe; Brothers® in Arms 2: Global Front the top ranking game for both iPhone and iPad; and the very successful launch of N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance on the iPhone 4.

"The first half of 2010 marks a new step for us on the App Store," declared Michel Guillemot, President of Gameloft. "The launch of the iPad and iPhone 4 has opened new horizons for developers and allowed us once again to transform our consumers gaming experience. 20 million paid downloads is proof that our games meet the expectations of our players and we will continue to satisfy them."

Gameloft has developed and published 100 games since the App Store was launched in July 2008, including 18 iPhone games and 29 iPad games since January 2010. 15 other titles will be added to the catalog of games already available on the App Store by year’s end. This includes NFL 2011 HD, Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles HD, Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD on the iPad, as well as Dungeon Hunter 2, Gangstar: Miami Vindication, Star Battalion and Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus (also available on the iPad) on the iPhone.

*Source - Top Grossing App Store Chart

About Gameloft

A leading international publisher and developer of downloadable video games, in 10 years Gameloft has established itself as one of the top innovators in its field. Gameloft creates games for mobile phones, smartphones, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, with the total number of game-enabled devices expected to exceed 4 billion units in 2012 A pioneer in the new downloadable console game market, Gameloft publishes games on WiiWare, DSiWare, Microsoft®Xbox LIVE® Arcade et PlayStation® Network. Partnerships with leading licensors such as UNOTM, Ferrari, Shrek, CSI, Spider-Man, Ironman, Blokus and Sonic allow Gameloft to form strong relationships with international brands. Gameloft also operates its own established franchises, such as Real Football, Asphalt and Brain Challenge. Gameloft is present in all continents, distributes its games in 100 countries and employs over 3,500 developers at its production studios.

Gameloft Announce Earthworm Jim HD is Coming Out On 28th July For €9.99/£7.99 And Release A New Trailer

Gameloft have released new screenshots and a trailer for Earthworm Jim HD. The trailer shows off the new HD graphics as well as showing the new features of the game. The new features include a local/online 2-4 mode that comes with 15 levels, and new single player levels. Gameloft have also revealed that Earthworm Jim HD is coming out on 28th July and will cost €9.99/£7.99.

From EU Playstation Blog

Gameloft Reveal Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, A Online RPG, For The Playstation 3

Gameloft have announced, via their twitter account, that they are bringing Dungeon Hunter: Alliance to the Playstation 3 this year. Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is a online Action RPG that can be played with up to 4 players, either via local co-op or online. the game has a top down look very similar to Torchlight as well as combat that seems to be broken down into Mage and Warrior classes. Gameloft have released the debut trailer for the game below



From Gameloft Twitter