Game Theory Online

Kotaku GTA 4 Hands on preview

2008-04-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

Another day, another glowing GTA4 preview. This is getting out of control people! Argh...just one more month until we can engage in wanton crime sprees and violence in Liberty City!

GTA4 Hands-On: The World is Yours (Kotaku)

Final GTAIV Trailer released

2008-03-27T15:38:00.001-07:00

Need I say more?

Resident Evil 5 gameplay footage revealed!

2008-03-26T04:08:00.000-07:00

GameVideos have managed to snag the first footage of the massively anticipated Next-Gen debut of the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil 5, taken from a Capcom DVD. Although offscreen, the video showcases fantastic lighting and animation in several gameplay sequences, together with footage of modelers and animators hard at work on the game's characters. The video contains Japanese voice over, however the nice folk at NeoGaf have managed to get a translation of the key details:

"Ever since the dawn of time,
the most primordial human emotion has been...
FEAR"

The DVD starts with footage of the original RE, where the original nightmare started as Chris and Jill try to escape the mansion.
In RE2, the battle against Umbrella unfolded as Raccoon City died.
In 3, an incessant hunter pursued Jill Valentine.
In the deserted island of Rockfort, more mysteries unfolded in CODE: Veronica.
Convict Billy Coen was an unexpected ally in Zero.
And in a village infected with madness, Leon rescued the president's daughter in 4...

The series was introduced in 1996 and broke sales records.

Now a new game is coming... Biohazard 5.

Takeuchi Interview (very rough/basic translation)

Footage of the devs examining Chris' Biohazard 5 character model on a PC. The original Biohazard was developed on older hardware, but in 5, the hardware allows for the character models to be adapted to various situations.

There were various teams that could make the game at the beginning.
Africa confirmed - Or, at the very least, the village is modeled after an African village
Sunlight will be a focus of the game to achieve a new kind of feel not done before.

Chris at first can walk around the village with no one attacking him, but he sees two people attacking another and dragging the guy into the room. Chris follows in, and the action starts after the mutation.

More footage of Chris fighting the ganados. So far, it's very similar to RE4.

5's System
Shinji Mikami's Biohazard 4 is the base for the system, with evolutions and improvements planned.

Chris Redfield
Takeuchi was a staff member of the original Biohazard, of which Chris was a star of. 5 takes place 10 years after the original RE, and Chris has a new mission.

Weapon Variation
Chris is up against a huge number of enemies. The game will have variation in weapons including series classics like the Handgun and Shotgun and such. The footage shows the developers examining a handgun character model.

Fight Elements
The game will make use of the action buttons (QTEs) from Biohazard 4 once again.

Message to the Fans
Fans have eagerly awaited prior titles and now await Biohazard 5. Capcom's working hard on the game's unexpected graphics, system and story. The Biohazard series has taken on various forms in its history. Presently a CG movie is also in works (Biohazard Degeneration) and that will be shown as well. There is a lot to look forward to in the Biohazard world this year. We will delve down into the story and characters of the Biohazard series, and thus this year will be filled with Biohazard. Please look forward to more information on the title this year.

Final World from Mr. Takeuchi
WAIT FOR THE MEDIA SUMMIT

Check out the footage below before it disappears!

LEGO Portal stop-motion movie

2008-03-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

After receiving word about this awesome little Portal-themed LEGO stop-motion movie from Nick Larsen, I couldn't resist one last post before Easter. Complete with nice depth-of-field and portal effects, and set to the glorious Portal credits song, "Still Alive", it's well worth checking out. Thanks for the heads up, Nick!

Check it out at Nick Larsen Media.

What's with the lack of posts?

2008-03-20T02:38:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have been following and enjoying my news and opinion posts about the Games Industry may be wondering why the post rate has dropped of late. I can't say I have a great excuse, other than sometimes real life gets in the way of firing up Blogger to post about the latest industry press release. We've also been in a bit of slow period, releases-wise, and there are plenty of other blogs out there able to post endlessly about the random, boring crap that often rates as gaming "news" - *cough* Kotaku *cough*.

