Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Sony partners with Quantic Dream on exclusive PS3 title]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/sony-partners-with-quantic-dream-on-exclusive-ps3-title/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/sony-partners-with-quantic-dream-on-exclusive-ps3-title/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/03/sony-partners-with-quantic-dream-on-exclusive-ps3-title/#commentsFiled under:


Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios today announced a collaboration with Paris-based developer Quantic Dream, one which promises to "redefine cinematic real-time entertainment" with a new PlayStation-exclusive title. Judging by Quantic Dream's past efforts in David Bowie dystopia sim, Omikron: The Nomad Soul, or the multi-angle murder mystery Fahrenheit (dubbed Indigo Prophecy in America), cinematic presentation and integral narratives seem du jour on the developer's list of goals.

Quantic Dream President and CEO, David Cage commented on the choice of console and the sheer pleasantness of the folks at Sony. "We always believed that "next generation" meant more meaningful content based on players' emotional involvement. To us, PS3 is the only platform that can truly deliver on this promise, and SCE WWS is a group that is both inspiring and pleasant to work with."

Though the name of the upcoming PS3 game isn't specified and could very well be an entirely new game, Quantic Dream's website currently lists Heavy Rain as a "confidential next generation console game." The film-like poster above, which bears the subtitle "The Origami Killer," certainly seems to highlight the title's cinematic aspirations, if not the question of why anybody would want to murder folded pieces of paper. What did they ever do to you?

Venture into the Uncanny Valley after the break to see Heavy Rain's impressive and quietly disturbing E3 2006 Virtual Actor demonstration. If the announced collaboration turns out to be a different game entirely, we fully encourage the parties involved to step into the rain and scream, "Gotcha, suckas!"

[Via Sony press release]

Continue reading Sony partners with Quantic Dream on exclusive PS3 title

JoystiqSony partners with Quantic Dream on exclusive PS3 title originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>David CageDavidCageFahrenheitHeavy RainHeavyRainIndigo ProphecyIndigoProphecyOmikronPS3PS3 exclusivesPs3ExclusivesQuantic DreamQuanticDreamSCESonyTue, 03 Jul 2007 13:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Heavy Rain in the "Uncanny Valley" [update 1]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/18/heavy-rain-in-the-uncanny-valley/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/18/heavy-rain-in-the-uncanny-valley/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/18/heavy-rain-in-the-uncanny-valley/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Clive Thompson over at collision detection has spotted a very bad example of the "Uncanny Valley" rearing its ugly head (literally) in the trailer for the upcoming PS3 game, Heavy Rain, the sequel to Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy. The theory of the "Uncanny Valley", realized by Japanese robotics engineer Masahiro Mori, states that people's attitudes towards robots (or in-game characters) will become negative at the point at which the model is regarded as "almost human". Characters that lie within the valley are technically realistic, but their subtle differences compared to real humans freak us out.

This trailer well and truly scrapes the bottom of the valley: the poor lip animation, the glazed eyes and the lifeless skin combine to make the model look like a mash-up of Sofia Coppola and a deformed porcelain doll (ouch!). Now that console hardware is capable of near-CGI quality graphics, game developers and artists better watch their backs if they don't want to unintentionally scare their customers. As for designers of horror games, they can quite happily add another tool to their belt.

[Via collision detection]

Update: added an extra word that restored sense to the sentence (and to life, the universe and everything).

JoystiqHeavy Rain in the "Uncanny Valley" [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 May 2006 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Casting callCastingCallFahrenheitHeavy RainHeavyRainIndigo ProphecyIndigoProphecyPS3Uncanny ValleyUncannyValleyThu, 18 May 2006 09:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Atari slashes current gen prices]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/15/atari-slashes-current-gen-prices/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/15/atari-slashes-current-gen-prices/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/15/atari-slashes-current-gen-prices/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Atari cuts current gen pricesBeginning next month, Atari will cut prices for all of their current gen console and Game Boy Advance titles. The new $19.99 retail price will also apply to many of the publisher's PC releases. Now you can pick up Indigo Prophecy, Driver: Parallel Lines, and Marc Ecko's Getting Up for twenty bucks each, although games such as Demon Stone have been available at this price point for a while.

JoystiqAtari slashes current gen prices originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 May 2006 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atariGameCubeindigo prophecymarc eckoPCPS2XboxMon, 15 May 2006 13:00:00 EST