Archive for March, 2009



25
Mar
09

Nintendo: Iwata @ GDC 2009

Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s president, spoke at the Game developers Conference earlier today. If you want to find out what he had to say at GDC 2009, you should check out the following sites:

GDC 2009: Nintendo’s Iwata Keynote Liveblog! [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3173429].

Live Blog: GDC 2009 Keynote – Nintendo President Satoru Iwata [http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/694279/Live-Blog-GDC-2009-Keynote---Nintendo-President-Satoru-Iwata.html]

* 50 million Wii consoles sold worldwide.

* 100 million DS portable consoles sold worldwide.

* With experience as a game developer, he knows the struggles a company can go through. Financial problems can lead to less productivity time, poor quality and less sales earnings bring less money to work on a sequel or in a brand new game.

*Why make huge documents for your game design when teamwork based on ideas, communication is much better? Game design documents can take a while to create, but Iwata dones not follow that path. He doesn’t create one.  His way:  ideas, communication, prototype of a concept, and perfection of projects based on prototypes.

*Kidnapping a random Nintendo employee? Only to try out a game in progress to see what’s fun in the eyes of the kidnapped person.

*Rhythm Heaven: How the process of the game started (thanks to a Japanese singer) and how it got to be on the Nintendo DS. Developers had to learn to dance. Everyone at GDC gets a copy of Rhythm Heaven for the DS.

* Females own 47% of all DS  sold. 20% of current Wii owners never had a console before.

* Lots of third-party games were sold for the Wii than for any other console.

*Number of PS3 consoles sold in 2008 = Number of Wii Balance Boards sold in 2008? Ouch, Sony.

*”Rock n Roll Climber”: First WiiWare game to use Wii Balance Board. Play with a guitar at the top of a cliff ???????

*”Moving Memo”

* A menu for Wiiware developers. “Complete storage solution for the Wii”? The Will will support high-capacity SD memory cards. With the Wii system Menu 4, it will be possible. Up to 240 games WiiWare, Virtual Console and Wii Channel content can be saved on a memory card, including the sequel to Final Fantasy Chronicles: My Life as a King. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years?

* “WarioWare Snapped” for the DSi. It records your face even after the game is done, so be careful if you do something stupid.

* True arcade games on the Virtual Console: “Tower of Truaga.”

* Zelda for the DS:  “The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.”

* Did you download the latest Wii firmware?

25
Mar
09

Autodesk: Softimage Mod Tool 7.5

From/De: Autodesk
Autodesk Announces Softimage Mod Tool 7.5

Free Game Development Software Offers Professional Toolset for Game Modding and Non-commercial Game Development

25 March 2009 – Autodesk, Inc., has announced Autodesk Softimage Mod Tool 7.5 software (formerly SOFTIMAGE│XSI Mod Tool). This free* 3D modelling and animation package for aspiring game artists is based on the same professional toolset as Autodesk Softimage (formerly SOFTIMAGE│XSI). Game studios have used Softimage software to create hit titles such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and Fable II.

“Softimage Mod Tool gives the next generation of game artists access to professional tools, so they can learn while making their own games or game mods,” said Marc Stevens, Autodesk Media & Entertainment vice president, games. “Game developers can also use the software to extend the life of a game by building a community of modders. Game mods can go on to become commercial games in their own right, and they can be used by developers to identify talent for recruiting purposes.”
Continue reading ‘Autodesk: Softimage Mod Tool 7.5′

25
Mar
09

Autodesk: HumanIK4 & Kynapse 6

From/De: Autodesk
New Autodesk Middleware Empowers Developers to Achieve Innovative Game Experiences

25 March 2009 – Autodesk, Inc., (NASDAQ: ADSK) has announced new versions of its two runtime technologies for the game engine – Autodesk HumanIK 4 animation middleware and Autodesk Kynapse 6 artificial intelligence (AI) middleware. Autodesk’s high-performance middleware solutions are flexible, production-proven and backed by solid support. The products have been adopted for at least 100 triple-A titles, including FIFA 09 and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

“Autodesk middleware products offer a solution to common runtime challenges, allowing development teams to concentrate on the creative work involved in authoring amazing new gameplay experiences,” said Marc Stevens, Autodesk vice president, games. “For example, HumanIK helps to alleviate the burden of large clip libraries by enabling procedural motion adaption, which reduces the number of clips animators need to produce and maintain. With Kynapse, programmers can avoid the development time and costs involved in writing custom runtime solutions for universal AI issues, like spatial awareness.”
Continue reading ‘Autodesk: HumanIK4 & Kynapse 6′

25
Mar
09

Bionic Commando [PS3/XB360] – May 19, ’09

From/De: Capcom USA PR

Get Bionic on May 19th!

