Nex Machina (Housemarque, PC, PS4, Twin Stick Shooter)

[kid aphex]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T6Vj4lAOF4

Nobody's mentioned this?
Though they're a bit euro, Housemarque games have always had a good feel to them.
This one's aesthetic definitely looks... unique.

[kid aphex]

I would also check out this video to get a better idea of the aesthetic/gameplay mechanics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhIu4aCkm8I

[Special World]

Looks solid. I've never really been a fan of these types of games unless they're confined to a small arena, though. Bring back Robotron imo.

[Bonus!]

Looks solid. I've never really been a fan of these types of games unless they're confined to a small arena, though. Bring back Robotron imo.

Eugene Jarvis, the creator of Robotron and Smash TV, is involved in this project.

[chempop]

I got a PS4 recently and picked up Resogun right away, it's far more enjoyable than I expected.
Robotron and SmashTV are classics, so I expect this to turn out good, I'll be buying it.

[Special World]

Looks solid. I've never really been a fan of these types of games unless they're confined to a small arena, though. Bring back Robotron imo.

Eugene Jarvis, the creator of Robotron and Smash TV, is involved in this project.

Yes, I did see that. I liked Smash TV and Total Carnage a lot back in the day. Now they feel kind of aimless. Robotron is still ace, though.

[bigbadboaz]

I find it interesting that this looks like the same exact template as their most recent release, Alienation. When they announced they were working with Jarvis (Alienation was highly previewed at the time) I was expecting the new game to be completely different.

Anyone here play Alienation? I'm going to be wondering whether to grab it eventually on sale, or skip it entirely now that this is on the horizon.

[kid aphex]

I find it interesting that this looks like the same exact template as their most recent release, Alienation. When they announced they were working with Jarvis (Alienation was highly previewed at the time) I was expecting the new game to be completely different.

Anyone here play Alienation? I'm going to be wondering whether to grab it eventually on sale, or skip it entirely now that this is on the horizon.

I feel like Nex Machina reminds me a lot more of Resogun than Alienation, which actually reminds me a lot more of their older game Dead Nation.

[Necronom]

Still blasting away with Resogun from time to time so I'm definitely looking forward.

From the official website:

World- country- city- and friend related Leaderboards
Ranks and monthly tournaments
Full built-in Spectator scene
Online challenges and feats which provide playtime for a loooooooong time.

Seems they consulted Jarvis to make it a proper "arcade style" thingy...sweet!

http://www.housemarque.com/games/nexmachina/

[MJR]

I played this when I visited the HMQ offices by the invitation of the lead coder of this project.. Back then this was on early prototype stage.. it has been some time.. I think it was 2014. The early demo was surprisingly similar to this one, of course there are much more graphics now and it looks more dark and gritty. But basic gameplay seems to be mostly same. It was quite enjoyable and playable already back then. This can only mean good things, chances are that this has been really, REALLY been fine tuned to death to keep Mr. Jarvis happy.

[Sumez]

If it's been in development for that long, it definitely sounds like there has been a lot of solid fine tuning, considering the simple concept of he game - definitely not something that looks bogged down by development hell. So that's all good news.

The gameplay looks like the best of the genre, so to speak, with clear elements of both Smash TV and Robotron. I'm not a fan of the graphics though. They looks alright, but they are kinda messy to the point where it can affect the gameplay. I'd love a much cleaner, sleaker, maybe even entirely 2D look. Well, you can't win them all.

[Inglorious_B]

Apparently Nex Machina is also coming to Steam:

https://www.destructoid.com/housemarque ... 4945.phtml

Any chance the subject of this thread could be updated to reflect that fact?

Seems like this kind of game we should be backing round here. It looks like fun, has great graphics and has been designed with scoring and competition in mind.

There aren’t many other prestigious shooters on the horizon.

[shoryusatsu999]

Gotta say that the game does look interesting, but I wouldn't expect a huge amount of support for it here due to it being a twin sticker.

[Inglorious_B]

Gotta say that the game does look interesting, but I wouldn't expect a huge amount of support for it here due to it being a twin sticker.

It's an arcade shooter, built from the ground up for scoring play and competition, by a team with heritage that goes back to the very earliest and most seminal shooting games...



Nothing bigger than this will happen in the world of shooting games in 2017.



But it's a twin stick so... Shmups forum strikes again!

[Despatche]

That's right. Sometimes I wonder if there's more to this genre being dead than is obvious.

I'll get it if I can help it. This is a company that deserves a lot of money, and they have so far gotten $0 from me for some reason.

