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Activision explains DJ Hero pricing, says game offers 'tremendous value'
(click to Afrika Bambaataa-size) The retailer pricing of DJ Hero found recently -- $120 bucks! -- has some folks wondering why Activision may have upped the price for its usual game-plus-peripheral combo. The company has offered an explanation answer to Eurogamer, saying, "We believe that DJ Hero will provide tremendous value for our consumers by delivering an all-new interactive music experience with over 100 individual songs that are highlighted in over 80 unique mixes, a wide variety of ..."...Sorry, we nodded off there for a minute. Between the $250 for The Beatles: Rock Band and another $120 for Tony Hawk: Ride, we're up late a lot, worrying about affording all these plastic game controllers -- and a bigger house to put them all in.%Gallery-64592%
Waiting on StarCraft II? Blame WoW
Like many other Blizzard fans, you're probably super excited about the upcoming release of StarCraft II -- it was "about time" when we first heard about the game, and now, this close to actually having the game out, anticipation is higher than ever. So why have you been waiting so long? According to Eurogamer's latest interview with Rob Pardo, you can blame none other than World of Warcraft for the delay. He and StarCraft II's lead designer both confirm that quite a bit of the RTS team were called back in to working on Blizzard's MMO. Artists and class and map balance guys alike were put back on WoW, resulting in the StarCraft title's delay for more than a year. Taken at face value, they're saying you could have started playing the new RTS last November if it wasn't for the whole Azeroth thing.It's worth noting, though, that when they say "working on WoW," they don't mean developing the Crusaders' Coliseum or even Outland -- they're talking about the original design of World of Warcraft for the release way back in 2004. Even though Blizzard didn't announce the next StarCraft until a few years ago in 2007, production actually started seriously (with multiplayer first, strangely enough) right after the launch of WoW, in 2005. Which makes the choice all the more intriguing: they decided to delay the RTS even before they knew WoW would be the runaway success that it is today.Guess the choice paid off. The beta of StarCraft II should be kicking off any day now (you all got keys at last year's BlizzCon, remember?), so even though that year delay was caused by WoW way back at launch, we'll see if they've had the time since to make a game that'll meet players' expectations.
Lost Winds dev: Reviewers are a problem with low Wii metacritic scores
Apparently, for the Nintendo Wii (according to Lost Winds developer David Braben), the folks reviewing Wii games are the wrong people for the job. Responding to comments made by EA Sports' Peter Moore earlier this month regarding low metacritic scores for Wii games and its less than serious effect on sales numbers of said games, Frontier Developments head David Braben told Eurogamer that, "Most reviewers are what are often called 'core gamers' - and these family-focused games tend to appeal less to them." And he makes a good point. If Joystiq's readership is primarily "core gamers," what's the point in covering casual fare meant for more mainstream crowds? Braben continues, "It throws up a difficult dilemma for those reviewers ... are they reviewing the game for those people likely to play it, or for those people who form the bulk of their readership?" We put it to you, Joystiq loyalists: Continue to cover games intended for a "casual," more mainstream audience (as well as more "hardcore" titles), or focus on "core" games coverage exclusively? [Image credit]
Max Payne 3 gets different, older voice actor
We've already seen the new, grizzled face of Max Payne in upcoming sequel Max Payne 3, and found out a few details on the game from Game Informer's preview of the title. More news coming out of July's GI today (via Eurogamer) says that the game's titular character will lose the first two games' voice actor, James McCaffrey, and be replaced by, well, we're not quite sure yet. "We're good at casting," Jeronimo Barrera of the game's developer, Rockstar Games, points out. "All the Max Payne themes will remain intact - manipulation, betrayal, and the stuff that really made Max Payne," art director Rob Nelson backs the decision up with. And so it seems that, while the various themes may stay intact, the main character's look and sound have absolutely changed. Here's hoping Rockstar doesn't change the title to "Minimum Pleasure!"
Criterion thinks if you've maxed out the 360, you're not trying hard enough
Apparently the company that owns Criterion (EA -- duh!) and the company itself don't agree on whether or not the Xbox 360 has been "maxed out." Speaking to Eurogamer, Criterion's technical director Richard Parr said, "That's proof that you're not the best ... it means you're out of ideas." Dedicated Joystiq Biomass™ members will remember when, just three days ago, vice president of EA Europe Patrick Soderlund said, "I think that we've maxed out the 360 but we haven't maxed out the PS3." So, what is it, folks? Is the 360 already meeting its limits? Will the rumored new Xbox console of Fall 2010 help to assuage Mr. Soderlund's claims? Will Criterion get in a slapfight with EA Europe? We'll just have to wait and see.
