Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 EST
GDC 2010 Microtalks: Big ideas, tiny speeches
The GDC 2010 Microtalks session was a frazzling experience in many ways. The format of the event essentially assures it. Ten lecturers -- all from different sectors of the game industry -- each spoke for five minutes and each were allowed to use 20 different slides. Naughty Dog's Richard Lemarchand set the stage for the speakers, announcing the theme of the talks as "come play with us." The goal of the microtalks, said Lemarchand, was to help game creators capture the "radicalizing exuberance" of games and give them the energy to "transform the world" through the power of play.
The resulting cavalcade of images and ideas -- ranging from methods of play to behavioral economics -- is a bit difficult to distill. Thankfully, we were taking notes. There was too much at the event to condense here, but it was definitely a thought-provoking event. We've highlighted a few of the more interesting speeches after the break.
Continue reading GDC 2010 Microtalks: Big ideas, tiny speeches  GDC 2010 Microtalks: Big ideas, tiny speeches originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST
White House courts devs to make healthy eating games
 In a video presentation at the Game Developers Choice Awards, White House chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra discussed the Apps for Healthy Kids project, a plan to encourage game developers to collaborate with government to work against childhood obesity.
The latest component, an Apps for Healthy Kids contest tasks game developers with creating games that help encourage good exercise and diet habits among kids and give parents information about what their children eat -- with $40,000 in prizes for the winning games. The apps, to be submitted in either "tool" or "game" categories, will integrate the data from MyFoodapedia.gov, a database of the caloric content of common food.
In a letter, First Lady Michelle Obama told game devs, "You know better than most the power of games to deeply engage our nation's youth. Today I'm asking you to dedicate your creative energy skills to address one of America's biggest challenges and help make healthy living fun, exciting and relevant for kids."
[Via Gamasutra] White House courts devs to make healthy eating games originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST
Metareview: Yakuza 3
 Plenty of attention has been lavished on one nontraditional Japanese RPG this week -- but Sega sneaked out another one alongside Final Fantasy XIII. Luckily, enough reviewers remembered that Yakuza 3 exists to provide a decent swath of reviews.
While it's certain to be the best game this week about playing fictional arcade shooters, singing karaoke with dates from hostess clubs and hitting gangsters with street signs, how did Kazuma Kiryu's latest saga fare under more common rubrics?
- IGN (8.5/10): "You're getting this intense story about Japan's seedy underbelly that's set in an open world where you can take all sorts of side quests, but as you do so, random battles are popping up, you're earning experience points so you can level up your moves, and you can take stuff from your extensive inventory list and craft new weapons and armor. There are no cars or chocobos, but you see where I'm going with this -- one minute you're slamming a crowbar into a guy's face or tearing off a fingernail with pliers, and the next minute, you're taking photos to blog about or on a fetch quest to find a certain fish."
- GameSpot (8/10): "While the pace and events of the story are enough to propel you towards its conclusion, the non-story peripheral content gives Yakuza 3 a welcome sense of diversity. There are more than a hundred side and hitman quests that allow you to do everything from carrying ice cream for a father who has overpurchased, to playing UFO Catcher claw machines in the arcade, to chasing down a bag snatcher, to offering financial advice to a man deep in debt and precariously perched on the edge of a bridge."
- Eurogamer (8/10): "From the publisher that brought us Streets of Rage, Virtua Fighter and Shenmue, Yakuza is essentially a mashup of all three, which is hardly surprising but does mean it's the stuff of Segaphile fantasies. Liberally sprinkled with their genius, it's the grateful beneficiary of some of their most satisfying elements, in a context which delivers a uniquely Japanese -- and uniquely Sega -- flavour."
Metareview: Yakuza 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST
WRUP: Gee-Dee-See you at PAX East edition
March is packed! Great game releases, with plenty of industry announcements and kerfuffles going on. With that said, if you missed any of our Game Developers Conference 2010 coverage this week, be sure to check it out -- a lot happened. We'll also be adding some more GDC coverage over the weekend. Once that's put to bed, we have about two weeks and then it's on to PAX East, the inaugural edition of the consumer conference.
We have plenty planned for PAX East, including the Blueberry Muffin Top breakfast and live Joystiq podcast recording. With half our staff just "hanging out" for once, we'll be looking for cool stuff to do just like everyone else. Be sure to follow our Twitters (noted after the break), we'll be sure to note if cool stuff is going on.
