Archive for April, 2009
You are currently browsing the The Power Review blog archives for April, 2009.
30
Apr
2009
“What Makes Us Epic?” Keynote Summary and Q&A
Dr. Michael Capps, President of Epic Games was the first keynote speaker at the inaugural Triangle Game Convention is downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.
Epic games has come a far way since they started as a company in the basement of their house shipping games out in ziplock plastic bags. First and foremost they are a game engine company. Unreal Tournament 3’s engine is one of the most popular ones out on the market right now, and is used to design everything from Kid’s TV Shows to MMORPGs. Because of their success, the Research Triangle has become the capital of gaming engines for the entire country.
Shameless Plug: “Make Something Unreal” 1 million dollars in prizes and possibly a job at Epic games. http://www.makesomethingunreal.com/
Epic is a gaming company, but it really is how they treat their employees that sets them apart. The most important thing is to treat all of their employees as if they are volunteers. Because there are hundreds of other companies who would love to have their expertise with the Unreal Engine, so everyone must be highly valued on the staff.
The best way to accomplish goals as a company is to have shared responsibility and shared success. If there is a team project rather than an individual one, everyone is accountable and has a vested interest to see that it succeeds rather than fails. Since we have all of these brilliant people working for us, we have to keep them challenged constantly. If you have brilliant people working towards nearly impossible goals, the end result will almost always be positive. As much we like to have success with our teams, we always tell them “if you never fail, they you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough.”
Gears of War is particularly interesting, because it started from a simple concept of “vehicles fighting in space”. After over 30 game of the year awards, some of which were even for marketing of the game, you would have to consider it quite successful. But in order to make a sequel to this game would have to be a marathon event for the staff. The game was supposed to be twice as big, twice as hardcore, twice as polished, and over twice the budget. Unfortunately the metacritic score didn’t reflect all of the work that was put into it, however, the sales did. And in the end since Epic is a game company, we want to makes the gamers happy.
In the end, “What makes us epic?” Simply learning from the lessons handed down from past “generations” of games. The goal is to keep all of the employees happy and to reward productivity, but it’s important to not forget to have fun, because “we’re a game company!”
Post Session Q&A
o What are your feelings about the kinds of marketing services that are available through Playstation Home?
- Well obviously we have a lot of ties with Microsoft, but Home has always interested us. Since it has been “developing” for so long, it will be interesting to see how companies will actually utilize it. I’ve heard good things about the space that EA has created, and although there’s nothing like that planned right now, it’s something that we’ll have to look into.
o When will we be able to fight a Brumak on foot in the Gears of War universe?
- Actually that was already something that we did in the first Gears of War, although it was only something that was added to the PC edition. There are a lot of exciting things in store for the series, I wouldn’t count anything out.
Keep checking back for more updates from the Triangle Game Conference!
29
Apr
2009
Insomniac: “The PS3 is easier to Develop for than the PS2″
Nathaniel Bell – Senior Environment Artist for Insomniac Games had a chance to sit down and talk with me at the Triangle Game Conference about what it’s like to develop on the Playstation 3 console. He has as first hand experience developing environments for several Ratchet and Clank games as well as both Resistance titles for the PS3.
The conclusion that he reached was that because of Insomniac’s amazing engineering teams, and since they make all of their own development tools in house, they as a company have been able to learn from their past experiences and develop new tools to improve on them. This has led to his job becoming increasingly easier over time to the point where “it would be a nightmare to try to develop without the tools we have now”. In the end, he just came out and said that he has had nothing but great experience developing solely for the PS3 now, and because of the tools that he has at his disposal, “The PS3 is easier to develop for than the PS2″.
This will hopefully lay to rest all of the arguments about how “hard” it is to develop for the Playstation3. If you put the time and effort into learning the architecture, then amazing games are possible, as is evident from what Insomniac has released.
Keep checking back for more Triangle Game Conference updates!
