On The Front Lines: Studio Tour of United Front Games
In the heart of Yaletown in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia is the home of United Front Games, the up and coming developers of games such as ModNation Racers and True Crime. For the most part gamers only get to see the finished product itself, but they don’t always get to explore where the game was made. While I was in Vancouver for the Olympics I stopped by the studio and was...
10 of Video Game’s Most Menacing Characters
Being a menacing videogame villain takes more than just having a “Kill, Kill, Kill!” kind of attitude. Menace comes from the antagonist’s presence. For me, how scary a bad guy is knowing that they’re is more powerful than you, smarter than you, more violent, aggressive and sadistic. It’s having a psychological or physical authority over the game’s...
Redefining: “Videogame”
When someone says “Videogame” what comes to mind? Sega? It’s one of the world’s most popular videogame brands, and home to that blue hedgehog who’s finally making a comeback. Miyamoto? Arguably, Shigeru is the most influential developer in the world. Platforming? It's a widespread gaming genre that was created in the 80’s, and it's well known for...
A Monitorside Chat With Scott Johnson
Recently, I had a chance to sit down (Internet-style) with award-winning artist and podcaster extraordinaire Scott Johnson. Having been a web comic artist since before the industry took off in 2001, Scott’s built a colossal following and community around his comics and podcasts, culminating in the annual Utah-based Nerdtacular event. More of a party than a convention, geeks from around...
Discussion: Sakurai and Kamiya
Masahiro Sakurai is a machine – an analytical, hyper-critical, game constructing machine. Listening to the man speak, you get the impression that he has never, for a single moment, suffered a break in consciousness (he completely refrains from alcohol, which is not a value judgment, merely fine details), and regardless of the nature of an interview or the air in the room, he continues his pursuit...
A Dose of Reality: Breaking the Fourth Wall Part 2
A game like No More Heroes can be given certain liberties when it comes to theatrics. This freedom comes partly from the creator’s reputation and partly from how the narrative is constructed around its subjects. There’s an awareness built into the overall game design that make breaking the fourth wall effective. Someone like Travis Touchdown is able to develop as a character and use his...
The State and Effect of Multiplayer
MMOs need it, RPGs ignore it, shooters always attempt it and Major League Gaming broadcasts it. Multiplayer won’t make or break a game outright, but it can define the experience so completely that it obscures other important factors. This can be a saving grace for some games as players are still able to get a good experience out of a bad game (I’m looking at you, Tony Hawk: Ride). Though the execution...
So Bad They’re Good
It's happened to the best of us. We return from our preferred electronic entertainment store, giddy with excitement over our latest purchase. “This will totally live up to the outrageous hype!” we tell ourselves, deluded by the latest marketing blitz. There's no way that Game 2: Return to Game can be bad, right? So you rip off the plastic and pop that sucker right into your console....
A Dose of Reality: Breaking the Fourth Wall Part 1
At the start of No More Heroes, Travis Touchdown looks right into the camera and asks, “How about this. If I become number one, will you do it with me?” So, you just killed thirty people and decapitated another assassin just to get laid? He sounds single-minded and he is, but this is just the start of Travis’s absurd quest into the assassin underworld. With the release of No More...
Interview with the Producer of ModNation Racers
Last week I had the chance to interview Dan Sochan, producer on the upcoming PS3 exclusive, ModNation Racers. Below is a transcript of my interview with him, however there is some exclusive content in the audio version of the interview which you can listen to here. Where did the idea for ModNation Racers come from? Several of us have a background working on other racing titles including Need For...
