Playstation Xtreme UK

The Art Behind Next-Gen Batman

2011-11-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

What Would Batman Do?
Game Director Sefton Hill made the directive right at the beginning of the 'Batman: Arkham Asylum' project that every aspect of the project - from the game design through to the art had to be true to the Batman Universe and to Batman's own personality characteristics. "We based all our decisions around this simple principle," says Hill. "This made life a lot easier for us as it gave us a touchstone that would let us know if we were ever going off track, all we had to ask was, 'What would Batman do?' This resulted in the final product being true to the Batman brand, and produced a rich authentic experience for both the Batman disciple and those new to the caped crusader."

Lead Character Artist for the 'Batman Arkham Asylum' game, Andrew Coombes, walked in from a traditional fine arts background, even training as a sculptor. Over the years, he's worked in a variety of art fields from a bronze foundry in East London, sculpting ten metre high street floats for Disneyland Paris Millennium Parade, then working on the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. "I have been in the games industry for the last seven years," says Coombes, "the last four years spent at Rocksteady. When I started in 2005 there was thirty staff which has steadily grown to over seventy."

Rocksteady
Rocksteady Studio was opened in 2004. The company is based in Highgate, North London in a converted factory, purpose-built for making games. "It is by far the most enjoyable place I have worked and much of that is down to the efforts of the directors Jamie Walker and Sefton Hill, both industry veterans, who make the studio a place where you want to be," explains Coombes.

"The studio is fitted with a motion capture stage including full facial capture capabilities, and a sound studio. This means that we can produce every element required for our projects on site when we need them, without having to rely on external support. This allows us to prototype and experiment with ideas very quickly and produces a more refined final product as a result," adds Coombes.

"There is a strong emphasis on smart scheduling and constant self reflection to keep our projects on course and on time, this is a major factor in Rocksteady's ongoing reliability and success."

The main work area is a huge open-plan plant filled space where the entire team works together. The open plan approach helps people from all departments to communicate more effectively.

Environments
On the art side our process began with us scouring the graphic novels for inspiration. We looked at the Batman comics down through the decades paying close attention to the Arkham specific books like the beautiful 'Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth', and 'Arkham Asylum: Living Hell'.

Arkham had never been visualised in its entirety before so the environment team had the big challenge of creating every nook and cranny of the island for the first time. Arkham Asylum is an amazing place to set a Batman game. It gave us not only an environment, that from a technical and game play standpoint was suited to our design, being of a finite, contained size with believable borders, but it also gave us a setting so rich in creepy, foreboding atmosphere that it was an artist's dream location.

The Art Director Dave Hego had a very strong vision that Arkham should be like a living breathing character in itself that changes as time passes, that slips from dark reality to darker nightmare as Batman slides into the Scarecrow sequences, and that evolves as The Joker's plan unfolds.

Arkham is an island with a history and its buildings reflect this in the way they have been adapted over time to suit the needs of the Asylum, the architecture of one era juxtaposed with that of the next. This layering of architecture creates the richness and uniqueness you see in the game, from the Gothic architecture of the Main Hall, to the Victorian style of the glasshouses, to the dingy industrial warehouse feel of high security.

"We tried to use real places where possible as reference for our environments," explains Dave Hago, "an example of this being The Arkham Botanical Gardens which are inspired by the Palm House at Kew Gardens in South London.
The environment team spent time there gathering reference material in the beautiful Victorian glasshouses. We found this type of exercise invaluable in creating highly detailed environments that had a feeling of authenticity. We also used Alcatraz the real world equivalent of Arkham as another source of inspiration."

Unreal Engine
Rocksteady used the Unreal Engine for 'Batman Arkham Asylum'. They've been using Unreal for a year and a half on an unreleased title before starting on 'Batman'. During this time, they worked out how to get the most out of the engine and set up a solid pipeline.

So they hit the ground running when 'Batman:AA' came along, and moved quickly from preproduction into production."It was a pleasure to work with Unreal," says Coombes. "It allows a level of freedom to experiment without code assistance that I haven't experienced before. In particular the material editor is very powerful, and the node based system has a huge amount of scope."

