focus home interactive – SpawnFirst

‘Bound by Flame’ releases on May 9

Zac Davis — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:10:08 +0000

Publisher Focus Home Interactive revealed a May 9 release date for Bound by Flame on the game’s blog today. The RPG, developed by Spider Studios will see you battle “rich and varied” monsters as you trek through its worlds, completing quests and fighting in strategic battles.

The blog post also contained a handful of new screenshots, showing off the graphics and types of monsters that players will be facing off against, which are included below.

You will be able to beÂ Bound by Flame on May 9 for the PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

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Bound By Flame PS4 Reveal Trailer

Angie Santiago — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 16:51:24 +0000

Bound by Flame has an official reveal trailer that was unleashed yesterday. The trailerÂ describes the player’s choice between being a hero or succumbing to the fire demon that is possessing the character, as well as touching base on the support characters that will be met along the way. Each character has a story of their own and are fighting for their own personal reasons.

The game features a crafting system in which players can craft their own armor and weapons to however they see fit. The trailer also shows off the three character skill trees: Fighter, Ranger, and Pyromancer. Players are able to switch between the three play styles at their will depending on the situation needed during combat. The fighter style sees players utilizing heavy weaponry to decimate their foes. The ranger fighting style is a fast paced and stealthy combat style. The pyromancer is exactly as it sounds; players can utilize a slew of fire magic spells to burn their enemies to a crisp. Experience gained through battle can be used to level up all of these play styles.

The game will be releasing for PC, PS3, PS4, and Xbox 360.

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Frogwares Developing Next-Gen Call of Cthulhu – Screenshots

Andrew Brant — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 20:05:00 +0000

Frogwares is currently developing a new game called Call of Cthulhu for the PC, and next-gen consoles. Focus Home has released five pictures (seen below), the very first of the production art for this new title, showcasing what potential environments they have in store for us. Notably, FrogwaresÂ does not make action games, rather Frogwares is known for their various adventure titles including multiple Sherlock Holmes games, hinting that this upcoming Lovecraftian horror will most likely be more cerebral than visceral. At the time of this writing, however, no further details have been released though we should expect to be hearing more in the coming days/weeks.

Keep up with more information on their website.

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Farming Simulator Review

Buddy Acker — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 21:13:02 +0000

Harvesting Boredom

A certain amount of effort must got into simulation games for them to turn out the right way. The formula is tricky. Animal Crossing: New LeafÂ nailed it, offering a home away from home that really did feel like exactly that. The reboot of Zoo Tycoon Â didn’t get everything right, but it made up for its flaws by at least being fun to play. Farming SimulatorÂ gets everything wrong. It’s one of the most insufferable, boring games ever created.

Story/Concept

Where have you been all my life, Farming Simulator?Â Finally, it’s a game where I can harvest grain while traveling at four miles per hour and then go dump it in a trailer, and then transport that trailer somewhere and dump the grain in a hole in the ground. But that’s not all! Then you get to do it again! Apparently this is what farming is really like (nope; I grew up on a farm).

Gameplay

Most of your time in Farming SimulatorÂ will be spent attaching a certain tool to a tractor and then driving it back and forth across fields. The majority of the game consists of doing exactly that. You’ll either be sowing, plowing or harvesting, but you’ll still just be driving back and forth. The only thing that changes is the tool you attach to the tractor.

When you sow, you have to obtain seeds. You then have a few choices (such as potatoes, corn and grain) as to which crop you want to plant. When the crop grows, you have to harvest it. Then you have to put your harvest in a trailer, drive it into town and unload it, which gains you money. Then you do it again and again and again.

The point of Farming SimulatorÂ (and any other business simulation game) is to generate an income. You can do this by doing everything I just mentioned. You can also buy animals, such as cows and chickens, that produce goods which can be sold, or you can get paid for completing side missions, which are usually fetch quests. You’ll need to buy new vehicles and equipment if you wish to complete certain tasks.

You can also hire a staff to assist you with your crops. They’re expensive in the beginning. However, it is possible to become successful enough in Farming SimulatorÂ where you can set your controller down and watch your staff do your job for you. The game truly does start to play itself after a certain point. That is a blessing that really should be available from the start.

Graphics & Sound

Giants Software sure does know how to pull a fast one on potential customers with screenshots. In motion Farming SimulatorÂ is one of the ugliest console games ever. The houses in the game look like they’re made out of cardboard, and the trees look like they’re made out of paper. The character models look like were imported from GoldenEye 007Â for N64. Their faces do not move at all and they don’t talk at all. When you’re driving a vehicle the steering wheel spins in your character’s hands, but their hands don’t budge an inch, and neither does the rest of their bodyâ€”ever.

Farming SimulatorÂ is so hilariously incompetent on a technical level. No effort at all was put into the physics engine. Tractors are often launched into the air in the game because they were backed into a tool or hit a rock. Automobiles with inanimate drivers travel in circles on the color palettes that are supposed to be roads. Standing in front of one of the automobiles would lead one to believe they would stop or cause injuries, but no. They drive straight through you.Â The framerate in Farming Simulator Â is solid, but that’s because it doesn’t require a framerate. It has all the visual flair of a rusty fishing hook.

Issues

I don’t think I can really accurately describe just how boring Farming SimulatorÂ really is. It gives Desert BusÂ a run for its money. It could put a comatose patient into a a double coma. It’s…patheticallyÂ dull. I wanted to stop playing it immediatelyÂ after I started. The only reason there are so many Let’s Play videos of Farming Simulator Â floating around is because it’s the only way people can deal with their decision to purchase this turd.

Most of those videos are joke videos. That’s because Farming SimulatorÂ is a joke. It’s so uncompromisingly steadfast in its quest to be “real” that it deserves to be laughed at. As a developer you’ve got a problem on your hands if plowing a field in your game is literally less fun than actually plowing a field.Â Trudging through this game with its stupid lack of any sort of fast travel is torture. I’m not a stickler for graphics, but looking at my surroundings in Farming Simulator Â somehow caused me to be even more depressed while playing it and made me hate it more.

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I literally would shove my face in a pile of cow manure if it meant I didn’t have to spend another second withÂ Farming Simulator.Â When developers choose not to put any effort into making a game enjoyable, I’m not going to put any effort into liking it. The nicest thing I can say aboutÂ Farming Simulator Â is that it functions. So do hammers, garbage bags and alcohol, all three of which will come in handy shouldÂ Farming Simulator Â ever come into your possession. I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy. Everyone who claims to enjoy it is a liar or insane.

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