Nava posted a lengthy Twitter thread (opens in new tab) jam-packed with commentary and imagery comparing “early dev images” and “how things shipped.” Interestingly enough, Nava shared a few different iterations of the playable character clad in the iconic cape we know and love today, demonstrating how it came to life. 

“Every character here was playable at one point in an early version of the game,” Nava wrote. “I went from humanoid to very detailed, and back to minimal as possible. Each iteration was an important step in finding the final design.” 

Every character here was playable at one point in an early version of the game. I went from humanoid to very detailed, and back to as minimal as possible. Each iteration was an important step in finding the final design. #Journey pic.twitter.com/i8D8m2jL7UMarch 13, 2022

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After working to get the character’s cape just right, Nava noted how he saved brighter blue skies for the end of the game as a “reward”, instead using a green sky in an earlier scene to temper that excitement. 

Here’s the desert scene vs a painting and 3D prototype I made. I wanted to save bright blue skies for the ending of the game as a reward, so I put a green sky in this earlier scene. #Journey pic.twitter.com/MO9CkMrSzvMarch 13, 2022

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Additionally, Nava revealed how the surfing level looked behind the scenes in the game’s editor. He called it one of the “most complex levels to build,” which seems quite obvious based onthe intricacies in the image shared from the editor. 

Here is how the surfing level looked in our editor. This was one of the most complex levels to build. I spent so much time tweaking the angle, position, and shape of every ramp and gully. #Journey pic.twitter.com/ydreHsr4voMarch 13, 2022

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Nava also revealed Journey’s “scary” underground area with a look at the original 3D mockup and concept he created for it. Journey almost snagged a Teen rating because some reviewers believed it contained blood effects, which was not the case (it was meant to be cloth), but the team altered the particle colors to be less red to go for an E rating. 

The scary underground area vs the 3D mockup and concept I made for it. This scene almost got the game a Teen rating because reviewers thought there were blood effects. We changed the color of some particles to be less red to get an E rating. It was supposed to be cloth! #Journey pic.twitter.com/Ni9g9s1rgfMarch 13, 2022

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Finally, Nava discussed the final moment of the game versus a concept he created years prior. 

“At the time, I didn’t know what the ending would really be,” he wrote. “I remember the moment at the end when we got the timing just right for this. It made the game!”

Final moment of the game vs a concept I created during one of the very first days of dev, years before. At the time, I didn’t know what the ending would really be. I remember the moment right at the end when we got the timing just right for this. It made the game! #Journey pic.twitter.com/bj5HsGbst5March 13, 2022

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Nava’s thread is full of additional insights into how Journey came to be. It remains a massively popular adventure game for players of all stripes, and this tenth anniversary input makes it feel all the more magical. 

Be sure to check out our full Journey review if you still haven’t given it a whirl. 

The post Journey developer reveals how the iconic cape was created in 10th anniversary thread appeared first on Game News.

Oh, the in-game microphone, we had such high hopes for you. You promised to connect us, to let us chat, mingle and strategise with other like-minded gamers anywhere in the world. You never said anything about playing beleaguered babysitter to a bunch of late-teething teenagers. We all know the sort – they’re the absolute bane of the multiplayer matchup, attracted to a live mic like flies on faeces.

Only by playing with known friends – in private chats – can we hope to avoid these mad-eyed mic fiends. It’s such a universally recognised issue that in some quarters the rise of the headset has had the inverse of the intended effect, making players instinctively less willing to engage with others they meet online. Sort of like springing a surprise talent show on a group of dogged introverts. “Thanks for the opportunity” they seem to say, “now leave us alone forever”.

It’s a basic issue of online etiquette and one that I haven’t the foggiest concept how to actually fix. Instead, what I’m going to talk about is more of a ‘silver linings’-type affair – an unlikely positive to all of this unremitting muting. You see, to my mind at least, where audible chat can sometimes be a turn-off, the absence of microphones can bring about some refreshingly civil behaviours.

So, what am I trying to say here – that without verbal communications, players can become… nicer? So far, so obvious, right? Next you’ll be telling me that Mario likes moustaches. But what happens when we attempt to communicate despite that silence? That’s where things get interesting, and humanity actually starts to display its best colours rather than its shabbiest.

Just like meeting a non-English speaker abroad, instances like these can quickly turn into a jaunty game of charades. Sure, we might end up performing the entire Funky Chicken on a Parisian street corner, but I’ll be damned if we don’t enjoy the experience just a little bit. In essence then, silence forces us to get creative, to establish a rough and ready coda with our equally flabbergasted teammates – by pointing here, jumping there or doing just about anything in between.

When sharing without words, even a simple statement becomes something of a puzzle, the silent game world – heck, even a lobby, sometimes – turning that much more ‘game-like’ than any mic’d up alternative. It’s a game that requires not only teamwork to succeed, but a refreshing degree of patience and understanding too. We’re not just communicating, but creating a shared means of communicating, and that’s nothing if not a wholesome experience.

Perhaps the most notable, most recent example of a game to completely disallow mic chat is 2011’s Journey (opens in new tab). Its developers adopted this approach in order to maintain the game’s stunning sense of atmosphere, and also to encourage players to interact in more subtle, less confrontational ways. I’d say that they succeeded – so much so that I’ll defy anyone to come up with an instance of Journey’s co-op play that left them with a sour taste in their mouth. Oh sure, some allies may have left at crucial moments, or run around in circles, but even the most wickedly malevolent of players would have had a hard time causing consternation here.

‘But Journey is a beautiful, chilled-out experience’, I hear you cry. ‘What about other, more visceral adventures – gut-punching action titles that burst our blood vessels, and cause irate 12-year-olds to question our mother’s chastity’? Well, if I might be so bold as to break with website tradition here, and talk about a little game named Destiny (opens in new tab), the same also holds true here. Just this week I had the bizarre fortune to be shot at while out collecting resources. As it turned, out my apparent assailant – a high-level player just whiling away the hours – had spotted me scavenging for scrap and decided to take me on a whistle-stop tour of the level’s best loot.

Through a mix of helpful demonstrations and clever cues, my guide directed me to a whole heap of useful items. After which, he or she simply waved and disappeared, just like in the ending to Field of Dreams, except without me blubbering away like a baby. Pretty nice though, right? Now let’s imagine that scenario played out with live microphones. It could have worked out alright, but the fact remains that – due to our unfortunate learned wariness – most unsolicited, online interactions are at least initially greeted as invasive and potentially unwanted.

But by making contact purely through the gameplay mechanics that we were both sharing and enjoying – the fabric which bound our Destiny experience, to get a bit Yoda for a moment – my Spinmetal Samaritan’s introduction felt entirely natural and implicitly trustworthy. This random act of kindness would’ve been that much more difficult to achieve had verbal or even text-based communication been involved.

And that’s just one of the many benefits of co-operating sans-language. For instance, the more video games adopt an always-online approach, the greater the threat becomes of players casually chatting over carefully prepared narratives. With silent play, that just isn’t an issue. Likewise, co-oping with gamers with whom we don’t share a language suddenly becomes that much more feasible, drastically increasing the pool of potential comrades online.

There’s no doubting that voice chat can be one hell of a tool in the right hands, providing as it does an enormous benefit to teams actually willing to work together. And if you’re prepared to put up with the random loudmouths, then I say more power to you. If not though, then perhaps it’s time you learned to simply enjoy the silence. Because with a little more effort, far more harmonious experiences are possible. And that, surely, is the goal of human communication in general. Give it a go. Your eardrums, sanity and faith in humanity will thank you.

The post Drop the mic. In video games we can communicate better without words appeared first on Game News.

The weight of expectation on Journey is huge. Because it’s this game championed as an emotional tour de force, and a masterclass in things like game design and non-verbal communication, anyone coming in fresh is automatically expected to feel something. “Well, it’s got nice graphics,” isn’t going to cut it. And this colours the experience of playing it for the first time, because you’re always wondering when the big ‘wow’ moments are coming. And did you just miss it? Oh, was that it – the bit with the sliding?

Expecting something from Journey runs very contrary to the whole Journey experience. The clue is in the name – you’re here for the journey, and that’s the wow moment. It works as a whole, not a series of stand-out scenes, and the way you experience it personally is key. The reason the game had such impact is because no-one really knew what to expect from it in the first place, so that sense of wonder and discovery was very much intact. A second or third playthrough is different, less wonderful, and even an initial foray into the world – after three years of additional hype – is tainted.

And it’s not just the players who have been influenced by Journey’s critical success. It’s no longer a console curio, or experiment in the once burgeoning indie space. Sony expects you to buy it and play it, because it’s part of the PlayStation eco-system. In fact, its the flagship title of Sony’s proud relationship with independent developers, brought to the company’s newest console as a shining example of ‘what you could win’. Ironically, it’s marketed differently, promoted differently, and treated more like a traditional console title. Which it isn’t, at heart.

This means you’re more likely to have seen friends using PS4’s share functions to plaster your Twitter feed with pretty images of the game since it launched. Yes, it’s still handsome by modern standards, but the share button can’t capture what makes Journey truly special: you. It captures what’s happening on screen, but doesn’t give any indication of what you’re feeling or what you’re taking away from the game. And Journey is meant to be a deeply personal thing – even the anonymous co-op is designed to be unique each time – so it was all the better on PS3 when you couldn’t broadcast your experience to the wider world.

What compounds Journey’s problems further is that we’ve grown more accustomed to games that pull the same trick (no, it’s not an actual trick); the ones that take you on an emotional trip, sidelining linear gameplay in favour of letting the player piece together the narrative on their own. So, Gone Home, To The Moon, Proteus etc. The new version of Journey exists in a world where others have copied or been influenced by its greatest achievement – that of discovery and delight over signposted thrills. No, Journey doesn’t ‘own’ the concept, but it was one of few modern games bold enough to try it in back in 2012.

And yet Journey is still an incredible piece of work. It’s the same great game that you may or may not have played three years ago, and it’s still something you should absolutely experience. It hasn’t changed much, which is why I decided to write this feature in place of a review (barely at all – it maybe looks a little prettier), but by staying constant and unedited, it has very much become a different game within a new context. And when Journey relies so heavily on the way the player reacts to it, rather than what it actually feeds the person holding the controller, this has a big impact. So if you pick up Journey again, expect the same game… only completely different.

The post Journey is very different on PS4, despite being exactly the same game appeared first on Game News.

Journey is long because it’s long-lasting. It’s a game that we will remember for years to come – one whose themes and imagery have already embedded themselves deep in our psyche. We remember, more than anything, how we felt after completing each chapter, and we recall (with fondness, melancholy and joy) our sense of accomplishment at finishing this singular quest.

In short, Journey succeeds because it takes so many of the conventions of contemporary games and turns them on their heads.

Journey’s story is deceptively simple: It’s told with no dialogue (though we began to analyze its many symbols after we completed it). We begin as a robed humanoid creature in the middle of a rolling desert. Almost immediately we saw our objective: a shining beacon of light atop a mountain.

Thatgamecompany, Journey’s developer, is now well-known for producing titles that encourage a sense of awe and bliss through self-guided discovery. And just like Flow and Flower before it, Journey put us in the midst of wilderness and gave us just enough tools to poke and prod around it until we slowly formed an idea of how to navigate. We have a button that functions as a beacon. It takes little time to understand how useful the beacon is to unlocking the other crucial ability, that of jumping. These simple features beget even larger ones as we continued playing, since players can jump and glide only for a limited time.

By the time we navigated through Journey’s initial sections, we felt just familiar enough with its controls to play alongside another wanderer. And that’s when it happened to us: another wanderer (just one) appeared in the distance. The game’s approach to co-op gameplay is utterly unique. When another player appears – seemingly at random, and at different points in any playthrough – all we have to work with is the limited vocabulary of the game. We had no idea who that person is until we completed our Journey – there is no PSN ID indicator, nor any voice chat. Our only communication is via the beacon, or by jumping around, or however else we choose to try to reach out to our fellow wanderer. And if we choose, we can simply ignore each other and wander off in different directions. The best part: it’s almost impossible to grief your partner, because the game is designed so that the limited resources can’t be hogged or stolen from each other.

By the end of the game, we felt an amazing sense of accomplishment and – dare we say it – affectionate camaraderie for our fellow traveler. We helped each other through some tough challenges. We communicated via a language we created ourselves: a series of chirps and jumps and circling around each other. Thatgamecompany should be applauded for the incredible technical achievement of subversively giving us a warm, human connection by providing the most anonymous gameplay experience in some time.

Journey works so wonderfully because it has the courage to restrict elements that we’ve come to take for granted in other games. One can make a granular argument that it’s a game that consists of jumping and Morse Code. And while that person would be right, that person is also missing the point and playing the wrong game. The execution on these simple gameplay ideas is so exact and precise that it’s ultimately more than sufficient to keep us in its thrall up until the heart-wrenching finale. Indeed, we didn’t need anything other than that which was provided for our Journey. It also helps that the soundtrack truly augments both the emotion and, at points, the tension of the experience. It’s an outstanding score.

Caveats here are minor. Journey is a calming, relaxing game, so you might not want to start it late at night, lest you find yourself a tad too hypnotized and dozing off with controller in-hand. However, by the time you stumble upon a co-op partner, you’ll have the pressure of co-dependency to keep you engaged and alert. Also, like other Thatgamecompany titles, it’s an experience that’s at its best in the first playthrough, because the magic comes through discovery. We plan to play it again, but armed with the knowledge of what’s to come, it won’t be quite the same. Don’t let that stop you from playing it, though. There’s new magic to be discovered as we find new partners to join us on this trip.

Journey is an unforgettable experience. Even when the details fade, the emotions that it evoked will stay with us for years. The pacing, the sense of scale, and the feeling of awe are all razor sharp. It all merged together as we discovered another player in our traversal. We won’t play another game like it, and frankly, we won’t need to, either. If you’re a gamer, it’s an outstanding reminder of why love this medium. Do not hesitate to embark.

The post Journey review appeared first on Game News.

March 6

Mass Effect 3

Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
EU: March 9

What, you expected something else to lead this piece? Arguably the biggest release of the month, if not the quarter – and for many, no doubt, the year – Mass Effect 3 touches down on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in just a few short days, finally bringing Commander Shepard’s action/role-playing trilogy to a close. After months spent bickering about additions like multiplayer and Kinect controls, not to mention the recent playable demo and discs-in-space PR stunt, we can’t wait for everyone to dive in and simply experience this long-awaited conclusion, which will quite hopefully have been worth the wait. Not fully up to speed on what to expect from this sci-fi blockbuster? Be sure to consult our various hands-on previews for in-depth impressions.

Street Fighter X Tekken

Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
EU: March 9

Perhaps the most surprising fighting crossover game to date drops next week, bringing together the casts of Street Fighter and Tekken in a tag-team entry based on the fighting style of the former. The Xbox 360 version features nearly 40 fighters, with half pulled from each series, while the PlayStation 3 release adds a few extras, like Cole from Infamous, Pac-Man, and Mega Man in his hilarious NES box art incarnation. A PC version is set to follow in May, while a Vita release is due this fall with all the PS3 extras plus 12 more fighters (six each from the two series). Whatever system you want it on, Street Fighter X Tekken looks to be an exciting blend of two very different genre leaders.

Unit 13

Platform: PlayStation Vita
EU: March 7

The Vita’s second wave of releases starts next week, headlined by Unit 13, the original shooter developed by SOCOM creator Zipper Interactive. While visually quite similar to its long-running counterpart, Unit 13 focuses on solo operatives, of which the game includes six differentiated by unique strengths (like stealth or explosives). Moreover, Unit 13 is defined in large part by its emphasis on quick-hit missions, with some that can be completed in as little as three minutes. It’s that handheld-friendly approach that Zipper hopes makes this a standout Vita shooter, plus a random daily challenge gives you something new to check out with each sunrise. Be sure to scope out our latest hands-on preview for more on this military-themed affair.

MLB 12: The Show

Platform: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
EU: N/A

The other big early Vita release this month spawns from the most consistent sports franchise on the market: Sony’s MLB: The Show. Replacing the flat-lining PSP side of the series, the Vita entry will hopefully bring much of the beloved PlayStation 3 baseball experience to the small screen – but it’s certainly not alone this year. On PS3, MLB 12: The Show looks to introduce some new additions and enhancements, such as full PlayStation Move integration and totally redone “TruBroadcast” presentation that looks to better emulate TV broadcasts. The Show hasn’t let us down on the console side in years; with luck, MLB 12 can kick-start a similar baseball dynasty on the Vita as well.

Major League Baseball 2K12

Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, PSP, DS, PS2
EU: N/A

2K Sports’ own hardball series continues the trend of being the sim available for the widest array of platforms, even reaching as far back as PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS this time around; though Vita and 3DS are curiously missing. Major League Baseball 2K12 looks to build upon the same core formula it’s been trying to perfect for years – with last year’s being a pretty good effort – while adding the new MLB Today Season mode, wherein you can play that day’s real-life game for your team of choice throughout the season. And in a cool twist for Xbox 360 owners, 2K will make available a bundle pack with MLB 2K12 and NBA 2K12 for $69.99 – $10 more than buying MLB 2K12 alone – to give baseball fans an affordable way to check out the fantastic b-ball sim on the side.

MotorStorm RC

Platform: PSN (PS3/Vita)
EU: Out

MotorStorm RC squeezes the first couple entries’ style of multi-vehicle off-road mayhem into a much smaller package in two ways: not only does it feature tiny remote-controlled cars tearing it up in the desert and jungle, but it’s a PlayStation Network download. And on top of that, it’s a single release that works near-identically on both PlayStation 3 and Vita for a surely tiny price point. We have to wait ’til next week to play on either platform, but our European counterparts got MotorStorm RC at the Vita launch and we’ve been hearing some very strong things about the racer. It looks like an updated take on the classic Micro Machines formula, overhead perspective and all.

Crush 3D

Platform: Nintendo 3DS
EU: Out

Fans of the original PSP version of Crush – released nearly five years ago – can anxiously tell you why Crush 3D should be on the horizon of any Nintendo 3DS puzzle fan, but actually finding many might be tough. Crush earned itself a loyal following with its cerebral, perspective-based take on puzzling platform scenarios, but was dead on arrival at retail. Luckily, the idea of “crushing” 3D stages to into 2D versions works beautifully with the 3DS’ visual effect, so Sega saw fit to spawn this remake, which outfits the original content with a brand new art style and additional features to round out the package. Hopefully, Sega finds the 3DS install base large enough this time around, after delaying the game from fall due to slow system sales.

The Sims 3: Showtime

Platform: PC
EU: March 9

The Sims 3 train keeps chugging along on PC after nearly three years, with the next big expansion pack – The Sims 3: Showtime – due out next week. With a focus on crafting big-time entertainers, Showtime lets you create a singer, magician, acrobat, or DJ and work your way to stardom via interactive performances. Additionally, the pack introduces a new SimPort feature, which lets you share one Sim with a friend and likewise host one in your Sims world. For super fans, EA is releasing a Katy Perry-themed Special Edition, which features the likeness and songs of the pop star, while the standard version is inexplicably called a Limited Edition. And if you’re starting fresh, there’s a pack with both The Sims 3 and Showtime in one.

