X-Play host Morgan Webb chats at PAX with DeathSpank creator and designer Ron Gilbert, he of Monkey Island fame, about his new wacky action adventure game.
DeathSpank will be released in 2010 through Hothead Games on PS3, Xbox, 360 and PC.
Morgan Webb Interviews DeathSpank Creator Ron Gilbert
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Posted September 23, 2009 - By Frank Meyer
EA Touts Depth Of "Driver Experience" In Need for Speed: Shift
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Posted September 22, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill
Electronic Arts has said that Need for Speed: Shift represents a return to the simulation roots of the Need for Speed franchise. Yet as our own Brian Leahy reports in his review, the game isn't all sim and isn't quite the arcade experience found in previous Need for Speed installments either.
We caught up with EA community manager Drew Hahn at PAX 2009 to find out how Shift manages to straddle the sim/arcade line, as well as how the game differentiates itself from its predecessors while at the same time reconnecting with the franchise's long-lost sim heritage. As Hahn explains:
"The way we've changed the focus this year is we've taken it away from the end of the race--winning and collecting cars--and we're kind of focusing on the whole driver's experience, the actual physical act of driving."
To achieve this, EA implemented a number of new features including one of the best cockpit views seen in a racing game to date, vision effects that mimic the sensation of crashing, as well as plenty of other tweaks, upgrades and improvements.
Find out more about EA's design approach for Need for Speed: Shift by watching the full interview below.
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Need For Speed Shift.
The game runs but where the road should be I see only flashing colors, like strobe lighting in a night club. lol very very disappointed in EA Games. Reading other blogs I found my Radeon HD 4890 and NFS S%$t do not get on. One of the people in support said (they are nice) that the reason was because NFS S%$t came out before Vista came out lol WTF!?! lol I am looking here everyday, waiting for the patch lol reminds me of my old commador64 days lol Wolfenstine runs...
Posted: November 6, 2009 by Philofish
Leave a Comment »How is Forza 3 Better Than Forza 2? The Game's Designer Speaks
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Posted September 22, 2009 - By Stephen Johnson
Forza Motorsport 3 for the 360 is coming out on October 23rd. Along with over 100 more cars and a ton of new tracks, Microsoft's racer aims to extend the realism of the previous Forza 2, offering more realistic damage, roll-over damage, in-car view and tons of other improvements. The game's multiplayer architecture aims to compete with top-tier FPS out there.
Of course the customization has been beefed up too. "There's a huge amount of car customization," Bill Giese, Senior Game Designer, said."As players go through the game, and they're really good photographers or tuners, but who maybe aren't the best racers, can become known in the community as the best painters."
"The attention to detail has been ramped up. The interiors are going to be a big win for us because they look so beautiful. Seeing someone race an R-8 at 60 frames a second, in cockpit, is nuts," Giese said.
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IF YOU ARE GETTING FORZA 3 AND WANT TO BE APART OF AN ELITE DRIFT TEAM SEND ME A FRIEND REQUEST SAYING SO. MY GAMER TAG IS MeetTheMassacre.
Posted: October 13, 2009 by MassacreBB22
Leave a Comment »Dungeons & Dragons Online PAX 2009 Interview
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Posted September 21, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill
Turbine’s Dungeons & Dragons Online recently went free-to-play with the release of the downloadable upgrade, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited. The developer’s director of communications, Adam Mersky, explained to G4 the reasoning behind this decision during PAX 2009.
Now, while forgoing a subscription-based model for Turbine's massively-multiplayer online role-playing game certainly gives the game a better chance of competing with MMORPG juggernauts like World of Warcraft, Mersky says that the micro-transaction approach also fit in perfectly with the history and philosophy of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
Now, while forgoing a subscription-based model for Turbine's massively-multiplayer online role-playing game certainly gives the game a better chance of competing with MMORPG juggernauts like World of Warcraft, Mersky says that the micro-transaction approach also fit in perfectly with the history and philosophy of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
“If you think back even further, D&D was marketed this way, you know, from its inception. You buy a handbook, maybe you enhanced it when you got some cool dice or minis or a map. Then you bought more handbooks and manuals and things like that. So [DDO: Eberron Unlimited] fit with the IP. It fit with the style of game we built.”
