Time to catch up on what’s been happening on Gamasutra and other Think Services sites so far this week - and there’s some notably diverse features up there, from Mick West on fluid dynamics through an interview with Q’s Reo Yonaga that is particularly GSW-eclectic - and has Tim Rogers question-asking cameos, blimey.
Also in here - more goodness from GameFest, some choice GameCareerGuide.com tidbits, and news of Bruce Sterling keynoting our own Austin GDC event, for some futuristic fun in the Texas sun. Here’s the full line-up:
Gamasutra Features
Q’s Hidden Genius: Reo Yonaga Speaks
“Although Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi is the public face of Q Entertainment, designer Reo Yonaga is a vital collaborator on titles such as Lumines [& Ninety-Nine Nights, pictured!] - and Gamasutra has the first major Western interview with the vibrant developer.”
Practical Fluid Dynamics: Part 2
“Following up his popular recent article, Neversoft co-founder Mick West explains the […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Simon Carless) and software by Elliott Back

Checking recent comments on GameSetWatch often brings up some gems, and a particularly interesting comment was recently made by Craig Sams on a January 2007 GSW post about Namco arcade machine obscurities.
Sams posted a comment about Prop Cycle, Namco’s 2005 dedicated arcade machine which had the player pedaling a bicycle to collect balloons in a vibrant fantasy world in which you must “…Master the Art of Flying and become the Savior of Solitar.” No, really. He noted:
“Propcycle is an example of a brilliant concept that failed in the execution. It cost too much for a person to learn how to fly, navigate, remember the routes and the balloon locations, so most people who tried it quickly ran out of money and looked elsewhere for a game with a gentler learning curve.
Once you got good at it (as I did) then you could play a 4-level game with […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Simon Carless) and software by Elliott Back

Anyone who has read Watchmen and seen 300 knows that Zack Snyder’s upcoming film adaptation of Alan Moore’s greatest graphic novel is going to suck. Nearly very single scene in the trailer is needlessly in slow-motion, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre are about ten years too young and way too slim, and 300 sucked balls anyway.
Yet, saying that, I almost think that the film adaptation will feel like Citizen Kane in comparison to what the episodic game might be like. 
To be developed by Deadline Games (creators of Total Overdose and Faith and .45) and released on PC, PSN, and XBLA, two downloadable episodes will be released: one coinciding with the film’s theatrical release, one with the DVD release.
Given Deadlines’ track record, I cannot imagine the Watchmen episodes will be anything but infuriatingly disrespectful to the source material. The graphic novel had less than ten "action" scenes […]

Original post by mrdestructoid@gmail.com (Destructoid.com) and software by Elliott Back

[In this analysis piece, designer Daniel Cook looks at Nintendo’s Wii Fit to examine and break down the critera that skills - such as exercising or balancing - need to have in order to be turned into video games, suggesting a blossoming of games as we discover those opportunities.]
Recently, my amazing wife picked up a copy of Wii Fit. No, this is not a review.
For the past year, my wife has been dealing with a rather serious, debilitating illness. One side effect is considerable and undesirable weight loss. On the positive side, she has enjoyed shopping for a new wardrobe to match her more petite frame. On the less positive side, many stores no longer carry clothes that are small enough to fit.
So when the Wii Fit first booted up and cheerily prompted her to set a goal, she decided to try to get her BMI back up to […]

Original post by editors@gamesetwatch.com (Simon Carless) and software by Elliott Back

Original post by mrdestructoid@gmail.com (Destructoid.com) and software by Elliott Back

For a second, I was really interested in being buried in a videogame themed coffin. But then I remembered that it would be pointless to get a coffin as I plan on being shot off into the Sun with fireworks strapped all over my corpse. What can I say? I want to entertain people even at my funeral. 
Jonathan Holmes interviews Koji Igarashi of Castlevania fame, Justin previews Requiem: Bloodymare, Niero interviews the new Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft Chris Satchell, some fatty gets upset over a game about fatties, and plenty more happened on Wednesday. 
Wednesday Regulars:Podtoid 62 tonight, say things and then we’ll say things about your thingsScraps: Thank you for being a friend, Estelle Getty (7/23/08)
Original Features:Game Debate to the Death! Best Paper Mario game? [Update]
E3 Originals:Video interview with Castlevania’s Koji "TigerMan" Igarashi
Previews:Early impressions: Requiem: Bloodymare
Destructoid Interview:Chris Satchell wants to make you a garage […]

