Prototype Preview
by Emily Balistrieri on April 28, 2008

I can imagine being a little disconcerted, waking up with creepy super powers that you’re not quite sure how you got. I suppose I can also imagine being a little pissed, which is how the main character Alex Mercer feels about the whole thing.
Since our last look at Prototype during this year’s Game Developer’s Conference, the co-op mode has sadly been cut, but hopefully it just means the game will be that much more polished when it ships later this year. Jump the cut to hear about features you will get to see… Read more…
Hands On Preview: The Bourne Conspiracy
by Emily Balistrieri on April 21, 2008

Recently I got my hands on Jason Bourne… yum! Oh wait, I mean… well, you’ll get to try yourself when the demo hits the Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Store next month. In the meantime, we’ll give you some insight into what it’s like handling a super assassin in The Bourne Conspiracy. Read more…
“Kings of Power 4 Billion %” Loosed on the Internets
by Emily Balistrieri on March 26, 2008

Fans of Pirate Baby’s Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006 probably already know, but Paul Robertson’s latest animated brawler short, Kings of Power 4 Billion %, is powerhousing its way through the tubes. Read more…
DS Review: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
by Emily Balistrieri on March 19, 2008

Crystal Chronicles always tends to feel like Final Fantasy-lite– a little simpler, a little cuter, and a little more action-oriented. Of course, in the first title for GameCube it wasn’t simpler, because you had to have a stack of Gameboy Advances lying around to play it in any meaningful way, and multiplayer was the meat of the game. Ring of Fates clears up both of these issues by making a decent single player story and taking advantage of wireless play on DS for up to four-player co-op adventuring.
Hands-on: Hail to the Chimp
by Emily Balistrieri on March 7, 2008

“Did you know that I approve of this message? Well, I do.” No doubt the candidate would also approve of our enthusiasm for the new game from Wideload that he stars in: Hail to the Chimp. Read more…
GDC 08: First Look At WiiWare From Square Enix
by Emily Balistrieri on February 23, 2008

Work began on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King back in 2006, before details on WiiWare had even been confirmed. Fumiaki Shiraishi, the lead programmer of the project, was itching to try a game on a smaller scale, and pitched the concept to Toshiro Tsuchida, who decided to produce the project.
They both appeared at GDC yesterday to give audience members an insight into how and why the development process was different from your typical Square Enix blockbuster. Read more…
GDC 08: Smash Bros. Designer Talks Brawl Roster
by Emily Balistrieri on February 23, 2008

“Sorry about that. I’m a bit nervous so I just broke out into song,” joked Masahiro Sakurai, the designer of the Smash Bros. series, after regaling us with a few bars of the chanting trailer soundtrack. He gave an in-depth and very articulate look at the process of developing the latest installment’s character roster.
The line-up was pretty well finalized as early as 2005, with the exception of Sonic, who was added just last year. Characters were selected for their individuality, unique abilities, and balance of both the fighting and game series representation. Read more…
IGF: Fret Nice And With Lasers!
by Emily Balistrieri on February 22, 2008

Who’s the real Guitar Hero? The living room rock star, or the delightfully androgynous protagonist of Fret Nice, who takes to the streets in order to rid the world of black and cloudy music that is - well, is it evil? Who knows? It’s not rock, that’s for sure. Read more…
IGF: The Path Takes Us To A Darker, Stranger Grandma’s House
by Emily Balistrieri on February 22, 2008

The Path is based on the Little Red Riding Hood story - six chapters each feature a more modern take on the tale, with different female protagonists ranging from age nine to nineteen.
The goth girl we played today at the demo, the first chapter, is fifteen, dressed in red and black stripes, with fishnets down one leg. Each girl can go to Grandma’s house for the “safe ending,” or encounter her own “wolf” in the forest for a more complicated, even horrific, fall-out. Read more…
GDC 08: FFXIII Art Behind Closed Doors: Bungie Interviews Square Enix
by Emily Balistrieri on February 22, 2008

Yesterday Steve Theodore of Bungie Studios sat down with Isamu Kamikokuryo to discuss how he got into the videogame art business and where his inspirations lie. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures of the new FFXIII trailer and concept art he had to show us, but we can point out some of the highlights. Read more…





