Dan Choi
Articles by Dan Choi
Which GDC Awards nominees should we vote for?
The nominees for the 2006 Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced, and Joystiq's got a chance to vote!To be clear, this blogger has a fully paid media/press membership with the IGDA, which opened up the opportunity to submit nominations a few weeks ago, and now the "algorithmically selected" privilege of submitting votes for "AS MANY or AS FEW, ALL or NONE of the nominees in each category." Basically, we can vote for as many games and studios in each category as we see fit. The awards ceremony is set for March 22nd.This is where you guys come in: Which games should we vote for? While this is a rather unscientific poll (we'll only be looking at the comments posted below and weighing your comments with the rest of our thoughts and concerns), it would be great to hear your arguments for or against the titles considered, which are listed in their entirety below. So who deserves to be chosen? We'll submit our vote on the 7th (as the voting deadline is Wednesday, March 8th), so speak up while you still can.
Guitar Hero gets a plug on Rocketboom
Guitar Hero just got a brief mention (with clips!) on Rocketboom daily.So if you'd like to hear a beautiful woman talk about a beautiful game, click on that pic of Amanda Congdon above. You can navigate via the right-hand menu to the segment in question, or just check out the story on that Chicken Limbo party game instead. Your choice.
Best of the best now cheaper than the rest
First there were Xbox Platinum Hits; then Platinum Family Hits got added; now a Best of Platinum Hits collection has hit the streets, with a bunch of games now going for a suggested retail price of $19.99 $9.99 (USD).Certain console budget titles have been released new for $10 in the past (and all games eventually hit the bargain bin one way or another), but a console manufacturer actually promoting games for its system at the $10 price point is pretty unprecedented. Will Sony or Nintendo follow suit?See also: The game's not over yet for current-gen consoles EA slashes prices on current gen titles Cheap games courtesy of Sears [Via LinkinPrime of CAG; registration req'd. to view the original thread]
Seropian: cooking a lot like game development
According to Alex, "the creative processes of cooking and game development have a lot in common."Wired goes on to describe the parallels for Seropian as follows: "The only way to keep a game on schedule is to fanatically prepare before development begins. The narrative has to be mapped out ahead of time; every scene and story path must be accounted for."The creator of Halo has kept meticulous records of the meals he's prepared over the last seven years, including a penchant for unwinding at home after a hard day's work at Bungie by making cranberry and blueberry pies. While the Master Chief might appreciate a hand tossed pizza and "a kick-ass piecrust," Stubbs the Zombie (Seropian's more recent creation) would probably have another kind of juicy filling in mind.[Image credits: Axis of AEvil & Game Navigator]
Cheap games courtesy of Sears
Sears has been known to dump its surplus games at cut-rate prices on occasion, which means that patient gamers can sometimes get in on some great deals--if they act quickly.U.S. shoppers can peruse the platform-by-price links below for a few decent sale items, like the $25 Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS), $10 KotOR2 (Xbox), and $10 MGS3 (PS2), if you don't care about online Metal Gear or Saga extras, that is.At any rate, these titles may go out of stock fast, so bundle a few discounted titles together to maximize your shipping dollar; otherwise, try your luck at a local Sears store (and if you're able to price-match at a Circuit City or Best Buy, more power to ya). Good luck, gamers! Platform lists: Xbox, PS2, GameCube, DS, PSP, and GBA [Via wlau of CAG; registration req'd. to browse the CAG forum thread]
Wanna be a Guitar Zero?