Characters
Creating the characters for 'Batman Arkham Asylum' was both daunting and exciting privilege for the team. There is such an enormous history to these characters."We combined the stylisation and exaggeration of the graphic novels with highly detailed realistic rendering and lighting," Coombes explains. "We tried to be as true to the comics as we could while at the same time making the characters fit with the dark gritty atmosphere of the Asylum that we envisioned."

To be Continued...

The Art Behind Metal Gear Solid 4 (Part 1/5)

2010-06-01T23:32:00.001-07:00

Part 1 of 5
June 12, 2008 saw the simultaneous worldwide release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (MGS4) for the PlayStation 3. Gamers all over the world were waiting eagerly for this ultimate stealth mission game.
No doubt they had already been captivated by its powerful gameplay.

MGS4 was a huge project that took Hideo Kojima, the virtuoso director, about three and a half years to complete. The Metal Gear series has been around for 21 years, with many people regarding it as a masterpiece in terms of its scenarios, gameplay and realism. Making a particular impact is its world-class graphics that go beyond the boundaries of a conventional game. These graphics give the action such realism and immediacy that players feel like they have been transported to a real battlefield.

The Metal Gear Solid series was created by Kojima Productions, a development unit at Konami Digital Entertainment. Kojima Productions has also given us popular series such as 'Zone of the Enders and Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand'. The team has three directors: Hideo Kojima, Yoji Shinkawa and Shuyo Murata. There is a program manager, design manager, script manager and sound manager, as well as many other artists and programmers.

In the development of MGS4, about 100 staff were involved in the 3D content production. Extra personnel were added during busy periods, and by the final phase of development over 180 people were working on the project. By the end there were as many as 40 programmers working on MGS4, including the work required for online compatibility. MGS4 truly was a mega-project.

The main tool used in this game with its world-class video graphics was SOFTIMAGE|XSI. We interviewed the Kojima Productions team after they had finished development and as the release date for MGS4 was approaching. In this interview, we were lucky to be able to speak with staff from all the major development units, including characters, background, machines, 2D, event demos, motions and programing.

From a Single Storyboard...

The MGS4 video was first previewed to the public in a trailer shown at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show. The main character, Snake, was shown looking around a wall in a ruined building. From this single storyboard, the whole project started. After four months, the team finished a spectacular trailer that was over 10 minutes long and made a huge impression around the world.

This high quality video that made such a strong impact fully utilized the real-time processing power of the PS3. To transfer this to the actual game without losing quality, it took a lot of effort from the team to import the data and create a proper balance. In the initial stages of the project, they were still getting used to the performance of the PS3, and there were no precedents to any of the work they were doing. The data size required for the content was much bigger than anything that had come before.

Art Direction in Metal Gear Solid

Like the previous titles in the series, Yoji Shinkawa was in charge of art direction for all the character and machine designs in MGS4. In this game, the most important consideration was whether the design would pull the player into the game. It didn't matter whether it was expressed through an exaggerated effect or through a conventional illustration.

Mr. Shinkawa starts his design process by using a brush to make a drawing. The resulting design is a black and white image drawn in Mr. Shinkawa's distinctive brush style. Then, one of a number of different methods is selected to embody the black and white image. The original picture may be touched up, it may be transferred to a 3D figure, or if the design is complicated, it may be modeled out of clay.

In this way, the team developed a more concrete design from the original image, which they then used as a reference when modeling with XSI. For machines modeled from clay and some of the characters, they used 3D data obtained from image-based modeling. The team then imported the data into XSI for editing.

It is also possible to use 3D scanning to create 3D data. But because the scanned data requires a lot of modeling correction work, the team decided not to use this method. They said that using the calibration method results in less correction work and that it was relatively easy to import accurate image data into XSI. The calibration workflow is described in more detail using images later of this article.

