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D2C unofficially announces D2 Comics for PSP
Speaking to Gamasutra, Scott Orr from the new video game publisher, D2C Games, has mentioned an ambitious new project for the PSP: "For us, the PSP offers a platform that users look at as more than just a game machine. At GDC we will officially announce D² Comics, which will offer interactive comics for PSP users. These comics give writers and artists the opportunity to play at being movie directors, panning a scene to create a sense of motion, and letting the user dictate the pacing or let it run on its own." This isn't the first time the PSP has been home to digital comics: Konami successfully transformed the Metal Gear Solid franchise into a digital graphic novel. This kind of innovation is what D2C plans to bring to PSP owners everywhere: "We plan to initially support the PSP. So far the PSP has had nice ports of PS2 games, but our sense is that publishers are shifting gears and putting limited resources toward next-gen development at the expense of the PSP. We will fill that gap. There is a real opportunity here to bring gamers content to that platform which is different."
Harmonix quits the band, starts up new project
As a follow-up to our speculative post regarding the future of Guitar Hero development, Harmonix has cleared up the whole mess in an interview with Gamasutra. We'll hit you with the good news first: Harmonix is in fact working on a brand-new music title. The (possibly) bad news being that they will not be involved with Guitar Hero III, leaving that title in the hands of, presumably, Neversoft.Regarding the new project, Harmonix producer Daniel Sussman took time away from reading the blogs of his favorite Laguna Beach cast members to say it's "a bigger and more ambitious endeavor than we felt we could pursue within the bounds of the Guitar Hero franchise." Though he could have just been talking about the new Fall Out Boy album (they're still hot with the kids, right?), we're excited all the same for whatever the future may hold for the MTV-owned developer.
More PS1 games announced for PSP
Gamasutra is reporting that Sony reps have confirmed the next PS1 titles that will be hitting the PlayStation Store. If racing fans didn't like the last offering, then this one should really excite them since the update will include both Wipeout and Jet Moto. Sony didn't give a firm release for the titles, but I'm betting by the end of next week or the start of the following week these games will be playable on your PSP. For those who are unsure of how to get these PS1 games on your PSP, right now the only method is to own a PS3 and buy them off the PlayStation Store. Sony has said eventually there will be another solution in place for PSP owners, but when people like myself are insane enough to buy a PS3 just for this functionality, they may take their time unlocking the feature.[Update 1: Changed the incorrect PSP to PS3]
Nintendo accounted for over 50% of holiday European game sales
Coming in at over 50% of platform sales for the Month of December, Nintendo's handhelds and consoles kicked butt all over Europe this holiday season. The information comes via Chart Track, who also say that Nintendo's DS was the top selling platform for all of 2006. For those with a keen eye, this means that Nintendo's dual-screen handheld is the top-selling game system in every major gaming territory (with the other two being the US and Japan, natch).How many of you in the region picked up a Nintendo product over the holidays?
Gamasutra gets into "boy on boy action"
Gamasutra published a round-up of the Bully situation and even goes on to ask in the headline, "Is gay content on the rise?" The article serves as a primer on instances of gay content appearing in video games, but never gets close to answering the "Is gay content on the rise?" question. It may have been a nice topic to explore, but what we actually end up getting from the piece are two interesting sections with Peter Molyneux and infamous SimCopter programmer Jacques Servin. Sex in Video Games author Brenda Brathwaite also makes an appearance as the voice of sexual reason and context.Molyneux explains that the gay content in Fable wasn't about social consciousness or trying to be fair, but pretty much was born out of laziness, he says, "Our villagers each had a simple concept of 'attraction to the hero.' We'd have had to write extra code to remove that in the case of same-sex interactions. This seemed like a ridiculous waste of time."Servin is remembered as the man who made male-on-male kissing sprites occur in SimCopter during the mid-'90s -- he was immediately fired when this was exposed. Servin says, "Will [Wright] is great, brilliant, fun to work with ... there was no homophobia, nor was there any problem with gay content." Of course, Will Wright would go on to create The Sims, a very gay-friendly game. Although it isn't mentioned in the Gamasutra piece, Servin in a previous interview stated he added the content to get back at his manager for being overworked.Molyneux closes the piece saying that Fable 2 will allow players to mold their characters sexuality and even allow them to choose their gender this time around, "This isn't a moral stance ... We create games for everyone, and attempt to be as inclusive as possible." Translation: Whatever gets the widest amount of people to purchase the game works for him. Money talks ...See also: Warm Tea: The Bully boy-on-boy kiss goes mainstream
Aging creatives: Adapt or die
Not all game designers are like the youthful Cliffy B. or David Jaffe, some are quite chronologically enhanced. One such aging creative, J.D. Alley, has written a piece about facing his own extinction. The 62 year-old discusses how he's survived in the gaming industry. Although there is a lot of explanation, bending and weaving throughout the piece, it's actually an interesting story of how to survive in the long term, like this gem quote, "We operate in a tough, demanding and competitive business that rewards success modestly and almost inevitably punishes failure with extinction. There are not many second chances in our business and those studios that have survived a gross miscalculation more than once can be counted on one hand."J.D. Alley lays it all out there and in the end makes it sounds like the older you get, the more cutting edge you've got to be. Those young whippersnappers are always ready to take over, but having the wisdom and influence that comes with age, coupled with the recognition that one must always be riding the wave of innovation is how to make it in the long term.
