Twisted Metal delayed, edited for Europe – Jaffe
Posted on February 7, 2012
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David Jaffe confirms that cuts have been made to the European version of Twisted Metal, and that the localisation process has caused minor delays.
While Twisted Metal is on the home stretch of its development cycle, the game has suffered a last-minute delay in European territories due to localisation issues.
According to a post made by the game's director David Jaffe on the gaming board NeoGaf, Twisted Metal has been delayed in European territories due to publisher Sony insisting on cuts being made to the game.
In the post, Jaffe assures readers the cuts are only minor, revealing the tiny edits were made to both the gameplay and cut-scenes. While he didn’t detail the exact changes, he did provide an example of the edited gameplay, saying that instead of shooting a live man strapped to a gurney full of TNT, the game will now feature a dead man strapped to the explosives.
As for cut-scenes, the Twisted Metal director assured fans that the cuts are nowhere near as drastic as those made to Twisted Metal: Black, where, according to Jaffe, all the character videos were removed from the game ahead of its European release.
"I sat with the editor--who was the same editor of the American movies--and we went through and addressed the notes from Europe and made sure the stories still worked," Jaffe said in the post. "And to be fair, there have not been that many cuts. For example, in the scene we've released on the internet from the introduction where the girl stabs Tooth in the eye, the SCEE version has this but we cut away right before the scissors make contact with Tooth's face. It's clear what she's doing and I think we even keep the sound effects in and such--but the last few frames are gone."
Jaffe went to say that like every other PlayStation 3 game, Twisted Metal would not be region-locked. In regards to how long this would delay the game's release in Europe, Jaffe speculated that the game would arrive in Europe in March.
These changes put Australian gamers in a precarious position as Sony Computer Entertainment Australia usually source the same code as its European counterparts.
GameSpot AU contacted Sony Computer Entertainment Australia to find out whether or not Australia would be getting the edited version, but was told:
"SCE Australia have yet to confirm the exact street date for Twisted Metal. [We] look forward to sharing more detail with you shortly."
GameSpot AU will continue to chase this story and will update it as information develops.
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Asia Shippin’ Out Feb 5-11: Gravity Daze, Darkness II, Amalur
Posted on February 7, 2012
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Sony's new adventure title for Vita shifted downwards for the week, alongside Darkness II and Kingdoms of Amalur.
The second week of February is filled with plentiful of adventures, be it in a French comic-styled village backdrop or a medieval setting. First up is Gravity Daze for the PS Vita. The adventure game stars a teenage blond girl named Kat, who is in search of her identity in the town of Hexaville. She has the ability to control gravity within her area, thanks to a magical cat she finds in the beginning of the game. The game is under the direction of Silent Hill and Siren's Keiichiro Toyama. Gravity Daze will be out this Friday in its native Japanese language.
Next is EA, Big Huge Games and Studio 38's foray into the RPG realm, called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The game's story is written by RA Salvatore, and features about 40-plus hours of gameplay in a brand new fantasy universe. The RPG also features a dynamic combat system that combines magic and melee attacks seamlessly, as well as the ability to modify a player's current class using the Destiny system. Kingdoms of Amalur is out on Tuesday this week.
2K Games Asia will be distributing Darkness II all over Asia on February 10. The game puts players in the role of mob leader Jackie Estacato as he takes up arms against his enemies using his Darkness powers. The FPS features the concept of quad-wielding, a six- to eight-hour single-player campaign, and an online-only co-operative mode called Vendetta mode (playable offline only on single-player).
In addition to the regular version of the title, gamers can get a steelbook limited-edition version featuring in-game items, like alternate Darkling outfits, custom artwork by Darkness artist Marc Silvestri, and a free digital download of The Darkness Origins comic in two volumes.
Last, but not least, is the 3DS-exclusive Resident Evil: Revelations. The game's story takes place after Resident Evil 4, and before the events of part five in the wake of a bio-terrorist attack on the island city of Terragrigia. The title was recently praised for its atmosphere and action, but was panned for its uninteresting new characters. Check out GameSpot's review for more information.
Feb 7
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Shank 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
Jak and Daxter Collection (PS3)
Fallout: New Vegas ’ Ultimate Edition (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS)
Feb 8
Gotham City Impostors (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Feb 10
The Darkness II (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Gravity Daze (PS Vita)
Sumioni (PS Vita)
Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki (PSP)
Vitamin X: Detective B6 (PSP)
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Volition developer blasts used game business
Posted on February 6, 2012
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Design director at Saints Row studio warns industry could "fall apart" due to used sales, says an Xbox that blocked used games would be "fantastic."
The used game business is a contentious issue. For companies like GameStop, sales of used games are big business, but those who actually develop games don't see a dime when people purchase their titles secondhand. One developer recently vocalized his take on the used game market, and it paints a less than lovely image of the business.
In a recent entry on game developer blog AltDevBlog titled "I Feel Used," Volition design director Jameson Durall lambasted the used game market and noted that change is needed or the industry will crumble.
"In the end, I fully believe that we have to do something about these issues or our industry is going to fall apart," he said. "People often don't understand the cost that goes into creating these huge experiences that we put on the shelves for only $60. They also don't seem to realize how much they are hurting us when they buy a used game and how pirating a copy is just plain stealing."
Durall, who is currently working on a secret project at Volition, laid out a plan for combating used game sales. He said supporting games with downloadable content will encourage users to hold on to their games longer. However, Durall warned that this tactic only will work if the DLC in question is "compelling and a good enough value" for consumers.
Durall also pledged his support to the online pass schemes being used by publishers like Electronic Arts, THQ, Sony, and others, whereby parts of a game are available only to those with a new copy of a game.
"Some consumers complain about this method because the precedent has always been that it's included in the price and should come with it," he said. "It did for the person who actually bought it first…so was saving that $5 at GameStop worth it for you?"
Looking ahead, Durall said he also embraced Sony's plan to offer digital copies of PlayStation Vita titles--which cannot become used units--at a discounted rate. He said he expects gamers to be enticed to buy digital copies because of their lower price rate and this will in turn lead to fewer used copies in the wild.
Durall also talked about the rumor that the Next Xbox would prevent gamers from playing used titles. Durall said this kind of mechanism would be "a fantastic change for our business," while admitting gamers would not be excited about it at first.
That said, Durall said he believes gamers will "grow to understand why and that it won't kill him."
As for how Microsoft might go about preventing gamers from playing used titles, Durall said the company already has a system in place. He suggests that Microsoft would need to only use a code to tie a copy of a title to an Xbox Live account and make the game playable only on that account.
Durall admits that a system like this would hurt the game rental business and that there are several "faults that would have to be ironed out," but nevertheless, he contends that it is certainly possible.
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