What's everyone playing? Continue reading WRUP: Gee-Dee-See you at PAX East edition WRUP: Gee-Dee-See you at PAX East edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:58:00 EST
OTOY to launch in 'Q2 2010' through AMD partnership
Y'know, OnLive and Gaikai aren't the only game-streaming services on the block. OTOY has been laying low for a minute, but the "other" game streaming service has finally made its big announcement: it's going to release in Q2 2010. In fact, OTOY isn't just a service for streaming games; there are now claims of streaming movies, PC applications and "other graphically-intensive applications" to any mobile device with a web browser.
OTOY will employ AMD Fusion Render Cloud technology, a CPU/GPU server platform that will stream games straight into your see pee youz through the company's software suite. And if you have no idea what that means, check out a demo of the service right here, courtesy of TechCrunch -- basically, it's like playing games on your computer. What a novel idea!
[Via Big Download] OTOY to launch in 'Q2 2010' through AMD partnership originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST
Brink trailer showcases acrobatic, lanky dudes
Whomever compiled this Brink trailer must have enjoyed themself some Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, because we swear we've only seen dudes stylishly dodge projectiles like that in a Hideo Kojima game. But, we digress.
There are plenty of other noteworthy things, but if you're looking for actual in-game footage, you won't find it throughout the three minutes of video above. But, hey, if the CG is any indication, there will be lots of action to look forward to in Brink. That and curiously tall, acrobatic gentlemen wearing a variety of neat masks. Brink trailer showcases acrobatic, lanky dudes originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:57:00 EST
GDC hands-on: Deadliest Warrior (XBLA)
Okay, honesty time. Most of the preparation for my GDC appointment to check out Pipework Foundation's TV-to-game adaptation Deadliest Warrior was spent thinking up jokes about the game's cast of anachronistic characters. "So, what are we looking at," I would snidely remark, "Templars? Cavemen? Wizards? Robots? Robot Cavemen? Grizzly bears?" To which Pipework would politely laugh, as I would insist, "No, seriously. What's the grizzly bear situation?"
I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the game, so I'd attempt to cajole an entire preview out of this line of questioning. Fortunately, this precaution wasn't necessary, as Deadliest Warrior looks to be a surprisingly competent, enjoyable fighting game, and a welcome addition to the Xbox Live Arcade lineup. Here's the takeaway: Think Bushido Blade; but instead of being stuck with controlling boring ol' samurai, there are ninjas, Spartans, Apache, knights and four other yet-to-be-announced warriors (Including, hopefully, wizards).
Continue reading GDC hands-on: Deadliest Warrior (XBLA) GDC hands-on: Deadliest Warrior (XBLA) originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST
Sam & Max PSN pre-orders start March 18; other console versions a 'definite possibility'
Sam and Max will bring their off-kilter humor to PlayStation 3 for the first time in The Devil's Playhouse: The Penal Zone, the first episode in a new season of Telltale's episodic adventure series. In a first for the PlayStation Store, the full season -- consisting of five monthly episodes -- will become available for pre-order on March 18, nearly a month before The Penal Zone launches on April 15.
While PC and Mac owners will receive substantial benefits for pre-ordering the full season, including a free game episode, access to developer chats and extra downloadable goodies, Telltale noted that it also has a deal in store (you know, actually in the store) for console players. According to Telltale PR manager Chris Schmidt, pre-ordering the full pack will reduce the cost to $29.99, a minor but not unwelcome discount from the regular price of $34.95.
Speaking to Joystiq at a meeting during the Game Developers Conference on Friday, Schmidt also addressed the obvious question: Will this season of Sam & Max come to Xbox 360 or Wii? He called it a "definite possibility" a few months down the line, and noted that it's in Telltale's best interest to work with more partners and deliver its games to as wide an audience as possible. Designer Chuck Jordan jokingly added that Telltale would ultimately like "to get the games on everything that has a chip in it."
Forget the 360 -- what could be better than getting Sam & Max in a tube of Pringles? Sam & Max PSN pre-orders start March 18; other console versions a 'definite possibility' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:31:00 EST
Nintendo's Sakamoto: No Wii Kid Icarus now, but possible
If there's a Kid Icarus reboot in the works somewhere at Nintendo, Metroid: Other M producer Yoshio Sakamoto, who worked on the original NES game, doesn't know anything about it. "I don't know personally about any project underway regarding Kid Icarus," Sakamoto told Kotaku, "but if so many of those people are interested in it and really want to see it on the Wii, they should really speak up."
