Prince of Persia Producer Ben Mattes took the time to answer several interesting questions regarding everything from combat to the game’s new art style on PlayStation 3. Here are some of them as follows:
Charliesdad asked: Wondering how you addressed the balance issues from earlier entries in the series. For example, Sands of Time was amazing, but going back to it recently the combat wore thin after a while (especially in the first big group fight) to be followed by long stretches of almost no combat. Does the new game fall on one side or the other or is there a middle ground that you all shot for and hit? And Demo tomorrow? Maybe?
Mattes: First, one of our main goals in combat was to make every fight grandiose and meaningful, to make every encounter feel more epic. Thus, we decided to make the new combat system a duel mode in which every enemy has special attributes, a unique personality, cool moves, and his strengths and weaknesses. ... More »
Has there ever been a better video game series than the Zelda video game series? Maybe the Super Mario, Castlevania, Metroid and Mega Man series, but after those, Zelda has no competition.
The single factor that contributes towards a great gaming series is the amount of great games in the series. The same cannot be said for the Double Dragon series, for example, where it fell drastically in quality after Double Dragon 2.
In the Zelda series though, the games seemed to get better with each subsequent addition. This is rare for a video game series, and the Zelda series has been able to accomplish this with flying colors. Controversy will be heard in the sequencing of this list, but that only goes to show how strong each game in the series was.
5. Link’s Awakening
Who thought that Link’s Awakening would be as good as it was on the Gameboy? This game packed in as much information and detailed story line as any of the Zeldas f... More »
Fable II explores what happens when a game does away with most forms of punishment, and does nothing but reward its players from start to finish. The results are astonishing.
It's worth stepping away from the tried and tested Pavlovian mechanics that games have inherited from the coin-crunching arcades to consider what Lionhead is proposing. Almost every game ever made has reinforced its rules with penalties: if you fight and lose, you're killed; if you go off and explore, you get lost; if you're spotted when you're meant to be hiding, you're deported back to the start.
It's a strategy that undoubtedly works - many of gaming's finer moments are often interlinked with its harshest challenges - but there's also no escaping the fact that when it all goes wrong you're often treated like a lab monkey undergoing a rather cruel experiment: you may really want that banana, but the chances are you're going to get a lot of electric shocks first.
Evolution Studios has returned to the dirt and mud with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, but this time the studio also brings fire, water and foliage in tow.
The game improves on most all of the major issues that I had with the first title, and proves that the MotorStorm franchise is no one trick pony.
The first game relied heavily on its dirt and mud deformation technology. As vehicles cut through the mud, it would leave tracks in the soil that other competitors would have to deal with, and this hook worked pretty well. Whereas the first title was situated out in the desert, Pacific Rift takes place on an island, and focuses on other elements rather than just the dirty stuff.
Firstly, there's plenty of water present this time around, which has two effects. Driving through it will slow you down a great deal, which is obviously a bad thing, but it will also quickly cool down your engine. If you lay off the boost button while in the water, your engine can... More »
Anyone who had been hoping that the big screen version of the hit videogame Max Payne would be a hardcore, R-rated release will be very disappointed by the following news.
GameDaily reports that Max Payne, a 20th Century Fox release, has been re-cut to attain a broader audience-friendly PG-13 rating. The John Moore-directed film had initially earned an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America due to its violent content.
What's notable, however, is that this time it was the director and not the studio forcing the issue of getting the more audience-friendly PG-13 rating.
"I didn't have to change much. We trimmed some frames more for the sake of trimming frames than anything, b... More »
Per Grace Chen (Senior Manager, PLAYSTATION Store) today:
Hey, everyone. It’s time again for the PLAYSTATION Store weekly update.
Downloadable Games
Bionic Commando: Rearmed ($9.99)
Featuring intense shooting and iconic grappling action, this amazing update gets a HD makeover and more! Discover a remixed musical score, enhanced gameplay, new weapons, online rankings and new unlockable content for the upcoming sequel. Team up in the new 2-player co-op mode and take your own path while still in view on the split screen! Download the game today!
ESRB Rated M
File size: 373 MB
PS1 Classics for PS3/PSP
Street Fighter Alpha ($5.99)
FIGHT! The classic Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams returns! With an improved Super Combo system based on Super Street Fighter II Turbo, the addition of the “Alpha Counter,” “Air Blocking,” and “Chain Combos,” Street Fighter Alpha set a new stand... More »
As many VGC forum-goers have been discussing with great exposition lately, there are many of us who feel as if the reviewing segment of our hobby has gone completely awry over the past few years. In my ever-so humble opinion, when it comes right down to it, I question whether it was any good from the outset.
Many of us grew up with gaming but unfortunately, in many ways, gaming hasn’t grown up with us. We’re still the purchasers of hackneyed trash and in most cases, we do it with a smile. I had an opening rant prepared on the review system for this editorial but after lengthy consideration, I will defer to Rob Reiner and his mockumentary classic, This is Spinal Tap.
Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one... More »
Whilst conducting a recent interview, two senior Treyarch developers (who are currently working on COD: World At War), completely laid into rival development team Gearbox, creators of upcoming WWII shooter, Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway.
When asked whether they thought Hell's Highway offered any competition to the team, one senior developer blasted "We don't even think about them. Like... that's not the kind of game. They are not a game we even think about when we're playing."
The developer also went on to say "I watched the trailer and I was like these guys are not even in the same league."
Wow, very strong words indeed from Treyarch, let's hope the developers can back it up and COD: World At War proves to be a triple A title.
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