News
12 CommentsNintendo being sued for 3D patent infringement
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Feb 27, 2013 02.27.13
Inventor Seijiro Tomita, a former Sony Corp employee, is suing Nintendo Co. for its use of 3D technology for Nintendo 3DS, Reuters reports. According to Tomita, he developed the technology for 3D images without the use of 3D glasses, which the 3DS is apparently uses. Tomita's technology received patent in the United States in 2008, with a corresponding patent in Japan. According to his lawyer, Tomita is owed around $9.80 for every piece of hardware sold. Scott Lindvall, who acts as an attorney for the Super Mario Bros. franchise creator, says that Nintendo's product is missing key components of Tomita's patent. The "cross-point" information, for example, a function that displays the 3D images on different screens, is not part of its design. Tomita reportedly demoed a prototype of the...
News
21 CommentsWarren Spector: 'I'm not ready to retire yet'
By Michael McWhertor on Feb 07, 2013 02.07.13
Game designer Warren Spector spoke at the DICE Summit today, one week after the closure of his Disney-owned studio, Junction Point, telling attendees that he's "not ready to retire yet" and still has games he wants to make. Spector opened his speech by clarifying that he wouldn't be talking about "the elephant in the room," the closure of Junction Point, Disney Interactive or the last eight years, "other than to say I worked with an amazing team on some amazing projects." "It's all good," he said, before launching into his talk, "The Graying of Gaming," in which Spector spoke about the aging gaming population, of which he is a part. "I had a little wake-up moment last week in the wake of events," the 57-year-old game designer said, following the shuttering of the studio he...
Feature
115 CommentsHigher calling: The new gospel of Christian games
By Patrick Stafford on Dec 20, 2012 12.20.12
Christian Games Developers Conference Christian Games Developers' Conference Tim Emmerich More than 100 developers gather every year at the Christian Games Developers Conference to discuss how they can make their games better. It's a diverse group, representing five continents in the conference's best year. It's a serious affair. They have volunteers, plenty of discussion. Even matching t-shirts. The conference was founded in 2002 by Tim Emmerich, a soft-spoken engineer who works at HP to pay the bills. He wanted to improve what he thought was a lack of support and experimentation in the Christian games community. "My expectations have been really blown away by the conference," Emmerich says. "I was just expecting 12 in the first year, and we got 30. Now we're...
News
0 CommentsMicrosoft to sponsor Global Game Jam 2013
By Tracey Lien on Dec 05, 2012 12.05.12
The 2013 Global Game Jam , which will take place from Jan. 25-27, 2013, will be sponsored by Microsoft Studios and the Imagine Cup, Microsoft announced today. The Global Game Jam is a 48-hour game design event where teams of developers both amateur and professional create a playable game over the course of two days. In 2013 the event will be held in 186 different locations around the world and those interested can register to participate at their nearest Jam location. Microsoft Studios's director of University Talent Development and Outreach said in a statement that this is another opportunity for the company to support creativity and innovation. Microsoft is also responsible for The Imagine Cup, which is a global technology design competition that invites students to create...
News
7 CommentsGuilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus coming to PSN
By Emily Gera on Nov 27, 2012 11.27.12
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus is coming to the PlayStation Network in North America on Dec. 4 for $4.99, according to an update from the Twitter account of Arc System Works' Takeshi Yamanaka. While the game is currently available in Japan, European users are told they will need to "wait a bit more" for the release of the title to PSN in their region. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus was first released to PlayStation 2 in 2008. Versions for PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox Live Arcade have been released since its initial launch. In September, a reportedly leaked scan of Famitsu Magazine revealed a version of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R was set to release to PlayStation Vita in Japan next year after hitting arcades in the country in September.
