The Art of Mikhail Rakhmatullin

I've been following Mikhail Rakhmatullin's work for awhile now. A Russian artist hailing from Moscow, what strikes me the most about Mikhail is his stylistic propensity for sci-fi fantasy characters with exaggerated stature and colorful costumes that make for memorable silhouettes.

Elongated necklines, broad shoulders, bow-legged posture and gorgeously detailed outfits. His concept work is equally impressive, strong creature and location designs that make for a well-rounded portfolio. Catch more of his work after the break.

Worth Checking Out - Toejam and Earl: Back In The Groove

I'm honestly at a loss for words for how ridiculously excited I was when I saw this pop up. Some of my fondest childhood video gaming memories were spawned from late night sessions playing ToeJam & Earl. The weirdness of the game's characters mixed with the ridiculously funky beats melded was an incredibly odd experience, but it worked and it was wonderful. The sequel, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, was an odd followup, but it still managed to capture the weirdness from the previous entry despite being a a 2D platformer.

After it's debut on the Sega Genesis, ToeJam & Earl vanished for nearly a decade, only to be revisited in the disappointing Xbox exclusive ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth which almost guaranteed the series' demise. Thankfully, we now live in a world where crowdsourcing exists giving us the chance to bring it back.

ToeJam & Earl: Back In The Groove is looking to bring back what fans loved from the original and give it a modern twist. It's hard to believe it's been over 20 years since the game originally debuted, but that cheese 90's hip hop factor is still there to remind you of it's roots.

The Kickstarted just started today and it's already sitting at a healthy $22,000. There's loads of information on the game and some awesome tiers of backer rewards to choose from. Check out the Kickstarter page over here to drop a few dollars on this 90's re-awakening. 

Fake Rayman Leak Might Be Most Elaborate Video Game Hoax Ever

Earlier on Saturday, a user claiming to have leaks from an industry contact began to drop images on 4chan's /v/ board. While video game "leaks" are rather sketchy, the more recent leaks for Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS have been more reliable than most, with images of characters leaking weeks before official release.

When the first image of Rayman dropped, the internet went nuts while still remaining somewhat skeptical of the images. It wasn't until later that day, when a (now deleted) video was released showing Ubisoft's mascot in-game, created the full-blown hype-train. 

I admit, I fell for the supposed leak, and I quickly joined the hype in anticipation for an official announcement on the character's inclusion. Unfortunately, the hopes and dreams of thousands of Smash players were quickly crushed the next day when YouTube user Artsy Omni released the above video showing how he faked it out.

It's quite an impressive feat to troll the internet to such an extent, and even more impressive watching the process of creating the fake leak. It's unfortunate to see the amount of hate Omni has received after the reveal (as seen by the venomous comments on YouTube), because this is an incredibly elaborate and well created hoax. If anything, Omni just proved once and for all that you should never believe anything you read on the internet. 

Worth Checking Out - Strafe

It's sometimes a bit difficult for me to see clearly when I'm flooded with overwhelming nostalgia, but Strafe may have hit perfection with it's Kickstarter trailer. The amount of 90s cheese is amazing and already has me ordering a new fanny pack and a 20-year-old box of Ecto Cooler.

Strafe is a rogue-like with an FPS and resource gathering twist. With procedurally generated levels, players need to make the most out of gathered resources in order to survive the unknown levels. In a world with endless indie rogue-likes, it takes a lot to stand out, but Strafe definitely has the aesthetic to do so.

I'm really digging the art style, which sits somewhere between Doom and a voxel-style game with loads of bloody giblets. The dripping pixels of blood in the above gif really wraps it all up nicely.

The game, which currently has 28 days remaining in it's Kickstarter campaign, is sitting at a healthy $42,000 of it's $185,096 goal, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need your help. For more info and to help fund it's creation, check out the Kickstarter page over here. This game is looking totally radical.

'The Splinter-Cell' Is A Love Letter To The Franchise At Its Peak

Ubisoft's Splinter Cell is an influential stealth-action series that's been going through something of an 'identity reinvention' as of late. After 2005's sublime Chaos Theory, the series took an abrupt direction into full-on open assault warfare with titles such as Double Agent, Conviction, and Blacklist, straying away from the stripped-down stealth sensibilities of its earlier incarnations.

