I continue to be confused by Nitrome. Does this small web game studio secretly employ millions of genius designers and artists? Does everyone who works there suffer through 17-hour days and come in for overtime marathons at the weekend? However the company does it, every few weeks or so it seems to have a new game out that’s pretty and clever and quietly unmissable. I just don’t understand.
Prince Of Persia and Karateka designer Jordan Mechner has published a delightful piece of game nostalgia.
The year was 1985, fighting game Karateka - which Mechner is currently remaking - was live and kicking on screens all over America. It captured the heart and imagination of one aspiring young game developer - John Romero.
Ailing UK retailer Game Group has penned a deal with cloud gaming service Gaikai.
The deal will see Game offer playable demos on its online store, and brings the company in-line with other retailers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy.
"We are extremely pleased to be working with Game across Europe to help them expand their digital presence and engagement with online consumers by streaming Gaikai's portfolio of high quality content," said Gaikai executive vice president Robert Stevenson.
It's not the best of first impressions. Evolution tasks you with racing round a simple track to gauge which of two control options better suits you: either Regular, in which holding left or right on the left stick steers your vehicle in the appropriate direction, or Alternative, where your RC car follows the direction in which you point.
Zynga has moved to reduce its dependence on Facebook with the announcement of its own social gaming portal, Zynga.com.
The site will host not only Zynga's own games but other studios' as well. While users can log in with their Facebook accounts, they are no longer limited to connecting with those on their friends lists, but can play with other members of the site.
Dene and Simon Carter, formerly of Fable developer Lionhead, have formed a new studio, Another Place Productions.
The pair, who co-founded Big Blue Box, sold it to Lionhead and Microsoft and went on to create the Fable franchise, left Lionhead last year.
Dene and Simon Carter, formerly of Fable developer Lionhead, have formed a new studio, Another Place Productions.
The pair, who co-founded Big Blue Box, sold it to Lionhead and Microsoft and went on to create the Fable franchise, left Lionhead last year.
To get you off to a flying start in the Edge Create Challenge 2012 we've gathered together some tutorials on creating with Unity. Even if you're already using Unity to make games, you may still find some useful tips and tricks using the below links. We'll be kicking the competition off next Tuesday, March 6, when we'll reveal its theme and full rules.
Trine 2 has cleared Sony QA at last and will be released on the PlayStation Store next week.
The game launched in North America on December 20, with Finnish developer Frozenbyte saying the European release had been held up by "some small issues we couldn't help."
Those small issues kept the game in certification limbo for over two months, but Trine 2 will finally be available next Wednesday, March 7.
Our April issue, which is on sale March 14, features reviews, along with Post Script articles, on all the most important games including Mass Effect 3, Alan Wake's American Nightmare and Syndicate.
BioShock Infinite will be released for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 19 in Europe, developer Irrational Games has confirmed.
Ken Levine, president and creative director, said: "After BioShock, we had a vision for a followup that dwarfed the original in scope and ambition. BioShock Infinite has been our sole focus for the last four years, and we can't wait for fans to get their hands on it.
The Facebook Credits virtual currency may be in breach of US antitrust laws.
The claim comes from US legal firm Newman Du Wors, which in a white paper states that, by forcing app developers to use the currency, Facebook is preventing competition on its network, and has created an "illegal tying arrangement."
Online gambling appears to be Zynga's next big revenue stream, after CEO Mark Pincus said it was "a good natural fit" for the company's games.
Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom conference in San Francisco yesterday, the controversial CEO said his company was already well-positioned to capitalise on the popularity of online gaming thanks to Zynga Poker, which has 30 million monthly active users.
If working in Madrid appeals, Gameloft's currently open mobile developer position at its newly opened studio might be right for you. You'll be developing games across all genres for iOS and other smartphones and will need two to three years of professional experience behind you to apply. Find all Gameloft's jobs here.
Sony is to reveal several unannounced PS Vita games in a web broadcast next week.
Andriasang reports that the broadcast, aimed at Japanese gamers and titled "Welcome! PlayStation Vita Game Heaven", will take place on March 9 at 8pm JST.
Sony promises information about unannounced games, upcoming releases, and services for Vita, as well as new information about titles that have already been released - presumably DLC.
Ultraviolent roguelike The Binding Of Isaac is being considered for release on Sony platforms, according to developer Edmund McMillen.
McMillen, who co-developed Super Meat Boy with Tommy Refenes, told Joystiq that he and his publisher were looking at "one to two Sony platforms" after Nintendo had turned down a proposed 3DS release for the game, released for PC last year, due to its "questionable religious content."
Game Group has moved to assure investors that its credit dispute with EA, which will leave the UK's largest specialist retailer without stock of one of the biggest releases of the year so far in Mass Effect 3, is only temporary.
I am writing dialogue, which makes me feel shame. Are cutscenes any way to tell a story in the interactive medium? Though previously convinced they should be banned, I’ve considered movies with voiceovers, text establishing “Berlin, 1945”, and so on. It can be a crutch, but it’s not necessarily morally wrong. Still I wince when our new project, Waking Mars, opens with text instead of gameplay. WTF.
World Of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that it is to lay off 600 staff.
Sony Online Entertainment is to close four of its MMOGs, including 2003 PS2 game EverQuest Online Adventures.
VG247 reports that Sony's MMOG division will also shut down servers for Cosmic Rift, Infantry and Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga.
Namco Bandai's PSP RPG Tales Of The Heroes: Twin Brave is the new Japanese all-formats number one.
It's been a busy week for new releases in Japan, with the entire top six consisting of new entries. Harvest Moon's 3DS debut takes second spot, with Capcom's Asura's Wrath in fifth, selling just over 30,000 units during the week.
Raspberry Pi, the $25 PC that it is hoped will give rise to a new generation of programmers, launched this morning, and sold out within hours.
Gamesindustry.biz reports that demand for the low-spec PC, which launched in the UK priced at just £22, brought down its stockists' websites. Premier Farnell limited sales to one per customer, while RS Components is building systems to order.
This morning's news that Game Group will not be stocking EA titles, including Mass Effect 3, from next week onwards has predictably hit the company's share price hard.
At the time of writing, a single share in the nation's largest specialist videogame retailer costs 5p - a drop of 14.97 per cent since the day's trading began.
If Nintendo is to differentiate its eShop from the App Store it needs more software as substantial as Dillon’s Rolling Western, which offers thirty levels of its unique, idiosyncratic spin on the tower defence genre. Yet while Vanpool’s game comfortably clears the 10-hour barrier – perhaps double that for those wishing to pursue its elusive five-star goals – it comes at a cost, and that’s not just the £9 pricetag.
Cel-shaded action-adventure Gravity Rush will be released for PS Vita on June 13.
Writing on the PlayStation Blog, Sony's Rebecca Maschke confirms that the game, directed by Siren designer Keiichiro Toyama and known in Japan as Gravity Daze, will be released simultaneously at retail and as a download from PlayStation Store.