In our interview with a member of the team behind one of the largest simulation communities in the World, we discover that the social and political landscape of Truck sim fans is far from a quaint group of individuals mutually co-habiting the same online space; it’s a world of rampant plagiarism and competition, limited budgets and company closures. But it’s also one of passion and dedication, of like minded gamers that really aren’t all to different from their core gaming cousins.

So if you’ve ever wondered what the biggest debates in simulators are, what the best title to get started with this unique hobby is or why Truck sim players are really just big kids at heart, you’ve come to the right article!

Xero: First question for you, who are you and what do you do?

Waldi: Well, my name is Michał, but everybody call me Waldi. I am 24 years old and I am the editor of HardTruckSite. I am a big fan of trucks and narrow-gauge railways but unfortunately girls don’t understand my passions, so I’m still single :-). A few weeks ago I left my job and now I can spend much more time extending our website about truck sims. Of course it can’t endure forever so  I am still looking for a new job.

X: Next, is something we ask each person we talk to here at Midlife Gamer, it’s a subject very near and dear to all our hearts; what is your favourite beverage and what is your favourite biscuit (or “cookie” to those outside the UK)?

W: Unfortunately many people in Europe use invidious stereotypes thinking what Polish people like to drink. They think that citizens of our country are alcoholics who never sober up… It’s not true. As many adult people in Poland I like to drink something from time to time but I cannot tell you that any type of alcohol is my favourite beverage.  To be honest, my favourite beverage is the mineral water bottled in one of the most beautiful Polish spas – Muszyna.

I don’t like the taste of sweet biscuits but I used to eat them when I was much younger. My favourite ones were waffles with toffee filling.

X: So I suppose one of the most important questions I should ask is, why do you love Truck sims? What is it about the genre that piqued your interest to begin with?

W: I think that every truck sims fan has his own history and his own reasons for being interested in that genre. There are a few main reasons. Probably every small boy dreamt about being a truck driver. These games give people the possibility to be one for a moment. Some people are simply fans of simulators and big machines like trucks, trains, planes. They are people who prefer imitating real life and real machines than running through a virtual map with an AK-47. The third group are people who want to be a real driver, and it’s their plan, not  just a dream. Most of them have a truck driver in their families and want to follow in this tradition.

I’m a mixture of both. It’s obvious that I was dreaming about being a truck driver when I was very young, but my serious interest began many years ago when I found one of the oldest truck sims in a local shop. I thought ‘the price is low, it would be nice to pretend to be a truck driver’.  Now I am a typical truck fan :-)

X: The community surrounding truck sims seems to be really passionate, certainly a lot more so than many other fan bases out there. What is it about the genre, do you think, that facilitates this enthusiasm?

W: Unfortunately only a few of the truck fans will be allowed to drive them for real in the future. These sims give them possibility to try it. You must know that when you sit in front of truck’s steering wheel you can feel like the king of the road, you can experience that beautiful feeling and emotion of uninhibited freedom and independence. Probably every small boy dreamt about being a truck driver. You will understand what I mean only if you try it!

Most of the truck sims are produced by the Czech developer – SCS Software. Their games have one enormous advantage: they are easily edited. Players can easily make their own trucks, trailers and maps. Polish truck fans prepared two big maps of Poland for 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal and 18 Wheels of Steel: Haulin. This group of enthusiasts is preparing now one for German Truck Simulator. To be honest this Polish map for GTS looks much better than maps prepared by the developer.

These games are not the ones which finish in 20 or even 50 hours and then put back on the shelf. Every day you can download new trucks prepared by fans, you can download new maps. You can also prepare your own paint jobs.

To sum up, people are passionate because they are truck fans and because SCS games have a kind of life after life.

X: What was it that motivated you to begin a website specialising in this fairly niche area of games?

W: HardTruckSite was founded in November 2003 by one of my best friends. It was a completely different time, intermittent areas with access to broadband and web domains were very expensive, consequently there were no sites offering free web forums. Now everybody can set up his own site for free. In 2003 our decision was quite clever. We all were playing Hard Truck 2 and King of the Road. We wanted to show player’s point of view about those games and create a social place for all Truck sims fans. A few months later we decided to try our hands as game modifiers. We made Polish Pack for 18 Wheels of Steel: Pedal to the Metal. It was a revolutionary and pioneering project which became popular across Europe.

X: Are there any particular challenges that you face in the day to day running of the site? What are the rewards?

W: Every day we take part in a market share gamble with opponents who prefer quantity, not quality. Now most sites are only forum based, on one of most common engines when they create a download section. They put add-ons shared on well known, free file hosting services and many up linkers are not checking them, they are simply copying them from other sites.

