Jane Jensen recently asked a developer named Dinga Bakaba over at WizarBox to write a little bit about the developer view point on the creation of Gray Matter over at the Gray Matter blog. And when I say “a little bit”, I mean he wrote a whole BUNCH of information about developing the new Jane Jensen game.

He starts off by talking about how Wizarbox hasn’t been developing on the game long, seeing as the game has just jumped from one developer to another, but he was quite surprised at the depth and how much there is going on behind the scenes of the game. As with any Jensen game, the storyline is the meat of the game, with the puzzles being the so-called potatoes. Or may they’re green beans? Are you hungry?

Bakaba also goes on to say that Jensen is very specific on the direction and tone she wants to see in the game. The game according to Jensen is to be “Gothic Romantic” and I think I get that. I’d say the Gabriel Knight games had that same gothic feeling. Jensen does well with it!

Bakaba talks about how much depth there is behind the characters in the game, too. Wizarbox worked on making the characters more dynamic and allowed for more expressive… well, expressions as compared to the previous developers. They also added a little extra “soul and punch” to the atmosphere to make sure that it was gothic-y and romantic-y enough for Jensen’s tastes.

It sounds like we’re going to be seeing a very well polished game. That is, if it ever gets released! I sure do hope so!

[Image courtesy of dtp entertainment AG.]

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Gaming sure is an expensive hobby, isn’t it?

Check out these trailers to be mesmerized and sucked into all that is Prince of Persia.

Not only does this game have action… it also has ADVENTURE. And that’s what I’m all about, yo.

The next game in the Prince of Persia series will be released on December 2, 2008. Now you know what to get me for Christmas!

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Free Indie Rapid Fire video over at ByteJacker has a great video review of a couple of indy games that are apparently tons of fun to play. The best thing about the video? The reviews are done by several of my favorite independent game developers and includes Francisco Gonzalez (of Grundislav Games and developer of the Ben Jordan series), Erin “The Ivy” Robinson (Of Lively Ivy and developer of Nano Bots, Spooks) and Dave Gilbert (The guy behind Wadjet Eye Games and their Blackwell series of games).

In the video, we’ve got Francisco talking about the indy game called Dirty Split which appears to be about an investigator who is trying to find out who done what to a dead plastic surgeon. I’ve never heard of this game, but the video sure does make it look good. Next, we’ve got Erin who talks about the game called Garden of Coloured Lights and it looks to be a shoot ‘em up space type game. Or something. Apparently getting to level 2 in this game is like solving a quantitative physics problem. Lastly, we’ve got Dave chatting about Reality on the Norm which isn’t so much one game as it is a ton of games done by different developers where all of the games take place in the same location. It’s like a soap opera written by a ton of different writers! I’ve actually played several games in Reality on the Norm and every single one I’ve played is fun. What’s cool is there’s like 80 games on the Norm, so that’s pretty awesome.

The cool part about all these games above is that they’re all free! And that, my friends, is cheap.

Check out the video below:

[Image courtesy of ByteJacker.]

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Now this is some news that many a person has been waiting for: after around two years of waiting, A Vampyre Story finally has a playable demo! I know, you’re thinking “What? I didn’t actually think this game was going to MAKE it to a playable demo form, because it’s been YEARS since we’ve first heard about this game.”

Well, this is what I have to say to you: Stop being a Negative Nelly! Gosh! These adventure games take time to make and at least we’ll see the game out before Christmas. Yes, that’s right - the full game will be available to play in the United States on November 25th and it’s already out in Europe (you lucky Europeans!).

Here’s what you’ll see in the demo:

In the demo, Mona and Froderick are in trouble: They are on the Vlad’s Landing Graveyard and Picknick Grounds, looking for Mona’s grave, in order to retreive some grave dirt that Mona needs to put in her coffin for travelling.

The game will be a measly $29.99, which is pretty cheap considering the guy who originally penned A Vampyre Story, Bill Tiller, was one of the guys who helped out on many classic LucasArts adventure games including The Dig, The Curse of Monkey Island and Indiana Jones.

