Category Archives: games

How is Train2Game student Adam Gulliver finding his work placement at DR Studios?

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The top Train2Game students now get the opportunity to join established games studios on work placements as part of their Train2Game courses. The Train2Game blog caught up with Train2Game Games Design student Adam Gulliver to chat what about his work placement at DR Studios.

Train2Game: Hi Adam, what Train2Game course are you on and how are you finding it?

Adam Gulliver: I’m on the Train2Game Games Designer course and I’m finding it really useful, really good and I’m learning a lot of new skills.  But as it’s great to be gaining some experience of working in a games studio at the moment.

Train2Game: Why did you decide to take the Train2Game Games Designer course?

Adam Gulliver: Well, I really like playing games basically! So when I first saw the Train2Game course on a jobs website I rang the company and an advisor game to talk to me about it. It sounded really good so I decided to go for it.

Train2Game: What do you want to learn and achieve during your Train2Game work placement at DR Studios?

Adam Gulliver: I hoping to learn what it’s like working in a proper studio, so hopefully this experience will help me add to my portfolio and then get a permanent job in the games industry.

Train2Game: Is there anything in particular you’re working on during your work placement at DR Studios right now?

Adam Gulliver: It’s mainly some pitch documents with concepts, a lot of documentation basically!

Train2Game: Do you think your Train2Game work placement at DR Studios will provide you with helpful experience when it comes to finding a job in the games industry?

Adam Gulliver: Yes! You can’t really learn everything while working at home so you need to try to get some experience in a games studio environment and with people experienced when it comes to working in the games industry like at DR Studios.

Train2Game: You have your own thread on the Train2Game forum! How are you finding that, is it strange?

Adam Gulliver: Yeah it’s a bit weird having my own thread and people talking about me and people talking about. But I’m looking forward to telling them how enjoyable this placement is!

Train2Game: Thanks Adam.

Dragon Age II story developer diary

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Dragon Age 2 Train2Game Blog Image

Bioware has released another Dragon Age 2 Developer Diary which will be of particular interest to Train2Game Games Design Students.

This latest Dragon Age 2 Developer Diary mainly examines the character of Hawke, his (or her!) back story and how decisions made by the player will have consequences for the characters development.

The story of Hawke spans across many years and sees them escape The Blight of Dragon Age: Origins to eventually become the Champion of Kirkwall. But how does this work in just a single game? The Dragon Age 2 developers explain that the story is set within a story, with the tale being told by a character called Varric who knew Hawke. They also discuss how because it’s being told as the story of a legend, exaggerations will often occur!

The Dragon Age 2 writers also discuss romance in the game.

The Developer Diary is very interesting and it’s amazing to think that there are so many different dialogue options and outcomes depending on the choices the player makes.

Train2Game students can watch the Dragon Age 2 developer diary below.

If that isn’t enough information from Bioware about Dragon Age 2, Train2Game students can also check out this almost must watch developer diary from last month. There’s also an extended trailer available in this Train2Game blog post.

The information that’s been revealed about Dragon Age 2 so far seems to suggest that it’ll match or even beat the expert character development and story telling of the original game.

Train2Game students can pick up Dragon Age 2 when it’s released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on March 11th.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the developer diary? Do you think the concept of telling a story over many years will work? Do you think focusing on a specific character – as opposed to creating your own in Dragon Age: Origins – is the way forward?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Team Fortress 2 to make adding user created content simpler

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Team Fortress 2 Australian Christmas Train2Game Blog Image

It’s often evident on the Train2Game forum that Train2Game students are keenly looking for opportunities to get their work and ideas out into the open. Train2Game students may therefore be keen to know that the latest update on the Team Fortress 2 blog reveals that Valve are planning to make it easier for players to contribute their own items to the game.

Players will also be able to test their new items, be they weapons, hats or anything else, before submitting them for contribution. Interested Train2Game students can find full details on the on the Team Fortress 2 blog.

The contribution page really does provide Games Designers with the opportunity to see their work not only put in a game, but a very successful one at that with Team Fortress 2 having thousands of players online at any one time.

