Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/JoystiqThe Joystiq Podcast combines insightful commentary on the week's video game news and culture with several disembodied, often spooky, voices. Voices may or may not belong to Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann, Joystiq.com editors, or their guests. Spookiness not guaranteed where prohibited, please check local laws. More information available at www.joystiq.comJoystiq interviews DeathSpank's Ron Gilberthttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/joystiq-interviews-deathspanks-ron-gilbert/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/joystiq-interviews-deathspanks-ron-gilbert/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/joystiq-interviews-deathspanks-ron-gilbert/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Described as "the perfect melding of a Monkey Island style adventure game with the wicked RPG gameplay of Diablo," Ron Gilbert's episodic endeavor also formed part of our recent GDC interview with Hothead Games. Though the Orphans of Justice still have quite a bit of growing up to do, we quickly quizzed designer Ron about Deathspank's upcoming lampooning of adventure game heroes, as well as the series' inevitable downward spiral in quality after the, uh, 600,000th episode.

Continue reading Joystiq interviews DeathSpank's Ron Gilbert

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]]>DeathspankDiabloEpisodicGDC08HotheadHothead-GamesJoel-DeYoungMonkey-IslandMonkeyIslandOrphans-of-JusticeRon-Gilbert2008-03-03T17:00:00+00:00Joystiq interview: Penny Arcade Adventureshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/joystiq-interview-penny-arcade-adventures/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/joystiq-interview-penny-arcade-adventures/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/03/joystiq-interview-penny-arcade-adventures/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


It's fair to say that quite a lot is expected from Vancouver-based developer, Hothead Games. The group not only has to deliver a series of downloadable and episodic adventure RPGs in regular intervals, but also appease a fanbase so large and rabid that it can click your website to death -- accidentally, if you're lucky. On top of all that, the poor developers are occasionally dragged into a tiny room for the sole purpose of being poked by a plethora of questions regarding their upcoming games.

Penny Arcade Adventures producer, Joel DeYoung, and Hothead creative director, Ron Gilbert, had to endure just such a prodding during GDC, the results of which can be viewed after the break. Appropriately enough, our interview's almost as long as the title of the series: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.
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Continue reading Joystiq interview: Penny Arcade Adventures

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]]>DeathspankEpisodicGDC08HotheadHothead-GamesJoel-DeYoungPenny-ArcadePenny-Arcade-AdventuresPennyArcadeAdventuresRon-GilbertXBLA2008-03-03T11:00:00+00:00GDC08: First screenshots of Mirror's Edgehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/gdc08-first-screenshots-of-mirrors-edge/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/gdc08-first-screenshots-of-mirrors-edge/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/gdc08-first-screenshots-of-mirrors-edge/#commentsFiled under: ,


click to embiggen

At the EA DICE event during GDC last week (the same one where we saw Battlefield Heroes and Bad Company), we had a chance to watch a trailer and a one-level walkthrough of Mirror's Edge, a stylistic first-person game reminiscent of both Parkour and the Bourne movies. DICE went for a more realistic perspective by slightly tilting the camera back and forth depending on how fast you move.

The level we saw had the character jumping over fences, sliding under pipes and traversing through and over buildings like a crack-addicted monkey looking for its next fix. Items and platforms turn red while you run to provide context clues for what you can use to keep your momentum going and move forward (e.g. a swinging rope you can grab jumping off of the side of a building).

As for combat, it seems the point of the game is rather nonviolent; when our hero did steal a gun from an opponent, she quickly disassembled it and kept running. The game looks promising, but we can't help but wonder how it would have looked if they used the same camera/blur effects and moved the camera back to third person.
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]]>diceeamirrors-edgemirrorsedge2008-02-29T10:00:00+00:00Game Developers Choice Awards on G4 tonight http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/game-developers-choice-awards-on-g4-tonight/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/game-developers-choice-awards-on-g4-tonight/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/29/game-developers-choice-awards-on-g4-tonight/#commentsFiled under:


In case our live coverage of the Game Developer Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival Awards wasn't enough to sate your appetite for GDC's prestigious ceremony, G4TV will be showing coverage of the event tonight.

A 30-minute recap of the two-hour event will air tonight at 8:00 PM EST (5:00 PM PST), as part of a special episode of G4's X-Play program. If you miss it, the episode will re-air several times on Saturday, March 1, Sunday, March 2 and Monday, March 3. Check out the episode guide for the full list of times.

