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Xbox 360 Fancast -- Live @ PAX East 2011
The Xbox 360 Fancast Live show from PAX East 2011 featured some truly magical moments. For those of you who couldn't make it (or those who want to relive the horror), here's the full recording for your listening pleasure. After the break, you can check out the intro video we used to open the show. Enjoy! Also, a huge thank you to Chris Majewski for his amazing X3F Live art (he's available for commissions!). [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3) [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in Zune Marketplace (MP3) [RSS MP3] Add the Xbox 360 Fanboy Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Hosts: Richard Mitchell (SenseiRAM, @senseiram), Alexander Sliwinski (Sli Xander, @xandersliwinski) and Dave Hinkle (KnifefightYaDad, @davehinkle) Music: Intro/Outro: "Electromooq" by Uma Floresta For fans: Xbox 360 Fancast Facebook group; X3F Flab-Off Facebook group Have a complaint or concern? Send an email to fancast [att] joystiq [dawt] com and we'll try to read it on the show!
Call of Juarez: The Cartel preview: This means juar
I, like many long-time fans I'd imagine, despaired a little bit when I read that Techland was taking their Western franchise in a more modern direction with Call of Juarez: The Cartel. It's a fear the developer is used to addressing. "When we worked on the other Call of Juarez games, we always believed that there were themes of the Western that are still relevant today," said pitchman Blazej Krakowiak. "This is our chance to prove it." To hear Krakowiak tell it, the studio isn't trying to drag the modern era into its Western, it's trying to bring the west into the modern era. %Gallery-115845%
Valve's Erik Wolpaw on Portal 2's difficulty, PS3 Steam features
Portal 2 writer Erik Wolpaw wants you to know that Valve's upcoming sequel isn't as difficult as it looks. Trailers for the game show off plenty of insane action, filled with daring leaps, breakneck speeds and physically impossible tricks. "We're going to train you," Wolpaw told us at PAX East, "At no point are we going to ask you do something that we haven't prepared you to do."
Fez being co-published by Trapdoor
Before jumping around Villageville with Gomez in Polytron's Fez at PAX East, we couldn't help but notice a bright logo for relatively unknown developer Trapdoor. This might not be so strange if it weren't for the fact that Trapdoor itself isn't a game publisher -- and its own XBLA/PSN/Steam game Warp is being published with EA Partners. When asked about the surprise splash screen, Trapdoor founder Ken Schachter explained it by saying, "We should be issuing a press release this week, but the gist of it is that we're going to be announcing that we're co-publishing Fez." That said, given Trapdoor's ability to co-publish Fez, we wondered why the studio isn't publishing its own game, Warp. "We met with a bunch of publishers, and we weighed a bunch of options, but at the end of the day we were really impressed with the team at EA, and with what they had to bring to the table," Schachter told us. He further explained, "Basically, with regards to EA Partners, they've been really great about letting us be and focus on the creative part. And really just work on our game, and retain ownership of our IP. And they have a world class business, marketing, and PR team. And that's really the best of both worlds." As previously announced, Warp is expected to launch this summer, while Fez should arrive at some point later this year.
PAX East todo: It's not the Length, it's the Mirth (Game Length Versus Value)
With new forms of distribution for video games come new pricing models. Outlets like Apple's iOS App Store and digital distribution storefronts like Xbox Live Arcade and PSN are challenging the convention of $60 AAA retail titles, and complicating the already peculiar brand of calculus that gamers use when determining "value". Why is $1 okay on iPhone but $6 is too expensive? Why is one ten-hour retail game criticized for being "too short" while others aren't? Why are we so hung up on game length? Join myself and a stellar lineup of panelists as we wrestle with this age-old quandary. Panelists include: Chris Hecker is the sole developer behind SpyParty, the as-yet-undated indie "about human behavior, performance, perception, and deception." Mike Wilford is CEO of Twisted Pixel, the Austin-based developer behind upcoming downloadable titles Ms. Splosion Man and The Gunstringer. Albert Reed is the studio director and co-founder of Cambridge-based Demiurge Studios, which has worked on everything from Mass Effect on PC to Borderlands, and its first original IP, the downloadable Shoot Many Robots. Chris Grant is a writer who works from home in his pajamas. The panel takes place at 4:30pm on Sunday, March 13, in the Wyvern Theatre (on the 2nd floor).