We are going against the flow. We focus on editorial activity. We search for interesting news, we prepare articles about games, and we write manuals on how to modify truck simulators. Unfortunately there are next-to-nothing-people in Poland, who are copying our work. We must fight therefore fight this plague of plagiarism as every week we find our news copied word for word without any reference given. Sometimes we find our articles and manuals accredited to someone else! Once we found a site with an owner who was copying all of his news from our site. Unfortunately he hadn’t seen that there is a “read more” button in most of them. He had therefore only copied half articles…

Now we must challenge the difficulty of rebuilding our portal. It doesn’t mean only changing engines and themes. We are also re-organising our team and preparing next surprises for our guests.

Rewards? The only one is satisfaction. We are doing all of this because of our passion.

X: Are you in contact with the main sim developers? Are they particularly communicative to fan sites?

W: The best known market player is SCS Software. They are a tiny company so they don’t have a big marketing department but I tip my hat to Pavel Sebor, their Managing Director. He is in charge of finances, marketing, negotiations with publishers and contacts with fans. He is very dedicated to his work and when it’s necessary he is geared to answer emails long into the night. Our marketing specialist works with him frequently.

We were also cooperating with TopWare Poland, SCS’s games publisher in Poland. Truck simulators were their main base of existence. Actually, one of our people was working for them as a kind of “fan base relations manager” but unfortunately the company collapsed a few weeks ago. At the moment we are also working with Cenega, the polish publisher of Rig’n’Roll.

X: Simulator games, in wider press at least, tend to have certain stigmas automatically pressed on them and their surrounding communities. Why do you feel this is, are any of these stereotypes particularly true, and is it something that you are concerned with at all?

W: I don’t think that there are stigmas. On the other hand simulators are extremely boring for most players. Typical gamers will spend a maximum of two or three evenings playing core games. Then he will put it back on the shelf, and never come back. Only simulator fans and children can feel pleasure shuttling through Europe with different cargo loads. Unfortunately many players are growing out of the genre very fast.  It’s why truck sims are an extremely niche area.

X: How far do fans go to replicate the authentic Truck driving experience? Would you say the hobby is expensive?

W: In my opinion it isn’t an expensive hobby. It’s connected with buying a steering wheel, which is useful in all racing games. The rest could be done for free. People drive observing Polish law, they listen to country music or use internet versions of CB-radio.

X: After speaking with Pavel Sebor from SCS Software, he noted that his company and Truck sim fans in general, have a very large presence in Eastern Europe. Being a Polish orientated site, why do you feel the genre had taken off in a big way in your part of the world as opposed to others?

W: One of the biggest reasons may be piracy. Despite low prices of truck sims, many people are downloading them from the web. Fortunately, a few weeks later, some of them are going to shops and buying original copies. Most of the buyers are from those three groups that I described before. What is more our part of Europe has big traditions in modifying these games. People play them because they know that after a few days there will be the first add-ons released and a few months later the first maps. SCS had an easier beginning in Poland because their first game had the “Hard Truck” brand in the title.

X: As a defining voice in the community, which titles would you say are the best in the field? Are there any that you would strongly recommend to beginners or those interested in getting involved?

W: I can recommend all of the games developed by SCS Software. Each of them has special features unseen in the next titles. Everybody can find something suitable for themselves among their titles. It’s extremely difficult to say which one is the best in the field. We suggest Rig’n’Roll developed by 1C Software as the best choice for beginners.

X: Finally, what would you say were the biggest disagreements or points of contention for truck sim fans? Are there any Sonic Vs Mario style debates for example?

W: With the release of each next game people argue as to which one is the best. But the biggest debate is about the future of truck sims. People discuss if they should become more and more realistic (in the way that an instructional fighter simulator for army use is a simulator) or become more like arcade games (such as 18 Wheels of Steel: Convoy).

In the first case fans will be delighted, but they will be the only buyers. In the second, the demand will be much bigger, but the fan base will be disappointed.

Enter then Vector Unit, the developers of Hydro Thunder Hurricane – a full fledged sequel to the speed boat racing original released on home consoles towards the very tail end of the 20th century – who seemingly felt that there was life left in this old (sea)horse yet. Coming to market as an Xbox exclusive, as the next release in this year’s Summer Of Arcade, following up the art-house indie gem Limbo with a more… traditional… approach to games design and this being their first release, the odds were always going to be stacked against the team at Vector Unit to create a memorable downloadable title.

