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Brink trailer showcases acrobatic, lanky dudes
Whomever compiled this Brink trailer must have enjoyed themself some Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, because we swear we've only seen dudes stylishly dodge projectiles like that in a Hideo Kojima game. But, we digress. There are plenty of other noteworthy things, but if you're looking for actual in-game footage, you won't find it throughout the three minutes of video above. But, hey, if the CG is any indication, there will be lots of action to look forward to in Brink. That and curiously tall, acrobatic gentlemen wearing a variety of neat masks.
New Brink video shows how to customize your lanky, lanky character
If you're as intrigued as we are by Splash Damage and Bethesda's co-operative FPSRPG Brink, you'll probably want to check out the video above, which shows the many options you'll be afforded when customizing your personal freedom fighter. For instance, what kind of full-torso tattoos would like? And how many mohawks do you want perched atop your skull? Three, you say? Wonderful, wonderful. Though all of the characters designed in the video turn out horrifically homely, there certainly seems to be a lot of depth in the customization tools. We just hope there's an option to shorten our characters' arms, as all of the soldiers seen in the trailer above probably do a lot of tripping over their own forearms.
Writers Guild of America announces 2010 game writing nominations
Well folks, we've been here twice before -- it's that very special time of year when the Writers Guild of America announces nominations in the category of "Videogame Writing." As has been the standard for the past two years, the list of games is a dubious mix. We'd certainly point to Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 (our 2009 Game of the Year, lest you forget) and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 as worthy of the title, but ... well, nearly everything else on the list strikes us as either unworthy or straight up misplaced. It reads as follows: Assassin's Creed 2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Wet X-Men Origins: Wolverine We're just as flummoxed as you are that titles like Wolverine and Modern Warfare 2 showed up -- especially while a litany of other great writing falls by the wayside (we're looking at you, Dragon Age and Professor Layton 2) -- but that might have something to do with the WGA membership requirement for consideration in the nominations. Regardless, we'll find out who's going to take the golden manuscript home when the show takes place simultaneously in both Los Angeles and New York City on February 20. [Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Brink moved to Fall 2010; watch its S.M.A.R.T. system now
Back at E3, we were briefly shown Brink's S.M.A.R.T. system for navigating around the Bethesda-published FPS' environment. Our play session was mainly focused on the combat and quests of the game at the time. Now, Splash Damage's own Paul Wedgewood has been kind enough to demonstrate how it works in-game, courtesy of the G4 video past the break. Another interesting item brought up in this video is Brink's new release date: Fall 2010. Last we heard, it was destined for a Spring 2010 release. Not so anymore! %Gallery-64854%
Splash Damage's Brink wants to change your mind on multiplayer
Are you one of these folks who don't even realize there's a "multiplayer button" in your first-person shooters? After spending hours with the single-player campaign, you shelve the game and press onward, eschewing time with multiplayer for other, more solitary experiences? Splash Damage head Paul Wedgwood wants to change your attitude, telling Eurogamer in an interview that his studio's upcoming FPS Brink will do just that. "It's our goal from the outset to incidentally teach people to be good at multiplayer shooters while they're playing our single-player shooter," he says. Apparently, Brink will offer in-game rewards (double XP, for instance) to players willing to take their game online. "At a certain point in the game we say to them, 'Why don't you just try co-op and see how you go? For this next mission we're going to give you twice the number of experience points if you play co-operatively with somebody else.'" Thankfully though, he assures the internet-less among us (how are you reading this?!) that there's plenty of game in Brink without having to go online. "Your experience through it, imagining you have no internet connection should, for us to have achieved our goal, be as compelling as any other triple-A shooter." We'll find out if his plan works when Brink arrives sometime next year. %Gallery-64854%
Splash Damage has big plans for Brink franchise
We've spoken to Splash Damage's Richard 'Rahdo' Ham in the past, so we know he's no stranger to a certain amount of exuberance about the game he's working on, Brink. In his latest interview with Eurogamer, his excitement reaches a fever pitch and he confirms plans for a "second and third" in the Brink series. "We already have big plans for that," Ham said. He hopes that Brink's integration of online play -- a combination of Burnout Paradise's freeburn mode and an FPS -- will best reigning multiplayer kingpins Halo and Call of Duty. Of course, upcoming new entries in each of those franchises are certain to put up a fight before succumbing to Mr. Ham's ambitions.%Gallery-64854%
QuakeCon 2009 detailed, first public demos of Rage and Brink
Nothing more clearly shows the new relationship forged by Zenimax Media between id Software and Bethesda Softworks than this year's QuakeCon lineup. Littered with little extras like an hour-long presentation by Bethesda's Todd Howard and the first public demonstration of Splash Damage's Brink, QuakeCon 2009 is clearly accommodating some new faces.That being said, id Software's John Carmack will be giving this year's keynote speech, and the event is still very much PC-centric, with Alienware, NVIDA and Ventrilo hosting a handful of events. Upcoming post-apocalyptic, not-Mad Max FPS Rage will also be getting its first public demo at the show, further asserting id Software into the event. For those of you attending, we encourage hounding Todd Howard for information on the next Elder Scrolls game during his Q&A -- if not for us, do it for the kids.
