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Stephen Totilo leaves MTV News for cross-net rivals, Kotaku
Stephen Totilo – MTV News' stalwart gaming reporter – has announced via the MTV Multiplayer blog that he is "leaving MTV News this Friday after a wonderful four-year run." His next stop? "It's not game development. It is games journalism," Totilo writes. And that outlet: none other than cross-net rivals, Kotaku. Now, before you hiss and throw your MTV t-shirt to the ground in disgust (put your shirt back on!), we want to be the first to congratulate Stephen on the move. While gaming blogs, like Joystiq and Kotaku, have long fought against the bias of major publishers to be accepted as legitimate outlets, Stephen's presence at Kotaku not only gives the staff some much-needed good looks but lends legitimacy to the format. A rising tide lifts all boats, blue and purple alike. So, on that note: congrats, Stephen.His title will be Deputy Managing Editor for Cake-Related Posts. Source – The End Of My Run, MTV Multiplayer's Next StepSource – Games Journalist Quits Job For More Games Journalism
Reggie on Bob's Game: Refused license doesn't reflect on Nintendo's support for the little guy
You remember Bob's Game, don't you? The humble 2D RPG made by a single, possibly loony, individual? Well nearly two months have gone by since the game's creator Robert Pelloni was denied developer status by Nintendo and -- other than a NYC littering spree -- we've heard little about the game as of late. In an interview with Nintendo big boss Reggie Fils-Aime on MTV Multiplayer last week, however, the record was set considerably straighter.When asked for his side of the story on what had come to pass, the Regginator had this to say: "He did submit to be a licensed developer. We have an evaluation process. We evaluated the opportunity. We decided at this point in time that he did not meet the requirements to be a licensed developer." Well that about does it then, no? Apparently MTV wanted more from the conversation, pushing the CEO on what to do if a developer wants to work with Nintendo but doesn't necessarily have two or three major games under its belt, "My hope is that any developer who has a compelling idea will reach out to our licensing organization and share their idea and go through the process of becoming a licensed developer for the Nintendo platform," Fils-Aime said, "And we have a legacy of supporting that type of development." Unfortunately, as it seems, Mr. Pelloni's game wasn't quite "compelling" enough of an idea.
GDC09: Highlights from the Game Critics Rant
Though it seems like game journalists have a fine platform on which to project their opinions, it's rare that they get to directly address the game developers they cover. Just such a chance was provided by this year's GDC rant session, which let game journalists talk about games and their own writing about them.Before we begin, keep in mind that we are cherry picking here, and there's a lot of context you miss out on by not being on site. Hopefully, we're at least able to give you a flavor of what was going on.
MTV's Totilo concerned about MS' Xbox exclusives in '09
During his latest Lunchtime Video (embedded after the break), MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo shows off his fancy LocoRoco drippy doodad ... but that isn't the big news. What is newsworthy is his expressed concern regarding Microsoft's catalog of Xbox 360 exclusives for 2009 being, well ... nonexistent.Totilo's evidence: the lack of major rumors going into spring, MS not scheduling many press demos during GDC, the loss of once Xbox exclusive franchises like Mass Effect and PGR, and still no information about the long-delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction and Alan Wake. To be fair, Totilo admits that 2009's confirmed exclusives like Halo 3: ODST and the second batch of GTAIV DLC will be big hits, but fears those will be the only huge titles Microsoft will have for the year.Should Xbox 360 fans be worried about the possibility of '09 being exclusive-less or is Microsoft keeping its cards a secret and planning on going all in at GDC and E3? Please, tell us what you think.
February's Wii software usage: Smash Bros. still on top, Animal Crossing sees boost
MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo recently posted a breakdown of the amount of playtime users logged during the month of February for various Wii titles using statistics that are readily available on the Nintendo Channel. Most of the results are unsurprising -- the top three spots are currently occupied by Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Guitar Hero III and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, respectively. Those three titles have remained in said spots since September of last year.However, a number of games saw massive usage boosts over the past month -- most notably, the average user's monthly playtime with Animal Crossing: City Folk increased nearly seven hours, bringing the game to a fifth-place finish for February. Similarly, Call of Duty: World at War's average playtime increased over five hours, bringing it up to 13th place. Sadly, Ninjabread Man didn't place at all -- but that won't stop us from holding out hope for a strong March showing.
