1. EGO...trip: Is it better to be "always-thoughtful" or "lively? We link, you decide
2. ONL...y two gaming masterpieces, says Fumito Ueda fanboy Guillermo del Toro
3. MOT...hers of the world: the games at this link are not intended for you to play
4. NOT...as cool as Pharrell and Chad, but these nerds still made the L.A. Times
5. RND...the faux twitterers of "Mad Men" run afoul of AMC and the DMCA. Boo.

 Madden NFL 09, developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports

After the results of the Game Critics Awardswere announced two weeks ago, we reached out to several winners for their reactions and some updates about their games in progress. In the Best Sports Game category, Madden NFL 09 took home the trophy. We emailed some questions to Steve Chiang, co-founder and chief of EA Tiburon. Here are his responses:

Four of the five nominees for Best Sports were EA studios. How competitive are the various teams within EA? How soon after the awards announcement did you send taunting emails to the folks working on NBA Live 09, Skate It and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09?

Having four of the five nominations is a great testament to the quality of game teams we have within EA. Sports is competitive by nature, and our teams are constantly driving to be the best. That said, also within sports is the concept of team, and within EA Sports we have been and are building a culture of cross-team collaboration, team work and quality. We have amazing people behind each of these titles and we are constantly focused on innovating and re-inventing the genre. When our teams see features like video uploads, GamerNet, Be a Pro or Online Team Play, the first reaction is "cool", the second is "how can I get it in my game."

Madden has no direct competition by virtue of EA's exclusivity agreement with the NFL. What motivates you to improve the game?

To read the rest of our Q&A with Steve Chiang, click on the link below.

1. REA...d his lips: Home will be released by the end of 2008
   
2. FIN...Beat? Finished? Conquered? What do you say at the end?
   
3. ALL...for none: E For All's exhibitor list looks very Mother Hubbard
   
4. RND...Who will be appointed the spokesperson for white America?
   

 LittleBigPlanet, developed by Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment

After the results of the Game Critics Awardswere announced two weeks ago, we reached out to several winners for their reactions and some updates about their games in progress. Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet triumphed in two categories: Best Console Game and Best Social/Casual/Puzzle Game. We emailed some questions to Mark Healey, creative director at Media Molecule. Here's what he wrote back:

Last year, LittleBigPlanet won Best Original Game. This year, it won Best Console Game. Do you feel as though you've graduated with this year's win? Were you surprised that LBP beat Rock Band 2 and Guitar hero World Tour for best Social/Casual/Puzzle game?

It's always nice to win things--and these two awards are especially cool--but the fact the these are awarded to an unfinished game is quite scary--it shows that there is a lot of expectation for LBP--but luckily we're all really proud of what we've created here at MM, and I'm sure we'll more than meet people's expectations. Once it's out there, and it starts evolving, that's when the fun really begins...

How have you gone about recruiting other developers inside and outside of Sony to create levels in LittleBigPlanet?

Well, internally, everyone here is constantly dabbling with the creative tools--it's hard to get any work done sometimes, as it really is a lot of fun--there was a whole day when everyone was trying to outdo each others ‘tanks' - the final winning beast was an incredible feat of engineering. As for people outside making stuff pre-launch, there's lots of exciting things happening, Sony have been great at organizing this stuff--I can't spill the beans right now, but there are some pretty prestigious people getting involved!

Journalists and developers alike have been excited for LittleBigPlanet since its inception. What do you need to do to build similar excitement among traditional gamers?

To read the rest of our Q&A with Mark Healey, click on the link below.

