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Video Game Industry Thread: This is the old one, go to the new one

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Posts

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    Renzo wrote:

    Payne and Lynch. I will keep saying this until it sticks.

    Oooh wait, can I do the "I understand it might be a good game, but it is not Max Payne why would they call it that?!" bit?

    forumsig.png
  • Skull2185Skull2185 Registered User regular
    Max Payne 3 is going to be fucking epic!

    Why does it have to come out in March though?! Hopefully that wont hold up... or R* realizes that ME3 comes out in March too.

    Everyone has a price. Throw enough gold around and someone will risk disintegration.
  • emnmnmeemnmnme Registered User regular
    Hiding behind cover in a Max Payne game instead of dodging through the air in slo-mo? More like ... Minimum Payne 3.

  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    "This trailer was made entirely from in-game footage"

    It's too bad this statement has become innocuous and lost meaning.

  • RehabRehab Registered User regular
    I got kind of a Hangover 2 vibe from that trailer.

    The theme seems darker and I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the game featuring a monkey.

    NNID: Rehab0
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    So this just came up from the Diablo Twitter feed.
    "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship", with @PayPal. http://ow.ly/6un9N
    I bet PayPal is more than happy to collect a percentage of those goddamn transactions, I never thought of that aspect of this whole thing.

  • harvestharvest By birthright, a stupendous badass.Registered User regular
    So why did they ditch his awesome look from the first two games? Now he's got bald space-marine-itis.

    B6yM5w2.gif
  • reVersereVerse Attack and Dethrone God Registered User regular
    I really dislike bald beardy Max.

  • Houk the NamebringerHouk the Namebringer Nipples The EchidnaRegistered User regular
    Its not like they'd call it that in the West if/when it got localized (Bravely Default)

    There is actually every reason to believe they'd call it that in the West

  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    harvest wrote:
    So why did they ditch his awesome look from the first two games? Now he's got bald space-marine-itis.

    Because Space Marines sell and there's no room for any sort of distinctive look ever in any game that even involves small metal projectiles.

    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    reVerse wrote:
    I really dislike bald beardy Max.

    I think he's sexy as hell. I would ruin that.

  • Medium DaveMedium Dave Registered User regular
    Really? A blad, old, flabby/stout gentleman with sweat stains on his yellowing wife beater and a cruddy goatee is now a space marine? And less distinctive than guy in black leather Matrix coat and a suit with a weird expression on his face? Ok, then.

    Look, I rather enjoyed the old Max Payne games, and yes, this game certainly has a different look, but you can do noir in the sun and for at least another year, sun drenched favelas and shanty towns will be more interesting and underused than dark and dank Liberty City. I mean New York.

    I think the trailer is interesting, and yes, very Payne & Lynch (Christ Almighty, I hope I never say that again), but I see nothing in it that says "Max Payne in name only."

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    harvest wrote:
    So why did they ditch his awesome look from the first two games? Now he's got bald space-marine-itis.

    Pretty sure you've got to be some kind of marine and have been near space to qualify as a space marine, chief.

    forumsig.png
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited September 2011
    Really? A blad, old, flabby/stout gentleman with sweat stains on his yellowing wife beater and a cruddy goatee is now a space marine? And less distinctive than guy in black leather Matrix coat and a suit with a weird expression on his face? Ok, then.

    People love their memes.

    Dragkonias on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    And by people, you mean darleysam.

  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    In an attempt to derail argument #47 over what qualifies as a space marine, I bring you: layoffs!
    Dirt 3 developer Codemasters is shifting its focus solely onto racing games, with the proposed closure of its Guildford studio and expansion of its Warwickshire studio.

    Codemasters Guildford was responsible for first-person shooter Bodycount, released last month and receiving largely mixed reviews. Codemasters is currently consulting with staff at the facility about the proposal.

    The company is looking to invest in its racing portfolio by increasing the size of its existing development team at Dirt and Grid studio Warwickshire, while also forming a new team at its Birmingham studio that will assist the F1 2011 team on a new unannounced racing title.