Global Chat: This is not PAX East edition
Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat! Are you sensing a trend? During weeks when the majority of gaming eyes are turned toward a convention, it's good to spotlight stories and discussions that aren't coming directly from the show floor. With that in mind, hit the jump and let's see what's going on outside of PAX East!
Battleblock Theater preview: Uncooperation
When checking out games on the show floor of a convention like PAX East, there's a strange phenomenon that occurs with surprising regularity -- you're paired up with a stranger to play along with you in a much anticipated, co-op focused game, and by the end of your demo, the two of you are as thick as thieves. The goodbyes you share as you leave the demo station are as painful and poignant as that fateful farewell ceremony on the last day at Camp Golden Friendships. My demonstration for Battleblock Theater was not one of these magical instances -- not due to the nature of my unacquainted co-op partner, but because of the many, many ways The Behemoth's latest allows you to royally screw your accomplice. With so many annoyances at his disposal, I can't really blame him for his malfeasance.
Splosion Man song performed at PAX East
Fans of deep-fried musical accompaniment were treated to a live performance of "Donuts, Go Nuts!" at PAX East -- complete with ukulele, lagging sing-along display and donut donations from Major Nelson. Watch the full Splosion Man song, performed by Twisted Pixel audio lead Matt "Chainsaw" Chaney, right after the break. Aside from enveloping fans in catchy tunes, Twisted Pixel covered two S-model Xbox 360s in custom skins. There's a Gunstringer-themed console up for grabs in a random draw and a system swathed in glossy Ms. Splosion Man art can be won through a time-trial challenge in a playable build of the game that runs until Sunday. If you can't go see the special consoles yourself, have a look through our galleries below. (Impeccable console lifting and posing provided by Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford.)
No!: PAX East attendees pitch game ideas (and get shot down)
A now annual tradition, the PAX "Pitch Your Game Idea" panel at PAX East was another guffaw-inducing affair this year. Amid the many, many, many calls of "NO!" that were tossed out from Penny Arcade staff members (and the single-player campaign tester on Gears of War 3) were a handful of "I like that" instances, which eventually resulted in a second round and, eventually, a trio of winners. Taking the top spot in two rounds was "Double O Intern," a concept that sees a desperate intern of a superhero trying his/her best to complete objectives and set up things before time runs out. Number two was an iOS game with water mechanics, pitched as a puzzle game wherein you control an avatar who needs to reach various objectives while simultaneously employing the iOS device's tilt sensor to control the water. Think: Paired down Hydrophobia with fewer British accents. And number three went to the second round's final pick, the adorable sounding "Squirrel Dog Cat" -- a game that centers around a mouse out for revenge against the cat who killed his father. In first-person. Adorable. We'll admit it, though -- of all the concepts, we were most on board for a game featuring an astronaut shaver who's traveling the galaxy shaving planets in search of his hair-god-cursed girlfriend. "Shave the girl, Shave the Universe!" was the game's tagline and, frankly, it really sold us.
PAX East 2011: Cryptozoic Entertainment's big year
It's been almost exactly a year since it was announced that Cryptozoic Entertainment, a new company founded by former employees of Blizzard Entertainment, Upper Deck, and DC Comics, would be taking over the license for the WoW Trading Card Game from Upper Deck. With no other products under the company's belt, players were understandably skeptical that a startup would be able to develop the TCG effectively, but looking at the actual talent behind the company rather than the age of the company told a different story. Cory Jones, one of the company's founders, was the director of global business development and licensing at Blizzard, for example, and John Nee was DC Comics' head of business development. Couple that with designers and other employees who came over from other successful card games and companies, and you have a dynamite combination. I caught up with Ben Cichoski, head designer for the WoW TCG, at PAX East. WoW Insider: It's been a pretty busy year for you guys. What do you consider the company's biggest accomplishment so far?
