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VGA 2009: Claudia Black talks about our favorite subject, Claudia Black
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from the voice of Chloe from Uncharted 2, and star of Farscape, Stargate, and more, Claudia Black.. So you've jumped genres from science fiction television shows to swashbuckling video games. How has that been? Oh, I think it is all one in the same, isn't it? It is all part of the same genre. So I mean for me, it has been a very easy segue into this, and I think it has sort of corresponded at the same time with the industries starting to coalesce, too. You know, the film industry, which is sometimes considered, I think, to be a snobbish cousin of the gaming industry, is now really starting to take notice. I'm sure the smell of money is helping a bit. Yeah. I mean I think it really came to the floor when Van Helsing the film was kind of like the launch pad for the game, and the game was sort of more relevant and important, in a way, than the movie. You've done a lot of video game voices, but was this the first time you did motion capture? Yes, this was my first motion capture experience. I am a huge proponent of it because I think what impressed me about Naughty Dog's is that they respect and appreciate the magic that occurs over time between the performers. That you can have a great script, and you can have great voice actors in the booth, but you are never going to recreate that incredible alchemy that occurs with people in a room together. And they hired such amazing actors, you know, theater trained, very experienced actors to work together. And also, they were very specific and particular about whom they hired based on personalities because they wanted us to be a really tight knit family. And every single day it was fun. Every single day. And I know that games have become a very serious business, but they wanted the levity and the bonding to be the overriding essence on the set. What is next for you? Well I just wrapped up a little independent film called Rain from Stars which is written and directed by Steven Wallace and French Stewart, a wonderful comedic actor, and Jeremy London, Brian Krause ... a really lovely cast. It's called Rain from Stars, and is like 12 Angry Men meets Saw.
VGA 2009: Cliff Bleszinski teases new projects, more to come 'when the weather's warm'
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Epic's Cliff Bleszinski. So you segued from Gears into Shadow Complex ... what are you working on now? I can't tell you that! It's actually quite agonizing for me right now, because there's a bunch of awesome shit we're working on, but I can't say a damn thing about it no matter how many alcoholic beverages you might try and feed me! Well, maybe if you bribe me with hookers and blow, that might work. Shadow Complex will be on sale during the holidays. Was that Microsoft's idea or Epic's? Microsoft is doing that promo. They're doing some other stuff as well to help drive the holiday sales. I mean, in this day and age look how crammed Christmas is, and it's like March is the new holiday. Everybody's moved out to March. I think it's good because the good games will rise, and the bad games will sink, right? I was getting tired of the fact that everyone had to cram everything into the holiday season. Hopefully we'll get some quality releases in March that will do well, and the gaming industry can sell more than 80% of its games outside of a three month period. What are you playing right now? I'm playing the hell out of Modern Warfare 2 and I hate those guys, because those guys are so awesome. Uncharted 2 I beat, which was absolutely stellar. Borderlands co-op is amazing ... that's the only way to play, really. I gush about it not just because it's our engine but because Randy and those guys are good friends, and it's the kind of game I really want to play. It's the perfect blending of the shooter and the RPG. So when will we hear about this "awesome shit"? Maybe sometime when the weather's warm, you'll be hearing something.
VGA 2009: Bungie's Marty O'Donnell talks moody soundtracks
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. HHere's what we learned from Bungie's Halo-matic composer, Marty O'Donnell. Why was the music such a departure for Halo 3: ODST? It was just a completely different story with different characters, it was a small scale, it took place in a lonely city where it was raining. It was a detective sort of story where one lone ODST was looking for his buddies. From the very beginning Joe Staten, the writer, wanted to create an atmosphere that felt very film noir, very detective story. I'm the main composer, but my partner Mike Salvatore in Chicago and a couple of other guys in Seattle, Stan Laparte and C. Paul Johnson contributed stuff. I tried to keep all of the themes in that noir, jazz, dark area. There's a few times where we're in the rooftops or doing some high-action regular old Halo stuff in vehicles and we went back to that big, bombastic, epic stuff, but I always wanted to bring it back to that noir feel. Were there any musical references to classic Halo during those moments? I didn't do any actual thematic callbacks. I still wanted to do .... well, number one was no monks. But I still thought the big orchestral epic sound had a place. With some other stuff, you know. Piano, guitar, etc. It's like three hours of music, and you can't narrow yourself down to a small palette, you have to really be as expansive as possible. So now you're working on Reach? Yes, we're premiering the first look at the opening section of Reach. It's right out of the game. I'm really excited about it. It has a really different feel.
