All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Originally titled Home Tactics, Will Wright's hit people simulator The Sims was largely made possible by a bunch of simulated ants. During an interview with Doom creator John Romero at the IGDA Leadership Forum dinner last Friday, Wright revealed that his previous title, Sim Ant, was a key inspiration for -- and the basis for the core emergent gameplay in -- The Sims.

"We decided to program Sim Ant as close to how real ants work as we could, which means that they're actually responding to pheromone trails, and the intelligence is distributed environmentally," Wright recalled when asked how The Sims came about. "We were able to get very complex behavior out of the ants just using these pheromone distributions. So I started to wonder how much of human behavior I could simulate the same way." As it turns out, a lot.

"The basic engine for The Sims really ends up being one of any pheromones. Every object in the environment is sending out an 'advertisement' of pheromones in a particular flavor. The flavors are the eight basic needs of the Sims. So they can advertise 'food,' 'energy,' 'fun,' 'social,' 'hygiene.' Every object is described in those terms, being the collection of pheromones that it broadcasts," Wright explained. "A Sim is always sitting there, smelling all of the pheromones around it saying, 'oh I need to be clean, or I need to be fed' -- whatever -- so they follow that pheromone trail to the closest object that's producing it. The advantage of that -- the whole point of that -- was that we could add new objects into the game later without the Sims having any foreknowledge of what the objects were, as long as they had these pheromones."

Romero began to ask Wright if he thought actual humans might somehow work this way, but stopped himself. He was probably picturing the audience as a group of hideous ant people, or imagining he could see clouds of pheromones wafting about. Even the guy who thought up the Doom demon would be grossed out by that.

Both of these toys are available for purchase right now. Check out the details here and here!

This week's Bon Jovi Rock Band DLC will include previously released tracks that now have an "RB3 Version." There was confusion about whether these songs, which now include keyboard and harmony support, would have their previous "legacy" versions upgraded for free. That will not be the case.

Harmonix explains those who own the legacy versions will have to pay the $2 for the new RB3 Version if they'd like to have the keyboard and harmony upgrade. Also, for those who want the Pro Guitar and Bass versions of the songs, they'll have to buy the RB3 Version, plus pay another buck for the "Pro" upgrade.

A Harmonix rep explained to Joystiq that the developer hopes to have the Pro Guitar/Bass versions available for the legacy versions -- without having to pay the $2 for the RB3 Version as well -- in the future, but that this won't be available for the Bon Jovi tracks. So, the short of it is: if you want the keyboard and harmony upgrades, you'll have to pony up the Jefferson ... that's who's on the two dollar bill. Yes, there's such a thing as a two dollar bill.

#clips What's better than a gun that launches wee nuclear bombs? How about one that fires a few thousand per minute? One enterprising Fallout: New Vegas modder created the Mininuke Minigun to see just how fast a nuclear holocaust can happen. More »

An upcoming novel will follow a tabloid reporter in L.A. during the first moments of the North Korean attack on the US. It's the first salvo in THQ's "transmedia" strategy for Homefront, which is about "building worlds first," then having "different media access that world in interesting ways," Danny Bilson said during his keynote speech at IGDA Leadership Forum 2010. THQ is hoping also to do a miniseries for the game following the contents of the book -- it'd be on SyFy, we imagine -- but even more interesting are Bilson's comments regarding the next game.

"The sequel has new features and doesn't even deal with the same characters," Bilson revealed. "It takes place on the other side of the Mississippi -- nobody knows what's going on over there because the North Koreans have irradiated the Mississippi with radioactive iodine and nobody can cross it without a hazmat suit. It's very interesting stuff."

Bilson says the book will be available for purchase a month before the game launches. HomeFront is currently slated for March 2011.

If this game had a face, I would punch it.

Starting today, Americans can pick up the very first Xbox Live-enabled portable. Windows Phone 7 is now out in the US, and is available in a variety of flavors. Can't decide which phone to get? Our friends at Engadget have reviews of all the launch devices -- international and domestic. Want to know more about the Xbox Live experience? Read our review.

In addition, we also updated our Windows Phone 7 games page, with all the games that have launched in time for the US debut. Which games should you pick up? (Tetris) Which ones should you avoid? (Frogger) We'll be updating the page with one more batch of reviews, so keep it bookmarked!

Finally, Microsoft has finally announced plans to release new Xbox Live-enabled mobile games "each week," with games ranging in price from $2.99 to $9.99. (Doesn't seem like Microsoft is chasing the 99 cent price point, like the App Store.) In addition, Microsoft is promising to future "Deals of the Week" and seasonal promotions -- Summer of Mobile Arcade, perhaps? We'll definitely be keeping an eye on how Microsoft continues to expand gaming on Windows Phone 7.

#idsoftware The creators of Doom and Quake are bringing their latest creation, Rage, to the Xbox 360, PC, Mac and PlayStation 3 next year. They're also bringing it to the iPhone (and Android?) as Mutant Bash TV. More »

You haven't crashed until you've crashed a Lamborghini cop car.

Should you pass GO and spend $30?

Unboxing videos are usually pretty tame affairs -- but that's because most games' special editions don't include bonuses engineered to scare the crap out of whomever might open them. That's the (unfortunate) case in the unboxing video for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood posted below.

Last year, New Super Mario Bros. Wii introduced the "Super Guide" -- if you died eight times in one level, you'd get the option to have Luigi play through it for you (and you could take back control at any time) -- and gaming was ruined forever. (Not really.)

