Gaming Roundup 8/15/08: Soul of Rock

Posted 08/15/2008 at 7:40pm | by Nathan Grayson

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If not for the fact that I was able to actually make physical contact with David Hayter at this year's Capcom E3 press conference, it would've been a total letdown. The whole thing was just a giant shill for Capcom's Lost Planet film, and its reception was nearly as icy cold as the movie/game's setting. But in between cracking big, corporate grins and repeatedly uttering the Japanese equivalent of "So awesome," the Capcom big-wigs dropped a tiny bomb. See, as it turns out, Lost Planet had popped from Capcom's collective womb with a ticket to Hollywood in hand. The game was born to be a film.

As we've seen with movies like Doom and Resident Evil, and games like Guitar Hero, media convergence is inevitable. United we stand; divided, we make less money. And that just won't do. However, whereas other instances of convergence have taken two (or more) disparate media forms and none-too-subtly mashed them together -- casualties be damned -- Lost Planet, if all goes according to plan, will straddle the line between games and film. Instead of removing what makes the game special -- effectively neutering it with a rusty knife -- Lost Planet: The Movie has the potential to usher in an era of game-themed movies not unlike what we're seeing with comic books right now.

But is that what we want? Last I checked, comic book fans were a tiny niche, nearly fit for a somber, "Don't let these beautiful creatures die" commercial from the World Wildlife Fund. Yeah, I'm not sure comics are the greatest role model. Plus, do we really want cherished characters having their in-game appearances altered just so they can more aptly fit their roles as movie characters (See Nick Fury, among others)?*

So, are you ready for some top-notch game-to-movie conversions, or would you rather our hobby stick to the small screen, interactive and proud?

Today's Roundup features a big-name title that's already being preened for stardom, and wouldn't you know it, Electronic Arts is the, er, preener. Inside, you'll also find Rockstar decrying the hardcore/casual divide, a top-15 list of Olympic proportions, and massive success from a WoW competitor. Hurdle past the break for more.

No Spore demo, but expansions planned

Hot on the heels of the Will Wright's recent comment about a possible Spore TV Show/movie comes word that the 38% god game will almost certainly be seeing expansions. Shocking. More specifically, the flora editor will likely sprout up in an expansion, as it's been pulled from the main game.  

Also somewhat disappointing, it seems Maxis has decided Spore may just be popular enough that it doesn't need a demo.

"We're not planning a demo of the game. Just the Creature Creator," executive producer Lucy Bradshaw told Eurogamer. "We've released a number of videos to show off the game."

And for those of you who want a demo of Spore's cell phase, there's always flOw.

Hm, maybe you should just stick with the videos.

Rockstar: Hardcore/casual division 'doesn't make sense to us'

Rockstar's fearless leader has spoken. In his eyes, the hardcore/casual division is akin to dark matter, Lost, and George Lucas' continued success -- it just doesn't make sense.

"Good games will usually sell and be popular, bad games will struggle – of any type or genre or style," Houser said. "But we still believe big, high impact games will help the industry evolve and further surpass the movie industry as the next mass-market story telling medium."  

Later, he revealed a very interesting tidbit about his team:

"We don’t believe in focus testing ideas (it’s like asking an audience what album they want to hear – they don’t know until they hear it!) or thinking of a target market or anything like that; it’s an anathema to creativity. We are trying to make commercially viable art, not sell washing powder."

If only such a method could work for the rest of the industry. Generally, games are high risk-low reward projects. If you don't bring out the measuring stick every once in a while, you risk becoming too insular, and your game falls a few inches closer to a big ol' belly flop. Rockstar has money; other devs don't. With any luck, ad-based revenue systems, the casual marketplace (Yes, it exists; just ask PopCap) and -- most of all -- time will allow devs to get a little more experimental. For now, though, Rockstar continues to be a maverick.

Mikami and Suda Talk EA Partnership  

"Of course I had a chance to present it to different publishers, but EA was the company that understood the game and understood my approach to it," Suda explained. "That's why I took the chance to work with EA. Also, EA produced Rock Band, so they understand the 'soul of rock.'"

Definitely give the whole interview a read. Suda's awesome. Mikami, uh, well, he's there.
 

415,000 Age of Conan Users Drive Funcom's $13 Million Q2

Is it too late to revise my "Things that don't make sense" list? AOC came out tepidly moving its arms in a punching motion, got KOed, and somehow managed to retain most of its fans. Really, the game's content is lacking, glitches run rampant, and Funcom even admits (with an odd sense of pride) that they've applied a patch nearly every week sense launch. Are people really that tired of WoW?

Resident Evil 5 Creators: Japan Seeing Benefit Of Shared Tech

Certainly a good thing from a development standpoint. Also, there's some nice commentary from Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi. Take this little gem, for instance:

"There are a lot of other Japanese developers who are opposed to [sharing technology]... There's not an advantage, to it, certainly. I think where it comes from is that the developers in one team always want to think that they're the best, and that their way of making the game is the best way to make their game."

15 games that put you in the Beijing Sumer Olympics

Tom Chick never fails to entertain. "Chinese anthem" is my favorite. What's yours?               

*No, the main character from Spyhunter doesn't count, actually. He could've been The Rock all along for all we know.