Directors Ben & Andrew Adams of Austin-based Atomic Productions have managed to craft a short that infuses the best elements of the franchise from both its earliest and later years, though with the noticeable absence of Michael Ironside's signature caustic wit. This short's still amazing though, and I look forward to the promise of more live-action Sam Fisher adventures in the near-future.

"The Splinter Cell' is a live-action short set in the past that follows the early years of the franchise lead as he becomes the titular hero. Before the game stories, before the modern times, and before Third Echelon: There was only a man. Sam Fisher."

Worth Checking Out - Pathologic (Мор.Утопия)

I admit I sat on this Kickstarter a little longer than I would have liked. After donating to the incredible project known as Pathologic, it somehow escaped me to share it with the rest of you. Back in 2005, Pathologic was originally released with an abysmal Russian-to-English translation that greatly inhibited player experience. Despite the bad translation, the game's mechanics and ambience were what truly made the game shine, providing it with the opportunity to amass a decent sized cult following.

Pathologic tells the story of three different doctors (each with their own separate storyline), trying to piece together the correct solution to a town's dangerous plague. While the game is in a sense, a survival game, the true gem of the game is using your wits to make tough decisions in order to save the lives of the town's inhabitants.

There isn't a way to save everyone, and the decisions you make affect the game in many ways. You might make the decision to track down patient zero, alternatively, you might also find it in your best interest to exterminate the plague holders. The method to reaching the plague's end is entirely up to the player, creating many different outcomes. 

Pathologic is looking to be a very real and moving experience, portraying a realistic plague scenario that players must overcome in anyway they see fit. The game's dark tone really sets an unnerving mood, and in a lot of ways, creates a sense of horror for the player throughout their twelve days in-game. The game's abstract character design and surreal method of storytelling holds a lot of similarities to ACE Team's 2009 release, Zeno Clash, which perks my interest for the project even further.

The Kickstarter is quickly approaching it's end date, with only 13 days left as of this post. With less than $20,000 to goal, Pathologic seems to be a assured a successful Kickstart. If you want to guarantee the game's success and check out a more in-depth look at it's mechanics, take a look over at the Kickstarter page over here.

PAYDAY 2: Hotline Miami Drops Sept. 30

What happens when two equally awesome franchises come together? We'll find out later this month with the release Payday 2's latest DLC package, throwing the game's maniacal bankrobbers into the chaotic neon-soaked insanity of Hotline Miami. Developer Overkill Software is being particularly tight-lipped with details, but if this violently ominous trailer is any indication, it's going to be off-the-wall bonkers.

*Queue pulsating techno music*

This is obviously a promotional tie-in for Hotline Miami's imminent sequel coming out later this year. Hotline Miami is one of my all-time favorite games, and Payday 2 is one of the most satisfying co-op shooter experiences I've had in recent memory. If nothing else, this DLC sounds like a match made in heaven.

Best of PAX 2014 - Upsilion Circuit

After a long weekend at PAX followed by a long string of days battling whatever monstrosity decided to overtake my immune system, I've returned to showcase some of the best titles of PAX. Unlike the past few years, I was actually able to play games at PAX (who would have thought?), and I'm happy to say that I couldn't be more excited for the next couple couple of years. To kick things off, I felt it was important to introduce possibly the most intriguing title on the show floor, Upsilion Circuit.

Upon first glance, Upsilion Circuit appears to be a flashy action RPG with a relatively modest combat system, fortunately there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than you would expect. First and foremost,  Upsilion Circuit is an MMO, but not in the same vein as you would expect. Rather than interacting with thousands of players, a maximum of 8 people will be given the opportunity to play at once, while the rest of those logged-in participate as an audience member. The mixture of players and viewers is where the game starts to get pretty damn insane.

Upsilion Circuit takes the idea of death in video games and makes it a very serious consequence, when you die in the game, you die for good. No, you can't jump out and create a new file, your time within the game is up for good, forcing you into the audience while the game gives another player a chance. I wasn't quite sure how being an audience member would be an interesting experience, but as one of developers at Robot Loves Kitty, Alix Stolzer, explained, Upsilion Circuit plays more like a game show than anything else. At this point I absolutely fell in love with the game.