[EmperorIng]

There's a PC port coming this summer as well, I think? If so I'll gladly pick it up; graphics look very nice, as does the general feel of the movement for player and enemies.

[Xyga]

What a flashy way of dying!

Game's looking sweet, a bit dark though, maybe that's for allowing enemies to somewhat hide and escape the player's immediate attention?

And I can hear the world is not done with synthwave, I'm alright with that.

[dunpeal2064]

Looks great! I hope that dash either isn't completely invulnerable, or has a good cooldown timer to it.

[Puyopuyomayo]

No pc?

[reckon luck]

No pc?

Steam port was just announced this week.

[Special World]

Gotta say that the game does look interesting, but I wouldn't expect a huge amount of support for it here due to it being a twin sticker.

It's an arcade shooter, built from the ground up for scoring play and competition, by a team with heritage that goes back to the very earliest and most seminal shooting games...

Nothing bigger than this will happen in the world of shooting games in 2017.

But it's a twin stick so... Shmups forum strikes again!

Were there multiple people on the Housemarque team involved with those classic games, or are you just talking about Eugene Jarvis? I am totally on-board with Robotron and Defender, but Housemarque's games are not especially my cup of tea.

[Elixir]

Nothing bigger than this will happen in the world of shooting games in 2017.



But it's a twin stick so... Shmups forum strikes again!

It's only March, and people disliking the oversaturated twin stick market is not a forum-exclusive affair.

[Sumez]

I'd also say it's a little early to criticize the forum population's reception of a game before it's even released. If this game deserves praise I'm sure there will be people here to deliver it. From what I've seen it looks better than every other "mainstream" twinstick shooter already out there, but as I also said, I'm not a fan of the cluttered, messy graphics. It would have been nice as a 2D game.

[Inglorious_B]

That's right. Sometimes I wonder if there's more to this genre being dead than is obvious.

[Inglorious_B]

It's only March, and people disliking the oversaturated twin stick market is not a forum-exclusive affair.

Please let us know what other brand new, premium shooting IPs you've heard are coming in 2017?

This forum doesn't have a monopoly on disliking twin stick games, but it DOES have a monopoly as the only site for shooting game players in the English-speaking west. As such there should be support for new shooting games here, especially premium ones like Nex Machina.

[Inglorious_B]

No pc?

Steam port was just announced this week.

Would be nice if the mods (or the OP) could amend the thread title to include PC...

[Special World]

It's only March, and people disliking the oversaturated twin stick market is not a forum-exclusive affair.

Please let us know what other brand new, premium shooting IPs you've heard are coming in 2017?

This forum doesn't have a monopoly on disliking twin stick games, but it DOES have a monopoly as the only site for shooting game players in the English-speaking west. As such there should be support for new shooting games here, especially premium ones like Nex Machina.

At the same time, we are not obligated to support this game if it doesn't look like our cup of tea. I actually am in the minority on these forums (apparently) in that I absolutely LOVE Geometry Wars 1 and 2. Nex Machina looks visually cluttered and mechanically unfocused to me. And the problem is, I can't trust mainstream reviews to tell me whether it's good or not. I just don't think they have a handle on what (to many people on these forums) truly makes a good shooting game.

I would love a spiritual successor to Robotron 2084. And I would love for this game to come out, and have shmups forum get behind it and let me know it's really a fantastic game, and download it and find out you guys are right. But I can't trust the mainstream reviewers on this one, so I'd appreciate if you guys took a level head about it instead of telling people they're obligated to like it. Because I want to be able to trust YOU GUYS on it.

ED: Also, I take umbrage with the phrase "premium" games. To me, that's like the artificial distinction between "AAA" games and Japanese games or indie games. It's a category that's used irrespective of actual quality, and by default excludes large swaths of gaming.

[Zaarock]

Recently I thought Assault Android Cactus was a superb twin stick shooter (character design can be a turnoff though). Not much talk about the genre here but that doesnt mean everyone hates on them.

Nex Machina looks really visually cluttered but maybe they'll get the balance right.

[reckon luck]

It's only March, and people disliking the oversaturated twin stick market is not a forum-exclusive affair.

Please let us know what other brand new, premium shooting IPs you've heard are coming in 2017?

Ubusuna is totally coming this year and is totally not vaporware!




...



...

[Despatche]

The "oversaturation" of the twin-stick shooter "market" (please, we are not NeoGAF) is because it's the only vehicle that actually appeals to more than a specific handful of people. The funny thing is that a good twin-stick game is obviously a lot harder to make and to play than a good single-stick + buttons game, yet it's the twin-stick games developers and players gravitate to.