Developers are always scrounging about for a means to differentiate their games from the thousands that preceded it. One way to achieve this is to adopt an unorthodox art style. In recent years, we’ve seen characters resembling stuffed toys (LittleBigPlanet), Russian dolls (Stacking) and needlework creations (Kirby’s Epic Yarn).

The latest title to clamber aboard the surprisingly virulent arts and craft bandwagon is Derrick the Deathfin. An offbeat action game featuring a feisty shark in the lead role, Derrick the Deathfin is set in a world largely constructed from origami style papercraft (as distinct from the flat cut-outs of Paper Mario).

Following the murder of his parents, young Derek embarks on what developer Different Tuna enthusiastically describes as “a worldwide rampage of destruction”. Said rampage will apparently involve gameplay recalling the likes of Ecco the Dolphin, Sonic the Hedgehog and Joe Danger.

Look for Derrick the Deathfin to surface on PSN in winter.

“Don’t you be dissin’ my hoodie, son.”

Are you looking for inspiration in the lead up to the recently announced Stealthjam? Perhaps you’d like to take a peek at Dark, the newly announced game from Kalypso Media and RealmForge Studios. This stealth action game takes place in a cyberpunk future dominated by the GeoForge Corporation. The game features subdued cell-shaded graphics and what the developer has termed “RPG elements”.

Dark tasks you with investigating the aforementioned company, a job that requires you to take out adversaries quickly and quietly. Fortunately, you have a distinct advantage in this regard. You see, you’re actually a vampire (yep, that old chestnut) and as such you possess a number of supernatural talents including the handy ability to dissolve into a puff of smoke.

A fusion of horror, sci-fi and fantasy, Dark is slated to arrive on 360 and PC in early 2013. It will be the first release from RealmForge since last year’s Dungeons: The Dark Lord.

NanoBITES captures those small but important morsels of gaming information that otherwise might slip between the cracks.

ITEM! The team responsible for fantasy RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is in trouble. According to WPRI (via Joystiq), 38 Studios has defaulted on a $1.125m loan repayment and is also failing to meet its commitments to its employees.

ITEM! Blizzard has apologised for the rocky launch of Diablo III. Server congestion has prevented countless players from accessing the game and thanks to ‘always on’ DRM, many frustrated fans can’t even start a single player game.

ITEM! The future of Tomonobu Itagaki’s over the top action game Devil’s Third is in doubt. As reported by Gamasutra, the project has been stymied by cost overruns and struggling publisher THQ is now looking to pass the game onto another company.

ITEM! Lara Croft has been keeping a relatively low profile of late and unfortunately for her fans, this looks set to continue. Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that its Tomb Raider reboot has been bumped to the first quarter of 2013.

ITEM! The battle for control of DOTA has ended in an out of court settlement. Valve retains its trademark and publishes DOTA 2, Blizzard DOTA becomes Blizzard All-Stars and Blizzard communities continue to use the term for non-commercial pursuits.

By the time you realise the logo is a diversion, it’s already too late.

A new collaborative game event is in the works for budding developers of a devious disposition. It may sound like a surprise follow up to Michael Jordan’s Space Jam, but Stealthjam will actually see participants come together to “design, prototype and explore new avenues of stealth gameplay.”

The two day program is the brainchild of Sneaky Bastards, the Australian blog devoted to the resurgent stealth genre. The Academy of Interactive Entertainment and The Independent Games Festival are also backing the show.

A range of industry figures have agreed to speak, including Mark of the Ninja developer Nels Anderson of Klei Entertainment. Further contributors, including “some of the biggest names in stealth gaming” will be announced in the coming days.

Stealthjam is due to kick off in Sydney on Friday 22 June. According to Sneaky Bastards, the concept has already spread to other parts of Australia and even overseas. Full details can be found at the official site.