Social Gaming

Squishy fish zombies are actually pretty scary when you hear them in surround sound. Surprisingly, I didn’t even realize that they moaned until I started playing Resident Evil: Revelations on PC. That’s right: The best RE game released in 2012 is now on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC. If you didn’t get a chance to play Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS, it’s the story of Jill Valentine before she disappears in Resident Evil 5, complete with claustrophobic corridors and constant misdirection. I adored Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS, and I’m pleased more people will be able to experience this story after suffering through less than stellar experiences with Resident Evil 6 and Operation Raccoon City. Revelations takes a step back into Resident Evil’s past by reintroducing slower gameplay and backtracking through labyrinthine “sea mansions” or, you know, cruise ships. It does stumble in the transition from handhelds to bigger screens, but the core experience is so refreshing that it’s easy to overlook messy textures for the sake of a Resident Evil game that’s fun to play. What you’ll like Gameplay hybridization If you dislike the active inventory in Resident Evil 5 and 6, you’ll likely be surprised by how well a similar system works in Revelations without forcing you to pull up a floating menu in the heat of battle. Whenever you pick up ammo or healing items, they are automatically assigned to their respective weapons or quick-access button. You can only carry a certain amount of ammo at one time, but you never have to worry about managing finite blocks in an inventory page and ask yourself “Do I need bullets more than healing items?” Really, the developers behind Revelations looked at the action-heavy direction in the mainline series and said “Why not slow it down?” To do this, they added something called the Genesis, a field tool Jill and associates use to scan for hidden clues and identify different forms of the T-virus. That’s just an elaborate backstory for a much-needed design feature: forcing players to examine their surroundings and not charge ahead as they would in Resident Evil 5 or 6. Along with the Genesis, characters can carry up to three guns, so you can mix it up with a variety of short or long-range weapons. Whenever you want to trade out your arsenal, you can do so from various cache boxes littered through the levels. I missed the old inventory boxes from the original Resident Evil games, so it’s nice to see them coming back in a limited way. Revelations also takes surprisingly well to controllers. I played the PC version with a wired Xbox 360 controller and needed to tinker with the keyboard layout (and I was still wasn’t satisfied with it). My greatest worry going into this port was how the semianalog mechanics would conform to a modern controller. The process was surprisingly fluid due in part to the 3DS version’s use of the Circle Pad Pro periphrial. New costumes Capcom loves mixing a little bit of humor into its horror games in form of unlockable costumes. In the original Onimusha, you could battle against legions of undead soldiers while wearing a giant panda suit. Nothing else about the experience changed while you did, except that you were very aware that you looked a complete fool in this otherwise serious world. Resident Evil has a long history with adding extra (and often whimsical) costumes as completion rewards as well, and now Revelations has its own set of ridiculous alternative apparel. A bit of controversy rose up when Capcom revealed “sexy” pirate outfits for Revelations main protagonists Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield that you can unlock after finishing the game. Typically, I wouldn’t say this was a good and worthwhile addition, but I absolutely adore the ridiculous second outfit for Chris. Rather than his gruff combat gear, Sailor Chris wears a sho

