Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath marks the third real-time strategy game EA Los Angeles has brought to Xbox 360. One of the major claims this time around is that the studio has, at long last, resolved the controls it says were "lauded by critics."

But is this the control scheme for real-time strategy efforts on consoles? Lead producer Jim Vessella thinks so. Well, as far as next week's one-two punch of Kane's Wrath and Supreme Commander on Xbox 360 is concerned.

"We think that this is certainly going to be the best control scheme for RTS games coming out next week," he told Shacknews. "[With] the Radial Interface, we really think that we've hit the chord for the console audience."

"That's not to say that we're going to stop there, we are going to continue developing this control scheme," he continued. "We're actually already iterating on it for [Command & Conquer] Red Alert 3's development, and we have some new, really cool features."

But why did it take three games to reach that point in the first place? Furthermore, why do PC gamers need C&C3 to run the expansion while Xbox 360 gamers... Read more

Service-oriented. Outsourcee. Bootstrapper.

There is no easy way to describe a studio like Demiurge. The video game industry is a tough one for small fries, but the company has taken an almost workhorse-style approach in the effort to keep its independence. No job's too big, no job's too small.

With many independent developers like Iron Lore--a company that once contracted Demiurge--shutting their doors or being bought up, Demiurge's strategy of solving other studios' problems has lead to increasing freedom and success. It's also gotten the team hands-on time with some of the industry's most valued properties, including BioShock, Medal of Honor, and now Mass Effect.

Recently I sat down for a chat with studio head Al Reed, fresh off the launch of the company's PC port of Mass Effect. We touched on the copy-protection controversy, the challenge of porting the game, flying rubber frogs, and the studio's... Read more

No one asked Vicarious Visions to make Guitar Hero for the Nintendo DS. No one at studio owner Activision, fellow Activision subsidiary RedOctane, or Nintendo believed it was even possible.

"People thought it was ludicrous," Vicarious CEO Karthik Bala told me at a Guitar Hero event earlier this week. "It was never in the plan to do that."

As Bala puts it, the whole thing came out of the Vicarious staff playing around to "see if it was even possible to do a really good music rhythm game on a handheld." Twenty-three prototypes and a few cardboard guitars later, a breakthrough came in the form of a "crazy Frankenstein GBA cartridge" wired with fret buttons.

Activision and RedOctane thought it was insane. And when the first prototype was presented to Nintendo, Bala says they were stunned.

But the really, really amazing part? For all the unwieldy-looking peripherals and wacky ads, the Nintendo DS entry, Guitar Hero: On Tour, really is Guitar Hero. It works. It's fun. In fact, I think it does some things better than the console editions... Read more

At the recent Ubisoft press event, I got a chance to try out the Ubisoft Shanghai-developed Tom Clancy's EndWar, that voice command-enabled, real-world RTS for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

At its core, EndWar is fairly simple. You command tanks, infantry, helicopters and artillery, all arranged in small unit groupings a la World in Conflict. You capture points. You call in reinforcements. You say things like "task force one, attack hostile three." You feel kind of cool, and a little ashamed at the same time.

The voice recognition works surprisingly well, picking up my words on a noisy show floor without much trouble. In fact, the only bothersome aspect of the whole thing was remembering to hold down the right trigger before talking, and to let it go afterward. Unfortunately, the game does not recognize wanton cursing.

A few minutes into my demo, I had most of the basic voice commands down. The thing is, I'm not sure it actually saved me much time, as the controller works pretty well for basic commands. Often I ended up using a combination of the two... Read more

Entering the final minutes of EA's Spring Break event, most demo stations in the room long since abandoned, the bank of Valve's Left 4 Dead systems were still at capacity.

Zombies exploding in the background, I pinged marketing VP Lombardi on a number of Valve-related topics, including whether we'll see a demo for Left 4 Dead, and the likelihood of launching with a free weekend. We also touch on his company's new Steamworks initiative, as well as what Valve has planned for the future.

We're still sort of tinkering with the model and playing with it a little bit, but we'll definitely at some point do a free weekend for Left 4 Dead. It'll be somewhere near the launch. Whether or not it's the first weekend is still sort of to be determined. Read more...