So, are you interested in playing the adventures of a vampire named Mona De Lafitte and her sarcastic bat, Froderick? Head on over to Worthplaying and download the 450mb demo.

[Image courtesy of Crimson Cow Games.]

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Who wants to watch a charming video of what it was like to make King’s Quest VI back in the early 90s? I know I would like to see that sort of thing! Yes, the video below will show you all you want to know about what it was like to make one of the best darn adventure games of all time, King’s Quest VI. Not only do they show you how it was made, it also features Jane Jensen (of Gabriel Knight fame) and Robert Williams (creator of one of the first adventure games, Mystery House).

The best part of the video is the 90s hair the prevalent throughout! Who doesn’t love 90s hair?

Now, if a game could be made for $1,000,000 nowadays, most of them would turn a huge profit. Now most games you see in stores have budgets of tens of millions of dollars. They starting to become more and more like movies, aren’t they?

[Image courtesy of Sierra Games.]

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Vince Twelve, over at xii gameshas finally come back out of hiding after moving his family from Okinawa, Japan to Omaha, Nebraska. Wow, that really sounds like the most boring move ever. Omaha? Not known for the happenin’ parties, but maybe it’s a good place to move if you’re a programmer and want to get back to programming a long awaited indy game!

Yes, Vince is back to work on Resonance and I’m pretty excited! From the stuff we’ve seen so far from this game, it’s going to be a ton of fun. Just as a reminder, check out this video preview of the game:

Aren’t indy developers awesome?

So, Vince has an important question for those waiting for the game. He wants to get the game out there, but feels like it’s taking too long for him to get anything out there. So the question he has, should he put the game in three different section? He says there are three different acts in the game, so it’d be pretty easy to break it up and put out in three different sections. OR should he just be patient and put the entire game together in one big package before he opens it up to the world?

Personally, I say we’ve waited this long, why not wait a little longer and get the game all in one big package? Following a storyline is a lot easier when a game isn’t broken up into three parts! Care to answer the question? Go on over to the xii Games]

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Steve Ince, the creator of the ever so popular Broken Sword and the newly loveable game So Blonde has been making a name for himself in the adventure gaming field for years. Well, when people make a name for themselves in that world, Adventure Gamers steps up to interview them.

Adventure Gamers is just bad assed that way.

Mr. Ince has recently been working with the French adventure game developer, Wizarbox (which is incredibly hard to spell without putting that “d” in for Wizard) and their lead developer, Jerome Britneff-Bondy. Wizarbox hasn’t been around for very long, but they’re starting to become as recognizable to the adventure game world as dtp/ANACONDA, which is good, because the two companies often team up: one to develop and one to publish.

Currently, Wizarbox is working on making a Wii-fied and DS-fied version of So Blonde, so that we may play it on the go, or with the Wii Remote’s funky controls.

In the interview, Adventure Gamers asks Steve and Jerome what the general public’s reaction has been so far to So Blonde and what life has been like since So Blonde has finished production. To both Steve and Jerome, it sounds like So Blonde is exactly what they hoped it would be! This is good news, because maybe we’ll be seeing it hit the U.S. sooner rather than later.

Check out the full interview over at Adventure Gamers and learn all the nitty gritty details!

[Image for So Blonde courtesy of Eidos.]

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Square-Enix, those crazy people behind the wonderful Final Fantasy, Star Ocean, Kingdom Hearts, and Chrono Trigger series, has recently released their list of games that will be out shortly after 2009 hits the world. This will be sure to make a number of SE fans happy and giddy - both at the same time. So, here’s your list of Square-Enix games, by platform:

Playstation Portable (PSP)

• Star Ocean: Second Evolution - Release date: 01/06/2009
  • Following the exploits of humankind’s journey across the stars, the STAR OCEAN saga comes to life in the completely remastered STAR OCEAN: Second Evolution, exclusively for the PSP system. Now with a revised game engine, an improved battle system and fully voiced, all-new animated scenes displayed in 16:9 widescreen, players can experience their journey through the rich STAR OCEAN universe like never before.