Yet somehow, HTH has managed to come out of seemingly nowhere to be one of the most fun and compelling racers in recent memory, providing a fitting homage to the original Hydro Thunder, yet updating the admittedly simple formula far enough to seem relevant in a market place that is, rather fittingly, flooded with arguably more sophisticated arcade racers right now.

Incorporating standard races, gate challenges dubbed ‘Ring Master’ mode and a ‘Gauntlet’ mode (wherein the player is required to make it to the end of the track without hitting too many explosive barrels), plus local and online multiplayer, in terms of framing Hydro Thunder Hurricane is nothing to write home about, though these varied methods of play do enable some elegant recycling of the title’s eight tracks. However this simple structure (and the game’s exceptionally fast load times) gets you into the right games for the right mood quickly. Fancy utilising the full capabilities of your vehicle and learning the riskier routes? Get straight into the Ring Master mode. Want a frenetic race to the finish? A standard race is the order of the day. Want to be a little more thoughtful in your racing? Gauntlet mode. Need to take on all comers and prove yourself? Online. From a limited set of mechanics then, this arcade racer covers a lot of bases.

Whereas the original Hydro Thunder outing could, if we were being cynical, have been accused at the time of being a Wipeout clone, Hurricane has a lot more verticality and more routes through its colourful world than Sony‘s flagship future rave racer. The waves for instance are much more integral to the game this time round, much in the same way Wave Race 64 has players taking into account how they enter a corner in relation to the surf around them. That said, HTH isn’t nearly as tricky as Wave Race and average players will only start to become truly challenged late into the game, by which point they’ll probably have unlocked most of the really important content. And – OH MY GOSH – the-unlocks! Perfectly paced, the game rewards you after almost every race with a new boat, paint job, avatar item, challenge, achievement or track to race on, providing that much needed impetus to continue when you’re twenty races into a session.

Racing is fluid (see what I did there?) and has a lot more nuances to it than its fairly simple accelerate, brake, jump, boost and steer would bely, with knowing when and how to boost being key to improving track times. The feeling of speed, height and weight has been captured well here, making for an adrenaline fuelled ride each time you start up the on-board motor.

It’s a shame then that the audio never quite matches up to the action on screen, the original soundtrack being a little middle of the road and the overly excited announcer starting to grate on occasion. It’s fine in the arcade to hear a context sensitive audio clip on a specific part of a track, because your interaction with that title is likely to be much less often than a home release, but hearing the same FX each time you go past an area in an environment, just feels a little lazy on the part of the audio team, as does the rest of the aural presentation.

If you loved the original Hydro Thunder, Hurricane is a tremendous return to form for the franchise, and if you’re looking for a slightly more old school (read: straightforward) arcade racer, this comes highly recommended. Hydro Thunder Hurricane is excellent and though it doesn’t break any new ground, it’s a thoroughly accomplished title and a fine – albeit polemic – release to follow up Limbo in this second week of the XBL Summer of Arcade.

MLG Rating: 8/10

Platform: Xbox Release Date: 28/07/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of Hydro Thunder Hurricane for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of five days on an Xbox 360 Pro. For more information on what our scores mean, plus details of our reviews policy, click here.

Xero: Can you explain to our readership who are you and what you do?

Tom Champion: Hi there! My name is Tom Champion and I’m the Community & Gaming Manager for the Eurogamer Expo. It’s a vague job title, but I’ll try and explain a bit further. Basically I look after the social media aspect of the expo. I man our Twitter and Facebook accounts, talk about the expo on the Eurogamer forum and other forums all over the internet and reply to the many enquiries we get. Additionally I help put together the floorplan, make sure we have the correct number and type of consoles and make sure nothing is on fire during the expo. If you want to locate me during the show, I’ll be the guy looking very tired and somewhat stressed. :) It’s all good fun.

X: Next, a question we ask everyone we speak to here at Midlife Gamer: What is your favourite biscuit and beverage?

TC: Favourite biscuit is easy. Chocolate caramel digestives – I can rip through a packet of these in an hour or two. Ask my waistline. Alcoholic or non? Rum if it’s the first, real lemonade if it’s the latter.

X: For those that haven’t been to it, what is Eurogamer Expo and what can gamers expect when they walk through the door?

TC: If you haven’t been before, where were you?! Expect games, a lot of them. The vast majority will be titles that haven’t yet been released so it’s a great opportunity to try out new stuff that very few people will have played before.

As well as the games we have the Developer Sessions where a number of high profile developers will be giving presentations about their games. We also have the GamesIndustry.biz Career Fair which will feature exhibitors from developers, publishers, universities and recruiters. It’s a great place to get some tips on joining the industry.