It's not as simple as making a Zelda game with flight, apparently (that's our guess for what people want in a Wii Kid Icarus game). Sakamoto suggested that Nintendo has yet to hit upon the right design. "If we can find some sort of way to bring it to the Wii; a way to make the game for the Wii that makes sense, we would happily do so," he said. "But just keep in mind it may not be me making the game." Nintendo's Sakamoto: No Wii Kid Icarus now, but possible originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:35:00 EST
OnLive to offer 'OnLive Game Portal' service without monthly fee
 The pricing scheme announced this week by OnLive, in which you'd pay $15 a month for the privilege of buying and renting games, won't be the only way to interact with the streaming service. In addition to that "OnLive Game Service," the company will open an "OnLive Game Portal" sometime after the June 17 launch of the main service. It sounds a lot like the browser-based streaming offered by competitor Gaikai.
The Game Portal is a free browser-based service that allows streaming of a selection of demos, as well as a limited number of full games for rent -- for a per-game fee, without the monthly charge. The selection of games is limited not just in number, but also "subject to available OnLive service capacity and whatever usage limits are associated with each given demo."
The Portal will work with the OnLive set top box, in addition to the browser plug-in. It is expected to roll out sometime in 2010, after the June 17 launch of the main service.
[Via Big Download] OnLive to offer 'OnLive Game Portal' service without monthly fee originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST
Liked Battle Chess? Meet Battle vs. Chess
Battle vs. Chess appears to bring Battle Chess to a new generation, with a similar hook and a name that just skirts a potential copyright lawsuit. With "upbeat combat visuals & mechanics," the game sounds like a modern update of the classic chess game that let us watch chess pieces beat the stuffing out of each other. There don't appear to be any videos showing BvC's animations. The real draw of the original Battle Chess was each piece had a unique way of dispatching its foe -- a modern update would hopefully have more varied animations.
The title is being developed for several platforms, including PC, Mac, DS, Wii and Xbox 360. Battle vs. Chess touts that it uses the Fritz! chess algorithm software and it is currently making moves for a May 2010 release. Liked Battle Chess? Meet Battle vs. Chess originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:32:00 EST
Molyneux: Motion gaming is making devs 'sweat'
You hear that, developers? You should be shakin' in yer boots -- motion-based gaming is going to force you to throw away everything you've ever learned about game design and start anew. At least that's what Lionhead's Peter Molyneux (not so exaggeratedly) had to say when quizzed on the subject of the "arms race" between the big three for waggle supremacy. "All of this stuff is making all the designers sweat -- I've met lots of designers at GDC, and we're all very bleary-eyed at the moment because every rule we've got, we're having to throw away," Molyneux told Eurogamer.
And understandably so. Between WIi's established console dominance (not to mention last year's MotionPlus add-on), this week's unveiling of PlayStation Move, and Microsoft's Project Natal this holiday, there's a lot to work with. It's this problem, though, that Molyneux believes will forge new types of game experiences in the years to come. "I don't think the first wave of these motion-control titles will be what you expect .... just as with every hardware chain, it's the second wave where they usually come up with stuff that's interesting ... so the second wave could be really cool."
And as far as Natal in Fable 3 goes, the eccentric developer kept mum on the specifics, only offering, "You can expect us to use Natal to make you laugh and to surprise you and to give you this feeling of power -- there are some very obvious things we could do, like controlling the GUI in Natal, and it doesn't really excite me." Tom Cruise will be so disappointed. Molyneux: Motion gaming is making devs 'sweat' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:03:00 EST
Interview: Metroid: Other M producer Yoshio Sakamoto
After delivering a GDC panel on his cinematic inspiration, we met with Metroid: Other M producer Yoshio Sakamoto to ask him about everything from collaborating with Team Ninja, lessons learned from Metroid Prime, the newfound focus on story in the Metroid universe, and whether or not he played Chair's Super Metroid love letter, Shadow Complex. Read on!
Can you tell us about the process of working with Team Ninja. Who does what design-wise and technology-wise?