Factor 5 fidgets with two PS3 e-distribution titles
Factor 5 is working on two games to be released via PlayStation 3's e-distribution network. According to a Gamasutra interview with company president Julian Eggebrecht, Factor 5 is excited to return to tacking on smaller projects, noting that "people who work on these two and a half year, three year projects have a chance ... to work on something small again."The developer is currently working on the gorgeous PS3 title Lair, pictured, and has a long history of making technically gorgeous games, making the Rogue Squadron series for both Nintendo 64 and GameCube. Given Factor 5's expertise and beauty and Sony's 500MB cap on downloads, we're excited to see what they can conjure.See Also: Joystiq impressions -- Lair (PS3)
How much is an hour of gaming worth?
Gamasutra's Question of the Week now tackles a subject that, at this point, has been thoroughly abused by debating strangers constantly ramming into it as it strolls to the shop. How important is a video game's length? It's a very good question, but a clear answer has yet to emerge or even prove that it exists. The industry's responses to the issue make for an interesting read, certainly if you're a gamer juggling a demanding hobby with personal life and midnight crime fighting. Several commenters point out that a shorter game length better accomodates a busy lifestyle, with the completion of a short adventure proving more satisfying than the abandonment of a longer one halfway through. Predictably, several pundits argue that a $60 game should give you plenty of hours of gameplay and that it's simply a matter of getting what you've paid for. Such an argument has merit in extreme circumstances, but it also points towards some mysterious equation that could be used to calculate your game's value. Just how much should you pay per hour? With largely subjective things like gameplay and enjoyment proving difficult to measure in meaningful ways, it's clear that a game's value -- which stretches beyond cost and length --is very difficult to adhere to a handful of dollars. Is an hour of Psychonauts worth the same as an hour of Devil May Cry? How many anti-meh's (see: The Algebra of Wows) per hour for each game? The best answer seems to be: length doesn't matter at all, it simply comes down to how you feel about the game. You'll know when you've gotten your money's worth, perhaps after spending just 15 minutes with the game. Fun fact: This blogger gladly paid full price for Space Channel 5, a game that can easily be completed in under 45 minutes.
NPD's October hardware sales numbers released
We're all fully aware of the PSP's situation in Japan, but I think many people don't know how well the PSP sells in North America. Well, NPD has just released the October hardware numbers, and I have some good news and some bad news for you PSP Fanboys.Bad news - in October, there were 130,000 PSPs sold compared to the DS' 360,000 units.Good news - the deficit between the DS and PSP is a lot smaller than it is in Japan.While it still seems like a large gap, the DS, at times, outsold the PSP by that margin in a week's time in Japan. Plus, the PSP is now selling better in America than it is in Japan by an average of 50,000 units.However, with Peter Dille's recent comments, do these numbers really matter anymore since Sony is targeting a different audience? Or do you think Sony's just telling us and themselves that to make them feel better?