    Codemasters noted that it will be encouraging current employees at its Guildford site to apply for positions at both the Warwickshire and Birmingham studios.

    A spokesperson for the company said, "As Codemasters looks to take greater leadership in the racing category, the company is proposing a studio structure that adds resource and strengthens our best-in-class racing teams."

    "The output from the studios on the Warwickshire campus and in Birmingham is on the increase with multiple continuing game series, brand extensions and new racing IPs in production."

    "Both the Warwickshire and Birmingham studios have won BAFTAs for their critically acclaimed, multi-million selling titles and the company is adding resource to ensure they constantly over achieve in this competitive sector," it concluded.

    http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37220/Codemasters_To_Close_Bodycount_Studio_Focusing_On_Racing_Titles.php

    I follow vidja games pretty damned closely, but I'll be arsed if I can remember anything about Bodycount. Or even that I knew it existed.

    But meanwhile, there's a new company being formed by a dream-team of investors! ... who will make microtransaction-based casual games, so they suck.
    Game industry veterans from BioWare, Electronic Arts, Zynga and Playdom have teamed up to create Rumble, a company focused on merging fast-paced action games with the casual free-to-play PC market.

    Rumble is the brainchild of former BioWare/Pandemic CEO Greg Richardson, whose career also includes executive stints at 3DO, Eidos, EA and, most recently, tech investment firm Elevation partners.

    To launch the company, Richardson has teamed up with Playdom founder and chairman Rick Thompson, who has put in $2 million in seed funding and will serve on the new company's board.

    Other partners in Rumble include Zynga game designer and CityVille creator John Yoo, EA2D vice president Mark Spenner and former EA VP and CTO David O'Connor.

    Speaking to the Wall Street Journal about Rumble's plans, Richardson said the company will publish titles from outside developers starting in early 2012, attempting to avoid titles that are overly complex.

    Richardson said the company is drawing inspiration from Nintendo titles like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart, PC games like Diablo and Civilization and arcade classics like Gauntlet, Joust and Pac-Man.

    http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37224/Bioware_Zynga_EA_Playdom_Vets_Launch_ActionFocused_Freemium_Startup.php

    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    Henroid wrote:
    And by people, you mean darleysam.

    Frustratingly, I can't think of a single meme-based retort to this. I'm just tired of 'space marine!" being dragged up to describe every single game. Although I was barely involved when the Gears of War/Space Marine debate kicked up here. As for Max Payne 3.. well it's not being made by Remedy and it's not been written by Sam Lake, so it may well be a fantastic game but I'm not expecting it to hold the same appeal as 1 or 2. Lake does things with his stories that just resonate perfectly with me, and I doubt it'll be present here.

    forumsig.png
  • ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    Henroid wrote:
    So this just came up from the Diablo Twitter feed.
    "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship", with @PayPal. http://ow.ly/6un9N
    I bet PayPal is more than happy to collect a percentage of those goddamn transactions, I never thought of that aspect of this whole thing.

    I suspected this would happen back when Blizzard announced the microtransaction approach and talks with a "third party". Considering how widespread Paypal use is based on Ebay alone, it makes sense. God knows I didn't want to have to bother with yet another such service being set up, and for all their faults and flaws, to date I haven't had issues with them and I can only hope that any kinks in the system are worked out swiftly and smoothly based on the size and ferocity of the userbase.
    Henroid wrote:
    And by people, you mean darleysam.

    darleysam counts as "people" again? Finally lived down "the noodle incident", eh?

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    I'm pretty sure that's the first company formed by investors in this industry. That's weird to me. As someone who fucking hates investors.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    darleysam wrote:
    Henroid wrote:
    And by people, you mean darleysam.

