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Microsoft: Project Natal 'obviously' works with people of all ethnicities
After Bitmob reported that Microsoft's Project Natal had difficulty picking up game consultant N'Gai Croal's movements, an IGN forum user claimed that the issue was related to Croal's skin color, citing a journal article about "near-infrared spectroscopy," which he claims Natal uses. Of course, the article is about detecting the delivery of oxygen to tissue via blood, and we rather hope Project Natal doesn't need to be that granular. In any case, the IGN poster actually admitted to being sensationalist a few posts down, but not before the whole Internet was up in arms.Microsoft was compelled to respond to this mess, confirming to Eurogamer that "the goal of Project Natal is to break down the barriers for everyone to play, and it will obviously work with people of all shapes and ethnicities at launch." The representative referenced footage of Sugar Ray Leonard trying the device as proof. Unfortunately, that may not be the best evidence, as NeoGAFfers spotted edits in the video -- the in-game footage of Burnout Paradise shown while Willie Gault is playing is identical to that shown during Zachary Levi's play session. Conspiracy? Probably more likely that there was glare on the screen or something during Leonard's actual session.
GDC09: Highlights from the Game Critics Rant
Though it seems like game journalists have a fine platform on which to project their opinions, it's rare that they get to directly address the game developers they cover. Just such a chance was provided by this year's GDC rant session, which let game journalists talk about games and their own writing about them.Before we begin, keep in mind that we are cherry picking here, and there's a lot of context you miss out on by not being on site. Hopefully, we're at least able to give you a flavor of what was going on.
N'Gai Croal to leave Newsweek for consultancy career
That's right. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal – one of game journalism's most august statesmen – will be packing up his desk at the venerable (though not invulnerable) news magazine and heading out for waters uncharted, Gamasutra reports. Croal may be leaving games journalism but he's not leaving the gaming industry; instead, Croal will "pursue a career as a creative consultant to game developers" to help them reach that most mysterious of all gamers: the adult.Croal has posted his final piece on his LevelUp blog, but if you want moar Croal, you'll still find his monthly column in Edge magazine, a personal blog at (the currently parked) ngaicroal.com and, of course, Twitter. If you had to read one piece of work from Croal's coverage of the gaming industry, the man himself recommends his investigation of the unfortunate Gerstmann-gate incident and (here's the good part, folks) "the contempt publishers have for the enthusiast press," calling it "one of the posts I'm proudest of." We're inclined to agree.So, here we are ... from one editorial we to another, we'll selfishly miss your contributions at Newsweek but wish you the best in the new gig.
NYCC 09: Todd Howard, Ken Levine panel
So, what happens when you stick game developers Ken Levine (BioShock) and Todd Howard (Fallout 3) in a room with two outspoken games journalists for an hour? You get a fascinating discussion on how Eastern Europe has become a new haven for PC games, how Bollywood perfected The Lost and, of course, a lesson about Horse Armor. That, and Howard reveals Bethesda is working on an iPhone game. MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo and Newsweek's N'Gai Croal grilled both Levine and Howard on everything and anything gaming, and we were there to absorb it all.When asked about what he thought the most notable game of last year was, Levine answered he was intrigued with Russian dev Katauri Interactive's King's Bounty: The Legend. He pointed out that Eastern Europe has been thriving with PC games, noting that games like King's Bounty are good reason to keep an eye on the region. Todd Howard was asked by a fan where he draws the line on DLC, using Oblivion's Horse Armor as an example of seemingly unnecessary content, or content which should have been integrated initially. Howard responded saying that people shouldn't complain about the inclusion of DLC, as devs can't always include certain content within their given schedules. They're really extras for fans, he said; however, he ascribed merit to complaining about how much that content costs.One last interesting discussion of the afternoon included a glimpse into how companies are using Achievements/Trophies in more ways than just giving you – the gamer – an ego. Game companies are using these accolade systems to check up on completion rates on their games (determined by the number of gamers who've received endgame Achievements). Levine revealed that 50 percent of BioShock players finished the game, while Howard noted a 30 percent completion rate for Fallout 3. Both those titles represented a notch up from the average 20 percent.
PAX 2008: Sex and Violence in Videogames Panel
The last panel at PAX 2008 was the highly anticipated discussion on Sex and Violence in Videogames between former Nintendo executive Perrin Kaplin, Grand Theft Childhood co-author Dr. Cheryl K. Olson and What They Like Inc., president John Davison. Moderated by Newsweek tech writer N'Gai Croal, the trio attempted to dissect the mainstream media misnomer that "videogames are toys" with both informative and hilarious results.
MTV talks to black professionals in gaming
Much like what she did last year with women in games, MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John is in the middle of a week-long series that looks at black professionals in the video game industry. So far she's talked to Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, Crystal Dynamic's Morgan Gray and Nerjyzed Entertainment's Brian Jackson. Tomorrow's entry will be an interview with SCEA producer Felice Standifer.Similar to the last series, topics of discussion include the perception of black people in games, the struggles with diversity in the industry and how it affects the end product (i.e. the game). Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Gears of War's character Cole Train are discussed on multiple occasions. Concluding his interview, Croal threw out an idea for a Dance Dance Revolution title that would actually teach you how to dance, which the rhythmically-deficient folks at Joystiq would love to get our off-time hands on.
GDC08: Totilo and Croal pitch indie game developers
Last night, two of the best games journalists working today explained to a room full of independent developers that they're not ignoring their games on purpose – as N'Gai Croal explained, he and Stephen Totilo were there to teach "people who make indie games about the PR process and how that works." You see, AAA titles are being repped by "very well-oiled machines that are extremely good at getting their message out." So how does an indie developer compete with that level of press saturation? Their advice is simple: pitch a compelling story, not a product. In Totilo's mind, many developers are "one email away" from finding their game (and themselves!) on MTVNews.com or Newsweek. "It's surprising so few people take that opportunity."
