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Road Not Taken is deeper than you think
Road Not Taken looks like it could be a mobile game. The gameplay itself takes place on a series of grids, in cold, fantastical forests, where players must combine objects to clear paths and rescue children lost in the woods. It looks as if you could tap, tap, tap a tablet screen to move your little hooded character around the map. But that's only the first layer of the game.
Devolver Digital on mixing indie movies and games for charity
If its recent Humble Bundle proves anything, it's that Devolver isn't settling for a footprint in one entertainment medium. With its games and a series of indie films on offer in the latest bundle, Devolver mixed its two passions in the pay-what-you-want, charity-driven Humble Bundle series. Devolver's Nigel Lowrie says the company is attempting to do for film what it has done in the indie game publishing space. "We're mostly known for games but Mike Wilson, one of the partners here, is also very much into independent film and trying to replicate a lot of what we do for games on the film side, and so we have Devolver Films now," Lowrie tells Joystiq. "The Humble people have been really cool and they let us experiment. So the idea was, 'Lets try out games and films together and see if that works,' and it lined up with some charities we wanted to help." The Devolver Double Debut Bundle supports The Film Collaborative, a non-profit "committed to distribution education and facilitation of independent film" and the GoFundMe campaign for the cancer treatment of Independent Games Festival chairman Brandon Boyer.
Hands on with Valve's redesigned Steam Controller
Valve is showing off its newly redesigned Steam Controller prototype at GDC 2014, and Joystiq just tried it out. As avid Joystiq readers are already aware, the new version of Valve's controller ditches the central touch screen and its odd quadrangle of buttons for a more traditional setup, including four directional buttons and four lettered face buttons. My impressions are more or less in line with our impressions from January. I tried out both Portal 2 and Broken Age. The circular track pad does a decent job of recreating mouse movement in Broken Age, though the sensitivity could make it difficult to settle the pointer on dialogue options (I wasn't able adjust sensitivity in my demo, which could alleviate the issue). Using the thumb pads in Portal 2 proved much more challenging. Precision aiming when firing portals, especially when I had to make portals on a distant surface, was tricky. Four way movement was a little awkward as well, though I was pleased that my position on the thumb pad simulated analogue movement, allowing me to move at a slow creep or a quick run. The haptic feedback in both pads also helped create a feeling of resistance, though obviously it won't fool you into thinking you're using an analogue stick. It's impressive that the Steam Controller can bounce between styles as disparate as 2D adventure and first-person puzzling, and its touch pads could become second nature over time, but it's definitely not going to provide a seamless transition from traditional controllers, at least not in its current state.
Sharing legends with the world in Never Alone, a game inspired by Alaskan Native communities
While museums and organizations lock the industry's most important works behind glass to preserve their memory, development and publishing partners Upper One Games and E-Line Media are using video games to help preserve the legends of a people. In the upcoming "atmospheric puzzle platformer" Never Alone, players live out the legends and stories passed down for generations on the Alaskan Native community. Though the companies want their game to help educate the world about native culture while being entertained, Never Alone is also being positioned to help reignite passion and preserve the legends within the native communities throughout Alaska.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf moves into 7.38 million homes worldwide
Animal Crossing: New Leaf has reestablished the concept of being financially indebted to a shopkeeping raccoon, with 7.38 million copies sold worldwide. Animal Crossing series creator Katsuya Eguchi shared the sales data during a panel at GDC 2014, adding that the 3DS itself has found 42.74 million homes in Nintendo's global audience. [Image: Joystiq]
Seen@GDC 2014: Animal masks and fan art at Devolver Digital
Surrounded by fan art inspired by its games, including the recently released Luftrausers and cult-hit Hotline Miami, Devolver Digital invites press and partners to its meeting space donning animal masks and wielding deadly mimosas. "We're a very serious business," Devolver Digital's Nigel Lowrie tells me before exiting the meeting space. When asked for his official job title, public relations rep Stephanie Schopp confirmed it as: "High school boys wrestling coach/youth pastor/philanthropist." "That's what happens when he leaves the room," she says.
GDC 2014: A video interview with Elite: Dangerous' David Braben
GDC 2014 in San Francisco is a great time to catch developers and ask them burning questions about their games. And that's exactly what one fan of Elite: Dangerous did, sitting down with Frontier Developments' CEO David Braben for a long chat about the upcoming MMO edition to the Elite franchise. The nearly 25-minute video interview includes information about the game, Braben's history in the gaming business, and footage of the interviewer playing the game using an Oculus Rift. Braben revealed that "the original Elite was never conceived initially, in [his] opinion, as a space game." Instead, it was all about the freedom, being an open world. How did it come to be in space then? According to Braben, that setting was ultimately chosen because "it was easier to render." Hear more of his thoughts in the video below.
