Michi.nu have a reputation for producing games with some of the best thought out and diverse accessibility features seen anywhere. Their latest, To Hell with Johnny, goes even further, as demonstrated in the amazing top video. Great accessible fun for Halloween. Expect to see a review at the Accessible GameBase soon. Available to buy from Michi.nu for £10 ($15 USD) for PC with Mac version due soon.
The Enabling Devices love-in continues, after I discovered their switch accessible Guitar Hero rig (via Dave Banes Access newsletter). There's a good YouTube video here, showing off how it can be used.
Alternatives to this come from RJ Cooper or going the D.I.Y. route as followed by the kit used at AbleGames 2009. Rock Band is also a possible alternative for D.I.Y. hacks, although as of yet, it's not so good for one-switch players, lacking Guitar Hero's one-button playable mode.UPDATE: Enabling Devices have uploaded another short video, where a user named Ben, is interviewed about his experience using the adapted Guitar Hero set-up.
What's really rubbish about both Guitar Hero and Rock Band is that they force you to use their dedicated lumpy controllers. Why not allow people to use the Joypad if they want to? Especially as this flexibility opens up a massive range of alternative access controllers that people might already have paid out for.
Added to the Accessible Gaming Shop section on Console Switch Interfaces.
Wish for something long enough, and sometimes you'll be pleasantly surprised. Switch In Time software have newly released "Switch Lanes", a 1950's themed switch accessible bowling game. They've kindly agreed to send me a copy, so expect to see a review with video up at the Accessible GameBase soon. I'm hoping for gutter-bumpers, but I don't actually know if they even have this facility in America. If not, they're missing out on bounce and strike fun. What the game does definitely offer though is the facility to shorten the length of the alley, which is a great idea. Watch this space...
Shoot 1UP is a "bullet-hell" shoot-em-up for the Xbox 360 with a brand-new addition of accessibility features, many of which I've never seen before on any games console.
Programmer, Nathan Fouts of Mommy's Best Games, sought the assistance of the Accessible GameBase and AbleGamers.org to help with accessibility features. His very polished game now includes:
A high-contrast option, to aid with tracking the on-screen action.
A choice of difficulty modes.
Speed control.
A full one-switch mode.
Auto-fire mode.
Reconfigurable controls.
Quick start option.
Fantastic stuff, Nathan! Look out for a GameBase review soon, but until then, I encourage a pop over to the full press release.