    Frustratingly, I can't think of a single meme-based retort to this. I'm just tired of 'space marine!" being dragged up to describe every single game. Although I was barely involved when the Gears of War/Space Marine debate kicked up here. As for Max Payne 3.. well it's not being made by Remedy and it's not been written by Sam Lake, so it may well be a fantastic game but I'm not expecting it to hold the same appeal as 1 or 2. Lake does things with his stories that just resonate perfectly with me, and I doubt it'll be present here.

    You can already tell from the trailer that it won't have Sam Lake's touch. But if you played Alan Wake you already got a little bonus Payne.

    usnTyq4.jpg
    Gamertag: PrimusD | Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    darleysam wrote:
    Henroid wrote:
    And by people, you mean darleysam.

    Frustratingly, I can't think of a single meme-based retort to this. I'm just tired of 'space marine!" being dragged up to describe every single game. Although I was barely involved when the Gears of War/Space Marine debate kicked up here. As for Max Payne 3.. well it's not being made by Remedy and it's not been written by Sam Lake, so it may well be a fantastic game but I'm not expecting it to hold the same appeal as 1 or 2. Lake does things with his stories that just resonate perfectly with me, and I doubt it'll be present here.

    Well, you're right about one thing - just because someone is bald-headed doesn't mean "Space marine!" I do like Payne and Lynch as far as any comparison would go, if one has to be made. Going bald-headed is a pretty drastic change for a character's appearance so I hope it's justified somehow in the narrative or its setting. You'd think he would fucking shave instead.

  • SmokeStacksSmokeStacks Registered User regular
    To be fair, before Max Payne was bald he had short dark hair, so really he just transitioned from one overused character cliche to another.

    Also, fuck paypal right in it's ass. Microtransactions are a stupid moneygrubbing idea and they've chosen the greediest payment company on the planet to handle them.

    hea7mcrkmvmx.jpg
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    To be fair, before Max Payne was bald he had short dark hair, so really he just transitioned from one overused character cliche to another.
    Wait, short dark hair is a cliche? On its own, or in very specific character archetypes (personality wise)? Be careful how you answer because I'm so ready to call bullshit. :P
    Also, fuck paypal right in it's ass. Microtransactions are a stupid moneygrubbing idea and they've chosen the greediest payment company on the planet to handle them.
    ... Wait what? O.o

  • L Ron HowardL Ron Howard The duck MinnesotaRegistered User regular
    In game footage means that this is the pre-rendered video that appears in the game as cutscenes, right?

  • ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    Eh, I'm pretty sure there are a number of "pre-payday loan" companies that easily give them a run for their money.

    Paypal aren't saints, but with Blizzard/Activision setting things up I imagine they'll have a strong vested interest in dotting every i, crossing every t, and ensuring the best experience possible. Which isn't to say it'll be flawless, but as someone who has used Paypal for over a decade, I'd rather them than some other company I'd have to start jumping through hoops with.

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    In game footage means that this is the pre-rendered video that appears in the game as cutscenes, right?

    It could mean that, yeah. What the statement should mean is, "This is what you'll see as you're pressing the buttons as you play." That's what it heavily implies. Thing is, you'd have to be a pretty dense idiot to believe that.

    What it mostly means these days is not pre-rendered. We're over the pre-rendered lies that use to happen a decade ago. Real-time footage is cool and all, but it's so common at this point that the industry needs to stop selling us on it. Because, like the actual definition I pointed out shows, companies using the line just come across as fucking liars.

  • MaddocMaddoc I'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother? Registered User regular
    Am I watching a different video? Because most of those character models absolutely looked in-engine to me.

    97H9G7S.png PSN - Masked Unit | FFXIV - Laitarne Gilgamesh
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    Gamasutra article state the obvious.
    In a new Gamasutra feature, veteran Mindscape and NovaLogic developer Henrik Markarian warns studios not to let too many people contribute to a game's core design, saying too many cooks can spoil the game design broth.
    Though I say it goes beyond internal team peoples. Companies involved (Metroid: Other M) could be another problem.

