Articles for August, 2013

Fez II cancellation surprised producer

Polytron's Marie-Christine Bourdua says she was caught off guard by cancellation, has since made peace with Phil Fish's decision.

 

This weekend's cancellation of Fez II was a surprise to Polytron producer Marie-Christine Bourdua, she told Joystiq in a new interview.

"But it's OK," Bourdua said. "It was weird and special to learn it that way, but I respect and trust [Fez creator Phil Fish] a lot, so that's totally fair that he decided that and he has his reasons."

Fish announced the game's cancellation on Saturday evening. He said, "I am done. I take the money and I run," adding that he is leaving game development entirely.

Since the game's cancellation, Bourda said Polytron has received numerous positive messages of "love" from fans. She said she has since made peace with the decision.

With Fez II no longer in the works, Polytron will focus its development efforts on bringing the original Fez to Linux and Mac, Bourda said. She teased that, "there's other stuff on the way, too," noting Polytron is "working with Sony."

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot


"Fez II cancellation surprised producer" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 07:56:27 -0700
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Last of Us dev says no direction set for next game

Naughty Dog says it is thinking about "the next game," but has not decided on anything, shoots down rumors of Last of Us movie.

 

Asked during a recent Reddit AMA if there would ever be more story content centered on The Last of Us protagonists Ellie and Joel, creative director Neil Druckmann suggested there would be a follow-up to the well-received action game.

"It's possible," Druckmann said. "We're playing with some ideas, but no direction has been set yet for the next game."

This is not the first time Druckmann has discussed a potential sequel to The Last of Us. In June, the designer said the game's fictional universe is "ripe for more stories," though fans should not expect Joel and Ellie to return.

"We were very conscious that we didn't want to leave this story dangling. If we never do a sequel we're OK with it, because we told the story we needed to tell," Druckmann said at the time.

Also during the Reddit AMA, Druckmann was asked directly if Naughty Dog would make a Last of Us sequel featuring Joel and Ellie, to which he replied, "Don't know yet." The developer also shot down rumors of a Last of Us film and confirmed that he has not spoken with Inception actress Ellen Page before or after the release of The Last of Us.

Page was not happy about the visual similarities between Ellie and herself, saying at the end of June that, "I guess I should be flattered that they ripped off my likeness, but I am actually acting in a video game called Beyond: Two Souls, so it was not appreciated."

Details about the first downloadable content for The Last of Us will be announced this month. For more on the title, check out GameSpot's review.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot


"Last of Us dev says no direction set for next game" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 07:22:29 -0700
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Xbox One disc drive like having a “dead body handcuffed to you,” says Codemasters founder

"I don't think Microsoft sold it in the right way--they weren't strong enough," says Codemasters founder David Darling.

 

Codemasters founder David Darling has said the Xbox One's physical disc drive is like having a "dead body handcuffed to you," and that console games publishers need to embrace the idea of lower prices.

Speaking about the backlash to Microsoft's now-reversed Xbox One's policies, Darling said Microsoft sold the idea of a digital future in the wrong way. "It was interesting how the market did pull back with Microsoft," he said in an interview with GamesIndustry International.

"I don't think Microsoft sold it in the right way--they weren't strong enough. I don't think they should have had a physical drive on Xbox One--it's like having a dead body handcuffed to you. It's dragging along this dead body and it's going to slow them down. They've let the market pull them back but I think that was a mistake."

After leaving Codemasters in 2007, Darling founded smartphone developer Kwalee, which is currently working on upcoming title Farm Fighters.

Darling also says that the price of console games needs to drop in order to stay competitive, and that such a move is inevitable for the games industry. "The price of console games has to drop otherwise they will not be competitive with Apple and Google," he says.

"The industry will definitely move in that direction, and I think it will move very quickly. It's a bit like flipping a coin--at some stage it will just flip. It will change in six months and everybody will wonder why it never changed before. There's no point in distributing physical media when the internet exists."

Ultimately, though, Darling thinks the mobile gaming has more opportunity for creative developers than the console market. "This industry has grown to be much bigger than the console and computer industries ever were," he said.

"Now you've got games like Puzzle & Dragons, which has allowed creator GungHo to grow enormously in just a few years. If you hit upon something really innovative in the mobile sector then you can have hundreds of millions of downloads, and some of those people will want to spend money--but they don't all have to. It's the perfect model for games. It enables the creative people to be really innovative and to entertain bigger audiences."