Making everything new, old again in Alien: Isolation
Though Ridley Scott's classic Alien takes place in a distant future, the film's production values were a product of the late 1970s, with sets and props cobbled together with elements from the era. Rather than evolve the original designs-of-necessity in its upcoming and inspired Alien: Isolation into more modern props and environments, developer The Creative Assembly chose to embrace the "lo-fi sci-fi" concepts found in the horror masterpiece. "You could say the first part of development was this phase of deconstruction," Creative Lead Al Hope explains. "Kind of taking everything we knew and loved about the film and pulling it apart, so that when we built new content it would still look and feel as though it were from the film." To achieve an in-game design that would mesh with the original film's aesthetic, The Creative Assembly pored over three terabytes of behind-the-scenes video, photos, handwritten notes on props and continuity photos from the production of Alien, courtesy of the 20th Century Fox archives. The treasure trove even included some rarely seen production pieces, such as detailed blueprints of the cargo vessel Nostromo, which proved vital for creating the spaces within Isolation. Using the source material, the developer made what Hope calls "a brave decision," and began populating its game with objects and environments created by replicating production techniques used for the film's development. Computers are slow, clunky and always seem on the verge of breaking down. And it's all by design.
Pre-orders for second development kit of Oculus Rift now live
Oculus Rift, get your Oculus Rift, here! Well, not here, but those ready to take the plunge into virtual reality can now pre-order the second version of the headset's developer kit via the Oculus company site. Nabbing one will cost you $350, and shipments are expected in July of this year. The new kit - and the site stresses this is a kit, not a consumer product - features low-persistence OLED displays at a resolution of 960 x 1080 per eye, as well as positional head tracking via an external camera. The Developer Kit 2 announcement on the Oculus website notes that this opens up such possibilities as "peering around corners, leaning in to get a closer look at objects in the world, and kicking back on a virtual beach." "DK2 is not the Holodeck yet," the company states on the kit's announcement page, "but it's a major step in the right direction." [Image: Oculus]
Overheard@GDC 2014: Working with NASA on VR is cool
Sony's recently-announced Project Morpheus VR headset will hopefully introduce new kinds of games for the PlayStation 4, but Sony R&D guru Richard Marks wants it take players to entirely different worlds. Speaking during the Morpheus reveal event, Marks stated that Sony has been working with NASA to create a VR simulation of the surface of Mars, incorporating actual data from Mars rovers. Sure, it's a great way to showcase VR technology, and to demonstrate that it doesn't have to be limited to traditional games, but Marks also disclosed an ulterior motive. "The reason we're doing it is it's just super cool to work with NASA." We can't argue with that.
Overheard@GDC 2014: What being hunted in Alien Isolation sounds like
The Creative Assembly is clear that its new game, Alien: Isolation, is a survival horror game directly inspired by Ridley Scott's 1979 classic film, Alien. That means there are no big, James Cameron-developed pulse rifles. No gruff marines. Just you, Amanda Ripley, attempting to survive. In Isolation there is only one big bad; one lethal and intelligent xenomorph hunting you down. But does the horror and tension work? Is a single alien enough to jolt you out of your seat? A few sounds from a recent demo make us think Sega's next alien game is on the right track. [Image: Sega]
GDC 2014: EVE Valkyrie coming to PS4, Sony's new VR headset
Sony announced its new virtual reality headset at GDC this week. The device is called Project Morpheus, and it seeks to turn your PlayStation 4 experience into something far more immersive than the typical couch and controller session. Shortly thereafter, CCP announced that its New Eden-based EVE Valkyrie action title is coming to both the PS4 and Project Morpheus. Valkyrie was specifically designed for VR devices, and was previously announced for the PC and the Oculus Rift. We've embedded the new trailer after the break.
Joystiq Check-In: Sony's Project Morpheus
After all the rumors and speculation, Sony revealed its virtual reality-oriented headset, Project Morpheus. We'll have hands-on time with the hardware in the evening, but Reviews Content Director Richard Mitchell and Senior Reporter Jess Conditt sat down to give us their thoughts following Sony's reveal at GDC 2014. While there's a lot left about the device to learn, including final specifications and a price, Richard and Jess recap what is known, as well as what Project Morpheus might have that can trump the Oculus Rift.
Seen@GDC: Gauntlet needs food truck badly
A Gauntlet food truck can be found vanquishing hunger around the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week. Branded with the natural hashtag #NeedFoodBadly, the mobile food dispensary is serving smoked turkey legs, candied apples, old fashioned root beer and water. The truck also has buttons with each character's symbol. If you're hanging about the convention, you can track the truck at @PlayGauntlet. The game's reboot was announced earlier this week and is scheduled for PC on Steam this summer. Now, just don't let any elves shoot near the foodtruck or they'll ruin it for everyone.