Comics legend Marv Wolfman on his involvement with DC Universe Online
MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo caught up with DC Universe Online writer Marv Wolfman last week, to discuss what he's bringing to the table on SOE's upcoming super-hero MMO. (Despite Totilo's good-natured ribbing, the comics-industry veteran is certain his writing on DCUO will be able to top his resurrection of Optimus Prime in the original Transformers animated series, which some of our readers may remember.)Details about the game's storyline are scarce, as Wolfman hasn't begun working with the developers yet. As of last week, he was delving into the storyline written by Geoff Johns in preparation for turning that story into the missions (and capers) that players will run in DCUO. Wolfman hopes to create a sense that each mission or battle isn't a stand-alone event, and rather has some integration into a much larger story. Another challenge Wolfman is tasked with is striking a balance between keeping fans of DC comics titles happy, while keeping the game accessible to those who aren't necessarily well-versed in DC comic book canon. Check out the MTV Multiplayer piece on Marv Wolfman and his role in fleshing out DC Universe Online. Did you enjoy this? We've donned our capes and tights to explore SOE's DC Universe Online in-depth. Come explore more of Metropolis and Gotham with your friends at Massively!
NYCC 09: Todd Howard, Ken Levine panel
So, what happens when you stick game developers Ken Levine (BioShock) and Todd Howard (Fallout 3) in a room with two outspoken games journalists for an hour? You get a fascinating discussion on how Eastern Europe has become a new haven for PC games, how Bollywood perfected The Lost and, of course, a lesson about Horse Armor. That, and Howard reveals Bethesda is working on an iPhone game. MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo and Newsweek's N'Gai Croal grilled both Levine and Howard on everything and anything gaming, and we were there to absorb it all.When asked about what he thought the most notable game of last year was, Levine answered he was intrigued with Russian dev Katauri Interactive's King's Bounty: The Legend. He pointed out that Eastern Europe has been thriving with PC games, noting that games like King's Bounty are good reason to keep an eye on the region. Todd Howard was asked by a fan where he draws the line on DLC, using Oblivion's Horse Armor as an example of seemingly unnecessary content, or content which should have been integrated initially. Howard responded saying that people shouldn't complain about the inclusion of DLC, as devs can't always include certain content within their given schedules. They're really extras for fans, he said; however, he ascribed merit to complaining about how much that content costs.One last interesting discussion of the afternoon included a glimpse into how companies are using Achievements/Trophies in more ways than just giving you – the gamer – an ego. Game companies are using these accolade systems to check up on completion rates on their games (determined by the number of gamers who've received endgame Achievements). Levine revealed that 50 percent of BioShock players finished the game, while Howard noted a 30 percent completion rate for Fallout 3. Both those titles represented a notch up from the average 20 percent.
MTV Multiplayer gets its hands on the PS3 keypad
We all looked on the announcement of the PS3 Keypad at Leipzig with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Finally, QWERTY keyboard input directly on our controller, but why is it above the thumbsticks? MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo got his hands on the device and snapped some photos (with his mouth, presumably) to show how comfortably the keys can be reached from a normal playing position. Of course, we're not really sure exactly what Mr. Totilo thinks of the contraption as a collection of images was practically all his post had to say on the matter. We were hoping he would come to some sort of conclusion, but instead we're left to decide for ourselves whether it looks comfortable to handle. Our thoughts? We need to try it for ourselves, but it seems like it won't be too much of a stretch. What do you think?
Compare the Wii Wheel vs. the Wiimote in Mario Kart
We've seen many videos of Mario Kart, but since Stephen Totilo from MTV Multiplayer was given the opportunity to try out the Wii Wheel, we're reporting his findings to you. In the video above, you can watch Totilo using the Wii Wheel to race, with Melvin Forrest from Nintendo of America talking him through it.As you can see, you hold the wheel so the the Wiimote is tilted and almost facing you, as opposed to Excite Truck where you hold the Wiimote so that it's facing up. Aside from the steering, the controls also seem pretty intuitive. Essentially, the 2 button accelerates and the 1 button brakes. The D-pad, meanwhile, is for using items -- up will throw the item, down will drop it behind you, and left/right will hold your item near you. The game also makes use of the B button for jumping and power sliding. It looks like the Wii Wheel and Wiimote controls might take some getting used to, but in our opinion, these control schemes seem like the most fun. Totilo said that he prefers using the Wii Wheel over the Wiimote alone, but he's also self-admittedly not a big Mario Kart aficionado. Of course, if you're set in your ways, you can choose to use a GameCube or Classic Controller instead. The video above shows Totilo playing the game with the Wii Wheel, but check the break to see him playing with just the Wiimote and no shell to see how the wheel compares. *Note: Apprently MTV's videos can only be watched by people in the U.S. Sorry, guys! Gallery: Mario Kart Wii
GDC08: Totilo and Croal pitch indie game developers
Last night, two of the best games journalists working today explained to a room full of independent developers that they're not ignoring their games on purpose – as N'Gai Croal explained, he and Stephen Totilo were there to teach "people who make indie games about the PR process and how that works." You see, AAA titles are being repped by "very well-oiled machines that are extremely good at getting their message out." So how does an indie developer compete with that level of press saturation? Their advice is simple: pitch a compelling story, not a product. In Totilo's mind, many developers are "one email away" from finding their game (and themselves!) on MTVNews.com or Newsweek. "It's surprising so few people take that opportunity."
