Posts tagged with “Japan”

While we’re obviously ecstatic about the release of our game, there’s some serious stuff going on in the world that is probably a bit more deserving of attention at the moment. By now I’m sure you’re all aware of what happened in Japan the past few days (and what’s going on now with reactor worries). There are some great game led efforts to raise funds going on, and they’re worth a look.

Cat from N4G has put together a good list of sites you can donate to that are doing relief efforts now. Brian Crecente from Kotaku is putting together a concert/auction/party type fundraiser in Denver in a few days too, and we plan on donating some SBS stuff for the auction as well. Definitely a great cause.

Let’s move on to some more fun news now. Our friend Jason McIntosh (the Warbler’s Nest) wrote a great piece about us scrapping (get it? get it?) the early designs for our game here, and it’s a terrific read.

Also, next week I’ll be posting a 5 part series on the design process behind SBS, with each day Monday – Friday exploring in depth a different iteration of the game, what we cut, and what we kept. If you care about game design at all you’re going to love it, so be sure to come back next week! We’ll have videos, images, and lots of details on the tough choices we had to make.

Finally, did you know that there is a fantastic twitter account for Professor Farnsworth? Apparently it’s just a bot that retweets any tweet that starts with “Good News, Everyone!” and it’s awesome.

A quick note: All of us at Fire Hose are really concerned about everyone caught up in the Japan disasters. Our thoughts go out to you, and we hope that our Japanese friends and fans are safe.

YESSSSS!!! Today is the day! After 2.5 years of love, Slam Bolt Scrappers is finally out today on the PlayStation Network! We’re ecstatic here at the office, and can’t wait for all of you to finally have the chance to experience first hand what we’ve put our heart and soul into.

If you’ve played the game before, and you probably have if you’re here, then please go check out the final version online, we’re really proud of it. If you haven’t then go check out the free demo on PSN and see what we’re all about. We know you’re going to love it.

Thanks to all the fans and people who made this game possible! Our full list of credits are after the jump.

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Attention anime nerds: Ever want to hear a academic reconstruct your obsession with all things Japanese related? Well you’re in luck! In this talk Mia Consalvo, noted game academic and all around kick-ass individual, delves into why we love Japan when it comes to games. It’s a long talk but pretty interesting and definitely worth watching. Thanks to Gene and CMS for the recording.

Here’s the talk description:

From Nintendo’s first Famicom system, Japanese consoles and videogames have played a central role in the development and expansion of the digital game industry. Players globally have consumed and enjoyed Japanese games for many reasons, and in a variety of contexts. This study examines one particular subset of videogame players, for whom the consumption of Japanese videogames in particular is of great value, in addition to their related activities consuming anime and manga from Japan. Through in-depth interviews with such players, this study investigates how transnational fandom operates in the realm of videogame culture, and how a particular group of videogame players interprets their gameplay experience in terms of a global, if hybrid, industry.

Enjoy!