Former EA chief executive John Riccitiello wrote an op-ed piece in Kotaku today that argued for a triumphant return of console games to the front and center of the game business with the upcoming introduction of the new game consoles from Sony and Microsoft. He said the rise of mobile games is huge, but it isn’t likely to kill off console games, in the same way that Skittles candy is unlikely to kill off steak dinners. With mobile games, Riccitiello wrote, “I play them everywhere. At home. In a taxi. On a plane. Sometimes when I am trying to get to a next level, I get up in the middle of the night to play. This may seem unusual, but the numbers speak for themselves. Mobile gaming is exploding globally with no end to the growth in sight. “What I notice, though, is that the vast majority of my mobile gaming is done 5 and 10 minutes at a time. Sometimes 15. Sometimes, I am watching TV while I am playing. Sometimes I am writing something and need a break for a moment or two, like now. Or, I am eating a burrito. When I am playing a mobile game, it takes some, but not all of, my attention.” But with console games, Riccitiello says, “I don’t have the fastest thumbs, so playing with any skill at all requires my focus. I am fully engaged. All-in. The room with the biggest TV is the most important entertainment room in my house. And there, console gaming rules. In the room where the entertainment stakes are the highest, console gaming wins. When I am exploring Columbia, or taking down Necromorphs, solving Portal Puzzles, or running as Faith over building tops — OK, so I still love that game — I am all-in. Fully committed. It is a commitment I am happy to make.” Riccitiello fully expects that gamers are ready for a new generation of consoles to bring us a “new frontier of immersive gaming.” He wrote, “Sony and Microsoft absolutely need to deliver new boxes that really impress us. They need to deliver platforms that enable game experiences that are not possible on current consoles. It is not just about graphics, although it is partly about graphics. It is also about recognizing that a lot has changed with online devices and the cloud since the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were originally introduced.” But four issues could derail a console comeback. Riccitiello says that console makers need to be reminded that it’s all about the games. If they add lots of new entertainment, the user interface for the machine will become cluttered, and it could become harder to find games on the box. And they just won’t stand out from the clutter. Console makers may not be able to produce enough units at the outset, and that will leave a lot of gamers angry. Sony’s initial price of $599 for the PlayStation 3 was a nonstarter last time. Getting the price right this time is critical, given the competition from mobile devices. Gamers hate walled gardens with digital-rights management and always-on requirements. They could rebel if faced with those features. Filed under: Games GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }

Peter Molyneux, the father of “god games” and founder of 22cans, has gone mobile and is announcing that his Godus title will be published by Japan’s DeNA. The game is an ambitious attempt to reinvent the god-game genre for mobile. And Molyneux, who has made heavy-duty console games like the Fable series, is bullish on mobile. His entry into that market is another sign that mobile is becoming to big a market to ignore, even for triple-A game developers. DeNA, a mobile-social game network with a multibillion-dollar valuation, is expanding to publish Western content. Based in the United Kingdom, 22cans is developing its title for Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices. The game will use DeNA’s Mobage mobile-social game platform in the West, Japan, and Korea. “We have huge respect for DeNA’s successes in mobile gaming. By fusing their expertise and experience with our passion and dedication, we are going to make Godus a truly groundbreaking reinvention of the god-game genre,” said Peter Molyneux said in a statement. “As a global leader in developing and publishing mobile games, DeNA is the ideal partner for us to collaborate with on the launch of Godus.” In Godus, you play a god. You can wield divine powers over your devoted followers. It’s similar to Molyneux’s older title, Black and White. If you advance your civilization, your people will believe in you more. With that belief, you can sculpt entire lands, beautifying them with your touch. But you face challenges from rival gods. You can also be an angry god, creating earthquakes, volcanoes, or tornadoes to unleash upon the rival gods and their worlds. You and your people will clash with other gods in multiplayer battles. “One of my first jobs in the video game industry was working on the quality assurance team for Peter’s Populous 2. That title and its predecessor set the tone for a whole new generation of games,” said Clive Downie, the chief executive of DeNA West. “Fast forward to 2013, and it’s an honor to have the opportunity to work with Peter again on the launch of Godus. Our team is looking forward to working with 22cans on a game that we know will set a new standard for the mobile generation.” No launch date has been set yet. Filed under: Business, Gadgets, Games, Mobile, Social GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }

Diner Dash is a game all about starting out small and manageable, and then growing and growing until your restaurant empire is unstoppable. It seems like the publisher, TriplePoint client PlayFirst, subscribes to the ‘write what you know’ school of design, because the same thing has happened to Diner Dash itself, which started out as a [...] Related posts: PlayFirst Announces Diner Dash: Grilling Green for iPad Diner Dash 5: BOOM! Now Available on Big Fish Games Share the Gift of Super Sneakers in Diner Dash 5 Via Facebook Connect

