VentureBeat » Darksiders

Nordic Games exec: Expect new games for THQ’s smaller properties — but not Darksiders

Jeffrey Grubb — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:27:48 +0000

By now you know that Austrian company Nordic Games Group purchased many of the remaining properties from the collapsed THQ. That includes Red Faction, MX vs. ATV, and Darksiders (and about another 150 others).

Following the auction, GamesBeat caught up with Nordic Games founder and chief executive officer Lars Wingefors. We asked what got him involved in the bidding and what his plans for the future are. He explained that he wanted Nordic in on the bidding as soon as he found out that THQ was going bankrupt.

“I wanted the smaller assets,” Wingefors told GamesBeat. “Pretty much everything that was left after the February auction. We were part of the auction in December, but we decided not to go for one of the big IPs because it was just too much money. I don’t want to own a studio. I’d rather own the rights to the IP.”

That’s what ended up happening.

On Monday, the results of the second auction went public. Homeworld went to Borderlands developer Gearbox, and Nordic got just about everything else for $4.9 million.

How are these games worth $4.9 million?

Now, the question is what’s next for these games? But we also wanted to know what makes them worth nearly $5 million to Wingefors.

“Why not? I know how well the game did as physical products,” he said. “I know the millions of gamers that bought them. I know the math of the commercial side of it. Most of the titles that are producing income generate revenue every minute.”

Nordic first plans to cash in on catalog sales. Wingefors wants to let the quality games he now owns work for him by generating revenue through digital platforms.

“It will be a long transition period,” he said. “Most of the titles are already available online, but a lot of the assets aren’t available. That’s one of our first goals: to bring these games to online retailers.”

So keep an eye on Steam, Amazon, and Good Old Games, but Wingefors even wants to talk to Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft about getting some of these older titles on their platforms.

“I realize the potential of this,” said Wingefors. “I realize that THQ spent a lot of money on these games, and it had a lot of talented studios making great games.”

Nordic hopes the future sales of those catalog games will pay for the investment on their own, but Wingefors doesn’t just want to sit on his new IPs while they grow stale.

The future of Darksiders, Supreme Comannder, and more

“A lot of those developers are still around,” said Wingefors. “Now we just need them to stand up and tell us if they’re interested in doing something new with these properties.”

Nordic wants to approach the teams that originally built these games.

“I believe firmly that we should try to work with the original creators first to see if they want to bring out sequels,” said Wingefors. “They would be best fitted to take the games back to their roots.”

While going back to the original creators is probably one of the best options, it’s not always possible. The team that created Darksiders has dissolved and then Crysis developer Crytek absorbed many of them for a new studio. In cases like that, Nordic will have to look elsewhere.

“I do expect new titles from these properties in the next few years,” he continued. “I have a team in Austria, and they know these products really well now. They’ve had conversations over the past 72 hours about making something good happen with these IPs.”

Although Darksiders fans probably shouldn’t rejoice quite yet. Wingefors worries about the scope of a project like that.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say something will happen with the largest IPs, like Darksiders, only because its such a big product,” said Wingefors. “It will be easier with the smaller IPs.”

Is Nordic the best company to take over these franchises?

That brought up an interesting point in our conversation. If Nordic would struggle with something like Darksiders, then is it really the best company to take over these properties?

Wingefors paused for a moment before answering.

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “I think so … yes. We’re different. We don’t think like everyone else. I have a plan, and I’m not going to sit on these games. My plan is to make something good with them. We saw, after the auction, everyone on the forums saying: ‘Who the fuck is Nordic Games?’ But we’ve done this for 20 years. I don’t have the ego to mandate my desires across the industry until I have a plan to do something.

“I think we have the people to make this happen.”

Filed under: Games

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GamesBeat weekly roundup: A new social gaming King, big Xbox announcement May 21, and more

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:23:27 +0000

If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.

This week, Microsoft announced that it will unveil the new Xbox console on May 21, Nordic Games Licensing acquires both Darksiders and Red Faction from the THQ bankruptcy auction, and Candy Crush developer King overtakes Zynga as the largest social gaming company.

You’ll also find reviews of Monaco, Dead Island: Riptide, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and Defiance, as well as previews for Call of Juarez: Gunslinger and Kingdom Rush: Frontiers.

News

Mobile News

Earnings and Acquisitions

Tech

Woops

Nintendo’s new plan

Nextbox

Microsoft officially revealing next-generation Xbox on May 21

All This Funding

Reviews

Previews

Interviews

Pieces of Flair

Filed under: Games

Darksiders lead designer has a message for the new owner

Jeffrey Grubb — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:30:32 +0000

When THQ collapsed earlier this year, the developers from Vigil Games left to create a new company within Crytek. In doing that, the new studio, known as Crytek USA, had to leave behind its beloved Darksiders license.

Crytek USA founder and former Darksiders lead designer David Adams revealed a few weeks ago that he would attempt to bid on the Darksiders license because, as he put it, “it belongs at home with its creators.” Yesterday, we learned that Adams and Crytek did not win the rights to Darksiders. Instead, Nordic Games Licensing took control of the action-adventure franchise. Now, Adams has reached out to GamesBeat with a few words for Nordic:

Following their recent acquisition of the Darksiders IP at auction, I would like to wish Nordic Games all the best with their future plans for the series. Darksiders is a franchise I’m naturally very passionate about. Over a period of several years, I and my close friends and colleagues at the former Vigil Games invested a lot of energy into the series, and we’re glad to know Darksiders continues to excite and generate a high level of interest among players, publishers and developers.

Nordic bid $4.9 million to grab the rights to Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs ATV, and many other now former THQ properties. The European publisher immediately opened a special forum on its website to discuss the future of the properties with curious fans. On that forum, a Nordic Games spokesperson said that the Darksiders series is not over but that company is still analyzing how to proceed.

We’ll have more from Nordic Games in the coming days.

Filed under: Games

Nordic Games Licensing acquires Red Faction, Darksiders, and other THQ assets for $4.9M

Dean Takahashi — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:16:29 +0000

Nordic Games Licensing has paid $4.9 million to acquire Red Faction, Darksiders (pictured above), MX vs ATV, and other game properties from THQ. Altogether, THQ raised $6.55 million in its final auction of its last remaining assets.

Nordic acquired Darksiders, Red Faction, Homeworld, MX vs ATV, Destroy All Humans!, Summoner, Marvel Super Hero Squad, Supreme Commander, and other properties. The deal is subject to a bankruptcy court approval.

The acquisition will give some an injection of brand power to Nordic Games, which has published games such as Painkiller HD, Singstar, and Book of Unwritten Tales. Nordic’s upcoming games include The Raven and Deadfall Adventures.

As reported earlier, Gearbox Software paid $1.3 million for Homeworld, a sci-fi game property created by THQ’s Relic Entertainment. THQ acquired the rights to Homeworld when it bought Relic for $10 million in 2004.

THQ got 17 bids. 505 Games paid $300,000 for Drawn to Life and Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter.

THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December. In a prior auction, THQ sold three of its studios and a number of games in development. It sold off Turtle Rock Studios’ Evolve, Homefront 2, Metro: Last Light, and South Park: The Stick of Truth. The sales netted the bankrupt company more than $72 million.

The sales will be finalized on May 13. Nordic is opening forums to talk with players directly about the future of the THQ franchises. Altogether, Nordic is getting more than 150 titles.

Under the deal, Karlstad, Sweden-based Nordic Games Licensing is acquiring the titles and Nordic Games, based in Vienna, Austria. Nordic Games previous acquired game publishers JoWooD and DreamCatcher.

“First and foremost we are very happy about this deal which also turns over a new leaf for the entire Nordic Games Group. In the long term, we either want to cooperate with the original creators or best possible developers in order to work on sequels or additional content for these titles” said Lars Wingefors, the owner and CEO of Nordic Games, in a statement. “A very important point for us is not to dash into several self-financed multi-million dollar projects right away, but rather to continue our in-depth analysis of all titles and carefully selecting different financing models for developing new instalments of acquired IPs.”

Other titles that Nordic picked up include Titan Quest, Frontlines, Stuntman, Juiced, and Full Spectrum Warrior.