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot


"Xbox One disc drive like having a "dead body handcuffed to you," says Codemasters founder" was posted by Martin Gaston on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 07:09:53 -0700
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Star Spotting: Selena Gomez Celebrates ‘Stars Dance’ Going No. 1 With Her Adorable Baby Sister (PHOTO)
Selena Gomez celebrates her No. 1 album by chilling with her crew and baby sister, Gracie!  So, we're fully aware that writing about Selena Gomez two days in a row (yesterday we documented her Ethan Hawke-supported catnap on the set of their film, "Getaway") fully cements our status as, like, part-time Selenators, full-time Stalkers. That in mind, [...]
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Usain Bolt added to Temple Run 2

Champion Olympic sprinter the first "guest star" in the endless running franchise; available today for 99 cents.

 

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who has won multiple Olympic Gold medals and is considered one of the fastest men on earth, has been added to endless running game Temple Run 2 as a playable character.

Bolt is the first "guest star" in the history of the Temple Run franchise and is available today as a 99-cent in-app purchase.

Temple Run 2, developed by Imangi Studios for iOS and Android, was released in January 2013. It was downloaded more than 50 million times in its first 13 days. The sequel added new graphics and environments, more power-ups, and special powers for each character.

The Temple Run franchise was created by husband-and-wife development team Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova in Raleigh, North Carolina. The studio has since added a team of additional developers.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot


"Usain Bolt added to Temple Run 2" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 06:44:53 -0700
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Batman: Arkham Origins multiplayer beta invites going out now

Warner Bros. dispatching open beta invitations for trial period that will reportedly run August 7-14.

 

Warner Bros. is currently sending out invitations to an open multiplayer beta for Batman: Arkham Origins, according to a tweet from the game's official Twitter channel.

"If you've received an open beta invite for #ArkhamOrigins, yes it is legitimately from us. No spam or phishing, just fun times in Gotham," the company said.

PlayStation Lifestyle obtained the invitation sent to gamers, which says the beta period will be available from August 7-14.

GameSpot has reached out to Warner Bros. for additional information about the Batman: Arkham Origins multiplayer beta.

Yesterday, Warner Bros. officially revealed the Invisible Predator Online multiplayer mode for Batman: Arkham Origins. The game mode supports eight players divided into three groups: three thugs from Joker's gang taking on three members of Bane's group, while Batman and Robin attempt to take out members of both criminal groups.

The game's online mode will not be available on Wii U.

GameSpot recently went hands-on with the Invisible Predator Online mode for Batman: Arkham Origins. For more, check out GameSpot's impressions.

Batman: Arkham Origins launches October 25 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC. It features an expanded Gotham City and is set years before the events of the original games. The game is in development at WB Games Montreal, not series creator Rocksteady Studios.

A portable version, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, is in development at Armature Studio for PlayStation Vita and 3DS. The game launches alongside the console versions on October 25.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot


"Batman: Arkham Origins multiplayer beta invites going out now" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 06:18:48 -0700
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Buzz Bites (8/1/13): Solange Reveals New Album Details, Upcoming Collabs, And More
Solange dishes on her next album, her new record label, and more. + Solange announced that her follow-up album to 2012's True EP will feature collabs with Chairlift's Patrick Wimberly, Dirty Projectors' David Longstreth, and SBTRKT/Jessie Ware collaborator Sampha. She also chatted about her move to New Orleans and her new label, Saint Records. (Billboard) + [...]
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Buzz Bites (8/1/13): Solange Reveals New Album Details, Upcoming Collabs, And More
Solange dishes on her next album, her new record label, and more. + Solange announced that her follow-up album to 2012's True EP will feature collabs with Chairlift's Patrick Wimberly, Dirty Projectors' David Longstreth, and SBTRKT/Jessie Ware collaborator Sampha. She also chatted about her move to New Orleans and her new label, Saint Records. (Billboard) + [...]
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Sneak Peek at FOREVER EVIL #1

“Trinity War” – the blockbuster summer crossover event that pits the Justice League, the Justice League of America, and the Justice League Dark against one another – directly paves the path for September’s Villains Month and the highly antic

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Degrassi Sneak Peeks: Adam and Alli Prepare for Their Dates, but Drama Ensues—Watch Now!
Degrassi's summer break is heating up! The TeenNick hit drama's characters are living it up on their summer break, which includes planning dates, even if they're over Skype!...
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