Silent Hill composer speaking at GDC 2010

post from Destructoid on 09 February 2010 05:40:00 AM. © Destructoid

Silent Hill composer speaking at GDC 2010 screenshot

Akira Yamaoka has been all over the news lately. We first told you that he was leaving Konami after many years of working on horror game series Silent Hill. Last week we found out that he's the newest employee of Grasshopper Manufacture, and is already working on a new game for them. Now we hear that the composer is going to be speaking at the 2010 Game Developer's Conference.

In the Audio Track, his panel, "As Long as the Audio is Fun, the Game Will Be Too," Yamaoka will speak from his experience in the game audio field, going back 20 years.

He says:

"People tend not to think about game design and audio design in parallel. I will present my views on audio design in games from a producer's perspective, having had experience in both roles."

It should be noted that he has wasted no time, with the listing naming him Akira Yamaoka of Grasshopper Manufacture Studio.

I'll definitely be there to hear what the man has to say. I hope he talks a bit about his new game.

Akira Yamaoka to Speak at GDC With Grasshopper Manufacture [OSV]

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Sam & Max season three outed as The Devil's
Playhouse

post from Destructoid on 09 February 2010 05:20:00 AM. © Destructoid

Sam & Max season three outed as The Devil's Playhouse screenshot

It would appear that Telltale Games is preparing a brand new adventure for Sam & Max with a third season of mindbending puzzles and faintly embarrassing witticisms. It's called Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse.

At least, that's according to the OFLC. The rating board outed the game recently, shedding a little titular light on the future of the Freelance Police. That's all there is at the moment, but considering the last season ended with Episode 5: What's Cooking Beelzebub?, it would appear that we're picking up where we left off. The OFLC says that Episode 1 of The Devil's Playhouse will be called The Penal Zone.

So there you go. More Sam & Max for anybody who's interested. Hooray!

Third Season Of Sam & Max Called “The Devil’s Playhouse [Siliconera]

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Nintendo blames piracy for late Aussie release
dates

post from Destructoid on 09 February 2010 05:00:00 AM. © Destructoid

Nintendo blames piracy for late Aussie release dates screenshot

We all know by now that Australia gets the short end of the stick when it comes to Nintendo releases. The country can wait up to a year after the North American release before getting a sniff of a new Wii or DS game. Frustrated gamers may be tempted to pirate these titles, but Nintendo, fresh off winning $1.5 million from one Aussie pirate, has claimed that piracy affects Australian release dates.

"Nintendo Australia is always pushing for games to be released here at the same time as the rest of the world, so we were pleased to get New Super Mario Bros. Wii before anyone else," explains Nintendo of Australia. "Unfortunately, due to to the actions of this individual, future release dates may be affected for Australia, which is disappointing for us."

Now, I fully understand that it must be insulting to have New Super Mario Bros. Wii ripped and uploaded in Australia when it was one of the few games to be released on time in the country, but I have to call bullsh*t on this statement. Nintendo has a long history of delaying Australian games while giving no justifiable reason for it. To retroactively try and shift the blame onto pirates is a bit of a pathetic move, in honesty.

Australian gamers are frustrated with Nintendo and its long history of shafting the territory. I don't think any smart Aussies are going to fall for Nintendo's buck-passing.

Nintendo Stomps Aussie Mario Pirate [GameSpot]

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Nintendo awarded $1.5m over New Super Mario Bros
piracy

post from Destructoid on 09 February 2010 04:40:00 AM. © Destructoid

Nintendo awarded $1.5m over New Super Mario Bros piracy screenshot

A person in Australia fudged with the wrong game maker. He ripped and uploaded New Super Mario Bros. Wii a week before it was even available in that country. Naturally, he was busted and was taken to court. Now that Federal Court has awarded Nintendo $1.5 million dollars in damages to compensate for loss of revenue.

Speaking of revenue, they've sold 10 million copies of the game.

And Nintendo on why you shouldn't pirate their games:

“Fewer sales of Nintendo’s hardware and software systems means fewer resources that Nintendo, its licensees, developers and publishers have to create and market new video game products which is ultimately to the detriment of video game enthusiasts. When there is a decrease in game development, there is also a decrease in the number of jobs in the industry. The existence of piracy jeopardizes the strength of the video game industry overall.”

Nintendo Awarded $1.5 Million In Piracy Suit [Edge]

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Play This: M-Bot

Playing M-Bot made me feel like a Power Ranger, if you recall that show for kids that aired aeons ago. I have no idea why since there are barely any connections between the two titles, but the thing is that I had oh so much fun that I had to recommend[...]

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http://www.unigamesity.com/play-this-m-bot/

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Rumor: Dead Space Extraction coming to XBLA/PSN

Rumor: Dead Space Extraction coming to XBLA/PSN screenshot

According to a recent consumer survey, Electronic Arts is considering bringing Dead Space Extraction from the Wii to the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network platforms. According to the survey, Extraction would be presented in HD and retail for $14.99 while retaining the "guided first-person experience" of the original game.

As well as Extraction, EA is considering another downloadable Dead Space game called Planet Cracker.
According to the survey, Planet Cracker would be a "resource strategy game where players will manage a CEC Mining operation." In a similar vein to Fable II: Pub Games, the actions in Planet Cracker would yield bring in-game rewards to Dead Space 2.

Sounds ridiculous, but stranger things have happened. I wouldn't count this rumor out just yet.

Dead Space Extraction, Planet Cracker Coming To XBLA, PSN? [Kotaku]

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