gdc08fanboy
Latest
GDC08: Xbox 360 hardware sales reach 18 million
In an interview with Eurogamer, Microsoft's John Schappert sat down to discuss all things Xbox 360, mentioned that (to date) Xbox 360 hardware sales have eclipsed the 18 million unit mark. Not bad, but not amazing. January was the last time we were officially updated on units sold, when Microsoft announced that 360 worldwide sales hit the 17.7 million console mark. So, 18 million units by the end of February seems to fall in line with the 360's sales trend. Microsoft will have to be on their game in 2008, because warding off the RROD, dealing with the Wii's increasing North American sales and defending against a tricky PS3 who's gunning for second place will take some effort. Then again, who's really worried? We have GoW2, Fable 2, Halo Wars and a stellar XBLA lineup to ignite sales.
GDC08: Wobbling with Wii Fit
As soon as the expo hall opened this morning, I made a beeline for Wii Fit, because what I really needed after two full days of walking was some exercise, and more standing. Luckily, there wasn't too much of a line, since Nintendo was demonstrating Brawl just a few feet away. The second I stepped onto the board (shoes off, please!) I pretty much forgot everything. Not just what I've learned about Wii Fit and how it's played, but how to lean right. There was a bit of a learning curve before I was translating foot and body motions into desired onscreen action. It's somewhat nonintuitive, after all, to stand still on a motionless object to create motion.%Gallery-4745%
GDC08: Jack Emmert on Cryptic's success (and failure)
Yesterday morning, Cryptic Studios' chief creative officer, Jack Emmert, talked to attendees at GDC about Cryptic's successes (and failures) with City of Heroes (and other games). He was surprisingly frank, starting things off with a list of CoH's strengths and weaknesses. For strengths, he cited character customization, fun moment to moment game play, Flight/Superspeed/Superjump, plenty of character slots, no loot. For weaknesses, he told the crowd about how the game had few goals outside of leveling, its lack of PvP, the repetitiveness of the instances, the lack of an end-game, the lack of guild mechanics, no loot. Whether you love Cryptic's City of... games or hate them, read on for a discussion of where they went wrong and where they went right.
GDC08: Joystiq gets their hands dirty with Inchworm
If any of you are familiar with rotoscoping (see: A Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly), the man behind the software responsible for the movie magic, Bob Sabiston, decided he wanted to animate on his DS. So, he made Inchworm. "[It was] sort of a passion project, something we really want to see on the DS," he says.Joystiq got their hands on the application, running it through its paces. And, after reading their hands-on impressions, we're excited about this avenue for creativity on the DS. We just love stuff like this, to tell the truth, so suffice to say we're incredibly angry we didn't get to try it.Oh well ...
Fancast Xtra: Microsoft GDC08 blogger breakfast
It's been a long week, Fanboys. It's currently after midnight Pacific Time and we've still got plenty of GDC08 coverage to pump out (mostly for mother Joystiq, so make sure you keep a lookout over there), but we wanted to make sure everyone in the X3F community got a chance to listen to the Microsoft blogger breakfast, which is becoming something of a tradition at GDC. We've got the audio of the event embedded right here in this post for your listening pleasure. As an added bonus, the audio has also been uploaded to our podcast feed, so feel free to listen to it while out and about using your portable media player of choice. Unfortunately, we're missing a few minutes of the breakfast, which (even more unfortunately) dealt with James Silva and his work on Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. To make it up to you (and him), we're planning on catching up with him one-on-one very soon. In the meantime, enjoy the audio and share your thoughts with the rest of the community.
Phil Harrison blames Sony Japan for underestimating social gaming
At last year's GDC, Phil Harrison made a platform-saving keynote entitled "Game 3.0." The PS3 was under a serious amount of scrutiny, but surprise announcements of Home and LittleBigPlanet recaptured the hearts and imaginations of gamers worldwide. Harrison envisioned a world of collaborative, social gaming, and admits that Sony Japan had been very reluctant to pursue that vision.Speaking to GI.biz, Harrison lamented: "And our Japanese colleagues said that there is no such thing as social gaming in Japan – people do not play games on the same sofa together in each other's homes. It will never happen. And then out comes the Wii."Harrison, who hailed from SCEE before taking over the PlayStation group at large, noted that social gaming is something he tried to promote heavily in Europe. "It's a very interesting and frustrating thing for me to experience because I have been banging the drum about social gaming for a long time, with SingStar, EyeToy and Buzz." Perhaps if Sony Japan had been a bit more understanding, it would meet much greater success than it has faced so far with this current generation of games. Thankfully, things are turning around.