Audience members are asked to take control of the player's experience. By voting on enemy spawns, experience gained and power ups found, Upsilion Circuit creates a constant interaction for those tuning in. In many ways it felt like a logical evolution from the insanely popular Twitch Plays Pokémon, but in a way I many players may not have expected.

Of course, no game show would be complete without a co-host, which is where the incredibly creepy Ronnie Raygun steps into play. With a personality similar to the "digital" host Max Headroom and an appearance similar to Ronald Reagan, Ronnie interacts with viewers like any normal host would while antagonizing players to do better. It's a really awesome experience that I'm excited to see fleshed out.

Uspilion Circuit still has a ways to go with a ton of hurdles to overcome (all of which the developers at Robot Loves Kitty seem to be aware of), but if it pans out I can see Upsilion Circuit making huge waves with those who enjoy that interactive experience that many streamers provide.

Mistwalker and Hironobu Sakaguchi's 'TERRA BATTLE' Has An Interesting Take On Crowdfunding (That soundtrack though)

I will always be a firm believer that Mistwalker's Lost Odyssey was one of the most underrated JRPGs of all time. Along with one of my favorite scores by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu, Lost Odyssey featured an incredibly moving story with character development that stood with the best (those flashback sequences still bring a tear to my eye).

With their followup The Last Story, also being highly underrated, I was became slightly worried for the studios future. Thankfully, it seems that the studio has found an interesting way at gathering funding for their game, by releasing a full game.

Rather than producing content based off of an initial Kickstarter campaign, the studio will instead be releasing future content for the already completed game depending on how well it sells, titling it as a 'download starter'. That means, if the game sells well enough, on top of the already beautiful art and soundtrack presented in the above trailer, we'll see even more characters and music. 

The game mechanics, while simplified for mobile devices, seem like an interesting twist on traditional turn-based JRPGs with a healthy mix of tactical RPGs thrown in. Using character placement and combo moves, it seems that the game will place heavy importance on team composition.

I won't lie when I say I'm rather skeptical of a mobile game, but it's apparent that the team at Mistwalker is incredibly passionate about this project. The game's beautiful art and soundtrack have definitely set me in the right mood, and the potential artists onboard have really got me hoping this campaign succeeds. Seriously, just look at the potential names on this project. A release date has yet to be announced, but it appears they're ramping up so definitely keep an eye out as this might be the last time we ever see a JRPG development team compromised of this many big names. I'm more than stoked.

The Behemoth Teases 'Game 4' For PAX Prime

I can't even fathom the amount of hours I put into The Behemoth's Castle Crashers, everything I loved about couch co-op was nearly perfected with the indie brawler. Years later I still find myself returning to it, and while the later released Battleblock Theater may not have captured the level of replayability of Castle Crashers, god damn was it fun.

Before the release of Battleblock Theater, The Behemoth began development on Game 4, a mysterious title narrated once again by the amazing Stamper. The trailer may not give any hint as to what type of game to expect, but it seems we won't have to wait long! 

Game 4 will be playable at PAX Prime, which lucky for us, starts in just over a week. Awesome Robo will be at PAX Prime this year, meaning we'll be more than sure to get as much info on The Behemoth's new project as we can. The Behemoth has yet to disappoint so color me psyched! 

'Dante's Redemption' Is An Incredible Fan Short

During EA's more experimental period of last generation, Visceral Games released Dante's Inferno, one of the more under-appreciated titles of that generation. The game may have been heavily influenced by God of War but I had a blast, the combat was solid and exploring Dante Alighieri's (highly stylized) depiction of Hell was a a treat in itself. Despite the game's subpar sales, there have been rumblings of a sequel in the works, and while I won't hold my breath anytime soon, Naughty Dog animator, Tal Peleg, has given fans quite a surprise.

Dante's Redemption might be labeled as a "fan short", but this is by no means an amateur animation, it's a 2-minute epic. The animation quality is on-par, if not better, than the original game's cinematics, seeming more like a teaser for the next entry than a fan-fiction. By far the most impressive feat, is seeing an animation of this quality by one individual. Peleg may have enlisted some help for the short's art, but all animation and lighting has been done by him. 

