14 DAY TRIAL // One of the more interesting trends highlighted by Tecmo at its E3 presentation has been that of the rise of digitally distributed videogames. The company is set to offer no less than three titles in the coming months exclusively on the Xbox Live service from Microsoft and the PlayStation Network from Sony.
Sometime in 2010, both services will be offering Fret Nice, a title that seeks to combine a classic 2D platformer with a music game. Players will control a character as it moves through stages but they will also generate the music for the game.
Enemies can be taken out using riff combos and soundtracks are also generated through movement. And the characteristics of the antagonists that you encounter, like the number of tentacles they have, determine which kind of riffs you need to use to take them out. The title should offer co operative play, either locally or through the network.
Another title, this one coming by the end of 2009, will be Puzzlegedon, which is described as combining puzzle solving with action sequences and strategy concepts. Players will need to quickly build up combos so that they can gather the resources needed to take out the other players. The game delivers both a Solo Brawl mode and a Battle Royale mode, in which you can face off against as many bots as you like.
The latest offering from Tecmo is NBA Unrivaled, a sports game aimed at capturing the atmosphere provided by classic NBA-themed arcade videogames. Tecmo is using the full NBA license and the entire lineup of the teams to create a fast paced and complex game, with the main mechanic being momentum, which can be increased by doing special moves, like slam dunks and three-point throws.