Human Element has been revealed as Robert Bowling's new game. The former creative strategist at Infinity Ward spoke to Game Informer about his game company's Robotoki's first title, saying that it takes place during the zombie apocalypse and focuses on survival.

"Their greatest strength is the fear that [zombies] instill in us, the survivors, that unreasonable fear. Unreasonable fear that leads us to do unreasonable things to survive," he said.

Bowling also mentioned that there will be different character classes in Human Element: Action, Intelligence, and Stealth, and you'll be able to choose one of three identities: Survive Alone, Survive with a Partner, or Survive with a Young Child. These decisions will determine how you'll engage in scenarios and how those decisions will impact you based on a physical and morality level.

Currently the game is slated for a 2015 release for next-generation consoles, PC, mobile, and tablets. As we hear more details on the game we'll be sure to get them to you. In the meantime, what do you think of another zombie survival game, but this time coming from one of the guys who made the multiplayer in Call of Duty so successful?

Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

AIR MAIL

iOS

Air Mail is serving up some Pilotwings realness right now on iOS. It’s not just a cheap clone or a terrible faux-port of the popular Nintendo franchise. Chillingo’s history of excellence proves itself again with a title that’s charming, challenging, and meticulously crafted. You’re “Scoop” (you get to pick a boy or girl character), a young pilot freshly inducted into the ranks of the Domeekan Island Flyers. Scoop must deliver packages, explore, and complete other challenges on the cheery archipelago -- at least until the Verikai Sky Fleet comes in and sets up a blockade.

One of my favorite parts of Air Mail is its complete lack of actual dogfighting. Sure, Scoop is part of the war effort, but that doesn’t mean you have to shoot down the bad guys to win. Objectives include supply line sabotage, disarming explosives, and delivering supplies to your own brethren. It’s refreshingly innocent, but not in a naive way. Visually, Air Mail is downright gorgeous, especially on the new iPad, and you’ll find yourself loving Exploration Mode, wherein you fly around in your plane, pick up information, and take in the sights of Domeekan.

Air Mail is an exquisite example of how mobile games can truly entertain and tell a compelling story without losing the heart that great mobile gaming is all about. This is a game all ages and kinds of gamers will enjoy.

Read More »

This X-Play Infinity Blade Dungeons preview features an interview with Rod Fergusson, Epic Games' director of production. Rather than follow its predecessors Infinity Blade and Infinity Blade 2 with more one-on-one swordplay, Infinity Blade Dungeons changes things up with its action-rpg gameplay.

Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

SLINGSHOT RACING

iOS

There’s a lot to love about Slingshot Racing, easily launching it to the top of the list of games this week. Some of my favorite games on mobile are simple, fun, and addicting racing titles like DrawRace 2,so it’s nice to see a game that not only enters the genre with aplomb, but also has the gameplay and gorgeous visuals to back that bravado up.

What makes Slingshot Racing something special within the genre is the game’s namesake: the slingshot functionality used to whip your racer around corners. You’ll tap the screen to cause little towers to grab hold of your car and sling it around each turn. You have the option of playing Career Mode, but the real fun begins when you find a couple friends and fire up the Multiplayer. Each corner of your iPad can be used as one player’s control, and there’s something really amazing about playing against a friend in person. It’s something online multiplayer can’t really match in terms of experience, and it’s worth the price of admission alone.

Overall, Slingshot Racing is an incredibly good racer with some really cool mechanics in it, and Snowbolt Interactive should be proud of the excellent game they’ve created. This one’s a must-buy, especially if you have an iPad.

Read More »

G4 is counting down the top 100 video games of all time with five 1-hour specials all week long starting Monday, June 11 at 8/7c.

What began in arcades, pizza parlors and shag carpeted living rooms has grown into a multi-billion dollar business that dominates the entertainment landscape. Whether it’s addictive Facebook games, iPad apps, MMOs, or console blockbusters, everyone is a gamer. 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin can’t put down Words with Friends, and the New York Jets’ Tim Tebow is the master of Madden.

Don’t miss G4’s highly anticipated, and sure to be controversial, countdown of gaming’s most defining moments. Celebrities, athletes, rock stars and game designers will join the X-Play experts to weigh in on which video games broke the mold and ultimately crown one landmark title the greatest of all time. 

From Mario to Master Chief, 8-bit to hi-def, Angry Birds to Zelda - the battle is on to count down the top 100 video games of all time... will your favorite make the list?

Find out when G4 airs The Top 100 Video Games of All Time - June 11-15, all week at 8/7c!

Now that you know when it airs on G4, check out our full length trailer of highlights featuring Aisha Tyler, Jake Johnson, Daequan Cook, Kumail Nanjiani, Soulja Boy, Jack Black, Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Tony Hawk, Andrew Luck, Morgan Webb, Richard Hammond, Janina Gavankar, Slash, Brian Posehn, Chris Parnell, Danny Pudi, Paul Scheer, Cliff Bleszinski, Felicia Day, Geoff Johns, Matthew Perry and Scott Porter!

Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

LOSTWINDS 2: WINTER OF THE MELODIAS

iOS

The original LostWinds stands as one of my favorite iOS platformers, with its whimsical gameplay, lovely environments, and fun characters. The impossibly adorable Toku is back, and so is Enril the Wind Spirit. This time, Toku’s mom is missing, and he must travel far and wide to find her. Along the way, you’ll encounter lots of new places to explore and new inhabitants within them.

Enril the Wind Spirit is still the driving force behind most of the puzzle-solving during the game, and there are some patently tricky ones out there as the game goes on. It keeps the game interesting, though I’ll admit every now and again the controls can get fickle, resulting in attempting a number of puzzles repeatedly until the controls finally “click.” Overall though, it’s a minor inconvenience that shouldn’t hamper your full experience.

LostWinds2 is another classic iOS platformer, and for the price tag, there’s plenty to do, see, and collect across one completion. There’s a lot of heart in Toku’s journey, not to mention the rest of the game’s incredible heaps of charm, making it a definite buy if you love games in the genre.

Read More »

Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

N.O.V.A. 3

iOS

Gameloft’s N.O.V.A. series is one of the best examples of an FPS shooter done right on mobile, and it’s no different with the newest installment in the series. N.O.V.A. 3 keeps all of the touches that make the franchise great and manages to toss some new features into the mix to keep things fresh. You’re still playing as Kal Warden, savior of the human race (on more than one occasion). Warden is helping out a friend located in the ruins of San Fransisco. Unfortunately, upon arrival, Warden finds the alien Volterites laying the place to waste, and must once again fight for his life and the rest of humanity’s.

The story in campaign mode is well-written and voiced, and the environments take full advantage of the new iPad’s Retina Display as well as it’s increased processor speeds. The overall visuals in N.O.V.A. 3 are stunning. In fact, they’re among the best FPS graphics you’ll currently see in mobile. A new (and welcome) feature is the addition of in-game currency based on how well you complete a level. That currency can then be used to purchase upgrades and weapons. It’s an excellent way to increase replay value on the single-player campaign, and if you’re not into perfection, IAP is available as well to buy those items.

Of course, what N.O.V.A. review would be complete without a nod to its most exciting component: multiplayer. With both local and online gameplay, a plethora of game modes (FFA, Team Deathmatch, Freeze Tag, CTF, InstaGib, and Capture the Point), and even tournaments, you’ll be playing N.O.V.A. 3 long after you’ve completed Campaign Mode.

Read More »

You did it, gamers: Republique has been funded. The Kickstarted game met its half-million dollar goal right at the wire, and will be coming out for iPhones, iPads and perhaps other platforms at a later date.

The idea is to create "an epic action game designed specifically for touch-based devices."

For more details, check out the video below with Camouflaj's Ryan Payton, where Rob Manuel and Payton dive deep inside the storyline and gameplay mechanics behind Republique.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wolfenstein 3D, the game is returning, in brower form.You can play the classic PC game directly in browser at Bethesda's site, or on the Wolfenstein Facebook page.

Bethesda is also offering Wolfenstein 3D Classic Platinum, on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, for free for a limited time. Download Wolfenstein 3D Classic Platinum from iTunes.

• VIDEO: Sniper Elite 2 "Hitler's Death" Video

Wolfenstein 3D holds up surprisingly well. It's difficult, colorful, huge and surprising, plus, killing Hitler just never gets old, especially when he's apparently a wizard who can cast "fireball" at will.

As an added bonus, John Carmack, the coolest nerd alive, provides a director's commentary track in the video below:

Read More »

The successfully Kickstarted HD remake of Leisure Suit Larry was originally planned for an October 2012 release, but a new update confirms that the game now won't be arriving until early 2013. The word comes from Replay Studios CEO Paul Trowe, who cites the additional content being added to the game as the reason for the delay.

The additional content is coming because backers stepped up and gave more than $150,000 beyond the originally requested $500,000 goal. There's a lesson here: don't be so giving! I kid, I kid. Any Larry fan ought to be excited to see "more rooms, another girl, and all new dialogue" being added to the game. Trowe also revealed that you can all look for future updates on the project right in Replay's forums. It's a shame about the delay, but at least it's in the name of adding new content, right?

Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

ESCAPE FROM AGE OF MONSTERS

iPhone | iPad

Jeff Matsuda creates some seriously wicked art in Escape from Age of Monsters. If you’ve never heard of Matsuda, you might have seen his work in The Batman animated series. Now, he’s once again bringing his talent to iOS with Escape from Age of Monsters, an endless runner with incredibly slick visuals and some crazy fun gameplay. The game takes place in the Age of Monsters, where denizens of the darker side of the universe (aliens, zombies, demons, and the like) have taken over. You play as Gizzard, a guy who’s just acquired some pretty epic gloves and a handful of orphans to protect.

