What Is Techno Again?

Put those Jake Gyllenhaal posters away, my fellow Prince of Persia junkies. The upcoming Forgotten Sands, which fills in the seven-year blank between the first two main games, adds an elemental touch and promises to deliver more classic time slidey, puzzle solving, sword slashing goodness.

Everything's better with the undead. Everything.

Level design director Michael McIntyre reports that the new adventure will let gamers play in a time-manipulating sandbox more akin to The Sands of Time, a series highlight. When the Prince decides to pay his brother a visit, he discovers Malik’s city overrun by the sand fiends with whom he struck a deal. Since The Forgotten Sands emerges fresh out of The Sands of Time, players can rewind time in a cinch. When the Prince befriends a Djinn named Razia, she instills in him various elemental powers.

Puzzles and combat balance evenly for the most part, and as many as fifty enemies will bombard the hero simultaneously courtesy of the Anvil Engine (Assassin’s Creed II). McIntyre praises the new fighting style, which harnesses intense and flexible combat. He also explains, “The big mechanic here is to do your combos. But the combos don’t drive you in a straight line. It kind of feels like Sands of Time combat, but cranked up to eleven.”

I can smell the water already ... There's a hint of lemon.

The elemental powers intertwine with the Prince’s acrobatic feats, allowing the developers to establish brainteasing obstacles. For instance, the Prince can slow time to a standstill, solidifying water into a more performance-friendly implement. Eventually you’ll earn four core powers, which attach to the four trigger buttons. Dash combines air and fire, according to McIntyre: “It’s something you can quickly intuit as a player, but it opens up a lot of of possibilities.” Minor, customizable strengths, like the ability to summon mini tornadoes, can be purchased.

Another change includes the populace, who are no longer absent in a sense. Sand statue vignettes augment an otherwise linear story. “They breathe a lot into the world,” McIntyre commented. “It has that real Pompei vibe.”

Set for May on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 systems (a separate Wii game awaits on the sidelines), The Forgotten Sands makes a promising case for itself. For a more detailed look, visit Kotaku.com.

The only kind of timing I enjoy in video games: The not getting sawed in half kind.

March 10’s Ghost Projekt #1 (Joe Harris, Steve Rolston, Dean Trippe) from Oni Press is a satisfying treat of ghastly proportions. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out my review new on OneMetal’s front page:

Need to brush up on your Russian? A little rusty on your ghost legends? Next Wednesday, Oni Press generates a propitious wave of paranormal and nationalistic storytelling that targets our modern sensibilities and evokes a few, well, ghosts of the past.

Irrelevant to ghosts and Russians, I want to invite you (my readers) to spill your thoughts on this blog. Is there something you like, related to content or otherwise? Are you sick of looking at something? Maybe you just want to express your love for this little blog, or pitch suggestions on how you think it could be better. Either way, I’m all ears! Let me know either via the comments or email (wita.onemetal@gmail.com). I greatly appreciate any feedback!

Hooray for giant, spazzy cats from hell! No release date has popped up on the interwebz yet, but here’s some good news for PlayStation owners who are feeling the Xbox blues. Or maybe the reds (rings). Okay, bad joke. Moving on …

Castle Crashers, the side-scrolling beat-em-up with RPG flair, lands on the PlayStation Network this … well, sometime. The indie publisher, Behemoth Company, recently spilled the news that they’re developing a PSN adaptation for the Xbox Live Arcade runaway hit, which makes me (and surely countless PlayStation fans) very, very happy. I’ve wanted to really explore the stylish game ever since I got a taste of it last year.

PSN shoppers will find a few new goodies in their bag, too—namely an in-game volleyball mini-game, which allows for 8-player matches (local/online). If you’ve never played Castle Crashers but enjoyed the lighthearted, 2D romp of Fat Princess, chances are you’ll drool over this medieval quest.

Another interview touches down upon the Impulse Creations forums today, and this time I converse with artist Steve Lieber (Whiteout, Gotham Central) and briefly with writer Jeff Parker (Agents of Atlas, Fall of the Hulks) about their collaboration, Underground (Image Comics). If you’re interested in peeling back the pages, head over to Impulse now. Here’s a sneak peek just in case:

Steve Lieber and Jeff Parker’s Underground from Image Comics concludes next week. If you’re not on board with the environmental adventure that takes a dangerous turn, then dive in and enjoy. Series artist Lieber agreed to answer some of our questions about the comic that’s off-the-cave-wall exciting, and writer Jeff Parker jumps in, as well.