Yoji Shinkawa's design workflow

In the design process, Mr. Shinkawa also selected all the color designs. He said that even when he was drawing the original pictures in black ink, he could see in his head the types of colors that he would use for the characters. He made his final selection after all the characters were ready, choosing colors that would achieve a good overall balance. He reproduced textures such as material colors, metallic expressions and complex patterns using the real-time shader. The textures that Mr. Shinkawa wanted were created one after another by programers using the real-time shader. Sometimes he would show a prototype that he created in advance with a mental ray shader to share his ideas on texture with the programers.

Many characters from previous titles in the series reappear in MGS4, which makes the fans very happy. But there were some characters that were being depicted in 3D for the first time, such as Naomi, who appeared in MGS1. The team worked hard to create attractive 3D characters that would not disappoint the hardcore fans of the series.

Mr. Shinkawa said, "When we first started to develop the Metal Gear Solid series, we just wanted to make a war game that we ourselves would really want to play. The fact that the series grew into one that is played by so many people is thanks to our loyal users. We are confident that MGS4 will live up to the expectations of these fans. But we are never satisfied with the way things are. We always want to work harder to push our creative abilities to the limit and create even better games in the future."

Character Production Workflow

Most of the characters that are animated on the console, including the main character, Snake, have been restricted to a data size (including the face model) of about 5,000 to 10,000 polygons. Further, characters are used that have the same polygon resolution in both the game action and the event demos. This means that the game screens and video clips are seamlessly connected, making it easier for players to become emotionally involved.

As mentioned above, with the exception of crowds, characters are used that have the same polygon resolution in both the game action and the event demos. Separate from the resolution model used on the console, high-rez data are also simultaneously modeled for generating the normal map. Details such as creases on clothes are then expressed with the normal map that was generated from the high-res model.

In terms of bones used for constructing the bodies of characters, about 21 joint bones were used that contained animation data and were activated through these data. But many auxiliary bones were also used to supplement movements such as the twisting of knees, elbows, legs and arms. These were not activated by animation data. Rather, they were linked to the values of the basic joints that were activated by animation.

The team used these specifications not only on XSI, but also on the console. They could perform the same control on the console simply by outputting an auxiliary bone definition file from XSI.

Because the auxiliary bones themselves do not contain motion data, the data size can be kept to a low level. Further, if auxiliary bones need to be added or deleted, the operation can be performed simply by changing the model data without having to reconvert the motion data.

New Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Scans and Images

2010-06-01T00:35:00.000-07:00

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a direct sequel to last years Assassin's Creed 2. Players will once again take the role of Ezio with Rome as the games central city.

These scans below are from a Spanish gaming magazine and therefore are not in English. However as soon as a translation has been made I will update this post with the information.

Here is the official game description from Ubisoft:

"The critically acclaimed single player experience of Assassin’s Creed is back and better than ever as Ezio returns in a powerful struggle against the powerful Templar Order. Now a legendary Master Assassin, he must journey to Rome, center of power, greed and corruption to strike at the heart of the enemy. Defeating the corrupt tyrants entrenched there will require not only strength, but leadership, as Ezio commands an entire Brotherhood that will rally to his side. Only by working together can the Assassins defeat their mortal enemies."

"And for the first time, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood offers a never-before-seen multiplayer layer. Players can help the Templars by using Abstergo to train in the art of Assassination to eliminate the Assassins once and for all. Players can choose from a wide range of unique characters, each with their own signature weapons and assassination techniques, and match their skills against other players from all over the world in different game modes."

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is due to release in November this year.

First Pro Evo 2011 Images and Details

2010-05-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today the Internet has been flooded with new information on Konomi's next football iteration Pro Evolution Soccer 2011.

As you can see the game has had a big overhaul in the graphics department including a nice motion blur effect. The games sounds, especially supporters chants have been improved to add greater immersion - expect more real to life chanting at better sound quality.

This picture below shows the new power bar that is situated directly below the football player in control that was leaked last month.

Playstation Move support is all but confirmed, take a look at this image below:

As you can see the image shows a interface for the PS3 version of the game that is very similar to the Nintendo Wii's version of the game. It has the drag and drop method of squad selecting which before now only the Wii version had.

I'm sure a lot more information will be revealed in the coming weeks about the game, E3's just two weeks away. However the Pro Evo franchise is going to have to do a lot more if it is to better EA's almost perfect football game.

UPDATE: Many more details of the game have emerged:

Defence "has changed massively". Using the dash button to close down and press the player with the ball has been replaced by a three-pronged system using the X button and directional input. For example if you hold X while directing the stick towards your goal to hold up play, a relatively passive option that makes it difficult for the attacker to pass you. The second option is simply to hold X and release the stick entirely. This stops your player and, if timed correctly, will halt the advance of the guy charging at you with the ball.
The feints system has been overhauled. These tricks can still be performed manually using button/stick combinations; but there's the option now to automate and chain moves together into combos.
A reworked animation system, with Konami claiming some 1000 new animations in PES 2011, equating to over 100 hours of motion capture.
360 degree control
Around 6000 players and "Yes" their are new licences
An option to change the game speed. You can change the speed at any point via the pause menu, from -2 to +2, with zero being the regular setting.
The promise of a major "surprise" to come.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is expected to release in October this year.

The Art Behind God of War III

2010-05-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

Due to the popularity of The Art Behind Uncharted 2 and The Art Behind Battlefield Bad Company 2 I have made put together this one on God of War III. This one however is much more in-depth and therefore does get a bit technical. I have tried to keep it simple for anyone to read but at the same time offer quality information for those looking into creating games.

Let me start by saying God of War III is an amazing game; it not only looks amazing but it plays fantastically as well. If you haven’t played it go out and get it, you won’t be disappointed.

God of War III can easily be considered as the greatest looking console game of all time, maybe even across all platforms. Its huge scale and extensive amount of detail produce a breathtaking display of awesomeness. This article will show and discuss how Santa Monica Studio managed to raise the bar in video game graphics.

Traditional art skills are still very much key in creating games and maybe even more so these days as more detail is needed. Programs such as ZBrush allow game artists to virtually sculpt their models on the computer, anatomy plays a major role in the designing of characters and creating believable animations. Without traditional art skills you cannot become a games artist. Luckily for Santa Monica Studio they have some very good talent in their team.

During the game design process the entire art department is linked together. For example the Art Director tells the Concept Artists what he/she wants and the Concept Artists create image references that then go to the Environment Artists who then work with the Level Designers etc. Complete team collaboration is essential and although GOW 3’s development team was around 130 people, these people worked together and created an epic experience.

PS3 technology has really increased the scale of the game. GOW1 and 2 used a lot of smoke and mirrors but GOW 3 does not. A good example of this is the huge titans that in previous versions of the game only a busk of the titan was used and some animation however in GOW 3 the titans are fully their and interactive.

To get this kind of scale and improvement in graphics more effort is required so bigger teams are hired. For example for GOW 2 the cinematic environment team consisted of just one person, on GOW 3 it moved up to 8 people.

The picture below shows a texture map of a dead man’s face. This image is then placed onto the model inside of Maya and then rendered in the game:

Where would the world be without Photoshop eh?

Autodesk Maya is main tool used in creating 3D models for God of War. It is used to create the basic shape of objects which are then taken into ZBrush to add detail to the object, such as scratches. This video below shows how detail is sculpted into the 3D models using ZBrush after they have been made in Maya:

Autodesk Maya is used to create the games 3D models and also the games animations, whether that is for Kratos or for particle effects. The images below show how Kratos' path is set out on a titan:

Below are images of an article which interviews some of the key Santa Monica Studio’s art team. It is a very insightful read that outlines the enormous amount of work that was put into God of War III:

Here are some in-depth videos on the art of GOW 3, however be warned they do include SPOILERS:

For more great behind the scenes look at God of War III I recommend you check out this play list on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lttd7a7qKBY
God of War III is without a doubt a fantastic achievement in video game creation, setting the bar higher for all games to follow. If you are yet experience this game then you are truly missing out on a classic.

PS3 3D Firmware Next Week

2010-05-31T04:32:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: This is for Japan only. Sony state that North American & PAL details are to come “shortly”.

Sony Japan have today announced Firmware 3.20 for PS3, which supports the option of going 3D, will be released on June 10. In other words next week.

