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Jackson estate forces changes to ‘Dancing Zombie’

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RIP Dancing Zombie...again.

The Michael Jackson inspired Dancing Zombie is to be pulled from the delightful Plants vs. Zombies.

Popcap told MTV that the move comes after a request made by lawyers representing the late King of Pop.

“The Estate of Michael Jackson objected to our use of the ‘dancing zombie’ in Plants vs. Zombies based on its view that the zombie too closely resembled Michael Jackson.

After receiving this objection, PopCap made a business decision to retire the original ‘dancing zombie’ and replace it with a different ‘dancing zombie’ character for future builds of Plants vs. Zombies on all platforms. The phase-out and replacement process is underway.”

Interestingly, Dancing Zombie’s character description says “Any resemblance between Dancing Zombie and persons living or dead is purely coincidental”

Plants vs. Zombies was released on the PC in May 2009 – two months before Michael Jackson’s death – and reached the iPhone earlier this year. The tower defence game will hit Xbox Live in September.

Dancing Zombie will be ditching the ‘Thriller’ look in favour of a disco inspired outfit. What are the odds on influence from Disco Stu?

So, Train2Game universe, what do you think of the move? Do you think the Jackson estate was justified to call for Dancing Zombie to be changed? Or is it a mountain out of a molehill? And here’s an interesting one, what would you do if your independent title was threatened with legal action for one reason or another? Is it something you’ve even considered?

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

Essential viewing: F1 2010 Developer Diary

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Here’s a treat for every Train2Game student. Be you a Games Designer, Games Developer or Games Artist and Animator, you’ll find F1 2010 Developer Diary from Codemasters very interesting indeed.

Ok, so maybe you don’t like Formula 1, but even if that is the case you just have to appreciate the level of detail these developers, designers and artists have achieved and how they’ve gone about doing it.

The video takes you behind the scenes at Codemasters Birmingham and reveals the amount of painstaking work put into recreating the cars and circuits. The F1 2010 Developers have even enlisted help from Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson who has been able to provide expert advice. In the video he says:

“Driving the real world circuits enables me to give that impression to the guys creating the game, there’s all these details that only a driver would know about.”

“For instance, turn eight in Spa; I know straight away any car I have ever driven there always understeers and it’s knowing that kind of detail as a driver that you can get over into the game. The circuits feel really spot on.”

It really is an interesting insight into the world of video game development and I really recommend every Train2Game student takes five minutes to watch it.

What do you think of the video? How would you feel about needing to conduct that much research before designing a game? Does anyone want to help develop racing games? And finally, I can’t be the only one looking forward to getting hold of this in September can I?

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

Valve offer free game after ban blunder

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Nothing says "I'm sorry" like zombies.

Well that’s certainly one way to apologise. Valve has offered not one, but two, copies of Left 4 Dead 2 to the 12,000 players that were accidently banned from playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 via Steam.

Poor, innocent gamers found themselves banned from online servers and the internet was flooded with forum posts pleading for help. Alas, Valve support staff could only tell these poor gamers that they were unable to help. It looked like many wouldn’t be able to play Modern Warfare 2 on PC anymore.

However, each of these players can now get back to shooting each other again, and have the option to pick up two free copies of Left 4 Dead 2. So, now they can shoot zombies too.   Players affected by the ban received an e-mail from Valve CEO Gabe Newell which said:

“Recently, your Steam account was erroneously banned from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

This was our mistake, and I apologize for any frustration or angst it may have caused you.

The problem was that Steam would fail a signature check between the disk version of a DLL and a latent memory version. This was caused by a combination of conditions occurring while Steam was updating the disk image of a game. This wasn’t a game-specific mistake. Steam allows us to manage and reverse these erroneous bans (about 12,000 erroneous bans over two weeks).

We have reversed the ban, restoring your access to the game. In addition, we have given you a free copy of Left 4 Dead 2 to give as a gift on Steam, plus a free copy for yourself if you didn’t already own the game.”

Well isn’t that nice?  It’s not often you see a Games Developer Apologise for their mistakes? Do Train2Game students think that other developers – we won’t name specific examples of course – could learn a thing or two from Valve? And have you ever thought about what you’d do if there was a mistake in one of your games?

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

Starcraft II finally launches

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It has been one of the most anticipated PC games in years, but finally, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty has launched worldwide – and only 12 years after the original Sci-Fi RTS was released!

Here in the UK, a midnight launch took place at Game on central London’s Oxford Street, with hundreds of fans queuing up in order to be among the first to get their hands on a boxed copy of the game.

Of course, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is also available as a digital download, but many still see the advantages of buying PC games on a disc.

It’s widely predicted that Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty – the first instalment of a three part sequel – will sell exceptionally well for a PC title. Unfortunately, we may not know exactly how well the Sci-Fi RPG sells, because digital downloads are not tracked in the UK by Chart-Track.