Top Gun: Hard Lock

Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
EU: April 5

It’s been more than 25 years since Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer traversed the highway to the danger zone, as it were, but the popular ’80s film continues to spawn new combat flight titles – like the latest, Top Gun: Hard Lock. A single-player campaign mode promises 15 missions based on a fresh wave of Top Gun Academy graduates, along with three online multiplayer modes designed for 16 players. With numerous licensed aircraft onboard, Hard Lock should appease flight fans looking for something a little more modern on the console side; even if the name doesn’t deliver the same kind of fresh feeling it did back when.

Nicktoons MLB 3D

Platform: Nintendo 3DS
EU: N/A

Rather than release Major League Baseball 2K12 on the Nintendo 3DS, 2K Sports will instead drop an enhanced version of last fall’s cartoonish, arcade-style option, titled Nicktoons MLB 3D. The earlier console release essentially added the likes of Ren & Stimpy and SpongeBob SquarePants to The Bigs, and from what we’ve seen, the 3DS version looks to be a fairly faithful handheld translation. Nicktoons MLB 3D includes 27 cartoon players and 175 pros with updated rosters (and the new Miami Marlins uniforms), along with a new Frosty Freeze Toss augmented reality mode.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

Platform: PlayStation Vita
EU: March 9

For PlayStation Vita owners, next week’s release of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 offers an opportunity to catch up on one of the better family-friendly titles of the holiday season. From what we can surmise, the Vita version of the game – which spans the content from the last three books/four movies of the popular franchise – looks to add new locations, challenges, spells, and more, along with both front and rear touch controls. You’ll be able to aim spells and lock onto foes with the back touch panel, while snagging items and assembling objects (and participating in duels) with the front screen.

March 7

I Am Alive

Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
EU: March 7

Ubisoft’s I Am Alive has been on the horizon for longer than most of the big retail releases hitting stores this month, but it’s finally set to launch on Xbox Live Arcade next week as the last title in the XBLA House Party (a PSN release will follow later). Set in a large city one year following the apocalyptic “Event,” you’ll play as a man forced to survive in a wasteland dominated by crumbling buildings and aggressive rival survivors, all while battling the toxic elements and managing resources. Third-person pairings of navigation and combat aren’t unfamiliar, but the unique setting of a trashed, scalable urban metropolis looks to give I Am Alive a fresh slant. Scope out our last hands-on preview for much more on what to expect come next week.

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The post The games of March 2012 appeared first on Game News.

Citing the influence of mythologist Joseph Campbell – whose impact can be felt in every game ever to begin with a sleeping hero, and almost all the rest as well – Wintory says he resisted the urge to provide Journey’s epic narrative with the customary, heavy-handed sonic extravaganza. “While there are definitely some big moments,” says Wintory, “I would actually describe it as intimate.”

Above: Woven Variations, a clip Wintory calls “an exploration of the [larger score], taken to entirely different places”

Wintory’s insider impressions of the game are positive: “[If] Journey did not exist and you asked me what my ultimate dream of a game would be (both to score and to play), I suspect I would basically end up describing Journey.” You’ll have your turn on the title when it releases in Spring of this year. In the meantime, if you want to hear the music of Journey, the best way to do so is obviously via Mega Man? Oh, you’re so very welcome.

The post New Music of Journey trailer goes backstage with orchestra on Jenova Chens adventure appeared first on Game News.

On the official PlayStation blog today, Jenova Chen from Journey developer thatgamecompany let expectant players know that they still had about six more months of waiting for the gorgeous, mysterious title. After thanking the lucky group of closed beta testers for their support, he revealed the release window, writing, “Like all our games, Journey is an experiment. In the end, it’s what you think that matters. We are happy to announce Journey will be released Spring 2012, so you can experience the adventure for yourself.”

Though we hate having to wait even longer for this precious PSN downloadable, we’ll just have to comfort ourselves with the approximately 8,000 games coming out between now and December 7.

Sep 27, 2011

The post Journey now coming out spring 2012 appeared first on Game News.