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'Skye' exists in the soothing space between 'Spyro' and 'Journey'
In the midst of all the neon pixels, gun blasts, stylized narrative adventures and action-packed space romps scattered around the Indie Megabooth at GDC, Skye immediately caught my eye. It was crisp and bright, showcasing a rich fantasy world in a soft, cartoonish 3D style. Something about it was soothing at first sight -- perhaps it was the way the main character, a bright blue dragon, soared around the valley like a serpentine kite. Maybe it was the lush green grass draped over the landscape and its series of floating islands. Whatever the reason, this is precisely the vibe that Skye developers at Puny Astronaut are going for: eye-catching calm. And, so far, they're succeeding.
'Gunhead' puts an artistic twist on a first-person shooter game
First-person shooter games are dime a dozen, but every now and then there's one that stands out from the pack. That's exactly the case with Gunhead, an open world title from Alientrap, the same indie developer that brought you the gorgeous 2D platformer Apotheon. The game, which quietly debuted at SXSW 2018 last week and is here at GDC 2018, features visuals reminiscent of films like A Scanner Darkly, the animated sci-fi thriller from 2006. Gunhead's artwork feels cartoonish, yet polished, with dark, vibrant colors that pop as you travel between spaceships in your role as a pirate mech with a gun for a head.
'One Finger Death Punch 2' will pummel its way into your heart
At the GDC 2018 Indie Megabooth on Monday, Silver Dollar Games showed off One Finger Death Punch 2, the sequel to its popular 2013 brawler. Fans of the original -- and fans of smash-em-ups in general -- are not going to be disappointed.
We're live from GDC 2018!
Another day, another tech conference. Now that SXSW is behind us, it's time for GDC 2018. We've arrived in San Francisco to cover the latest edition of the Game Developers Conference, where you can expect to see plenty of new indie titles, AR and VR projects and even films about the gaming industry. Oh, and Fortnite -- you know, we're definitely going to hear from Epic Games about its smash hit. Amazon and Facebook, meanwhile, have already made announcements of their own, and this week we'll speak to execs from both companies about their overall gaming strategies. To make sure you don't miss any news that comes out of GDC, bookmark this page here.
GDC 2018 will feature the event's first film festival
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) takes place in San Francisco next month and this year's event includes the GDC's first ever film festival. For three days starting March 19th, the GDC will host a selection of documentary and narrative films focused on the art and culture of video games, and Q&As with the filmmakers will follow most of the screenings.
GDC retracts award for Atari founder amid online outcry
Yesterday, organizers for the upcoming Game Developers Conference announced the lineup for the 18th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, and topping that list were honors for a trio of men who helped build gaming as we know it: Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail (Ambassador Award), Double Fine founder Tim Schafer (Lifetime Achievement), and Atari founder Nolan Bushnell (Pioneer Award). But an outcry followed for the latter, and the hashtag #NotNolan surfaced anecdotes of sexual misconduct and harassment that Bushnell had encouraged in Atari's offices during its heydey in the 70s -- stories that he'd actually given in interviews. A day later, GDC officially retracted its award to Bushnell.
'Sonic Mania' is a wonderful balance of nostalgia and novelty
If you've played Sonic the Hedgehog on your phone, Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 in the last half-dozen years, you have Christian Whitehead to thank. In 2009, he created an unofficial proof of concept iPhone port of Sonic CD using a custom-built game engine -- a project that eventually led to Sega hiring him to officially port Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to modern platforms. This week, the fruits of that partnership reached a new high point in Sonic Mania, an all-new 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog platformer that sees the mascot return to his glory days.
'Breath of the Wild' creators explain how they bucked tradition
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn't just the series' best game in years, it's also unlike any title in the series -- it's an open-world experience where you're free to find your own solutions to challenges. But just how did Nintendo manage to pull off such a radical change in direction? Don't worry -- it's happy to explain. The Game Developers Conference has posted a talk from Nintendo's Hidemaro Fujibayashi, Satoru Takizawa and Takuhiro Dota that describes how the Breath of the Wild team broke from the highly linear experiences of past Zelda games. It's a textbook example of how to make a good open-world game regardless of the genre.
'Sonic Mania' finally gives its lead character a unique special move
When Sega invited me behind closed doors to get an early look of Sonic Mania at GDC last month, I wasn't expecting much. I'd seen the trailers and indeed, it looked like a grand homage to franchise, but I was surprised to find that the game is more than that. Mania doesn't just bring players back to the 16-bit era with classic graphics and gameplay -- it adds to it. This retro Sonic throwback gifts its mascot with new abilities, new levels and incredibly smooth pixel animation.
GDC opens up its arms to the trans community
Two weeks ago, the Trump administration rolled back federal protection for transgender students who wish to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. The act has drawn criticism for not just discriminating against transgendered people, but also putting them in harm's way. Several Silicon Valley companies have also come forward to decry the rollback, proclaiming their commitment to LGBT rights. At the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco last week, it was clear that the gaming industry shares the sentiment too.
