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April 30, 2007
If PUMA Made A Video Game Console
I had fun exploring the portfolio of Industrial Designer Berdan Cercioglu (his last name is awesome) this weekend and I must say, he's got spunk and A LOT of talent.
Take for example his PUMA Gaming Console called the Drive360, sound familiar? There's a reason for the name which I'll get to later. The project is more practice than practicality. He wants to know what a PUMA designed video game console would look like and for that he studied all things PUMA.
It was pretty cool going thru his slides. He understands PUMA'S culture and design sensibility. His numerous sketches led him to a design that would feel right at home amongst a shelf of expensive PUMA shoes. He envisages a console with generous curves like a cat with linear cable management mimicking the lines of a PUMA running shoe. He sees color and customizable skins representative of the youth and energy in PUMA design. The bottom of the console even has a tread-like foot to prevent slipping. Lastly he envisions a forward kinetic design almost leaping in its stance like the iconic PUMA logo.
He's not a technical engineer but he proposes an interesting slot loading CD/DVD mechanism. The drive can rotate 360ยบ in a full circle able to accept discs from any direction, thus the name Drive360. The purpose of this feature allows the gamer to set the console down in any direction. It may be minor but it's interesting since the console was designed to be as beautiful as it is technical.
More pictures after the jump.
Posted by tranism at 4:29 AM | Permalink
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April 27, 2007
Happy Birthday Wii Name
It was this time one year ago when Nintendo foisted the name "Wii" upon us. They claimed in time, it would become a part of our everyday vocabulary. They claimed people all over the world would have no problem pronouncing it. Most important, they claimed our hate for the name would change to love and adoration.
So one year later, the question is was Nintendo right? And since I haven't done this in awhile. . . Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
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April 25, 2007
Boom Boom Boom Boom
That's the sound of my taiko drumming. Taiko Drum Master is coming out for the Nintendo DS this summer! Japan only but it's a music game so who needs to read anything? Just do what comes naturally and drum to the beat. Some new songs are the Super Mario Bros. theme and Flight of the Bumblebee. No idea how it'll use DS controls since the game has traditionally been in arcades and on Playstation systems but it will include 4 player battles and custom costumes for your character. I want I want I want!
via Wired
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The Nearest Thing To A Happy Tree Friends Video Game
It's called Muzuiro Chang. The image is cutesy gory if that makes any sense. I mean just look at it. It's telling me I can find some cuddly cat-like ball character that rolls around on 4 casters and apparently spills blue blood.
Designed for the Nintendo DS (my favorite platform) but in Japanese only. Fortunately the DS isn't region locked so importing this will be easy. Hell, the design and ubercute website are enough to convince me. Horrific graphic mutilation to cute characters you say? Not usually my cup of tea but I'm entranced now. Looks like fun mini-games ala WarioWare Touched. Any fluent Japanese readers out there care to translate?
via Kotaku
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April 22, 2007
Wii Channels Is Inaccurate Nomenclature
That's the Nintendo Wii's interface, designed around a tiled system that scrolls horizontally. Each of those tiles are called channels. The Wii remote was designed to be held like a TV remote. You use it like a pointer to select channels. When Nintendo revealed all of this last year, I got extremely excited. Praises from third party developers like Square Enix only reenforced my belief that something BIG was on the horizon. Fast forward a year later and I love the Wii but I'm disappointed with the interface, lack of features and Nintendo's inaccurate nomenclature for what "Wii Channels" really are.
To date, Wii Channels are just place holders for system features and downloaded games. I envisaged something bigger. Wii Channels and a TV remote-like controller led me to believe Nintendo would take the most successful aspects of TV and gaming to create an interface widely understandable by anyone. That experience we call channel guides, channel switching and channel surfing.
I thought maybe Nintendo would dedicate a channel to each developer. The developers would then have complete control over the programming in their channel. They would launch demos and schedule special events to take place in different time slots, just like real TV. I envisioned an Independent Channel where the most unique games would live, enabling smaller studios to publish their games online on a major console. New Channels could be added as more developers jumped onto the Wii bandwagon. I saw Chat Room Channels where people would take their discussions right into a game. Nintendo and its third party developers would have space to advertise instead of relying just on the traditional methods. I even imagined people creating their own channels and sharing it with their friends and families anywhere in the world - an amalgamation of MySpace and YouTube where people could "tune" in. I took it a step further and imagined TiVO like capabilities where people could record their in-game play sequences and post them in their channel. For privacy and security purposes, Nintendo could easily implement a parental control system to deactivate inappropriate content just like in real TV. My ultimate envisage was IPTV, something the Xbox 360 showed off earlier this year at CES.
