Category Archives: games

Train2Game News: World’s Leading Football Franchise Optimized for Xperia(TM) PLAY

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Sony Ericsson has announced a limited time exclusive agreement with EA Mobile(TM) to deliver the much anticipated EA SPORTS(TM)  FIFA 12  on Android. Optimized for the world’s first PlayStation certified smartphone Xperia(TM) PLAY, the No. 1 sports franchise on the planet^ will be available for the device worldwide in the holiday season.

With improved gameplay depth, authentic commentaries, updated teams from the world’s top leagues and all new replay systems,  FIFA 12  on Xperia(TM) PLAY is the ultimate football experience for Android, claims Sony Ericsson. The dedicated graphical processing unit, optimized memory bandwidth and 60fps rendering of Xperia(TM) PLAY enhance the football gameplay experience. Audio is also improved with enhanced commentary and crowd chants.

” FIFA 12 will undoubtedly be one of this year’s most popular games and Xperia(TM) PLAY consumers will be able to master it before any other Android users,” said, Dominic Neil-Dwyer, Head of Market Development for Sony Ericsson. “Adding to a portfolio of quality games for Xperia(TM) PLAY,  FIFA 12  adapts perfectly to the device and delivers the best football experience on Android.”

Is this a winner? Your Views Please.

There are no screenshots as yet but we like to share hot news.

*Limited exclusivity expires February 21, 2012.

^  /Based on units sold world-wide as of July 25, 2011 (via NPD, Chart-track, GFK & Famitsu Marketing Data Service) /

Train2Game students can learn from this: Splash Damage reflect on Brink

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Train2Game students will know that reflecting on your work is an important part of game development, even for the biggest studios.

As a result, Brink developers Splash Damage have discussed their game at the Game Developers Conference in Germany, pointing out what they could have done better. This is despite, as previously reported by the Train2Game blog, Brink reaching No.1 in the charts.

Lead Game Designer Neil Alphonso analysed Brink’s four key design concepts: blended game modes, objective and team based gameplay, the SMART system, and player customisation and persistent levelling.

As reported by the Train2Game blog last year, Splash Damage claimed Brink would ‘end the genre as we know it.’

Looking back however, Alphonso acknowledged that they may have been too ambitious with certain Game Design ideas

“Brink tried to be something new and different in several areas, In hindsight we perhaps strayed away from convention a bit too much in some areas.” he said.

“But several of Brink’s key features resonated really well with our audience, along with continuing to work on tweaking and refining the gameplay now the game is out in the wild. We’re taking a lot of these lessons on board for our future projects.”

Alphonso also said the story, the Game Design of Brink, “had to take a back seat”.

“People reacted pretty differently to the way we approached our narrative,” Alphonso said. “Some would say there’s no story to speak of, which I would beg to differ with. But some loved the setting and the context we’d given the action.”

“There’s a lot there for people to read into it. But we don’t spoon feed it to people, which is maybe what some people were looking for.” He continued.

“So in the end, essentially when the game is viewed as a highly contextualised multiplayer experience, it does really well. But if you view it as a cinematic single-player cinematic experience, it doesn’t really hold up.” Alphonso concluded.

For more information on how Brink was developed, see the Train2Game blog. There’s also an in-depth look at the Art & Animation of the game.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Splash Damages anaylsis of Brink? How do you think the game could be have been improved? And how important is reflecting on a game post development?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Eurogamer]

Train2Game news: Zumba Fitness is yet again No.1

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Following another quiet week for new releases, it probably won’t surprise Train2Game students to see Zumba Fitness top of the UK charts once again.

It’s the dance games’ ninth consecutive week at No.1 and 12th overall in the top spot. The 505 Game is now the7th biggest selling third-party Wii title ever in the UK

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean is the biggest mover, up three to No.2 while another game from Disney, Cars 2, is a non-mover at No.3. Dirt 3 drops to No.4, with FIFA 11 moving up one place to No.5.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 rises two places to No.6, moving ahead of Just Dance 2 extra songs which drops to No.7. Call of Juarez: The Cartel moves up two places to No.8 while The Sims 3 re-enters the top ten at No.9.