29
Apr
2009
Q-Games: PixelJunk4 Naming Contest
Our friends over it Q-Games in Kyoto, Japan have released a new contest that just started yesterday in order to create the name for their new game in the PixelJunk series. With the release of this contest, they also released screenshots and the first video of gameplay of this new title. What is particularly impressive are the liquid physics showcased in the gameplay. The best part about this game is the hidden message that can easily be missed. In the icon at the beginning of the trailer, it shows the PixelJunk icon with “1-4″ in the corner. This game will support up to 4 players! As this number has corresponded to the number of players eligible to play in all of their past titles.
The naming contest runs through May 11th, so get your submission in as quickly as you can for your chance to receive a couple of amazing prizes. These include…
- An early release copy of the game
- The winner gets themselves immortalized within the name
- Top 5 runner ups will receive shirts with their names and submission titles on it
In the mean time, go watch the video, check out the screens, and submit your own name to the contest! There’s a link to the site right below. Enjoy!
28
Apr
2009
State of the PSP: April 2009
Now in the fifth year of the portable console’s lifecycle, the PSP has made huge strides over the years. From humble beginnings, Sony has become the first console to successfully survive against the reigning portable industry juggernaut, Nintendo. With each iteration of the PSP, Sony has improved its functionality: internet interface, VOIP calling, PSP Plus (Resistance Retribution) just to name a few. But just as people are starting to doubt whether this console really has the legs to make it, Sony has turned their lineup into high gear.
Let’s just review quickly. These are the games that have been announced to come out for the PSP in the near future:
o Final Fantasy Dissidia
o LittleBigPlanet Portable
o Gran Turismo Portable
o Assassin’s Creed Portable
o Dante’s Inferno
o MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
o FFXIII : Agito
o Square Enix titles: Parasite Eve, Kingdom Hearts
o Rockband Unplugged
There have already been a couple of blockbusters released this year: Patapon 2 (which just got a 9.5 from IGN) and Resistance Retribution. Despite the console’s age, these are still two of the most important titles that have been released for it, and here’s why.
Resistance Retribution is an incredibly demanding singleplayer and multiplayer experience on a portable console. Sony Bend managed to create this shooter on a console that only has one joystick, yet the multiplayer is still amazingly fun and balanced. Not only that, but with this title they released the concept of PSP Plus, where gamers can actually use a Duelshock 3 controller with their PSP to play the shooter with a controller that might feel a little more natural to them.
Patapon 2 was innovative in an entirely different sense. This game not only is one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in years, but it also shows Sony’s roadmap for the future of the PSP. Everyone has talked about digital distribution being the future of gaming in the next generation. Well the fact is that it’s already here, this generation, and it is going to become more and more prevalent in the portable consoles. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see the majority of the titles listed above to be available as both digital downloads and retail games on UMD.
Lastly, let me touch on the rumors of the PSP2/PSP4000 that is supposedly coming out before the year’s end. There is a distinct possibility that it may come out, and I fully expect Sony to release it without a UMD drive. The only way for this to work and still have the ability to play all of the existing games in the PSP library would be to have the entirety available via the PSN. Wouldn’t that be an amazing E3 announcement? No more battery sucking UMD drive, and the entire game library would be available for download. Don’t expect this to happen, but it definitely is something that Sony should be working towards.
Please leave your comments after the post to let me know what you think!
**** EDIT*****
Also, after I published this article, Tekken 6 was announced to be on the PSP as well. Thanks for the tip… Also, thanks for IGN for breaking this story!
Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny is also part of the list… thanks to Dustin for leaving a comment on this one!
27
Apr
2009
The New Game Conference: TGC
There is E3, GDC, PAX, etc. But now look out because North Carolina is making a name for itself. The first annual Triangle Game Conference is slated to kick off this week in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. (Wednesday April 29th – Thursday April 30th) Why Raleigh you may ask? This is because Raleigh and the Triangle region are home to the third largest density of game designers and developers in the entire country. There are over 30 companies that are going to be represented at this conference that account for over 1000 employees.