Adam Sessler Talks Narrative Approaches With PAX 2009 Storytellers Panelists
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Posted September 21, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill
If you somehow missed G4’s fantastic PAX 2009 panel on storytelling in video games, hosted by X-Play’s Adam Sessler, then I highly recommend check it out immediately. And I’m not just saying that because you get to spend over an hour hearing what Tim Schafer (Double Fine), Greg Zeschuk (BioWare), Denis Dyack (Silicon Knights) and Joseph Staten (Bungie) have to say about their respective approaches to game narratives...Ok. So that’s exactly why I’m saying it.
Well, Adam caught up with the developers following the panel for some additional discussion about interactive storytelling. What’s particularly interesting is how each developer explains his team's process in terms of constructing narratives in their games.
For BioWare, it’s all about the big dramatic moments. “We take almost a dotted line of events [and] that’s like the arc of the story. And between those dots on the arc you have various things that the designers literally have a lot of creative license to build. So the key thing is to really nail each segment,” says Greg Zeschuk.
Denis Dyack explains that while “the setting, time and circumstances around when the game is being created” definitely factor into a narrative's development, “Generally, we do think about the story first and then build a lot of things around that core.”
Bungie’s Joseph Staten talks about the value of not being locked into a specific narrative structure, saying that “Being able to be flexible with your story pieces, combine them in interesting ways, I think that’s something which is really exciting for us moving forward.”
To find out more about how these developers approach narrative in their games, be sure to check out the full interview.
What developers do you think tell the best interactive stories? What makes their stories so good?
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I do agree with Staten to an extent, with being flexible on the story. I think it's best to lay the ground work for a story, while being flexible at the same time. Create a beginning, middle and end, while leaving enough room for improvisation. So that if you wanted to add or change something, there would be enough room for you to do so. Without having to drastically alter the story that you have already established.
Posted: September 21, 2009 by WhiteWolfAssassin
Leave a Comment »Team Ninja's Yosuke Hayashi Interview On Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
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Posted September 21, 2009 - By Stephen Johnson
At the recent PAX 2009 convention, we caught up with Team Ninja producer Yosuke Hayashi to get the inside scoop on Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.
"[Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2] is the most complete Ninja Gaiden game and gameplay experience," Hayashi told us, "Even if you If you follow Ninja Gaiden, this will feel most like the most complete. If you're a newcomer, you'll be able to see bits and pieces of the previous installments in the series. It takes in so many elements of what we've done in last several years. It will hopefully become the Ninja Gaiden of the last couple years brought together by Team ninja. So in that sense, it's not necessarily an ending. As far as the future of the series goes, we have incorporated a hint as to where the future might be headed at the ending of Sigma 2."
Tell me, Xbox owners: Are you jealous that you won't be able to play this PS3-exclusive game?
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They should have called the 360 version 'Ninja Gaiden 2 BETA', then we would have known to hold off until the "complete" one arrived. I love the game but I already bought it, I dont wanna buy it again just for some extra's.
Posted: September 21, 2009 by EdSabre
Leave a Comment »How Star Wars: The Old Republic Will Change The Face Of MMOs
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Posted September 18, 2009 - By r_pad
When LucasArts revealed that it was partnering with BioWare for a Star Wars MMO, millions of people (including Rodians, Mon Calamari, and Twi'leks) paid attention. Star Wars: The Old Republic promises to be like no other MMO to date. At PAX 2009, producer Jake Neri revealed how the game's story and combat will distinguish it from the pack.
"What we're really trying to do with The Old Republic is introduce the idea of story into an MMO. The genre has a ton of good games -- games that focus on combat and exploration and progression, but when we came together with BioWare to make this game, we wanted to focus on story and what that means in an MMO.
When we looked at the combat and we started out, the goal was to make it heroic and cinematic. One thing that's interesting -- I don't know if everybody knows -- is that everything that we've shown is up to level eight. At level eight, most classes you see are pretty impressive. We've got cool bounty hunter abilities that people look at and say, 'Wow, I can't wait to do that!' Our Sith warrior flipping through the air and rocking people to the skull -- people want to do that, right? It's cool. It's unique. It's exciting. It's heroic. From the beginning of the game, we're trying to deliver that experience."
