The resurrected Black Isle seems more likely to be a publisher than a game maker.

We’ve tried hard not to get too excited about the resurrection of Black Isle Studios. And it’s looking like our lack of excitement was justified, as The Verge has reported that the re-opened Black Isle shows every indication of being nothing more than a logo that Interplay can smack on top of other people’s games.

Anyone who’s been playing games since the 90′s still gets a thrill up their leg at the sight of the Black Isle logo, which once preceded masterpieces like dense fantasy universe Baldur’s Gate, isometric despair generator Fallout 2,  and Planescape: Torment, which many still consider the best-written RPG of all time. Interplay cruelly stoked our long-dead flames of excitement with a Facebook page identifying the new Black Isle as “ is a division of Interplay formed to develop and publish high quality role-playing games.” Even the most cynical of industry watchers began to dream of a new MDK or even—dare we hope?—a modernized Planescape.

But it’s looking like those hopes are as doomed as an under-equipped explorer of the Wasteland. The Verge searched through LinkedIn, and discovered that thus far, no developers are listing themselves as employed at Black Isle. Even grimmer, Black Isle’s careers page offers no jobs at all, and none of the original Black Isle crew has been approached to work at the new company. Based on the available evidence, there’s little reason to believe it’s staffing up to create the next big thing; it doesn’t seem to have the personnel to develop so much as an iPhone game.

Worse still, The Verge notes that most of the great Black Isle games were based on properties whose rights have reverted back to their original owners. Any attempt to resurrect that Planescape series, for example, would require re-purchasing the rights from Wizards of the Coast; and unlike fifteen years ago, WotC has a vigorous video game division of its own. There’s little reason for it to rent out a beloved property, no matter how much gamers kick and scream and hold their breath until their collective face turns blue.

A clue to Interplay’s true intentions is in the original press release announcing Black Isle’s return. Though the press release talks about “getting the band back together”, it opens by announcing that “Black Isle Studios returns to game publishing.”  That’s publishing, not developing.  

The distinction between developer and publisher is one that a lot of civilians are unclear on, but for those inside the industry, it’s the difference between a filmmaker and a studio executive, with inherent hostile relations. A developer makes games: writes the story, creates the art, programs the engine, and does all the things to make it wonderful. A publisher is a pure business entity; it fronts money, handles disc and box manufacture, and markets the game. At its most creative, a publisher makes occasional demands of the developer, which often does more harm than good; many a developer has been sunk by publishers who swoop in with absurd multiplayer requirements, unrealistic schedules, and harsh budget cuts.

These days, many are questioning whether the industry needs publishers at all. With digital distribution eliminating the need for manufacturing, social media becoming a major marketing tool, and community forums acting as a better guide to what players want than some executive’s demands, the role of the publisher is steadily eroding. The only thing a publisher can offer a self-reliant developer is the prestige of its name, and that’s where Black Isle still has something to offer. A lot of gamers will see the Black Isle logo and buy whatever’s being sold, in the hopes of a return to the studio’s glory days. So it may be that the label resurrection still has some value to Interplay. But it will only take one lousy game to destroy gamers’ loyalty and trust — and at this point, that’s the only asset Black Isle has.

Despite previously submitting a long list of Samsung devices it wanted banned, Apple has decided to add the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy Note 10.1 for good measure.

Apple’s hunger for Samsung’s demise seems to have no end. Wasting no time celebrating its $1.05 billion win against Samsung, Apple has amended a previous complaint from a separate case with the same Northern California court. Apple is specifically targetting the Galaxy S III, Verizon Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy Note 10.1. Originally Apple was seeking a ban on the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II, and 15 other devices released by Samsung for infringing on a number of Apple’s numerous patents. But now that Samsung has had time to refine its Galaxy line, Apple has returned to the drawing board and found infringements in the new devices.

The new filing made yesterday, according to Apple Insider, brings the number of accused devices up to 21 from the previous 17 submitted back in February. The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who has already granted Apple an injunction against the Galaxy Nexus, and is expected to see a trial on December 6 of this year. Apple had attempted to seek a ban against the Galaxy S III in June, but the matter was placed on hold due to an overbooked court schedule.

