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Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare rated for PS3 by ESRB
If a recently published ESRB rating is any indication, Sony is getting ready to re-release Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare on PS3 -- which, considering the original came out in 2001, might need a new subtitle. The rating might indicate that the game is simply being ported over as a PSOne Classic on PSN; however, ESRB ratings for such releases usually include a PSP designation, as well. Should the generally well-received horror title be remade for PS3, it would make for an interesting cross-platform hat trick -- The New Nightmare's already appeared on PS1 and PS2. We get this bad boy on the PSP, NGP and Xperia Play, and all of a sudden, we might be looking at a new PlayStation brand mascot: Gun-Couple! The couple with guns.
Epic's Mark Rein goes in-depth with Unreal Engine 3's TriOviz 3D
Epic Games and Darkworks might have just captured the 3D gaming market. With the addition of TriOviz 3D technology to the Unreal Engine 3 and its development kit, a massively popular game engine now has built-in 3D integration, for use with either 3D televisions or green/magenta glasses. It stands to increase the number of games implementing 3D dramatically, creating a de facto standard for 3D in the process. Incidentally, it adds an attractive new bullet point to Unreal's feature set. Epic Games itself, however, somehow has yet to fully jump onto the bandwagon it is now driving. "That's not part of the announcement," Epic VP Mark Rein told Joystiq when asked if this partnership would mean Epic games in TriOviz 3D. "Don't know." The implementation of 3D is certainly not the reason Gears of War 3 was delayed into holiday 2011. For one thing, the companies claim it only takes a week to integrate 3D into a UE3 game. For another, "That was Microsoft's business decision."
Darkworks shows off TriOviz for Games 2D-to-3D SDK, we get a good look
Darkworks introduced its TriOviz for Games SDK yesterday during GDC, and while TriOviz technology has been around for years in Hollywood, it wasn't until today that this same technology debuted for console and PC titles. Essentially, this software wrapper enables standard 2D video games to be viewed in 3D on a traditional 2D display, and we were able to sneak an exclusive look at the technology today at the company's meeting room. We were shown a European version of Batman: Arkham Asylum on Microsoft's Xbox 360, and we were given a set of specialized glasses (which were passive, unlike NVIDIA's active-shutter 3D Vision specs) in order to enjoy the effect. So, how was it? In a word or two, not bad. It obviously wasn't perfect, but you have to realize just how cheap of a solution this is for the consumer to implement. All that's required is a set of special glasses, but given that these can be distributed in paper-frames form, you could easily find a set for a couple of bucks (at most), if not bundled in for free with future games. Users won't need to purchase any additional hardware whatsoever, and what they'll get is a deeper, more immersive image in return. We could very clearly see the 3D effect, and even though it was subtle, it definitely enhanced our experience. We noticed a minor bit of blurring and ghosting during just a few scenes, but when you consider that this doesn't actually change the underlying code in existing 2D games (that's the cue for developers to breathe a sigh of relief), we didn't feel that these minor quirks were unreasonable. The other interesting aspect is just how clear the image remained for onlookers that didn't have 3D glasses on; we noticed slight image doubling at specific points, but it's not something we simply couldn't look at without acquiring a headache. More after the break...
Darkworks SDK transforms 2D games into 3D games, no 3D TV required
Well, wouldn't you know it? 3D seems to be the topic of conversation here at GDC , and Paris-based Darkworks is making a splash by announcing the availability of its TriOviz for Games SDK. In short, this magical software concoction is a post-process effect that allows standard 2D games to be transformed into 3D masterpieces... and you don't even need to buy a 3D television. We were briefed on the tech here at the show, and we're told that the magic happens in the software and the glasses, and unlike existing 3D technologies, other users around the house will still be able to watch you play in 2D without all those blurred edges. In other words, existing titles (for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC; sorry Wii owners!) can have a 3D experience added in, and we're guessing that a select few AAA games will be seeing a DLC pack in the near future for those who care to re-play their favorites in the third dimension. We'll be doing our best to swing by and catch a demo later today, but for now, just know that your life will never be the same once these 3D-ified games start shipping in the Spring.
Rumor: I Am Alive, but I may not look like these screens anymore
German site PCGames got its hands ... er, server on a set of screenshots purported to be from an early version of Ubisoft's disaster game I Am Alive. The images, which originated at Unseen64, are said to come from a build of the title from when it was being worked on by Alone in the Dark dev Darkworks. (It's since been handed over to Ubisoft Shanghai.)The screens look plenty disaster-y in their depiction of a post-earthquake Chicago. It's hard to make much of them, though, since they're, y'know, just environments. Let's hope the game's new developer is working hard to deliver gameplay akin to what the original teaser trailer hinted at. [Via WorthPlaying]%Gallery-69316%
Ubisoft moves I Am Alive from Darkworks to Shanghai
I Am Alive, the first-person survival game, has switched developers. Darkworks, who had been working on the game for over three years, is out; Ubisoft Shanghai is in. According to a Ubisoft statement, the change is a mutual decision, done "in order to respect the new launch date for this ambitious title" (sometime this fiscal year) and to allow Darkworks time for its "other obligations."It's likely that Darkworks' contract with Ubisoft is up and Ubisoft decided not to renew it, possibly to keep costs down. The timing is right, considering that March is the original release date for I Am Alive.[Via Develop]
I Am Alive: I am first-person, I am not a Jade Raymond game
UK mag GamesTM has the scoop on ... well, only a couple of particularly new details concerning Ubisoft's disaster-survival game, I Am Alive. In a new preview, it is revealed that the game is played from a first-person perspective with a limited focus on weapons (cue "Edge of Disaster" and "Disaster's Edge" japes) and is not -- as previously rumored -- being produced by Assassin's Creed lead, Jade Raymond.The role of senior producer on the game is actually being filled by Alexis Goddard, who revealed to the magazine some examples of gameplay beyond traversing the ruins of Chicago looking for water. "We encourage the players to use tactics, diversion, and discretion," said Goddard, mentioning that an empty shotgun can be very persuasive if enemies don't realize it's out of ammo. As for comparisons to Mirror's Edge that will undoubtedly be brought about by the game's first-person platforming and use of violence as a last resort? "We wanted the player to really feel the power of Mother Nature, to feel the danger coming from the collapsing towers and devastating rifts, feel the chaos happening all around him," Goddard said. "There's nothing like a first-person view to create that kind of emotion."