The first games to support 3D are Wipeout HD, Super Stardust HD and Pain, all of which will receive and update some time soon. Motorstorm: Pacific Rift will also support the 3D feature, although only as a demo that will be included with sales of new PS3s and 3D Bravia TVs this summer.

Below is a Sony video commercial for the 3D feature:

Additionally, Sony says that it plans on updating the PlayStation 3 firmware to support 3DBD video playback. This will be available by the end of the year.

Is the 3D feature just a gimmick or is it the future? From early reports it seems to have potential, I guess we wont have to wait long to find out for ourselves.

New L.A. Noire Images

2010-05-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

Team Bondi's L.A. Noire started development way back in 2004 but little of the game has been shown. A batch of images where released a while back and today I bring you a fresh batch of images which are in game screenshots.

L.A. Noire is set in the late 1940s of Los Angeles, with players being given an open-ended challenge to solve a series of murders. The game will have a heavy focus on narrative and user decisions. It's also one of the first Rockstar titles in some time that doesn't use Rockstar's RAGE engine, rather Team Bondi's proprietary engine.

The game seems like it is going to be very mature, not just in explicit content (as you can see from the images the game is not shy on showing blood) but rather a mature way similar to Heavy Rain's approach. L.A. Noire is definitely one of the most ambitious Rockstar titles to date and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

L.A. Noire is expected to release later this year.

UPDATE: Here are some more new images:

The Art Behind Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

2010-05-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves arguably one of the best looking games in history, a game that has won numerous awards for looking so good.

Released October last year Uncharted 2 quickly became one of the best critically acclaimed games of this generation. The game upped the ante in almost every way. The game utilises many new development techniques and is a reel showcase for the Playstation 3. The images below are articles on Uncharted 2’s development by Naughty Dog’s artists. It is a really good read, very insightful and informative. Even if you are not an artist or haven’t played Uncharted 2, if you have an interest in the ‘behind the scenes’ of how games are made these articles are well worth a read.

So how does a games graphics get to look so good? This is how:

Source

The next article is based on an interview with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves', Art Director Robh Ruppe. I find it really interesting how he says Naughty Dog functions like no other company and has no managers. It seems as if Naughty Dog has hit the nail on the head in creating a motivated team that enjoys work.

Source

It just goes to show how much thought and effort goes into creating the games we play and enjoy. If you enjoyed this article the check out this similar one for Battlefield Bad Company 2

If you have yet to play Uncharted 2: Among Thieves it is available now. I highly recommend you play it.

inFAMOUS 2 To Be Revealed In Next Issue of ROPS

2010-05-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

inFAMOUS 2 in their next issue. The magazine ends with a picture showing the eyes of the first game’s protagonist Cole MacGrath and the following words underneath: “The announcement of a great PlayStation 3 exclusive in the next ROPS” (ROPS is the Portuguese abbreviation for the magazine).

An inFAMOUS sequel should come as no surprise seeing as it has been widely rumoured for a long time, with Sony even registering domain names.

The Art Behind Battlefield Bad Company 2

2010-05-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

This article is an excellent read for anyone interested in game development and even more so for aspiring artists looking to get into the gaming industry.

It talks about how DICE's game engine, Frostbite, provided the artists with a lot of freedom and how the game went from concept art to the final product.

This article also shows how technology is ever advancing but traditional art skills are key to the development of the games we play. I'm sure many of you will find this article very insightful like I have. A lot of thought and effort goes into creating the games we play and enjoy.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 is available now on the PS3, 360 and PC.

Source

Joe Danger Level Editor Video

2010-05-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

Joe Danger is an upcoming stunt racing video game coming the Playstation Network this June . The game is being developed by Hello Games.

This video shows the game's level editor in action. As you can see it looks very accessible to use and tuns of fun to play. The game uses the three layer interface that LittleBigPlanet uses from which users pick objects from a tool box and place in one of the three layers.

Joe Danger is expected to release on the PSN in June

Alpha Protocol Launch Trailer

2010-05-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

This is the launch trailer for Alpha Protocol. A third-person role-playing video game, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Sega. The game revolves around the adventures of rookie CIA field agent Michael Thorton.