PAX East 2011: Turbine makes the case for the free-to-play model
"Pioneers get the gold!" Turbine's Fernando Paiz is fond of saying. "And they get the arrows too..." Instead of the wild, wild west, Paiz was referring to the frontier of MMORPG business models, companies that have diverged from traditional subscriptions over the past 10 years. In a presentation at PAX East titled "The Game Monetization Revolution," he shared how this movement has come about, ways that it can fail, and how pioneers have grabbed the gold by getting it right. Of course, Paiz has a great perspective on this revolution, having helmed Dungeons & Dragons Online as it made the transition from a pure subscription game to a hybrid free-to-play/subscription title. Both DDO and Lord of the Rings Online have done tremendously well since moving to this business model, proving that AAA titles can thrive outside of the subscription-only checkout lane. Hit the jump as Fernando Paiz takes us down memory lane and addresses the biggest fear players have with F2P.
FireFall preview: A different frame of mind
I was pleasantly surprised by FireFall. There are a lot of things to like about it, including competently executed class-based gameplay and what sounds like a very robust player progression system. FireFall even sports a nice, cel-shaded cartoon aesthetic. The surprising part is that FireFall is completely free.%Gallery-118900%
Seen@PAX East: The Behemoth's Battleblock Theater and Castle Crashers arcade cabinets
After experiencing Super Crate Box on the incredible Winnitron 1000 in person at GDC last week, imagine our delight to find both Castle Crashers and Battleblock Theater running on four-player arcade machines at this year's PAX East. The Behemoth booth was packed full of folks getting their co-op on and purchasing game merch as we precariously circled and snapped a handful of shots. You can find them in the gallery below. As you'll see momentarily, the cabinets weren't just fun to play on, but also quite attractive in their own right. %Gallery-118980%
Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do preview: Delightful embarrassment
If the Microsoft Kinect really is fated to spend its infancy as an engine for brisk gameplay experiences, mini-game collections and hugely embarrassing motion interactions, then Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do represents the zenith of those objectives. The 20 carny-folk-friendly games therein -- 10 of which are new to the franchise, and only possible on Kinect -- are expectedly short and unswervingly humiliating, particularly when executed on a show floor surrounded by thousands of strangers. Unexpectedly, though, most of those games are also a hell of a lot of fun. The cartoonish, colorful series is one of the best-selling third-party franchises on the Wii; after spending 20 minutes with Monkey See, Monkey Do, the reasons for its success are as plain as day.
J.K. Simmons to voice Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson in Portal 2
PAX East attendees are in for a real treat at Valve's Portal 2 booth this year. Not only do they get to listen to Steven Merchant as the charmingly befuddled Wheatley, but they're also the first to hear actor J.K. Simmons as Aperture Science president and founder Cave Johnson. Known for his role as J.J. Jameson in the Spider-Man films, Simmons brings the same clipped delivery to Portal 2, guiding the player through the (at least) the first few test chambers. A sampling: "Those of you who volunteered to be injected with praying mantis DNA, I've got some goods news and some bad news. The bad news is we're postponing those tests indefinitely. The good news is we've got a much better test for you: Fighting an army of Mantis Men." Cave Johnson was first rumored as a Portal 2 character in a casting call discovered way back in 2008. Valve's Erik Wolpaw told us that the Portal 2 team actually didn't have Simmons in mind when writing for Johnson's character began. Originally, Valve envisioned Johnson with "sort of a southern voice," but eventually went with a more midwestern character. Wolpaw wouldn't tell us how large a role Johnson has in the game, saying only that "you'll hear a lot of him."