Original post by mrdestructoid@gmail.com (Destructoid.com) and software by Elliott Back

Yesterday, actress Estelle Getty — best known for her magnificent portrayal of spicy old bat Sophia Petrillo on the 80s television sitcom Golden Girls — passed away. She was 84.
Obviously, we spent most of the day mourning her loss. But we couldn’t pass up these videogame tidbits: 

Join the swinger’s club! Maybe Bionic Command Rearmed comes out next week on XBLA and PSN. [Degenki — Thanks, Buster!]
Or maybe Geometry Wars 2 comes out next week! [Team Xbox — thanks, power-glove!]
We don’t know any insider info, but if we did, we’d say this seems like a pretty likely set list for Guitar Hero World Tour. [covah’s cblog]
Australian equivalent of ESRB rates an unannounced title, Tenchu: Shadow Assault. No one knows what it is! *cough* It’s an XBLA game *cough* [Via UGO]
A wireless skateboard for the Xbox 360 and PS3? Why don’t you learn to ride a real skateboard! [Shiny […]

Original post by mrdestructoid@gmail.com (Destructoid.com) and software by Elliott Back

Yeah, I don’t know either. It would seem Space Giraffe mastermind Jeff Minter was unsatisfied with the reception his Tempest ripoff with llama sounds other XBLA title received, so he’s put on his tie-dyed apron and popped another suckcake into the oven for us.
It’s called Gridrunner +++, and it’s headed for Xbox Live Arcade at some point. There’s no word on a release date yet, but I’d venture to guess it will fall somewhere between "Too Soon’s eve" and "Oh God, why? Day." Also, yes, it’s really called Gridrunner +++.
The screenshot above shows a ship with a … flaming goat-man thing in the background, and that’s all I care to know about it. Interested parties can check out some more screens here, but I should warn you that the link is going to take you to Jeff Minter’s Livejournal.
His screen name is Stinkygoat. 
[Via Gamerytes - Thanks […]

Original post by mrdestructoid@gmail.com (Destructoid.com) and software by Elliott Back

If you’re among those to have been disappointed by the news that Triggerheart Exelica was on the list of games Microsoft would be sweeping under the XBLA rug, here’s some sunshine for you. According to a magazine scan spotted … well, somewhere, the game is on its way to PS2 this Winter, with the title Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced.
A translation of the scan doesn’t reveal a hell of a lot regarding what they mean by "Enhanced," but it does say that the game’s original sassy enemy, Faintear, will now be playable in addition to Exelica and Crueltear. The port will include the standard arcade mode, as well as the story mode that was available on the Dreamcast version but ripped violently from the XBLA game like that dude’s heart in Temple of Doom. Or your own heart that one Valentine’s day. I don’t know, that’s your business, emo kid.
Anyone interested […]

Original post by mrdestructoid@gmail.com (Destructoid.com) and software by Elliott Back

Telltale Games announced today that Sam & Max, everyone’s favorite pair of anthropomorphic animal investigators, will be getting a collectors edition DVD for their second season of downloadable episodes. This DVD will contain the five episodes that make up Season Two, along with behind-the-scenes and other special features like developer commentary and outtakes.
The Sam & Max Season Two Collector’s DVD can be preordered from Telltale’s online store (it’s expected to ship sometime in August) for $34.95. The cool part is if you’ve already bought Season Two (from their site) then this is totally free, aside from shipping and handling! It sure is nice for Telltale to essentially be giving (some of) their early customers a free disk full of shiny extras.
Three new Season Two themed items were also announced, including the two-disk Sam & Max Season Two soundtrack, a case file with Season Two related “evidence,” and a poster print […]

Original post by mrdestructoid@gmail.com (Destructoid.com) and software by Elliott Back