Capcom is pleased to confirm that the highly-anticipated Bionic Commando will ship to retailers in North America on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Reloaded for the latest generation of hardware, Bionic Commando sees the return of the ultimate fusion of man and machine as Nathan Spencer is back as a government operative who, after distinguishing himself in a fierce conflict against the Imperials, is betrayed and falsely imprisoned by the very people he unquestioningly served. However, when bio-terrorists detonate an experimental device over Ascension City and then occupy it, there is only one option open to the authorities – reactivate Nathan Spencer. The upcoming new generation game, first released 20 years ago with the 8-bit original on the NES, is making a big comeback when it hits retail shelves this spring as it features an in-depth multiplayer mode that will have you swinging with friends around the globe via Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

The PC version of Bionic Commando is due to ship shortly after the console release. More details surrounding the PC version will be following in the upcoming months.

24
Mar
09

OnLive: A new competitor for the gaming consoles? | ¿Un nuevo competidor para las consolas de juegos?

A new competitor for Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony has emerged after 9 years under development. The OnLive Game Service and OnLive MicroConsole form a gaming-on-demand platform new to the industry. What makes this service different from Xbox Live, Steam, PlayStation Network and others is its ability to stream gameplay instantly on a TV through a microconsole or with a PC web browser via a plug-in or add-on. Basically all computers, even old ones, can let people play the latest games even without upgrading them. If connected to a TV, the microconsole could take care of your gaming needs. As with Xbox Live, players could download demos to try them and buy them if they want to. It looks like PlayCast (read this blog for more on it) won’t be the only company competing for the crowd interested in playing games without having consoles. Each one of them seem to have an advantage over the other. PlayCast may have to catch up by allowing gamers play with Internet Explorer or Firefox. Meanwhile, OnLive does need a microconsole box when played on a TV, but not with PlayCast.  Could this be the future of gaming as we know it?
Un nuevo competidor para Microsoft, Nintendo y Sony ha salido tras 9 años bajo desarrollo. El OnLive Game Service y la OnLive MicroConsole forman una nueva plataforma de juegos a pedido para la industria. Lo que lo hace este servicio diferente de Xbox Live, Steam, PlayStation Network y otros es la habilidad de transmitir el juego al instante a un TV a través de una microconsola o con un navegador de computadora via un “plug-in” o un complemento (add-on). Básicamente, todas las computadoras, hasta las antiguas, pueden permitir a la gente a jugar los últimos juegos hasta sin actualizarlas. Si está conectada a un TV, la microconsola podría encargarse de sus necesidades para jugar. Como con el Xbox Live, los jugadores podrían descargar demostraciones para probarlos y comprarlos si los quieren. Parece que PlayCast no será la úinca compañía compitiendo por la multitud interesada en jugar juegos sin tener consolas. Cada uno de esos parace tener una ventaja sobre el otro. PlayCast tal vez tenga que ponerse al día permitiendo a que los jugadores jueguen con Internet Explorer o Firefox. Mientras tanto, OnLive sí necesita una caja microconsola cuando se juega en la tele, pero con PlayCast no. ¿Podría ser esto el futuro de los videojuegos?
From/De: OnLive
OnLive™ Game Service Delivers the Hottest Titles from Top-Tier Publishers
OnLive
San Francisco, CA – March 24, 2009, 7:16PMOnLive, Inc., the pioneer of the on demand era of video games, today emerged from seven years of stealth development within the Rearden incubator to unveil The OnLive Game Service and OnLive MicroConsole™ at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. OnLive is a revolutionary, on demand video game platform delivering the latest and most advanced games instantly, on any TV via a sleek, inexpensive MicroConsole, or on almost any PC or Mac. OnLive is supported by many of the top names in the video games industry including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive Software, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, THQ Inc., Epic Games, Eidos, Atari Interactive and Codemasters.
Instant, High-performance Gameplay

“OnLive is the most powerful game system in the world. No high-end hardware, no upgrades, no endless downloads, no discs, no recalls, no obsolescence,” said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. “With OnLive, your video game experience is always state-of-the-art.”

Designed for gamers of all skills and ages, the OnLive Game Service is easy to use. The elegantly designed OnLive MicroConsole—about as small as a deck of cards—easily connects any TV and home broadband connection to the OnLive Game Service and is operated by an OnLive wireless controller. Gamers can enjoy the same experience on almost any Internet-connected PC or Mac via a small browser plug-in from OnLive.com—even entry-level computers will play the highest performance games. Whether on TV, PC or Mac, OnLive provides instant access to the most advanced games in the world, solo and multiplayer.

