Joystiq

Doom IV getting name change operation

Jason Dobson — 2008-08-01T10:35:00+00:00

Whatever form the next game in the Doom saga takes, it will do so with a name other than simply Doom IV. id's Tim Willits told Big Download during this week's QuakeCon that the previously revealed Doom sequel will still have Doom in the title, but will adopt some form of hellish subtitle instead of a number, roman numeral or otherwise.

The designer noted that the decision was made, at least in part, because the fourth game in the series will not be a continuation of the events seen in Doom III and its expansion. As for what we can expect from the forthcoming Doom something something, who's to say, though it'll probably involve demons, a shotgun and -- if Doom III was any indication -- us wetting the bed.

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Carmack planning iPhone 'graphical tour de force'

Jason Dobson — 2008-07-28T16:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Business, Mobile

John Carmack loves his iPhone, so much so that the id Software co-founder has been spending a lot of time lately thinking of ways to bring his studio's tech-hungry game development to Apple's pricey portable. Forbes reports that Carmack, who still kicks himself for not having a game available for the device at launch, is currently planning to bring one of the dev's existing franchises to the iPhone as a "graphical tour de force."

But as for which one, the company isn't saying just yet, though given that the recently launched id Mobile division already has Doom RPG and the forthcoming Wolfenstein RPG to its credit, we wouldn't be at all surprised if Carmack will bring Quake or some flavor of Rage to the small screen as well. What's more, he's apparently considering the idea of tackling the MMO market on the iPhone down the line, though he admits that he's being "conservative" and doesn't "want to be in a bet-the-company situation" just yet. Even so, as Carmack looks for ways to push the phone's visual fidelity, we take solace in the fact that for once we won't have to upgrade our video card just to play with his latest toy.

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First video of C.O.R.E. is a B.O.R.E.

Randy Nelson — 2008-06-30T23:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, First Person Shooters

Is that DOOM running on the DS? Not unless "DOOM" is spelled C.O.R.E (which we believe most likely stands for "Completely Ordinary Regurgitated Experience" based on this trailer).

Having nothing to do with the sci-fi disaster flick The Core or Sony's digital magazine Qore - or even Tomb Raider developer CORE - this FPS from developer No Way (yes way!) manages to take us back to 1993 with its straight-outta-DOOM shotgun sound effect and 1977 with its "hey, that's from Star Wars!" blaster sound effect.

We eagerly await a metareview on this one. Can it even ... touch Touch the Dead?

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Doom 4 announced, id Software hiring

Ross Miller — 2008-05-07T12:59:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, First Person Shooters

Turns out those blood-thirsty demons just won't stay dead. Id Software has announced that Doom 4 has begun production as of today. According to the press release, the studio is now hiring for the project. Said CEO Todd Hollenshead, "Doom is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth."

No other details were given, but we're guessing it'll run off of id Tech 5 (or perhaps something greater). Given the ending of the Doom 3 expansion Resurrection was pretty conclusive, we don't know where the team will take the Doom story next. Our guess? Probably send a space marine to Hell to fight demons. Perhaps this time he (or she) will pack a better flashlight.

Id Software is a prolific partner of Activision, who published Doom 3, Quake 4 and Quake Wars. Check out Activision's Family Album to learn more about the company's internal studios.

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id Software admits uncertainty regarding plans for E3

Jason Dobson — 2008-05-04T00:30:00+00:00

Filed under: E3, Business

Last week laid the groundwork for what promises to be at the very least a confusing E3, with a number of familiar faces jumping ship in favor of the uncertain waters below. However, the news of who would and would not be attending the show this July got a bit hazy with regards to talk of developer id Software, with conflicting reports painting the Doom masterminds as both planning to attend and turning their backs on the annual event.

Rather than seek the wisdom of the office Magic 8-Ball, we turned to id co-owner and CEO Todd Hollenshead, who conceded uncertainty with regards to the company's E3 plans. Admitted the exec in an email: "Actually, we haven't determined in what capacity we'll be attending E3 (if any), so everyone is wrong." Interestingly, his response echoed that of our own prognosticating orb, which replied simply "Reply hazy, try again."