Check out the full interview with X-Play's Adam Sessler!
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Here's hoping to put an end to the cooldown-based, "whack-a-mole" hotkeys MMO combat system.
Posted: September 19, 2009 by trashymac
Leave a Comment »Adam Sessler Interviews Penny Arcade Expo Creators
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Posted September 17, 2009 - By Patrick Klepek
Another year, another Penny Arcade Expo. Did you know only 3,000 people showed up to the first one, which was organized in just a few months? In 2009, more than 60,000 people hit Seattle to be part of the fun. Adam Sessler interviewed Penny Arcade founders Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins during the three-day event, where Holkins explained why they put together PAX in the first place:
"The overriding philosophy of PAX is, I would say, this is the convention that should have existed but didn't. More or less, people love to read about what other people are doing at E3, but there was no venue for publishers to bring their stuff and actually show it to people who purchase games. That isn't to say the media doesn't purchase games or -- this is the offensive thing -- the media don't consist of real people. But at the same time, it's an opportunity for a more robust dialogue between the people who play games and the people who make games."
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I have to say that I have a tremendous respect for Adam. I've watched his growth over the years, and from my own observations as well, placing him at first an entertainer and then to a reflective, intellectual person. The more I learn, the more I admire. I always have a feeling that viewers assume G4 put Adam into a video to do a little song and dance to entertain, not expecting that he will sneak in his broader depth and insight as well. At first glance he's a funny comic host, and yet...
Posted: September 17, 2009 by Jonsted
Leave a Comment »Left 4 Dead 2 Writer Chet Faliszek PAX 2009 Interview
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Posted September 17, 2009 - By Patrick Klepek
Few games get more love at G4 than Left 4 Dead. Some were concerned about Valve's decision to move ahead with Left 4 Dead 2 so quickly, while the G4 staff simply said: when can we play it? X-Play's Abbie Heppe is one of the biggest fangirls for Left 4 Dead, so it was natural she meet up with Left 4 Dead 2 writer Chet Faliszek at Penny Arcade Expo.
Abbie told Faliszek that she's noticed an unusually large number of female gamers getting into Left 4 Dead, a hardcore shooter. She asked Faliszek why that is:
"You don't just make a game for women because you're targeting some weird thing. We made a social game and we see people hooking up with their friends, we see people helping each other, we see complete strangers coming together to complete a mission. Really, it's this really easy way to play with your friends, to hook up with your friends in college, people who maybe moved away from you. We have all these e-mails of people writing in and talking about that."
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I cant wait for this game to come out, clearly its going to be better than what the PS3 has to offer.
Posted: September 18, 2009 by ProjektX13
Leave a Comment »Uncharted 2: Among Thieves PAX 2009 Creative Director Interview
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Posted September 16, 2009 - By Patrick Klepek
It won't be long before Naughty Dog and Sony deliver Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to PlayStation 3 owners. October 13 is only a few weeks away! We checked out a nearly final build of the game at Penny Arcade Expo and also chatted with Naughty Dog creative director Amy Hennig about her feelings as the project wraps up.
"I am so proud of this game. It is miles beyond what we did in the last game and I'm only just sort of hitting that point where you can kind of see the forests through the trees and step back and see the work. I'm just so pleased with what we managed to achieve. I mean, we worked our asses off. It's all in there, we've packed it all in."
For more, make sure to check out our complete PAX 2009 interview with Hennig.
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LOL seriously this is what you guys are waiting for? This "game", how pitiful that you Sony lovers have to endure this peace of lag fest poor excuse for an exclusive, very pitiful.
Posted: September 17, 2009 by ProjektX13
Leave a Comment »Star Wars: The Old Republic Tours The Capital Homeworld Of Coruscant
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Posted September 14, 2009 - By Jeffrey Kanjanapangka
At PAX 2009, the attendees were treated to the first of what would seem to be a series of planetary trailers for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Here now, for those that haven't caught it yet, BioWare presents a preview of how the Republic's capital homeworld will feel like.