Shovelware: A cause and effect
Wii owners certainly can't complain about the number of third-party games available for the console. As MTV's Stephen Totilo puts it, where there was once a game drought for Nintendo systems (specifically in the N64 and GameCube eras), there's now a flood. What Wii owners can complain about, however, is that a lot of these Wii games are nothing but shovelware. But, how do these games end up on the popular console? And, is it even ultimately a bad thing that they do?
The Gaming Club sounds off on the year in video games
Hope you like words, because there are plenty of them to be found in Slate's first annual Gaming Club piece. The newly inaugurated feature focuses on a once-around discussion of the year in games with some of game journalism's powerhouse personalities: Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, MTV's Stephen Totilo, the New York Times' Seth Schiesel, and Slate's Chris Suellentrop.A light read this is not. Suellentrop, Totilo, Schiesel and Croal trudge deep into a spoiler-laden discussion of what 2007 will mean in the great big book of video game history. Triple-A titles like Bioshock, Halo 3, and Super Mario Galaxy are both praised and heavily critiqued, while smaller titles like Desktop Tower Defense and Everyday Shooter are discussed as having been more emblematic of 2007 than we realize.Overall, the piece is a poignant look at the year behind us, and much more than simply a "game of the year" discussion. Further updates to the feature are forthcoming, with a total of eight letters between the four journalists arriving by Wednesday. Definitely worth the read.
Witness 'The Metagame' in action, thanks to MTV
It ran at GDC 2007; we reported on it, but you didn't get to see it. Now, MTV has hosted a special edition of The Metagame game show, as part of their "Gamer's Week" Coverage, and Stephen Totilo has posted the highlights for mass consumption.The Metagame, designed and hosted by Frank Lantz of area/code and Eric Zimmerman of Gamelab, pits two teams against each other in a battle of video game smarts. Each round, teams move pieces on the game board to form comparative statements between two games (such as "Halo would make a better movie than Half-Life," or "Virtua Fighter is sexier than Super Mario 64."), and argue these statements to earn points. Vying for victory this time are MTV's Stephen Totilo and Tim Kash, versus Newsweeks' N'Gai Croal, and fellow journalist Heather Chaplin, author of Smart Bomb.The debate is heated, hilarious, and only the slightest bit pretentious. We'd definitely enjoy watching more designers, developers, and press-members argue the semantics and specifics of the industry's most influential games. Any chance of picking up the show full-time, MTV?Update: Due to silly legal restrictions, the video posted above is not viewable in the UK or Canada. Apologies for any confusion or irritation this might cause.
MTV's gaming pronunciation guide targets Totilo
Having destroyed our abominable mispronunciations of names belonging to Nintendo presidents, developer ninjas and celluloid butchers, MTV's Stephen Totilo finally turns his infamous pronunciation guide on himself. It's a bit like the final scene in Alien 3 where (15-year old spoiler!) SEE-GORE-KNEE flings herself into a pool of lava in order to eradicate the last remaining creature. Go ahead and watch Mr. TOE-TILL-OH's sacrifice*, even if it seems like a transparent ploy to get his gigantic mug on our lovely website.*Not viewable in the UK or Canada due to silly contractual nonsense.