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Doom, Assault Heroes become $5 XBLA Hits

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-03-17T17:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

Perhaps, like us, you occasionally feel the urge to parade through the neighborhood, toting nothing but an impossibly huge rocket launcher and a desire to vaporize anything that, well, isn't you. And perhaps, like us, you realize (before it's too late) that these impractical desires are best expressed in video games such as Sierra Online's Assault Heroes or id Software's iconic Doom. It's certainly a lot cheaper.

In fact, the two aforementioned games will be added to Xbox Live's Arcade Hits program this Wednesday, March 19th, resulting in a 50% discount to 400 MS Points ($5) each. As Microsoft is keen to point out in the same press release, your determined point pinching may just come in handy for a lineup of new titles due to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade "in the near future:"

Rocky and Bullwinkle (Zen Studios): A miasma of "over 100 micro-games" based on the animated antics of the fondly remembered squirrel and moose. Much like fondly-remembered grandma though, we wonder if it's advisable to dig this up in 2008.
Shotest Shogi (AI Factory and Rubicon Development): A digital rendition of "Japan's top board game" complete with 16 AI opponents and an online multiplayer mode. It's also set "in an elegant Japanese room," which should finally lend our dank basements a hint of sophistication.
TiQal (Slapdash Games): A square-matching puzzle game that has players saving an ancient Mayan village alone or cooperatively amidst an "awe-inspiring musical score."·
Wits & Wagers (Hidden Path Entertainment): This "trivia party extravaganza" allows you to get by with educated guesses and a keen knowledge of the other players. You can play it by mashing the big buttons on Scene-It's trivial controller.
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (Capcom Entertainment): Both an arcade revival and an omni-directional shooter, Wolf of the Battlefield breaks new ground with all the impact of a silk sheet freed from its washing line. Still, given our recent experience with the title, making enemies go BOOM and rescuing POWs seem like timeless activities.

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Gameloft, Id to develop for iPhone

Ross Miller — 2008-03-10T13:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Mobile

Joining the ranks of Electronic Arts in game development for the iPhone, Gameloft and id Software have announced their commitment to Apple's portable. According to its press release, Gameloft intends to develop over 15 titles.

In a post on Slashdot, id's programming wizard John Carmack lauded Apple's 70% royalty deal and distribution deal. As for the SDK, Carmack said, "Just based on the blurbs, it looks very good -- a simulator plus debugging on the native device is the best of both worlds." Id also noted it had to put in an application for development like everyone else. Can we get an official version of Doom now?

[Via Engadget]

Read - John Carmack on iPhone SDK
Read - Gameloft Confirms Plans to Develop For iPhone With Over 15 Titles in 2008

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It 'plays' Doom: iPhone Doom updated, more playable

Christopher Grant — 2008-01-01T21:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Hacks, Portable, Mobile

Doom, the "Hello World" of the 21st century. Though not yet totally playable, the iPhone Doom project has been revived and updated and now the port even has controls (what'll they think of next?). While this may not seem that impressive when you compare the laundry list of seemingly crude devices that play Doom (including the iPod nano) with the sophisticated, powerful iPhone, it still warms our blackened hearts to ponder the iPhone's gaming possibilities.

If you want to get an idea of how iPhone Doom looks, hit up the video after the break. Even with an absence of sound and the strange touchscreen input, v0.1 is still a promising proof of concept. Rip and tear!

[Via TUAW]

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Atari posts $12 million Q1 loss. Who's got the will?

