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Child of Eden on PS3 will have 'really cool' extras
If you just paid attention to the marketing for Child of Eden, you'd think it was an Xbox 360 exclusive. But there's totally a PS3 version coming out in September. According to Q? Entertainment producer James Mielke, the delay had nothing to do with Microsoft moneyhats, and everything to do with the fact that Q? is making each version on its own, with a staff of about 30 people. "We're doing everything in-house, we're not farming anything out," he told the 8-4 Play podcast. Mielke didn't outright confirm any special features in the PS3 version, but said "it will definitely be worth the couple months that people have to wait for the PS3 version to get finished. People with PS3s, people with nice TVs, people with all kinds of control options... it's going to be really cool." The reference to fancy TVs suggests 3D support, and "control options" would suggest Move support -- something that Ubisoft has told us to expect.
Beat Ne-Yo at Child of Eden to help Japan
Hey, there's a headline we didn't expect to write today. Ubisoft's new Child of Eden promotion, "Project Hope," challenges players to exceed musician Ne-yo's high score in the "Evolution" level to boost Ubisoft's donation to Japanese earthquake relief. $100,000 is already pledged; for every score on that level's "Normal Kinect" leaderboard exceeding Ne-Yo's 306,800 between now and July 4, Ubisoft will add an additional dollar, up to a maximum of $20,000. While replaying this game over and over again for leaderboard position seems like a weird subversion of its happy, love-everyone vibe, it's hard to argue with a good cause. And it is a promotion that results in a lot of time spent playing Child of Eden, so that's nice.
Metareview: Child of Eden
Child of Eden delivers a compelling, "stirring" experience that'll leave you wanting more when it suddenly stops. Q Entertainment's mini masterpiece is praised for being "better with Kinect," receiving acclaim across the board for its use of Microsoft's motion tracking peripheral. If there's one criticism that pops up over and over again it's the game's length, but Child of Eden is apparently a grand introduction to the next generation of Kinect titles. Eurogamer (90/100): "If you want the full-body physical experience - feeling part of the music, sweeping your arms like a conductor in wide arcs that call the timpani section to action at your signal - then Kinect is the way to play Child of Eden. With the lights down low and the right ambiance and mind-set, it's a dance-like experience - but not in the orthodox video game understanding of Simon-says rhythm-action routines. " IGN (85/100): "It's rare for me to play a game and feel nothing but happiness, but that's what happened when I stepped in to save Eden. In a way, Child of Eden touched my soul. Yes, that sounds cheesy, but it's true. There's one downside -- even though it costs 50 bucks, Child of Eden can be beaten in only a few hours. While this is a fault, there are lots of unlockables and leaderboards to keep people's interest once the campaign is over. This is a game everyone should experience, especially with Kinect. " Gamespot (85/100): "Child of Eden is a bold artistic experiment that's also accessible and fun. It's easy to pick up and play, offers bursts of pure joy, and is even a pleasure to watch others play. It's over quickly, but the amount of unlockable content means it's something you can keep coming back to. " Game Informer (80/100): "A few unlockables give Child of Eden replay value, including an additional challenge mode level, art and video galleries, and decorations for Lumi's garden in the main menu screen. However the most valuable prize is new visual effects. Selecting a different cosmetic effect drastically changes the aesthetic of each archive, giving the levels a whole new feel. Though brief, Child of Eden offers one of the most unique Kinect experiences to date. It's unfortunate our time in Eden's gorgeous confines ends too soon." %Gallery-103243%
Child of Eden review: A momentary masterpiece
So, here's the thing about Child of Eden: It is quite short. That's a somewhat pedestrian complaint to leverage against a game -- and an extraordinarily pedestrian complaint to leverage in the very first sentence of a review -- but it needs to be said right up front to temper your expectations. You can beat it in a single sitting (or, as the case may be, standing), with the game's five chapters clocking in at a scant 90 minutes. It ends with a swell, and leaves you with a despondent, unanswered wish for more. It is also one of the most remarkable video games I've ever played. Not only does it represent the most complete realization of what the Kinect has to offer, it possesses the (perhaps childish) distinction of being, for lack of a better term, a "crying game." It will almost certainly conjure tears from its hardest players -- not because it is particularly sad or melancholic, but because it is stirring. %Gallery-103243%
Child of Eden GameStop pre-order padded with poster
It might not bring you to tears, but under the right "conditions" -- like lighting and stuff -- we bet you could totally see some crazy things in this magical Child of Eden pre-order bonus poster (full image) from GameStop. At the very least, it's compatible with any old wall you tack it to. Typical bonus DLC is so limited, you know? Child of Eden will be released on June 14 for Kinect and plain old controller-induced psychedelic gameplay. Check out this recent video for a better idea of the game's Kinect mechanics.
