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Calling All Cars servers calling it quits in January
David Jaffe's Calling All Cars will have its internets removed on January 14, 2010. An official announcement within the game (pictured) declares that the servers will be shut down, and thanks players for thar support.Though it's sad to see the game's online bouts coming to an end, it won't affect a majority of users -- there are currently zero games being played and zero players online.[Thanks, Kassatsu; Via PSN Stores]
PSN games Everyday Shooter, flOw (and more) on sale for $5
Sony's latest PS3 promotion asks, "When was the last time $4.99 brought you hours of entertainment?" We don't have the heart to remind them that bunches of XBLA games – like Space Giraffe – are only $5. Also, that coloring book we bought last week for less than $5 has brought us dozens of hours of entertainment ... Regardless, here's the deets of their promotion: four of the highest-profile (and, as luck would have it, best) PSN downloadable titles are being offered for the low, low price of $5. Did you miss the normally $10 Calling all Cars' discounted $5 price last month? Well, the gods at Sony have granted you a second chance. How about indie-darlings Everyday Shooter (normally $10) and flOw (normally $8)? Pick 'em up for, you guessed it, $5 each. Last on the list is PixelJunk Racers (normally $7), which will also be available for $5. You've got until November 29th to catch 'em all and add them to your collection of Black Friday steals.
How does one make a PlayStation game?
A good question and one that has been discussed over on the official PlayStation blog. Doling out remarkable insight, Shu Yoshida walks us through the creative steps taken in creating the games we love to play. Yoshida is the Senior VP of Product Development at SCEA, so if anyone knows what goes on in game creation, it's this guy. He starts off by telling us a little about Sony's policy on developers. They don't tell their developers "we need an action adventure game, so make one" rather, they take the ideas in and let the studios work on them until they show them off to Yoshida and Phil Harrison. At that point, they can red-light the project or let it continue, it is implied. That's good for keeping more quality games coming while filtering out the less-than-spectacular works, at least, for the internal studios.After a concept is chosen, there's the whole budget deal. A Blu-ray project on the PS3 generally has costs from $2-5 million just for a prototype (which takes over a year to create). After the prototype is created, the game gets shown to people inside of Sony to let them see how it's progressed as well as to create some marketing segmentation: who's the audience, what's the competition, how can they get said audience interested, et cetera. They bring in their selected audience to preview the game in the next stage and get feedback before development gets too far along to change the more core bits of a game.All in all, it's a really interesting read despite our attempts to shorten the explanation. Sometimes it's better to just check out the original article, since you can also see some early concept drawings of Calling All Cars! and leave your feedback and questions so Shu Yoshida can check them out.
Super Rub-a-Dub outsells Calling all Cars! in Europe
During Sony's press conference at the Leipzig Game Convention, the boss of Sony Europe David Reeve detailed sales numbers on a handful of key PSN titles. Leading the pack was Tekken 5 with 103k sold, followed up by flOw with 47k sold. The really interesting thing though is that Super Rub-a-dub outsold Calling all Cars!, 34k to 31k. It's pretty bad when David Jaffe's baby can't even outsell one of the worst reviewed titles on the PSN.We contacted David Karraker from SCEA who clarified that these numbers were just for Europe, which makes some sense since Calling all Cars! hasn't been out over there as long as it's been out in America. Still, it's got to be a disappointment for Jaffe that even after all the publicity, attention and (generally) good reviews for Calling all Cars!, it still gets beaten by an over-grown tech demo. Oh well there's always next time!
Calling All Cars soon playable on PSP
The latest issue of "PSP - The Official Guidebook" includes an interesting wee tidbit of information. The PS3 downloadable title Calling All Cars will soon be available to transfer over to your PSP, just like PS1 games. While there isn't much more information than that, currently, the magazine says that "comprehensive multiplayer modes in both Ad Hoc and Infrastructure" is to be expected. A release date will be available soon.We think this is a great idea. The game definitely suits a handheld and, with full online multiplayer, we're definitely looking forward to getting it on our PSP. There's no word on how exactly it will work yet. Whether you will need to pay for it again or not is up in the air. We're intrigued with the idea of non-PS1 PSP content. Hopefully this will become a regular thing. The sad thing is, with only one analogue stick, we'll never see Super Stardust HD on the PSP. Tragedy.
