General gaming

General gaming

Interview: How Arkham City Goes From Opening Credits to Open World in Ten Minutes Flat

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 06:08 PM PDT

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1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JULY 9 | HOW COMICS SHAPED GAMES

Interview: How Arkham City Goes From Opening Credits to Open World in Ten Minutes Flat

Cover Story: For their return trip to Gotham City, developer Rocksteady focused on empowering players as quickly as possible.

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hen have to make the sequel to Batman Arkham Asylum, even as the original game's developer, that's a pretty tough act to follow. Through their 2009 Batman game, developer Rocksteady Studios pulled off a renaissance for all future titles based on comic book super heroes, a remarkable work that constantly revisited one essential question: What would Batman do? At his core, Batman is a man in a costume. An agile, smart, and specially trained crime fighter who uses an assortment of gadgets and stealth to stalk his prey.

The sequel would turn out even better than the original, but one of the things that distinguishes Batman from so many contemporary sequels in the world of video games is its pacing: In a mere ten minutes, players go from Bruce Wayne to Batman and start tour rounding up criminals in Arkham City. We spoke to lead narrative designer Paul Crocker to learn more about Batman's fast-paced journey to player empowerment.

Steam Summer Sale Demands Your Wallet Be at the Ready

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 04:33 PM PDT

Max Payne 3

After weeks of wondering just when it would begin, the Steam Summer Sale is here in full force. This year's sale is slightly different from those in years past, although the overriding point is this: Now is as good a time as any to stock up on computer games.

Countless games have been discounted, both on their own and as a part of bundles. The new wrinkle to this particular sale fits right in with the community-oriented direction Valve has been emphasizing as of late between the Steam Workshop and Steam Greenlight. Every eight hours, a new deal will go up that is decided by the Steam community. Steam users can choose one of three deals -- the first vote was between 75 percent off Saints Row: The Third, 66 percent off Batman: Arkham City, and 60% off The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition -- and at the end of the voting period, that deal will go live until it's time to be replaced by the next Community Choice deal. Traditionally, you would only have to check in on Steam sales once per day; now, you'll need to check three times per day in order to ensure you don't miss out on a deal you're waiting for.

New Grand Theft Auto V Screenshots Show Great Scope, Little Else

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 02:15 PM PDT

Grand Theft Auto V

To say we've received a trickle of information regarding Grand Theft Auto V since it was officially announced last year would be a grand overstatement. The game's existence was revealed suddenly last October with nothing more than a logo. The first trailer was released shortly thereafter, confirming that the southern California-inspired Los Santos would be its setting. And then, aside from some vague details that came a day later and word that Max Payne 3 multiplayer crews can be carried over into GTA V, Rockstar has been completely silent on the subject for more than eight months.

Rockstar says this isn't fueled by a desire to torture fans, but is instead meant to ensure the game isn't spoiled and that information it shares is actually accurate. "As we have said before, we have often had long gaps between asset releases on previous games and will continue to do so in the future," reads an answer in a new Q&A article on the company's website. "We are sorry if you find this frustrating, but please understand, we don't do this because we 'don't care about our fans' 'don't respect our fans' 'hate GTA fans etc' - precisely the opposite! We do it because we want to make sure we only release 100% correct information, and because we want to keep plenty back for the actual game release so there are still lots of surprises when you play it. The only things we care about are that you enjoy the experience of actually playing the game and that we release accurate information. We just have not been in a position to show more of the game than the trailer and will not be for a while yet."

Every Game is Hayao Miyazaki

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 01:35 PM PDT

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1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JULY 9 | HOW COMICS SHAPED GAMES

Every Game is Hayao Miyazaki

Cover Story: Japan's most beloved animator is also one of gaming's biggest inspirations.

I

f you've ever seen a Disney-published animated movie from Japan, you know the name Hayao Miyazaki. He's John Lasseter's close, personal friend, and the mind behind most of Studio Ghibli's classic films. Miyazaki is as notorious a perfectionist as he is a curmudgeon: According to his reputation, he personally proofs each and every cel of animation to make sure it meets his studio's famously high standards, redrawing those that fall short. While that's probably an exaggeration, it speaks to the quality of Studio Ghibli's work. Of course their movies are great. Their boss frets over every inch of film.

Miyazaki and video games famously don't get along. According to a write-up by former 1UP editor (now 8-4 Ltd. contributor) Kevin Gifford, Miyazaki was deeply displeased by Technopolis Soft's PC-6001 adaptation of Studio Ghibli's debut film, Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind. In translating Miyazaki's treatise on environmental responsibility and the futility of war to interactive form, Technopolis subverted the entire message, sending the eponymous heroine on a mission to blast as many giant Ohmu insects out of the sky as possible -- the exact opposite of the film's entire point. Only now, nearly 30 years later, has Ghibli finally begun to venture into video games again, providing the animation for Level-5's stunning classic PlayStation 3 RPG Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.

Rhythm Thief Review: Great Artists Steal

Posted: 12 Jul 2012 11:09 AM PDT

Sega and Nintendo have always had an interesting relationship; a bond often fueled by competition, even though a lot has changed over the years. You could look at the rivalry between Mario and Sonic as a prime example. After Mario's success made him the most popular mascot-based platforming game around, it's no secret that Sonic the Hedgehog became Sega's answer to Nintendo's 8-bit adventure. The rivalry between Nintendo and Sega gave us character stables that constantly competed with one another -- at least until the competitive beef between the two Japanese companies settled years later.

Perhaps by sheer accident (or maybe entirely on purpose) this friendly source of inspiration has transitioned to the point-and-click-filled worlds of Nintendo's Professor Layton series -- developed by Level 5 -- and Sega's latest, a rhythm puzzle game called Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure. Both games draw rudimentary ideas from point-and-click adventures on the PC, and closer inspirations from visual novels on the DS like Phoenix Wright, but Rhythm Thief applies a layer of whimsical energy and music that hasn't existed in the genre before. The result infuses addictive, catchy tunes -- like the type you'd hear in Elite Beat Agents, Rhythm Heaven, and Parappa the Rapper -- into a genre known for its puzzles and slower pacing.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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