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[Dead Island's lifeblood was co-op, 4 million units shipped]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/dead-islands-lifeblood-was-co-op-4-million-units-shipped/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/dead-islands-lifeblood-was-co-op-4-million-units-shipped/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/dead-islands-lifeblood-was-co-op-4-million-units-shipped/#comments Dead Island's success was all due to that stunning trailer, right? Well, according to Guido Eickmeyer, development director and executive producer of games at publisher Deep Silver, the resort-vacation zombie simulator sold 4 million units because of its cooperative gameplay.

"This is why we got all the good reviews from users. This is why we got high user ratings, because it is the most exciting co-op experience that is on the market," Eickmeyer said.

Despite investing less than $25 million dollars in the project - low for a major triple-A video game - Dead Island has been played for 56,907,547 hours in co-op, which is approximately 6,500 years total.

After the success of the trailer, there were talks of forming the game around that, but there simply weren't the resources. Dead Island showed strong potential in its co-op, so the focus shifted to that and that game was a huge hit. Dead Island: Riptide is another "huge co-op experience" being revealed this week at Gamescom.

JoystiqDead Island's lifeblood was co-op, 4 million units shipped originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dead-islandDeep-silvergamescomgamescom-2012gdc-2012gdc-europe-2012microsoftpcplaystationps3techlandxboxTue, 14 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Majority of profit from Dragon Age: Origins DLC was from launch DLC]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/13/majority-of-profit-from-dragon-age-origins-dlc-was-from-launch/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/13/majority-of-profit-from-dragon-age-origins-dlc-was-from-launch/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/13/majority-of-profit-from-dragon-age-origins-dlc-was-from-launch/#comments Majority of profit from Dragon Age Origins DLC was day one"Having something post-ship is absolutely essential," BioWare director of online development Fernando Melo told an audience at GDC Europe today, during his discussion of day-one DLC, online passes and long-term monetization. Shipping DLC on the day of launch is essential from a business standpoint - Dragon Age: Origins, for example, saw 53 percent of all of its paid DLC transactions solely from sales of its day-one DLC packs, The Stone Prisoner and Warden's Keep.

This figure accounts for those who bought Stone Prisoner for $15 in a used copy of Origins, and those who purchased Warden's Keep for $7 outside of its inclusion in the Digital Deluxe Edition. Since these two DLC packs, Dragon Age: Origins has had seven additional iterations of downloadable content, which account for less than half of the total DLC revenue from Origins.

Melo stressed the importance of day-one DLC from a business standpoint for any developer. Launch day sees the highest number of players and offers the widest possibility for catching long-term, continuously paying players, he said.

JoystiqMajority of profit from Dragon Age: Origins DLC was from launch DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BioWareday-one-dlcDLCdragon-age-originsGamescom-2012gdc-2012gdc-europe-2012microsoftpcplaystationps3xboxMon, 13 Aug 2012 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Getting the best of both worlds in Fractured Soul]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/02/getting-the-best-of-both-worlds-in-fractured-soul/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/02/getting-the-best-of-both-worlds-in-fractured-soul/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/02/getting-the-best-of-both-worlds-in-fractured-soul/#comments Fractured Soul's release status may be in question, with Endgame Studios tentatively planning to put it on the 3DS eShop in two parts, but it's worth hoping the game finds its way to players. The side-scroller takes one clever DS-friendly mechanic -- parallel worlds, one on each screen, that the player can jump between at any time -- and then cranks that to every possible extreme, to challenge and/or punish the player.

The main gimmick is easy enough to understand, and the first few levels ease you into it nicely. Two side-scrolling environments exist in parallel, one on each screen, but they're slightly different from one another. There might be a bridge on the top screen where there's a gap on the bottom screen, or a wall in place on one screen that isn't on the other.

Gallery: Fractured Soul (4/2/12)

Continue reading Getting the best of both worlds in Fractured Soul

JoystiqGetting the best of both worlds in Fractured Soul originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsendgame-studioseshopfractured-soulfractured-soul-3dgdc-2012nintendoMon, 02 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Spinning a web from The Amazing Spider-Man's point of view]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/spinning-a-web-from-the-amazing-spider-mans-point-of-view/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/spinning-a-web-from-the-amazing-spider-mans-point-of-view/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/spinning-a-web-from-the-amazing-spider-mans-point-of-view/#comments In an effort make you feel like you're Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man, Beenox has designed Web Rush mode, a first-person mechanic that lets Spidey move to a particular section of the environment in a cinematic parkour sequence.

Think of that initial first-person bit seen in the movie's teaser trailer, which moves the camera inside Parker's head and lets you see skyscrapers of Manhattan through the eyes of Spider-Man.

Gallery: The Amazing Spider-man (Iguana)

Continue reading Spinning a web from The Amazing Spider-Man's point of view

JoystiqSpinning a web from The Amazing Spider-Man's point of view originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionamazing-spider-manbeenoxgdc-2012microsoftplaystationps3the-amazing-spider-manxboxTue, 20 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Warren Spector (note: not 'War Inspector') GDC Lifetime Achievement award video loosed]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/warren-spector-note-not-war-inspector-gdc-lifetime-achievem/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/warren-spector-note-not-war-inspector-gdc-lifetime-achievem/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/warren-spector-note-not-war-inspector-gdc-lifetime-achievem/#comments
During GDC this year, Warren Spector was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award for ... uh ... his life, and Mega64 was there with an amazing video to celebrate as much. Starring Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski, you'll find out that Spector's name isn't just a guise for his secret job as a "War Inspector." Finally! The truth!

JoystiqWarren Spector (note: not 'War Inspector') GDC Lifetime Achievement award video loosed originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdcgdc-2012junction-point-studioslifetime-achievement-awardwarren-spectorMon, 19 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Long Mario never lived: Super Mario 3D Land director was totally joking]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/long-mario-never-lived-super-mario-3d-land-director-was-totally/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/long-mario-never-lived-super-mario-3d-land-director-was-totally/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/long-mario-never-lived-super-mario-3d-land-director-was-totally/#comments Koichi Hayashida opened his hilarious, energetic GDC speech with a look at some content that was considered for inclusion in Super Mario 3D Land, but didn't make it into the final game -- ideas like "Huge Mario," "Long Mario" (who is "sort of scary!") and a shell-riding "Pro Skater Mario."

But were these ideas that really almost made it into the game? "No, not at all," Hayashida told me with a laugh during a subsequent interview. Hayashida then went on to explain his use of weird jokes and general high-energy style.

