GDC Raw: One Man’s Account

Editor-at-Large Matt Casamassina dishes the dirt on the behind-the-scenes murmurings at the event.

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GDC Raw: One Man’s Account

Game Developers Conference 2011 Straddles Two Months [Gdc]

Kotaku has occupied GDC 2010. But what of GDC 2011? Next year’s show will run from February 28 through March 4, still in San Francisco. Unknown whether the event will commemorate the anniversary of the great PS3 blackout of 02/29/09. More

Metro 2033 – Hands-On Preview

A couple weeks ago we had sat down with Metro 2033, going into the event completely naïve as to what to expect; we walked away very excited to get our hands on the final release build. Video games set in the future have had an especially grim outlook recently. THQ and 4A Games look to top them by creating the most grim/depressing game of them all in a post-apocalyptic horror story set in the metro tunnels and stations beneath Moscow in Metro 2033. Full preview is after the break:

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Metro 2033 – Hands-On Preview

I Was An Xbox Live Celebrity, For One Night Only [Column]

I shamelessly invaded your Xbox Dashboard last week – and now that my thumb fatigue has expired, I’m here to tell you about it.  When Avery Alix from Xbox Live emailed me about participating in a “Game with Fame” event, I said, “Hell yeah!” faster than Lindsay Lohan to another shot of Cuervo. Avery is not only known for his rapier-like wit and awesome hair, but also for being Xbox Live’s community producer. He is currently in charge of promoting events on the dash. SIDE NOTE!  For anyone unfamiliar with the “Game with Fame” events, Xbox Live’s “My Community” section frequently provides gamers with the opportunity to befriend a well-known singer, actor, athlete, etc. in order to partake in some online multiplayer merriment. Players can play right alongside celebs! Like Dane Cook! But more importantly, they can shoot Dane Cook in the back of the noggin with a sawed-off shotty for bragging rights! Popular game choices for these events include Castle Crashers, Halo 3, Call of Duty, and UNO. I chose BioShock 2’s online multiplayer because it’s undeniably fantastic and I just can’t get enough of the glitching, freezing, and spawning inside of walls. (Ooh, cheap shot!)  BACK TO MY STORY!  After providing Xbox Live with pictures and a preferred time, I was given a specific gamertag for the event. I soon saw my face on the Dashboard and nearly passed out from my irrepressible mirthquake. I was expecting to get a few messages and friend requests, hoping at least some people would notice the event.  …I had no idea what I was in for.  Within the first hour of my promotion going live, I had one hundred friend requests and one hundred messages. This didn’t seem like too big of a deal, considering how many Xbox Live members exist… until I found out, oh, wait, one hundred is the limit for both messages and requests. Turns out I had WAY more than that. For every message I deleted, another one came in right behind it.  Here’s a quick breakdown of the plethora of messages I received:  • 50% – Extremely nice messages/Compliments from excited gamers. • 38% – Charming notes from bold English professors, like this: • 7% – Angry, mean messages mostly regarding the 100 friends cap. Apparently, that is my fault. (Sorry, everyone.)   • 4% – Inaudible voice messages.   • 1% – Pictures of male genitalia.   With these messages in mind, I became slightly nervous, convinced I would be spending the majority of the event deflecting pick-up lines from the types of gamers who probably didn’t buy DoA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball for the volleyball.  In fact, it can be bad enough playing as an anonymous female in online multiplayer matches. I stay away from games like Modern Warfare 2 online since, from my experience, the judgments, jokes, and insults start flying once some opponents discover I’m a chick. I can only laugh along with them for so long before I start shaking my anti-misogyny gaffi stick over my head and then quickly log off before my Tusken Raider battle cry worries the neighbors. I figured it would be twice as bad playing with individuals who knew my identity.  Thankfully, I was completely proven wrong.  The first lobby was quiet. Only one or two players were willing to speak. But using the approachable personality and naturally infectious laughter that I’m famous for to beguile them into a bust-out-the-keg comfort zone, a few more came out of their shell and soon began saying things to me like, “Who are you again?” Things loosened up and nearly everyone was chatting. I played round after round with cool, mature gamers who behaved themselves and (thankfully) endured my sarcasm. My teammates stuck by my side and, while I won’t claim that certain opposing teammates ganged up on me, I will absolutely hint at it. (You know who you are!) The best part was the complete absence of humiliating questions and rude comments.  Let’s throw on our analyzing hats and our online social interaction psychology clam diggers for a moment and consider the results of this coincidental experiment. One would think that after receiving so many ballsy, juvenile messages to my “Game with Fame” gamertag that at least one person during the event would have acted similarly. But they didn’t. My in-game, voice-to-voice interactions were very courteous and rather timid. If only I could enjoy the same chivalry when playing on my private gamertag with an unknown identity, where, instead, it is more common to be told I am ugly, unwelcome, and stupid.  While it is disheartening that so many disrespectful gamers exist and make the unfortunate decision each day to open their fat traps, it’s also extremely refreshing to know so many gamers are not like that – like the ones in my “Game with Fame” event. As a female gamer, I can’t express my appreciation enough. You nice guys out there make online gaming experiences much more enjoyable for gals like me.  Quick note! If you ever feel like trying a “Game with Fame” event, keep in mind how quickly the host’s friends list will fill up. Admittedly, it was pretty difficult to sift through the multitude of messages and gamertags to see who was actually serious about playing.  The event was a really positive experience. Thanks again to everyone who participated and did not send me pictures of their genitals. It means a lot. Lisa Foiles is best known as the former star of Nickelodeon’s award-winning comedy show, All That. She currently works as a graphic designer and writes for her game site, Save Point . For more info, visit Lisa’s official website .

