Two new titles from Schadenfreude Interactive

[alexxkay]

I have raved about Computer Games Magazine here in the past. One of the things I love about them is that every so often (perhaps when their marketing department doesn't sell enough ad space?) they will run ads for games from a little-known german developer called Schadenfreude Interactive. In the past, they've made such classics as Need for Speed Underhill (the first ever crossover of racing games with Lord of the Rings) and its followup Nazgul Thunder, the urban furniture-robbery game Grand Theft Ottoman, and the fantasy flight sim Secret Weapons Over Neverland. Recently they've started competing with Harmonix in the music game subgenre, with their breakout hit Accordion Hero.

The latest issue of CGM has *two* Schadenfreude ads. One is the fairly predictable Accordian Hero II, which is pleasant but hardly surprising. But the other is a never-before-seen mix of genres: NachtMusik.

The first of its kind in Karaoke Survival Horror! Trapped in a haunted opera house, you must sing as if your life depended on it...because it does! Hit all the right notes to get weapon upgrades, from the Tarnhelm to the mighty Tannhauwitzer. Battle ghostly valkyrie, horribly mutated swans, and rapidly decomposing zombie composers by performing selections from the great German operas.

And remember... It’s not over until the boss monster sings.

Comments

[patrissimo.livejournal.com]

the urban furniture-robbery game Grand Theft Ottoman

This almost made me crack up in the middle of a presentation

[freerange-snark.livejournal.com]

Oh. my. god. I thought this whole post was too hilarious for words, and then I checked out the link. I mean, Hannibal Crossing? The Teutonic Ten? And all described in charming, lightly flawed English by the humorous and coyly snarky CEO. I know where I'm shopping for dux_arturis's Christmas present.

Thank you so much for posting this link; it totally made my afternoon.

"You can have this Chippendale chest when you pry it from my cold, dead hands." Roflcopter!

[siderea]

YOU'RE MAKING THIS ALL UP!!!!1!ELEVNTYONE!!!

Karaoke Horror

[metageek.livejournal.com]

(ObSnide: isn't "Karaoke Horror" redundant?)

Actually, karaoke-based games might have potential.

Let's see. You play a character with voice-based magical powers; you have to sing your spells. Spells take mana, but singing the spell at quality X provides amount Y of mana,; so, if you sing well enough, you can cast at least basic spells without using up any mana. If you sing badly enough, then the spell fizzles, or misfires. Maybe some advanced spells require physical components, which you have to find in your adventures.

Naturally, you need to practice your songs—preferably without accidentally casting the spell.

You wear a phone-like headset, so that you don't have to worry about feedback, etc. The Wii has Bluetooth; maybe it could use a regular Bluetooth phone headset...though the sound quality might be too low. (The Wii could also support spells with somatic components.)

The sequel would add in the Guitar Hero controller, so that you can cast spells which require both vocals and guitar (perhaps played by different people). Then version 3 would support MIDI, so that you can have players on piano, drums, fiddle, etc. At this point, a really successful group of players is pretty much indistinguishable from a band.

[jducoeur]

I clicked on the link before reading all the way through, and read through much of the site. I was *just* barely holding it together until I got to the cited line -- "It’s not over until the boss monster sings" -- and then completely lost it.

Surely one of the all-time great websites...