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Meeting with Gaikai’s founding fathers — ( from left to right) Rui Pereira, Andrew Gault and David Perry — this morning, we chatted about the company’s unique take on “cloud gaming,” particularly how, unlike competitor OnLive, there will be no fee to play streaming games using its servers and in-browser app, and what it’s doing to “reduce friction” in trying (and eventually buying) games online.

Saying that Gaikai “isn’t trying to be PlayStation 4 or take out the next Wii,” Perry described (and demoed) the concept of embedding instantly playable games on any website. A publisher can, for instance, have a clickable pop-up appear when people are looking at one of its games on Amazon, which quickly launches an overlay window running the full game, with whatever time limit the publisher chooses. After this period, players can opt to buy the game for unlimited streaming, download it, or have a physical copy shipped to them.

What intrigued us more is the ability to Tweet from within these demos, and, if you’re playing a multiplayer title, anyone who clicks the link sent to your Twitter feed will be launched into your game. We also got a look at a widget that places a small video of any game you’re currently playing via Gaikai on your personal blog, which friends can click to either try the game or actually join the session you’re in, if applicable. This demo used Mario Kart 64, in which it was possible for Gaikai staff to drop in as player two, three or four fairly easily.

Perry also revealed to us that Gaikai has secured servers at 300 data centers across the US (as opposed to OnLive’s five), in addition to inking deals with local broadband providers to install servers at another 900 peering locations — all with the goal of keeping latency as low as possible. The ideas we saw in action have the potential to shake up the traditional game demo model, for sure. What do you think of what Gaikai’s cooking up?

Gaikai will be fee-free, utilize 300 data centers in the US originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Mass Effect 2’s in-game DLC pipeline, The Cerberus Network, continues to transport new weapons (and soon, a new vehicle) to players for free, BioWare has announced the game’s first pack of paid downloadable content. “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory” finally completes Commander Shepard’s dirty dozen, adding a confident female thief to your anti-Reaper repertoire. It’s currently scheduled to launch for Xbox 360 and PC on April 6th.

After downloading the DLC, players can get in touch with Kasumi on the Citadel, either in the middle of an ongoing Mass Effect 2 game or after the completion of the main story (lesson learned from Mass Effect 1 DLC!). Once recruited, Shepard aids Kasumi on a secretive mission of recovery, which requires a suave disguise and a run-in with an influential and predictably corrupt art collector. The content, which also provides the “Locust” SMG, a flash-bang grenade loyalty power and a new Achievement, should take about an hour and a half to complete.

BioWare is currently in the midst of “internal discussion” to determine the price of the DLC, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as it’s finalized. Look for some impressions of “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory” on Joystiq later today. Spoiler: It looks great.

Mass Effect 2 DLC ‘Kasumi’s Stolen Memory’ lands on Apr. 6 (don’t forget!) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peter Molyneux has made it clear that Fable 3 is ditching as much of the 2D interface from Fable 2 as possible. Speaking at GDC, he finally showed us exactly how Lionhead will achieve this. According to Molyneux, Microsoft user research revealed that a majority of Fable 2 players understood fewer than half of the features in the game. “We’re creating content that people literally don’t care about,” said Molyneux.

To help rectify this, Fable 3’s menu system is managed entirely from within the game world. When players pause the game, their character is instantly warped to a chamber with different rooms that serve different functions. Molyneux specifically demonstrated the dressing room, where players will change clothes. Molyneux contrasted the process with that of Fable 2, in which changing outfits was like “going in the morning and choosing index cards to choose what you wear.”

Continue reading Peter Molyneux explains Fable 3 menu, morphing systems

Peter Molyneux explains Fable 3 menu, morphing systems originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yoshio Sakamoto has had a rather diverse career with Nintendo, having worked on games like Metroid, WarioWare and Tomodatchi Collection. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata asked the Metroid: Other M producer to speak at GDC to “explore the secret of creating games for such a dynamic range of titles.”

One of Sakamoto’s greatest inspirations seems to be film, noting directors Dario Argento, Luc Besson, John Woo and Brian de Palma as key figures. In particular, he found Argento’s “Deep Red” to have a profound impact. Argento’s manipulation of mood through music and timing is something he found moving; the use of foreshadowing helped transcend the film beyond other horror films.

Other M will take these various inspirations by becoming a “synthesis of everything I’ve learned,” Sakamoto told the audience. A new trailer screened for GDC attendees highlighted various cinematic moments in the upcoming Wii game, including a CG reimagination of Super Metroid’s climatic ending. Sakamoto pointed out the return of Metroid Fusion’s Adam, reminding the audience that foreshadowing will play a key role in creating suspense in the interquel. Considering the subsequent applause, it seems clear that Metroid fans approve of this new direction.