Filed under: Games

Gearbox Software wins auction for Homeworld

Dean Takahashi — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:18:22 +0000

Gearbox Software has won the auction to Homeworld game license.

Bankrupt game publisher THQ auctioned off its last remaining assets in an auction on Friday. Gearbox, the maker of hit games like Borderlands 2, came out on top with the license for Homeworld, which developer Relic Entertainment created in 199. THQ acquired the rights to Homeworld when it bought Relic for $10 million in 2004.

Gearbox posted this on its online forum today: “Gearbox Software has prevailed as the highest bidder in the acquisition of the Homeworld franchise from THQ. Brian Martel, Gearbox Software’s Chief Creative Officer, has great love and respect for Relic’s brilliant, fun and innovative game and personally spearheaded the acquisition.”

TeamPixel, a startup that raised money on Kickstarter to buy the Homeworld property, announced that it couldn’t keep up with the bidding and would refund money to its Kickstarter fans.

Homeworld is a real-time space combat game where players fight huge battles with fleets of starships in a real-time 3D space. Battles in Homeworld are similar to the climatic space battle in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

The remaining THQ assets included in the final auction were Darksiders, Red Faction, Homeworld, MX, THQ-owned titles (including Big Beach Sports, Destroy All Humans!, Summoner, and others), and licensed software (Marvel Super Hero, Supreme Commander, and Worms). We’re still looking into who bid on those properties. Polygon reported that THQ got 17 bids. Results will be posted on this site. The auction has raised between $6 million to $7 million in its final round. Gearbox hasn’t said how much it paid for Homeworld.

Filed under: Games

Yep, already a preorder deal on Battlefield 4: premium expansion + $12 off

Dealzon — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:50:38 +0000

This sponsored post is produced by Dealzon.

Hot on the heels of the Battlefield 4 gameplay trailer (and all the glorious screenshots from the Frostbite 3 engine), DICE/EA has announced all preorders of BF4 will receive the Premium Expansion Pack, making it a juicy incentive for fans of the franchise.

To whet your appetite even more, GameFly is offering a 20% off coupon for Battlefield 4, making the game only $48 for PC download. No fuss or mess – just enter the coupon and get $12 off. (Note: You can only use the coupon once per account, so pick your poison wisely).

Android gamers will want to look into this week’s Humble Mobile Bundle, which includes excellent titles such as Plant vs. Zombies and Anomaly Korea. Pay more than the current average of $5.51 and you’ll also get the classic arcade game Metal Slug 3.

Hot deals & recent releases

Q4 2013 release Battlefield 4 (PC Download) — $47.99 at GameFly after coupon. Includes Premium Expansion Pack. U.S. only, sorry everyone else. Console gamers can probably expect a deal from NewEgg in the near future.

Last Sunday’s release: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Nintendo 3DS) — $33.24 plus $0.99 shipping at Kmart. Great sequel to the “classic” GameCube game Luigi’s Mansion. Can you believe that was a decade ago? #oldfart

Last Tuesday’s release: BioShock Infinite (PC Download) — $46.49 at GamesRocket. Straight up discount from this Germany-based retailer. UK/Euro residents should get from GMG which is at £23.99.

April 2: Defiance (PC Download) — $45 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Defiance is promising a “groundbreaking” interactive experience by blending the SyFy show with the shooter MMO. Magic 8 Ball says: Cannot predict now, ask again later.

April 26: Star Trek (PC Download) — $40 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. A Star Trek game based on the movie? Given the paucity of good Star Trek games (Bridge Commander, perhaps?), we’re not holding our breath.

PC download deals

Borderlands 2 (PC Download) — $20.38 at GamersGate. Not the lowest ever for BL2, but it’s close at a few dollars more. Good price for the Steam-activated version.

Saints Row: The Third The Full Package (PC Download) — $13.60 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Sigh. Every time we spot a THQ game, we get a little bit sad inside.

Prototype 2 (PC Download) — $10.49 at GamesRocket. Another decent deal from GamesRocket, making the lowest price we’ve seen so far. The Steam activation code is sent via email.

Darksiders + Red Faction: Armageddon (PC Download) — $1 at HumbleBundle. The dollar’s looking pretty strong when you can buy two games for a buck. This week’s HumbleBundle is an appealing “pay-what-you-want” system with a minimum of $1. If you beat the average price ($6.73 at the time of writing), you’ll also get two other games: Darksiders II and Red Faction: Guerilla. Just buying Darksiders and Red Faction: Armageddon separately at their lowest prices elsewhere would cost $37.

360, PS3, and Wii U deals

Dishonored (Xbox 360, PS3) — $29.99 at Amazon. Not best ever, but a good price for this excellent Steampunk-themed stealth-ish FPS.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Wii U) — $29.99 at NewEgg. The 360 and PS3 versions are also on sale for $19.99 and $24.99, respectively. Metacritic scores of 80%+ for all platforms.

Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Trilogy (PS3) — $22.99 at Groupon. Yes, your eyes have not deceived you – Groupon sells video games in addition to their yet-another-spa-treatment offers. The trilogy includes Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. Next best is $40 at Best Buy.

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days (Xbox 360, PS3) — $5.99 at NewEgg. Hard to believe a popular Xbox 360/PS3 title is only six bucks with free shipping. Reviews are mixed, but one of the main complaints about this FPS is the shaky-cam, which can be turned off in the Options menu. Next best price online is $13 at Amazon, but most retailers are $20+.

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Filed under: Games

THQ to sell off Homeworld, Red Faction, Darksiders in last auction

Dean Takahashi — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 01:18:43 +0000

Bankrupt game publisher THQ said it will sell off some of its remaining game properties in an auction. The company has designated six franchises for separate, individual bids. These include Darksiders, Red Faction, Homeworld, MX, other THQ-owned software (Big Beach Sports, Destroy All Humans!, Summoner, and others) and other licensed software (Marvel Super Hero, Supreme Commander, and Worms).

These will be auctioned off in groups, with the sale processing completing by mid-May. Bidders have to prove they can pay and submit initial bids by April 1 and final bids by April 15. The unsecured creditors committee and the company will determine the winners of the bids. The sales will be submitted to the court for final approval in May.

THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December. Last month, THQ sold three of its studios and a number of games in development. It sold off Turtle Rock Studios’ Evolve, Homefront 2, Metro: Last Light, and South Park: The Stick of Truth. The sales netted the bankrupt company more than $72 million.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat weekly roundup: THQ asset auction, Legend of Zelda in HD, and Atari is bankrupt

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:30:37 +0000

If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.

This week, THQ’s assets went up for auction, leaving Darksiders and its developer Vigil Games without a parent company. Nintendo threw a mini-E3 announcement revealing Wii U updates and an HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, and the long-troubled Atari files for bankruptcy protection.

You’ll also find reviews for Tokyo Crash Mobs and The Cave, as well as previews for Phone Fight and Dead Space 3.

News:

Mobile News:

Interviews:

Previews:

Reviews:

Community Spotlight:

Pieces of Flair:

Filed under: Games

There may be life for Darksiders and other unsold THQ franchises after all

Jacob Lopez — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:40:30 +0000

Fans of THQ’s Darksiders games can take some comfort in knowing that there is still hope left for the franchise, while properties on an indefinite hiatus, like Homeworld, may see a revival. This news comes shortly after the now former publisher THQ announced the sale of its assets in yesterday’s bankruptcy auction.

GameInformer asked THQ president Jason Rubin about the fate of some of the publisher’s unsold franchises, such as Darksiders and Red Faction, to which he responded, “There will be a separate process to sell off the back catalog and IP [intellectual property]. That process will take place in the coming weeks,” as pointed out by Joystiq.

Yesterday, THQ announced that it had raised $72 million in asset sales with several of its studios and upcoming games sold to publishers like Sega and Koch Media (better known for its Deep Silver publishing arm in the U.S.).

However, this only seems to extend to the franchise. Vigil games, developer of Darksiders, received no bids. The studio was shut down, and the employees were laid off. We also learned that the studio had a game in the works codenamed Crawler. Bayonetta maker Platinum Games, the developer working on Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, did reportedly express an interest in the property, and it suggested that it would hire ex-Vigil staffers, according to a GameSpot story. Platinum’s interest in Darksiders is not surprising, considering that it’s a hack-and-slash brawler in the style of the developer’s past offerings.

