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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 - Uncategorized
Batman Arkham Asylum Preview: The Challenge Modes
Batman video games have not, traditionally, enjoyed the same success as Batman movies. Despite the long line of titles based on the caped crusader dating back to the mid 80s, few video games have managed to deliver an enjoyable Batman experience. In Batman: Arkham Asylum gamers take control of a brutal Batman as he fights…
By Brian Crecente Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
No DRM For The Sims 3
Rather than anger their fanbase with intrusive digital rights management technology, EA has opted to stick with tried and true Serial Code protection for The Sims 3. After getting into a heap of hot water over the DRM included in the hit life simulation Spore, it’s probably a wise decision for EA to back off…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Next Week In Rock Band: Journey Under The Sea With Pat Benatar
There’s something for everyone in next week’s additions to the Rock Band Music Store, with classics artists Journey, Pat Benatar, and…SpongeBob Squarepants taking center stage. No, it isn’t some quirky new band called SpongeBob Squarepants. It’s three tracks from the animated sensation that’s dumbed down a nation – “I Can’t Keep My Eyes Off Of…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Square Enix Eidos Takeover Is Go
Tomb Raider publisher Eidos will officially become part of Square Enix in May, as shareholders cast an overwhelming majority of votes in favor of the propsed takeover. Eidos held their shareholders meeting yesterday, during which a vote was held to determine if the Square Enix takeover bid would be approved, with 85% percent of the…
By Mike Fahey Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
BioWare Tackles Elf Racism In Dragon Age: Origins
You can’t have an ginormous fantasy epic without at least three different races — elf, human, dwarf, etc. — and you can’t have elves and dwarfs without racism according to fantasy standard-setter J.R.R. Tolkien. In typical BioWare fashion of reinventing the plot wheel, Dragon Age: Origins aims to redefine the fantasy genre; and it’ll start…
By AJ Glasser Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Brutal Legend Art: Everything Is Metal — Even The Sky
Here are the ingredients to a successful GDC panel: visually entertaining slides, more than one trailer, halfway-decent public speaker, a game that’s actually coming out in the near future. And Tim Schafer. “The Brutal Art of Brutal Legend” nailed all five – or at least four if for some reason the game gets pushed back…
By AJ Glasser Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Slept Late, So Great
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Thank Goodness For Honest Neighbors Today I slept in a little late, and it was FREAKING AWESOME. One of the perks of this job is that the commute is from my bed to my laptop. Some days, it seems father than other days… What you missed last night Wii Fit…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
There’s Nothing Cuter Than Kids Singing About Internet Manners
WARNING: So cute you may get a bit sick. Internet gaming is big in South Korea. So big that online manners can’t be left to chance. They must be instructed, and at a young age. Oh, and yes, this is real. Kids Sing A Made Up Song About Netiquette The Darndest Things
By Luke Plunkett Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Mass Effect 2 Is A “Shooter RPG”
The first Mass Effect tried to play like a shooter, but never really got there. Still, felt like an RPG, just one you played over-the-shoulder. The sequel, though, is going to be different. Or so developers BioWare hope. Speaking at GDC yesterday, BioWare’s Ray Muzyka explains that, of the “bigger buckets of things we’re working…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Wii Fit Helps Men Talk To Their Families
Nintendo weighing game Wii Fit is a big hit. While it’s not guaranteed to make you healthy (it’s not an exercise device), it might help you talk to the family you ignore. “We also researched Wii Fit users here in Japan, and we found that this game has had a positive influence on users,” said…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
PAL PlayStation Store Update: On A Magic Carpet Ride
And again, the PAL PlayStation Store ends up with some interesting PlayStation 1 content. This week? A re-release of Bullfrog’s classic Magic Carpet. Sure, it’s not as good as the PC version was, but it’s better than nothing. Which, we may add, is pretty much what this week’s update would be were it not for…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Sony Offering Better Terms, Cash Money For PSN Developers
The PS3 has struggled in a lot of areas, yes. But there’s one area it’s led the competition, and that’s in promoting a strong lineup of excellent, original content for digital download. So it shiver your timbers to hear that Sony are looking to expand their roster by offering cash for PSN games, with a…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gran Turismo Creator In PS3 Ad
Here’s the latest PS3 ad featuring a famous Japanese designer. Previously, the ads showcased Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and White Knight Chronicles designer Akihiro Hino. This time, it’s Gran Turismo‘s Kazunori Yamauchi turn. The ad is short, sweet and self-explanatory. Next up, no doubt inevitable ads with Metal Gear Solid mastermind Hideo Kojima and Final…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Game Composer Tommy Tallarico Talks Music, Disease
Congratulations, Tommy Tallarico! You’ve just won a Game Developers Choice Award for your contributions to game music. Your prize? Sit down and answer some questions. Thankfully, those questions stuck to music, and not Tommy’s disease-riddled body. Ick.
By Luke Plunkett Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
Taito Bringing FPS To Arcades (Again!)
A first-person-shooter arcade game…for Japan? Why not, it wouldn’t be a first. Taito rolled out dual-joystick-foot-pedal-controlled networked FPS Half-Life 2: Survivor in 2006. Now, Taito has announced another first-person-shooter for arcades. Dubbed Cyber Diver, its described as an “original” take on the FPS genre with 5-on-5 networked play and a new game system that displays…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 27, 2009 - Uncategorized
The Science Behind World Of Warcraft’s Item Drop Percentages
Strip back the story and the inter-personal relationships, and really, World of Warcraft’s all about the loot. Killing things in return for things. But what’s the science behind those loot drops? In a talk today at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Blizzard have revealed that, when WoW expansion Wrath of the Lich King…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 27, 2009