1. EGO...trip: Heads-up--the GameDaily HUD survives a second week
2. SIX...ways to tell if you have nothing to offer videogame development
3. KAN...gol Power: EA Partners' David DeMartini on his benevolent rule
4. PAX...Arcadia: Penny Arcade's founders discuss their rise to power
5. RND...Minds in the gutter: the salacious power of unnecessary blur
6. RND...The Olympic sport that is never discussed in polite company
   

1. EGO...trip: Holding out for a hero? "Scary" Level Up fits the bill
2. POP... that Cris: The Prince of All Media well-deserved promotion
3. CAR...nival Games no longer Caucasian Games, says publisher
4. ART..."Invaders!"--the 9/11-Space Invaders mash-up--considered...
5. LAW...while brand owner Taito considers a lawsuit over use of its IP
   
6. VSM...Narrative vs. fiction: taking a closer look at casual games
   
7. RND...Not entirely safe for work: hip-hop lyrics and body parts

Earlier today, the Port Washington, NY-based NPD Group, which tracks sales data for the videogame industry and other sectors, issued a press release about a new service that it would be offering along with its counterparts in the U.K. and Japan. Titled the "Top Global Markets Report," the three companies state that it will be "the first report to integrate point-of-sale (POS) data for video game software sales in the world’s largest games markets," specifically the United States (NPD), the U.K. (Chart-Track) and Japan (Enterbrain). To clarify some details in the announcement, we dashed off some questions to NPD toys and videogames analyst Anita Frazier and corporate marketing director David Riley. Here's what they wrote back:

How did this collaboration among The NPD Group, Gfk Chart-Track Ltd and Enterbrain come about? Who approached who first?

David Riley: The foundation for this was built back in 2004 when we met with Enterbrain at E3. NPD's relationship with Enterbrain grew from there. We've had long-standing relationships and various business partnerships with both GfK and Chart-Track, so it only made sense to form this alliance.

Will the Top Global Markets Report be issued in North America simultaneously with the monthly NPD videogame reports ? If not, how soon afterwards can we expect the global report?

Anita Frazier: This is a top global markets report, not a comprehensive global tracker. The report will be issued to subscribing clients. The Global Markets database won't be available simultaneously with the standard U.S. database. It will be released a few days after but we don't have a set schedule at this time.

Which parts of the report will be made available to media and the public? Can we expect to receive both hardware and software data?

To read the rest of our Q&A in its entirety, click on the link below.

1. EGO...trip: Public Enemy's longtime Media Assassin gives us props
2. TRU...st the Kangol, but verify: Valve audits EA, finds it squeaky clean
3. THE...Does this review of a review vindicate the Colossus of London?
4. REW...Why simpler is better when it comes to the acclaimed Braid
5. WoW...The Blizzard half of ActiBlizzion gets the Business Week treatment
6. RND...Who's zooming who, or, writing about writing about call girls

1. AGO...ny of defeat: Flagship founder Bill Roper on his studio's collapse
2. NFL...After coming to bury Madden 09, praise for Head Coach 09
3. MES...s with the Itagaki, you get the katana: Tecmo prez steps down
4. EMO...Is David Jaffe going soft? Flower taps into his emotional side
5. RND...Before you break the rules of Twitter, you must first know them

After the results of the Game Critics Awards were announced two weeks ago, we reached out to several winners for their reactions and some updates about their games in progress. In the Best Strategy Game category, Tom Clancy's EndWar beat out several established franchises and studios. We emailed some questions to Michael De Plater, creative director at Ubisoft Shanghai. Here are his responses:

EndWar was up against some pretty formidable competition for Best Strategy Game, including Ensemble and EALA. Are you surprised that you won?

We were very proud to be in such impressive company. In particular I am a massive fan of the Warhammer 40K universe and of Relic. In fact every one of those teams has been making great strategy games for years and the game they each took to E3 this year looked like one of the most polished and fun titles they had ever built. On the other hand I definitely thought we had a good chance of winning if people got some hands on time with EndWar because I think it's a fun game and everyone is waiting for the genre to break through on console. Also Ubisoft put together a really great team with a lot of depth of experience. Todd Owens, our lead level designer had worked on Command & Conquer Generals and Battle for Middle Earth and I'd worked on Rome Total War, while the rest of the team had experience on top quality tactical and military games like Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six and Brothers In Arms.

