Although Junction Point president & creative director Warren Spector has his hands full with Epic Mickey
There were and still are Deus Ex stories I would like to tell. That story is not done for me.
This is completely awesome news. Deus Ex is a top franchise and Warren Spector is a top creator. While I’m really looking forward to Epic Mickey, I’d love to dive back into the Deus Ex universe. How about you guys and dolls?
Microsoft has invited a select group of Xbox Live users to participate in the Xbox Live Rewards Squad affinity program. I mentioned the dealio a few weeks ago. The program is now live (for some) and the official site lists the following details:
For the next six months, the Rewards Squad will hook you up with Microsoft Points just for doing the stuff Xbox Live members do all the time. You’ll score points not only for renewing your Gold subscriptions; you’ll get a reward on what you spend on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The best part is, the more you spend, the more you get, and for each month you stay on Gold, the higher your monthly reward up to 5% of your Marketplace spend.
Here’s a giant graphic with some of the rewards players can earn. After you’ve gotten over its largeness, let me know what you think of Xbox Live Rewards Squad. Is the eventual goal to fight Best Buy’s Geek Squad? Probably.
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, Ozzy Osbourne hosting Monday Night Raw, Apple possibly getting into subscription television, or the French press vs. drip machine debate, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Prior to this console generation, Sony was the undisputed king of console controllers. Then out of nowhere (at least, that’s how it seemed to me), the Xbox 360 controller took the throne. Personally, I don’t get it. I love the shape of the Dual Shock, prefer its more precise analog sticks, and hate the d-pad on the 360 controller. All that said, I understand why the Xbox 360 became so popular. It all started last console generation….
Shooters became prominent on consoles. Initially, shooter aficionados scoffed at the idea of playing with anything that wasn’t a mouse and keyboard. As consoles became more popular and PC gaming less popular, a lot of gamers begrudgingly lived out their World War II and space-marine fantasies on consoles. Eventually, the control schemes became better and more precise. A lot of shooter fans — especially Americans — preferred the larger Xbox and Xbox 360 controllers for shooting.
The Type-S controller for the original Xbox is also worth mentioning. The original Xbox controller was a giant piece of crap. The Type-S was much, much better — especially for shooters. The Xbox 360 pad is a nice evolution of the Type-S. Sony’s Dual Shock 3, on the other hand, isn’t much of a progression from the Dual Shock 2. Some, myself included, will argue that the company was right not to stray from an already excellent design. Others will say that Microsoft’s advancements give it an edge. I guess there’s something to be said about going to crap (original Xbox controller) to very good (Xbox 360 pad).
Anyway, I want to know which controller you prefer and why. Do you dig the small footprint and classic design of the Dual Shock 3? Or do you like the larger and more evolved Xbox 360 pad?
A lot of you know that Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game of all time. One of the reasons why I love the game so much is its excellent soundtrack. Apparently I’m not the only one that feels that way. A group of (mostly) volunteers is putting on an orchestral (plus saxophones?) concert of the FFT score. Original Sound Version noted:
Not only will there be a live concert featuring the music from Final Fantasy Tactics on November 22, 2009 in Japan, but arrangements of 61 songs will be performed in medley form, just ten songs short of the entire soundtrack.
This group of performers put the word out over a year ago, calling for players, conductors, and production staff to volunteer their time with the intent of tailoring their arrangements to whatever ensemble they could get together.
Man, I’d love to be in Japan to catch this…. I’m completely impressed that this event is happening. It’s a testament to how passionate Japanese gamers are about their hobby. I mean, I was already impressed by the intricate costumes of Japanese videogame cosplayers (they make Americans look like a joke), but this is taking it to another level.
Anyone want to put on an FFT concert with me? I’m pretty awesome with a triangle.
If you’re not looking forward to Heavy Rain for PlayStation 3 then I probably won’t like you. Okay, I’m half-kidding about that, but it is the game I’m looking forward to the most in 2010. A lot of gamers are wondering why Quantic Dream chose to make this a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Company founder and co-CEO David Cage explained it all to Push Square
Whatever I answer, my answer will be suspicious… I think it had to be on PlayStation 3 for two main reasons: the hardware, the architecture of the PS3 is extremely powerful in the way it is structured. If you make a real PS3 engine, then you can have really fantastic performances. If you try to port from another platform, then it becomes difficult.
That’s a pretty reasonable answer. I’m also happy Cage pointed out the issue of getting better results when using “a real PS3 engine”. Too many developers get middling resorts because they have to go multiplatform, which causes some gamers to write off the PS3. But wait! There’s more!
Continue reading “David Cage Explains Why He Chose the PS3 for Heavy Rain”
Zelda fans better get their arms ready because series creator Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that the next version of the game will use Wii MotionPlus for swordplay and targeting. Wired Game|Life’s Chris Kohler did a nifty bit of translating and reporting on the matter. In a recent Q&A session, Miyamoto said:
In this (installment of the series), we’re using MotionPlus to make you feel much more like you’re actually fighting while holding a sword in your hand. In the previous game, you aimed at things by pointing at the screen, but this time we’ll use MotionPlus to create a much more convenient targeting system and a more pleasurable playing experience.
