Konami producer Dave Cox says "it's like we're in the '30s in terms of moviemaking" for games because industry is young and has much to learn.

The game industry is in the "dark ages" when it comes to performance capture practices, according to Castlevania producer Dave Cox. Speaking during a Comic-Con roundtable interview, Cox discussed the challenges of believable performance capture and was optimistic about the process going forward, due in part to the power of next-generation consoles.

"It's a difficult process. It's like we're in the '30s in terms of moviemaking in video games. We really are in the dark ages. But we're moving quickly. You see in next-gen, that motion capture--full-body motion capture, facial capture, having actors in the studio, like the stuff that Andy Serkis has done with [special effects studio Weta Workshop]--that's coming through to the games industry," Cox said.

Serkis provided the voice and actions for computer-generated film characters Gollum (Lord of the Rings), King Kong (King Kong), and Caesar (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). The actor also has a history in games, providing performance capture for Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Heavenly Sword.

"So we are catching up, and I think that's when you're going to start getting really strong performances; emotion and everything else, when actors are able to actually be part of the scene," Cox added.

Upcoming PlayStation 3 game Beyond: Two Souls has already employed this performance capture strategy, with actors like Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Boondock Saints) acting scenes out in physical space to bring their characters to life.

Actor Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later, Trainspotting), who plays Dracula in the Lords of Shadow series, commented during the discussion that he had almost nothing in front of him for reference on the 2010 original Lords of Shadow. "It was basically just black, squiggly lines," Carlyle said, referencing storyboards.

"So I think it's not anything that we're doing wrong. I think it's just a learning process for us."

Explaining why the game industry is lagging behind other mediums when it comes to producing authentic and believable performances, Cox said it's because games are young, relative to other entertainment experiences.

"I think it's because we're young and I think it's because we're learning. I think the movie industry has been through that evolution, the TV industry has been through that evolution; I think the games industry is playing catch-up right now," Cox said. "So I think it's not anything that we're doing wrong, I think it's just a learning process for us. We learn from mistakes we made on Lords of Shadow 1 and we thought, 'We can't do that again; we're going to have to’make sure that Robert has got more material to work with so we can have a better performance, we can have a better, more emotional game."

Carlyle said he noticed this improvement in technology moving from the original Lords of Shadow to its sequel, saying it was "mind-boggling" to see the advancements. Cox added that creating emotion is "really important" to the game-making process and a point that has been challenging thus far.

"We have to really plan differently and do things differently. And we've made mistakes on this one, as well, which we're going to hopefully improve for the next one. I think it's a learning process and I think game developers are learning every day how to do things better," he said.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 launches this winter for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Developer Mercury Steam is moving on to an all-new project following its release, though Konami has teased the Lords of Shadow series may continue with a new studio.

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Konami producer Dave Cox says "it's like we're in the '30s in terms of movie-making" for games because industry is young and has much to learn.

The game industry is in the "dark ages" when it comes to performance capture practices, according to Castlevania producer Dave Cox. Speaking during a Comic-Con roundtable interview, Cox discussed the challenges of believable performance capture and was optimistic about the process going forward, due in part to the power of next-generation consoles.

"It's a difficult process. It's like we're in the '30s in terms of moviemaking in video games. We really are in the dark ages. But we're moving quickly. You see in next-gen, that motion capture--full-body motion capture, facial capture, having actors in the studio, like the stuff that Andy Serkis has done with [special effects studio Weta Workshop]--that's coming through to the games industry," Cox said.

Serkis provided the voice and actions for computer-generated film characters Gollum (Lord of the Rings), King Kong (King Kong), and Caesar (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). The actor also has a history in games, providing performance capture for Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Heavenly Sword.

"So we are catching up, and I think that's when you're going to start getting really strong performances; emotion and everything else, when actors are able to actually be part of the scene," Cox added.

Upcoming PlayStation 3 game Beyond: Two Souls has already employed this performance capture strategy, with actors like Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Boondock Saints) acting scenes out in physical space to bring their characters to life.

Actor Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later, Trainspotting), who plays Dracula in the Lords of Shadow series, commented during the discussion that he had almost nothing in front of him for reference on the 2010 original Lords of Shadow. "It was basically just black, squiggly lines," Carlyle said, referencing storyboards.

