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The Evil Within protagonist makes do without 'extraordinary powers'
The Evil Within won't empower the player beyond "appropriate" weaponry and a delicate dearth of ammunition, claims Director Shinji Mikami."We're not giving the player really any extraordinary powers," he told IGN, "but we don't want to go in the opposite direction and not give them any means of fighting back – that would violate the rules of survival horror. So we're looking at appropriate types of weapons with a limited amount of ammunition in order to get them through ... if they're good."The Evil Within follows a detective named Sebastian, an unfortunate soul summoned to a distorted, labyrinthine asylum crawling with creepy things. Mikami sees the premise as a source of proper scares, and frames it in an overtly cinematic way – right down to the survival-horror game's wider aspect ratio of 2.35:1. (As with some films, this means you'll see black bars above and below the image on HDTVs, which are typically in 16:9 ratio.)Mikami's approach is reflected, arguably to a fault, in a live-action trailer for The Evil Within. If you have trouble stomaching the more grotesque parts, just substitute the gore for gourmet foods. The gnarled corpse becomes chicken, and the final shot is spaghetti escaping confinement in a microwave.
Google and ASUS to release second-generation Nexus 7 tablet in July, says Reuters
Google's next generation of Nexus 7 tablets from ASUS will be Qualcomm-powered and arrive this July, according to Reuters. If its sources are to be believed, Mountain View is aiming to ship eight million units by the end of the year, showing it has a lot of confidence in the upcoming model. Other leaked info claims a higher screen resolution, a thinner bezel and an unspecified Qualcomm CPU instead of the current model's NVIDIA Tegra 3, possibly to save power. There's no info on pricing or other specs and Google's not speaking at this point, of course -- but if it proves accurate, hopefully the two companies have learned their lesson from the current model's runaway success and will ramp production accordingly.
GameStop reminds console makers that used games matter at market
Used games are an essential part of the video game marketplace, generating more than $700 million in trade credit toward new games each year, GameStop President Tony Bartel told Forbes. Bartel defended the importance of used games in next-gen systems, noting that "recent surveys" suggested 60 percent of game customers would be less likely to purchase a console that couldn't play used games.Bartel wouldn't want to see the pre-owned business evaporate, since used game sales have been known to represent almost a quarter of GameStop's annual revenue. Bartel noted that regardless of next-gen capabilities, there were 100 million current-gen consoles in the US, so that market wouldn't disappear any time soon.GameStop has been banging this drum for years, noting in 2009 that 75 percent of trade-in credit applied directly to the purchase of a new game. Bartel told Forbes that 70 percent of trade-ins went toward new games and hardware per year, of more than $1 billion total trade-in credit.The PlayStation 4 will be able to play used games, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida confirmed.
Microsoft: Valve isn't a threat to consoles; everyone is wary of Apple
Microsoft doesn't view Valve as a competitor in the console universe, Microsoft President of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick said during Microsoft's TechForum. Valve is "doing some innovative stuff," Mattrick says, but when it comes to direct competition, "no.""The scale of products and things that are being brought to market are probably a little bit richer when I look at Sony, Nintendo, Apple and Google," Mattrick says.Valve boss Gabe Newell recently noted that Apple is the Steam Box's biggest threat, since it already controls such a large portion of the market with the App Store. Nat Brown, the man who gave the original Xbox its name and former Microsoft leader, also sees Apple's potential to own the console game."Apple, if it chooses to do so, will simply kill PlayStation, Wii U and Xbox by introducing an open 30 percent-cut app/game ecosystem for Apple TV," Brown writes.Valve's foray into the console space includes an emphasis on cheap, in-home streaming systems and Linux. Valve's PC distribution client, Steam, launched its Linux service in February and during that month it claimed 2.02 percent of all Steam users. By comparison, Mac users accounted for 3.07 percent in February.
Report: Assassin's Creed 4 to feature 'connected' single-player systems on next-gen
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is a next-gen game (gasp!), and will feature a few new, special systems on console versions, such as a "connected" single-player mode, creative director Jean Guesdon says in an internal Q&A unearthed by All Games Beta."Next-gen versions will bring to the players new, connected features allowing them to feel that even if they remain 'single player,' it will be better to be a 'single connected player,'" Guesdon says. "I mean that next-gen Consoles will allow players to have a solo experience that benefits the presence of a huge community."Guesdon doesn't go into detail about the connected systems. He does outline a few more tidbits about the game, including the "horizon system," which provides characters aboard the ship with "pirate opportunities," side-quests specific to an individual player's progress. Ubisoft has six studios working on Black Flag: Montreal, Singapore, Sofia and Québec working on single-player content, and Annecy and Bucharest developing multiplayer.
