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Excitebots: Trick Racing’s SUPER SANDWICHES Explained, Bologna Confirmed
Monster Games sequel to Excite Truck, the beastly and bug-filled stunt racer Excitebots, has won us over—even those of us who didn’t particularly care for the Wii launch original game. Why? Super Sandwiches. First shown in the debut trailer for Excitebots: Trick Racing, the Super Sandwich bonus both excited and bewildered us. What was it?…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Blitz Games New Stereoscopic 3D Technology: A Feast For The Eyes
Andrew Oliver, Chief Technical Officer at Blitz Games was kind enough to show me some of the insane 3D gaming technology they’ve been working on. While at first I was a little skeptical, seeing it in motion was really stunning. The stereoscopic 3D technology doesn’t just add a new dimension to the visuals, it requires…
By Adam Barenblat Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Katamari Creator Denies Drug Use & Other Choice Quotes
Noby Noby Boy may be a little bit “crazy,” but its creator says he’s very normal. “I don’t use drugs at all. I don’t drink,” game creator Keita Takahashi contends. “Please, don’t worry about me.” The man behind Noby Noby Boy and Katamari Damacy delivered one of GDC’s most fascinating sessions this week, full of…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Punch-Out!! Preview: Slick, Punchy Design
Punch-Out!! is a classic Nintendo experience. A game that helped define the Nintendo Entertainment System, but can the remake of the game do the same for the Wii? What It Is Punch-Out!! is a remake of Nintendo Entertainment System classic Punch-Out!! This time around the game will sport extra characters, some new moves and support…
By Brian Crecente Published March 27, 2009 -
UncategorizedBoom Blox Bash Party To Get Free DLC
In Boom Blox Bash Party you can upload and download player-created levels to your Wii without having to worry about friend codes. The idea to create an accessible Electronic Arts database of player-created levels came to the team after perusing the extensive list of videos on YouTube showing interesting player created levels, said Amir Rahimi,…
By Brian Crecente Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Is Blizzard Working On A Fifth Game?
The internet is abuzz with rumors that Blizzard is currently working on an unannounced fifth game, based around an entirely new intellectual property. The source of the buzz seems to be two new job postings that have appeared on Blizzard’s job site over the past week under the category of unannounced. The two listings are…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Molyneux: Fable Franchise May Not Remain RPGs
In this interview with Peter Molyneux we delve a bit deeper into the successes and failures of Fable II, which Molyneux says didn’t deliver emotionally as much as he had hoped it would. We also talk about the future of the franchise, what else the team is working on, E3 and cloud computing concept, OnLive.…
By Brian Crecente Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Stardock’s Answer To DRM: Goo
With Steamworks’ new CEG technology preparing to make DRM obsolete, Stardock has unveiled their own three-letter acronym answer to digital rights management: Goo. What is Goo? Goo stands for Game Object Obfuscation. What it does is allow game publishers to encapsulate their game’s executable file together with Stardock’s Impulse Reactor virtual platform in a single…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Here’s How You Play The New Punch-Out!!
Direct from the 2009 Game Developers Convention, here’s someone demonstrating how to play the new Wii version of Punch-Out!! The person playing Punch-Out!! in this clip is making it look rather easy, which is a relatively good thing. Considering how badly motion controls have been implemented in another recent boxing franchise revival, ease-of-use is a…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Boom Blox Bash Party Preview: Slingshots Ahoy
The original Boom Blox may have been a critical hit, but it never quite sold up to expectations. This time around, the developers appear to have focused most of their efforts on beefing up the multiplayer and making it a faster, more engaging experience. What It Is The next iteration of Steven Spielberg’s Boom Blox…
By Brian Crecente Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
World Of Warcraft Players Racking Up 16 Million Quests A Day
First, we want to pass on World of Warcraft lead game designer Jeffrey Kaplan’s apologies. He’s very sorry about Stranglethorn Vale’s 19-piece fetch fest Nesingwary’s Expedition. But it’s clear WoW players adore questing. How do we know? Kaplan says that the legions of players inhabiting Blizzard’s massively multiplayer online game are completing more than 16…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
PSAs You Won’t Be Seeing in GI Joe Game
Corny early 80s public service announcements will be rearing their kitschy head in the modern GI Joe video game, but not the ones you really want to see. Speaking with some of the development team earlier this week they said that the already have four public service announcements built into the game which can be…
By Brian Crecente Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
GDC is still going strong. Expect our coverage to do the same, as we catch up on all our interviews, previews and session mining. But we’re making time to play some games this weekend too. Personally, I’ve got a copy of Rhythm Heaven burning a hole in my backpack, ready and waiting to find its…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Terminator Salvation Preview: Please Don’t Come Back
Terminator Salvation is sure to explode at the movie theater, finally offering moviegoers an in-depth look at the post-apocalyptic world we’ve all been hearing so much about. But what about the game? Can it shake its movie roots and deliver an experience that is as good as or better than the movie? What It Is…
By Brian Crecente Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
The World of Fable II Wastes Less Than The World of Fable I
I wasn’t sure what to think of “The World of Fable II” when they played a blues song with the chorus “gonna give you a whippin'” before the panel started. What game had I been playing? I thought maybe I was in the wrong room, but then Fable II’s Technical Art Director, Ian Lovett, started…
By AJ Glasser Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Batman Takes On Arkham Asylum’s Challenge Rooms
Batman: Arkham Asylum game director Sefton Hill walks us through one of the game’s challenge rooms, demonstrating exactly what they mean by “invisible predator” gameplay. This is one of the games that really makes me regret not making it to the Game Developers Conference this year. I’m a relatively large fan of Batman, but I’ve…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Harmonix Lists Rejected Rock Band Names
Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale schooled GDC attendees today on the design philosophies that factored into the creation of Rock Band. That includes the critical “one question,” a rule that even affected the game’s name. The question was “Does it feel like an authentic band experience?” Design decisions that elicited a “Yes” to that all-important…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Steam Weekend Deal: Four Ubisoft Classics For $10
Steam concludes its week long sale salute to Ubisoft by offering four classic titles from the publisher for just under $10, including Beyond Good and Evil and the original Far Cry. The four Ubisoft titles – Beyond Good and Evil, Far Cry, Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, and IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 – generally sell…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
The Amazing Race To Become The Average Game
CBS and Ludia have teamed up for an exciting race through exotic locales, developing video games based off the Emmy Award-winning reality show The Amazing Race. Ludia, the company that brought us Hell’s Kitchen, American Idol, and Where’s Waldo video games in the past, is looking to add another fair to middling television show adaptation…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Codemasters’ Dirt 2 Teaser A Bit Dirtier Than Expected
I’m not quite sure what a nearly naked woman taking a shower and cooking pork parts has to do with anything, but I suddenly feel like a little off-road racing. It’s definitely a teaser trailer; I’m just not sure what it is trying to tease. Arguably it’s for Colin McRae: Dirt 2, the off-road and…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009