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The Witness Quietly Debuted at PAX

Steve Watts — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:21:00 +0000

Sometimes the best hiding spot is out in the open. Jonathan Blow, the indie developer behind the hit Braid, showed off his latest project at PAX -- on an unassuming, unmarked PC in the midst of the show floor. He detailed his reasoning on his blog. "At a show full of companies trying to capture your attention and sell you things, I wanted to do something that is subtle, and a surprise -- if you notice it, and decide to investigate, you find something unexpected." He also said he wanted people to play without time limitations, and announcing the game formally might have led to long lines.

He says he didn't want to let players know who developed it, or what it was. Instead, Blow kept his distance and took the occasional glance to see how players were doing. "Happily, the game worked very well -- despite the fact that the visuals are still in an early prototype stage. People tended to play for a long time, and they liked what they played." With his social experiment behind him, Blow says all that's left now is to "finish the game."

It's an interesting way to give a game a real-world test, but Blow might have a hard time doing it again. Now that word is out, the next convention he attends is sure to have eagle-eyed players looking for his brainchild.

Company of Heroes Designer Dies Protecting Pregnant Wife

Steve Watts — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:36:00 +0000

Relic Entertainment has lost a team member, whose final moments were spent saving his pregnant wife. The Province reports that Brian Wood, a lead designer at Relic who was working on Company of Heroes, was involved in a fatal car accident. An out-of-control car was on a collision course, and Wood braked and swerved to take the brunt of the impact himself. His wife Erin, who is due in early November, survived the crash.

Officers of the Washington State Patrol say they found evidence of drug use in the other vehicle, and its occupants are known offenders. The two rear passengers of the vehicle, Jacob Quistorf and Francis Malloy, were killed. The driver, Jordyn Weichert and front passenger, Samantha Bowling, are alive. Weichert is being charged with vehicular assault, and Bowling is hospitalized with a pelvic injury while being investigated for the same charges, as she may have taken the wheel.

"At the very last second [Brian] braked really hard and turned right so that he would be put in the path of the SUV and not me and the baby, and that is the only thing that saved us both," said Erin Wood. "I am not going to waste the gift he gave us." She called her husband "the most amazing warm-hearted man you would ever meet who loved his job, loved his family, and was just my rock."

Gary Oldman, Ed Harris Headline Black Ops Voice Talent

Steve Watts — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:42:00 +0000

Activision tends to open its wallet to break out big voice talent in the Call of Duty series, and today the company announced Black Ops will be no exception. Gary Oldman and Ed Harris are on tap to play roles in the new game, and filmmaker David S. Goyer will be lending story consultation and support.

Both of the veteran actors have been in countless movies. Oldman is most known recently from his roles in The Dark Knight and The Book of Eli. In Black Ops, he'll be reprising his role as Viktor Reznov from World at War. Harris, meanwhile, is recognized for his roles in A History of Violence and Apollo 13. He'll be playing Jason Hudson, a CIA operative. David S. Goyer has written for both of the recent Batman films, Blade, and the upcoming Superman: Man of Steel.

"Oldman, Harris and Goyer are considered some of the finest talents and they perfectly complement Call of Duty: Black Ops' ambitious and immersive single-player experience," said Treyarch head Mark Lamia in the press release. "Their contributions have helped us to push the boundaries of our story telling and character development far beyond anything we have ever attempted before in the franchise."

Gears 3 Carmine Shirts Raised $150,000 for Child’s Play

Steve Watts — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:10:00 +0000

The Gears of War 3 "Fate of Carmine" charity campaign officially closed this weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo. Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson from Epic Games appeared on video at the G4 panel to drop word that the charity shirts had raised $150,000 for Child's Play. No breakdown was given on the real shirts versus the virtual goods; but either way, that's a lot of votes for Carmine.

The two thanked everyone for buying shirts, whether for their Xbox 360 Avatars or the real life shirts sold by NECA, along with corporate sponsors and partners like Microsoft, G4, and Penny Arcade. "Although the fate of Carmine has been sealed, we can't tell you right now," said Cliff Bleszinski. This being a marketing event as well, we'll have to wait until Gears 3 releases to learn what happens to the poor, doomed schlub.