Former No.1 – as reported by the Train2Game blog – L.A. Noire just about remains in the top ten after dropping one place to No.10.

The biggest mover outside the top ten is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the Nintendo 3DS which jumps from No.39 to No.13.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 13th August 2011 is therefore as follows:

1. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)
2. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean (Disney)
3. Cars 2 (Disney)
4. Dirt 3 (Codemasters)
6. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner)
7. Just Dance 2: Extra Songs (Ubisoft)
8. Call of Juarez: The Cartel (Ubisoft)
9. The Sims 3 (EA)
10. LA Noire (Rockstar)

The week ahead is set to be another quiet one for new releases, but big titles including Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Rugby World Cup 2011 arrive in time for the end of the month.

So Train2Game, what are thoughts on the continued success of Zumba Fitness? Or indeed the top ten as a whole?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: UKIE Games Charts©, compiled by GfK Chart-Track]

Train2Game Art & Animation student Robert Ramsay speaks to Train2Game Radio (Part 2)

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Robert Ramsay is studying to become a Game Artist & Animator with Train2Game. Train2Game Radio caught up with him to find out why he chose to study with Train2Game, and how he’s finding the course.

 In part 2 of a 3 part interview, Robert tells us how he’s helping other Train2Game students with their courses. Listen to the interview at www.audioboo.fm/train2game.

Read part 1 here on the Train2Game blog and leave your comments here, on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game Game Artist & Animator William Alexander – Industry Experience Diary No.6

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Train2Game Artist & Animator William Alexander is on a Train2Game work placement at DR Studios. In his latest Train2Game industry experience diary, William writes about his time with Train2Game at the Develop Confernce, which includinf talking to some high profile industry figures. a

Read Williams ’s latest industry experience diary here on the Train2Game blog, or on the official Train2Game industry experiences website.

 

William also features in the Train2Game industry experience diaries produced by Game Design student Jonny Robinson, which you can see here on the Train2Game blog.

Train2Game Art & Animation student Robert Ramsay speaks to Train2Game Radio (Part 1)

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Robert Ramsay is studying to become a Game Artist & Animator with Train2Game.

In first part of a special in depth interview, Train2Game Radio caught up with Robert to find out he chose to study with Train2Game, what he thinks about the future of the industry and a little bit about his personal side project, Mage Listen at www.audioboo.fm/train2game

Read his story below then leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

 

Train2Game students can try OnLive when it launches at the Eurogamer Expo

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It’s a date that Train2Game students should mark in their diaries as one that could potentially change the future of the industry.

Cloud gaming service OnLive will arrive in the UK On 22nd September, with a launch at the Eurogamer Expo.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, cloud gaming could potentially bring Triple-A gaming to anyone, including smartphone and tablet computer users.

The launch coincidences with the Eurogamer Expo – which Train2Game will once again be attending – and OnLive will be giving out thousands of free game systems that’ll work on any TV.

OnLive will utterly transform gaming in the UK,” said OnLive founder and CEO Steve Perlman.

“No discs, big downloads or specialised hardware needed. OnLive gives you the latest games instantly, anytime, anywhere on HDTV, PC, Mac, as well as iPad, Android tablets.

High-performance gaming as accessible as streaming video, with unique social features such as massive spectating with voice chat and Facebook integration.”

And speaking earlier this year, Perlman, as you’d expect, believes cloud gaming is the future for the industry.

“The power of the cloud is definitely the theme this week, displacing what had been assumed to be platforms that could never be displaced,” he said at the E3 app launch..

“The OnLive Player App for iPad and Android shows how with the power of the cloud, the question is not whether cloud gaming will be able to catch up to consoles, it will be whether consoles will be able to catch up to cloud gaming.”

There are however, as the Train2Game blog has previously reported, concerns about latency when it comes to cloud based gaming. A reliable internet connection will of course be needed to connect to servers, which could be very far away.

But is cloud gaming a threat to traditional consoles? As reported by the Train2Game blog, yesterday, Gaikai’s Dave Perry doesn’t believe so.

“We don’t think we’re a threat to console. I think the threat to consoles is actually Apple” Perry told GamesIndustry.biz.