Yoshio Sakamoto: The original design concept came from me, but then we went and assembled a team that could pull this off. And in this case it was people from Team Ninja, who we really thought was the best fit. But they've also provided a lot of core ideas that have influenced the direction of the game, particularly the director, Mr. Hayashi. So, as I mentioned in the speech today, it's not so much that we're dividing up tasks but collaborating as equals.
After E3 and the initial announcement a lot of people were making comments like, "Oh, it seems like they've dumped Retro for this series and they want to go with another developer," as if it was a big switch-off. But, in actuality, that is far from the case; rather, we just wanted to put together the best team that we could to make this project, which turns out to be Project M.
Continue reading Interview: Metroid: Other M producer Yoshio Sakamoto Interview: Metroid: Other M producer Yoshio Sakamoto originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST
More APB beta invites going out
 Did you miss out on the APB beta last year? Tipsters have begun alerting us that a new wave of invites is going out. If you still want an early look at Realtime Worlds' massively multithug online game, you should probably head over to the site and apply now. At least with the knowledge that more invites are going out, there seems to be more chance that you'd be able to get one now, right?
While you're on pins and needles about your potential beta invite, why not read this Eurogamer interview with RTW CEO David Jones? In it, he says that APB is a release during the first half of this year is "achievable" (though EA says pretty much exactly the opposite). He also describes the game's pay model as "a very unique business model because it's a unique game." He did not say what that model was.
[Thanks, Paul & Jesse!] More APB beta invites going out originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST
BlazBlue Continuum Shift trailer blazes appropriately
With the Japanese console release of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift approaching, publisher Arc System Works sent out a new trailer of the HD fighting followup. Instead of uninterrupted footage of giant sprites brawling, Arc has presented what looks like the game's intro, a hyperkinetic anime clip featuring dramatic poses, exciting fight sequences, and ... the Earth being shot from orbit?
At the end of the trailer, after the release date, is a brief reminder of the new character added to the console version of Continuum Shift: the new character μ-12. Aksys Games has yet to announce a localized version of Continuum Shift, but if you absolutely have to buy a new BlazBlue disc, the company released the PSP port of the first BlazBlue this week.
[Via GameVideos] BlazBlue Continuum Shift trailer blazes appropriately originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST
Codemasters VP casually reveals Dirt 3
Up until now, we hadn't the slightest inclination that Codemasters was hard at work on a third installment in the rallycross racing series, Dirt. According to a recent interview with Edge, though, studio vice prez Gavin Cheshire confirms not only the game's development, but also says, "there's some really great stuff coming from Birmingham that's going into Dirt 3." Cheshire was being interviewed on the subject of Codemasters as one of the last "big British publishers" when he revealed the publisher's development plans for the sequel.
The exec hopes to see more of the company's home of origin (and its culture) leak into the next Dirt game, saying " Dirt 2: brilliant game, but it's all American accents, so maybe we're a little over the top with those ... maybe we should fly the flag a bit more." In addition to this week's announce of Bodycount, that brings the publisher's GDC new game reveals up to two. Will we see more before the week is out? We just dont know.
[Via VG247] Codemasters VP casually reveals Dirt 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST
GDC: 'Among Friends: An Uncharted 2 Post-mortem'
There is one drawback to seeing Uncharted 2's co-lead designer, Richard Lemarchand, unfurl the development process behind the most successful and most ambitious game in the studio's history. A post-mortem panel, held on Thursday afternoon at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, delved into developer Naughty Dog's pre-production process, its production pipeline and the climactic rush to a spectacular end. It also highlighted some of the studio's misjudgments, which resulted in a difficult crunch time toward the end of development.
And now, every time I play that incredible train level -- "an evil monster of a level," Lemarchand said -- for my personal enjoyment, I'll pull back the curtain and see programmers hunching over keyboards and nodding off into icy cups of coffee. Thankfully, Lemarchand painted a warmer picture, firm in his belief that the development team's intrinsic motivation to produce a character-driven blockbuster helped it overcome the final hurdles.
