In an interview with CVG, Id developer John Carmack talks about how easy it is to develop on the 360 for the upcoming Nazi killing shooter Castle Wolfenstein and said that "the Xbox 360 is the first console that I've ever worked with that actually has development tools that are better for games than what we've got for the PC." Whoa, those are bold claims Mr. Carmack ... bold claims indeed. Both Id and Raven are teaming up to create this next-gen shooter and both are working hard to squeeze as much power out of the 360 as possible. A true Xbox 360 fanboy has to be excited about this game, but be sure to keep your guard up, because we all know of a certain game developed by team Id/Raven that didn't live up to its potential (crappy multiplayer just angers me).
We were recently given the opportunity to interview Tian Mu of Naked Sky, developers of the Live Arcade game, RoboBlitz. Chances are you're going to be hearing a lot about this game when it releases on Xbox Live Arcade. RoboBlitz is powered by Unreal Engine 3 (you know, the engine that Gears of War runs on), making it one of the most visually impressive games ever to hit the Arcade. Even more impressive is the fact that RoboBlitz looks fantastic and manages to stay under the 50 MB limit set by Microsoft for Arcade titles. Another standout feature of the game is its use of physics. Everything in the game is based on physics, from environmental objects to character animations. In gameplay terms, this means that almost anything is possible (check out a video demonstration here). Each puzzle can be attacked in different ways, giving users plenty of options and no scripted sequences. Read on to learn more about the world of RoboBlitz.
Ever wonder what it would be like to be Cliff Bleszinski's brother? Do you find yourself caught up in all the Gears of War excitement and want to know where all the cool Gears fans hangout online? Well, Tyler Bleszinski is that guy who carries the label of "Cliffy B's brother" and he's on a mission to create the best Gears of War community online. Tyler has broken out from being the other brother and created one of the best Gears of War community sites on the net, GearHeads of War. I sit down for a friendly conversation about the launch of Gears of War, what special treatment he receives for being Cliffy's brother, why he created his fansite and where it's community is headed. You're formally invited to an interview with the brainchild of GearHeads of War, Tyler Bleszinski ...
GamerTag Radio interviews some guys from Gaia Industries about their original Xbox Live Arcade title, Street Trace NYC. This game was playable at Digital LIfe, but hasn't gotten much press, despite 3D enviroments, split-screen/online multiplayer and a Michael J. Fox-friendly concept (hoverboards). You can visit the game's official site here. While they're doing their alternative media tour, maybe these hard-working indie developers should grab some toilet paper and remind Sony's snobbish Sgt. Pepper that XBLA has plenty of new IP on the way.
Mike from the Xbox Domain, re-visits Geometry Wars with Bizarre Creations Community and Web Lead Ben Ward. Included in the conservation: Hints that a GW dash theme could be on the way and an unconvincing refusal to confirm the possibility of a sequel.
Sure, we all know that Valve announced the release of it's 360 Source engine to 360 developers. But that wasn't enough for Joystiq. No, they had to go and ask questions. They needed answers straight from the proverbial horse's mouth. As if they were journalists or something. The short but sweet interview covers the differences between the 360 middleware engine and the free PC version, the ease of cross-platform portability, and integrated networking possibilities (i.e. Live). Check it out if you're so inclined. Anybody have any pet source projects they'd like to bring to the 360?
Kikizo sat down with Peter Moore for a little chat after X06. In the interview Peter talks about the HD-DVD player, Blue Dragon, why Japan is important to Microsoft, XBLA, Peter Jackson, Live Anywhere, why surfing the web on a TV sucks, and why rumble is important. In his own words, "when you hit the wall at 150 miles an hour, you should feel something." The interview is 24 minutes long and well worth watching. See it after the break.
A couple months ago, we asked the question, "Small Arms, where's the big press?" It took Don Wurster of Gastronaut Studios -- the team building Small Arms -- to remind 360 Fanboy that we are the press. As such we managed to score a little chat with Gastronaut Don and ask all the burning questions. We cover the team at Gastronaut (4 guys made this?!), Small Arms game modes, Xbox Live Arcade, downloadable content, and we even get to kill one more kitten in the name of 360 Fanboy. As an added bonus, we've even snagged some new character renders. Zoë is sitting comfortably at the top of this post, and you can catch a glimpse of Unit 51 after the break.
Major Nelson's latest podcast consists of a panel at the Penny Arcade Expo with an unwieldy title and one familiar participant. "Blogphotopodcasting: New Media in the Game Industry" features none other than Xbox360Fanboy's (and Joystiq's) Christopher Grant as a dulcet voice of reason.
Aeropause sits down for a disturbing chat with an anthropomorphized Blu-Ray disc. Sample quote:
One time when we were young, HD-DVD and I played "Show Me Yours and I will Show You Mine" We got caught and we never tried it again, but what I saw was impressive, but I think mine is just as good! That moment scarred me for life. If that would not have happened I would have had a much higher capacity.
Ah, nerds trying to dance at the Gamefest 06 party. The perfect prelude to watching the keynote highlights and Major's face to face with Chris Satchell.
As we prepare to do a little -- ok, alot of street fighting this Wednesday, let's not forget the game that put Xbox Live Arcade on the map. Here's an interview with elite Geometry Warrior Trey Landry, aka BigDaddy21, currently #1 on the leaderboard with a score of 125, 261, 170. Not bad, but like Bruce Lee said, geometrical shapes don't hit back.
Major Nelson is on the road at the present time, so his regular show is an on-the-run collection of interviews with the folks behind Madden 07. Is there a football-obsessed soul out there planning on paying for this pay-per-view special they're talking about?