For those with a distaste for digests, the award shows' organizers will be hosting full-length streaming video coverage of both events on their respective websites sometime in the next week. We'll keep an eye out for when those streams become available.
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]]>g4gdc08gdcaigf2008-02-29T06:30:00+00:00GDC08: Battlefield: Bad Company multiplayer demo'dhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/gdc08-battlefield-bad-company-multiplayer-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/gdc08-battlefield-bad-company-multiplayer-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/gdc08-battlefield-bad-company-multiplayer-demo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click to embiggen

EA hosted a special DICE event at GDC last week, showing off the various titles the Swedish developer has in the works. The first embargo to up and die covered the recently delayed Battlefield: Bad Company and, since we couldn't spend as much time as we'd have liked with the title, we've gathered videos and previews from some other outlets for you to enjoy. We do have some pictures of the swank event, hosted at San Francisco's Vessel Lounge, for you to peruse but let's jump right into the game, shall we?
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Read - Battlefield: Bad Company Multiplayer Hands-On (GameSpot)
Read - Battlefield: Bad Company Preview (IGN)

Continue reading GDC08: Battlefield: Bad Company multiplayer demo'd

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]]>Battlefield-Bad-CompanyBFBCDICEEA2008-02-28T13:58:00+00:00Joyswag: Win our GDC swaghttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/joyswag-win-our-gdc-swag/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/joyswag-win-our-gdc-swag/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/28/joyswag-win-our-gdc-swag/#commentsFiled under: ,


So, we amassed quite a bit of swag from Game Developer's Conference. For those of you that didn't swindle some away from us at our Video Games Live meet-up in San Francisco, here's your chance to get in on the action. One winner will take it all!
To enter, simply tell us what was the most important story of GDC (here's an overview). Gears of War 2? Xbox Live Community Games? Uh, pictures of our food? The comment must be left before Saturday, March 1st, 5PM EST. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing. Grand Prize Winner will receive this GDC swag collection (MSRP: approximately $100). Click here for complete Official Rules. Eligibility is restricted to the legal residents of the 50 United States (including DC). You must be 18 years or older to enter.
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]]>gdc08joyswag2008-02-28T12:00:00+00:00BioWare founders: 'We're not done yet'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/bioware-founders-were-not-done-yet/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/bioware-founders-were-not-done-yet/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/bioware-founders-were-not-done-yet/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Right after our demo of the PC version of Mass Effect, we had the chance to sit with BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk for a quick catch-up on recent events. The two men were overjoyed to talk about Mass Effect's success and critical reception, as well as the uplifting effect the EA buyout has had on the company.

The impression the two give are of guys who have just been given a chance at the brass ring. Their comments, intimating that BioWare itself is now a micro-publisher, praising their new co-worker's common sense, hint at a new era of opportunity for the company. We've already posted the audio from the interview, but for a full transcript of our discussion just read on below the cut. You can get a better sense of Ray and Greg's cheery outlook, see them again discuss the reason Mass Effect on the 360 had the UI it did, and watch them stonewall on a question about their in-development MMO title.

The bottom line, unsaid in the interview itself, is a clear message: "Fans shouldn't worry. We're not, and neither should you." Here's hoping that they've got the right of it.

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Continue reading BioWare founders: 'We're not done yet'

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]]>biowarebioware-austineaea-buyoutgdc08greg-zeschukinterviewmass-effectray-muzkya2008-02-27T19:30:00+00:00Halo 3 outtakes: Full Metal Jacket & ranting lesbian space marinehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/halo-3-outtakes-full-metal-jacket-and-ranting-lesbian-space-marin/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/halo-3-outtakes-full-metal-jacket-and-ranting-lesbian-space-marin/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/27/halo-3-outtakes-full-metal-jacket-and-ranting-lesbian-space-marin/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The audio track of GDC is an under-appreciated gem of the conference. Though many of the sessions are highly technical in nature -- discussing the use of software tools and compositional elements -- enjoying the music and the auditory experience of gaming hardly takes a degree. I sat in on one of these sessions, "Halo 3: An Audio Postmortem", and was rewarded greatly. Not only did I have the chance to listen to Jay Weinland, C. Paul Johnson, Mike Salvatore and Marty O'Donnell speak on the process of composing for Bungie's titles, but the audio team brought hilarious outtakes for us to listen to.

