Cliff Bleszinski Leaves Epic Games

Cliff Bleszinski, design director known for his creative work on the Gears of War and Unreal Tournament, has departed Epic Games.

Developing...

Source : ign[dot]com

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Encourages Multiple Playthroughs

New details have surfaced about the design mantras behind Square Enix's recently announced Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns.

An interview in the latest issue of Famitsu, translated by Andriasang, reveals that the game will come with just one ending and that it'll be a happy one.

Despite this, the game is apparently being designed to encourage players to go through and complete it multiple times, and the length of the game will reflect this (i.e. it's not going to take hundreds or even, apparently, tens of hours to complete).

Depending on your actions, the remaining life of the world can also increase and decrease, meaning the world could end before the previously mentioned 13 days. It also appears that each of these in-game days will last between one and two real-world hours.

So it looks like Lightning's adventure is going to be a very different experience to the ones that have come before. Also in the interview it's mentioned that Hope will make an appearance, guiding Lightning by wireless com, and that this entry in the Final Fantasy XIII series will be "World Driven", asking players to consider how they interact with the changing world.

There's no reference to a potential release window, but the game is apparently about 30% complete. Seeing as we heard at the start of August that the game had only recently entered production, it seems the game is making good progress, regardless.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be the final game to feature Lightning and is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and long-time Final Fantasy lover. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

PAX: Disney Epic Mickey 2 -- Be the Hero You Want to Be

Choice and consequence play major roles in Producer Warren Spector’s design for Epic Mickey 2. This was something downplayed in the original, having what Spector referred to in an interview at PAX as “choice and consequence light,” but with Epic Mickey 2 the goal is to put forward he and his studio’s design manifesto: playstyle matters.

“The key is asking players, ‘How do you succeed? What defines a hero? What makes Mickey a hero for you?,” said Spector, “and then the way this is exactly like every other game I’ve ever done is that I hope you have no idea what I think or what our QA department or design department thinks defines a hero, because the only thing that matters is what you think defines a hero.”

Indeed, during the short demo it became readily apparent the way that you will define what Mickey is to you. For instance you might come upon a point where you have two routes to get to the same place, one involving enemies and the other a rigorous platforming section. The combat route gives you a lot of options: you could wipe out the enemies with thinner, subdue them with paint, or even use your various abilities to distract them and sneak past. The platforming route could be a big challenge if you want to maintain the world, or you could maybe use your thinner to saw a tree in half and make an easier route.

It’s one thing for Epic Mickey 2 to give you multiple ways to get through the story, to play it your way, but what makes it special to Spector is that it records and responds to your previous actions -- something he should be familiar with considering he helped create the original Deus Ex games. Major choices will present themselves throughout the story, such as one moment during the demo where Mickey and Oswald had to choose to either subdue a bunch of enemies with paint or destroy them with thinner. The toons in town wanted them destroyed, but a ghost named Ian appealed to Mickey and Oswald for mercy. Destroy them and the toons in town will help you out. But Ian? Well, that'll be the last you'll hear from him (sparing the nasty enemies will net you a friend that will come back time and again). The point is to make your choices really matter, but without telling you in some sort of Karmatic system that you're doing the right thing. No matter what you'll be getting the good ending since, after all, you are Mickey Mouse, but it's the bits and pieces of the ending that'll change. Spector likens it to the ending of Star Wars: A New Hope, where Luke Skywalker appears with a number of other important characters. No matter what you'll be earning medals, but as for who will be standing on stage with you? That's for you to decide with your actions.

