Impressions: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
click to enlargeFor no apparent reason, the Wii version of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands wasn’t playable at today’s big Nintendo event in San Francisco. I take that back — it was playable, just not by anyone whose paycheck doesn’t have an Ubisoft logo on it. Still, I watched and learned as a live demo was given. And hey, it looks solid so far. (Well, except for … I’ll tell you in a sec.)
The game looks like a mash-up of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and the most recent (and more simply titled) Prince of Persia, featuring the environments of the former and the saturated color palette of the latter. It also runs really well; it’s locked at 60 frames per second. What doesn’t look so hot: The stiffly animated Prince himself. Given the fluidity of the action, we expected his movements to be, well, more fluid.
Said to have been in development for two years now, the game seemed to make good use of the Wiimote for performing fantastic feats with the Sands of Time. Much like in Super Mario Galaxy, players will be able to aim the Prince’s magic independently of his movement — using the cursor to place “sand rings” anywhere on walls to be traversed, “sand columns” to reach new heights and a “sand sphere” that lets the Prince hover in-between leaps, planning his next move. The result looks to be a lot more freedom in how levels can be navigated. I just hope the Prince ends up looking cooler while sand-magic-ing his way through them in the final release.
Impressions: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jason Vandenberghe Lays Down the Law
As I eagerly/anxiously await next month’s upcoming release of Red Steel 2, I can’t help but become entranced not simply by the game’s amazing graphic style and promising Motion Plus utilization, but by the charisma and character of the game’s creative director, Jason Vandenberghe.
Every time I catch an interview of Vandenberghe, especially on video, I feel compelled to read it/watch it. Good – no, really great – game designers have a lot in common with great teachers. They intrigue you, they have personality, they are quite humorous, and they never quite answer questions they way you expect them to. I do not know yet if Vandenberghe is a great game designer or not, but like Miyamoto, he has a certain charm to his personality that leads me to believe he may possess such talent.
Though Vandenberghe was not involved in the creation of Red Steel 1, he did play it extensively, and he has openly stated that the game didn’t quite live up to gamers’ expectations. To me, making such an acknowledging remark is commendable as these days we are constantly being told that if a game didn’t sell well it was because the consumer “didn’t get it” or some other lame pass-the-buck excuse. It never seems to be the developer’s fault that a game doesn’t sell well.
In the video above, Vandenberghe offers some rather wise comments on gaming these days and the strange viewpoints people come up. As we all know, there is a large, noticeable debate occurring that Vandenberghe calls the “Is there a hardcore audience on the Wii” topic. Now, I have already offered my thoughts on this topic once before, but rather than repeatedly beat readers over the head with my opinion on the subject, I’ll just let Vandenberghe speak on the topic.
Vandenberghe astutely describes the entire debate as a religious war and says that he doesn’t take part in religious wars – it’s not really his thing. I couldn’t agree more. Vandenberghe states that games can sell on the Wii if they are good and offer experiences not available elsewhere. Of course, he also acknowledges that he may end up eating his own words a month from now if Red Steel 2 doesn’t sell well. But at least such a statement concedes that the success/failure of the game will be based largely on the developer – not the consumer.
You can catch the first part of this two-part interview here. I’ll be keeping my eye on all the Red Steel 2/Vandenberghe info I can get during the next month before the game’s release.
Prince of Persia SNES included with The Forgotten Sands on Wii
Which Prince of Persia game features “superb graphic detail and incredibly fluid animation” and “more thrills than a saber duel with a thousand sultans”? If you answered, “Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands,” you’d … well, you’d probably be right. But that text first appeared on the SNES box of 1992’s Prince of Persia, an enhanced port of Jordan Mechner’s original vizier vanquish-’em-up.
Nintendo announced at its San Francisco media event today that the SNES game will be included in the Wii version of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, which is slated for release on May 18. Earlier this month, rumors suggested that Prince of Persia Classic — a direct remake of the original game, initially released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network — would be included in The Forgotten Sands. Instead, Wii owners get classic Prince of Persia exclusively.