Rumor: PS4 in Japan later this year, will cost more than $400
The PlayStation 4 – which is currently expected to be announced on February 20 – will be available later on this year in both Japan and the US and will carry a hefty price, according to a translation of a report found in respected Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. The Japanese version, says the translated report, will cost "greater than 40,000 yen," which means it will be more than $400 there.Asahi adds there will be a rush to meet sales demands on both sides of the world, but the paper doesn't specify a US price; however, the PlayStation 3 launched at $500 when it came to North America, and cost 49,980 yen in Japan, around $535. So Asahi's report suggests that whatever the next generation PlayStation's price is, it will likely be slightly cheaper than the PS3 was at launch.There's also no mention of a European launch, and the PS3's launch was indeed delayed in Europe by hardware shortages. Hopefully, Sony will clear all this up on February 20.
Take-Two doesn't expect its budgets to grow significantly with next-gen
Here's another good thing about this current console generation lasting as long as it has: it appears to have reduced fears over next-gen budgets, at least among some parts of the industry. Current-gen budgets have had quoted with ranges between $15 million for BioShock and $44 million for God of War 3, but Take-Two isn't planning for the next-gen of consoles – expected later this year – to be wildly different from current costs."We don't have any reason to believe our development budget will change significantly," said Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick on a financial call today. "If anything, we've become, group wide, much tighter in how we spend our money. It has been the challenge and we've been very focused on it. We can't say specifically, but, no, we don't expect to see a meaningful change in what it costs us to release these top quality products."Then again, it's hard to put next-gen budgets into perspective when you're the publisher of Grand Theft Auto 5. If the game's launch on September 17 incurs anything like Grand Theft Auto 4 or Red Dead Redemption's marketing, you'll have to take a trip to the Andes to avoid it.
Warhorse Studios 'next-gen' tech video leaked
A video of Warhorse Studios' next-gen RPG that uses a modified version of CryEngine 3 leaked out recently. Even considering the "bootleg" feel of it, the video shows some impressive textures with murky, yet reflective water in the developer's introductory game.The video comes from a recent hour-long presentation at a small Czech gaming conference in Prague. Creative Director Dan Vavra clarified in a recent developer diary that the next-gen label is "somewhat misleading." The small demo was shown on a two-year-old laptop with a mobile GeForce 555M, or as Vavra described it: "Not exactly state-of-the-art PC or next gen Xbox." The area shown is 200 x 200 meters, and according to Vavra it "doesn't have the final lighting and there are no effects in it. It's simply an example of the environment."While the game is expected to run on next-gen consoles, Vavra sternly noted that the environment video is "not at all originally intended officially to support the claim that 'this is what next gen should look like.'"
Agni's Philosophy tech demos showcase insanely detailed faces, adjustable forehead sweat
In case you missed it during E3, Agni's Philosophy is a series of real-time tech demos created by Square Enix, in order to demonstrate the power and flexibility of its "Luminous Studio" development environment/engine for next-generation video games.As is clearly evident by these two spankin' new Agni's Philosophy exhibitions (above and after the break), Square Enix certainly has a lot to show off. The video above showcases a somewhat mystical feathered woman, whose incredibly detailed face, hair and clothing are all adjusted in various subtle-yet-crazy ways, apparently in real time. Similarly, the wizened man tucked past the jump is equally tweaked, his beard thickness altered and the amount of sweat on his brow changed simply by moving a slider.You know what? We don't even need this to become a game anymore. Just give us a character editor with this kind of power and we'll give you as much money as you want.
Ubisoft Massive developing next-gen RPG, Montpellier on next-gen racer
Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Shanghai are working on AAA next-gen RPGs, while Ubisoft Montreal has a next-gen IP on its radar, a few LinkedIn profiles spotted by PlayStation Lifestyle divulge.At Sweden's Massive Entertainment, co-developer of Far Cry 3, one game designer listed a "AAA next-gen online RPG" before changing it to something more vague. We grabbed a screenshot here. Over at Ubisoft Shanghai, a senior gameplay/network programmer listed a "'Confidential Title' next-gen console (RPG)."A game designer for Rayman Legends listed a next-gen console racer that he's been working on since August 2011, PlayStation Lifestyle reported. He removed the listing before we could snap a shot.A 3D animator and a concept artist from Ubisoft Montreal list an "unannounced next-gen" IP on their LinkedIn profiles, the animator specifying work from December 2011 - February 2012. Neither employee lists Watch Dogs, the game whose other-worldly graphics made such a splash at E3, on their resumes.