"Just for this presentation," he said (quietly), "I decided to turn my hilarity meter up to maximum for an American audience. If I was addressing a Japanese audience, of course, I would be much more subdued." In fact, "I think if I tried to give that same presentation for a Japanese audience, they might not even be able to follow it." Hayashida expressed surprise that the GDC crowd offered spontaneous applause for the corny, out-of-place "D. Mario" option that appeared in every multiple-choice question he offered on stage. "I was really surprised, because that's the sort of thing that Japanese audiences might have just sat there not clapping for."

JoystiqLong Mario never lived: Super Mario 3D Land director was totally joking originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsgdc-2012koichi-hayashidanintendosuper-mario-3dsuper-mario-3d-landsuper-mario-land-3dFri, 16 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Hayashida: Super Mario 3D Land is a gateway game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/hayashida-super-mario-3d-land-is-a-gateway-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/hayashida-super-mario-3d-land-is-a-gateway-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/hayashida-super-mario-3d-land-is-a-gateway-game/#comments Super Mario 3D Land has a curious structure: it's very easy throughout the first eight worlds, and then it surprises the player with a "special" set of eight additional worlds, which test players with insane time limits, ever-pursuing "Shadow Marios" and every other trick EAD Tokyo could think of. So why backload the challenge?

"We thought of setting the difficulty level about as low as we could go realistically for this game because we saw this as an entry point to the Mario games for a lot of people," director Koichi Hayashida told me during GDC. "So the way we see it is someone would pick up Super Mario 3D Land and play that, and then maybe they would move onto Super Mario Galaxy or Super Mario Sunshine or Super Mario 64 after that."

There's an even more personal motivation. "Speaking as a Mario game fan personally, I should admit that I had trouble trying to clear the first two Super Mario Bros. games," Hayashida said. "So for me, I wanted to create a game that I could at the very least clear. Even if it meant using Assist Blocks, I was able to clear this one, of course."

Hayashida and his team designed a game that allowed "lots of people" to see an ending, which plays at the end of world 8 before the Special Worlds appear. "Even though there's still a little bit of good challenge in worlds 7 and 8, people have at least the option to adjust the difficulty for what feels appropriate to them. If that means they need to challenge themselves to find all the star medals in a certain levels, they can do that. But we're not forcing people to do something at a very high level of difficulty all the way through." At least, not until the Special Worlds.

JoystiqHayashida: Super Mario 3D Land is a gateway game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsgdc-2012koichi-hayashidanintendosuper-mario-3dsuper-mario-3d-landsuper-mario-land-3dFri, 16 Mar 2012 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Exploring an open-world Gotham in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/exploring-an-open-world-gotham-in-lego-batman-2-dc-super-heroes/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/exploring-an-open-world-gotham-in-lego-batman-2-dc-super-heroes/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/exploring-an-open-world-gotham-in-lego-batman-2-dc-super-heroes/#comments
Lego bricks inspire creativity, but that sense of discovery and creation is all but lost in the video games from developer Travelers Tales. The experiences are largely linear affairs, with not much in the way of making your own fun.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes has a different design philosophy. Rather than give players a list of levels they can select, TT Games has removed the barriers around Batman's hometown. While the vision of an open world is welcome, a short demo of the game during GDC showed there's still a lot that tethers The Dark Knight to Gotham.

Gallery: Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (3/15/12)

Continue reading Exploring an open-world Gotham in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

JoystiqExploring an open-world Gotham in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsdsgdc-2012Lego-Batmanlego-batman-2-dc-super-heroesmicrosoftnintendopcplaystationplaystation-vitaps3pspsonyTravelers-TalesTT-GamesvitawiixboxThu, 15 Mar 2012 18:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Move's cryptic Datura captured on video]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/moves-cryptic-datura-captured-on-video/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/moves-cryptic-datura-captured-on-video/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/moves-cryptic-datura-captured-on-video/#comments
At GDC, Sony officially unveiled Plastic Studios' Datura, a Move-based adventure game that puts you in control of a spooky floating hand in a richly detailed forest. I had the opportunity to move through the forest, touch trees, and crack ice, but you need this video from PlayStation Blog to help understand the oddity of Datura.

Datura seems to trade adventure game logic for dream logic, and gives you bizarre choices that result in unexpected effects. For example, picking up an icepick (in a hollowed out statue) transports you instantly to an ice field, where you must decide whether to get a trophy -- or a frantic person -- out of the ice. Seemed like an easy choice for me, but apparently not everybody does the same thing. Your actions result in alterations to the main forest environment, which may include ... different insects? Told you it was odd.

JoystiqMove's cryptic Datura captured on video originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>daturagdc-2012moveplastic-studiosplaystationps3Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Play Sketch Nation Studio, publish title you created in-game, profit]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/play-sketch-nation-studio-publish-title-you-created-in-game-pr/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/play-sketch-nation-studio-publish-title-you-created-in-game-pr/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/play-sketch-nation-studio-publish-title-you-created-in-game-pr/#comments Making games is hard. Making games that make money is exponentially more difficult, but even that doomed opportunity isn't possible without first overcoming the initial problem -- making games is hard.

We've tracked the emotional and economic expense of making a game without a publisher, devoted backers or rich family members, and the personal sacrifice involved in devoting oneself to a passion of game creation is now in the glaring public light. Engineous Games wants to take some of the pain out of programming with its new app, Sketch Nation Studio, set to debut at the end of March for iOS devices, Engineous founder Nitzan Wilnai told Joystiq at GDC.

Studio is the follow-up to Sketch Nation Shooter, an app released in 2011 that allows users to draw their own creations and put them into a game instantly. Shooter sold 800,000 copies at $0.99 a pop, saw 100,000 games created and 10,000 available for sharing across the network. Studio takes the premise of Shooter one step further, and allows users to have their games published through Engineous on the App Store with a tap of a button.

Engineous will publish each applicable title for $0.99, and after Apple takes its standard 30 percent, Engineous and the Studio developer will split profits 50-50, each seeing $0.35 of every sale. Sell 1,000 copies and get $350; sell 10,000 and get $3,500. That's not a bad reward for simply playing a game, but it gets better -- Sketch Nation Studio is free.

Continue reading Play Sketch Nation Studio, publish title you created in-game, profit

JoystiqPlay Sketch Nation Studio, publish title you created in-game, profit originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>app-storeAppleengineous-gamesgdc-2012iosipadiphonemobileNitzan-Wilnaisketch-nation-shooterSketch-Nation-StudioWed, 14 Mar 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The best mobile games of GDC 2012]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/the-best-mobile-games-of-gdc-2012/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/the-best-mobile-games-of-gdc-2012/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/the-best-mobile-games-of-gdc-2012/#comments We've picked out five of the most interesting new mobile titles seen at the Game Developers Conference this year. One of them is available now, and the others are coming soon, all from studios and developers of varying talents and reputations. Read on to see the cream of the crop from the mobile side of this year's GDC.

