Minecraft – Why It Isn’t On Steam

Steam is the most popular download service for games on the PC. However, one of the most popular PC games in Minecraft isn’t on there and creator Markus “Notch” Persson explained why.

“Steam is the best digital distribution platform I’ve ever seen. I’ve spent incredible amounts of money on it, and I own a crazy amount of games on it. It runs great, offers great services like that shift+tab stuff, and it remembers my credit card details so there’s no barrier for me when I want to buy a game. The only downside I can think of is that offline mode is a bit flimsy, and that the game list is sometimes full off DLC releases for stuff I don’t even own, and those are some tiny complaints!”

“But being on Steam limits a lot of what we’re allowed to do with the game, and how we’re allowed to talk to our users. We (probably ) wouldn’t be able to, say, sell capes or have a map market place on minecraft.net that works with steam customers in a way that keeps Valve happy. It would effectively split the Minecraft community into two parts, where only some of the players can access all of the weird content we want to add to the game,” he added. “We are talking to Valve about this, but I definitely understand their reasons for wanting to control their platform. There’s a certain inherent incompatibility between what we want to do and what they want to do. So there’s no big argument, we just don’t want to limit what we can do with Minecraft. Also, Steam is awesome. Much more awesome than certain other digital distribution platforms that we would NOT want to release Minecraft on.”

Source: http://notch.tumblr.com

Epic Mickey 2 In The Cards

Sources are pointing to Epic Mickey 2 being beyond the concept phase of development. A poll by the company is asking for users to select from a variety of titles for the game including Epic Mickey 2: Return of the Mad Doctor, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Epic Mickey 2: Mystery on Mean Street.

Additionally, reports are that Oswald The Lucky Rabbit playable will be playable using a two-player split-screen option, where he can fly like a helicopter and use lightning powers. While Epic Mickey released as a Wii exclusive, the sequel is being planned for Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Source: Destructoid

Nintendo Discusses Why HD Is The Difference For Wii U

There was something of a divide between gamers who preferred the Wii and those that preferred the PS3/Xbox 360. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and designer Shigeru Miyamoto hope to bridge the gap between casual and core console gamers with the Wii U.

“This is something that has been pointed out by developers outside of the company. Including HD support, there had been times up to now where you could do things on other companies’ hardware, but was difficult to do on Wii,“ said Iwata. “With Wii U, I also wanted to alleviate those restrictions as much as possible.”

“One of the key reasons that such things as the core and the casual exist today is that we decided not to adopt HD on the Wii console. Of course, besides that there are things like issues with the controller and the challenges that it brings, network functionalities and many other things, but I think HD was the biggest factor that everyone was able to clearly understand the difference,” said Miyamoto. “In terms of the HD capabilities, Wii U can do something similar, and on top of that, it is equipped with this new controller that adds an entirely new structure to games. I think this is an opportunity for those games that were considered to be core up to now, to evolve into something even more interesting, structurally.”

Source: Iwata Asks

Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Eyeborg Documentary

Deus Ex: Human Revolution deals with a near-future world where cyborgs and “transhumanism” is central to everyday life. Square Enix wanted to see how close we are in everyday life to the reality of the game and commissioned filmmaker Rob “Eyeborg” Spence to investigate prosthetics, cybernetics and human augmentation today.

 

Batgirl Mantle Returns To Barbara Gordon

While Barbara Gordon is probably the character most recognized as Batgirl, due to her appearances as such in various television shows, in the comics she hasn’t held the mantle since the ’80s. That will all change very soon, however, as DC looks to reboot Batman and other staple franchises.

“It’s tremendously exciting to see her smiling on the cover of her own hit book finally, ready to kick ass against Gotham City’s worst monsters,” said the series’ writer, Gail Simone.

Barbara Gordon was famously paralyzed by the Joker, and has since assisted Batman as computer hacker and information broker Oracle. This made her a prominent hero to the disabled community, being one of the only prominent characters in mainstream comics that’s confined to a wheelchair.

“For me personally, she’s always been such an inspiration,” said writer and comic book fan Jill Pantozzi, who has muscular dystrophy. “Seeing a character who’s similar in some ways is an important thing,” Pantozzi said. “Everyone wants someone they can look up to.”

While Barbara Gordon is taking a more pro-active role in her crime-fighting, the time she spent as a paralytic will remain part of her past. “We thought when you see her recovering from that, it would continue to add nuance and depth to the character,” said co-publisher Jim Lee.

While Pantozzi is disappointed in the chance, she says she’ll give the relaunch a chance. “Barbara Gordon’s an awesome character no matter what she’s doing,” she said.

Source: New York Post

Gears Of War 3 Sets Pre-Order Records

Epic Games has revealed that Gears of War 3 is the fastest selling Xbox exclusive title ever. The game has racked up over 1.3 million pre-orders so far.

Also, they announced that a Gears of War 3 season pass will be available. For $30, you’ll net the first four DLC offerings for Gears of War 3, plus they will have exclusive access to the Liquid Metal Weapon set.

Legend Of Zelda Holds Gold Wii Remote Plus Aloft

Nintendo of America have announced a limited-edition release of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. For $70, fans can receive a copy of the game with a special gold Wii Remote Plus.

“As an additional 25th anniversary treat for fans who purchase the game early, every copy in the initial production, whether sold by itself or as a part of the limited-edition bundle, will come with a free CD featuring select orchestral arrangements of iconic music spanning the history of the franchise which will be performed at The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert performances in October 2011,” added Nintendo.