  • AutomaticzenAutomaticzen Registered User regular
    Its not like they'd call it that in the West if/when it got localized (Bravely Default)

    Nah, they know over half the audience is JRPG lovers who like their stuff pure. If anything changes, it'll be the subtitle. Bravely Default: The Tale of... etc.

    http://www.usgamer.net/
    http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
    I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
  • RenzoRenzo Registered User regular
    Henroid wrote:
    In game footage means that this is the pre-rendered video that appears in the game as cutscenes, right?

    It could mean that, yeah. What the statement should mean is, "This is what you'll see as you're pressing the buttons as you play." That's what it heavily implies. Thing is, you'd have to be a pretty dense idiot to believe that.

    What it mostly means these days is not pre-rendered. We're over the pre-rendered lies that use to happen a decade ago. Real-time footage is cool and all, but it's so common at this point that the industry needs to stop selling us on it. Because, like the actual definition I pointed out shows, companies using the line just come across as fucking liars.

    The only thing they aren't telling people is that we will see most of that from behind Max's back as opposed to the nice camera angles.

    I don't see what's wrong with not telling us that. It's obvious.

  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    Henroid wrote:
    Aren't they doing a DSiXL? It would kind of help if Nintendo didn't to shit like that.

    Doing? I own one. It's existed for a year.

    Aren't they doing some probably unnecessary XL version of something then? I thought we were talking about it before.

    Still, the point is they aren't helping themselves by offering so many different versions so close together. I'm not going to immediately say that 3D was the problem, but it can't have helped that there were so many DS iterations just popping out into the world.

  • WassermeloneWassermelone Registered User regular
    Paypal?

    Fuck paypal. They randomly locked down my account (and I do mean randomly, they specifically said so in the email I was sent) and are requesting one of two things before unlocking it: Connecting a credit card to paypal or mailing them photocopies of either my passport or my driver license.

  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    Henroid wrote:
    Aren't they doing a DSiXL? It would kind of help if Nintendo didn't to shit like that.

    Doing? I own one. It's existed for a year.

    Aren't they doing some probably unnecessary XL version of something then? I thought we were talking about it before.

    Still, the point is they aren't helping themselves by offering so many different versions so close together. I'm not going to immediately say that 3D was the problem, but it can't have helped that there were so many DS iterations just popping out into the world.

    They're doing a new Misty Rose color. Is that what you mean?

  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    Magic Pink wrote:
    reVerse wrote:
    I really dislike bald beardy Max.

    I think he's sexy as hell. I would ruin that.

    For all of us, I'm sure.

  • Johnny ChopsockyJohnny Chopsocky Scootaloo! We have to cook! Grillin' HaysenburgersRegistered User regular
    DarkPrimus wrote:
    darleysam wrote:
    Henroid wrote:
    And by people, you mean darleysam.

    Frustratingly, I can't think of a single meme-based retort to this. I'm just tired of 'space marine!" being dragged up to describe every single game. Although I was barely involved when the Gears of War/Space Marine debate kicked up here. As for Max Payne 3.. well it's not being made by Remedy and it's not been written by Sam Lake, so it may well be a fantastic game but I'm not expecting it to hold the same appeal as 1 or 2. Lake does things with his stories that just resonate perfectly with me, and I doubt it'll be present here.

    You can already tell from the trailer that it won't have Sam Lake's touch.

    ding ding ding.

    I'll try it, but without Lake at the helm I'm not salivating like I was for the second (which will remain on every PC I ever own until the end of time because sometimes I just get the urge to play it through again). Thank God they brought McCaffrey back as the voice. Without that voice, it REALLY wouldn't be Max Payne.

    Hopefully, they keep the hidden humor ("My lord!" "My lady!" "I was in a computer game.") and the Twin Peaks references from the other games intact.

