Filed under: Interviews
Quantum Theory uses tech from Ninja Gaiden Sigma
by Andrew Yoon 
{ 10 months ago }
Starting from an already existing base of technology will help the team get more out of the PS3's immense potential. Ninja Gaiden looked good, but the Tecmo tech can certainly be stretched even further. "We think that we can push it to the next level with Quantum Theory. So it's not like we're completely starting from scratch, but the luxury of having a team, internally, that has already worked on a PS3 title, definitely has been a help."
Tecmo has yet to release real-time footage of the game in motion, but we're hoping to see more from this exciting PS3 game in the future.
[Thanks, David B.!]
Undead Knights developer loves the PSP, made for real gamers
by Andrew Yoon { 10 months ago }
The team is focusing on making a unique action experience, one that isn't simply about killing everything in your sight. "The most important thing, I think, is to be able to deliver a gameplay experience that's not just your typical action hack-and-slash, 'kill your enemies and move forward' game; there needs to be some sort of twist to an action game." The grim anti-hero approach of Undead Knights might have that "twist" they're looking for. Hopefully, it won't be long until we can see the fruits of their labor.
SOE expects PS3 to represent half of business
by Andrew Yoon { 10 months ago }
"I think PS3 will be close to half our business. There's an audience now waiting for online games on the PS3. I believe PSN has over 15 million users today. It's growing so quickly, we see a great user base potential there," SOE president John Smedley told GameDaily BIZ.
We're excited for all three of SOE's MMO projects for the PS3. However, we're most excited by Free Realms, a completely free MMO that charges for in-game items. The variety of gameplay options make us believe it will become a great alternative to PlayStation Home. The beta is starting soon on the PC -- we can't wait to see what the PS3 version will look like.
Reeves: no personnel or development cutbacks due to recession
by Jem Alexander { 11 months ago }
Reeves also states that within Sony Computer Entertainment Europe there will be no personnel or development cutbacks. "We don't have many personnel to cut back. Half our personnel are in the development of the games. That's an investment. We're not scaling down at all." Good news for first party developers; it looks like their jobs (and the games they are developing) are relatively safe.
Reeves goes on to say that while the Christmas period is showing no visible evidence of the recession, he expects sales to dip once the new year begins. At which point promotions will be introduced on software, either via Sony or via retailers themselves. Will this spread to a hardware price cut sometime next year? Let's hope so. As far as future development goes, Reeves sees more in software than hardware. Not necessarily games, but also user interfaces, PlayStation Network enhancements, Home, etc. Check out the full interview for plenty more interesting views from the SCEE chairman.
[Thanks NewDust]
Sony: No plans to change XMB or offer Netflix service
by Andrew Yoon { 12 months ago }
One of the big changes added to the NXE was the addition of Netflix streaming support. However, it doesn't appear Sony will offer a competitor to the service any time soon. "We've concentrated most of our efforts on our download service, both rentals and downloads of movies and TV shows. Our efforts will continue to be there, because our customers want to own the content." Netflix offers users access to a large number of titles to stream for a monthly fee; Sony's model allows users to buy the content a la carte. While we wish Sony would also offer an unlimited rental service for the PlayStation Store, there is an alternative that we've been using lately: Hulu. Ever since the last firmware update, we've been visiting the site to catch up on our favorite TV shows. Now if only Sony would add Hulu to the XMB ...
Nathan Drake voice actor for Prince of Persia 'entirely intentional'
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
With North returning in Uncharted 2 in the not-too-distant future, it seems like he has a pretty good voice acting career ahead of him. Prince of Persia will be available in stores this week.
Insomniac's Ted Price says multiplatform development is 'fantastic'
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
Being an exclusive developer has given much more attention to Insomniac's games. For example, could Resistance have done as well were it a multiplatform FPS game? "Because we were a launch title, we did get a lot of additional exposure simply because it was synonymous with the PlayStation 3. And it's hard to break into the genre; and it's cool that we were able to do it with a brand new entry."
However, the success of multiplatform titles does appear lucrative to Price. Speaking to Gamasutra, he also adds that We see games that are multiplatform succeeding wildly, and doing great, and that too is a fantastic place to be." That doesn't mean Insomniac is planning on making games on Xbox 360 any time soon -- however, as an independent studio, they're certainly free to keep that option available.
[Via 1UP]
SCEE's Maguire explains why LBP, EyeToy can only be from first-party dev
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
"It's really important, because if anybody has a responsibility to take a risk, to take a chance on development - and this is a huge expense - then it has to be us as a first party. There are many people who have said that everything from the original EyeToy all the way through to LittleBigPlanet wouldn't have happened from a third party publisher, because the risk is too difficult, or too much to take when you've got a potential multi-platform strategy in front of you."
Certainly, adapting LBP to multiple platforms would've created a far different experience for Media Molecule. In a gaming era where it's even more important to differentiate your platform from competitors, first-party successes like LBP can really cement a platform's position. "So we take those risks - some of them come off, and some of them don't. We've been reasonably lucky in that most of them have been okay. With SingStar, Buzz!, EyeToy and now with LittleBigPlanet we think that's typical of overall investing in something, taking a risk, but when it comes right? My God, it comes right."