Continue reading The best mobile games of GDC 2012

JoystiqThe best mobile games of GDC 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>air-mailchillingocoderunnergdc-2012iosipadiphonemobilenimblebitone-man-leftoutwitterspocket-planessegatotal-war-battlestotal-war-battles-shogunWed, 14 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Final thoughts from GDC: How JRPGS can dance to Reisuke Ishida's beat]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/final-thoughts-from-gdc-how-jrpgs-can-dance-to-reisuke-ishidas/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/final-thoughts-from-gdc-how-jrpgs-can-dance-to-reisuke-ishidas/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/final-thoughts-from-gdc-how-jrpgs-can-dance-to-reisuke-ishidas/#commentsThis is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer.
For all the discussion about the dire straits the Japanese game industry finds itself in, my lasting image of GDC 2012 will be of a Japanese developer who got so excited about his projects that he literally started dancing at his podium.

That developer was Taito's Reisuke Ishida (Space Invaders Infinity Gene), and he was in town to host a talk titled simply, 'Five Techniques for Making an Unforgettable Game.' No self-flagellation about the declining quality of Japanese gaming here; just Ishida running between the two screens on either side of his podium as he danced to the trailer of Groove Coaster. I find Reisuke Ishida's enthusiasm for the craft infectious, to say the least.

Continue reading Final thoughts from GDC: How JRPGS can dance to Reisuke Ishida's beat

JoystiqFinal thoughts from GDC: How JRPGS can dance to Reisuke Ishida's beat originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDC-2012gravity-rushgroove-coasterReisuke-IshidaWed, 14 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[My first dance with Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/my-first-dance-with-runner2-future-legend-of-rhythm-alien/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/my-first-dance-with-runner2-future-legend-of-rhythm-alien/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/my-first-dance-with-runner2-future-legend-of-rhythm-alien/#comments Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is easier than Bit.Trip Runner.

I'm saying this up front because I'm guessing the difficulty in Runner turned some would-be fans away, and I want those people to keep reading. If you liked the simple rhythm-platforming gameplay of Runner but hit a metaphorical wall after hitting so many literal walls, this will be more your speed. I think I got through about 8 stages in a row of fast-moving, autoscrolling, jumping, sliding, kicking gameplay without dying.

In fact, a lot of the game is designed to welcome lapsed or new players. The retro look has been replaced by a polygonal style that co-director Alex Neuse describes as "whimsical," with a rounded, cartoony CommanderVideo and cute creatures bouncing happily to the music. Cutscenes in a Saul Bass art style act as both exemplars of a popular style and, as co-director Mike Roush explained, a "stepping stone between the old style and the new style." bridges between the 2D Bit.Trip look and Runner2's in-game presentation. As an XBLA/PSN title, it's also available to people who couldn't play the WiiWare-based Runner. "So this is like, hey everyone, this is our fun little gameplay thing, rhythm music platformer, and we can all play it," Neuse said.

Even if you're a bad enough dude to enjoy the insane difficulty of Runner 1, there's plenty in the sequel to capture your interest. Like choices.

Continue reading My first dance with Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien

JoystiqMy first dance with Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aksys-gamesgaijin-gamesgdcgdc-2012microsoftplaystationps3psnrunner-2runner-2-future-legend-of-rhythm-alienxblaxboxWed, 14 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Witness cares about you more than you know]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/the-witness-cares-about-you-more-than-you-know/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/the-witness-cares-about-you-more-than-you-know/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/the-witness-cares-about-you-more-than-you-know/#comments Soon after launching his debut hit, Braid, on Xbox Live Arcade in 2008, creator Jonathan Blow issued a cheeky walkthrough tip on his personal site. In so many words, it said "suck it up and don't use a walkthrough" - a statement which many saw as reflective of a perceived "my way" attitude to game design.

Others saw it more expectantly, knowing Blow to be a perfectionist and not one to offer hints on his games. He hates games that hold your hand. "Treating the player like a baby all the time, I don't like that," he told me during an interview last week at GDC.

That's why he's designed his latest game, The Witness, to hold your hand just long enough to find the path. "What I do is I work really hard to not condescend the player and to not treat the player like they're stupid, but at the same time to follow good game design practices. This game has to be learnable, and there has to be tutorialization in it, but it's not patronizing tutorialization."

Unlike Braid's more linear pacing, The Witness is designed as an open world - albeit a very small open world - so that difficult puzzles can either be skipped (not all must be solved to reach the end) or passed by for later on. Blow said this was intentionally designed to respect the time of players. "It's more about crafting a small, heavily interconnected jewel that gives people the highest density experience, respecting their time that way. There's not gonna be a lot of walking around through empty lands in this game."

Though the game is looking more complete than ever, The Witness has no set platforms or launch window beyond PC and iOS, and "some time in 2012."

JoystiqThe Witness cares about you more than you know originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>braidgdcgdc-2012iosipadiphonejonathan-blowmacmobilepcthe-witnesstheklathekla-incWed, 14 Mar 2012 06:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Papo and Yo and dealing with tragedy]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/papo-and-yo-and-dealing-with-tragedy/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/papo-and-yo-and-dealing-with-tragedy/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/papo-and-yo-and-dealing-with-tragedy/#comments Everyone has a coping mechanism for those times they have to endure pain and tragedy. Papo & Yo creator Vander Caballero grew up with an abusive and alcoholic father, and we're learning about it through the game's goals and imagery. Caballero's father is represented by a companion and monster (who recently received a redesign). It can sometimes be a comforting figure, but when consuming frogs (metaphor!) it becomes a literal beast.

Gallery: Papo and Yo (GDC 2012)

Continue reading Papo and Yo and dealing with tragedy

JoystiqPapo and Yo and dealing with tragedy originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdc-2012minoritypapo-and-yoplaystationps3vander-caballeroTue, 13 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jet Set Radio HD retains US-version content, half of original track list]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/jet-set-radio-hd-retains-us-version-content-half-of-original-tr/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/jet-set-radio-hd-retains-us-version-content-half-of-original-tr/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/jet-set-radio-hd-retains-us-version-content-half-of-original-tr/#comments Stripping out Jet Set Radio's eclectic mix of original and licensed music would be a vandalism far worse than that perpetrated by its roving band of cel-shaded graffiti artists. Sega's proposal of a high-definition update to the cherished and influential Dreamcast game skated around the question, but now we know just how much of the music will remain intact: 16 tracks, roughly half of the 30 shipped between the North American and European versions.

