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GDC 2011: Tatem Games' Carnivores and RoboSockets
Tatem Games is a mobile games studio out of Ukraine that's been making games since the mid-'90s. They originally started with PC games, CEO Igor Karev told me here at GDC 2011, but lately the company's focus has been on the iPhone and the iPad. "It's about timing," Karev says, "we can make cool games, and not spend two years on them." The company's biggest titles are the Carnivores games, a series of 3D "hunting" games (though the titles have grown to encompass more than just killing things) that started out on the PC and have since garnered 3.5 million downloads. The Carnivores games have a dedicated user base, and Tatem closely follows customers' advice, structuring updates around iTunes comments and input. There is an update due out soon that will bring more mythical creatures into the games, as well as new weapons to use and a new game mode requested by users who don't want to kill the animals; it'll be a photo hunting mode instead, letting the player wander the world with a camera rather than a gun.
Visualized: US smartphone market share, by manufacturer and platform, made pretty
They say a picture is worth a thousand words -- but in this case, a picture is worth tens of billions of dollars in market share. Nielsen has broken down its US smartphone market share stats between November and January in two dimensions -- by market share and by platform -- and stuffed all that data into a single block of mesmerizing color. It's interesting to see the Apple and RIM juggernauts flanked by two imposing, red slivers of HTC, isn't it? The research firm also took a look at platforms by age group; the shares are surprisingly consistent across the board, though Android does have a slight edge with the young'uns. Follow the break for that chart.
Windows XP partially re-created in LittleBigPlanet 2, ups the stakes for gamer ambitiousness (video)
We've seen an CHIP-8 emulator and even a virtual CPU built inside games, but we've yet to encounter a game recreation of Windows. Thanks to a quartet of industrious LittleBigPlanet 2 beta players, though, we can now finally check that off in our copy of 100 Geeky Projects You Must Witness Before Dying. As the video above shows, major Windows functions they've emulated to date include a working start menu and mouse cursor, multiplayer support for a variety of bloatware games, and even the good ole' blue screen of death. That's pretty impressive stuff from an ambitious platforming title that won't officially ship until mid-January. Needless to say, once the full version arrives, we expect to see a working copy of Lion running stat. You heard us folks -- we're setting the bar that high.
The Daily Grind: DC Universe -- PC or PS3?
Well, it's officially official. The MMO space will have its newest superhero contender on January 11th courtesy of SOE's DC Universe Online. Whether you're a DC Comics fan, an SOE fan, or that guy who has to try every new game that comes down the pipe, chances are a good number of you will be strapping on your cape and tights soon after the first of the year. The only question is your platform of choice. SOE is taking the unusual step of releasing DCUO on the traditional PC platform as well as the PlayStation 3 console simultaneously, adding another title to the latter's rather sparse MMO lineup. Today's Daily Grind is an easy one: What's your preferred DCUO launch hardware? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their 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 Daily Grind!
iPhone app ecosystem bigger than Facebook's app space
Last week at GDC, I joked that I really only heard about two things every day: Facebook and the iPhone. Of course, that's because I was mostly there to cover iPhone gaming (and certainly there were plenty of traditional game developers in the house), but those two platforms are definitely the hottest new frontier in gaming this year. Facebook offers a gigantic user base, and the iPhone offers unprecedented access (just $100 and a Mac), as well as a ready-made market place. But a new report says that there's a clear winner here: the App Store. The Flurry Smartphone Industry Pulse report says that both platforms are growing, but that the iPhone is growing faster, and they cite the App Store's "monetization possibilities" for the reason that Apple's store is now carrying twice as many applications as the Facebook platform. Facebook actually has more users (not surprising, considering it's been around longer and it's free, while you have to buy an iPhone to use its apps), but the iPhone has more developers and more apps available for sale. The report also looks at "iPhone developer DNA" -- where iPhone developers are coming from -- and it actually seems like iPhone devs are starting out from a good mix of places. Some iPhone developers have traditional development backgrounds, but up to 20% of the developer base is composed of individuals with no past experience. The iPad will probably be a big driver in application development going forward as well. Since its announcement, Flurry believes that the number of "in development" iPhone OS projects started per month has gone up 185%. The App Store is already one of the biggest platforms of the past few years, and it's only going to grow bigger. [via GigaOm]
Telltale Games may be releasing all games for Mac
Telltale Games has been rocking the retro lately, doing great things like bringing Secret of Monkey Island and Sam & Max back in new forms, and releasing new episodic classics like Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. Now they might be doing so on the Mac: rumor has it that they'll be releasing their whole catalog on the Mac as soon as next month, just in time for an appearance at Macworld Expo. Apparently there are many Mac fans both on the team and in the customer base, and they're just figuring out a way to do it. Sounds awesome to us -- Telltale's stuff is already available on a few other platforms (both PC and consoles), but they have a history of putting fans first, so we might even expect some goodies to come with a Mac release. We'll have to wait and see what they've got planned. [Via IMG]
Warrior Epic MMO releases iPhone tie-in
This is an interesting trend: Warrior Epic, an MMO game by True Games, has announced that they've released an iPhone app [iTunes link] version for free, featuring "a small portion of the strategy, role-playing and battles found in the online MMORPG," kind of like a taster for the actual PC game. The game itself isn't a 3D action game like the full game, but rather a "stat game," much like many of the minigames being released on Facebook and other social platforms (in fact, Warrior Epic is releasing this game as a Facebook game as well). Unfortunately, the only real tie between the games seems to be having the same name and being set in the same universes -- we don't have any characters to test, but it doesn't seem that you can transfer your actual characters or items from the PC game across to the iPhone. But this will be a trend to watch -- two other major MMOs have started work on official iPhone apps, and of course the 800 lb. gorilla of the MMO world, Blizzard, maker of World of Warcraft, has shown a strong interest in the iPhone as a platform, even though they haven't quite released any games on it yet. In the future, you can probably expect to see platforms like the iPhone host access (if limited) to your favorite persistent online games even while you're away from your computer. Should be exciting.
