New releases have been unseasonably slow this year, but signs of life are now rapidly emerging.
Image courtesy of iStock.
At this time of the year, normally, we would be evaluating the production runs of the latest Western amusement machine releases, following on from what would have been seen first at EAG, then at JAEPO, and then with Amusement Expo. But as this is not a normal year by any means, the launch of new releases seems either curtailed or fragmented. But there are green shoots appearing and we are starting to get tantalizing news of new releases aiming for a late 2021 release window.
The latest example of the crossover/cross promotion trend was revealed from amusement powerhouse Play Mechanix, the game development studio arm of Raw Thrills, which has been working on a release based on the biggest-selling video game of all time: "Minecraft Dungeons Arcade," developed in partnership with Minecraft publishers Microsoft Studios. It will be released later in the year as a four-player combative dungeon crawler, team-based game. The cabinet also includes the popular card dispensing feature adding a collectable, repeat play element to the platform, with some 60 cards to collect, which can be scanned into the game.
Leading the charge from Sega Amusements International is "Mission: Impossible Arcade" — the final version of the cabinet design and game play of the four-player competitive shooter, based on the movie property, has now received its official release.
There are obviously still speed bumps in the release program for SAI, as with many other corporations, based on the impact on the Western amusement scene following the global health crisis. One of those games that reflects this impact was "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020" — now pushed forward into the 2021 slate, and the game is doubly relevant, marking the new date for the Tokyo Olympics, but also now on the 35th anniversary of Nintendo's Mario.
New releases from other parties for the emerging 2021 season in North America and the West, in general, are only now appearing in test, or only just now being teased for release later in the year as the green shoots of new facility investment appear.
Adrenaline Amusements expands
Adrenaline Amusement has continued to broaden its Videmption line, with the great "Hot Wheels" four- and six-player versions of the competitive racer. The company also revealed "Blox Breaker" – with its big screen-based ball-throwing product receiving a new software and cabinet skin to be turned into "Zombie Breaker."
Continuing its investment in strong IP-based entertainment, Adrenaline revealed it had licensed the popular skill-game brand from Hasbro to launch "Twister." Seen on location test, the new redemption title uses an interactive floor and wall feature to allow players to match the colors by standing and touching the corresponding area, with the game able to accommodate up to four players.
This is not a video game, but a physical action game mimicking a fun element of the original property.
Unis Technology innovates
The developer and distributor Unis Technology revealed a new racing game, "Big Foot Crush," a two-player, side-by-side racer, aimed at players of all ages. The game is based on the licensed Bigfoot monster truck property, appealing to fans of the series.
Unis also revealed another game given a new lease of life, "Cruis'n Blast," a two-driver, one unique motion platform version of the Raw Thrill's/Nintendo 2016 release.
Other new Unis releases include the showing of the latest version of the company's physical game systems, with a four-player version of "Atari: Pong Knock Out," now able to offer e-ticketing capability.
Newcomers in the wings
One of the newcomers to the Western scene has been Ace Amusement Technologies, and it was confirmed that U.K. distributor UDC will be representing the latest releases from the Chinese developer. Ace leads the charge of new development with "Sky Riders" (previously known as "Retro Tech Cycle") — a pedal powered video that has players soaring round a colorful landscape on their powered air vehicle, dodging obstacles and popping balloons.
The game is clearly aimed at a Kidtainment audience with a three-years of age target as the youngest, but the action looks fun enough to draw in older players.
The other new release from Ace was "Nitro Speed" — a four-player, third person, racing game. The players race in a cartoon environment, collecting coins in what can be operated as a Videmption title. The players use a steering wheel and an accelerator in the fast-paced racer.
The company has also rolled out a selection of its four-player physical screen shooters, either using water jets or screen blasting. It has also released its video screen basketball titles, such as "Game On! Basketball."
Speaking of game crossovers and the use of IP in immersive consumer entertainment, Konami announced it would be entering the consumer VR scene with "Beat Arena," based on the amusement Bemani franchise and offers a music skill game experience set in VR and launched on the Oculus Quest 2.
Pac Man's 40th anniversary
The appearance of more reinterpretations of classic video amusement properties in immersive incarnations continued as "Pac-Man" celebrated its 40th anniversary and found its way into a new Pizza Hut marketing promotion with Bandai Namco. The iconic character is apocryphally claimed to have been inspired by a pizza with a slice taken out, and it has been recreated as a playable game using a downloadable app for smartphones through a QR code on promotional pizza boxes.
At the same time, "Space Invaders" was teased as soon to be available as its own AR smartphone interpretation, realized by Square-ENIX Montreal, part of the parent of Taito, which worked in collaboration with this project.
Free-roaming VR on the move
An example of Japanese amusement factories moving towards developing attraction-based experiences is illustrated by Capcom, which announced the opening of "Biohazard Walkthrough The Fear." This is a free-roaming VR experience for two or four players wearing HTC Vive Pro headsets and backpack PCs, navigating the zombie outbreak based in the "Biohazard" world. The experience opened in March at Taito Station Kurayami Amusement Park, offering a VR attraction that is planned to be rolled out at other amusement sites.
Regarding new VR free-roaming platforms, DOF Robotics announced its entry into this sector with "VR Room: Warp in The Space." The unique enclosure-based VR system uses a free-roaming VR enclosure system that incorporates motion seats as a physical effects element of the experience.
The four player system details have yet to be fully revealed but seem to point to a trend in development for immersive installation style attractions. This latest design from DOF emulates the work that has also been seen from Backlight, Immersive Tech, SPREE and Movie Power to name a few.
Triotech announced its continued investment into the interactive dark ride scene, partnering with BoldMove Nation towards a collaboration to build "Smash & Reload" as a compact interactive dark ride. With this partnership, Triotech will be bringing its multi-sensory, high-energy interactive attractions experience to the collaboration, while BoldMove Nation will focus on the interactive media content and gameplay with its "TooMush" IP. This compact system will accommodate six players per vehicle (three or five vehicles per attraction variant), shooting at the screens and smashing buttons during the four-minute experience.
The three-vehicle variant is looking at an average of 240 player-per-hour throughput against the larger variant 360 pph throughput.
This has been an exciting spring season, to say the least.
(Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by KWP and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)
"machine" - Google News
May 31, 2021 at 09:30PM
https://ift.tt/2RYc3Tz
2021 amusement machine releases sprouting from all directions| Commentary - Vending Times
"machine" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2VUJ7uS
https://ift.tt/2SvsFPt
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "2021 amusement machine releases sprouting from all directions| Commentary - Vending Times"
Post a Comment