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Bonus Round from DICE, Episode 2 Now LiveNo Comments

Over at GameTrailers you can now watch part 2 of The Bonus Round from DICE 2009 with N’Gai Croal, Mike Snider, and LittleBigPlanet’s Alex Evans. In this part we continue our discussion about downloadable content, user-generated levels, and the future of the gaming industry.

This week we will be filming another episode of Bonus Round at GDC 2009 in San Francisco.  I think you guys will be excited to see who is scheduled to appear.  I’m happy to confirm David Jaffe’s blog post that he will be appearing on this episode.

[Bonus Round from DICE, Episode 2]

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GTTV: Wolfenstein Unveiled, Watch the Episode NowNo Comments

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BJ Blazkowicz is back!  You can now watch this week’s episode of GTTV on the return of Wolfenstein, which we filmed out at Raven Software in Madison, WI.  You’ll see the first gameplay, in addition to a brand new trailer, boss reveal, and a look at how Raven is approaching this long-in-development sequel. If you listen carefully you’ll also hear why the game has been in development so long. It first started as an open-world first-person shooter, an idea which has been significantly scaled back in the final product.

I’ve always been a big fan of Raven and co-founders Brian and Steve Raffell. (Little known fact: I launched GameSlice back in 1996 with a first look at Hexen, the sequel to Heretic that was produced at Raven).  After the shoot I played Wolf for a couple of hours at their office, and was impressed with how much is layer on top of the raw action.  The veil powers add a unique element of strategy, and the third person story/cutscenes add significant production value — something I wasn’t expecting from id and Raven. Even the opening of the game, with BJ arriving on a train, reminds me of the opening of Half-Life.

The singleplayer game on Xbox 360 feels very polished, which makes me think the rumored summer release won’t be a problem. Although we haven’t seen anything yet on multiplayer, which is being developed externally by some ex-Splash Damage folks.  One tidbit: Brian Raffell did disclose that veil powers will be featured in multiplayer, so I’ll be curious to see how slow motion works online.

Make sure to check out the show — Raven provided us with a ton of new gameplay footage and assets, so you get a really good overview of the game, storyline and details.

[Watch GameTrailers TV Episode 206 in HD]

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Sneak Preview of This Week’s GTTV: Wolfenstein1 Comment

Here’s a sneak preview of this Friday night’s GTTV, where we head to Raven Software in chilly Madison, Wisconsin for a first look at Wolfenstein.  I remember first talking to Todd Hollenshead of id about this game back at X05 in Barcelona, Spain!  It has been long in development, but I think you will be very impressed by what you see.  The guys at Raven always do solid work, but I was blown away by the attention to detail and the storytelling, which is something new for id and Raven.  Yes, Wolfenstein contains a ton of real-time cutscenes and we’ll be showing them off during the show.  And that’s not all: We also have 10 minutes of gameplay, a great new trailer (told from the Nazi perspective), and the reveal of a boss you’ll face off against in the game.   So far it looks like Wolfenstein will be worth the wait — but you can judge yourself when we world premiere the first gameplay on Friday.

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EA Sports Active: Is This, Gasp, EA’s #1 New IP?No Comments

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When big game releases come out I usually get called for interviews by mainstream reporters. That happened last Spring for Wii Fit.  On those calls I told writers it was only a matter of time until we heard about consumers losing hundreds of pounds on the Balance Board.  In retrospect that probably never happened – otherwise Nintendo would be rolling those biggest losers out on the talkshow circuit.  Still, Wii Fit must be doing something right to stay at the top of the NPD sales charts.  Maybe the mere idea of getting fit is intoxicating enough.

Which brings me to EA Sports Active.  Let me tell you about the game “home fitness product.”  Last week in San Francisco EA showed the game “product” to the game press for the first time.  I strapped on the leg strap (which snugly fits the Nunchuck to track lower body movements), picked up the Wiimote, and spent a good 5 minutes going through a high-intensity workout that included boxing and in line skating.  As EA Sports PR rep Jen Riley reported on Twitter, yes, I even broke a sweat.  (She is forgiven for this disclosure since she impressed me by correctly spelling my last name on the Wii menu, unaided).

My early review? It seems like EA Sports Active’s more aggressive approach to fitness is the perfect counter to Wii Fit’s focus on yoga and balance.  The visuals even look quite good for a Wii game. I was impressed with the product, its level of customization and ultimately, its market potential. Maybe there will be a “biggest loser” for EA Sports Active.  (Let’s hope it happens before THQ ships the official “Biggest Loser” game this Fall).

But here’s where it’s about to get really weird.  For all the chatter about Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space being great new intellectual properties for EA, could EA Sports Active actually be the company’s #1 new IP for 2009?  As the Killers intone on their latest CD, yes, “This is the world that we live. I feel myself get tired.”  Now you understand why THQ has that Biggest Loser game coming, and Ubisoft’s quick-to-market Gold’s Gym game was announced the week before it shipped. (To be honest we did not aggressively pursue this world exclusive for GTTV, so maybe it was announced earlier).  But wait…in the midst of all this fitness hysteria you really have to wonder WHERE THE HECK is Richard Simmons? Dude, you need a new agent, stat!

One final thought: I’m not sure I buy the whole idea of a “virtual trainer.”  I think most Americans would rather learn a routine and then work out to music or TV, not canned “Good job!” commentary as you hear in Active.  Which begs the question: Are Steve Schnur and his team at EA Trax going to deliver a custom soundtrack for Active?  Or if you really want to get progressive, imagine being able to import your Rock Band songs and listen to them while you work out.

And now I return you to your regularly scheduled hardcore gaming. At least until EA Sports Cooking arrives.

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Bonus Round at DICE Episode 1 is Live3 Comments

This week The Bonus Round heads to DICE 2009 for a conversation with Mike Snider from USA Today, Alex Evans, co-creator of LittleBigPlanet, and ex-Newsweek journalist N’Gai Croal.  In this first part of our conversation we discuss the state of the console war, get into downloadable content, and even discuss how fans impact game designers via Twitter.  This is a great 4 part discussion with three smart guys in the business. Our discussion about DLC is especially interesting with some real fresh thinking put forward by our panelists.

[Bonus Round at DICE]

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Rockstar: The Kings of SwagNo Comments

GTA: Chinatown Wars ChopsticksAs a game journalist I tend to receive a fair amount of swag. These aren’t trinkets I request, but nevertheless seem to accompany game review copies. Sometimes, though, they come on their own.  Last week, for instance, I received a “Hulkamania” bandanna  with a fact sheet to promote WWE Legends of Wrestling. (The game, I guess, comes later).

About a decade ago the level of swag was ridiculous.  Almost every day I would received 2-3 Hanes XL Beefy-Ts plastered with a game logo in either black or white.  The shirts were invariably too large for me to wear, so I ended up giving them away, packing them up, or, in some cases, using them as cleaning rags. (My apologies if I used your game’s shirt for this purpose).  Lately, perhaps because of the faltering economy, the flow of swag has slowed down. Hanes must be pissed.

In the universe of swag, the smartest game company is Rockstar Games.  Take, for example, my review copy of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.  It arrived the other day and yes, it arrived with a t-shirt.  The good news: It was a Medium, which I can actually wear.  But I’ve saved the coolest swag for last: GTA Chinatown Wars mini-chopsticks, which double as a stylus for the DS.  For mini-chopsticks they are, if I do say so myself, immacuately constructed. They feature the GTA logo along the side, and even a Rockstar logo on the top.  And they come in an authentic paper chopstick carrying case.  Yes, perhaps I am obsessed with them.  But after a couple decades of bad swag, the good stuff inspires me.

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