Personally, work and family life have been a real drain on my time and energy lately, and so while I have been keeping tabs on what's been happening, nothing has really blown my skirt up enough to both posting about it. This Easter, my family and I are heading Into the Wild camping for a few days, and while I'm no Outdoors man, frankly I'm looking forward to getting away from technology and games for a while to recharge my batteries.

As we head into the middle of the year, we'll definitely start to see things ramping up considerably, with the mother load of GTA4 hitting on 29 April. Can't wait to check it out.

Just to prove that there's still interesting stuff happening, heres a new (and breathtaking) trailer of Codemasters' new racing game, Grid. Built from the next iteration of their outstanding Neon engine, Grid is looking like something truly special. Looking forward to seeing more about the game in the near future.

Have a safe and happy Easter all. Get lots of gaming in, and may all your frags be headshots ;-)

Mark@GameTheoryOnline.

Gaming news of the day

2008-03-17T15:55:00.001-07:00

New Facebreaker screenshots (Shacknews)
Call of Duty 4 does another tour of duty in Game of Year Edition (Joystiq)
New Forza 2 Car Pack DLC incoming (IGN)
THQ joins offroad racing party with Baja (Shacknews)
Epic Games collection breaks free of retail with Steam (Evil Avatar)
Prey 2 officially announced (Voodoo Extreme)

Burnout Paradise Interactive City Map

2008-03-14T16:49:00.001-07:00

Don't want to fire up Burnout Paradise to check out the location of all the challenges in the game, or to learn a race route that you can't win? No worries, you can now do it online with the Burnout Paradise Interactive City map.

An enterprising developer going by the name of Senocular has managed to use the google map system to display a scrolling, zoomable map of Paradise City that allows you to overlay a variety of the challenge content in the game, ie. race routes, gas stations etc. It's pretty cool, check it out below. I've also posted a link to the developer's blog so you can read about how he did it!

Burnout Paradise Interactive City map
Developer Blog

1942 remade for XBLA and PSN

2008-03-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

The messengers at IGN today bring word of another classic game remake for the XBLA/PSN generation, this time it's the arcade smash hit 1942 getting the treatment in the form of 1942: Joint Strike. Sporting updated visuals and co-op gameplay, the IGN lads seem optimistic about the chances of this remake, by developer Backbone Entertainment, getting it right.

We've seen a number of arcade games remade as digital downloads. Many have failed to properly upgrade the graphics, sound or gameplay. From our brief time with 1942: Joint Strike, it doesn't seem developer Backbone Entertainment has fallen into this trap. In fact, Joint Strike stands out as an example of how to reintroduce an arcade game to a modern audience.

Head over to IGN now to check out the full preview and first direct feed vids.

1942: Joint Strike Preview (IGN)

Starcraft 2: Blizzard unveils the Zerg

2008-03-10T03:42:00.000-07:00

Megaton video incoming RTS fans! Today a new StarCraft 2 trailer was released in Korea showcasing the game's Zerg race. The trailer, as you would expect from Blizzard, is pretty epic, containing a nice mix of prerendered and gameplay footage. This game is definitely on our 2008 hot-list here at GTO, and we can't wait to see more from this highly anticipated sequel. Now...where is that direct-feed version...

UPDATE: 9 minutes of StarCraft 2 Zerg gameplay footage has shown up on YouTube.

UPDATE2: Voodoo Extreme is first out of the blocks with a direct feed version of the Zerg reveal trailer

LEGO Indiana Jones first gameplay footage

2008-03-08T03:10:00.000-08:00

Since it was first announced, gamers around the world have been hoping that Traveller's Tales' LEGOised version of Indiana Jones would do justice to the legacy. Now, with this gameplay trailer, I'm happy to report that awesome has arrived, and it's name is LEGO Indy.

