Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation appears to be the only video game-related category at the Annie Awards. The event celebrates animation efforts across major mediums, including movies, TV, and video games.
Super Bowl LI takes place this Sunday, February 5. In addition to what is expected to be a great game between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, there will be the usual suite of commercials. We’re expecting to see movie trailers, commercials for games, and as usual, the oddball/over-the-top ones that catch us by surprise.
We’re rounding them all up here in this story so you can watch them in one place. Some of them have been released already, while we’ll add the rest as they come online between now and Sunday.
Just in time for the holidays last year, Atari put out RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic, a mobile game that combined RollerCoaster Tycoon and its sequel. While Atari hasn’t shared any download figures, the response has been positive, series creator Chris Sawyer told GameSpot in a new interview.
We recently had the opportunity to speak with the veteran designer about the impetus for releasing the game, what went into it from a technical perspective, and whether or not it will get any further updates or expansions in the future. He also told us about why the game has no microtransactions.
Additionally, Sawyer opened up on why he backed away from the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, taking a more hands-off, backseat role, and he shared his thoughts on the poorly received RollerCoaster Tycoon World.
You can read our full interview below–learn more about RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic here.
The release of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic was a surprise to some. Can you talk about the reasons behind making the game and releasing it now?
It’s been an ambition of mine for many years but it was only recently that everything finally came together to make a mobile/touch-screen version of the original game feasible. Having worked with Origin8 on the mobile/touch-screen version of Transport Tycoon a few years ago we knew that the latest mobile platforms had the power to also handle the complexity of a PC-style game like RollerCoaster Tycoon, and the success of Transport Tycoon showed that there was a market for older-style games like these on a mobile platform. The newer versions of RollerCoaster Tycoon had moved on in terms of their graphical style and the type of gameplay they contained, and I felt this left a gap in the market for bringing back the original games in the series with their stylised but characterful graphics and their more simplistic gameplay. My hope was that RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic would appeal to those players who remembered the original games from so many years ago, but might also appeal to new players who appreciate the solid gameplay and the amount and depth of content you get in the game.
From a technical perspective, what did it require to bring the game to smartphones? On PC, RCT games are best with mouse and keyboard, but obviously you can’t do that on mobile.
The main reason there has never been a full conversion of RCT or RCT2 to other platforms before now is that I wrote the originals in x86 Assembler Code, which while allowing the PC games to run very efficiently even on low-end hardware it meant a conversion to another platform would require an entire re-write from scratch, not an easy prospect when the source code stretches to over 500,000 lines of code! Origin8 however were up for the challenge – they had already worked with me extensively on Transport Tycoon and were familiar with my style of x86 Assembler Code files.
Transport Tycoon also showed that a mouse-based PC style game adapted well to a mobile touch-screen environment and we used that experience to develop RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic’s interface to make the most of the touch-screen while still being as flexible and easy to use as the original PC games.
What kind of feedback are you hearing now from fans since release? And are you planning future updates in terms of new content or other adjustments?
There has been a lot of positive feedback and it’s heartening to see that modern-day game players appreciate the game for what it is–a fun game–and that the old-style graphics and more simplistic gameplay are actually appreciated for what they are rather than dismissed as being out of date. We have no plans for adding more content or expanding the game further but I’d never rule it out. I think the game has a really good balance of gameplay and depth at the moment and expanding it further wouldn’t necessarily make it a better game.
A lot of mobile games have microtransactions, but RCT Classic does not, beyond the expansions. Can you talk about why you took this approach?
There was never any question of trying to monetize RCT Classic with microtransactions. I wanted to bring the authentic classic RCT game experience to mobile platforms without compromising the design or changing it to suit a different financial or sales model, and the only way to do this was to make the game a paid-for app without microtransactions. We have in-app purchases in RCT Classic, but they are purely to purchase expansion packs for those who find that 95 parks just aren’t enough, or who want to get really creative and build their own park scenarios, experiment with ride designs and import/export parks.
You have sort of taken a backseat to the RCT series development these days, with Atari leading the way. Do you ever see yourself getting more hands-on again?
I took a backseat from RCT3 onwards because I felt I was the wrong person to lead the games forward and take them in new directions. I just wasn’t personally interested in re-designing the games for projected 3D and adding more detail or making them more immersive, as I felt that what the games would gain in some areas they would lose in other areas, not necessarily making a better “game”. Much better to let those who had the inspiration and interest develop the new games I think. And the same applies now too – While I admire many features of the newer RCT games I don’t feel any inspiration to become involved in their development.
The newest game, RCT World, has had a mixed reaction–have you played it?
I have played RCT World briefly, but probably not enough to really get to grips with it. I think the thing that strikes me most about the game is how big its ambitions are, and from a programmer’s perspective I appreciate how challenging it is to achieve those ambitions and it’s heartening to see that every update is bringing the game closer to what it should be.
The game seems to be getting better with content updates that introduce more features and content. The way games can be continually updated today is quite different from how things used to work. Are games ever really “finished” in today’s landscape?
