Why I Don’t Love The New GoW2 Trailer

Epic and Microsoft have released a new trailer for Gears of War 2, “Rendezvous”. Buying GoW2 is a foregone conclusion – this game is going to kick ass! But there’s something that’s bugging me about the trailer. Something that leaves a bit of an empty feeling in my stomach. It’s not what’s in the trailer. It’s what is missing from it.

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If You’re Not Watching the Jace Hall Show…

You should be. Fun mixture of video games and celebrities from a guy who actually knows a lot about the industry (he ran Monolith for many, many years). Well produced and entertaining.

New Chrono game!

Update: Uhm, looks like it’s just a port of the Playstation version, which was a port of the Super Famicon version with terrible Dragonball Z characters thrown in (sorry, I just can’t stand that style). Boo! Doesn’t make the game any worse, of course, but I don’t need to buy a new DS port just to replay that game again…

Original Post: Be still my heart!

Square needs to add a lot more content and less tease to that page, though

Free Lair Downloads

The free Lair Dragons and Control Pack is now available on the Playstation 3 store. Two new playable dragons, analog control option, and a whole bunch of fixes for free!

I wanna be inverted!

I’ve finally had some time to try out the Ratched & Clank: Tools of Destruction demo on the Playstation 3, and it’s exactly what I expected. And hoped for: a great-looking iteration of the established franchise for the PS3. Not much more I can say about it that hasn’t already been said – Ratchet & Clank has always been great, and the new game is no exception. It’s fun. It’s addictive. It works. Well done, Insomniac!

Except…

Where in Quark’s name is the option to invert the camera’s Y axis? I can’t believe that this isn’t included in the demo! If you’ve worked on a 3rd person control schemes (and who in this industry hasn’t?) you know that this issue splits games right down the middle: 50% of the development staff wants to push the stick forward to look up, 50% wants to pull the stick backward. So where in this demo is the option? Unfortunately Ratchet does exactly the opposite of my preference (I’m a “stick-puller”), and it’s screwing with my head big time. I keep looking down instead of up.

This isn’t the first high-profile title that does this kind of stuff. I remember almost quitting KOTOR because the camera controls were backwards for me. My brain/hands just couldn’t grok the controls, and the fact that the inversion option seemed like such an easy thing to do only made matters worse. I’m hoping this this was just an oversight for the Ratched Demo – and that the final game will fix the problem. It would be a shame if it didn’t.

The Wheel of Time stops turning

R.I.P. Robert Jordan.

I hadn’t read any of Robert Jordan’s books when Glen Dahlgren contacted me in 1997 about working on The Wheel of Time computer game. But I was intent on doing my research, so I immediately went to Baedeker to buy the first volume of the series. In English, of course, because the game was going to be in English.

E3 1997 happened right around that time. I’d made contacts with several other game companies in America and I had potential job prospects (Legend could only offer me a remote position from Germany), so several regulars on the #level_design IRC channel were encouraging me to fly to Atlanta to mingle with the crowd and maybe make something happen. My parents were on vacation, so I borrowed some money from my late grandmother and bought an improptu plane ticket to America.

It was during the four-hour train ride to the Frankfurt airport that I started reading The Eye of the World. My English was still rather bad and I didn’t understand every word in the book, but the writing was so good that I was captivated anyway. Sure, when it really came down to it, Jordan was treading familiar territory: black riders, a wide-eyed farmboy goes out into the big world to fulfill his destiny, mysterious mentors accompany him… But Jordan did everything in a wildly imaginative and evocative way. The characters and world felt very alive, and everything was relatable.

Of course I ended up working for Legend and on Wheel of Time anyway. By that time, I’d already read all available novels even though I hadn’t been working on the game (as had Charlie Wiederhold, another potential WoT level designer who ended up working elsewhere). And I can guarantee you that every designer involved with the game cared about and was a huge fan of the books.

I’ll be the first to admit that the series eventually died on me and I only ever made it to book 7. That wasn’t necessarily because the story had become less interesting. It just seemed like there was no end in sight!
I think I’ll read all those remaining books now. It sounds like the final volume will be finished in one form or another, and I want to be ready for that. Thank you, Robert Jordan, for all that you’ve given us!

P.S.: The trip to E3 1997 didn’t actually happen after all because of a snafu at the airport. I spent four additional hours riding back home (and reading).

Lair In Stores

Lair is being sold in stores all over the America now. Try it out, let me know what you think!
By the way, if you have a PSP and a PS3, you can do this: (Video Removed)

Lair is officially done!

As announced earlier this week, development on Lair has finished and the game is off to duplication! It will be in stores on August 14 September 3. I learned a ton of new stuff making this game – and if you pour 2 1/2 years of your life into something, it had better be worth it on some personal level.

I’m aware of the reviews, of course. Some are very positive, some are not. The common complaint in those bad reviews seem to be the controls – putting the dragon streering on the motion-sensitive SIXAXIS controller doesn’t sit well with some of the experienced gamers. First of all: try it out yourself, give it a chance!
And if you want my side of the story, I will share a simple anecdote: Victoria’s family, lead by my 83-year old grandfather in law, was able to pick up Lair in less than 5 inutes, to fly around with the dragon and to play the first mission of the game.That experience right there beats anything that the reviewers can say. Because let’s face it: the hardcore crowd is an important part of the market, and I sincerely hope that everybody who reads my page and/or hangs out on NeoGAF, IGN, 1UP on a daily basis will buy Lair and enjoy it. Your guys’ opinions are important, and they matter.

BUT… making a game that my entire (extended) family can play, that’s how we will keep the creative flame (and our industry!) alive.

Check the official sources for more information on Lair. I enjoyed the experience and have tons of ideas on what to do next. In other words, I have already moved on to the next project…

P.S.: Hope you like the new vegetation in the final build

Congratulations Ninja Theory!

The main character in the Heavenly Sword demo looks absolutely stunning. Best I’ve seen in a game yet. Gameplay is well executed – but what’s with the length of that demo? That took less than 10 (gorgeous) minutes to complete!

Lair Art Show

I will be at Cogswell Polytechnical College tomorrow (Saturday the 2nd) for the opening of the Lair art show. The college will host an open day with tours of the facility, and we will do a panel with various people from the team (including me) answering questions from a moderator and the audience.

“The Art of Lair”
Exhibit Dates: June 2 through July 27

Special Exhibit Events – Saturday, June 2, 12:30-6:30:

• Cogswell Open House: 12:30 to 3:00 p.m.
• Panel Discussion with Factor 5: 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
• Gallery Reception: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Cogswell Polytechnical College announces an exciting new exhibit for The Gallery at Cogswell. Factor 5, Inc. of San Rafael will present work from its eagerly anticipated video game, Lair. The exhibit will run from June 2 through July 27. Lair, a dragon combat action game, was developed by Factor 5 and will be published by Sony Computer Entertainment for its PlayStation® 3 platform. [...]