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GDC 07: fl0w top selling Network game; no sequel planned
With 110,000 downloads and counting, fl0w has managed to be the top selling PlayStation Store game so far. thatgamecompany wanted to create a new kind of game that broke through traditional conventions: considering its success so far, it appears that the experiment is working. Jenova Chen and the rest of the team don't plan on being content on the incredible success of their downloadable title. The team revealed at GDC that they are working on a new title, one which is guaranteed not to be a sequel to fl0w. Considering the support they've received from Sony, it wouldn't be surprising to see their next title land on the PS3 yet again: maybe they'd like to do a Cell-remake of Cloud?
GDC 07: fl0w was almost on Wii
Jenova Chen, Kellee Santiago and the rest of the thatgamecompany team discussed their latest motion-controlled PS3 title fl0w. The game certainly would have been an incredible addition to the Wii library, considering its use of motion controls, relatively subdued graphics, and non-gamer-friendly gameplay. Santiago revealed that fl0w was pitched to two companies: Nintendo and Sony.Well, Sony won. Sony's aggressive approach to supporting new developers was what gave PS3 the edge. "They [Nintendo] weren't right for us at the time. Sony kind of came to us with the process of incubation ... They helped us get our studio started."Sony has proven at GDC that they care about developers through the announcement of Edge and extending their Network offerings to independent developers. When will Nintendo jump on the bandwagon, and give Wii owners the ability to download new, original content on the Wii Shop Channel?
FlOw almost was a Wii title
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/flOw_could_have_been_on_Wii'; Speaking about the history of upstart developer That Game Company at GDC, President Kellee Santiago revealed an extremely interesting tidbit as to where flOw was heading on consoles. Two companies were interested in the title: Sony, as we all are now aware of, and Nintendo. "That was the hardest decision we ever had to make, choosing between Sony and Nintendo," admitted Santiago. Speaking during the Q & A, Santiago clarified that "they weren't right for us at the time. Sony kind of came to us with the process of incubation ... They helped us get our studio started." Nintendo did not approach them; the team actually cornered them about Cloud at a prior Game Developers Conference. FlOw creator Jenova Chen chimed in, saying "in the end, we are game makers and not console makers," expressing his satisfaction working with Nintendo on other projects. That Game Company did not rule out working on the Wii in the future. From our current impressions, we think Nintendo missed a golden opportunity here. We'll have more on That Game Company's presentation later in the day.
Metareview + Our take: flOw
Hey guys, it's about time we pulled out another one of these review thingies. This one will be significantly shorter because, well, the game is significantly shorter/smaller/whatever. First up, here's what the critics say about flOw: IGN: 7.6 Gamespot: 7.1 1UP: 7 So, that's about as above average and below great as you can get. Here's why the game apparently failed to swoon the critic's higher numbers: No challenge (you can't actually die) Not a whole lot to do (eat stuff, get bigger, rinse and repeat in a linear fashion) Co-op play is neat, but really doesn't add anything to the mix What did the game do right? Well, they say this: Atmosphere is spot on soothing, presentation is excellent Getting to see what's next in your evolutionary chain is a huge draw The SIXAXIS controls feel pretty finely tuned, not tacked on The sound and graphics are "barely there" in that "good, artsy-fartsy" way ...It's cheap? (that was me) I don't really have much to add to their reviews. I feel the same way. It's fun as hell, but once you've seen it, the experience doesn't change. It's an absolute blast to watch your friends try to get a hold of the SIXAXIS controls, but then you get mesmerized by what they're doing. It's definitely a chill-out game to play before you take a nap. Or if you're of legal age, after a few brews the game practically becomes a college football game -- people yelling at the TV, saying to go eat that thing, etc. It's got lasting value, but not if you're all by yourself. It's worth the price, though. PS3Fanboy: 7 crescent-moon tapeworms out of 10 What are your thoughts?
