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GDC08: Convention Associates get their Brawl on
When I had my Brawl play session, I didn't go to Nintendo's booth. I went to an after-hours tournament for GDC volunteers, organized by my friend (and Wii Fanboy alum!) Nathan Mallory. Not only did I get to play Brawl for the first time on a huge screen, I got to see an exclusive, little-known piece of GDC culture. I brought the Mahalo Daily video crew along to document the event and get interviews with some of the Community Associates. The video's up on Joystiq now. If you don't mind seeing the final Japanese game (and therefore possible character spoilers) go check it out!
GDC08: Extended Mario Kart trailer, remixed music
Remember that Mario Kart Wii trailer we posted just two days ago? Well, shift-delete that footage from your memory and replace it with this extended promotional video which debuted at the Game Developers Conference. Not only is this clip twice as long as the previous one we featured, but it has a remixed version of the old Mario Circuit music as its audio track instead of some guy who sounds like Jerry Seinfeld yelling in the background.We can totally get behind this song! It sounds like something out of Bust a Groove!%Gallery-4772%
FFV: The other half of 2D Boy speaks
For those of you who've been lost in the swirling torrent of GDC news from The 'Stiq, you might've missed the other half of 2D Boy, Kyle Gabler, talk to Joystiq. We already bended the ear of his partner in crime, Ron Carmel, so if you dug our interview then hit up the video above.Personally, we're dying to get all gooey with World of Goo.%Gallery-16000%
GDC08: Warhawk DLC will continue "as long as the community exists"
Dylan Jobe, in an interview with 1UP, confirmed that Operation Broken Mirror, the rumoured Warhawk expansion, is currently in production. The booster pack will feature a new battlefield (that'll be "Vaporfield Gl..." then) as well as a new vehicle - an Armoured Personnel Carrier that will function as a portable spawn point and equipment producer. Sounds exciting. We're looking forward to seeing more. No doubt Jobe will have a post up on the PlayStation.Blog within the next couple of weeks. He just can't seem to stay away from it.Jobe also stated that new booster packs will be released "as long as the community exists". New game modes and features will continue to be released in free patches (much like the v1.3 patch that should be hitting the PSN before too long). Splitting content between patches and booster packs means "you can always get free stuff and you always have to option to buy certain content", which we consider to be an excellent philosophy. Finally, Jobe denies that Single Player expansions will ever be released for this iteration of the game, but is definitely something they want to look at for future titles. Whether that's the next Warhawk game, or an entirely different franchise, we look forward to seeing it.
GDC08: Head tracking Easter egg included in BOOM BLOX
Remember the ever-so-awesome Johnny Lee's experiment with head tracking? We were so wistful then, seeing what the Wii's equipment was capable of in the proper hands. Well, as it turns out, we don't have to be wistful anymore. In a continued effort to make us look bad, the creators of BOOM BLOX revealed yesterday at GDC that the game would incorporate some head tracking. Before you get too excited, executive producer Lou Castle told Joystiq that this would only be an "Easter egg inclusion." This feature won't be an integral part of the game, clearly, but it's still a big step for gaming nonetheless. We're a little worried that in order to use this feature, the player must make their own LED headset -- we think most people won't bother doing that, and thus miss out on something great. Castle said that they weren't going to promote the feature, and we're assuming that it's for this reason. Whether you take advantage of the head tracking option or not, though, it's still a laudable inclusion in our eyes.%Gallery-15446%
GDC08: Star Wars - The Force Unleashed gameplay videos
Fresh from GDC08 are a few videos for the upcoming, and looking awesome, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts. The first video is a trailer titled Raxus and showcases the beautiful environments and combat that have been touted as the best thing seen from a Star Wars license since Knights of the Old Republic. The second video, embedded after the jump, is a compilation of gameplay from the floor that literally has us picking our jaws up off the ground. Force pushing trees and knocking them down? Chopping trees down with a lightsaber throw? Do want. Check them out and may the force be with you. Yeah that line was really forced. Ha, pun.[Thanks, zizzy]
GDC08: Rainbow Six Vegas 2 weapons trailer
Four card stud up river. Is that a Poker term? Okay, we're not the best poker players in the world but we can turn a mean card in Poker Smash for XBLA. Thankfully, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 doesn't require an in depth knowledge of the sport and works fine as long as you know what weapons to use and with this nifty weapons trailer Ubi Soft has put the knowledge in your hands. Wait, poker's a sport? It was gambling like two weeks ago. Well at least when people ask why we share the same Toyota Corolla to the X3F Towers everyday we can say it's because we're terrible athletes.
Just what is Cryptic working on?
