PS3 Fanboy

UGO has landed an interview with Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi to discuss the upcoming survival horror sequel. Takeuchi begins by defending the RE5 team's decision to use Africa as a backdrop, insisting it is not a race issue. In fact, Chris will not even leave Africa for the entirety of the game. Gameplay-wise, he tells us in the current version of the game, it will allow you to "switch weapons in real time but we can't 100% confirm that that's how the final game will end up." Another gameplay element highlighted is destructible environments -- seemingly safe hiding places can be eliminated by getting knocked down.

Takeuchi also speaks of utilizing next-gen console technology to create "bright, outdoor environments" with an "action-based, a different kind of horror." Quick-time events will also remain in the game, but will "be much more active." Takeuchi then teases everyone by glancing at a PR representative when asked about a co-op mode and responding with "Right now I don't have anything to say about that. All I can say is just wait for E3." He is right, we can't wait for E3 to find out more!

Alex Evans and Mark Healey, co-founders of Media Molecule, revealed some information on the development of LittleBigPlanet and how the idea came to fruition at a keynote at the Game Developers Conference in Paris. Healey remarks on how he doesn't believe one needs a team of 200 or more people to make a "great, fresh and successful" game, naming Brain Age for the DS as such an example. Profits from games, Healey believes, will be increased by adopting a model of "user-generated content and a willingness to release early and often, combined with people accepting change, accepting patches." Server access to LPB was also revealed to be free and it was even hinted that gamers can potentially sell self-generated content.

Later, Evans sat down for an interview with Gamesindustry.biz and said influences on LBP were drawn from "this interesting timeline of user-generated content" such as the God game genre and games like Shoot-'em-up Construction Kit. Evans was "amazed" that people in the industry resonated with their idea of "creative gaming", commenting that Media Molecule had a "much more open and transparent process with the publisher (Sony)" and this was for them, "defining features of the development process."

Currently, the LBP team at the stage of "improving the quality and the polish" and promoting LBP; the pressure on them is a double-edged sword -- driving them forward at the same time while putting a large weight on their shoulders, especially with their relatively small team of about 30 people. Finally, the co-founder sounded rather modest about LBP being seen as a lead title on the PS3, claiming he had "no expectation(s)" in the beginning and it was "just ... ambition ... we didn't know we'd succeed", and that the "ultimate test" is "when the game is shipped, that's the best time to judge it."

According to a preview of an interview with 1UP, assistant producer Ryan Payton said in regards to the possibility of Metal Gear Solid 5: "there are some misunderstandings that this is the final Metal Gear game. But it's really the final chapter of the Solid Snake story." He further states that if Snake's story continues past MGS4, "we'll get to the point where the game has absolutely no basis in reality." Payton also hinted at who might be the future star of the next MGS game: there is "still a lot of room for filling in the gaps as far as Big Boss is concerned." 1UP's Philip Kollar interprets all of this as Konami having nowhere to go with the series except for prequels to "continue fleshing out that same epic narrative."

Payton also talks about Metal Gear Online; they are "working on a handful of new maps, skills, and rules that we're bug checking at the moment ... It's not going to be too long before people are going to start seeing screenshots of the new stages ... By the time you're tired of the maps that come in the game, it'll probably be around the time we'll be bringing out the new ones."

More details will be revealed as the full interview is published on 1UP later today.

Update: The full interview has been posted here. In response to rumors in Famitsu about Kojima already thinking about MGS5, Payton confirms that it is true. This also confirms Kojima's involvement, at least to some degree, in the next installment.

For the latest episode of the PS Nation podcast, we chatted with Media Molecule founder, Mark Healey. He previously worked on Rag Doll Kung Fu, before moving onto the hotly anticipated PS3 exclusive, LittleBigPlanet. In our 40 minute chat, we covered a number of topics. For example, did you know LittleBigPlanet will have a story mode? Did you know that you'll be able to share "risque" levels privately amongst your friends? Finally, we have confirmation that Sackboy plushies are being made. Yes! Read on.

LittleBigPlanet has been evolving at every show. For example, enemies were introduced in the most recent build. How is Media Molecule staggering these features? What's the schedule and why are certain things only being shown at certain times?
To be honest, because we showed the game at GDC originally, so early on in the development process. Really, we've been showing things as they go into the game. People have been seeing the game evolve. Quite often, people show the game much nearer the end and are very careful about what they show and what they don't show. It's literally as we're designing the game that we're showing things. There wasn't one big master plan. At some point, we decided "we need enemies," so we put enemies. And then it was shown to people.