As a team that is new to building strategy games, what are the biggest challenges that you faced?

That's a good question and it's hard to be precise about what the biggest challenges were, because there were a lot. From the obvious one of making a successful strategy game on console through to the one you highlighted above of going head to head with competitors with a decade or more of experience at making 90 percent games. I think ultimately all we could do was to turn the challenges to opportunities. The fact that we hadn't made a strategy game before freed us from a lot of baggage associated with PC RTS games which helped us focus on genuinely making a game from the ground up for console. Plus fact that lots of guys on the team didn't have strategy game experience allowed us to bring elements of the design, production values and attention to detail of other Clancy games like Ghost Recon. When you zoom in and look at our units, the infantry especially, they are approaching the quality of detail and behavior of an FPS.

In my Edge column, I wrote that "[EndWar's] voice-driven command-and-control system demonstrates that it might do for real-time strategy games what Halo did for shooters: create an experience that's so compelling that the genre itself tips irrevocably in the console's direction." Did I oversell EndWar's potential?

To read the rest of our Q&A with Michael De Plater, click on the link below.

After the results of the Game Critics Awards were announced two weeks ago, we reached out to several winners for their reactions and some updates about their games in progress. In the portable category, Resistance: Retribution won the award for Best Handheld Game. We emailed some questions to John Garvin, director of development at Sony Bend. Here's what he wrote back:

Resistance: Retribution was up against some distinguished franchises in Castlevania, Chrono Trigger and Puzzle Quest, not to mention a cult favorite in Rhythm Heaven. Did you expect to win?

I did expect to win, actually, mostly because our two previous Syphon PSP games had won so many awards, and we had not shown a game at E3 since The Omega Strain. All those DS franchises are great, but we're pretty unique, I think, in that what we attempt to do, against all odds, and maybe against common sense even, is to create a full-blown AAA console "character action" experience on a handheld. To me, the console experience is all about production values, variety of gameplay, length of game, and just the depth of the experience. It means spending the money on detail, using full, SAG acted voice, high quality rendered sequences; it means having a full size team of engineers working on a large variety of gameplay features so the designers can mix it up each level; it means a schedule with enough time in it to polish everything. Other handhelds tend to go for a more "mini game" experience that can be done with smaller teams, less time, less money.

What do you make of the fact that all of your fellow nominees were on DS, and none on PSP?

I attribute our ability to build this kind of game to Sony's dedication and support for the PSP. As a first party developer, our goal is to showcase what the PSP can do. Sony also makes "handheld style" games like Patapon and Loco Roco, but our studio's job is to push [PlayStation founder Ken] Kutaragi's original vision for the platform: creating games for a console in your hand. Resistance: Retribution could not be done on the DS, just like Dark Mirror and Logan's Shadow could not have been done on the DS. So to get back to your question, I think critics respond to Resistance: Retribution because it is a unique experience on the handheld, something that can't be done on the others--and our game shows a commitment to quality with high production values and polished gameplay.

Describe the aiming/camera system for Resistance: Retribution, and explain the process by which you arrived at it.

To read the rest of John Garvin's responses, click on the link below.

After the results of the Game Critics Awards were announced two weeks ago, we reached out to several winners for their reactions and some updates about their games in progress. Despite some tough competition against established brands, newcomer Dead Space took home the award for Best Action/Adventure Game. We emailed some questions to Glenn Schofield, executive producer at Electronic Arts Redwood Shores. Here are his responses:

What was your reaction to winning Best Action/Adventure Game? The original Resident Evil is one of the progenitors of the survival-horror genre--are you surprised you beat Resident Evil 5?

The whole team and I were excited, honored and humbled by winning. To even be included in that list was fantastic, but to win was amazing. I'm proud of this game and the team. The passion, talent and effort that went into making Dead Space are being recognized and we are very appreciative of that.