Below are the key features of the game:

* Redefined RPG – Classless system gives players the ability to mold Thorton into the secret agent they want him to become with lethal close combat techniques, marksman skills, proficiency with gadgets and much more
* The International Spy – Players travel around the world to international safe house locations to obtain information, mission objectives and conduct meetings with a growing list of contacts
* Dialogue Stance System – With an innovative real-time dialogue system, the characters in Alpha Protocol reacts to Thorton's each and every word

The game is set to realease on May 27 (Australia), May 28 (Europe) and June 1 (NA) of 2010.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Magazine Scans

2010-05-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

I believe these scans are from a Russian magazine but I could be wrong. They basically just show the images:

To see the latest trailer for the game click here

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Official, First Info and Images

2010-05-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is now official and this one is going to be very different.

For starters the game's story mode is going to be a “rock ‘n’ roll fantasy” narrative. The story will focuse on a battle between The Beast and the demigod of rock.

Project lead Brian Bright had this to say on the game:

“The Beast defeats the demigod of rock, and the demigod of rock is entombed in stone, and his legendary guitar is banished. [The guitar] is the source of his power. And so you are going through and assembling an army of warriors to be able to defeat the Beast,” Bright explained.

“All of the cool features and things we did in GH5 – the level of polish – [are] still there. Party Play still exists. The ability to play with any instrument combination – all that stuff is still in the game. But what we strove to do here is hand-pick all the songs… We wanted to focus first and foremost on shredding kind of rock,”.

This is a completely new direction for the series and brings up that same question, is it enough to bring interest for the genre? It is certainly different but is this what the fans want? Personally I prefer Rock Band 3's approach on trying to create a more authentic experience.

This story has come from gaming magazine Nintendo Power and there for the images below are taken from the Wii version:

UPDATE: Here is the original article from Nintendo Power magazine:

New FEAR 3 'Fettel' Trailer

2010-05-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

This is the new trailer, 'Fettel', for FEAR 3.

The trailer uses an interesting mix of live action footage and real time game play - similar to the 'Pointman' trailer.

This game is taking a new direction from the previous two in the series and will feature new coop game play. Being developed by new developer Day 1 Studios and famed horror director John Carpenter. The game is set to release later this year.

New Beautiful Killzone 3 Images

2010-05-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

For more information on the game click here

UPDATE: Here is a very informative interview conducted by the Playstation blog with Guerrilla Games producer, Steven Ter Heide. Heide talks about how a big focus has been on scale and adding more detail to the environments and variation in level design. The interview also shows the first gameplay footage of the game in the background. This footage has been enlarged in the other video below:

Shogun 2: Total War at E3?

2010-05-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

According to an email sent out to Turkish journalists, Shogun 2: Total War will be shown at E3.

The email invites the Turkish Oyungezer magazine editor to play the next game in the Total War series. However it is unclear whether this "email" is legit. Their have been many mock ups of emails in the past and it would not surprise me if this is one of them.

This is the email below, you decide whether its fake or not:

Information from totalwar-turkiye

UPDATE: The information below is apparently a leaked copy of the E3 press release for Shogun 2: Total War:

Title: Shogun 2: Total War™
Published by SEGA. Developed by The Creative Assembly.
Format: PC- DVD
1 to 8 players
Ratings: ESRB Teen, PEGI 16, OFLC M, USK 12 – All provisional
Release date: 2011
MASTER THE ART OF WAR TO BECOME THE UNDISPUTED RULER OF MEDIEVAL JAPAN
In 2000, the Creative Assembly re-invented the strategy genre with Shogun: Total War, an unprecedented blend of 3D real-time battles and turn-based management game and the first offering in the multi-award winning series. With over 7 million units sold and universal acclaim from the press and community, Total War has consistently been at the cutting edge of the genre and is today one of the most successful PC franchises of all time.
In 2011, the makers of Rome and Empire: Total War will release the sequel to the game that started it all. Shogun 2: Total War will take long-time veterans and newcomers alike to the next level of strategy gaming on PC. Based on 10 years of experience in making Total War, Shogun 2 is the perfection of the series with a new Artificial Intelligence (AI), revolutionary multiplayer modes, brand new campaign map options and epic 3D real-time battles.
It is the middle of the 16th century in Medieval Japan. The country, once ruled by a unified government, is now split into many warring clans. The player takes on the role of one Daimyo – the clan leader – and will use military engagements, economics and diplomacy to achieve the ultimate goal: re-unite Japan under his supreme command and become the new Shogun – the undisputed ruler of Japan.
Set during the golden age of Samurai warfare, Shogun 2 brings to life the most turbulent period of Japanese history.
Total War redefined
Shogun 2 is the ultimate refinement of the original formula with a new, cutting-edge AI, more polish and online functionality than ever before. The result is the perfect mix of real-time and turn-based strategy gaming that invites both veterans of Total War and new players to experience the enjoyment and depth of the series.
New character progression
Choose from 9 different clans and compete on and offline for the undisputed supremacy of Medieval Japan. Gain experience to level up your own character-warlord as well as your generals and agents.
A complete single and multiplayer offering
Play through the Main Campaign in single player or invite a friend online to play competitively or cooperatively in Campaign Multiplayer mode. Join 8-player multiplayer battles with your own upgradable avatar and climb the online Leaderboard to show the world who reigns supreme. Also including exciting new modes of team play for clans, a first in the Total War series.
New Generation AI system
Developed according to Sun Tzu’s principles in the Art of War, the Artificial Intelligence constantly analyses its situation and reacts to your every move with greater precision and variety.
Improved land and naval battle gameplay
Land battles never felt so realistic with new multi-staged castle sieges and terrain features changing according to the weather and time of the day - turning each engagement into a tactical challenge. Set buildings on fire to force garrisoned troops out and use your units’ special abilities to turn the tide of the battle.
Naval combat also offers more variety with the addition of coastal battles. Islands can work as effective cover for your ships, while sand bars and reefs can be used as traps against an enemy fleet.
Accessible and in-depth empire-building gameplay
A streamlined User Interface makes management of your kingdom much easier. Build and govern cities, recruit and train troops, conduct diplomacy and manage your agents – each feature is now introduced with comprehensive tutorials, gradually revealing the depth of the Shogun 2 campaign map – the heart and soul of the Total War experience.

Rock Band 3 Brings Keytar and New "PRO" Mode

2010-05-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Following yesterday's news that there will be keyboard for Rockband 3 new info has arrived from Ars Technia.

The game will not ship with a keyboard peripheral but instead a keytar-like instrument. A keytar is a sort of keyboard with a strap, held like a guitar.

This time around Mad Catz will be creating all the Rock Band 3 instruments, including the bundles with the software. EA will strictly be a distributor. There will be exclusive bundles for certain retailers, chosen by Mad Catz. This means the focus of the launch to be kept on the software.

The game will include an all new "pro" mode which will require proper playing technique from the player. This may result in actual skills being learnt for all the instruments, including guitars. How this will work isn't known, but it's possible Mad Catz may create a product that more closely mimics an actual guitar.

Will these things be enough to revitalise the genre? If the game can actually teach players to play real instruments its certainly got a chance of standing out in a saturated market. As for the Keytar at least it no one will force the consumer to buy it, however I am sure that the "pro" mode will be best suited to the black and white keys.

Rockband 3 is expected to release later this year.

Sky Player Coming to PS3

2010-05-26T02:44:00.000-07:00

A recent interview with Sky’s Director of On-Demand, Griff Parry, by Tech Radar has revealed that Sky Player (Sky's version of BBC iPlayer) is coming to the Playstation 3. The interview states Sky are “in talks” to bring the on-demand service to other games consoles.

“We are looking to extend distribution of Sky Player widely via partnerships with key players in key categories,” said Parry, when asked about the potential for Sky Player on Wii and PS3.

“Games consoles is obviously one of those key categories, so what you would expect is probably true. We are engaged in talks to explore opportunities, but we are very happy in our relationship with Microsoft."