Splash Damage's rules of engagement: No ports, no movie games
Speaking today at the Game Horizon conference in the UK, as reported by Gamasutra, Splash Damage CEO Paul Wedgwood laid down his company's "rules of engagement." The rules are simple, according to Wedgwood: "Don't work on movie licenses, don't work on ports, don't do work for hire, and find a big brother to nurture us in those early years." He noted that this is how Splash Damage attained its focus, which is to "shamelessly pursue critical acclaim" by "focusing all our effort on making sure the stuff we do is better than the stuff we did."The most important factor, said Wedgwood, is people. He stated that "People are the only important asset you have," adding that, as a company, one should attempt to "hire people who are better than you -- because guess what? They have better ideas than you." Here's hoping that the folks Splash Damage hired earlier this year have some great ideas for Brink, the company's first console title.
Interview: Splash Damage's Richard 'Rahdo' Ham
Immediately following our demo of Brink, we were able to sit down with Splash Damage creative director Richard 'Rahdo' Ham and grill him some about the game. He came to Splash Damage following work on Fable 2 for this project, and has quite the gaming resume. But, following the demo for Brink, we were left with a lot of questions, and luckily Ham didn't mind answering them. He couldn't give us everything, though, as he failed to answer some of our more serious questions (Coke, or Pepsi?). So, head past the break and check out our chat with Splash Damage's Richard 'Rahdo' Ham!%Gallery-64854%
Impressions: Brink (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
The Splash Damage and Bethesda title that remained a secret for so long was revealed last week in Brink. We were given a teaser video with little more content than an eye and an ominous white tower. So, when we arrived at our appointment with Bethesda today, we were anxious to see more on the game, and Splash Damage delivered.%Gallery-64854%
Brink: Bethesda / Splash Damage collaboration revealed
Just a few scant days before the year's biggest gaming event and GameTrailers has snuck into E3's living room and unwrapped one of its biggest gifts. Oh, and it televised what it found inside, spoiling it for everyone. So, what was inside? Namely: "Brink" – the product of Bethesda and Splash Damage's collaboration, first revealed just over a year ago. And what does the teaser trailer tell us about said project? Well, for starters: it's a video game, it appears to have a science fiction theme and, if the sound of bullets are any indication, there will be shooting in it. More details? It's coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC (with Games for Windows support). Oh, and you'll be playing it by Spring 2010 – take that, holiday shopping season!
Bethesda talks Splash Damage game, confirms E3 reveal
Bethesda Europe's Sean Brennan made a few comments to GI.biz regarding the super-secretive mystery title that Splash Damage has been working on. We've known about its existence since May of 2008, yet we've not been able to get any kind of details on the game. Well, Brennan says that's all going to change at next month's E3.But, even before the show has had a chance to start, Brennan was kind enough to drop a few small details. First of all, we now know the game is going to be a first-person shooter. Brennan describes it as a "genre-breaker" and real "killer app," and compares the game's quality to Bethesda's last title, Fallout 3. He says the game will feature some innovative features and that the company has spent considerable resources on creating this game. From our end, it would seem most of those resources went into keeping a lid on it.
Guerrilla Games designer jumps ship to Splash Damage
If you really enjoyed the leaky pipes of level 2 and the sand worms on level 48 of Killzone 2, then you should probably thank lead level designer Neil Alphonso. Following his work on Guerilla Games' FPS for the PS3, Alphonso has left the company and taken up a position at Splash Damage. "He's the perfect man to lead our team of really skilled level designers," commented Paul Wedgwood, owner of Splash Damage.Splash Damage has been recruiting new faces for some time now, and is becoming quite the powerhouse of talent. The developer is currently working on a title for Bethesda Softworks that has yet to be revealed.
