Product Info | User Reviews | Article Images | Image Gallery | Comments | Forum Thread
Sony Online Interview (con'd)
FiringSquad: Sony Online has released games for the PS2 and PSP and it stands to reason that the PS3 will have a Sony Online developed game as well. How do you see Sony Online continuing to develop its strategy for console titles?
John Smedley: We just recently announced that we are creating a PlayStation 3 launch title, “Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom.” We’ll be taking our hit Untold Legends franchise and bringing it to the new next-gen system, combining hack-and-slash action with the amazing visuals and technical feats that would only be possible on the PS3. We’re also working with the PlayStation group to help them with backend implementation for the PS3 network, so you can expect to see titles from us that will take advantage of the online capabilities of the hardware (including Dark Kingdom).
FiringSquad: A few months ago you revealed that Sony Online would develop a new MMORPG without a monthly fee that would use instead trading and selling items in the game world. Can you give us any more hints about what this game will be like?
John Smedley: We’re still working on this project here in San Diego, and we’re not quite ready to go into more detail at this point in time. The overall plan is that we will be offering a free to play MMO that will also contain upsells for players, such as private zones or sales of virtual items. The goal for the game is that it needs to be simple to get into, both from a technical standpoint (fast, easy download that can be distributed virally) and a design standpoint (anyone should be able to play it). I’d love to tell you more, but it’s just too early right now.
FiringSquad: Most massively multiplayer games do not reveal their subscription numbers but Blizzard recently revealed that World of Warcraft has over 6 million subscribers worldwide. What do these numbers mean for the MMORPG genre in general and how does World of Warcraft's success affect how you develop games at Sony Online?
John Smedley: As I mentioned before, the more new people who are brought into the MMO space, the better for SOE. Blizzard has an incredible reputation and they were able to maximize on their successes to bring in many new players to the world of MMOs. The biggest hurdle we find with new players is the monthly service charge that comes with operating an online game. Now that all of these new folks have come into an MMO for the first time and see how it works, we’re be right there to offer them a number of other online worlds and adventures when they’re ready to try something different.
FiringSquad: It's been several months since Station Exchange started. Has this new program been a profitable one for Sony Online and do you believe this will eventually affect the third party MMORPG trading companies and IGE?
John Smedley: Station Exchange has been very successful for us as a company, on a number of levels. The service itself is making money – in January, we passed a million dollars in player-to-player sales through the service – and it has also been a great experiment, paving the way for further service offerings like this in the future. As we add more services like this for our games, there won’t be a reason for our players to go to a third-party website, as it will be integrated into the game they’re playing.
FiringSquad: Sony Online is currently developing a MMO based on DC Comic's superhero universe. We know the game is very early in development but can you give us an idea on how the game willl be different in terms of gameplay from Cryptic Studios' City of Heroes?
John Smedley: Well, we’ll have Batman. And Superman. And Wonder Woman. And Green Lantern. And The Flash. And… See where I’m going with this? We’re developing the title for both next-gen console and PC. Other than that, we’re not really talking about the game at this point; it’s still too early.
We’d like to thank SOE’s John Smedley for answering our questions for this interview. Sony Online Entertainment has a number of upcoming projects in the works and we’ll certainly be keeping our eye on them.
Batman: Arkham City PC Review Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s smash-hit action game Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the name suggests, you will be reprising your role as the Caped Crusader and going against an even larger 'prison' filled with Gotham's criminals and villains. A textbook example on how to do a proper sequel, Arkham City takes what worked in the original, excised or improved upon what didn’t, and elevated everything to an even greater scope. The PC version suffered from a few months of delay, but in that time, Rocksteady worked closely to NVIDIA to implement some familiar technologies from the last game, such as PhysX and 3D Vision, along with new DirectX 11 optimizations. But how well was the whole package executed? Read on to find out!
Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda Softworks’ latest offering in their series of epic fantasy RPGs, as well as one of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of 2011. As the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, prepare to take the fight to the mythical beasts that have returned to the realm after centuries of slumber, all the while exploring a huge and highly-detailed open world.
The PC version of the game promises enhanced graphical fidelity, standard RPG trimmings such as hotkeys and quick-save, as well as unbridled mod support, something we’ll all be thankful for once they release that SDK. Skyrim has already sold millions of copies and set records for play-time on Steam... Find out why in today's review, which happens to be one of the biggest and most in-depth articles on the subject out there!
L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Intel Core i7-3960X Sandy Bridge-E Performance Review
Today marks the launch date for Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E line of processors, a new family of high-end Core i7 products based on the LGA 2011 platform. This new socket is poised to replace the existing LGA 1366 specification used by the more powerful Nehalem and Westmere parts from the past couple years, specifically Bloomfield and Gulftown, the Core i7-9xx+ line of CPUs.
With 6 cores, 15MB of cache, and support for quad-channel DDR3-1600 memory, the Core i7-3960X sounds like quite a catch. Want to know more about it and how it performs? Read on!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Review
The self-appointed "most anticipated game in history" launched worldwide this past Tuesday. Why, it's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, of course (of course), what else? Unsurprisingly, the military FPS debate between this and Battlefield 3 rages on, but now that both have been released, surely we can take a look and objectively evaluate them both? Luke's taken the Xbox version of MW3 for a spin this week, so to find out what he thinks of it in today's review!
Stronghold 3 Review
The latest sequel in the long-running real-time strategy franchise from FireFly Studios, Stronghold 3 is all about building your dream castle and defending it against sieging enemies. Almost exactly one decade after the first game was released, this new title promises a return to the classic and well-received gameplay that has been strayed so far from in more recent iterations. Does it live up to those expectations? Will (AKA Synchronous Failure) tells us all about it in his first official FiringSquad review, so read on!
Battlefield 3 PC Review - Single-player Impressions
One of the most highly-anticipated PC games of the year is upon us; Battlefield 3 is now available in North America! EA/DICE have finally delivered a sequel to the core Battlefield franchise, a proper follow-up to BF2. Having played through the game's single-player campaign already, ahead of the multiplayer festivities kicking off around midnight, I figured I'd share my impressions ASAP. Is it really a worthy addition to the core Battlefield series, or just another bullet point on the back of the box? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Supersonic Software Interview
Following up on our hands-on preview from earlier this month, here's an interview with Supersonic Software, creators of Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. The game's coming out on XBLA and PSN in a matter of weeks, but for now, Luke chats with the developer about its predecessors Mashed and Micro Machines, how difficult it can be to get an indie game published, the closure of Codemasters' Guildford branch, and more!
Orcs Must Die! PC Review Orcs Must Die! is the first release from an independent developer named Robot Entertainment. Fans of classic real-time strategy games may have heard that name before, as the outfit is comprised of many veterans from Ensemble Studios, creators of the Age of Empires series.
Equal parts action and strategy, this is a tower defense game that not only puts you in command, but on the front lines of combat, as well. Slaughter thousands of orcs, ogres and other vile creatures of fantasy that invade your fortresses through 24 levels of the story-based campaign. With high levels of replayability thanks to its scoring and leaderboard functionality, multiple difficulty levels, and various styles of play, it sounds a steal at only $15. Does it deliver on all that’s promised, though? Read on and find out!
Page 1
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
SU
furl