Calling all Cars to be transferable to PSP
David Jaffe's PlayStation Network title Calling All Cars, a pseudo-basketball arcade game of moral/automotive proportions, will soon be made available for download play on Sony PSP, according to European magazine PSP: The Official Guidebook (via CVG). Though we know it will feature both ad hoc and Infrastructure multiplayer, Sony has yet to reveal anything else about the title. Will it will be pushed as an update to the original or a separate download? Will we have to pay again? No release date has been given.
Calling All Cars coming to PSP
The latest issue of "PSP - The Official Guidebook" includes an interesting wee tidbit of information. The PS3 downloadable title Calling All Cars will soon be available to transfer over to your PSP, just like PS1 games. While there isn't much more information than that, currently, the magazine says that "comprehensive multiplayer modes in both Ad Hoc and Infrastructure" is to be expected. A release date will be available soon.We think this is a great idea. The game definitely suits a handheld and, with full online multiplayer, we're definitely looking forward to getting it on our PSP. There's no word on how exactly it will work yet. Whether you will need to pay for it again or not is up in the air. Ultimately, we're looking forward to the day when you don't need a PS3 to download stuff like this for your PSP. Bring out that PSP online store, Sony.
European PSN releases for June 22nd
We told you it was coming, and today it all finally arrived. Calling All Cars, PS1 games and a little added bonus. Check out the list below for the full release info. Calling All Cars (£4.99) Rampage: World Tour (£1.99) WipEout (£3.49) PS1 game Jumping Flash (£3.49) PS1 game Crash Bandicoot (£3.49) PS1 game So there you have it, not a trailer in sight. Yet, ironically, we kind of miss them. Where are the other two PS1 games, though? You know, the ones we actually want to buy. Syphon Filter and Medievil. Perhaps we'll see them arrive next week, along with Super Stardust HD.What do you make of this update? Pleased, or not? Let us know.
David Jaffe takes pictures of potential new studio
Remember that David Jaffe fellow? You must do. He's that guy that makes those games you love. Games like God of War and Calling All Cars. You must remember him. He had a blog, once upon a time, but it went dark about a month and a half ago. Made a rather scathing post after a certain website commented on him pulling Calling All Cars back just before launch to fix some bugs. Ah, now you remember. Good.Well it seems that the darkness that once shrouded his blog has been banished after a new post was made today. Jaffe clearly believes in the old cliche "a picture speaks a thousand words," so he's given us two of them. Words? No, pictures. The pictures show the insides of an empty building. Empty apart from one thing - potential. Could these be images of his new "small games" studio? Especially considering the title of the post is "coming soon." With a dedicated work space for Jaffe and his casual-games making cohorts, we could be seeing more games being produced by him at a much higher pace. We're intrigued to see how this turns out and will definitely be keeping an eye on his, hopefully frequent, blog posts from now on.[Via 1Up]
Dates for upcoming European PSN releases and Motorstorm patch
The European PSN Store is a bit of a tragic tale, as we're sure you've noticed. According to Three Speech, however, that's about to change with two new games available to download before the end of the month. None of that Midway rehash rubbish, either. These are full, specially made for PSN, titles. Ok, I've kept you in suspense long enough, check out the list below. Calling All Cars - 22nd of June (£4.99) Super Stardust HD - 29th of June (£4.99) Not too shabby, eh? While our US cousins have had Calling All Cars for a month now, Super Stardust HD should be a worldwide release. If you're as impatient for these games as we are then you might also like to know that this coming friday, the 15th, sees the release of the highly anticipated Motorstorm patch. Looks like Sony are finally pulling their finger out with their PSN releases. Let's just hope it continues beyond the end of June.
