#patch
The patch that presumably will solve MLB 2K10's connectivity problems in online multiplayer has been finished and submitted for certification on the Xbox 360, meaning the fix should be arriving shortly. More »
#gdc10
Players of the original Mass Effect had a big impact on the story of the second, if they imported their character save from the first game. BioWare imported some 700 player choices and associated plot points into Mass Effect 2. More »
EA DICE has been a fairly prolific developer during the current console generation, churning out both a high-profile title based on original IP (Mirror's Edge), as well as ones based on established franchises like Battlefield. EA was searching for a way to capitalize on the downtime between these blockbuster releases -- a game which would be relatively quick and painless to create, while still standing up to the quality standards set by their previous releases. Thus, the idea for Battlefield 1943 was born.
Battlefield 1943 producer Patrick Liu explained the studio's unique design philosophy while making the game, which boiled down to "make the game as long as resources last." They maximized the amount of content they produced under this strategy by settling on the somewhat smaller scope of the game early, and focusing on recreating the Battlefield experience to adhere to that scope.
Some decisions made under this philosophy include making ammunition and health auto-regenerate, cutting down on tiresome resource runs back to your home base. This decision led to others, including the removal of the medic and engineer classes. It also let them focus on perfecting a handful of maps and gametypes, which, while iterated from previous installments in the franchise, also saw major adjustments in 1943.
The result was a project developed by 15 series veterans at once, at one-tenth of the cost of a full DICE game, which broke day one, week one and month one downloadable sales records. It's no surprise that Liu expressed interest in developing more "games of this size and scope" -- when handled correctly, it sounds like a miniature entry in a major franchise can be quite the profitable cash cow.
#nintendo
Speaking to a packed house at the conclusion of the Game Developers Conference this weekend, famed game developer Will Wright told the crowd he plays a Nintendo game everyone morning to kick off his day. More »
This is a screenshot and test footage from a fan-made 2.5d Sonic game. There’s a lot of discussion going on right now, with people saying that this project actually looks better than Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Ep. 1. What do you guys think? Would you rather play this, or the [...]
This image comes from a panel held by Richard Evans, AI Specialist working on the Sims franchise. At GDC panels, laptops are often hooked up to big screens for all in the audience to see. In this instance, Evans had his laptop hooked up a bit before the panel actually started, and this [...]
A portion of a WiiLoveIt review…
You might get your money’s worth if you enjoy combining multiple sound clips together to produce funny sound effects either for friends or for your own enjoyment. Although most will find that those 200 points are better spent elsewhere, some can take Rec-Rec and have fun for 5 minutes at [...]
During Jason Rohrer’s GDC panel, we learn a bit more about Diamond Trust, the mystery DS game that is being published by Majesco. Apparently, Majesco originally thought that the game’s idea was a bit too much for the DS crowd.
“Majesco rejected the idea because it was too sensitive a subject for the DS market.”
Obviously, [...]
#gdc10
PlayStation Home director Jack Buser bragged about the social network's latest population accomplishment, saying that Sony now has an impressive 12 million users signed up for the service worldwide. Why was Sony broadcasting that particular figure at GDC? More »
In a panel titled "Where Did My Inventory Go? Refining Gameplay in Mass Effect 2," BioWare's Christina Norman talked about the radical changes made to the second chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy. A key goal for Mass Effect 2 was to introduce "more satisfying combat," with an "intense feel" missing from the first game. One of the admitted failures of the first Mass Effect game was the incongruity between its look and feel: it looked like a shooter, but it didn't exactly play like one. With that in mind, Norman decided that the team needed to focus on rebuilding the combat in its entirety for Mass Effect 2. "BioWare is strong on RPG and story," but "not so strong on shooter combat." BioWare needed to rebuild its gameplay core, because the game's "other features depend on shooter combat."
The streamlined gameplay and GUI of Mass Effect 2 made it a huge critical success, but Norman pointed out some major criticisms from vocal members of the official BioWare forums. Threads titled "Mass Effect 2 is not an RPG" and "Gears of War with interactive dialogue" were highlighted as examples of fans disappointed by the strong shooting focus of the second game.
As with the transition from the first Mass Effect to the second, BioWare is taking these criticisms to heart for the third game, with Norman hoping the third will offer "richer RPG features" and "more combat options." What we can probably expect less of, however, is the mining minigame, which Norman described as the part that "nobody liked."
#clips
Something tells me that most every Medal of Honor trailer between now and its release is going to feature the kicking-the-booby-trapped-torture-victim-out-the-window sequence. It's compelling, sure, but not after seeing it the second time. More »
#gdc
Epic Games makes Gears of War and, if Kotaku had to guess, maybe someday a sequel. At Game Developers Conference, Epic showed their latest Unreal game engine upgrades, including fancy foliage tech, pictured here. Want it in a Gears? More »
In a panel titled "Where Did My Inventory Go? Refining Gameplay in Mass Effect 2," BioWare's Christina Norman talked about the radical changes made to the second chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy. A key goal for Mass Effect 2 was to introduce "more satisfying combat," with an "intense feel" missing from the first game. One of the admitted failures of the first Mass Effect game was the incongruity between its look and feel: it looked like a shooter, but it didn't exactly play like one. With that in mind, Norman decided that the team needed to focus on rebuilding the combat in its entirety for Mass Effect 2. "BioWare is strong on RPG and story," but "not so strong on shooter combat." BioWare needed to rebuild its gameplay core, because the game's "other features depend on shooter combat."
The streamlined gameplay and GUI of Mass Effect 2 made it a huge critical success, but Norman pointed out some major criticisms from vocal members of the official BioWare forums. Threads titled "Mass Effect 2 is not an RPG" and "Gears of War with interactive dialogue" were highlighted as examples of fans disappointed by the strong shooting focus of the second game.
As with the transition from the first Mass Effect to the second, BioWare is taking these criticisms to heart for the third game, with Norman hoping the third will offer "richer RPG features" and "more combat options." What we can probably expect less of is the mining mini-game, which Norman lamented "nobody liked."
#stickjockey
This is heresy to the cults of both sports and video gaming, but I'd really rather gnaw off my fingers at the first knuckle than play a human in either. More »
#ebay
Two years ago, Xbox Live gave away 72 limited edition Xbox 360 faceplates with a Need For Speed: ProStreet design. Some guy decided to get rid of his on eBay and has found it commands a price above $200. More »
Evan Wells doesn't look like he's old enough to be co-president of Naughty Dog, does he? Even after shepherding Uncharted 2 through development, which has picked up just about every award on the planet, he still maintains his youthful vim and vigor. While we don't know what his eternal youth secret is, he did give us the inside scoop on the workings at Naughty Dog when we spoke with him at GDC.
Besides letting us know about their new studio and the hectic days just before shipping Uncharted 2, he also talks PlayStation Move development, Jak and Daxter plans (he wants to see one on the PS3), and expanding Uncharted to the PSP. Pause your game and head on through the break for the full interview.
