GR Pick: ‘L.A. Noire’ Gag Reel

Gag reels in game credits have been a dream of mine for quite some time, but the work required to make them happen isn’t likely to be a great incentive for game developers. Obviously to animate a gag reel would end up being a complete waste of man-hours, that is if the facial animation wasn’t rendered in real time. In a game like L.A. Noire, for example, the MotionScan technology allowed developer Team Bondi the ability not just to animate the final in-game cut scenes, but those that actors flubbed a line or made a mistake.
The game itself might not have been the type of detective action game many hoped for (read our review), but if there’s one area that L.A. Noire excelled it was the facial animations used in the game’s many interactive cut scenes. As a result, the gag reel featured above is structured much like a Hollywood film’s outtakes with actors breaking character, apologizing, and blabbering on.
What’s more impressive than Team Bondi and MotionScan owner Depth Analysis’ willingness to let these L.A. Noire outtakes be seen by the public is how realistic the flubbed lines look. For a game where even the most subtle of facial reactions were important, to see that even eye rolls of embarrassment are possible makes the Motion Scan tech all the more impressive.
Unfortunately, an L.A. Noire sequel seems highly unlikely given that Team Bondi went bankrupt in 2011, although the studio and assets were acquired by KMM. A company called Depth Analysis, however, owns the Motion Scan technology, but unfortunately they too ran into some financial troubles after L.A. Noire didn’t meet sales expectations.

Rockstar Games, who published L.A. Noire, does own the rights to the IP, but with so many products – both present and future – on their slate, it’s likely to be a long time before we hear even a peep about pursuing a sequel. It’s a shame that such an intriguing, and potentially revolutionary, technology is falling by the wayside, but there are plenty of developers that will be following in Depth Analysis and Team Bondi’s lead.
And while we’re on the topic of gag reels how about Ubisoft release a Far Cry 3 gag reel featuring Vaas actor Michael Mando? There have to be more than a few outtakes of that “insanity” monologue.
Would you like to see more developers release gag reels like this one? Does it break the narrative if you see these voice actors break character?

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Cable Headlines New ‘Deadpool’ Screenshots and Concept Art

When Deadpool arrives, he makes an impression. The first announcement trailer for High Moon Studios‘ new game built around the Merc with a Mouth proved that he could entertain all by himself. Luckily, it seems he’s bringing some friends along with him.
After magazine scans confirmed the inclusion of Cable and Death, official screenshots have hit the internet providing a closer look at each, along with more of Deadpool‘s concept art. Cable may be what fans will expect (and doesn’t disappoint), but the scenery paints an interesting picture for what kind of adventure Deadpool will be setting out on.
Those unfamiliar with the characters have plenty of catching up to do, and these images should entice even the most casual fan. As the son of Scott Summers (a.k.a. Cyclops) and a clone of Jean Grey, Nathan Summers a.k.a. Cable is one mutant you do not want to mess with. A techno-organic virus kept at bay by his telekinetic powers has transformed part of his body into a durable metal, capable of interfacing with machinery and computers.

Cable and Deadpool teamed up for their own fifty-issue-run in the comic book of the same name, and given what genuine fans the developers at High Moon are, it was expected that Cable would make an appearance, especially after X-Force member and acquaintance Domino was confirmed. Cable’s abilities to travel through time in the past are of particular importance given the new screenshots and concept art. But we’ll get to that in a minute.
For now, take in the latest images of Cable in all his glowing-eye-glory, and Deadpool doing what he does best. Namely, dispatching enemies with blades and bullets. This is an M-Rated game, so squeamish gamers may want to pass. Have a look:

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‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ Revealed; CD Projekt Red’s Open-World End to the Trilogy