According to Apple’s complaint, the Samsung devices on its list have apparently infringed on eight of Apple’s utility patents. Again, this case shouldn’t be confused with the previous high-profile case between the two hardware behemoths. The major issues stem from Samsung’s alleged duplication of Apple’s slide to unlock feature (similar to a complaint Apple had with Motorola) and a possible copy of Apple’s universal search. It’s unclear whether the universal search function will be considered because Samsung has recently been pulling it from its current collection of devices. Another patent that makes the list is a bit odd to describe, it’s the one that covers clicking on a phone number in an email and having it do something like launching a phone call, for instance. Plus, Apple’s claiming its patent pertaining to word completion has been violated as well.

Apple would definitely benefit from a ban on Samsung’s newest flagships as the South Korean company recently presented itself as a sales threat. Samsung has been turning out some impressive sales numbers from the Galaxy S III in particular, no doubt contributing to its growing lead over Apple. And if sales numbers released from Samsung can be trusted, the Galaxy Note hasn’t been doing too bad for itself either. The amended complaint can be read in full here if you’re so inclined, though we wouldn’t recommend 15 pages of legal jargon as light weekend reading. If you do get through it, however, feel free to brag about it below.

Konami and Platinum Games continue the Metal Gear franchise with the story of a man with a sword, and his penchant for slicing everything in the way.

Although once nearly dead, Konami and Platinum Games’ Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is back with a, well, a vengeance. I have to admit that I have had grave misgivings over this game, but they were all due to the history of the property rather than the game itself. In 2010, Kojima Productions cancelledRising after it came out that the development team was having trouble finding the right balance and couldn’t settle on a firm direction. It sounded like it was a mess. Then Platinum Games came in an saved it, but that just meant it was going to be released, not necessarily good.

The important thing to know about Rising is that the game is based on the mechanic of sword combat. Everything else is just details. Thankfully the mechanic is a good basis to build a game on.

Rising is a full-on action game. The stealth mechanic that defines the Metal Gear series has been abandoned in favor of a much faster paced experience. The main character, Raiden, is a shark; he can never stop moving or the game is dead. There is always a very direct path for you to follow – or at least that was the impression the demo gave, and that fits with the style Platinum Games has shown in its previous releases.

There is a frenetic pace to Rising. There are a few collectibles that make exploring the limited areas beyond the direct path worth exploring – including a handful of enemies hiding in cardboard boxes ala the classic Metal Gear hiding spot – but for the most part the game wants you pushing forward at all time.

You have two ways to attack. The first way is through button strikes. You have the traditional heavy and light attacks along with a parry and jump, but the real feature that deserves attention is the “blade mode.”

When you hold the left trigger or L2 button, the game slows down. With the right analog, you then control the arc of the swing. At first it takes a moment to realize the amount of control you have with this method. If you slowly move the indicator, you then need to pull the stick back then let go to swing. It feels clunky and awkward, but that is not how you are meant to play.

The idea is to attack quickly. Once you grasp the fundamentals, you can initiate the blade mode and quickly dissect an enemy. There is a counter that appears and you can track the number of cuts you make, which later helps to factor in to your overall score for the level. If you are fast enough, you can quite literally cut a human enemy into dozens of pieces in seconds. The game is also incredibly gory, and cutting a human to bits or just doing a single, powerful stroke opens them up and shows you their insides. Metal Gear Rising in an incredibly gory and grotesque game, but it is so over the top that it doesn’t really seem as horrific as you might think, and it is actually fun to try to get as many strokes in as possible.

But human enemies are not the only ones you will face, and you don’t even need enemies to slice and dice things for that matter. You will frequently face off against mechanized enemies, including many from the Metal Gear Solid series. Finding their weak spots is key, and once you do they can be chopped to bits. Some enemies will also require a secondary means to defeat them, like the rocket launcher sub-weapon you have, but it seems to be a set up to finish the enemy with the sword. You can also lay into just about anything from cars to pillars, tanks to tables.

Movement is also a major part of the game. Raiden has the ability to do a “ninja run”, which means that by holding down the proper button and running, he will begin a parkour-like sprint over any obstacles in his way. This, like the manual sword attack, uses up energy, which can be recharged by collecting energy packs dropped by defeated enemies.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is not Metal Gear Solid 5 (or even Metal Gear Solid 2.5, as the game takes place after MGS 2 but before MGS 4), but it does have a place in the series. It is a fundamentally different game from the other Metal Gear titles, and the stealth-action has been abandoned for something completely different, but despite that it still bears the influence of Hideo Kojima, who remained on the game as executive producer.

