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id software showing some cautious Wii interest
In an interview with GameDaily, id Software's Director of Business Development Steve Nix spoke a little about the Wii. While he had nothing but praise for what the Wii is doing to grow the gaming market, he also remarked that id's latest works couldn't perform on the less powerful console. He didn't close off any chance of the company's franchises appearing on the console, however; Nix said that "some" of their brands could show up on the Wii, even though "there's just not a lot of horsepower there." While Nix indicated that these might be "older technology," don't expect a rough port if any of id's games make a Wii showing. He was careful to stress the care id Software will take if they do work on a Wii title. As they are cautiously interested, so are we cautiously optimistic about id on Wii.
Doom's surly protagonist becomes art project
That's one zoomed space marine. An article on Videoludica discusses the latest work of one Damiano Colacito, said to be one of the most interesting contributors to the Italian Game Art scene. His "Face of Doom" exhibit, which opened the XXIII International Festival of Sarajevo, is comprised of Doom's HUD (heads-up display) being projected onto a war-damaged Hotel Europa.As Flynn "Doomguy" Taggart endures damage, his face slowly transforms from that of a stern space marine into something more closely resembling an exceedingly displeased hamburger. Fans of Doom would certainly recognize the various levels of pain and bloody torment expressed by the silent protagonist, but what they might not be aware of is how those tie into the history of the hotel and the war that left it in ruins. As Doomguy grows visibly anguished and upset, so grows the metaphor for the people in Sarajevo and their reactions to seeing the destructive effects of war. The video ends on an upbeat note, however -- Doomguy's health is restored, calling forth " the proverbial phoenix that rises from its ashes." [Via GameSetWatch]
Quake DS conversion released
It's been a while since we heard about the homebrew DS port of Quake. But now the coder, Simon Hall, has emerged from his Tower of Porting Ordeals and made his work available for public consumption! If you have a DS flash card and a copy of Quake for the PC (shareware or full version!) then in just a few short minutes you could be on your way to playing a flat-shaded, slow, imperfectly-emulated, but still undeniably Quakey Quake! We are willing to cut them some slack on the technical issues, since the release is still a work in progress, and the fact that it works at all is keen. They've also added touchscreen camera control and the ability to toggle god mode with the R button! We have great memories of playing multiplayer Quake at one of those pay-by-the-hour LAN gaming centers at our 16th birthday party. We also have great memories of playing our DS earlier today. Seeing the two come together is just blissful. We love the ingenuity of the homebrew community. We're going to crank up the Nine Inch Nails and get to installing.[Thanks, wraggster!]
Not-so-secret projects probed
FiringSquad has done its best to out 18 high-profile "black ops" projects currently in development. While the site's sleuthing skills might not be up to par with Mr. Holmes', the report does a good job of rounding up under-the-radar titles that are begging for some attention.We'd like to direct the spotlight on two studios in particular: Tim Schafer's DoubleFine and Bungie expats Wideload, which are responsible for Psychonauts and Stubbs the Zombie, respectively (both titles landed in our top 10 'gems' of last generation). The two developers are hard at work on new projects; and with DoubleFine striking a publishing deal with Vivendi, its next game is sure to stir up more buzz (when it's time) than Majesco managed to generate for Psychonauts. Also, we can't wait to see what Warren Spector and Junction Point have under lock and key. Keep those ears (and eyes) glued to the street!
Carmack blasts Vista gaming initiative
id Software's John Carmack isn't ready for his studio to make the jump to Windows Vista. "Nothing is going to help a new game by going to a new operating system. There were some clear wins going from Windows 95 to Windows XP for games, but there really aren't any for Vista," Carmack recently told Game Informer during a lengthy interview, which also featured id colleague Todd Hollenshead.While Carmack remains keen on Xbox 360, he thinks the Vista initiative is bogus, accusing Microsoft of using the new OS's "artificial" tie with DirectX 10 to lure consumers (and developers). "They're really grasping at straws for reasons to upgrade the operating system. I suspect I could run XP for a great many more years without having a problem with it," concluded Carmack. Good news for those content with XP.[Via GamesIndustry.biz]See also: Games for Windows Vista: how the new brand & OS will change PC gaming
John Carmack taps DS for latest game
In a brief interview with Game|Life's Chris Kohler, the lead ego at id Software (psychology joke!) expresses interest in porting one of his recent cellphone titles to Nintendo's touchy-feely portable. John Carmack explains that the potential port of Orcs and Elves (not to be confused with long-rumored comedy adventure, Orko and ALF) would be enhanced and would represent his first step back into the historically colorful lands of Nintendo. Carmack recalls that "we were always just kind of peeved at the whole Nickelodeon censor arrangement with Nintendo. So we've kept them at arm's length for many console generations now." Thankfully, Nintendo has long since embraced limb-severing violence and is unlikely to inject bizarre green blood into Carmack's tale of swords, sorcery and ... is that Smaug?