After Sony revealed their ‘See the Future’ trailer there was the belief that the opening of the next-gen flood gates was soon about to become a reality. Rather than dance around discussions of whether or not a title was next-gen, developers would finally be able to acknowledge the future of console gaming is almost upon us.
It’s still not February 20th, but it looks like we have our first real glimpse of the next-gen, and it comes in the form of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the next entry in CD Projekt Red‘s RPG series. What’s different about Wild Hunt as compared to past Witcher entries, though, is its classification in the open-world RPG genre.
Like most of this generation’s most popular titles, this Witcher 3 scoop comes courtesy of Game Informer, who has selected Wild Hunt as their March issue’s cover story. On the cover can be seen a very bearded Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous witcher, as well as a hooded companion, both overlooking a burning village. The only text on the cover mentions The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and labels the game as a “must see next generation RPG” — a very intriguing tagline.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will reportedly use CD Projekt’s new REDengine 3, a graphics engine the developer says was built for the next wave of systems. CD Projekt has, up until this point, been considered a developer that focuses on the PC more so than the home consoles, but based on statements from RedEngine 3 it appears The Witcher 3 will be the first multiplatform release from the developer (not counting The Witcher 2‘s Xbox 360 port obviously).
Since the Game Informer cover reveal, the publication has also released a video that briefly touches upon The Witcher 3‘s development team and why they finally decided to take the series into the open world genre. The team at CD Projekt Red also briefly mentions a mysterious, but very intriguing, monster hunter mode, and teases the game’s story.

As the conclusion to The Witcher trilogy, Wild Hunt will not be just a sweeping tale that emphasizes player freedom, but also a very personal story for Geralt. The developers wouldn’t say much, but they hint that the game’s main antagonist will have close ties to Geralt in some way.
Though talk of a third Witcher game and a next generation RPG are likely to excite gamers it’s still fairly early to begin making assumptions about CD Projekt Red’s forthcoming title. Not to mention the fact the developer just recently unveiled a new sci-fi themed RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. Ironically it was a clue hidden within the Cyberpunk trailer that teased a new Witcher.

More important than that, though, the teaser message mentioned that, whatever this mystery game was, it is “much closer to completion” than Cyberpunk. Could we be looking at a 2013 or early 2014 release for The Witcher 3?
Are you ready for the return of Geralt in The Witcher 3? How would you like to see CD Projekt Red adapt their franchise to the next-gen?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt currently has no release date and has not been announced for any platforms.

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MechWarrior Online: The ‘Pretty Baby’ Update

Two weeks ago Piranha Games launched the first double XP event weekend for MechWarrior Online while also adding a few new light mechs for players to take onto the battlefield. It was the first major content patch since before the holidays and today, Creative Director Bryan Ekman detailed the plan for the game’s development and future updates, promises much, much more coming to the game, beginning tomorrow.
With tomorrow’s big update, MechWarrior Online will see a much-needed facelift to many of the in-game screens and the addition of another hero mech. Additional changes will improve the mech customization system, improve game performance and offer some balancing tweaks.

The first and most notable update may be the addition of another purchasable hero mech to the game, just two weeks after the “Death’s Knell” Commando was made available for light mech pilots looking for a cool and unique blue color scheme. The new “Pretty Baby” mech is on the opposite end of the spectrum, offering another variant of the large Assault mech known as the Awesome. We don’t have details on what unique hardpoints it comes equipped with but its paint job sure is intimidating.

The Pretty Baby, like all Hero mechs, are only available for purchase with MC (acquired with real money). However, for those looking to not spend real cash and instead have been saving up in-game C-bill, the next big patch will add the Trebuchet, a 50-ton medium class mech.
Arguably the most important features coming tomorrow are the overhauled screens in-game. Finally, players will be able to see weapon stats when customizing their mech builds, meaning the weapon damages, ranges, etc. will all be visible. The mech upgrades tab in-game has been merged into the main loadout screen as well, streamlining customization so pilots can see how different upgrades directly effect their custom build. There are noticeable visual changes as well to make the interface look cleaner and more detailed.
The Pre-Round Screen, Scoreboard, Death Screen, and The End of Round Summary have all been redesigned as well. Examples detailing the new MechLab screens for purchasing a mech, upgrading, weapon stats and weapon/item descriptions:

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‘Assassin’s Creed’ Almost Featured a “Huge” Drop-in Co-op Mode

