 | Destiny inspired by serial TV like The Wire, Lost Apr 3rd 2013, 19:31 Bungie design director Joe Staten says studio looked at movies for Halo, but shifted to serial TV for new shooter. 
Serial television shows like The Wire, Lost, and Battlestar Galactica served as inspiration for Bungie's new shooter Destiny. Design director Joe Staten told GameSpot last week during the Game Developers Conference that this was not the case with Halo. "I think typically, for the Halo games, we looked at movies. But really for this game, we looked at serial television; great dramas like Lost or The Wire; Battlestar Galactica," Staten said. "When you're building a world and you want to evolve it over time, it really helps to have an understanding of how you build this longer-form narrative. So for us, that was a really interesting new thing we did," he added. "I think we probably spend more time watching television these days than we do movies and that's definitely influenced the way we think about building our story." Destiny is the first project in Bungie's ten-year publishing partnership with Call of Duty publisher Activision. The project is described as a "shared-world shooter." The game is currently in development for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4, though Bungie's own preorder page suggests the game is also coming to Wii U, PC, PlayStation Vita, and the Xbox 720. For more on Destiny, check back later this week for GameSpot's full conversation with Staten and art director Christopher Barrett. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Magicka: Wizard Wars Is a Frenetic Anti-MOBA for Fans of Chaos and Silly Hats Apr 3rd 2013, 18:52 Paradox North has turned Magicka into a competitive multiplayer game that focuses on action, speed, and setting wizards on fire. 
It's an easy mistake to make. You've got the isometric camera angle, a dark but cartoonish fantasy landscape, and a map full of players flinging spells at each other until the screen becomes a fireworks show of light and colors. Magicka: Wizard Wars really does look like it should be a MOBA. But spend a bit more time with this upcoming PvP title from Paradox North and you'll discover a frenetic action game with short rounds and a rule set that has more in common with Battlefield than League of Legends. It is, in many ways, a game geared toward players looking to skip the obtuse strategy of a Dota- or LOL-style game and jump straight into the head-to-head combat. [ Watch Video ] Wizard Wars looks like it'll retain the silly sense of humor found in its predecessor. Wizard Wars is a spin-off of 2011's Magicka, an action-adventure game best known for its novel spellcasting system that let you mix and match different elements to solve environmental puzzles or simply troll your teammates with friendly fire. Wizard Wars keeps the spellcasting system, but trades in the co-op exploration of its predecessor for an experience built entirely around competitive multiplayer (unlike the PVP mode that was patched into Magicka well after release). These are quick, 5- to 10-minute matches with two teams of four going at it in a hailstorm of spells and counterspells. It's all intended to feel a bit like the intense but rhythmic back-and-forth found in a fighting game. If you see another player charging up a fire spell, you can rain on his or her parade with a quick spray of water. If you get hit with an ice attack that freezes you solid, you'll need to cast fire on yourself to melt free. If you're on the ropes and need to heal up, you can create some distance between you and your opponent by knocking your foe back with a powerful stream of water or just summoning a wall of stone that pops up from the ground. Player interactions are made up of all these little give-and-take moments, with an added layer of unpredictability stemming from the fact that friendly fire is very much a factor. The whole thing feels a bit like the end of a MOBA match, once all the prep work of leveling up and buying items is out of the way and you're finally able to go at it unrestrained for the last few minutes. The development team at Paradox North promises up to 400 different spell combinations, which will hopefully provide plenty of strategic depth in the combat system despite its somewhat chaotic appearance. More straightforward is the actual rule set. You're not trying to destroy the other team's base or navigate a system of lanes to push back your opponents. Rather, it's a sort of spin on Battlefield's conquest match type, where you seek to control all the respawn points on the map. Once you've got all those capture points, it's lights out for the other team. Paradox North is hoping to add in new game modes after release, but for now, this is what it's focusing its energy on. There's something very appealing about the way Paradox North is taking the swords-and-sorcery combat system typically found in much larger strategy and role-playing games and adapting it with a precise eye toward competitive multiplayer. Will the deep spellcrafting system give it the staying power to keep players coming back for one quick round after another? We'll have to wait and see. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Pride clouds vision for Japanese devs, says Inafune Apr 3rd 2013, 18:20 Mega Man, Dead Rising designer Keiji Inafune claims pride keeping Japanese outfits from learning from Western studios. 
Mega Man and Dead Rising designer Keiji Inafune has opened up on the state of the Japanese game industry. Speaking to IGN, the former Capcom developer said Japanese studios are beginning to become aware of the "problem," but still have a ways to go. "I hope Japanese game developers are breaking through the stagnation," Inafune said. "However, the reality isn't as good as I want it to be. I see they’re starting to be aware of the problem and that they have to do something. They know they have to learn more from Western games and create games that'll sell more in the western market. However, they don’t know what to do or how to do it." One of the main reasons Japanese developers are coming up short, Inafune argued, is due to pride. "Even worse, their pride gets in the way, preventing them from learning from overseas developers. As a result, they end up staying in the domestic market rather than going global," he said. Inafune said he appreciates the Western media's interest in and concern about the health of the Japanese game industry. He noted that continuing to ask "Is Japan's game industry OK?" helps hammer home the point that something may be amiss. "So we much appreciate the fact that the world is concerned, however, [Japanese developers] still don’t really get it," he said. "Some developers are saying [the] Japanese game industry is still doing fine, but that's wishful thinking. Words are not enough, we must act and prove it. Unless at least a few titles from Japan make it to the top 10 games of the year worldwide, we won’t prove it." Inafune has long been vocal about the state of Japanese game development. He left Capcom in 2010 and founded new companies Intercept and Comcept the next year. His latest game is PlayStation Vita title Soul Sacrifice, which launches April 30. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | LucasArts closed Apr 3rd 2013, 17:34 [UPDATE] Disney shuts down studio, though Star Wars 1313 could live on through external partnership. 
[UPDATE] The GameStop-owned Game Informer magazine has obtained a statement from Disney, confirming LucasArts has been closed. "After evaluating our position in the games market, we've decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company's risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games," the statement reads. "As a result of this change, we've had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles." There may be hope for Star Wars 1313, as the representative told the site that it is looking for external partners to help bring the game to market, though nothing has yet been confirmed. "It is worth noting that we are looking for proven external partners who can help us provide video games to our fans. We still believe in the video game industry, we still will provide Star Wars games, we're just looking at different models rather than internal production’ They're evaluating everything. There's always a possibility that it [Star Wars 1313] can still come out via licensing." Separately, a Disney representative told GameSpot, "Disney Interactive looks forward to working with Lucasfilm on new games opportunities that leverage their incredible IP and brings it to life across gaming platforms." The original story follows below. LucasArts is no more. That's according to a Kotaku source, who said Disney has laid off the company's entire staff and canceled all current projects. The closure took place this morning, the source said, with layoffs estimated to number about 150 people. Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313 were reportedly both canceled. This news comes after months of speculation about the future of LucasArts, which Disney acquired, alongside LucasFilm, last October for $4.05 billion. When this deal was announced, LucasArts reportedly froze all hiring and announcements. LucasArts was most recently known for its Star Wars games, but the studio was also responsible for praised adventure games like The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, and Day of the Tentacle, among others. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
" LucasArts closed " was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:34:14 -0700 | |
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