Labels: Halo, ramblings, shooters

"The movie industry needs to take some notes from the video game developers. Trust me, it's the only way to bring us back."

On the flip side, there are interesting and valuable films that attempt to make it through mainstream commercial distribution (Hayao Miyazaki's films, Timur Bekmambetov's Night Watch, Danny Boyle's/Alex Garland's Sunshine), and those that are wildly successful -- and arguably thematically important -- on the commercial front (Zack Snyder's 300, Robert Rodriguez's Sin City).

Labels: ramblings, rants

BlackSite: Area 51 -- BlackSite's being done by the local Midway Austin folks, and though they didn't hire me to do the voice work (they did let me audition), I want the game to do well. The typically snarky folks at Kotaku are a bit bullish on the title, which is saying something.

Borderlands -- Likewise, I want Plano, TX-based Gearbox Software (Brothers in Arms) to do well with their just-announced Borderlands. Sounds promising, and with a randomization feature that touts up to 500,000 different firearms (and is likewise applied to armor, vehicles, and so on) and randomized level layouts, this game doesn't sound like it's going to be boring at all.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian -- The works and mythos created by C.S. Lewis are deep and rich, and given the movie is coming along nicely, the inevitable game from Disney Interactive is, too. Early build screens are already looking good, and I hope some gameplay videos pop up soon.

Dead Island -- Zombies am still new hotness, so this game from Techland (Call of Juarez, Loki, Warhound, and the Chrome Engine) looks promising. I love that the bar for now-gen zombie games has been set by Dead Rising. I'm hoping other devs rise to the challenge.

Fracture -- I'm hoping this new IP from LucasArts lives up to the hype of the terraforming gimmick. While the play mechanic is enticing, I haven't been struck by the character designs, and initial impressions from game press have said while the mechanic is cool, it was straight-up shooting that won matches.

Halo 3 -- So far, industry folks are liking Halo 3's campaign (same, but tweaked), multiplayer (tweaked way more), and in-game editor, "The Forge" ("This might be the coolest addition to Halo 3"). I think I may be going dark on this title soon, to avoid any (more) spoilers for me. Oh, and breaking from tradition, Halo 3 was the title used for the final Omegathon challenge (usually a retro game) at PAX. It was a new level, with new maps, with many lucky, lucky fans in attendance.

Haze -- I'm excited about this game, if for no other reason than it's from the Free Radical folks of TimeSplitters fame. There are unconfirmed rumors the game is not coming to Xbox 360, which would suck.

Heavenly Sword -- This PS3 brawler looks good, and reviews so far have been mixed on gameplay and depth. They certainly seem to be putting a lot of the right effort behind story telling, acting, character design, and audio, so I hope the game rocks as much as its potential.

Legendary: The Box -- Aside from Gamecock or Spark Unlimited needing to rename this title, I'm so looking forward to this take on a literal Pandora's box. More mythology for me, and dev chops from Spark partnered with the announcement of multiplayer have me grinning. And dodging griffins. Gamecock knows how to pick 'em; and they're in Austin.

Mass Effect -- Allegedly more polished, allegedly more pretty.

Metal Gear Solid 4 --Seriously, if you're not excited about MGS 4 for franchise love, pushing technical boundaries, innovative character design, or boundary-pushing story and thematic elements, you're probably reading the wrong blog. News at the show was a bit of "maybes", with possible support for customer soundtracks and online play. Themes and new boss characters were revealed, with a loose "Beauty and the Beast" theme, and boss characters based on real-life actresses / models Yumi Kikuchi, Scarlett Chorvat, Mieko Rye, and Lyndall Jarvis.

Penny Arcade: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness -- I'm looking forward to this game, and the PAX announcement of the 4-5 hour Episode One available for download from Xbox Live this year is exciting for PA fans, and for folks (like me) wanting the Xbox 360 to catch up to episodic gaming. And the official Website opened.

Rock Band -- This game got rave pre/reviews at GC and PAX. I'm fascinated with this whole phenomenon that arguably allowed Activision to unseat Electronic Arts as top publisher (but let's see what the Madden '08 numbers do). Oh, and Rock Band is Harmonix / MTV Games. I was just, y'know, talking about the phenomenon.

Spore -- I so want this game, but I've put my interest on hold, repeatedly, to match its repeated delays. The devs at GC said the game is completely playable (yay!), but "still requires a lot of polish" (boo!), but there may be an open beta to help them do that (yay?). Oh, how they tease me.

Too Human -- While I'm tired of the soap-opera drama coverage of delays for this trilogy, I'm still excited for this game. GC announcements narrowed the 2008 release to early in the year, with a demo to hit this fall. And it's derivative of Norse mythology.

