Harmonix Releasing Green Day: Rock Band This June

Harmonix and MTV Games revealed Green Day: Rock Band, a new standalone title from their popular music game franchise, releasing worldwide on June 8th for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii. The forthcoming music game allows players to take on the role of rock trio Green Day, which includes Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals/guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass) and Tre Cool (Drums). As players advance through the group’s story and history, they’ll also unlock over 100 collectible …

WiiWare Video Interview Round-Up: Mega Man 10, And Yet It Moves, Rage of the Gladiator

As a public service, we’ve cut together a bunch of videos of upcoming WiiWare games!  Happy downloading, Nintendo-heads.

• Mega Man 10
• And Yet It Moves
• Rage of the Gladiator

Click through for developer interviews with quirky puzzle platformer, And Yet It Moves and first-person brawler, Rage of the Gladiator.

GDC 2010 Preview: Sports Champions

Nintendo knew exactly what they were doing when they bundled the Wii with the ridiculously popular collection of simplified, motion-based sports games, Wii Sports. Not only were the games satisfying in their own right, they also served as the perfect introduction to the Wii’s revolutionary control scheme. Throw in the massive sales of the beefed up sequel, Wii Sports Resort, and it’s absolutely no wonder that Sony decided to create their own sports-based compilation title to launch with their PlayStation Move motion controller.

Patrick Klepek got both of his hands on the tentatively named Sports Champions during GDC 2010. Sample quote to follow:

"Like Motion Fighters, Sports Champions emphasized what’s possible when developers design games with the option to have player’s utilize two PlayStation Move controllers at once. The controller in the left hand moves the shield, while the right controls the weapon of choice."

To find out more, be sure to check out Patrick’s full preview right here. More GDC 2010 goodness can be found over at our GDC coverage supercenter.

Sic semper tyrannis: motion control in video games

Let the record show: I think motion controllers, like the Wii, Sony Move, or Microsoft’s Project Natal, are sorta dumb. They simply don’t seem to be precise enough for my tastes—I’m far too used to a mouse and keyboard to give that up for the “thrill” of flailing my arms in the arm like the robot from Lost In Space. But it wasn’t always like that.

Like many of you, my first experience with a motion-esque controller was in Duck Hunt for the NES. Granted, a light gun isn’t the same as the Wii remote, but it’s the closest thing I get to being “down” with all that jazz.

I asked the two fine gentlemen in the chat room right now, Matt and Doug, the simple question: motion control, yea or nay? Of course they couldn’t me a simple, Fox News-friendly soundbite, but instead chose to nuance their way out of the question. “I like it for sports and shooting games,” said Doug. Meanwhile, Matt also echoed my nostalgia for Duck Hunt. I’ll also add the orignial Time Crisis as a “motion control” game I enjoyed. And I played House of the Dead once in a bowling alley—that was neat.

But things like painting a wall by slinging globs of paint at it? Eh, I could do without it. Motion control seems to devolve into silliness quite rapidly. Remember this?

Oh, look, we’re curling! Woo!

That’s not nearly as fun as cranking up the DPI on a fancy Logitech mouse, then sniping a dumb Heavy in Team Fortress 2 with millimeter precision. Is the Sony Move going to be as accurate? I doubt it. Even if it were, holding my arm in the air for any length of time is far too much to ask. I have little girl arms, and they tire very quickly. It’s far easier to rest my hands on a comfy keyboard, or sitting on the couch playing the rubbish Xbox 360 port of Final Fantasy XIII. (I’m very seriously considering buying a PS3 in the next few months simply to play the “real” version of the game. Getting God of War III and Heavy Rain won’t hurt, either.)

So I don’t know, clearly Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo see motion controllers as a viable option. As an old man afraid of change and inconvenience, I don’t know that I’m too high on it.

Sony Unveils PlayStation Move Motion Controller, We Drool Noticeably

When the Wii, with its decidedly last-gen graphics technology, hit the market and trounced the competition, we knew it would only be a matter of time before Sony and Microsoft tried to copy Nintendo’s motion sensing technology. While details are still scarce about the Xbox 360’s Project Natal, the PlayStation Move has been officially announced and is expected to hit the market this fall.

The Move looks less like the Wiimote than you’d expect. Its rounded plastic body and glowing orb at the top more resemble a souvenir from Barnum & Bailey and less a gaming peripheral designed by the same team behind the sleek, matte-finished PS3 Slim. The Move can be used in conjunction with a “subcontroller,” similar to the Wii Nunchuk, that has a directional pad and analog stick. It seems Sony wants you to use two Move controllers together; the subcontroller lacks any motion-sensing ability, so demos like the bare-knuckle boxing game ‘Dukes’ require one player to use two Moves. Like the DualShock3, the Move is wireless, can be recharged, and offers rumble feedback.