What happens when playing a guitar isn't, well... playing a guitar?That's what Shamoozal.com had to consider in this animated take-off of the hopes and dreams (and, er... worst nightmares) of aspiring Guitar Heroes everywhere.Okay, maybe just those who want to perform in bars and get babes. But you shouldn't lose sight of why you play Hero in the first place... wait, you mean we can't perform the game in bars and get babes? Dagnabbit![Thanks, Phil]See also: The Last Guitar Hero: the Movie Guitar Hero readies for European tour DIY-erless Guitar Hero controller MetaReview: Guitar Hero (PS2)--92 on Metacritic
Battlestar Galactica mod of Freespace 2 underway
A mod of the new Battlestar Galactica with the Freespace 2 game engine is currently underway and making some progress. Click on the image to the right and you'll be directly taken to the mod's 13MB AVI trailer.This trailer gives a better sense of how things look than the images on the mod's home page at the moment (as the navigation there is a bit broken right now), but anything to mix a fan-favorite space combat sim with the hottest sci-fi show on TV today is definitely worth a look.Of course, as with any total conversion or unofficial adaptation of a commercial property, there's always a chance this mod will get shut down before it ever gets released (that is, if it ever gets finished). As a retail game was made based on the old BSG continuity, this is a legitimate concern for the community developers trying to put this together. Let's hope that the licensing Lords of Kobol will look upon this effort with favor.
Jim Lee takes the creative reins of DC MMO
Jim Lee is giving the Bat one more go on the video-game front by tackling the role of Executive Creative Director on the DC Comics MMO planned for release in 2008.The comics industry veteran and fan of MMOs has worked on the "DC Comics Online Project" since August, and he's now meeting with the folks at Sony Austin weekly in order to make the game "as close to the DC Comics source material as possible."The prospect of DC's multiple realities actually becoming part of an MMO's multi-server gameplay is an exciting one, but we hope that Lee's hands-on approach to this title turns out better than his last Batman adaptation, Rise of Sin Tzu. So does that mean Rob Liefeld's available to work on the Marvel MMO for Microsoft?[1UP also has a few more details surrounding the announcement.]See also: Sony's MMO marketing shows signs of desperation Xbox 360 secures exclusive rights to Marvel MMOGs Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (PS2)--Avg Ratio: 60%
Rumor: New PSP to get a built-in camera and 4GB of flash
According to PSPworld, "[t]he next version of Sony's PSP will sport an integrated digital video camera that will allow users to stream live video to the PlayStation 3" as a Wi-Fi way of chatting with friends.The new model (which obviously won't go by the nickname "PSpee") will come in black, silver, and white, and it will also have a quarter of an inch shaved off its thickness. 4GB of NAND flash storage will reputedly be included as well, saving gamers a whole lot of money on memory sticks for media and other applications--playing with homebrew, for instance.Word of an integrated camera may be the most interesting news, however, with a stock camera used in Sony Ericsson phones to be placed directly in the PSP logo below the portable's screen to take photos and record video. All of the video-streaming capabilities are supposed to be tied in to the rumored PlayStation HUB service, bringing one more media expression to Sony's next-gen convergence device (if this rumors pans out, of course).[Thanks, TIP; also via Engadget & PSP Fanboy]See also: PS3 Live-killer titled PlayStation HUB, PS3 in September
No Black on 360 till MS makes it so... or a sequel comes out
EA's decidedly offline first-person shooter Black won't be coming to the Xbox 360, if Criterion's Alex Ward has anything to say about it, at least until Black 2 hits store shelves. Ward also lays the blame for the lack of Xbox backward compatibility for Black and the Burnout series of games squarely on Microsoft's emulating shoulders.It's somewhat surprising that Ward would deny an enhanced version of Black on the 360, considering the updated Burnout Revenge scheduled to hit retail in just a few weeks. Alex did insist, however, that compatibility for Revenge was not up to the developer, stating: "We'd absolutely love it if our Burnout games worked on 360, but it's down to what Microsoft wants to do. It controls and decides what games its emulator works with. I've actually asked them four times myself for them to make it happen, but it's really not up to us."
Differently colored DS lites delayed ever so slightly
According to YamaKiyo Press, Nintendo of Japan has just announced that the blue-hued versions of its upcoming DS lite will be slightly delayed from their originally scheduled release date.The Ice Blue and Enamel Navy variants on the standard DS lite (or is it Lite?) color will arrive on March 11th instead of March 2nd, while the Crystal White version will still make its March 2nd launch date in Japan.Nintendo apologized for the delay, explaining that a manufacturing problem had adversely affected the number of quality blue models that could be ready by March. It is unknown whether this small delay would affect the lite's launch in other territories, but we'd say that it's unlikely. Blue DS lite importers, however, may have to wait an extra nine days.[Thanks, yamakiyo; read Nintendo's press release auto-translated here]
How to avoid making piles of poo in game development
When the kiddies start saying they want to make games, software development isn't the first thing that comes to mind for most. Producing a better pile of poo for customers? Probably not high up there, either, but anyone who's played a significant number of games can attest to the high poo-to-product ratio for games released to retail every single year.Starting with an overview of the evolution of software development, Danc of Lost Garden has produced an insightful primer on why software projects often go wrong, particularly for anyone new to the study of human-computer interaction, usability, and the benefits of a product design process. For game devs, it's all about meeting gamers' needs.
