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We've seen Last Remnant screens before. But not in English. Yes, yes, English! Look at all those words, words we all know. Take a look at the latest batch from Square Enix. Do it.
You know, some trailers we get are just a pleasure to watch and that goes for this new Fable 2 developer diary. A few members of the audio department over at Lionhead explain some of the music and sound choices that were made for the game. So if you've had a rough day at work or are just stressed out, sit back, relax and enjoy this one.
The Fable II Collector's Edition will be missing some stuff. The swish box, some cards, and a neat little Hobbe figure. The box and the figure, sadly, there's nothing that can be done for them. They're gone. But the cards, they live on, Lionhead telling us that they'll be made available as downloadable pdf files so you can print them off. They won't look as good as they would have coming from a professional printer, but then, poor quality versions are normally better than no version at all.
It looks like Peter Molyneux's ability to promise features for his games that never arrive extends in the world of retail box sets as well. (We kid because we care)
Due to a "supply chain issue" the Fable II Limited Collector's Edition will no longer include the premium box, five printed fate cards and Hobbe figure, Lionhead Studios today. To make up for the missing feature set, the collector's edition will now run for about $70, instead of $80.
The Collector's Edition is expected to hit on October 21 in North America and Asia and October 24 for Europe and will include:
Those of you eagerly awaiting the continuing RPG adventures of Gabe, Tycho, and dashing protagonist might not be waiting too much longer, as Hothead Games announces Gold Master Status on the PC, Mac, and Linux versions of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode two. The price is $14.95 across computer platforms, with the Xbox Live Arcade version the 1200 Microsoft Points, $5 cheaper than the first installment. The PS3 version is expected to share a similar price point.
In celebration of this momentous occasion, they've also released an official trailer for Episode Two, which I've tucked comfortably after the jump.
For Fable II, Lionhead Studios wanted a more mature look. In fact, in the game's original mission statement, the developer put forth it wanted Fable II to be like Fable done by Ridley Scott. Lionhead technical art director Ian Lovett explains:
The idea behind that is that Microsoft understand Ridley Scott, they understand that this means that we wanted to mature the franchise a little bit. Not losing its charm, but basically trying to grow it up ever so slightly.
Hope Lionhead meant the Blade Runner, Alien, Gladiator Ridley Scott and not the White Squall, Hannibal, 1492 Ridley Scott. Those movies sucked.
Fable 2 art guys wanted "Fable, but done by Ridley Scott" [Eurogamer] [Pic]
Codemasters has teamed up with men's magazine Front and one of their models to put together a collection of quasi Not Safe For Work wall paper.
The images feature former Cyber Girl of the Year Alex Sim-Wise in a set of provocative poses that have been digitally enhanced with imagery from the upcoming action role-playing game set to hit the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this autumn.
The images are part of a six-page feature published in this month's FRONT magazine that hit stands today.
"The shoot was super rad," says Alex Sim-Wise. "I'm massive gaming geek - so taking down the incredible bosses from Rise of the Argonauts was definitely my cup of tea. The results of the shoot are incredible. So much so I've been jumping around since, casting flames from my hands. Although, I did accidentally set light to a small cat."
Full-sized, unfishy, images can be found here.
Peter Molyneux's Fable 2 publicity storm continues, complete with Molynexisms. Today's is about Fable 2 being so good that even the people on payroll like it. Or something. Here, let Molyneux explain:
I think of all the games I've made, I think I'm probably more excited about the launch of Fable 2 than I've been about any game really. Because everybody who's played it — the majority of which are the team members themselves, so this is going to sound strange, but they're always the toughest audience to please — has said it's fantastic. That's a wonderful feeling
Ever notice that Peter Molyneux is most excited about his latest game? That's why he's Peter Molyneux and you and I are not. Simple as that.
Peter Molyneux - Part Two [Games Industry]
We got a new developer diary from the one and only brown game ya'll know and love, Golden Axe: Beast Rider. Interestingly, act 1 of this video series focuses on the roots of Golden Axe starting with the original arcade game and progressing to the Sega Genesis. I would bet that most of us in Kotaku tower were guilty at one point or another of inserting massive amount of quarters into that blasted machine. Now that it crosses my mind, I don't think we have a single Golden Axe arcade in Boulder, Colorado. Do you still have one around in your area?