Read on below the break for a few words on composing audio for the series, Adam Baldwin's Halo-style take on Full Metal Jacket, and comedienne Debra Wilson's take on a angry, ranting, foul-mouthed, lesbian marine. Even better: the Wilson outtakes have apparently never been made available outside of Bungie's studio before.

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Continue reading Halo 3 outtakes: Full Metal Jacket & ranting lesbian space marine

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]]>audioclipsfeaturedgdc08halo-3musicsound-fx2008-02-27T18:29:00+00:00GDC Quest Quiz V: Ragnar Tørnquisthttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-v-ragnar-tornquist/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-v-ragnar-tornquist/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-v-ragnar-tornquist/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We did a terrible thing at last week's Game Developer's Conference. Aside from our usual barrage of photographs and "reporting," a select group of attendees had to endure a particularly inane and utterly pointless line of questioning -- just for laughs. This is what happens when you hunt down several adventure game connoisseurs and challenge them to solve a typically obnoxious adventure game puzzle.

The Player
Ragnar Tørnquist, designer of The Longest Journey and writer and director of Dreamfall, Anarchy Online and upcoming MMO, The Secret World.

The Puzzle
You're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.

The Inventory
  • (1) perforated parasol
  • (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle
  • (1) sealed manila envelope
  • (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue
Check out Ragnar's thoroughly realized reasoning after the break.

Continue reading GDC Quest Quiz V: Ragnar Tørnquist

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]]>DreamfallFuncomGDC-Quest-QuizGDC08Ragnar-TornquistRagnarTornquistTheLongestJourney2008-02-26T21:55:00+00:00GDC Quest Quiz IV: Erik Wolpawhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-iv-erik-wolpaw/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-iv-erik-wolpaw/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-iv-erik-wolpaw/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We did a terrible thing at last week's Game Developer's Conference. Aside from our usual barrage of photographs and "reporting," a select group of attendees had to endure a particularly inane and utterly pointless line of questioning -- just for laughs. This is what happens when you hunt down several adventure game connoisseurs and challenge them to solve a typically obnoxious adventure game puzzle.

The Player
Erik Wolpaw, co-author of the now-defunct Old Man Murray. He's written for games such as Psychonauts and Portal, and once accused the adventure genre of committing suicide.

The Puzzle
You're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.

The Inventory
  • (1) perforated parasol
  • (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle
  • (1) sealed manila envelope
  • (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue
The Solution
 "How is the pulley attached to the rubber chicken? See, this is why I hate adventure games. I think you're expecting a joke answer, and I'm actually trying to figure it out. OK, type 'quit.' That's what I would do. Go to the menu and type 'quit.'"

(Catch the rest of our interview with Wolpaw later this week!)
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]]>Erik-WolpawGDC-Quest-QuizGDC08PortalPsychonautsValve2008-02-26T17:55:00+00:00Hands-on with Nyko's Winter 2008 peripheralshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/hands-on-with-nykos-winter-2008-peripherals/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/hands-on-with-nykos-winter-2008-peripherals/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/hands-on-with-nykos-winter-2008-peripherals/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Do you have really, really, really long arms? Good. Because the Nyko Wireless Nunchuck is perfect for you. It's one of the many peripherals we tested with Nyko in San Francisco. Surprises were few and far between. But perhaps that's a good thing -- we found that everything they offered worked as one would expect. The Wireless Nunchuck works just like the official corded variety, It may work a bit too well, in fact. We left the Wii Remote in one room, and ran across the office to find the Nunchuck still operated. Unnecessary? Yes. But a great display of how well this peripheral is designed.

Continue reading Hands-on with Nyko's Winter 2008 peripherals

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]]>gdc08nyko2008-02-26T17:25:00+00:00Lego MMO to feature real-world integration, legoshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/lego-mmo-to-feature-real-world-integration-legos/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/lego-mmo-to-feature-real-world-integration-legos/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/lego-mmo-to-feature-real-world-integration-legos/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Wired's Earnest Cavalli had a chance to talk shop with LEGO Universe developer NetDevil at GDC, and came away with a few sparse but interesting details about the game, as well as some totally hardcore pieces of concept art.

