Apocalypso's Atomic Arcade

2010/04/03

Another Developing Craze: Formspring

First it was social networking sites like Facebook. Then along came micro-blogging with Twitter. Now another developing craze seems to be coming along with something called Formspring – which I’ve seen popping up in the last week or so.

And all ready I’ve noticed two legends in the video game industry on there, answering questions. Because that’s what Formspring is about. Apparently it’s a social networking site that allows people to ask a person questions, and then they answer them. It’s like a big open interview.

Those two legends I mentioned are George Broussard of 3D Realms, whom some cite as the failure behind Duke Nukem Forever, and none other than John “The” Romero, formerly of id Software, Ion Storm, and now Slipgate Ironworks, and creator of Daikatana and other greats.

Examples of some questions for John:

Q:Of all your cars, which was your favorite?

Q:Are you and Tom Hall still friends?

Q:Steve Jobs or Bill Gates ?

Q:Do you play Quake Live?

And George:

Q:Why wasn't there a sequel to shadow warrior?

Q:What happened to LevelLord?

Q:What makes Duke such a badass? And what's your favorite Duke quote?

Q:Why don't you answer all the questions you get here?

And of course, as you can imagine, George will answer anything… that isn’t about Duke Nukem Forever.

So, if you have any questions for these guys or anyone else, then head over to Formspring. Likely some other well-known industry vets will crop up there sometime, or all ready are.

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formspring.me

Band of Brothers is Coming Back, Soldier!

I was so glad to see the other night on an advert for M-NET Action, which is channel 106 on DSTV, that the great series called Band of Brothers, is coming back next week, starting on the 6th of April.

If you haven’t yet watched it, Band of Brothers first aired years ago, back in 2001. I remember watching it on M-NET in 2003. The series is basically inspired by, and in some ways a continuation of, Saving Private Ryan, seeing as Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg were involved in the project, like they were in the Oscar-winning film before it, as was Dale Dye, acting as military consultant.

And Band of Brothers likely went on to influence some other World War II genre FPS titles just like SPR did- like some Medal of Honor titles [I’m thinking particularly Spearhead or Airborne], Brothers in Arms [definitely], and Call of Duty.

The series tells the tale of D-Day – but not like in Saving Private Ryan, where you witness the GIs storm the beaches of Normandy. This time it’s the paratroopers who land on the 5th of June, 1944; the night before.

The main star would be Dick Winters, played by Damian Lewis in likely his most famous role, firstly a Lieutenant, as the series starts with American paratroopers going through basic training in the States, then preparing for the operation while they’re in England, right across the channel from Nazi-occupied France. And from there we see them dropping into Normandy under the cover of night, and embarking on their mission to not only soften up the Germans from the inside while the ground troops are on the beaches, but to continue on to make another drop in Eindhoven, The Netherlands to take part in the disastrous Operation Market Garden, as well as march in to Berlin, Germany.

It delves into some personal issues along the way, and the relationships that unfold between Winters and the rest of the paratroopers in his company, as he is promoted to Captain just before this invasion. And on top of that, the real stars, the actual veterans who took place in the war, appear and tell interesting little stories about their experiences in the war, and how they’ve never been able to forget the horrors they saw so many years ago.

All in all, if you’re complaining about nothing to watch just lately, then do yourself a big favour, stop whining, and tune in to watch this great WWII experience.

Band of Brothers starts on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 on Channel 106 [M-NET Action], DSTV, at 20:00. Two back to back episodes [two hours] will play for at least the first week. There are ten episodes in the mini-series all in all.

2010/04/02

Dead Space 2 Demo Confirmed, Isaac Speaks!

Dead Space 2, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Dead Space, is going to receive a demo. And this time, they are going to make sure that it’s more punctual than the first game’s one. Supposedly the Dead Space demo arrived late, and cost the game some needed sales, which was what they really needed seeing as it was an original IP, and publishers are wary about those nowadays.

Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis:

“Last time, I just heard a lot of comments like ‘The demo was way too hard,’ or ‘It kind of came out after the fact.’ We’re really putting an emphasis on making sure that we have something there so that new people can check it out. There’s a lot of people that seem interested and we just want to give them an opportunity to check it out and get into it.”

