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Dark Souls PC Port 'Not Very Well Done' says FromSoftware Director

Posted 4/13/13 11:00 am EST by in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360

by Joseph Leray

Dark Souls

Here's something refreshing: speaking with Shacknews, "Dark Souls II" director Yui Tanimura took the PC version of the original "Dark Souls" to task. "A lot of it was not very well done, sort of half-assed," he told the site. I'm sure the Cylons running publisher Namco Bandai's public relations department are thrilled.

"Dark Souls" was ported to PC a full ten months after it was first released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011 and failed to live up to expectations: technical problems found in the console version weren't addressed, and nothing was all that optimized for the new platform. The PC-centric Rock, Paper, Shotgun remarked, somewhat presciently, that the PC version of "Dark Souls" "feels more like taking a look at the premises and deciding whether it’s worth sticking around."

Namco Bandai must have liked what they saw, then: "Dark Souls" was (legally) downloaded over 300,000 times according to the company and From Software is planning a simultaneous launch across all platforms for "Dark Souls II," due in 2014.

"Yes, we will definitely put more priority on the PC," explained Tanimura. "Last time, we started working on PC after the console version was complete. This time, because we are considering the PC from the beginning, you can be sure there will be more care put into PC development."

[Shacknews]

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BioWare Survey Asks for Fan Feedback on 'Mass Effect 3' Multiplayer

Posted 4/13/13 9:00 am EST by in News, PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360

by Joseph Leray

Mass Effect 3

BioWare released a survey two days ago soliciting feedback from "Mass Effect 3" players about the game's cooperative, wave-based multiplayer mode. Specifically, BioWare wants to know how players responded to the layout, visual style, and perceived difficulty of "Mass Effect 3"'s nineteen Firebase maps.

Player feedback like this new survey will help BioWare identify and address trends, unsurprising from a company already well-known for keeping tabs on players. Given the success of "Mass Effect 3" and publisher Electronic Arts' modus operandi, the safe money is that the company  is looking to refine its multiplayer modes for presumable inclusion in the the next "Mass Effect" game.

BioWare haven't announced any plans for multiplayer in the next game -- or, really, any details at all -- but I wouldn't turn my nose up at the idea.

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GDC 2013: Talking stealth with developers of the new 'Thief'

Posted 4/5/13 3:00 pm EST by in eidos, square enix, Thief

Miguel Concepcion

How does a game studio follow up a highly anticipated--and ultimately well received--reboot of a beloved PC franchise? Why, reboot another equally revered PC series. From "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" to the simply titled "Thief", Eidos Montreal clearly like to challenge themselves, even if it might feel like countless invisible PC gamers are looking over their shoulders. MTV Multiplayer caught up with "Thief" producer, Stephan Roy and lead level designer, Daniel Windfeld Schmidt to comment on our reaction to their recent gameplay demo.

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Being mindful of the original game's staff and what they've gone on to do, I assume you guys are ready to hear the "Dishonored" comparisons. You crafted this gritty, believable world, that is a bit of a contrast to the abstract look of "Dishonored", so I'm also recalling the originality of "The Witcher".
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New 'Killer is Dead' Trailer Introduces Shiva-Armed Vivienne and a Three-Story Alien

Posted 4/3/13 7:45 pm EST by in News, PS3, Xbox 360

by Joseph Leray

We caught up with executive producer Goichi Suda at GDC last week, and he explained (among other things) that his upcoming cyberpunk action game "Killer is Dead" is named after the Smiths' The Queen is Dead album-- arguably their best. (Real talk: "Cemetry Gates" is my favorite Smiths' song.)

Those familiar with Suda know that he's long gotten away with his eccentricities: all of the assassins in 2005's "Killer 7" are named Smith (collectively, they're "the Smiths), and all of the discoverable courier memos are named after Smiths songs. From his obsession with hired killers -- "Killer 7," "No More Heroes," and now "Killer is Dead" -- to his use of bright, cel-shaded visuals, Suda's got a signature, unshakeable style when it comes to his studio's work.

All that Suda51 trivia leads me to the most recent trailer for "Killer is Dead," released yesterday -- not only does it showcase the game's much-touted "high contrast" shading, it also shows us just how far down the rabbit hole Suda is willing to go.

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Smuggler's Run: "The Last of Us" Makes its Mainstream Debut with New-ish Trailer

Posted 4/3/13 4:50 pm EST by in News, PS3

by Joseph Leray

Naughty Dog's pedigree notwithstanding, there are about a billion things that might turn people off of the team's upcoming "The Last of Us": maybe you're just sick of zombies, or third-person shooters, or third-person shooters about zombies. Maybe you'd just rather watch The Walking Dead on AMC.

Incidentally, that's exactly where Naughty Dog chose to premiere the new trailer, embedded above.
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'Transistor' Will Include Multiplayer, but Not Co-op or Deathmatch

Posted 4/3/13 9:51 am EST by in News

by Joseph Leray

Supergiant Games' "Transistor" will feature a kind of passive, persistent-world multiplayer mode says creative director Greg Kasavin. Speaking with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Kasavin explained that the company is "interested in ... a sense of feeling connected to other people who are playing, in a subtle way."

"You can still have your personal experience around the story, but you always know you belong in a larger [world]," he elaborated. "For example, players can sometimes see traces of other players' paths moving around. Things of that nature. What's interesting to us about this world is that it lends itself to some interesting things like that." Later in the interview, he mentioned that "the part where you don’t feel alone in the world is very important to us."

