It goes without saying that Naughty Dog has become one of the most prestigious game developers in the industry. Still, it's not always clear to gamers and fans what exactly it takes to bring the studio's beloved titles to life. Sony is premiering a "full-length anniversary video" about Naughty Dog and its history this October at Gallery Nucleus, but in the meantime, there's a teaser on YouTube for us to look at. 30 years is a long, long time in the video game business.
Variety is reporting that Nintendo will premiere something called "Pikmin Short Movies" at the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival. The film is animated, takes place in the Pikmin universe, and is produced by legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto. I love this idea already.
If you didn't play the aptly named LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, Sony's giving you another chance to fix that this November. Revealed today via the PlayStation blog, the company is putting out a new edition of the game, but this time featuring Marvel-centric goodies and extras. This time around, the title is called LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Marvel Super Hero Editon. There has got to be a way to make that shorter.
There have been reports of especially loud Xbox Ones for a few weeks now, and as of today Microsoft is finally acknowledging the problem. Though certainly not a red ring of death-level catastrophe, Microsoft appears to be offering free replacements to those affected.
It seems odd that Mojang, the studio created by Markus "Notch" Persson that refused funding from Napster founder Sean Parker (not to mention Notch himself turning down employment at Valve) would give in to a buyout, but that's exactly what The Wall Street Journal is reporting. According to sources, Mojang is currently "in serious discussions" with Microsoft. It's possible that Microsoft is chasing Mojang's talent and future potential with new games, but let's be serious for a second. They obviously want Minecraft. Who doesn't want Minecraft?
You may have noticed something strange about the box art for Nintendo and Koei Tecmo's upcoming Hyrule Warriors. No, it's not the lack of "Zelda" in the title, nor is it Link's harsh expression or the plethora of characters on the cover. Still guessing? Look what Link is wearing. He's wearing a scarf. Yes. A scarf. Hey, it's not my job to tell you how to react. I'm just pointing it out.
PS3 may be over the hill, but if you don't own one then I can't recommend it enough. Recently inside my own brain I held my bi-annual "favorite console ever within my lifetime" competition, and PS3 dethroned GameCube. It has that many good games. As in, it'd be impossible to play all of its worthwhile games before getting bored. I'm serious -- just peruse PSN if you don't believe me. It's a JRPG nirvana, and that's just getting started.
The artist in question says that the designs were part of a pitch Next Level sent to Nintendo, which went so far as to include a working prototype for a Metroid game. As it turned out, the studio ended up taking on Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon instead, and the new Metroid project was brushed aside.
It seems that with every day that passes Nintendo bypasses the middleman of online publications more and more, instead opting to reach out to fans and customers directly. As a fan myself I certainly can't complain, and when I hear about an 8-hour gameplay streaming event that will showcase footage from both Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and brand new titles from Nintendo, I get that involuntary warm fuzy feeling. Don't act like you don't know what I mean.
It may seem odd to think that Square Enix could be short of studios designated solely for RPG making, but according to a report by Inside Games, that's exactly what's happening. The publisher/developer is looking to recruit for a studio that will focus on console RPGs exclusively, the details of which can be found here.