"So I think it's not anything that we're doing wrong. I think it's just a learning process for us."

Explaining why the game industry is lagging behind other mediums when it comes to producing authentic and believable performances, Cox said it's because games are young, relative to other entertainment experiences.

"I think it's because we're young and I think it's because we're learning. I think the movie industry has been through that evolution, the TV industry has been through that evolution; I think the games industry is playing catch-up right now," Cox said. "So I think it's not anything that we're doing wrong, I think it's just a learning process for us. We learn from mistakes we made on Lords of Shadow 1 and we thought, 'We can't do that again; we're going to have to…make sure that Robert has got more material to work with so we can have a better performance, we can have a better, more emotional game."

Carlyle said he noticed this improvement in technology moving from the original Lords of Shadow to its sequel, saying it was "mind-boggling" to see the advancements. Cox added that creating emotion is "really important" to the game-making process and a point that has been challenging thus far.

"We have to really plan differently and do things differently. And we've made mistakes on this one, as well, which we're going to hopefully improve for the next one. I think it's a learning process and I think game developers are learning every day how to do things better," he said.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 launches this winter for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Developer Mercury Steam is moving on to an all-new project following its release, though Konami has teased the Lords of Shadow series may continue with a new studio.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Konami producer Dave Cox says "it's like we're in the '30s in terms of moviemaking" for games because industry is young and has much to learn.

The game industry is in the "dark ages" when it comes to performance capture practices, according to Castlevania producer Dave Cox. Speaking during a Comic-Con roundtable interview, Cox discussed the challenges of believable performance capture and was optimistic about the process going forward, due in part to the power of next-generation consoles.

"It's a difficult process. It's like we're in the '30s in terms of moviemaking in video games. We really are in the dark ages. But we're moving quickly. You see in next-gen, that motion capture--full-body motion capture, facial capture, having actors in the studio, like the stuff that Andy Serkis has done with [special effects studio Weta Workshop]--that's coming through to the games industry," Cox said.

Serkis provided the voice and actions for computer-generated film characters Gollum (Lord of the Rings), King Kong (King Kong), and Caesar (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). The actor also has a history in games, providing performance capture for Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Heavenly Sword.

"So we are catching up, and I think that's when you're going to start getting really strong performances; emotion and everything else, when actors are able to actually be part of the scene," Cox added.

Upcoming PlayStation 3 game Beyond: Two Souls has already employed this performance capture strategy, with actors like Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Boondock Saints) acting scenes out in physical space to bring their characters to life.

Actor Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later, Trainspotting), who plays Dracula in the Lords of Shadow series, commented during the discussion that he had almost nothing in front of him for reference on the 2010 original Lords of Shadow. "It was basically just black, squiggly lines," Carlyle said, referencing storyboards.

"So I think it's not anything that we're doing wrong. I think it's just a learning process for us."

Explaining why the game industry is lagging behind other mediums when it comes to producing authentic and believable performances, Cox said it's because games are young, relative to other entertainment experiences.

"I think it's because we're young and I think it's because we're learning. I think the movie industry has been through that evolution, the TV industry has been through that evolution; I think the games industry is playing catch-up right now," Cox said. "So I think it's not anything that we're doing wrong, I think it's just a learning process for us. We learn from mistakes we made on Lords of Shadow 1 and we thought, 'We can't do that again; we're going to have to…make sure that Robert has got more material to work with so we can have a better performance, we can have a better, more emotional game."

Carlyle said he noticed this improvement in technology moving from the original Lords of Shadow to its sequel, saying it was "mind-boggling" to see the advancements. Cox added that creating emotion is "really important" to the game-making process and a point that has been challenging thus far.

"We have to really plan differently and do things differently. And we've made mistakes on this one, as well, which we're going to hopefully improve for the next one. I think it's a learning process and I think game developers are learning every day how to do things better," he said.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 launches this winter for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Developer Mercury Steam is moving on to an all-new project following its release, though Konami has teased the Lords of Shadow series may continue with a new studio.

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Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi says company working with Microsoft to streamline update and QA processes on Xbox 360.

The Xbox 360's update and certification processes are "unacceptable" for free-to-play games, World of Tanks developer Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi told Polygon in a new interview.