Nintendo’s Yoshio Sakamoto reveals Metroid: Other M’s cinematic inspirations originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During his panel at GDC 2010, Lionhead’s Peter Molyneux revealed that Fable III will include some form of Twitter support. Molyneux discussed the game’s experience system, noting that the most important thing in Fable III is to acquire followers. We’ve heard that before, but then Molyneux said he was going to give the audience a “clue” about a new feature, but that he wasn’t allowed to say more. Said Molyneux, “I Twitter now and, you know, I’ve got followers on Twitter. That’s an interesting mechanic, and we integrate that into the Fable experience.”

True to his word, Molyneux didn’t drop any further hints, but considering that followers are akin to experience points in Fable III, we’re assuming @conanobrien will soon rule us all.

Fable III Twitter integration revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Worldwide Studios VP Scott Rohde had the onerous task of introducing the first PlayStation Move games at Sony’s GDC press conference last night. We caught up with the executive after the show to talk about Sony’s plans for exploiting motion control and if hardcore gamers should be concerned about the future of the PS3 games library.

Our complete interview with Rohde follows:

It’s obviously going to take internal resources to develop games for PlayStation Move. How can you guarantee that this won’t take away from the resources devoted to traditional hardcore games?

Scott Rohde: The bottom line is, you know Worldwide Studios is a huge organization. I’m not sure exactly where it sits among other global publishers, but it’s right up there. There’s a lot of resources put into product development. I’m pretty proud of the roll that we’ve been on — with Uncharted 2 kind of sweeping the awards recently.

There’s plenty of resources to go around. It’s our heritage: we’re never going to compromise our core; great exclusive games. This is a new initiative to us. Some teams are looking into how they might incorporate motion control into some existing plans; others are totally focused on making the best sequels to the games we all love. It’s not something I’m worried about.

Continue reading Interview: Sony’s Scott Rohde on PlayStation Move

Interview: Sony’s Scott Rohde on PlayStation Move originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warner Bros. Interactive has revealed that, in addition to the previously announced PS2, PSP, DS and Wii releases, it’s putting Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest on PS3 — with PlayStation Move support. The kid-friendly LOTR game will now be released this fall (delayed again!) on all five platforms, with the Wii version developed by Headstrong Games (yes, that Headstrong Games) and the others by TT Fusion. Of course, the Wii and PS3 versions will be the only ones with motion control, and they will also be the only versions featuring two-player co-op (with the second player controlling Gandalf).

The PS3 version won’t be an exact port of the Wii one, but it’s the same idea — a game for which the Wii was originally the lead platform, now spreading to the PS3 thanks to the existence of a very Wii-like motion controller. It may be the first, but this is definitely not the last time we’ll see this!

Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest makes ‘Move’ to PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading PlayStation Move: the everything you need to know post

PlayStation Move: the everything you need to know post originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right, folks — Harmonix has just revealed that Green Day: Rock Band will be available for all come June 8 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Up to 6 players (3 mics; 3 instruments) will progress through the career of the trio, unlocking collectible images (more than 100, apparently) and some 40 minutes of “rare and unreleased” footage from interviews, outtakes and performances along the way.

As alluded to above, GD:RB will also sport the same vocal harmonizing feature that made The Beatles: Rock Band such a delight for mic hogs and comes loaded with 47 Green Day tracks, including “Brain Stew,” “Jaded,” “Hitchin’ a Ride,” “American Idiot,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”

Oh, and if you’re looking to export these tunes, worry not: all 47 tracks are fully exportable to a console hard drive and playable in Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and the recently announced Rock Band 3. The export fee is $9.99 via Xbox Live or PSN. The export features is not available for the Wii system. Additionally, if you’ve picked up the six Green Day tunes already available as DLC, you can play them in the new game with added harmonies, “unique” visuals and more “exclusive archival material.”

Green Day: Rock Band will be available as a standalone game for Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99, while Wii owners will get a bit of a price break at $49.99. A special edition Green Day: Rock Band Plus will also come to Xbox 360 and PS3 for $69.99 and includes fancy packaging, an “export” feature (we assume, a voucher to export the disc tracks to the hard drive) and the six previously released Green Day DLC tracks.

Update: The GameStop pre-order bonus for the standalone game is an export voucher (for Xbox 360 or PS3). Essentially, pre-order GD:RB from GameStop, and you can export all 47 tracks to your console hard drive for free.

Green Day: Rock Band releases June 8 worldwide originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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