As well as all this we have the Indie Games Arcade. This is great for checking out some indie games on PCs. Last year we had some great stuff including Joe Danger. We’re also working on some additional bits and pieces including a tournament / challenge area where you’ll be able to win prizes for gaming feats. In short, there’s a lot to do.

X: What is the expo’s overall aim? Are you shooting to be an E3 for Europe, or are you focussing efforts on being a Gamescom for the UK?

TC: I don’t think we’re necessarily trying to be like either of those events. Both E3 and Gamescom are trade shows. They’re mostly aimed at the gaming press and industry as a whole rather than gamers. Our aim with the Eurogamer Expo is quite simple. Put the best games in front of gamers. With trade shows you tend to get a lot of very flashy set ups with publishers and platform holders trying to outdo each other with the size of their stands.

Our show is very different. We want to fill the space with more consoles rather than elaborate stages etc. That way more people get to try out more games while cutting down on the queue times. I’d say the closest event to what we’re trying to achieve is PAX in the US.

X: Being held at the beginning of Q4, many of the games for the lucrative holiday period shown here will already be available to the public or are just months away from release. Is this a help or a hindrance when attracting gamers and games press?

TC: The key thing for us is being able to secure the biggest games in a playable form. That means trying to strike a balance. If the show is put on too early in the year then the publishers won’t have any playable code to give us, too late and the games are already out and that limits interest.

I think our balance is spot on this year. We’ve moved the expo from the end of October to the beginning and that means more unreleased games for attendees to play. An example of this; we recently announced Sony’s lineup for the show and in fact it’s very likely that none of those core titles will be out by the time we kick off on the 1st October. 3 of them aren’t released until 2011. Sony are also bringing along some 3D games which the vast majority of people won’t have experienced 1st hand.

What we don’t want is to end up in a situation where we’re showing video of games rather than playable code. Videos are no good to us, you can get those on the internet, we want people playing the games.

X: You’re partnered with HMV for sponsorship, what do they bring to the show in real terms and why did you choose to go with them as opposed to dedicated games retailers, such as the Game group?

TC: On the day they’ll have a mini shop set up within the hall where you’ll be able to purchase games. I believe they’re also working on having special offers which will only be available to people attending the expo. In general I think HMV have demonstrated great commitment to games in the last few years. They’re now offering second hand titles to consumers and with things like Gamerbase I think they’re really keen to exceed the services that many specialists offer. They share our passion for games and I think that was key when we were looking for a partner.

X: The show always seems to attract some very big names in the industry, do you feel games companies take events like this as seriously as they should? In addition, are these sessions popular with the general public or are they more focussed on the journalists attending?

TC: I think publishers love the show, to be honest. It costs them a fraction of what it costs them to do a huge event like E3 and in return their games get played by thousands of genuine gamers rather than just press and industry folk. It’s brilliant for them to gather that feedback as well.

In terms of the Developer Sessions, as with the games these are aimed at everyone rather than just press. Anyone is free to join the queue and watch the presentation. It’s really the same ethos as the games – they’re there for everybody to enjoy. I think that’s important when attracting big names for the presentations. Developers enjoy being able to address gamers directly for a change, rather than press and their peers.

X: For you personally, what’s the most challenging part of organising EGX?

TC: All of it! But mostly the work we do actually on the day and in the couple of days leading up to the show.

Last year was really tough as we had two locations, Leeds and London, and had to travel up to Leeds, do the show and then go down to London and set up etc all with a 1 day gap. It was manic and I think I probably had about 10 hours sleep all week. My feet were a total mess!

I should also point out that it isn’t just me working on the show. Our Business Development Manager, David Lilley and our MD, Rupert Loman do a great job of securing the best games for our event. And once the event is underway most of the Eurogamer team (sales, tech and editorial) get involved on the show floor making sure that everything is running smoothly.

X: Europe – and especially Great Britain – is one of the biggest consumers of video games hardware and media in the world, yet Eurogamer Expo is one of just a handful of dedicated games shows. Why do you feel this is?

TC: Good question! Well, it’s a pretty tough gig putting on an event like this. The advantage we have at Eurogamer is that although this is just the 3rd year of the expo, we’ve been around as a website for over 10 years. During that time we’ve built up great relationships with all the publishers and platform holders and gained the respect of millions of readers. This puts us in a great position to be able to secure games for the show and actually have people want to attend it. I don’t think there are many other companies in the UK that can boast that kind of credibility amongst both the industry and gamers.