Don’t fret too much about the platforms, though. You’re probably in for more thrills than a saber duel with a thousand sultans no matter what.
Prince of Persia SNES included with The Forgotten Sands on Wii originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hands-on: Red Steel 2 (2009)
Dear 2010,
It’s a chilly December day here in New York City. Ubisoft has stopped by with a copy of Red Steel 2, forcing me to adhere to a strict embargo, one that ends in a brand new decade: February 22, 2010. I hope with the new decade comes flying cars, robot servants and — perhaps more reasonably — a better version of Red Steel 2.
You see, here in 2009, Red Steel 2 continues to control poorly. Once again, Red Steel fails to capitalize on the dream of “1:1″ sword controls, as Wiimote swings still translate into predetermined animations. Although Red Steel 2 requires the MotionPlus accessory, the game doesn’t demand precision or finesse; all enemies are seemingly killed the same way: by stabbing them in the back. Battles are largely reduced to waiting for an enemy to attack, dodging and then swinging wildly at the enemy’s weak point. Any other method seems ineffective, with gun play serving a largely decorative purpose. (Enemies seem to block every shot you fire.)
Continue reading Hands-on: Red Steel 2 (2009)
Hands-on: Red Steel 2 (2009) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jason Vandenberghe Lays Down the Law
As I eagerly/anxiously await next month’s upcoming release of Red Steel 2, I can’t help but become entranced not simply by the game’s amazing graphic style and promising Motion Plus utilization, but by the charisma and character of the game’s creative director, Jason Vandenberghe.
Every time I catch an interview of Vandenberghe, especially on video, I feel compelled to read it/watch it. Good – no, really great – game designers have a lot in common with great teachers. They intrigue you, they have personality, they are quite humorous, and they never quite answer questions they way you expect them to. I do not know yet if Vandenberghe is a great game designer or not, but like Miyamoto, he has a certain charm to his personality that leads me to believe he may possess such talent.
Though Vandenberghe was not involved in the creation of Red Steel 1, he did play it extensively, and he has openly stated that the game didn’t quite live up to gamers’ expectations. To me, making such an acknowledging remark is commendable as these days we are constantly being told that if a game didn’t sell well it was because the consumer “didn’t get it” or some other lame pass-the-buck excuse. It never seems to be the developer’s fault that a game doesn’t sell well.
In the video above, Vandenberghe offers some rather wise comments on gaming these days and the strange viewpoints people come up. As we all know, there is a large, noticeable debate occurring that Vandenberghe calls the “Is there a hardcore audience on the Wii” topic. Now, I have already offered my thoughts on this topic once before, but rather than repeatedly beat readers over the head with my opinion on the subject, I’ll just let Vandenberghe speak on the topic.
Vandenberghe astutely describes the entire debate as a religious war and says that he doesn’t take part in religious wars – it’s not really his thing. I couldn’t agree more. Vandenberghe states that games can sell on the Wii if they are good and offer experiences not available elsewhere. Of course, he also acknowledges that he may end up eating his own words a month from now if Red Steel 2 doesn’t sell well. But at least such a statement concedes that the success/failure of the game will be based largely on the developer – not the consumer.
You can catch the first part of this two-part interview here. I’ll be keeping my eye on all the Red Steel 2/Vandenberghe info I can get during the next month before the game’s release.
Red Steel 2 trailer is having a bad day
This latest Red Steel 2 trailer proves one thing: life is tough in the west. Sure, we’ve played enough Oregon Trail to know all about the dysentery that plagued the settlers of our old west, but did you know, even in alternate universes, the west is just as wild? Let’s not discount the hardships a katana-wielding cowboy must face, folks. It really makes you reflect on what’s important in life — looking all badass.
[Via Nintendo-Online]
Red Steel 2 trailer is having a bad day originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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First suspiciously nice screens of Wii Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands released
click to PoP into the gallery
Want to see what Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will look like on Wii? You’re going to have to wait a while longer. In the meantime, you can enjoy some ridiculously high-res screenshots that Ubisoft says are the Wii version. We like their optimism.
