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Sony unveils launch lineup for Euro PlayStation Network
The PS3's launch day in Europe is set to be filled with wanton punching, devastating explosions and utterly callous driving -- and when new PS3 owners finally get home, they can experience even more of that. Sony has announced a trio of downloads that will greet European PlayStation Network users on March 23, namely Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (costing £6.99), Blast Factor (£3.49) and the Gran Turismo HD trial (£0). Other games slated for the online network are: 30 March: Super Rub-A-Dub, a touching study of the social intricacies found in a group of inanimate ducks! 6 April: flOw, a relaxing aquatic adventure with many a mingling microorganism! 13 April: Go! Sudoku, a game stunningly devoid of ritualistic suicide! 20 April: Go! Puzzle, a gripping crime thriller following a fugitive jigsaw piece! If all that isn't worth registering on PSN, perhaps James Bond will talk some sense into you. He has a gun, you know.
Get your PS Store shoes on, cuz we're going shopping!
Do you have a pair of shoes that are lucky, or get worn only under certain circumstances? We've all got our own personal traditions -- mine is to stop shaving once I begin studying for an exam until it's over. I pretend that the hair on my face is the knowledge of the material hanging off of me and when the test is over, I cut it all away. Shut up! It makes perfect sense! It's important to have these personal traditions, or else... oh, what the hell are we talking about? Three new items hit the PlayStation Store today: flOw, Q*Bert, and a Ridge Racer 7 demo. Now everyone can go around saying "Riiiiiiidge Racer" all they want since the demo is theirs for the taking. The former two have a price tag ($7.99 and $4.99 respectively), but neither are much to complain about. Ridge Racer 7 is, of course, a free demo. If they aren't at the store now (not near my PS3), they should be around before dinner. Just a guesstimation. Enjoy them, guys!
FlOw, Q-Bert and a Ridge Racer demo coming this Thursday
Playstation 3 owners will have something other than Virtua Fighter 5 to choose from this week as Sony will be releasing two new titles for their online service and a relic from the past in demo form. The long awaited aquatic enigma FlOw will be making its way to the Playstation Network with a price tag of $7.99. Joining it will be the perpetually-hopping, foul mouthed, not to mention terrible roommate known as Q-Bert. We may not have anything nice to say about the guy, but his game is a classic and will be available for $4.99. And in case you passed it up at launch, a free demo of Ridge Racer 7 will be made available and capable of that magical resolution of 1080p.
flOw priced, gamers ready
This is probably going to be the last time we talk about flOw before we toss up a meta-review or whatever. Two days ago we spoke about how it's coming out on the 22nd of February, the features it sports and more. This time we've got a little more pertinent information for you. Yeah, the price of the game. Surprisingly, it's nice and cheap -- on par with the other downloadable titles, if memory serves. The final price is $7.99 for the US PlayStation Store. Not bad! Reviews have started to crop up around the internet and initial reactions seem very positive. A few key words are found in more than one place: "addictive", "creative", and some form of the phrase "pretty music". We'll give it our time on Thursday and post a review over the weekend, along with a meta-review slash personal review of Virtua Fighter 5.
Can't wait to get our flOw on this week!
This isn't news so much as it is a reminder -- the hotly anticipated flOw is due out this week. Hitting the PlayStation store on February 22nd at an as-of-yet undetermined price point (since it's pretty high-profile, we wouldn't be surprised if it was around $10), this musical and biological adventure is bound to be endless fun. For a while. Here's what Sony's official site has to say about the features of the game: "Full HD at 1080p – Vibrant environments. Dynamically Adjusting Experience – Customize your game experience. Multiplayer mode – 1-4 players; same screen SIXAXIS™ wireless controller – Gamers can use the analog thumb stick or take advantage of the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller motion sensors to glide, flit, and flOw through the abyss." We weren't aware there was an abyss involved! There are five different creatures for you to choose from and a difficulty that changes depending on your skill level. It's going to be great and, in certain cases, a great musical backdrop for that "chill" party you've been planning.
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 6
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com. Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to MP_ROOT/101ANV01/. Requires firmware 2.00 or above. Do NOT place in "VIDEO" folder. Firmware 2.80 or above do not need to download thumbnails. Ocean's 13 Download MP4 (6.51MB) | Download THM The following videos are featured after the break: Flow (PS3), The Warriors (PSP), Tales of Destiny 2 (PSP), Sid Meier's Pirates! (PSP)
Let's talk about flOw's music
A recent interview was composed (get it? Like composing music...) with Austin Wintory, creative mind behind the music of flOw. Points of discussion include the design process of flOw, music's integration and atmospheric effect in the title and Austin's deep, dark musical fantasies... er, we'll just give you a list. What was your design process in creating the music for flOw? "We sought something atmospheric and electronic, but not in the stark, soundscape sort of way. Something warm and organic, as if a symphony of instruments never before played on Earth." He goes on to say, "What resulted was a combination of literally hundreds of small audio files being triggered by the player interactions, and a steady background track." So... it's got the same user-created musical score akin to Rez? Any emotional or aesthetic goals while creating the music? "Relaxing was paramount, but each campaign of the game has a very different take on it. Some are more oriented towards being fun and light, others darker, some mysterious, etc." Did you approach the Flash and PS3 versions of the game differently? "Well, the Flash version is essentially at this point a playable demo of the PS3 version, giving you a snippet of the first part of the game. So I approached the first campaign almost identically, looking to be faithful to my own work, but make it better and cleaner." Austin also mentions how each campaign of the PS3 version will have a different musical influence -- one jazz oriented, etc. Whew. Well, you can check out the whole interview if you'd like -- learn more about Austin, his inspirations, his goals and dreams, etc. We just covered the aspects of flOw and you know what? It sounds like a lot of fun. Both literally and... otherwise. [thanks, John B.!]
