At a recent Microsoft press event, we got a chance to check out the XBLA (as well as PSN and PC) Ghostbusters top-down, twin-stick shooter called Sanctum of Slime. This particular game doesn’t really take place anywhere in the proper Ghostbusters storyline (yes, there’s a proper Ghostbusters storyline) as the characters and locations have been made specifically for this game. Unfortunately, that means no Spengler, Stantz, Venkman, or Zeddemore, but Sanctum of slime does support cooperative play for up to four characters that are not the Ghostbusters from the movie.
Mechanics in Sanctum of slime are pretty straightforward. The left analog stick controls movement while the right analog stick determines aiming and shooting–just as you’d find in most other twin-stick shooters.
The twist is that, in addition to the positron glider, you have two other weapons types at your disposal–each of which produces a different kind of projectile that you can access by pressing a shoulder button. You’ll know when to use a certain weapon type depending on the color of the ghost you’re attacking, so if the ghost happens to be red, then you use the regular glider.
If the ghost is yellow, then you use a different weapon that produces a yellow net-like projectile that covers a pretty big swath of space.
All of the weapons will inflict damage on a ghost no matter the color, but you can kill them (or is it re-kill?) them quicker when using the properly color coded weapon.
There are 12 levels and two separate boss levels in Sanctum of slime. Some of the locations you’ll see include a hotel, sewers, and a graveyard and most of the locations we’ve seen so far have enemies that are unique to that area. Level progression involves clearing out a room and then moving onto the next.
If any team member loses all of their health, you have an opportunity to revive them by standing over the body and pressing the designated button repeatedly. Doing this also means that you leave yourself open to attack, so generally you have to wait for an opening before you risk reviving a fallen comrade.
Robot Entertainment’s first effort falls in fantasy action-strategy genre, due on PC, possibly 360, PS3, this summer.
Ensemble Studios’ closure by Microsoft in 2009 sent shock waves throughout the industry, but it didn’t take long for many of the Age of Empires developers to land on their feet. One studio to form out of that studio’s remnants was Robot Entertainment, which formed under Tony Goodman and other former members of Ensemble’s leadership team.
Today, Robot’s first orders have been inputted, as the studio announced it will release Orcs Must Die as a digital download on consoles and PC this summer. According to a Robot representative, exact platforms have yet to be nailed down, but the studio is aiming to release the title on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
As its title may imply, Orcs Must Die sees players defending their castle from a never-ending flood of orcs and other infernal beasts. As seen in the game’s first trailer (below), the high-intensity action title sees players strategically retreating through their keeps while laying and springing traps that range from spiked logs to magical wrecking-ball pendulums.
Robot expects to offer additional details on the title at PAX East, which will take place from March 11-13 in Boston.
D3Publisher confirms Insect Armageddon delay; multiplayer action game now set to swarm Xbox 360, PS3 this summer.
Gamers eager to enlist in the Earth Defense Force will need to wait a little bit longer. According to the game’s official Facebook page, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon will miss its previously announced spring release window and is now set for launch July 5.
In development at Vicious Cycle Games (Dead Head Fred, Matt Hazard), Insect Armageddon will once again cast players as a member of the Earth Defense Force. When the planet is attacked by alien invasion forces closely resembling giant ants, spiders, and other terrestrial bugs, the vastly outnumbered EDF makes up for a lack of manpower with an abundance of firepower.
To help stave off the invasion, Insect Armageddon will give players access to over 300 weapons and helpful tools like jetpacks and movable turrets. It will also allow up to three players to go through the campaign mode together online, or two players in split-screen cooperative mode. The game also features a separate six-player mode where players battle wave after wave of the alien menace together.
The Earth Defense Force series began life as Chikyuu Boueigun, part of D3Publisher’s Japanese line of Simple 2000 budget PlayStation 2 games. While the Xbox 360 offering Earth Defense Force 2017 was the first installment in the series to see release in North America, the previous installments made their way to Europe under the Global Defence Force and Monster Attack names.
Two-mission add-on for EA’s sci-fi horror shooter arrives on XBL, PSN next week for ; no announced plans for PC release.
Electronic Arts bigwigs are already talking about Dead Space 3, but the company isn’t even done with Dead Space 2 yet. The publisher today announced that March 1 will see the launch of Dead Space 2: Severed for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the sci-fi shooter.
A downloadable add-on featuring characters from Dead Space: Extraction, Severed will include two stand-alone single-player chapters. The expansion will drop players into the role of Gabe Weller, a security guard on the necromorph-infested Sprawl, as he escorts Lexine Murdock to safety. Weller is equipped with an upgraded pulse rifle and security suit, both of which will come in handy when faced with the returning Twitcher, which fans may remember from the original Dead Space.
Dead Space 2: Severed will be available for .99 (560 Microsoft points). As for a PC release of the add-on, an EA representative told GameSpot that “the team is focusing on Severed for X360 and PS3.”
Microsoft announces simultaneous worldwide release for Epic Games’ Xbox 360-exclusive shooter; no beta date yet.
It may be one of the jewels in Microsoft’s 2011 lineup, but Gears of War 3 has had a tumultuous time on the road to release. The game’s unveiling was set to take place on chat show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon but was delayed, though not before the game’s release date was reportedly leaked on Xbox Live.
Shortly after the Late Night showing, Microsoft confirmed that the game would be landing in April 2011, but then had to renege on its initial promise and delay the game to a holiday 2011 release.
Today, Microsoft has announced a new worldwide release date for Gears of War 3 of September 20, 2011. This brings territories such as Japan, Australia, and Europe in line with the US, which was originally going to get the game first when it was slated for an April release date.
Microsoft has also named some of the maps and weapons that are due to appear in the game when it lands in September. There will be new multiplayer maps by the name of Trenches, Overpass, Mercy, Checkout, and Thrashball, as well as new weapons, including a bayonet charge, a retro lancer, a sawed-off shotgun, a one-shot, an incendiary grenade, and a digger launcher. Microsoft has also promised that more news on the multiplayer public beta will be released soon.
Gears of War 3′s new release date places it just one week after another high-profile shooter–id’s Rage. To find out more about Gears of War 3, including the game’s new Beast mode, read GameSpot’s ongoing coverage of the game.