GDC08: More like Cubispore
Nintendo had a playable demo of Spore Creatures at their booth, and I availed myself of the (scaled-down) miracle of (simulated) life. I don't know about the scope of the full game, having played for just a few minutes, but the initial stage of the game was easy to understand. Starting out as a small creature with just a pair of eyes and a little worm-like body, the game paired me with an identical friend. This friend walked me over to a "nest" where I could add a part -- in this case, a mouth. You use mouths to eat things! Different parts give different attributes -- how much can be eaten, what type of food the creature prefers, and such. In addition, they add to your social ability. I chose one based on the unofficial "looking hilarious" attribute. After this I was shown how to make friends. To engage another creature, you call out to it and then sort of pet it with the stylus (really). If you're social enough, they'll be your friend and can be asked to dance (in a Samba-esque minigame) and even follow you. After this, I was led into combat, which involves clicking on a "fight" icon and then scratching away at the creature.Really, more than anything, Spore Creatures reminds me of an expanded Cubivore, with friends instead of just enemies, and expanded combat based on more than just eating. This is a good thing.%Gallery-15944%
GDC08: Pardo and others on the future of MMOs
This afternoon gaming luminaries Rob Pardo (Blizzard), Min Kim (Nexon), Ray Muzyka (Bioware), Jack Emmert (Cryptic), and Matt Miller (NCsoft) got together at GDC to exchange their thoughts on the future of the industry. Sister site Massively was there live, no doubt typing furiously in order to catch every crumb of information. Want to know what's going to happen to your favorite game (or games!) in 10 or 20 years? Check out Massively's live coverage. Gallery: GDC08: The Future of MMOs
GDC08: Bionic Commando has achievements and a story
While it's obvious the 360 version of Capcom's upcoming title Bionic Commando, revived from its classic NES game of the same name, will have achievements, the PS3 will have them too. Right now they're being referred to as "a similar trophy system", which we're sure is just going to get called "accomplishments" officially sooner or later. These will appear when you go through some mini-challenges, like defeating a certain number of a certain kind of enemy or performing certain moves back to back with your bionic arm of destruction. The story is getting a little hype by Capcom, too, saying there is a message behind the plot. The notion is that it will "explore the idea of man versus machine and comment on the frailty of the lead character when robbed of the power of the bionic arm." Yes, we all can identify with human fragility because we don't have a robotic arm that lets us swing around a city. It bothers us every single day.
GDC08: Zombie named as Saw game developer
Ok, we don't mean to be cynical. A Saw game does have a lot of potential and Brash Entertainment has seen fit to give the movie license to next-gen newcomer Zombie, the studio behind America's Army. We're interested how the game will stack up to other games like Barbie Horse Adventures and... oh wait, wrong side of the spectrum. Considering the movie rating association allows the films to be released with massive amounts of unapologetic gore yielding few complaints from the public, we wonder how the media will react to the game. Someone call Fox News, they always get their facts right. [via Joystiq]
GDC08: 2 new GTAIV trailers released
Hot of the heels of nine new screenshots, Rockstar released two new trailers for their upcoming GTAIV. The first trailer above is titled Phil Bell and is shows how Philly-boy solves his problems - with a baseball bat. After the jump you'll be treated to the second trailer, Dilettante Hybrid Trailer, which attempts to sell you on the future of Hybrid cars in Liberty City.
GDC08: Far Cry 2 tech demo
Now playing on your local internet browser, this Far Cry 2 tech demo showcases the technology behind Ubi Soft's second entry into the Far Cry universe. Based on the initial videos we've seen the game looks great, and it's good to see Ubi Soft Montreal trumpetting their graphical horn considering Crytek is no longer involved with the franchise. We wondered what took Ubi Soft so long to go back to the Far Cry well again, but then we remembered they must want to release it alongside the upcoming blockbuster film adaptation. [Thanks, Chris]
GDC08: Insomniac launches Nocturnal developer toolbox
Insomniac Games, developer of Resistance: Fall of Man, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and the upcoming Resistance 2, has today unveiled the Nocturnal Initiative. This project is a collection of developer tools, libraries and code that Insomniac hopes will be used "for addressing common challenges in game development". The initiative was shown off at the Sony PlayStation blogger's lounge at GDC today (photos of which can be seen at the official PlayStation Flickr page). The Nocturnal Initiative is essentially an open-source collection of solutions to problems that can be encountered during video game development. By sharing these solutions across company boundaries Insomniac hopes to "allow studios to focus more on what sets their games apart and less on the basic building blocks necessary to create a modern game." As a result games will be made faster and to a better quality. We're excited to watch this initiative grow and hope to see it make a big impact in the game industry. [Via Joystiq]
GDC08: Aliens - Colonial Marines hits late 08, 4-player co-op
An early morning press release from SEGA has revelaed that Aliens: Colonial Marines will be hitting the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in late 2008. The announcement dismisses an earlier report from Game Informer magazine that put the game in a 2009 release window. In the upcoming first-person shooter, players are part of a United States Colonial Marine squad and do battle with classic Alien enemies from the film franchise that began in 1979. In what is quickly becoming out favorite trend for FPS games, SEGA revealed the game will include a campaign in both single-player and 4-player co-op flavors. Actually our favorite trend in gaming are those cute mini-game complilations. Yeah, let's please have more of those.[via Joystiq]
GDC08: Why you should develop for the PSN
We thought you'd enjoy seeing some of Sony's GDC presentation at Game Developer's Conference. SCEA reached out to the game development community, attempting to highlight the reasons why the PSN should be a destination for developers. The benefits of network distribution (slide, above) are pretty obvious: No physical goods Lower development costs Keep more of the money! No used games market These are all intrinsic to digital distribution. But, Sony's presentation revealed some more interesting points.
