Blizzard’s new game Overwatch features a rollerblading character straight from the 90s

lucio overwatch

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][mk_image src=”http://www.rollerblading.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Lucio_012.jpg” image_width=”800″ image_height=”450″ crop=”false” lightbox=”false” frame_style=”simple” target=”_self” caption_location=”inside-image” align=”left” margin_bottom=”40″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”25″]The latest game from World Of Warcraft creators Blizzard features a character who glides around on lightblades while knocking out enemies with his speaker gun (complete with obligatory “drop the beat” references).

Overwatch is a new team-based shooter from one of the most successful video game studios on the planet. Featuring both first-person shooter and MOBA influences, it is set in the “world of conflict”. Lúcio is a South American “DJ turned freedom fighter” who uses sound to destroy enemies, heal teammates and boost his team’s speed.

According to the Blizzard website: “Lúcio Correia dos Santos grew up in Rio de Janeiro, in a poor and crowded favela that was hit hard by the financial upheaval following the Omnic Crisis. As Brazil began the long process of recovery, he wanted to find a way to lift the spirits of those around him. He found his answer in music and its power to bring people together and even help them forget their troubles, if only for a short time. He performed on street corners, in block parties, and as he got older, at a string of legendary underground shows.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywTNgR3ldFc”][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”20″]”But Lúcio’s close-knit community was thrown into chaos when the multinational Vishkar Corporation secured a contract to redevelop large tracts of the city. Lúcio and his neighbors had been told that the development would improve their lives. However, that promise never became a reality. Vishkar imposed controls on the residents in the name of building a more orderly society: enforcing curfews, cracking down on what the company perceived as lawless behavior, and exploiting the populace as a cheap labor force.

“Lúcio wouldn’t stand for it. He stole Vishkar sonic technology that had been used to suppress the people, and he converted it into a tool to rally them to action. In a popular uprising, they drove Vishkar out of their neighborhoods. Lúcio’s leadership made him a star overnight and a symbol for positive social change. His music skyrocketed in popularity. Whereas he had once performed locally, he was now filling arenas across the world. With his new found fame, Lúcio realizes that he has an opportunity to make a difference and change the world for the better.”

Despite looking like he was created by a 1990s focus group gone wrong, Lúcio looks like he quite fun to play – if you can put up with the cliche overload. For more information on Overwatch or to sign up for the beta test, check battlenet[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j6vpuRfdfU”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Will On A Roll finally be the rollerblading video game we all want and deserve?

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][mk_image src=”http://www.australianblading.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/oar4.jpg” image_width=”800″ image_height=”450″ crop=”true” lightbox=”false” frame_style=”simple” target=”_self” caption_location=”inside-image” align=”left” margin_bottom=”25″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Rollerblading and video games don’t have a great history. Despite many attempts, games based around rollerblading have always ended up b-grade at best and barely functioning at worst – even though you’d think the medium would provide a perfect base for developers to go wild and create something truly fun and immersive.

Jet Set Radio (also known as Jet Grind Radio in America, pictured below in a recent update for Android mobile devices) was the more commercially successful, but its wacky sci-fi setting and combination with graffiti didn’t exactly emulate what blading was really all about. It was fun, but a world away from what was happening in the wildly successful Tony Hawk franchise of skateboarding games.

2003’s Rolling The Game came the closest to being the game we all wanted and even featured Aussie vert icon Cesar Mora, street killer Blake Dennis and UK pioneer Jenny Logue (who you now know as Jenny at Bayside Blades!), however it was dogged by the collapse of its initial developer and never reached its full potential. Even though it introduced some concepts later jacked by even the Tony Hawk franchise, most people prefer not to mention 2002’s Aggressive Inline, which was every bit as awkward as the title suggested.[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.australianblading.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/jetsetradio.png” image_width=”800″ image_height=”450″ crop=”true” lightbox=”false” frame_style=”simple” target=”_self” caption_location=”inside-image” align=”left” margin_bottom=”25″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]You could even argue that the advent of games like Tony Hawk Pro Skater and S.K.A.T.E. played a major part in bringing about the end of the golden era of rollerblading, with every kid in every house knowing the difference between a nollie hardflip and a fakie 360 flip without ever having stepped on a board. Hell, you even got bonus points for knocking down bladers! We all know a rollerblader who who gave up his boots for a board in the wake of the Tony Hawk revolution – the franchise’s cultural impact really was that powerful.

But the fact remains that rollerblading still provides a perfect platform for a video game. Its spectacular physics, combined with creative use of environment and freeform nature are a perfect template for developers to work with, meaning it wouldn’t be long until someone else gave a blading game a crack.

Enter On A Roll Studios, a mysterious new group of developers planning to bring a new blading game to life across PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Since launching a Facebook page and Tumblr in late 2013, On A Roll have dropped a series of updates, screen shots and a teaser video – all of which show great promise.[/vc_column_text][vc_video title=”On A Roll Teaser #1″ link=”https://vimeo.com/99902165″][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”25″]Apart from the video, screenshots and a few facebook posts, little is known about On A Roll or the studio itself. A recent interview with One Rollerblading Magazine in the US did shed some light on who was behind the game, with it comforting to know that most of the team has “15 years” experience with rollerblading (despite not naming any names). Beyond saying it will most closely resemble the S.K.A.T.E. series of games, still very little is known about On A Roll, including which (if any) pros will be involved and when it will get a release date. They have, however, released a few photos of the team working on the motion capture side of the development in the studio.

A lot can happen in the cycle of a game’s development, so don’t hold your breath for it to be sitting under the Christmas tree this year. However if you are to believe what you read and see, On A Roll Studios appear to have have the intention of creating the rollerblading game we all want and deserve – it’s now up to them to pull it off. We’ve reached out to On A Roll Studios for an interview, but until then, let us know if you think they can pull it off in the comments below.

For more about On A Roll, check out their Facebook page or Tumblr.[/vc_column_text][mk_image_slideshow title=”ON A ROLL GAMEPLAY & BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICTURES” images=”7687,7686,7677,7676,7685,7684,7683″ image_width=”800″ image_height=”450″ effect=”fade” animation_speed=”700″ slideshow_speed=”7000″ pause_on_hover=”false” smooth_height=”true” direction_nav=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row]