Sega tells Joystiq it made every effort to pursue and re-license all the music, but cost and even the availability of certain music publishers became an impediment. In the end, Jet Set Radio keeps its original music (composed by Hideki Naganuma), and several fan favorites like "Magical Girl" (Guitar Vader) and "Funky Radio" (B.B. Rights). We'll probably survive without Rob Zombie.

Though the NTSC- and PAL-specific tracks haven't made the cut, the levels developed for those versions (including Grind Square) will be included with this summer's HD port. The preservation may not be flawless, but the presentation nearly is -- Jet Set Radio's bold, cartoonish aesthetic benefits immensely from the higher resolution, 16:9 display and 60 frames-per-second output. Oh, and there's one more thing you didn't have before: a second analogue stick to steer the camera!

Gallery: Jet Set Radio (3/13/12)

Continue reading Jet Set Radio HD retains US-version content, half of original track list

JoystiqJet Set Radio HD retains US-version content, half of original track list originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdc-2012hideki-naganumajet-grind-radiojet-set-radiomicrosoftpcplaystationps3psnsegaxblaxboxTue, 13 Mar 2012 17:32:00 EST<![CDATA[DICE's future plans go beyond the Battlefield franchise]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/dices-future-plans-go-beyond-the-battlefield-franchise/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/dices-future-plans-go-beyond-the-battlefield-franchise/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/dices-future-plans-go-beyond-the-battlefield-franchise/#comments It's been awhile since the last non-Battlefield game from DICE. Sure, the Swedish dev studio assisted with Medal of Honor's 2010 reboot (multiplayer) and provided some tech backup for Need for Speed: The Run (DICE's Frostbite 2.0 game engine powered the title), but otherwise it hasn't made a separate, original property of its own since 2008's critically acclaimed Mirror's Edge. That may be about to change.

"We also have an ongoing plan that those products should not only be Battlefield," DICE general manager Karl-Magnus Troedsson told us in an interview last week during GDC 2012, referring to the future of his studio. He punctuated his sentence with a quick, "though I cannot say more than that," unfortunately, but it's good to hear that DICE is moving back to development outside of the Battlefield franchise. It'd be nicer to hear that the studio was steadfast in making a sequel to Mirror's Edge, of course, but we'll take what we can for now.

JoystiqDICE's future plans go beyond the Battlefield franchise originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developmentdiceeaea-diceelectronic-artsgdcgdc-2012karl-magnus-troedssonTue, 13 Mar 2012 10:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Battlefield 3's lack of DLC: DICE general manager explains]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/battlefield-3s-lack-of-dlc-dice-general-manager-explains/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/battlefield-3s-lack-of-dlc-dice-general-manager-explains/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/battlefield-3s-lack-of-dlc-dice-general-manager-explains/#comments Battlefield 3 launched on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in late October of 2011. Approximately a month and a half later, the game's first expansion arrived: "Back to Karkand." Aside from a handful of tweaks since, EA's DICE studio has kept relative radio silence. So much so, in fact, that one prominent Battlefield fan site publicly declared its own silence until DICE spoke up (the developer released a missive the following day).

It is with this recent history -- now four months since Battlefield 3's last content drop, and another three months before "Close Quarters" is set to launch -- that we approached a recent interview with DICE general manager Karl-Magnus Troedsson. In short, what in the world is taking so damn long?

"The reason that we haven't followed up with even more content more quickly, there's a couple of practical reasons," Troedsson told us. "Part of that is that we just need to spend a lot of focus getting the game out. The ambition was to get more packs out earlier, but sometimes you have to prioritize between the base product and what you're doing afterwards." Troedsson also argued that DICE's approach was thematic, not "piecemeal" (Call of Duty's approach), which was a deliberate choice on his studio's part.

"If you prefer to have smaller piecemeal packs every now and then, you can go with that. We prefer to do something bigger that has a specific theme, that has maps, weapons, assignments, persistent upgrades, all this kinda stuff," Troedsson said. Could his studio have gotten out this content earlier? "Probably," he said, but DICE ran into its own limitations. "Sometimes we have limitations to what we can and can't do."

But without any other announced projects, and EA's Danger Close taking responsibility for its own multiplayer section in the coming Medal of Honor game (DICE handled the previous game's multi), it's unclear what other responsibilities are keeping DICE from pushing out Battlefield 3 support content more quickly. We'll just have to assume the majority of the studio is head down on a super secret sequel to Mirror's Edge.

Beyond "Close Quarters," DICE has two more content packs announced for Battlefield 3, including "Armored Kill" in fall and "End Game" in winter. And yes, Call of Duty's Elite DLC drops continue monthly.

Gallery: Battlefield 3 (Close Quarters - Ziba Tower)

JoystiqBattlefield 3's lack of DLC: DICE general manager explains originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battlefield-3close-quartersdicedlcdownloadable-contenteaea-diceelectronic-artsexpansiongdcgdc-2012karl-magnus-troedssonmicrosoftpcplaystationps3xboxTue, 13 Mar 2012 09:01:00 EST<![CDATA[GREE explains what GREE is]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/gree-explains-what-gree-is/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/gree-explains-what-gree-is/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/gree-explains-what-gree-is/#comments Here's about the limit of our knowledge regarding GREE: it's 1) a Japanese company that 2) does something with cell phone games and 3) has a ton of money. Beyond that, details get a little fuzzy.

So I asked Eros Resmini, SVP of Marketing and Developer Relations at GREE's new American branch, what exactly the company is, and what it does. Basically, it's an expanded take on OpenFeint's existing social platform, plus a new game development studio.

Continue reading GREE explains what GREE is

JoystiqGREE explains what GREE is originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androideros-resminigdc-2012greeiosiphonemobileMon, 12 Mar 2012 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC 2012 welcomes 22,500 attendees, 17% increase from prior year]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/gdc-2012-welcomes-22-500-attendees-17-increase-from-prior-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/gdc-2012-welcomes-22-500-attendees-17-increase-from-prior-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/gdc-2012-welcomes-22-500-attendees-17-increase-from-prior-year/#comments
The 2012 Game Developers Conference broke an attendance record with 22,500 souls spending some amount of time inside San Francisco's Moscone Center. The show saw a 17 percent increase in admissions from the previous year, and hosted over 300 exhibitors and sponsors, along with the 14th Annual IGF and the 12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards.

