Category: GDC 2006
Mega GDC 2006 Post
Since I was out during GDC which ran from March 22-24, here’s a full recap:
- AGEIA conference coverage on FiringSquad, Hot Hardware, Techgage and GDHardware.
- FiringSquad has a “Reporter’s Notebook” feature that covers the full event – part 1, part 2 and part 3.
- On Techgage you’ll find daily coverage – day one and day two. Daily coverage is also provided by Ten Ton Hammer and 1UP. Quarter to Three has also covered the event.
- Sony’s GDC keynote was covered by a plethora of websites including FiringSquad, GamersInfo, Joystiq and EuroGamer.
- Over on FiringSquad you’ll find coverage of Nintendo’s GDC keynote.
- Further keynotes include the “Disrupting Development” on GamersInfo and Battlestar Galactica on Ten Ton Hammer.
- Epic showed off Unreal Engine 3 at the show. Coverage can be found on Ten Ton Hammer, Gamespot and IGN.
- Developers also had their fair share of coverage – Will Wright’s keynote has been covered by Gamespot, GamesInfo and 1UP; God of War creator David Jaffe gets a feature on Gamespot; and Ten Ton Hammer interviews Richard Garriott (Lord British) and Codemasters.
- The GDC and IGF Awards ceremonies were covered by Ten Ton Hammer.
- Pictures tell a thousand words. So, here are links to pictures from the event: Ten Ton Hammer and Yahoo! Video Games.
- The issue of Physics has been covered by Slashdot and PC Perspective.
- Game Developers Rant II on Wonderland is a wonderful look into the minds of game developers.
- This IGN article covers the Hot Coffee discussion, while Gamasutra covers Murder, Sex and Censorship and Creating a Global MMO.
- As for postmortems – Gamespot has a nice one on Stubbs the Zombie and GamersInfo has one on Xbox 360 design.
I’ve only covered those which were the most interesting. If you have anything to add, please do so in the comments.
Nintendo GDC 2006 Keynote
The Nintendo GDC keynote didn’t reveal anything shockingly new, but it did unveil Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS, as well as word that the Revolution’s Virtual Console service will also play games developed for Sega Genesis and the Turbografx consoles.
Satoru Iwata’s full keynote address can be found after the jump (it’s huge).
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Metal Slug Compilation on PSP
SNK has announced at GDC that it will be releasing a Metal Slug compilation on the PSP. The collection will consist of Metal Slug 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, as well as Metal Slug X. All titles will feature co-op play via local wi-fi.
The compilation is slated for release this November.
Spider-Man 3 Revolution Title
The license holder for Spider-Man games – Activision – has revealed to IGN that it will publish a version of Spider-Man 3 developed specifically for the Revolution. As usual, no exact details were provided, but IGN is speculating that the remote-styled controller could be utilized to aim and cast webs, which would in turn accurately guide the hero through the city.
More details are expected at E3 this May.
GDC and IGF Awards
The Game Developer Choice Awards have been announced, with Lord British (Richard Garriott) picking up his lifetime achievement award and Double Fine Productions winning Best New Studio and its game Psychonauts getting the best writing award. Shadow of the Colossus picked up a total of five awards, including Game Design, Character Design and the Best Game award.
In more awards news, the 7th Annual Independent Games Festival awards were announced, with Introversion’s Darwinia winning the grand prize of $20,000 for Best Independent Game. The game picked up three prizes, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Other winners include Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space, as well as modifications for games including Dystopia for Half-Life 2, the Last Man Standing Co-op for DOOM 3 and Path of Vengeance for Unreal Tournament 2004, among others.
God of War 2 Leaked Trailer
A trailer of the game was shown during Sony’s GDC keynote. Here’s a leaked version of it:
Hoping for a direct-feed version soon!
Sony GDC Keynote Sampling
The Sony GDC keynote didn’t reveal much information in way of the PS3, but it did have some delicious tidbits.
- PS3 games will be region free. Developers can choose to restrict region on their software.
- The console is due in early November – a more specific timeframe than its previous “November” release date.
- Sony expects the PS2 to sell past 2010.
- God of War 2 was officially announced. Please refer to its own post for more details.
- Hard drive will be included with the PS3. No doubts about it.
- Final development kits will ship to developers this June.
- The PlayStation Network Platform was detailed. It’ll be a free service, offering the same features that Xbox Live offers… with no price tag attached.
- Games can be downloaded and run from the hard drive.
- Several real-time demos were shown: Warhawk, Motor Storm, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance (previously known as i-8) and Singstar.
The above are only a sampling of the Sony GDC keynote. Please refer to the mega GDC post.
GarageGames at GDC
GarageGames has shown off demonstrations of its technology at the Game Developers Conference which ran throughout March 22-24.
The company showcased Legions, a tech demo for its Torque Shader Engine; a tech demo of Marble Blast Ultra on Xbox Live! Arcade; a Mighty Fist demo built with Torque Game Builder, a professional 2D grade engine; and Torque Constructor, the CSG level builder created in Torque for level design with all map based games.
Quazal Software on PS3
In its latest press release, Quazal announced that they have been approved by SCE’s Tools and Middleware program for PlayStation 3, letting developers make use of their Net-Z and Rendez-Vous online multiplayer middleware technologies, as well as the Spark! Lobby technology, in their games.
Quazal’s tools are also available for the PS2 and PSP, among other platforms.
Revolution, Sumo on amBX Bandwagon
Word comes from Philips that Revolution Software and Sumo Digital have signed on to develop their games to take advantage of the company’s amBX technology. Here’s a bit on the new technology:
Due for release in May 2006, amBX technology will offer a full ‘sensory surround experience’ to computer and video gamers by empowering developers with the ability to use light, colour, sound, heat and even airflow in the real world during gameplay – creating an Ambient Intelligent environment in the process.
Blending a scripting language, software engine and architecture, amBX has been designed to deliver all-new player experiences through enabled devices such as LED colour-controlled lights, active furniture, fans, heaters, audio and video, all placed strategically around a player’s room. amBX goes even further to provide the support framework for peripheral manufacturers to develop these enabled products, empowering both developers and publishers to amBX-enable and enhance their games.
Devices and peripherals supporting amBX technology will be officially launched this May.
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