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-11-07T02:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Business

At this very moment in the town of Couer d'Couers, Ned, the pie maker, with the gift to bring the dead back to life for a short time (without consequences) stood over the body of Atari. The facts were these: The company of Atari was 35 years, 16 weeks, 4 hours and 9 minutes old. After already posting a $70 million loss in the last fiscal year, firing most of its board, borrowing $10 million and now reporting a $12 million loss for Q1, it was believed Atari had finally expired. But, just as the pie maker was about to touch the body -- to bring it back to life ever so briefly -- and ask where Atari stashed the will revealing its alleged secret fortune, a wholly unexpected thing happened. Atari popped up from the table and exclaimed, "I'm not dead yet!" And so, the startled pie maker left the morgue still trying to catch his breath, knowing he'd return soon enough.

Atari finally filed their delayed financial report for the quarter ending June 30 and laid out the bad news that they're down another $12 million. The company already sold most of its franchises like Stuntman and Driver; they're also in a dispute about potentially losing their Dragon Ball Z license as well. According to the quarterly report Atari states "substantial doubt about [their] ability to continue as a going concern."

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New Street Fighter movie helmed by Doom director

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-09-06T18:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

Variety is reporting that one helping of live-action Street Fighter just wasn't enough, Hollywood is going to try again. Hyde Park Entertainment and Capcom have signed on Andrzej Bartkowiak to direct a new movie of Street Fighter ... but here's where it actually gets good. Variety says his credits include Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds and Cradle to the Grave. What they fully neglect to mention is that Bartkowiak directed another video game-based movie: DOOM!

Yes, the man who directed DOOM is going to helm the new Street Fighter movie, which will apparently follow Chun Li on a "journey for justice." Can't you just feel The Darkness swelling up inside of you to stop this? The original Street Fighter movie starring Jean-Claude "muscles from Brussels" Van Damme earned $33 million. It also starred Raul Julia (Addams Family movies, Kiss of the Spider Woman) in one of his last roles ever -- that was the real tragedy. Hyde Park just finished a couple movies you will probably never hear of. Place your bets now if this Street Fighter movie will actually be worse than the original, which would seriously be an accomplishment.

[Thanks Ben]

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LGC07: German journalists, experts pick all-time most influential games

Ross Miller — 2007-08-27T16:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Retro

A gathering of German journalists, publishers and "experts" met at this year's Leipzig Games Convention to pick what they felt were the most influential games of all time (via GameSetWatch). Of the reported 150 nominations, 16 titles were ultimately chosen and, of those, four were noted for being most frequently noted.

The four top-honored games are Tetris, Pong, Doom and Pac-Man. Though we agree with much of the list, we're still left feeling some titles were unfortunately overlooked (e.g. E.T., Custer's Revenge). What do you think of the list?

See Also:
10 most important video games of all time, as judged by 2 designers, 2 academics, and 1 lowly blogger

[Image credit: Senechaux]

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QuakeCon 2007 keynote recap

Erik Hanson — 2007-08-05T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Portable, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360

Even though we couldn't liveblog the QuakeCon keynote, that didn't mean we weren't taking notes. It's Sunday, the final day of this giant BYOC (bring-your-own-computer) LAN party organized by volunteers right in id's backyard: Dallas, TX. Want to see how things went down on Friday night, when they announced Rage, their first game built using the id Tech 5 engine? Or how about the status of the next Wolfenstein game (hint: they're making one). Or how about John Carmack's thoughts on cell phone game development (if anyone can get us excited ...).

6:10pm - We're all filing in.

6:17pm - Todd Hollenshead takes the stage. Sponsor thanks; QuakeCon 2008 date is already set! (July 31 - August 3, 2008). He announces that the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars beta is open to all attendees both at the BYOC LAN, and as a downloadable beta once you get home. (The crowd goes wild). An October 2nd ship date is already set for ET: QW so mark those calendars.

6:24pm - OMG! Wolfenstein news! A new game is in development! ... and that's it. We already knew that much. No other news, just the teaser. Thanks for nothing, id!

