This Week in Kickstarter we've got a questionably legal streaming device, a 3D rebirth of a 2D browser RPG, and a point and click ghost hunting adventure.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wintertide/wintertide-a-first-person-competitive-team-surviva?…;
WINTERTIDE, a first-person competitive team survival game
A Multiplayer Winter Survival Where You Are Able To Reincarnate As Certain Wildlife Upon Death.
Wintertide is a game about team orientation and survival. Players experience the frigid Rocky Mountains after the apocalypse, and must play smart to survive. Freezing temperatures, snow tracks, resources, hydration, food, even defecation are all factors players will need to keep in mind.
Players use guns, improvised weapons, and stealth to defend against other players and the murderous wildlife of the mountain. When players die, they can reincarnate as certain wildlife, depending on the survival score they had. The game features several multiplayer modes as well as a day and night cycle.
I'm really loving Wintertide's true-survival feel and how brutal the world is. Sure, this is far from the prettiest game out there, but what's here looks like solid gameplay mechanics, an interesting respawn system, and a driving reason to give your all every match, or get reincarnated as a lowly deer. My only worry is that should I die early and have to be a deer, will the game still manage to make an engaging time of it. But should they provide some interesting reasons to play as the animals, this game could get plenty of people hooked.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kenburns/tiny-arcade-a-retro-tiny-playable-game-cabinet?ref=ca…;
Tiny Arcade – A Retro Tiny Playable Game Cabinet
A Retro Tiny Playable Game Cabinet
Tiny Arcade seeks to put the golden age of video games in the palm of your hand. It packs a full color OLED screen, with free games and an open source design. An SD card expansion slot lets you plug in new games after you download them.
Though small, the analog stick and two push buttons are "high quality." The device has built-in speakers and a rechargeable lithium battery and charges through a USB port. The Tiny Arcade comes in acrylic, wood, or 3D printed enclosures. You can also play videos at 30fps with audio.
The appeal of these devices is really more in the novelty than anything else. I doubt this will replace your phones or 3DS, but having a neat little arcade for playing classic games laying around is always nice. That being said, this:
looks like arthritis incarnate. Obviously final judgements must be reserved for actually holding the thing, but this just looks uncomfortable, and to top it off my fingers can easily get in the way of the screen. I wouldn't advise anyone to buy this when they could just as easily buy a full fledged $60 game with that money, but if the novelty of a tiny arcade is your thing, go for it.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nkornek/poltergus-an-adventure-in-reality-television?ref=categ…;
Poltergus - An Adventure in Reality Television
A comedic point-and-click adventure set in the world of Reality TV.
Poltergus is a humorous point-and-click adventure game about a dog/ghost duo hosting a ghost hunting show. The game features full first-person VR support, though it isn't required. Players use the camera to freely look around environments and guide the character. At any time switch to first person and see the room in a different way. Players can look for clues at any time, even during cut scenes.
The whole game is presented as a TV show. Players explore mysteries, see one-on-one interviews with the cast, behind the scenes footage, and even get flashbacks to the old show Gus was on. Menus and inventory are also a part of the show, to create an immersive experience.
Poltergus is a refreshingly original, and attractively goofy. The games aesthetic is wonderfully realized and the characters seem both funny and interesting. The two-man crew that is making this game seem very committed to their art and it shows. I can't wait to see more of this game and its unique set up.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alpinelabs/pulse-your-camera-upgraded?ref=category_popular
Pulse - Your Camera, Upgraded.
Stills. Timelapse. Video. Complete control of your DSLR or Mirrorless camera from your smartphone. Wirelessly.
Pulse is a tool designed to control your camera from your smart phone. It plugs into your DSLR or mirrorless camera's USB port, letting you control it for photos, time lapse, or video. You don't even need to be next to your camera to use it.
Control ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and more. If you want, even just go into your histogram and make sure everything's right. Pulse is designed to be taken on any project, even day-long time lapse videos or backpacking trips. Another benefit of Pulse is that you can shoot it without moving your camera at all, since nothing needs to be physically touched on the camera.