Totems --OK, this is a just-announced, PC/360 free-roaming / sandbox game from 10tacle Studios (best-named dev studio EVAR), and is inspired by the French sport Le Parkour, animism, super heroes, and Cirque de Soleil. Tell me your interest isn't piqued.

Viking: Battle for Asgard -- Long-time readers know I'm a fan of mythology, and Norse mythology in particular (my dog's name was Loki, and Thor and Loki action firgures are currently beating the crap out of each other on my office shelf). So I'm stoked about SEGA's announcement of Viking: Battle for Asgard, an Xbox 360 and PS3 hack-n-slasher where you'll also get to "order around mythical beasts and liberated troops in enormous battles" as Skarin, a warrior protecting Midgard (earth) from goddess Hel and her minions. Hey, even if it's just now-gen Rune with a few other mechanics, I'm on board.

Virtua Fighter 5 -- This is an improved version over the current cabinet arcade "Version C", and has upped the number of NPCs, the intensity of the AI in Quest Mode, and added more accessories with which players can customize their characters. The big show at GC was online play for Xbox 360 -- something the PS3 version doesn't have. VF5 hits this October, also from SEGA.

WET -- Is a new action shooter from Sierra, and game reviewers and sites have been a little jaded on it, marginalizing it as derivative of Tomb Raider, BloodRayne, Prince of Persia, and Covert Ops. "Jaded" being the operative word. The pre-rendered cinematics belie an attention to detail and love of Hong Kong / Rodriguez-style films that make for great target visuals and gameplay. Could be some potential here.

Sony -- Sony's booth evidently had toilets as seats, probably an allusion to some of their Euro advertising that had a model sitting on a toilette (no, it doesn't make sense to be either). But they did announce Play TV -- just for Europe -- which will sit between your PS3 and TV and let you record one channel and watch another (so it sounds like a dual tuner setup). Play TV not only supports high-def video but lets you stream live or recorded video from the PS3 to your PSP, letting you watch TV shows on the PSP from anywhere in the world. Not earth-shattering for those familiar with Slingbox tech, but still pretty cool. Sony says this isn't coming to the U.S., because the "U.S. doesn't have terrestrial digital television yet."

To me, not a good excuse, and I expect Microsoft to announce a leapfrog move that involves an extension of what they're already doing with their Media PCs, Xbox 360, and Zune players (now #2 in the MP3 marketplace, I'm told). If they don't make such an announcement, we can chalk it up to one of the bigger missed opportunities in media intersection.

• Kotaku.com
• Joystiq.com
• IGN.com

• Kotaku.com ("PAX 07" tagged posts)
• Joystiq.com ("PAX07" tagged posts)
• IGN.com ("PAX Central")

Labels: announcements, events, media intersection, ramblings

• Kotaku.com ("PAX 07" tagged posts)
• Joystiq.com ("PAX07" tagged posts)
• IGN.com ("PAX Central")

Big news (for me)? Penny Arcade's game, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, is coming via Xbox Live Arcade, and the Website is now live.

There are also a couple of meet-'n-greets I set up for folks for the conference, so I'm anxious to see how (or if) those turned out.

Labels: announcements, events

Labels: Halo, indie development, media intersection, Xbox 360

• Kotaku.com
• Joystiq.com
• IGN.com

Labels: humor, shooters, Xbox 360

Labels: Halo, media intersection, ramblings

"A hero need not speak. When he is gone, the world will speak for him."

Labels: game design, ramblings

Labels: media intersection, PlayStation3, previews

"I don’t think Rockstar specifically has been picked on, but I do think that the wider issue attacks our entire industry. We need to teach people that games are an art form – they are more artistic than film.

"I think the games industry should rally behind us, because there will come a time when we’ll all have an idea that’s a little edgy, and we need to have the freedoms to express it.

"We are an adult entertainment industry – we may have started out with child-like technology making games solely for a younger audience, but it’s just not like that anymore. It might take legislature a little while to catch up, but if the industry sticks together hopefully we can change people’s attitudes quicker."

Labels: rants

Third-party additions to XNA Studio -- It was cool enough that Torque X was available for Creators Club members. Now SOFTIMAGEXSI 6 Mod Tool (3-D modeling and animation software) will be free to use in XNA Game studio (for non-commercial projects).