Readers of the Train2Game blog may remember this post about the Polycount contest which gave budding game designers to end up with the items they designed added into Team Fortress 2. The winners did indeed have their original items added to the game in the Mann-Conomy Update at the end of September last year.

Not only did the Polycount modders see their work enjoyed by thousands of Team Fortress 2 players, but the nature of the Mann-Conomy Update meant that players could buy the items if wanted to spend money on them. 25% of the income made from the user generated Polycount items went straight back to the people that designed them with each of them making a small fortune in just the first two weeks they were on sale.

Shaylyn Hamm, Shawn Spetch, Steven Skidmore, Spencer Kern and Rob Laro made between $39,000 and $47,000 each in just those two weeks. Who knows how much they’ve made from their user generated content now!

Speaking back in October about his new lucrative line of work, Kern said:

“It’s astounding that so many people want to purchase the items that came out of the community. The response exceeded my wildest expectations. There really is no doubt at this point that there’s a huge demand for community-created content in TF2 and, hopefully, more games will start to tap into this demand.”

The demand for community-created content in Team Fortress 2 didn’t stop there with further community items being added to the game in the Australian Christmas update. This update included many of the hats and weapons made by Team Fortress 2 community modder Mister Royzo. Given the amounts of the new items I’ve seen during games of Team Fortress 2, it looks like there’s been a high demand for them in the Mann-Co Store and that Mister Royzo will be following the footsteps of the Polycount modders and making himself a nice little sum of money!

Train2Game students may find themselves looking on with envy now, but in theory anyone could submit an item to Valve and see it added to Team Fortress 2. So if you think you’ve got the skills, why not try and design something yourself? It would make good practice for Train2Game Art & Animation students at the very least!

It goes to show that PC gaming could be a great asset to Train2Game students, thanks to the likes of Team Fortress 2 community updates and the vast opportunities to mod a wide variety of games. Why not have a go?

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Valve being so keen to involve community developers with Team Fortress 2??  Will you try modding? Or have you produced your own user created items for games before?

As usual, leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm sells 4.7 million copies in one month

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World of Warcraft Cataclysm Train2Game Blog Image

Train2Game students certainly weren’t the only people hyped for the release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm last month, with Activision Blizzard revealing that 4.7 million copies of the expansion have been sold worldwide.

The huge success of Cataclysm – a game which has more than likely stolen the lives of many Train2Game students – means that it has set a new record for monthly PC game sales.   The previous record holder was another World of Warcraft expansion in the form of  Wrath of the Lich King.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was released on December 7th and sold 3.3 million copies worldwide in its first 24 hours.  Here in the UK, it managed to reach third in the All Formats chart.

“We created thousands of new quests, introduced new lands to explore, and extensively revamped the game world for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, making it our biggest and most ambitious expansion yet,” said CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Morhaime.

“We’ve been floored by the community’s response so far, and we’d like to thank them for their continued passion and support for World of Warcraft, and for helping Cataclysm reach this incredible milestone.”

Prior to the launch of Cataclysm 12 million players – including many Train2Game students – held monthly subscriptions for World of Warcraft.

2010 was a good year Activision Blizzard’s PC releases, with Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty selling over three million copies during its first month on sale.

Today UKIE revealed the top selling games of 2010. In the PC Chart, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was fourth.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the success of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm? Are you impressed by the sales numbers? If you’re still playing, how are you finding it?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Activision Blizzard]

UKIE reveal top selling games of 2010. Can you guess what they are Train2Game?

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Call of Duty: Black Ops

Train2Game students are evidently aware that 2010 was a huge year for the games industry, and everyone has their own opinion as to what were the top games.  Of course, debate will continue to rage across the internet – including the Train2Game forum – but now Interactive Entertainment body UKIE has revealed the UK’s top selling games of 2010.