In addition to these outrageous screens, Ubi released some new info about the game, which sounds both believable and neat. The levels will have alternate paths, some of which require acrobatics and crazy sand powers to access. The press release specifies 15 hours of gameplay in addition to unlockables, secret paths, and such.
The actual Wii version, which we’re guessing will display in actual Wii resolution, will be out May 18.
First suspiciously nice screens of Wii Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands released originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Regular franchise updates still risky, says investment firm [update]
![b5db8_call-of-duty-blaze-1 Regular franchise updates still risky, says investment firm [update]](http://wii.wowgoldit.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/b5db8_call-of-duty-blaze-1.jpg "Regular franchise updates still risky, says investment firm [update]")
There’s nothing quite like an investment firm’s corporate finance director to ruin your company’s carefully orchestrated release strategy. Speaking to GI.biz (account required) IBIS Capital’s Tim Merel cast some aspersions on the common industry strategy of frequently iterating on major franchises. He noted that major franchises are receiving increasing investments and producing increasing returns, but added that there is a significant risk involved. “The gaming equivalent of Eddie Murphy’s Pluto Nash ($100m cost, $4.4m revenue) is what scares the money men,” said Merel, “so the risks of launching new franchises or making a mess of existing franchises becomes enormous.”
Merel elaborated that the major fear is that the games industry will follow the Hollywood path, “with accountants and lawyers running the show” while developers are relegated to the role of “execution monkeys” — sounds like someone’s been reading Bobby Kotick’s diary. According to Merel, it makes sense to invest in major properties in the “short-to-medium term, but overdoing it could become very “risky.”
Of course, all this comes on the heels of Ubisoft announcing its plans to “come out more often” with new titles. The company even went so far as to aim for 12-18 month release schedules for its major franchise titles. Meanwhile, Activision makes no secret of its own strategy, iterating its franchises every single year (though it’s hard to argue with its success so far).
Update: Tim Merel is the corporate finance director for IBIS Capital, not an analyst as we previously wrote.
Regular franchise updates still risky, says investment firm [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ubisoft may release franchise titles every 12-18 months
Speaking to GI.biz, Ubisoft’s European Managing Director Alain Corre made it clear that the company plans to begin releasing new iterations of its major franchise titles every 12 to 18 months. Corre noted that his company is working toward the strategy, but stressed that each title “needs to be different enough from the previous SKU to make sure you’re not tiring the franchise or the consumers.” Corre pointed to the Call of Duty series as the best example of consistent releases and consistent quality, saying, “They never compromise on quality, which is exactly what we’re trying to do with our brands now.”
His remarks strike a familiar chord, as Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot shared similar comments during a financial conference call earlier this month. Guillemot then stated the company’s goal of releasing more games more often, though he was careful to say that it still plans to invest in creating better game engines and development tools in order to avoid the franchise fatigue that seems to pervade certain titles.
If any of that translates to more Beyond Good & Evil, we’re all for it.
Ubisoft may release franchise titles every 12-18 months originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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BioShock 2 debuts atop UK charts, drowns out Just Dance
Mass Effect 2’s reign in the UK has come to an end, with a return trip to Rapture replacing BioWare’s journey across the stars in first place. The latest Chart-Track data shows that Bioshock 2 is now the Big Daddy on the block, besting the hypnotic gyrations of Just Dance, Ubisoft’s successful bust-a-mover. With that in second place, FIFA 10 slid into third.
Bioshock 2, which bested Mass Effect 2’s UK debut numbers, is the first Take-Two title to be in the top spot since 2008, when GTA IV managed to jack its way into first place.
Source - Guess Who’s The Daddy? [GFK Chart-Track]
Source - Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]
BioShock 2 debuts atop UK charts, drowns out Just Dance originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Top 10 Best Selling Games
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