Sony unveils launch lineup for Euro PlayStation Network
The PS3's launch day in Europe is set to be filled with wanton punching, devastating explosions and utterly callous driving -- and when new PS3 owners finally get home, they can experience even more of that. Sony has announced a trio of downloads that will greet European PlayStation Network users on March 23, namely Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (costing £6.99), Blast Factor (£3.49) and the Gran Turismo HD trial (£0). Other games slated for the online network are: 30 March: Super Rub-A-Dub, a touching study of the social intricacies found in a group of inanimate ducks! 6 April: flOw, a relaxing aquatic adventure with many a mingling microorganism! 13 April: Go! Sudoku, a game stunningly devoid of ritualistic suicide! 20 April: Go! Puzzle, a gripping crime thriller following a fugitive jigsaw piece! If all that isn't worth registering on PSN, perhaps James Bond will talk some sense into you. He has a gun, you know.
FlOw, Q-Bert and a Ridge Racer demo coming this Thursday
Playstation 3 owners will have something other than Virtua Fighter 5 to choose from this week as Sony will be releasing two new titles for their online service and a relic from the past in demo form. The long awaited aquatic enigma FlOw will be making its way to the Playstation Network with a price tag of $7.99. Joining it will be the perpetually-hopping, foul mouthed, not to mention terrible roommate known as Q-Bert. We may not have anything nice to say about the guy, but his game is a classic and will be available for $4.99. And in case you passed it up at launch, a free demo of Ridge Racer 7 will be made available and capable of that magical resolution of 1080p.
flOw priced, gamers ready
This is probably going to be the last time we talk about flOw before we toss up a meta-review or whatever. Two days ago we spoke about how it's coming out on the 22nd of February, the features it sports and more. This time we've got a little more pertinent information for you. Yeah, the price of the game. Surprisingly, it's nice and cheap -- on par with the other downloadable titles, if memory serves. The final price is $7.99 for the US PlayStation Store. Not bad! Reviews have started to crop up around the internet and initial reactions seem very positive. A few key words are found in more than one place: "addictive", "creative", and some form of the phrase "pretty music". We'll give it our time on Thursday and post a review over the weekend, along with a meta-review slash personal review of Virtua Fighter 5.
Can't wait to get our flOw on this week!
This isn't news so much as it is a reminder -- the hotly anticipated flOw is due out this week. Hitting the PlayStation store on February 22nd at an as-of-yet undetermined price point (since it's pretty high-profile, we wouldn't be surprised if it was around $10), this musical and biological adventure is bound to be endless fun. For a while. Here's what Sony's official site has to say about the features of the game: "Full HD at 1080p – Vibrant environments. Dynamically Adjusting Experience – Customize your game experience. Multiplayer mode – 1-4 players; same screen SIXAXIS™ wireless controller – Gamers can use the analog thumb stick or take advantage of the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller motion sensors to glide, flit, and flOw through the abyss." We weren't aware there was an abyss involved! There are five different creatures for you to choose from and a difficulty that changes depending on your skill level. It's going to be great and, in certain cases, a great musical backdrop for that "chill" party you've been planning.
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 6
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com. Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to MP_ROOT/101ANV01/. Requires firmware 2.00 or above. Do NOT place in "VIDEO" folder. Firmware 2.80 or above do not need to download thumbnails. Ocean's 13 Download MP4 (6.51MB) | Download THM The following videos are featured after the break: Flow (PS3), The Warriors (PSP), Tales of Destiny 2 (PSP), Sid Meier's Pirates! (PSP)
Let's talk about flOw's music
A recent interview was composed (get it? Like composing music...) with Austin Wintory, creative mind behind the music of flOw. Points of discussion include the design process of flOw, music's integration and atmospheric effect in the title and Austin's deep, dark musical fantasies... er, we'll just give you a list. What was your design process in creating the music for flOw? "We sought something atmospheric and electronic, but not in the stark, soundscape sort of way. Something warm and organic, as if a symphony of instruments never before played on Earth." He goes on to say, "What resulted was a combination of literally hundreds of small audio files being triggered by the player interactions, and a steady background track." So... it's got the same user-created musical score akin to Rez? Any emotional or aesthetic goals while creating the music? "Relaxing was paramount, but each campaign of the game has a very different take on it. Some are more oriented towards being fun and light, others darker, some mysterious, etc." Did you approach the Flash and PS3 versions of the game differently? "Well, the Flash version is essentially at this point a playable demo of the PS3 version, giving you a snippet of the first part of the game. So I approached the first campaign almost identically, looking to be faithful to my own work, but make it better and cleaner." Austin also mentions how each campaign of the PS3 version will have a different musical influence -- one jazz oriented, etc. Whew. Well, you can check out the whole interview if you'd like -- learn more about Austin, his inspirations, his goals and dreams, etc. We just covered the aspects of flOw and you know what? It sounds like a lot of fun. Both literally and... otherwise. [thanks, John B.!]