When I first saw the vertical slice of Dead Space running two years ago on the original Xbox, it was not only the best-looking Xbox game I'd seen, it also had all of the major systems in place: dismemberment, zero-G, integrated menus, etc. What are you doing on Xbox 360 and PS3 that you couldn't have done on the Xbox?

Wow, that's right--you were one of the very few to see the original slice. As you can imagine every system was pushed to its limit. Dismemberment at that time didn't have realistic physics and there were just a few dismemberment points. We've tripled or quadrupled all the dismemberment pieces at the very least. We added a brand new lighting tech that gives Dead Space its distinctive look, mood and feel.

Special effects, audio, textures, polys and all the content are at the very edge of what the hardware can handle. Thousands and thousands of animations and, of course, an AI system that is extremely complex because of the many variations a dismembered character can have. We added the video logs which is a very cool feature to the game and one of the ways we tell the story. Once you see how dense with detail and enemies these decks are you'll know this could never have been pulled off on the last gen. Not even close.

One of the dangers of putting together a compelling vertical slice is that the finished product merely photocopies that slice of gameplay over and over again. What can you say to assure us that this won't be the case with Dead Space?

To read our Q&A with Glen Schofield in its entirety, click on the link below.

 Fallout 3, developed and published by Bethesda Softworks 

After the results of the Game Critics Awards were announced two weeks ago, we reached out to several winners for their reactions and some updates about their games in progress. The big winner was Fallout 3 from Bethesda, which won two awards: Best of Show and Best Role-Playing Game. We emailed some questions to Todd Howard, executive producer at Bethesda. Here's what he wrote back:

What was your reaction to winning both Best of Show and Best Role-Playing Game for Fallout 3?

Honestly? Total shock. I didn't think we were going to win. I was elated to be even put in the top 5 of so many great games at E3, I think the quality of what people were showing this year was really high, some really great games out there this year. I think it could have easily gone to another game, it's almost like a "what's your favorite color?" test when you get to that level. Still, we're extremely excited here, the whole team has put a lot into this game, and to be acknowledged like this is pretty awesome.

VATS [Vaul-Tec Assisted Targeting System] has gotten a lot of praise. Do you expect this more deliberate and tactical mechanic to open up Fallout 3 to a wider audience than your previous games?

I don't think VATS equates to a wider audience, probably the opposite, but it just felt like something we wanted to do. It started as trying to find a new way for your character on-screen to be a total badass, even though you, the gamer, are not one--not you N'Gai, I mean the hypothetical non-badass-gamer. The struggle for us was finding ways to make it fast enough and simple enough that someone new to the genre would "get it" quickly. So, I think we're happy with how it plays.

Also, the camera angles in VATS, while dramatic, are sometimes odd and confusing. What needs to be done to fix this by launch?

To read the rest of our Q&A with Todd Howard, click on the link below.

1. EGO...trip: nature abhors a vacuum, or, along comes a conversation
2. REW...Grand Theft Auto IV revisited and reconsidered, sexily
3. REV...ersal: used to doing the screaming, Sega gets screamed on
4. RND...We have seen the future. Now you can do so as well

 The Cars' 1978 debut album, "The Cars"

As the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises compete for the hearts and minds of ersatz rockers around the world, both sides are doing their best to lock up exclusives. For instance, there's the recently released Aerosmith team-up with Guitar Hero, an an arrangement whose exclusivity was first reported on Level Up by Newsweek writer Ashley Harris. Rock Band has made similar arrangements with bands like The Who. We asked Harris to look into whether The Cars, whose eponymous debut record was the second full-length album released on the Rock Band Music Store, had entered into a comparable agreement with Harmonix and MTV Games for Rock Band. Harris contacted Rhino Records, a division of Warner Music Group, for comment. Here's what spokesperson Jason Elzy had to say:

To read the rest of this post, click on the link below.