The sword mechanic is what will win over or lose fans. As a devotee of the Metal Gear franchise I may be a bit biased, but I personally thought it was exceedingly fun and I look forward to playing more of it in the future. The over the top action may feel a bit like a button mashing hack-n-slash to some, and in many ways it is, but the finely tuned sword mechanics mixed with the Metal Gear mythology make this game worth paying attention to as its February 19, 2013 release date nears.

Google enters the patent battle, Blackberry lays low, and some awesome apps find new homes in this week's Mobile Weekly Wrap.

Late last week brought the end of a chapter in the Great Patent War. Samsung landed on the losing end of the battle between mega mobile moguls, but for once there was a calm in the mobile world. It lasted for as long as the weekend. Can’t we all just get along, guys? If you were too busy keeping your head ducked to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, you may have missed the news that happened this week. Lucky for you, we’ve got all the stories worth noting from the week of August 26-31, 2012

Patented patent talk

Apple scored a big win in its patent lawsuit against Samsung, but it sure didn’t get to enjoy it for very long. While it was busy losing a lawsuit in Japan, the guys behind the Android OS started to fire up their own war machine. Google watched Samsung fall to Apple, but refused to let their comrade fall in combat without defending their honor. We knew a patent battle between Google and Apple was basically unavoidable, and that notion became reality this week. Google has officially filed a lawsuit against Apple for violating patents owned by the Google-owned Motorola. While it’s probably more annoying to the public than anything, this is the most excitement patent offices have felt since Telsa was alive.

Play Store wants you to play more

While access to Android devices could potentially be stifled, especially the ones made by Samsung, access to apps for the OS is only getting easier. The folks at Amazon have taken their Android app store overseas, where it landed in a multitude of European countries. The selection that the Amazon store offers is smaller than the Google Play Store, but that’s simply because Amazon does quality control. Of course that’d happen in Europe. Here in America we have a free market–we can access terrible things any time we want.

While the Play Store may not be quite as controlled as Amazon, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have plenty to offer. In fact, Google wants to show you even more than what you’re already seeing by adding a “Recommended for You” section to the Google Play Store. The feature will point you in the direction of apps that you might potentially be interested in, meaning you’ll lose even more of you free time to your Android device.

Blackberry 10 news excites the few that are listening

While the big hitters in the mobile world continue to take swings at one another, the former holder of the portable reins has been laying low and rebuilding. Blackberry has had a rough run of things in the past couple years, but it’s hoping to come up swinging with their Blackberry 10 operating system, but one of the major improvements that it’s touting has nothing to do with software. Blackberry 10 phones will have a removable battery. While it might sound sad that one of the biggest upgrades is the ability to take out a device’s power source, it’ll be great for people that still swear by their Blackberry and use it until it can’t hold a charge.

It also looks like Blackberry 10 adopters will have plenty of options on how to drain those batteries. Developers working on Blackberry 10 builds have been able to submit their apps to the Blackberry App World. This will guarantee that folks planning on picking up the newest OS from Research in Motion will have tons of options to load up their devices on launch day.

Apps and Games of the Week

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation ($3, Blackberry) – The military shooter that has been a hit for iOS and Android users makes its way to the Blackberry. It’s the perfect way to break up the business day by taking out frustration on the virtual firing range.

SkyDrive (Free, Android) – Microsoft’s foray into the cloud-based storage market has been available on iOS for a few months, but it just made its way onto Android. If you’re a dedicated Windows user without a Windows Phone, you can still keep your documents with you.

StereoMood (Free, iOS/Android) – StereoMood spins music based on the mood you’re in. Just type in an emotion and the app will provide a playlist that plays to those feelings. It’s been on the iPhone, but it just came to iPad–now a universal app–and Android this week.

WP Politics (Free, iOS) – The election cycle is in full spin. While we’re between conventions, there’s going to be plenty of stories that will be worth tracking in the weeks and months before November 7. WP Politics gives a uniquely interactive way to follow the news, especially with its recently added “The Forum” feature. It delivers the best of the political Twitterverse with no Twitter account required.

Bastion ($4.99, iPad) – Bastion made a splash as a gorgeous looking and fluid playing indie title on PC and consoles. It brings its hand-painted art style, creative story telling, and addicting gameplay to the iPad.

Concept ($1.99, iPad) – See your idea go from first thoughts to full fruition with Concept. This app lets you keep notes that are easily organizable and will let you fully flesh out whatever idea is floating around in your head.