VGA 2009: Nolan North talks about Nolan North
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Nolan North. You're quickly becoming one of the recognizable stars of video game voiceover acting. How did that happen? You know ... I don't really know how that happened. I was lucky to land a lot of good roles in good games that became really popular ... Assassin's Creed, Uncharted, Prince of Persia, and they became really popular so fast and my name just happened to be attached to them. And you know, with the success of Uncharted -- the first one and then the second ... I don't know. It's just a phenomenon that I'm just lucky to be a part of. Claudia Black told us that the motion capture sessions were the real key to making the relationship between Nathan and Chloe seem real. What do you think? Absolutely. A lot of times we're just in a booth behind a microphone, unshaven and just ready to go ... and alone, more than anything. I mean, working with all of these actors, it's like doing theater somewhere. As a matter of fact, it's like what we used to call Black Box Theater back in college. There really wasn't much of a set ... we were just out there doing our thing, but the interaction was there and I think that's what translated so well to a video game.
VGA 2009: Bungie explains lack of Halo 3: ODST DLC
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. HHere's what we learned from Bungie's Curtis Creamer about Halo 3: ODST. Was there a decision made to have no DLC for Halo 3: ODST? Well, that was something that we didn't really think we could do for ODST because traditionally all of our DLC has been about competitive multiplayer. That's something that we had the systems in place for. But, since Firefight is more based on the co-operative campaign mode, that was a technology that we hadn't built up to a point where we could add DLC to the game. It would have been too much of an investment to make that happen.
VGA 2009: Assassin's Creed 2 developers on DLC, third game
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Jean-François Boivin, Production Manager on Assassin's Creed 2. So you have already announced two DLC packs. Will there be packs after that? How are you filling in Chapters 12 and 13? Is there a Chapter 15? You guys will find out soon enough ... there's nothing really announced yet as to anything that would support the next two DLCs. It will all make sense. [Ed. note: here's that announcement, and we're springing out of our seats] What has surprised you since launch? One of the things that is really cool is that right now, the numbers show us that 40% of the people are actually finishing the game. What that tells us is that people are really submerging themselves into the world of Assassin's Creed. Where would you want to set Assassin's Creed 3? That's something we don't even know yet ourselves. Right now we're just taking a break after shipping this game. But we're thinking about where this license can go, and we're working on concepts in the next few months.
VGA 2009: Rocksteady's Paul Crocker talks Batman
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Paul Crocker at Rocksteady about Batman: Arkham Asylum. So when are we getting real DLC? We can't talk about DLC, I'm afraid. [Note: with the announcement of Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, if that indeed ends up being the name for the sequel, it seems highly unlikely that we'll get any more DLC for the first game. Rats.] Well, that's not a no! What has surprised you all the most about the game since launch? Well, for us we're just really happy that people liked it. We worked really hard to do the brand justice and to try and make a good Batman game. Obviously when you're working on something like that you're really inside a bubble, and you don't know what people really think. And the reaction has been quite cool, so everyone at Rocksteady is really excited. Speaking about that reaction, how does it work for a developer on launch day? Is it like in the film industry where people get the box office numbers coming in right away? Are you getting sales figures? How do you know it's doing well? In all honesty ... we look at websites. [laughs] I mean if some website says it sold X number of copies, we don't even know if that's true. I guess we're the last to find out. But we look at the reviews and read what people are actually saying about the game. The afternoon when all the reviews went live, we were all sitting in the office and it was just really exciting. If you get an 8 out of 10, you're like "Awww, that's bad" because the other ones were 9, you know? But we were seeing scores at 9 or more and it was an interesting afternoon, and quite a nice evening at the pub.
