Category Archives: Brink

Around the web — around the world edition

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We’ve got coverage from QuakeCon, GamesCom, San Francisco, Atlantis. You name it, we got it…

Germany has become the center of the gaming world this week — as press and gamers alike flock to GamesCom in Cologne. Above is a picture of our booth — inspired by Brink’s Container City. Find more pictures at  Kotaku, as well as this Splash Damage-endorsed Flickr page.

Press folks have been checking out WET at GamesCom, as well as in New York, San Francisco, and last week at QuakeCon. Read hands-on impressions at Kotaku, Team Xbox and Gamespot. Here’s a look at the Gamespot preview:

“Wet seems to be at its best during the combat sections, which are quick, stylish, and a whole lot of fun to play. The platforming sequences, by contrast, tend to slow the action down a great deal, and we’re hoping there’s more gun-firing and swordplay than ledge-leaping and chasm-jumping in the final version of the game.”

Elsewhere, Game Trailers has a new interview for WET with Pete taken last week at QuakeCon. Hit the jump below to catch it and the latest Fallout 3 news…

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QuakeCon roundup: Brink, RAGE, Xbox LIVE titles and more

With QuakeCon 2009 in the rearview mirror, there’s plenty of coverage to catch up on. Starting with Brink, G4TV has an interview with Brink Game Director Paul Wedgwood. Watch it above.

Switching gears to RAGE, G4TV also interviewed John Carmack — who discusses id Tech 5, future projects, and of course, RAGE itself. Watch this one below.

For more RAGE/id Software news, check out the links after the break…

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New Brink screens and coverage

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Between QuakeCon last week and GamesCom this week, there’s new screenshots and coverage up for Brink to check out on Brink.

With GamesCom going on in Cologne this week, we’ve put up three new screens on the official site for Brink (including the one above). As new coverage pops up from the event, we’ll keep you posted.

Out of QuakeCon, Kotaku has a few posts from Stephen Totilo about the game. He chatted with Game Director Paul Wedgwood about the game’s SMART system, as well as the buzz that players get from great teamplay. He also wrote a new preview of the game. Here’s an excerpt:

“Wedgwood explained that the game would keep generating contextual missions that suited the classes of the three controlled characters. They assisted each other until reaching a narrative choke point that cued an in-engine cut-scene and a cliffhanger — the three troopers discovering something surprising that we couldn’t see.”

For more QuakeCon coverage, be sure to check out BlueGamer, Big Download, David Ellis of 1Up’s Twitter, and Paul Wedgwood’s shortest-ever interview at ScrewAttack.

Brink Developer Diary #1 – Paul Wedgwood

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In a few hours, Paul Wedgwood, the CEO of Splash Damage and Game Director on Brink, will be taking the Main Stage at QuakeC0n 2009 to deliver the first public demonstration of the game. With that happening, we thought now was a good time to release our first dev diary for Brink.

Take it away Paul….

Back in June I was on a flight to London returning home from E3 2009. We had just completed three days of non-stop, behind-closed-doors demos of Brink, to standing-room-only crowds of journalists and industry veterans. The response at the show was phenomenal and very humbling; at one point I had to ask someone not to sit between my legs while I was presenting! What really struck me more than anything was simple: “People get it, they want to play this way too, and we’re not completely mad!” Since the show, the interest in the game has continued to grow. All these ideas we’ve brought together into one game are resonating with audiences.

It’s been a fun road to get to this point.

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QuakeCon Details revealed

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Today a press release went out announcing the scheduled events for QuakeCon 2009 — set to begin on Thursday, August 13th (that’s next week!).

Those able to get to the Gaylord Texan Hotel on Thursday will have a chance to see id Software’s John Carmack deliver QuakeCon’s keynote address. Meanwhile, Bethesda Game Studios’ fans will be excited to know that on Friday, Todd Howard will talk about our process for making games like Oblivion and Fallout 3. Following the presentation, there will even be a Q&A. Also on Friday, Splash Damage’s CEO and game director, Paul Wedgwood, will deliver the first public demo of Brink. Meanwhile, folks will be able to see id Software’s Rage in action for the first time on Saturday.

For more on all the events taking place, hit the jump below…

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Weekend Update

Here’s some of the latest online coverage — in case you’re having a slow Saturday like me.

If you haven’t checked out Drakortha’s Fallout 3 fan videos, definitely give his channel a look. His latest video, The DC Chronicles Ep 3 – Tunnels (above), is quite entertaining.

Sites continue to look back at Fallout 3. GamesRadar includes Fallout 3 a a feature about games from 2008 they can’t stop playing. Meanwhile, Geek.com has their own look back.

Gamasutra has a new interview with Ed Stern — Senior Game Designer at Splash Damage for Brink. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Kris Graft: What about accessibility? You guys have a background in hardcore shooters, but I’ve always thought that something like Valve’s Team Fortress 2, for example, is a shooter that somebody who’s not good at shooters can still play.