Gallery: QuakeCon 2007 Keynote

6:26pm - Of course, they announce that the Wolfenstein live action movie rights have been licensed as well. The crowd, still sore from the Doom movie, groans. Roger Avary is writing and directing, and Samuel Hadida is producing. They are not Uwe Boll, nor Andrzej Bartkowiak, and have some chops in the movie world. The crowd seems somewhat placated. Somewhat.

6:27pm - All id titles will be available on Steam! From Doom to, well, Doom, all major id titles will be upgraded to use the Steam delivery system. Downloadable codes for the original Quake were given out to attendees as well. Quake Arena is in development for Xbox Live Arcade, and will be out as soon as they can get it done. Quake 3 is still #10 on the Gamespy list of top-played multiplayer games, since its 1999 Q3Atest release. A second team at id will work on the ad-supported Quake Zero release, aimed at web platform distribution and intended for more casual gamers who might not otherwise pick up a more hardcore shooter title. Wow, Quake 3 for the casual crowd. We feel old.

6:30pm - Doom RPG sales have hit over a million sold, and Katherine Kang takes over the stage to demo Orcs & Elves for the Nintendo DS. It takes the original Orcs & Elves and Orcs & Elves 2 gameplay from the cellphone market, and expands it with full 3D modeling, keeping the core gameplay but adding dual-screen goodness for the DS platform.

6:36pm - Todd comes back to replay the id Tech 5 demo similar to the one from Apple's WWDC keynote. It looks great (as we were expecting) and Todd touts its cross-licensing abilities - should be easy to port between platforms. Todd claims "anyone who doesn't look into this is in someone's pocket!" (Rough paraphrase but he said we could quote him on it!) John Carmack takes the stage! Video for Rage is played.

6:42pm - id wanted to take a new direction, away from their usual stable of Doom, Quake, and the rest. Let's go post-apocalyptic! And, it's bright and open to boot (where those corridors at?) id also wanted to branch out into the cellphone and small device market, a new direction for the company, but one that has been profitable.

6:47pm - Carmack explains why the industry and developers are so risk-averse -- need we ask? Money -- due to the costs of developing a AAA title, and how degrading it was (literally) to reduce a title like Doom down to other less-capable platforms than the PC, eventually ending up on the cellphone as an RPG. Carmack says the team learned a lesson, that in re-imagining the title on a smaller platform, they were able to discover the freedom of starting on the small, low end and working up, going from cellphone to DS and adding features, and the sorts of things that usually end up cut out due to space or system constraints, and then moving up from there, to, say, the Wii or even Tech 5-level and adding features and eye candy to a proven gameplay or style. Once you get to the top end, you need more space: Each of the two wasteland areas in Rage encompass over 100,000-square units and 80GB of uncompressed data, which is why Rage will ship on two DVDs or a single Blu-ray disc.

6:52pm - John often goes on tech retreats, where he locks himself in a hotel for a few days, living off room service and coding in solitude. He did the core of the DS code this way, and also returned to the Tech 5 core engine refreshed and ready for new challenges. As an aside, one gets the sense that Carmack enjoys the challenges of these new engine developments, such as cellphone or DS, just to get away from the "monotony" of coding the same old top-end engines year after year. He complains about the pace of cellphone development, in that a whole generation of phones came and went between Doom RPG and Orcs & Elves, and yet the requirements and capabilities were basically the same for both. He loses no love for either Java, or the iPhone's application development. All he really wants is a smartphone WiFi-controlled rocket -- and who doesn't?

7:00pm - id is in the process of hiring approximately 25 developers to form a core "Team B" to work on Quake Zero, a first for the company that normally has worked on the same project together. John also wants to use this team to tear down the code "to the oscilloscope level" and see what might be causing lag in the game. He says Apple is uniquely positioned to be the most responsive OS, even if they won't win benchmarks, simply because reducing latency and responsiveness in controls can trump "an extra layer of eye candy" for many games.