Train2Game students probably won’t be too surprised about what title was at the top of the list…Yes, it was that little game you might have heard of called Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Activision’s flagship title has sold over three million copies in the UK, with almost half of those sales coming in the first 24 hours. Call of Duty: Black Ops has held the Number One spot in the UK All Formats Chart for eight weeks. It currently sits in third, the games lowest position in the All Formats Chart since its massive release in November.

Current chart topper FIFA 11 was the second biggest selling game of 2010, which is again rather unsurprising given its record breaking amount of worldwide sales. Both the Number 1 and Number 2 best selling games of 2010 have received plenty of discussion on the Train2Game forum and the Train2Game Facebook page.

Just Dance was the third best selling game of 2010 and is one of four dancing or fitness games to make the top ten. The others are Wii Fit Plus (5th) Just Dance 2 (6th) and Wii Sports resort (8th)

Rockstars’ Red Dead Redemption was the fourth biggest selling game of the year, while Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – reported by the Train2Game blog to be one of the biggest surprises of the year – was 2010’s seventh biggest selling video game.

Xbox 360 exclusive shooter Halo: Reach – which made $200 million worldwide during its first day on sale – was the ninth biggest selling game of the year. The top ten is rounded out by Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

UKIE Director General Micheal Rawlinson said the games industry is ever growing, something that’ll please students on Train2Game courses!

“2010 was another strong year for the video games industry, with record breaking sales figures from games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops. 2010 also saw casual gaming really take off, particularly on social networking sites and on mobile phones. With more video games than ever before being played, on an ever growing range of games consoles, PCs, mobile phones, mobile devices and internet enabled TVs, the industry has widened beyond all expectations and will continue to expand exponentially in 2011.”

The full 2010 All-Formats Top Ten is as follows:

1: Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)
2: FIFA 11 (EA)
3: Just Dance (Ubisoft)
4: Red Dead Redemption (Take-Two)
5: Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo)
6: Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
7: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
8: Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
9: Halo: Reach (Microsoft)
10: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)

Interested Train2Game students can also check out the individual consoles top five selling games on the UKIE website.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Top Ten of 2010? Does it show a games industry that’s very healthy? Or do you think the list is too unsurprising? And what are your thoughts about almost half of the best selling games being casual titles?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: UKIE]

UK Charts: FIFA 11 stays top as Black Op slips

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FIFA 11 remains top of the All-Formats chart, while Train2Game students may be surprised to see Call of Duty: Black Ops has slipped to third.

EA’s FIFA 11 is this years top selling game,  having taken first from Call of Duty: Black Ops last week. It’s the fourth week the football giant has held the top spot, having originally claimed Number One after its release at the very end of September.

Call of Duty: Black Ops once again slips down a position to third, after previously holding number one for a total of eight weeks including at Christmas. Could Train2Game students see Call of Duty: Black Ops slipping further down the charts in the coming weeks? FIFA 11 and Black Ops are separated by Just Dance 2 which climbs from fourth up to second.

The top five is rounded out by Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit which drops once place to fourth, while Wii Fit Plus re-enters the top ten and takes fifth after jumping eight spots up the charts.

The success of Wii Fit Plus causes Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – which the Train2Game blog reported as one of the biggest surprises of last year – to drop one place to sixth. Former Number One Gran Turismo 5 remains in seventh place.

Another former chart topper in the form of Fallout: New Vegas continues its steady climb up the chart moving up one position to eighth place. It takes the place of The Sims 3 which drops to ninth, while the top ten is completed by Kinect Sports.

Mass Effect 2 has re-entered the charts ahead of its PlayStation 3 release and takes 18th spot.

The UKIE GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top Ten for the week ending January 8th 2011 is as follows:

1. FIFA 11 (Electronic Arts)
2. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)
4. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts)
5. Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo)
6. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
7. Gran Turismo 5 (Sony)
8. Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda)
9. The Sims 3 (Electronic Arts)
10. Kinect Sports (Microsoft)

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on this weeks chart? Do you think Call of Duty: Black Ops will continue to slip, or will it reclaim Number One in the future? Could Just Dance 2 take the top spot next week?