"The continued growth of the conference is a great indicator of a healthy and exciting industry," said GDC general manager Meggan Scavio. " We are very proud to provide the forum for game makers to connect, dialogue, showcase, and learn in sessions, summits, expos and pavilions every year."

GDC is already locked and loaded for a return trip to San Francisco from March 25-29, 2013, which means Joystiq already has reservations set for a return trip to the Sausage Factory in the Castro.

Continue reading GDC 2012 welcomes 22,500 attendees, 17% increase from prior year

JoystiqGDC 2012 welcomes 22,500 attendees, 17% increase from prior year originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GDC-2012GDC-2013Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bethesda's Todd Howard on Skyrim's biggest development hurdle, fan-made mods, and what happens next]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/bethesdas-todd-howard-on-skyrims-biggest-development-hurdle-f/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/bethesdas-todd-howard-on-skyrims-biggest-development-hurdle-f/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/bethesdas-todd-howard-on-skyrims-biggest-development-hurdle-f/#comments Todd Howard and his clan of designers from Bethesda Game Studios walked off the stage with top honors for 'Game of the Year' at the 2012 Game Developers Coice Awards last week, for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. As the large group shuffled off to party, Howard, the company's boss, took a few moments to speak with the media.

Topics of discussion quickly merged into one frame of thought: what happens next? Everyone wants to know when the first piece of downloadable content will launch, how will it change the award-winning experience, and more.

Howard, being as used to sidestepping media inquires about unannounced items as he is working with a talented team, quickly shot those questions down.

Our focus, however, was slightly different. With a game as large as Skyrim, we wondered what complications arose during development. What is the hardest part about crafting a world meant to live on its own, away from the player's eyes?

Gallery: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (11/10/11)

Continue reading Bethesda's Todd Howard on Skyrim's biggest development hurdle, fan-made mods, and what happens next

JoystiqBethesda's Todd Howard on Skyrim's biggest development hurdle, fan-made mods, and what happens next originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bethesda-Game-StudiosBethesda-Softworkscreation-kitelder-scrolls-5gdc-2012skyrimthe-elder-scrolls-v-skyrimtodd-howardMon, 12 Mar 2012 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Witness is Jon Blow's second shot at all or nothing]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/the-witness-is-jon-blows-second-shot-at-all-or-nothing/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/the-witness-is-jon-blows-second-shot-at-all-or-nothing/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/the-witness-is-jon-blows-second-shot-at-all-or-nothing/#comments When is Braid creator Jonathan Blow's second game, The Witness, going to launch? None of your damn business is when. "When it's good," Blow told Joystiq during a GDC 2012 preview meetup. He's not even sure where The Witness will end up -- beyond PC and iOS, that is. "PSN a year from now? XBLA a year from now?," Blow said. It's possible, but more of a question of if it's worth the expense. The Witness is Blow's second ambitious attempt at crafting a story built around brilliant yet obvious puzzles, but this time it's a fully 3D world. A beautiful and complex one at that. And expenses are adding up.

He hired two new programmers not so long ago. Blow can't continue development forever, of course. "In the case of this game, the answer is also when I run out of money. Which may happen," he said. But wait a minute -- didn't Braid rake in boatloads of money and cost around quarter of a million bucks to make?

"Like I said, I just hired two more programmers and that's expensive. I'm spending all the Braid money on this game," Blow said. That's right: all the Braid money. Right on time, Chris Hecker -- SpyParty dev, hotel room roommate, and good buddy of Jon's -- shouted, "Crazy person!" To temper the jest at his friend's expense, Hecker admonished, "You attain orbit, and then you stay in orbit!"

Continue reading The Witness is Jon Blow's second shot at all or nothing

JoystiqThe Witness is Jon Blow's second shot at all or nothing originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chris-heckergdcgdc-2012iosipadiphonejonathan-blowmacmicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3the-witnesstheklathekla-incxboxMon, 12 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Dyad is a mind-altering substance]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/dyad-is-a-mind-altering-substance/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/dyad-is-a-mind-altering-substance/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/dyad-is-a-mind-altering-substance/#comments
Following the completion of my Dyad demo in a darkened hotel room, I was informed by developer Shawn McGrath that I had likely just experienced synaesthesia. He asked if I'd heard the music change when the visuals abruptly changed, which I had. He then told me the music didn't actually change, meaning that I'd heard the visual effects. My senses had become tangled.

McGrath said this was an unintentional side effect of the way he designed the last level (which he had skipped ahead to show me). Without spoiling it, I'll say that Dyad's ending is a protracted sequence of total visual hypnosis, interrupted only by my pause halfway through to wipe my eyes. Turns out I hadn't been blinking and my eye became irritated and watery.

Gallery: Dyad (PSN)

Continue reading Dyad is a mind-altering substance

JoystiqDyad is a mind-altering substance originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dyadgdc-2012playstationps3psnshawn-mcgrathMon, 12 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Harvest Moon creator Wada forms Toybox Inc.]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/harvest-moon-creator-wada-forms-toybox-inc/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/harvest-moon-creator-wada-forms-toybox-inc/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/12/harvest-moon-creator-wada-forms-toybox-inc/#comments Yasuhiro Wada has had a long career. He's best known for creating the Harvest Moon series at Victor Interactive Software, which later became known as Marvelous Entertainment. Later, he became CEO of Marvelous, a position he left in 2010 to become COO of Grasshopper Manufacture.

Now, Wada is returning to creative work, and has formed his own company, called Toybox Inc., a two-man operation with former Marvelous producer Tomio Kanazawa (who worked on Deadly Premonition when Marvelous published it in Japan). They have three projects in the works -- the PS3 update of Deadly Premonition, and two others they may announce at E3.

Like Mistwalker, the two creators plan to work with development partners on each game. "Toybox is only two," Wada told me. "We are the control hub." The new company will support "all" console and handheld platforms, and Wada plans to make "not so big, but not download" games.

JoystiqHarvest Moon creator Wada forms Toybox Inc. originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdcgdc-2012tomio-kanazawatoybox-incyasuhiro-wadaMon, 12 Mar 2012 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ibb and Obb: the ten-second preview]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/ibb-and-obb-the-ten-second-preview/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/ibb-and-obb-the-ten-second-preview/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/11/ibb-and-obb-the-ten-second-preview/#comments
Ibb and Obb is a PSN (for PS3) platformer built around the idea of who characters who can occupy either side of the screen, divided by a line. In essence, they can walk above or below the ground, turning upside down when they pass through certain portals.