id: Piracy killing PC gaming market
Next Generation reports that at a QuakeCon Q&A, id Software co-owner Kevin Cloud put some blame on why developers are shying away from the PC market and turning to the slightly less-hackable console market. Cloud is quoted as saying:"Piracy is hard. It's really -- from my opinion, destroying the PC market. ... when you look out there at the number of games that are getting pirated, it is just devastating. It's the primary reason retailers are moving to the console. It's something that's on every PC developer's mind -- on how to reduce [piracy]. Because, if you like the PC, you hate to see it fall lower and lower down." Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id, expressed similar concerns:"... the problem that this industry faces above all else is the piracy. There is about seventy-percent of the landmass of the world where you can't sell games in a legitimate market, because pirates will beat you to the shelves with your own game. ... you may literally have more games being played illegitimately than being played legitimately. So when you're giving up that much market to people who aren't paying for the games, or who are buying the games in ways in which the developers aren't getting paid for it, it creates a big challenge. Not only for the developers and publishers. But also for retailers, because they have to make bets when they buy their game inventory."But, this is not to say id will abandon the PC format. Cloud says that the company is still dedicated to producing games for the market.
MetaDoom: play Doom inside of Doom 3
Regardless of what it says about the merits of id's latest creepy corridor crawler, it is possible to play Doom 1 inside Doom 3. Why, you ask? It's not because Doom 3 is so dark, you'd rather play Doom 1 in the glow of a terminal screen; rather, the Terminal Doom project is a proof of concept study of "fully interactive surfaces." To that end, the mod creator writes, "In more than one respect, Terminal Doom itself is a dead end." Awww, but that doesn't mean you can't try it out. All you'll need is the retail version of Doom 3, either the shareware or retail version of Doom 1, and some patches and you're set to go. The in game arcade cabinets are pretty great also. [Via Waxy.org]
Doom-cum-point-and-click adventure game
Doom is quickly joining Mario in the race to be the most referenced, recycled and remixed video game property ever. We've got Doom the movie, the comic, the RPG, even the frickin' radio play! Now add point-and-click adventure to that burgeoning list.PainNation is a Flash re-imagining of the influential first person shooter; just look at the screen above and feel the nostalgia wash over you ... exploding barrel, imp-gore covered nostalgia. A warning to interested parties (and those with delicate "space" keys) the first zombie space marine mini-game is a bitch![Via CVG]
Carmack returns to cell games with Orcs & Elves
MTV News has a story on Doom co-creator, and gaming guru, John Carmack's latest FPS megahit Orcs & Elves; only thing is, it's not based on some new super-engine that he hand-coded -- using only one hand, mind you -- while building rocketships with the other. Nope, it's a cell phone game. And it's not even an FPS really, it's "an interpolated first-person action-adventure sort of RPG." Err, right.So why return to cell phone gaming so soon after the unlikely hit of last year's Doom RPG? Sure, Fountainhead, the game design company working on Orcs & Elves for EA (who bought Doom RPG's publisher Jamdat last year) is run by Carmack's Mrs., but there has to be more to get one of PC gaming's biggest power-developers trading in his Ferrari for a Yugo. His vision: "'I do sort of have this grand scheme of, we do Orcs & Elves and we do a sequel and we go into this massively multiplayer Orcs & Elves world.' He sees people connecting across their cell phones, using the phone's built-in speaker and earpiece to communicate through the fantasy world."Some Verizon customers can get the game this Sunday, with additional cell phone platforms available in July.
