Category Archives: Developer

Train2Game News Kinect Sports Rival teardown

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kinect-rivalsThis year, for the first time, the Develop in Brighton Conference will devote a whole day in one room to a teardown of a single game – Rare’s Kinect Sports Rivals.

This highly interactive and innovative strand will reveal how each aspect of the game was achieved – and how each aspect’s progress was interrelated and coordinated.

Rare’s Kinect Sports Rivals is one of the studio’s most ambitious titles to date. Designed with unique motion control and avatar generation systems, the game presented unparalleled technical, artistic and production challenges and made huge demands on every creative discipline.

The teardown sessions will provide an unprecedented insight into the full working practices of one of the world’s greatest developers.

“Because of the usual time pressures, and the need to cover so many topics, it can be difficult to dive too deep for any length of time on a single issue. This year that’s changed with our first teardown strand that will get right under the skin of a single game and analyse in detail the ideas and processes that brought Rare’s Kinect Sports Rivals to life,” commented Ali Fearnley, Conference Director at Tandem Events.

Session 1 – Design: A walkthrough the two-year design and incubation process that Rare undertook to devise a game to take motion gaming to the next level. How can this experience help you make better games?

Session 2 – Art: Lifting the lid on Rare’s new high-fidelity character art style, the reimagining of Xbox LIVE Avatars, and meshing player likenesses with the in-game world of Kinect Sports Rivals.

Session 3 – Production: How do you take cutting-edge technology out of the lab and into a game for a platform that is still being finalised? How do you ensure design, art, and the latest in machine vision technology comes together in a game people want to play – on-time and on-target?

Session 4 – Programming: Like all slickly coded products gamers should never know it, but Kinect Sports Rivals is doing a bunch of clever stuff under the hood. Learn how Rare’s programmers rose to meet the challenges set by the game’s designers and art department.

The teardown session will take place in Room 3 and start at 12.15 on Thursday 10th July.

Develop in Brighton includes the following:

Tuesday 8 July Evolve Conference

Wednesday 9 July Develop Conference, Develop Expo, Indie Showcase and Boot Camp

Thursday 10 July Develop Conference, Develop Expo, Indie Dev Day and Showcase, Audio track

Registration is open now at www.developconference.com and Super Early Bird rates are available until midnight on Wednesday 7 May, saving up to £170 off a three day pass.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 06.05.14

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Spider man 2The Amazing Spider-man 2 has swung into number one this week in the game charts pushing Titanfall down to number two. Further down the chart just breaching the top ten Ubisofts Child of Light has debuted at number nine.

All formats

Week ending 3 May 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 ACTIVISION –
2 TITANFALL EA GAMES 1
3 FIFA 14 EA SPORTS 4
4 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL EA SPORTS 2
5 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 3
6 – MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 6
7 LEGO THE HOBBIT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 5
8 – THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 8
9 CHILD OF LIGHT UBISOFT –
10 – BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES 10
11 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 12
12 SOUTH PARK: THE STICK OF TRUTH UBISOFT 7
13 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE EA GAMES 9
14 DARK SOULS II BANDAI NAMCO GAMES 18
15 METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES KONAMI 16
16 INFAMOUS: SECOND SON SONY COMPUTER ENT. 15
17 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 11
18 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 13
19 TRIALS FUSION UBISOFT 14
20 – BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 20
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2014 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News Call of Duty Advanced Warfighter reveal

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Kevin SpaceyA new trailer for the next Call of Duty has been revealed starring Hollywood A Lister, Kevin Spacey.

In the last 20 years, global combat has seen a steady shift towards the use of private military corporations, or PMCs. What happens when the highest bidder becomes the world’s next superpower?

This is the question that is faced in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developed by Sledgehammer Games and Activions.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare envisions battlegrounds of the future, where both technology and tactic have evolved to usher in a new era of combat for the franchise. Power changes everything on 4th November, 2014.

You can enjoy the reveal trailer for the game below:

Train2Game News PlayExpo 2013

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PlayExpoFollowing in the high octane tracks of last year’s hugely successful event, the nation’s army of gamers, puzzle pros and arcade gurus will descend on Manchester’s EventCity 11-12 October as the most action packed and utterly immersive gaming expo bursts into multi-player life.