Players have to cooperate, sometimes on opposite sides of the screen, sometimes on the same side, in order to pass obstacles -- and when one dies, the other does too.

In the sequence captured above, players each have to run past the three enemies, then jump over the sawblade guy. The first player to get across has to wait, avoiding another enemy, for the second player to arrive, at which point they have to cooperate to boost one up through the portal. Then the enemies can be killed from below.

I watched a pair of GDC attendees work on this sequence for a good five minutes. When they finally got through it, they got up and left, leaving me alone to check out the game for myself. Which would have been great, except I was alone, without a co-op partner. This brief video probably captures the experience better than my own playthrough and writeup would have, anyway.

JoystiqIbb and Obb: the ten-second preview originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdcgdc-2012ibb-and-obbplaystationps3sparpweedSun, 11 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cave's Watanabe on the benefits of premium app pricing]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/caves-watanabe-on-the-benefits-of-premium-app-pricing/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/caves-watanabe-on-the-benefits-of-premium-app-pricing/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/caves-watanabe-on-the-benefits-of-premium-app-pricing/#comments Conventional wisdom says that expensive iOS and Android games don't sell, but in a speech at GDC, Mikio Watanabe, COO of shmup developer Cave, frankly stated the exact opposite. In a presentation entitled "Japanese Retro and Social Games on Smartphones," Watanabe gave advice to developers looking to port their companies' legacy IPs to the rapidly blossoming smartphone and tablet markets.

His advice? For starters, keep the games running at a good clip instead of focusing too much on graphical clarity. "When games are running quickly, the human eye misses tiny imperfections in the visuals," he noted, encouraging developers to try to shoot for an average of 50 FPS or better. To increase the profitability, he encouraged developers to include unique and interesting DLC to spur in-app purchases.

Continue reading Cave's Watanabe on the benefits of premium app pricing

JoystiqCave's Watanabe on the benefits of premium app pricing originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>app-storecavegdcgdc-2012iosiphonemikio-watanabemobileSat, 10 Mar 2012 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Bellator MMA Onslaught brings arcade-style grappling to XBLA and PSN]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/bellator-mma-onslaught-brings-arcade-style-grappling-to-xbla-and/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/bellator-mma-onslaught-brings-arcade-style-grappling-to-xbla-and/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/bellator-mma-onslaught-brings-arcade-style-grappling-to-xbla-and/#comments During GDC, Deadliest Warrior publisher 345 Games showed off its latest licensed project, a mixed martial arts game based on the "Bellator" MMA organization, which can be seen on 345 partner Spike TV. 345 informed me that the major hook of Bellator is that fighters advance through single-elimination tournaments rather than having bouts chosen.

In general, however, the idea is that you don't have to be a person who knows the nuances of MMA organizations, or an armchair MMA strategist, to understand the gameplay of Bellator MMA Onslaught, as it's designed with simplicity and pick-up-and-play qualities in mind.

In the demo I saw, punches and kicks were mapped to one button each (left and right punch, left and right kick), and grappling maneuvers are mapped to the right stick, allowing you to reach out and then push the right stick in different directions to perform different holds, attempt to get out from a hold, etc. -- the technical stuff of MMA fighting, turned into a simple mechanic.

The version I played was considered early -- the TV-style UI was not yet present, and developer Kung Fu Factory and 345 had yet to even decide on all the mechanics to be included. The final game is due this summer.

Gallery: Bellator MMA Onslaught (XBLA/PSN)

JoystiqBellator MMA Onslaught brings arcade-style grappling to XBLA and PSN originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>345-gamesbellator-mma-onslaughtgdc-2012kung-fu-factorypsnq2-2012q3-2012release-datespike-tvxblaSat, 10 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Vita 'AR Hockey' works without cards]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/vita-ar-hockey-works-without-cards/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/vita-ar-hockey-works-without-cards/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/vita-ar-hockey-works-without-cards/#comments
All right, so the existing Vita AR games aren't hits. But Sony's still trying, demonstrating a new AR game at GDC that's more impressive than the current lineup. It's Pong.

AR Hockey, which the Sony staff assured me was currently only a tech demo, is an air hockey game in which two players face off over a rectangular surface, each controlling their paddle by physically shifting left or right.

Unlike, say, Table Soccer, which uses six damn cards, AR Hockey can build a playing field out of any rectangular surface it detects -- basically, any corners the Vita can see. This is the "markerless" AR tech shown by Sony back at TGS, and it seems to work just fine, even if you move the Vita around to change your perspective on the game. Though, as one nearby attendee asked, "Why would you want to do that?"

JoystiqVita 'AR Hockey' works without cards originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arar-gamesar-hockeyaugmented-realitygdc-2012playstationplaystation-vitavitaSat, 10 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Trine 2 DLC brings six new stages this summer; Frozenbyte's next project a new IP]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/trine-2-dlc-brings-six-new-stages-this-summer-frozenbytes-next/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/trine-2-dlc-brings-six-new-stages-this-summer-frozenbytes-next/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/trine-2-dlc-brings-six-new-stages-this-summer-frozenbytes-next/#comments A fresh batch of Trine 2 DLC is dropping this summer, and it will include six new stages, a shiny new story and new skills. XBLA Fans picked up the news from Frozenbyte marketing director Mikael Haveri during a GDC 2012 panel this week. Haveri also said there would be a lot of puzzles based on light, water, low gravity and magnetic elements.

Frozenbyte's next project is an original IP set to launch at $15 for unannounced platforms, Haveri teased to XBLA Fans. At that price, we feel confident expecting a downloadable release.

JoystiqTrine 2 DLC brings six new stages this summer; Frozenbyte's next project a new IP originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DLCFrozenbytegdcgdc-2012microsoftpcplaystationps3summertrine-2xboxSat, 10 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Yasuhiro Wada waxes nostalgic about Harvest Moon]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/yasuhiro-wada-waxes-nostalgic-about-harvest-moon/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/yasuhiro-wada-waxes-nostalgic-about-harvest-moon/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/10/yasuhiro-wada-waxes-nostalgic-about-harvest-moon/#comments Yasuhiro Wada has been engaged in the games industry for over 20 years, but lately he's been more into management than actual game production. With the formation of Toybox Inc, however, he joins the ranks of Japanese developers like Yuji Naka and Keiji Inafune - developers who left top management positions at major companies to pursue more active creative roles at smaller startups. While his name might not be the biggest in the biz, he's responsible for one of the most quietly influential games in the industry: Bokujou Monogatari, known outside of Japan as Harvest Moon.

