e3 2010
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DJ Hero 2 now available for purchase, Beck still wondering about royalty checks
You seriously can't make this stuff up -- in what can only be assumed is a nod to the one and only Beck, Activision actually is shipping two turntables and a microphone with DJ Hero 2. And that bundle is finally on sale starting today. We'd heard earlier in the year that the company was aiming for a fall release, and sure enough, consumers can get their holiday shopping started early by heading to Best Buy (where they'll receive a hard-shell turntable carrying case), Walmart (where the original DJ Hero will be thrown in gratis when buying the DJ Hero 2 Party Bundle on Wii or Xbox 360) or Amazon (where Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns will be oh-so-graciously tossed in for no charge). Check it right now for $59.99 (software only) to $149.99 (the full monty).
The Daily Grind: Got cons?
So the New York Comic Con is in full swing, and the fact that it's here already reminds us of just how many game-related cons there are scattered throughout the calendar year. Whether it's NYCC, Dragon Con, E3, GDC, or the various flavors of PAX, there always seems to be something just around the corner that calls for hotel reservations and airline tickets. More often than not, the next convention on the circuit sneaks right up on us before we manage to shake the jet lag from the last one. While we'd like nothing better than to shirk responsibilities and tour the world of gaming and pop culture conventions for a year, work must occasionally intrude, and most of us have to pick and choose our events. What about you Massively readers? Did you attend NYCC this weekend, and are you a regular on the gaming convention circuit? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's The Daily Grind!
Iwata: E3 reaction a factor in 3DS pricing
We'll admit it: We couldn't keep our mouths shut. Not just that -- we couldn't keep our eyes from bulging out of their sockets and our feet from skipping up and down the LA Convention Center halls. The 3DS technology was that impressive in person (in the midst of an otherwise fairly ho-hum E3 year, especially). In fact, we were so wrapped up in our glee, we didn't notice Nintendo was watching. Very closely, apparently. During Nintendo of Japan's analysts meeting yesterday, it was suggested that the now official ¥25,000 ($300) price point for the handheld might be pushing consumer limits, as reported by Bloomberg (via Andriasang). (It should be noted that prices have not been confirmed for other regions; though at least one analyst expects the 3DS to retail for $250 in the U.S.) In response, Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata said the price was set by a number of factors that went unspecificed, save for one: reaction to the device at E3. Rest assured, we're already practicing our poker faces for the next time Nintendo unveils the future before our very eyes.
SDCC 2010: TERA by the numbers
If looks were everything, then TERA would certainly place as a finalist in the Miss Upcoming MMO Universe pageant. Yet as visually sumptuous as it may be, we're more interested in its personality. Can the brains match the beauty? So far, it looks promising. We've been locked on to TERA's unique brand of fantasy play since this year's E3 (and before), and as such, it's great to check back in with the title, take it out for a quiet romantic dinner, and see how it's shaping up. We caught up with En Masse Entertainment at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con and spent a half hour putting the game through its paces and chatting up with TERA's devs. While TERA's dev team is working with a more recent build of the game, our hands-on demo was the same build as the one we saw at E3. Even so, it's always worth spending a few more minutes with an upcoming MMO to see what new facts and impressions can be gleaned. Hit the jump to read more about classes, races and an idea about not getting hit that's so crazy, it just might work!
Play me, my lord: Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms fires up an interview
The Heroes of Might and Magic franchise has a long and rich history with PC gamers, although the series has somewhat fallen into obscurity as of late. Ubisoft is looking to thrust it back into the spotlight with the upcoming Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms, a Civilization-type title. We've been tracking MMHK since this year's E3, and recently MMOsite.com grabbed some facetime with Ubisoft's Chris Early about the game. (Note that this isn't the Heroes of Might and Magic Online that's also nearing release.) A browser-based title imported from overseas, Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms encourages players to slowly build up a city (and later, cities) and interact with their neighbors. This can take the form of peaceful resource trading, hostile skirmishes, or large-scale strategy. While MMHK is set in the Might and Magic universe, the game differs from Heroes of Might and Magic's playstyle -- for example, combat is automatically resolved instead of turn-based. One of the most interesting features of the game is that it has a six-month cycle, after which winners are declared and the server resets for another grand struggle. The interview spends a bit of time prodding Chris Early about the advantages -- and potential imbalance -- between free players and those who drop cash for advantages (such as more cities to control). Early claims that while paying players will have more options available, free players are still a significant force, especially if they specialize. You can read the whole interview over at MMOsite.com.