Choices are being monitored, even the ones that are less obvious than the obvious moral dilemmas and those involving multiple characters. Take for instance if you're the type of Mickey who constantly uses thinner to wipe out your enemies and cut out portions of the environment. In this case Epic Mickey 2 will intuitively start throwing more enemies at you because the game's trying to respond to what you are showing you like to do. Even the music starts to respond to your actions, with players who use a lot of paint and play more passively experiencing flutes and a more full soundtrack, while players who use thinner will experience a less lighthearted soundtrack with fewer instruments. The thinking is this, if you're cutting out portions of your visual landscape, why not have the soundtrack respond and present a lessened audio landscape as well? Most people won't even notice this in all likelihood, but it's an awesome bit of flavor that could make your choices stand out a bit more in Epic Mickey 2.

Another aspect of being the hero you want to be involves using your imagination in unprecedented ways. Mickey and Oswald have a number of tools at their disposal, such as an anvil you can use to smack enemies or a TV you can call down to distract them with cartoons. "It's all about you deciding how to use your tools in the context of our little simulation to accomplish things I hope the designers never even intended," said Spector, at which point his QA tester showed me how internally they use the TV and anvil combination to create an impromptu two-step platform to reach places they otherwise wouldn't. "Oh my god," Spector uttered, launching into a whole tirade about how players used explosives in Deus Ex to climb out of the game world. He isn't embarrassed by people figuring out how to break his game, he embraces it. "Stuff that's a bug for most developers is gold for Junction Point," said Spector, "People have already done things that are impossible in this game...and that's great."

"If gamers can really wrap their minds around playing a mouse for 20 hours...the kinds of choices you're making are different, and the kinds of consequences and tone are different from Deus Ex, but the gameplay? If Deus Ex fans don't see the gameplay depth in this game, then they're not paying attention," said Spector. The hope is that Epic Mickey 2 won't simply be perceived as a children's game, but a game for everyone. Something you can play as an adult and enjoy the way so many of us do with Sonic or Mario, and now on our platform of choice since, unlike the first game, it's expanding beyond the Wii market. Whether or not it succeeds in this regard we'll just have to wait and see when Epic Mickey 2 releases November 18th.

Anthony Gallegos is an Editor on IGN's PC team and doesn't believe something cute has to be only for children. You can follow him on Twitter and on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Check out Razer's BlackShark, Minus Battlefield 3 Logo

We liked the Battlefield 3 Collector's Edition of Razer's BlackShark headset for its solid construction, solid sound performance and badass design. (Check out the full review.)

But not everybody wants the name of a shooter that came out last year embossed on headphones that will likely outlast whatever console you may have played it on. Good thing Razer announced this black and green version, which will sell for $119.99 ($10 less than the Battlefield 3 edition).

You can order the face-lifted BlackShark from Razer, or pick one up when they hit store shelves in mid-late September.

What do you think? Do you like the generic version or the Battlefield version better?

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Outrun Stormtroopers on the Aerofex Hoverbike

Resurrecting a 50-year-old design that was abandoned for stability issues, the engineers at Aerofex have built a working hoverbike prototype.

The stability fix Aerofex came up with is an elegant solution: knee-level control bars let the pilot manipulate roll by leaning, leaving the handlebars to control pitch and yaw. The system is purportedly intuitive enough that anybody with good enough balance to handle a motorcycle can pilot it without training.

The current prototype limits altitude to 15 feet and speed to about 30 mph - but those limits are cautionary. An older version could reportedly fly as fast as most helicopters.

Unfortunately, Aerofex isn't planning to release the manned version of the hoverbike anytime soon. They're focusing instead on developing an unmanned drone version, which they expect to be testing by the end of 2013.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Prey 2 Removed from Bethesda’s Website

Prey 2 is no longer listed on Bethesda’s website. Following a new site design that launched late last week, Bethesda’s Games page has been updated to reflect the publisher’s upcoming titles. Prey 2 isn’t included as one of them, despite its presence on the previous version of the site.

We reached out to Bethesda about the title’s absence.“Since we had already announced it wasn’t coming out this year and we don’t have anything new to say on the game at this time, we simply didn’t think it’d be appropriate to include it on the new site launch,” a Bethesda spokesperson told IGN. “We chose instead to focus on the upcoming titles we are talking about.”