Neversoft would like to add turntable support to Guitar Hero
During E3, we got to check out the folks from FreeStyleGames playing DJ Hero -- Activision's upcoming rhythm/music game -- using blasphemous guitar controllers in-tandem with the ubiquitous plastic turntable (seen above). While Activision is still keeping mum on whether or not the ability to use guitars in all tracks of the game (none the less vocals) will be shipping with DJ Hero, apparently the folks working on the game think including their turntable in Guitar Hero titles "Sounds like a great idea!"In fact, both the DJ Hero team and Neversoft (developers of the Guitar Hero franchise) seem open to the idea of cross-game instrument implementation (say that three times fast). GH director Brian Bright told Eurogamer, "We would love to integrate in the future," speaking to the cross-franchise possibilities with each game's respective peripheral. So if we can use a turntable, have a group of folks on various instruments, and get someone spitting hot fire into a mic, what's the point of Def Jam Rapstar again?
Infiltrating SOE to get a sneak peek of The Agency
Eurogamer's Oli Welsh had a chance to visit SOE headquarters and chat with Hal Milton, Lead Designer of The Agency. We think it's fair to say this is the most we've heard about the spy-MMO in a long time and it has us excited about what we might find out at E3 2009.We have known for a while that SOE was aiming to release The Agency on both the PC and PS3, but we weren't sure if they could pull it off. Apparently, development for the console is going well because Oli got a chance to watch two developers play a mission together on both platforms and says it looked pretty good. When asked about whether or not the game would use the subscription or F2P/RMT model, Hal responded by saying that they are aiming for the lowest barrier of entry for PS3 players, which probably lends itself to the latter.The interview uncovers many details on planned methods of progression, including a mashup of reputation, influence, skill/item usage (à la Darkfall?), operatives, and XP unlocks. Operatives are one of the more difficult concepts to understand and the author explains them in an interesting way: "...operatives are loot, and hopelessly irresistible loot at at that. Pursuing and sorting an ideal roster will be akin to assembling a perfect gear set in an RPG - if your gear argued with itself, made more gear for you while you were offline, and you could equip 100 pieces at once at max level."To learn more about the game including their plans for missions, the environment, PvP, and even gambling mini-games, check out the monster three-page interview.
Realtime Worlds teases APB appearance at E3
We've been hearing rumors of Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds' appearance in the upcoming Microsoft E3 Conference for a while now, though we've heard no confirmation of All Points Bulletin's involvement in the highly anticipated, green-hued showcase. However, Eurogamer recently got an intriguing response from Realtime after inquiring about the crime-filled MMO's MicroCon debut.Realtime Worlds boss Colin MacDonald responded to Eurogamer's query, saying, "I couldn't possibly comment at the moment," but went on to add, "if we happened to be going, I'm sure we would make it known before too much longer, and we'd certainly give Eurogamer a shout to try to meet up." Jeez, you guys. Get a room.
How exactly do you review an MMO?
Reviewing MMOs is a tricky business, as Eurogamer learnt this week when they published a review of Darkfall and gave it 2/10. Developer Tasos Flambouras wasn't happy about this and published a scathing forum post in retaliation at the low score. They accused reviewer Ed Zitron of playing for a mere two hours (he asserts he played the game for over nine) and most of that time was -- according to Tasos -- spent screenshotting or creating characters. This prompted Eurogamer to respond and promise to do a re-review, which in turn prompted Tasos to respond to the response. This begs the question: how do you review an MMO? It's not like any other kind of game; there's no beginning, middle and end, just a beginning and an endless middle. Added to that, while video games are without a doubt mainstream, MMOs are a lot more niche. But Lesley, I hear you cry, how can games like Guild Wars and World of Warcraft with seventeen million players between them, be called niche?
Champions Online getting microtransactions?