This is truly a 2-minute masterpiece, and it really goes to show the talent Naught Dog has brought onto their team. Not only has this got me hyped for the next rumored Dante's Inferno, but its gotten me even more excited to see what Naughty Dog has in the pipeline for this generation of gaming.

New 'Rime' Trailer Shows Off It's Cel-Shaded Beauty

Once again, Sony has gone hard with their indie lineup at this year's Gamescom and while some may be looking for a more AAA titles out of Sony's lineup, games like Rime showcase that indie developers can stand with the "blockbusters". With more indie games than big-budget announcements, it became apparent that this generation is the time for the small guys to shine and after the newest trailer for Rime, I can safely say that I'm more excited for this than any of the offerings from Ubisoft, EA, and Activision put together. 

With visuals very reminiscent of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Rime appears to have an incredible amount of polish. With talent from Blizzard and Weta Digital, it's hard to be surprised what the team at Tequila Works has pulled off, but it still hasn't stopped my drooling.

No release date has been confirmed for Rime, but I would hope we'll see it by 2015, the last thing we need is another The Last Guardian from Sony.

Worth Checking Out - Aegis Defenders

Originally conceived as a student project at USC, the awesome looking Aegis Defenders looks to be getting a full release. Blending metroidvania mechanics with arena defense, Aegis Defenders has certainly perked my interest. I've always been a massive fan of the tower defense genre and seeing it implemented into an exploration-based platformer is certainly an awesome concept.

Along with it's interesting blend of mechanics, the team over at Studio Guts has a wonderful art direction with it's 16-bit style visuals. While no release is set, a Kickstarter campaign is set to begin tomorrow which we'll be sure to remind you of. For now, take a look at their website for a collection of concept art.

Worth Checking Out - "Gods Will Be Watching"

Seriously developers, keep the point-and-clicks coming, they're only getting better! Deconstructeam's Gods Will Be Watching is an interesting and brutal take on the point-and-click adventure formula, putting players in the midst of multiple moral dilemmas. Every choice you make has consequences, and as seen by the above trailer, some of those consequences are a bit brutal. 

The narrative based puzzles in Gods Will Be Watching aren't to be taken lightly, as each choice will directly effect you and your team. What's interesting is the game's focus on you and your teams relationship, creating tense moments that will force players to decide to save the lives of your team members or the lives of thousands more.

Gods Will Be Watching is an incredibly intriguing take on moral choice in games, and while it's difficult to judge the game's focus it's characters the in-game choices shown provide plenty of potential for experimentation for different outcomes. Gods Will Be Watching is set to release on steam July 24th. If you're interested in giving the demo a go, check out their website over here.

Team Fortress 2 - Love & War

It's incredibly difficult to expect Valve to continuously up the ante in terms of quality, but somehow the Bellevue, Washington based studio always manages to blow expectations out of the water. After over a week of bread mysteriously appearing in teleporters, TF2 fans have been hot on the trail of the bread-filled ARG, with clues pulled from within the game's files to as far fetched as the 70's band Bread. Valve has always been fantastic at playing mind games with their fans, and the payout with their latest ARG endeavor is more than worth it.

The 15-minute long short, Expiration Date is by far the most entertaining TF2 short to date. The short not only explains the mystery of the bread but also fleshes out a cast characters that were once nothing more than canon fodder (not that they still aren't). One of the more interesting aspects of Expiration Date is it's inclusion of new characters, building a world around Red versus Blue in a way I would have never expected.

Along with the short, Valve has also released a slew of new actions to perform while destroying the enemy. With today being listed as day 1 of the Love & War update, it's safe to expect loads more content in the coming day. Fingers-crossed for bread themed levels. Check out the new content for day 1 over here.

Robo Reminder - WildStar Is Out Now!

In case you haven't noticed from our constant out pour of Wild Star content, we're majorly into the work done by the talented folks at Carbine Studios. It feels like it's been a millennium since the game was first announced, but the time has finally arrived for it's official release. In celebration of Wild Star's launch, Carbine Studios has released the above launch trailer to get you in the mood while you download and update your client.