And with Square Enix releasing Kingdom Hearts: Re: coded for the Nintendo DS – which you can read about here on the Thoughts of Train2Game blog –  this week, do you think it’ll feature in the top ten come Monday?

As usual, Train2Game blog readers can leave their thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

LittleBigPlanet 2 review scores are in, Train2Game students take note!

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LittleBigPlanet 2

Reviews for LittleBigPlanet 2 – the game that all Train2Game students should be interested in – have started to appear online and the good news for is that it’s apparently fantastic.

Plenty of 9 and 10 scores indicate that LittleBigPlanet 2 is a must have, and of course this is even more the case for Train2Game students looking for future careers in the industry. Why? Well, because developers Media Molecule have previously revealed that they’ve hired people who’ve made excellent levels using the original games community creation tools.

With LittleBigPlanet 2 offering even more in the community creation department, the fact that it has seemingly been implemented in an even better and more diverse way than the first game really will get Train2Game students creative juices flowing. In fact, in Eurogamers’ 9/10 review, they say the new features in LittleBigPlanet 2 are invaluable to aspiring Games Designers:

“The key here is flexibility. The boundaries of game creation have been significantly widened in the sequel, so that creating a side-scrolling shoot-’em-up or a top-down twin-stick shooter, or even building a makeshift musical instrument is less a case of working around the toolset than working with it. For budding game designers, the overhaul is invaluable.”

Meanwhile, CVG give LittleBigPlanet 2 a massive 9.4 and say the simpler tools offer loads of opportunity for creation:

“LBP1 virtuosos will find plenty here to justify a purchase, if they can tear themselves away from the now-established classic they’ve invested such time in.

But for those who harboured a wealth of affection – if not expertise – for Media Molecule’s first game, LittleBigPlanet 2 truly offers a whole new world of opportunity.”

Other big scores in reviews for LittleBigPlanet 2 come from NowGamer and IGN which give the game a perfect 10 and a 9 respectively. The reviews really do suggest that LittleBigPlanet 2 is a must own game for Train2Game students.

The sky really seems to be the limit when it comes to creating not only whole new levels, but whole new games using the LittleBigPlanet 2 creation tools, as can be seen in a number of past posts on the Train2Game blog.

We’ve seen classic first person shooter Wolvenstein 3D recreated using LittleBigPlanet 2, and also a different type of shooter in Sackfighter Dogfight.  The advanced nature of the creation tools available to any Train2Game student who invests in LittleBigPlanet 2 are also evident in a recreation of Portal and a remake of indie game Flower.

Train2Game students can start making their own creations in LittleBigPlanet 2 when it’s released  for the PlayStation 3 on January 21st.

So Train2Game, what do you think about the LittleBigPlanet 2 review scores? Are they higher or lower than expected? Will you be making levels using the creation tools?

You can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

UK Charts: FIFA 11 takes top spot from Black Ops

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FIFA 11 logo

FIFA 11 is the first chart topper of 2011, knocking  Call of Duty: Black Ops from the top of the GFK Chart-Track All formats chart in the process.

Train2Game students may recall that it isn’t the first time Call of Duty: Black Ops has been dethroned since it was released in November. Gran Turismo 5 took Number 1 when it was released later that month, but Call of Duty: Black Ops was back on top the following week.

Activision’s behemoth was the biggest selling game in the UK every week all the way through to Christmas when it took the much sought after title of Christmas Number 1. However, FIFA 11 denies Black Ops a seventh Number 1 position thanks to strong post Christmas sales which could be in part due to heavy discounting at a number of retailers.

Whatever the reason may be, FIFA 11 now holds Number 1 position in the UK Charts for the third time since its record breaking release at the very start of October.

Elsewhere in the top ten not much has changed with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Just Dance 2 and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood once again staying in third, fourth and fifth spots respectively.

Kinect Sports moves up two places to sixth in what is the second best ever week in the charts for Kinect Games. There are five Kinect titles in the Top 40, the highest amount since eight Kinect games charted in the week the hands free motion controller was launched.

