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 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Criterion creative director indicates he isn't working on a racing game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/criterion-creative-director-indicates-he-isnt-working-on-a-raci/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/criterion-creative-director-indicates-he-isnt-working-on-a-raci/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/criterion-creative-director-indicates-he-isnt-working-on-a-raci/#comments Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Burnout Paradise developer Criterion looks to be expanding beyond the racing game genre. Studio creative director and VP Alexander Ward responded yesterday to recent speculation about a new Need for Speed: Underground game, ruling out any impending announcements of either that or a new Burnout - or at least ones that involve himself.

This morning, Ward tweeted "The key word was 'personally'....#tothefuture #weseefarther," underlining that some of the comments he made were only in reference to himself. His tweet may imply Criterion has separate teams working on separate games - Ward said only nine months ago the Need for Speed series was "definitely a Criterion gig" now.

"Here is what I want folks to know," Ward wrote yesterday. "Some folks are eternally disappointed. Nothing I can do about that. So many tweets asking for new Burnout. Equally many tweets asking for a new NFS game from us. Also Road Rash. Whilst I love all of those games, I am personally not doing any."

"After over a decade of making racing games it's time to make something new. It is early days thus I have nothing to 'announce' or talk about," Ward continued. However, he certainly didn't sever his own ties with the genre, later saying, "I am proud of all of the Burnout games. When it feels right we will make another one. We are creative people."

Continue reading Criterion creative director indicates he isn't working on a racing game

JoystiqCriterion creative director indicates he isn't working on a racing game originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-wardalexander-wardcriterion-gamesEAukTue, 16 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Why hooligans have a place in Need for Speed: Most Wanted]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/why-hooligans-have-a-place-in-need-for-speed-most-wanted/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/why-hooligans-have-a-place-in-need-for-speed-most-wanted/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/15/why-hooligans-have-a-place-in-need-for-speed-most-wanted/#comments
Need for Speed: Most Wanted's online play is equal parts chaos and confusion, going against the normal regimented competitions and controlled environments found in other racing games. Criterion Games creative director Alex Ward says this design is part of the studio's "philosophy" for online play.

In Most Wanted online, players are called to a meeting area before an event starts, without much warning or information. Unless you've played the particular event before, you have no idea what to do and - as mentioned in Joystiq's review - there's nothing stopping other players from foiling each other before the event starts.

"The philosophy there is that we know people are utter degenerate hooligans online," Ward says - and the actions of these "hooligans," as he calls them, is a "valid" part of the overall online experience.

Gallery: Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Wii U)

Continue reading Why hooligans have a place in Need for Speed: Most Wanted

JoystiqWhy hooligans have a place in Need for Speed: Most Wanted originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-wardcriterioncriterion-gameseamicrosoftneed-for-speed-most-wanted-2012nintendopcplaystationps3wii-uxboxFri, 15 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Need for Speed now officially Criterion's baby]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/23/need-for-speed-now-officially-criterions-baby/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/23/need-for-speed-now-officially-criterions-baby/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/23/need-for-speed-now-officially-criterions-baby/#comments Criterion VP Alex Ward revealed that the company took over the Need for Speed series in an interview at E3 with GameInformer. Noting that the franchise will see "strong Criterion involvement" going forward, Ward said that he will be "personally involved in how the cars drive, how the game will play out, how connected they are, and what the features are."

"It's not going to be spread anymore across different companies. Different studios have had a crack at it - it's definitely a Criterion gig now," he said.

Regarding the variety in Need For Speed titles and features (such as Hot Pursuit, Shift, and Most Wanted), Ward added, "I think it would be amazing in the future if there was one big game that had all of these in it. That would be amazing."