GTA 4: New movies, screens and radio station widgets

2008-03-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

Another week, another sweet GTA 4 official website update from R*. This week's update (embedded below) includes two new character intro movies, 2 great music tracks from Liberty City radio, and a few very nice new screenshots (love the 'splode one!). This game could very easily be the most successful game ever. Mark. My. Words.

Burnout Paradise 1.2 patch details

2008-03-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

Those wacky guys at Team XBox have shot up news of a v1.2 patch soon to be released for the chaotic Criterion racer, Burnout: Paradise. Coming for both the XBox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of the game, the patch contains fixes for several bugs reported by players as well as gameplay and control tweaks. Full details of the patch are below:

As you all know we have been playing, listening and responding to feedback with you all, our community. In addition we've also been working hard to make Burnout Paradise even better. In play time and reading issues that players are reporting we've been making adjustments and fixes to the game. We're very nearly complete with this update and wanted to share with you all what it is that we're doing.

The Top 10 problems reported by you have been fixed, these are:

- PS3 game can crash when a player is taken down and the player that has performed the Takedown leaves the game.

- The game indefinitely displays "Connecting to Paradise City Servers" if it's having problems pinging the rebroadcast server.

- Disconnecting the controller before a race begines can mean that race timings can be manipulated with players who didn't cross the line first being awarded the win

- Repeatedly joining and leaving a game with 8 players can cause the game to hang.

- Hammering the A (360) or X (PS3) after unlocking a car can cause the game to hang.

- East Crawford and Watt St achievements can not be achieved if the player goes online and sets road rules before attempting them.

- Audio distortion when using 5.1 / DTS and looking rearwards.

- Enhanced 360 streaming performance stops instances where the game seems to pause for a second or so. - Total time driven in player stats would stick at 145 hours :)

- VoIP connection problems with 8 player games.

Game experience enhancements

- We're going to be running road rule timers in all events and online challenges.

- Tuning Online Takedown logic & physical behaviour to iron out instances where it doesn't feel fair.

- Increase online race timer timeout so players have a greater chance of finishing the race.

- Fix drifting bug when drifting and boosting there wasn't any real control on the brake so players would grind around the walls of the corners. Getting better control.

- Boost fix, stabbing the boost has too much of a jerky behaviour in the car handling.

- Surround sound fix - Centre speaker was 4dB louder, ruining the mix and the speech has now been positioned correctly.

- Tweak Marked Man gameplay AI, was easy to exploit by driving in reverse.

- Increase the # of search results returned for online games.

- Increase Picture Paradise timer so it doesn't kick in so quickly.

Other high priority issues being fixed

- Some online race start points face the players in the wrong direction

- Instances where Barrel rolls were not registering correctly in Stunt Run

- Instances in Stunt Run where players would crash but not wreck & score multipliers by driving away

- Fixed instances where the counting of Boost Chains would drop out

- Some instances where Revenge Rivalries desync & don't get fixed until players are updated online.

- Some instance where the Host couldn't change the game access if the game was created through an invite.

- Achievements, Awards and Challenges numbers sometimes not updated if the player didn't leave the game cleanly

- Online challenge issues where the challenge couldn't be completed if it was started at the exact time that a player left the game.

- Incorrect rivalry updates when European players played against English or Japanese players. Online connection issues

- Force timeout if the 360 gets stuck on "Connecting to Paradise City Servers" - NAT error

- Rich presence on 360 didn't change correctly when there is a change in the game parameters.

- Instances where Friends were not being displayed on the mini map.

We'll get a definitive release date out to you all as soon as we can, but it doesn't stop here for us! Look out in the near future for more details on future updates and our plans for DLC.

Thanks

The Burnout Team.

