Toronto Thumbs

COMMUNITY PROFILE
A & C Video Games

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.

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Posted in Blast From the Past, Features, Interviews | 6 Comments »

Broken Brothers Deluxe
Developer Michael Todd’s Crazy Busy World

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.

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Posted in Canada, Features, Indie, Interviews | 3 Comments »

A Few Facts About
The Origin of WipEout

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.

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Posted in Features, Interviews, PlayStation | 2 Comments »

KEEPING RHYTHM
Q&A with Masaya Matsuura

Since its creation, Japanese developer NanaOn-Sha has never stopped pursuing the development of innovative games. But given the company’s significant contribution to the original PlayStation, the extended absence of their work from the North American market has left a considerable void.

The upcoming release of Major Minor’s Majestic March represents not just an important release for the Wii, but also an opportunity for an evolved thesis on the music game from the very people who pioneered it. Many will instantly recognize the collaboration of music game pioneer Masaya Matsuura and artist Rodney Greenblat - their work on Parappa the Rapper having established the rhythm genre and created a lasting visual impression. And considering how their work brought so many casual gamers to the PSOne, the reaction of the Wii’s often cited casual market might prove every bit as interesting as the game itself.

Now what you may not know is that I keep a list tacked to my refrigerator. It’s a short collection of names, people working within the games industry that I have a running list of questions for should the opportunity ever arise. Another thing you may not know is that I was given my name because my father happened to know a very lucky man named Jamie, and he had hoped to pass that luck onto me.

And while the opportunity to pose some of my questions to Masaya Matsuura certainly speaks to a spirit of luck, my junior journalist efforts were also greatly aided by NanaOn-Sha’s Dewi Tanner, who was of great assistance in making the following possible.

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Posted in Features, Interviews, Music, Wii | 4 Comments »

Preview Q&A
Insights into Velvet Assassin

I’ve been following updates on Velvet Assassin ever since word of the game first surfaced. While I can’t quite put my finger on it, the game has long sounded and looked unique enough that it reminds me of the many Xbox-exclusive titles I treasure most - but don’t fret, it’s coming to the PC too.

Informal surveys suggest that gamers are tired of games set against the Second World War, despite the fact that they seem to keep buying them. But Velvet Assassin holds the allure of a game that searches out a more creative use for that backdrop. Velvet Assassin is a stealth title, and one that uses the historical figure of the secret agent and saboteur Violette Szabo as inspiration for its narrative. It’s a unique decision for a game’s direction, abandoning the “one-man-army” tendency, and building on a real figure that is perhaps less known to many, and thereby less burdened by myth. I was completely unaware of Violette’s story prior to hearing of the game, compared to the historical weight and inferences of a character like Jeanne d’Arc for instance. With these decisions, Velvet Assassin seems to offer a fresher slate through a more realistic character with a human story, ideally delivering a unique gaming experience that isn’t merely “another WWII” game. And aside from all the previews and hands-on descriptions available, that’s what we really wanted to know more about.

Fortunately for us, Aubrey Norris, Product Manager at SouthPeak Games, was willing to offer some insights regarding how Velvet Assassin works to separate and define itself.

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Posted in Features, Interviews, PC, Previews, Xbox 360 | 2 Comments »