"It's a tricky line, right? There's some games you play a demo [of] and you never wind up buying it because 'I got my fill!’. It's our goal to deliver a game that not only after every single chapter you want to keep going, but we want the demo to be the kind of event where you play it and you go 'Holy shit, I'm going out right now, I've got to get this!' That's one of the goals that we're driving towards and I think we're going to nail that."

I didn’t even know Dead Space had a demo. I went out and bought the game though.

Also interesting is that Isaac Clarke will now speak in Dead Space 2, whereas people who have played the original game would have noticed that Isaac pretty much kept quiet the whole time, and most of the other characters did the talking.

“The voice thing is really just about making the game believable. So, the first game, there really wasn’t anybody around, there wasn’t anybody for him to talk to. And in the new game, c’mon, he’s just been through this horrific experience and there might be some people around, so it would make sense that he may actually speak. It was an evolution based around what the story required, and just the fact that it’s tough to stomach that some guy’s not going to talk for another however many hours Dead Space 2 is.”

Rich Briggs:

“Isaac is going to have some reaction to this. He’s going to see a lot of very terrible things, even worse in Dead Space 2, and we’ve gotta make him feel like a believable character. If you saw somebody rip their heart [out] in front of you, you probably wouldn’t just keep walking.”

Yes, we don’t want another Gordon Freeman.

Now I know all this sounds great. But for the minority out there [PC gamers], you should take into account that Dead Space 2 might not arrive on PC, the last I heard. It’s in consideration.

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Sources:

Dead Space 2 demo confirmed [TVGB]

Visceral explains why Isaac speaks in Dead Space 2 [TVGB]

Video Game Character Lookalikes: Dr Breen [Half-Life 2]

As you all know, and if you don’t I’ll repeat it here quickly: the voice behind Dr.Breen, actor Robert Culp, died last week.

So I’m not making fun of him here. Not at all. I just thought it would be the most appropriate time to compare the looks of some real life stars or people to Dr. Wallace Breen.

Let’s line ‘em up:

This is him: Dr. Breen from Half-Life 2, who was the Administrator of Earth, and has his headquarters in City 17 during the events of the game.

Dennis Hopper – not bad, maybe a little less hair than Breen, and wrong colour eyes, but nothing a couple of contacts can’t fix. The beard is a little wrong though too. But if you want him to play Breen in a HL film or anything, you’d better hurry. The poor guy currently has cancer.

Bill Murray – Hang on. I know what you’re thinking. But listen to this. Not only does Bill have the look… sort of, but a similar, calm sounding voice to Breen if I’m not mistaken, and not to mention he’d have no problem giving the odd laugh which Breen sometimes does too. And not to mention the charm. Just ignore the flowers on his beard here, and you’ll be more convinced.

James Coburn – Yes, I know, this guy died a few years ago now. But still, although a bit of a big chin, at least he looks better as an old guy than he did when he was young. The sort of role he played in The Nutty Professor demonstrates the sort of character that would be needed to play Breen as well.

Roger Guay – I saw this on the Half-Life wikia, and boy, if you thought that Dennis Hopper was good, then this guy is a dead ringer! That’s because Dr. Breen’s face was supposedly modelled on this guy’s.

Darksiders is Coming to the PC in June

Unusual this, but it seems as though the previously console only game called Darksiders, which was released in January, and raved about a hell of a lot this year so far, mainly because Mark Hamill form Star Wars did some of the voice acting I would guess, is coming to the PC.

I say unusual, because unless the game is released on PC at the same time as other consoles, say like Bad Company 2, the chances of a port coming to the PC is much less, in my experience.

I mean, how often do you see a hack ‘n slash title on the PC? God of War? Bayonetta? Dante’s Inferno? I rest my case. Those games are designed for some button mashing.

Well, Darksiders is reportedly getting a PC version in June this year, as was announced by THQ.