Appetite+ (Free, iPhone) – Appetite+ is a handy little app that lets you compare and contrast the apps you have installed on your device to your friends. See what you have in common or what they may be using that you should look into getting for yourself.

Activision Anthology (Free, iOS/Android) – A collection of classics from the early days of gaming, the Activision Anthology contains all of the best games of yore from one of the biggest developers of those days. Titles like Pitfall, Stampede, Cliff Hangers, River Raid and Kaboom all call this app their home.

Even though Injustice: Gods Among Us comes to us from the developer that brought us Mortal Kombat, this DC character-based fighter has its own bag of tricks.

Fighting games all have a unique fingerprint. When a developer designs a fighting game, that game takes on the characteristics of the developer, regardless of what the content is. A perfect example of this can be seen with Capcom. A fan of Street Fighter can pick up any of the Capcom fighting games and feel comfortable with the controls. Those games all have a specific style and gameplay that is unique to them. So when NetherRealm Studios announced that it was making Injustice: Gods Among Us, a fighting game using a cast of characters from the DC Comics universe, it was an understandable assumption that the game would mimic the style of Mortal Kombat. But we were wrong.

Injustice does feel like Mortal Kombat in some ways, but it is also its own game. The move list is similar to that of Mortal Komabt, but beyond that, it acts and responds in a different way. One specific difference is the change in the way you block. The Mortal Kombat games are well known for using a block button. While that sounds innocuous enough, it changed the fighting mechanics and the way gamers approached the gameplay. Injustice does not have a block button, instead you hold back to block. The buttons are different as well, and rather than two punch and two kick, or strong and weak attacks, there are three attack buttons and a button that unleashes an attack specific to the character you are using. For a character like Flash, it will activate his powers, and the opponent will slow down to represent you moving at super speed, while Nightwing will combine his escrima sticks into a staff, which opens up a new moves set. Each character is different.  

Each character also has a special attack that is powered up during the fight. Once it is filled, pressing the trigger buttons together begins an incredibly powerful attack. Solomon Grundy takes knives and hatchets out of his back to slice his opponents in a cinematic, the Flash takes a running start around the world and hits his foe, Wonder Woman slashes her opponent with help from her Amazonian brethren. Each character has his or her own cinematic attack. It can be dodged, but it is difficult. It’s similar to the new Mortal Kombat x-ray attack, but less gory and more in line with comic books flair.

The levels will also have a bit of Mortal Kombat flair. They are all modeled on DC locations and will be steeped in lore. Of the two that have been announced, the Batcave and the Fortress of Solitude, both are filled with background items that fans will love. The Batcave will feature a computer running villain profiles, while the Fortress is chalk full of Superman history. Doomsday is clearly seen in the background, just feet from the bottled city of Kandor, and Superman’s zoo is also featured. All levels will also have multiple sections to them, and punching an opponent in the right spot can send them crashing through a wall – or the Phantom Zone as the case may be — to an new area. The levels will also feature environmental items that can be used as weapons. A hanging display, for example, can thrown at an enemy.

So far only nine characters have been revealed, but there will be over 20, and maybe even many more. The exact number has yet to be released, but the characters currently on display are: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Solomon Grundy, and Nightwing (developer Ed Boon’s favorite character). The remaining fighters will be unveiled over the next few months, but there are some you can certainly expect like the Joker, Green Lantern, and more of the more familiar faces.

The characters will also fill certain roles. Superman is a heavy bruiser, slow and powerful, while Flash is a faster character that can make up for weaker attacks with quantity. All of the characters are also broken up into one of two groups, those with powers and those with gadgets. Superman and Wonder Woman are obviously power characters, while Batman and Catwoman are gadget characters, to name a few.

Now, if you are a fan of DC comics, you may wonder how Wonder Woman could go head to head with Harley Quinn and not pulverize her skull with a single punch. Longtime comic fans could probably make an argument that Batman could take Superman with careful planning, but it seems doubtful that it would make for a good 2D fighting game. NetherRealm Studios is promising that there will be a legitimate reason for this that will be part of the storyline.

There is one minor edition to the gameplay that could have a huge effect on the course of the fights. When you are forced into a corner, on each level there will be a button (or something similar that you can interact with) that you can press. When you do, it will unleash an environmental attack on your opponent. The level will dictate the attack – it could be missiles from the Batmobile or a boom tube that allows you to warp behind your opponent and hit them — but it will give people that find themselves under constant attack a way to get out.

