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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.
Wii releases for the week of December 3rd
There isn't much in the way of games you've probably been looking forward to this week, but, then again, there probably isn't going to be anything you've been dying to get until NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams releases. So, if some movie tie-ins are your thing, then you're in luck. Or, if you're a fan of Atari games. The Golden Compass Alvin & The Chipmunks Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Godzilla Unleashed Jenga Plan on picking any of these games up this week?
Godzilla: Unleashed takes a double crap on the DS
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo_wii/The_worst_DS_game_EVER'; We're not surprised to hear that Godzilla: Unleashed Double Smash was developed by Santa Cruz Games, the same studio behind Superman Returns: The Videogame; we probably would have been more surprised if the developer wasn't Santa Cruz Games. The Wii version of this multiplatform release doesn't look too pretty either, but the DS game seems like a complete afterthought.It's not just the deformed "style" we've found displeasing -- it's the blandly repeating, Flintstones-esque landscape, uninspired enemies and power-ups, and Mothra's insipid combo chain. What were they thinking with that combo chain?! Baby Godzilla is surely crying right now. Won't someone please think of Baby Godzilla?!
Godzilla: Unleashed brings 6 new monsters to the show
A new trailer for upcoming monster beat-em-up Godzilla: Unleashed presents us with six new playable characters in the game. The impressions of the game so far haven't been good and many have complained about the graphics and animations for the fighters, but come on! It's Godzilla. We have to be hopeful, what with our love of gigantic reptiles and all.
Unleashing a pair of Godzilla trailers
Atari was kind enough to send us a couple of new trailers for its upcoming title Godzilla Unleashed. In these trailers, we get to see Godzilla take on two of his oldest enemies: Rodan and Baragon. We've placed one trailer above and tucked the other gently past the post break, so be sure to hit them both up.
Godzilla: Bumpiness Unleashed
You'll have to forgive us. Being Wii gamers, we aren't used to graphics. In all seriousness, we aren't entirely sure what to make of these Godzilla Unleashed screens. The monsters look incredibly detailed, so much so that we're not sure what to think. Are they too bumpy? Too scaly? Is that possible for big ugly monsters? We're going to call it good, since we think it would be bad karma to complain about Wii graphics being too detailed.No such concerns with the environments. It's like there are next-gen battles waging in a Dreamcast world.[Via NeoGAF]
Blogzilla Unleashed
Shelby Wills, producer for Godzilla: Unleashed, has recently started a blog in the hopes of hyping keeping you informed on his company Pipeworks Software's upcoming project. The first entry is more or less focused on the developments studio, as Shelby describes the workspace enjoyed by the team in Eugene, Oregon, and documents their love of Godzilla. There is promise of getting other team members together to post their own entries into the blog and, really, that's about the gist of the entry.Personally, we'd like to see more developers doing this kind of thing. No better way to get information on a game than directly from the horse's mouth, wouldn't you say?
Choose a monster to unleash against Godzilla
A giant monster battle has broken out even before Godzilla Unleashed has been completed! Pipeworks Software has created four original monsters for their game, but they're only including one of them. Reader votes will determine which of the four will make it into the final game. You can choose from: a big alien guy, a bipedal lightning bug, a magma-filled rock monster, and our personal favorite, Firelion, who is a fire ... lion.We appreciate the original designs, and we like the audience-participation bit, but we aren't sure if these guys look like Godzilla monsters. We just can't imagine how a guy would fit into a Lightning Bug suit. Hit the post break to PERUSE ALL MONSTERS and also see some screens. And go vote![Via NeoGAF]
NYCC: Godzilla Wii eyes-on
Tucked away in a secret corner of New York Comic Con was Godzilla: Unleashed for Nintendo Wii. Considering its early pre-alpha form, Atari didn't want to show off too much of the game. Makes sense: the game really looks incomplete at this point, especially with its primitive, worse-than-Gamecube graphics. Of course, graphics are easily correctable during a product's development.How were the controls? You can watch and judge for yourself. Do the motion controls really add much to this brawler? At this moment, it doesn't appear to. The game still has a long way to go: it won't be ready until the holiday season later this year. Hopefully, the Wii functionality of the game will feel a bit more significant, and less tacked on, the next time we see it.
Direct from the NYCC: Godzilla Unleashed on the Wii
PSP Fanboy's own Andrew Yoon has been rocking the New York City Comic Con recently and got some face time with the upcoming Godzilla: Unleashed. Not only that, but his kind and generous spirit even demanded he take footage of said game, bestowing it upon us miserable wretches that were unable to attend the NYCC and forced to wait for tidbits of footage and news to hit the internet. A product manager for Atari speaks with Andrew (round here, we call him The Yoonster) about the game, which is a very early build, but gives us a good idea what to expect. The video has been embedded past the post break.
Giant Wii remote
This image brings so many things to mind. The first thought that jumped into our head was the ultimate match of Wii Sports ever, where Godzilla takes on King Kong in a match of Tennis that is being projected against the Empire State building. The match ends with Godzilla being the victor, only because on the Game Point he turned to Kong and melted his face off with his laser breath.If you think we're crazy, know that Godzilla's cheating tendencies have been well-documented the world over for many years.
Look out! It's Godzilla!
Daddy Joystiq is reporting that Atari is reviving Godzilla for the PSP (among other systems). Godzilla Unleashed is being created by Pipeworks Software who also worked on the previous Godzilla games, so they know a thing or two about the giant lizard. If you haven't played a Godzilla game before, they're basically what you think they'd be, an all out monster fighting game. Pipeworks is saying that Godzilla Unleashed's single-player will group the monsters from the history of the film series into four factions that will each have their own narrative path. The cities will feature destructable buildings, so that even when you aren't hitting a monster, you're still destroying something. I think it's great to have a new Godzilla game on PSP, but am I the only one that would love to see a War of the Monsters sequel on PSP?