Sony exec admits PSP more about media than games
Dave Karraker, new PR head for Sony, was recently confronted by Gamasutra in a pretty intense interview. While it focuses mostly on the upcoming PLAYSTATION 3, Karraker had a few interesting things to say about the PSP:The PSP is doing incredibly well, and I think that you'll see even more interest behind it now that the PS3 is coming out, because the inner-connectivity between the two, I mean you saw the demo in terms of accessing your PS3 harddrive through your PSP. That's just the tip of the iceberg of what can be done with that... I'm not just talking about games, I'm talking about entertainment content as well. Already the TiVo-to-go option for the PSP is turning into a huge hit for us, as people discover that they can take the shows they've already stored on their TiVo and put it on their PSP and while they're riding the bus to work or to school, they can watch television shows on the PSP, I mean that's huge. You can't do that on anything else. So again, I think when you compare the two products, the Nintendo product versus our product, it's kind of apples and oranges. We're providing more of an entertainment system, and they're focused more on gaming.While the Nintendo fanboys may criticize Sony's approach to creating a media convergence machine, I highly applaud it. I do a lot more things than simply game on my handheld, as I have no desire to carry around a huge laptop to watch movies, listen to music, and use the internet.
New Sony PR guy compares PS3 and Wii
Dave Karraker, recently appointed as Sony's new senior director of corporate communications, took the time to take a knee with Gamasutra and gab gaming. At least, gaming from his company Sony's point of view. Important to people like us with the Nintendo logo etched into their underwear, however, is Mr. Karraker remarks concerning the Wii:GS: A lot of people feel that's Sony's way of taking on all comers – who do you feel is your main competitor right now?DK: I would say that if you asked any gamer, our main competitor is the Xbox 360, just because the target demographic that we're going after is similar. That being said, I think in regards to Nintendo and the Wii, it's easier for us to go after the hardcore gamer first, as that's kind of always been our target, and if we want to expand from there to the more casual gamer, it's probably easier for us to do than start with the casual gamer, and try to go up to the hardcore gamer. It's an easier message for me to deliver.GS: Are you worried at all about Nintendo taking any marketshare from the PS3, or do you really feel like people will buy one HD console and the Wii?DK: Yeah, for us it's apples and oranges when you compare the PS3 with Wii. They've done a great job of saying exactly who they're going after, the casual gamer, the hardcore gamer, and we've said exactly who we're going after. And you can't, when you put the systems side by side technologically, and even price-wise, they just don't compare to each other.So let's get this straight: by "price-wise" he meant that for a system including a HDD and Blu-ray player, there is no comparrison in cost to the Wii? Well, if we wanted to put a Blu-ray player and HDD into a Wii, we imagine it would cost us a bit more than $600.00. Side-by-side on a retail shelf, however, is a different matter. Besides, who says Nintendo-lovin' gamers aren't hardcore? I killed a shark with my bare hands once!** - This is, in fact, a lie.
New Sony PR guy compares DS and PSP
Dave Karraker, recently appointed as Sony's new senior director of corporate communications, took the time to take a knee with Gamasutra and gab gaming. At least, gaming from his company Sony's point of view. Important to people like us with the Nintendo logo etched into their underwear, however, is Mr. Karraker remarks concerning the DS. GS: What about the handheld market, how important do you think that's going to be, going forward? DK: I think handheld is incredibly important for us, particularly as we start developing more and more downloadable content. And I'm not just talking about games, I'm talking about entertainment content as well. Already the TiVo-to-go option for the PSP is turning into a huge hit for us, as people discover that they can take the shows they've already stored on their TiVo and put it on their PSP and while they're riding the bus to work or to school, they can watch television shows on the PSP, I mean that's huge. You can't do that on anything else. So again, I think when you compare the two products, the Nintendo product versus our product, it's kind of apples and oranges. We're providing more of an entertainment system, and they're focused more on gaming. Perhaps that's the issue for Sony? Is the company's lack of fresh gaming content on their system the reason why their handheld cannot seem to pull ahead? It's always been about the games and Nintendo has, along with their third-party support, proved that on the DS.