Burnout: Paradise 1.2 patch in the works (Team XBox)

Team Fortress 2: New Goldrush map revealed

2008-03-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

Valve have released a fly through from a new map coming for Team Fortress 2, called Goldrush. The map, themed around a series of mine shafts, looks like it will suit matches with a large number of players, with a huge play area. We'll bring you more details about this exciting new map as they surface, but in the meantime, check out the fly through from GameTrailers below:

UPDATE: oops, the video appears to have been taken down.

New Battlefield: Heroes trailer available

2008-02-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

A new trailer from Battlefield: Heroes has been released by EA, showcasing more details and ingame footage from this free-to-play, advertising-supported addition to the Battlefield franchise. Initial impressions are that the game looks very bright and vibrant, with the influence of Team Fortress 2 clearly visible in the non-realistic style graphics. New information in the trailer includes details of an online territorial meta-game, that will see players fighting over a virtual continent, attempting to wrest control from the opposition.

We'll bring you more details from this interesting title as they surface, but for now you can check out the new trailer below (thanks IGN).

Today in the news...

2008-02-28T14:43:00.001-08:00

It's GTA 4 preview day today people, and most of the big outlets have new hands-on articles up about this impossibly highly anticipated title for the XBox 360 and Playstation 3. Also, it's sad to learn that Titan Quest dev Iron Lore has closed its doors as of today. Anyway, on with the links!

GTA 4 Previews

IGN
1UP
VideoGamer

Iron Lore closes its doors

Battlefield: Bad Company Hands-on (IGN)

No Doubt DLC pack available for Guitar Hero III (Team XBox)

Another Gamespot Reviewer departs

2008-02-27T21:38:00.001-08:00

The good times at CNET continued today with the news that yet another Gamespot reviewer, Jason Ocampo, has left the company. The popular gaming website has been beset by editor departures since the Gerstmann-gate affair a couple of months ago ignited gamer rage around the internet.

Well CNET, it looks like your days of reviewers tarnishing your relationships with advertisers may just about be over...if things continue like this there won't be any staff left in the Gamespot offices! It's sad to see such a once well-regarded press outlet deteriorate like this, hopefully they'll be able to get some good new writers on staff soon and we can put this nasty business behind us once and for all.

Another Gamespot Reviewer Leaves the CNET Mothership (Kotaku)

UPDATE: According to IGN's Gamescoop! podcast today, Ocampo has accepted a position as Editor-In-Chief of IGN PC.

Sweet new Force Unleashed footage

2008-02-27T17:24:00.000-08:00

A gorgeous new trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has popped up on GameTrailers recently (embedded below), showcasing a new 'junk-planet' environment. Good job Lucasarts, the game looks to be coming together beautifully.

GDC: The secrets of Portal's success

2008-02-27T15:06:00.000-08:00

Anyone who played last year's breakout smash hit Portal from Valve will know what an amazing job the team did to marry technology, narrative and gameplay in a short, but highly addictive package. The boffins at Gamasutra have this morning put up a detailed post-mortem of the development of the title from the GDC session hosted by Valve's Kim Swift and Erik Wolpaw.

A big theme from the session was the emphasis placed on playtesting often and including feedback in the development loop:

“Playtesting is probably the most important thing we did on Portal,” Swift continued. “Sit down and watch people play your game. Don’t just have them send you reports: It’s not going to be as valuable. You can find out what you’re players actually want by watching them. Adjust gameplay to what players look like they need, and adjust story to enhance what players are already feeling.”

Swift revealed they began testing the first room from the moment they started at Valve. For example, the first room initially featured a “shimmery force field” and players didn’t understand what it was -- so they changed it to glass. Throughout the game they proceeded to make the world cleaner and simpler to help teach the players what they need to know.

Also discussed were the difficulties encountered when sculpting the end-game. Head over to Gamasutra to read the remainder of the article.