X: We’ve seen that Sony will be in attendance and bringing many of their marquee titles with them. Are there any hints as to who else we can expect to see exhibiting at the show? Any teases on the speakers who will be hosting their own sessions?

TC: Yep, it was great to be able to announce Sony’s lineup. They’ve always been great supporters of the expo and the games they’re bringing this year are truly remarkable. Gran Turismo 5 for gods’ sake!

Sorry, can’t give out any hints at the moment! The good thing is that you won’t have to wait too much longer to find out. We’re planning on making further announcements very soon. Rest assured we’re working hard to get the best games at the expo. Check out what’s due for release between October and the first half of 2011 and you’ll get a good idea about what we’re aiming for!

For more information on Eurogamer Expo, and to book tickets, visit expo.eurogamer.net

Ultima

Arguably the most important Role Playing Game series ever made and its initial release from Origin Systems in 1981 is widely regarded as one of the very first commercially available RPGs. The leaps in technology, game design and visual presentation that the series would come to see has been crucial in the development of the dice rolling genre and the DNA of the series is still evident in the biggest names of modern gaming. After all, no Ultima Online: no World of Warcraft.

Ultima is that important.

Fundamental to this stunning series’ creation is Richard Garriott – referred to fondly by fans as Lord British – who has not only been a key figure in the development of the games industry, but is a wildly successful entrepreneur, geocacher and space adventurer. Midlife Gamer secured a rare opportunity to speak with the great man himself, who talks to us about his upbringing and first commercial computer game, his time with Ultima including his interaction with players as Lord British, his experience of life on the International Space Station and what the future holds with Portalarium.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes & leave us a sexy review… or listen here.

A founding member and driving force behind Sensible Software the makers of Mega Lo Mania, Sensible Soccer and Cannon Fodder, he talks exclusively to Midlife Gamer about the full history of the company, gives us the reasons behind the Codemasters buyout and goes into detail about the making of the biggest Sensible titles.

He explains the reasoning behind their focus on humour and music in their games, his personal approach to video game design, rocks our world with the knowledge that Mega Lo Mania was originally set in space and gives us a little more information on his much hyped but ultimately canned project Sex ‘n’ Drugs ‘n’ Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Never one to avoid controversy, John also gives us his opinion on why modern gamers are being given ‘dumbed down’ products, why iterative console design and firmware upgrades harm the industry, we discuss his take on motion control and he tells us about his exciting new project Me Stars. All this, plus lots more on this special edition of the Midlife Gamer podcast.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes & leave us a sexy review… or listen here.

Xero: First question from us, who are you and what do you do?

Adam Stewart: My name is Adam Stewart, and I’m responsible for the graphics and writing for One Man Left Studios.

X: Next thing is extremely important to us, and is something we ask everyone we meet here at Midlife Gamer, what is your favourite beverage and what is your favourite biscuit?

AS: My favorite beverage is beer, of which I don’t know if I have a favorite. Beer isn’t fun if you drink the same kind all the time. My favorite biscuits are the Girl Scout Caramel DeLites? Are biscuits cookies? This question was not properly localized.

X: For those readers who don’t know, what is Tilt To Live and why should they download it?

AS: Tilt to Live is an accelerometer-based iDevice game with tight controls, neat weapons, and a sense of humor. They should download it after reading some reviews, because people seem to dig it.

X: TTL is your first title for iPhone, but is it your first title altogether or had you worked on previous projects before this?

AS: Before Tilt to Live, and as we were making it, I was a web designer and Alex (our programmer) was a software engineer. We went to high school together, and used to goof around making games for Flash and PC. We’ve never been involved with a game sold for money before, though.

X: Can you talk to us about the new Frostbite scenario and what it will be adding to the game?

AS: Frostbite mode involves a blizzard of frozen dots falling toward a hot spring. Weapons are sparse, so you’ve got to shatter as many enemies as possible before they can reach the hot spring and reanimate. Your primary weapon will be a new one called the burnicade, which is, intuitively enough, a burning barricade you “draw” by hitting the weapon orb and tilting. So you can essentially create a safety net with it, which burns any thawed dots chasing you while it eats the frozen enemies falling into it.

X: Where did the idea for Tilt To Live come from, were you inspired by any specific games or other forms of media?

AS: Tilt to Live began as a reimagining of Geometry Wars’ Pacifism mode. Accessibility is important for mobile devices, and games just don’t get more straightforward than that. Developing the weapons, we were really surprised at the variety of offensive strategies you could arrive at from weapons you just run into.

X: What was the motivation behind the striking visual design?

AS: The tone was more serious, sci-fi in the beginning, but I guess we had a hard time taking that seriously. It’s got an interesting contrast now, having abstractions for the characters and backgrounds vs. literal visuals in the weapons. Watching an arrow zip around triggering weapons of mass destruction is strangely charming. Basically, we settled on the name and it all got goofier.

X: Was there a reason behind handling all of the controls via motion sensing? Why not go for an on-screen control for instance?

AS: The tilt was the first thing we tried. I guess we were just working with the tools the hardware gave us. The tilt controls felt great and didn’t clutter the screen, so we had no desire to try a joystick. I also have sort of a pet peeve about phantom thumbsticks. I can’t stand not physically feeling where I am in relation to the center position, or whether I’ve reached the point where I can’t push it any farther.

X: Why did you choose to go with AGON Online as opposed to OpenFeint or another social platform for your high score and achievement functions?

AS: We liked the way it integrated. Openfeint can be a little heavy handed when you first start a game up (“ENABLE ME!”). It was also a paid service at the time we were choosing, where AGON was free. We’re still happy with the decision, though.

X: In real terms, how successful has the game been commercially and does the economy of the iTunes store work for smaller developers?

AS: All we have to cover is expenses and two guy’s salaries, so we really aren’t asking for much. We expected to need like 5 titles a year to be viable, and now it’s looking more like two. Apple has been generous about plugging TtL into featured lists, so that’s definitely helped.

X: Tilt To Live went free for a short period of time, were the download numbers drastically different, and does the free-to-play, ad-supported model appeal to you at all?

AS: They were exponentially different. FAAD gets a lot of eyeballs, and it was great to get into the hands of so many people. At the moment, free-to-play is appealing to us when it’s supported by in-app purchases and expansions. At that point, it’s basically an integrated lite version people can try out before they commit to a purchase. Advertising is only appealing if it’s WAY out of the way (More Games buttons) and not hurting the experience.

X: Is the boom of the indie game industry that we saw starting a couple of years ago, beginning to tail off with larger companies and higher budgets muscling in more heavily on the mobile platform?

AS: Our artwork and programming is all in-house, which saves a ton of overhead and helps us stay competitive. It’s pretty risky for someone who spent a lot of money making a game to try and meet us at our price point. Worst case scenario, I imagine it’s like the rest of the entertainment industry. The big guys will spend more time on flash than substance, so there’s always an appetite for fresh ideas.

X: What can we expect to see from One Man Left in the near future? What new titles are on the way and what can we expect from them?

AS: We’ve been sprinkling hints for a while that Tilt to Live is coming to the iPad, and that’s what we’re developing alongside Frostbite right now. I’m excited about the HD version. Resolution upgrades are boring, so we’ve been playing with new graphics and effects to really make this one stand out as “the badass Tilt to Live”. Another title will likely be released this year, but we haven’t got anything to show for it just yet.

For more information on One Man Left Studios and the supremely addictive Tilt To Live check out onemanleft.com

Xero: Could you introduce yourself to the readers of Midlife Gamer, who are you and what do you do?

Masaya Matsuura: My name is Masaya Matsuura and I am the president of NanaOn-Sha co., ltd. Managing the company, planning and producing video games, and composing and performing music are the main pillars of what I do.

X: The second question we ask each and every person we interview here at Midlife Gamer, what is your favourite beverage and what is your favourite biscuit? (called ‘cookies’ outside of the UK)

MM: Since I am Japanese, I’m not going to be picky about biscuits, but perhaps McVitie’s are my favourite although I do not see them quite as often as I used to in Japan these days. Regarding my favourite beverage, recently I’m into drinking Japanese tea at work. I enjoy the subtle taste differences resulting from how I brew my favourite tea leaves. One day, I offered a cup of tea that I brewed to one of my staff from the UK, but unfortunately he said, “I don’t like it,” so perhaps it means that I need to do a better job on brewing…

X: Your latest title – WINtA – is due out later this year. Could you tell us a bit more about the game, and how the title plays?

MM: WINtA is a rhythm game that has puzzle game elements for iPhone and iPad. On the screen, there are a group of aligned buttons and a white-shadow like box expands from the centre of the buttons to the edge and you need to tap it with accurate timing. This is how you play. Musical sounds are assigned to each button so if you don’t tap it on time, the music being played gets messy as well. An important point of WINtA is that this is part of a charity project by One Big Game. I think there will gradually be more and more variations of music and screen design too.

X: You’re developing the game with Triangle Studios for the iPhone and iPod Touch, what is it about Apple’s platform that appeals to you and are you interested in porting WINtA to other devices?

MM: The number one reason is its relative low risk and open environment. Then the next reason is that we believe that with WINtA’s bite-sized gameplay it’s feasible to make more viral buzz in a community-based platform like iPhone compared to other platforms that tend to have a more private focus.

X: A lot of your work, until the last couple of years, had been predominantly featured on Sony hardware. What were the reasons for largely moving away from the Playstation brand since Vib-Ripple in 2004?

MM: The main reason was that we couldn’t produce any successful games for PS2, which had spread to core gamers as a game console, but to casual gamers as a DVD player. We should have known better, but we were unable to fill in the gap. Regardless, it was a good opportunity to take on some fresh challenges that worked out really well for us.

X: Is this your first game developed for charitable causes, and what was it about OneBigGame’s approach to publishing that made you want to create WINtA for them?

MM: Although it was quite a while ago when OBG approached to us initially, we had been unsuccessful coming up with a thriving idea for a few years and things were not going anywhere. While we were having a tough time coming up with an idea, iPhone spread throughout the world, and the situation for the OBG project started to change. One day I happened to recall a song that I once wrote to remember the 9.11 tragedy and had not let virtually anybody listen to; this song was called, WINtA (War Is Not the Answer). I immediately told myself to make a game out of it. To me a charity is a new challenge, but I was not motivated differently in spite of the fact that money come from customers will be spent for someone else’s good. In addition, even if this is for a charity, I consider that it is no different from a regular economic activity that I make and thus I do not feel any less responsible for the project.

X: You’ve been described as the ‘godfather of music games’ and most people point to your games as really popularising the rhythm action genre. Are you proud of this accolade, and how far do you feel the genre has moved on since Parappa The Rapper launched in 1996?

MM: Whether it is called a rhythm game or music game, it does not really bother me, but at least I was able to create unprecedented success within a genre that people including Sony said was impossible to achieve before PaRappa The Rapper. This particular category of game took more than 10 years in the US and the EU to become successful and I strongly feel that music games are still like a baby needing care and encouragement.

X: It’s been a fair few years since we last saw Parappa, UmJammer Lammy, Vibri et al, are there any plans for new instalments of those titles in the near future? What about re-releases for downloadable services?

MM: A PSP version of PaRappa came out a few years back, and as for UJL, there is a PSN version but chances are that it hasn’t been released in certain parts of the EU. As far as Vib-Ribbon is concerned, due to an audio access problem, at this point in time it has not been adapted to modern standards, but there is definitely a possibility to do so.

WINtA is released later this year, for more information, check out wintagame.com

From the team at Artificial Mind and Movement, the folks behind WET, MySims Racing and a wealth of big name title ports, such as Iron Man, Dante’s Inferno and Mercenaries 2, comes this, their latest original IP. Going into the game, I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive, as you can see from their track record, the developer’s pedigree isn’t particularly a good one. While WET, for example, was visually quite interesting, it was a boring game to play, the central bullet time mechanic sucked any potential fun from the title, severely hampering the pace of the game, and the transfer of Mercs 2 to PS2 was rough to say the least…

Playing as a curious blend of Manhunt’s stealth, State Of Emergency’s visceral violence and Canis Canem Edit’s dark humour, the team really do seem to have struck out for that Rockstar feel in terms of game play and tone. Aesthetically however the title could not be more diametrically opposed, a cuter-than-cute, brightly coloured world of teddy bears, helium balloons and scrumptious looking cake. Through this duality of elements comes the unique premise of Naughty Bear, doing for stealth action what Battlefield Heroes does for WWII military history.

The premise is simple, go into an area, lay low, kill or scare silly every bear in that said area with a variety of weaponry and in-game objects (for high scoring contextual ultra-kills / ultra-scares), meet certain requirements, move on to the next, repeat. It’s a very safe structure that’s livened up by genuinely funny introductory cut scenes and an unsettlingly happy narrator.

The real fun of the game comes from a pseudo-social engineering aspect; scaring, maiming and killing bears, seeing how they respond and how their friends respond. It is a wonderfully evil feeling of the purest schadenfreude when the cruel acts you have inflicted upon a fluffy, singled-off victim – such as burning their face on a barbecue, trapping their legs in bear traps and beating them senseless with golf clubs – forces them to limp away from you weakly, back to their base camp. It is a delight to see the reactions of their comrades from afar, seeing the widespread panic and fear that sweeps through their encampment, watching as they attempt to barricade themselves in a building, call for help or escape the area entirely. This is where the game excels, with a large, Shining-esque ‘Here’s Johnny’ style grin plastered across the face of the player at their most powerful, completely in control of those around them, a ruthless force of nature in a cartoon fantasy world.