Gearbox Now Owns Duke Nukem Franchise

Steve Watts — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:18:00 +0000

Not only has Gearbox Software gained the rights to finish Duke Nukem Forever; the developer has also gained ownership of the franchise name. Gamasutra reports that Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford's decision to transfer ownership and finish the long-delayed title is partly due to his friendship with those at 3DRealms, like Scott Miller and George Broussard.

Pitchford credits Miller with getting him into the games industry, and he even worked on Duke Nukem Forever in the early days. When 3DR closed and the game seemed dead last May, Pitchford saw Broussard at a weekly poker game. "He told me it was the worst day of his life," he said. "I was worried about him. He was committed to the thing. He loved it so much he wanted it to be perfect."

Killzone 3 Coming on February 22

Steve Watts — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:15:00 +0000

Not to be outdone by the phoenix-like return of a long dormant shooter franchise, Sony announced announced the release date of its own first-person powerhouse today. According to a post on the PlayStation.Blog, Killzone 3 will release on February 22, 2011. PAX attendees will also get a chance to try out the multiplayer at Sony's booth.

This narrows the game's release down from the earlier vague target of February, and makes a pre-order the perfect Valentine's gift for that Helghan-hating special someone in your life. Because nothing says "I love you" like brutal future warfare -- in three dimensions.

Gearbox Confirmed on Duke Nukem Forever Development

Steve Watts — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:42:00 +0000

Amid swirling rumors of a PAX reveal, Gearbox has finally confirmed that they've taken the reins on Duke Nukem Forever. Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford delivered the news today, just as word hit the Wall Street Journal and eager gamers lined up at PAX to try the game for themselves. A live stream from 2K is still (as of now) showing off footage of the hands-on players.

"The approach and investment and process at 3d Realms didn't quite make it and it cracked in the end," said Pitchford in the WSJ interview. "With Gearbox Software we brought all of those pieces together. It's the game it was meant to be." The report claims the game is expected to ship in 2010, and Pitchford says it's in the "polishing" stage. But they're still working on a launch plan so he's hesitant to commit to a date.

Telltale Presents "Poker Night at the Inventory"

Steve Watts — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:31:00 +0000

Telltale has officially revealed the identity of its mystery game, titled "Poker Night at the Inventory." It stars Tycho, Max, Strong Bad, and the Heavy as they gamble over iconic items from their own respective worlds. The blog teases that Max, for example, gets excited over the prospect of winning the Heavy's gun -- which we're sure the Heavy won't like one bit.

The new teaser image (above) doesn't shed a lot of light on the subject, but if you're attending the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) this weekend, you can get a first-hand look at it. Telltale will be showing it off at at booth #3509. As an added incentive, if you pre-order the game, Telltale will give 25% off other purchases at the Telltale store.

Irrational Prototype Ideas May Live on in Another 2K Project

Steve Watts — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:10:00 +0000

Before Irrational Games decided to make BioShock Infinite, it was testing prototype ideas that might show up in a few different 2K games. We chatted with Ken Levine in the latest stop on our Cross Country Game Tour (above), who said that the eventual decision to make BioShock Infinite relied on some of the concepts that had come before.

"We finished BioShock, and we really didn't know what was going to be next," he said. "We actually prototyped a bunch of stuff... kinda decided it wasn't [right], and sat in a room and said, what else is interesting us? The idea of doing another BioShock game came up, but we knew if we were going to do that it wasn't going to be a game in Rapture."

Irrational Prototype Ideas Living on in Another 2K Project

Steve Watts — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:10:00 +0000

Before Irrational Games decided to make BioShock Infinite, it was testing prototype ideas that will show up in a few different 2K games. We chatted with Ken Levine in the latest stop on our Cross Country Game Tour (above), who said that the eventual decision to make BioShock Infinite relied on some of the concepts that had come before.