Spring Break
Good Game: News from the Game Developers' Conference
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 3/31/09 Section: Focus
Last week's Game Developer's Conference brought video game developers together to share their insight into the industry and provide opportunities for networking. Though Nintendo delivered a keynote speech, there were updates from Sony and Microsoft on projects they are currently working on.
During Nintendo president's Satoru Iwata's speech, he announced a memory solution for the Nintendo Wii. With the latest update (4.0), which became available during his keynote, Wii owners would be able to save channels straight onto their Secure Digital (SD) cards. The current limit in size for the SD cards is 32 gigabytes. Iwata went on to announce Rock and Roll Climber, a game that utilizes the Wii balance board. The Virtual Console was expanding to include arcade games like "Starforce," "Gaplus," and "The Tower of Druaga," while WiiWare games like "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord" and "Final Fantasy IV: The After Years" was announced.
Iwata's biggest announcement was "The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" for the Nintendo DS. The game features gameplay seen most recently in "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass," though there is an increased emphasis on train gameplay. The interface is similar and continues the cel-shaded style from the previous handheld installment and "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker."
Sony and Microsoft's announcements were of a smaller magnitude, though no less important. The PlayStation 3's (PS3) "Resistance 2" and "PixelJunk Eden" will be receiving downloadable content (DLC) in the near future. "Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma" will be available exclusively for the PS3 later this year and will feature online co-op. This follows the release of "Ninja Gaiden 2" released last summer for the Xbox 360. Gameplay footage for "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" and "Gears of War III" were shown, along with a teaser trailer for "Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time." Sony encouraged developers to exclusively release games on the PlayStation Network (PSN) with their "Pub Fund" initiative, in which Sony helps fund development of a project without owning the developer's intellectual property (IP) in return for exclusivity.
During Nintendo president's Satoru Iwata's speech, he announced a memory solution for the Nintendo Wii. With the latest update (4.0), which became available during his keynote, Wii owners would be able to save channels straight onto their Secure Digital (SD) cards. The current limit in size for the SD cards is 32 gigabytes. Iwata went on to announce Rock and Roll Climber, a game that utilizes the Wii balance board. The Virtual Console was expanding to include arcade games like "Starforce," "Gaplus," and "The Tower of Druaga," while WiiWare games like "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord" and "Final Fantasy IV: The After Years" was announced.
Iwata's biggest announcement was "The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" for the Nintendo DS. The game features gameplay seen most recently in "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass," though there is an increased emphasis on train gameplay. The interface is similar and continues the cel-shaded style from the previous handheld installment and "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker."
Sony and Microsoft's announcements were of a smaller magnitude, though no less important. The PlayStation 3's (PS3) "Resistance 2" and "PixelJunk Eden" will be receiving downloadable content (DLC) in the near future. "Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma" will be available exclusively for the PS3 later this year and will feature online co-op. This follows the release of "Ninja Gaiden 2" released last summer for the Xbox 360. Gameplay footage for "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" and "Gears of War III" were shown, along with a teaser trailer for "Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time." Sony encouraged developers to exclusively release games on the PlayStation Network (PSN) with their "Pub Fund" initiative, in which Sony helps fund development of a project without owning the developer's intellectual property (IP) in return for exclusivity.
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