The PC is no longer a viable platform. The PC is all about casual gaming. The PC market is dying.

We've heard it all before, and so has Valve's Doug Lombardi. I recently caught up with the marketing director during an Electronic Arts press event. At the end of the night, the house music dying down, we had a long chat on a number of topics--many of which pertained to his company's primary platform.

What does Valve think of the PC Gaming Alliance? Are they as tired of the PC gaming "problem" as we are? What is at the root of the issue, anyway? Read on for some answers.

If you go around and you look at all these different things that are happening on the PC, and you add them together, my hunch is that [the sales numbers] would actually be much larger than all of the consoles put together.

Again, minus the DS, because the DS is this crazy thing by itself. But talking purely in terms of the Wii, the PS3, and the 360, if you added those together and looked at the whole picture, I'd bet you PC would be even, if not bigger than those three systems in terms of the money that's changing hands and the opportunity for doing business. Read more..

Silent Hill: Homecoming lead designer Jason Allen had just finished talking about the virtues of Alien. Eloquent in his presentation at a recent Konami press event, he noted the strengths of Ridley Scott's classic horror film, pointing out that we only fully see the monster at the very end of the movie--a major influence on his approach to tension in Silent Hill.

Later on in the night, I pulled Allen aside for a brief chat. We went over the challenges he and his team have dealt with in facing this daunting project, with topics including combat changes, Eastern horror, composer Akira Yamaoka, and other filmic influences.

As humans, we categorize and we label, and that's how we store and understand what it is. We go, "Okay, I'm seeing the Gecko in Metal Gear. I can see how it walks, how it runs, and I can potentially see how it might have limitations, because I can view it and think that way analytically."

But if I don't see a creature, if I only see glimpses of it, I don't know what he can do. And my fear is maybe greater than its skills. Read more..

Earlier today, hardware manufacturer AMD pulled back the curtain on AMD Game!, a new branding program meant to help mainstream consumers identify and purchase gaming-capable PCs.

In advance of the announcement, I had the chance to talk with AMD desktop gaming strategist Brent Barry about the new initiative, the software behind it, how AMD approaches system-eating games like Crysis, and just what it means for the PC Gaming Alliance since AMD Game! is an independent effort.

We also discussed the confusion that could stem from not branding compatible games with the AMD Game! logo, not to mention the periodic updates to the AMD Game! guidelines that won't be reflected with any sort of name change or... Read more

Fresh off of a hands-on demonstration of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars on the Xbox 360, I had the opportunity to sit down with id Software's Kevin Cloud, executive producer of the upcoming shooter.

During our time together, the developer spoke about the simultaneous development of Quake Wars on consoles and PCs, creating an all-in-one objective-oriented experience, and more. Click through for the full interview.

Kevin Cloud: The classes have a real meaningful role to play in the game--they're not just equipment load-outs. When you're playing a medic, you're definitely doing the job of a medic... That doesn't really exist in a lot of the other games where, really, the only difference is in what weapon you're carrying. Read more..

Flashbang Studios captured the attention of gamers everywhere after the release of their innovative web title Off-Road Velociraptor Safari.

Inbetween their busy schedules, the Flashbang team and I corresponded on a number of topics, including the upcoming Jetpack Brontosaurus, their unique development process, and the true meaning behind their games. Check out the full interview.

Flashbang: Who said that the Velociraptor as a whole is doomed to commit genocide? See, this is the very problem with the world today. The act of one casts a shadow over many, and we find ourselves demonizing entire cultures and races. You have now just done this to an entire species. Way to raise the hate bar. Read more..

Following yesterday's initial installment, here now is the conclusion to Chris Faylor's lengthy interview with designer Peter Molyneux. Topics include Lionhead's next project, Molyneux's thoughts on the PC gaming market, his enthusiasm for a Syndicate remake, and how he feels about playing the role of a "famed designer."

I am a big show-off, that's what I am. I'm just a kid showing off his toys, really. I love doing it so much.

I love showing things to people who haven't seen it before and I love having a tired, worn-out journalist come into a room and sitting him down and saying, "Look, this is the vision of what we're trying to create," and then get excited by that.

It's a wonderful feeling to be able to do that. I've kinda almost forgotten what it's like to be not like that, because it's been like that since 1992. It's been like that for a very long time. Read more..

