...it seems like we're gonna get some great fan videos coming in, so that- along with tons of old concept art, toys, video, and other behind the scenes stuff we've uncovered- should make for a good package! I'm jazzed!

TWISTED METAL DOC FILMING NOW... [via 1up]

I had just gotten out of another meeting late, so it was dark when I got into the packed meeting room, and after finally finding some floor space all the way on the other side of the room, I settled down to watch greatness at work. I tell who was up first immediately, but then the windows update popped up. "Fucking thing." Ah, first up, David Jaffe!

Jaffe's design involved using a thread and a needle to create paper airplanes, which then could be tested, entered in competitions, etc. Elements included better function for better stitching, adding on weapons and the like. The game was envisioned as more of a social thing, with a community for sharing design ideas and leaderboards. Not exactly what I pictured when I heard the challenge theme, but I can't complain lest Jaffe completely fuck me up. Hedoes so love the f-word.

Next came Alexey Pajitnov, who couldn't seem to operate a Power Point presentation but received extra points because he created got-damn Tetris. He envisioned a game where two players faced off on a flat battleground, both trying to stitch their way to the goal. Each player would either take turns or battle it out in real time, and if one player crossed over the other's line his opponent would have to start over. A simple concept, but one that would take full advantage of the theoretical controller, plus the guy is just so damn charming, with his over-explantions and funny accent. Oh that Alexey.

Finally came last year's champion Harvey Smith, who certainly had the most amusing presentation. As he said "I knew this was going to be a really difficult", the slide on the screen read "This is batshit crazy." He also spent far too much time conceptualizing the controller, which was integral to how his game worked. He quoted Miyamoto, who said to think about the controller from day one, and came up with a sort of lapboard designed like an eskimo snowshoe. He then detailed an RPG adventure (no surprise there) featuring a little girl who travelled the world with a magical sewing needle and her sentient stuffed animal to try and save her father from evil (portrayed in the presentation by Bush and Cheney.) Throughout her adventure she would encounter sewing based challenges, and battles would be fought by her stuffed animal, who would be upgradeable by sewing on more cloth won in battle. A great concept, but as someone in the audience later pointed out, it only used the controller in a limited fashion, with the majority of gameplay being suited for a regular controller.

After the presentation came a brief Q&A session, in which we learned that Pajitnov once made his own pants, hated the idea of letting players design levels, and that Jaffe was ticked because, "Harvey got to go out and get plastic for his fucking idea."

The winners were chosen by applause at the end of the session, and I don't care what designer you are (outside of Miyamoto), when you go up against the father of Tetris, you're going down. Jaffe came in third, Smith second, and pants-crafter Alexey Pajitnov went home with the prize...a gold-colored knitting needle. It was interesting to see the different designs these three talented designers came up with given the same set of guidelines...an exclusive look inside the minds of three of gaming's greatest. Michael Fahey

If you've ever wanted a seedy look inside the world of video game focus testing, here's your chance. God of War director David Jaffe yesterday live blogged the focus test for the upcoming PS3 title Calling All Cars, formerly Criminal Crackdown. It's a candid look into what goes on in the mind of a developer as people get their hands on his game for the first time.

1:49- Moving to split screen...man tester #5 is a fucking dolt!!! What the hell?!?! He is just driving in circles...not even playing the game...is that fucking spit drooling out of his stupid fucking mouth!?!?! Ahem,well...anyway.... :)

LIVE BLOGGING THE FOCUS TEST [Jaffe's Game Design]

Substitute b.o. for STDs, and the video game biz is just like porn! God of War designer Derek Daniels draws parallels between the gaming industry and the adult film business in his blog:

Let me elaborate a little more on why being a designer is akin to being in the porn industry. You know how in the porn industry there are a handful of really famous porn stars that make a ton of money and get to dictate which movies/scenes they are doing? On the other hand there are a ton of girls doing some downright nasty things for barely any money thinking that one day they might be the next Jenna Jameson?

Gaming's elite includes elder statesmen like Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, Will Wright and David Jaffe. Something to attain to, but for Daniels, everyone else is fucked. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Low Fierce] via Game Girl Advance

A set of Playstation Portable rumors rumbled our way this week. Both of them sound very possible and, if true, could give PSP owners a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Rumor #1: God of War developer and hellofaniceguy David Jaffe's secret Playstation Portable project will feature episodic content and require a hard drive to play. (Some put each episode at close to 700 Megs)

I ran this by some of my inside sources and true or not, the rumor is certainly making the rounds. Several developer pals have heard about this and the possibility of a fabled hard drive for the PSP, but Sony won't comment either way.

If Jaffe has his heart set on getting his PSP game to make people cry, I think episodic content could certainly be the way to go. Using smaller episodes instead to deliver a game could allow you to structure it more like a book and slowly build up a gamer's emotional connection with the characters. It would also allow you to react to gamers' reaction to your game and thus make it more evocative.

Of course, you really wouldn't need a hard drive to do any of that, just a sizeable memory stick.

Brian's Guess: Yes on episodic content, no on hard drive, at least not as an add-on.

Rumor #2: The Playstation 3 will allow you to stream music and video to your Playstation Portable via a WiFi connection.

This one comes via an insider. The story goes that Sony executives held secret behind closed door meetings with developers to tell them about all of the cool things that the Playstation Portable and PS3 will be able to do together.
In one of the meetings execs said that Playstation 3 would let you placeshift your video and music to your Playstation Portable anywhere you had a WiFi connection.

I asked around and while everyone seems to think that it makes sense, no one has heard official word. Sony declined to comment.

This one is weird. Back at last year's E3 Sony announced that the PS3 would be able to stream multimedia content. Then the PSP got a patch with LocationFree TV support. In December the PSM folks said they talked to developers who said that streaming to a PSP would be done through LocationFree TV. Makes all kinds of sense. But then E3 rolls around this year and despite having very little to announce at their press conference to make people happy, the execs don't say a word about free video and music streaming to your PSP. What gives?

I suspect that this is going to be the big news hitting sometime between now and the Tokyo Game Show.

Brian's Guess: Yes, eventually.

Here's the very interesting thing. If both sets of rumors are true, it could point to a new Playstation Portable. If Sony really were going to announce a hard drive for the PSP wouldn't they just put it in the new model and if a new model is coming out, why not just announce the video and music streaming then. Brian Crecente

Have any rumors you'd like to share anonymously? Send me a tip at editor@kotaku.com.

MTV has an interesting interview with David Jaffe, the man behind God of War, about his next project and why Billy Zane stands a better chance of playing Kratos in the upcoming GoW movie than Vin Diesel or Mel Gibson.

Jaffe has jumped on the crying bandwagon and says he wants to create a game that will touch gamers emotionally. He told MTV that he can t talk specifics about his next game, which will be created for the PSP, but did disclose the themes:

One of them is to be the most emotional video game ever made. The end goal is that players at the end of the game are actually choked up if not crying because we've done our job so well.

He added that he wants his game to make players think about current events like what s happening with America and the military.

That s enough to make anyone cry.

'God Of War' Creator Says Vin's Too Obvious, Mel's Too Old For Movie Lead [MTV]