Prey 2 was originally announced in 2011, slated at the time for release in 2012. Earlier this year, rumors began to circulate that the game was in danger of being canceled, but Bethesda quickly debunked the rumor, saying the game had simply been delayed beyond 2012. “The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards,” a statement said at the time.

A more specific release window for Prey 2 hasn’t been revealed, but it’s worth noting that the list of titles on Bethesda’s site does include The Elder Scrolls Online, which isn't scheduled to be released until 2013. Other games in Bethesda’s upcoming line-up are Doom 3 BFG Edition and Dishonored.

No other information about Prey 2 has been announced, but for the tidbits we do know -- including the return of original Prey protagonist Tommy -- check out our interview with Human Head co-founder Chris Rhinehart from August 2011.

Thanks to Eurogamer for the heads up.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Check Out These Award-Winning 8-Bit T-Shirts

The winners of WeLoveFine’s 8-bit design contest have been chosen. A panel of judges including Harmonix art director Ryan Lesser and IGN’s own beard-in-chief Casey Lynch picked ten of the best designs, and WeLoveFine has announced that all of the shirts are available for purchase!

Check out the winning designs below, and head over to WeLoveFine’s site to see all the honorable mentions. Click any shirt to head to WeLoveFine’s store. Links lead to men’s sizes, but click to the right of any shirt to purchase the women’s size.

Grand Prize: “Time Lines” by Drew Wise ($1,000 winner)

Casey’s Pick: "Aliens & Ladders" by Julien Bazinet ($400 winner)

Ryan’s Pick: "Ash Housewares" by Andrew Helms ($400 winner)

Runner-Up: "Select Your Avenger" by Julien Bazinet ($150 winner)

Runner-Up: "JRPG Battle" by Massimo Marsan ($150 winner)

Again, head over to WeLoveFine’s site to see all the honorable mentions as well as the other entries, and if you’re interested in awesome gaming shirts, be sure to check out the IGN Store as well!

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Confidential Apple Prototypes Revealed

It seems that the Apple litigation tree has borne more prototypical fruit, dropping some details and pictures of more early iterations of the iPad, as well as some design concepts for the iPhone 4 that never was. The Verge got the scoop on prototypes in the Samsung vs. Apple case today, posting shots of a number of iPad and iPhone prototypes that Apple considered during development.

In addition to modeling some phantom tech, these "highly confidential" profiles offer a bit of insight into Apple's design process. First, the inclusion of a kickstand for the iPad prototype is an indication that at some point, the aesthetics of the design became paramount to at least that functional purpose. Or perhaps the concept of the magnetic cover that doubles as a kickstand made the built-in leg obsolete.

It's also curious that the prototypes aren't assigned the iPad moniker, but were (at least in name) considered jumbo iPods. From an application and hardware feature standpoint, the iPod and the iPad do share more than just three out of four letters, each capable of media navigation and playback, Internet browsing, and application processing.

The iPhone 4 prototypes, one of which is called the N90, range from futuristic chic to throwback geometry. One octagonal model features straight-edges where sleek curves now sit, and another rectangular version converges a turtle-shelled back with a right-angled display face. Yet another takes the longer, thinner approach, perhaps to span the full length from ear to mouth for conversing, or to introduce a new aspect ratio to the smartphone game. None of the prototypes sport volume buttons on the side, while a couple do include the home button and rear Apple logo, off-center or otherwise.

What's most compelling about this visage of iPods past isn't, however, the speculation about what the iPad and iPhone could be, but what they could still become. As technology gets slimmer, and devices get rounder, could we have already reached the point when companies start making angular designs again?

Could this be basis for the Next iPhone?

We'll keep our eyes on the courtroom for more Apple legacy developments. Keep your eyes on IGN for more updates on Apple's past, present, and future of mobile devices.

Source: The Verge

Source : ign[dot]com