Rumor: Whore of the Orient action adventure aiming for 2015
KMM Interactive, the studio that picked up Brendan McNamara and the remnants of L.A. Noire's Team Bondi, posted openings that suggest the group's next game, Whore of the Orient, is scheduled to be complete in 2015.Spotted by Superannuation, job openings describe the game as a "narrative action adventure" that is "similar in style to LA Noire," and uses the same MotionScan tech that gave Cole his grisly demeanor.The job descriptions set a target for full production from early 2013 to mid 2015. Whore of the Orient is a next-gen console and PC game published by Warner Bros. Interactive, and McNamara first pitched it as "one of the great untold stories of the twentieth century."According to a website that went live for a spell in August, the game is set in 1936 Shanghai, China, and stars the International Police Force, a western group "hopelessly trying to keep the lid on and keep the peace." The website taglined the game as, "Whore of the Orient. Paris of the East."L.A. Noire spent seven years in development, so just two for a game "similar in style" and using the same technology, from much of the same team, seems ambitious. But hey, that's what energy drinks are for.
Guillemot: There's a 'good chance' Rainbow 6: Patriots is next-gen
Rainbow 6: Patriots encountered a rough production patch earlier this year when it swapped out creative director David Sears for Jean-Sebastien Decant. That doesn't mean the game is any less ambitious, and Patriots might even even up on next-gen platforms, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot tells Polygon.Answering a direct question about Patriots being a next-gen game, Guillemot says, "There's a good chance it can be." Patriots is still scheduled for a launch in 2013, remember.Ubisoft is working with Sears' original vision, which involves taking down a homegrown terrorist cell called the True Patriots, and making ambiguously moral decisions about the lives (and violent deaths) of civilians along the way. "But that's what is interesting with the concept – being able to give a choice to the person who is playing," Guillemot says.
Guillemot: Ubisoft 'doesn't have a huge investment' in Wii U
At a recent investor call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed that Ubisoft "doesn't have a huge investment" in the Wii U, the only next-gen console so far announced from any of the major competitors. Guillemot pointed out that most of the games Ubisoft is developing for the Wii U aren't new, but are ports of existing Xbox 360 or PS3 titles.Building Wii U ports cost Ubisoft just over $1.2 million, Guillemot said. Rayman Legends and ZombiU, Ubisoft's "original" Wii U titles, "are much smaller of cost" than developing major titles for the current generation."Because, as we've always said when there is such an innovation, the need is not to have big production value but to concentrate on the innovation," Guillemot said. "This is what we are trying on Rayman and ZombiU."Earlier today we mentioned Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot's thoughts on the current generation's lifespan, noting his opinion that a lack of new consoles stifles creativity. New consoles spur developers to create new IPs and "are important for the entire industry," Guillemot said.
Nintendo's Iwata says being first in next-gen race is 'not important at all,' pricing is
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently talked about how the Wii U's second screen was nearly scrapped due to cost concerns, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to once again hear him talk about the importance of pricing. While unfortunately not divulging a specific number, Iwata tells Gamasutra that the "pricing of Wii U is going to be one of the most important elements when it is going to be launched," adding that "the environment is different. Wii U is going to be launching in a different environment than when the Wii was launched." He also talked about the timing of the console's release (coming well before Microsoft's and Sony's next-gen consoles), saying that "being first in the next generation race is not important at all." So why now? Iwata says somewhat immodestly that "one of the reasons we believe this is the time for Nintendo to launch the Wii U is it's going to be important for the world," adding that its "focus is on how we can make our new console different" than its competitors.
Square Enix tech director on Agni's Philosophy demo, next-gen hurdles
Square Enix worldwide technology director Julien Merceron realizes the Agni's Philosophy tech demo shows off impressive graphics that could drive next-gen Final Fantasy games, but he also knows that, as a developer, focusing on graphics alone is "a big mistake.""Focusing on graphics only would be a huge mistake," Merceron tells Games Industry International. "You start to have super-great graphics, characters look really good and you end up in the uncanny valley, but you don't have animation at the same quality level. Same thing with behavior and AI; it animates well and looks good, but it is making stupid decisions. It simply won't be immersive."As graphics improve, other problems arise, such as facial animations, physics and AI not hitting the same level and creating an obvious uncanny valley, where on-screen actions are disturbing to watch. The uncanny valley will always exist, and balancing engaging gameplay with upgraded graphics and other elements is key to player immersion, Merceron says.Another key aspect is the hardware itself – this generation of consoles has lasted "way too long" and has helped usher in alternative forms of gaming, via browsers and mobile devices, Merceron says."Now you don't need to manage longevity by complexity of programming, because your longevity is ensured by your online model," he says. "And I would suggest that maybe we don't want long generations. We have Sony and Microsoft talking about this generation lasting seven, eight, nine or even 10 years and it's the biggest mistake they've ever made."Square Enix has recently focused on developing high-end 3D experiences for web browsers, a platform Merceron sees as "instrumental in the world of tomorrow.""We shouldn't underestimate the kind of experience that you can have in a web browser. Immediately you can play from anywhere. You have browsers all over the place. These cloud storage and computing interfaces will provide better ways for consumers to interact with the experiences they want to have."