JoystiqNeed for Speed now officially Criterion's baby originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 23 Jun 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-wardcriterionNeed-for-SpeednfsSat, 23 Jun 2012 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Burnout Crash hits home in August, was once a Wii game [update: now '2011']]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/12/burnout-crash-hits-home-in-august-was-once-a-wii-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/12/burnout-crash-hits-home-in-august-was-once-a-wii-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/12/burnout-crash-hits-home-in-august-was-once-a-wii-game/#comments Burnout Crash! will bring its top-down pileups, Kinect collisions and titular exclamation point to PSN and XBLA in August, according to an announcement on EA's UK news site. EA originally announced the downloadable auto pinball title as a "fall" release.

Another revelation about Crash! was provided by Criterion creative director Alex Ward at EA's summer showcase. Ward told Giant Bomb that the project started on Wii before it became Crash!. "It was a user-created game where you drew a road with the wand, and we thought, if we made Crash Mode, you could make it all yourself." Criterion worked on that until discovering that it was "quite boring."

Update: The announcement on EA's site has replaced all references to "August" (and the one out-of-place reference to "Winter") to just "2011."

JoystiqBurnout Crash hits home in August, was once a Wii game [update: now '2011'] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-wardburnoutBurnout-Crashcriterionmicrosoftnintendoplaystationps3psnwiixblaxboxTue, 12 Jul 2011 09:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Criterion once pitched 'Need for Speed: Split Second,' worked on Skate or Die remake]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/30/criterion-once-pitched-need-for-speed-split-second-worked-on/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/30/criterion-once-pitched-need-for-speed-split-second-worked-on/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/30/criterion-once-pitched-need-for-speed-split-second-worked-on/#commentsFiled under: , ,

In the latest issue of GamesTM, Criterion Games creative director Alex Ward dishes news on a Skate or Die remake that EA offered his studio back in 2002, which was eventually canned by Criterion. This, Ward says, soured relations between the developer and EA for some time, effectively killing Criterion's pitch on a Need for Speed title -- titled "Need for Speed: Split Second," if you can believe it. "We called a meeting with the EA guys, told them we were walking away [from Skate or Die] and they went mad," Ward said. "threatening to sue us, put us out of business ... there was a lot of anger and frustration. Then we got a call from the Need For Speed guys and they said 'we can't work with you guys any more; you just walked away and there's a shame on your company, so we can't talk to you.'"

Though the pitch was killed, Criterion instead got to work on developing its Burnout series and is now developing another reboot for EA: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. It also appears that the direction in which Skate or Die's remake was going -- a more realistic, simulation-style skateboarding game -- eventually became EA's Skate franchise. "I wanted to explore what it was like to just go out for a skate and have that feeling of just doing whatever you want. There was that experience from when I went skating in real life that just wasn't captured in videogames. I wanted to be able to get off the board," says Criterion dev Craig Sullivan. There are said to be many more interesting tidbits in the issue, which hits newsstands on September 5.

JoystiqCriterion once pitched 'Need for Speed: Split Second,' worked on Skate or Die remake originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-wardburnout-3criterioncriterion-gameseaelectronic-artsmicrosoftneed-for-speed-hot-pursuitpcplaystationps3skate-or-diexboxMon, 30 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Joystiq hands-on: Burnout Paradise]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/27/joystiq-hands-on-burnout-paradise/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/27/joystiq-hands-on-burnout-paradise/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/27/joystiq-hands-on-burnout-paradise/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I recently got sucked into Burnout Paradise, playing about a half-hour of the racing game due for release this Winter. While a half-hour may not seem like much, at hands-on gaming events, we writers rarely have the time or interest to play more than about fifteen minutes of a title before moving to the next.

Criterion creative director, Alex Ward chatted while I raced through the realistic city; he was clearly proud and excited by the game's deviation from previous Burnout franchise titles. And I was also impressed.

Admittedly, a half-hour isn't enough time to make a complete assessment of a game. But I'm optimistic that the new version of the title will be a smash even if it breaks Burnout traditions.

Gallery: Burnout Paradise

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Burnout Paradise

JoystiqJoystiq hands-on: Burnout Paradise originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex-wardburnout-paradiseburnoutparadisecrashcriteriondrivinghands-onimpressionsonlinepreviewps3raceracingxbox-360Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:00:00 EST