Over the course of five installments, Assassin’s Creed has been defined by the single-player experience. Competitive multiplayer has grown more popular every year since germinating in Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, true, but the series’s main gameplay motif (and marketing angle) has always been the singular, independent endeavors of its campaign protagonists — Altair, Ezio, Connor, and throughout it all, Desmond.
So imagine where Assassin’s Creed would be today if it revolved around campaign co-op. Specifically, drop-in/drop-out co-op, the kind that would allow players to join each other’s open worlds as accessory assassins, coming and going as they please. As it turns out, that was — ever so briefly — part of Ubisoft plan.
Philippe Bergeron is the mission director for Assassins Creed 3 who has been working with the franchise since its inception. In a recent interview with OXM, Bergeron revealed that his team had designed a “huge” co-op mode for the original Assassin’s Creed; however, on top of the game’s massive size, the story of Desmond Miles and the premise of the Animus, it quickly became too much to handle:

“Before we knew about the Desmond story and Animus link, we had a huge co-op component in there.
“But it just became too hard to do: the engine couldn’t support it, and then the metaphor we had above it didn’t support it. Co-op was one of those big things at the beginning that just didn’t make sense in the end.”

According to Bergeron, co-op never factored into the equation because it was tied inexorably to the main storyline. It wasn’t a side mode, it wasn’t an alternate campaign like Halo 4′s Spartan Ops — it involved two assassins, using the Animus, directly having an impact on the Assassin’s Creed narrative.

“For us it was really part of the single player experience, to have in-and-out co-op, and in the end we never thought it made sense in the storyline that we had for the Animus.
“There was no way to reconcile having multiplayer or co-op in an ancestor’s memories. Your ancestor lived his life in a certain way, so assuming you had branching storylines, it creates a paradox. It didn’t fit.”

Considering the complexity of Assassin’s Creed’s mythos as it is — with one assassin digging through his ancestors’ memories, racing against time to stop a modern-day apocalypse, mending broken family wounds and uncovering the secrets behind an ancient, omnipotent creator civilization — we’d say eschewing co-op on the grounds of clarity was a smart choice.

But that said, it’s never too late. Assassin’s Creed is a franchise which, for all we know, may still be in its infancy. And whether Ubisoft advances it next to Assassins Creed 4, whether they spin off the current numerical focal point of Assassin’s Creed 3, whether they stay in the American Revolution or travel, say, to France and the French Revolution, the void created by the conclusion of Desmond’s storyline in AC3 has granted the developer an enormous amount of flexibility regarding narrative and gameplay.
Save perhaps Altair, our assassins have never been completely alone — consider the Brotherhood and missions with AI allies (and in AC 3′s case, AI-allied armies). It’s not inconceivable that co-op, one day, might take teamwork a step further.
Ranters, do you think Assassin’s Creed – any of its installments — would have benefited from a co-op mode? Would you like to see Ubisoft incorporate one at some point in the future?

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Nintendo Lowers Wii U and 3DS Sales Projections for Fiscal Year 2012

Nintendo will always be a hard company to read. While they make predictions and projections about sales numbers for all of their various consoles (Wii U, 3DS, and DS) and their first party titles, they usually attempt to color them in some sort of positive light. However, when the cold hard sales numbers are revealed they oftentimes have to “eat crow” and adjust those projections accordingly.
And unfortunately that’s what Nintendo has had to do for their year-end projections, which will be finalized on March 31st of this year. Though both the Wii U and 3DS have been selling well, Nintendo now surmises that 4 million Wii U units, rather than the initial 5.5 million, is a feasible number. As well they have slashed their 3DS projects to 15 million units, down from their original 17.5 million.
On the bright side, Nintendo has raised their fiscal year 2012 income projections from ¥6 billion to ¥43.2 billion. GI. Biz suggests that the strong sales of New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land are major contributing factors to this increased projection. The site notes that software sales projections have also been slashed by about 17.3%.
Late last year we had heard rumblings that the Wii U was selling out across North America, but then actual sales numbers surfaced that suggested the Wii U was slightly behind the original Wii in terms of first month sales. Luckily there were some added factors, like two higher priced SKUs, for Nintendo to fall back on as far as comparisons go, but nonetheless things weren’t looking all that impressive.
So while Nintendo might not be hitting the benchmarks they set out for themselves prior to the launch of the Wii U, there is still plenty for the publisher to be happy about. And it only gets better from here, as the company has announced several high profile titles – among them a new 3D Mario and a new Mario Kart – will be making an appearance at this year’s E3.
Like with any Nintendo console it may take some time for the Wii U to find its footing but if this initial flow of income can sustain the company, there’s no reason to think they won’t hit their stride by the holiday season.
Do you think that Nintendo’s lowering sales projections are any cause for concern? Have you been impressed with the Wii U and 3DS sales numbers?