YouTube video uploading has been discussed for games like PixelJunk Eden and an educational title in Japan. Is it something that's being considered for the game?
We haven't made any plans to do that yet. But, like we've always said. We really want to listen to the community. Really, whatever they're most hungry for, we'll make every effort to feed them with what they're hungry for. Like the fluid, with YouTube -- I'm taking a guess, but those are going to be high up on that list. I don't really know what the logistics are, who you have to talk to at YouTube. If there's a huge desire for it, and it's possible, then I'm sure we'll have a go at doing it.

Unfortunately it seems that Ninja Theory are definitely not currently working on Heavenly Sword 2. Nina Kristensen, co-founder of Ninja Theory, confirmed the news during an interview with GameIndustry.biz. Instead, the development team is working on a new multiplatform intellectual property, potentially leaving the Sony owned Heavenly Sword franchise for another developer to play with.

Kristensen also mentions that they're thinking of producing a CGI movie to accompany their new project. Nothing's confirmed yet, as the two and a half year development cycle has only just started, but the potential of using the game engine to produce a movie is something they're definitely interested in. The full interview will be published on GameIndustry.biz later this month, where Kristensen will discuss their new project in further depth. In the meantime, check out the concept art for the game that was found on the new Ninja Theory website.

A couple of weeks ago, we helped unveil the first look at the upcoming expansion for Eye of Judgment, Biolith Rebellion 2. Since then, Sony has been slowly unveiling more and more juicy details about the new cards on their official blog. Today, we are happy to present an interview with the creator of Eye of Judgment, Yusuke Watanabe.

How did you originally come up with the idea for The Eye of Judgment? Was it always planned as a PS3 game?
The trigger was a demo of the CyberCode's image recognition technology, originally developed for use on PC. We transplanted CyberCode to PlayStation format so I could share my surprise with as many users as possible. We worked with CyberCode based on the technical information of PlayStation 3 that, at the time, had just started becoming open, and based on the findings, we found that PS3 was the best console to maximize the potential and appeal of The Eye of Judgment in terms of the specifications.

Has Sony thought about releasing a higher quality gameboard? The fabric one is nice but is lacking for people who play on the ground or uneven surfaces.
Through a trial and error process using many kinds of materials, the fabric material was the only mat that cleared our standards for endurance, storability, design, and cost. However, we are very interested in creating a high quality luxury mat or board to encourage heated matches.

Dylan Cuthbert should be a name familiar to any real PS3 fan. Responsible for Q-Games, and their PixelJunk series of PSN games, the team has been hard at work at delivering unique experiences exclusively for the PLAYSTATION Network. Not only has the team delivered one truly stellar game (PixelJunk Monsters), it has worked on a few other technologies for Sony. Did you know that they're responsible for the Earth music visualization? We chatted with Cuthbert at GDC, and we're proud to present our interview.

I wanted to start with a topic that I'm sure no one has asked you about yet. Q-Games is responsible for the Earth visualizer, yes? Where did that come from?
Well, we've always had a close relationship with Sony. They came to us and asked us to make an intro for the PS3 before it came out. For the OS and everything. They had these ideas that were like the earth, and the PS3 logo were in a bubble. So we said instead of making a fake earth, we should make a proper rendering. We showed a prototype to them, but ultimately Sony wanted to go for a more simpler style. The intro became much simpler, orchestral. So we had a very well rendered earth and we didn't know what to do with it.

This mini-interview may be short, but in answering these questions Evan Wells of Naughty Dog puts pay to a few little niggles we had regarding Uncharted and its potential future. Discussions are underway within the Naughty Dog offices regarding where the series can go next. We can't wait to see what they come up with. Beware going beyond the jump; there be spoilers (and pirates).

Why was the option for an "Install" feature not added to the game?

We wanted gamers to be able to start playing the game as rapidly as possible. It's always frustrating as a player to be so excited to start playing a game that you've been looking forward to for so long and you just can't wait any longer and then when you pop in the disc it makes you sit through an agonizingly long install screen. With Uncharted we designed the game so that you can play through the entire experience without a load screen AND without installing a bunch of extra data to fill up your hard drive.

