Breakout is a rarity in gaming. It's a title that, despite being over three decades old, requires no improvements. The concept is easy to grasp: you bounce a ball off of a controllable paddle and use it to break as many onscreen blocks as possible. Oh sure, you can make the game run faster, include different kinds of blocks, or add all kinds of special effects. It doesn't matter how you dress it up, though. Regardless of any tweaks and alterations, the fundamental gameplay remains completely unaltered; it is still the paddle, the ball, and blocks. That's all you really need. It's simple, fun, and addictive.
The Dead Pixel Live podcast talks with Camille Guermonprez from Arkedo Studio about how he started, the philosophy behind creating an independent game dev company and more. On a path that features mobile games, DS, and XBLIG, he outlines the joys and the pitfalls that come with being a indie developer in the game industry. With a pedigree of critically acclaimed games behind them, he talks about whats next for the Paris based studio.
Nervous Brickdown, Eidos' latest twist on gaming favourite Breakout is an obvious game to reinvent in terms of the benefits that can be provided by touchscreen control. With an eye on remix culture and previous 'style games' such as Lumines, French developer Arkedo has taken a wide view in terms of how far it can extend the bouncing ball experience.
EarthTimes.org reports in Games Technology News:
Casual gaming has become a major buzzword. It's primarily intended for non-players who would not consider gaming as their top hobby. Casual gamers focus on relaxation and pure playing enjoyment instead of story and graphics in games.
GamePro editor-in-chief Andre Horn says there are two major styles of casual games. The first are Windows mini-games like Minesweeper and Solitaire. Then there is the second style that Nintendo has perfected with the Wii and DS and other companies are trying to replicate.
The story reports how publishers are jumping into casual trend that's spreading quickly: Konami with Let's Yoga! (DS), EA with Boogie (Wii), Sony with SingStar (PS2/PS3) and Buzz! (PS3), Eidos with Nervous Brickdown (DS) and Prism (DS), and Ubisoft with the "Games for me" lineup and Jam Sessions (DS).
Casual gamers play Wii sports a few times and guess what?
They casually put the casual console in the casual closet for the rest of
it's casual life.
