Today, Matt Ryan from Nintendo Canada and I got a chance to catch up on the phone regarding events from E3 2010. Nintendo has been enjoying a strong market position, so it was interesting to chat about what sorts of games and hardware they are releasing to stay competitive. Lets see what he had to say…
Today I had the chance to catch up with Matt Levitan from Sony Computer Entertainment Canada regarding Sony’s E3 2010 content. Sony had a strong showing, with a cadre of great games, technology, and the wildly popular Kevin Butler. Sadly, Matt’s phone dropped and we didn’t get a chance to finish the interview. However, before fate pulled the plug on his phone…
Today I had the pleasure of chatting with Craig Flannagan from Microsoft Canada about some of the E3 Microsoft goodness for this year. It certainly looks to be an exciting year for the jolly green giant; a new way of playing and some fabulous exclusives topped the list of things that my piqued interest. Let’s let the interview speak for itself…
The crew over at Tiny Cartridge recently had the opportunity to chat about Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes with the game’s developers, Toronto-based Capybara Games. Co-founder/President Nathan Vella and co-lead designer Greg Georgiadis had a lot to say about not only the game, but a variety of other interesting subjects. Their discussion covers topics such as the industry’s movement away from pixel art, developing for the DS versus the PSP, and being an independent studio working for a bigger publisher. It’s a great read, so go check it out!
A guy in a leather jacket and a mop of dark hair enters A & C Video Games while I’m there. His girlfriend in tow, he marvels at a red periscope-like device on the counter. His girlfriend is confused. “It’s a Virtual Boy,” he tells her. He plays a bit of Mario Tennis, but has to soon stop to rub his eyes. He tells his girlfriend that he played one as a kid during a video game expo at Ontario Place.
It’s a scene that unfolds often at A & C Video Games. A customer comes in for one thing, but quickly finds something else, pulled by the riptide of nostalgia. Despite the store’s size, it’s packed. There are stacks of original Nintendo cartridges slotted into shelves, a wall of Japanese imports behind the counter, DS games arranged alphabetically in a display case, bulky Neo·Geo games just slightly out of reach above, a heap of neglected PC games on the floor, and over all this there’s a computer airing old video game commercials while cranking out iconic 8-bit tracks. It’s a lot to take in.
Chang Toy started A & C as a convenience store in 1998. As competition in the area increased, Chang, with the help of his younger brother Gar, started thinking of ways to change the business. “It’s not fun selling drinks and chips,” Gar recalls. After failed attempts to incorporate soccer jerseys and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, the brothers tried to find a niche.
When I meet up with Michael Todd, he’s quick to point out his rough, overgrown beard. “I’ve been crunch timing for two weeks,” he says. Besides working on his upcoming game, Broken Brothers Deluxe, he also recently delivered a talk at PAX about the virtues of working solo on small games. He’s been busy.
Prior to the development of Broken Brothers Deluxe, Todd realized traditional methods of game development didn’t work for smaller teams. It’s a lesson he learned while working on his game Engine of War.
“I worked as a team of two for three years before I really got into game design,” He reveals. “The problem was you had to verbalize everything and arguments do exist, and all the penalties of having a team. But then again you only get the benefit of two people. Where [with] ten people you get the same penalties, but, you know, five times the labour.”
After months of development, his enthusiasm for the project dimmed. Inspired by a talk at the Game Developers Conference by Petri Purho, creator of Crayon Physics Deluxe, Todd decided to try a different creative approach.
Cobra Commander attended the PlayStation Holiday Preview Event at the Burroughes Building in Downtown Toronto on October 6, 2009. As special correspondent for Toronto Thumbs, he interviewed game PR people and played a bunch of videogames. This is his first report from the event. In this installment, he tackles Katamari Forever and Tekken 6 and also interviews In Joon Hwang, Brand Manager for Tekken 6 and Namco Bandai Games.
Wii Sports Resort has been out just mere weeks and has already sold over half a million copies in North America alone. This not only amounts to a lot of people getting their Wii MotionPlus on, but also means the game’s probably enjoying a positive reception which will only grow as more people experience it for the first time with friends and family members, much like Wii Sports did nearly three years ago.
The first time I played Wii Sports Resort, any cynicism I might have had for it faded away as I held the Wii Remote and nunchuck in place to simulate pulling back on a bow to fire an arrow at a far-off target. Matt Ryan, Senior Supervisor of Communications and Advertising for Nintendo of Canada, not surprisingly happens to be a huge fan of the game and was happy to share his thoughts with us. What is surprising, however, is that his sentiments for the archery game echo our own Adam Russell’s so much that it’s somewhat uncanny.
Aside from having a handy GPS unit that kept me from getting lost in Los Angeles, as well as a loving singing voice, 4colorrebellion’s Michael Tucker also conducts a solid interview. Prior to E3 he posted a two part conversation with Love creator Eskil Steenberg, and I feel it suffered the misfortune of quickly being buried beneath the flood of information that came out of E3. With that in mind, I definitely encourage you to give it a read if you missed it the first time.
4cr Interview - Eskil Steenberg (LOVE) - Pt. 1
4cr Interview - Eskil Steenberg (LOVE) - Pt. 2
Have you ever heard a story that’s far too good to be true, but is also so good that you want to believe it anyway? With the Internet serving as such an integral role in detailing the history of the gaming industry, there are plenty of creation myths for nearly every console and game ever brought to market - as well as several that never made it that far. Although there have been many excellent and detailed accounts written, there are simply so many titles and so many people responsible for contributing to the history of the industry that there remains plenty of space for speculation.
WipEout is a series I’ve always followed closely, particularly because of its role as a launch title for Sony’s first major console endeavor. Before becoming Studio Liverpool, Psygnosis was a significant and early investment toward the success of the PlayStation. As a series, WipEout represents the key marketing Sony sought to exploit for the launch, from its futuristic designs to the excessive speeds at which the PlayStation promised to offer toward reaching that future. There are also many elements involved in the creation of the series, and recently I’d heard an interesting story regarding its origin. It was a story of mythical proportions, so I wanted to hear what Psygnosis co-founder Ian Hetherington had to say about it. And though it turned out not to be true, he lent a few insights into the landmark series his company created.
