RPad.TV caught up with Blizzard game director Jay Wilson to talk about his work on Diablo III. Wilson spoke about attracting new fans to the Diablo franchise while keeping longtime players happy, his favorite character class as a designer, his favorite character class as a gamer, the last month of development, and more. Special thanks to Stephanie Gutowski for conducting the interview!
Author: RPadTV
https://rpad.tv
More Four-Inch iPhone Rumblings
One of the most consistent rumors on the next iPhone is that it will have a four-inch screen. The Wall Street Journal recently added another log to that particular fire. For five generations, the iPhone has rocked a 3.5-inch screen. There have been dramatic improvements in resolution and image quality, but the size has remained the same. Apple’s competitors, on the other hand, have been pushing larger and larger phones, even hitting a whopping 5.3-inches with the Samsung Galaxy Note. Is the time right for Apple to finally use a larger screen for the iPhone?
The argument is usability vs. visibility. For most users, one-handed operation (get your mind out of the gutter!) with a 3.5-inch phone is ideal. Larger screens make one-handed use difficult or impossible (unless your name is Paul Wight). That said, larger screens make video content, web browsing, gaming, etc. more enjoyable. While the iPhone 4S is a fantastic phone, I just can’t deal with the screen size. I’m thrilled by the potential awesomeness of an iPhone with a four-inch screen; it seems like it would hit the sweet spot for most people in terms usability and visibility.
Out of curiosity, which iPhone rumor excites you the most? Are you drooling over the prospects of metal construction? Do you long for an iPhone with an LTE radio? Or is it all about the iPhone having a four-inch screen?
Diablo III Interview: Christian Lichtner Art Director
RPad.TV caught up with Diablo III art director Christian Lichtner at Blizzard’s sweet launch event. Lichtner talked about his approach for the game’s art design, the technical leap from Diablo II to Diablo III, his favorite monsters, and more. Major thanks to Stephanie Gutowski for conducting the interview!
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Screens Show Character Team-Ups
The newest batch of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy screenshots show off the music selection and characters. As a longtime Final Fantasy nerd, I was particularly geeked out by the latter. I totally marked out seeing “chibi” versions of the Warrior of Lights, Bartz, Terra, Cloud, Squall, Tidus, Zidane, Firion, and more sharing the same screen. I want this game now!!!
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Google to Sell Multiple Nexus Devices Directly to Consumers
The word on the street is that Google will use multiple manufacturers for its next batch of Nexus flagship phones. For those of you not familiar with the Nexus line, these phones use an unaltered or “vanilla” version of Android that’s free from manufacturer skins. Nexus phones have been used as reference models for major updates to the Android operating system.
The original Nexus One was made for Google by HTC. It was followed by the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus from Samsung. It would be fantastic if Google used multiple manufacturers to launch the next major version of Android (Jellybean). The kicker is that these phones will be sold directly to consumers through Google Play. Here’s more from The Wall Street Journal:
Google plans to give multiple mobile-device makers early access to new releases of Android and to sell those devices directly to consumers, said people familiar with the matter. That is a shift from Google’s previous practice, when it joined with only one hardware maker at a time to produce “lead devices,” before releasing the software to other device makers.
While I love me some Google Android, I’m tired of waiting for OS updates that are delayed by manufacturers and carriers. That’s why I currently rock and love my Galaxy Nexus. While phones like the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III look amazing, I prefer Nexus phones because they’ll get updated faster and, for the most part, don’t have bloatware issues.
I love the idea of having several Nexus phones to choose from. For Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), there’s just one Samsung phone. Although I’m happy with my Nexus, I prefer the construction and build quality of HTC and Motorola phones. Being able to choose from several “pure” Android phones sounds awesome, don’t you agree? Are you excited by the rumor that Google will sell multiple Nexus phone through Google Play?
Diablo III Midnight Launch Video
Here’s a video from Blizzard’s Diablo III launch event at the Irvine Spectrum. According to a PR rep, more than 2,000 fans showed up for the festivities. Gamers were treated to prizes, cosplayers, developer chats, art competitions, and more. They even got to witness members of the dev team having their “Diableards” (think playoff beards) shaven. It was a fantastic turnout for Blizzard and a real treat for Diablo fans. I got a charge from watching so many people come together to celebrate a videogame. Sweet stuff!
Scott Foe Talks About the Nokia N-Gage
My friend and colleague Scott Foe kicked off his blog with a post titled “What the F*ck N-Gage?” For those of you that don’t recall the device, the N-Gage was Nokia’s failed foray into the gaming market. Scott used to work at Sega during the Dreamcast days and was a key player at Nokia during the N-Gage period. He knows all about failed consoles and labels himself as “the undisputed most-spectacular failure that the games industry has ever witnessed”. I respectfully disagree with that self assessment.