The most obvious comparison here is From Software's "Dark Souls," in which players could leave ghostly warnings in particularly dangerous areas, but Kasavin also warned against expecting deathmatch or co-op modes in "Transistor."  Says Kasavin: "The combat maybe could work in multiplayer, but I don't see this game having deathmatch arenas or whatever."

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GDC 2013: Catching up with 'Killer Is Dead' and Suda 51

Posted 4/2/13 2:54 pm EST by in GDC, Interviews, Killer Is Dead, Suda51

Miguel Concepcion

Killer-is-Dead_-23

The more I learn about "Killer Is Dead", the more I think Suda 51 is making his "Mission Impossible 2". In other words, I'm not yet convinced it will present anything new that I haven't seen in his other games, not that's automatically a bad thing. Like John Woo's 2000 film, "Killer Is Dead" feels like a greatest hits collection of  themes, characterizations, and visual stylings of Suda 51's previous works. It calls to mind the assassins of "No More Heroes" and "Killer 7" and the love story of "Shadows of the Damned". More than anything, it feel like the darker sibling of "Lollipop Chainsaw", both in tone and gameplay. This is something I can go for, though I hope the emphasis on thoughtful swordplay implies that "Killer Is Dead" is an improvement over the unremarkable combat of "Lollipop Chainsaw".
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Crytek USA Has Plans to Bid on 'Darksiders' IP

Posted 4/2/13 12:00 pm EST by in News, PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360

by Joseph Leray

Darksiders

Crytek USA, the new Austin-based studio built from the remnants of Vigil Games, plans to bid on the "Darksiders" license when it goes up for auction as part of THQ's bankruptcy proceedings. Late last week David Adams, former Vigil general manager and current Crytek USA CEO, tweeted that he was "going to bid on 'Darksiders' IP. Put 7 years of heart and soul into that franchise, and I think it belongs at home with its creators."

Ryan Stefanelli, who co-founded Vigil Games and now works as a lead designer at Crytek USA, later followed up with Destructoid confirming his new company's plans. ""When the 'Darksiders' IP goes up for auction, Crytek will be bidding for it," he explained. "Not much more to say since the rest is left up to courts and legal shenanigans, but we're all excited at the prospect."

'Darksiders,' originally developed by Vigil, was one of the few high-profile series not bought in the first wave of auctions following THQ's bankruptcy. It is still technically part of THQ's portfolio, but the company is in the process of a second round of auctions  -- initial bids were due yesterday.

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GDC 2013: 9 Takeaways from 'Saving Doug: Empathy, Character, and Choice in The Walking Dead'

Posted 4/1/13 4:30 pm EST by in GDC

By Miguel Concepcion

twd_2

The element of player choice was one of the features that made Telltale Games' "The Walking Dead" one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2012. It was an even more meaningful achievement when this choice-driven game essentially reached the same conclusion for all players. The game succeeds in the choices during the journey and less on the anticipation of the outcome of the choices. One of the more significant choices was during the game's second episode where you had to decide on the fates of Doug and Carley. It was the starting point of the GDC 2013 talk, 'Saving Doug: Empathy, Character, and Choice in The Walking Dead', hosted by "The Walking Dead" creative director, Jake Rodkin and director/writer, Sean Vanaman.  Here were the nine major takeaways from the panel:

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Do You Smell What DrinkBox is Cooking? 'Guacamelee!' Announced for April 9

Posted 3/27/13 5:30 pm EST by in News, PS Vita, PS3

by Joseph Leray

Sony's attempt to position itself as the console of choice for independent developers as we shift from one console generation to another is continuing unabated: in a post on the official PlayStation Blog, they announced the pricing and release date details for "Guacamelee!," the alebrije-inspired brawler-platformer-puzzle game from DrinkBox Studios.

Drumroll, por favor: as detailed in Sony's rest-of-the-year plan for indie games, "Guacamelee!" will be available under the cross-buy program for both the PlayStation 3 and Vita. It'll run you $14.99 and be available on April 9th.

Bankrolled by  the Canada Media Fund, Toronto-based DrinkBox Studios has been working on "Guacamelee!" (that exclamation point never gets old, really) since 2011. The game started off, as most do, with a bit of concept art and some spreadsheets, and DrinkBox first showed it off at GDC 2011 -- it's fitting that it's triumphant release would be announced at the same event two years later.

"Guacamelee!"'s bright, flashy visuals -- there's a reason it's nominated for an Excellence in Visual Design award at this year's Independent Games Festival -- are supported by the slick, Día de los Muertos-inspired alternate dimension puzzles and luchador combat illustrated by the game's launch trailer above. DrinkBox describes the game as a "Metroidvania brawler," which suggests sprawling maps and fair bit of exploration.

In any case, it all looks very polished and well-developed, but I have to admit I raised an eyebrow when I realized DrinkBox were Canadian, and it will be interesting to see how it handles its Mexican aesthetic. It's no surprised that the first comment on the trailer's YouTube page asked, "Why do all [people] think Mexico looks like this?"

[PlayStation Blog]

Related posts:
Gameloft's 'UNO and Friends' Coming To iOS, Android and Facebook In April
Firaxis Reveals A 'Haunted Hollow' Coming To iOS This Spring

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