David Jaffe interview, more downloadable games coming
David Jaffe, the revered designer of God of War and the more recent, Calling All Cars, delivers some interesting banter via an interview with Three Speech. He says the difficulty of developing a title like Calling All Cars was the inability to rely "on old tricks" to alleviate the obviousness in areas with weaker game play. In regards to arcade titles, he says "if [the] core gaming isn't working, you have nowhere to hide." Near the tail-end of the interview, when asked if he has any more ideas planned for more downloadable games, Jaffe says his team is "in the design phase with two and three." Hmmm ... Calling All Cars 2 and 3? Or maybe a redesigned remake of the original Twisted Metal? Hey, we'd buy it.
Calling All Cars due for release tonight!
Finally, after a month or so of doing the will-it-won't-it dance, David Jaffe's Calling All Cars has a set release date: Today! It will appear alongside Rampart (as promised) as part of the US PlayStation Store line-up tonight. There's no word on when it will be coming to Europe, but we're hoping it'll be within the next few weeks.The full line-up for tonight is as follows: Calling All Cars ($9.99) Rampart ($4.99) Warhawk video (free) Burnout Paradise trailer (free) Rampage video (free) All in all, not a bad haul. You lucky Americans. No doubt we'll have a review up for Calling All Cars before too long. Until then, be sure to comment and let us know what you think. Enjoy![Via SCEA press release]
Stop Calling All Cars, they're coming today
David Jaffe's crackdown on criminals, epic games and disc-based content, Calling All Cars, will become available on the US PlayStation Network today. Having seen its fair share of delays and drama, the high-speed, cartoon cops 'n robbers clash is undoubtedly the PSN's biggest and most scrutinized release thus far. Engage in all the hootenanny, hijinks and hubbub online for a $9.99 fee. [Via SCEA press release]
Jaffe swears off blogging ... was it something we said?
Dear David (can we call you David? We hope so ...),We could be very wrong, of course, but we're pretty sure the "unnamed" website that drove you to swear off blogging was (the potentially French) Joystiq, and we think we know why.First, a discussion on the simile which we presume set you off: "Like a little girl struggling to keep her favorite doll out of the garage sale bin ..." Obviously, neither you nor we have ever been a little girl, but we imagine that it's pretty tough to part with something so dear. A garage sale bin -- though we can see the implications to a "bargain" bin -- is just the most likely way said little girl would be forced to give her precious friend away. Perhaps a better simile would have been, "Like an overprotective mother carting her still-suckling toddler to kindergarten for the first time," ... actually, you know what? Let's just forget about the similes for now and concentrate on what else we wrote.
Jaffe unhappy at the internet - quits blogging
Yesterday, David Jaffe announced on the NeoGaf forums that Calling all Cars! was delayed (again). The general reaction on the Internet to the announcement was disappointment mingled with acknowledgment that fixing bugs is a worthy reason for a delay. Some people took it better than others though and when our parent site Joystiq compared Jaffe to "a little girl struggling to keep her favorite doll out of the garage sale bin," they clearly hit a nerve on the outspoken developer.Though he didn't specifically call out the Joystiq post as the one that pushed him over the edge, Jaffe posted another one of his infamous rants in which he expressed his ... strong dissatisfaction with a certain 'unnamed' website and declared that he is going to stop blogging: "I'm going to go dark. My stylings have upset some folks within the biz I care very much about and that I can not live with"Personally, I'll miss his blog but he's such a volatile guy that maybe some time out of the limelight will be good for him. According to Jaffe, we can expect to hear from him next in July when he announces details on his next PSN title - or until somebody gets him drunk on camera.
Calling all Cars! delayed AGAIN - David Jaffe crushes my dreams
Considering the game has only taken 11 months to make, it seems like we've been waiting forever for Calling all Cars. Unfortunately, it appears we're going to have to wait a little longer. David Jaffe confirmed today on the NeoGaf forums that Calling all Cars! will NOT be coming out this Thursday, negating what he said last week.Evidently, there were a handful of major bugs that were discovered at the last second that caused Sony to delay the release and push the game back indefinitely. It also turns out that the May 3rd release date was never official, and that Jaffe actually got in trouble from Sony for suggesting it did. Jaffe expressed hope that it will pass QA soon, but was clearly wary of offering up an exact release date.But don't worry, according to the rumors, we are getting Super Rub-a-Dub as a replacement this week!