    Not sure how I feel about Max's "burly Heisenburg" look at the end there, though. All I can think is that Max needs to top it off with a snazzy hat.

    ygPIJ.gif
    Steam ID XBL: JohnnyChopsocky PSN:Stud_Beefpile WiiU:JohnnyChopsocky
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited September 2011
    So a bunch of other details about Vita have come out that this thread might be interested in:
    But the company is going much further than that. Though it only occupied one slide of the nearly two-hour presentation, Kawano reiterated a previous announcement that the Vita will have dedicated applications built in for Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Skype.

    This may not be very exciting to some, but this looks like the closest integration of external social applications yet seen in a dedicated game console. The Vita is capable of multitasking, and Sony demonstrated on stage how you can be listening to music, playing a game, or watching a movie, and quickly flip over to Twitter to tweet something about what you're doing.

    The addition of Skype is particularly interesting given the Vita's 3G connection status through NTT Docomo in Japan. Each 3G version of the console sold in Japan comes with 100 free hours of 3G connection, and additional hours are relatively cheap to buy (20 hours for 980 yen/$12.75, 100 for 4,980 yen/$64.77). The Vita could effectively act as a smartphone, for most intents and purposes, with its custom web browser, and touch screen.

    In addition to all this, the company announced a collaboration with Nico Nico Douga, a popular YouTube-style video service in Japan that allows user comments to scroll across the screen as videos play. While at launch the Vita will only be able to view videos (with comments embedded and addable via the console), in spring of 2012, Sony plans to allow images/video taken with the Vita's camera to upload to Nico Nico, directly from the handheld.

    The final, but most interesting plan for Nico Nico Douga is live streaming. At some point during 2012, though this will have to be implemented on a title-by-title basis, Nico Nico is allowing live streaming of games from Vita to the web service.

    http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37217/Analysis_Sonys_PS_Vita_Launch_Approach_Shows_Social_Savvy.php

    Huh. Interesting. Charging a 3G up-front cost AND usage by time, not by data, seems pretty ludicrous, but then again the iPad manages to get away with it (of course it charges for data, rather than time). Then again again: iPad.

    Of course, now that I think about it, so much of this is functions duplicated by this thread's favorite thing: Angry Birds. No, wait. Smartphones.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • emnmnmeemnmnme Registered User regular
    As long as there's no trail of blood to follow with a baby crying non-stop in the background ...

  • Santa ClaustrophobiaSanta Claustrophobia Ho Ho Ho Disconnecting from Xbox LIVERegistered User regular
    emnmnme wrote:
    As long as there's no trail of blood to follow with a baby crying non-stop in the background ...

    Your jib: I like the cut of it.

  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    cloudeagle wrote:
    I follow vidja games pretty damned closely, but I'll be arsed if I can remember anything about Bodycount. Or even that I knew it existed.

    Literally the only other evidence I have ever seen for Bodycount's existence prior to reading this is that it is one of the covers that scroll by in current GameFly commercials. And when I saw it, I said to myself "What the hell is Bodycount?"

  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    Gaslight wrote:
    cloudeagle wrote:
    I follow vidja games pretty damned closely, but I'll be arsed if I can remember anything about Bodycount. Or even that I knew it existed.

    Literally the only other evidence I have ever seen for Bodycount's existence prior to reading this is that it is one of the covers that scroll by in current GameFly commercials. And when I saw it, I said to myself "What the hell is Bodycount?"

    It came out a couple weeks ago, apparently.
    Wikipedia wrote:
    Bodycount received generally mixed to negative reviews, with a score of 53 and 51 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, respectively, on Metacritic. GameSpot gave Bodycount a 5.5 out of 10 rating. They praised the fun of skillshots, a few fun guns and appealing environments but criticized the flat gameplay, a short 6 hour campaign, atrocious enemy AI and limiting multiplayer modes. IGN gave Bodycount a 6 out of 10 rating. They praised the several fun moments within the campaign as well as the gun fights but criticized the game for limiting what a player can do as opposed to what the game expects the player to do. They also stated that it lacks polish and entertainment value of video games it's trying to mimic.

    I'm guessing it didn't sell well. Hence the layoffs.

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This discussion has been closed.