You can pick up Golden Axe: Beast Rider on October 14th for Xbox 360 and PS3.
As Disgaea fans are likely well aware, the peg-legged penguin-likes known as Prinny are getting a starring role in their own video game. Prinny: Ore ga Shujinko de Iinsuka? — or Prinny: Is It OK If I'm The Protagonist? if you prefer — is slated to appear on NIS America's publishing list, meaning a PSP import isn't necessary for most North American citizens.
Jack Niida, Marketing Manager at NIS America, tells Siliconera that, while plans aren't quite concrete, it's comin'.
Hey Doods, NIS America Will Publish The Prinny Action Game [Siliconera]
Edutainment. Man, I hate that word. But the concept, the concept I love.
Unfortunately the business of making education fun hasn't had much luck making its way to the console as of late. Just last month I was bemoaning the lack of educational games on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii over a dinner with a bunch of developers.
Just about everyone at the table had a reason why educational games not only would never make their way to the next-gen consoles, but shouldn't. They are, one person hinted, the touch of death for developers.
But at least one developer doesn't buy that.
Quest for Glory II is the greatest adventure game of all time. That's not opinion, either. It's fact. Science. Only problem is, the game's from 1990, so it's also a little...rough. No more! Thanks to the team at AGD (who have also done fantastic restorations of the first two Kings Quest games), the game's "quaint" old VGA graphics have been updated, the timing of the real-time puzzles have been made easier and dialogue is now taken care of via menus, instead of having to guess via text input. Oh, and it's 100% free. In other words, the greatest adventure game of all time just got greater.
Quest For Glory II [AGD, via IndieGames]
We've been a little nostalgic the past couple of weekends, which included a look back at Sierra's origins; now Adventure Classic Gaming has a look at hidden assets of classic Sierra games. Not the Easter Eggs, but the bits and pieces hidden in the asset files of games — things that will never appear in the games themselves and take some exploration to actually get to. These range from bits of dialogue to wacky animations to pencil sketches; the author takes a look at some of these hidden assets and the meaning behind them:
Indie developer Zombie Cow (they did the spoof deathmatch platformer Gibbage)- have released another 'tribute' game — this time a Windows Point 'n' Click adventure heavily inspired by classic Lucasarts SCUMM games like Monkey Island, Sam & Max Hit The Road and Day Of The Tentacle.
Ben There, Dan That follows the adventures of programmer Dan Marshall and his reanimated zombie flatmate, Ben. What starts out as a simple hunt for a TV aerial to facilitate viewing of Magnum: PI turns into a multidimensional quest for a missing Yin-Yang.
If you don't mind some fairly primitive graphics, enjoy in-jokes about retro gaming and think you can stomach what Zombie Cow themselves describe as "the odd dabble of mild racism" (Eh? Careful with the irony guns, guys, that stuff can get everywhere) then BTDT is available for the low, low price of free - although Zombie Cow would certainly not object if you wanted to chuck a donation their way.
Ben There, Dan That [Zombie Cow]
Vlad Ceraldi, president and CEO of Hothead Games, wants to set the record straight: No one at Hothead or Penny Arcade hates the Playstation 3.
The reason Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One was so long in coming to the Playstation Network had nothing to do with favouritism, and everything to do with technology.
"Everyone seemed to come up with their own rumours", Ceraldi said. "They thought there was exclusivity or that Penny Arcade doesn't like the Playstation 3 but that wasn't it at all".
After announcing their game for the PC, Linux and Xbox 360 Hothead discovered they had to essentially build their own version of the Torque game engine to bring the Penny Arcade Adventures they wanted to consoles and it took much longer than they expected.
"At that point we were fully committed to getting the game done as soon as we could", Ceraldi said. "So we focused on PC, linux and what we had already announced, the Xbox".
Everyone's favourite claymation man and dog combo is getting the episodic adventure game treatment courtesy of Telltale Games. The company has just announced Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, an adventure series in the same vein as Sam and Max, ultilising graphics that simulate the claymation look and feel of the beloved series.
