Archive for December, 2007

Taking a break from regurgitating press releases, Gamespot has an informative article on the art of pitching your game concept to prospective publishers.

Brendan Sinclair’s insightful piece talks to several industry vets about how the videogame pitch has changed over the years, as well as highlighting alternative methods to get marketing onboard. I’m sure my younger self would balk at me saying this, but I really believe the best game concepts are not only fun and innovative, but should also sell.

This way of thinking can be useful on a macro level too. In a recent conversation with a videogame marketer, I explained that when creating the showpiece ingame animations for any given project it’s always a good idea to bear in mind, “would this pose look good on a poster?”.

During a recent trip to Turkey, I revisited the archaeological site of Ephesus over a decade after holidaying there as a child and was surprised to the extent at which time has clouded my memory of the ancient city layout. Nor could I recall, (until later reminded by my parents), a night spent in the shadow of the dramatic Fortress at Selçuk afterwards, as was the case on this occasion too.

How then, when playing Tomb Raider Anniversary, can I remember every room and corridor after 10 years? Reliving paths well-trodden, pistols at the ready for the lions I just know are waiting for me at the foot of St. Francis Folly - it’s not only helping me complete the game speedily during a holiday period crammed with quality releases, but also helps me appreciate all the improvements Crystal Dynamics made to bring it to the current generation.

If only my brain was as sticky with real-life (i.e. useful) memories.

Last week was spent on an Eidos collaboration effort in Copenhagen, Denmark at IO Interactive, makers of Hitman, Kane & Lynch, and the amazing parody of American jingoism, Freedom Fighters.

The Danes were incredibly welcoming and we came away with not only an understanding of K&L’s 1000+ NPC crowd system, but also an appreciation of Nordic studios’ provision of three healthy meals a day for all staff, (plus take-out meals for families). It was certainly heartwarming to see the creators of such controversial adult-themed games end the week making gingerbread houses with their toddlers in the dining area.

In other news, Mass Effect hit 1 million sales this week - something of a relief as good reviews don’t necessarily translate into good sales. I still haven’t played the bugger yet though as BioWare are sending a Limited Edition copy and I’m too cheap to buy one before it arrives :-(