When he began looking for a two- to four-fold improvement in the current engine tech, he noticed that he could focus more on the technology and gameplay aspects by increasing the baseline FPS goal from 30 frames per second to 60. So, Rage and Tech 5 games will have the goal of higher framerate rather than just focusing on eye candy and shader effects with no eye for performance -- and owners of last-gen video cards rejoiced. He thinks that Rage won't be the driver for uber-high-end videocards as the Quakes and Doom 3 were for their generations, but I get the sense he's okay with that.

Changing the engine tools also affords things like being able to edit level geometry and have artists come in and make changes to level art and "extras" and just having it appear, without checking out source from the repository, and without affecting gameplay or memory footprint. The smaller team at id never allowed for fancy tool interfaces, or extra support.

The multi-platform simultaneous release of a title like ET:QW means that some platforms like the PS3, which have a tougher development process, slow down the schedule and make for more of a pain. While it appears Carmack does like the PS3, he did complain about its split memory between video and core (and the fact the PS3 takes up more of it than the 360), while the Wii will never be able to support a title like ET. On the other hand, don't be surprised to see titles ported to the PSP, or even Quake 3 Arena for the DS. The next-next-generation of engines (Tech 6 and beyond) might even allow for editing geometry in-game, allowing for sculpting objects as well as painting on them.

And now the Q&A begins, it's time to wake up this guy before he falls over.

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Romero unearths unreleased Doom music

Kyle Orland — 2007-06-25T14:56:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Retro, First Person Shooters

So you think you know everything about Doom, huh? You've beaten all the games on Nightmare without cheats? Played every fan-made WAD you could get your hands on? You're listening to a megamix of Doom MIDIs right now, aren't you? Well we've got some tunes here that we can guarantee aren't on your playlist.

Doom co-creator John Romero has posted these unreleased tracks on his blog with the warning that, much like deleted scenes on DVDs, "there's a reason these weren't released - they're not very good." And he's right -- with a few exceptions, the tracks are overly repetitive and a bit wonky. Still, if you worship anything and everything Doom-related, then, uh, I guess you should start worshiping ... because these are definitely Doom-related. Yeah!

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Id has new IP, keep wishing for that Cmdr. Keen remake

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-05-31T17:26:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

Id Software is working on a new game ... and it's not Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein or even Commander Keen related -- it's new. According to Id's CEO Todd Hollenshead the company is finishing off Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and moving onto this new game with a new engine developed by John Carmack.

Hollenshead told GI.biz, "It is a new Id brand with an all-new John Carmack engine and I think that when we show it to people, once again they'll see, just like they saw when we first showed Doom 3, that John Carmack still has a lot of magic left."

Hollenshead said they aren't ready to talk or show anything of the new concept. He says they like to play show and tell when they announce a game and they're just not ready to get in front of the class just yet. Hopefully we'll get something before or right around when Enemy Territory ships for PC, and then for PS3 and Xbox 360, later this year.

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id Software poised for a comeback, says id Software

Tony Carnevale — 2007-04-12T15:27:00+00:00

Filed under: First Person Shooters, Business

It's been a long time since id Software defined the first-person shooter with Wolfenstein 3D, and later took it to a new level of insanity with Doom. The company got rich not only off their own revolutionary games, but also by farming out their powerful engines to other developers.

In recent years, id has fallen from prominence. Doom 3 and Quake 4 were mere shadows of their predecessors. id began to lose FPS market share as other people's engines got more play. Even id founder/visionary John Carmack seemed to be losing interest in the genre he created, and spent his time building rockets and cell phone games.

But in a new interview with Next Generation, id CEO Todd Hollenshead makes it clear that his company has a few tricks up its sleeve, the most exciting of which is Carmack's "brand new shooter that is not based on any previous IP." While Hollenshead refuses to reveal much about this mysterious new game, he does say that "[Carmack's] approach allows us to do some things visually that we haven't ever been able to do before. He is really unfettering the ability of artists to go absolutely nuts."

Do you hear that, video game artists? Are you tired of those fetters on your ability to go absolutely nuts? Get a job at id.