An important pre-production phase dominated the first six months of Uncharted 2's 22-month creation. "Messing it up often means messing up the whole project," Lemarchand noted. There were no deadlines or deliverables during this period, and the team was free to seek inspiration and consider the individual moments they wanted to explore in Drake's second outing. A single image would portend much of the game's direction: A photograph of the Tiger's Nest Monastery in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Continue reading GDC: 'Among Friends: An Uncharted 2 Post-mortem' GDC: 'Among Friends: An Uncharted 2 Post-mortem' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST
Rumor: Infinity Ward employees not leaving due to unpaid royalties, morale 'extremely low'
According to a report on Kotaku, a "source" has told the site that the remaining Infinity Ward developers still working for Activision in the wake of the recent leadership shakeup are holding out on leaving the company for now due to royalties owed by the publisher. As claimed by ex-Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West in their recent complaint against Activision (with regards to themselves, that is), the publisher is allegedly holding out on promised royalties owed to the entire company. The tipster says that, rather than a traditional salary-based reward system at IW, the studio pays "regular or even low salaries" and offers "ridiculous royalties" to the whole staff.
Furthermore, the piece alleges that Activision "continues to delay royalties to other employees in order to keep them at the company" (though it's not clear whether that means other Activision-owned studios as well), and that morale at IW is supposedly "extremely low." We've asked Activision for comment on the claims and will update you if we hear more.
Update: Activision responded by saying, "Activision doesn't comment on industry rumor or speculation." Not exactly a definitive "no," but not a confirmation by any means either. We'll keep you updated as we hear more. Rumor: Infinity Ward employees not leaving due to unpaid royalties, morale 'extremely low' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST
NPD: BioShock 2 Feb. PS3 sales just shy of 200k mark
Having printed and shipped more than 3 million copies of BioShock 2 across the seas, publisher Take-Two is clearly leaning on its sequel to provide a strong sale wind to push the company through another successful quarter. Following its February 9 release, the Xbox 360 version of BioShock 2 cruised up the US sales charts, anchoring in the peak position, according to the NPD's monthly report. For the PS3 version, the journey was not such a breeze, as it appeared to have come up against some bad weather.
Despite the Xbox 360 edition's #1 ranking in US February game sales, the PS3 version of BioShock 2 was curiously absent from the top ten listing. An NPD representative told Joystiq that the PS3 game recorded roughly 190.5k units sold last month, "just outside the top 10 at #11." If anything's to blame for this somewhat modest debut month, it's Heavy Rain. In just one week of retail availability, the PS3-exclusive " Western Interactive Novel" had enough of an impact, with 219.3k units sold, to seemingly alter the sales course of BioShock 2 for PS3.
Now, just imagine how much trouble a rampaging " murder carousel" could stir up for BioShock 2 PS3 sales this month! NPD: BioShock 2 Feb. PS3 sales just shy of 200k mark originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST
Rock Band Weekly Redux: Lady Gaga, Cartman, 3 Doors Down, Mute Math, The Subways
Lady Gaga was already announced for Rock Band's DLC update next week -- but she's bringing friends along. The pop sensation will be joined by some, ahem, actual rock bands.
Check out next week's full list of releases after the break. Continue reading Rock Band Weekly Redux: Lady Gaga, Cartman, 3 Doors Down, Mute Math, The Subways Rock Band Weekly Redux: Lady Gaga, Cartman, 3 Doors Down, Mute Math, The Subways originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST
Nintendo sells 1.9 million DS and Wiis through Feb. 2010
Following last night's NPD report for February, Nintendo has issued a press release lauding the amazing selling power of its own products. In typical fashion, the gaming giant that got your grandma into gaming has managed to sell a ridiculous amount of DS and Wii systems in the U.S. -- 1.9 million in the first two months of 2010, to be exact.
As impressive as that 1.9 million figure is, Nintendo's ability to break its own records is even more impressive. In selling 613,000 DS units throughout February 2010, Nintendo has managed to set a new monthly record, besting the previous top-selling month of February 2009's figure of 597,000 units. It would seem that two things are certain in this life: we're all going to die one day and before that day comes, each of us is going to own nine DS systems.
With March 28 fast approaching -- that's the release date for the DSi XL -- Nintendo is hoping to further build on the success of its now six-year-old handheld. And, to think, even after all that time, the gif still hasn't gotten old. Nintendo sells 1.9 million DS and Wiis through Feb. 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST
GDC: Akira Yamaoka on the disturbing power of audio
The title of Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka's GDC panel was "As long as the audio is fun, the game will be too." Kind of a perplexing title, especially if you've enjoyed Yamaoka's work in the horror genre. Don't get us wrong, it's good, we're just not sure fun is the word for it. Yamaoka used the panel to explain precisely why his music and sound effects are so disturbing, and it's more technical than you might think.