Officially launched today and set to be the largest multi-sensory video gaming event in the North of England, Play Expo is a high tech-meets-retro-extravaganza set across five fantastic zones. The two day event will also pit amateur gamers against the best in the country as the Classic Gaming Championship finals reach their nail biting conclusion in a duel to the death on the main stage. Final heats will take place on Saturday with the Grand Final scheduled for Sunday, where the UK’s greatest retro gamer will be crowned.

Meanwhile, visitors can delve deep into the world of their favourite TV and film franchises, take the driving seat with exclusive sneak previews or be amongst the first in the country to sit at the controls of some of the UK’s hottest under the radar indie games titles.

“The all-encompassing Play Expo is unlike any other gaming event on the planet,” said Andy Brown, show co-organiser. “Whether reliving childhood favourites with the Expo’s unique haul of arcade collectables, getting up close and personal with authentic film props or taking to the main stage in a movie-worthy crafted costume, Play Expo is totally unique.

“Now in our fifth year, we have developed five huge zones which we know hardcore gamers and enthusiastic amateurs alike will love and we have some truly outstanding concepts. Exclusive hardware, game launches, cult actors and characters from the best of TV and film franchises – think Doctor Who and Star Wars and then take it to a whole new level.”

Gamers can expect to immerse themselves in a clutch of no holds barred experiences at the show which was nominated for an MCV award earlier this year.

You can buy tickets and find out more at http://www.playexpo.net/

Train2Game News PlayStation 4 big update

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PS4Sony have announced a huge update for PlayStation 4 including a rich new video editing application, is available today.

In version 1.70 SHAREfactory will be available to download on to your next generation Sony console. Once installed, the app will let you edit video game captures with special effects and, video commentary with picture in picture and the ability to add a custom sound track to your videos. Once created your videos can then be shared straight to Facebook or downloaded on to a USB hard drive.

In the new update you will also have the ability to automatic pre-download so those games that you have pre-ordered that you are dieing to play will be available to be downloaded several days before the release date so that your game is ready to go on the day with no pesky waiting!

There are many other updates coming in the new update and a full list of features can be found at http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/04/30/ps4-system-update-1-70-launches-tomorrow-full-feature-list/

Train2Game News Games for gold May 2014

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Games With GoldThe new games for gold on Xbox have been announced for this month. Dust An Elysian Tale and Saints Row The Third.

Dust, which is usually priced at £9.99 / $14.99, is now free until May 15. Saints Row The Third, which is normally priced at £14.99 / $19.99, will be free to download from May 16 until the end of the month.

Dust An Elysian Tale is a beautiful arcade game with an engaging story. The game play is a bit repetitive but the story and characters keep you engaged through out. The game was designed, created and coded all by one independent coder named Dean Dodrill. A truly astounding spectacle of one mans works.

I imagine Saints Row The Third needs less of a description with the high popularity it received along with it’s recent sequel Saints Row IV. The game is along the same lines as the GTA series but with a total level of insanity added to the mix.

Enjoy the Games with Gold this month!

Train2Game News Insomnia 51 big success

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InsomniaMultiplay, hosts of the UK’s biggest gaming festival has reason to celebrate following its biggest ever spring Insomnia event. Insomnia51, Multiplay’s first event at the Ricoh Arena, saw an unprecedented footfall of over 20,000 across the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.

Thousands of gamers from a variety of backgrounds gathered to enjoy a schedule packed full of engaging content, with Main Festival Stage presenting from We’ve Got Game Founders, Matt Littler and Darren Jefferies. The festival’s activities spanned the range of modern gaming culture, from high level Esports tournaments to a thriving exhibition hall including Minecraft, Indie, Tabletop Gaming, and Retro zones.  There were also panel talks in a 650-seat dedicated auditorium, and of course the UK’s biggest LAN gaming halls.

Following on from the success of Insomnia49 last summer, Insomnia51 featured appearances from special guests from across the globe. Providing fans with the chance to meet them in person, Insomnia51 enabled YouTube stars to connect with their communities through Meet & Greet sessions, panel talk sessions, and main stage shows.