Dream-Build-Play Challenge Contest Winners -- This is pretty cool. Microsoft has announced a bunch of winners for their indie dev contestm giving 10 grand and Xbox Live Arcade publishing contracts to John Flook (Blazing Birds) and James Silva (The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai). And Microsoft gave an unexpected $5K and extended contracts to two other, second-place winners, Steve Olofsson (Gravitron Ultra) and Daniel McGuire (Yo Ho Kablammo!). There were like 4,500 entries to the contest.

New ways to use Microsoft video and screenshots -- Microsoft has lifted the legal banhammer (mostly), allowing more use of screenshots and video from their games (for parody, machinima, etc.). It's for the stuff for which they own (or own trademarks), and it's for non-commercial use. The full rules are over at Xbox.com, and it's actually pretty generous (and a combination of retroactivity and proactivity on Microsoft's part). Good for them.

Schizoid debuts -- Schizoid is the first XBLA title built exclusively using XNA Game Studio Express (at least, first indie-built title). It showed up at Gamerfest, and there's video, too.

Xbox Live. Population: 7 million -- So, there are now more than 7 million Xbox Live subscribers, and combined they've downloaded 45 million ... things. I need more deets on the numbers before they mean anything (or before I snarkily dissect them).

Labels: announcements, development process, tools

"...what could be one of the bloodiest holiday seasons in video game history. The epic battles will play out on TV screens around the globe, but could do real-world damage to the bottom lines of console makers"

"Microsoft recently spent $50 million on additional exclusive content for Grand Theft Auto IV, ..."

"... five times as much money as was spent developing the Xbox 360's current best-selling game, Gears of War, according to statements made by Epic Games Vice-President Mark Rein."

Labels: rants

Labels: announcements

Labels: Xbox 360

Labels: announcements, comic books, companies

Labels: announcements, DLC, Xbox 360, Xbox Live

• Sweepstakes Round 1 (Jul 26-Aug 28)
• Sweepstakes Round 2 (Aug 30-Sep 25)
• Sweepstakes Round 3 (Sep 27-Oct 25)

• Halo 3 Legendary Edition game
• Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox 360 console
• Halo 3 Limited Edition Wireless Controller (Spartan)
• Halo 3 Limited Edition Wireless Headset
• Halo 3 Wireless Headset
• Zune™ – Halo 3 Edition
• Xbox 360 Halo 3 X-shaped Ibanez Xiphos Guitar with Case
• Xbox LIVE 12-Month Gold Subscription
• 1600 Microsoft Points
• Halo 3 Messenger Bag
• Halo Graphic Novel Autographed by Bungie

Labels: contests, Halo

Labels: announcements, companies, media intersection, MMO, RPG

Three new video games will be unveiled on Wednesday, August 8th at ACC’s Highland Business Center, located at 5930 Middle Fiskville Road. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the developers, learn about their visions, and play the games. The reception at 6pm and presentations will begin at 7pm.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Lusorium' s The Palimpsest
The first thing Doctor Faktor remembers is looking up through the leaves of a twisted tree to see the sun reflecting off of a card. As he reaches up to grab the card, a sense of panic rushes through the doctor but he doesn't know why. Doctor Faktor studies the tarot card he has picked up and moves toward the only house in sight in hopes of regaining his memories. In The Palimpsest you are thrust into the role of Doctor Faktor where you explore the house, use the scattered tarot cards to solve puzzles and connect the clues to find the secret to the Doctor's past.

Super Awesome Team's David's Folie
David Fortisante was always an outcast. Whether he was mutilating bugs as a child or sketching images of violence involving his classmates, people would tend to keep their distance. David didn't care. He had the voices. He had his own friends. Ever since he's been at St. Mary's though, there have been less voices. Maybe the medications are working... or maybe they've been chased away by his new friend named Fellow. Let the other kids laugh at his imaginary friend. David's got a plan to sort them out, even if it isn't his own

D.O.D.'s Circadia
A persistent virtual world and point-and-click adventure game inspired by the art, memories, and soul of Jose Miguel Alvarado -- set in a dystopian future and that future's parallel dream world. Users will log on to our virtual world, inhabit an avatar of their very own choosing or design, explore a variety of locations, collaborate artistically with other users, and go on an adventure to Save The World if they like. There will be something for everyone in this virtual universe. Minigames for the action and puzzle lovers, adventures for the story-junkies, epic battles for the Role-Playing-Dork-Heads, driving, flying, boating, hunting, gambling, hitchhiking, Et Cetera Ad Nauseum. Sweet dreams!!

Labels: events, indie development

Labels: announcements, console updates, Microsoft

Labels: events, media intersection

Labels: announcements, companies, DLC, media intersection, PlayStation3, shooters, XBLA, Xbox 360

Labels: Halo, media intersection

• 2005
• 2006

Labels: action, shooters