The selling of THQ’s assets may mean the return of franchises that have been long forgotten by the publisher. Independent developer teamPixel is making a bid on the Homeworld property if it can raise the money through its “SaveHomeworld” campaign on Indiegogo, a crowdfunding site similar to Kickstarter. If teamPixel can pick up the rights to Homeworld, it will take over development of the real-time strategy series.

Filed under: Games

THQ bids farewell after raising $72M in asset sales

Dean Takahashi — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 06:26:38 +0000

THQ bid farewell to the video game industry tonight as it announced court approval for the sale of its assets. The company was one of the largest publicly traded video game publishers in the U.S., but it was brought down by a load of debt, a dearth of hit titles, a shift in gamer tastes, and a bad bet on a drawing tablet.

THQ said tonight that its asset sales raised $72 million, making the total value of its estate worth $100 million when you count certain assets that weren’t up for sale. Lenders and creditors are expected to divvy up the proceeds, and then the company will be no more.

The Agoura Hills, Calif.-based company expects the U.S. Bankruptcy court to enter a formal order on Thursday.

The auction process lasted an exhausting 22 hours, as 10 companies submitted bids. The sales are expected to close on Thursday. As previously reported, the court approved the sale of THQ’s game studios.

Sega bought Relic Studios for $26.6 million; Koch Media bought Saints Row maker Volition for $22.3 million and Metro: Last Light for $5.9 million; Take-Two Interactive bought Evolve for $10.9 million; and Ubisoft bought THQ Montreal for $2.5 million and South Park: The Stick of Truth for $3.3 million. Crytek bought Homefront 2 for $500,000. Nobody bid for Vigil Games, the maker of Darksiders, and that studio will now be shut down. THQ will continue to try selling its remaining assets. A small staff will maintain THQ to assist with the transition.

In many ways, it’s the end of an era. On Twitter and Facebook, many game industry observers lamented the long-expected demise of THQ. The company’s top management team were also sentimental about the end of THQ, but they said they were happy most of their employees will have jobs. It appears that the company’s two top executives are out of jobs.

In a statement, Brian Farrell (pictured right), the chairman and chief executive officer of THQ, said, “While we had hoped that the restructuring process would allow the company to remain intact, I am heartened that the majority of our studios and games will continue under new ownership. It has been my pleasure to work alongside this great group of people, and I am proud of the imaginative and artistic games that our team has created. Although we will no longer be able to work together with a unified mission, I am confident that the talent we have assembled will continue to make an impression on the video game industry. For those whose positions are not likely to continue, I sincerely regret this outcome, and we will be meeting with you over the next few days to discuss the transition.”

Jason Rubin (pictured left), the president of THQ, added, “I was brought in eight months ago to help turn this ship around, and while I’m disappointed that we could not effect a sale for the entire operating business, I am pleased that the new buyers will be providing jobs to many of our very talented personnel. When we first announced the sale process, I said I would be happy if the company’s games and people had a bright future even if it meant I did not have a job at the end of it. And I still feel that way.”

In a more heartfelt tweet, Rubin said, “I am truly sorry for the employees and fans of @vigilgames. It is a travesty that the team and its potential were not recognized.” He also said, “I am truly sorry for the @THQ employees that have lost their jobs. Please know that I did everything I could and understand your pain.”

The U.S. entities of THQ filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 19. Clearlake Capital Group intended to buy the company as a whole, but the court listened to objections and ordered a broader bidding process whereby the assets could be sold separately. Clearlake will get a breakup fee of $1 million.

Danny Bilson, the former president of THQ, tweeted, “Thinking of all the great people who I had the honor of working with at #THQ and wishing them all better days.”

Some tweeters wondered about the fate of unmentioned properties, such as the WWE franchise and the Homeworld property.

The sale of THQ Montreal to Ubisoft has raised questions about the fate of THQ Montreal leader Patrice Desilets, who defected from Ubisoft. Ubisoft told Joystiq that it was too soon to say if Desilets would stay.

Alex Peters, the former head of Relic, has taken a job at Activision.

Filed under: Games

No bids for Darksiders or developer Vigil — employees laid off

Jeffrey Grubb — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:43:42 +0000

We’ve learned the results of the THQ auction. Most of the publisher’s big properties found new homes at other publishers and studios. But one did not.

No new owner ended up with Darksiders developer Vigil Games or the game property itself. These will remain a part of the THQ Chapter 11 case. THQ also didn’t sell its publishing business.

“If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that your position will end,” THQ chief executive officer Brian Farrell wrote in a letter to employees. “A small number of our headquarters staff will continue to be employed by THQ beyond January 25 to assist with the transition.”

So it’s bad news for the team at Vigil. The team just finished Darksiders II a few months ago and probably didn’t have too much work done on its new project.

“We are requesting the ability to offer certain severance pay to minimize disruption for employees of nonincluded entities as they determine the next steps in their careers,” Farrell wrote.

Filed under: Games

THQ auction results: Sega buys Relic, Ubi gets THQ Montreal, Koch lands Volition, and more

Jeffrey Grubb — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:48:57 +0000

The court has chopped up THQ and sold it for parts. The dream of the publisher’s executives to file for bankruptcy and immediately sell the company as a whole is destroyed … its parts were worth too much.

The auction ordered by the Bankruptcy Court of the District of Delaware for bankrupt video game publisher THQ and its assets ended today. Many gamers and developers are worried about the future of the publisher’s development studios, intellectual properties, and employees.

We now know that Clearlake Capital will not take over THQ, and the company’s assets have been sold piecemeal to other publisher:

Studios:

Sega bought Company of Heroes developer Relic for $26.6 million. Zenimax (Bethesda) bid $26.3 million.
Koch Media bought Saints Row developer Volition for $23 million. Ubisoft bid $5.4 million.
Ubisoft bought new studio THQ Montreal for $2.5 million. No other bids.
Darksiders developer Vigil did not find a buyer at this time.

Properties

Crysis developer Crytek purchased Homefront for $500,000. No other bids.
Koch Media purchased Metro property for $5.8 million. Ubisoft bid $5.175 million.
Ubisoft bought South Park rights for $3.2 million. No other bids.
Publisher Take 2 purchased new Evolve property for $11 million. Developer Turtle Rock Studios bid $250,000.

A press release sent out this afternoon said that Koch Media and Deep Silver “will roll out future plans for each franchise [Metro and Saints Row] in the coming months.”

“These franchises hold a special place in the hearts and minds of anyone who loves exceptional video games,” said Geoff Mulligan, the chief operating officer of Deep Silver, Inc. “We’re thrilled to usher in a new era for these franchises and are proud to welcome the visionaries and talented forces at Volition on board.”

Ubisoft also released comment this afternoon. “This deal adds experienced developers to our internal creative teams at a key moment in the cycle of the video game industry,” said Yannis Mallat, the president of Ubisoft Montreal.

Here is the letter THQ chief executive officer Brian Farrell and president Jason Rubin sent to employees, as reported by Kotaku:

To All THQ Employees:

We now have the answers we’ve been seeking through our financial restructuring and
Chapter 11 case. While much will be written, here are the facts of the bids and auction
that occurred t:

Yesterday morning, we received a competing bid for the operating business,
along with Clearlake’s offer, and numerous offers for separate assets.

During an auction process that lasted over 22 hours, the final conclusion was
that the separate-asset bids would net more than a single buyer for the majority
of the company.

Shortly, we will, present the results to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which must
concur with our assessment.

The proposed sales of multiple assets is as follows :

Sega agreed to purchase Relic

Koch Media agreed to purchase Volition and Metro

Crytek agreed to purchase Homefront

Take 2 agreed purchase Evolve and

Ubisoft agreed to purchase Montreal and South Park

We expect these sales to close this week.

Some assets, including our publishing businesses and Vigil, along with some other
intellectual properties are not included in the sale agreements. They will remain part of
the Chapter 11 case. We will make every effort to find appropriate buyers, if possible.