ES: Well, that’s why we hired Richard Ham. He was one of the co-creators of Syphon Filter. He put The Sims on the consoles, which as far as I’m concerned is a superpower. That is a certifiable achievement. And he just finished Fable 2. He is brilliant at taking a system and making it easy to get into.

In WET news, Play Magazine has a new feature on Gaming’s New Girls — featuring the game’s lead character, Rubi Malone. WET also gets a mention (as does Rogue Warrior) in a new BBC article discussing Hollywood stars becoming involved in gaming.

In id Software news, in preparation for QuakeCon 2009, there’s a new YouTube video with CEO Todd Hollenshead making wagers with the QuakeCon Girls. If you’re attending the show, you’ll be able to find out who wins the best. Elsewhere, WebDesignDev has a list of the 30 Most Influential People in Programming that includes John Carmack on the list.

Wrapping things up, I thought I’d share some really impressive Fallout 3  Fan Art and Nuka Cola machine spotted by folks at our office.

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Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

What’s it like to be an Environment Artist working on Brink?

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The answer’s right here in a new developer profile on Splash Damage’s site. This time around they’re profiling Matt ‘Taff’ McDaid, who got his start in the gaming industry after working for the Ministry of Defense. Here’s a choice cut from the interview:

What are the best and worst parts of your job?
On a day-to-day basis, you only get to see what your particular department has been working on. So for me, the best part has to be when you see everybody’s work all come together on the big screen, followed up Jared’s “WOOOooo!!!!”

The worst part is losing at Foosball!

It’s good to know that’s the worst part of the job. I’m currently 1-0 in foosball matches at their offices — though I imagine that record won’t hold up if I go back.

Around the web (Updated)

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Here’s a quick web update.

We’re less than a week away from Mothership Zeta, and there’s a pair of new interviews with DLC Producer Jeff Gardiner at Go! Gaming Giant and Talking About Games. Here’s a look at a snippet from the latter:

What was the motivation behind taking players onto an alien spacecraft for Mothership Zeta? Did someone on the team have an encounter?

Jeff Gardiner: We thought it would be a very unique environment to explore, a far cry from the dust ravaged wastes of DC.  The lead designer, Emil Pagliarulo, and I are interested in Alien conspiracy theory…  There’s a lot of information to sift through on the internet, while neither of us is quite sure what to believe it makes for interesting coffee conversation.

Sites continue to give away Point Lookout Codes. GameFocus is the latest with a contest running through tomorrow.

In preview coverage, NowGamer has a new preview for Brink. Here’s a sample:

“Your character will be entirely user-created, giving you the chance to be totally unique. Our short demonstration pointed to a customisation engine that appeared to ensure your character looked damn cool no matter what you did with it – quite a feat.”

For more on Brink, check out E3Coverage.com’s interview with Richard Ham.

Finally, if you haven’t checked out the trailer for The Book of Eli — starring Denzel Washington — you might want to give it a look. On several sites, including Kotaku, comparisons to Fallout 3 are already being made.

Updates: This morning on Kotaku, I spotted some cool Fallout “accessories.” Learn how to put them together at The Weekly Geek.

Elsewhere, you can learn more about the technology for Brink at PC Games Hardware — who has an interview with Arnout van Meer — Splash Damage’s Technical Director.

If you’re planning on attending QuakeCon — check here for details on how you could win a 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 Coupe. Sadly, I’m not eligible, so I’ll have to stick with Nike and New Balance.

Around the web (updated)

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The news keeps coming — here’s the latest. Father’s Day passed us by more than a month ago, so I guess 1Up’s Scott Sharkey figured it was okay to rip into dear-old-dads from videogames’ past. His feature, Top 5 Crappiest Videogame Dads, leads off with James from Fallout 3. I guess James’ gift of a BB gun saved him from the Top 5, as he actually comes in at the #6 spot. Head here to continue the countdown.

While Dad is getting the diss, Fallout 3′s best friend, Dogmeat, gets his due in a new column by Michael Fiegel of The Escapist. The column discusses his origins and popularity — from the original Fallout to his role in Fallout 3. Check it out a snippet below:

“What isn’t derived from The Road Warrior is Dogmeat’s name; that likely comes from a scene in the 1975 film A Boy and His Dog where Vic (Don Johnson) refers to his mutt as ‘Dogmeat.’”

Some of Brink’s print coverage in the UK is now making its way online. Check out previews at OXM UK and Games Radar.

Moving to WET, both SPOnG and Videogamer.com have new hands-on impressions, while Gamereactor TV has an interview with Lead Game Designer Ash Ismail.

There’s a few more Point Lookout reviews you can check out. Visit GamesRadar, TheJRE,  and Game Industry News. Finally, Crispy Gamer has a three-page Achievement guide for Fallout 3 and its DLC.

Update: And if you haven’t gotten Point Lookout yet, GamePro and Xcast Online have contests for codes.