Train2Game students will have the opportunity to check out OnLive and cloud gaming at the Eurogamer Expo which starts on September 22nd.

So Train2Game, are you tempted to try out OnLive? Do you believe it could change how the industry works?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Eurogamer]

Train2Game student diary: Craig Moore week 0

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Train2Game Game Designer Craig Moore starts a Train2Game industry experience placement at DR Studios next week. In his first industry experience diary, Craig writes about what he expects to gain from the work placement at DR Studios.

Read it below here on the on the Train2Game blog, or on the official Train2Game industry experiences website.

Find out a bit more about Craig by reading his interview with the Train2Game blog earlier this year.

Craig also took part in an extensive interview on BBC Radio Oxford in the run up to the Train2Game Game Jam.

Train2Game news: Nintendo Wii U not a ‘transitional platform’

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EA’s Peter Moore doesn’t believe the Nintendo Wii U is a stop gap between current consoles and the next-generation of consoles.

As reported by the Train2Game blog, the Nintendo Wii was revealed at this year’s E3 conference.

“People will start talking about it being a transitional platform. And I don’t think that’s going to be the case, and here’s why,” EA COO Moore told Industry Gamers.

The Nintendo Wii U’s controller looks like a tablet computer, similar to the Apple iPad, but the EA man doesn’t think its’s an issue

“I think the controller [is huge]. This is not about specs anymore… In the early days of our industry, this stuff was absolutely about how much better the games looked… Now it’s about interfaces. Now it’s about building a community in a rich, powerful way.

“Nintendo’s job, quite frankly, is to build a better mousetrap with regards to the way that we use the controller. So I don’t know what Xbox and PlayStation’s plans for their next platforms are, but it’s not going to be hanging on graphic fidelity. I guarantee you that.”

Moore also added that Nintendo ‘totally gets’ the importance of online multiplayer to modern gamers. Many Train2Game students play games together, often organised through the Train2Game forum.

“It’s critically important to us and we are relieved, if anything else, that they have made a huge [online] commitment that they have presented to us,” Moore said.

“Online certainly was not a factor with the Wii, as you know; although they had capabilities, it just wasn’t there at the level that both Xbox Live and PlayStation had. But I think Nintendo totally gets that multiplayer, building community, co-op play, having the ability to bring games that are deeper – all of these things are now very important.”

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, Nintendo believe gamers will love the Wii U.

So Train2Game, do you think the Wii U will rival the next generation of software? Or is it going to fall away once the next Sony and Microsoft consoles arrive?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Industry Gamers]

Train2Game’s Clive Robert among this week’s Edinburgh Interactive public session speakers

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Train2Game’s Clive Robert is one of many high profile games industry figures speaking at this week’s Edinburgh Interactive public sessions. The sessions are free and could provide Train2Game students in the Edinburgh area with excellent insider information about the games industry.

Other speakers include Ian Livingstone, Ken Fee, Graham Brown-Martin, Jo Twist and Derek Robertson and Nicholas Lovell. (Industry analyst Nicholas Lovell gave an extensive interview to the Train2Game blog in December last year)

Train2Game’s Clive Robert will take part in a discussion titled ‘Games Industry overview & How to get in to the Games Industry’ at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

He’ll be speaking alongside game industry legend Ian Livingstone and Ken Fee, MProf Programme Tutor and Lecturer at The University of Abertay Dundee.

For more information about the session, see the Train2Game blog.

“This year’s Public sessions are the best Edinburgh Interactive public sessions to date!” said Edinburgh Interactive Event Director, Alexa Turness.

“With such a fantastic line up and calibre of speakers, with such a variety of topics reaching out to a much broader audience, we’re predicting a very well attended couple of days.  The public sessions are free, ticketless and on a first come first served basis, so don’t miss out, get to The Radisson Blu early and we will prove that sometimes best things in life really are free”.

The sessions, all of them, could really be of benefit to Train2Game students, so if any in the Edinburgh area are planning to go, they best to The Radisson Blu Hotel early.

For more information, see the Edinburgh Interactive program.

The event “is powered up to showcase the continued popularity, growth and influence of video games”

So Train2Game, are you in the Edinburgh area? Will you go to the public sessions?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.