Gizzard must strap on the gloves and run for his life while protecting said orphans from the evil creatures in hot pursuit. While they run, walls in either red or blue block their path, and you’ll need to tap the matching left or right glove to punch the wall down and keep moving. As endless runners go, this one’s a bit different: instead of getting one solitary life per run or a “x3” somewhere on the screen, each life is represented by an on-screen person (Gizzard being your final life). Get caught up on a door... and well, little orphan Suzie just got devoured. Mistime a punch, and tiny parentless Mike is now an appetizer. It’s devilish, dark, and freaking awesome.

Unlockables and an undeniably epic rock soundtrack provided by Los Angeles based band The Binges elevate Escape From Age of Monsters to another level. This game flat out bleeds cool.

Read More »

République, an upcoming stealth game for PC/Mac and iOS that is currently going the Kickstarter route, just added two of the bigger names out there in video game voice acting to its cast: Jennifer Hale and David Hayter. Hale is best known most recently for her work on the female voice of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 3 (and the rest of the ME games). As for Hayter, he should need no introduction as the long-standing voice for Metal Gear's Solid Snake.

The announcement comes straight from the game's Kickstarter page, though the news may amount to nothing with only seven days of funding time remaining and more than half of the $500,000 goal still not pledged. It'll be a shame if this one doesn't happen, as developers Camouflaj and Logan have an interesting premise cooked up in the game's action-oriented, non-lethal stealth gameplay. So to those readers with plenty of disposable income to throw around: get on this and help make it happen.

Every so often, we miss some of the great indie games coming out. With new games coming out on every system and often without any fanfair, the occassional hidden gem sneaks through our grasp, never to be seen again. (Or at least, that's my excuse.) Check out the top five indie games that you need to know about right now.

1. Qasir al-Wasat

I know. Stealth games are a dime a dozen these days and Solid Snake has been doing it since before it became fashionable. Nonetheless, there's something insidiously charming about Qasir al-Wasat.

A stealth action-adventure set within 'one ominous night inside a wondrous palace in 12th century Syria', Qasir al-Wasat will have players taking on the role of an invisible fiend, one that had been forcibly summoned by sorcerer to carry out an assassination attempt.

Unlike many other titles, Qasir al-Wasat doesn't put a limit on how long you can go invisible. It's a permanent thing. This, of course, has a lot to do with the fact that the protagonist is about as fragile as centuries-old china; one friendly nudge and you're dead. To further compound your health risks, you're susceptible to stuff like blood stains and environmental debris. People will take notice if you're careless enough to take a bath in someone else's bodily fluids or if you decide to dance the flamenco in a patch of dry leaves.

To be fair, I could be biased. I'm totally smitten with the aesthetics. In an industry saturated with voxels and big, blocky pixels of all sorts, it's kinda awesome to find yourself immersed in what feels like one of the darker chapters of Scheherazade's One Thousand and One Nights.

And really, what's there not to like about a game that will let you play as a nefarious spirit dragged from another dimension, hmm?

Read More »

As Team Meat's work on the iOS version of Super Meat Boy continues, lead designer Edmund McMillen reveals that Canabalt is a source of inspiration for the re-tooled game. He told Polygon that he's a fan of the 2009 game's purely reflex-based play, with the randomized rooftops that players run across eliminating the need for any kind of memorization.

"[The original] Meat Boy was a twitch-based game about memorizing things," McMillen said. "[iOS] Meat Boy is the opposite. That's the foundation of its design. But it's also on a touch device, so there's that as well. We want to make a twitch-based platformer that's not about memorization." The mobile version of Super Meat Boy was revealed in early April 2012; there's no release date set but the hope is that we'll see it in the coming months.

Welcome to G4's Knuckle Up, where we bring you a byte-sized view of our five favorite mobile games every week. The phone and tablet space is filled with incredible games that will keep you busy for minutes, hours, or even days -- we'll let you know what we're playing and why we're playing it. Here are our top five games this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

BURGER CAT

iOS

Oh, Burger Cat. You roped me in with your simple, adorable premise, and then held me (willingly) hostage with your elegant and fun gameplay. At first, you may write off Burger Cat as too simple. After playing through later levels, however, the game quickly becomes giddily complex, and you’ll retract your original mindset.

The story goes a little something like this: Burger Cat loves burgers (pretty obvious). He loves them so much, he decides to add a special ingredient to them to give them that extra kick. That ingredient is nitro glycerin. KA-BOOM.

You’ll spend your time in Burger Cat utilizing different tools to alter the landscape in each level, and then releasing your feline hero into that landscape after making those changes. The goal is to get him across the map to the delicious burger on the other side, and you get a finite number of pre-picked tools to do it with. Some remove/add squares of land, others change the direction the cat walks in; fortunately, Burger Cat encourages you to get creative with placement, often giving you more than what you need to complete each level and making the game incredibly enjoyable for gamers of all ages.

This is a game that slowly unfolds all kinds of measured, deliberate awesome on you, so take a chance. Plus, the “cat + cheeseburger” formula is a known winner (based on the entire internet).

Read More »