Take-Two's Zelnick 'skeptical' of Wii U, not of next generation
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said he was "skeptical" of the Wii U in a recent interview with Gamasutra. He noted that Take-Two hasn't announced any games for the platform.Zelnick talked about the strategy he believes a company like Take-Two should follow. In regards to new console launches, he said that "if you get it right, it's a terrific time to launch a new IP." He also spoke against annualizing non-sports games, so as not to risk "burning out the consumer," which echoed statements he made in late 2009."Some of our competitors have had this trajectory where they extract a lot of value and the IP goes away. We're trying really hard to build permanent IP. And if you have to rest the title for a few years, over time you'll extract more value," he said. "We're not trying to create something good and market the hell out of it. We're trying to delight customers with something great – and market hell out of it."
Wii U lead isn't important, contends Sony's Rohde
Sony isn't talking next-gen at this year's E3. Nor is Microsoft. Nintendo's Wii U, however, got its big debut this week, and the console is planned for a holiday 2012 launch. As we learned in the last hardware generation and the generation before that, being the first out of the gate in terms of launching hardware can mean the difference between first and third place. SCEA Senior VP of Product Development and worldwide studios Scott Rohde, however, isn't worried about the potential for Wii U to lead the next hardware generation due to its launch lead."Not at all. That's the simple answer," he told Joystiq in an interview this week. "In very similar fashion to the way I'm talking about game development," he said, referencing Sony's hands-off approach to internal game development. "We have a very strong vision in what we believe we're gonna do for the next generation. And we're not talking about it at all yet," he added with a smile."The reality is let's build a great machine. And we'll talk about it then." With Unreal Engine 4 getting a big debut recently, and it being held up as the harbinger of the next hardware generation, we expect we'll be hearing from both Sony about that potentially "great machine" not too long from now.
Watch Dogs coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 'for sure,' producer says
Ubisoft Montreal producer Dominic Guay feels flattered by the whispers of suspicion surrounding Watch Dogs, a new third-person, open-world action game from Ubisoft. After an impressive debut at Ubisoft's E3 2012 press conference, Watch Dogs left viewers questioning whether its sophisticated environments and lighting (among other things) are a realistic match for current consoles. The official line is that it's coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.Speaking to Joystiq, Guay confirmed that the E3 demo is running on PC, but emphasized that Ubisoft Montreal is interested in getting Watch Dogs on "all the platforms we can." That means Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions "for sure," Guay said. A Wii U version is still up in the air.It's easy to imagine Ubisoft releasing a scaled-down, optimized version of Watch Dogs, positioned to take advantage of the large, established audience on current consoles. It's even easier to envision the futuristic property popping up in Ubisoft's typical barrage of launch games for a new system. Both scenarios could play out by the time Watch Dogs ships, sometime after 2012.
This is what Final Fantasy might look like on next-gen tech
Square Enix may not be showing any new Final Fantasy games this year at E3, but that isn't stopping the company from giving fans a glimpse at what's next for the acclaimed role-playing series. "Agni's Philosophy" is the title of a fancy new "real time tech demo" of what Square Enix is calling "cutting edge game development technology."We're taking that to mean "next-generation," and apparently so is Square Enix. "Agni's Philosophy was produced with Luminous Studio, Square Enix's game production environment (engine) for creating next generation quality games," reads the press release. Take a look for yourself at the (admittedly gorgeous) video, just above.%Gallery-157273%
Next-Gen Starts When We Say It Does
You're reading Reaction Time, a weekly column that claims to examine recent events, games and trends in the industry, but is really just looking for an excuse to use the word "zeitgeist." It debuts on Fridays in Engadget's digital magazine, Distro. If the world does come to a wailing and irreversible halt in 2012, the most terrible loss (besides billions of lives, the infrastructure of civilization, your dog, etc.) will be the glaring glut of video games already scheduled for 2013. Promising brand builders like BioShock Infinite, Tomb Raider and Devil May Cry are all bailing on 2012, and inevitable behemoth Grand Theft Auto V has yet to pick a landing zone.Most of these games are massive, costly undertakings that can't afford to stumble out with stuttering marketing campaigns, let alone on a stage crowded with other huge products. If we're to predict the emergence of powerful next-generation platforms, care of Sony and Microsoft, the movements of third-party publishers should give us our first clues. No manufacturer is in a position to escape the catch-22 of a new console launch on its own: You need standout games to get the system out there, but it's tough to obtain and support those games properly with an install base that starts at zero.