Wada grew up in the countryside, where he dreamed of eventually making his way to the big city. When he finally did get to Tokyo, however, he learned that there are some elements to good ol' country living that deserve appreciation. It was this experience that served as the inspiration for a game idea: A non-combative game that conveyed the simple pleasures of country life. It wasn't an easy pitch, and Wada had to build rapport at his company first with a portfolio of small successes. It took about 2 years to build both the record and the budget necessary to propose Harvest Moon to his higher-ups, but his patience paid off in both development and marketing experience.

[Image: GameFAQS]

Continue reading Yasuhiro Wada waxes nostalgic about Harvest Moon

JoystiqYasuhiro Wada waxes nostalgic about Harvest Moon originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>classic-game-postmortemgdcgdc-2012harvest-moonyasuhiro-wadaSat, 10 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Overheard@GDC: The craft of mining]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/overheard-gdc-the-craft-of-mining/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/overheard-gdc-the-craft-of-mining/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/overheard-gdc-the-craft-of-mining/#comments Minecraft creator and recent millionaire Notch held a fireside chat with Spyparty's Chris Hecker, seated alongside a pixelated fire roaring across a plasma screen in one of the large halls at GDC. Hecker and Notch kicked off the chat with two bottles of Sierra Nevada and a cheers, and for one hour, a roomful of fans and developers listened to the pair of them talk about the intricacies of Minecraft's development in some of the most riveting, "you had to be there" moments.

But one thing Notch said applies to everyone, even those who weren't cool enough to be in the room:

"There is one thing that hasn't been found," he declared, referring to the Easter Eggs and cool tricks buried in Minecraft gameplay. Grab a beer (or legally applicable beverage) and get diggin', folks.

JoystiqOverheard@GDC: The craft of mining originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cheerschris-heckerfirefireside-chatgdc-2012microsoftMinecraftnotchoverheardpcsierra-nevadaspypartyxboxFri, 09 Mar 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Taito's Ishida: 'Expect to see more Groove Coaster']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/taitos-ishida-expect-to-see-more-groove-coaster/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/taitos-ishida-expect-to-see-more-groove-coaster/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/taitos-ishida-expect-to-see-more-groove-coaster/#comments If you've played Taito's beautifully abstract iOS music game, Groove Coaster, you probably want more of Taito's beautifully abstract iOS music game, Groove Coaster. And you'll have it. During an interview today, producer Reisuke Ishida told Joystiq: "People can expect to see more Groove Coaster in the future." As for the details, like when, or whether it's in the form of game updates or a full sequel, we got "No comment."

One (vector-based, icon-covered) avenue he'd like to explore is a console port, much like the XBLA/PSN port of his iOS shooter Space Invaders Infinity Gene. "There's no plan for a console release of Groove Coaster yet, but if it's possible it's something that I'd like to do," Ishida said. "I don't think the controls would be much of an issue; it's pretty simple controls." Ishida said he kept consoles in mind while designing Groove Coaster. "I didn't want to add something that wouldn't be able to be communicated for consoles in the future."

In terms of non-Groove Coaster games, Ishida teased a third game in what he called the "Infinity Gene series (which currently includes Infinity Gene and Groove Coaster). "It'll probably have a similar aesthetic to the previous two games, but people shouldn't expect another shooting game. It'll be something different."

Ishida quickly clarified: "I'm not saying I'm never going to make shooting games again, just not for the next project."

JoystiqTaito's Ishida: 'Expect to see more Groove Coaster' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gdcgdc-2012groove-coasteriosiphonemobilereisuke-ishidaspace-invaders-infinity-genetaitoFri, 09 Mar 2012 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Alone in the Dark creator hopes for an HD remake one day]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/alone-in-the-dark-creator-would-love-an-hd-remake/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/alone-in-the-dark-creator-would-love-an-hd-remake/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/alone-in-the-dark-creator-would-love-an-hd-remake/#comments HD remakes are becoming more prevalent in the video games industry, as a means of introducing a new generation of gamers to something they may have otherwise never played. Frédérick Raynal, designer of the original survival-horror game, Alone in the Dark, said he's totally on board with an HD remake.

"I would love an HD remake one day and I hope it will happen, one day," Raynal responded when asked about the possibility at the conclusion of his GDC postmortem. "I think Infogrames holds the rights; I'm not sure about that."

Atari published the last entry in the Alone in the Dark series back in 2008. If someone wants to get a remake out in time for the 20th Anniversary of the original game, they'll have to get it out within the next nine months.

JoystiqAlone in the Dark creator hopes for an HD remake one day originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atarifrederick-raynalgdc-2012hd-remakeinfogramespcFri, 09 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The 'bullshot' dates back to Alone in the Dark]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/the-bullshot-dates-back-to-alone-in-the-dark/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/the-bullshot-dates-back-to-alone-in-the-dark/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/the-bullshot-dates-back-to-alone-in-the-dark/#comments In the games industry, a 'bullshot' is a screenshot that's been manipulated to appear prettier and more exciting than the actual game. It happens more commonly than our tag would have you believe.

The thing is, scientists have been trying to determine the genesis of this heinous act for quite some time now -- and we think we've found a prominent example of one of the earliest bullshots in Alone in the Dark.

During his GDC postmortem, designer Frédérick Raynal admitted that he drew the back-of-the-box face for Alone in the Dark's protagonist in MS Paint, back in 1992. The main character doesn't look like he does above in the actual game, though the original packaging still shows the hand-drawn visage.

"We were in September 1992, master state, but we still had no head for the hero." Raynal said that Infrogrames was looking for screens to share at the time, and so Raynal was in a tough spot. He decided he was just going to draw the head in.

"It is funny because if you still look on the first box for the game, you an see those pictures with the fake head on it." Raynal said the bullshot even made it into the game -- if you don't touch the keys in the main menu, a slideshow featuring the touched-up image will start up. Nobody ever bothered to fix it.

JoystiqThe 'bullshot' dates back to Alone in the Dark originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bullshotfrederick-raynalgdc-2012infogramespcsurvival-horrorFri, 09 Mar 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[These games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/#comments Everyone in the industry has a story about their formative experiences with video games, but Jon-Paul Dyson, the director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, was a bit more blunt than most.

"Great artists don't borrow. They steal," Dyson said, borrowing a quote from Pablo Picasso as he introduced Wil Wright, Sid Meier, John Romero, and Cliff Bleszinski. Speaking in front of a packed house at GDC, the four industry luminaries shared the games that inspired them as creators, and continue to influence them today.