TERA's David Noonan talks story, gameplay
TERA was one of the big winners at this year's E3, and the action fantasy MMORPG continues to ride that wave with a set of newly released video interviews taped on the show floor. TheGameNet's Nadine Heimann interviews lead writer David Noonan, who drops a few interesting nuggets about TERA's gameplay and story. For starters, Noonan clears up a question many fans have had regarding Westernization and the game's plot. Despite the fact that the majority of TERA's development is happening at Bluehole Studio in Seoul, South Korea, the game's quests will have a distinctly American flavor since Noonan spends one week out of every month traveling to the far east to collaborate directly with Bluehole's designers. He also points out that the game's quests will feature upwards of two million words, and that players could play through the TERA's lengthy storyline twice without repeating any quest content. Check out the full interview on YouTube, and don't forget to watch the shorter "personality" piece as well.
Nintendo unlikely to significantly alter 3DS design before release
In an interview from this year's E3 that's only just been published, Nintendo 3DS platform producer Hideo Konno says that the upcoming handheld is in its "final shape." Reggie Fils-Aime, the company's leading North American voice, has more recently told us that, au contraire, the E3 consoles are not the final design, though parsing the two into one coherent message would suggest that Nintendo's just leaving itself room to make small changes if the need arises. Konno's chat with Wired also touches on the 3DS' screen size, with him suggesting the glasses-free stereoscopic effect could be taken all the way to the size of a TV but requires the user to be in a very precise position, which is what makes it unfeasible. Teased about potentially making a 3DS XL, the veteran game guru says Nintendo's sticking with the current form factor for portability's sake, but he clearly isn't closing the door on the idea if and when 3DS sales begin to wane. There's a lot more here, including discussion of the new handheld's analog nub and MotionPlus-like gyro and accelerator combo, so why not show the source link some love?
OnLive duo pitch platform they believe will 'change the world'
"This is gonna change the world." Since our E3 meeting with OnLive CEO Steve Perlman and Joe Bentley, director of games & media development, wasn't filmed, we have no way to convey to you the absolute sincerity with which Bentley said these words. He further assured us, "I left a very successful startup to do this." Indeed he did -- three years ago, Bentley quit his "architect" job at outsourcing firm LiveOps (where he built software) for OnLive, after seeing parent company Rearden Labs' Mova motion capture technology. And now? Now he's busy helping manage the launch and continued growth of OnLive. He's also busy trying to convince us of the service's promise in the coming months and years.
Activision studios head brings development strategy into focus
"It doesn't make sense anymore," Activision executive VP of worldwide studios Dave Stohl declared to us in a small office, hidden away from the noisy E3 show floor. "You've really got to focus." The executive, who oversees every development studio that Activision owns, was reflecting on the old business model that encouraged studios to take on multiple projects at once. Today, the industry's leading third-party publisher has a new mantra: one game per studio. "People want the freedom to put all their resources against the big opportunity, and that's what we're trying to do," Stohl explained during our conversation at last month's show. We wondered if the shift in strategy was less ingenuity and more a sign of the times. Last year's holiday season was headlined by two major events: the slowdown of music game sales and the ridiculous success of Modern Warfare 2.