News
16 CommentsFirst Dragon Age 3 screenshot revealed
By Emily Gera on Nov 15, 2012 11.15.12
The first screenshot of Dragon Age 3: Inquisition was revealed yesterday during a talk held by BioWare art and animation director Neil Thompson during the Bradford Animation Festival, Eurogamer reports. The image was only shown briefly to demonstrate the evolution of game art stemming from retro title Space Invaders to Mass Effect 3, then finally the upcoming installment of Dragon Age. It was photographed by one attendee and posted on the official BioWare forum. "That is Dragon Age: Inquisition," said Thompson. "It's the first time anyone has seen a frame of it outside BioWare studios." Thompson described the affect of the Frostbite 2.0 engine on the design of the upcoming title, acknowledging that Eclipse — the earlier proprietary engine used in the development of Dragon Age 2 —...
News
39 CommentsSilicon Knights ordered to destroy unsold copies of Too Human and X-Men: Destiny, according to court documents
By Emily Gera on Nov 09, 2012 11.09.12
Ontario-based developer Silicon Knights was ordered to destroy all games developed using the Unreal Engine after losing its legal battle against Epic Games, according to court documents. The developer has until Dec. 10 of this year to destroy titles built with Unreal Engine 3. This includes code for Too Human, The Sandman, X-Men: Destiny, Siren in the Maelstrom and The Box/Ritualist. Silicon Knights is also required to recall and destroy all unsold copies of these games. Earlier in May, Silicon Knights lost its nearly half-decade civil suit filed against publisher Epic Games. The suit, filed in 2007, claimed Epic used funds from licensing costs of the Unreal Engine 3 to fund the development of Gears of War instead of paying for improvements on the engine. Epic Games' counterclaim...
Review
63 Comments007 Legends review: die today
By Justin McElroy on Oct 25, 2012 10.25.12
007 Legends stitches together some of Bond's most memorable moments from Goldfinger, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Moonraker, License to Kill and (appropriately) Die Another Day into one supremely underwhelming first-person shooter. Bond has been injured, and as he plunges into unconsciousness, he reflects on his past exploits. A guy doing a lackluster Daniel Craig impression replaces Connery and his fellow bearers of the Bond mantle, which will either perplex you or send you into hives, depending on your tolerance for that sort of thing. Some of the original dialogue, music and even actors (like Richard Kiel as Jaws and Robert Davi as Frank Sanchez) have been transplanted in. The revisited Bond films have been blanketed in a foul, cheesy layer of shoddy game design R...
News
1 CommentJoe Danger 2 gets October 9th PlayStation 3 release
By Dave Tach on Oct 05, 2012 10.05.12
Joe Danger 2: The Movie, the bike-based platformer starring its titular stuntman, is riding onto the PlayStation 3 October 9th, developer Hello Games' managing director, Sean Murray, announced on the PlayStation Blog. The PlayStation 3 version comes with 10 hours of exclusive content. Murray said that the hardcore levels were born when the four-man development was creating the original Joe Danger. "The sad thing is, no one ever got to play this prototype game we now refer to as 'Joe Danger Gaiden,'" he wrote. "It was an alternate Joe Danger for a true fan, and I still play it every now and then. When we came to make the PS3 version ofJoe Danger 2, I thought it would be a great opportunity to let our original fans play this unseen version." The Joe Danger Gaiden levels come to the...
1992 Dream Team beats Kobe and LeBron's Olympic Squad in 'NBA 2K13' simulation
By Tracey Lien on Sep 30, 2012 09.30.12
In a match between two American Olympic basketball teams, who would come out on top: the 1992 Dream Team or the 2012 Olympic Squad? The answer is the Dream Team, according to a simulation run of NBA 2K13. Ever since the announcement of the inclusion of the Dream Team in NBA 2K13 – an Olympic team widely considered to be one of the best ever selected and included the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Karl Malone – athletes have speculated how today's basketball players would fair in a match-up against the 1992 Olympic gold medalists. 2K Sports decided to put the debate to rest by setting up two computer-controlled teams playing on Hall-of-Fame difficulty in full 12 minute quarters. The result? The Dream Team beating its 2012 competition 133-126. Kotaku...