What this means for employees

We expect that most employees of the entities included in the sale will be offered
employment by the new owners. However, we cannot say what these owners may
intend, and there will likely be some positions that will not be needed under the
new ownership. You should receive notice this week or early next week if the new
owners intend to extend employment to you. Please note that the terms of your new
employment, including pay and benefits, may be different from the current terms of
your employment with THQ.

If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that
your position will end. A small number of our headquarters staff will continue to be
employed by THQ beyond January 25 to assist with the transition. THQ has sufficient
resources to pay these employees for work going forward, and we will be contacting
these employees immediately to ensure their continued employment during this
transition period. We are requesting the ability to offer certain severance pay to
minimize disruption for employees of non-included entities as they determine the next
steps in their careers.

We know you will have many questions about this news. We’ll be meeting tomorrow
when we return to talk through this announcement and to answer any questions you
have. You will receive a benefits fact sheet and FAQs with answers to some questions
that may be on your mind. Please review these materials closely.

A personal note

The work that you all have done as part of the THQ family is imaginative, creative,
artistic and highly valued by our loyal gamers. We are proud of what we have
accomplished despite today’s outcome.

It has been our privilege to work alongside the entire THQ team. While the company
will cease to exist, we are heartened that the majority of our studios and games will
continue under new ownership. We were hoping that the entire company would remain
intact, but we expect to hear good news from each of the separate entities that will be
operating as part of new organizations.

For those THQ employees who are part of entities that are not included in the sale, we
are confident that the talent you have displayed as part of THQ will be recognized as you
take the next steps in your career.

Thank you all for your dedication and for sharing your talent with the THQ team. We
wish you the best of luck and hope you will keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Brian Farrell
Chief Executive Officer

Jason Rubin
President

In December, THQ filed for bankruptcy. Clearlake Capital, an equity firm, immediately filed a motion to acquire THQ’s assets intact for $60 million. Earlier this month, GamesBeat reported that THQ’s lenders objected to Clearlake’s acquisition on the basis that a liquidation of assets would likely earn a higher price. The court agreed with that objection, which led to this auction.

Founded in 1989, THQ (which stands for Toy Head Quarters), after acquiring Broderbund’s video game division, produced dozens of games over the past two decades. While never a publisher the size of Electronic Arts, the company found success with games like the WWE wrestling franchise, the Company of Heroes real-time strategy games, and the open-world Saints Row games. It also produced a number of games on popular children’s licenses.

In August 2010, THQ debuted the UDraw GameTablet, a peripheral for Nintendo’s Wii console that allowed players to interact with art-based software. The $70 tablet was something of a surprise success on the Wii. Spurred by the positive reception, THQ decided to double down on UDraw by releasing a version for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

This was a mistake.

In February, THQ discontinued the UDraw tablet. It reportedly had thousands of units sitting in warehouses that it could not get rid of. At this time, the company made a shift from kid-focused games, like its Nickelodeon-branded titles, to focus on premium experiences for the core gaming audience.

The publisher brought in Jason Rubin, founder of popular developer Naughty Dog, to operate as company president. This move was to help facilitate THQ’s renewed dedication to hardcore gaming.

It wasn’t enough, in November THQ defaulted on a $50 million Wells Fargo loan payment. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection not long after.

Filed under: Games

THQ lenders object to its fast-track bankruptcy sale

Dean Takahashi — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:54:37 +0000

Several lenders have filed an objection to THQ’s fast-track bankruptcy sale, in which it filed for bankruptcy protection and organized a quick sale to Clearlake Capital for $60.5 million.

Clearlake will buy THQ, maker of video games such as WWE wrestling titles and the action-role-playing game Darksiders II, if no other bidders appear within 30 days of the filing, which took place on Dec. 19. The objection states that THQ’s bankruptcy was orchestrated to benefit the company’s newest executives and their friends at a financial firm hired to sell THQ.

The lenders provided THQ with loans of $41 million, or 41 percent of its $100 million loan. They include Silverback Asset Management, Third Avenue Focused Credit Fund, and Wolverine Flagship Fund Trading. They own a part of THQ’s 5 percent convertible senior notes due 2014.

Clearlake said it would pay off secured claims for creditors in the amount of $29 million. It would pay $6.65 million, assume $15 million in liabilities, and offer lenders a promissory note of $10 million at a 2 percent interest rate, due in seven years. Clearlake gets a break-up fee of $1.75 million and $500,000 in expense reimbursement if the deal does not go through.

In a filing, the lenders said that the timing of the sale is too short to let interested parties make rival bids. Those potential bidders wouldn’t have enough time to kick the tires on THQ’s assets. It also says that THQ should allow bidders to offer bids for some of THQ’s game properties, rather than buying all of them. The publisher’s hot properties include sandbox game Saints Row, Darksiders, apocalyptic shooter Metro, near-future first-person shooter Homefront, and World War II real-time strategy series Company of Heroes. THQ also has rights to make games based on WWE and South Park.

The filing alleges that Clearlake would have too much control over the process. The U.S. trustee overseeing the case, Roberta DeAngelis, filed similar objections.

THQ hired its new president, Jason Rubin, and his partner, Jason Kay, in the spring of 2012. The filing says that in June or so, the two Jasons orchestrated plans to take over THQ and gain significant upside, if they executed a turnaround. They hired Centerview Partners to handle a sale of THQ or find new investors for it. The lenders who objected clearly wanted THQ to consider selling off its game properties piecemeal, but Centerview shopped the company as a whole. The lenders allege the liquidity crisis was “manufactured.”

Still, on Nov. 7, Wells Fargo sent a letter to THQ saying it was in default on its credit facility. THQ said that one of its problems was that its cash held overseas could not be brought back to the U.S. without taxation. Wells Fargo held off on proceeding with default process as long as THQ kept it informed of its finances on a weekly basis. The lenders appear to be critical of THQ’s decision to preserve its game development teams at the cost of draining reserves of cash.

THQ hasn’t responded to a request for comment.

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Concept art vs. character models: A visual comparison (gallery)

Samir Torres — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 18:00:33 +0000

Every video game character you’ve ever loved (or hated) started as a rough sketch during early development stages. Some artists nail the appearance of the hero, villain, monster, or scenery on the first few tries, but designers usually go through dozens of doodles before reaching the final, definite look.

Check out this hand-drawn concept art from 15 popular characters and see how much they resemble their finished in-game 3D models.

Filed under: Games

Game industry pros confess their piles of shame!

Rus McLaughlin — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:00:52 +0000

I have never, ever played a Fable game. I always intended to throw on one of Peter Molyneux’s fantasy epics and take it for a spin, and hey, I still do. Someday. Really.

But the simple fact is this: If you game, you’ve got a pile of shame … that list of titles you haven’t played yet but fully intend to. Someday. Really.

Nobody likes to admit it, but few of us have the money and time to play everything we’re interested in. In fact, the number of missed opportunities just grows and grows as shiny distractions (work, family, newer games that look really cool) come into the picture. So as we come out of the summer doldrums and into a very busy gaming season, we asked some of most influential names in the industry to publicly humiliate themselves by telling us what’s still on their piles of shame.

And they didn’t all answer. But here’s who did.

Cliff Blezinski: former design director, Epic Games (Gears of War)

I’ve yet to go back to Batman: Arkham City because I can’t find the darned disc in my cluttered setup.

Jenova Chen: cofounder, Thatgamecompany (Journey, Flower)

I haven’t played Deus Ex: Human Revolution after the first boss. It’s the game of the year for our lead engineer, John Edwards, so that means a lot. But I haven’t got time to go back to it yet.

Dan “Shoe” Hsu: editor-in-chief, GamesBeat

Mass Effect 2. I don’t understand what all that hub-bub was about the ending to the Mass Effect storyline. We’re still not even halfway through the trilogy, right? Right?

Sigh … yes, this is my big shame game. I’m not even finished with Mass Effect 2 yet. I know it’s something I need to get through — Mass Effect is a major franchise in gaming, after all — but I just can’t seem to find the time. Actually, that’s not true. I somehow scraped together 188 hours for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

I honestly don’t know what it is about this series. I loved the first game, but it took me over a year and a half to beat it because I was constantly leaving it, then coming back, and then leaving it again. For all of 2012, ME2′s been sitting next to my TV, beaming subliminal messages to my brain: “Play me … play me. …” But it hasn’t worked. Now that Borderlands 2 is here, and all the other fall games are arriving soon, I’m afraid part two of this sci-fi trilogy will just have to wait a bit longer.