Razer's new digital currency is both outdated and enticing
The last thing the gaming industry needs is another digital currency system that supplants dollars for an exclusive "points" system -- and yet that's exactly what Razer invited me to see at its San Francisco offices last week. The company's pitch was almost contradictory. Razer zVault is a digital wallet system designed to unify payments across platforms encumbered by a myriad of other fragmented digital wallets. It sounds ridiculous, but it's already moderately successful: over six weeks, the zVault pilot program has already tracked over 370,000 transactions using zVault's zGold currency. That's probably due in part to the fact that zVault boasts a burgeoning rewards program that offers users discounts, free games and a second bonus currency that can be used to buy Razer accessories and laptops.
Tech companies and game devs are gearing up for AR
Last year's Game Developers Conference was ruled by virtual reality. From Sony detailing its PSVR launch plans to Oculus showcasing the first batch of games for the consumer Rift headset, you couldn't swing a Meowth at the event without hitting a VR booth. But perhaps fueled by the success of Pokémon Go in 2016, augmented reality has become the new industry darling. That's not to say VR has been kicked to the curb completely, but at GDC 2017 we saw the emergence of AR as a compelling technology for gaming and beyond.
A naked barbarian simulator saved FunCom from bankruptcy
It's easy to disassociate game developers from the success or failure of their titles. The average gamer might not notice if a company's most recent releases aren't selling well, and would be none the wiser if one of their favorite companies was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. That's where FunCom was before it decided to make Conan Exiles. Despite the popularity of its previous Conan games, critical acclaim for titles like The Park and being the developer behind the LEGO Minifigures Online MMO, the company was hemorrhaging money. "We were basically loaning money from our investors for wages," FunCom creative director Joe Bylos told Engadget at GDC. "We were pretty close to bankruptcy." If its next game wasn't a hit, the company was done for.
Play laser tag in the real world with this smartphone attachment
Playing laser tag is fun, but in order to do so, you have to go to a special venue, get specialized equipment and basically block off the entire day. With Proxy42's Inceptor, however, you don't have to. This little accessory combined with a game called Father.io essentially changes any smartphone into a mobile laser tag machine, without the need for a plastic toy gun attachment.
Here's what happened at GDC 2017
Our time at GDC 2017 has come to an end, and we're already looking forward to next year. Over the course of the week, we covered the latest developments from the gaming world, which included major announcements by Oculus and Microsoft on the alternative-reality front. But that wasn't all: Independent games are always a major part of GDC and this year was no exception, as demonstrated by the massive Indie Megabooth. The show floor may be closed now, but stay tuned because we still have some stories to share with you about trends we noticed at the event.
Bring out your inner 'Calvin and Hobbes' at Alt.Ctrl.GDC
Ah, the Alt.Ctrl.GDC booth. It's the real reason thousands of people flock to downtown San Francisco every year, under the guise of attending panels, networking and showing off their work at the annual Game Developers Conference. Alt.Ctrl.GDC is a collection of games that use experimental controls -- that means no keyboards, no mice and no gamepads. Instead, the booth is filled with things like laser harps, spaceship control panels, giant inflatable dark rooms, DIY bookcases, record players, furry cat hats, cardboard boxes and waist-high, carpeted treadmills.
'#Archery' is a quirky VR party game for the HTC Vive
I wasn't expecting to start my day using a bow and arrow to shoot ice cream cones at kids, or riding on the back of a pickup truck slinging newspapers in a suburban neighborhood. But thanks to #Archery, a virtual reality game from indie studio VRUnicorns, I was able to do just that using an HTC Vive headset. The title, which hits Steam Early Access on March 30th for $10, features a handful of main levels and mini games within each one of those. My experience consisted of scenarios like what I mentioned above, where I took charge of a digital bow and arrow to fire different objects at characters around the environment.
Indie devs can publish on Xbox without Microsoft's help
It wasn't too long ago that Microsoft released an update that turned every Xbox One into a software development kit. Now, hobbyist developers will have a platform for publishing their wares on the console. It's called the Xbox Live Creator's Program.
LG's SteamVR headset is a bulky yet promising HTC Vive alternative
For the past year, the only two contenders in the PC virtual-reality space were the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. Not anymore. A few days ago, LG announced its own PC-driven VR headset, which was made in collaboration with Valve. That means that there are now two headsets -- the Vive and the LG -- that make use of Valve's SteamVR tracking technology. I took a closer look at a prototype of the LG headset here at GDC 2017, and though it could certainly use some improvement, it has a lot of potential.
Watch the 2017 Game Developers Choice Awards right here!
They may not be of the same magnitude as the Oscars, but the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival Awards are happening tonight in San Francisco. The events are going to be hosted by Double Fine CEO Tim Schaefer and Tacoma Games' Nina Freeman, respectively, in an evening where the best AAA and indie developers will be recognized for their work. Will Super Mario Run win the award for Best Mobile/Handheld Game? Tune in to find out at 6:30PM PT/9:30PM ET; there's a livestream below, and you can also go to the GDC's Twitch and YouTube pages.