The sky above Microsoft's HQ in Redmond, Washington may as well be green. After all, the next Xbox (dubbed by many as the Xbox 720) will finally be unveiled to the public tomorrow. Gearing up for the exciting announcement, here's everything you should already know about the next Xbox. 1. What's in a name? [Photo Credit: Gamespy] For those who didn't know, Xbox 360 got its name because of its synergistic architecture design, combining gaming, friends and online entertainment seamlessly, full circle, if you will. No one really knows what the next Xbox will be called. Will Microsoft keep the name simple and evocative of the final product? People think they know already know the name of the next Xbox. They could be wrong, they could be right. We don't even know what it will be called. Take a look at the list and put in your best guess. What will the next Xbox be named? 2. Which price is right? The Xbox 360 launched at a premium price point of $399.00. I knew a lot of people who thought this was too expensive, but still, I had friends that had no problem spending whatever necessary to be a part of the next-gen revolution. Most consumers are willing to wait for the eventual price drop. Considering the promise of a next-gen experience, how much would you be willing to pay for the next Xbox? The right price for the next Xbox 3. Games, games, games This is all we care about, right? We want good games and we want them now! Unfortunately, that's not really how things work. The best games for the Xbox Next and the PS4 likely won't be released for another 4 or 5 years. So, what can you get on launch day? To offer a full launch lineup, Microsoft will likely offer some racing games (Project Gotham or Forza), shooters (COD: Ghosts), sports (EA's annual offering) and the experimental platform-exclusive title that showcases the potential of the new machine (In the past, Halo and Kameo.) What kinds of titles are you looking for on launch day? Most desired launch day games for the next Xbox 4. Xbox Live [Photo Credit: Explosion] Xbox Live is the king of online console gaming services. It's secure, fast, pretty, and robust. It isn't free, unlike the PSN and Nintendo Network services. However, out of the box, Xbox Live offered perks that fans loved and PS3 and Wii owners wished they had. Cross-game chat, fast updates, larger community, and avatars will undoubtedly be present in the next Xbox but more interesting, what other features will Xbox Live bring in the future? 5. What won't we know after the reveal? [Photo Credit: Washington Post] We will know the name, what the console looks like and we will see games. It's possible we might see more, but with the E3 conference right around the corner, Microsoft is going to save their big punches for then. Expect enough only to wet your whistle and nothing more. 6. Enough talking, how do I watch the reveal? Tune back into Games.com News at 1 PM EST and you'll see a big, inviting article "Xbox: A New Generation streaming live." Click it and you'll be able to among the first to know everything there is to know about the next Xbox. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Skylanders: Swap Force will debut this fall as the third in the series of game-toy hybrid products that have sold more than $1 billion worth since 2011.  The new game has interchangeable body halves of Skylanders: Swap Force toys, allowing kids to mix and match their collections to create new kinds of game characters. Activision hopes that will lead to more repeat business at a time when it will face significant competition from Disney’s upcoming Infinity toy-game hybrid products launching in August. In this market, Activision is the smaller company, but it has the advantage of having sold more than 115 million Skylanders toys. The challenge for Activision’s marketer’s — Josh Taub (left) senior vice president of product management, and John Coyne (right), senior vice president of consumer marketing — will be to grow the franchise at a time when Disney attacks the same market using famous entertainment brands such as Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc. (and the upcoming Monsters University), and Cars. Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick said in a recent earnings call that the company will face significant competition in the second half of the year, making financial performance less predictable. Activision is going to spend more money marketing its titles later this year, and that means there’s going to be a lot more pressure on Taub and Coyne to execute. Here’s the edited transcript of our interview with Taub and Coyne. GamesBeat: You’ve built up something pretty big in a couple of years here. Coyne: Yep. We’re very proud of the growth that we’ve seen for Skylanders in about 18 months. We’re now over a billion dollars. For myself, I’ve been involved with the franchise now for more than four years. It’s been a great project, seeing everything come to fruition. GamesBeat: You have competition coming from Disney Infinity. What does that mean for you? Taub: It means that we have to continue to focus on where we started and where we’re going. We’ve innovated a category, bringing toys to life. We’re focused on what we’re doing. We’ve sold more than 115 million toys to date. We have kids playing on nine-million-plus starter packs. We’re focused on providing them with an innovative experience in the franchise, and we’re focused on doing what we do best, which is bringing a great video game experience and a great toy experience together. GamesBeat: Obviously you have a really good margin for add-on sales after the base pack, especially with your great relationship with retail. The setups in Toys R Us are amazing. But there are 60 new toys coming out this season. That’s a significant amount of product. Is there a point where you worry that you’re going to get pushback from consumers when it comes to the number of toys being released? Taub: I think what’s happened is that the consumers are actually telling us that they have an appetite for things that feel special to them, and the ways of interacting that are unique to the game. What they’re doing through buying the toys is having different engagements with the franchise as a whole. We’re not seeing at it as “there’s a saturation point.” We’re seeing it as there’s place where kids want to continue to come back through the year, and rather than buying the next game, they’re buying what is in a sense add-on content to experience the same game in a different way. Each time they put a new character on and have a different weapon or a different play pattern, it gives them a unique experience that they’re not getting anywhere else. We’re not seeing saturation as an issue. In fact, our attach rates are up from the first game to the second. We anticipate that will continue. GamesBeat: Can you give us any specifics on what those attach rates are? Taub: At this time, we can’t. GamesBeat: Has the demographic shifted any since launch? It does seem like, just anecdotally, as it’s become a bigger deal, more people have come in from a broader