We already knew the console would never turn off, essentially staying online 24 hours. All the pieces seem to fit and I felt this would be how Nintendo could come back from 3rd place. They wouldn't need horsepower. They would win with content. Although the Wii is doing insanely well in terms of sales, I can't help but feel there was missed opportunity here. I'm not saying the Wii isn't fun. I'm just critical of how much potential was unseeded. Nintendo is always apathetic about doing more than gaming, but that doesn't mean they can't take the best characteristics from other industries and apply them to their medium. The console is still young so who knows, maybe sometime in the future we'll see some of these features - sooner than later I hope.
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April 21, 2007
As Sweet As A Honeysuckle In The Morning Dew
I know the Nintendo Wii has been short on original IPs but that will all change later this year. I already wrote about one of my anticipated games last week. Here's another hotly anticipated game called Dewy's Adventure.
As you watch the gameplay trailer, don't be fooled by the primary colors. Take a closer look and you'll see there's amazing art direction in the title. Besides, how many hyper-realistic video games with drab brown and grey environments can you play? We all need a little color!
Befitting of my weekend Earth Day celebration, the story has tinges of environmental ideology. The world is being taken over by dark water (kinda like pollution) so the Great Tree gives birth to a tiny dew drop appropriately named Dewy. Using his transfigurative powers, he's charged with the task of saving his fellow brethren and cleaning the world of dark water.
Because it's an original IP on the Nintendo Wii, there are some cool innovative gameplay mechanics that make use of the Wii's motion sensing controller. The controller is held horizontally and tilts the world to move Dewy around. He can also control temperature, changing into different states of matter; liquid, gas, and solid. In liquid form he can fit thru the tiniest of cracks. In gas form he turns into a cloud able to to rain lightning bolts. In solid form he is an immovable obstacle. Now close your eyes and imagine the kind of platforming gameplay possibilities!
It's great to see big developers taking a risk and making something different. I remember video games used to be as diverse as people. I hope Dewy's Adventure is just the beginning of a video game renaissance. I can't wait!
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April 18, 2007
Super Radtacular!
Those Insomniac peeps, I tell ya are ACES with me. Here's the story. Tune in April 22 for Extreme Home Makeover. Unless you're heartless, the episode will move you to tears. It involves a boy name James Westbrook who was paralyzed in a car accident in 2006. He has had a really hard time adjusting but still dreams about becoming a video game designer one day. To make the story even more heart wrenching is his father Gene Westbrook who was also paralyzed while serving in Iraq!
As you can imagine, the medical bills are mounting and their current home isn't equipped for wheelchairs which is where Extreme Home Makeover steps in. As an extra bonus, all 160 employees at Insomniac Games were hard at work creating a digital playable James for their next entry in the Ratchet and Clank series on the PS3. He comes equipped with space suit and flying saucer!
"We were immediately moved to do something special for the Westbrook family when we learned about the tragic situation and James' passion for video game design," said Ted Price - founder and CEO of Insomniac Games.
"For all of us at Insomniac, this opportunity to help such an amazing family with our game-making experience was a real honor. We've never inserted a member of the public into our video games and we think it's incredibly appropriate that James will be the first to enjoy that unique experience."
I love those Insomniac Guys. There were named one of the best companies to work for in America and they're located right in my city - Burbank. It's amazing they rallied the entire company to make this happen.
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April 13, 2007
Treasure Island-Z Looking Fantastic
I live for games like this. The cell shading is reminiscent of Zelda The Wind Waker which by and far I still feel one of the most visually impressive games last generation. By the looks of this video, Treasure Island-Z stands to be the same. It's like playing a cartoon come to life. On top of that, the lucky few who have played thru a demo are gushing over how it brings point & click action adventure games back from the dead. A true showpiece on imagination and creativity. I mean look at him! He's a pirate with a giant bell as a weapon and some strange flying monkey as a sidekick!
Bring it on Capcom!
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Sony Says Yay To Virtual Reality 3D
It seems Sony is not content with losing the "we are the innovators" tag line so in an effort to do something that can truly revolutionize gaming, they've been working on a new type of VR 3D controller.
As illustrated in this patent, it's a handheld computer interactive device that incorporates motion sensors (hello Wii), multi-touch dexterity (hello Apple) and tactile feedback. The device allows the user to grab and manipulate on screen objects in 3D space, assigning different functions to each finger.
They make no mention of when such a device will see the light of day but I am sooooo ready for it. Just look at the hands! Don't they look like they're having fun? Image the kind of gameplay possible with this controller. It's like Minority Report sooner than later.
via Unwired View
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