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Sorry, the Wii isn't crap
It seems like just yesterday Maxis programmer Chris Hecker mentioned the words "Wii" and "piece of shit" in the same sentence. He also said the system was nothing more than two GameCubes duct-taped together. The internets took those words, spread them like a delicious marmalade, and soon everyone was digesting it. The EA bosses got wind of the situation and decided they didn't much care for the Anti-Nintendo-flavored jam, so they had a chat with Chris.Hecker has made a formal statement retracting his remarks, saying they were all made in fun but went a little over the top. He also uttered statements like, "When I'm on stage, I'm me -- I'm not representing EA or Maxis"; and, "I do not think the Wii is a piece of shit." Even though Nintendo-brand Teleprompters weren't sighted, he continued to praise the company for their efforts in innovation and controller interface technology. Sounds like EA showed up at Hecker's front door with an offer he couldn't refuse.
GDC 07: Less than half of PS3 owners are "connected"
Sony discussed the number of people that were actively interacting with the PlayStation Network services in yesterday's bloggers meeting. According to Sony, there are about 500,000 PSN accounts open in the North America. However, according to recent sales data from VGcharts.org, one can see that there are about 1.3 million PS3 systems out there: shouldn't more PS3s be connected to Sony's Xbox Live alternative?Phil Harrison was quick to point out that the 500,000 figure represents PSN sign-ups only. You can still use the PS3's online capabilities without ever registering for Sony's online service by uploading music to your console, or by using the Internet Browser, or by downloading a firmware upgrade. The goal of Home, however, is to increase PSN sign-ups, and have people become increasingly involved with Sony's robust online services.
GDC 07: "You can buy a better sunset"
Microtransactions are going to be huge in Sony's upcoming Home. The service, which will be included in a future required firmware upgrade, will rake in the dough through three "revenue channels": Object/item sales, such as new furniture. Games/premium items Advertising/B2B: in-game ads and other sponsorships may become common. The revenue from Home will cover the cost of moderation and upkeep of servers, undoubtedly. However, one wonders if the "democratization" of this virtual economy is going too far. Buying a virtual couch is novel in certain ways, but where will the trend stop? Harrison, during the blogger's meeting, noted that "you can buy a better view, you can buy a better sunset."
GDC 07: Nintendo execs on nerdiest shirt ever
The best thing about the massive popularity of the Wii is that eventually we'll be able to wear something like this and not have to explain it. We can already imagine explaining to our grandparents that they're caricatures of prominent figures in a Japanese video game company, created using tools on that company's latest video game system. Oh, and we talk about these people a lot, for work.This GDC '07 shirt features Mii versions of Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Reggie Fils-Aime. We'd totally wear it-- we're not out to win any popularity contests.
What's broken with MMOs and their combat?
Do DPS, crafting, tank, and the future of aggro management make your heart go a flutter? Damion Shubert has been doing MMO design for ten years and is currently working on an announced project for BioWare. He held a roundtable on the next generation of MMO design and the big issue was: "Why does combat suck" in MMOs? Thoughts revolved around the idea that combat is overused, simple and easy for people to grasp. Shubert says, "Our combat models right now are asking people to enter no risk situation ... Players choose their own challenges and bore themselves to death ... then they bitch how the games aren't challenging enough. We force them to play cautiously, can you imagine if Gears of War told you not to take risks?" After years of watching MMO players and having access to background statistics of game he says people's penchant for exploitation is key. Player's will try to find the easy way out of anything. He also says one of the greatest innovations of World of Warcraft was how they rewarded their quests. WoW gives substantial rewards for completing quests and leads players down a path rather than having players camp and repeat the same single action over and over again. Shubert emphasizes that combat MMOs are not the only type out there and Korea makes us look pitiful, "They have MMO dance games, golf games and everything else." So, why haven't those types of MMOs caught on in other places and what other types of massive online game would we like to see?
GDC 07: Less than 15% of PSP owners have a DS
John Koller, Senior Marketing Manager, revealed an interesting internal statistic in last night's blogger panel: according to his research, only 11-14% of PSP owners have a DS. Although the system may be selling less than Nintendo's dual screened portable, it's clear that Sony's device is targeting a completely different market from Nintendo."We're not just competing against Nintendo," Koller explained. The platform has to compete against the iPod, the Zune, and a plethora of other multimedia devices. When asked how Sony will attempt to differentiate their offering even further, Koller simply smiled and hinted that the XMB will become much more fleshed out in the coming months.