Spoiler alert: the future sucks. World governments have crumbled, and humanity itself was on the verge of extinction until a monumental discovery snatched us from the brink. Now, new forms of energy allow us to live in tightly-packed cities, but the scarcity of resources and the breakdown of law and order have made people pretty grabby. Dark District for iOS is a clan building/strategy game that’s all about protecting what’s yours—and taking what belongs to your neighbor.

Developer PopCap is a master of delightfully colorful and deviously addictive games, and it just launched its newest title on Facebook. Plants vs. Zombies Adventures is available to play now on the social network. It is a free-to-play social game that combines the tower-defense elements of the original title with some new town-building mechanics — and I just spent 20 minutes playing it instead of writing this post. This is PopCap’s second Plants vs. Zombies game. The developer launched the original in 2009 for PC. It later released it on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, Nintendo DS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Mac, and more. PopCap is also working on a separate Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time that will more closely follow the mechanics of the original game. The studio plans to release that game in June. Filed under: Games GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }

Gamezebo Rating: There are very few video games out there that have managed to reach such a loved and dedicated fan following as PopCap’s Plants vs. Zombies. It seems like every time I log onto Facebook these days, I see fans of the cutesy “flower defense” game posting pictures of PvZ birthday cakes, elaborate zombie setups in their backyards, or their newborn babies dressed up as little Peashooters. Plants vs. Zombies Adventures takes this fun-loving obsession on the open road in a new social setting, and if my time spent with the game is anything to go by, then we’re going to be seeing plenty more creative ways to express our love of this franchise for many miles (and brains) to come.

The Wii U is struggling. The Xbox 360 continues to outsell it every month and some third-party publishers have already decided to halt development of new games for the device in favor of the new Microsoft and Sony hardware. Nintendo, as usual, still has its big first-party games to rely on, and that’s what it plans to do this E3. In a tweet on Friday, the company revealed that it will discuss the new Super Smash Bros., 3D Mario, and Mario Kart games for Wii U during its next Nintendo Direct livestreaming presentation. https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/335416341957844992 Nintendo will air that video show before the start of the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles in early June. It is forgoing a major press event in favor of this direct-to-consumer approach. The company also plans to bring some of its games to Best Buy retail locations around the country so that consumers can try the titles. The Wii U continues to suffer a dearth of new games. Many of Nintendo’s planned “launch-window titles,” like Pikmin 3, still haven’t made it to consumers. Filed under: Games GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }