Distance's jet-powered flying cars have finally landed, only slightly singed by lasers as the racer escapes early access today. Nearly six years after a successful Kickstarter and almost four in early access, developers Refract have launched version 1.0 of their deathtrap-filled obstacle course - a lethal neon world that pulses to the beat.
Today's release includes two new story driven "Adventure" campaigns (including a return to the city from Nitronic Rush, Distance's student project predecessor), a pile of user-made tracks, random map generation, a powerful editor and VR support. Check out the launch trailer's laser light show below.
]]>Today in 'games that desperately need to be out I mean come on already you kickstarted it in 2012 for goodness' sake': Distance. I'm not quite sure how this one slipped under my "rad neon games" radar (I have a lot of radars) but it's probably for the best I wasn't waiting for it all this time. From Refract Studios, formed by the team behind the ostensibly similar Nitronic Rush, it's a flashy, fast and fantastic-looking arcade racer. You're only sometimes trackbound, taking to the air at opportune moments to jump over obstacles or even reach full flight. It's pretty much the game we all thought up as kids, only with slightly less plasma cannons. New trailer below.
]]>I already knew that the cars in Distance could fly but it's a fact worth repeating. Keep in mind that the cars' doors flip into position and become wings when aerial navigation is required and the situation becomes even more appealing. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the sequel-of-sorts to free techno racer Nitronic Rush is due in August of this year and the pre-alpha video below, shown at GDC, is exceedingly easy on the eyes. It's an all expenses paid holiday to a thumping great futuristic city. For the eyes.
]]>It's not unusual to pay less than a quid for a game in this age of austerity but how often do you choose to give more when a bundle allows you to pick a price? The Free Bundle will not allow your generosity to corrupt its mission statement, which is to gather free games and then to offer them for free in a bundle called 'Free'. If you throw money at your screen, just this once it will actually bounce back and land in your tea instead of transporting directly to the developers. This collection includes mad racer Nitronic Rush, horror game Ascension, platformer Celestial Mechanica, Imscared and the splendiferous Abobo's Big Adventure. You can download them all here.
]]>Coo, another close one. According to Kickstarter, most games that succeed tend to receive around 150% of their target (while those that fail tend to be around 20%) - a fact that might be reassuring for some, but little comfort for the few who only just squeak past the line. Feelings must have been tense for Refract Studios, they behind Nitronic Rush follow-up, Distance. They've crept over their $125,000 goal with a couple of days on the clock.
]]>When it comes to driving games, "parkour action" isn't a phrase I'd immediately associate with the genre. But that's what the Distance team - Refract Studios - are showing in their latest trailer. The Nitronic Rush devs have only a few days left on their Kickstarter, with a fifth of the money left to go, the latest video is part of their final push. And it's one worth watching, by my eyes.
]]>Arcade racer Distance comes from a few of the folk who brought us Nitronic Rush, the Digipen driveygame that impressed so much. While some of the team have slunk off to AAA developers, a core understand the true value of purity, and are staying defiantly indie. (No, seriously, congrats to all who got jobs off the back of their stellar university efforts.) Under the name Refract Studios, Distance is inevitably being Kickstarted, and now we've an announcement trailer too. It's looking pretty fine.
]]>Onlive and the IGF are spooning for a fortnight. The sensual lovers are celebrating the Indie Gaming New Year by giving you access to 30 minute demos of 16 IGF finalists. The alphabetically sexy list of games is: Atom Zombie Smasher, Be Good, Botanicula, Dear Esther, Dustforce, English Country Tune, Frozen Synapse, FTL, Lume, Nitronic Rush, Once Upon a Spacetime, POP, SpaceChem, To the Moon, Toren, and WAY.
]]>Oh FFS. Despite the game's own site saying it was announced yesterday, Jim somehow knew about this in August.
I don't know about you, but I like shiny colours. The way they're all shiny. And all colourful. And when they move! My goodness me, it's all I can do to stare vacantly as the saliva wettens my bottom lip. So it is that I instantly decided I liked Nitronic Rush, a new game emerging from the electronic folds of DigiPen. It's described as "an experimental survival driving game", citing the 1990s (in which there is no apostrophe, planet Earth) as its inspiration. But my oh my, the 1990s never offered shining colours like these.
]]>Students at DigiPen Institute of Technology have been pimping their game, Nitronic Rush, which is a videogame name if ever I heard one. ["NITRONIC RUSH!" - Voiceover Man.] Anyway, there's a video below, and it depicts what said students are calling "a survival driving game", which I think means you need to avoid getting chopped up by lasers or running into walls at a speed that is too fast. Anyway, take a look below for neon racing cars and some kind of rotating HAL tower thing. It not only has a videogame name, but it looks like a videogame too. (That's double points.)
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