Godzilla 'Unleashed' on Wii, DS, PSP
Atari is preparing to wake its sleeping giant. Following a pair of mediocre appearances that culminated in 2004's Save the Earth, the Godzilla franchise will return to terrorize Wii later this year. Godzilla Unleashed, being developed by Pipeworks Software, will be the third installment in Atari's monster brawl series, which began on GameCube with Destroy All Monsters Melee (2002).According to Pipeworks, the single-player mode will group the game's monsters into four factions, each following a distinct narrative path. Meh, who cares? The real draw is destruction, and Pipeworks is promising plenty of that, boosted by years of progress and the chaotic tantrums afforded by the Wiimote and its Nunchuk sidekick. "Godzilla can be walking in one direction, attacking with his claws in another, firing his weapon in a third direction, and swinging his tail at a rear target all at the same time," boasted the developers. Whoa.Pipeworks also confirmed plans to utilize WiiConnect24 and support 480p resolution and 16:9 displays. Versions of Godzilla Unleashed are also being developed for DS and PSP.
Godzilla storming the Wii
Atari announced today that they plan on bringing Japan's giant laser-shooting lizard to Nintendo's consoles later this year. Centered around giant monster combat, the game is to feature 3D landscapes that allow for much destruction, as well as a non-linear storyline. No word on who will be in the game (besides Godzilla himself), but we're sure some of the franchise's most popular monsters will be involved.
Godzilla storming the DS
Atari announced today that they plan on bringing Japan's giant laser-shooting lizard to Nintendo's consoles later this year. Centered around giant monster combat, the game is to feature 3D landscapes that allow for much destruction, as well as a non-linear storyline. No word on who will be in the game (besides Godzilla himself), but we're sure some of the franchise's most popular monsters will be involved.
What's that racket? It's the Dragon Quest orchestra warming up!
This is what happens when the composer of soundtracks for Godzilla vs. Biollante (great flick, by the way) and Enix' Dragon Quest series gets his own way. Dragon Quest fans in Japan are advised to form an orderly queue right about now, for Koichi Sugiyama and his band are coming to a town near you*! The composer, who bears an eerie resemblance to a cheerier clone of former NCL dictator Hiroshi Yamauchi, is conducting a five-date tour in venues across Japan. It all kicks off (we predict a riot) in Tokyo on February 26. Tickets are on sale now, starting at ¥3,000 ($25 in real money). *Assuming, that is, you're somewhere near Tokyo/Nagoya/Sapporo. And if you are, check out Sugimania.
Video preview of PlayStation 3 launch in North America
AAIIIEEEE! It's PS3-zilla! Seriously, this crowd looks about five seconds away from erupting into a full scale riot. Girls screaming, men grimacing and lots of shoving. It's consumerism gone rampant, fueled by months and months of waiting and possibly nuclear radiation. It will be a mad scene next week when the PS3 hits U.S. shores, are you ready for it? We recommend stocking up on water, food, a blanket and possibly a stun gun to keep the really rabid shoppers away. Do some stamina training this week, either on a treadmill, a stairmaster, or playing some serious Dance Dance Revolution. At least these fancy PS3 boxes have a built-in handle, so your getaway from the store can be that much faster.Check out the video after the jump. It'll make your palms start to itch, ready to lug one of these back home. Either that, or all the screaming will irritate the crap out of you.[Thanks, ali]
Joystiq won't let Tim Buckley cut in line
Tim Buckley's Ctrl+Alt+Del comic strip has a pretty massive following. So it's an honor, really, that Tim gave us a little nod in his E3 recap comic. As many of you have pointed out, one of the guys standing in line for the Wii is wearing our new T-shirt.According to our calcultions, the distance from Los Angeles to the Utah border is approximately 380 miles. There are 5,280 feet in a mile, and the average person in line took up around 2-1/2 feet of breathing room, resulting in approximately 802,600 attendees* in front of us waiting in line for the Wii. So yeah, sorry Tim, we weren't going to let you in -- we had been waiting in line since Wyoming.[Thanks to everyone who tipped us off; image courtesy of The_Wind_Waker8](Update: Corrected spelling of Tim's name; although the paraprax "Time" could still be accurate ... sort of.)
Pocketful Memory Player - preloaded with Japanese oldies
Remember the Peanuts? No, not the Charles Schulz comic strip -- the Japanese pop duo from the 60s. If you do (and we have to confess, we don't, despite their appearance in "Godzilla vs. Mothra"), here's your chance to stock up on their classic hits and join the digital audio revolution in one fell swoop. That's the idea behind the Pocketful Memory Player, a ¥7,980 (about $70) digital audio player designed to appeal to Japanese nostalgia buffs of a certain age. The player comes preloaded with a dozen songs from the Peanuts and other groups handled by Japanese impresario Sho Watanabe. Other than that, it's a pretty basic flash audio player, with support for WMA, MP3 and expansion via SD cards. But if you're looking for a way to show Obaachan what she's missing by not owning a DAP, this may just do the trick.
Say hello to Godzilla: 11 tuner HDTV DVR
Remember that time, even with a dual tuner DVR, where there were three things on that you wanted to watch at once? The guys at Snapstream never have that problem. They put together this 11 tuner box and were kind enough to provide all the info necessary to build your own, assuming you've got 11 HDTV channels in your area and enough storage.My puny Motorola box just doesn't have the same shine now that I've seen this. It's not an all-channel recorder, but it's close. Interestingly, they chose Windows XP over Media Center to run this box including 4 Fusion HDTV5 USB tuners, three Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500s, and one PowerColor PCIe x1 Theater 550 Pro. Wow.[Via digg]