After being mercilessly pranked, Shacknews editor Chris Faylor finally got a chance to chat with iconic game designer Peter Molyneux this week. Here now is the first part of the extensive interview, covering Connect Four strategy, Fable 2 features, and more.

When [these honors] were given to me I was in a room with someone who had explored Antarctica single-handedly, and another person who walked around the world backwards with no legs. It was like these true heroes, and then there was me. Everyone was going around saying, "What have you done?" and eventually it came to me. I said, "I make up computer games," and the whole room went quiet for a while. I don't feel I deserve that honor, at all. There's a lot more people in this industry that deserve that accolade than me. I'm just lucky to be British. Read more..

I recently attended a demonstration of Team Ninja's upcoming Ninja Gaiden II (X360) and got to chat with Team Ninja lead Tomonobu Itagaki for a bit.

While it turns out the game is still as violent as ever, Itagaki provided new details as to how the game has been tuned to better accommodate those who aren't as skilled in the ways of the notoriously difficult franchise. He also talked about Yoda and Darth Vader in Soul Calibur IV, his views on downloadable content, and threatened to cut me in half.

We've also got some new screenshots and an exclusive gameplay video. If you're at all a fan of ninjas or badassery in general, I suggest you check it out.

One of the dudes who had lost an arm rushed Ryu and tackled him to the ground. Then, with his gaping wound still squirting blood, he attempted to drive a sword through Ryu's neck with his one remaining hand.

In response, Itagaki did what any good ninja would do. He threw a giant fireball that blew the one-armed bandit across the stage and left his corpse in flames.
Read on...

The German PC Games website has several Battlefield Heroes video interviews, asking the DICE folks about their free to play shooter. Though the intro to the video is in German, the actual Q&A is in English. Thanks Blues News.

Starsiege: Tribes was a miracle of game design--a quantum leap forward in team-based shooters that paved the way for modern multiplayer Battlefields.

Now the company founded by former Tribes developers is returning to its roots, taking first-person shooting back to the skies.

"The first hit is free because we're street like that," says GarageGames' Tim Aste, project director on Fallen Empires: Legion, of the company's plan to offer a trial period for the title. The language is not coincidental: the developer is hoping to craft a perfect mix of fast, addictive multiplayer action, and do it all through your web browser--catering to both hardcore and casual audiences in the process.

Check out a few of the things we've learned about the game below, or just click on through for the full interview with director Aste and GarageGames CEO Josh Williams.

• Runs inside your web browser. Full-screen mode supported.
• Emphasis on fast combat with free, flight-based movement.
• Multi-directional jet-packing.
• Large maps, buildings, and team sizes possible, but not necessarily the norm.
• Laser rifle!
• No vehicles or deployables initially.
• Will be competitively priced. Free trial before purchase.
• User-generated content support planned for post-release.
• Beta test coming soon.

Curious about skiing? Need more details? Read on..

Stargate Worlds Explored is an IGN interview with the people at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, asking them about their plans for the MMORPG based on the now cancelled TV series.

The latest Gamers With Jobs podcast has an interview with Ken Levine, asking the 2K Boston boss about The Orange Box and Valve, the Spike TV awards, emergent story telling and more.

What's the Deal with Deus Ex 3 on 1UP talks with Eidos Montreal general manager Stephane D'Astous about the studio's plans for this sci-fi action RPG sequel.

The Unreal Man: Mark Rein Speaks is a Gamasutra interview with the Epic Games VP about Unreal Engine 3, PlayStation 3, Japanese developers working with Epic's technology, PC development and more.

Chair Entertainment's first release, Undertow, is due out on Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow. To find out more about the underwater shooter, which is based on the childhood drawings of creative director Donald Mustard, I spoke with the man himself about bringing his doodles to life, the chances of an Advent Rising resurrection, and just what happens when you marry your publicist.

Donald Mustard: Undertow is one of those games that we thought was just perfect for Live Arcade and would allow us to distill something to its core essence of fun and fast gameplay, but still have a lot of depth there. And that kind of all sprang from those little drawings of guys getting their heads shot off and sharks swallowing grenades.
Read on...