From my time spent with the beta and the game's head-start release, it has become incredibly apparent how much love and care went into the game. Everything from the game's character design to the sprawling world has been meticulously crafted to awesomeness and I can't imagine it looking any better. A big congratulations from us to Carbine Studios!

Robo Reminder: 7 Days Remain To Kickstart OMOCAT's OMORI

It's been a little over a month since OMOCAT began her Kickstarter campaign for OMORI, and after the massive response from the internet her dream game has accrued over 4x the initial goal. OMOCAT's initial goal and a slew of other stretch goals may have been met!

Still, while the game has been fully funded seven whole days remain! That means you have no reason not to hop on board and get this game to the moon and back.

With the low stretchgoal of $180,000, we can help get OMORI onto the 3DS, something that would end up being me and many other's platform of choice for the Horror RPG. If you've been on the fence about donating now is the perfect time to give the game the final boost it needs. You can Kickstart OMORI over here.

Worth Checking Out - A Story About My Uncle

Many gamers will probably tell you that the web-slinging mechanics of Spider-Man 2 will never be matched, but I'd argue that there just aren't enough developers out there trying to bring it back. Gone North Games' A Story About My Uncle looks like an awesome attempt at bringing the swinging mechanics back into the limelight with their first-person platformer. 

I'm actually quite interested in the game's narrative, which seems to be a heavy focus along with the game's swinging mechanics. The game is also downright pretty, giving an awesome environment to swing around in, along with what looks to be some rather interesting character design.

While the newest Amazing Spider-Man entry seems to a decent job of giving that sense of speed and maneuverability that Spider-Man 2 provided, A Story About My Uncle seems to be providing a more puzzle oriented experience while maintaining that speed gamers have been missing for years, although this time in first-person.

The game will be heading Steam on May 28th, so keep a close eye on it! 

Enjoy A 10-Minute Preview of The Metroidvania/Dark Souls Inspired Ghost Song

Hot damn has the game got me amped. Back in August developer Matt White Kickstarted his metroidvania/Dark Souls fused action platformer and met success with funding almost 4 times the initial goal. With promises of a deep and engaging combat and an explorable world much like the games of Metroid, the game got me hooked upon first viewing (and apparently thousands of other contributors as well).

With the little snippets of gameplay first provided for the Kickstarter, it's awesome to finally get a glimpse at the work Matt White has put into the game. It may be a bit light on actual gameplay mechanics, but the atmosphere it sets is absolutely topnotch. 

The metroidvania style mechanics are noted almost immediately, starting players in front of their crashed spaceship before traversing the unknown planet (very reminiscent of nearly every Metroid entry). What surprised me the most was how quickly The Dark Souls influence made present, not only with the game's dark tones and combat but the inclusions of NPCs and their almost hopeless dialogue.

Ghost Song is definitely looking like a deep engaging experience with a lot of soul and a whole lot of ambiance. No set release date has been announced for the game, but if you'd like to offer additional help for the game's development you can pre-order it from the website here. 

Worth Checking Out - OMORI by OMOCAT

Awesome Robo favorite OMOCAT (who's work you can even buy from our store!) has been teasing at an RPG for a few months now and we're finally getting to see the progress she's made along with the opportunity to help fund it!

OMORI is a surreal exploration based horror RPG, with vibes similar to that of  the 2004 RPG Yume Nikki and the cult-favorite OFF. The story, which revolves around her original character OMORI, a "depressed otaku" who's story is already over before you begin it. The game, using the RPG maker as it's foundation, has an incredible lineup of features including an original soundtrack (which is absolutely amazing from what's been provided thus far), a huge slew of original characters, and even a room full of cats!

As of now, the Kickstarter has already hit about 80% of it's goal in less than 24-hours, essentially guaranteeing a successful campaign. Based on OMOCAT's work, we're expecting an incredibly stylish ad heartfelt experience that many RPGs seem to have lost sight of If you'd like to pitch in and get a copy of the game yourself, head over to the Kickstarter page here here.

OMOCAT has a few of the game's soundtrack for quick listening as well, I'm really digging the mix of electronic and acoustic pieces and I'm excited to see how they're incorporated into the game.