While the game isn't expected out until 2009, NetDevil discussed what they hope to be the core features of the game, like having players living amongst LEGO's impressive backlog of building sets, able to construct vehicles, buildings, and more for their avatars. The game will also feature the standard MMO quests, based on LEGO sets like Knights vs. Dragons, and Sailors vs. Pirates.

Perhaps most interesting is LEGO Universe's proposed integration with real-world LEGOs, with players able to create anything they wish in-game, and being given the option to order the exact pieces required to assemble their creations themselves. With a concept like this, the game could not only become a fairly successful MMO, but also help to revitalize the LEGO empire (we're already tempted to dig through our old bins). Check out Wired's piece for more concept art and details.

[Via Penny Arcade]
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]]>legolego-universelegouniversenetdevil2008-02-26T16:25:00+00:00GDC Quest Quiz III: Mike Stemmlehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-iii-mike-stemmle/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-iii-mike-stemmle/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc-quest-quiz-iii-mike-stemmle/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We did a terrible thing at last week's Game Developer's Conference. Aside from our usual barrage of photographs and "reporting," a select group of attendees had to endure a particularly inane and utterly pointless line of questioning -- just for laughs. This is what happens when you hunt down several adventure game connoisseurs and challenge them to solve a typically obnoxious adventure game puzzle.

The Player
Recent Telltale Games addition Mike Stemmle, co-designer of Sam & Max Hit the Road and Escape from Monkey Island, and designer on the ill-fated Sam & Max Freelance Police. He also worked on Afterlife, but he doesn't think you remember it.

The Puzzle
You're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.

The Inventory
  • (1) perforated parasol
  • (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle
  • (1) sealed manila envelope
  • (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue
Peek hard at Mike Stemmle's Star Trek strategy after the break.

Continue reading GDC Quest Quiz III: Mike Stemmle

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]]>GDC-Quest-QuizGDC08Mike-StemmleSam-and-MaxSamandMaxStar-TrekTelltaleTelltale-Games2008-02-26T15:25:00+00:00Highlights from the Game Developers Conference 2008http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/highlights-from-the-game-developers-conference-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/highlights-from-the-game-developers-conference-2008/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/highlights-from-the-game-developers-conference-2008/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Game Developers Conference has come and gone. Five very hectic days and over 250 posts later, we've still not caught up on sleep (and probably won't until the week before E3). As much as we'd like you to read every single post, one by one, and adding polite comments to each and every one of them, we're pragmatists.

Join us in the next few pages for a primer on all things GDC 2008. Comments can be found on the last page (Update: comments have been turned on for every page, so go crazy!) as well as a very special image for some of our readers who feel a strong infinity with writer Ludwig Kietzmann. Read on as we recap last week.
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Continue reading Highlights from the Game Developers Conference 2008

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]]>fable-2gdcgdc08gears-of-war-2microsoftninja-gaiden-22008-02-26T07:59:00+00:00GDC08 Highlights: Baldur, Big Daddy and cakehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-baldur-big-daddy-and-cake/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-baldur-big-daddy-and-cake/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-baldur-big-daddy-and-cake/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Playing (and being) Too Human

Elsewhere that day, Silicon Knights' boastful Denis Dyack held a press conference showing off the latest build of Too Human (photos) and, lo and behold, the framerate was consistent and the game looked much improved from previous demonstrations. Our hands-on impressions were decidedly mixed, however; as one commenter aptly put it, "the controls hindered Baldur's gait."

Besides Microsoft, the other keynote of the conference was futurist Ray Kurzweil who, among other mind-blowing points, confirmed that by 2023 we will be injecting ourselves with plasmids. Speaking of which ...

BioShockTacular!

One of the Big Daddies of the conference (yes folks, plenty more puns to come!) was BioShock, with total rock star Ken Levine drawing quite a crowd. Levine et al. showed off early footage of the game, advised to keep story simple, talked Steamworks and even sent a splicer to check up on us.

GDCA and IGF Awards

BioShock was a major winner at the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), walking away with honors for audio, visuals and writing (Ayn Rand woke from the dead to claim the writing award). Also announced that night were the Independent Games Festival awards, with World of Goo winning three nods and Crayon Physics Deluxe earning the Seamus McNally award. Cheer up, World of Goo fans, they already have a distribution deal for the Nintendo Wii. The best part of the award presentations were probably Mega64 and Zero Punctuation's hilarious videos.