3DS and Rage are big winners of E3 2010 Game Critics Awards
Just one week after revealing the nominees of the E3 2010 Game Critics Awards, the numbers are in and the big winner is ... Nintendo's look-ma-no-glasses 3D handheld, the 3DS. But wait, the 3DS is just the Best of Show and Best Hardware winner! If you're looking for software, look no further than id Software's look-ma-crab-hands mutant-infested shooter, Rage, which took home the most awards in the show: Best Console Game, Best Action Game and Special Commendation for Graphics. If you think it must've been frustrating to be either Sony or Microsoft, both of which were busy showing off their newest motion-sensitive gadgetry, you'd be mostly right. Microsoft did have one small consolation prize: Dance Central, Harmonix's look-ma-no-coordination dancing game for Kinect, took the well-deserved Best Original Game and Best Motion Simulation prizes. None of Microsoft's first-party Kinect efforts and no PlayStation Move games, first-party or otherwise, made the list. Find the entire list of award winners, with links into our game pages for all of our coverage, after the break.
Preview: Dead Nation
Adding zombies to your game is like putting a lowercase "i" in front of your product name. Marketing types think people just go for the one called "the iBlanket" or the racing game with zombies. While that might have been true a short time ago, I've become desensitized to these overused hooks -- there's also got to be a catch to wrestle away my dollars. That's what makes Sony's Dead Nation somewhat unappealing. Developer Housemarque (of Super Stardust HD fame) has no problem shoving hordes of undead freaks into this PSN game and giving me weapons to kill them with, but that's already been done to death. Come on, guys. Throw in some really cute demon kittens or something. This longing came up as I demoed this well designed but ultimately vanilla twin stick shooter at Sony's E3 booth. As one of the world's remaining survivors during the zombie apocalypse, I made my way through a devastated city, pointing boom sticks towards throngs of monsters and ripping them to pieces. The list of weapons included the usual suspects: submachine gun, assault rifle, shotgun, grenades; and I snagged health packs by breaking boxes and vending machines. %Gallery-95678%
Interview: Ghost Trick and Ace Attorney director Shu Takumi
After publishing our E3 2010 preview of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, we worried that we hadn't adequately captured and conveyed the game's bizarre concept. We're not the only ones left a bit speechless by the amazing Ghost in the Rube Goldberg Machine adventure -- ooh, that's a good way to put it! -- as even the game's director, Shu Takumi, thought it a challenge to explain his new mystery game to the "bigwigs" at Capcom. Joystiq: When you first had the idea for Ghost Trick, you had to go to someone and say, "Hey, we should make this game." I want to hear what that first day was like, and what their reaction was. Shu Takumi: Since I made the Ace Attorney series for so long, I was like, "Please let me do something new!" So I went up to the bigwigs and said this, and they said, "You go ahead and do what you want, we'll see what happens." The concept was really difficult to explain, so they were like, "Okay okay, why don't you make something and we'll see how it goes." So, that's what happened when I first presented the idea to make a new mystery game.
Preview: Ys Seven
XSEED's recent deal with Nihon Falcom means a truckload of role-playing games on PSP for us. The flagship product of the partnership is Ys Seven, the latest game in the long-running action RPG series and the first to be designed specifically for PSP. As someone whose experience with the Ys series can be described as "casual" at best -- I played the original Ys on a few different platforms -- I was pleasantly surprised to see the game evolve from the clumsy bumping-into-monsters adventure I remembered into an action RPG game that seems more than competent in the action department. %Gallery-96423%
Extensive TERA E3 demo video unveiled
If you're a fan of TERA but weren't able to make it to E3 2010, you can still check out portions of the lengthy press demonstration video that En Masse Entertainment showcased a couple of weeks ago in Los Angeles. Gametrailers has an edited version of the video, narrated by producers Sam Kim and Stefan Ramirez, which takes viewers on a whirlwind tour of TERA's action combat as five of the game's eight classes are shown battling through a scenario to take down the evil Captain Marduck. "Keep in mind that this isn't a trailer, it is a cut down version of our demo and it is built entirely from footage captured from one of our sessions. We're going to boil this down to a five minute recap that gives you a taste of the experience," Ramirez notes. The video highlights the berserker, warrior, slayer, sorcerer, and priest classes. Check it out after the jump, or at Gametrailers.