Swim. Eat. flOw.
flOw's migration onto PlayStation 3 has been a slow evolutionary process. But as promised, Sony has delivered the game trailer (above) to PlayStation Store on time, suggesting that flOw itself is also on course; now set to arrive near the end of the month. Is it time to start considering Sony's service as a viable player in the downloadable (casual) games space? Or do we wait for Calling All Cars?
Nintendo trickles out Q1 games list
After bursting onto the scene with 34 titles in the Wii's first two months, Nintendo today announced they would "continue the flow of fun" with ... 12 new Wii games through March. Wait, what? We understand that things tend to slow down a little in the months after Christmas, but even accounting for that the Wii's first quarter line up is kind of lacking. A few potential standouts like SSX Blur and Sonic and the Secret Rings are left to flounder among the usual mess of licensed crap (TMNT, Bionicle Heroes, Meet the Robinsons) and warmed-over third party games reworked for the Wii controller (Tiger Woods 07, The Godfather, and Blazing Angels, which was originally listed as a launch window title). What's more, Nintendo's Wii Play (a game which hit Europe and Japan in early December) is both the only first party game on the Wii's Q1 list and the only game we're likely to see for the system in all of February. It might be a little early to declare Reggie's "no game drought" promise a failure, but this faint trickle of early games is, frankly, not that inspiring. Keep reading for a complete breakdown of the Wii's amazing "flow" for the next few months.
They mean it this time: flOw is coming in February
We nearly had an ice storm in Athens. It got very cold, very fast. In fact, some of us living here have windows that aren't built right, so they don't close all the way... making their room incredibly frigid and they're having trouble typing posts with fingers that are as pliable as a crowbar. That aside, no snow. Which is sad, but completely irrelevant to the news at hand. Yeah, we've also been waiting around the PS-Store, looking for flOw, since we were told it was coming out. Seems we didn't get the memo that the game was delayed another month. Yep, the game is now due out at the end of February. Sony representatives said this about the release: "We'll be posting a trailer at the end of this month [January] / beginning of next. As for the game itself, we'll be releasing near the end of February." So, that's like, what, February 30th? Teehee, teehee... if you thought I was serious, come on. Come. On.
Where's flOw?
ThatGameCompany's PlayStation 3 version of flOw missed the console's launch, and then failed to arrive in December, as promised. Recently, we heard flOw would hit PlayStation Store in early January. Well, that never happened, so IGN went knocking on SCEA's door ... and someone actually answered: "We'll be posting a trailer at the end of this month [or] beginning of next," clarified Sony. "As for the game itself, we'll be releasing near the end of February." Alas, another vaguely stated delay. Patience.
Downloadable content is coming our way!
You know you're tired of looking at the same fugly outfit your character in Genji is clad in. You know you're sick of handing off the controller when you die in Blast Factor. So what're you going to do about it? Initiate some microtransactions, that's what! Coming soon to the PlayStation Store are: Genji: Days of the Blade costume pack Blast Factor co-op play download pack flOw game and demo Granted, flOw might take a litter longer than the rest. Heard rumors of a January release, though, so maybe they'll all hit at once. In any case... gentlemen, start your engines! Ready, set, down...load? Damn. Wanted a clever download phrase/cliche, but alas. Next time, surely.
flOw stalled until 2007
flOw won't arrive on PlayStation Store today. Despite recent confirmation that thatgamecompany's console debut (a remake of the studio founders' free Flash-based title) would be available for download in the coming hours, Sony has announced that flOw will [*fingers crossed*] be released in early January. No explanation for the delay was given. The PlayStation 3 version of flOw has been enhanced with motion control and improved audio and visuals. The core concept of evolution has also been expanded from a simple gameplay dynamic to the broader foundation of the game itself. thatgamecompany is planning a series of updates that will change flOw considerably, adding new layers, like a multiplayer mode; an alluring experiment that is poised to invigorate PS3's downloadable games service.
flOw on Dec. 19 for PS3, 2 more titles from USC devs in the works
thatgamecompany's expansion of flOw onto PlayStation 3 has finally been targeted for release on December 19*. Coinciding with this announcement is word of a three-game deal signed between Sony and the former USC Interactive Media Division students who founded thatgamecompany. Details about the two additional games have not been provided, but Sony has reserved a space for the team at its Santa Monica base. "This is a watershed moment in the history of the school," recognized USC Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, "It builds on our tradition of expanding relationships with the professional community, and opens the door for our students and graduates to showcase their creative talents in an incredibly dynamic market." Guess the gang is sorta like the Bushes and Leinharts of the Interactive Media Division. Go Trojans! *flOw will be offered as a premium downloadable title on the PlayStation Store. Play flOw now.