VGA 2009: Tony Hawk talks disappointing sales and future plans
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Tony Hawk about Tony Hawk Ride. You've been very vocal about the negative reviews of the game. What made you want to strike back? Because I feel like a lot of people ... not just bad reviews, but some of them were just mean-spirited. You know what I mean? I felt like that wasn't fair to us, and it was also turning people away from even trying it. I feel like it's not for everyone, but try it! I see kids love it. I see parents that take to it and really enjoy it, and I just wanted a fair chance for people to try it objectively. When I see people just coming down on me personally, that got me going and I was frustrated with it. But at the same time, I'm totally proud of it, I love the game. I spent two years of my life getting it going, and it was my idea ... I brought it to Activision. For people to say "Oh, you just stick your name on the game and that's it," that's not what it is at all. The sales figures came out and they were disappointing. Do you think Activision will keep going in the same direction with this game or will go back to the old Tony Hawk? I don't know, I guess that remains to be discussed. I really feel like the board is a good device, and we can make more games based on it. I really want to do that. This wasn't a gimmick, I didn't want people to think they have to buy a new one next year. I wanted to make this board so ... it's a platform to do other things with. Does the game have the ability to be mapped to a standard controller? Could Activision implement that via a download? You know what, we looked into it ... the way that you physically play the game, it wouldn't translate to a very challenging game with a joystick. The control scheme would have to be completely different, and we didn't want to make a game that was confusing like that.
VGA 2009: Assassin's Creed 2 composer on music for a murderer
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Jesper Kyd, music composer for Assassin's Creed 2. How do you begin composing music for a 15th century assassin? That was very hard to figure out. First, you have to stop thinking and start researching, because it can be overwhelming. The finished game had over three hours of music in it, so it's really about slowing down, experimenting, researching and seeing what sticks. Did you compose the music for the minstrels and everything? Every single note in there is my music! That was a lot of fun, some of those small bits.
VGA 2009: Infinity Ward on Medal of Honor, glitches
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Vince Zampella and Jason West from Infinity Ward about Modern Warfare 2. So what do you all think about Medal of Honor going Modern Warfare? Vince Zampella: Eh, good for them! You're not saying, "Hey, this is our territory." Vince: Nah. Since the game shipped a month ago, Infinity Ward has been squashing bugs and reading feedback. Vince: Absolutely. The benefit of making a game that all of our guys love to play is that all of our guys are playing it, and they're running into the same problems that any other player is, so we want to get that stuff fixed as soon as possible. Jason West: Yeah, the studio has been shut down for all of December, but these guys are playing the game and they want to come in on their own time to fix it and patch it. Considering that they're all on vacation, the responsiveness of the team has been pretty awesome. [Note: based on the new unlimited ammo glitch, they still have some work to do. Unless there's a Christmas miracle] Has anything really surprised you with multiplayer? Vince: Well, yeah .. the Javelin thing, obviously [laughs]. Just the fact that somebody picked that out. Jason: And the infinite Care Package one is pretty impressive, I mean you have to do this, do that and ... Vince: I could see you accidentally doing it, but then how do you figure out how to go back and replicate it? That's crazy. So if there's a Modern Warfare 3, what can you possibly pack in to top the Night Vision Goggles? Vince: This time we'll have a version that comes with a complete tank. Jason: Yeah, or a full-sized Ghillie suit would be awesome, too.