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PS4 Report: More Power than Xbox 720, Media-Sharing Controller, Late 2013 Release

A well known fact about anticipation: it tends to loosen lips. Sony might not be hosting its momentous PlayStation 4 reveal until February 20th — the hardware manufacturer isn’t even attempting to downplay the inferences everyone seemed to draw from yesterday’s tease — but with excitement and speculation kicked into overdrive, those unsanctioned “sources close to the matter” are bound to be more… unceremonious.
Some didn’t waste a minute.

Citing “development sources with working knowledge” of both Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles, a report from Edge today posits that the PlayStation 4 will be more powerful than the Xbox 720, that it will ship with a redesigned controller (which was alluded to in a report last week), and that it will be on shelves before Christmas in North America. Europe will have to wait until early 2014.

According to report, the PS4′s hardware specifications are consonant with kind of the stats we’ve been seeing in Sony’s Orbis dev kits.
The console’s current model reportedly contains 4GB of DDR RAM — trailing Durango’s current amount of 8GB — but will increase performance exponentially with an additional GDDR5 solution capable of transferring data at 176 gigabytes per second. Even if this does bridge the gap, however, Sony also appears to be telling developers that it is striving for 8GB in the final build.
Both consoles will be propelled by eight-core AMD CPUs graded at 1.6GHz speeds. Their choices on GPU, however, are rather distinct: Sony is allegedly sticking with AMD — choosing its “R10XX” architecture and AMD’s “Liverpool” system-on chip — while Microsoft has outfitted Durango with a D3D11X GPU from an “unknown source.”
And while Sony certainly does seem to have the upper hand on interiority (for now), the power upgrade is also a power grab: Sony reportedly acknowledges that the PS3′s labyrinthine architecture was overly burdensome on many developers, damaging a lot of goodwill that was, in turn, claimed by Microsoft. But the PS4 is on a mission for hearts and minds; it’s hardware complexion, according to Edge, is more resembling of a PC’s, and it should afford developer’s far more flexibility than the PS3.

And then there’s the capricious controller. A month ago it was a Vita-esque handheld with a wide front touchscreen; a week ago it featured a Vita-esque rear-sided touchpad. Today’s report, however, places a small touchpad in the middle of the PS4′s controller — replacing the Start, Select and PS buttons — but asserts that its shape will remain consistent with the conventional Dualshock. (We do still anticipate that Sony has plans for PlayStation Move, as well.)

Furthermore, new functionality will be added to the PlayStation 4 controller by way of a “Share” button (which was also mentioned last week). Press, and an application launches that can distribute videos and screenshots online — utilizing a feature of the PS4′s hardware that continously stores 15 minutes of the latest onscreen action for editing and review.

It’s certainly not at the forefront of many next-generation wishlists, one tiny button, but it represents a trend we’ll likely see ingrained into several aspects of PS4/Xbox 720 design: social networking. The Wii U already has its own social universe. And whether its Microsoft devising more voice chat uses with Skype or Sony aggressively expanding its digital distribution reach through the SEN, both manufacturers have been adamant about growing the console’s connective capabilities with the next versions of Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, respectively.

