All Articles: Energy Hook

The Banner Saga 2, The Warriors, Energy Hook, more added to PS Store

It’s another eclectic day for the PlayStation Store as Rockstar asks if The Warriors can come out to plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay on the PS4…

Originally released for the PS2 in 2005, The Warriors is a critically-acclaimed adaptation of the cult favorite film. At the time, The Warriors was praised for Rockstar’s attention to detail and how well it managed to recreate the film’s grimy 70s aesthetic. The jump to the PS4 retains everything that made everyone love the PS2 game and adds 1080p graphics, Trophies, and Remote Play support.

Also available this week is The Banner Saga 2, the second game in Stoic’s RPG retelling of an epic Norse adventure. This time, players will continue their “emotional journey” across a breaking world as they make “bold” leadership decisions to help their Viking clan survive.

Finally this week, Energy Hook swings onto the PS4 from the creator of Spider-Man 2‘s beloved webslinging engine. But instead of superheroics, Energy Hook asks players to compete in a futuristic sport where they need to chain together “sequences of tricks, wall-runs, and stylish moves for massive scores.”

You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. And, as always, you can find a complete rundown of this week’s new add-ons and discounts (including Sony’s Mid-Year Sale) at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged ,

Energy Hook will swing onto the PC and PS4 next week

energyhook-header

Jamie Fristrom, the “Chief Scientist” at Happion Laboratories, has announced that Energy Hook will be released for the PC and PS4 on July 5.

Fristrom was responsible for the swinging mechanic from 2004’s Spider-Man 2, and he’s expanded on that mode of transportation for his latest project. Writing on the PlayStation Blog yesterday, the developer described Energy Hook as “the extreme sport of the future” and compares its trick system to Tony Hawk Pro Skater:

Energy Hook is the extreme sport of the future. You swing from a grapple beam, run on walls, jump and boost with your jetpack, and do flips and poses midair, all to earn style points. Chain your tricks to get multipliers for massive scores.

There are also race challenges where you’ll swing through the levels as quickly as possible. Doing tricks earns you boost and keeps you in the air longer; use this to your advantage and get the best time possible!

Like the early Tony Hawk games there’s no story — it’s all about the gameplay!

If you don’t want to wait, Energy Hook is also now available on Steam through their Early Access program.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

Energy Hook is now available through Steam Early Access

Do you ever wish Spider-Man had a jetpack and competed in a futuristic sport based entirely around webswinging? Jamie Fristrom of Happion Labs has had that dream, and he’s using it as the basis of his next game, Energy Hook. However, Fristrom has a little more experience with this idea than most, as he was the original designer behind the webswinging mechanic in 2004’s Spider-Man 2.

After a variety of delays, we won’t have to wait much longer to play it as the developer announced that Energy Hook will be available through Steam Early Access beginning today.

Happion Labs expects to keep Energy Hook in Early Access for about four months and is also developing a version of the game for the PS4 and Vita. Presumably, we’ll learn more about Energy Hook’s full version (and its console launch) at a later date.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Vita | Tagged

Energy Hook swings onto Kickstarter

A few months ago we talked to Jamie Fristrom, the creator of Spider-Man 2‘s webslinging mechanic, about his next game, Energy Hook. Energy Hook takes the same cityscape grappling hook-style gameplay and adds jetpacks and a story about a futuristic sports league gone wild.

Interested?

As promised in our interview, Fristrom has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his game and he’s already surpassed his funding goal. In fact, backers have pushed the campaign to 1,608,924% of his goal so far. His goal was only $1, but that’s impressive none-the-less. Fristrom is dedicated to finishing Energy Hook and he needs your help with a variety of stretch goals that will add new features to the game. These goals include extra levels, Oculus Rift support, Linux support, and much more. If all goes well, Energy Hook should be available by March 2014.

So be sure to check out Energy Hook’s Kickstarter campaign. It looks like fun.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Jamie Fristrom’s Swingin’ Career, From Spider-Man to Energy Hook: An Interview

frsitrom-header

Jamie Fristrom is a name that you might not be familiar with, but you’ve certainly experienced his work. In 1996, Fristrom became part of the original team at Treyarch and had a hand in many of their earliest hits. But his biggest claim to fame is the creation of the webslinging engine found in Spider-Man 2 (and used in nearly every Spider-Man game since). In that dark period between GoldenEye 007 and Batman: Arkham Asylum, Fristrom’s work on Spider-Man 2 proved that licensed games could still be fun.

After his days at Treyarch ended, he went the indie route and created the acclaimed XBLA game Schizoid and founded his own one-man-studio, Happion Labs. His first game under the Happion Labs banner will be Energy Hook, a game that attempts to recapture the fun we all found in aimlessly webslinging around Manhattan.

Fristrom is readying a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the game, which will likely launch in a few weeks. In the meantime, I had a chance to talk to him about his career so far and where he plans to take it with Energy Hook. (more…)

Posted in Features, Interviews, PC, PS2, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged