GDC 07: LocoRoco Snubbed at GDC Awards…

 

We reported to you last month that LocoRoco had received 2 GDC nominations. This big feat came as no other portable game was nominated. Competition included Guitar Hero II and Okami, but we expected LocoRoco to beat out the others, just simply because of all the praise it has been receiving lately. Instead, the Game Choice Awards snubbed LocoRoco for the likes of two PS2 games. The snubbing proves that as much as people like this game and many other portables, it seems that very few portable titles will be able to beat out macho console games…

GDC 07: Kuono Seminar Reveals LocoRoco Creation Process…

Tsutomo Kuono, the creator & head-designer of LocoRoco, gave a seminar at GDC07, revealing the LocoRoco creation/design process. He showed people step-by-step how he created the lovable characters we’ve come to enjoy. Kuono revealed that character design process came from real animals (maybe not the LocoRocos, but surely Musukusu and friends).

GDC 07: [UPDATE] GoW Mobile….Confirmed?

Our GDC predictions JUST predicted a slew of new first-party games for the PSP. Yet, now there’s news of God of War portable. It seems as if the God of War instruction pamphlet has been leaked to the public and the back reveals that a portable version of GoW is coming soon. This could set the PSP on its way to victory. Especially considering how fun and engaging this game is.

UPDATE: PSPFanboy just revealed that a Joystiq blogger was speaking to a SONY executive, who was able to confirm God of War Mobile–sort of. The blogger claims that the executive listed a number of games that was coming including this one. The executive pointed to the instruction manual revealing being proof. Wow.

GDC 07: LocoRoco Coming to PS3?

At GDC 07, this picture was caught.

I know what your saying. LocoRoco 2.

In the game Playstation Home, under it’s “Trophy Room”, you will see your game accomplishments. In a demo shown, it showed accomplishments for PS3 Killzone and LocoRoco2, as well as SONY’s new oddball game, Super Rub-a-Dub. To Steven Bailey of PSPFanboy, this means a few things to him, including the addition of LocoRoco 2 to the Playstation Store in the future. To me, I believe that that photo has no “2″ indication in it. It’s my belief that only the original LocoRoco is coming in full-length to the PS3. It will include most of the original levels, and nothing more. It’s hard to believe that several confirmations and a spotted mobile version are all just “rumors”. LocoRoco 2 will in fact, in my opinion, make way to the PSP and PS3 (as Bailey also said). Stay tuned.

GDC 07: Keynote Predictions

Believe it or not, we’re just two days (at least on my side of the world) away from Phil Harrison’s exciting GDC keynote. We’ve been hyping this like no other, but it’s our predictions that may be a good indication of what’s ahead. SONY is trying to restrengthen their image–a lot of which has been tarnished by the PS3’s price and the delay of good first-party games & the PSP’s so called “death”, which is not occurring after all. Yet, SONY has some bright spots and they will [hopefully] try to focus on these points and move towards the future.

GDC 07: 6 Days Left

People always ask me, “Why do you care about GDC so much?”

I reply: “Because this generation’s like no other”.

It really is. We’re talking three manufacturers who each have different things going for them. SONY is strong in the graphics and longevity category with the PS3. Nintendo has the it factor with the Wii. Microsoft has the third-party gaming support for the XBOX 360. With all of these pros, it’s really hard to predict a winner in this current next-generation race, no matter what some pundits are saying. In the handheld market, you’re watching SONY and Nintendo duking it out. Many people marked off the PSP as a contender, but if games like MGS and Monster Hunter are any indication, the PSP might be back in the race.

This year at GDC, Microsoft seems to be skipping (XBOX fans will find their haven in the third-party gaming support that might appear at GDC), but SONY and Nintendo aren’t. After the death of E3, there is no longer a launching pad for big information to come on the way. Thus, there is no reason to wait one year for big news to appear. Gaming conferences will be spread around throughout the year, providing gamers with enough content 24/7 to sidetrack them from everything else in life.

I’m watching for Phil Harrison’s keynote on March 7th (surprisingly 6 days are left until this big keynote). The SONY guru says that big plans/surprises are ahead for PSP software and hardware. Are we seeing a movie download site? Are we seeing more mobile support? Are we seeing more peripherals? Are we seeing a worthwhile firmware upgrade? Is SONY giving up to the homebrewers? Furthermore, how will SONY deny that the PS3 is a failure amidst slow sales and Nintendo’s WII overtaking it? What third parties will show their support for the PSP? Will Castlevania and Final Fantasy make appearances?

Then, Nintendo’s keynote is the following day. We expect it to be a stellar combination of new and daring Wii channels and possibly announcement of the stateside release of the DS Opera Browser, but the games will truly dominate. How will Nintendo tackle analysts who call the Wii an “impulse” buy? How will Nintendo try to remain the top handheld game maker (and does this mean replacing the DS Lite with some thing even “lite”r?)? The questions are endless.

Gaming shows are sort of like “tornadoes”. Before they hit, it seems as if everything is calm. Same in the blogosphere. But, no joke. Come March 7th, we’ll all be glued to GDC.

GDC 07: Coverage Plans

Our coverage for the Game Developers Conference will be very big. With several days of coverage ahead of us, a big blowout is going on here at the blog. For now, check out our GDC 2007 category for information, but don’t miss it when we cover Phil Harrison’s keynote on 3/7/2006 during the afternoon following the speech. On 3/8, we’ll take a look at the competitor’s stance (Nintendo), and then continue to look at new games and ideas that are forming at the conference. Don’t miss it when this big conference occurs.

• Keynote Coverage Phil Harrison’s big keynote will be covered from top to bottom in the afternoon following the keynote.
• Keynote Response What did we think? What do you think? We tell you our opinions and get yours.
• Competitor’s Coverage What will Nintendo think of this year at GDC?
• Analysis: Will GDC be bigger than E3Expo? We explore the future of “mega” gaming conferences and what this will mean for GDC in the future.
• Analysis: Is Microsoft planning a Handheld? We ask the dreaded question that is being thought of so much recently. Can anyone say XBOX 180+ Halo Mobile?
• Analysis: Is the PSP Dead? SONY has one more chance to convince us that the PSP is not dead; is it or is it not?
• Podcast: Pre-GDC Sunday On March 4th, we’ll tell you what to expect from the big conference ahead of us.
• Podcast: Post-GDC Sunday On March 11th, we’ll explain to you everything that went down at GDC in this very special edition of the podcast.
• Newsletter: with GDC Coverage Expect GDC Coverage when our newsletter is bundled with a special podcast edition on March 18th.
• In addition, expect special  editions of Weekly Roundup, Tidbits, and For Your Consideration covering both the pre and post conference.

We can’t wait and we hope that you’ll enjoy our lineup of overwhelming coverage!

GDC 07: Get Ready, Because This Year’s Gonna Be Big

EDIT: Very few people have gotten to see this post because it’s been “private” all along. Can somebody say “re-post”?

Ever since we cried the death of E3, we’ve just been marking off the E3Expo as “just another gaming event”. Obviously, TGS and GDC would overtake E3 and gamers day events for each individual corporation would serve as launching hubs for new consoles, right? Instead, PSPFanboy has a good feeling that GDC will become very big parts of Nintendo and SONY’s revealing of games, new consoles/handhelds, and more. After all, Microsoft has its own XBOX awards show, and they usually avoid going out big at these glittery shows.

For those of you who couldn’t stand the babes, Puff–P–err Diddy showing off some new Rockstar game, and the Black Eyed Peas performing at every single chance [like anyone did], don’t expect to see it in this show. The GDC atmosphere has always been strictly business; a more professional atmosphere for showing off new products at both a hardware and software standpoint.

As for the PSP, SONY has confirmed a video service and has said that “big changes” are coming. LocoRoco, additionally, is getting a sequel as Phil Harrison blurted out and we confirmed last December, so GDC could serve as a launching point for new SCEJ projects to revive the game and turn it into a franchise. Additionally, Bandi-Namco, Capcom, and SEGA (who usually try to produce quite a few PSP games despite what anyone’s saying about the PSP recently every year) should come out in numbers to reveal more about their upcoming releases.

I have a feeling that this year will be very big in terms of what we see. Last year, GDC served as a launching point for details on LocoRoco. It was E3 who really publicized the game, but GDC saw a slew of information about it. I expect GDC to do the same for LocoRoco as it will do for both Nintendy and SONY this year.

Thankfully, Get Loco will have coverage going on 24-7 when it comes March because whatever’s big in the gaming industry is big on our site. That’s for sure.