Gamertell

Need more proof that the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) is becoming the new E3? Look no further than the attendance numbers for the once-intimate conference: GameDaily is reporting that over 18,000 people attended the five-day event. This breaks the event’s previous attendance record, setting the bar even higher for next year’s iteration (which is set for March 23-27, 2009 in San Francisco).

It seems that in the wake of the “reimagined” E3, all the other major conferences (GDC, PAX, TGS, D.I.C.E etc.) are growing and filling the void of the once-mighty show. However, as noted in an earlier story, the directors behind GDC and D.I.C.E. are looking for ways to trim the proverbial fat from their shows. It’ll be interesting to see if the trend continues into 2009.

Read [GameDaily]

According to GameDaily, the Game Developer’s conference (GDC) and D.I.C.E. summit - two of the most prominent industry conventions - may be going invite-only for next year. If this goes through, both events will only be open to press members that are specifically invited to partake.

The intention is to reduce the number of part time journalists and the overall number of press attending the events. As stated in the GameDaily piece, GDC executive director Jamil Moledina said

“It’s meant to be a networking event for people who make games, but more and more we are seeing a lot of individuals who are obtaining press credentials who aren’t full-time press. It’s kind of open to being spoofed, in a way.”

The post goes on to note that the directors of the D.I.C.E. summit have similar feelings about the situation.

I would say that GDC’s real problem is its recent focus on hyping and selling games instead of remaining true to its mission as a space for developers to share ideas, but might sound like sour grapes coming from a smaller outlet.

Read [GameDaily]

Diligent readers may remember that back in December Gamertell discussed the DSVision, an official slot-1 adapter from Nintendo, Dai Nippon and AM3. The new hardware would allow DS owners to download music, videos and other forms of media through a service set up by Dai Nippon and AM3. It should have been available March 8, 2008, but now multiple sources are reporting the product will be delayed until April. Also new reports confirm that games are not among the planned downloads, squashing hopes of a portable virtual console.

MORE »

A lot of lesser known, smaller games got their moments in the sun at the Game Developers Conference, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any love for more established, smaller sized games. Xbox Live’s Arcade has been one of the providers of tiny games that get you and all your friends buzzing for a week and a half. At GDC 2008, the results of a community vote for 2007’s batch of Live Arcade games was unveiled. Any chance Space Giraffe took top honors?

It was Hudson’s Bomberman Live as Best Overall with just a bit of an upset over Namco Bandai’s Pac-Man: Championship Edition, which won for Best Original Game. And looks like Bungie’s magic couldn’t rub off on its 1994 shooter Marathon, as Konami’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was named…

MORE »

With only a few weeks before the big event March 21 to 23, 2008, this year’s Anime Boston already has quite a list of special guests who will be attending including voice actors Colleen Clinkenbeard, Aaron Dismuke, Todd Haberkorn, Brad Swaile and Michael Sinterniklaas.

This year’s live gaming sessions will include collectible card games, collectible miniature games, board games, live-action role playing games and tabletop RPGs. Rules for the sessions can be found on Anime Boston’s website along with any fees for participants. The session games are as follows…

MORE »

If you’re a fan of music video games, then chances are you’re a Bemani fan without even realizing it. In Japan the term has become synonymous with music games, but it specifically refers to the music video games created by Konami. This division of Konami handles 10 different game series which all require music and intense player interaction to play.

In fact, many of the Bemani titles have been the inspiration for other music video games that have come to light in recent years. Also we can’t forget that the localization of Dance Dance Revolution is what brought dancing games to North America and helped game publishers and developers realize that audiences outside of Japan were ready for these kinds of games.

MORE »

In any story-driven medium, be it novels, narrative videogames, films, etc. you can’t have a very successful project without solid writing. While visual mediums like film and videogames (and from here, we’re speaking of games with central storylines, not Tetris) don’t necessarily rely on the spoken word as heavily, the writing is still an essential piece of the puzzle. With narrative becoming more and more important in gaming, and the industry growing at such an exponential rate, we’re increasingly seeing established screenwriters try their hand at writing games. But can these skills really be translated into such a vastly different medium?

At GDC 2008, 2k Boston mastermind Ken Levine gave a talk on storytelling in Bioshock. He revealed quite a few details about how the game’s story and world came together. To summarize very briefly, Levine stated that the narrative was actually written quite late in the development process, meaning that the game’s world and gameplay mechanics were established before the specific story details were written. It would appear that this organic, design-minded approach worked quite well for the format – seeing the title’s massive success and tremendous critical acclaim. He also left the audience with three bullet points essential for good storytelling in videogames: respect your audience, trust mystery, and empower the gamer.

MORE »

Konami has just sent out a press release (February 28, 2008) with a few final details for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. First, the North American street date is officially Thursday, June 12, 2008.

Second, in April 2008 there will be a limited number of pre-orders with incentive items The first bonus goodie is a Metal Gear Saga 2.0 DVD which will include (according to the press release) a recap of the Metal Gear franchise, “a 20th Anniversary retrospective, character bios for Big Boss, Liquid Snake, Solidus Snake, and Solid Snake, plus a collection of international trailers of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.” Second and more exciting is an access code for the Metal Gear Online beta (expected April 2008).

Third, there will be a Metal Gear Online “Starter Pack” that will support 16-player online gameplay.

As for the box art, Konami may have provided the image on this post but made it clear that it is NOT the final art.

This does confirm the information posted earlier today on the US Playstation blog which also lists the Beta start date as April 21, 2008 (and lasting “approximately 2 weeks").

Read [Playstation]

A couple of weeks ago a story about a boy that got injured by his PSP. The Farmington Hills, Detroit (USA), boy got second degree burns to his leg when his PSP, which was in his pants pocket, started heating and burned through his clothes. The device was given to the Farmington Hills Fire Department so that they could start an investigation to determine what had caused the PSP to overheat.

A couple of days ago the investigation came up with some clues and it turns out Sony’s device might not be the real culprit…

MORE »

Ars technica is reporting on two brand new PS3 bundles on their way for Europe - a Blu-ray bundle (a 40 GB PS3 with 3 movies and a SixAxis controller) and a GT5: Prologue pack (including a 40 GB PS3, a copy of the racer, and a SixAxis). The Blu-ray bundle is due out March 18, 2008, with the GT5 bundle coming in on March 28, 2008.  Both are set to retail for €399.

There’s one more caveat - the Blu-ray pack comes with three set films (Casino Royale, Spiderman 3, and 300), but that selection certainly beats early American pack-in Talledega Nights. In any event, both bundles look quite tantalizing, so Euro gamers still in the market for a next-gen console should take note.

Read [ars technica]