VGA 2009: Felicia Day on Felicia Day
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Felicia Day about, well ... Felicia Day. How's the show going? We just, a couple of weeks ago, the last episode of Season Three came out so we're between seasons right now. We're waiting for an update from Microsoft ... or Xbox. And I'm writing a comic book for Dark Horse before we start Season Four. Jim Rugg is the artist, but we have some amazing cover artists ... I can't say who yet, but when I get the art back I'm just blown away. We talked with Blizzard about the 5 & 15 year anniversaries for Warcraft, and we asked them why there are no girls in the "What's Your Game" commercials and they asked us for suggestions. Why haven't you done one? I know! You know, that would be a good call for me ... I'm one of those people who are recognized in certain circles, and not in others, and I like to keep it that way. But it would be great, I mean ... I'm a WoW girl, I love it! So you think you could see yourself in one of those wacky commercials? I would hope that they wouldn't be able to put my head on their character, like with the Mr. T one. Because that would just be too creepy. It already was creepy! I was trying to do like my "Thanksgiving" quest and I'm all "Stop with the Mr. T!" They were all over the place! Are you working on anything now? I'm filming the last episode of Dollhouse. The way that they wrap everything up is amazing, they really did it. I think I still have some apocalyptic dirt on my neck still. Also, I'm on an episode of Lie to Me ... I've been working for Fox a lot and I don't know why! Are you playing anything else besides WoW right now? Well, I play everything ... except I haven't played Uncharted 2 yet. I don't have a PS3. You know ... those are tax-deductible. Maybe I need to pick one up.
VGA 2009: Flower developers amidst the explosions and hype
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Kellee Santiago and Jenova Chen from thatgamecompany about Flower. Spike TV and the VGAs are all about naked women, shooters, and explosions. What's it like for Flower to be here? Kellee Santiago: It's a very surreal experience. I think it shows that what are sort of seen as "artsy" games aren't niche, they appeal at the most commercial mass level, and that's very exciting for us. Jenova Chen: We had Flower exhibit at the MOCA in Shanghai as an interactive art piece. It's quite interesting to see a video game stand next to these art installations. Being at these awards will hpefully give us even more exposure. The PlayStation Network had a sale during Thanksgiving, and a lot of people picked up Flower who had never heard of it before. Then we started to get a lot of emails thanking us for making the game. We know there are more people who haven't seen the game, and it would be great if they know what video games could be. What's next? Could there be a sequel to Flower? We're working on a third title for PlayStation Network right now, you'll see more soon. Hopefully you'll see something next year, but we don't know yet when it will come out.
VGA 2009: Naughty Dog's Evan Wells talks Uncharted 2 DLC, focuses on multiplayer
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Naughty Dog's Evan Wells about Uncharted 2. Are we going to see any campaign DLC? Well, that certainly is a possibility but right now we're focusing on multiplayer. We're working on some new maps, we have a couple of new game modes in the works, and a lot of skins. So we're going to focus on that right now. Has anything surprised you since launch? Oh, completely. We've been updating our online functionality constantly. We have a new patch coming out later this month, we're improving the load times, we've added leaderboards, we've added clan tags. So really, we're continuing to expand on the online functionality.
Swag Sunday: Band Hero for everything Nintendo [update]
Update: We've closed the comments and will contact a winner this week. Check the email tied to your commenter name, folks! For this week's not-quite-the-holidays-yet giveaway, we've got a Band Hero prize pack for the Nintendo Wii and DS lined up for one lucky winner. That's right! Not just Band Hero for your silly old home console, but also for your handheld (that is, unless you have a Nintendo DSi or XXL -- sorry!). Prepare to be embraced by friends and relatives as a genuine American (or Canadian, excluding Quebec) hero while playing along to your favorite Taylor Swift song. In honor of last night's Video Game Awards (and the subsequent flood of news and trailers), we're asking you to tell us what your favorite trailer or news was from the World Premiere-stravaganza. We'll pick one winner at random this week, so as always, be sure to keep an eye on the inbox! Leave a comment telling us what your favorite trailer or news was from last night's World Premiere-stravaganza (the VGAs). You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- likely because of The Kids in the Hall). Limit 1 entry per person per day This entry period ends at 7:31PM ET on Monday, December 13 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Band Hero for Nintendo DS ($50 ARV) and one copy of Band Hero for Nintendo Wii ($50 ARV). For a list of complete rules, click here What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. For more info on our policy, click here.