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Sony Unveils PlayStation Move Motion Controller, We Drool Noticeably originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkworks SDK transforms 2D games into 3D games, no 3D TV required

Well, wouldn’t you know it? 3D seems to be the topic of conversation here at GDC , and Paris-based Darkworks is making a splash by announcing the availability of its TriOviz for Games SDK. In short, this magical software concoction is a post-process effect that allows standard 2D games to be transformed into 3D masterpieces… and you don’t even need to buy a 3D television. We were briefed on the tech here at the show, and we’re told that the magic happens in the software and the glasses, and unlike existing 3D technologies, other users around the house will still be able to watch you play in 2D without all those blurred edges. In other words, existing titles (for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC; sorry Wii owners!) can have a 3D experience added in, and we’re guessing that a select few AAA games will be seeing a DLC pack in the near future for those who care to re-play their favorites in the third dimension. We’ll be doing our best to swing by and catch a demo later today, but for now, just know that your life will never be the same once these 3D-ified games start shipping in the Spring.

Darkworks SDK transforms 2D games into 3D games, no 3D TV required originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Move: everything you ever wanted to know

Sony dropped a lot of knowledge on us yesterday, at long last replacing rampant speculation with some cold hard facts — and even a name! — for its new PlayStation motion controller. The PlayStation Move is being described as a “platform” and a “virtual console launch” by folks at Sony, and we think they mean it, so prepare for a motion-controlled ad war later this year, as Microsoft and Sony set themselves up for a real three-way fight with Nintendo for your physical living room activity of the gaming variety. While some of the high-level Wii-like functionalities might be obvious, follow us after the break as we walk through the nitty gritty of everything we know so far about Move.

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PlayStation Move: everything you ever wanted to know originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gaikai will be fee-free, utilize 300 data centers in the US

Meeting with Gaikai’s founding fathers — ( from left to right) Rui Pereira, Andrew Gault and David Perry — this morning, we chatted about the company’s unique take on “cloud gaming,” particularly how, unlike competitor OnLive, there will be no fee to play streaming games using its servers and in-browser app, and what it’s doing to “reduce friction” in trying (and eventually buying) games online.

Saying that Gaikai “isn’t trying to be PlayStation 4 or take out the next Wii,” Perry described (and demoed) the concept of embedding instantly playable games on any website. A publisher can, for instance, have a clickable pop-up appear when people are looking at one of its games on Amazon, which quickly launches an overlay window running the full game, with whatever time limit the publisher chooses. After this period, players can opt to buy the game for unlimited streaming, download it, or have a physical copy shipped to them.

What intrigued us more is the ability to Tweet from within these demos, and, if you’re playing a multiplayer title, anyone who clicks the link sent to your Twitter feed will be launched into your game. We also got a look at a widget that places a small video of any game you’re currently playing via Gaikai on your personal blog, which friends can click to either try the game or actually join the session you’re in, if applicable. This demo used Mario Kart 64, in which it was possible for Gaikai staff to drop in as player two, three or four fairly easily.

Perry also revealed to us that Gaikai has secured servers at 300 data centers across the US (as opposed to OnLive’s five), in addition to inking deals with local broadband providers to install servers at another 900 peering locations — all with the goal of keeping latency as low as possible. The ideas we saw in action have the potential to shake up the traditional game demo model, for sure. What do you think of what Gaikai’s cooking up?

Gaikai will be fee-free, utilize 300 data centers in the US originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo’s Yoshio Sakamoto reveals Metroid: Other M’s cinematic inspirations

Yoshio Sakamoto has had a rather diverse career with Nintendo, having worked on games like Metroid, WarioWare and Tomodatchi Collection. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata asked the Metroid: Other M producer to speak at GDC to “explore the secret of creating games for such a dynamic range of titles.”

One of Sakamoto’s greatest inspirations seems to be film, noting directors Dario Argento, Luc Besson, John Woo and Brian de Palma as key figures. In particular, he found Argento’s “Deep Red” to have a profound impact. Argento’s manipulation of mood through music and timing is something he found moving; the use of foreshadowing helped transcend the film beyond other horror films.

Other M will take these various inspirations by becoming a “synthesis of everything I’ve learned,” Sakamoto told the audience. A new trailer screened for GDC attendees highlighted various cinematic moments in the upcoming Wii game, including a CG reimagination of Super Metroid’s climatic ending. Sakamoto pointed out the return of Metroid Fusion’s Adam, reminding the audience that foreshadowing will play a key role in creating suspense in the interquel. Considering the subsequent applause, it seems clear that Metroid fans approve of this new direction.

Nintendo’s Yoshio Sakamoto reveals Metroid: Other M’s cinematic inspirations originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Impressions: Pirates Plund-Arrr

Pirates Plund-Arrr is best summed up as Castle Crashers, but with pirates. On the Wii. For $30.

Unfortunately for Majesco and developer Boomzap, PSN and XBLA have spoiled us with a number of high-quality downloadable beat ‘em ups for under $20. By skipping WiiWare and releasing as a retail game, Pirates Plund-Arrr seems a bit too pricey for its genre.

Still, if you’ve been hankering for a four player co-op brawler on the Wii, Pirates Plund-Arrr delivers the action and humor we’ve come to expect from the genre. The title alone is representative of the spirit of the game. Boomzap has taken every opportunity to inject pirate lingo and iconography into a colorful, well-animated world.

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Impressions: Pirates Plund-Arrr originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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