Former EGM editor speaks on state of PSP in Japan
It's been no secret that the PSP has struggled to keep up with the DS Lite in Japan, although one Sony exec says otherwise. Former EGM editor turned part owner of the Japan-based localization firm 8-4, John Ricciardi, was recently interviewed by Gamasutra on the state of gaming in Japan, and he shed some light on why the PSP is losing the portable gaming war."I think there's some kind of disconnect between the people who create the hardware and the people who sell it." He said the PSP started off strong, but have been hindered by some fundamental hardware issues. "I felt like I was holding the future," but the game-based ramifications of the hardware are not well thought through. Another problem with the PSP is it "costs almost as much to make a [PSP] game as to make a PS2 game," he said. Well, Ricciardi didn't really say anything we didn't already know about the PSP, but it's interesting to hear industry insiders express the same complaints most of us gamers have. However, Sony made a pretty damn good showing at the Tokyo Game Show, so let's hope things are on the up and up.[Via Gamasutra]
Has American McGee earned the right to present anything?
Gamasutra's running an interview with game designer American McGee. The man's name is a marketing tool in its own right. McGee recognizes it saying, "Certainly it helps in branding the games. With today's game market, building proper awareness is as important as building a good game."So, what does he think his name means to gamers?"I've seen positive and negative responses. For the 'fans,' I think they have come to expect something a little different from the mainstream. That's my hope anyway. For the detractors, I get the sense they feel I haven't earned the name-above-the-title right. In either case, it does seem that it brings some awareness, and all PR, good or bad, is a good thing." When Alice came out, many moons ago, we had only known American McGee as a level designer for Doom II and Quake, and let's be honest, he hasn't done much for gamers since. Yes, American McGee Presents Bad Day L.A. ships this month, but two games in how many years? Will Wright seems to get more done on his coffee break and he doesn't slap his name on the top of every game. Can you imagine a title like David Jaffe Presents God of War 2?When is it appropriate to slap the developer's name on the title of a game? How many game developers are at the level where it matters to the consumer?
Mr. O'Rourke explains himself
The name might not be too familiar, but Mr. O'Rourke is the man responsible for the PSP-bashing report he created for the analyst group In-Stat. In an interview with Gamasutra, O'Rourke explains his reasoning behind Nintendo's continued success in the handheld market. Here are a few excerpts: "The DS's shipment advantage has been overstated somewhat." "The key to a successful handheld is not necessarily graphics. Several of Nintendo's challengers over the years (e.g., Atari, NEC) have had superior graphics performance. But they did not succeed. More important is strong software support, and recognizable characters, that appeal to what has been primarily a pre-teen, early teen demographic. This is what Nintendo has understood well, and has executed on." "Sony does not have the same number of breakout titles for the PSP as Nintendo has created for the DS. In addition, the PSP costs substantially more than the DS ($199 vs. $129 in the US)." "No, publishers will not move away from the PSP. Sony is selling too many of them. Publishers are not in the business of throwing away revenue opportunities." I think the man's on-the-money with his analysis. While it's clear that the DS is "winning," that's not going to stop publishers and developers from delivering games to us. And in the end, that's what we fanboys want (more than a victory in the handheld "war").
PC gaming "becoming a niche" -- analysts speak
Three analysts are spilling their thoughts over at Gamasutra, examining the state of the PC gaming industry at the moment. With console platforms offering an appealing piracy-free environment, it's no wonder soundbites like "becoming a niche" and "retail spending ... will decline" are springing readily to mind; however, the overall tone is mostly positive.Will the PC market become one of digital distribution, MMOs and casual games only? Analysts disagree; digital distribution has limits, but offers the opportunity for more revenue and profit. MMOs and casual games are on the rise, but the "Games for Windows" initiative may provide a much needed consolidation and marketing effort for PC games in other genres as well.
"Big Games" guru melds games, real world
Over at Gamasutra, Bonnie Ruberg has an interview with Frank Lantz about "Big Games," his term for games that break the bounds of a board or a computer and use the real world as the play space. The most well-known example of the form is probably Pac-Manhattan -- which uses the streets of New York in place of the classic maze grid -- but Lantz's company Area/Code has put together games ranging from a phonecam treasure hunt (ConQwest) to a massive, massively-multiplayer board game (Big Urban Game), and more.Traipsing around the streets of New York in a pink ghost costume may seem a little silly, but there's a somewhat philosophical bent to Lantz's work. In the interview, Lantz says he wants to use make games that use technology to emphasize the idea of "living with one foot in the real world and one foot in Wonderland at all times." It's a beautiful idea, and one that has the potential to change the way we look at the world. How many video games can say that?