Just watching this Kickstarter made me want to make a time lapse video, and if I went through with it I'd be damn sure what product I'd want to take. Pulse's brilliant set up recognizes its main job is to stay out of the way of the photography, not try to be a major part of it. It enhances your camera, without trying to be irreplaceable. It's low profile design and usefulness would probably help keep it on my camera at all times.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artix/adventurequest-3d?ref=category_popular
AdventureQuest 3D
AdventureQuest re-imagined as a 3D MMORPG that lets you play online with your friends from your phone, tablet or PC.
AdventureQuest 3D marks a grand change for the famous 2D browser RPG. As the name entails, the whole game is getting reworked into a a full 3D MMORPG. But that's not the only big news. This game works on PC, phone, or tablet, and works cross-platform. You can play the same character in the same world on any device. You can explore the world and fight monsters together in real time.
The game has a number of features, including a persistent online world, PvP, real-time combat, weapon/item fusion, and new content released regularly. AdventureQuest 3D brings solo, two-player, and group sized adventures to the player. Players can craft, bring friends up to their level with the "sidekick" mode, and experience an evolving world and story line.
Dear reader, let me be perfectly honest with you. I make it a point of journalistic integrity to not fund any of the games I write about. I've read through countless Kickstarters, some good, some bad, some amazing and stayed true to that rule. But none have challenged me before like this. This is personal. AdventureQuest was THE game of my teenage years. The way some people grew up on World of Warcraft or Runescape or hell even Pokemon, I grew up on AdventureQuest. Seeing this game's cartoon art style transition to 3D is my own version of seeing Mario in 3D for the first time.
But the fanboy-ing aside, Artix and his team have taken advantage of what many consider a weakness: being a browser based game. This allows for a much easier time with creating parity and cross-platform opportunities. I have no idea how well this will work, but as a concept alone I'm excited. Adding in little touches like using your phone's text-to-speech for chat, or being able to invite a friend in only two taps is grand. The Artix have updated AdventureQuest every week for the past 13 years (seriously!) If there is one thing we can say for certain it is that the studio is reliable if nothing else. I hope to see this game reach its goal.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cast/cast-the-worlds-first-real-time-home-entertainment?ref=di…;
CAST: The world's first interactive social TV
A home entertainment hub that seamlessly connects all of your devices and livestreams entertainment to your friends and family.
The CAST promises live streaming and mirroring any content from your device on to the devices of your friends and family and watch together simultaneously, any where in the world. Sports, movies, TV, and games. Apps like Netflix, to TV channels, to Twitch.tv are all stream-able.
Want to watch the game with your friend who doesn't pay for cable? Stream it to him in the park, in HD, lag-free! And not just stream, but pull up a running chat bar as well, or even live video feeds of you and your friends. With just a swipe, bring your friends and family into the experience!
I'm gonna be real with you, I'd wait maybe six months to see if this thing stays on the market. You're probably thinking the same thing I was "holy crap this is super duper not legal. It's not legal!" The Kickstarter promises it is, based (seemingly) on a single line in the definition of copyright law, that being: “a normal circle of family and acquaintances." Look maybe it is legal, I'm the farthest thing from a lawyer you can find, so none of what I'm saying is coming from any kind of law degree, but even I'm looking at that and saying "ehhhhhhh, that's really not much to go on." I just don't see the "digital couch" defense holding up in court. As for the product itself, really interesting and revolutionary stuff, and I could see some interesting communities coming around this thing. Imagine posting your username or whatever on 4chan and just watching a movie with 5 strangers? Come to think of it, I can't think of a worse hell than watching Spiderman with my friends on this thing. They would absolutely abuse the privilege of spamming the screen with emojis and suggestive comments about Spiderman's white goo.
Disclaimer: The author (Bryan Heraghty) does not back any Kickstarter projects he writes about, nor are any of these inclusions sponsoring TechRaptor. These projects are included solely because the author thinks they are interesting.
What are your thoughts on some of the Kickstarters we saw this week? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below! If you have a game or technology Kickstarter you think deserves attention, you can either comment below, email TechRaptor, or tweet @techraptr or @greyhoodedbryan your suggestion!
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