Analysts suggest that Starcraft II could sell 7 million units and generate $350 million in sales which would nicely make up the reported $100 million the game cost to produce.

So, Train2Game students, have any of you already got your hands on Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty? If so what do you think?  Would you prefer it in a box or as a download? And what would you give to someday work on a massive title like Starcraft II?

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

Why LittleBigPlanet 2 could be the Train2Game students dream.

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LittleBigPlanet 2 will launch in the United States on November 16th. Sony have yet to announce when it’ll be released in Europe but it’s likely to be in the same mid-November slot. The follow up to the highly successful 2008 original will most likely be on the wish list of many PlayStation 3 owning Train2Game students.  Why? Well, a little lesson about the concept behind LittleBigPlanet will reveal all.

To the outsider, LittleBigPlanet may just look like your standard – if beautiful looking – 2D platformer. However, the story mode formed part of the game with, Guildford based indie studio Media Molecule focusing major parts of it around user generated content.

You see, LittleBigPlanet’s tagline was (and still is) ‘Play. Create. Share.’ and symbolised how the game was designed around the sharing of content. The simple to use, but effective, level designer allowed gamers to create their own levels and share them with the rest of the LittleBigPlanet community online. There are some amazingly creative level designs out there, with fans creating levels based upon almost anything you could possibly think of. You’re highly cute – and customisable – Sackboy could one minute be running and jumping through an impressively rendered version of the Mushroom Kingdom, before you load another community level and put him through his paces in Sonic’s Green Hill Zone. (Of course, the latter looks just that little bit better while using outfits from the official Sonic costume pack)

LittleBigPlanet’s sharing ethos meant that aspiring Game Designers – like Train2Game students – could put a level together for fun, then if it was successful, seeit played on and rated by thousands of fellow gamers. LittleBigPlanet 2 looks set to allow gamers to be even more ambitious through not only letting them design their own levels, but entire games. Demos have shown the LittleBigPlanet 2 creation tools being used to create real-time strategy, role-playing, puzzle, and racing games.

Being able to use LittleBigPlanet 2 to create whole games is something every Train2Game student – be they Game Designer, Game Developer or Game Artist & Animator – should probably be taking an interest in. For a start, using the LittleBigPlanet 2 creation tools would provide students with some great practice in building games. But that’s just the start, if someone just happens to build an excellent game that gets positive reviews from other players, it could be the start of something big. Adding ‘Created game played by over 100,000 people’ to your CV can only be a good thing, right?

So when LittleBigPlanet 2 is released – presumably in November – will you be using it to create games? Do you think it’s possible an aspiring Games Developer could use it to catapult themselves to the big time? Did you create any levels using the creation tools of the original?

As usual, leave your comments here or on the Train2Game forum. We’ll leave you with a LittleBigPlanet 2 video that was shown at Comi-Con. Are you impressed?

To infinity… and beyond! Toy Story 3 tops UK charts.

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The chosen one

Toy Story 3 has rocketed to top spot in the UK software charts, providing Disney with their first Number 1 since 2007. The game launched last week and achieved a respectable 5th place, but the release of the film last Monday – with Toy Story 3 just happening to having already become the second highest grossing movie of 2010 – helped boost game sales. It’s Disney’s first number 1 video game since Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End in June 2007.

Crackdown 2 held the top spot for two weeks running, but the Microsoft exclusive sandbox shooter has now dropped all the way down to tenth place.  Meanwhile, Red Dead Redemption is still selling strongly with the Rockstar title climbing one place to take second. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Just Dance have all climbed up the chart this week while Dance on Broadway, Lego Harry Potter and 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa have all dropped a place each.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has dropped out of the top 10 for only the second time in 37 weeks. Will it re-enter next week, or is the momentum behind Activision Blizzard’s hit title finally slowing down?

There was only one new entry into the top ten this week, with Square Enix/Nintendo’s DS title Dragon Quest IX debuting in the ninth place.

So, Train2Game students, is it a well deserved top spot for Disney? Should Dragon Quest have entered at a higher position? And is it all over for Call of Duty? As usual, leave your comments here or on the Train2Game forum.

The full top 10 chart for the week ending July 23rd is:

01. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
02. Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar)
03. Dance On Broadway (Ubisoft)
04. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner)
05. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (EA)
06. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)
07. 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (EA)
08. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
09. Dragon Quest IX (Square Enix)
10. Crackdown 2 (Microsoft)

Street Fighter vs Tekken announced. Who will win?

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Namco and Capcom are set to make history by each producing a version of the newly announced Street Fighter vs Tekken games.  The two titles, revealed at last weeks Comi-Con, will bring together characters from the developers flagship beat ‘em ups.

Capcom are currently developing the first of these titles, Street Fighter X Tekken.

