In an unprecedented move by developer Dark Energy Digital, the Xbox LIVE Arcade downloadable title Hydrophobia will be re-released tomorrow with bucket-fulls of tweaks under the name Hydrophobia Pure.
Now, it's not uncommon for developers to tweak their products with downloadable updates, but this is the first time in recent history that a completely new title has been applied to what may very well be an entirely new game. And with the list of significant updates reaching into the hundreds (reproduced below), one can only imagine the transformation.
The name "Hewson" carries a special weight for anyone who grew up during the golden age of British computing. As the son of Andrew Hewson—the man behind legendary publisher Hewson Consultants—Rob Hewson didn't just grow up playing video games; he learned to spell his name from their title screens. However, Rob didn't just rest on his family's 8-bit laurels. From leading major LEGO franchises at TT Games to tackling the high-stakes world of technical porting at Huey Games, Rob has carved out a unique path in an ever-evolving industry. In this candid interview Rob to discussed the burden and beauty of a family legacy, the technical "scar tissue" left by the ambitious Hydrophobia, and why porting a masterpiece like Inscryption to consoles is far more than a simple copy-paste job.
Edgar writes: "Equip your rebreather because in this article we'll take a look at Hydrophobia and water. Lots of water."
What a surprise, I was just searching for this game. I'm honestly quite surprised by the water physics and definitely looking forward to trying it soon.
loved this game/ still play it. The water and atmosphere where stellar and really fun to interact with.
Neil writes: "You may well be keeping the wallet shut until the various big Black Friday deals start to populate around the globe, but no matter what is on the horizon, the Xbox Live Deals With Gold sale carries on regardless. After a rather decent amount of discounts on Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles last time out, the Deals With Gold sale is back once more to deliver a number of games at bargain-basement prices. Is there anything found in the Xbox Live Deals With Gold sale for 13th-19th November 2018 that takes your fancy?"
It's good that they listened, but instead of re-releasing the title, wouldn't it have been better to just either release a sequel, or release this as an update to the title, such that owners of the original don't have to buy it again?
I am buying it. 800MS points? It's a no-brainer.
It's obvious that the developers have great respect in their title & for that, I will support them by buying the game.. It's the least I could do for all of their hard work they've put into this HUGE update. :)
So happy to see this game get an update. I feel like that game had a TON of potential. I was just waiting in the wings for an improved sequel, but I will take this, too.
Only a few devs listen and take note to their fans.
it's good to see a developer really care about there game, Treyarch hope your reading this.