Despite three accolades, BioShock didn't win Best Game. That award went to Portal along with design and innovation nods.



Portal: This was a Triumph

Remember last year when Portal was just a bullet point during the Experimental Games session? A lot has changed since GDC 2007, with almost everyone singing the game's praises. The night of their GDCA win, Valve revealed that Jonathan Coulton's Portal song "Still Alive" would be featured in Rock Band. Though we missed that performance (Coulton only hit 95% on vocals), we did happen to catch his concert on Friday where he, along with Leo LaPorte and Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont, managed to fail the song live on stage (video).

As one of the last sessions of the conference, designer Kim Swift and writer Erik Wolpaw delivered a Portal post-mortem (photos) for an overpacked crowd (did you see the line to get in?). Among other little details, the duo talked about the origins of the Weighted Companion Cube and the various final levels they tested.

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]]>bioshockgdcgdc08gdcaigfportaltoo-human2008-02-26T07:57:00+00:00GDC08 Highlights: Spore, Street Fighter and Nintendohttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-spore-street-fighter-and-nintendo/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-spore-street-fighter-and-nintendo/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-spore-street-fighter-and-nintendo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The Unified Spore Theory

On the more academic side of the conference, we were treated to a handful of lectures on Will Wright's Spore, including one on procedural music and user-generated content. (We didn't get a chance to write up the music lecture, which was a complex discussion on music theory and their in-house music editor based on Pure Data.) The user-generated content session (photos) provided, among other things, a glimpse at how to make a spaceship that looks like the PS3 "boomerang" controller and a GameCube.

Perhaps the most fascinating talk of the conference was also given at the worst possible venue. Will Wright talked about the importance of worlds, of community ownership and of escapism and the power of science fiction. It was a mind meld of information being thrown out, which you can view yourself here. Unfortunately, the speech was at a club and it seemed like half of the attendees seemed to either not know who Will Wright was or did not care and kept talking loudly over him.

Obligatory Street Fighter IV mention

Yeah, we played Street Fighter IV and walked away impressed. Also check out this interview with producer Yoshi Ono.

Excuse me, Wii're looking for Nintendo

Nintendo's presence was a bit more subdued compared to last year -- not having the keynote speech tends to do that. There were announced dates for Wii Fit and WiiWare (May 19 and May 12, respectively). A lot of information came out about WiiWare, including titles LostWinds, Shantae and a non-Sam & Max episodic series from Telltale. (No promises on demos for any of the titles.) We also learned more about the Wii Menu from Nintendo's Takashi Aoyama, who taught us why the blue LED light glows in a certain rhythm. Aoyama also revealed a potential "Pay & Play" option for developers who want to charge for online (e.g. MMO developers).

In other Nintendo news, NWF writer JC Fletcher managed to sneak into a Smash Bros Brawl tournament for conference helpers (video) and one confused gentleman left his rock and discovered a "new" Nintendo interface.

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>gdcgdc08nintendosporewii-fitwiiware2008-02-26T07:56:00+00:00GDC08 Highlights: Sony, Sessions and Telltalehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-sony-sessions-and-telltale/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-sony-sessions-and-telltale/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-sony-sessions-and-telltale/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Sony and the In-Shirt XMB

Sony more or less packed up and left early (around 5:00pm on Thursday), but in the interim they did let us hang out in their Bloggers' Lounge (even Xbox 360 Fanboy editor Richard Mitchell) playing Singstar, flOw on PSP and Echochrome. They also held a Buzz! charity event. Outside the lounge they gave us the "in-shirt XMB" shirts -- especially ironic given that they didn't announce the much-hoped for in-game XMB feature.

Elsewhere, Home was mentioned, Sony gurus Insomniac unleashed its source code for development world to peruse. Then there was the Block Party with Q-Tip (video) ... um, yeah. For you, Sony, we dine on Cell chips in Blu-ray dip. Meanwhile, where the heck was LittleBigPlanet?

Adventure Quest(ions)

Whereas we felt really out of place at Sony's party, Telltale threw a zombified soirée attracting some of industry's best adventure game luminaries (many of whom, as it were, happen to work at Telltale). We were even lucky enough to pose a ridiculous adventure game puzzle to legends such as Steve Purcell, Ron Gilbert and Mike Stemmle. There's more to come, if threats on our life (wake up) don't come to fruition.