When we first heard about The Agency during Sony's Gamer's Day last May we were, quite frankly, a bit meh about the whole thing. This new video interview from GameTrailers, however, shows off some of the gameplay and gives an interesting look at what the game is aiming to become. Operatives and Home integration sounds like a really interesting way to blur the lines and have you playing even when you're not playing. We're sticking this one onto our radar and are actually looking forward to its release. Whenever that may be.

The interview includes mentions of an upcoming digital distribution method for providing PS3 owners with TV shows and films. Lempel also talks about some "very exciting programs planned to recognize our consumers gaming skills and loyalty in new ways that go well beyond a single score." Sounds good to us. This should arrive when Home finally launches. When is that? We haven't a clue, but Lempel says it's now coming along very nicely, as opposed to the disappointment it apparently was late last year.

We're looking forward to seeing more of these "features in different stages of development that users will be very excited about." 2008 should be an interesting year for the PlayStation Network.

Coupled with a cheaper model and an extensive marketing push, the PS3 is positioned to have a very successful holiday season. And despite the PS3's bumpy start, which we recently chronicled, Sony's CEO Sir Howard Stringer believes the PlayStation 3 will be every bit as successful as the PS2 for the rest of the year and onward.

"The momentum shift and the energy behind PS3 in time for Christmas is extremely fortuitous," he said. "It was planned by the PlayStation group, but I think this momentum now -- particularly the number of games coming out, including our own as well as third-party -- is the same as it was with PlayStation 2."

However, Stringer admits it's taken awhile for developers to gain the full understanding of PlayStation 3 development, but it was no different than when the PS2 was still in its infancy. "It takes time to build a new format [and the PS3 is] not behind the curve compared to PlayStation 2 in terms of momentum," he added. "The amount of bandwidth and the processing power of Cell give game manufacturers a lot more work to do to use this system to its full benefit -- and it's taken awhile to do it. The same was true of PlayStation 2." With PS3 titles increasingly pushing the graphical and gameplay boundaries once thought impossible, we absolutely believe him.

Happy Birthday PS3! One year down, nine more to go. Sony's first year in the new video game generation has been a rough one. But, what does Sony have to say about it? We chatted with SCEA's Kim Nguyen, Marketing Manager of the PS3, to find out more.

PS3 has struggled quite a bit during its first year of release. Why do you think the games media has bashed the PS3 so much?
Looking back on year one, we're proud at how far the PS3 has come and are sure that the future will only be brighter. There were some bumps in the road but that's to be expected during the first year of a platform's lifecycle. Regardless, we are very confident in the future of PS3 given our new hardware and pricing, along with the strong line up of upcoming software titles that will place PS3 in a very strong position this holiday and for years to come.

What has Sony done to turn things around?
We recently launched new PS3 hardware and pricing and are already seeing strong sales momentum at retail--PS3 sales have increased by 192% over the past 2 weeks at major retailers in North America . We have more than 160 games coming to the platform including 19 exclusives. We also recently launched a new ad campaign, our biggest marketing effort to date, that conveys the overall benefits of PS3 including Blu-ray and PLAYSTATION Network. Again we feel PS3 is in a very strong position this holiday and for years to come.

The search for the Lombax Secret, and Ratchet's past, is certainly driving a much stronger story in this iteration. What sparked the change for a more story-oriented game this time around?
I would say the quality of writing has been outstanding. TJ Fixman is our writer. He's a guy with his own agent, and he has movies optioned. We just have a terrific writer. It's not so much that we were taking a different tact to the story compared to the past. But the topic is more epic in general. We're exploring Ratchet's roots. Why is he the last of his kind? What is the Lombax Secret? Who are the Zoni and why is Clank the only one to see them? What kind of dynamic tension does that create? Will Ratchet trust his buddy Clank, or will he think he's got a bolt loose in his head, and he's gone haywire? These are the elements that make a good story. We've turned the lens inward. If you look at the past Ratchet games, it was about Ratchet against an enemy. Now, he's on a quest to discover something about himself. I think that alone makes the story more epic and more mysterious.

Is the writer new to the franchise?
Yes, this is TJ's first Ratchet game. TJ and Brian Hastings make for a great team. Bryan's our chief creative officer, and TJ's one of the funnier people I know. We love butt jokes -- and what's cool to us is that it does appeal to eight year olds and adults. The animators did a great job too. For example, in one scene Quark gives Ratchet and Clank a clue. It's the pirate guys and he says "check out this pirate design. It's perfect for parties and late night misadventures." Then, he leans into the screen and winks. It's not written into the script but it makes it come to life and makes it that much funnier.