Morgan Webb: co-host, X-Play

Spec Ops: The Line. Everyone tells me it’s really good. Everyone tells me about the crazy tough choices you have to make. And I even bought it. It is still in the plastic and will likely remain so until about January. It’s not a very large pile. I try really hard to keep up with things. And seriously, Shoe needs to play Mass Effect.

Frank O’Connor: franchise development director, 343 Industries (Halo 4)

Working on Halo is a pretty involved process. There’s the work, of course – story, universe building, endless meetings, travel … most developers know the score there. But you compound that work with home life, raising an angry 3-year-old, taking out the trash, fixing the sewer, making dinner – there just aren’t that many hours in the day. And so when I do play games in my downtime, they tend to be Halo. Take-home tests, matchmaking, just a ton of Halo stuff. So my pile of shame is almost limitless. And to prove that point, my main shameful miss is a couple of years old, and I still haven’t gotten around to it properly. It’s Red Dead Redemption.

Hardly unusual, but when I did finally put it in my drive, I immediately knew this was a place I wanted to inhabit. And I got as far as the first horse race, couldn’t beat Bonnie around her ranch, and that’s where I left it. Right back to Halo stuff. I also have a miserably small completion ratio of Forza, and in fact I have not unlocked the Halo Warthog that’s squirreled away in there. The least dusty, still-shrinkwrapped item on that pile is Borderlands 2.

I still haven’t seen the new Batman, either, and I only saw Cabin in the Woods because it was on my plane. I genuinely feel actual shame because part of my job is to understand why other games are cool and expose myself to new experiences. I feel like I should really just take a couple of months off to reengage and immerse myself in what’s new and what’s awesome.

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In Darksiders II, Death overstays his welcome, but he can still wield a scythe with style (review)

Rob LeFebvre — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:33:06 +0000

Whirling scythe blades fly across the dungeon, splitting skeletons, mummies, and wraiths into gorgeously rendered bits and pieces. Clearing the space is an effort of strategically skillful button mashing, a matter of urging Death, one of the terrifying Horsemen of the Apocalypse, to swipe, slash, evade, defend, and activate special skills to rid the realms he travels of corruption in order to prove his brother’s innocence and restore humanity to the mortal plane.

If only the beings along the way weren’t so demanding about fetching them this or that dead lord or this or that piece of an ancient artifact. I am Death, goddamnit. I do not do fetch quests.

Except that I do.

Set during a similar timeline as the first Darksiders game, the sequel plays to the cheap seats with melodramatic, operatic motives and plots, telling a tale of Corruption, doomed souls, and a pantheon of major and minor godlike beings culled from a variety of Western mythologies.

THQ’s Darskiders II is a sprawling epic that ranges across three major worlds: The Tree of Life, The Tree of Death, and Earth. Combine the mechanics of God of War, Prince of Persia, Diablo III with the visual style of Warhammer, World of Warcraft, and the Spawn comics, and you have Darksiders II. Death, the brother of War (the star of the first game), is out to restore humanity to Earth after the brothers allegedly triggered the Apocalypse just a bit too early.

Oops.

Death is sure that War is innocent of this charge and tears through into hordes of demons, skeletons, and monsters to prove it. Yet his travels keep taking him hither and yon on the way to his ultimate goal, the Tree of Life, which he hopes holds the exonerating answers he seeks.

WHAT YOU’LL LIKE

Lots of loot
Darskiders II has a dozens of chests to rip into. Death doesn’t just open them, either. He uses his magical door-opening disembodied arms to tear each and every chest asunder, loot exploding out in all directions. Most of this include gilt, or gold, which Death can use to upgrade weaponry, purchase combo moves and potions, and so on.

The user interface does a great job of letting players know if found loot is better or worse than currently equipped items. Death carries scythes for fast attacks that he can combine into whirling-dervish attack moves that just look fantastic on screen. He also carries a secondary weapon — either hugely damaging slow warhammers or battle axes or gauntlets with a little faster refresh. The armor includes boots, gauntlets, shoulder pads, and cloaks, each adding defense points to help Death stand just a few more hits and take just a little less damage. Half the fun here is in keeping Death’s equipment upgraded, his weapons causing the most damage as possible, and using other items to give you better and better stats.

Fluid animations, heroic vistas, and distinctive design
Darksiders II is gorgeous. As players will be staring at it for 20 hours to 40 hours, easy, it’s great that the levels, characters, and combat animations are lush and beautiful. The color palette for Death is browns and shades of gray, with bright, shiny greens and purples for the magical effects he carries around on his wrists. The Maker’s realm is lush greens and browns, natural earth tones, while the Land of the Dead is all lifeless grays and browns. Skulls cover the doors in this second realm, with eyes that light up green as Death approaches.

Minuscule loading times
See? It totally is possible to create a game that feels huge without separate between-environment loading screens. On very few occasions, between larger environments, a loading icon comes up. And then it goes away, superfast. I was never waiting for the game to get back to the action, not once. However they did it, the developers deserve credit for this, because it really added to my enjoyment.

The small touches
You know those Continue screens in most games? They look like a slash screen, may include some camera panning around, focusing on a generic environment or prerendered character model, and are rather disconnected from the gameplay. In Darksiders II, the Continue screen looks very similar. Death stands there, full of menace, plasma swirling around his fists. Yes, he does look like he’s wearing his most current outfit. And, yes, that is the same environment you last left him. And, wow, when I hit the button, the camera pans around behind him, and there we are, in the very spot we left. It’s a subtle, well-designed way to get players back into the action as soon as possible.

Fast travel is another well-implemented and subtle touch. You can easily access it from the map. It allowed me to play the way I always play games like this first time through: rushing through to the end, not stopping for the scenery along the way, aiming for the main quest goals like some sort of demented bulldog with a tug-of-war toy in its mouth.

The voice work and soundtrack
Michael Wincott (The Crow, Alien Ressurection) voices main character, Death. The voice is as gruff and gravelly as we’d all expect from the incarnation of Death, but Wincott plays him full of different tones and auditory colors, helping players connect with the main character. How do you make one of the scariest Horsemen of the Apocalypse sympathetic? Get a fantastic actor to play him.

Even the supporting characters and voices are extremely well done. The disembodied voices in the Gilded Arena are scary; pitched higher and raspier than any other voices, it gives them a quality of madness that feels especially creepy. I hear these voices in my nightmares.

Jesper Kyd‘s (Assassin’s Creed, Borderlands, Hitman) soundtrack is as lush and gorgeous as the artwork, bringing to mind the better film and television soundtracks of late, such as Game of Thrones. I might even go so far as to recommend the soundtrack to folks who aren’t actually playing through the game – it’s that good.

The story
The story is full of operatic melodrama, brought to life with full comic-book gravitas. Everyone speaks as if the world depends on each of their sentences, and if using the internal logic of the game, it does. The timeline of the events in Darksiders II is apparently the same as the events in the first game, though with a different set of maps and story beats. Each new cutscene tells a little bit more of what’s going on, and the initial start up screens recap the story with an image and a voiceover, similarly to the Final Fantasy XIII recaps. While Darksiders II’s story is far more comprehensible than that of FFXIII, a quick reminder of where we’re at in the story is a nice touch.

Filed under: Games

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What goes well with a new game? A free old game

Evan Killham — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:51:52 +0000

The game industry may never stop making overly elaborate special editions for its products, but in recent years, developers and publishers have offered alternatives to “cat helmets” and night-vision goggles by giving away full versions of older games with the purchase of newer ones.

We recently reported about Capcom’s plans to include the complete Resident Evil library (via digital download codes) with new Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 copies of its upcoming survival-horror game Resident Evil 6 this fall, but Capcom is not alone. Other companies have been releasing similar package deals for a while now, including:

Publisher Electronic Arts included a free download code for the original American Magee’s Alice with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 copies of last year’s follow-up, Alice: Madness Returns. The company also offered complimentary copies of its online shooter Battlefield 1943 with the limited edition of 2010′s Battlefield: Bad Company 2. EA promised PlayStation 3 owners who purchased last fall’s Battlefield 3, the latest installment in the series, would also receive a copy of 1943 but went back and forth on the deal before finally making good on it. The PlayStation 3 limited edition of EA’s 2010 installment in its first-person shooter series Medal of Honor included a download token for Frontline, the fourth game in the series (released in 2002).

