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The Cave review: Seven spelunkers, none decent

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST

The Cave is an adventure game, obviously. It's littered with puzzles and pieces of junk destined to become the only objects in the world worth having. The cave itself is a sentient, subterranean narrator, enveloping seven different explorers in a patchwork of dream-like environments that not only pertain to them, but contain the kind of contorted contexts in which a femur and a parrot are essential parts of progress.

Those are all signs of the classic adventure, tinged with the incongruous vending machines, gift shops and eternally stranded island hermits you expect from a Ron Gilbert game. But there's something else inside The Cave, a familiar cynicism and cleverness that gradually emerges as each spelunker hits rock bottom. These people - even the monk and the chivalrous knight - are egotistical, unpleasant kleptomaniacs, and you're one of them.

Gallery: The Cave (9/4/12)

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The Cave review: Seven spelunkers, none decent originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Irrational introduces 'Monster Island' ... which we'll never play

JC Fletcher — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST

We think Bioshock Infinite looks great and all, but after seeing developer Irrational Games' decade-old pitch for a game about Godzilla-style monsters versus the humans trying to destroy them, we can't help but look at Infinite with a bit of contempt. Sure, it's irrational to think this pitch is what the team would be making if they weren't making the next BioShock -- but we are talking about Irrational Games here!

"The pitch promised some 20 monsters, a living city, heavily destructible environments, and a dynamic civil defense network," Irrational's Chris Remo recounted in the studio's latest "From the Vault" feature. The game would have let players control either a monster or the defending forces.

To twist the knife, Irrational artist Jorce Lacera went back and illustrated some concept art for the unmade game, including the image above and a reimagining of the classic movie monster Anguirus. Check out the article and spend the rest of the day dreaming about what will never happen.

Irrational introduces 'Monster Island' ... which we'll never play originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA is 'very, very pro independent development,' says DeMartini

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:10:00 EST

In what seems to be a multiple year-spanning sea change on the side of EA, the company is not only reaching out to independent developers like Grasshopper Manufacture and Valve, but also working with them to keep their properties autonomous. Chris Remo of Gamasutra sat down with David DeMartini, General Manager of EA Partners, to discuss the idea behind EAP and, in doing so, revealed some interesting truths about the EA initiative.

"I think that there is very much a renaissance within the EAP based on the leadership of Electronic Arts ... John Riccitiello and Frank Gibeau are very, very pro-independent development," says DeMartini, referring to titles like American McGee's Alice sequel and Suda 51's upcoming game (still untitled), as well as Valve-developed Left 4 Dead. The "renaissance," he believes, isn't spurred by the way in which the EA Partners program has been set up, so much as it's been a focus on "great quality."

While last year's Mirror's Edge and Left 4 Dead might not have sold huge numbers out of the gate, there is no doubt that their critical reception has been overwhelmingly positive. To add credence to his argument, sales of both titles have held steady as time goes on."What we've proven is that there is no one model. What we have also proven is quality and innovation always win." Not a terrible truth to arrive at, if we must say so ourselves.

EA is 'very, very pro independent development,' says DeMartini originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh, Aaron Greenberg: PS3 'hemorrhaging at retail,' GTA IV DLC would have beaten Killzone 2 at retail

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:13:00 EST

Citing February NPD numbers against those in the past couple of years -- and Microsoft's own, mysterious Xbox Live numbers on GTA IV's exclusive downloadable expansion -- Xbox 360 product management director Aaron Greenberg did quite a bit of chest pounding to Gamasutra's Chris Remo yesterday. Broaching the subject of competitors head on, Greenberg says, "What we hear from our partners is that it's not just PS3, it's also PS2 down 62 percent year over year. With that business declining, and with the PS3 business declining, it's been described to me as hemorrhaging at retail right now, and it just keeps getting worse."

Moving right along to the subject of Killzone 2 -- a game released on the 27th of a 28 day month -- Greenberg compares the title to the aforementioned GTA IV mystery numbers, "If that content was sold at retail, it would be one of the best sellers across all platforms. It would have outsold Killzone 2." Considering GTA IV's astronomical sales numbers, if even half of the game's owners have the 360 iteration and a quarter of those people bought the expansion, that's over 1.5 million downloads. Still, without hard numbers to back up his statements, Greenberg's words amount to little more than our monthly rendezvous with executive smack talking.

Update: SCEA responds to February NPD numbers on Joystiq PlayStation. "We have no doubt [Killzone 2] will deliver a next gen experience and will be responsible for driving hardware sales throughout the year."

Oh, Aaron Greenberg: PS3 'hemorrhaging at retail,' GTA IV DLC would have beaten Killzone 2 at retail originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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