GDC 07: CliffyB on designing Gears of War
CliffyB hosted a panel at GDC to discuss the design process for Gears of War. While the panel didn't exactly contain much in the way of news (apart from Jazz Jackrabbit), it was interesting to see the beginnings of Gears of War and see how it became the phenomenal success that it is today. Cliff shared some early design work from Gears of War and how it changed and evolved over time. For instance, the Locust were originally called Geist. However, the name was trademarked by Nintendo, so we wound up with the Locust we know today. Cliffy also discussed the inspirations for Gears of War, which was originally designed as an extension of the Unreal franchise. In fact, many of the original concepts for Gears of War made it into Unreal Tournament 3. He uses the phrase "Resident Killswitch" to describe the title's inspirations from both Resident Evil and Killswitch.A few more entertaining tidbits of information were revealed, too. For one, the cinematic Y button was actually created by accident. Epic originally decided to emulate the Halo control scheme. After mapping the weapons to the D-pad, the team was left with an empty Y button. So, they had to figure out what to do with it. As Cliffy put it, one of his leads suggested that it become the "look at cool sh*t" button. And so, the "points of interest" function was born. Finally, Cliffy revealed that the infamous "roadie run" is very misleading. You see, the roadie run is, in fact, only 1.2 times faster than regular movement. The illusion of speed is created by the camera angle and the wobble effect.Just remember that next time you rush the torque bow.
DS Daily: Making a career of it
While browsing the Engadget GDC gallery, we noticed the above image and thought: what a great opening for a Friday morning. So many gamers dream of working in the gaming industry, and for so many different reasons. Some people are truly inspired to work on or with games in some capacity, and some just want a job that they feel they could truly enjoy. We could go on, but we want to ask ... is it (or was it) a dream of yours to work in the gaming industry? Really? Or is it something that's just a casual daydream? We're curious about just how dedicated you are to the gaming world. And if you answered no to the above, what is it about the industry that you don't find tempting?
Wii Warm Up: Disappointment
Yesterday was a busy day. We had tons of news from GDC and we talked about the best and the worst of what the Wii had to offer so far. It's a lot to think about ... and of course, it's not all sunshine and roses. While we love Nintendo, no one's perfect, and sometimes, we end up disappointed. Maybe it's a matter of really looking forward to a game that doesn't deliver, or maybe you're among those frustrated by Nintendo's choice of channel fodder. No matter what it is, what's Nintendo done lately that you found disappointing? The key to getting over your pain is sharing it ... and remember, around here, you're among friends.
Pajitnov, with needle and thread, wins Game Design Challenge
The game design challenge is an honored tradition four years in the running at the Game Developers Conference, pushing creativity in a competitive, humorous environment. This year's winner was Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov who managed to create a viable action-puzzler using needle, thread and cloth. He bested both David Jaffe (Calling All Cars, God of War) and last year's winner Harvey Smith. The following is a pseudo-live blog of the event from earlier this afternoon. Read on for a full description of each game proposed.
Today's queueiest game video: Miyamoto keynote line
It took a good four minutes to traverse roughly half the line that circled a whole city block around the Moscone center's South Hall. We know your time is important, though, so we sped the above up to double speed.
Microsoft on the hunt for originality with Xbox Live Arcade
In a self-sponsored session, Microsoft Senior Program Manager, Katie Stone Perez, laid out what they're looking for when it comes to new titles for Xbox Live Arcade. The six most important factors for a successful submission are worldwide appeal, cooperative play, multiplayer features, visual redesigns for ports, a family-friendly design and of course, paid downloadable content.When it comes to family-friendly experiences, they don't mean they're looking for bubbly visuals or titles with easier difficulties, but the option to include different handicapping and kid-friendly tricks, scaling difficulty and the ability to continue in arcade titles. Microsoft is also looking towards more portable-like experiences, citing the recent boom in the pick-up-and-play nature of say, the Nintendo DS. Original, innovative titles are also a huge plus when it comes to pitching a title, so it would be best for developers to leave their dual-analog shooter at home. PomPom? You guys are just fine.Now that you know what Microsoft wants from new Xbox Live Arcade titles, how about yourself? We'd personally love a release schedule, but that's just wishful thinking.
GDC 07: Home lets you delete people from your world
At Sony's blogger event tonight, Phil Harrison addressed the issue of parental controls in the world of Home. Home will not only utilize the in-system PlayStation Network parental controls, but will offer you the ability to delete users from your view ... instantly. So if some prick is attacking you with flying dongs, you'll be able to have them disappear from your world at a push of a button. "I wish I could have that in real life," Phil Harrison joked.
GDC 07: PSP will realize its potential this year
In tonight's blogger meeting, I had a chance to talk to Sony president Phil Harrison about his keynote and the suspicious absence of the PSP device: "We didn't talk about the PSP because [the keynote] was 45 minutes," he tried to explain.John Koller, the man responsible for the marketing of the PSP, then joined in: "We're absolutely not overlooking the PSP." He hinted that the future of the PSP looks very similar to what has been planned for the PS3. "We could start talking about PSP in the same manner as Phil."Sony recognizes the potential of the system, and promises that in May, they will be revealing some more exciting news. "The promise is there ... [yet] we're well aware of the market realities." What specifically the PSP will be evolving into is still unclear, but it appears as though downloadable media and PS3-style Network features are in the works. From the smiles on their faces, it's clear that some truly exciting things will be happening to the PSP this year.