Sony's Geometry Wars (and other e-Distributed titles) leaked
While Sony is poised to break their media silence this Thursday at their "Gamer's Day" event in San Francisco (we'll be on hand, eagerly awaiting something), that didn't stop some of their secrets from sneaking their ways onto the web. A tipster clued us into a survey to gauge future interest in downloadable games on a certain unnamed gaming console featuring motion sensitive controllers (hrmmm) as well as "HD and surround sound" (well, that narrows it down). They describe Blast Factor (pictured above) as "an up-to-date version of Asteroids or Geometry Wars." We'll gloss over that Geometry Wars not up-to-date jab, and concentrate on what it offers: 1080p, motion control support, online rankings, and a potential $5 price point (one of their surveyed price points, and the equivalent of GW's 400 MS points). A quick look at the screens will reinforce the title's close relationship to Xbox Live Arcade's super-hit, Geometry Wars. But that wasn't it. In addition to our tipster's images, a PS3 Forums member posted an extensive list of screenshots and images of several upcoming e-Distribution titles including: Blast Factor, flOw, Go Sudoku, Lemmings 2, and Swizzleblocks. Games without images or info include: Gripshift, Crash Carnage Ciaos, and Wheel of Fortune. Our tipster also managed to get an image of one additional game, titled Criminal Crackdown, with a tentative price of $14.99. We'll probably know a whole lot more about these titles come Thursday. That wasn't so hard, was it Sony? Additional images and text from our tipster after the break. Note, PS3 Forums is getting hammered, so check out a (not quite up-to-date) mirror at NeoGAF. [Thanks, Cabrill and Meh]
Cave Story, a freeware game heading to the PSP
It seems like Sony is starting to make a habit of taking freeware games and bringing them to their video game systems. First it was Flow on the PS3, and now it's Cave Story on the PSP.However, I may be going out on a limb here, but I think it's safe to say Cave Story will receive some drastic graphical improvements before it reaches our hands. At least I hope it does. The game is being developed by Variant Interactive and should be released in 2007.In case you're like me and have never heard of this game before, it's about a boy who wakes up inside and "delves into the rocky tunnels in search of clues to his where abouts and his identity. Meanwhile, a mad doctor makes use of an enchanted crown to enslave a race of rabbit-like creatures, known as Mimigas.As the boy travels through the cave, searching for an exit, he meets Sue, a mimiga unlike all the others. Soon he is caught up in an adventure beyond imagination as the fate of both human and mimiga races hang in the balance," according to Variant's website.How do you guys feel about having to pay for a freeware title, even if it's been upgraded?[Via Kotaku]
Joystiq interview: Jenova Chen
Xinghan (Jenova) Chen has big dreams. A recent graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinema & Television, Chen focused his master's thesis on changing how game designers look at difficulty and redefine the concept of Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment. With two award-winning independent games (flOw and Cloud) under his belt as well as contributions to a multitude of other games, Chen's resume reads like an old professional in the gaming field. We had a chance to speak with Chen to talk about his thesis, its (mis)interpretations, and his current work with Maxis. Why did you choose this project as your Master's Thesis? The Master's Thesis has to have some contribution to the field that you want to be a master. For me, I have created so many games in the past I feel just creating another game is not contributing anything. I'm more interesting in coming up with another solution in better game design that can be used by other game designers to attract more gamers. For other industries, any kind of interactive design, the theories in this project are helpful.
Flow in Games: an interactive thesis on dynamic difficulty
While already a few months old, this project warrants recognition. For his Masters Thesis at the University of Southern California, Jenova Chen explored the concept of Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment. Chen is a proponent of games that adjust their difficulty based on a player's input, so as to not become too anxious or bored. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, an inspiration for Chen's work, defined this as staying within a player's Flow state. His thesis is a fascinating read, although we warn you that much of it is academic. For those of you looking for a fun, atmospheric title, we recommend you try out flOw, a game developed by Chen as an implementation of DDA in a gaming environment. The game's ambiance is enough to recommend a play-through -- you can even download the title for offline play (available for both PC and Mac). We have harped on difficulty and game balance before; it will always be a point of discussion among game theorists and game designers. While DDA theoretically sounds like a great idea (a game that always challenges you? Sign me up!), it becomes increasingly less pliable once you start worrying about implementation. How challenging do we make it? Will the relative difficulty undulate? What variables should one adjust in deciding how to vary the challenge? The answers to those questions, unfortunately, are less clear.See Also:Gamer's Room 101: the argument FOR balanceGamer's Room 101: the argument AGAINST balanceMaking games "universally accessible"[via Ludology.org]