Best of GDC: The secrets of Portal's huge success (Gamasutra)

News catch-up

2008-02-26T18:02:00.000-08:00

Don't you just hate it when Real Life (tm) gets in the way of blogging about gaming news? I know I do...Anyway, the show, as they say, must go on. So without further ado, here is the biggest news from the last few days:

Phil Harrison resigns from Sony, heads to...Atari? (1UP)
Frontlines: Fuel of war reviews surface, doesn't suck (TeamXBox)
Patapon PSP review (1UP)
New LittleBigPlanet screens arrive, are cute (WorthPlaying)
New EA Dead Space trailer (GameTrailers)
Microsoft abandons HD-DVD, slashes addon price (Shacknews)

It's good to be back...

EA bids $2 Billion for Take Two

2008-02-24T14:37:00.000-08:00

In breaking news this morning, Voodoo Extreme (along with every other Gaming website) is reporting that EA has launched a hostile takeover bid for Take Two, for the princely sum of $2 Billion.

Initially proposed to the Take Two board, and summarily dismissed, EA will now go directly to Take Two's shareholders in a bid to gain control of the company.

Apparently the Lure of GTA 4, and not being big enough already were motivation enough for EA...

More as it breaks...

EA Bids $2 Billion for Take Two (Voodoo Extreme)

UPDATE: Take 2 have formally responded to EA's $26/share offer with a categorical 'NO WAY", calling the bid "Highly Opportunistic", referring to the upcoming release of GTA 4, and undervalued.

Take 2 rejects EA offer (Reuters)

Street Fighter 4: Direct feed trailer you can't miss!

2008-02-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

Sick of grainy, offscreen footage of Street Fighter 4 and crappy low-res screenshots? Well wait no more my friends, because the direct feed AOU Street Fighter 4 trailer has been unleashed on the web, and now we can bring it to you, courtesy of GameTrailers. Prepare to pick your jaw up from the floor.

GDC: Day 3 notes

2008-02-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

Some links for you to round up the final day of GDC:

Ken Levine on Narrative in Bioshock (1UP)
2 new GTA4 Trailers (Shacknews)
Crysis Postmortem (C&VG)
Lucasarts talks about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Shacknews)
Far Cry 2 gameplay footage (Gamersyde)
Street Fighter 4 first impressions (Eurogamer)
Havok Complete Tools Free for PC (Voodoo Extreme)
Dead Space trailer (GameTrailers)

GDC: Ninja Gaiden 2 demo imminent?

2008-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

The eagle-eyes over at IGN have noticed a new, currently unclickable entry for a Ninja Gaiden 2 demo has appeared in the XBox 360's GDC 2008 Bringing it Home section today! The title, recently announced to have a June release date during Microsoft's GDC keynote, is expected to be a gory smash hit when it arrives later this year. Hopefully the link will be enabled in the next couple of days! If you can't stand the wait, check out this sweet new footage of the game in action...

Ninja Gaiden 2 Demo Coming Soon (IGN)

Intel acquires Offset Software

2008-02-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

Keen to get involved with the Games Industry on a software level, Intel has just announced that they have purchased Project Offset developer, Offset Software. 12 months or so ago, the Offset team produced a series of *very* impressive tech demo movies showing off their in-production engine, which was to be used to produce a next-gen RPG called Project Offset. It all looked very nice, and everyone was excited...and them we didn't hear anything for 12 months.

A couple of months ago, a rough gameplay video from the game leaked onto the Interwebs, but it failed to gain the traction that the initial vids had promised. Obviously they've been able to show off some impressive stuff to Intel. Hopefully this will give the Offset team the funds they need to get the game out the door.

Intel acquires Offset Software (Voodoo Extreme)

GDC: Unreal 3 Epic Water simulation confirmed

2008-02-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

Up on Joystiq today is some awesome footage of the new water simulation that Epic have added to the Unreal 3 Engine. Looks good enough to swim in!

Unreal Fluid (Joystiq)

GDC - Unreal Technology - Dynamic Fluid Surfaces from Joy Stiq on Vimeo.