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Categories: Commentary
Tags: pc, zombies
Thanks to the Internet, I can watch television from the comfort of my desk and amuse myself by torturing Star Wars collectors (Darth_Greed0, I was kidding about the gold flaking from my Star Wars Hamilton Collection plates after I ran them through the dishwasher). I can also harness the awesome power of the Internet to get faint rumors of cool games made by countries other than here in former Ms. Britain’s Least Favorite Colonies (1765, 1767, 1773, and 1775-1783). Occasionally I can follow a game’s development through to its US release, but too often development gets hung up somewhere and the game fades away.
The following are some of my most recent disappointments (Discworld Noir and WhiteDay, you don’t make the cut). These are all games which either progressed far enough to have screenshots and in-game footage released or were actually released somewhere, but not in the US. I’ve made an effort to contact all the parties involved and have yet to hear anything.
Zombies (PC/Xbox/PS2)
The world needs more zombie shooters, especially ones with taglines like “Run! or be the dinner.” This game by French developer Krysalide promised the next level (or at least another level) of survival horror. Zombies would have played out from a first-person perspective, but may have required more brains than bullets. The scant promotional page mentions using the interactive environment to create barricades and seeking out survivors, each with their own personality and skills. The first quarter 2005 release date has come and gone with no evidence of any release anywhere. How could you promise us “bikers from hell,” only to yank them away?
Ashoka (PC/Xbox/PS2/Mobile)
Ashoka, alternately Emperor Ashoka, received worldwide fanfare when it was announced with headlines proclaiming that games were India’s newest export. Have you people forgotten Chaturanga? Patronization aside, Ashoka looked like a promising third-person action adventure based on the 3rd century BC conqueror. Screenshots and videoclips showed a nice combination of magic and melee, and Ashoka’s crossplatform launch offered what would still be a unique gaming experience: the ability to start a game on a PC, continue it using a mobile gaming device, and then returning to it on a console system. Based on indiagames’ current Ashoka-free site, it looks like they are sticking with the mobile gaming market.
The Fall: Last Days of Gaia (PC)
According to the official FAQ, The Fall is “completely different from the Fallout universe,” which would lead one to incorrectly believe that it isn’t a nonlinear game set in a gritty post-apocalyptic version of the American Southwest. The Fall may be mutant-free, but it still benefits from Fallout’s (and Wasteland’s) popularity–enough to keep the English language message boards active on a daily basis, even though the English language page hasn’t seen an update since last November and it’s been two years since the game’s original release (although Poland saw their release in July). As for me, I’m thinking German developers Silver Style don’t really love me; they just keep me hanging on.
Fallen Lords: Condemnation (PC)
Angels, Demons, and Almas Muertas, oh my! Spanish developer Novarama re-imagines the Afterlife as an endless battle between the forces of good, evil, and . . . well . . . indifference. What looks like an unconventional RTS from its screenshots is really an epic third-person action game where players start as foot soldiers and end up commanding troops using an “intuitive interface” described in the game’s press release. Unlike the other games mentioned here, Fallen Lords has a playable demo linked from their site. Still, we’ve heard nothing since the game saw a Spanish release in November of 2005. Las Plagas, perhaps?