"Sound is very close to stimulating emotions in your brain," said Yamaoka via an interpreter. "What do humans fear?" He asked. In the case of audio, he noted that gaps between visual cues and accompanying audio. Specifically, if a sound precedes a visual cue, it can cause anxiety, while a sound that arrives too late is comforting. As an example, he noted the sounds of footsteps being made slightly before the onscreen action in a game. He noted that this effect can be felt even if the sync between sound and visual is off by a few frames of animation. Yamaoka said later in the panel that he used this technique in Silent Hill 3.
Another technique mentioned was the use of silence."When there's no sound, the brain fills in the gap," said Yamaoka. He then played a special version of Beethoven's "Für Elise" which had been injected with tiny, periodic gaps of silence. He then played the same piece, only this time injecting harsh noise instead of silence. Even packed in a fully lit lecture hall with hundreds of GDC attendees, it was unsettling. Unfortunately, Yamaoka wasn't able to give us the sound samples used during the panel, so we've done our best to recreate them:
Thankfully, Yamaoka closed the session with a soothing guitar performance, which we were able to capture for your enjoyment. Listen to it below and stay tuned for an interview with Mr. Yamoaka on Joystiq in the near future.
GDC: Akira Yamaoka on the disturbing power of audio originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST
Metroid Dread concept is something Sakamoto 'can't say never existed'
Immediately following his well-attended GDC panel, Nintendo's Yoshio Sakamoto talked with us about (what else?) Metroid: Other M. In addition to all sorts of questions on the unique Team Ninja collaboration, we asked Sakamoto about the long-rumored Metroid Dread project and, barring a confirmation of that product, when we'd see another 2D handheld Metroid.
Joystiq: Speaking of the core Metroid development team that last worked on the GBA, there have been rumors of a game known as 'Metroid Dread' - purportedly a 2D Metroid game for DS. First question: Was 'Dread' a real project? Second question: If not, where is a 2D Metroid on DS?
Yoshio Sakamoto: It seems we get a lot of questions about Metroid Dread, especially at interviews following E3 for example. But nothing's ever been announced about this game; it's all just been rumors so far. So we never know exactly how to respond to questions like this.
While there actually was a point where some teams were meeting to discuss if it was possible to create a 2D Metroid for DS using a relatively small team size, it's not something that we ever really announced or thought of as "Metroid Dread." But whenever people bring out that idea, we recognize that the basic concept is something that we can't say never existed. But at the same time, we can't of course, make any official comment about a Metroid Dread-like project coming out.
Our main goal [with Metroid: Other M] is to, as I said earlier, first raise knowledge about the Metroid universe and the Samus character before we start to introduce different elements like online or even going back to another handheld game for the next in the series. So there's nothing coming immediately, we want to think about these new challenges first.
But, of course, we never say never. Metroid Dread concept is something Sakamoto 'can't say never existed' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST
Peter Molyneux would 'love' to see Fable 3 on PC
There was an interesting moment during the Q&A session of Peter Molyneux's Fable 3 panel at GDC this year. When asked if Fable 3 will be released on PC, Molyneux was cagey though he did say that he would 'love' to see the game appear on the platform. He was careful not to raise the ire of Microsoft's "PR police people ... with sniper rifles," but went on to state, "I can say, mystically, that I love the PC." He continued, "I love what's happening to the PC, and I would love to see the Fable franchise on the PC." He concluded that he would want to make sure it was "a truly amazing experience on the PC and that, you know, it's brilliant."
Hardly a confirmation of any actual plans for a PC version of Fable 3 -- and it should be noted that Fable 2 has remained exclusive to the Xbox 360 since 2008 -- but it's clear that Lionhead would jump at the opportunity if given the chance. Peter Molyneux would 'love' to see Fable 3 on PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EST
GDC: R.A. Salvatore wants you to die
Fantasy author R.A. Salvatore took the stage at GDC 2010 today and, while he made it clear that his talk about how to create believable fantasy worlds wasn't specifically about his work with 38 Studios' Copernicus project, he did talk a little bit about what he wants from an MMO game and gave the first mention of what the world of Curt Schilling's game is like. Salvatore talked for quite a while in his thick Massachusetts accent about his time in Everquest, which he said was "the best world in a game I've ever seen." He also lauded the idea of a death penalty in an MMO, and said that during his formative MMO experiences the threat of death (he once lost a hard-earned level when he was killed by an NPC that he accidentally clicked to attack) made living that much better. "If you take the pain out of the world," he said, "you lose the accomplishment of winning."