As the first Insomnia Gaming Festival of 2014, Insomnia51 saw increased entries for not only Esports tournaments on PC, but also on console. As part of their pledge to help grow the console tournament scene at Insomnia events, Multiplay delivered the Console Esports Arena, an area wholly dedicated to console Esports including tournament stations, a spectating zone, and an area for press.

Last year the Insomnia Gaming Festivals hit several milestones, with both its largest ever event and it’s fiftieth outing. 2013’s rapid growth and increased attendance inspired a change of venue, and the UK’s biggest gaming festival found a new home at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena resulting in the highest attendance for an Easter event in Multiplay’s 17-year history.

“There is no equivalent to the Insomnia Gaming Festival in the UK. There’s no single event that combines the LAN halls, the tournaments, the exhibition, the special guests, the stage activities, all into a single weekend-long gaming-focused festival experience,” said Craig Fletcher, CEO & Founder of Multiplay. “With each passing year Insomnia grows bigger and better, in no small part due to our incredible community and the fantastic partners we work with. With our summer plans for Insomnia52, 2014 is shaping up to be an unstoppable year for Multiplay events.”

To view all photos from Insomnia 51, please visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mpuk/collections/72157644032424851/

For more information on Insomnia52 visit http://insomniagamingfestival.com. More announcements will be made in the coming months.

Train2Game News Driveclub release date

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DriveclubIt’s a big day at Worldwide Studios as they have announced a launch date for the much anticipated PS4 exclusive title from Evolution Studios – Driveclub.

The team has been working relentlessly on the game and have captured a new video to showcase just how impressive it’s currently looking. The studio planned for the game to be ready for early 2014 and are committed to delivering on their ambitious promise of creating a truly innovative, socially connected racing game.

The problem with being ambitious is you have to be prepared to accept there will be challenges along the way. What Driveclub offers has not been previously achieved in this category and because of this, the team needed more time to give you the game you’re waiting for.

You can enjoy the stunning fast racing action for Driveclub in the new trailer below. The game is due to be released on PlayStation 4 October 8 2014.

Train2Game News E.T has been found

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Atari dumpsiteA Film crew has busted  the myth on the Atari landfill by finding boxes of long lost cartridges.

The fabled Atari dump site where it was alleged the console firm dumped thousands of E.T. game cartridges following the title’s catastrophic failure has finally been dug up 30 years later.

A team of filmmakers, along with Microsoft, received permission earlier this month to excavate the site in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

It had been believed that Atari dumped 14 truckloads of discarded cartridges and computer equipment at the site in 1983, which local media were said to have reported at the time.

Not long after the dig began, the crew discovered the rumours were true and Atari had in fact dumped “thousands upon thousands” of unsold cartridges.

The dig has been organised and filmed by Xbox Entertainment Studios, Fuel Entertainment and Lightbox Entertainment as part of a documentary on Atari called “Atari: Game Over”.

Train2Game News Microsoft announce several TV shows for Xbox

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Xbox OneMicrosoft has announced no less than 12 original TV shows or features for Xbox Live, all of which “will offer interactive capabilities, as well as unique interactive features customized on a per-show basis, making it a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience you won’t find anywhere else.”

Created or overseen by the recently founded Xbox Entertainment Studios, the pickings include the previously announced Halo TV series, plus a Halo “digital feature” executive produced by Ridley Scott, director of Alien and Blade Runner. There’s also a reality TV show about up-and-coming football players, a couple of shows based on famous tabletop games, and a 2015-bound Channel 4 series about machines that look like humans. It’s a bit of a spread.

In the words of Jordan Levin, executive vice president of Xbox Entertainment Studios, “creating original TV content is a logical next step in our evolution”. This echoes comments to OXM from various bigwigs on the subject last year. According to Microsoft Soho’s Rob Stevens, for example, “game developers are realising there is a big appetite for more immersive interactive content, which we have decades of invaluable experience in making with games – creating this type of content for TV gives us the ability to reach a hugely diverse array of new audiences.”

The first shows are due to screen on Xbox Live this year – Microsoft has apparently looked at hundreds more concepts, more details on those will be announced at a later date.