Japanese limited editions of developer Mercury Steam’s contribution to the Castlevania series, Lords of Shadow, contained a free download code for either the PlayStation classic Symphony of the Night (with the PlayStation 3 version) or the multiplayer-based Xbox Live Arcade game Harmony of Despair (with the Xbox 360 version). North American customers who bought Lords of Shadow at Best Buy received a download code for Symphony of the Night for both the Xbox and PS3 versions of the game.

U.S. residents who bought publisher THQ’s post-apocalyptic action game Darksiders received a free-ish copy (by mail) of 2009′s destruction-based action game Red Faction: Guerilla. Last fall, THQ also offered PlayStation 3 owners a free download of its insane open-world action-adventure game Saints Row 2 with the purchase of Saints Row: The Third.

The collectors’ edition of the recently released Diablo III included, among other things, a creepy replica demon skull and a USB stick containing Diablo II and its expansion pack, Lord of Destruction.

Japanese fans of the Square Enix/Disney collaboration Kingdom Hearts can pick up the 10th Anniversary Box, which includes the new Nintendo 3DS release Dream Drop Distance along with physical copies of previous installments 358/2 Days and Re:coded for the DS.

This trend is continuing with upcoming releases, like the aforementioned Resident Evil 6. Developer Irrational Games is throwing in a free copy of BioShock with PlayStation 3 versions of BioShock Infinite when it comes out in February 2013. The God of War: Ascension Omega Edition (pictured above) will contain physical copies of every game in the series on Blu-ray. Here’s hoping more publishers and developers keep it going; gamers only have so much shelf space for tiny helmets.

Filed under: Games

Fan-made Darksiders costume rivals Hollywood’s best

Sebastian Haley — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:00:55 +0000

Cosplay — like any hobby — has its ups, its downs, and occasionally, its Birdos. But every once in a while, someone knocks the costuming out of the park, and that’s exactly what French cosplayers “Shoko” and “Jérôme” have done with this War costume from the original Darksiders game.

The piece debuted earlier this year at the Made in Asia 2012 video game expo in Brussels, Belgium. You can see the armor and especially the sword in greater detail in this video, though be warned: it’s not alone.

In addition to the collaborative Darksiders effort, Shoko also has some excellent Final Fantasy XII and Wild Flower cosplay. You can find a couple of those shots in the gallery below (as well as a reference image of War in-game), and more on her DeviantArt page.

Filed under: Games, OffBeat

Gamers: Get the most out of your Android device

Jeffrey Grubb — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:10:22 +0000

It’s pretty old at this point, the notion that iOS has all of the games while Android’s Play Store (recently changed from the Market) wallows in a ghetto. No one denies that Apple’s app ecosystem is more robust in its offerings, but that fact alone doesn’t really matter to people who only have an Android device. It’s pointless to tell someone with the Galaxy Nexus, Android’s latest flagship handset, that the iPhone 4S has Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, and the Nexus doesn’t. That’s about as helpful as teasing a diabetic about the best donuts at Krispy Kreme. Not that owning an Android should be compared to losing the ability to process sugar….

Google’s mobile platform has a lot to offer people who love games. Pinball Arcade and Angry Birds Space are great, but the operating system also has excellent supplemental apps for game-distribution service Steam, rental program GameFly, and news. So no more teasing, just straightforward advice to help everyone squeeze the most out of their Android phones or tablets:

10 must-have Android games:

Let’s start here. After installing Facebook and Twitter, a lot of people are going to look into downloading something fun. Well here’s 10 of them to get you started.

10. Scramble with Friends

This is Zynga’s take on the classic word game Boggle. The company applied its own Words with Friends treatment to create another excellent asynchronous multiplayer experience. Only unlike that Scrabble-clone, Scramble doesn’t suffer from an epidemic of cheaters. Special moves that freeze the clock or twist the playing field help maintain parity between differently skilled players. Scramble with Friends is available for free or an ad-free version for $.99. (download)

9. ChuChu Rocket!

The old Sega Dreamcast puzzler lives on with touch controls. Direct your mice to their rocket ships (it makes less sense today then it did then) by placing arrow markers on the map with a swipe of your finger. Setting up a perfectly arranged path of arrows and watching the level unfurl exactly as predicted is always satisfying. It has all the content it did back then with hundreds of different levels and several modes. ChuChu Rocket! is available for $.99. (download)

8. Triple Town

This addictive spin on the match-three puzzle game slows things down to a more strategic pace. Instead of manipulating pieces falling from the sky, the player can choose what to introduce onto the field on a turn-by-turn basis. Oh, and it has dead bears that turn into churches. Can’t argue with that science. Triple Town is available for free. (download)

7. Zookeeper DX

Bejeweled clones are plentiful, so choosing between them comes down to taste. For me, the colorful Zookeeper DX is tops. It has two different modes designed around combining three monkeys or hippos or pandas, and yes, it’s as adorable as it sounds. Zookeeper DX is available for $.99. (download)

6. Epic Astro Story

Developer Kairosoft has made a fortune developing its Story lineup of games, but Epic Astro Story is one of its best. It’s a game all about colonizing space with characters like James Turk and Jean Vicard. It probably could have earned this spot simply with its Star Trek references, but this digital crack will eat up two days of your life and make it feel like five minutes. Epic Astro Story is available in a Lite version for free while the full version is $4.99. (download)

5. World of Goo

This indie-gaming favorite has gotten around. Developer 2D Boy has released a version of its weird bridge-building simulator for PC, Mac, Wii, iOS, and now Android. The structure-building mechanics work beautifully with the touch-screen controls, and the gorgeous visuals didn’t lose a pixel in the translation to the smaller screen. It’s also one of those titles that is best experienced with headphones thanks to the exquisite soundtrack. A World of Goo demo is available for free while the full version will run you $4.99. (download)

4. Temple Run

Temple Run adds some complexity to the endless-running style of game (think Canabalt) while maintaining a simple control mechanic. Instead of tapping, players swipe left or right to turn, up to jump, and down to slide. The game also utilizes the gyroscope so that players can swerve while running and collect coins. Plus it gets really intense thanks to the gang of apes chasing you to the beats of ceaselessly thumping drums. Temple Run is available for free. (download)

3. Peggle

The hit pachinko knockoff from PopCap is fun and easy to play, which makes it perfect for your phone. Shooting a tiny ball into a sea of pegs and watching it bounce around is satisfying. Although, everyone who’s played it knows that few things are as exhilarating as hitting the 100,000 point bonus at the end of each stage while Ode to Joy plays you off. Peggle is available for $2.99. (download)

2. Pinball Arcade

Farsight Studios combined accurate real-world physics with officially licensed pinball machines to create a worthy collection of digital tables. This package is filled with machines that you probably only vaguely remember from smoke-filled bars in the ’90s. Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Ye Olde Medieval Madness, and Theater of Magic are just some of playable licensed games in Pinball Arcade. Of course, who cares about pinball if you can’t brag about your high score to friends? Wisely, the leaderboard is tied to your Facebook account, so you can keep tabs on your friends who’re playing on iOS or Xbox Live Arcade as well. Pinball Arcade is available for free. The first pack of four tables costs $9.99 while the second, which comes with two tables, costs $4.99. Alternatively, each table can be purchased individually for $2.99. (download)

1. Plants vs. Zombies

PopCap’s tower-defense game teaches an important skill: gardening in the face of the zombie apocalypse. Players must utilize a variety of offensive and defensive plants in the course of fighting off wave after wave of zombies. It’s a ridiculous premise but a charming one. And when a game is this much fun, it can be about whatever it wants. The PC controls have obviously translated well to the touch screen, and the game just got an update with some bonus content. (download)

Streaming PC games to your Android with OnLive

Peggle on a phone is cute, but what if you could play current-generation hits like Rockstar’s L.A. Noire or THQ’s Darksiders with no loss in graphical quality? OnLive is the service that streams full-featured games to less-powerful hardware using a similar technology to Netflix. It works well most of the time, although latency can sometimes dampen the experience.