And really, it’s an Internet-Age inevitability that’s been a long time coming: This generation merged gaming with entertainment, the next looks merge entertainment with sharing. How it transforms the gameplay experience, how it transforms our tastes and activities and, thus, the products developers create — that remains to be seen. Hopefully it’s just one of many insights we’ll glean from the PlayStation 4 when it’s (allegedly) unveiled later this month.
Ranters, how do you see factors like console power and social connectivity impacting the next generation?

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‘Madden NFL 25′ Announced for 2013; Cover Athlete Vote Features NFL Legends

While many thought that the biggest change to come to the Madden franchise might be in the defensive and offensive departments, something pretty big is happening for Madden NFL 14. The change, however, isn’t from a gameplay perspective, but rather in the titling of this new game.
EA Sports has today announced that rather than follow the common titling form they are instead going with Madden NFL 25 in celebration of the franchise’s 25th anniversary. The choice is odd, sure, but with the next generation of consoles looming in the future it’s likely this is the last Madden before big changes hit.
However, if EA Sports wanted to, they could simply revert back to their usual naming structure with Madden NFL 15. The only confusion would come when we reach the 2025 season. But if the Madden franchise can keep going that long, it’s highly unlikely many will remember or care about the naming confusion.
In addition to the announcement of the new name, EA Sports also unveiled their plan for picking a Madden NFL 25 cover athlete. In recent years the cover athlete has been chosen through a fan vote tournament, and that will continue for this year. The only difference, however, is that the pool of players will be comprised of NFL legends and current NFL stars in a 64-player bracket.
32 NFL “greats” and 32 NFL stars will be chosen, most likely from all of the NFL’s 32 teams, and the rest will be up to the fans. The entire bracket will be announced March 11th on the ESPN show SportsNation, and the first round of voting will begin.
This is also a clever move on EA Sports’ part to get around the Madden curse, which continues to strike in one form or another. It could be argued that Madden NFL 13 cover athlete Calvin Johnson got away relatively unscathed, and in fact broke a few records this season, but his Detroit Lions team was plenty disappointing. To go from the playoffs to last place in the NFC North has got to be a big blow.
We’ll make sure to keep you posted when EA Sports announces more about Madden NFL 25 in the coming months.
What do you think about EA Sports celebrating the 25th anniversary of Madden with a name change? What NFL great would you like to see on the cover?

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Rockstar Labels ‘Conspiracy Theories’ for ‘GTA 5′ Delay ‘Nonsense’

Just last week, Rockstar Games pinpointed a September 17th release date for its long in the making, open-world opus, Grand Theft Auto 5. By the developer’s own admission, that date is “about four months later than originally planned,” but according to Rockstar, the delay is simply a result of the game needing “a little more polish.” Sounds reasonable enough, right?
Apparently, not everyone agrees. In the wake of Rockstar’s announcement, a rash of opinions about the “real reason” for the game’s delay began to surface, with one theory – that next-gen versions of Grand Theft Auto 5 will launch alongside the new systems this Fall – gaining much more traction than the rest.

It can’t have helped that Sony released the “See the Future” trailer the very same day Rockstar confirmed Grand Theft Auto 5′s release date. Suddenly, a simple confluence of events gained the appearance of a coordinated effort – this despite the fact that Take-Two Interactive‘s stock price dropped nearly 12% on the news of GTA 5′s delay.
Soon enough, Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz weighed in, lending some authority to the notion that next-gen versions of GTA 5 might be forthcoming.

“In and of itself, the delay of the game from FQ1 to FQ2 would not normally mean any significant change to expected FY14 financial results.”
“However there is an issue in that we expect the next generation of Xbox and/or PlayStation consoles to launch in the December quarter. We think the closer proximity of GTA V to the next cycle could, at the margin, impact lifetime sales of the title, though we believe that a title of GTA’s stature will still be a major seller regardless.”
“We think there also could be some impact on the legs of likely GTA V downloadable content as the next-gen installed base increases through 2014. However, we suspect Take-Two may have plans to eventually publish GTA V on the next set of consoles in some form to offset this.”