It does open up a whole different way of supporting and keeping a game fresh doesn’t it. From a general perspective I think there are pros and cons. From a developers viewpoint it can be costly to add features and new content for existing players if it doesn’t generate additional income, and maybe it could also lead to unfinished games being published prematurely in the knowledge that they will be updated and improved later on?
Kind of a wider question here. You are an industry veteran with three decades of experience–what are some trends in gaming today that you are enthusiastic about and some that maybe keep you up at night or make you nervous?
The thing that bothers me most about gaming today (and worries me for the future) is how games are funded. It’s already extremely challenging for developers to recoup their development costs by selling a game for an up-front charge, and the only alternatives seem to be in-game advertising and the microtransactional model. Advertising can be intrusive and might become ever-more regulated and restricted, and the microtransactional model is only successful if the game is designed from the outset primarily to make money rather than to be a fun game. It worries me and I don’t have any answers. Players often won’t even look at a game which has an up-front charge these days.
RCT is one of the most enduringly popular games, with a core group of dedicated fans. What do you think has contributed to RCT’s continued appeal?
Hopefully it’s because fundamentally RollerCoaster Tycoon is a fun game! Perhaps also nostalgia plays its part, and we all tend to look back with fondness at the original of something. Personally I think RCT’s long-lasting appeal is because the game was all about building things and nurturing things, two basic human instincts we all have. Most people get some enjoyment or satisfaction from building something, whether it be a giant multi-inversion roller coaster or just a neatly designed landscaped garden, and most people instinctively want to look after their little guests in the park, ensuring they’re happy and safe and enjoying all the rides you’ve created for them. It helps that the game is all about amusement parks too, which are fundamentally fun places to be in.
A post on the game’s website (via DualShockers) confirms that the next character will be revealed on Tuesday, February 7. This could come in the form a gameplay trailer, as was the case with Robin.
In other Injustice 2 news, NetherRealm boss Ed Boon has confirmed that the third wave of codes for the ongoing beta are going out soon. He said he wishes everyone could get into the beta, but explained that this is not likely to happen.
However … all is not lost….I managed to get a handful of codes (PS4 & X1) that I’ll give out this weekend.
Confirmed playable characters for Injustice 2 so far include Batman, Blue Beetle, The Flash, Harley Quinn, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Deadshot, Gorilla Grodd, Aquaman, Atrocitus, Robin, and Black Canary. Boon has said the game will feature obscure characters.
Game of Thrones Season 7 is scheduled to premiere later this year. Now, series star Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen on the HBO show, has revealed that filming is almost done.
In a February 3 Instagram video (via EW), she said she is “a day away from wrapping” on a season that she says will be a “mind-blower.” Check out the video below.
Season 7 is expected to be the second-to-last one for Game of Thrones. It will debut later than usual, in part because, after all, winter is coming.
Clarke is not the only Game of Thrones actress hyping up Season 7. In January, Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams said Game of Thrones Season 7 is “so exciting,” particularly the ending and the finale. She apparently does not know if her character will survive.
Game of Thrones Season 7 is supposedly going to premiere this summer, though HBO has not yet announced an official date.
Halo 5 developer 343 Industries has outlined some of the Req changes that rolled out on February 3. As posted on Halo’s website, the Req changes include a lot of tweaks to weapons and more.
You can see a full rundown of the Req changes below.
“While the total number of players who participated in Warzone actually exceeded our expectations, it’s still a very, very tiny fraction of our overall Halo 5 player population (and a small sliver of the normal Warzone population),” 343 said. “By Sunday the population had all but dried up and the matching experience deteriorated dramatically.”
It added: “Warlords was an interesting experiment at least in the sense that it was a really cool exercise to build an event and promote and drive a focused group of players toward one playlist at one time. Friday afternoon and into Saturday was pretty cool to see and we think there’s something to a potential Warlords offering being semi-frequent but spaced out enough to drive critical mass and allow teams to better plan and coordinate.”
Currently, 343 is looking at feedback and data, as well as some of the bugs that popped up. If everything goes to plan, 343 might bring back Warlords for another test “in a month or so.”
Finally, 343 announced that this weekend’s Mythic Firefight playlist is on the map Prospect. As usual, there is bonus XP for people who play; it ends on Monday, February 6, at 10 AM PT.
Halo 5 Req Changes (February 3)
Wasps 3/4/5 -> 4/5/6
On some maps, a combination of the base assault and first boss can get most of a team to level 3 once the first armoury is captured. Moving the T1 wasp up a level avoids seeing half a team immediately spawn them. The Hannibal wasp’s armament and dodging ability make it competitive with a sword banshee or scorpion, so it fits well at level 6
Base Phaeton 8 -> 7
Given its low health and the introduction of the Helios, the base phaeton fits better with the tier 3 banshees at level 7.
Gunfighter Magnum 3 -> 2
We saw that players were preferring BRs to the gunfighter magnum.
Tactical Magnum 4 -> 3
Level 4 has a silenced BR, so moving down to level 3 invites debate between the silenced pistol and non-silenced BR.