Vigil Games’ David Adams:

“We are really excited to have the opportunity to bring Darksiders to the global PC audience. We feel that the growth of digital distribution and PC online communities creates a great environment for our game. We are working really hard to make sure that key features such as user-defined resolutions, interface and both keyboard and game pad control sets are all up to the standards for today’s discerning PC consumer.”

Travis Plane of THQ:

“We are delighted to be able to bring Darksiders to the PC. THQ is focused on bringing great product to the PC gaming audience so it was vital that we allowed Vigil the time to optimize the title for the PC platform.”

The game revolves around War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as he takes on angels and demons.

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Source: Darksiders Decide To Side With PC [RPS]

It was Just a Joke! An April Fool’s Day Joke!

Like I has to explain last year, and will every year: the thing about Half-Life 2: Episode 3 was just a joke; an April Fool’s Day joke! HL 2: E3 is still is still in development, or development hell, as far as I know.

I just thought I’d send out a little note today after yesterday, seeing as that post got some attention – more than I thought it would.

You know, some people choose not to play April Fool’s Day jokes or pranks. They say it’s improper for a news outlet to do so. But then again a lot of other people do it. I think those who don’t and are all sour about the day should just lighten up, and actually take a look at the calendar, and realize that likely some things, or a lot of things are going to be false – all in the spirit of this fine day.

Anyway, you all know that AAA isn’t a news outlet. There are some news posts, but there is a lot of other crazy stuff as well.

2010/04/01

Linkin Park Getting Their Own Game on iPhone

Years ago, while growing up and in high school, I heard about this group called Linkin Park. Of course I was so fanatical about spelling, the one thing that came to my mind was that the name was spelled incorrectly.

But as time went by, unlike others, I started to listen to the band. They became a hit with teenagers for years, won a couple of Grammys, and at one stage even got their own shoe with DC. I like their first couple of albums, Hybrid Theory and Meteora, but the later ones like Minutes to Midnight and Road to Revolution, I haven’t even heard, seeing as I outgrew that stage I suppose, and their sound changed too.

Now I’ve read that Linkin Park is going to get their own iPhone game, called Linkin' Park 8-Bit Rebellion. It’s obviously an 8-bit game as you can tell from the title, but the object of the game is to rise up against an evil corporation called PixxelKorp and stop them from turning the 8-bit world into something prettier.

Artificial Life CEO, Eberhard Schoneburg:

"It was a unique experience to work with Linkin Park to create one of the most innovative mobile gaming experiences to date. Our close co-operation with the band has led to a cool and fun game play, a great design and a groundbreaking app that pushes the limits of the iPhone gaming experience and sets new standards for music based games. Throughout production the band worked closely with our designers intimately contributing to the creative process for character designs, in-game artwork, mission structure and, of course, the music in the game! 8-Bit Rebellion helps fans get closer to the band by drawing them into the virtual world that they have helped to create as well as providing their global fan base with an exciting community experience. It's a must for all Linkin Park fans."

Vocalist Mike Shinoda:

"The collaborative process with Artificial Life was exceptional. They were able to turn my sketches and our creative ideas into a living, breathing world that we think gamers will thoroughly enjoy. This game is not just made for Linkin Park fans--anyone will be able to play and enjoy 8-Bit Rebellion.’ My bandmates and I grew up playing games like ‘Metroid,’ ‘Donkey Kong,’ ‘Zelda,’ ‘Space Invaders,’ ‘Mega Man’ and ‘Rygar.’ We wanted this game to have the feel of a vintage game, and a big part of it was the music."

Production on the game started more than a year ago, when the band partnered with Artificial Life, who started developing it. The game will have 8-bit remixes of their greatest hits, like “One Step Closer,” “In The End,” “Crawling,” “Faint,” as well as a new song called “Blackbirds”, which is unlocked after you complete the game.

There’s a trailer and some other stuff about the game at the links below.

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Sources:

http://www.botme.com/ref/linkinpark
http://linkinpark.com/video/linkin-park-8bit-rebellion [trailer]

Linkin Park's Video Game Doesn't Look Nearly As Bad As It Should [Kotaku]