To: Crecente
From: Bashcraft
RE: Don't Leave Us Hanging
Tonight's Night Note is kinda long, so I put it after the jump.
What you missed last night
What Are The Top Selling Games Of 2008 So Far?
Fallout 3 Refused Classification In Australia
Patapon 2 Announced, Let's Look At It
Mega Man 9: Cheap As $US 10 Chips
Cliff Bleszinski Wants Fewer Buttons
This Wii Hard Drive Is So Damn Phony (And Funny)
Does This Banjo Kazooie Video Confirm An Xbox 360 Motion Controller?
Ron Gilbert is probably best known for his work at LucasArts, where he worked on such favourites as Maniac Mansion, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Day Of The Tentacle. Most recently, he's worked on Penny Arcade Adventures and has a forthcoming title called DeathSpank. Gamasutra sat down for a somewhat lengthy interview, discussing the episodic model, working within the current industry framework, and moving outside the current studio framework into a more 'Hollywood' type model. On this aspect (shifting to a more 'team' based approach where people come together to work on specific projects), he's got this to say:
Posted by Logan Booker at 12:30 PM on July 4, 2008
Vivendi made it clear back in mid-January that another Leisure Suit Larry game was in development. If the news didn't grab your attention, I can't blame you - Larry's previous outing, Magna Cum Laude was refused classification by the OFLC in September of 2004. Not a point in Box Office Bust's favour, as I'm sure you'll agree.
Despite Magna Cum Laude's fate, and the fact Box Office Bust has yet to be rated, EB Games Australia has preorders going for the new title. While this isn't unusual - many retailers make unrated games available for preorder - until the OFLC passes judgement, my hopes remain subdued.
Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust [EB Games Australia, thanks Michael]
The first episode of Penny Arcade Adventures was the highest-grossing Xbox Live Arcade debut ever, earning $US 330,000 in its first three days, according to the stat-crunchers at VGChartz. The prior record-holder was Worms HD. In terms of units sold, On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness was the third-highest performer of 2008 - even with its higher price point.
As VGChartz's Benjamin Schlichter says:
What does this mean for the future of XBLA? Penny Arcade proved that a high priced game can sell well, and doesn't require the game be $US 5, or $US 10 to get a high number of sales in the first week. It also shows that Episodic Content has a place on XBLA, as PAA is the first of a series. And finally, it also satisifed the XBLA Market's desire for another RPG. PAA is a hybrid turn based, and action RPG (from my understanding). So these factors, as well as it's name brand contributed to the strong sales.
When a movie's major, above-the-title testimonial comes from Access Hollywood, Rex Reed, or a television station in New Mexico, chances are it's going to be a real turd of an operation. Penny Arcade is trying that in reverse with On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One. They're flacking it with the rantings of an anti-Penny Arcade troll.
In case you missed it, Penny Arcade's first foray into the game-making world, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, is out now. I've been playing it all day. It's great. Notsomuch for the gameplay, which is standard stuff, but definitely for the charm. If you're not the type to trust my recommendation, however, (though really, you should, I'm a nice guy) anyone with a PC (Linux included) or Mac can grab a demo of the first episode, take it for a spin, see how it feels. Even if you hate smashing item boxes and turn-based combat, it should at least put a smile on your face.
On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Demo [Windows, Linux, Mac]
If you somehow missed the news that the Penny Arcade/Hothead Studios joint Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One was hitting this week, here's your handy reminder. The debut episode of the adventures of Gabe and Tycho will set you back 1600 Microsoft Points should you buy from Xbox Live Arcade, with the Windows, Mac and Linux download a mere $US 19.95 via PA's own Greenhouse. I'm downloading it just to find out how "adult" this "adult humour" really is. If it's anything like the adult movies I watch and the adult situations in which I often find myself, it should be worth the price of admission.
Penny Arcade Adventures [Xbox.com]
After finishing up playing a bit of Too Human coop yesterday, I noticed a demo station of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness sitting all by itself, tucked away next to the Ninja Gaiden II stations.
Since the game wasn't getting official demos, I decided to take our 30 minute break between games to sit down with the Penny Arcade game and take it for a test drive.