Nintendo DS

• Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - Release date: 02/17/2009
  • Never before released in North America, this entry in the Zenithia Trilogy follows a journey that transcends three generations. Travel alongside your father on his quest to see the world, grow to set forth on a journey of your own and face life-altering decisions as you continue your family’s legacy. DRAGON QUEST V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride makes its way to Nintendo DS on
• Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume - Release date: 03/17/2008
  • Destiny by sinner sought. Tragedy by power wrought. The origins of a cult classic are revealed in VALKYRIE PROFILE: Covenant of the Plume, the third entry in the critically acclaimed VALKYRIE PROFILE series. Development studio tri-Ace returns to craft a gameplay experience that boasts a captivating storyline with ties to Norse mythology and a familiar yet refreshing battle system enhanced with deeper strategic elements. VALKYRIE PROFILE: Covenant of the Plume marks the debut of the series on Nintendo DS with its arrival on March 17, 2009.

Xbox 360

• Star Ocean: The Last Hope - Release date: 03/03/2008
  • STAR OCEAN: THE LAST HOPE is the latest entry in the futuristic STAR OCEAN series of RPGs. Science fiction and fantasy meld in this long-awaited continuation of the celebrated franchise from developer tri-Ace Inc.

Looks like they’ll be pushing out the Star Ocean series big time in the next year! Two different games on two different systems in 2 months seems like a lot. Very cool for Square-Enix fans.

Want to hear the skinny directly from Square-Enix? Check out their press page for all the info.

[Image courtesy of Square-Enix.]

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Well, some pretty shocking news hit the game-iverse yesterday: Richard Garriott, the brains behind the Ultima and Wing Commander series has called it quits with his employer, NCSoft. This is a pretty big deal for many Richard Garriott fans, as he was also the guy behind the futuristic MMO, Richard Garriot’s Tabula Rasa. The man’s name is in the title of the game! And he’s disconnecting himself from it!

That’s crazy talk right there!

In a news letter over at Tabula Rasa’s website, Richard Garriott, AKA General British, wrote an update to his fans explaining his gratitude to everyone, but it’s time for him to start new projects that he apparently would not be able to do while working for NCSoft.

So, what does this mean for gamers? Well, maybe Garriott will get his butt back and gear and make some more Ultima games! The last few were pretty crap-tastic, so there is HOPE he might make things right and end Ultima in a way that would excite tons of fans. But, that probably won’t happening seeing as EA owns the Ultima titles now. It’s a dream, though.

Or maybe he’s going to come up with a completely new and awesome series that his fans will fall in love with again. Let’s just hope it’s not another MMO, because those MMOs are having a tough time against the MMO monopolizer, World of Warcraft. What we need is more original RPGs, dangit!

Only time will tell. But I really hope it’s the Ultima one. I’d die and go to heaven, and then come back to play the game. YES!

[Image courtesy of NCSoft. ]

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At high noon yesterday, TellTale Games released some information on their new Strong Bad episode Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective. Now, don’t let the name of the episode fool you. This isn’t the third episode of the series. No… no. This is definitely the fourth (if you’ve been counting).

In Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective, you get to play as Strong Bad’s alter ego, a gritty and probably dirty cop named Dangeresque in a movie Strong Bad wrote himself. Not only do you get to play Dangeresque, but you get to play him as a sequel! And if the first two Dangeresque can tell us anything about Dangeresque 3, then we know this episode is going to be super cheesy. Just the type of gaming I like! This episode is bound to be ACTION PACKED and not like those other sissy adventure games that you might see out there on the market today!

Just check out this EXTREME trailer:

The game is going to be out next Monday on November 17th! I can’t wait to play my very own Dangeresque. That guy is bad ASSED.

And just in case you’re interested in watching Dangeresque 1 and 2, you can do so below!

• Dangeresque 1
• Dangeresque 2

[Image courtesy of TellTale Games.]

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