Skylanders Giants due this fall
Posted on February 7, 2012
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Sequel to 2011's children's toy/game hybrid arriving this year with bigger figures, more areas; all original characters compatible with new game.
Activision scored a holiday hit with Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, and the publisher isn't wasting time in preparing a follow-up. The publisher today announced a sequel, Skylanders Giants, for release this fall.
Skylanders Giants brings 20 new characters to the game, including figures twice the size--both in-game and in action figure form--of those in the original. Additionally, Activision said some of these figures sport a "light technology" that illuminates the figure when it is close to the game's "Portal of Power."
Additionally, Skylanders Giants features all-new arenas and fresh gameplay options in the title's battle mode. Further, Activision said Skylanders Giants features "enhanced" elemental zones and new hero challenges.
All characters from Skylanders: Spryo's Adventures will be compatible with Skylanders Giants. The game is in development at Toys for Bob, the Novato, California-based developer behind the original game.
Activision did not announce what platforms Skylanders Giants will arrive on or what the game will cost. For reference, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures was released for the Wii, Xbox 360, 3DS, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac carrying a $70 price tag. Additional characters are available for that game via separate purchase.
The original Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures boasted connectivity with real-world toys based on the Spyro universe. In Spyro's Adventures, players could place the game's numerous figures--who have distinct special abilities--on a "portal" and have characters appear in game.
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures has been nominated for three awards at the 2012 Interactive Achievement Awards at D.I.C.E. 2012, including nods for Outstanding Innovation, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering. The award show will be broadcast live on GameSpot this Thursday, February 9.
For more on the Skylanders franchise, check out GameSpot's review of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures.
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Minecraft creator pledges to help make Psychonauts 2
Posted on February 7, 2012
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Markus "Notch" Persson says he is "serious" about helping Double Fine boss Tim Schafer get sequel to 2005 adventure game off the ground.
The 2005 cult hit Psychonauts could finally see a sequel with help from an unexpected source, as Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson today offered his help in getting the game off the ground.
Writing a reply to Double Fine Productions founder Tim Schafer on Twitter, Persson said, "Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen," with a follow-up tweet saying, "Also, I'm serious."
The tweets were in response to a new interview Schafer gave to Digital Spy. In the interview, Schafer said he had pitched Psychonauts 2 "several" times, but without any luck.
"I would love to do Psychonauts 2. I've actually pitched that to publishers several times and no one has taken the bait so far," he said.
As for how Psychonauts 2 could see the light of day, Schafer said it's an issue of money.
"I'd love to do that game, but I'd have to convince someone to just give me a few million dollars. That's all," he said.
The original Psychonauts was released in 2005 on the original Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PC. An adventure title, the game casts players as Raz, a young man with extraordinary powers. For more on the title, check out GameSpot's review.
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Jaffe leaving Eat Sleep Play, studio shifting to mobile – Report
Posted on February 7, 2012
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Twisted Metal studio cofounder departing Salt Lake City-based company alongside eight others; studio to focus on mobile games moving forward, according to local paper.
Twisted Metal developer Eat Sleep Play is going through a metamorphosis. According to a new report, studio cofounder David Jaffe and eight others are on their way out of the Salt Lake City-based developer, as the studio shifts its focus towards mobile games.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that last Wednesday the developer enacted a round of layoffs, affecting eight staffers at the company. According to the report, the studio's headcount now stands at 26.
As for the company's future, the report says Eat Sleep Play will focus on developing mobile games. Apple's iPhone and iPad devices were specifically cited as platforms the studio would develop new games for.
Explaining the shift in focus, Eat Sleep Play cofounder Scott Campbell said, "It's a platform that is in our pockets almost 24/7. It's kind of the size and types of games we're playing. You can certainly reach a lot more people. That's pretty exciting for us."
As for Jaffe, the paper reports he will leave Eat Sleep Play to work on casual titles. However, speaking on Twitter, Jaffe said, "The rumors of me making casual games post [Twisted Metal]--as many of you define them--are highly exaggerated."
Jaffe explained his departure from Eat Sleep Play further on Twitter, saying he will remain with the developer to see Twisted Metal launch, but is planning to open a new shop in San Diego soon.
"I have zero plans to make games like Farmville and Angry Birds. I never said what I was doing post [Twisted Metal] (and I'm still on [Twisted Metal] along with [Eat Sleep Play] for the next months as we launch it and balance it in real time and make sure it's a perfect game and continue to support it)," he said.
"At the same time, I will be opening a game studio here in San Diego because I really miss internal game development. Happy to share more details later. I'm leaving because--again--games are just getting [too] big to direct from 300 miles away & I miss the day-to-day of working direct w/team."
Eat Sleep Play's Twisted Metal is due out next Tuesday in North America exclusively for the PlayStation 3, with a European version due in March. For more on the vehicular combat title, check out GameSpot's latest preview.
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