And while he admitted that the Copernicus designers were fighting with him on whether or not to include a death penalty in the game, the company would at least make sure that a return from death was explained. His team has written over 10,000 years of history for the game's world (all compiled on "a wiki with over hundreds of pages in it"), and one of the major features of the setting's lore is a "device that's perfected" called the "Well of Souls." The Well, "when you die, will bring you back -- if you meet the conditions." He didn't elaborate about what those conditions were, but he asked the audience what a worldwide death-prevention device would do to institutions like kings and religions. "What happens when you take power away from powerful people?" he asked rhetorically. "How would it play out?" And, he suggested, if there were people who "turned the Well on," what if they threatened the rest of the world with turning it off?
Vague, but intriguing. Copernicus still seems like it has a long way to go (Salvatore didn't show any slides or screenshots during his talk), but fans of the old EQ might find the game a return to the old ways if R.A. has his say. GDC: R.A. Salvatore wants you to die originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:47:00 EST
Valve's viral plot thickens with Portal blue screen of death
Even though Portal 2 has been officially announced, it seems the clever Alternate Reality Game which gave it impetus hasn't yet come to a complete stop. Shortly after accepting a Pioneer Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in San Francisco on Thursday evening, Valve boss Gabe Newell launched into a slideshow detailing the company's expectations of future trends, only to have it "crash" to a blue error screen.
The final slide was meant to answer several infamous Valve mysteries -- Who is the G-Man? Why doesn't Valve support the PlayStation 3? -- and perhaps it did in some obfuscated way. According to seasoned ARG sleuths (posting on the Penny Arcade forums), the error code above can be read as: "S U S : P E N D ... U N T ( I ) L ... E E E." Suspend until E3?
It wouldn't be surprising to see Portal 2 at this year's E3 expo, which will run in Los Angeles from June 15 to 17, but if the above decryption is accurate Valve may have additional plans to unfurl (possibly including the long-awaited Half-Life 2: Episode 3).
[Thanks, Wince] Valve's viral plot thickens with Portal blue screen of death originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:01:00 EST
Tron: Legacy tests your games knowledge with Arcade Aid
Disney's upcoming sequel, Tron: Legacy, has been in full-on viral marketing mode via the Flynn Lives site for a bit now. Usually, we don't care about those kinds of things, but when something as awesome as Arcade Aid is attached, we just have to post it up for you guys. It's a pretty simple premise: spot all of the gaming references in a huge image and name them. Easy, right?
No way, dude. It's pretty tough to nail down all 56 references -- obviously, we got 'em all, because we're bloggers and it's our job to know these things. But, we thought it would be interesting to see you guys take a stab at it. It's not because we need help on a couple and we're hoping you'll solve 'em. Nope, not at all.
So bust out the brain lube and warm up that gray matter, then hit up the link above.
[Via geeksugar] Tron: Legacy tests your games knowledge with Arcade Aid originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST
Naughty Dog wants to half-tuck Uncharted into the PSP
Naughty Dog's co-president Evan Wells is definitely interested in having people tuck Nathan Drake -- either halfway or all the way -- into their pockets and visit the world of Uncharted whenever they want to. He feels that there are a lot of stories to tell in that world, and that the PSP would be the perfect platform for it. Just imagine Uncharted: Sully's Adventure where you can wheel and deal in the black market, or Uncharted: Elena on Assignment where you're chasing a dangerous news story. Scoop!
"I think it would be fantastic to see the game (move) onto a handheld system," Wells told us. "Each one of the episodes is sort of like a standalone thing and I think we could do that pretty easily. If we can find a partner to work with, I'd love to do that ... we definitely wouldn't do it ourselves. We're trying to just focus on the PS3 technology and platform right now." He added, laughing, "But, if we can't find a partner, then maybe we're going to have to find a budget ourselves."
Laugh if you will, Wells. You're just toying with our heartstrings is all. We'd love to see Nathan Drake on our PSP. Make it happen. We have Ready at Dawn's phone number if you need it. Naughty Dog wants to half-tuck Uncharted into the PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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