What kind of big names would come to a conference in its first year? That’s a valid question, except when your company is centered in Cary, NC and you make such blockbusters as Unreal Tournament, and Gears of War. I am of course talking about Epic Games. Not only them, but also Insomniac Games (Ratchet and Clank, Resistance) and Atomic Games (Close Combat) are some of the big names headlining.
Make sure to come down and check out the conference if you’re in the vicinity of Raleigh. Tickets start at $30 a day for students and range to $300 a day for premium passes. Be sure to check out their conference website for more information as well as continue to check back here for continued coverage of the entire event as well as exclusive interviews with Epic and other developers.
26
Apr
2009
Worms Review
Overview
Worms finally hits the downloadable marketplaces (XBLA and PSN), developed by Team 17 and with a $12.99 price tag, featuring a variety of challenges, offline and online multiplayer modes.
Controls
If you are familiar with the original title, then the controls won’t be that much of a surprise for you. Also, if you are new to the franchise then don’t worry, there really isn’t that much a learning curve. Overall the controls are pretty simple and not really hard to understand for gamers of any age.
Graphics
Worms boasts incredible animations, extremely colorful backgrounds and nice explosions. The developers held true to their style of graphics but still managed to give it a nice little nextgen tweek. The game have a very steady frame rate and it is overall pretty good in the visual aspect.
Gameplay and Story
When you first watch this game you can think the gameplay is really simple, but when you play it you will realize that it is incredibly deep; when you use your weapons you may want to think of some things before pressing the fire button. One of these elements is the trajectory and power of the wind. This wind (which is constantly changing) has a major impact on the trajectory of your missiles or grenades, making it a very important factor. The main goal on this game is to simply destroy the worms from the other team before they kill you. Overall the gameplay in this game is very well balanced and is have pretty much everything you can expect when buying a Worms game.
The Bottom Line
8.5/10
Worms is one of the best and post additive multiplayer titles available on the downloadable marketplace spectrum. I would highly recommend this title to anyone, especially if you like the previous Worms games.
25
Apr
2009
Flock Review
Overview
Flock is a physics based puzzle-platformer where you take control of a flying saucer to guide a variety of animals to your mother ship. The game features a single player and co-op. This game is published by Capcom and costs $14.99 or 1200 points.
Controls
In Flock you have control of a flying saucer that produces some sort of power that scares the animals that are near you, so basically you need to move the left stick to move the ship in order to make all the animals walk (or run) to the Motheflocker. But not everything is that easy, sometimes you will need to move some obstacles or you need to make some bridges with the objects that are around you, to do this you need to press the R2/RT button. And finally with L2/LT button you can deploy some sort of boost that makes your ship go faster for a moment.
Graphics
The graphics in this game are very nice and crisp, but it lacks some variety, most of the levels look really similar. The frame rate is very solid; this makes the experience very smooth and more enjoyable. Not too much more can be expected from this genre in a downloadable title.
Gameplay and Story
We can say that this is the aspect of the game that is lacking; sometimes you want to guide the animals to some place but they go the other way. However, this can make the experience extremely frustrating. On every level of the game you try to make your best to earn a variety of badges (Bronze, Silver, Gold) awarded to you based on your performance, also you can find leaderboards to compare your score with your friends. There is even a level editor where you can create your own levels. This really is one of the few elements that gives lasting appeal to a title the seems to like a lot of replayability.
The Bottom Line
7.0/10
Flock is a game that could have been a lot better. You have the features, you have the content, but the gameplay can drive a lot of people away from this game. It is worth checking out, but very hard to justify the $15 price tag.
23
Apr
2009
TPR Preview: Dante’s Inferno: Pros/Cons
Ever since EA first announced their upcoming hack/slash title: Dante’s Inferno, there’s been a lot of talk both good and bad about it. Let me be the first to help clear this up. Like every game, it’s going to have its pros and cons, most of it is going to be speculation from the limited screenshots available and what EA has told us.