Don't you Spore-get about Wii
If you've been checking some of your favorite game sites, there's a good chance you've already heard about Spore's September release date. Wii owners were kicked to the curb and left out in the cold after the announcement, though, which made no mention of the game's presence on Nintendo's newest home console.We may not have a date, but thanks to N'Gai Croal, Wii owners have some tiny morsel details to nibble on. The good news is that these details make the Wii version sound like the most immersive of any, and not just because of the Wiimote. Okay, it's totally because of the Wiimote.In a Newsweek interview with Will Wright, the Spore creator talks about the benefits of putting the game on the Wii. Apparently, Nintendo's system has a higher bandwith controller than the other consoles (and computers). Because of that, the creatures have the potential for an infinite number of animations. Wright also said that he has spent a lot of time working on even the most subtle aspects of the Wiimote controls, which makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's nice when the Wii's controller is used to its full potential, and not just as a gimmick.Hopefully the Wii version will be as good as it sounds -- we'd hate to wait an extra long time, only to be disappointed. No pressure there, Mr. Wright ... no pressure at all.
The Gaming Club sounds off on the year in video games
Hope you like words, because there are plenty of them to be found in Slate's first annual Gaming Club piece. The newly inaugurated feature focuses on a once-around discussion of the year in games with some of game journalism's powerhouse personalities: Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, MTV's Stephen Totilo, the New York Times' Seth Schiesel, and Slate's Chris Suellentrop.A light read this is not. Suellentrop, Totilo, Schiesel and Croal trudge deep into a spoiler-laden discussion of what 2007 will mean in the great big book of video game history. Triple-A titles like Bioshock, Halo 3, and Super Mario Galaxy are both praised and heavily critiqued, while smaller titles like Desktop Tower Defense and Everyday Shooter are discussed as having been more emblematic of 2007 than we realize.Overall, the piece is a poignant look at the year behind us, and much more than simply a "game of the year" discussion. Further updates to the feature are forthcoming, with a total of eight letters between the four journalists arriving by Wednesday. Definitely worth the read.
Witness 'The Metagame' in action, thanks to MTV
It ran at GDC 2007; we reported on it, but you didn't get to see it. Now, MTV has hosted a special edition of The Metagame game show, as part of their "Gamer's Week" Coverage, and Stephen Totilo has posted the highlights for mass consumption.The Metagame, designed and hosted by Frank Lantz of area/code and Eric Zimmerman of Gamelab, pits two teams against each other in a battle of video game smarts. Each round, teams move pieces on the game board to form comparative statements between two games (such as "Halo would make a better movie than Half-Life," or "Virtua Fighter is sexier than Super Mario 64."), and argue these statements to earn points. Vying for victory this time are MTV's Stephen Totilo and Tim Kash, versus Newsweeks' N'Gai Croal, and fellow journalist Heather Chaplin, author of Smart Bomb.The debate is heated, hilarious, and only the slightest bit pretentious. We'd definitely enjoy watching more designers, developers, and press-members argue the semantics and specifics of the industry's most influential games. Any chance of picking up the show full-time, MTV?Update: Due to silly legal restrictions, the video posted above is not viewable in the UK or Canada. Apologies for any confusion or irritation this might cause.
Totilo and Croal argue about Halo 3
For the most part, MTV's Stephen Totilo and N'Gai Croal of Newsweek don't seem to like Halo 3. In a new series of back-and-forth journalism called Vs., these two are debating the merits of Halo 3"s multiplayer. There have been two parts to the article so far, and right now the consensus is essentially that Halo 3 is too hard. Specifically, learning Halo 3 can be unforgiving. Unfortunately, for many Halo players, this is completely true. There are no training modes, unless you count the campaign. Most people aren't concerned with teaching others how to play either. This leaves the uninitiated to absorb weapon strategies, map layouts, and gametypes by themselves, which can be a daunting task. Then again, Croal and Totilo also have yet to figure out how to initiate team speak (hint: press any direction on the D-pad, fellas).We have to point out, though, that the Halo 3 multiplayer beta really isn't the best arena to judge Halo 3's multiplayer. That may sound strange, given that it is a multiplayer beta after all, but it's true. Right now, the Halo 3 beta is crowded with a relatively small sample of Halo fanatics (several million short of the projected pre-order numbers). These are people who live and breathe Halo, people who went through the Rule of Three, people who spent $60 on Crackdown just to play the beta. Naturally, you're going to be running into lots of people who are better than you. This smaller sampling also limits the effectiveness of the ranking system, as there are fewer people with smaller amounts of skill disparity. Also, and this is important considering N'Gai's misty-eyed memories of LAN parties gone by, there are no custom games in the beta (not officially anyway). Given that N'Gai is vocal about his displeasure at playing with strangers, custom games with friends sound like just what the doctor ordered.If Stephen or N'Gai is reading this, we'd be happy to show you both some friendly matches of Halo. The rest of you can read parts 1 and 2 of the series below.[Via HBO]Read part 1Read part 2
Newsweek dissects what's wrong with the 360
In what looks to be a three part series detailing what's wrong with each new gen console, Newsweek's dreadlocked game journalist, N'Gai Croal has penned an article dismantling the apparent success of the Xbox 360. The article centers around a theory that Xbox afficionados will be familar with, the Xbox 360 can't seem to nab the mass market demographic. As evidence, the article points out that the Xbox 360 has managed to have hit games month after month, yet hardware sales have remained relatively sluggish. This seems to illustrate that the Xbox 360's demographic (much like the original Xbox) is centered around hardcore gamers that buy more games than casual gamers. In other words, these hit games aren't driving casual gamers to purchase an Xbox 360.