“We are absolutely not finished with Xbox and aim to make the experience richer and richer and continue innovating.”

At present Sky Player is available on the Xbox 360, so it only seems natural to spread to other platforms. Plus Sky has previously worked with Sony with Go!View, a PSP video download service powered by Sky.

Rumour: ICO and Shadow of the Colossus heading to Blu-ray in HD

2010-05-26T02:29:00.000-07:00

According to video game website VG247, Playstation owners can soon expect to see Team Ico's PS2 hits ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus in high definition on Blu ray for the Playstation 3.

Games such as God Of War have already seen the transition to HD and with both ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus being among fan favourites on the PS2 it only makes sense to see them again on the PS3, especially when Team ICO's next project, The Last Guardian is likely to be released sometime this year.

Rock Band 3 Teased

2010-05-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

The current demo for Rock Band: Green Day on Xbox Live provides an interesting image for users when they quit the game. This image, teasing Rock Band 3 shows a symbol for a piano/keyboard.

This will be a series first and presumably means a new addition to your plastic instrument collection.

Source

Insomniac Partners With EA, Turns Multi-platform

2010-05-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today, Electronic Arts Inc. announced a publishing agreement with independent developer Insomniac Games that will bring the studio's upcoming, all-new franchise to the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.

Published through the distinguished EA Partners program, the new title will mark the introduction of a brand new universe from Insomniac, creators of the universally-acclaimed Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance franchises that have combined to sell more than 35 million copies worldwide.

The still unnamed title is in production at the company's Burbank studio. The unnamed title is still in production at the company's Burbank studio. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Terms of the agreement Were Not Disclosed.

“Working with EA Partners allows us to extend the reach of our games to a multi platform audience while retaining ownership of the intellectual property,” said Ted Price, founder and CEO of Insomniac Games.

“We are excited and eager to introduce Insomniac to a new group of gamers while reinforcing to our loyal fans what makes our games special.”

“This is an exciting day for all of us at EA Partners and for gamers everywhere,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners. “Insomniac is renowned for their commitment to quality and their ability to create unique, exciting worlds for gamers to explore.

We look forward to help them bring their next blockbuster franchise to the millions of die hard Insomniac fans on PlayStation and the soon to be millions of die hard Insomniac fans on Xbox 360.”

This will be the first multi platform release in Insomniac's storied 16-year history.

Source

Amazon Reveals New Guitar Hero Game

2010-05-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Today online store giant Amazon has listed a new Guitar Hero game called Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

According to Amazon the game is coming to the PS3, 360 and Wii on September 21 this year. This news comes soon after Activision have been found to trademark the game. An official reveal at E3? I think so.

Source

Gran Turismo 5 to Support Both 3D and Move

2010-05-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

Gran Turismo 5 has been in development for over 5 years. This wait has caused many fans to become frustrated especially as Polyphony Digital has not stated why the game has been delayed.

Today we now know why, at least partially why. According to “source close to Sony” news site MCV is claiming to have received word that Sony's blockbuster racing game will indeed support both 3D technology and the Playstation Move.

It has been known for sometime now that GT5 will have 3D support as Sony have demonstrated this feature on multiple occasions. However the closes thing to confirmation on PS Move support was this quote in gaming magazine PSM3: “We’re always attuned to new technologies. If there are display devices or peripherals that seem interesting, I’m sure we’ll work to support them.”

So what will the Playstation Move offer Gran Turismo 5? Will it offer accelerometer type control for steering? Total hand control- even for changing gear (similar to Microsoft's Project Natal driving demo representation)? At present no one is sure. I guess we will have to wait for E3 where a big showing of GT5 is planned by Sony.

Killzone 3 Officially Revealed

2010-05-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today official Killzone 3 news has hit the web. The details confirm most of the leaked info in yesterday's post along with some new images. No new details are talked about that are worth mentioning but I certainly recommend checking out IGN's Hands On report of the game, as an interesting read.

A debut trailer for the game may even be shown by Sony before E3 according to some reports, either way E3 is only 22 days away.