BioWare’s Mike Laidlaw Talks Combat in Dragon Age: Origins

BioWare lead designer Mike Laidlaw discusses combat design in Dragon Age: Origins in this video clip. He talks about how the team attempted to modernize the feel of Baldur’s Gate II and create “sword porn” for the game. All sorts of details on combat mechanics (accompanied by slick video) are shared by Laidlaw. Executive producer Mark Darrah, lead writer David Gaider, art director Dean Andersen, and lead character designer Shane Hawco bring their perspective to the mix too.

While I’m absolutely loving the game, I don’t really get the BG2 feel — more of a progression of Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect really — but perhaps you disagree. Maybe it’ll be more like BG2 when I play it on PC. Anyway, check out this cool video that talks about the combat in this outstanding game.

On a side note, let me know if you find it funny every time Laidlaw says about in his Canadian accent. “A-boot” always cracks me up.

Win Some RPad.tv Swag!

RPad Magnets

To celebrate RPad.tv’s first month of existence, I’m kicking off a little contest. All you have to do is keep writing comments and you’ll have a chance to win an RPad.tv refrigerator magnet. Yeah, it’s not the best prize in the world, but I have a bunch of them to give away and I wanted to say thanks to everyone that’s helped the site get this far. Besides, if you’re on a diet then seeing my face on your refrigerator should help you out.

Here’s how the contest works:

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Facebook Coming to PlayStation 3?

Facebook PS3It looks like Facebook integration will be part of a future PS3 firmware update. ScrawFX has uncovered some screens and reported:

The leaked images show the ability to manage your Facebook in your PlayStation Network account settings, changing the color of your PlayStation Network gamercard and a new, more sufficient way of looking through your photos.

As we discussed in Coffee Talk #21, social-networking features are becoming a big part of the console experience. It was only a matter of time until Sony bolstered the social-networking functionality of the PS3.

Any of you guys and gals excited for this feature?

Source via Joystiq

Ken Kutaragi Working on Cloud Computing, Possibly Cloud Gaming

Ken KutaragiKen Kutaragi, often called “The Father of the PlayStation”, has started Cyber AI Entertainment Inc., along with another former Sony executive. According to Nikkei.com:

The executive who oversaw the development of the PlayStation game console has established a company that will tap the latest networking technologies.

With the spread of cloud computing, he is said to be considering the development of an advanced platform for entertainment.

This is a potentially huge development for the gaming world. Kutaragi was a huge part of Sony’s success with the PlayStation. While upcoming cloud gaming services like OnLive and Gaikai have generated some interest, a service backed by the “Father of the PlayStation” would make more people take a discless console more seriously. It’s important to keep in mind that Kutaragi just started the company and reasonable conditions for cloud gaming are still years away. While I’m excited the he’s getting back into the game, I don’t expect his company to produce anything any time soon.

Let me know what you think of Kutaragi possibly getting into cloud gaming. Just for the hell of it, here’s a picture of Ken and me from a Sony party at E3 2005.

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How to Beat Every Monster in God of War in Less Than 10 Minutes

Lead QA tester Stephen Peterson shows off his mad God of War skills and shares tips on how to get one of the most difficult trophies in God of War: Collection: the “15 Min Fight Scenes” trophy. It’s a pretty rad video that’s sure to leave you impressed.

Any of you picking up God of War: Collection?

Coffee Talk #23: The Perils of Day One DLC

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, the rage of the Red Lanterns, how crazy British fans are for WWE, or the awesomeness of in-flight WiFi, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Launching downloadable content on day one is a sticky situation. You just bought a game. You want to jump right in and experience everything, but before you can do that you have to enter a bunch of DLC codes or purchase some additional content. After dropping $60, shouldn’t you be entitled to experience everything a game has to offer as soon as you pop it into your system of choice?

Dragon Age Shale

Free DLC I can totally understand. Some developers are using free DLC to combat piracy. It’s still a minor inconvenience, but it helps out a larger problem. What I do have an issue with is DLC you have to pay for on day one. I’m alarmed that some games — even ones I adore like Dragon Age: Origins — have additional content that’s available for purchase as soon as the game comes out. This stuff should be included on the disc or available as a free download.

I understand that game budgets are getting bigger all the time, but gamer’s budgets have been shrinking over the last few years. Combating piracy is one thing, but essentially raising the initial cost of the game is another.

What are you thoughts on day one DLC? Does it bother you that paid content is available when a game ships? Or do you think it’s the future of the business and that we’ll be paying more money at launch between the retail copy and DLC?

(Not a) Review of Gogo In-Flight WiFi Internet on United p.s.

Gogo Inflight WiFi Internet

I’m  writing this blog post on United Airlines flight 27, using Gogo’s in-flight WiFi service. This is my first experience with WiFi on an airplane and I’m very, very impressed.

Setting up an account is easy and is similar to other WiFi services like T-Mobile’s Hotspot. The speeds were way better than I was expecting — faster than the WiFi I’ve used at many coffeehouses and hotels. Obviously there’s nothing blocking the airplane’s signal and there are less people to compete with for bandwidth, but even still, the speeds exceeded my expectations.

The service costs $12.95 for the flight between LAX and JFK. If you’re just tooling around, that’s a little expensive, but if you’re doing work, it’s worth it. Heck, if you’re an Internet addict that enjoys web browsing, instant messaging, social networking, and all that good stuff, $12.95 for five hours of entertainment might be worth. Personally, I can get at least an hour of entertainment using AIM or YIM, saying, “Dude! I’m messaging you from an airplane!!!”

Would you pay $12.95 for five hours of WiFi on an airplane?

Xbox 360 Gets 802.11n Adapter for $99.99, Still a Rip Off

Xbox 360 Wireless N

Microsoft’s Major Nelson confirmed that the Xbox 360 now has an 802.11n wireless adapter, which is available for$99.99. Although he said that the item will be available “this holiday season”, several online retailers are listing it as in stock.

While it’s nice that 360 users will be able to take advantage of the superior range and throughput of 802.11n, the $100 price tag is ridiculous. There’s no way a wireless adapter should cost this much. Similar to how people buy Microsoft’s overpriced hard drives for Xbox 360, people will buy this overpriced product too. Oy.

Source

The Evil Empire Strikes Back: EA to Focus on Sequels

Darth Vader

For the longest time, EA was the evil empire of the gaming world, relying heavily on sequels and licensed games. Recently, the company changed its image through games like The Orange Box, Skate, Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, Brutal Legend, and more. Sure, the company still had its fair share of sequels and licensed titles, but it also offered a lot of original franchises from some of the best developers in the business. It looks like the economy has rained on EA’s parade of freshness and originality. According to Develop, the company will be focusing on sequels in the immediate future due to the economy.

Rapidly changing publisher EA has revealed that as well as shedding a huge 1,500 jobs, the company has also ditched a dozen announced projects to focus on its established and successful franchises.

The admission flies in the face of statements made by CEO John Riccitiello earlier this year where the outspoken exec claimed that EA had previously been too reliant on licenses and franchises and intended in future to focus on create its own new IP.

This saddens me. EA had a chance to be a huge publisher that was also cutting edge. Between EA’s fresh IPs and Activision taking sequelitis to new heights, EA wasn’t considered the evil empire anymore. Unfortunately, the economy sucks and there are shareholders to answer to. There’s a good chance that the emperor will reclaim the throne, but I will hold out hope that EA Partners will continue to be a creative force within the company.

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