Impulse Creations: Thanks for sitting down with us, Steve, and agreeing to talk about your work on Underground! Can you tell us a little about the comic?

Steve Lieber: Underground is a comic about a fight over a big cave in a small town. Our heroes, Wes Fischer [Ed. note: the female lead] and Seth Ridge, are two Park Rangers in Kentucky. They come into conflict with some locals over what to do with the cave: preserve it for the naturalists or open it up for the tourists. Misunderstandings quickly escalate into violence, and the result is a deadly chase through the cave.

If you’re a Fraggle fan like Heather White, you’ll probably enjoy this interview I conducted with her regarding the upcoming Fraggle Rock comic series from Archaia. It’s full of good stuff, including her all-time favorite Fraggle. Check it out over at RadNerd!

Muppets and rock. Whoever conceived that match (Jim Henson) certainly knocked some socks off, and now Archaia Comics has adopted the one-two Talking Puppets punch.

I sat down with writer Heather White, who enthusiastically answered my pressing questions about translating the musical television show to the page. As we chat about the comic itself, Heather touches upon the Henson Company, gives the book’s other collaborators their dues, and discusses what Fraggle familiars and n00bs alike can generally expect from this all-ages medley. You might find that the switch from show to comic is a little more sensible than you might presume.

Sentinels of the Starry Skies, that is—as in Dragon Quest IX. Apparently the title scored four million copies sold in Japan, and now Nintendo means to introduce westerners to the Square-Enix game.

Square-Enix and Nintendo have built themselves a nice little raft comprised of those four million and are now floating out to sea together. Okay, maybe that was a little excessive, but you get my drift (literally). At the Summit in San Francisco yesterday Nintendo announced that it will be handling NA publishing duties for the DS game.

Despite the Alan Moore-esque metaphor, this sounds like cheery news to me granted the game doesn’t flop. I could use a Dragon Quest fix, even though I still can’t swallow my pride and accept that the series is now known around the globe as “Dragon Quest,” and not “Dragon Warrior.” What can I say? When it comes to RPGs, I’m a sucker for dragons and orbs (boooo crystals).

Are you holding your breath in excitement for Sentinels of the Starry Skies (which is a weird name if I ever heard one)?

[Konami]

Need another good comic recommendation? Check out Robot13, Thomas Hall and Daniel Bradford’s quietly flourishing creation. If you like mythological stories, or just skeleton robot guardian thingies that look ridiculously awesome, then you’ll probably enjoy the indie book.

Thomas Hall and Daniel Bradford’s singular Robot13 caps Book One with an earth-shaking finish that’s bound to pique your attention. Floating on the same wavelength as Hellboy, Robot13 trades the paranormal for the mythological and shapes it refreshingly well.

The comic fixates on a mechanical amnesiac investigating his own mysterious origins. For those unfamiliar with the fascinating yet surprisingly uncomplicated indie hit, its hero—a unique cross between robot, futuristic spaceman, and ancient skeleton warrior—reawakened and rose from underwater depths, saving innocent fishermen from monstrous, tentacled peril. Although the sea-faring crew expressed their infinite gratitude and even offered him a place on their boat, the lonely Robot13 yearned for something else: to return to his creator, the “Doctor” (and no, he isn’t British and doesn’t wield a sonic screwdriver).

Read the rest here.

Computer troubles got you down? That’s been the case for me recently, but luckily I did crank out my weekly Impulse Creations coverage. This month’s Pull-O-Rama investigates this Wednesday’s Grimm Fairy Tales #44 as well as Resurrection #8, Salem’s Daughter #3, and Angel: A Hole in the World #3. They have nothing to do with computers, but a lot to do with good reading material. Below are some previews:

“Roper grants the comic a surprisingly authentic feel, and Brusha keeps our eyes glued to the pages.” - Grimm Fairy Tales #44

“As usual, Guggenheim builds conspiracies and knocks down nations in stride.” - Resurrection #8

“Some might consider the witchcraft angle a tired subject, but fortunately the creators stuff more than crooked finger-pointing into this comic.” - Salem’s Daughter #3

“Those who are still exploring Whedon’s Buffy/Angel world will enjoy this comic depiction of a fantastic episode streak, but those who recognize Acker’s stellar performance will probably find that it falls short.” - Angel: A Hole in the World #3