Totilo and Croal argue about Halo 3
For the most part, MTV's Stephen Totilo and N'Gai Croal of Newsweek don't seem to like Halo 3. In a new series of back-and-forth journalism called Vs., these two are debating the merits of Halo 3"s multiplayer. There have been two parts to the article so far, and right now the consensus is essentially that Halo 3 is too hard. Specifically, learning Halo 3 can be unforgiving. Unfortunately, for many Halo players, this is completely true. There are no training modes, unless you count the campaign. Most people aren't concerned with teaching others how to play either. This leaves the uninitiated to absorb weapon strategies, map layouts, and gametypes by themselves, which can be a daunting task. Then again, Croal and Totilo also have yet to figure out how to initiate team speak (hint: press any direction on the D-pad, fellas).We have to point out, though, that the Halo 3 multiplayer beta really isn't the best arena to judge Halo 3's multiplayer. That may sound strange, given that it is a multiplayer beta after all, but it's true. Right now, the Halo 3 beta is crowded with a relatively small sample of Halo fanatics (several million short of the projected pre-order numbers). These are people who live and breathe Halo, people who went through the Rule of Three, people who spent $60 on Crackdown just to play the beta. Naturally, you're going to be running into lots of people who are better than you. This smaller sampling also limits the effectiveness of the ranking system, as there are fewer people with smaller amounts of skill disparity. Also, and this is important considering N'Gai's misty-eyed memories of LAN parties gone by, there are no custom games in the beta (not officially anyway). Given that N'Gai is vocal about his displeasure at playing with strangers, custom games with friends sound like just what the doctor ordered.If Stephen or N'Gai is reading this, we'd be happy to show you both some friendly matches of Halo. The rest of you can read parts 1 and 2 of the series below.[Via HBO]Read part 1Read part 2
Alex Ward flips out during MTV interview
Did you play EA's notoriously over-hyped shooter, Black? We mean, did you really play it? Enough to understand the subtle geopolitical message that gelled together the very fabric of the game? Would you say you beat the game? If so, don't tell Alex Ward that. As MTV News' Stephen Totilo found out, using such common terminology for completing a game in the presence of Criterion's creative director is enough to warrant a long-winded rant against Western gamers. Between finding hidden messages in Pac-Man and taking absurd leaps in logic when analyzing the speech habits of Americans, Ward spits fire for just under five minutes of insanity. Totilo attempts to get him back on track regarding the plot (or lack thereof) of Black, but even after a few zingers Ward just keeps on trucking. Let's see. An arrogant British man grandstanding about the stupidity of Americans? Yeah, that's real creative. About as creative as Black.
PS3 will see 'user-created experiences' next year, says Harrison
User-created content, which has long been a fixture in the world of PC gaming, has never managed to gain any real traction on consoles, be that due to technological constraints or a lack of online connectivity. With both of those issues out of the way in modern systems, the time is ripe for users to interact and share their creations and experiences. Sony's Phil Harrison gets behind the idea in a revealing interview with MTV's Stephen Totilo, opining* that gaming needs to move away from presenting "closed experiences." If games are to break free (God knows they want to break free), there needs to be a constant flow of communication between Sony and gamers -- more importantly, Harrison insists that said communication flows in both directions (give us money, here's your money). "Next year you're going to see user-created experiences in a number of interesting ways on PlayStation 3," goes the official and spectacularly vague PR line. A Second Life-styled virtual network has oft been rumored, but Harrison fell victim to "line distortion" before Totilo could get any concrete information about it.So, what entails a "user-created experience?" In the worst case, it's a custom wallpaper and a shared photo between friends. In the best case? Oh, it could be anything, from personalized in-game T-shirts to deadly dungeons designed to foil your friends. Be sure to ask us about it next year. * Basis for an awful pun later in the sentence.Read (and be assaulted by Flash) -- Full interview on MTV News
Joystiq talks with MTV News' Stephen Totilo
With two highly anticipated console launches closing out this week, MTV certainly picked a ripe time to repeat their Gamer's Week event. With properties like GameTrailers and Neopets, recent acquisitions like Guitar Hero dev Harmonix and instant messaging/gaming client Xfire, as well as Stephen Totilo's impressive work at MTV News, it's clear that MTV is serious about games. We recently had a chance to talk to Stephen about Gamer's Week and find out why it's not just Laguna Beach but with some video game stuff thrown in.What's your role in Gamer's Week? As a reporter for MTV News, how do you fit into the whole Gamer's Week package? Like last year, MTV is dedicating a week to gaming coverage, and marshaling as many resources as possible to put cool stuff together. And like last year, I was tapped as the MTV News reporter who covers video games to provide five day's worth of on-air news segments and any written stories for MTVNews.com.
Start your TiVos: Game designer's roundtable on MTV2
Back in May, MTV News' Stephen Totilo produced a game designer's roundtable featuring four prominent game designers -- Harvey Smith (aka Witchboy; Deus Ex), Will Wright (The Sims), David Jaffe (God of War), and Cliff Bleszinski (aka CliffyB; Gears of War) -- that MTV decided (in their infinite wisdom) was not worthy of full television exposure. Instead, they opted to run an edited version and stick the full program on their PC-only Overdrive site. Thankfully, they've had a change of heart and have decided to run the entire special on MTV2 beginning tonight. Kudos to MTV for filling an entire slot with four white guys talking about video games in an art gallery. G4 seems to be of the mind that there's no audience for smart programming about video games. Get going, it starts in thirty minutes! It's late notice, we know, but you'll be able to set the old TiVo (or VCR ... yuck) to make the best out of cable television's tendency to repeat programming. A lot. Note to MTV: more quality gaming coverage, less Punk'd reruns, k? Sat 08/19@6:30PM Sun 08/19@12:30AM Mon 08/19@10:30AM Wed 08/19@3:00AM Thu 08/19@3:00PM Fri 08/19@10:00AM Read - MTV News Presents: Gods of Gaming schedule
