Tag: cliff bleszinski

Cliff Bleszinski on the Evolution of Franchises

Cliff Bleszinski

Like many franchises before it, Dead Space 3 has been coming under fire for its sudden shift in tone. Where the first two games were heavily geared toward survival horror, Dead Space 3’s added co-op partner and upgraded arsenal supposedly give players more ways to take down armies of necromorphs than ever before. Even though our very own Mitch insists that the game still has its own share of scary, there are others who disagree.

Naturally, there are pockets of gamers that are extremely upset over this change in mechanics to a game that they love dearly. To some, it’s “selling out.” But Gears of War honcho and former Epic Design Director Cliff Bleszinski has some different ideas about what’s happened to the Dead Space franchise. In a recent Dead Space 3 blog post, Bleszinski calls the game an evolution of the franchise, and uses that term endearingly. And according to him, “You can either fight it or embrace it.” Continue reading Cliff Bleszinski on the Evolution of Franchises

Brainstorming the Future of Game Design

Halo 4 Concept Art

Everyone’s got some kind of idea about where the future of videogames is heading. But beyond the kind of hardware we’re looking at or what kind of input players are using to interact with their screens, what really matters are the actual design trends set forth by developers. Whether it’s cover-based shooting, leveling up in multiplayer or a rush of side-scrolling platformers, every generation sees a number of these defining trends.

So where do the actual developers of today think they’ll be tomorrow? PopSci took a stab at finding out by interviewing some notable talent in the video game industry. In a cool piece that covers Epic’s Cliffy B, Super Giant’s, Greg Kasavin, 343’s Scott Warner and others, these developers talk about the innovations that they’re the most excited about exploring. This includes everything from the wacky — playing trackpad-based games with your nose — to making sure that everyone is connected via the Internet. Regardless of the methods, there are definitely some thought-provoking answers in the bunch.

It’s always cool to see what’s bouncing around in the heads of some of the creative leaders in the industry. I’m sure that a few years back, none of these same guys could have predicted where we’d be today, and what kinds of games we would be playing. Where do you guys think the future of game design is going? Do you agree/disagree with any of these developers? Go!

Source – PopSci