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I Was An Xbox Live Celebrity, For One Night Only [Column]

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction Demo from Microsoft X10

Christ Waters gets his hands on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction at Microsoft’s X10 Event in San Francisco!

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Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction Demo from Microsoft X10

Fable III Impressions with Justin Calvert

Justin Calvert gives us the scoop on Fable III from Microsoft’s X10 Event in San Francisco

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Fable III Impressions with Justin Calvert

We’re At X10, In The Shadow Of Apple? [X10]

Fable III is at X10. Alan Wake is at X10. Bungie is at X10, presumably with you-know-what. And so too is Kotaku. Brian Crecente has just hustled himself into Microsoft’s big 2010 gaming showcase out in San Francisco. He shot me over some photos and notes that the event’s got some signage issues. Outside, you’ve got your happy Xbox 360 Avatars printed on cheerful signs. But above the venue you’ve got this Apple billboard. Don’t they know this is Xbox turf today?

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We’re At X10, In The Shadow Of Apple? [X10]

Your Final Shot at 100 Gamerscore Just for Showing Up [Update] [Xbox 360]

Friendly reminder that beginning in about 30 minutes, Xbox 360 Achievements.org is staging one last run on NBA Live 07’s “Online with 1,000 People” achievement. This is the last chance to do it before EA shuts down the servers on Tuesday. The boosting session starts at 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern/10 a.m. U.S. Pacific. Trueachievements.com said 217 people had joined the boosting session as of an hour ago. Basically, all you need to do is have a copy of NBA Live 07 and hang out in a lobby – not play an online game – the same time as 1,000 other people are signed in. Specific instructions on what is required may be found here. They tried this back in October but it didn’t work, so it’s now or never. I’ll update this post with news of whether they pulled it off. [Update] I’m getting word they have more than 1,100 in the lobby. I’ll try to confirm the final numbers. This event will be running for another 90 minutes, so if you have the game, it’s an easy 100 Gamerscore, just sign in. [updated 11:30 am MST] IMPORTANT Information For The 1000 People Online Event [Xbox360Achievements.org] [Sponsored] NEC

Three-Day Symposium will Examine the Art of Games [Art]

“The Art History of Games,” a three day public symposium devoted to investigating games as an art form, will be held in Atlanta in early February, followed by the monthlong display of three commissioned art games. Participants at the Feb. 4-Feb. 6 symposium will include John Romero, a designer of the original Doom and a co-founder of Gazillion Entertainment; Jesper Juul, a video game researcher and the author of “A Casual Revolution,” and Frank Lantz, the designer of Drop7 and Parking Wars. “The Art History of Games seeks to more clearly articulate the importance of games as a form of art,” says the symposium’s listing. “Not until the 20th century did games and the play experiences they provide start to be perceived as an art form.” The commissioned pieces were created by Jason Rohrer; Nathalie Pozzi and Eric Zimmerman; and the studio Tale of Tales. They will be on display from Feb 4 to March 2. The symposium will be held in the High Museum of Art’s Rich Auditorium on the campus of the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, which is midtown Atlanta. The commissioned games will be displayed at Kai Lin Art, 800 Peachtree St NE. The symposium is a joint program of Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and the Savannah College of Art and Design. Registration is $60 for the general public, with discounts for Georgia Tech and SCAD students and academics. For more info, see the Art History of Games site.

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Three-Day Symposium will Examine the Art of Games [Art]

To-Do In NYC: Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Nintendo Store Event [Event]

Because the Nintendo World Store always does their fun event days on weekends, Capcom’s claiming a Saturday later this month for some Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars festivities. The company’s official U.S. blog indicates that the Wii fighting game’s launch will be celebrated with the giving away of swag, the signing of autographs by the game’s producer, Ryota Niitsuma, and the handing out of Capcom’s “famous TvC towels.” This will all happen at the Nintendo World Store on Saturday, January 23 from 11am – 3pm ET. The last time I went to a game launch event at the Nintendo World Store was for the launch of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It was rainy and a little scary . More details at the link. (Note: the game isn’t officially out until a few days after the event. I’m checking with Capcom to find out if it will be sold early during this event. Update: Nope, Capcom says the game, which launches on the 26th, won’t be sold early.) Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars NYC Launch Event! [Capcom-Unity]

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To-Do In NYC: Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Nintendo Store Event [Event]

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