I’m glad that Wii MotionPlus is being used in key Nintendo franchises like The Legend of Zelda. However, I expect that some purists are not going to be happy. How do you feel about Wii MotionPlus in Zelda? Love it? Hate? Or are you taking the wait-and-see approach?
Uwe Boll — the scourge of the videogame-movie universe — will be signing autographs on November 7 at Spudic’s Movie Empire. Most of you hate him or at least hate his work, but you have to admit that he’s a pretty good sport about his sucktitude. About.com noted:
If you want to meet the German madman who literally boxes his critics, flings personal insults at Michael Bay, and has made nearly 10 video game inspired flicks, he will be making a rare U.S. in-store appearance this weekend (November 7th) in Van Nuys, CA at the video store Spudic’s Movie Empire. The two hour signing will begin at 6PM, with Boll present to chat it up and sign autographs. Spudic’s Movie Empire will have Boll’s movies on hand as well as a selection of old school NES, Super NES, Sega Genesis and Sega CD games at the event for retro gaming fans.
Van Nuys isn’t that far from me, so I’m tempted to go. I’m not sure what I’d have him sign or what I’d say to him. If you could meet Uwe Boll face-to-face, what would you tell him?
Sony’s sex toy of doom motion controller is set to compete with Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Project Natal some time in 2010, by most accounts. Nintendo has found remarkable success with its motion controller and Microsoft appears to be close to entering the fray. Sony, while arguably having the most impressive tech of the three, seems two steps behind (like Def Leppard). In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said:
We are also still working on the motion controller; it’s not complete. We are making changes to the hardware, so we really want to wait until we feel confident enough about giving the audience a chance to try it out. We are making progress, though, and we wanted to show at least snippets of games in that are in development.
We are still in the very early days of motion control development. We have had discussions with the company management where we discussed if we approach this as a peripheral or a platform and we agree that this has huge potential — so we position this as a hardware platform. The initiative was from the Worldwide Studios, but this has to be designed so that many different kinds of games from all publishers can participate in this hardware platform.
I’m definitely excited to play with Sony’s wand (that sounds gross), but I have to wonder about the product’s timing. If its motion controller is released significantly after Project Natal, Sony will be playing catch-up to its competitors. It doesn’t matter if its controller has the highest fidelity; the customers that Sony will attract with this product won’t care and will have had plenty of time to consider the Wii and Xbox 360.
Continue reading “Sony Motion Controller Not Complete, Still in Early Days”
Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski is one of the most prominent game developers in the business. He’s just a smart, talented, and quotable guy (though he whines like a little girl when you hit him…more on that later). Whether he’s talking about digital distribution, what games he’s been digging lately, used-game sales, or bars in San Francisco Chinatown, the man always has something interesting to say. Here’s my interview with one the main minds behind Unreal and Gears of War, the infamous Cliffy B.
Raymond Padilla: With games like Shadow Complex and systems like the Sony PSPgo, digital distribution is becoming a bigger part of the gaming business. How does digital distribution impact you as a game designer?
Cliff Bleszinski: A couple weekends ago, I was up in East Village at “Videogames New York”, a combination new/retro game store. On the front counter, they had Borderlands and in the back aisles, they had the Vectrex and Game & Watch. My feelings went from initially geeking out to immense nostalgia to overwhelming pride for how far this business has come in my lifetime alone. We go digital and that physical history starts drying up and eventually vanishes. Older games become the same as a 45 record.
Digital distribution has the potential to end the used game debate that’s currently raging across the business. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand, I love having that pipeline into my house: Look, a new game is up on Live; download the title right to your hard drive and fire it up. At the same time, I love having games, movies, and books on my shelves at my home. It feels like an IRL representation of the facets of your personality and tastes whenever people come over to visit. The Kindle and other devices are equally fascinating. I fear not leafing through a book ever again but at the same time I cringe at the thought of having to deal with a CD and a jewel case in a world of digital music.
Finally, as far as the kinds of games I’d like to design and contribute to? Digital frees up some risk. You can make that little dream game you’ve always wanted to make and take more chances, which is incredibly appealing as a creative.
The gaming business is entering its final push before everything is on the table for the holiday rush. This week’s big release is Dragon Age: Origins from the outstanding Edmontonians at BioWare. Music games are facing off again, but this time the battle is for casual gamers with Band Hero and Rock Band: LEGO. Is the music-game genre to saturated? Or will these games sell to a different audience?
While you ponder that, here are this week’s PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo DS releases…along with some brief commentary. I’ve taken out most of the garbage and kids games (unless I found them funny). As always, let me know if you’re planning to buy any of this week’s new releases.
PlayStation 3
Band Hero — Too bad this isn’t Band Camp Hero. I’d play an RPG about this one time, at band camp.
Dragon Age: Origins — BioWare rules!!!
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack
Rock Band: LEGO
Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition — I’m pretty sure the Sith invented repackaging.