Spike VGA 2009 Wrap-up: The awards, the trailers, the premieres
As you can probably tell by looking at our front page, last night's Spike Video Game Awards show was a pretty prolific source of gaming news. From the big reveals of games like Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, to new trailers for Crackdown 2 and Halo: Reach, to ... well, the actual awards, it was a pretty busy night for all parties involved. We've collected all the stories, trailers, and winners of each award in this post to prevent you from hunting through our archives -- or our hateful, hateful liveblog -- to find what you're looking for. You'll find them all listed after the jump!
Get sandy with the first Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands footage
We're not sure if it's possible to Gyllenhaalify a game, but that's exactly how we'd describe what's happened to the Prince in the latest trailer for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Premiering last night on the Spike Video Game Awards, the first footage from the game doesn't show us much in the vein of actual gameplay, but it does remind us repeatedly of the everlasting nature of sand. Unfortunately, we won't get to control Prince Dreamboat through Sandland until sometime in May. In the meantime, we have the trailer for you just after the break.
UFC Undisputed 2010 trailer reminds us of MJ, makes us sad
Aww, we were having such a good time watching last night's Spike Video Game Awards show -- then the trailer for the recently dated UFC Undisputed 2010 aired, and really soured our enjoyment of the event. See, the first minute of the video utilizes the transformative special effects featured in Michael Jackson's "Black or White" music video, so immediately we started thinking about how this would be our first Christmas without MJ in our lives. Nothing could revive our good spirits after that. Not even Kimbo Slice's beard, which may be filled with hidden candies. Check out the trailer after the jump above, but feel free to skip to the 0:52 mark if you want to avoid the melancholy described above. Alternatively, skip to the 1:01 mark if you want to witness Kimbo's glorious, confection-rich facial hair.
Crackdown 2's VGA trailer invites you to 'blow #&$^ up' with it
As you might have already guessed, last night's Spike Video Game Awards show's "World Premiere" trailers have landed on the web via GameTrailers.com. First up for us this morning: Crackdown 2. Featuring the first campaign footage from the game that we've seen, it looks as though we'll be cooperatively taking down enemies with other agents when the game launches. Moreover, the entire trailer glories in the mass destruction introduced to us in the first Crackdown, backed up by a "Would you like to blow &%^$ up with me?" soundtrack. Color us excited. %Gallery-78857%
Deadliest Warrior video game announced during VGAs
Oh, you've never heard of the television show known as Deadliest Warrior? We'll break it down for you: Each episode pits two different types of warriors from different time periods against each other to see who would win in various forms of combat. For instance, one episode might show the results of a Ninjas vs. Spartans throwdown. One might show how a conflict between Marines and Medieval Knights would resolve itself. Robots vs. Wizards? A bit less likely, but still within the realm of possibilities. The VGAs brought great news involving this series -- Pipeworks Software is making a downloadable video game based on it. The announcement was accompanied by a lava-hot trailer showing a battle between a ninja and a heavily armored knight, which we've posted after the jump. What? Who wins? The ninja does. Of course.
First gameplay footage of Medal of Honor revealed
It's been a while since the Medal of Honor franchise has found its way on to store shelves, but we're interested for what the series will bring to the crowded realm of modern shooters. At tonight's 2009 Video Game Awards, the first footage of the recently revealed Medal of Honor impressed with solid visuals and a metric ton of explosions. Not enough for you? The gameplay trailer concluded with one NPC kicking a booby trapped prisoner through a high rise window. Now we're not marketing pros, but that should be the first bullet point on the back of the game's box. Check out the trailer -- in all its YouTube quality glory -- after the break. Update: Hi-res version now available above.