Eurogamer are reporting that upcoming MMO Champions Online may be testing out in-game microtransactions. Last week during their press beta coverage, they noted a Champion Store. While not currently active, using it summons an error which mentions microtransactions. They contacted Cryptic for a chat and got the following response from an unnamed spokesperson: "As you may have noticed in the recent play test for Champions Online, we are currently testing functionality for in-game transactions. Virtual asset sales are a necessary component of the greater Cryptic platform since we plan on working on a number of different titles using our technology platform. At present we do not have any finalised plans for how and if these will be implemented in future releases."
Darkfall's Tasos calls out Eurogamer on 2/10 review
Tasos Flambouras, Lead Developer for Darkfall, is not a happy bunny after seeing how low Eurogamer scored Aventurine SA's latest game. They gave it 2 out of 10, which according to their scoring policy, rates the game as 'less entertaining than burning a ten pound note'. Nice.Quick to respond, Tasos posted a lengthy forum post. It's fascinating not for the ire and vitriol, of which there's quite a bit, but for the breakdown of how the process works. Basically he alleges that EG's reviewer Ed Zitron (formally a staffer on the UK edition of PC Zone magazine), played the game for a total of 2 hours spread across 13 sessions.
Five upcoming MMOs with indie-cred
Eurogamer's Oli Welsh attended the Game Developer's Conference last month and took a look at five MMOs being produced by independent studios. Earthrise, Fallen Earth, Gatheryn, Global Agenda, and Love are all being developed without the support of a huge publisher. Given all the big budget competition, do they stand a chance?According to Oli, Earthrise has many interesting features but with beta set for May and release set for late 2009, he's a little concerned with the framerate issues and lack of polish. Much like its post-apocalyptic brother, Fallen Earth shines on many levels and is also due in 2009, but it is lacking in execution with animation, combat, and AI issues. As for Gatheryn, Oli is a bit confused as to why this game is even being made at all because it lacks depth and has no clear direction (here's what we thought).On the other hand, Mr. Welsh has high praise for both Global Agenda and Love. The former appears to be an interesting blend of adrenaline-pumping MMOFPS action with more polish than an antique car show. The latter is the brainchild of a one-man army, giving it the most indie-cred out of all the titles. For a more in-depth explanation of his opinions, follow Oli as he takes a journey through the MMO's wild frontier.
'Gold Trading Exposed': Getting the player and industry perspective
A few weeks ago, we mentioned that the first installment of Nick Ryan's 'Gold Trading Exposed' has gone live over at Eurogamer. While we've all encountered bots and spammers, this insightful series of articles is trying to get behind the whispers and artfully placed dwarves to discover what makes gold farmers tick and why we, the MMO-playing public, buy gold in the first place.Well this is where Nick comes in, after a general overview in part one, he's spoken to the gold farmers themselves but in the final two installments he's gone a step further by talking to their customers and, finally, the developers including Blizzard themselves.The player-centric part of the series focuses on that old horror story: that buying gold can lead to characters (and even guild banks) being stripped of their worldly goods and left, stumbling, in some deity-forsaken corner of a virtual world - and that's if you're lucky.
Nintendo of Europe calls MotionPlus release date 'rumor and speculation'
Nintendo of Europe reps have called the recent release list with MotionPlus dated on it "purely rumor and speculation," reports Eurogamer. This news comes after reports last week that July 10th would see not only the release of the MotionPlus add-on, but Nintendo's followup to Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, as well.The report also mentions Wii Fit Plus, a game/expansion/whozeewhatsit set to drop on November 19, though NoE makes no mention of the mystery title in the conversation. We've asked for comment from Nintendo of America and will update if and when we hear something from the perpetually tight-lipped publisher.
