This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and - before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside - we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Paul Crocker at Rocksteady about Batman: Arkham Asylum.
So when are we getting real DLC?
We can't talk about DLC, I'm afraid. [Note: with the announcement of Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, if that indeed ends up being the name for the sequel, it seems highly unlikely that we'll get any more DLC for the first game. Rats.]
Well, that's not a no! What has surprised you all the most about the game since launch?
Well, for us we're just really happy that people liked it. We worked really hard to do the brand justice and to try and make a good Batman game. Obviously when you're working on something like that you're really inside a bubble, and you don't know what people really think. And the reaction has been quite cool, so everyone at Rocksteady is really excited.
Speaking about that reaction, how does it work for a developer on launch day? Is it like in the film industry where people get the box office numbers coming in right away? Are you getting sales figures? How do you know it's doing well?
In all honesty ... we look at websites. [laughs] I mean if some website says it sold X number of copies, we don't even know if that's true. I guess we're the last to find out. But we look at the reviews and read what people are actually saying about the game. The afternoon when all the reviews went live, we were all sitting in the office and it was just really exciting. If you get an 8 out of 10, you're like "Awww, that's bad" because the other ones were 9, you know? But we were seeing scores at 9 or more and it was an interesting afternoon, and quite a nice evening at the pub.
We suppose you could cart your Xbox, a TV and a generator outdoors, but it's most likely that you'll play Leave Home whilst at home. Regardless of where you play it, you really should. Leave Home is a side-scrolling shooter on Xbox Live Indie Games with sharp visuals and slick music. Developed by hermitgames, Leave Home features dynamic difficulty and challenges players to rack up the highest score during a fixed amount of time. It also allows players to split their field of fire by pulling the right trigger. The further you pull the trigger, the larger the split,
Check out the trailer above and some screens in the gallery below. If it strikes your fancy, snag the demo and give it a try. The full version is 240 ($3).
Shortcut: Add the trial version of Leave Home to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]
French developer Golgoth Studio captured our attention this October when it announced it was working on a complete high-def remake of the classic arcade game, Toki. However, today Joystiq learned that Microsoft has decided against publishing the remake itself and has invited the indie dev to find another publisher willing to put the game on its platform.
According to Toki HD producer Anthony De Sa Ferreira, the Xbox Live Arcade approval process only allows titles published by Microsoft-published or an approved third-party company. Following its submission, Microsoft told Golgoth Studio that Toki HD "did not fit with the current needs of Microsoft Game Studio," and suggested the developer contact another publisher. Golgoth tells Joystiq that it is in active conversations with multiple publishers and is confident the game will see life on the Xbox Live Arcade, saying an agreement may be only weeks away.
Ferreira believes Microsoft's approval process may have become more stringent in light of the recent high-profile success of original games on the platform, such as Shadow Complex. "I think it's too bad, because it's the independent studios who helped the XBLA to [meet] the success it knows today," he said, adding that not many indie devs can achieve such an impressive result as the Chair-developed title.
- Hatsune Miku priced at 400 Nintendo Points
- due out in Japan on Dec. 23rd at 13:00
- “Challenge Battle” mode (download enemy group info via the internet and earn “battle points” which can be used in an internet battle ranking)
This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and - before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside - we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Tony Hawk about Tony Hawk Ride.
You've been very vocal about the negative reviews of the game. What made you want to strike back?
Because I feel like a lot of people ... not just bad reviews, but some of them were just mean-spirited. You know what I mean? I felt like that wasn't fair to us, and it was also turning people away from even trying it. I feel like it's not for everyone, but try it! I see kids love it. I see parents that take to it and really enjoy it, and I just wanted a fair chance for people to try it objectively. When I see people just coming down on me personally, that got me going and I was frustrated with it.
But at the same time, I'm totally proud of it, I love the game. I spent two years of my life getting it going, and it was my idea ... I brought it to Activision. For people to say "Oh, you just stick your name on the game and that's it," that's not what it is at all.
The sales figures came out and they were disappointing. Do you think Activision will keep going in the same direction with this game or will go back to the old Tony Hawk?
I don't know, I guess that remains to be discussed. I really feel like the board is a good device, and we can make more games based on it. I really want to do that. This wasn't a gimmick, I didn't want people to think they have to buy a new one next year. I wanted to make this board so ... it's a platform to do other things with.
Does the game have the ability to be mapped to a standard controller? Could Activision implement that via a download?
You know what, we looked into it ... the way that you physically play the game, it wouldn't translate to a very challenging game with a joystick. The control scheme would have to be completely different, and we didn't want to make a game that was confusing like that.
I thought Majesco was doing well, but this surely doesn’t seem like a good sign. Let’s hope Majesco is still doing well, and this is just an odd coincidence.
Portuguese digital television service, Vodafone Casa TV, is now available to Gold members of Xbox Live. In fact, the company is even promoting a special IPTV Xbox 360 bundle there, which includes an Elite console, 12 months of subscription for Xbox Live Gold and four games -- Lego Batman, Pure, Fable 2 and Halo 3 -- all for €259 (about $375).
The Vodafone Casa TV service not only lets you watch on-demand TV through your Xbox 360, but also grants Portuguese patrons the ability to access content from their set-top boxes and set times for their set-top box to record live television. While users won't be able to directly record content to their Xbox 360, they can still access certain functions of the console while streaming content, including private chat and accepting game invites.
Existing Vodafone Casa TV subscribers with an Xbox 360 can snag the software for a mere €9.90.
[Thanks, Assassin Monk]