Morph Sight : AR 4 -> 1, BR 6 -> 3, DMR 8 -> 6, SMG 7 -> 4 (to the same as hybrid [carbine] sight)
Puts these sights in-line with the other sights of their REQ energy level
Base Plasma Pistol 3 -> 2
This will hopefully provide a better counter for players at REQ level 2 battling players at level 3 or above who are in vehicles
Random Vehicle (Ultra-Rare) 6 -> 7
Moving up a notch allows greater differentiation from the Random Vehicle (Rare) at 5
Random Weapons & Random Vehicles (All)
Tweaked probabilities to avoid over- or under-powered REQs for their levels
Armor Mods Changes:
REQ Energy Level 3
Death From Above
Grenadier
Patrol Case
REQ Energy Level 4
Auto-Medic
Speed Booster
Frag Grenade Expert
Plasma Grenade Expert
Splinter Grenade Expert
REQ Energy Level 5
Reflex Enhancers
Upgraded Thrusters
Increased Strength
REQ Energy Level 6
Advanced Sensors
Wheelman
Upgraded Shields
343 encouraged players to send in their feedback regarding these Req changes, as the developer might address them again.
Halo Wars 2 is coming out this month for Xbox One and PC. Given that Halo is one of Microsoft’s biggest brands, you can expect the company to go all-out to promote it.
Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg added (via NeoGAF) that there are “lots of surprises coming next week.” He added this hashtag to the tweet: “#HaloWars2HypeTrainBoardingNow”
Halo Wars 2 launches in full on February 21, though people who buy the $80 Ultimate Edition can start playing on February 17. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, so buying it digitally on one platform gets you access to the other for free. All progress, including saves and achievements, is available on each platform.
Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has weighed in on the Nintendo Switch.
Speaking to IGN, the veteran designer said he specifically likes the console’s hybrid nature. The system combines at-home and on-the-go elements, which is not unlike the “Transfarring” idea that Kojima cooked up for moving data between PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3.
“I believe [Switch] is an extension of that idea,” he said. “The fact you can play something at home and take it outside, this is the gamer’s dream. The Switch is an evolution of that.”
Kojima added: “I feel like cloud technology is what everything will eventually move to. It’s further behind right now than I think where people thought it would be at this point, but I think it will go there, and when the infrastructure is ready, you’ll be able to play everything, on every device, anywhere. The Switch is the predecessor to this step.”
Popular dinosaur game Ark: Survival Evolved is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Could it also come to Nintendo Switch? Maybe some day, but not soon, the developer said recently.
As spotted by GoNintendo, a developer said in the game’s forums, “We don’t have any current plans for the Nintendo Switch, though I will be closely watching how that console does in its launch.”
The Switch launches on March 3, priced at $300. You can see all the launch titles here and every game confirmed for the system here.
Ark remains an unfinished game, with in-development versions of the game available on PC, Xbox One, and PC. The full release is slated for later this year. It remains to be seen if the Switch will support in-development games.
The latest big development for Ark is the Tek Tier patch, which is the game’s biggest update ever. Watch the video above and read this post to learn more about what it adds.
Speaking this week at RTX Sydney, gaming veteran Hideo Kojima discussed some elements of his new game, Death Stranding, and a lot more.
Regarding his decision to partner with Sony for Death Stranding, DualShockers reports that Kojima said he received “many offers” before aligning with Sony. There were offers from people outside of gaming, apparently, including someone from the United Arab Emirates who offered “a lot of money.”
Kojima ultimately chose Sony as a partner because he is familiar with the company, DualShockers reported that he said. He also reportedly said that Sony gives him 100 percent creative freedom and that working with a big company like Sony will help the game have a better chance of succeeding.
He said other companies might not be OK with showing Norman Reedus naked in Death Stranding’s first trailer; this is an example of the mutual trust that Sony and Kojima have, he said.
Also during the talk, Kojima was asked if Death Stranding will have virtual reality elements. It sounds like it won’t. “At this time, Death Stranding is not a VR game,” he said.
Additionally, Kojima said he is not currently planning a Death Stranding sequel, but will consider it if there is enough demand, according to DualShockers.
He also provided an update on how Death Stranding is coming along and what it will offer to fans. He said the open-world game will offer players a “large degree of freedom,” according to DualShockers.
“Kojima feels that gamers that are used to playing AAA games on high-end platforms will feel at home in this kind of game, but after playing for two or three hours. they’ll notice that there’s something a little different about it,” the site reported.
Regarding the current state of the game, Kojima said the team at Kojima Productions is currently working on game logic and doing test on various systems on the framework. In 2017, the focus will be on filling out the game world, adding on to the foundation.
It sounds like early days for Death Stranding. It has no confirmed release date yet, though a 2018 release is rumored. Someone asked Kojima if the game will be a PlayStation 5 game when it finally comes out; he said this won’t be the case. It will be a PS4 game. Sony has not announced a PS5, so that’s just speculation at this point.
Kojima’s talk also covered comparisons to other mediums. According to DualShockers, Kojima said games have the potential to surpass movies and books.