Ancel says 9/11 influenced Beyond Good & Evil
Thanks to the fine French-speaking folks at Eurogamer France, Eurogamer has a more thorough translation of Michel Ancel's interview regarding his upcoming game for Ubisoft, Beyond Good & Evil 2. According to their translation, Ancel reveals inspiration in "the theme of September 11 - the CNN show with army messages and the fear climate," among other, totally different things, like Hayao Miyazaki for instance. He also revealed that this sequel will be a direct continuation of the story from the original BG&E, saying, "The story continues and we'll react on important events of the first." We've still got no good information on platforms or release date but hopefully the upcoming re-embiggened E3 Expo will shed some light on the game. "Players who like the first should like the second," Ancel left the interviewer with. We're keeping hope alive. [Via GamePolitics] %Gallery-23890%
'Gold Trading Exposed' a look at multi-billion dollar grey market in MMOs
If there are any massively multiplayer online games on the market (with virtual economies) that *aren't* overrun at times with gold spammers that multiply like cockroaches, we have yet to hear about it. While the various MMO developers and operators have their own approaches to the problem, ranging from public humiliation of spammers to an anti-RMT strike force that exists to root them out and eliminate them, a key (*the* key) part of this equation for grief is the playerbase itself. "Gold Trading Exposed" is the first in a series of articles tackling the issues surrounding RMT written for Eurogamer by Nick Ryan. Over time, Ryan will look at the multi-billion dollar trade in virtual gold through the eyes of all parties involved -- the gold traders, the developers, and of course the players themselves (many of whom deny they buy gold). Ryan points out there there's no small amount of hypocrisy from MMO playerbases which profess a hatred for the gold selling trade since, after all, there must be a reason that gold sellers thrive and multiply.
World of Warcraft dual-spec requirements massaged for your enjoyment
When dual talent specializations were revealed in the upcoming World of Warcraft 3.1 patch, Blizzard had some pretty stringent rules in place. Players had to be level 80 to access the ability and also needed to be near a Lexicon of Power (found in various capital cities) to even switch specializations. But Eurogamer as discovered that things have changed!Now, the required level is 40 and training costs 1000 gold -- which is easy for someone to do if they've got a character in Northrend. Also, players can proceed to switch talents anywhere they like, so long as they're not in battle, a PvP Arena or Battleground. The talent switch will take 5 seconds and reset class resources to zero. In addition to these changes, a one-click equipment manager will also been added to streamline switching from one build to another.
Varying perspectives on EVE Online's new player experience
The sci-fi massively multiplayer online game EVE Online has long been known for its harsh setting but also for its (almost) equally unforgiving learning curve. That is, until the Apocrypha expansion launched, bringing EVE's New Player Experience (NPE) with it. CCP Games aims to slowly ease new players into what is a rather complex game, giving them a feel for what they can already do and what they want to do in New Eden over time. So how well does the New Player Experience for EVE Online tackle the difficulties of learning how to play one of the most complex MMOs on the market? Writing for Eurogamer, both Jim Rossignol and Oli Welsh write about the New Player Experience. Rossignol, from the viewpoint of a veteran player, and Welsh from the fresh perspective of a rookie. The end result is an overview of how EVE has changed, including a revamped tutorial and Neural Remapping (attribute respecs), as well as Epic Mission Arcs that allow players to make choices in how EVE's mission storylines progress.
Final Fantasy XI's first bite-sized expansion coming 'sort of' soon
Take a look at your calendar boys and girls, because in just one week from today the first mini-expansion for Final Fantasy XI will be available for download at $9.99 with tax included. Yep, March 23rd is the date announced on the official website -- but there's a catch.Players who purchase the digital update right now won't receive the actual content until the next version update, which is tentatively scheduled for early April. So it's more of an announcement of a pre-order being made available soon... on a digital product.Hey, we're not marketing and business guys or anything, but isn't that kind of silly? We see no need to pre-order something that has an unlimited amount of "copies" and exists in an ethereal, digital, online state. Maybe if Square Enix offered some kind of little bonus for pre-ordering, that'd be one thing. As it is now, we guess this affords someone an ethereal, digital online piece of mind.[via Eurogamer]
Nemesis system for Champions detailed, but not via dramatic monologue
Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad, and in this case we get news of Champions Online's console release being delayed along with tasty new information on the game's nemesis system. It turns out the creation of a player's arch nemesis happen around mid-level and according to Bill Roper, the same tools used to build a hero are employed.Players'll get to design a villainous costume, choose their dastardly powers, select some conniving minions, peruse for minion weaponry and also decide upon nemesis' motivations. After all that's completed minions will begin to harass the player via ambushes, but eventually one will talk and reveal a clue or two about his boss. This opens up a series of side missions that are designed as the biggest solo challenge in the game, although Bill pointed out that a nemesis showdown battle can be completed with a group of friends as well.The nemesis system stands out as one of Champions Online's most unique features, and it seems like the tip of the iceberg of features designed to allow players to create custom in-game content for others to experience. A good start for the second superhero game to hit the MMO market.