Former Nintendo CEO gives $60 million to expand hospital
Next Generation tells us that Hiroshi Yamauchi, former longtime head of Nintendo, has given $60 million of his personal coinage to Kyoto University to expand its hospital.Not only that, "it's the largest donation ever made to the hospital, and is also the first time an entire building capable of holding patients will be built using private money."But, yeah... sixty million dollars... that's quite a chunk o' change, even for one of the world's richest people. (Kudos on that, Hiroshi.) This kinda charity could really take Child's Play to a whole 'nother level, don'tcha think? While it would be easy to simply wonder at such a large figure, we hope they budgeted a few games in there as well. A few DS lites could fit in there somewhere, couldn't they?
April 1st to kick off 1st free Xbox Live weekend [Update 2]
According to 1UP, Saturday, April 1st will mark the first free weekend of Xbox Live Gold play for currently Silver 360 owners.While the news sounds suspiciously like an April Fools' Day trick, free Live weekends were something that Microsoft touted early on to entice us to jump on the paid bandwagon.If MS goes through with the promotion, noncommittal gamers will have 72 hours to check out the service and see what the Gold-level fuss is all about. No further free weekends have apparently been announced.[Update: Oh, and just in case you folks were wondering why Verizon's logo was in the image above, they're sponsoring the free weekend. Also, we were looking at 2005 instead of 2006 for that day, so thanks for the correction, John! The latest update to this story's been posted here.]
Gettin' down with the DS lite (for mature audiences)
Is it possible to love the new DS lite... too much?That's the question raised by a post from Geek on Stun in a pre-Valentine's Day farce low on graphic presentation (undoctored, official Nintendo photos were used after all), but high on dual-screened double entendres (thanks to line after line of rather racy prose).If you're really ready to embark on "an erotic adventure" with a redesigned white DS, then click away on that innocently shaped stylus up top; otherwise, you might want to take the safest at-work option and sit this one out. We trust you'll make the right decision in the end.[Via NekoKoneko]See also: More DS, DS lite, & GBA SP comparison pics Xbox 360 ultra deluxe package includes upgraded girlfriend Mario Geisha, Mario Saddam, Mario Nude, Mario Katamari, and 60 others You can be Smooth Snake with this valentine
Nailing down the visual look of Star Trek Online
Trekkies need not worry too much about the visual integrity of the upcoming Star Trek Online MMO, as it appears that the hallways are in good hands (at least on Galaxy-class starships like The Next Generation's 1701-D).Lead Client Engineer Ian Pieragostini has written a case study of the visual look development up to this point on STO, and it's a fascinating look at the practical project management decisions pursued by Perpetual (during pre-production of this important title for the sci-fi IP). For instance, how should the game's lighting contrast with that of Doom 3 or Half-Life 2?For the less technically inclined among us, simply scroll down and check out all the pretty pictures mocked up in-game to serve as both software proof of concept and "near shippable quality" results to show off to execs (which is a very important thing if you've got millions invested). If all you want are "Next Gen" shots of Picard, Riker, and Data in their early skin-tight uniforms, however, you'll have to click on that image above.
