Assassin's Creed III dev says press gives a pass to Japanese games

Alex Hutchinson claims many Japanese games have "gibberish" narratives, but are not criticized by "subtly racist" gaming press.

Assassin's Creed III creative director Alex Hutchinson has taken a shot at Japanese games and those who critique them. Speaking to CVG, the developer claimed the narratives in Japanese games often leave something to be desired, and reviewers give these games a free pass.

Hutchinson claims the press exhibits a biased appreciation for Japanese games.

"Just think about how many Japanese games are released where their stories are literally gibberish," he said. "There's no way you could write it with a straight face, and the journalists say, 'Oh it is brilliant'. Then Gears of War comes out and apparently it's the worst written narrative in a game ever. I'll take Gears of War over Bayonetta any time."

Hutchinson's remarks came as a response to a question regarding how Nintendo is able to release new iterations of long-running franchises every year without drawing much criticism. To this, Hutchinson remarked, "I think there's a subtle racism in the business, especially on the journalists' side, where Japanese developers are forgiven for doing what they do. I think it's condescending to do this."

Ultimately, Hutchison said he thinks games should be judged on a simple scale of "is the story any good?"




Source : gamespot.com

Ryse progressing 'really well'

Crytek's Roman warrior Kinect game making progress, but developer won't confirm if it's coming to Xbox 360 or next-gen.

Crytek's Roman warrior Kinect game Ryse remains in development, but whether it lands on the Xbox 360 or its successor remains in question. Speaking to Eurogamer, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli said the project is "moving forward really well, we just can't talk about it."

Ryse was announced during Microsoft's 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo as "Codename Kingdoms," with its new name coming a year later. A report from December 2011 suggested the project had shifted from the Xbox 360 to the Xbox 720, which is rumored to ship in 2013 with Kinect 2.0.

Speaking to the rumor of Ryse shifting console generations, Yerli said, "I don't know!. We're still working with Microsoft, so obviously we can't change platforms. But if you mean within Microsoft--that I can't comment on."

Since Ryse was initially unveiled, development on the project has moved from Crytek's Budapest outfit to its Frankfurt studio. Yerli explained this shift, saying, "The development team shifted, but for different reasons than people assume. People think it's because it didn't work out, but actually it was a studio redirection. We wanted Budapest to focus a bit more on mobile and tablet, and they released Fibble, which was quite an excursion for Crytek. And we'll do more casual stuff but that's also free-to-play."

In June, Microsoft Studios executive Phil Spencer said Ryse will not ship until summer 2013 at the very earliest. At the time, he said the game was playable on the Xbox 360.



Source : gamespot.com

Lego Lord of the Rings features 85 playable characters

Traveller's Tales' adaptation of Tolkien's fantasy tome to include a number of characters not seen in Peter Jackson's movies.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings fantasy series is known for its numerous characters, and developer Traveller's Tales is keeping true to that spirit with its new game based on the franchise, Lego: Lord of the Rings. According to a report at The Verge, Lego Lord of the Rings will feature 85 playable characters, including some who have never appeared in Peter Jackson's film adaptations. These characters were not named.

Will Tom Bombadil finally get his chance to shine?

Due out this fall, Lego Lord of the Rings will be based on Jackson's Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy and will follow the storylines of each film, using dialogue from the movies. Unlike the Lego Harry Potter franchise, which was split over two games, the entire Lord of the Rings saga will be told in one entry.

The game follows Frodo Baggins and the unlikely fellowship that sets out from Rivendell on a dangerous journey to destroy The One Ring and bring peace to Middle-earth. Throughout Lego Lord of the Rings, players will enter the Mines of Moria, climb the Misty Mountains, and battle orcs, uruk-hai, and the nasty balrog.

In keeping with the staples of the Lego franchise, Lego Lord of the Rings will be peppered with lighthearted interpretations of the source material, with gamers tasked with solving puzzles along the way. Character players featured in the game include Frodo, Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.




Source : gamespot.com

Rebellion suing Stardock over Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion

Trademark infringement suit alleges substantial losses suffered as direct result of confusion from strategy game's name.

Rebellion is suing Stardock over Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion. The trademark suit, which was filed in June in Stardock's home district of Eastern Michigan, alleges that Stardock knowingly infringed on Rebellion's trademark on its name as it pertains to video games both with the title of the space-faring real-time strategy game and in its promotional materials.

The offending logo.

Rebellion did not stipulate a set amount of damages, instead leaving it to the court to determine how much it was "deprived of substantial sales of its products" and "the value of its trademarks as commercial assets." Rebellion provided several examples where it claimed consumers would have been easily misled, including promotional materials which displayed the word "Rebellion" much larger than the preceding "Sins of a Solar Empire" and some that referred to the game only by the disputed trademark.

Rebellion, which is based in the UK, is the developer behind Sniper Elite V2 and both the 1999 and 2010 Aliens vs. Predator games. Besides publishing Sins of a Solar Empire, Stardock also developed Elemental: War of Magic and The Political Machine 2012, among others.

GameSpot contacted Stardock for comment on the lawsuit, but was told the company does not speak on ongoing court cases. Rebellion had not responded as of publication time.

[CORRECTION]: This article previously identified Stardock as the developer of the Sins of a Solar Empire series. It was developed by Ironclad. GameSpot regrets the error.

Source : gamespot.com

Hitman Absolution altered over outcry

Director Tore Blystad says he was "surprised" by reaction to action game's controversial trailer; level amended to provide deeper context.

IO Interactive has amended a level from Hitman Absolution following outcry stemming from one of the game's teaser trailers. In the video, the game's main character, Agent 47, is shown murdering a group of assassins disguised as gun-wielding nuns. Hitman Absolution game director Tore Blystad explained to Eurogamer that the trailer was based on a level in the game, which has now been tweaked to provide greater context.

IO is going back to provide greater context for this scene.

"One way to go about that level is to go in all-guns blazing, but of course, it's not the smartest way," he said. "We learned from the trailer that we really needed to give these characters some context and some backstory. We're working within the game--within that level--to build these characters up before you meet them. That way you know what you're getting and you aren't put off by them."

The reaction to the video was unexpected, Blystad said. He said despite hundreds of internal staffers having witnessed the trailer, none had any idea it would draw the levels of criticism it did.

"We were surprised by the reaction to it. We've been trying to find out, y'know, how could we not see this happening? If we knew it would get such a negative reaction we would have done it in a different way."

Ultimately, Blystad does not think drama related to the trailer, and the amended level, will be remembered when the game launches in November. "People will have forgotten about it," he said.

Hitman: Absolution is due out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 20. It is the first entry in the series since 2006's Hitman: Blood Money, which saw Agent 47 bring silent death to locales ranging from mid-Mardis Gras New Orleans to the White House.

Source : gamespot[dot]com