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LittleBigPlanet Vita dev displays Hunger for new IP
LittleBigPlanet Vita co-developer Tarsier Studios is working on a new intellectual property and game called "Hunger," which the Swedish studio describes as a 3D action-adventure with elements of stealth and exploration. Tarsier announced the news at the Nordic Game Conference today, where it was awarded 500,000 Danish Kroner (around $91,850 dollars) in supportive funding from the Nordic Game Program. There's no word on platforms, but Tarsier did sign a first-party deal with Sony back in 2010 on an unannounced project. Also, today's press release notes the studio is "working closely with Sony Computer Entertainment," although that's not specified as relating to Hunger. Whatever the platforms, Tarsier's concept art and synopsis for its new IP has our interest piqued. Hunger centers on a young girl called Six who's kidnapped and forced to work in The Maw - no, not the purple alien, but a "surreal underwater resort catering to the whims of the powerful elite." We wonder if there's an element of the classic British TV series The Prisoner in there, since Hunger also has a Six trying to escape from a super-weird retreat. Anyway, as soon as we get more information, information, information. we'll let you know. [Image: Tarsier Studios]
New Badland levels available now, more coming soon
The weird but gorgeous iOS platformer, Badland, has ten new levels available now. The new levels introduces more powerups and puzzles for your little flying critter to take on. All of the new content is free in the update, and developer Frogmind says more will come in late June or early July. Badland recently won the Nordic Game Conference's Indie Sensation award, and boasts over 150,000 players according to Frogmind. You can download Badland, with this free update, on the App Store for $3.99.
Trials HD on sale for $10 today on XBLM
So you've managed to block out the siren song of Trials HD this long, have you? You're stronger than us -- but it might be time to give in. The game has been discounted today by 33 percent to 800 ($10) for a one-day sale. Can you really say "no, thank you" to that? It was voted 2009's best XBLA game, after all (and won the Best Nordic Game award at the 2010 conference just last night). Look at it this way: Your Microsoft Points could very well go to helping out the workers behind the scenes. That's right -- we're talking about the guys who sneak into the factory at night and set up these wicked elaborate stunt tracks. They have an extremely dangerous job, you know. Xbox.com: Add Trials HD to your Xbox 360 download queue ($10)
Video interview focuses on emergent gameplay in EVE Online
Part of what's so interesting about video games, and MMOs specifically, is that players often do things the game designers never envisioned. This is especially the case with a sandbox MMO like EVE Online where the developers provide a setting and the players establish their own virtual society of sorts. The topic of emergent gameplay in EVE came up in a recent video interview from the Nordic Game Conference, where our friend Petter Mårtensson from Gamereactor spoke with CCP Games Executive Producer Nathan "Oveur" Richardsson. Their conversation touches upon what the players are doing with wormhole exploration (with around 2500 uncharted solar systems) and CCP's excitement when player alliances clash and create their own stories of conflict. The interview also covers Walking in Stations (avatars), the COSMOS social network that will tie in with EVE, and the company's intent to alter 0.0 space with more tools to build empires and more incentives to get people out there into these lawless regions. Stick with us for a video embed of the Gamereactor interview with CCP's Nathan Richardsson.
PlayStation Eye is future of game control, says LocoRoco dev
At the Nordic Game conference in Sweden last week, LocoRoco creator Tsutomu Kouno expressed indifference on motion sensing controllers. When asked on potentially creating a title for the Wii, he "didn't have much interest." Kouno-san seemed far more impressed with the technological possibilities of a peripheral like the PlayStation Eye, conjuring its controller possibilities. Harkening Minority Report similarities, he imagines playing a game "using hands, without even touching the controller." Sounds like someone read our earlier report on the 3-D mapping capabilities of the PlayStation Eye and may be cooking up something special for the PS3 audience. The PlayStation Eye is gearing up for a July release so stay tuned for more updates on new and unique uses for this peripheral.
SCEE's Bain discusses opportunities with Home
SCEE European account manager (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe European? that's a little redundant and repetitive) George Bain recently gave a talk at the Nordic Game Conference on "Developing for PlayStation Network". Most of his lecture was in regard to the opportunities available with PlayStation Home, as well as the necessary approval processes to get stuff onto it.He announced the Home SDK version 0.5 would be available to devs come June -- they don't need a PS3 dev kit to build stuff on Home, rather, on Maya. Sony, said Bain, is encouraging not just publishers but developers to get the Home dev kit so they can publish some stuff on Home without the need of another publisher in the mix.He spoke about the whole "well, how much money would Sony get with the content?" question and to the relief of many smaller developers, the standard Sony royalties apply, but the lion's share of the revenue goes right into the hands of the developers.Branded lobbies were also mentioned (like in Second Life). This way, even non-software companies could dip their fingers in the future of online matchmaking slash fake life slash digital downloading slash useless stuff. So, who knows, you might get to wear those Express low-rise jeans after all in Home.So, what can we expect now that these little comments are out there? Smaller developers making some games for Home, less of a sting with going through a publisher who then goes through Sony, and branded lobbies as well as branded content. Sounds like a lot of potential, so let's keep our eyes open for more information. With that in mind, who here was invited to the second phase of the Home beta?
Designer gives inspiration for LocoRoco, hints at sequel ideas
Offering a peek into his inspiration for LocoRoco, designer Tsutomu Kouno once again touched base on its concept, design and production during a presentation at the Nordic Game Conference in Sweden. Fearing a "scolding," he didn't give too much away, though he did cite nature documentaries and the animal behavior of his pet fish as inspiration for some of the characters. I wonder what kind of game we'd be playing if he had a sloth as a pet?LocoRoco was the first game he worked on alone and wasn't initially approved on its first or second presentation. Only when a demo was shown on the third attempt did LocoRoco's approval come through. We can only imagine how frustrating those attempts at describing game play would have been on a mere PowerPoint presentation. As far as the sequel is concerned, Tsotomu Kouno said the sequel would contain, "new game play based on physical calculation and crowd AI" amidst other surprises. Ideally, the "use of color and music" is the central focus for the series, attempting "to create the fun and dramatic atmosphere of a live musical." Sounds great, as long as we don't end up playing Chicago: The Game Based on The Movie Based on The Play. Personally, we welcome new ideas, but prefer more the same game play that made LocoRoco so unique. It it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
Masaya Matsuura thinks big is not always better
No one can deny the deeply-rooted desire for increased portability in our gadgetry. MP3 players, phones, PDAs and even Game Boys have all succumbed to its forward-moving push by getting smaller over the years. At the Nordic Game Conference in Sweden, revered designer Masaya Matsuura shared his thoughts on why Nintendo's Wii was outselling Sony's PS3: It's too big! Citing Japanese consumer tastes as the main reason, he believes the system itself is, "too big for the Japanese." Xbox fans should note that he didn't care for the power brick either.While praising the Wii for introducing new game play ideas, he also brings up an interesting point on longevity, not believing gamers would want to withstand hours of "shaking the controller." Those that get winded walking up a flight of stairs should consider this if choosing their second console. Hey Matsuura-san: it's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it. I've got my PS3 nestled in its rightful place inside my cool and spacious TV cabinet and don't frequently juggle it or take it out to play fetch with my dog. Maybe the PS3 was too Americanized for Japanese tastes, but a console doesn't get a lot of portability anyway so I fail to see its size as being an issue. As for exercise, we'll stick to curls (cheese curls) so we can focus our free time on PS3 time-suckers like Motorstorm and Oblivion.