Filed under: Games, Mobile

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The 6 best game endings of all-time (and how BioWare would ruin them)

Sebastian Haley — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 21:30:30 +0000

Video game endings tend to feel a lot like an afterthought. Whereas a bad movie only ever consumes two hours of your life, games can have you playing upwards of 100+ hours before reaching the finale, and quite often that payoff is woefully underwhelming. Two big-names examples in just the past few weeks include Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, where the conclusion was given about as much attention as bug-testing in a Bethesda game, and Asura’s Wrath, which has a “true” ending that acts as nothing more than a gateway for “closure DLC.”

And of course, Mass Effect 3’s troubled ending has had myriad repercussions for the entire industry. With that in mind, the GamesBeat review team pooled together some of our all-time favorite climaxes in the hopes of showing modern developers how to end a game the right way.

Super Metroid

Before Aerith’s death in Final Fantasy VII, there was Baby in Super Metroid. Before self-destruct sequences became a staple of the Resident Evil series, Metroid did it first. This game’s ending has it all: suspense, nostalgia, loss, redemption, and an edge-of-your-seat escape as an entire world explodes around you. You can even subtly alter the ending by entering a secret area and helping the friendly Zebes creatures escape. Then, depending on how well you performed throughout the game, you may receive the prize you’ve been waiting nearly a decade for: a 16-bit version of Samus Aran sans her armor. It was all worth it!

The BioWare version: Instead of rushing to your defense, the Metroid larva is shown aboard the Normandy outrunning a solar-system-sized explosion, leaving you to fend for yourself during the final battle.

Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 remains to be one of gaming’s most thought-provoking and unsettling experiences. If David Lynch created a survival horror game, this would be it. Even after several sequels, Konami themselves have failed to capture the essence of what made Silent Hill 2 so affecting (and they have they tried so very, very hard). There are six different endings, with the first four being no more or less perplexing than the game itself. Somehow these are outdone by the other two endings, which involve aliens or discovering a dog has been the mastermind behind all of your internal struggles. Perhaps his owner is the Architect from The Matrix Reloaded?

The BioWare version: The Dog ending is the only ending available. The door on the left reveals a shih tzu, the one down the middle reveals a pug, and the one on the right reveals a corgi.

Darksiders

The original Darksiders wasn’t exactly a perfect game. War, the most badass of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, spends most of his time overcoming contrived puzzles that would make Nathan Drake scoff. However, after the final boss battle, War openly challenges both Heaven and Hell. The archangel Uriel asks, “You would wage this war alone?” “No. Not alone,” War grumbles, just as three meteors plummet from the sky heralding the arrival of the three other Horsemen. It’s the moment players have been anticipating for the entire game, and its execution is handled perfectly.

The BioWare version: Darksiders itself remains untouched, but Obsidian Entertainment replaces BioWare to develop the now-inevitably inferior and “hella buggy” sequel.

The feature continues on the next page.

Filed under: Games, Video

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Darksiders II is a competent blend of Prince of Persia, Devil May Cry, and Castlevania (preview)

Sebastian Haley — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:25:04 +0000

Even before the cliffhanger ending of the original, we all knew a Darksiders II was coming. But developer Vigil Games pulled a fast one and set the upcoming sequel to run parallel to the events of the first game, replacing the brooding War with his equally brooding brother, Death.

After a few hours of hands-on game time and developer interviews, I’ve decided I’m alright with this. Vigil is attempting to create a complex universe, not just a linear narrative, and what they’ve shown off so far seems to be worth players’ time. As Moses from Attack the Block would say, “Allow it.”

WHAT’S LOOKING GOOD

Amazing Joe Mad-inspired visuals

Joe Madureira is unarguably one of the most influential Western comic artists. His impact on the aesthetics of the Darksiders franchise is undeniable — everything from the characters and monsters to the environments have his chunky, signature Anime-inspired style — and the art team on Darksiders II has really pushed their capabilities far beyond what was seen in the last game.

Click to view slideshow.

Bigger in every sense of the word

The visuals are not the only aspect of Darksiders II that have been aggrandized. The world itself is said to be larger than the original game many times over. Just the level shown off in the playable demo, the home of the Makers, was said to be roughly the same size as the entire Darksiders 1 map.

Death is far more agile than War was, so the traversal has been drastically expanded upon as well. It’s hard not to make a direct comparison to the most recent Prince of Persia titles, as the gameplay is practically identical. “Well, we do believe the ultimate measure of success and quality is the execution,” says Producer Ryan Stefanelli. “So whatever we decide to put in … We always said that we’re gamers, and we want to build the kind of game that we want to play. So we just put in the stuff that we think would be really fun. As long as we execute on it really well, regardless of what the comparisons are, it’s going to be well-received.”

The loot system also adds a much-needed layer to the game. If it’s going to be bigger and lengthier, that means that combat is also going to be more frequent, and runs the risk of getting repetitive quickly. By introducing loot into the fray, every battle is one more whack at the pinata, rather than a dull exercise in room-clearing.

“In a game like this you want to explore and go to different nooks and crannies and do different stuff, but often times you don’t really have a lot of rewards for that,” says General Manager David Adams. “It’s just, ‘Yeah, I collected a little medallion that I can turn in for something stupid.’ At least in this game it always gets back to your equipment. If you explore something, you’re going to get an honest reward.”

“I think that’s the key,” adds Stefanelli. “It’s making Darksiders an adventure game and then incentivizing that exploration through a constant reward system, which is what loot is. Every time you see a chest or a creature, it’s exciting because it’s another pull on the slot machine, and that addictiveness that makes loot so compelling in other games, we wanted that in Darksiders.”

“As far as I’m concerned, every game would be better with loot,” jokes Adams. “Madden football should have loot.”

WHAT NEEDS WORK

That *&%$! camera

Among the dozens of journalists and bloggers previewing Darksiders II, the one standout complaint was the camera. I noticed this during the first gameplay demonstration a couple months ago and figured I’d give Vigil a chance to remedy it before holding it against them. However, it seems that the camera — the bane of all 3D adventure games since Mario 64 — may very well be Darksiders II’s biggest fault when it ships in three months.

Occasionally the camera will be automatically placed at a certain angle that hides either Death or nearby enemies. Environmental objects can also block the camera during platforming and traversal sequences, equating to needless frustration.

But the camera issues were most noticeable during the demo’s Guardian boss battle. Fans of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will remember this encounter when it was still called the Ice Titan. Even more so than in Castlevania, however, players will struggle with a low-angled camera against a towering boss creature. Darksiders II is said to have lots of massive bosses, and we’ve been promised that this Guardian fight was just a taste of things to come, so that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Combat

While traversal flows smoothly (and why shouldn’t it? It’s literally copied and pasted out of Prince of Persia), combat is a little clunkier. It’s hard to explain how, but it just doesn’t feel as gratifying as it should. Death seems to have a fairly limited array of moves and combos at his disposal (especially compared to Dante, Bayonetta, or Gabriel Belmont), and the gun weapon is too slow and underpowered to be of any use.

There are two ability trees — the Harbinger and the Necromancer — but the majority of the different options all seem to focus on building up or adding new attributes to a single power.

Again, I can see the loot and different weapon/armor sets saving Darksiders II from tedium in the combat department, but I can’t shake the feeling that after all of Vigil Games’ claims to the contrary, battles are best won by mashing the same few attacks over and over again.

CONCLUSION

Darksiders II is an amalgamation of several other great games: the platforming of Prince of Persia, the combat of the original Darksiders (which itself was a hodge-podge of Devil May Cry-ishness), and the loot system of Torchlight or whatever your dungeon-crawler-of-choice may be. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as it’s done right, yet it’s Vigil’s immensely unique visual design that truly elevates Darksiders II above the sea of action/adventure hack-and-slash titles the industry is currently drowning in.

It won’t be perfect, and it won’t be innovative, but it will be fun, and sometimes that’s enough, especially when it looks this damn good.

Darksiders II is set for a June 26, 2012 release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC. It is being developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ.