GDC08: Massively is Live at the Future of MMOs panel
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/GDC08_Massively_is_Live_at_the_Future_of_MMOs_panel'; Today at GDC Massively is liveblogging a sort of 'MMO Keynote', a panel entitled simply "The Future of MMOs". A simple title, perhaps, but probably the most anticipated event for Massive game designers and fans alike. On it are a few names you might have heard of, like Cryptic Studios' Jack Emmert, Nexon's Min Kim, BioWare's Ray Muzyka, and Rob Pardo (who has apparently worked on some sort of popular fantasy game). Moderated by MMORPG.com's Jon Woods, it's sure to offer some insights into the games of tomorrow.Below the cut is our blow-by-blow account of the jabs, cuts, and parries from these Massive genre heavyweights. The last time I saw a get-together like this was at the Austin Game Conference, and the result was a spectacular confrontation. If ... you know ... you like MMOs. Otherwise it's a bunch of guys talking generalities about "those addictive games". If the idea of the mind behind World of Warcraft talking about the games that he loves, along with observations from one of the founders of BioWare, combined with the insights of a tabletop gaming champion and a pioneer of Korean gaming doesn't interest you ... why are you here?Read on!%Gallery-16640%
GDC08: Cryptic's secret project
Jack Emmert, Chief Creative Officer at Cryptic Studios, gave an interesting talk about using episodic content (read: patches) in the morning's (yes, it's still morning in California!) first round of GDC sessions. While we'll be posting a detailed write-up of the session later today, Emmert dropped a tidbit that, like any good piece of gossip, we simply must share. Talking about what Cryptic was working on, Emmert mentioned the recently announced Champions Online as well as what he called "a secret sci-fi project." We could hardly resist squeaking with glee as this bit of information might lend some credence to rumors that Cryptic might be acquiring the Star Trek Online license. Of course, this is all speculation -- it's entirely possible Cryptic is working on an original IP or other sci-fi license. Right now we know: STO developer Perpetual closed up shop and announces the Trek license had been given to an unnamed developer in the Bay area. Cryptic was in talks with Perpetual for... something. We presume they were after some of Perpetual's development team, but no one would confirm or deny whether the STO license was involved. Cryptic is now working on a sci-fi project. This may not be proof, but if you put these pieces of news together it seems highly likely that they've become involved in STO's development in some way.
GDC08: Zombies in space
Not much can compare to some good old-fashioned zombie shooting. Add a space station and a light gun to that formula, though, and you're guaranteed to come away with something special.Siliconera's Spencer Yip, the lucky guy, got to try his hand at Forbidden Terror on Space Station Z at the Game Developers Conference. While we'd like to say we aren't brimming with envy, that would be a flat-out lie. This may not be the next "Game of the Year" (although it will be in our hearts), and it's actually not even a game (just a tech demo, unfortunately). Yet, it involves shooting zombies in space -- and at the end of the day, that's all we really want in life. As if that wasn't enough, we're completely smitten by the title of Forbidden Terror on Space Station Z. Why is terror forbidden? Our own Eric Caoili suggested that they might be attending an intense seminar at the space station on getting over their fears.While there wasn't much to the demo, Spencer described it as "amusing" and "pretty entertaining." Unfortunately, it may never actually turn into a full-fledged game. Spencer asked Emergent Technologies if they would consider releasing this for Wii Ware, however, and they seemed willing if they could work something out. Here's hoping!
GDC08: Mario Kart Wii in motion
For those of you who've decided that just looking at screens isn't enough for you, IGN has uploaded video of Mario Kart Wii in action. And, from the looks of it, this game is going to be just as we thought: fun. Seriously, did you ever doubt it could be anything but?%Gallery-4772%
GDC08: Warriors Orochi announced for US release
Koei has just announced the PSP version of Warriors Orochi will be heading stateside. According to the press release, "Warriors Orochi for PSP boasts the massive seamless battlefields of the console versions ... The handheld release includes all 79 playable characters, and features 2-player co-op play via wireless (ad-hoc)."The hack and slash is about the Serpent King Orochi who somehow manages to use his powers to alter time and space, thereby fusing the worlds of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. Warriors from Ancient China and Feudal Japan will have to team up together to fight this supernatural menace.Check out the very first English language screenshots in our new gallery below.%Gallery-16619%