The executive explained that Wargaming is working with Microsoft to streamline its certification and update processes ahead of World of Tanks' launch on the Xbox 360 this summer.

"The good thing is with online games, sometimes if you screw up, you can do frequent updates," Kislyi said. "But one of the biggest challenges with Microsoft was the frequency of updates because the QA process and certification process takes an extremely long time. Totally unacceptable for a meaningful free-to-play. We are working with them to do quicker updates."

World of Tanks will be a free-to-play title on Xbox Live, though it won't be entirely free-to-play, as players must have a Gold subscription ($5/month) to play the game. Kislyi said last month that the company must "tolerate" this requirement, which he is "not happy about."

For more on World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition, check out the video below.

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Classification Review Board will meet July 29 to consider application for the review of upcoming action game.

The Australian Classification Review Board will meet July 29 to consider an application to review the classification of Deep Silver's open-world action game Saints Row IV.

The game was refused classification on June 19 for anal probe weapons depicting "implied sexual violence," among other things, meaning the game was effectively banned in the country.

"In the Board's opinion, Saints Row IV, includes interactive, visual depictions of implied sexual violence which are not justified by context," a June 25 statement from the board said.

"In addition, the game includes elements of illicit or prescribed drug use related to incentives or rewards. Such depictions are prohibited by the computer games guidelines."

Saints Row IV launches in the United States and Europe next month on August 20 and August 23, respectively. For more, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

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Producer Dave Cox references "the next one" in discussing Lords of Shadow 2, confirms Mercury Steam will not develop it.

Castlevania producer Dave Cox has teased a new entry in the Lords of Shadow series and revealed that whatever this game turns out to be, Mercury Steam will not develop it.

Speaking during a Comic-Con roundtable interview, Cox said Konami has learned a great many lessons as it relates to performance capture for the series and suggested these lessons could be applied to an all-new game.

"We have to really plan differently and do things differently. And we've made mistakes on this one, as well, which we're going to hopefully improve for the next one [Emphasis added]," Cox said. "I think it's a learning process and I think game developers are learning every day how to do things better."

Cox also confirmed in the interview that Spanish developer Mercury Steam is moving away from the Lords of Shadow series because it has nothing left to say in the universe.

"I think if you've got something to say, you should just say it, and when you're done, just shut up," Cox said. "And we've got something to say. And once it's out there’I think it's time for somebody else; somebody younger, a younger producer to come in and take up the mantle and do what they think would be right for Castlevania and for us to move on to something else."

"I think Castlevania is a series that has evolved over the 26 years to what it is today and I think it's in good shape right now and I think people will really enjoy the last one," he added. "There's a lot of surprises and I think we're going to deliver something unexpected."

In June, Cox said Mercury Steam has "next-gen in mind for our next project," but would not say more. Though Cox wouldn't go into more detail about this next game, last year he teased that Mercury Steam has a couple of "really cool ideas" in the works, adding that "it's no secret that I'm a big fan of Contra and I'd like to do something in that universe."

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 launches for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this winter.

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Producer Dave Cox references "the next one" in discussing Lords of Shadow 2, confirms Mercury Steam will not develop it.

Castlevania producer Dave Cox has teased a new entry in the Lords of Shadow series and revealed that whatever this game turns out to be, Mercury Steam will not develop it.

Speaking during a Comic-Con roundtable interview, Cox said Konami has learned a great many lessons as it relates to performance capture for the series and suggested these lessons could be applied to an all-new game.

"We have to really plan differently and do things differently. And we've made mistakes on this one, as well, which we're going to hopefully improve for the next one [Emphasis added]," Cox said. "I think it's a learning process and I think game developers are learning every day how to do things better."

Cox also confirmed in the interview that Spanish developer Mercury Steam is moving away from the Lords of Shadow series because it has nothing left to say in the universe.

"I think if you've got something to say, you should just say it, and when you're done, just shut up," Cox said. "And we've got something to say. And once it's out there’I think it's time for somebody else; somebody younger, a younger producer to come in and take up the mantle and do what they think would be right for Castlevania and for us to move on to something else."

"I think Castlevania is a series that has evolved over the 26 years to what it is today and I think it's in good shape right now and I think people will really enjoy the last one," he added. "There's a lot of surprises and I think we're going to deliver something unexpected."