Utilising the same technology that powered Street Fighter IV & Super Street Fighter IV, TekkenTM characters such as Kazuya Mishima and Nina Williams will make the transition into the Street Fighter universe with suitable redesigns. They’ll retain their unique characteristics and signature moves as they go head to head with the likes of Ryu, Blanka and Chun Li. Paul vs Guile in a battle over the most ridiculous haircut perhaps?

As in Street Fighter IV, game play will feature fully realised 3D character models battling it out in both new and familiar 2D environments. In addition to modes such as Versus and Training that will feature new enhancements , Street Fighter X Tekken will include Tag Team combat where players select two fighters to deliver knockout assist attacks and special combos. How about teaming up Ken and Jin then? Or Heihachi and M. Bison?

The announcement was made by the Producer of Street Fighter X Tekken, Yoshinori Ono, and Tekken series Director, Katsuhiro Harada. Commenting on the origins of the project, Ono said:

“This is history we’re making. Two fighting games that have rivalled each other are finally standing on the same stage. This isn’t just a showdown between Tekken and Street Fighter, but a decisive battle for Capcom and Namco Bandai Games. So I’m going to give it my all.”

Street Fighter X Tekken will be released on both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Namco are also working on their own title, Tekken X Street Fighter, which will transfer the Street Fighter characters into the Tekken universe.

So, Train2Game students, how do you feel about the arguably two top developers of beat ‘em ups working together to produce one game? Which title will work better, Street Fighter X Tekken or Tekken X Street Fighter? And which characters would you like to team up?

As usual, leave your comments either here or on the Train2Game forum. Don’t forget, you can also leave your thoughts on the Train2Game Facebook page too.

Polycount contest winners work to become part of Team Fortress 2

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Get with it indeed.

The Engineer Update is still very much a new thing, but even more new items for Team Fortress 2 are already in the works. This time however, it isn’t Valve who’ve been the creative force behind new weapons and hats, but members of Polycount – a video game art and resource community.  (Perhaps our Train2Game Artist & Animator students should join the site if they’re not already members)

Valve and Polycount teamed up to members of the art community the chance to create items that will actually be used in Team Fortress 2. The brief went:

“Pick a single Team Fortress 2 class and create a minimum of three custom items for them. These items can be made up of any combination of weapons (melee, primary, secondary), Engineer buildings and/or hats. These items must be cohesively themed and fit within the Team Fortress 2 universe and time period. Make sure your replacement item set maintains the existing functionality of the original items they’re replacing, specifically any Primary, Secondary or Melee weapons you replace in your set.”

The content received an overwhelming response with over 70 sets – that’s at least 210 items – submitted by artists and designers. Now, Valve have managed to judge the entries and have selected five item sets that will eventually be released into Team Fortress 2. That’s after Valve work out how they’ll “attach gameplay attributes (probably of a game destroying nature) to these items.”  – Yeah, that quotes taken directly from the Team Fortress 2 blog!

which Polycount item sets will soon be available to all Team Fortress 2 players then?  Well, they are a heavy duty Tank Buster pack for The Soldier, a Milk Man themed item set for The Scout, 1950’s Gas station attendant gear for The Pyro, a nifty Saharan get up for The Spy, and finally ‘The Croco-Style Kit’ for The Sniper.  All of the items look very impressive and you can feast your eyes on them by visiting the Team Fortress 2 Polycount Pack Winners page.

Of course this isn’t the first time Valve have encouraged other Game Designers, Game Developers and Game Artist and Animators to contribute to their projects. After all, Counter Strike started as a community run fan project, while Portal was originally developed by students. Aspiring designers have already seen their maps and items become official in previous Team Fortress 2 updates thanks the Contribute! initiative.

Regular readers will know that this isn’t the first time I’ve praised Valve’s scheme and encouraged Train2Game students to get involved. It really does seem like it would be a good idea for Train2Game Designers to produce something. After all, you could strike it lucky and end up seeing your hard work on display in a game played by millions of people worldwide. Even if your items don’t get into the game, time practicing designing items can only be useful to your future career in the games industry.

So, what do you think of Valve’s enthusiasm for community developed items? Do you think you’ll be getting involved? How many of you play Team Fortress 2?

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

The rise and rise of social media gaming

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Farmville: Helping to cultivate a predicted 1.5 billion big ones.

2014 may not bring us hover cars or jet packs but it’ll apparently be a good year for the social games market. Why? Well, a new report from media consultants Screen Digest suggests it’ll be worth $1.5 billion in four years time. Yes, $1.5 billion.

It really is a staggering amount of money to get your head around! Especially so when you consider that in 2008 social media games were worth just $76 million. Not that $76 is a small amount of money at all, but in 2009 that increased to $639 million thanks to 500 million active monthly users. The Screen Digest report predicts this growth will continue over the next four years with social media games becoming more and more popular.

I doubt anyone will be surprised as to what has caused such a massive increase in the social games market, with the Screen Digest report stating:

“The market remains dominated by the distribution power and massive userbase of Facebook”

Yes, Facebook. The reason for this massive upsurge in casual social games is titles like Farmville and Mafia Wars. Both of these games are produced by market leader Zynga who last year are thought to have got annual revenue of around $100 million.

It’s not exactly to see surprising with the massive advertising campaign behind the games. According to a Facebook ad I’m looking at right now, ‘Everyone plays Mafia Wars’ Well 25 million players might not be everyone, but that number suggests Zygna must be doing something right. Then of course there’s Farmville which just seems to have become an entity unto itself…the spellchecker I’m using to write this blog even recognises Farmville as a word!

So, with social games set to become even more successful, we used the Train2Game Facebook page (Appropriate, right?) to ask Train2Game students if they’d like to use their skills to help produce a successful social media title. The responses were….somewhat interesting! They included:

“Games like Farmville are easy to make, I would rather a challenge with the more hardcore games, however that being said I would like to give the lower level games a go also.

As far as Farmville go’s I would rather shoot my self head, but everyone has to start some where, and a small game like that could get you the experience it take to work much bigger projects.”

“Yes, you have to start somewhere… But not Farmville…I would feel like a total sell-out if I made a game like Farmville.”

And…

“Farmville is such a badly built game. I couldn’t believe the amount of corners they cut, honestly, I don’t think it cost them more than 2k to build the actual game. Mafia Wars was probably the same.”

So while it seems that the Train2Game students that responded aren’t exactly too keen to produce the next Farmville, it appears the majority feel that working on such a title would provide that all important first step into their chosen career – be it Games Design, Games Development or Games Art & Animator. While many people dislike the concept of social gaming, it’s difficult to ignore how successful it has become. Remember, that big old $1.5 million that’s just over the horizon.

So now it’s over to you, Train2Game blog readers. Do you think the social games market will really be worth $1.5 billion in four years time? What do you think has made it so successful? And how would you feel about developing a social media title?

As usual, leave your comments here, or on the Train2Game forum. Or why not join the discussion on the Train2Game Facebook page?

Want to make games for PlayStation Home?

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You'll be able to do much more than this soon.

Sony has formed a partnership with independent game label Codename which will see a series of indie titles released exclusively on PlayStation Home. Some of these new games are being produced by ‘undiscovered first-time developers’

Therefore, perhaps it’s possible that a studio formed by Train2Game Games Designers, Games Developers and Games Artist & Animator students could be released through PlayStation Home in future? It could happen you know.

Of course, some of you may be completely unfamiliar as to what PlayStation home actually is. So what is it? Well it’s designed for online social gaming on the PlayStation 3. You design your own avatar  – and their house – wander around the environments, meet people and play social games like bowling and chess for example. Cynics might say it’s just an attempt to mix Second Life and the popularity of Xbox Live avatars. What do you think of PlayStation home?

Personally, I haven’t used Home since it was introduced in 2008, and generally prefer to use a PC over a PlayStation 3 console for online games. However, there are large numbers of people that use PlayStation Home, with Sony stating there are over 14 million active users.

Anyhow, back to the games. They’ll be made by indie developers – which could be you in future – from all over the world, and there are four titles that’ll be released in the coming months:

Dueling Gentlemen, created by Odd Gentleman, players strategize the right moves on a giant stage in Home’s Plaza, to outsmart opponents and win this old-time battle for honor and prestige.

Minor Battle, created by Peanut Gallery, winner of the IndieCade 2010 Audience Award, a team-based game where two teams run around a cube of four screens to beat each other in a capture-the-flag style platformer.

Super Awesome Mountain RPG, created by Codename, a blend of tabletop board games and fantasy RPGs, where players ascend a fantastical mountain in Home’s Central Plaza using a custom animated figurine.

Cogs in 3D multiplayer, a multiplayer version of Lazy8’s diabolically clever Steampunk-style game, this gear-based puzzler will also be a dynamic public spectacle in Home’s Central Plaza.

They sound quite interesting don’t they? And they’re just the first of many that will become available to PlayStation Home users in future. Founding Codename partner Jesse Vigil is excited by the new partnership with Sony.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with PlayStation Home to create and develop games that step outside the parameters of traditional game development and we’re really looking forward to the creative opportunities that lie ahead.”

“Our model of pulling together teams of developers and allowing them to make their creative dreams a reality has only one main tenet — any game created for PlayStation Home is graphically and visually entertaining to both play and watch, at the same time.”

So Train2Game students, would you jump at an opportunity to develop games for the PlayStation home? Do you think it has the possibility to provide an indie developer with their big break? Or do you think that the whole scheme will be forgotten about in the near future?

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