Rub Rabbits hoped to help with baby-making
According to MTV News, the ladies behind Sega's Rub Rabbits (for the Nintendo DS) want players to make babies, er... love... through their new guy-seeks-girl game. (Whoa, now that's some multiplayer action!)Romance-themed titles are, of course, nothing new, but it's still fairly unprecedented for teams at major game publishers to have many female members--though, having more than a few women developers working on the female-friendly Sims series constitutes a prominent exception.What separates Rub Rabbits from its predecessor (Feel the Magic: XY/XX), however, are the multiplayer mini-games, which were designed to "help make a love connection" (or help reveal two persons' "compatibility as a couple") through wedding-cake-cutting teamwork and "accidental" physical contact (made while people play the game on a single DS). So... anyone make a love connection with someone over Mario Party 7 yet?
Bungie, PSU, & Xbox 1 games on Live/Marketplace, says Q; co-op Geometry Wars & next-gen Blizzard title coming, too
EGM's Quartermann (aka "The Q") always has some interesting scuttlebutt to share each month, but please note that the following items of interest are derived from a recurring feature known as "The Rumor Mill." That said, here's the next-gen speculation you came here to see [bolded text from the mag]: "...[Phantasy Star Universe] will also arrive on the Xbox 360... a few months after the PS2" version, with your online character transferable to 360. "Bungie's next game is--get this--something for Xbox Live Arcade, which you can download for your 360 this spring." "And speaking of Live Arcade... a new Geometry Wars, complete with co-op play, is currently in the works." Blizzard's "currently staffing up to make a next-gen console title" that isn't current-gen late bloomer StarCraft: Ghost. PS3/Rev, too? "...[Y]ou'll be able to purchase full Xbox 1 games through Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace in the near future." Um, bigger hard drive? The DS lite rumor also shared came a little bit too late, but the next-gen speculation's still pretty juicy. Any guesses as to the next Blizzard console game? Or the chances of Bungie's next foray landing on Live Arcade?See also: F.E.A.R. coming to the Xbox 360? Geometry Wars sequel wishlist
Revolution SDKs cheaper than PSP ones, say devs; final dev kits expected to be made widely available in June
IGN's hearing from studio insiders that Revolution SDKs are selling for about $2,000, "which is thousands of dollars cheaper than a PSP SDK, let alone an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 one," paving the way for riskier titles with smaller investments to appear on Nintendo's next system.Citing the 1,000-dev-kits-shipped statistic from the recent Engadget interview with Reggie Fils-Aime, IGN Revolution went ahead and talked to "a half dozen studios around the globe for further details about the nature of the kits." Apparently, "three revisions of the development kits have been sent out to studios" so far, with "minor tweaks" and boosts in power (to a GameCube with wired Revolution controller attached) accounting for the different versions. Larger, more committed publishers may already have access to updated hardware and a wireless remote.An "official fourth SDK prototype" will soon be sent out so the likes of EA and Ubisoft can start getting their playable demos ready for E3, but final dev kits aren't "expected to be made widely available" until June. While this doesn't change the consensus that the Rev will only be "roughly twice as powerful" as the 'Cube, at least this similarity in architecture will make development of next-gen titles easier (and more exciting with the innovative new controller). A $150-$200 price tag would certainly help the system's marketability as well. The proof will be in the playable pudding.See also: Reggie interview: Over 1,000 Revo dev kits sent out The Engadget Interview: Reggie Fils-Aime, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nintendo 3rd-party dev: Revolution a souped-up Xbox [Thanks, Cameron & Buttonbasher]
Taiko Drum Master to host Mario & Slime in Japan
While non-importers patiently wait for the next domestic Taiko Drum Master release to support their drum peripherals, Namco is forging ahead with the 8th iteration of the series in Japan, this time with a little help from Mario and friends.According to GameBrink, "Taiko no Tatsujin 8 will be arriving this March in Japanese arcades," and it will feature cameos from other game publishers like Nintendo (with the Mario theme song and characters as seen above) and Square Enix (with a Slime song from Dragon Quest II and the overture from DQVIII) to try a little rhythm action as well.While it's doubtful that Mario and company will ever find their way onto a Sony home console, there's always hope for a third-party slime to find a musical home on the PS2. If the Dragonball theme song can make it onto the American Taiko Drum release, then Square Enix's arguably better themes should be able to, too. Alas, Mario will have to settle for percussive appearances via the GameCube's Donkey Konga series.[Thanks, Tim Tong; image taken from Watch Impress]