“OnLive combines the successful components of video games, online distribution and social networking into one affordable, flexible platform that offers a new way for game fans to access and enjoy content,” said Mike McGarvey, COO of OnLive. “By substantially lowering the barriers between content and consumers, OnLive has created an environment that is highly beneficial for every facet of the video game ecosystem. With OnLive, gamers can play what they want, when they want, how they want. That level of freedom has never been possible until now.”

Vibrant Community on a Massive Scale

The OnLive Game Service supports a live community of unprecedented scale. A revolutionary user interface allows video game fans to watch thousands of live games in action, join in at any point, share their exploits with friends through social networking tools, or make Brag Clips™ that showcase their skills. With OnLive, gamers have immediate access to demos and can instantly try, buy and play top-tier games, whether playing solo or with friends.

Benefitting the Game Ecosystem

“With OnLive we’ve cleared the last remaining hurdle for the video games industry: effective online distribution,” said Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO of OnLive. “By putting the value back into the games themselves and removing the reliance on expensive, short-lived hardware, we are dramatically shifting the economics of the industry. Delivering games instantly to the digital living room is the promise game fans have been waiting for and OnLive makes that promise a reality that’s affordable, flexible and focused on their individual needs.”

OnLive offers significant benefits to publishers and developers. It costs far less to develop a game for OnLive, and the economics are far more efficient than retail or download distribution models. It typically only takes a few weeks to extend an existing version of a game to work on the OnLive service, so there is little cost incurred by developers and publishers to support the OnLive platform.

Through a partnership with Epic Games, an industry leading developer of triple-A games and cross-platform game engine technology, the award-winning Unreal® Engine 3 is compatible with the OnLive platform. Games leveraging the cutting-edge technology and versatility of the Unreal Engine will easily run on the OnLive service.

Play Top Games from Top Names

OnLive will be showing 16 great titles playable during the 2009 Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco at the OnLive Booth, North Hall #5128.

Coming Soon…

The OnLive Game Service will be offered through a monthly subscription in Winter 2009. OnLive will be available in a variety of different pricing packages and tiers, competitively priced to retail.

About OnLive

OnLive is the pioneer of on demand game services, delivering real-time interactive experiences and rich media through the Internet. Today, OnLive is developing solutions and services specifically for the video games industry, with the world’s first video game on demand platform, the OnLive Game Service, launching later this year. With groundbreaking, patent-pending video compression technology, OnLive harnesses cloud computing to provide the power and intelligence needed to instantly deliver the latest, high-end games titles directly to TVs via a sleek, inexpensive MicroConsole, or on PCs and Macs. Founded by noted technology entrepreneur Steve Perlman (WebTV, QuickTime), and spun out of Rearden, the media and technology incubator behind MOVA, Ice Blink Studios and Moxi, OnLive spent seven years in stealth development before officially launching in March 2009. OnLive technology is backed by over 100 patents and patents pending. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. OnLive investors include Warner Bros., Autodesk and Maverick Capital. MOVA is a wholly owned subsidiary of OnLive. More information is available at www.OnLive.com.

OnLive, Brag Clips, MicroConsole, MOVA, and Contour are trademarks or registered trademarks of OnLive, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used by permission.

24
Mar
09

Zeebo: A new gaming console | Una nueva consola de juegos

Zeebo

A new gaming console is about to be born, but it won’t be making its debut in the US, Europe or Japan. This new gaming device, known as Zeebo, has been made with some specific purposes. In third-world countries, lots of people cannot afford to buy current consoles or games. Consoles are sold at higher prices because of the risk of game piracy. Would you buy a Wii at 4x its regular price?  Of course, not. But how about buying a cheap console to simply download games into it? That sounds more appropriate for people in those countries. Games can be sold at affordable prices and can be played in local languages as well. This way, the Zeebo may be able to expand where no other game console companies have gone before. The Zeebo already has the support of Electronic Arts, Capcom, THQ, Sega, Namco, Com2us and others. This sounds like a great strategy because it is much easier to download legal games instead of getting pirated ones at some places in those countries. The prices may be a bit higher than the pirated games ones, but perhaps this could change everything and people can start buying jogos from the comfort of their own home. The console will make its debut in Brasil next month for $120, its processor is the same one as Google’s Android. Una nueva consola de juegos está apunto de nacer, pero no hará su debút en los EE.UU., Europa o Japón. Este nuevo dispositivo de juegos, conocido como el Zeebo, ha sido hecho con algunos propósitos específicos. En los países del tercer mundo, mucha gente no puede darse el lujo de comprar las consolas o juegos actuales. Las consolas se venden a precios más altos debido al riesgo de la piratería de juegos. ¿Compraría un Wii a 4 veces su precio regular? Por supuesto que no. Pero, ¿qué tál la compra de una consola barata para simplemente descargar juegos en aquello? Eso parece ser más apropiado para las personas en esos países. Los juegos pueden ser vendidos a precios comodos y pueden jugarse en los idiomas locales también. De esta manera, el Zeebo puede expandirse donde ninguna otra compañía de consolas de juegos ha llegado antes. El Zeebo ya cuenta con el apoyo de Electronic Arts, Capcom, THQ, Sega, Namco, Com2us y otros. Esto parece una gran estrategia porque es mucho más fácil descargar los juegos legales en vez de obtener los pirateados en algunos lugares en aquellos países. Los precios pueden ser un poquito más altos que los juegos pirateados, pero tal vez esto pueda cambiar todo y la gente pueda comenzar a comprar jogos desde la comodidad de su propia casa. La consola hará su estreno en Brazil el próximo mes a $120 y su procesador es el mismo que el del Android de Google.

