Our first documentary video for WET, appropriately titled ‘Get WET,’ debuted on IGN last night (it’s also available on our YouTube page. The video features several developers from A2M’s team, as well as the voice of Rubi Malone — Eliza Dushku. Check it out to get the lowdown on the game and learn more about Rubi.
Keep an eye out for the next video — premiering Monday on IGN.
There’s a lot of common ground this weekend on what the devs are playing. Mostly notably, several folks (Joel, Jeff, Phil, Daryl, and Jonah) are returning to PlanetSide. For those that missed it, it’s a classic Massively Multiplayer First-Person game that was originally released back in 2003. Outside of that, folks are playing Wii Sports Resort, Worms 2: Armageddon, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, (re-released on Xbox LIVE arcade this week), Gears of War 2 (with new DLC out), Secret of Monkey Island (whether it’s on iPhone, Steam or 360), and much more.
Let us know what you’re playing.
Nathan McDyer: DoWII, Monkey Island SE, Marvel Vs Capcom 2, Killzone 2, Team Fortress 2.
Ryan Lea, Programmer: Mario Kart Double Dash for a 150cc All Cup battle royale vs. Samuel Bernstein. Challenge accepted. Inspirational Words – “Here he comes here comes Speed Racer. He’s a demon on wheels.”
Sam Bernstein: Rocky montage-ing Mario Kart Double Dash for a 150cc All Cup battle royale vs. Ryan Lea. The gauntlet has been thrown.
Mike Christensen: Pokemon Pinball (GBC), Psychonauts, and The Secret of Monkey Island.
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.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Before Mothership Zeta launches on Monday, we’ve uploaded a new trailer. Check it out on our site or through our Bethesda Softworks YouTube Channel. Special thanks to Matt Killmon for all his awesome work on all our DLC trailers.
We’ve also got a new Team Diary from Fallout 3 Lead Artist Istvan Pely, who spearheaded Mothershp Zeta. In the diary, Ist discusses what went into making this “far out” DLC — detailing the hard work and countless hours put in by members of the team. Here’s an excerpt:
“And with that begins the Vault Dweller’s final and most fantastical adventure in the Capital Wasteland, or rather several hundred miles far above it. The concept of the UFO visit emerged early in the idea-toss sessions we had for DLC, in fact it was the very first thing to pop into my mind; it just seemed a natural fit. But we saved it for last, as a fitting conclusion to the Vault Dweller’s story.”
You can read the rest here — complete with new screenshots.
Updated: Polish site Polygamia.pl has a Mothership Zeta interview with Brian Chapin. It’s in both Polish and English. For consistency’s sake, I’ll post the snippet in English…
We know that the main quest in this add-on will be to escape from the spaceship. How many side-quests and achievements can we expect from it?
BC: There aren’t any explicit side quests, but Mothership Zeta is a pretty big place. While you’ll be receiving three of the four achievements from completing the main quest line, you’ll have to do some searching off the beaten path to get the last achievement. And it’s worth exploring just to see everything that the aliens are up to — they’ve been doing some pretty strange things.
For those keeping track, we’re less than two days away from Mothership Zeta!
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.
Earlier this week, Kotaku Editor-in-Chief Brian Crecente put up a blog post about his Backyard Adaptations of Video Game Classics — that is, new ways to play outside, inspired by classic games (like Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros.) that normally keep you inside.
Motivated by Crecente’s post, our very own Fred Zeleny has created a few backyard adaptations of his own — focusing on recent titles Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia, and even Fallout 3. To learn how to play these, head to Fred’s blog or Kotaku.
Last week plenty of folks were turning back the clock with Battlefield 1943, and this week it’s all about Lucasarts’ re-imagination of the adventure classic, The Secret of Monkey Island. For some, it’s a look back on a classic. For me, it’s a chance to play something I always wanted to play.
Aside from Monkey Island, other popular titles include Trine, NCAA Football 10 and Fight Night Round 4.
Let us know the games you’re playing…
Brent Krische: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, and Overlord: Dark Legends.
Louis Riley: Prototype, Secret of Monkey Island SE, and Fight Night Round 4.
Jon DeVriendt: The Secret of Monkey Island, Battlefield 1943, Fight Night Round 4, World of Warcraft, and Starcraft.
Dane Olds, Artist: Super Metroid. Stretching the ol’ Metroidvania muscles in preparation for Shadow Complex.
AI Programmer Jonas ‘suctionlord’ Nelson is the latest Splash Damage developer to be profiled on their site. Prior to joining their team, Jonas worked for Avalanche Studios (makers of Just Cause). Below is an excerpt from his interview:
What do you do at Splash Damage?
I work as an AI Programmer, which means I get to write the code driving the computer-controlled characters in BRINK. I spend most of my time making them better and more fun to play with, be as an opponent in combat or as an ally helping you out.
Check out the rest of the interview at Splash Damage‘s site. As more details emerage on Brink, we’ll keep you posted.
Here’s another look inside the offices of A2m. This week we meet Levon Louis.
What’s your job at A2M?
Team Lead Sound Designer and the Audio Director for WET.
This week I’m hearing left and right how great Battlefield 1943 (Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network) is, and from the looks of it, a bunch of guys at the office are going to be waging war this weekend. Hopefully I can squeeze in sometime with the game once I get back home Sunday — if not, I’ll be enjoying some great new iPhone games, including Drop7.
Let us know what you’ll be playing…have a wonderful weekend!
Todd Howard: Daggerfall and BF1943. Such sweet nostalgia.
Emil Pagliarulo: Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Battlefield 1943, Overlord 2, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (all on 360).
Ashley Cheng, Production Director: Battlefield 1943.
Tim “Visor” Lamb: Battlefield 1943 and Tiger 2010.
Gavin Carter, Producer: Halo 3.