Does "Rock Band" mastermind Alex Rigopulos see a cascade of colored lights in his sleep?
Does "Gears of War" creator Cliff Bleszinski hear snoring that makes him dream he's wielding a Lancer chainsaw?
Does "Burnout" architect Alex Ward dream that his car has flipped?
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, Patrick and I asked a few game developers how their work in the gaming industry affects their dreams. We heard back from creators behind "Fable II," "Mirror's Edge" and "Alone In The Dark" as well as from one game-crazy p.r. man.
Here are their gaming-affected dreams. Brace yourself: Read more...
"Alone in the Dark" was the subject of glowing previews but highly critical reviews.
Developers at studio Eden Games took those criticisms to heart when working on the PlayStation 3 version, and has actually implemented some of the suggestions.
"We knew we had, like, four months to work on the PS3 before we were done with that version," said game designer Emile Morel to me last week, while showing off a build of the improved PS3 version. "So we decided to make changes to improve the game and make sure this time everybody can enjoy it."
The control and interface tweaks are part of the PS3 version shipping this fall, and may later arrive as a patch for Xbox 360 users -- but it's not guaranteed.
The question is, how did Eden Games not realize some of these issues in the first place? There are a couple of reasons, Morel explained:
Read more...
Eden Games is making some much needed control, camera and inventory changes to "Alone in the Dark" before it arrives on PlayStation 3.
These changes are in direct response to criticisms of the Xbox 360 version. At the Leipzig Games Convention, Eurogamer reported news of a patch so Xbox 360 owners could enjoy the same changes.
While checking out the tweaked "Alone in the Dark" in a San Francisco hotel yesterday, game designer Emile Morel couldn't explicitly promise such a patch was coming.
"We're trying to do it," said Morel. "It's technically complicated. The size of a patch is very limited by Microsoft. So if we do a patch it would only be about the new control and the new camera."
Morel says "only" because the PS3 version also includes a new subway chase sequence that would likely be too large to include in just a mere patch.
"We can't promise it because it is still early," he said. "We are finishing this [PS3] version first. I guess it also depends on the success of this version. If people review it again and said it's not worth it..." [laughs]
Would you reconsider playing "Alone in the Dark" on Xbox 360 if Eden Games delivered the promised tweaks?
Related Posts
'Alone in the Dark' Wii Loses Fancy Tech And Open World, Adds Motion Controls — Is That Enough?
First '120 Seconds' Of A Creepy Trip Through Central Park In 'Alone In The Dark'
Phil Harrison Explains Why 'Alone In The Dark' Fixes A Big Problem In Gaming
"Alone in the Dark," Atari's latest release on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii, follows in the tradition of all of the "Alone in the Dark" games that came before it. It's creepy. In the first playable '120 Seconds' of the game you get to see one of the most creative gameplay mechanisms in a long time - the blink.
(Videos not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K.)
Publishers have largely moved away from adapted versions of their high-tech games for Wii, but they still happen, such as this month's "Alone in the Dark."
"Alone in the Dark" doesn't feel much like a game designed for Wii. That's probably because it isn't.
But for Wii-exclusive owners in search of survival horror before Tecmo delivers "Fatal Frame," "Alone in the Dark" is their best bet. In that respect, how does it hold up?
Read more...
Remember when I said something in presentation of the new "Alone in the Dark" made me place my notebook over my face?
It made newly appointed Infogrames president Phil Harrison smile. "We had a debate just before we were due to start on where to start that sequence," he told me last week.
In previous presentations, they didn't spoil it. Just my luck. But he's right; they proved the narrative important enough for me to avoid a spoiler.
Influencing the player's narrative interaction is the game's DVD-style functionality, which allows them to skip sequences they don't want to finish.
"I think the intention behind the design was to resolve two fundamental contradictions in gaming," said Harrison.
Read more...
Atari's "Alone in the Dark" arrives on Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii and PC next month.
It won't arrive on PlayStation 3 until later, which means it could include support for the PS3's virtual world Home service and the system's Achievements-like system called trophies.
Home was one of Phil Harrison's babies at Sony, where he served as head of worldwide studios until a couple of months ago. He always seemed very proud of what Sony could accomplish with Home. But it didn't happen while he was there.
I figured that now that he's president of Atari's parent company, Infogrames, he might have some insight on whether "Alone in the Dark" could support Home and incorporate trophies later this year.
"If the libraries are available, then yeah, I would hope that the PS3 version can take advantage of that," he told me last week.
No Home guarantees yet, readers. Not even from Phil Harrison.
I can't talk about what I saw at last night's San Francisco media presentation of "Alone in the Dark" yet. But I can tell you it made me hold my notebook over my eyes.
At one point, the audience was told they were about to see an exciting, pivotal moment in the storyline. A main character's story arc was going to take an unexpected turn.
Thing is, I didn't want to know about it. I want to play "Alone in the Dark." I certainly didn't want a crucial narrative point spoiled for me. So I covered my eyes.
Game Videos assistant producer David Ellis informed me when it finally was safe to look. It was slightly embarrassing to be consciously ignoring what the developer was trying to show me, but it's not the first time I've felt that way, either.
The same sense of "spoiler alert!" happened last week with "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" and "Silent Hill: Homecoming," too.
Am I failing as a journalist?
Read more...