Link/Enlace: Zeebo Inc [http://www.zeeboinc.com]

24
Mar
09

Capcom Europe: The Street Fighter Years

A video featuring celebrities reminiscing about SFII in the ’90s.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

24
Mar
09

Autodesk: 3ds Max 2010

Autodesk Introduces 3ds Max 2010 Software at Game Developers Conference

New Release Offers Innovative Creative Tools, Powerful Scene Management Capabilities and Enhanced Support for Interoperability and Pipeline Integration

24 March 2009 - Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) has introduced Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 software – the latest version of its 3D modelling, animation and rendering product – offering nearly 350 additional features. The 2010 release provides innovative creative tools: a render-quality viewport display and at least 100 new graphite modelling tools. It also offers powerful new capabilities that help artists manage complex scenes with greater ease and an unprecedented level of support for software interoperability and pipeline integration.

Artists have used 3ds Max to create numerous award-winning entertainment projects, such as Fallout 3, Prince of Persia and Gears of War 2.

“3ds Max 2010 is a feature-packed release that has generated a lot of excitement in the 3D community,” said Marc Petit, Autodesk senior vice president, Media & Entertainment. “This version will help artists work faster than ever before, so they can explore more ideas, push boundaries, and create stunning work in less time.”

Jeff Hanna, senior technical artist at Volition, is a 3ds Max 2010 beta tester. His favourite new feature in the 2010 release is the xView mesh analyzer. “3ds Max 2010 software’s powerful xView mesh analyzer will make it easier for us to ensure that every asset our artists create is correct and game ready,” said Hanna. “The xView technology can quickly identify missing UVW coordinates, overlapping vertices, or open edges, among other things. With this tool, we won’t have to worry about bad game data due to invalid geometry.”
Continue reading ‘Autodesk: 3ds Max 2010′

24
Mar
09

Midway: Wheelman – Vin Diesel – Trailer [ Mar. 24, 2009]

24
Mar
09

SOE: G.I.R.L. Scholarship | Beca G.I.R.L.

From/De: Sony Online Entertainment

APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT’S 2009 G.I.R.L. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Program Awards Up To $10,000 Toward Tuition and Other Educational Expenses

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – March 24, 2009 – Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 G.I.R.L. Scholarship to help educate and recruit more women into the field of video game production and design. Sponsored by Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) a global leader in online gaming, and administered by Scholarship America®, a leading non-profit educational support program, applications are available at https://www.scholarshipamerica.org/gamersinreallife and more details, including official rules for entry are available online at http://www.station.sony.com/girl/.

“There are a significant number of women who are gamers, but not enough working in the video game field,” said Torrie Dorrell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. “With the application process starting today, we’re taking a concrete step toward opening the door a little wider for women who want to go into game development.”

One skilled student will win up to $10,000 to be applied toward tuition and other educational expenses at the school at which the student is currently enrolled, and an optional paid internship of up to 10 weeks at Sony Online Entertainment’s headquarters in San Diego, California (room, board, transportation and living expenses not included), to work on the upcoming online video game Free Realms™.

In order to be eligible to participate, entrants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program related to video games, must not graduate before the end of the 2010 spring term, and must comply with the program’s official rules. Entrants are required to complete an online application, and if chosen as finalists, submit concept art and two (2) essays that will be reviewed by a panel of judges from SOE. Online applications must be completed and submitted on or before April 24, 2009 and SOE must receive the concept art and essays from finalists by June 12, 2009. SOE will announce the winner on or about July 17, 2009.

For more information about the G.I.R.L. scholarship program, please visit http://www.station.sony.com/girl/.

About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Denver, CO; Tucson, AZ and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development.

About Scholarship America®
Scholarship America is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit, private-sector scholarship and educational support organizations. Its three primary programs — Dollars for Scholars®, Scholarship Management Services® and ScholarShop® — are united in the mission to expand access to education. Scholarship America (www.scholarshipamerica.org) has awarded more than $2 billion to nearly 2 million students since its founding in 1958, and is rated a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator.




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