Pros:
o Looks good: Graphically, it is a very pretty IP considering it is still in production. The environments are filled with dark, rich colors that almost reminded me of what the Diablo 3 screenshots were like when they were originally release (minus the rainbows). The game currently is running at up to 60fps, but dips down to low points of only 35. Not too shabby!
o It will sell: Especially on 360 since they don’t have GoW3 coming out, 360 owners will see this as the next best thing. EA is making the right moves here, because there is a gap in the market since GoW3 is a PS3 exclusive. They are stepping up to the plate and delivering a multiplatform title that will try to fill that void.
o Great Name: I’m not sure how many loopholes EA had to jump through to secure the rights to this name, but I’m sure it will pay off. I can’t think of a better name to express that this is going to be a mythical hack/slash title that’s going to take you to the depths of Hell and back.
o Good Marketing: Simply because the game is in EA’s hands, this is almost inventible. The marketing team knows that they’re going to be running up against a juggernaut when it comes to God of War 3, so they’ve decided to take a different approach to it as well. The game is also being developed for the PSP. This throws a monkey wrench in the mix that as or right now is a one up on GoW3, but that’s still to be seen.
Cons:
o Unoriginality: This is the biggest criticism that this game is going to get from anyone. It looks, plays, and even feels like a game that should be called GoW 2.5. It also doesn’t help that the giant monsters than have been shown in some of the footage are eerily similar to some of the Titans in the other mythological game that follows along a similar story arch.
o Storyline: Judging from the screenshots and trailers, this game is almost nothing to do with Dante’s epic work of literature. Which makes me confused as to why they pulled the rights for the title in the first place. It is catching, but if you are going to go out of your way to secure a title like this, you might as well use it to it’s full advantage and base the story off of the plotline as well.
This game is looking right now like it will be released some time in 2010. From the little information that is out about it right now, I can’t say that I’m too overly excited, but this is a niche’ market that is slightly lacking at least in the 360 game library. I see this game selling very well on the 360 platform possibly even 3-4x what it sells on the PS3, because there is no reason that a PS3 owner would buy this blatant knock of a title that is exclusive to their console.
Look forward to hearing more information about this title from EA at E3.
23
Apr
2009
TPR Admin Guest Stars in a Podcast
TPR Admin Will guest stars in TheGamerAccess’s Accelerated Gaming Podcast: Episode 12.
Please listen to the podcast and support one of TPR’s affiliates: The Gamer Access
They call me Cyrus in the podcast, based off my PSN – UNCyrus… so listen in and please leave your feedback!
17
Apr
2009
2009 Is the Year of the PS3… in Japan
Throughout this entire generation, people have been making outrageous claims as to “This will be the year of the (insert random console here)”. Most of these claims are completely unfounded and are just people speculating based on their own assumptions. Even the term itself “Year of the”… What are people expecting? What does that even mean? Are they expecting the PS3 to outsell the 360 3:1 worldwide? It’s not going to happen! Both consoles are already too established in all three worldwide markets for that to happen.
However, there has been some very interesting data coming out of Japan in the first three months of this year. The PS3 is making fantastic strides, and has been the top selling console this year cumulatively in this market, even outselling the untouchable Wii. Why is that? Well, one reason is because everyone in Japan already owns at least one Wii, or at least it seems that way. It also helps they they had such blockbuster games as Yakuza 3 release this year, essentially a Japanese sandbox game similar to GTA.
As far as games go, the PS3 has the Japanese market completely in the palm of its hand for the rest of the year. Tales of Vesperia which was the 360’s claim to fame in the Japanese market has recently been “Bioshocked”. That is to say that it’s coming back with loads of more features including extra characters and more options. Additionally, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children just released on blu-ray in Japan. This was accompanied by a special FFVII PS3 bundle as well as FFVII being released on the PSN in this region.
The year is going to climax with the long awaited release of FFXIII in the winter. If anything is going to skyrocket PS3 sales, it’s this game. So, if you’re looking for a 3:1 ratio of sales for the PS3:360, you only have to look across the Pacific. Expect PS3 sales to continue to rise this year as Sony starts to really flex their muscles in their homeland.