Sony's Project Morpheus VR headset is 1080p, more technical details revealed
Sony's Project Morpheus VR headset, revealed during GDC 2014, will feature a 1080p display, according to Anton Mikhailov with Sony research and development. The headset will feature a 90 degree field of view, and it will also allow for a full 360 degrees of head tracking, even if the PlayStation Camera loses sight of the headset. Mikhailov also discussed the spatial sound that Project Morpheus will employ. The headset will be able to simulate over 60 virtual speakers, and it will support custom headphones for those that want them. In fact, the headset itself will feature a headphone jack, and Mikhailov noted that wireless headphones will be supported as well. Sony doesn't want players to experience VR all by their lonesome either, and Project Morpheus will be able to display the game world on the television. He said specifically that it will be a traditional view that players have come to expect in games, and not the double-windowed "binocular" view that has become common in recordings of VR games. Furthermore, the ability to display video on the television as well as in the headset will allow for asymmetrical gameplay. As an example, Mikhailov mentioned the possibility of on VR player fighting against friends who controlled monsters on the TV screen.
PlayStation VR announced, codenamed 'Project Morpheus'
Prepare to trip the rift with PlayStation. Sony has officially announced PlayStation virtual reality in the form of "Project Morpheus," the long-rumored headset that's part of the trend sweeping Steam and also rumored to be in development at Microsoft. "The next innovation from PlayStation that may well shape the future of games," said President of Sony's Worldwide Studios. ""Nothing elevates the level of immersion better than VR." He continued, "VR has been a dream of many game creators ever since the computer game was invented. Many of us at PlayStation have dreamed about VR and what it could mean for the games we create." And still talking, "This prototype also serves as the first development kit for PS4 developers, who are as excited and enthusiastic about this space as us." The headset is designed for PlayStation 4 and will feature seamless integration with PS Camera, DualShock 4 and PS Move. Partners for Project Morpheus includes Epic Games, Unity and Crytek. The unit features a 1080p display, 90+ degree field of view.
Xbox One adding 25 more games through ID@Xbox program
Microsoft has announced another 25 games coming to the Xbox One as part of its ID@Xbox independent developer games program. Speaking to developers, Microsoft emphasized it's trying to help streamline console development to bring a "diverse array" of games to the Xbox One. ID@Xbox Games Director Chris Charla said, "Our goal is to make the process as easy as possible so developers can focus on what matters most: creating the games you're beginning to see today!" The games announced today are not "comprehensive nor chronological" of what's coming through the ID@Xbox program, and some of them we previously reported were coming to Xbox One. We've placed today's full list after the break. [Image: Capy]
Republique: a one-touch stealth game designed by its worst enemies
Ryan Payton's earnest story of Republique's formative days – roughly 600 of them – has a surprising villain. "When you have a vision, sometimes things just don't work out," said Payton, a co-founder of developer Camouflaj. For its first 500 nights of life, Republique, the one-touch stealth game for tablets and phones, just wasn't coming together. Speaking to attendees at the Game Developers Conference, Payton described a frustrating time in which his team of 25 game makers struggled to reach their publicized (and Kickstarted) vision of Republique. It was to be a tense but accessible game, hinged on players guiding a woman out of a cell and away from an intrusive, spying regime. Its forced simplicity led to complications, however, putting its mechanics in conflict with everything from level design to lazy touchscreen swipes. But conflict also helped Republique find its footing. "We decided that we were just going to become the game's worst enemy," Payton said. "We started to bash the game really hardcore." The team got serious about playtesting, and carefully monitored how people were naturally inclined to interact with the game, rather than how Camouflaj decreed in its one-touch vision. "We watched how players were playing the game, and we met them halfway," Payton said. And lazy, misread screen swipes? Camouflaj created its own version of aim assist, but for fingers.
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Playing like nobody's watching in The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable casts you as a nondescript soul in a nondescript office building. From this mundane beginning emerges a skewed story of a man making choices, both small and serious, and a player expressing their importance in a video game. It's clearly a thoughtfully considered, deliberately tuned and – what's that? "We didn't actually think about this when we were designing the game"? So said William Pugh, one of the designers behind The Stanley Parable, the first-person adventure game that initially took form as a Half-Life 2 mod. Davey Wreden, creator of the original version in 2011, shared the stage with Pugh in a candid analysis of their game during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
Rogue Legacy: the descendant of 'Dark Souls 2D'
Rogue Legacy follows generations of obsessive adventurers as they pit themselves against the monsters that inhabit huge castles. When a hero is inevitably slain, a descendant will rise and try again. What you may not know, however, is that Rogue Legacy itself descended from a canceled game that was cheekily described as "Dark Souls 2D."