Nintendo has since included the Super Guide in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and now it's been confirmed that the feature will return in Retro Studios' Donkey Kong Country Returns. Should you die eight times (apparently the magic number just before most controllers are smashed!) in any level, you'll be able to initiate a playthrough by the white "Super Kong." Once he takes over, you can either watch the rest of the level be played for you or resume playing it once Super Kong passes any problem area. Of course, you won't get to keep any of the bananas, "KONG" letters or other collectibles picked up by Super Kong -- he has to be rewarded with something for his masterful efforts, right?

Our own first experience with the game, along with a subsequent preview, suggests that we might no longer shun the Super Guide when it comes to Donkey Kong Country Returns. We fully expect to be rescued by Super Kong at least once.

#clips Body Count singer and star of Law & Order SVU, Ice-T, is one of the first to legitimately get his hands on a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops. What does the rapper think of Black Ops' smell? More »

A Nintendo original that fails right at its concept.

Great emulation, not so great price.

Microsoft quick to replenish any depleting stock.

This is the first part of Joystiq's in-depth discussion with Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, in which we cover Activision's Bungie partnership, the Infinity Ward situation, Treyarch's time in the spotlight with Call of Duty: Black Ops, and why Kotick's been cast in the role of video game industry villain. Up first: The real story behind Activision's Brutal Legend lawsuit:
In 2009, for the first time in years, E3 felt like a celebration again. The annual video game trade show had reemerged after a period of austerity, newly invigorated. For Brutal Legend, it was an especially momentous debutante's ball -- the game had suffered from delays and publisher battles, but it had finally found a suitor in EA Partners and a booth alongside Electronic Arts' other games. Then on June 4, the last day of the show, developer Double Fine got sued.

The difficult thing about lawsuits is this: None of the parties can say much. The inevitable result of that vacuum is confusion and misunderstanding. On the surface, it looked like Activision -- amidst the chaos of a merger with Vivendi and its Sierra and Blizzard games business -- simply chose to pass on Brutal Legend, leaving creator Tim Schafer and the team at Double Fine without a path to market. That's where EA Partners comes in, like a knight in shining armor. Then, perhaps in an effort to keep its biggest competitor from releasing a highly-anticipated game, Activision -- a company whose corporate persona had been portrayed as increasingly villainous in much of the gaming press -- sued the developer. During E3. The celebration.

But there was that vacuum: Double Fine couldn't say much; Activision couldn't say much; and that left Electronic Arts -- the white knight, if we're following the characterization of the press at the time -- to speak up. And the publisher did, issuing the following zinger which set the tone for the conflict:
"We doubt that Activision would try to sue. That would be like a husband abandoning his family, and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy." And why not? Without any other commentary, the press, readers and fans all wanted an answer. Nature abhors a vacuum and, just like that, Activision wrote its own role, as the devious, conniving villain.

Greed is good.

We show the two ways Starkiller's story can end.

#screengrab Proud Italian plumber/princess savior Mario gets super excited at the christening of Avenida de Super Mario Bros, the first street to officially bear his name. The Spanish suburb of Zaragoza also has plans for streets named after Space Invaders, Sonic and Zelda. [CNN] More »

If there's anyone who knows about manipulating the balance of power, it's Kou Shibusawa, who created Koei's classic war games Nobunaga's Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms -- and, in fact, created Koei in 1978, in partnership with his wife.

It turns out Shibusawa (real name Yoichi Erikawa) didn't need that tactical expertise to achieve the CEO position at Tecmo Koei Holdings, because he just inherited it when current CEO Kenji Matsubara left the company. According to Andriasang, Matsubara cited "personal reasons" for his departure, announced during a board meeting.

Matsubara's exit coincides with the release of Tecmo Koei's earnings for the period from April 1 through September 30. The company made 11.069 billion yen in sales ($136.48 million), 27.5% lower than last year. The report noted successful releases for Metroid: Other M and Quantum Theory, and that losses were due in part to the delay of Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll, and to investments for titles coming out in the next quarter -- which includes last week's Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage.

If I said, "ATATATATATATATATAT!" and that held any meaning to you, then congratulations: Somebody's made a game just for you! If reading that caused your forehead to crinkle, then buckle up because we're going though the looking glass.

For those lost in translation, Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage is a third-person beat-em-up based on the 1980s anime series that begot cartoons, animated features and (ta-dah!) video games. The central campaign follows the conquests of its titular hero, Ken, a battle-axe with a heart of gold and a thing for purple-haired ladies.

When we got our first beta build of The Fight: Lights Out, we were ecstatic to find that Danny Trejo was in it, starring as your trainer, Duke. You may not know the name, but you’ve probably seen this bad-ass in movies like Con Air, Machete, and From Dusk Til Dawn (where, as a vampire bartender, he was awesomely impaled with a cue stick).

So when we met him recently, it was a treat to find out that he’s not just some paid celebrity shill; he could pick up a pair of PlayStation Move controllers and wipe the floor with dudes in The Fight: Lights Out. And as a guy with some boxing experience – in prison no less – Danny had some fight tips to share with us.

The Fight: Lights Out is available tomorrow, exclusively for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Move. If you’re a fan of Mr. Trejo, stay tuned to our Twitter feed. Danny signed some posters for you PlayStation fans, and we’ll be giving them out soon.