While not a "party," per se, Emotive did give a few attendees a jolly good time at their presentation, while everyone else just felt uncomfortable witnessing a series of unfortunate disasters.

In Other News

Sessions

GDC holds hundreds of sessions in its five day period. Most of them talk about programming and art techniques, and while we tried our best to attend them all (really, we did), a handful stood out as interesting and fascinating for even non-developers to enjoy. They also happen to be some of the most heavily-attended sessions in the conference. Experimental games? They got you covered. Angry designers and balloon parties? Yep, that too. This year's game design challenge produced a sure-fire hit for the much-coveted bacteria demographic.

Our old friend total rock star Ken Levine had his BioShock honored by a panel as one of the eight best examples of interactive storytelling alongside Ico, Thief, Plansecape and others. Looking to the future, Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack nearly came to blows with Timeshift's Matthew Karch over the relevance of storytelling for games both in the present and the future.

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>gdcgdc082008-02-26T07:55:00+00:00GDC08 Highlights: Saying Goodbyehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-saying-goodbye/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-saying-goodbye/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/gdc08-highlights-saying-goodbye/#commentsFiled under: , ,

And now for something completely ridiculous

If you thought our earlier mention of Emotive was crazy, wait until you check out the gaming vest that actually beats you up for playing badly. Or the "luxurious" (i.e. pricey and eccentric) Z-dome. For more aural spats of craziness, how about this bit of licensed irony, a puzzling Slim Jim reference, or some German language lessons.

Joystiq's Ludwig Kietzmann after five days in San Francisco.
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Leaving GDC08 Behind

We waded through countless sessions and interviews, attempted to destroy all developers, ate a lot of food and even managed to deplete our bank accounts at the GDC store. So what's left to show you guys other than a timelapse of events and point you to a Joystiq "Team GDC" photo.

Even more pictures can be found on Flickr. Here's a quick reference if you want to look back through the highlights:
We'll still have a few GDC articles rolling up for the rest of the week, but that's pretty much it for this year's conference. Here's to next year!

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>gdcgdc082008-02-26T07:54:00+00:00GDC08: Opposable thumbs-on with Hail to the Chimphttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/gdc08-opposable-thumbs-on-with-hail-to-the-chimp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/gdc08-opposable-thumbs-on-with-hail-to-the-chimp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/gdc08-opposable-thumbs-on-with-hail-to-the-chimp/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Developed by Wideload (Stubbs the Zombie), Hail to the Chimp is a party game infused with political humor. As the story goes, various animals -- ranging from an octopus to an armadillo -- are competing to be elected as president of the animal kingdom. To do this, players engage in a series of arena fighting games with various goals. The game plays more or less like a simplified version of Power Stone with objectives thrown into the mix. The gameplay is simple with few nuances, as one might expect of a party game. The real question is whether or not the gameplay is too simple to maintain the attention of discerning gamers. Strange as it may seem, the satirical humor that frames Hail to the Chimp may be more endearing than the game itself.

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Continue reading GDC08: Opposable thumbs-on with Hail to the Chimp

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>gamecockhail-to-the-chimphailtothechimpwideloadwideload-games2008-02-25T22:00:00+00:00GDC Quest Quiz II: Steve Purcellhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/gdc-quest-quiz-ii-steve-purcell/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/gdc-quest-quiz-ii-steve-purcell/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/gdc-quest-quiz-ii-steve-purcell/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We did a terrible thing at last week's Game Developer's Conference. Aside from our usual barrage of photographs and "reporting," a select group of attendees had to endure a particularly inane and utterly pointless line of questioning -- just for laughs. This is what happens when you hunt down several adventure game connoisseurs and challenge them to solve a typically obnoxious adventure game puzzle.

The Player
Steve Purcell, illustrator and writer best known as the creator of Sam & Max. We're surprised he even talked to us after last year's drunken debacle.

The Puzzle
You're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.

The Inventory
  • (1) perforated parasol
  • (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle
  • (1) sealed manila envelope
  • (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue
Find Steve Purcell's solution to the "meta-puzzle" after the break.

Continue reading GDC Quest Quiz II: Steve Purcell

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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>GDC-quest-quizGDC08Sam-and-MaxSamandMaxSteve-PurcellTelltaleTelltale-GamesTelltaleGames2008-02-25T17:45:00+00:00