Breakfast Topic: How many of you play on a Mac?
This was a reader suggestion, and a good one: Zvonimir wants to know how many of us WoW players use a Mac to play the game. Blizzard has steadfastly put out Mac and Windows versions of all their games ever since the original Warcraft, but this is not at all the norm in the industry. There are only a few other major MMOs I can think of that even have official Mac versions (EVE, Warhammer, City of Heroes, um...anything else?). Sure, we can always run some sort of virtualization (like Crossover Games, which supports WoW on Linux) or Boot Camp, but that's just less awesome than running something in your regular OS. Anyway, here's the question for today: what platform do you usually use to play WoW? %Poll-37057% Please no flaming in the comments. This is not a "which is better, Mac or Windows" poll. Inappropriate comments will be gladly deleted.
Intel poised to unveil new UMPC platform?
If slides released today by hardware site HKEPC turn out to be accurate, Intel is preparing to launch a new UMPC platform and CPU on the 18th that promises a much smaller footprint than the current architecture while almost doubling the devices' battery life. Known only by its codename "McCaslin," the chipset will reportedly occupy a space of 975 square millimeters (as opposed to the relatively enormous 2915 square millimeters of today's models) and feature power-sipping 600MHz and 800MHz processors known as "Stealey" that are targeting four to five hours of run time. Also sporting additional comm ports for devices such as GPS, 3G, and DTV, McCaslin is said to be Intel's response to Via's small form factor C7M, which has been adopted into models like Samsung's Q1 and continues to provide advantages over offerings from Santa Clara. Hit the Read link for a few more deets and another slide, and obviously stay tuned, as this rumor should be validated or debunked within a matter of days.[Via The Inquirer]
Microsoft DAP said to be part of Xbox-branded product lineup
Some more details have leaked out about Microsoft's unannounced-but-well-known WiFi-enabled digital music player that shed some light on its role in Microsoft's overall home entertainment strategy -- though you'll still have to deal with that blurry pic for now. According to sources cited by The Seattle Times, the upcoming DAP is only one of several offerings that will be part of a larger lineup of Xbox-branded products, which will also include Microsoft's upcoming online media service -- the one that will dupe all your iTunes tracks for free -- and a dedicated software media player. Codenamed Project Argo, this initiative is said to be spearheaded by Xbox co-founder J Allard, and is rumored to support the so-called XNA toolkit for allowing developers to easily port games to multiple platforms -- possibly setting the stage for that heavily-rumored Xbox2Go. There's not too much here that we didn't already know, but it's becoming increasingly clear that Redmond has a definite battle plan for waging war against Apple and others in your living room (and pocket), and that the company is starting to make good on its promise of turning the 360 into a true digital hub.[Via Joystiq]
3 Final Fantasy XIII games; 2 just for PS3
Final Fantasy XII won't be out for the PS2 in the States until October, but we now have a glimpse of Final Fantasy XIII thanks to Square Enix's pre-E3 press event -- and this installment in the series won't be coming alone.Like the different titles in the Compilation of FFVII collection of games and movies, the initially announced installments in the FFXIII universe will span multiple platforms which, in this case, include both the PS3 and sufficiently advanced mobile handsets. Not much is known about the mobile-bound Final Fantasy Agito XIII, but the subtitle-less version of FFXIII will concern a gun-and-sword-toting heroine in a futuristic world, while Final Fantasy Versus XIII will focus on "a spiky-haired character," "extreme action elements," and a primary theme of "bonding" (whatever that means). Anybody ready to "resist the world"?The multiple titles might explain the earlier rumor reported in March that FFXIII was "practically close to being finished" (maybe only one of these games was nearing completion). Whatever the case may be, we're just happy that more than one not-so-Final-Fantasy will be hitting the next PlayStation in relatively rapid succession. RPG feasting: on the way.[Via Joystiq]
There goes Bethesda's neighborhood
A poster to NeoGaf claims he has a leaked list from Bethesda that shows Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion hitting the PS3 and PSP just in time for Sony's next-gen launch. Hey, they released an Elder Scrolls game on the N-Gage didn't they? It's just a rumor, but fanboy Jeff, who sent in the tip, says he isn't waiting for official confirmation to start feeling betrayed. Will you be disappointed if Oblivion ends up entering Kutaragi's fourth dimension?
Arcade games in the home: a rebirth?
Nostalgia's a perennial favourite for everyone, and gaming is no exception. We all lust after the arcade games of yesteryear, remembering disappearing coins and impossible high scores, and complaining that it isn't like it used to be.The arcade may not be dead, though--simply transplanted into a new location, our homes. Casual gaming and emulators on the PC, the Xbox Live Arcade and the Nintendo Revolution are all breathing, or promise to breathe, new life into our old favourites--so much so that some of them become more popular than full-price games. 2old2play puts it down to our being older--less time, more nostalgia, perfect for arcade-style games.[Via /.]