GDC is nearly over and despite chatting up a couple of Cryptic employees and PR (maybe we should have plied them with booze), we're no closer to knowing what exactly Cryptic Studios has up its sleeves. Conversations with multiple Cryptic-folk suggested we check out the March issue of Game Informer for news -- so, of course, we ran right out and scoured the stores until we found a copy of our very own. It gave us oodles of information about their upcoming game Champions Online and a brief teaser of two projects (suggested to be two of many), only referred to as X1 and X2. From Game Informer's images, both appear to be in a fantasy setting. During a panel yesterday, Emmert mentioned a "secret sci-fi project" (our hope is that it's Star Trek Online, but we don't know anything for sure). And on Cryptic's home page there's a selection of concept art that ranges from lush fantasy environments to run-down modern cityscapes to military combat. (But definitely nothing that looks like Trek.) So just what is Cryptic working on? We'll have to keep calling their PR department once an hour asking, "Can you tell us now?" "What about now?"%Gallery-16713%
GDC08: Wi-Fi good news, bad news
Here's the good news:Nintendo project leader Takashi Aoyama recently announced that Wii games would soon feature downloadable content. If you're unfamiliar with this service (which is currently prevalent in the other current-gen systems, the PS3 and Xbox 360), this means that you'll be able to download additional content for your games via Wi-Fi.There's no word on what games will offer DLC (though we can make guesses on a few that will and won't), nor have we heard about potential memory limitations with the inclusion of this service. Add-ons will be available for both Wii Ware titles and disc-based games, though. As per usual, Wii owners will be able to purchase such content with Wii Points or a credit card.Now, are you ready for the bad news?
GDC08: Professor Layton watching over GDC
Nintendo's absolutely relentless promoting of Professor Layton and the Curious Village has shown no signs of letting up at the ongoing Game Developers Conference.Siliconera's Spencer Yip spotted this giant rotating projector advert for the game looming over the North Hall of the Moscone Center (the GDC venue), and also reports that nearby bus stops are sporting their fair share of Layton ads. It's great to see Nintendo's American arm being so supportive of the game -- here's hoping all of this hard work reflects in the sales figures!
GDC08: Download deadline extended for XNA trials
If you still haven't found the time to download all seven free XNA Community Game trials then we ask, why the heck not? These game trials are only available on a very limited basis. Originally, they were only available for download until this Sunday and playable through March 9th when they'll turn into non-playable lumps of megabytes. But we've just been informed that the download period has been extended to Tuesday, February 26th at midnight pacific due to a few GDC attendees complaining that they wouldn't be home before the download deadline. So, that's good news for fanboys who are die-hard procrastinators or those who are away from home (possibly on vacation) until Monday. Now you have absolutely no reason not to download and try these XNA Community Games. If anything, you'll have to at least try The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, Little Gamers and JellyCar just for us. Go. Download. NOW!
Ninja Gaiden II demo hits Xbox Live and it's not what you think ...
For the last two days we eagerly clicked refresh on Xbox Live Marketplace to play the fabled Ninja Gaiden II Demo that was teased to gamers all over the world.Right now, the Xbox Live page has been updated and the demo has been launched! The only problem is the demo is actually a video of someone playing the demo.No, we're not kidding. Yes we realize that putting a banner claiming a Ninja Gaiden II Demo was forthcoming and posting a video is a little misleading. So, the demo is up for you to try. If you try and watch it that is! Something tells me this will not go over well with the fans.
GDC08: Bionic Commando: Rearmed out in May; better on PS3
Bionic Commando Rearmed, the PSN remake of the original NES game Bionic Commando (which is receiving a sequel on the PS3 later this year, also entitled Bionic Commando - confused yet?) is pegged to be unleashed onto the PSN Store this May. The news comes out of various interviews during GDC with Capcom representatives. This is a lot earlier than we expected to see it, but we're certainly not complaining!1Up is also reporting that the PSN version of Rearmed will feature higher-resolution textures than the Xbox Live version. This is due to Microsoft's 150MB limit for games on Xbox Live Arcade putting restrictions on the file size of the game's textures. It's nice to know that Capcom won't have to compromise the quality of the game for the PlayStation Network. We just wonder whether the game will feature a 5GB install ...Read - "Xbox Live Arcade Size Limits Limiting Capcom Games?" @ 1UpRead - "Bionic Commando Rearmed aims for May" @ Joystiq
GDC08: Bomberman & Pac-Man win big at XBLA Awards
Keeping to their word, Microsoft just announced at GDC the winners of the first annual Xbox Live Arcade Awards and man oh man did Bomberman Live and Pac-Man: Championship Edition win big. Out of the ten award categories, six category winners were chosen by the Xbox Live community who voted online this past January. And after the votes were tallied, Bomberman Live ended up being the big winner taking home the coveted Best Overall Arcade Game of 2007 as well as Best Competitive Multiplayer Game. Pac-Man: CE also came out on top, nabbing Best Original Game, Best Family-Friendly Game and Xbox LIVE Arcade Staff Choice honors. So, between Bomberman and Pac-Man, they took home half of all the awards. Not too shabby. After the break, check out all of 2007's top XBLA Award winners for each of the ten categories. And be sure to begin preparation for 2008's XBLA Awards, we have a feeling that the competition is going to be fierce.
