This week’s episode takes a look at this week’s Gaming Flashback, Viva Pinata.
The news includes:
Let us know what you think.
Nintendo has already announced the Wii Motion Plus at E3. This device is supposed to fine tune the motion sensing capabilities of the Wii controller and make it a bit more refined for gaming. Sounds, to me, like a hardware patch, no?
1up is reporting:
“The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion,” says Nintendo. “Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone.”
This is a great move, technologically, for Nintendo but what gamers really are looking for along with this advancement is… games.
XBLA offers great opportunities for the indy developer but everything comes at a price. Over the last three years Braid‘s developer Jonathan Blow spent a reported $180,000 to create the popular Braid title on Xbox Live. He’s going to need a lot more sales before he can celebrate the highly valued, highly reviewed title.
The Independent Games Festival was kind to him, giving him the “Innovation in Game Design” back in 2006, since then he’s put his money where is mouth is; his own money. There are good times and bad times when you’re discovering your dreams. The reviews surely made him feel great about the work he has done over the last three years but a review won’t pay the bills.
It may be a hard road ahead for Jonathan, hopefully at least breaking even on the project. Although he may not look back at the game as a financial success we can only imagine he’ll have a lot easier time getting funding or publishing for his next title, if that’s the path he chooses.
(Thanks, Kotaku)
This week we’re cooking up some final holiday treats in the form of gaming history, news, retro flashbacks and general commentary. We’re looking back at the Need for Speed franchise, a little gaming history on Black Box Studios and covering some news stories:
This weeks soap box covers a little holiday cheer, what games did you love as a child, which game got you the most excited, what’s your best memory and most prized achievements in gaming. What game was a total turn off?
Wish wish everyone a happy holiday no matter what you celebrate, when you celebrate and how you celebrate. Party hard. Drive Safe. Enjoy.
Podcast Crew.