Jaffe un-promises, Calling All Cars delayed
Like a little girl struggling to keep her favorite doll out of the garage sale bin, David Jaffe is returning to the world of Calling All Cars to make some fixes and revise some of the criticisms the title received via reviews, even after announcing that the title has gone gold, according to a post he left on the NeoGAF forums. The title, therefore, has been delayed for an unspecified time.The bug fixes concern network connection and voice chat issues. Jaffe apologizes, of course, and notes that the previously-mentioned release date was never official. ("Sony was kinda annoyed that I claimed 5/3 as release date," he said.) Would gamers have preferred the game be released on time with a patch promised at a later time? We're leaning towards no, given the importance of multiplayer in the game, although our opinions might sway depending on how long these two "key bugs" take to fix.
Jaffe reviews the reviews of Calling All Cars
David Jaffe plays by his own rules, mister. So don't think you can go around town giving a 6.7 to Calling All Cars and he won't have anything to say about it. Because he totally will. In an admittedly pretty even-tempered blog response to Gamespot's middle-of-the-road score, Jaffe tries to explain why he thinks the problems that the site has with the game (lack of content, etc.) aren't really that big a deal.Jaffe's real beef is with the criteria by which his $10 game is being judged. He says he wanted to create "a trash talking fun ass time with your buddies," and feels like it's that goal on which the review should be based. (Surprising no one, Jaffe feels the game is between an 8 and 10 in this category.) But in the same breath (or is that keystroke?) he goes on to admit that it may not be fair for him to ask that. The post continues as an interesting, slightly schizophrenic, view into how a developer deals with watching their baby enter the world. Go ahead Dave, wear that heart on your sleeve, we still think you're a maverick. ... A maverick of caring.
Initial Review Roundup - Calling All Cars!
After delay after delay, Calling all Cars! has finally gone gold and the initial rounds of reviews have started to trickle in. Gamespot, 1up, and IGN have all weighed in on David Jaffe's 'casual' follow-up to God of War, and the response has been... interesting. IGN gave it an 8.5, stating that "Calling All Cars is Sony's first truly original, must-have title on the PlayStation Network, and it bests just about everything there is to be found on Microsoft's online arcade center." 1up gave it an 8.0, calling it "a chaotic successor to the likes of R.C. Pro-Am and Super Off Road that's easy on the wallet, and it's also among the best examples of how the concept of downloadable content should be used." And then there's Gamespot. Gamespot gave it a 6.7. They said it was a "frantic good time that's cut short by a serious lack of content." They dinged the gameplay for being too random and luck based, and practically rioted over the inclusion of only four maps, saying "that it feels more like a demo than a full game." As you can see, there is some interesting contrast in reviews between the 'big three' gaming sites. Unfortunately, we cannot really give a rebuttal at this point, since us mere mortals will not be able to get our grubby little hands onto it until next Thursday. Conveniently though, David Jaffe has posted a rebuttal for us! It is a surprisingly thoughtful critique of the Gamespot review and game reviewers in general. Check it out, I highly recommend it:(P.S.: First post!)
Calling All Cars is done, due out May 3
David Jaffe has announced on his design blog today that Calling All Cars (formerly Criminal Crackdown) has gone gold and is expected to hit the PlayStation Network on May 3. The game had been previously delayed for focus testing and other minor tweaking, but it now seems that Jaffe is happy enough with the product to let it go.Has it been worth the wait? Reviews are slowly coming in, but IGN is calling it "Sony's first truly original, must-have title on the PlayStation Network" and claiming it bests just about everything on Xbox Live Arcade. Strong words; we'll see for ourselves next week.[Thanks, Pete]