Scott’s rant covers all sorts of topics, but my favorite part covered the failure of the N-Gage. Here’s a snippet:
Who could deny that the N-Gage was a spectacular failure? A “failure,” because, today, there are more people who own my self-produced album of J-Pop lounge-covers, Sakura Scotty, than own N-Gages. A “spectacular” failure, because there wasn’t a man, woman, nor publisher-side producer in the games industry that didn’t see it fail.
The logic of Nokia’s games strategy was so straightforward as to be un-ignorable, “We are Nokia, the largest handset manufacturer in the world, absolute masters of sourcing and logistics, capable of buying component parts for cheaper and putting the products for sale in more places than any other organization on the planet. The games industry is worth billions, and when we throw our winter cap into the ring, we will take a piece of that market.” The logic was also terminal due to a very straightforward lack of heart.
I covered the hell out of the N-Gage back in 2003. I loved the idea of a connected gaming platform integrated into a mobile phone. The potential was awesome and realized today in Android, iOS, etc. The problem was that Nokia was never (and still isn’t) great at software; expecting the company to build a robust backend and an intuitive frontend for gaming was a little ridiculous when viewed through the good old retroscope. The other problem was that Nokia was (and still is) great at making hardware, but laid an egg with the N-Gage. Nokia made (and still makes) some of the most beautiful phones in the history of the business. The N-Gage doesn’t look or feel like Nokia hardware at all.
Anyway, kindly read Scott’s blog when you have a chance. It’s witty, insightful, and intelligent.
Coffee Talk #479: Big Mac vs. Whopper
As requested by RPadholic N8R, today’s Coffee Talk is a battle of mediocre fast-food burgers: the McDonald’s Big Mac vs. the Burger King Whopper. In the red corner, you have two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese, pickles, onions…oh, you know the deal. In the blue corner you can have it your way with BK’s…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, watching thousands of Blizzard fans geek out, Lady Gaga being banned from Indonesia, or Man City’s glorious Premiere League victory, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As requested by RPadholic N8R, today’s Coffee Talk is a batt le of mediocre fast-food burgers: the McDonald’s Big Mac vs. the Burger King Whopper. In the red corner, you have two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese, pickles, onions…oh, you know the deal. In the blue corner you can have it your way with BK’s flame-broiled goodness. Which fast-food burger do you prefer?!?
Most of you know that there are superior fast-food burgers out there like Five Guys, In-N-Out, Shake Shack, etc. That said, this is an important debate and poll. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really consider the Big Mac or the Whopper to be real hamburgers. It’s kind of like how Taco Bell products aren’t really Mexican food. Whoppers, Burrito Supremes, and the like are their own (and arguably gross) thing.
Enough semantics! Please vote and state your case in this hugely important edition of Coffee Talk!
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Tomb Raider Delayed to 2013
The highly anticipated Tomb Raider has been delayed to 2013. Being developed by Crystal Dynamics and set to be published by Square Enix, the game was a fantastic surprise at E3 2011 and on my most-wanted list for 2012. Sadly for everyone amped for the game, the wait will be a wee bit longer. In a statement to the series’ fans, Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher wrote:
Our priority now is to make sure we fully deliver the very highest quality game. In order to do this, we have decided to move the game’s release date by a few months, from Fall 2012 to the first quarter of 2013.
The good news is that the delay is only a few months. Hopefully the developers will make a game that was worth the wait. With the customary onslaught of games in Q4, I don’t mind waiting a bit longer. How about you? How do you feel about Tomb Raider being delayed until 2013?
Square Enix Returns to Profitability in Fiscal 2012
Square Enix has released its financial report for its fiscal 2012 ending March 31. After being in the red in 2011, the company has returned to profitability in 2012. The games Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution were specifically cited as reasons for success in the report. My personal theory is that millions of gamers bought the Serah-in-a-bikini DLC for XIII-2, which was just pure profit.
What’s more interesting (for people that aren’t down with Serah in a bikini) is that Square Enix strategy of blending East and West is shaping up to be a successful one. The company will always sell millions of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games. Rounding out its JRPG offerings are Western titles like Deus Ex and Tomb Raider (delayed to 2013, btw).
As a longtime fan of Square Enix JRPGs, it’s still a bit weird for me to think of the company as the publisher of Deus Ex, Hitman, and Tomb Raider. A few months ago, I jokingly asked Square Enix’s PR director, “When did Square Enix become a white company?!?” Despite the strangeness for me as a fanboy gamer, it’s a smart business strategy and it has been fun watching the company’s evolution.
Any thoughts on Square Enix’s financial results? Do you think the company’s melange of Eastern and Western games will lead to sustained success?