Force Unleashed creators form Fearless Studios
Haden Blackman joins fellow LucasArts vet Cedrick Collomb to form new game development house; projects TBA.
Haden Blackman recently wrapped his 12-year career at LucasArts, having led development on a range of titles at the Star Wars house, including creating and serving as senior executive producer on The Force Unleashed and its impending sequel. Today, Blackman's next venture came into focus, as he and fellow LucasArts veteran Cedrick Collomb announced the formation of a new development house, Marin, California-based Fearless Games.
Haden Blackman and Cedrick Collomb
Today's announcement offered little indication on the direction of Fearless Games. In a statement, Blackman said, "By taking bold creative risks and tackling new challenges, Fearless Studios will fuse the best of story and gameplay to immerse, engage, and affect players just as deeply as our favorite films and novels." Platforms or future development projects were not revealed.
As for its management structure, Blackman will serve as co-president and chief creative officer. Collomb will share Blackman's president title, as well as pick up the title of chief technical officer. In addition to serving as director of technology at LucasArts and LucasFilms, Collomb has been credited on such titles as EA's Black. Seahorn Capital Group founder Marc Jackson will serve as Fearless Games' acting CFO.
Intrepid Studios is currently accepting resumes via their web site .
Read and Post Comments| Get the full article at GameSpot
Ghost Trick spooking DS Jan. 11
Capcom bringing Ace Attorney creator's latest detective-style handheld effort to North America early next year.
It has been more than a year since Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi first began talking about his latest zetetic handheld effort, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. And while the game didn't exactly light up the Japanese sales charts upon its release for the DS in June, North American audiences can soon begin peeling back the game's mysteries, as Capcom today announced a January 11, 2011, release for the title.
Ghost Trick's box art in its corporeal form.
A blend of the adventure and puzzle genres, Ghost Trick tells the story of an amnesiac ghost who attempts to solve the mystery behind his own death while saving the lives of others. As the deceased Sissel, players can take control of objects in the world to accomplish various challenges, with puzzle examples including making a bike float through the air to scare the living or possessing a light switch to zap an assassin.
Takumi fans have more than just Ghost Trick to look forward to in the near future. Earlier this month, Capcom and Level-5 announced it would be creating a crossover for its Ace Attorney and Professor Layton franchises. Tentatively titled Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, the game will be written by Takumi and released on 3DS, although the date has not yet been announced.
For more on Ghost Trick, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
Game Lawyer Predicts Bleak Future if SCOTUS Case Fails
I'm not a fan of headlines with question marks at the end, but the story IndustryGamer, "Can California's game law lead to the exodus from the industry? ," poses an interesting question. What are the repercussions of an entire industry under the thumb of a state government, and if the California law succeeds, what states will line up to pass their own laws? Will there be job losses and less mature-rated titles on the market?
Patrick Sweeney, a lawyer Reed Smith LLP and represents video gaming publishers (EA, THQ, Sony Online Entertainment, and Nintendo), makes a prediction: More
read more
THQ pencils in uDraw release date: November 14
Along with these three release dates (or is it one of the release date three things), THQ said that "The future wave of video games scheduled during calendar 2011 and beyond." It 'S nice to have some measure of confidence that the peripheral will be maintained, at least.
Gallery: uDraw Studio (Wii)
Continue reading THQ pencils in uDraw release date: November 14
THQ pencils in uDraw release date: November 14 originally appeared on JoystiqFri, Oct. 15, 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .
Why we love Minecraft
It's become an Internet sensation, an instant classic, and one of the best-selling independent games in recent memory. And best of all, Minecraft still in alpha - Theres a lot more in this way.
There seems to be a considerable amount of confusion, though. What IS Minecraft, and what do you do in it, exactly? Those answers are readily available online, if you're willing to look. But when it comes to the web, many people aren't.
We hope that through this article, we can get you interested. You really are missing out on something magical.
{{page_break}}
LEGO-style creation
By now, you've probably seen one of those videos showcasing some grand creation in Minecraft . There was a company-D from Star Trek, a massive waterslide, and an entire minecart interstate, Just to name a few of the latest hits.
There's a fine balance in Minecraft when it comes to resource gathering and creation. Left click on a block to break it down, right click to place it back into the environment; easy, but not too easy. I often liken it to building with LEGOs: finding the individual pieces you want might take a while, but the actual process of putting the blocks together is intuitive, and most importantly, fun.
True sandbox
When you run Minecraft for the first time, you aren't placed into a tutorial. Hell, you aren't even told anything, period. You're presented with a vast, open world, and that's it. It's up to you to explore, to make up your own "rules," and in a way, cater Minecraft to how you want to play it.
For some players, that's a major turnoff. To an extent, they need to be told what to do in their videogames -- otherwise, boredom will quickly strike -- and cannot handle ultimate freedom. For others, the true sandbox-style game has finally been realized, and they couldn't be more enthusiastic about it.
That's the beauty of two modes. In the creative mode, anything goes, if you want to install the game in this style. Survival, on the other hand, is very intentional elements that push you to the game a certain way. This leads me to my next two points.
Chance development
Levels - or the worlds, more precisely - in Minecraft are procedurally generated. In a game where your enjoyment is directly dependent on how imaginative a person you are, this is a big deal. I see those aforementioned videos and think to myself, "Man, I'll never be able to create anything that impressive."
But you know what I can do? The bridge connecting the two nearby mountains, or man-made island, or even a secret base for the waterfall that inexplicably surrounded by lava moat. I can create these things because the game presents me with the foundation to do so through his encouraging, non-linear maps.
Oh GOD turn around!