GDC08: An evening with Will Wright minus friends (video)
I applied for, and received an invitation to 'An Evening with Will Wright and Friends', held in Mezzanine, a swanky club in San Francisco's SOMA district on Thursday evening. I didn't know what exactly to expect, but I knew two things: 1) It wasn't going to be about Spore, and 2) It was Will Freaking Wright. How did I know Spore wasn't on the offering? 'Cause we're all kind of Spore'd out, aren't we?I was right about the lack of Spore, but was pleasantly surprised and gratified to hear Will speak on a variety of topics -- James Bond, cosmonauts, Gilligan's Island as the predecessor of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comics, Godzilla, Care Bears, Lost, Walt Disney, Battlestar Galactica, Spiderman, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -- before finally wrapping it all up with the observation that the stories that resonate with us are deconstructible; we can reduce them to components, and using those components, build our own stories. Finally, accepting questions from the audience, I asked him what advice he'd give NASA as they create their MMO. His friends never showed up, but man, Will Wright is always worth a listen. He knows his stuff so well and is such a wonderful speaker ... check out the video I shot after the break, and you'll see what I mean.
GDC08: The man behind The Dishwasher
From what we can tell post XNA demo release, the buzz surrounding James Silva's The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai has been overwhelmingly positive. And rightfully so.After our Fancast chat with James a few months back, we knew he was onto something and were confident that trusty Silva wouldn't let us down. During that same Fancast we learned a little bit about The Dishwasher's history, where the idea came from and how he got involved with XNA development. Though, sadly, we felt that we never got a chance to know the real James Silva. But now we feel we have a better understanding of the man behind The Dishwasher thanks to a "James Silva - A Life" documentary video that was shown during Microsoft's GDC keynote. And after giving it a watch, we're much more spiritually connected to James and The Dishwasher, so much that we're thinking about leaving our cushy blogging job just to become dishwashers ourselves. Go ahead, give Silva's story a watch but be warned that it's a very touching tale. So touching that it may make you (or at least Major Nelson) shed a tear.
GDC08: You're at the PlayStation Block Party
Sony's PlayStation party at GDC08 was one of the most exclusive parties to get into. Just ask MTV's Stephen Totilo, the GameTrailers crew, and the entire team at Insomniac Games. (None of these people were invited, supposedly.)As we described earlier, "There are hula-hoop girls with really short shorts; there's a breakdancing crew getting boogaloo on the dance floor; there's a DJ mashing up 70's throwbacks; there's a barber shop upstairs (no, seriously, they're actually cutting hair)." If you didn't believe us, try watching this video: it'll be like you're there! Enjoy this, uh, VIP access to the show.Download an HD version (for your PS3) from my Vimeo page.
GDC08: Phase was originally a PSP game
You know how much we enjoy beats, the downloadable music game. But, iPod has something similar from Harmonix: Phase. That title was originally created for PSP as well. It was meant to be an "urban journey" and only used the shoulder buttons for control. We'd love to see a PSP version come to fruition as well, but for now, we'll keep on playing to our beats.
GDC08: Hands-on with Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
Nintendo was also offering a playable demo of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword at their GDC booth, which I totally flipped out and killed played for a few intense minutes. It wasn't too intense, because the game started me in a tutorial stage. It took me through the basic controls (slash enemies to attack, slash up to jump, push any button to block, tap to throw shuriken) and started very slowly meting out enemies on which I could practice. I tried to download the demo, but there was already a queue. I'm not even sure I was playing on a regular DS, or if Tecmo has created some kind of new dual-screened system that is appropriate for action games. It was just right. It certainly wasn't natural at first to play something like Ninja Gaiden with the stylus, but understanding set in very quickly. What felt at first like randomly stabbing at my screen quickly became strategic. It's actually significantly easier to target enemies directly (by drawing on them) than it is to juggle multiple enemies with a joystick.%Gallery-4937%
GDC08: Wii Ware FFCC is the beginning of a new Square Enix
While Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King may look like just a slightly strange Final Fantasy spinoff, it's actually a huge departure for Square Enix. This game is a pilot for future projects by the company that are not huge. Producer Toshiro Tsuchida and lead programmer Fushiaki Shiraishi spoke at GDC about the bold new effort of making a non-epic game on Nintendo's download service.On Wii Ware, with limited space, there was no option to use high-quality CG, a Square Enix benchmark. So the game had to be quite different. Shiraishi discussed the small scope of the game: one town, a few villager models, and unseen combat -- all of which are integral now to the game design. The game started from a game design rather than concept art -- another new development for the company. Shiraishi indicated that if concept art had been used, there would have been more of an effort to include everything that was in the art.