Continue reading These games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier

JoystiqThese games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskigdcgdc-2012john-romeropac-manpinball-construction-setseven-cities-of-goldsid-meierthe-legend-of-zeldawill-wrightFri, 09 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Dungeon Defenders on Mac, Eternia Shards Part 2 arrive March 15]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/dungeon-defenders-on-mac-eternia-shards-part-2-arrive-march-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/dungeon-defenders-on-mac-eternia-shards-part-2-arrive-march-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/dungeon-defenders-on-mac-eternia-shards-part-2-arrive-march-15/#comments The old jokes are the best.
Dungeon Defenders for Mac has been slightly delayed, arriving the same date as the second Eternia Shards expansion next week, on March 15. Dungeon Defenders was also showcased at a GDC 2012 press briefing by Epic Games for Unreal Engine 3 in Flash over browsers. Epic VP and co-founder Mark Rein made a statement -- and then immediately retracted -- that DD would be free-to-play at launch.

"We definitely know we want to use that technology for a next product, but it's too early to say what that next product will be," Marketing Director Philip Asher of Dungeon Defenders developer Trendy Entertainment told us. "For all intents and purposes, it's just the mobile version in Flash."

Asher told us the demo was a port of the iOS version, Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave, with some graphical improvements, insisting that it was just a tech demo the team got together in four weeks.

"It could be a new game, it could be the PC version [of Dungeon Defenders] adapted to Flash," Asher elaborated. "The whole idea of that technology which really excites us is that it's a whole new way to play Unreal games. ... It'd be a little larger initial download, but it'll stream the rest of the game as you play."

JoystiqDungeon Defenders on Mac, Eternia Shards Part 2 arrive March 15 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dungeon-defendersgdc-2012macpctrendy-entertainmentFri, 09 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Capcom's Kawata on bringing Resident Evil back to its roots on 3DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/capcoms-kawata-on-bringing-resident-evil-back-to-its-roots-on-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/capcoms-kawata-on-bringing-resident-evil-back-to-its-roots-on-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/capcoms-kawata-on-bringing-resident-evil-back-to-its-roots-on-3/#comments
When a new platform hits the market, designers inevitably start thinking about how to exploit all of the new possibilities at their disposal. For producer Masachika Kawata, it was a chance to take Resident Evil back to its roots.

"We all agreed that, this time around, we wanted to make a scary Resident Evil similar to the original," Kawata said during a GDC talk that broke down the development of the recent 3DS survival horror game.

That might bring a slightly rueful smile to the faces of longtime fans. Resident Evil 4 gets a lot of love among mainstream gamers and critics; but by admitting that he wanted to make a "scary" game, Kawata seems to be tacitly admitting what many older fans have felt for a while now -- Resident Evil had become an action series.

Continue reading Capcom's Kawata on bringing Resident Evil back to its roots on 3DS

JoystiqCapcom's Kawata on bringing Resident Evil back to its roots on 3DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dscapcomgdc-2012masachika-kawatanintendoresident-evil-revelationsFri, 09 Mar 2012 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3's biggest, baddest demon from sketch to final]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/diablo-3s-biggest-baddest-demon-from-sketch-to-final/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/diablo-3s-biggest-baddest-demon-from-sketch-to-final/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/diablo-3s-biggest-baddest-demon-from-sketch-to-final/#comments Like the previous Diablo titles from Blizzard, there's totally a giant main boss named "Diablo" in Diablo 3. Surprise! And during Diablo 3 art director Christian Lichtner's GDC 2012 track keynote, attendees were offered a look at the main baddie across his entire evolution. Second surprise: he looks terrifying!

Continue reading Diablo 3's biggest, baddest demon from sketch to final

JoystiqDiablo 3's biggest, baddest demon from sketch to final originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentdemondemonsDiablo-3gdcgdc-2012macpcthe-devilFri, 09 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Battlefield 3's rendering architect details his dream specs for the next generation of consoles]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/battlefield-3s-rendering-architect-details-his-dream-specs-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/battlefield-3s-rendering-architect-details-his-dream-specs-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/battlefield-3s-rendering-architect-details-his-dream-specs-for/#comments During the Game Developer's Choice awards, DICE took home the prize of "Best Technology" for its Frostbite 2 engine. After accepting the award on behalf of his team, we asked DICE rendering architect Johan Andersson what the next generation of consoles would need to include for Frostbite 2 to work 'perfectly and as intended on high-end PCs.' To Andersson, the answer is "pretty easy to answer."

"There's two things: memory and processing power," he said. "We need lots and lots of processing power. The more you can cram into a machine, we'll take advantage of that." While 'more power' is the obvious answer -- both on the CPU and GPU side -- we wondered what wouldn't be 'enough' to work with.

"Two gigabytes would not be enough when it comes to RAM [random access memory]" Andersson said. "Four gigabytes would work. Eight gigabytes? Yeah. I think that would be perfect when it comes to memory." Recommended system specifications for Battlefield 3 call for 4GB of RAM.

Continue reading Battlefield 3's rendering architect details his dream specs for the next generation of consoles

JoystiqBattlefield 3's rendering architect details his dream specs for the next generation of consoles originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battlefield-3dicefrostbite-2gdc-2012hardwareJohan-Anderssonnext-genFri, 09 Mar 2012 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Harmonix has 'no plans to stop' weekly Rock Band DLC releases]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/harmonix-has-no-plans-to-stop-weekly-rock-band-dlc-releases/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/harmonix-has-no-plans-to-stop-weekly-rock-band-dlc-releases/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/harmonix-has-no-plans-to-stop-weekly-rock-band-dlc-releases/#comments Rock Band Weekly has been in our lives for over four years and the beat will go on. Harmonix told us at GDC 2012 that it has no plans on stopping the weekly release of downloadable tracks for the Rock Band platform.

"We've been really pleased with the continued performance of Rock Band downloadable content. We've delivered over four years of weekly DLC and over 3500 songs for the music platform, and we have no plans to stop weekly releases any time soon," Harmonix emcee of communications John Drake told Joystiq. "Fans can tell us what songs they want by visiting our new Rock Band Dashboard Facebook App and voting for their favorite artists using the built-in Wishlist feature."

Harmonix has no intentions of launching Rock Band 4 this year. The company is currently working on several projects, which can be derived from job postings on the developer's site, including some kind of downloadable title.

JoystiqHarmonix has 'no plans to stop' weekly Rock Band DLC releases originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DLCgdc-2012microsoftnintendoplaystationps3Rock-Band-3rock-band-weeklywiixboxFri, 09 Mar 2012 09:45:00 EST