Tag: PC Gaming

GameSalad Creator Comes to Windows PC

A few weeks ago, I wrote about programming tools that allow you to make games without needing to code. One of the ones I mentioned was GameSalad Creator, which allows you to make games for Android, HTML 5, iOS, and more. Previously available for Mac OS, GameSalad Creator is now available for Windows. If you’re interested in the product then you can sign up for the beta here. To give you an idea of GameSalad Creator’s look and feel, check out the image gallery at the end of this post.

Even though GameSalad allows designers to make games without coding, it’s still a very powerful tool. In fact, the company has had great success (like Borat) on the iOS platform. Here’s more from GameSalad director of marketing Jonathan Hunt:

The GameSalad developer community is both passionate and productive. In just three years, our platform has been used to create more than 60 Top 100 Games in the U.S. App Store, including a game that earned the number one slot. We are thrilled to welcome Windows users to our community and expect that this will open up a floodgate of creativity, resulting in even more high quality games for players everywhere.

I know that many of you have game design ideas floating around your head. I also know that most of you are Windows PC users. Any of you willing to give this product a shot? Perhaps the RPad.TV community will be playing the chart-topping iOS-game you created with GameSalad Creator for Windows!

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Offensive Combat: Free, First-Person, and Social

U4iA Games studio head and chief creative officer Chris Archer posted details about the company’s upcoming game Offensive Combat. This ambitious title is a free-to-play first-person shooter with a heavy social aspect. It’s being made for web browsers and mobile devices, but aims to offer “AAA” console quality. Offensive Combat has a lot going on and it seems like a huge undertaking for a relatively small developer. Here’s what Archer had to say about U4iA’s goals for the game:

At U4iA, we wanted our game to be free, but we also wanted to let players buy and rent items to customize their experience. We wanted it to be much more than the typical low-end visuals that gamers had come to expect in free-to-play titles, and be of true “AAA” console quality instead. As if that wasn’t a difficult enough task already, we also decided to do all of this in a browser, so players could, at a click of a button, play a top-of-the-line experience for free… AND literally immediate! No waiting, just instant high-quality, e-sport level competition and gameplay.

So here we are today, less than a year later, heading into the FIRST reveal of Offensive Combat, most of the work so far was done by an average of 10 developers (we are now at a whopping 18!). That’s right, not the usual 100+ developers, just a handful of amazing developers making a free-to-play, console-quality, browser-based, multiplayer FPS to compete with the big boys. We did it, but not without a lot of help from some great products including Unity and Photon, some great investors that have let us be creative, a brand new and cutting edge “scrappy agile” project management and production system, and the best team I have ever worked with. We’re not done yet, but we are well on our way!

Archer would like to know what “AAA” means to you, so please leave a comment on his blog post when you have a chance.

As for the RPad.TV (friendly) neighborhood, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Offensive Combat. I know that most of you are primarily console gamers, but would you be interested in a free-to-play first-person shooter with a social twist? It sounds like a zany concept, but also one that’s rife with potential, don’t you agree?

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Diablo III Interview: Jay Wilson Game Director

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!

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!

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?

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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?

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Diablo III Questions Wanted

Later this afternoon I’ll be trekking to Irvine (The OC!!!) for Blizzard’s Diablo III launch festivities. In addition to grabbing some cool footage of Blizzard fans enjoying the event, I have interviews with art director Christian Lichtner and game director Jay Wilson scheduled. Please let me know if you have any questions for these awesome creators. Naturally, I’ll  give you credit in the video…so you can be immortal like Hulk Hogan.

This Week’s Videogame Releases

After several relatively slow weeks, the ides of May takes the gaming world by storm. Blizzard’s Diablo III leads the way; millions of gamers have been waiting for this one for years and it’s almost here! Also high on many a gamers wish list is Rockstar’s Max Payne 3. With the show’s second season kicking all sorts of ass, Atlus should enjoy brisk sales of Game of Thrones. While I still have problems accepting that the movie actually exists, the companion videogame Battleship has me thinking about the impossibility of Rihanna and Turtle from Entourage joining the Navy. One of the oldest driving-game series makes a return in Test Drive: Ferrari Legends. Lastly, Mario Tennis Open has caused many of my friend to figure out where the hell they put their Nintendo 3DS systems.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Jetpack Joyride for Facebook in Public Beta

Halfbrick has announced that the Facebook version of its excellent Jetpack Joyride is now in public beta. If you’re not familiar with the game, it’s one of the most successful and addictive iOS games on the market. The simple gameplay is brilliant for killing five minutes, but it’s so well executed that you could easily spend hours playing the game. I can’t praise the iPad version enough.

As for the Facebook version, it’s good but still needs work. Of course it’s still in beta, so I don’t expect it to be as polished. Playing the game on my MacBook Pro 15 (Late 2011) through Chrome was fun, but choppy. Hopefully Halfbrick will be able to smooth things out so that the Facebook version can run similarly to the iOS version.

Please, please check out this excellent game when you have a moment. I’d love hear about your experiences with Jetpack Joyride for Facebook.