Explore the Fallen Frontier with friends
Moonshot Games released a new trailer for the newly announced Fallen Frontier, highlighting the title's co-op gameplay. It's a combination of careful positioning, precision shots and oh my god that guy just shot a grappling hook. If you're at PAX East, you can try it at booth 759.
WoW's undercurrent at PAX East
World of Warcraft has transcended the traditional mores of gaming culture, injecting itself into every genre, most conversations, and almost every discussion. After one day of PAX East, I've talked about World of Warcraft for a longer period of time and with more people since BlizzCon. This is because WoW is not just a game to a majority of the people attending this show, participating in this industry, and fans -- it is now a lifestyle. When I walk the halls, I always find myself caught up in listening to multiple conversations that have their roots in a WoW discussion or eventually make it to WoW. Our game of choice has become a punctuation mark. When standing in line to see The Old Republic, WoW was on everybody's mind. While moving from booth to booth, learning about the MMO components of games like Firefall and Brink, images and fanciful thoughts of WoW's success danced in the minds of developers. When people ask developers questions, WoW is always there as an example, accompanying every "this game AND WoW..." And the accessibility features of such a widely accepted game is on every game maker's mind as to how to breach new markets and bring new players into the fold. It is cliché to say that WoW is the elephant in the room, but I hate the connotation of said elephant. WoW represents a set of ideals and rules that a good number of gamers relate to. The number of WoW shirts and hoodies, guild names added to their badges, and cries of faction pride shocked me. Here at PAX, after one day, it is readily apparent that Blizzard doesn't have to have a formal presence to make its presence known. WoW exists, in some way, in almost every game we play. Whether for good or for bad, our vocabulary is one of the most mainstream undercurrents in the history of gaming. What do you think about WoW's presence in gaming's vocabulary? Are you at PAX and talking to people about WoW, even though WoW is almost nowhere to be seen?
BioShock Infinite panel at PAX East offers a taste of rail-based gameplay
During Irrational Games' big daddy of a BioShock Infinite panel at PAX East, Levine and co. showed off a handful of concept shots of early Columbia -- the game's main locale -- as well as some early concept footage of the game's sky rails. Though very little of the concept shots/video will make it into the final product, we were, frankly, rather excited to see a bit more of Infinite. The (admittedly) shaky video after the break depicts the game's proof of concept for the rail transportation system -- holding onto a transportation railing and firing at murderous enemies below, in this particular case. We've also dropped a handful of shots that either directly inspired Infinite or directly contributed to the game's current art style (from Irrational's art team). Also, the game's basest concept can be seen above in the header image. Yes, it's wonderful.%Gallery-118934%
Child of Eden takes retail trip on June 14 to Xbox 360
Psychedelic audiovisual experience Child of Eden will be available on Xbox 360 on June 14, a launch date for the PS3 will be made later. Ubisoft representatives at PAX East confirmed the date today at the show, currently taking place in Boston. There's still plenty of time to discover the pleasure centers you want to attach those four vibration devices to. Update: The June 14 date is only for Xbox 360.
PAX East 2011: Hands-on with Nexon's Dragon Nest and Vindictus
Nexon spread its wings over much of PAX East's exhibit hall this year, with booths scattered about dedicated to it and its partners' various titles. At the center of the storm lay one of Nexon's hottest new properties, Dragon Nest, which was available for all manner of pokings and proddings. I sat down to play through a couple of Dragon Nest's dungeons with Dee Lee and Moon Kim, who provided commentary on the various game features we were seeing. At its core, Dragon Nest is a fast-paced dungeon crawler, a mash-up between Dungeon Runners, Diablo and Final Fantasy. Instead of spending time roaming around the world, players will primarily be jumping into multi-stage instances over and over again. Each dungeon, such as the Forest Sanctuary and the Valley of Mourning, can accommodate between one to four players (or up to eight for raids) as they try to battle their way to the end boss. It's colorful, heavy on clicking, and definitely arcade-like through and through. Hit the jump to hear the rest of our Dragon Nest impressions as well as a sneak peek at Vindictus' big update coming later this month!