Today's Portal 2 demos: propel and repel with gel
Parts six and seven -- the final two parts, mind you -- of the Portal 2 E3 video demonstration take a look at the mechanics of the game's new gels: Propulsion and Repulsion. As if anything could ever make Portal 2 repulsive! Ahem. So, these gels: They're yet another new tricky (and likely toxic) product of the Aperture labs that just so happen to open up a variety of new platforming puzzles. Go on and watch the clips after the break -- they'll totally bend your mind. (Or maybe that's just the fumes from the gel. Yeah, probably.)
Video interview: Sony's Shuhei Yoshida on Team Ico, Insomniac, Move, and more
While at E3, we had a chance to speak with the always affable Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. That title means he's the man in charge of Sony's first-party software, which also means he's the man to ask about Team Ico's absence from the show (No Last Guardian? No Ico / Shadow of the Colossus HD remake?), Insomniac's multi-platform future, the responsibility of first-party studios in defining the potential of PlayStation Move, the oft-rumored Warhawk sequel, the new Twisted Metal game, and more.
Preview: The Fight: Lights Out
Of all the PlayStation Move games at E3, The Fight: Lights Out was the one I had the most advance interest in. While I enjoyed pummeling my friends and foes in Wii Sports Boxing, I was curious if The Fight would be the next evolution of motion-controlled fighting games -- or just a pretty tech demo. After making short work of my computer-controlled opponent -- and working up a sweat in the process -- it's clear that Sony and developer Coldwood Interactive still have plenty of work to do on this third-person brawler. %Gallery-95944%
Chahi: Project Dust is like building sandcastles, with more lava
Speaking to Joystiq during E3, legendary Another World designer Eric Chahi gave us a bit more information about the mysterious Project Dust, revealed at Ubisoft's E3 presentation. First, it's important to know what inspired him to make the game: volcanoes. " I took a trip to an active volcano to see eruptions," Chahi said, "and since that time I'm crazy about volcanoes. When an eruption is announced somewhere, I take my bag and take the first flight to see this kind of thing." According to Chahi, Project Dust is a God game based on manipulating nature. " The foundation of Project Dust is a simulation. It's like playing 'sandcastle' on the beach, except you have more material to use, like lava." Lava, he reminded us, isn't purely a destructive force -- it can also be used to shape the land and even create areas of land. Interaction with your tribe of people is done through manipulation of the land, which mainly involves picking up materials and moving them around. The Ubisoft rep with Chahi explained that when you pick up something like water, it forms a free-floating sphere that the people can see and react to -- and they don't understand it. Right now, he said, the in-world significance of the levitating material is a mystery even to Ubisoft. %Gallery-95207%
Preview: NHL 2011
Perhaps it's my Canadian roots and the fact that I am one of two staff members that enjoys sports games but NHL 10 was one of the best titles released last year. After a shaky start in the current generation of consoles, the team at EA Canada has transformed the NHL brand into the premiere video game sports franchise. Not content with adding a few adjustments to last year's winning formula, EA Canada is making drastic changes to NHL 11 – the 20th anniversary of the longstanding sports franchise. Unfortunately, of the gameplay changes I've seen, there may be some cause for alarm. %Gallery-95226%
Preview: Splatterhouse
Most of the games games shown at E3 are not final retail versions; they're preview builds specifically developed to show at the industry's largest expo. Since this is the case, many developers will remind those playing its game or watching demos that what they're seeing is subject to change. "We still have to polish this," or "the animation over here isn't finished" are a few of the things you'll hear. It's expected. However, sometimes demos are nothing but a string of apologies and promises. Splatterhouse was one of those titles. During my demo, the game's executive producer assured me that the game was still in production at every pass and that nearly everything I saw and played would be "fixed," "changed" or "polished." You can't blame Namco Bandai for being hesitant to show the game, considering the development hell it has been through -- but it was a little extreme, especially when considering that I thought the game looked good (even great in some spots!) apart from the expected poor framerate for an early build. No, looks weren't an issue, but I did have a few others with the game during my short demo. %Gallery-23980%