Swim. Eat. flOw.
flOw's migration onto PlayStation 3 has been a slow evolutionary process. But as promised, Sony has delivered the game trailer (above) to PlayStation Store on time, suggesting that flOw itself is also on course; now set to arrive near the end of the month. Is it time to start considering Sony's service as a viable player in the downloadable (casual) games space? Or do we wait for Calling All Cars?
They mean it this time: flOw is coming in February
We nearly had an ice storm in Athens. It got very cold, very fast. In fact, some of us living here have windows that aren't built right, so they don't close all the way... making their room incredibly frigid and they're having trouble typing posts with fingers that are as pliable as a crowbar. That aside, no snow. Which is sad, but completely irrelevant to the news at hand. Yeah, we've also been waiting around the PS-Store, looking for flOw, since we were told it was coming out. Seems we didn't get the memo that the game was delayed another month. Yep, the game is now due out at the end of February. Sony representatives said this about the release: "We'll be posting a trailer at the end of this month [January] / beginning of next. As for the game itself, we'll be releasing near the end of February." So, that's like, what, February 30th? Teehee, teehee... if you thought I was serious, come on. Come. On.
Where's flOw?
ThatGameCompany's PlayStation 3 version of flOw missed the console's launch, and then failed to arrive in December, as promised. Recently, we heard flOw would hit PlayStation Store in early January. Well, that never happened, so IGN went knocking on SCEA's door ... and someone actually answered: "We'll be posting a trailer at the end of this month [or] beginning of next," clarified Sony. "As for the game itself, we'll be releasing near the end of February." Alas, another vaguely stated delay. Patience.
flOw stalled until 2007
flOw won't arrive on PlayStation Store today. Despite recent confirmation that thatgamecompany's console debut (a remake of the studio founders' free Flash-based title) would be available for download in the coming hours, Sony has announced that flOw will [*fingers crossed*] be released in early January. No explanation for the delay was given. The PlayStation 3 version of flOw has been enhanced with motion control and improved audio and visuals. The core concept of evolution has also been expanded from a simple gameplay dynamic to the broader foundation of the game itself. thatgamecompany is planning a series of updates that will change flOw considerably, adding new layers, like a multiplayer mode; an alluring experiment that is poised to invigorate PS3's downloadable games service.
flOw on Dec. 19 for PS3, 2 more titles from USC devs in the works
thatgamecompany's expansion of flOw onto PlayStation 3 has finally been targeted for release on December 19*. Coinciding with this announcement is word of a three-game deal signed between Sony and the former USC Interactive Media Division students who founded thatgamecompany. Details about the two additional games have not been provided, but Sony has reserved a space for the team at its Santa Monica base. "This is a watershed moment in the history of the school," recognized USC Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, "It builds on our tradition of expanding relationships with the professional community, and opens the door for our students and graduates to showcase their creative talents in an incredibly dynamic market." Guess the gang is sorta like the Bushes and Leinharts of the Interactive Media Division. Go Trojans! *flOw will be offered as a premium downloadable title on the PlayStation Store. Play flOw now.
Joystiq interview: Jenova Chen
Xinghan (Jenova) Chen has big dreams. A recent graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinema & Television, Chen focused his master's thesis on changing how game designers look at difficulty and redefine the concept of Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment. With two award-winning independent games (flOw and Cloud) under his belt as well as contributions to a multitude of other games, Chen's resume reads like an old professional in the gaming field. We had a chance to speak with Chen to talk about his thesis, its (mis)interpretations, and his current work with Maxis. Why did you choose this project as your Master's Thesis? The Master's Thesis has to have some contribution to the field that you want to be a master. For me, I have created so many games in the past I feel just creating another game is not contributing anything. I'm more interesting in coming up with another solution in better game design that can be used by other game designers to attract more gamers. For other industries, any kind of interactive design, the theories in this project are helpful.