Sob story: Why I'll be playing Child of Eden with Kinect
It seemed like a fine idea for a feature. Armed with a early preview disc for Ubisoft's upcoming Child of Eden, I would compare the game's two methods of control, the good old-fashioned thumbstick and buttons and the newfangled Kinect method. Then, when comparing the scores for both, I'd have a pretty good idea of which method is superior. So what was the problem? The fly in the ointment? ... Well, see, one of the methods made me cry. %Gallery-103243%
Child of Eden's gesticulations explained on video
So, you want to know how to synesthese with the best of 'em? Q? Entertainment is here to help with a new tutorial trailer for Child of Eden. Don't worry, you won't need any special accessories. The use of mood enhancing substances -- like candy, of course -- is left entirely to your own discretion.
A Child of Eden trailer to change your mood
Ubisoft calls this new Child of Eden trailer (after the break) the "Mood" trailer, but your choice of platform will greatly what effect it will have on your disposition. If you're planning to seek synaesthesia through your Xbox, you'll be able to experience euphoria as you delight in these visuals as you await the June 14 release. If you're planning to play it on PS3, chances are it'll still change your mood -- but to "bummed," because you have to wait until September. In either case, the trailer is really pretty.
Child of Eden has a 'corset peripheral' (which you'll probably never see)
The gaming industry is, with astonishing regularity, a total circus sideshow of inexplicable oddities -- but we're confident that nothing has approached the levels of bizarritude contained within this here post. According to IGN, Child of Eden creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi announced at the Kapow! Comic Con that developer Q Entertainment has whipped up a unique peripheral for the Kinect shooter: A corset which holds four 360 controllers at one time, all of which individually vibrate to the beat of Eden's music. It sounds like a prototype that's unlikely to make it beyond the borders of Q Entertainment's home office -- but that doesn't make it any less magical. We mean, mathematically, it's four times crazier than Rez's Trance Vibrator. Exponentially more so, actually, since the vibrations in question happen inside of a corset.
Child of Eden trailer lends a super-shiny hand
Listen, Child of Eden -- you already look amazing. But promising to give us psychedelic, glowing hands? That seems too good to be true.
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.
Child of Eden supports four controllers for full-body feedback
Back at E3 2010 we learned that Tetsuya Mizuguchi's latest creation -- Child of Eden, the spiritual successor to Rez -- can be played using a standard controller, not just the Kinect sensor for which it's become a showcase title. Last night at Microsoft's preview event in San Francisco, we found out that Child of Eden can use 360 pads, plural, for more than aiming and shooting. A rep for developer Q Entertainment told Joystiq that the finished game will support vibration feedback effects spread across up to four controllers, the idea being that you can stick them in pockets, rolled-up sleeves -- anywhere, really -- to über-compensate for Kinect's lack of physical feedback. Mizuguchi himself told us "When I play the Kinect, I need some feedback" at last year's E3. It would appear that he's devised a quite novel, if not a bit absurd, way to satisfy that need -- not to mention out-crazy Rez's Trance Vibrator peripheral.
Child of Eden due Q2 in Europe
We haven't seen or heard from Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Child of Eden since TGS last September, but it's still on the way. A release schedule sent to European media outlets by publisher Ubisoft today puts the launch window for the techno-psychedelic rail shooter in the second quarter of 2011. That constitutes a delay, since a schedule sent out last month still listed the game for Q1. Since today's update was a Europe-only release schedule, it's as yet unconfirmed whether Q2 is the target release window for North America, as well; however, Amazon currently lists a June release for the Xbox 360 version (and, for some reason, July for the PS3 version). The retailer could just be relying on placeholder dates, of course, so these don't constitute solid evidence. We've contacted Ubisoft to learn exactly when we'll be able to wave our arms to create swirling synaesthetic soundscapes.
Q Entertainment announces Ninety-Nine Nights Online
Ninety-Nine Nights was already a game featuring a great many dudes on-screen at any one time -- however, developer Q Entertainment has announced a move for the franchise that should exponentially bump up that number. The studio recently revealed Ninety-Nine Nights Online, an Action-MMO for the PC, which adds a number of persistent RPG elements (such as multiple job classes, parties and PvP) to the series' familiar strategy-hack-and-slash formula. The game, which will follow the increasingly popular free-to-play, microtransaction-supported MMO business model, has yet to receive any firm release schedule details, nor has Q announced whether it would also drop in North America. Given the poor critical reception and even poorer sales garnered by the last installment in the series, we wouldn't be surprised if it passed us by.