Both Gran Turismo 5 and The Sims 3 drop once place each to occupy seventh and eigth spots while former Number 1 Fallout: New Vegas once again re-enters the top ten.  Dance central takes tenth spot having risen nine places from nineteenth.

Outside the top ten, both WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 and yet another former number one in the form of Fable III make significant moves, jumping from 27th to 14th and 32nd to 15th respectively.

You can check out the Train2Game review of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 here on the Train2Game blog.

The UKIE GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top Ten for the week ending January 1st in full is as follows:

1. FIFA 11 (EA)
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)
3. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (EA)
4. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
5. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
6. Kinect Sports (Microsoft)
7. Gran Turismo 5 (Sony)
8. The Sims 3 (EA)
9. Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda)
10. Dance Central (Microsoft)

So Train2Game, are you surprised to see FIFA 11 back on top? Will Call of Duty: Black Ops just regain top spot next week? And what do you think will happen in the charts given that there aren’t any major releases until the middle of January?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game Christmas Competition now closed

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The Train2Game Christmas Competition is now closed.  The deadline for entries passed at 4pm on Monday 20th December with seven Train2Game student teams having submitted entries.

The DR Studios team will shortly be playing and assessing the seven games with the winning entry being revealed in January. The winning team will see there game – based around a postcode map of the UK – published on the iPad through DR Studios.

Anyone interested in seeing what the Train2Game student teams have developed can do so thanks to this thread from IndigoWhite on the Train2Game forum, which contains a link to all of the games in one torrent.

You can see the judging criteria for the Train2Game Christmas Competition, here on the Train2Game forum.

Of course, once the winners of the Train2Game Christmas Competition are announced, the results will be here on the Train2Game blog.

Call of Duty: Black Ops takes Christmas Number 1

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Call of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops is this years’ Christmas Number 1, having held onto top spot in the GFK Chart-Track All-Formats Top 40.

Activision’s first person shooter has now sold over 3 million copies in the UK – with almost half of those sales coming on the first 24 hours on sale. The success of Call of Duty: Black Ops means that it’s now one of only three games to top £100 in revenue here in the UK. (The other games that have are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Wii Fit)

The Call of Duty Black Ops Christmas Number 1 means that the game once again holds off FIFA 11 which remains in second place.  Another EA published title in the form of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is the third biggest seller this week, and has jumped up four places from seventh in last weeks charts.

Just Dance 2 moves up two places into fourth place, and it’s followed by another Ubisoft title, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood which drops one spot to fifth. Former chart topper Gran Turismo 5 has also dropped one place down to sixth.

Nintendo Wii exclusive Donkey Kong Country Returns rises one place to seventh, while Medal of Honor re-enters the top ten and takes 8th place. EA’s shooter achieved top spot back in October. Wii Fit Plus and Professor Layton and the Lost Future switch positions once again, taking ninth and tenth for Nintendo respectively.

The biggest loser this week is World of Warcraft: Cataclysm which despite debuting in third only last week, is no longer even in the top 40.

“With over 11 million videogames sold in the last four weeks in the UK, generating over £290 million, they are clearly the gift of choice this Christmas, showing once again that the interactive entertainment industry is the UK’s leading creative industry,” said UKIE Director General Michael Rawlinson .

“The Christmas chart also demonstrates the variety of choice on offer for consumers; there really is something for everyone.”

The full UKIE GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top Ten for the week ending December 18th is as follows:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)
2. FIFA 11 (EA)
3. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (EA)
4. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
5. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
6. Gran Turismo 5 (Sony)
7. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo)
8. Medal of Honor (EA)
9. Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo)
10. Professor Layton and the Lost Future (Nintendo)

So Train2Game, is it a well deserved Christmas Number 1 for Call of Duty: Black Ops? Do you think Activision’s behemoth will be unseated from its throne anytime soon? Are you surprised to see World of Warcraft: Cataclysm completely drop from the Top 40? And do you think the top ten does indeed show there is something for everyone?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.