As I said earlier, Minecraft pushes you to do certain tasks, even if you don't immediately realize it. Another way the game accomplishes this is by way of a day-and-night cycle. During the sunny hours, you had best collect resources and stock up while it's safe outside, especially during your first few days. During the night, well -- that's when the monsters come out.
Yes, Minecraft has monsters, and they will kill your face off. Building a shelter -- whether it's a castle, a box, or a coffin-esque hole in the wall -- is necessary to live through the night. So while you are technically free to do whatever you want, it's ideal to work on dungeons or above-ground buildings during this time. It's a clever limit on your in-game freedom. As they say, a complete lack of restraint greatly hinders creativity.
Theres also a thrill to be had from roaming the world, where the skeleton archers, spiders and zombies on the prowl. I think almost everyone who played Minecraft felt that one moment of horror when they hear the noise, turn around and look, the creature looked into their eyes.
Collective building
The Future
As mentioned in the introduction - and the ugly shows in my paintings - Minecraft is still in alpha. Anyone who has coughed up the thirteen bucks or whatever it is for the full game will receive all future updates for free. It's crazy to think that this Game of the Year contender is only going to improve from here on out.
Personally, I'm desperately hoping for the Survival mode to expand. The potential is there for Minecraft to be the best game of survival of the island ever made, if the creator Markus Persson and co. can make demands for sustainable living deeper.
That said, there are a million directions he could take this game in, and I'll be happy with whatever he decides to do. He's already proven himself to be a brilliant designer.
Why we love Minecraft
It's become an Internet sensation, an instant classic, and one of the best-selling independent games in recent memory. And best of all, Minecraft is still only in alpha -- there's so much more on the way.
There seems to be a considerable amount of confusion, though. What IS Minecraft , and what do you do in it, exactly? Those answers are readily available online, if you're willing to look. But when it comes to the web, many people aren't.
We hope that through this article, we can get you interested. You really are missing out on something magical.
{{page_break}}
LEGO-style creation
To date, Youve, probably seen one of those videos showcasing some of the Grand creation in Minecraft. There was the Enterprise-Dfrom Star Trek, A massive waterslide , and an entire minecart interstate, just to name a few of the more recent hits.
Teresa delicate balance in Minecraft when it comes to resource gathering and creation. Left click on a block to break it down, right click to place it back into the environment; easy, but not too easy. I often liken it to building with LEGOs: finding the individual pieces you want might take a while, but the actual process of putting the blocks together is intuitive, and most importantly, fun.
True sandbox
When you run Minecraft the first time, Arent you put in the textbook. Hell, you Arent even said anything, period. You presented a huge, open world, and it is so. Its up to you to explore, to make their own rules, and thus satisfy Minecraft to how you want to play it.
For some players, thatsa core rotation. To a certain extent, they should be, what to do in their video games - otherwise, boredom strikes quickly - and can not cope with the ultimate freedom. According to others, truesandbox-style game has finally realized they could not be more enthusiastic.
That's the beauty of two modes. In the creative mode, anything goes, if you want to install the game in this style. Survival, on the other hand, is very intentional elements that push you to the game a certain way. This leads me to my next two points.
The randomness factor
The levels -- or, "worlds," to put it more accurately -- in Minecraft are procedurally generated. In a game where your enjoyment is directly dependent on how imaginative a person you are, this is a big deal. I see those aforementioned videos and think to myself, "Man, I'll never be able to create anything that impressive."
But you know what I can make? A bridge connecting two nearby mountains, or a man-made island, or even a secret base behind a waterfall that's inexplicably surrounded by a lava-filled moat. I can create those things, because the game presents me with the foundation to do so through its encouraging, non-linear maps.
Oh GOD turn around!
As I said earlier, Minecraft pushes you to do certain tasks, even if you don't immediately realize it. Another way the game accomplishes this is by way of a day-and-night cycle. During the sunny hours, you had best collect resources and stock up while it's safe outside, especially during your first few days. During the night, well -- that's when the monsters come out.
Yes, Minecraft has monsters, and they will kill your face off
There's also a certain thrill to be had from roaming the world when the skeleton archers, spiders, and zombies are on the prowl. I think just about everyone who has played Minecraft has experienced that one moment of sheer terror when they hear a noise, turn around, and see a creature staring them in the eyes.
Collective building
Don't get me wrong, seeing your creations come to fruition is mighty satisfying. Even more satisfying, however, is sharing what you've build with your friends. Whether you want to expand on what they have started putting together, or be an absolute dick by griefing their structures, it's once again your choice. Admittedly, pushing people off of bridges is more fun than it ought to be. Try it sometime, if you'd like.
The Future
As mentioned in the introduction - and the ugly shows in my paintings - Minecraft is still in alpha. Anyone who has coughed up the thirteen bucks or whatever it is for the full game will receive all future updates for free. It's crazy to think that this Game of the Year contender is only going to improve from here on out.
Personally, I'm desperately hoping for the Survival mode to expand. The potential is there for Minecraft to be the best island survival game ever made, if creator Markus Persson and co. can make the requirements for sustained life more in-depth.
Nevertheless, there are a million ways he can take this game, and I will be happy with whatever he decides to do. Hes already proved that he is a brilliant designer.
Back to the Future trilogy Blu-ray includes voucher for free episode of Telltale's game
The insert lists a URL for redeeming the included code -- "121GIGAWATTS" -- which currently directs browsers to the the game's homepage. We contacted Telltale to find out when the episode will go live and were told that the timing has yet to be nailed down. "At the URL on the insert, people will be able to register for the free episode and will receive notification from Telltale Games when the episode is available to download," the developer clarified.
In addition, if it Wasn 'm obviously, ISN redemption code' t unique, suggesting that free episode will be available for the masses - Telltale, when asked
Back to the Future trilogy Blu-ray includes voucher for free episode of Telltale's gameoriginally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.