Injustice: Gods Among Us is shaping up nicely. The game still has the distinctive feel of Mortal Kombat in some ways, but it is more like cousin than a clone. The fighter feel appropriately different from one another, and it will be interesting to see what other characters make the cut and end up in the game. NetherRealm and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment haven’t given a release date yet other than 2013, but fighting fans and DC comics fans alike should keep an eye out for this one.

Thatgamecompany is back with an offering that will introduce gamers to the developer’s phenomenal titles and give fans a lot of content. As long as you don't already one more than one of the three.

It was a happy day for me when Sony announced that it would soon be releasing the Journey Collector’s Edition for the PS3. Without question, for me my best gaming experience of the year so far has been Journey. Please notice that I chose my words very carefully. I am not claiming it is the best game of the year, or even my favorite. It very well might be both, but I am not prepared to make that claim quite yet.

But putting aside that split hair, I can comfortably claim that Journey is the best gaming experience I have had this year. It is an emotional game that even the most bitter film critics would be hard pressed to deny that it was anything but art (sorry Ebert, not ready to let that one go yet). It is an incredible experience that makes you think, feel, and imagine, and it comes highly recommended (check out our full review for more details.

In retrospect, Journey’s incredible debut shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that has followed the history of thatgamecompany. Its two previous releases were both unique experiences that stood out. The first, flOw, was a good game that offered something original and immersive. The follow-up, Flower, was incredible, and Journey is better than them both. It has been a natural progression, and based on that, thatgamecompany’s next game should blow people’s freaking minds. No pressure though.

But despite the raves for all three games (and the beleaguered cries of pitiful game reviewers), the games are still somewhat unknown by the mainstream. These are games that all fans of gaming should play, and so a re-release to further expose them is a good thing, no matter what.

The first game, flOw, is relatively simple, but undeniably addictive game. You control a segmented creature that exists in an aquatic environment. You move through different planes to consume organisms and avoid hostile creatures. It is a straightforward concept, but in practice it is amazingly constructed and worth a look.

Flower is much more colorful and arguably more powerful game, but it also has a singular gameplay mechanic. You are a flower petal, floating through a deadened field, collecting the petals of other flowers to take them to certain locations in order to revitalize an area. The description doesn’t do it justice; the game is beautiful. The gameplay mechanics are tight, responsive, and can make even the clumsiest person feel graceful.

And then there is Journey, which has been discussed at length. Basically, it is the bee’s knees. Some have said that it has changed their lives, and while that is certainly hyperbole, it can change the way you look at some games.

The Journey Collector’s Edition contains all three games, along with three other titles that were each created by thatgamecompany in 24 hours at an event called Game Jam. All three are worth playing if you are a fan of the developer. There are several clever ideas at work that are worth seeing, and they will give you an even greater respect for thatgamecompany, but they aren’t much more than a quick distraction.

The real meat of the extra content comes with the three primary games, and includes commentary, soundtracks, concept art, and more. The commentary clips offer a fascinating glimpse at the inner workings of both thatgamecompany specifically, and game development in general. Fans of the industry and those hoping to break into it one day should consider this homework. But there is a catch.

The additional content is something fans of the games will eat up. Having the soundtrack at your disposal is notable, and hearing about the design process is every bit as compelling as listening to film commentaries on DVD/blu-rays. If that isn’t something that appeals to you then these features may not mean much to you, but to fans of the games and the concept they are well done. The problem is, if you are already a fan and have already played/purchased the games, there is not enough to come close to justifying re-purchasing the same game.

With the exception of the three playable mini-games that are interesting but not really a selling point, there is no additional playable content, and there is no improvement on the content. Usually on re-releases like this, there is an upgrade in the graphics, but these games were already optimized for the PS3 so there is no need to try to improve them. So if you are the audience that this game will appeal to most, those that are already fans, you won’t really gain much by purchasing this Edition. There are also several avatars and a month of PlayStation Plus to sweeten the deal, but if you already own the games you would be paying $30 for a few commentaries and a handful of novelties.

Conclusion

That said, if you haven’t played the games, or if you have only played one of the three main titles, this is a must own for anyone that truly considers themselves a gamer. It is a landmark collection that not only justifies the burgeoning digital download market, but also offers three games that are as much art as entertainment. It really just comes down to a question of whether or not you have already purchased one or more of these games already. If not, then buying three of the most incredible digitally distributed games ever made for $29 is a steal.