Japan, does the big M need it?
In Gamasutra's latest "Analyze This" column, Howard Wen asks industry analysts a question that's been popping up a lot lately, "Does Microsoft really need Japan?" or, more specifically:"So how important should the Japanese market be in [Microsoft's] overall strategy for the 360? What do you think Microsoft specifically did wrong in Japan? Can they fix things before (or during) the arrivals of the Wii and PS3?"Wen also asked whether or not Microsoft needs Japanese games to entice North American's and Europeans who grew up on Japanese consoles.One of the best responses comes from analyst Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies:"I am not sure Microsoft did anything horribly wrong with Japan. The problem they face is that this is a market dominated by Sony, who employs many people in that country and are loyal to those products. If Microsoft has done anything wrong that needs to be fixed, it is a lack of understanding of the Japanese market."The article contains responses from several analysts and is worth a read. So, do you think Microsoft needs Japan to succeed in the world market? Are a few titles like Bullet Witch or Blue Dragon (or this one) enough?
PS3 E-distribution explained -- more or less
Gamasutra recently interviewed John Hight, who is heading up the PS3's E-distribution project, getting a few interesting tidbits about Sony's online service along the way. Advantages of E-distribution? Selling online makes it simpler to go international, to niche and remote markets. Also, inventory no longer comes as a risk since there are no physical units being carted around (this also lowers the stacks of used games sitting at our favorite stores -- everyone knows how many copies of Madden 20xx there are when the new Madden 20xx +1 rendition appears). Another advantage that always gets mentioned -- "This new form of distribution will lower the barriers of entry for new developers. We can try out new ideas in a low risk, quick feedback environment." Hooray, mom and pop joints! Now if only they were getting the dev-kits on time like the bigger companies...What kind of titles can we expect to be distributed via this E-contraption? "We fund development for 1st party games and we are open to self-funded games." So many of Sony's internal studio games will come to the new console this way, if the E-distribution system works properly. If they don't sell well, hopefully they'll take a note from XBox Live and let any third-party into the ... party. Want to design a game and have it distributed via Sony's new system? Hight demands that we: "Create a high concept or, better yet, build a working prototype of [your] game. Then register on our developer website www.playstation.com/beyond." While the submission site isn't exactly brand spankin' new, it does imply that some games (possibly our submissions) may be set up to download as a subscription or a one-time purchase. Should Sony really go the subscription route? How about for small developers using their E-distribution? Hopefully it will be a "subscribe" or "purchase" option for each ... kind of like a rental, then a purchase, for the cautious among us.
Activision CEO plays down potential of online distribution [update 1]
Bobby Kotick, the chief executive officer of Activision, stated that he believes digital distribution of full games is "so far in the future that it's almost incomprehensible as an opportunity" in the New York Times article we reported on the other day. He cites the current limits of consumer internet bandwidth and the size of hard drives as the primary concern. However, Mr. Kotick believes that there is a great opportunity for purchasing and downloading smaller add-on content like "characters, new weapons, new missions or auctioning off places".We mainly agree with Mr. Kotick's thoughts regarding the adoption of mainstream digital distribution being a while off. Even though broadband adoption and availability numbers (soon, 99.6% of the UK will have access to 4-8Mbps DSL) are increasing, figures from December 2005 suggest that only 15-20% of Japanese, American and British people actually own a high speed internet line. Those numbers need to be closer to the level that television enjoys if mainstream on-demand digital distribution is to work.However, the market for smaller games and episodes of larger commercial games which can be distributed entirely over the internet is on the verge of exploding; Half-Life: Episodes and Geometry Wars being the early signs. Writing off the internet as a medium for distributing games would be a bad move for many publishers, after all, the early bird gets the loyal customer! Services like Steam, GameTap and Xbox Live Arcade are already beginning to capture the mindshare of savvy gamers (i.e. gamers that are too lazy to walk to the store, lol, jk!), so if publishers want to maintain control of what they do best (publishing games), then surely they should be doing everything they can to get in first before the bogeyman middleman does.[Image credit: Gamasutra]Update: clarified statement regarding adoption of broadband by consumers.