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The Four Horsemen joining forces in Darksiders 3?

Sebastian Haley — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:00:11 +0000

The above is the ending to 2010′s Darksiders, which featured War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as the main protagonist. In the cutscene, War’s three siblings (pictured below) are seen coming to his aid, leading gamers to believe that Darksiders II would feature multiplayer, or at least more than one horseman.

Darksiders II was instead revealed to be a parallel story that runs concurrently with the events of the original, and features only Death as the primary character. During our recent interview with Vigil Games Producer Ryan Stefanelli, we asked why the bait-and-switch, to which he replied, “…if we had just rolled straight into the story of the four horsemen and what they were doing together, there would have been a lot of missing elements. The story is fairly complex, there’s a lot of stuff that you see happen in Darksiders II that sets the stage for what may be Darksiders III if we were to go do the four horsemen all together.”

It’s not an outright confirmation, but it’s obviously something the team is thinking about. And no one can be foolish enough to assume that the Darksiders franchise or story will end with Darksiders II. What of Strife and Fury? They’re said to factor into the sequel in some capacity, but will they too get their own games (or perhaps share one) before the timeline picks up from the end of Darksiders 1 and progresses forward? THQ’s not saying, as GamesBeat was officially told, “At this time the focus is solely on Darksiders II.“

You can read the rest of the Darksiders II interview here, along with some admittedly spectacular new screens and video.

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Darksiders II interview: “Death just goes Jack Bauer on everybody’s ass”

Sebastian Haley — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:36 +0000

The original Darksiders was a mostly successful blend of Devil May Cry action, Ocarina of Time puzzles, and Joe Madureira comic art. It told the story of War, one of the Four Horsemen, who had been wrongly accused of starting the Apocalypse. At the end of the game, the other horsemen were seen rocketing through the sky coming to aid their brother, leaving many to rightfully assume the sequel would continue that story and include some sort of multiplayer aspect.

Unfortunately, Darksiders II takes a step back, telling a parallel story where Death has discovered War’s fate, and goes on a rampage in the Nether Realm to garner enough power and allies to save his brother and bring justice to those that framed him. The game is said to be twice the size of the original, and will feature a loot system similar to RPGs like Diablo or Skyrim, where slain enemies drop different types of equipment and armor.

Where War was a powerful but somewhat slow fighter, Death is much more agile. This becomes readily apparent in not only the turbo-charged combat, but also the platforming as well, which was pretty dull in the original. So even though the game may be bigger, players will be able to explore it in a more energetic, exciting way. As the screenshots and video show, it’s also looking phenomenal, easily sporting one of the most inspired and well-realized visual styles of any current generation game.

GamesBeat sat down with Ryan Stefanelli, producer at Vigil Games, to discuss in what ways Darksiders II plans to be superior to its predecessor.

GamesBeat: How much has THQ showed off Darksiders II at this point?

Ryan Stefanelli: Not a whole lot. A couple of levels, the fact that it’s Death, that he’s got a lot of different abilities compared to War. It takes place in the underworld. The storyline’s concurrent with Darksiders one. There’s a lot more depth to Darksiders II in the form of new abilities, skill trees, there’s loot. Let me know if I’m being too vague, but that’s the kind of stuff we’ve gone into thus far.

GamesBeat: You definitely notice that there’s loot and damage counters when you attack or take damage. Why did you add the very blatant RPG elements into the sequel?

Stefanelli: Well, loot is just something that we love. We’re gamers and we love collecting loot, I’m a loot whore, any game that has collecting loot, I’m almost immediately addicted to. It’s all about that slot machine mechanic, right? Every time you kill a creature, something cool is gonna come out. Even if you have the option to, you don’t want to run by something in that case, you want to see what you’re going to get. From that, the damage numbers are important, because if you’re doing statistical management on loot like that, you get something that has, say, 15 strength instead of 10, the delta if you’re smacking a creature and trying to count the number of hits, it’s negligible. But if you can see those damage numbers go up on your hits, you go from 50 damage to 55, then you know you’re making progress. That’s important feedback. If. players want a more pure action experience, all that stuff can be turned off any time. It can just be them and the creature going at it.

GamesBeat: How exhaustive is the loot system? Is it like Torchlight ridiculous?

Stefanelli: We’re going to do a full reveal on the loot at a later date. It’s pretty deep. We’re not skimping on that.

GamesBeat: How many different weapons? He has the scythes and then the claws, but…

Stefanelli: Some of it we showed in there, we have three different types of weapons. There’s the scythe, which is his main weapon. Actually four I guess if you count the gun. The scythe, then two types of secondary weapons, the heavy weapons — which was the hammer that we saw — and then the claw, the fast secondary weapon that we saw. And then the pistol. I will say that within the secondary weapons, there are a couple of different sub-types that add variety to how they’re used. Within the light weapons there’s a couple, within the heavy weapons too. There’s quite a bit of variety.

GamesBeat: With third-person action games, the melee/gun hybrid gameplay has become pretty standard. It’s seen across many, many games now. So how do you go about differentiating that from everyone else?

Stefanelli: I think one of the things that makes it different for us is that, there’s so much more that you can do besides just use your melee weapon and then the gun. The number of combo varieties is pretty vast. You can be attacking with the melee weapon, knock them in the air, shoot them, kind of a trope of the action genre, right? Or you can hit them into the air, slam them into the ground with the ghost hook, or jump in the air, pull them up in the air with the ghost hook, smack them a few times, shoot them. Then you start mixing in the secondary weapon. Hit them with the primary weapon, then the secondary, knock ‘em in the air, juggle them a few times, and on the way back down take a big hit with the secondary weapon. And then cast a spell and have a spell go after them. So I think what differentiates us is the depth of that. We go beyond just a melee weapon and a pistol. You can incorporate secondary weapons, spells, items like the ghost arm. There’s a lot you can do with this. The breadth is pretty cool.

GamesBeat: Is combat generally one-on-one? Obviously Death will be surrounded by multiple enemies, but do his attacks usually just focus on one target at a time while the rest of the AI “waits their turn”?

Stefanelli: Most of his attacks, actually, are AOE. But one of the cool things about the fist weapons, as a secondary weapon, is that they are focused damage. They’re quick strikes on a single target, you can do massive damage to a single target. Whereas the other weapons are a bit more sweeping, because we like to surround people with creatures in Darksiders. That’s core to the experience, feeling like you’re outnumbered but kicking ass anyway. You get surrounded a lot, so the scythe and the heavy weapons are good for that, but when you are one on one with one of the bigger guys, like we saw in the demo — because every now and then it’s just you and a mini-boss or even a towering full-size boss — the fist weapons are pretty lethal in that case.

GamesBeat: You showed three spells, I believe, are there more?

Stefanelli: Oh, yeah, a lot more. We saw a couple of spells from one side of the tree, the Necromancer tree. We didn’t even get into the spells on the other side, the Harbinger tree. Basically, one is melee and one is caster. Caster is tricky because it’s not like you’re ever going to be shooting fireballs, but the summoner stuff, the necromancy, that fits the character of Death. The melee one is more about physical, short-range, in-your-face quick hits. But big, big bangs. We’ll get to show them soon.

GamesBeat: That screen used for the demo was pretty massive and the environments still looked amazing. What have you guys done to amp up the visuals?

Stefanelli: One thing we’re really excited to do with [Darksiders] II is go push the stylistic edge of the game a little bit further than we did in Darksiders one. To go a little bit truer to Joe Mad’s art style. I think we captured it pretty well in Darksiders one, but… It’s tricky, because the game took place on earth. We had this really cool fusion of fantasy meets reality. Darksiders 2 is more about the fantasy, which is something we really wanted to explore more of in Darksiders one, but we didn’t get a chance. Because we’re down in the underworld, it’s just imagination run wild for the most part, and the art team really embraced the opportunity to do that. They’ve really pushed it to the limits in terms of scale and stylistic quality. Color is something that’s very important, adding artistic value to the visuals, so lots of color, lots of richness. We want the screen to be like eye candy.

GamesBeat: Speaking of the first game, what were some of the things you wanted to do, or some of the feedback that you got that you’ve incorporated into this one?

Interview continues on the next page.

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