I still think of The Jetsons whenever I see this planet. Perhaps Mr. Spacely of "Spacely's Sprockets" was indeed a dark lord himself. He definitely had the laugh for it.
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Planet wide city here I come.
Posted: September 16, 2009 by AllyoftheForce
Leave a Comment »Letter From The Director: PAX Is Changing The Game
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Posted September 11, 2009 - By agentcooperfbi
PAX 2009 was my first PAX and may already be my favorite show of the year. Granted, TGS hasn’t happened yet, but there were a few reasons why I think the Penny Arcade folks should be commended for what they’ve accomplished as far as a video game show.
Most people would compare PAX to something in the realm of “it’s a Comic-Con that’s focused on video games that doesn’t smell as bad.” While completely true, and I think I can speak for everyone that went about being happy about the lack of “dude smell” – it’s a show by gamers, for gamers. Granted, as press we got some great content out of the show, but PAX isn’t for the press. It’s for the gamers. And as a gamer, I think that’s fantastic.
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yeah, living in a small town just north of boston, that is GREAT news for me.
ive never been to a big video game convention, because they never come around here. so im extremely stoked!
however, im a bit worried. the amount of praise PAX is getting for all the cool people and whatnot, and then you look at your average BoSox fan... and its not exactly like their the nicest, most bathed people in the US lol.
suffice it to say, im going to do everything in my...
Posted: September 14, 2009 by 100percentgood
Leave a Comment »The Ratchet & Clank series is known for big-ass guns and the Lombaxes who love them. Insomniac's platformer series has sold millions of copies and spawned numerous sequels, and a new one, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, is coming at the end of October. Series creative director Brian Allgeier provided some insight into how the team comes up with Ratchet's ridiculous weaponry (and provided an exclusive first glimpse at some newly unveiled guns) last week at PAX. We taped it in its entirety. My favorite part is when he unveils the Groovitron montage.
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yea I really would have liked to see the video the whole time. I can hear him talk i dont need to watch him talk also.
Posted: September 11, 2009 by busshort66
Leave a Comment »PAX 2009 Panel Video: Medium Is The Message: Story Matters
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Posted September 11, 2009 - By Patrick Klepek
Its importance varies depending on who you talk to, but few gamers would deny that story doesn't matter in a video game. It does. To address this continually pressing issue, Adam Sessler asked Double Fine's Tim Schafer, BioWare's Greg Zeschuck, Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack and Bungie's Joseph Staten to join him on stage at Penny Arcade Expo last weekend about how each of them addresses narrative in their own video games and what steps the industry should take going forward.
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Since we're talking stories, would this be a good time to plug 'Enter The Story' (enterthestory.com) the new indie adventure game based on classic stories? No? Well it was worth a try :)
Posted: September 12, 2009 by tolworthy
Leave a Comment »Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time PAX 2009 Interview
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Posted September 11, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill
I recently had a chance to get some hands-on time with Insomniac Games’ upcoming Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Check out my full preview here), and one of the things that struck me, even in the brief time I played it, was how sharp and engrossing the story is. The writing is just fantastic, the voice work is top notch, and there were moments when it felt like I was playing a game developed by Pixar. Consequently, it should come as no a surprise to you when you hear what Insomniac’s creative director, Brian Allgeier, had to say about the game’s narrative elements when G4 caught up with him at PAX 2009.
In terms of what Insomniac is trying to achieve from a storytelling perspective, Allgeier said:
“We’re really venturing into a more story-driven adventure. Ratchet & Clank was a platformer seven years ago…and that’s where we focused more on platforming elements, and keeping it sort of more of a mascot style game. But now we’re delving into more of, 'Who is Ratchet? Who are the characters he’s interacting with? And how do we make this CG-animated experience that feels like a movie?'"
From what I saw of the game, Insomniac has gone about answering these questions brilliantly, and I can’t wait to see the final product.
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Morgan can spank me Anytime she want's too.
Oh it's a game ...Sorry.
Posted: September 23, 2009 by WLKNDED
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