Granted, Grand Theft Auto 5 is an awfully important title to release so close to the purported end of the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 life cycle – by some projections, it’ll be the biggest selling game of the year – and Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has already commented on the DLC that Creutz references. Nevertheless, Rockstar’s Dan Houser has been resolute in insisting that GTA 5 is a current-gen game, and his company is sticking to that assertion. In the comments section of the GTA 5 release date announcement on the Rockstar Newswire, the company is quick to dismiss any and all “conspiracy theories.”

“To those of you saying or seeing various conspiracy theories about there being some other ulterior motive for this delay, rest assured that they’re all nonsense – literally the only reason we’ve delayed the release is because we want the game to be as good as it needs to be.”

That would seem to be that. Then again, Houser has stated on the record that “everything is up for consideration,” suggesting that Grand Theft Auto 5 might yet find a home on Wii U, PC, or the next-gen consoles. And let’s not forget that Rockstar has been hiring for next-gen development.
As always, timing is everything. To state the obvious, we know when GTA 5 is coming out; the same can not be said of PlayStation 4 or Xbox 720. Still, whenever the new consoles do hit retail, Take-Two Interactive will be prepared. It’ll have to be, if not with Grand Theft Auto 5 then with something – and the company has likely already been briefed on Sony and Microsoft’s tentative next-gen launch plans. Of course, there remains the possibility that neither console will go on sale this year, making the whole argument a moot point, but whatever the case may be, I doubt we’ve heard the last about GTA 5 for next-gen.
What do you think, Ranters? Is Rockstar preparing next-gen versions of Grand Theft Auto 5? Will the new consoles even be released this year? Let us know in the comments below.
Grand Theft Auto 5 releases September 17, 2012, for Xbox 360 and PS3.

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Full ‘God of War: Ascension’ Super Bowl Trailer Released

It’s no secret that Capcom’s latest Resident Evil game, Resident Evil 6, didn’t live up to expectations from either a gameplay or sales perspective. With the less than stellar reception received by the latest installment in the franchise, gamers have been wondering whether or not the series may be in need of a reboot. Oddly enough, it’s now evident that Capcom may have the same idea in mind – at the very least Resident Evil producer Masachika Kawata is talking about the possibility of a reboot.

Kawata is currently working on bringing Resident Evil: Revelations to home consoles, but Eurogamer had a chance to catch up with the esteemed RE producer to talk about the future of the series. The possibility of an open-world Resident Evil game was brought up, and Masachika said that some changes would need to be implemented in order to make that kind of game enjoyable while still remaining familiar to longtime followers.

“If we did [make RE open-world], we would want to preserve what Resident Evil is and what makes it appealing to fans, while also making it accessible to new players. It would almost entail having a slight reboot to get the series into a place where it would work with open-world gameplay. That’s just a personal opinion.”
“A lot of decisions would have to be taken before something like that is done to the series, but it is something that… There is a possibility.”

These comments make it seem less likely that an open-world Resi title will be happening anytime soon, but they also gave fans a look into how those involved with the series are thinking of ways to evolve the franchise. According to Kawata, the biggest means of gauging which direction to take Resident Evil will coming from the audience’s reaction to Revelations, but he can see the next game focusing on the horror aspect of the series.

“Once we see Revelations released on consoles, we’ll be looking very carefully at how the title is received and what feedback we get. I think we’ll get a lot of input from the fanbase and the media on what it means for Resident Evil, and what it could mean for the future of the series. We’ll definitely be looking at that as a signpost for where we need to be going next.”
“Moving forward I can see us focusing even more on the horror aspect and fear in the series, and see us making something scarier than we have already.”

There’s a number of things that fans would love to see improved upon in the next Resident Evil game, and the fact that the development team will be listening to the reactions of Revelations players is a promising sign. It’s a little too soon to be talking about the possibilities for Resident Evil 7, but with the next generation of gaming consoles on the horizon, it’s hard not to think of ways that the series may evolve in the coming years.
For now, Chris Redfield enthusiasts can look forward to Resident Evil: Revelations launching on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC this May 21st.
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