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American McGee announces next 'twisted tale' project after Grimm
We're not sure what it is about American McGee that makes him so fascinated about putting dark spins on Western tales. The former id Software developer and Electronic Arts' consultant found his niche in 2000 with Alice, though since that release he's done little to make us believe that his name slapped on the front of a game's box carries any more weight than the UPC code on the back. His latest project is a morose 24-episode take on the Brothers Grimm in development at McGee's Shanghai studio Spicy Horse, a project that according to a blog post by McGee is halfway completed. Excited, the developer has let the proverbial cat out of the equally proverbial bag by confirming work on another project. While details are light, McGee writes that the game will be built on Epic's UE3 engine, and is a "big publisher, multi-platform, twisted tale project." This of course makes us think that McGee will once again be paying a visit to the children's section of the local library in search of inspiration. Might we suggest Winnie the Pooh, as nothing is quite as frighting as a vicious bear that's rumbly in his tumbly. [via Gamasutra]
Grimm starts next spring on GameTap
The fractured fairy tale of American McGee's Grimm starts next spring on GameTap. The 24 episode series will follow the darker narrative of the original Brothers Grimm tales and have players in a "sandbox world which contains missions assigned in episodic fashion." The series will be set up in a way to have cliffhangers and keep players interested in future episodes. Images below in the gallery are what to expect to see from Grimm's characters.If the thought of waiting until next spring for Grimm makes you feel uncomfortable, there's always the the new season of Sam and Max (starting Nov. 8) to keep you busy.%Gallery-9426%
Grimm news for GameTap and American McGee
Oh American, you so crazy. You went and let it slip that your game Grimm was going to be distributed by GameTap. Now, we weren't there to see you talking about this on your blog, but Gamasutra saw. And they remember. They remember that you said it would be a 24-part episodic series. They remember when you said it should start in 2008. Or, at least, we think that's what you said.Apparently McGee was a bit early letting the Cheshire Cat out of the bag, as the blog post that announced the the game has been replaced with a bean-spilling apology. But the long and short is, as you probably could have gathered from the title, he'll be giving the Hot Topic treatment to a bunch of stories by The Brothers Grimm. Though we're eager to see more of the game, we were disheartened to hear he's been blaming Argentinian McGinty for the leak. Come on man, grow up.
New Sam & Max, Scrapland and more now on GameTap
Though most GameTap subscribers will probably be downloading the final Sam and Max of the season today, a few other offerings are also joining the world's furriest detectives on the service this week. First up is Scrapland, the last game American McGee made before he smashed the Irony-O-Meter into subatomic particles by moving the whole operation to China and building a vast army of wage slaves. The game has an average score of 72 on Metacritic, so fans of mediocrity have plenty to be excited about. Like some sort of Pokémon fan gone horribly astray, GameTap has also continued its maniacal quest to catalog the entirety of the adventure genre, both the good and the unspeakable. You may now count Return to Mysterious Island and Voyage (two of our favorite games inspired by Jules Verne) alongside Sentinel and Mysterious Journey II amongst their throng. ... Wow, Sam and Max just can't download quick enough, can they?
Alice now Universal Binary on Mac
American McGee's Alice has been updated into a Universal Binary, and the tens of Mac gamers who both use Intel Macs and enjoyed this title -- or at least its gnarled art direction -- can now run the game natively. (Okay, we jest; there must be at least hundreds of us, including this writer and other Joystiq contributors.)We salute Aspyr for offering a free update to this older title. This sort of support makes us want to keep playing Mac titles, even though the platform's gaming future is uncertain at best. Now excuse us while we dig up old copies of Alice and recite incantations for a Deus Ex update.
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: tardy edition [update 2]
Oh, look at the time. The webcomic branch of Joystiq HQ is running a bit behind today, so pardon our sloth behavior and enjoy the selection we've picked today.Don't like the white rabbit? Well, we don't think he likes you either. Just look at his pixelated eyeballs staring you down, and those two front teeth yearning for flesh. Human flesh.... heh, sorry to get sidetracked. Here are our picks for the week's best gaming comics, be sure to vote for your favorite! The hook, line, and sinker Our poor, European brethren Tycho, Gabe, what are you doing here? Me and my shadow Gaming Scientific cubed Ubisoft strikes back Dawn of Next Gen Oh God, please no! Puzzling conclusion You can't fight instinct I've said it before, they'll say it again How's this for a Burning Crusade? Free polls from Pollhost.com [Update 1: Dueling Analogs and Digital Unrest are both back up and online, so go send them your traffic!]
Has American McGee earned the right to present anything?
Gamasutra's running an interview with game designer American McGee. The man's name is a marketing tool in its own right. McGee recognizes it saying, "Certainly it helps in branding the games. With today's game market, building proper awareness is as important as building a good game."So, what does he think his name means to gamers?"I've seen positive and negative responses. For the 'fans,' I think they have come to expect something a little different from the mainstream. That's my hope anyway. For the detractors, I get the sense they feel I haven't earned the name-above-the-title right. In either case, it does seem that it brings some awareness, and all PR, good or bad, is a good thing." When Alice came out, many moons ago, we had only known American McGee as a level designer for Doom II and Quake, and let's be honest, he hasn't done much for gamers since. Yes, American McGee Presents Bad Day L.A. ships this month, but two games in how many years? Will Wright seems to get more done on his coffee break and he doesn't slap his name on the top of every game. Can you imagine a title like David Jaffe Presents God of War 2?When is it appropriate to slap the developer's name on the title of a game? How many game developers are at the level where it matters to the consumer?
American McGee: Only real next-gen is Wii [update 1]
Eurogamer quotes game designer American McGee in an upcoming interview by CVG as saying, "The only truly next-gen console out there is the Wii. Everything else is just a video card and processor upgrade."McGee, whose next game Bad Day LA hits the Xbox and PC in a few months, says Nintendo will "capture the hearts" of gamers while "Microsoft and Sony stab each other in the neck" as they compete over market share.We've heard one developer pick the 360 over the PS3 before, but this is the first time we've seen someone in the biz say that the Wii is the only step up to next-gen.[Update: Here's the CVG link. The full interview will appear tomorrow. Thanks, JohnH259]
American McGee heads to Shanghai
Remember that creepy PC game, Alice? It was by American McGee, a pretty good game designer. The guy's expanding his playground in Shanghai, opening up an entire new development studio and looking for people to help create the next game for next-gen systems. The game will be episodic, set in "a dark, fairy tale universe." So he's not branching out too far from what he's good at, which is fine.Want to take a shot at getting to work on the game? Post your qualifications as a comment on his site and cross your fingers. Will it be for the PS3? Who knows. There's only one piece of early concept art. What type of game would you like to see from this guy? Or... judging from the piece of concept art, what sort of game do you imagine forming?