Child of Eden preview: Son of Rez
After dazzling a room of Tokyo Game Show attendees with an extravagant Child of Eden demonstration, designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi offers a far-too-modest appraisal of his "multisensory shooter." This level's still early, he apologizes, and the game currently shares no statistics upon completion. And sorry, but there's no Game Over screen. It's like sitting down in an opulent French restaurant and being told by the waiter that -- sorry! -- the kitchen isn't dishing out cheeseburgers and mini donuts tonight. Later, I ask Mizuguchi if Child of Eden, which he describes as a "feeling good game," even needs to introduce something so contrary like a Game Over screen. Does this mesmerizing mix of thumping music and abstract visuals really need an element of failure? %Gallery-103243%
Tetsuya Mizuguchi wants your memories in Child of Eden
During a Tokyo Game Show event, Q? Entertainment head Tetsuya Mizuguchi unveiled a new component of his abstract Xbox 360/PS3 rail shooter, Child of Eden -- a component for which he needs your input. For "The Journey Project" (not to be confused with The Journeyman Project), Mizuguchi seeks to build a collection of player-submitted pictures, for inclusion in the game's last level. "In this game, the player's mission is to purify everything, every data," Mizuguchi told us in an interview. "And this is the final stage of this game, you know, I need the beauty of memories." With the collective memories of family, friends and "beautiful landscapes" added, "finally, you can get that kind of memory with music. It must be real." The developer added, "I want to put everybody's credit at the end of the game." An announcement by Ubisoft clarifies that images can be submitted to the official Child of Eden website until November 20, and all "approved photos" will be used in the game. We're already cringing about the possibility of thousands of jokers submitting pictures of Journey to the Journey Project. %Gallery-103528%
EA's Suda51, Mikami horror collaboration will be at TGS; no mention of Wii, PC anymore
Last Friday, EA announced a "Tokyo Showcase" event to be held the night before the annual Tokyo Game Show kicks off. We speculated that it was a prime opportunity to share EA Partners' highest-profile project: the Shinji Mikami-produced, Suda51-directed, Akira Yamaoka-scored, Q Entertainment co-developed horror title first announced in 2008. David DeMartini told Eurogamer that the title would be revealed at TGS (we're guessing at EA's aforementioned showcase) and explained the unusual pairing. "The key thing is not for us to tone down Suda or try and Westernise Suda, but to try and make sure the game gets broad enough exposure that more people appreciate it," DeMartini said. "Obviously with EA's publishing and sales team [...] people are going to get an opportunity to finally listen to what you guys have been writing about Suda for a long time." DeMartini also confirmed that the game would, unsurprisingly, be released on Xbox 360 and PS3. What is surprising, however, is the omission of the Wii. The announcement press release stated that the title was in development for all three console platforms as well as PC: "The title is being developed for the PC, Xbox 360 video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Wii." We've asked EA to comment on the title's intended platforms, but more than likely we'll be waiting until the September 15th event.
Preview: Child of Eden
I admit to being a bit let down not to have the opportunity to play Child of Eden, Tetsuya Mizuguchi's spiritual successor to Rez, at Ubisoft's E3 booth. However, watching Tetsuya Mizuguchi play the game for a small group was still a rare and wonderful experience. And for a Kinect game, it doesn't seem that I missed out on as much for having a "hands-off" demo, because even the person playing it was hands-off. Mizuguchi walked us through two of the rail shooter's levels, called "Archives." The concept for the game (which it doesn't need at all -- "you shoot pretty stuff" is more than enough) is that you're eliminating viruses from visual representations of emotional memories within the AI "Project Lumi" -- Lumi just happens to be the same name of the virtual idol at the front of Mizuguchi's Genki Rockets band. Your shots "purify" everything they hit, while also, of course, emitting drumbeat noises and other musical sounds, provided, of course, by Genki Rockets. %Gallery-95489%
Mizuguchi: Child of Eden to support standard controllers
Tetsuya Mizuguchi's latest music-driven "synesthesia" shooter, Child of Eden, made for an exciting kickoff to Ubisoft's pre-E3 2010 press conference. We caught up with the Rez creator following the event to chat about the his Kinect title, and found out that Microsoft's new motion-tracking tech actually won't be required to play. Mizuguchi answered in the affirmative when we asked if Child of Eden can be played using a standard controller, also confirming that players will experience Rez-like controller vibration synced to the game's music. Given that the Q Entertainment founder went as far as to create the "Trance Vibrator" peripheral for additional, buzz-y feedback for Rez, we asked how he felt (or didn't, as the case may be) about a lack of tactile feedback when playing Kinect titles. "When I play the Kinect, I need some feedback," he replied, adding that vibrating bracelets -- like the Trance Vibrator -- could be used to improve the experience. And what about a PlayStation Move release of the game? "We haven't decided yet," Mizuguchi responded when the topic was broached. He may not have, but we've decided we want it. How about you?
Ninety-Nine Nights 2 assaults Xbox 360 on June 29
Konami has announced that Ninety-Nine Nights 2, sequel to Q Entertainment's lackluster 2006 title, is set to launch on June 29. And because the first game was met with such lukewarm reception, Konami has prepared a media onslaught documenting the story, improvements and multiplayer of the sequel. Above, you can find a brisk video highlighting the events of the second game. For the remainder of the videos, you'll have to head past the break. One provides a quick rundown of the sequel's improvements, while the other gives us an overview of the multiplayer functionality. And if all of that hacking and slashing gives you a touch of the Lucille Twos, then maybe you should just check out the motionless stills in our gallery below. %Gallery-94289%