In June, Cox said Mercury Steam has "next-gen in mind for our next project," but would not say more. Though Cox wouldn't go into more detail about this next game, last year he teased that Mercury Steam has a couple of "really cool ideas" in the works, adding that "it's no secret that I'm a big fan of Contra and I'd like to do something in that universe."

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 launches for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this winter.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Producer Dave Cox references "the next one" in discussing Lords of Shadow 2, confirms Mercury Steam will not develop it.

Castlevania producer Dave Cox has teased a new entry in the Lords of Shadow series and revealed that whatever this game turns out to be, Mercury Steam will not develop it.

Speaking during a Comic-Con roundtable interview, Cox said Konami has learned a great many lessons as it relates to performance capture for the series and suggested these lessons could be applied to an all-new game.

"We have to really plan differently and do things differently. And we've made mistakes on this one, as well, which we're going to hopefully improve for the next one [Emphasis added]," Cox said. "I think it's a learning process and I think game developers are learning every day how to do things better."

Cox also confirmed in the interview that Spanish developer Mercury Steam is moving away from the Lords of Shadow series because it has nothing left to say in the universe.

"I think if you've got something to say, you should just say it, and when you're done, just shut up," Cox said. "And we've got something to say. And once it's out there’I think it's time for somebody else; somebody younger, a younger producer to come in and take up the mantle and do what they think would be right for Castlevania and for us to move on to something else."

"I think Castlevania is a series that has evolved over the 26 years to what it is today and I think it's in good shape right now and I think people will really enjoy the last one," he added. "There's a lot of surprises and I think we're going to deliver something unexpected."

In June, Cox said Mercury Steam has "next-gen in mind for our next project," but would not say more. Though Cox wouldn't go into more detail about this next game, last year he teased that Mercury Steam has a couple of "really cool ideas" in the works, adding that "it's no secret that I'm a big fan of Contra and I'd like to do something in that universe."

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 launches for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this winter.

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Microsoft reveals duration for game DVR feature for next-gen console; PlayStation 4 believed to be 7-15 minutes.

Microsoft has revealed that the Xbox One is capable of recording the last five minutes of gameplay through its new game DVR feature.

"It's called Project Upload. So the idea is you're always recording," Microsoft Studios creative director Ken Lobb told GameSpot at Comic-Con. "So we have a ring buffer game DVR, basically. So the last five minutes of any game you're playing is always being stored locally on your hard drive."

When Microsoft announced the new game DVR feature in May, the company did not say how long the next-generation system would record. By comparison, the PlayStation 4 boasts a similar functionality. Eurogamer reports that Sony's system could allow players to record the last 15 minutes of gameplay, though the final duration may be seven minutes.

Lobb also discussed how the game DVR functionality will work on the Xbox One. He said when playing online, gamers can say "Xbox Record," and the system will automatically record the last 30 seconds of gameplay. Players can then edit their video and spruce it up with voice-over and even picture-in-picture through the Kinect. Videos can then be shared through social networks.

The Xbox One and PS4 launch this holiday. Initial shortages are expected.

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Microsoft reveals duration for game DVR feature for next-gen console; PlayStation 4 believed to be 7-15 minutes.

Microsoft has revealed that the Xbox One is capable of recording the last five minutes of gameplay through its new game DVR feature.

"It's called Project Upload. So the idea is you're always recording," Microsoft Studios creative director Ken Lobb told GameSpot at Comic-Con. "So we have a ring buffer game DVR, basically. So the last five minutes of any game you're playing is always being stored locally on your hard drive."

When Microsoft announced the new game DVR feature in May, the company did not say how long the next-generation system would record. By comparison, the PlayStation 4 boasts a similar functionality. Eurogamer reports that Sony's system could allow players to record the last 15 minutes of gameplay, though the final duration may be seven minutes.

Lobb also discussed how the game DVR functionality will work on the Xbox One. He said when playing online, gamers can say "Xbox Record," and the system will automatically record the last 30 seconds of gameplay. Players can then edit their video and spruce it up with voice-over and even picture-in-picture through the Kinect. Videos can then be shared through social networks.

The Xbox One and PS4 launch this holiday. Initial shortages are expected.

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