Fable 2 design lead departs for Quake Wars dev
Lionhead's headcount is down by one as Fable 2 lead designer, Richard Ham, has left the company to take on the role of creative director at Splash Damage, the UK-based developer of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Ham, who has worked on games such as The Movies and the first two Syphon Filter titles on PSone, will head up development of an as-of-yet unrevealed action game for his new employer. In a Q&A on Splash Damage's site, Ham talks about his fondness for the original Syphon Filter, calling it his favorite project he's worked on – and it sounds like he's working on something similar now. Speaking about his new project, he said that "what Splash is doing is so cool, I just couldn't turn down the offer," adding, "In fact, there's a lot in it that's similar to what I wanted to do in Syphon Filter 3, back when it was going to be a PS2 launch title, but that I never got the chance to do. So I couldn't turn down the chance to be involved." So ... Funnel Strainer? [Via develop]
Splash Damage hires four industry vets for multiplatform mystery
After getting all BFF with fellow developer Bethesda, Quake Wars dev, Splash Damage, has begun to ramp up for its "genre defining" multi-platform project, announcing the appointment of four industry vets to its team. Among the company's new hires are Rainbow Six: Vegas' Olivier Leonardi as art director; Burnout Paradise's Chris Sweetman as audio director; Mass Effect's Tim Appleby as the project's lead character artist; and Driver: Parallel Lines' Chris Dawson as producer. The company still plans to double the size of its current team to more than 60 staff as a result of the project, which to this point remains a mystery. However, with Sweetman and creative director Paul Wedgwood both taking to the stage next week at Develop 2008, perhaps it won't be long before we find out just what these folks are up to.
A sad and scarce Sunday deals roundup
ZOMG! There's deals to be dealt with, money to be saved, so why waste precious time, let's just get to it! This week, over at Best Buy, they're offering RSV2 for $40, UT3, Quake Wars, Deadliest Catch (w00t!) and CoD4 GOTY for $50. And that's about it. Sadly, Circuit City doesn't have a darn thing to offer Xbox 360 fanboys either which is, uhh ... sad? Now that we look at it, Target stores don't even have any 360 deals, not a single copy of a game on sale. Another major bummer. You know, this has to be one of the worst Sunday deal roundups, like, EVAR! Who would have thought that getting RSV2 for $40 would be a deal highlight? Stupid retail conglomerates, don't you know that all we want is money savings on 360 games and don't care that you have popcorn makers on sale?
Last chance to win Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
This is it, your very last shot at winning Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. If you haven't entered yet (or if you have yet to place your final entry), now is the time. Hurry, seize the moment, mosey on over to the official giveaway post and place your entry. You know you want to. Heck, we want you do. Do it not only for yourself, but because it will make us happy. The giveaway closes at noon Eastern Time, so get to it.
Don't forget: win Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Hey, fanboys, don't forget that we still have a copy of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars up for grabs this week. Take on class-based team gameplay in the struggle between the human race and the Strogg ... for free! If that sounds like fun to you, head over to the official giveaway post and place your entry. Remember, you can enter once a day, so you should enter every day to maximize your chances. Go, do it and cure your projectile dysfunction.
Fanswag Weekly: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Looky here, it's another edition of Fanswag Weekly! This week, we have a copy of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars up for grabs. We're not sure what this war is all about, but we do know that we have a powerful urge to play team based objective games. We also love doing what the man in the game tells us, so it all works out pretty well. For your shot at a free copy, follow these simple steps. We're going to make this one easy. Leave a comment on this post telling us which team you prefer and why. Which is it, humans or Strogg? You can leave one comment per calendar day (Eastern time). posters of multiple comments during the same day will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until Friday, June 13 at 12:00PM noon Eastern time. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec). On Friday, we'll pick one winner via a random drawing One winner will receive a copy of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, worth $60. Complete giveaway rules can be found here
Quake Wars demo wages war on the XBLM
Freshly making its way to the Xbox Live Marketplace just as we expected, is a super new Enemy Territory: Quake Wars demo for most everyone (except Japanese Live subscribers) to enjoy. Clocking in at a very manageable 849MB, this Quake Wars demo is said to satisfy your strongest Strogg killing desires and even promises to cure the very worst cases of Projectile Dysfunction ... no joke! Give 'er a download, giver 'er a play and report back here to give us your thumbs up or thumbs down. It's your fanboy duty, now go!