Joystiq interviews Vivendi's Nichol Bradford
Yesterday Nichol Bradford, global director of Vivendi games, made an impassioned speech for education about games and the games industry at the publisher's rant. Her main idea was to establish a speaker's bureau to teach people about what goes on and what it takes to be part of the games industry. Although she ended up being upstaged by the infamous "Wii is two duct taped Gamecubes" comment, after the publishers rant she had an army of people looking to help out. We sat down with Nichol Bradford today to gauge what the outlook of her idea is the day after.So, that was quite the speech yesterday. You rallied the troops. What do you hope to accomplish?I want to establish this national speakers bureau so the next step is setting up the database, and getting the gaming community to register. Then going through the press. There will be a significant press push to get the website out into the public sphere.
Sony launches Playstation Home site for beta interest
When we initially brought word of PlayStation Home -- the upcoming virtual world for the PS3 -- we mentioned that Sony would be conducting a large scale beta for the service this April. They've taken a small step towards that goal with the launch of the PlayStation Home Beta Trial website.Or have they? It doesn't say that you'll be taking part in an early test of PlayStation Home. They merely want you to "register your interest" in taking part in an early test of PlayStation Home. Ah, Sony... we know what you mean! And like all good things Web 2.0 (or is that Game 3.0?), the human powered world of user-created content that is PlayStation Home now sports the beta tag. We'll be sure to drop another line once Sony opens the flood gates of Home.%Gallery-1950%
Open source SimCity in the works for OLPC's XO
Development is underway to create an open source version of the original SimCity for One Laptop Per Child's XO computer -- a.k.a. the $100 laptop. Apparently both Will Wright and EA are all for distributing a free version of the game (best thought of as an intro to programming for kids) with XO. OLPC currently aims to distribute 10 million of its laptops to children in developing countries by the end of 2008 -- with an end goal to distribute an XO to every child in underdeveloped nations around the world.An early build of SimCity is on display at OLPC's GDC booth.[Via OLPC News]
Audio input innovation jumpstarts Experimental Gameplay sessions [update 1]
Other than the obvious Karaoke titles and the later Mario Party games, audio is an untapped resource in gameplay input. Kicking off the Experimental Gameplay Session at this year's Game Developers Conference, a dozen or so quick-and-dirty games set out to change that.Here are some of the highlights from those initial games. The selected music will create falling enemies from the top of the screen (Though it was written with pop in mind, classical music was used to a rather disappointing effect). As a ball tethered to both sides of the screen, you move it with the mouse to capture the enemies. Capture radius too small? Talk (or yell) into the microphone and the radius increases accordingly). We rank this one impressive. Designer Sean Barret created a Tempest style game, where the player has two shooters representing the bass and treble. As enemies come down the field, your shoots created the notes according to the row you were at (the bass blaster had five or so lines reserved, while treble had eight or nine). In this scenario, the game was forcing you to play the song. To prove this point, we witness the horrible sounds made when shots are fired randomly or targets missed. In another game, blips appeared on the screen and you had to avoid them with your mouse cursor. Each near-hit would register a sound, starting with a simple bass beat. As the game progressed, more obstacles and lighting effects would appear. Eventually, we lost track of what the point of the game was, though the flashing lights, reminiscent of a rave, enjoyed us enough not to care. The audience agreed, cheering wildly at the demo's conclusion.
Fancast Xtra -- Q&A with Hironobu Sakaguchi
During our preview of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey on Tuesday, we were lucky enough to score a little question and answer time with RPG luminary, Hironobu Sakaguchi (and his translator). We learned a few things about Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and the differences between them. We learned about the downloadable content in store for Blue Dragon, too. We also got to ask him about what its like to have his own company now (Mistwalker), what's next after Lost Odyssey, the 360's performance in Japan, and Sakaguchi-san's love for Gears of War. We captured all the audio and now present it for download on MP3 (Fancast subscribers will get it automatically). As an added bonus, we also threw in a bit of the music from Lost Odyssey. Download and enjoy.
M.M.O.F.O's and other video-game thugs
Prepare to take a beating. Yesterday and today, independent New York developer Gamelab has been heading Gangs of GDC, an in-conference game running on various floors of the expo center. The idea is to join a video-game gang (choices include sects like the M.M.O.F.O's) and then fight rival gang members for control of on-screen territory. Players use their cell phones to call in for gang assignments, then they stand by a Gang TV to get paired off with another knife-wielding thug. Why do all that? Because it gives us a chance to play while we learn about playing. Also because what the Game Developers Conference needed was a little, old-fashioned gang violence.