Two artists, two PixelJunk soundtracks
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
Otograph was approached about Monsters. Find out more about his inspirations and how Otograph met up with Q-Games for this interesting collaboration here.
Then, check out the next interview with Baiyon, one part DJ, one part art director. Find out more about his serendipitous meeting with Dylan Cuthbert, and how he was able to create the unique presentation for this most recent Q-Games project. Read it here. You can also order the PixelJunk Eden soundtrack at Amazon or Play-Asia.
Kojima unhappy with Metal Gear Online, admits Konami ID 'not working well'
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
One thing did pop up in our readthrough: Hideo Kojima is unhappy with the number of people currently playing Metal Gear Online, the multiplayer portion of MGS4. Undoubtedly, the cumbersome Konami ID registration process, which requires players to write down multiple IDs and passwords simply to get into the game, became a significant barrier of entry.
"Honestly, officially, I can't say anything on Konami ID and Game ID. It's a company policy. But frankly speaking, the idea wasn't a very good one. The fact is that Konami's direction was that we create a Game ID and Konami ID for the online components, and now we're seeing that it's not working so well, and we have to think about how to turn it around. It was a concept of an online Konami group thinking, so there's not much I could do at the time."
[Via Joystiq]
Insomniac's Ted Price speaks out against video game legislation
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
Although they may be most famous for Ratchet & Clank, Insomniac is no stranger to creating games meant for adults. Their PS3 launch title, Resistance has sold millions of copies, with a sequel being readied for launch in November.
He believes that video games are being painted as the "scapegoat" of society's problems, much like movies, radio and even books in the past. Just like in the past, it will take some time before this attitude is rectified. "It won't be until we have more gamers running for office that this will calm down," he added. "It's something that we'll weather, because we are right, what we do is defensible under the Constitution and shouldn't be regulated by the government."
[Via GameDaily]
Sony's Yoshida admits Japan lagging in games technology
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
One of the main reasons why Japan has struggled in comparison with the rest of the world comes from the lack of manpower. Studios in other countries can top a hundred, but Japanese studios are still quite small. "That's not the case in Japan. Because they don't have a large base, like the movie industry; there aren't [a lot of people] in the high end of computer graphics. That's making the many great developers in Japan make slow progress."
That's not to say great games aren't coming from Japan, of course. Developers like Kojima Productions and Polyphony Digital have created some real graphics powerhouses on the PS3. Upcoming games from Capcom, like Resident Evil 5, and Square Enix look to push Japan's tech further.
[Thanks, nirolak!]
Yoshida interested in getting Wii consumers to stay with PS3
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
While Wii has been doing a great job of introducing gaming to a new audience, Yoshida is hoping that some of the Wii audience will learn to move on to other platforms, such as the PS3. "After they've played a Wii and played some of the games, some of those consumers might try something else. I'm really interested to try and convince those consumers to stay with us."
How will Yoshida be able to capture that audience? He points to the SIXAXIS as just a small part of the strategy: "[it's] really important to us to create a new experience. And that was what we've been doing with the EyeToy camera, the SingStar mic and the Buzz controller. We always look for a new way to give users interaction with games." As for a brand new "dedicated motion controller" ... well, "that's a possibility."
Yoshida really, really disappointed by lack of third party support
by Andrew Yoon { 1 year ago }
Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida recently lamented the state of PSP in an interview with IGN UK. He notes that third party support for Sony's handheld has been "really, really disappointing," calling the current sitation "a lost opportunity for the third parties." He's echoed this sentiment before."They should look at what the PSP can do for their titles and the potential for the business that their IP has," he says, pointing out Sony's first-party support of the handheld through titles like God of War, Resistance and Buzz!. Of course, Yoshida's job is to convince third party developers to support the platform. His strategy? "We have to show by examples. What's happening in Japan is interesting - because of the massive success of Monster Hunter, Japanese publishers realise, 'here's a resource'. Lots of people are playing PSP in groups of fours and when you go to Japan it's hard to find a train or a bar where you don't see some people playing a PSP. So other publishers in Japan are seeing these consumers, and thinking, 'Wow, we can make games for those consumers'."
Want some pipe-bursting Pipe Mania info? We've got it
by Majed Athab { 1 year ago }
Speaking of adding more, the game is set to have 250-300 levels -- about three times more than the original. Levels are not randomized; they're all preset. Expect to see some classic levels. World mode (story mode) is the game's main course, taking players to themed areas like: sewers, railroads, a toy factory, and even the almighty internet. Arcade mode is described as a "never-ending series of puzzles" and the PSP's versus mode involves competitive head-to-head matches via "remote" (which we're assuming means infrastructure play). Wilkins noted that the PSP was the best fit for multiplayer, but was also the most difficult to work with in regards to the interface. The Wii, DS, and PC versions all have that original point-n-click interface, but the PSP and PS2 don't. You'll have to be "slightly less cavalier with your moves" said Wilkins.
Lastly, the duo made mention that a PSP demo will be available soon on the PS Store. That should come in good time as Pipe Mania is due out in North America by mid-September. Oddly enough, a price for the title is "still being determined."
