New info continues to pour in from GDC like a fine wine. Of course, the absence of actual wine in the near vicinity is quite disappointing.
News Blips:
Sony's Next Generation Portable panel at GDC sheds some light on the device's storage capabilities. Deviating from the ill-fated PSP Go's internal storage model, Sony is instead opting to stuff pertinent data and save files within the game cards themselves. The cards will appear in either 2GB or 4GB flavors, with around 10 percent of the space being used for save data and patch storage. They'll also "support a variety of downloaded content" (including PlayStation Network games) using a streamlined format, according to a slide shown during the presentation. I'm hopeful the cards will come in different colors so I can crack lame "you need the red keycard" jokes to my friends.
Double Fine Productions (Stacking, Costume Quest) reveals Trenched for Xbox Live Arcade. At GDC's Choice Awards event last night, Double Fine founder Tim Schafer unveiled the game with an action-packed trailer. Combining elements of tower defense games and third-person shooters, Trenched takes place in an alternate-reality World War 1. Players join the ranks of "The Mobile Trench Brigade" and pilot hulking mechs that bring withering firepower against an invading alien force. Double Fine hasn't announced a release date yet, but I fully expect Trenched to sate the yearning hunger of gamers who enjoy blowing things up with really big robots (read: mostly everyone).
EA hopes to "get our mojo back" by touting Battlefield 3 as a strong contender in the military shooter market. "We're super proud of the game," said EA Games President Frank Gibeau in an interview with Industry Gamers. "The Frostbite 2 technology is reinventing the category, and the Battlefield brand has its own persona and positioning, such as the multiplayer and squads." Gibeau explained that BF3 represented a push by the company to attain ever-higher standards of quality, saying, "It's what we've been trying to do in the EA Games label over the last couple years – get our mojo back in terms of quality and great IPs. For me, this is a great example of investments we've been making in technology, team culture, and getting the talent in place to make world beating games." Shortly thereafter, Medal of Honor threw its baby bottle against the wall and screamed, "But what about me?"
Valve announces a new account security feature for Steam. Entitled Steam Guard, the new feature allows users to link their accounts to a specific PC and notify them if any other machine tries to change anything. In an official press release, Valve President Gabe Newell called Steam Guard "a big step towards giving customers the account security they need as they purchase more and more digital goods." I suppose I'm glad I now have the capability to secure my pile of Team Fortress 2 hats under lock and key.
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