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Today's most modified game video: Super Doom Mario

Kevin Kelly — 2007-03-08T00:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Hacks, PC, Nintendo Wii, Action, Adventure, Fighting, First Person Shooters, Video

In a way it's sad to see these little Mario villains get blasted away Doom-style ... but on the other hand, it is also extremely satisfying. TheLastBoss featured this video and offered up their own take, "This honestly looks more fun than a lot of Doom 3, I'd pay for it."

While we doubt you'll ever see it officially on the Virtual Console, you know someone is going to hack this onto there and we'll see people playing it with the Wii-mote. Just wait.

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Overheard at GDC: "Don't you feel like you're in Doom?"

Kyle Orland — 2007-03-07T19:25:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, First Person Shooters, GDC

"They need to do an augmented reality game in here. I mean, don't you feel like you're in Doom already?
- A random GDC attendee talking about the labyrinthine, ExpoSuite corridors of Moscone West (pictured above, totally unaltered.)

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Doom's surly protagonist becomes art project

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2007-02-20T22:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture

That's one zoomed space marine. An article on Videoludica discusses the latest work of one Damiano Colacito, said to be one of the most interesting contributors to the Italian Game Art scene. His "Face of Doom" exhibit, which opened the XXIII International Festival of Sarajevo, is comprised of Doom's HUD (heads-up display) being projected onto a war-damaged Hotel Europa.

As Flynn "Doomguy" Taggart endures damage, his face slowly transforms from that of a stern space marine into something more closely resembling an exceedingly displeased hamburger. Fans of Doom would certainly recognize the various levels of pain and bloody torment expressed by the silent protagonist, but what they might not be aware of is how those tie into the history of the hotel and the war that left it in ruins. As Doomguy grows visibly anguished and upset, so grows the metaphor for the people in Sarajevo and their reactions to seeing the destructive effects of war.

The video ends on an upbeat note, however -- Doomguy's health is restored, calling forth " the proverbial phoenix that rises from its ashes."

[Via GameSetWatch]

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NeXT crucial to PC game history

Zack Stern — 2006-12-26T19:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Mac, PC, Retro

John Romero, pausing from his CPL project, recently updated his weblog, reminiscing about the tenth anniversary of Apple buying NeXT; id used NeXT machines to develop some of its most iconic games. Doom, Doom II, and Quake were created on NeXT boxes, and Romero also says Raven Software developed Heretic and Hexen on the same platform.

Romero's post delivers lots more geek love, with more specific notes about the development process; we almost forgot that developers have platform allegiances even if their products are made for other operating systems.

[Via TUAW]

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Serious Games Summit: A military takeover of serious games

Kyle Orland — 2006-10-31T13:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Simulations, Business

Things have come a long way since the U.S. Armed Forces got into the video game business with Marine Doom in the early '90s. Just ask Roger Smith, an analyst who presented on the past, present and future of military involvement in games at the Serious Games Summit. In the dozen or so years since their shallow, graphical Doom II mod, Smith said the military has integrated full-fledged training simulations for all sorts of different positions and situations. Right now most of that training goes to the "trigger pullers" -- the people risking their lives on the front lines -- but Smith said lower-cost technology solutions would allow for simulations geared towards medical, logistical, maintenance, and other troops who currently don't have many other training options.

While recent military sims like America's Army and Full Spectrum Warrior have crossed over into the commercial market, Smith said he sees this trend slowing in the future, with the military developing narrowly targeted simulations suited specifically for military use, not living room use. As this trend continues, Smith sees the military developing internal game development resources to create its games, rather than buying off-the-shelf parts and talent from outside game companies.

Smith also talked excitedly about the military's interest in developing for the Xbox 360 through the XNA program. While there were too many roadblocks to developing military trainers for the original Xbox, Smith said a simulation designed for powerful, affordable hardware like the 360 had the potential to open up training to every soldier, rather than just those in units with access to expensive, high-end PCs.

Also see: Serious Games Summit: Defense dept. games

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