A shame then that you never have as much power over yourself as you do your enemies, as the game is really quite imprecise in places. At times you’ll be out of cover when you think you should be in it, the combat is rudimentary at best, animation cues are wonky beyond belief, and the camera is an irritating nuisance.

Perhaps the biggest issue though is pacing. The game can be incredibly dull at times and far too hectic at others, and with no perceived patrol routes as such for your enemies, waiting for them to walk past your waiting landmine is a case of hit and, more likely miss, all the while being overcome by a feeling of boredom from a game that is aiming to be fun. For all of the criticisms you could point to in the Metal Gear Solid franchise, Kojima at least understands that the frustrating part of stealth is the waiting, using inaction as the punishment for alerting guards and setting off an alarm. Except of course that the ‘alarm’ in Naughty Bear, i.e. the inhabitants panic, cannot be turned off. You therefore come to rely on very gamey elements to beat the levels, such as jumping out of cover, killing an enemy in a crowd of others and then dashing back to the woods that instantly hide you. In addition, there’s no instant kill move when sneaking up behind an enemy, so dispatching your foes is an extremely slow and arduous task.

Naughty Bear is a real mixed bag. While it lets itself down in its realisation as a game, it is most certainly entertaining in places, and its style can make up for its lack of substance at times. At points it manages to turn from slightly broken stealth action game to smile inducing time waster and if the team can go away and develop the concept further, the next iteration could well be a corker. As it stands though, it’s very much a try before you buy.

MLG Rating: 6/10

Platform: Xbox 360 (Playstation 3)  Release Date: 25/06/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a physical copy of Naughty Bear for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of seven days on a Xbox 360 Pro. For more information on what our scores mean, plus details of our reviews policy, click here.

Let’s get the biggest problem out of the way first; Green Day’s material isn’t exactly what you might call ‘varied’. Whereas The Beatles – who have also undergone the solus Rock Band treatment – were a band that continued to develop and expand their sound in the roughly eight or so years the group were together, yet Green Day have taken twenty three years to evolve from punk rock to alternative rock with a punk edge. There’s just not that significant a difference between the various ‘famous’ sets to keep things interesting for those with just a passing interest in the band. It would have been really great to have a dozen or so songs from bands that inspired Green Day’s sound at different points in their career, a little Operation Ivy or AFI really would have strengthened the title to no end.

Another big issue is that if you are a massive fan of the band and are expecting a lavish video game recreation of their career to date, you’ll be sorely disappointed, the amount of love and polish that went into The Beatles: Rock Band just isn’t here. That’s not to say that it’s a sloppily presented title, far from it, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool look great, the spray can art style in the menu system works well and signature playing styles of the band – such as Billie Joe’s forward lean while singing – are all present and correct. There are also photos and videos to unlock through the career mode and other trinkets that you’ll probably spend very little time with. Thankfully, one thing you won’t have to unlock is the complete set of 40+ tracks included on the disc, so if you want to jump straight in and play American Idiot, you’re more than welcome. In addition, unless you have the Wii version of the game, you can export all of the songs to other versions of Rock Band, albeit for a nominal fee.

Being based on Rock Band 2′s solid framework and with Harmonix’s superb note tracking, Green Day’s work has never played better in a game, plus there’s the usual options to play lefty, adjust for delay, no fail mode etc etc. Everything you’d expect from Rock Band 2 is present and correct, with the addition of three part harmonies taken from The Beatles: Rock Band, which adds another layer of authenticity to the proceedings, albeit one that arguably few will come to bother with. And while it’s a good thing they didn’t take many risks and change the Rock Band 2 formula up too much, it does unfortunately leave you with the feeling that this is a glorified expansion pack, very little more than enhanced DLC burnt to a physical disc.

Still, it does do what Rock Band does best, which is to say that it provides a great music game to play with friends and family, though one only fans of the artist will particularly appreciate. Rock Band 2 is still a superb game and if Green Day are a band you enjoy listening to then this is a no-brainer.

MLG Rating: 8/10

Platform: Playstation 3 (Xbox 360, Wii)  Release Date: 11/06/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a physical copy of Green Day: Rock Band for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of seven days on a Playstation 3. For more information on what our scores mean, plus details of our reviews policy, click here.

Uncle Fista:

Microsoft: With their main focus being on launching Kinect and clearly targeting the casual market, this year’s conference will have left core gamers disappointed with the event. Of the launch software that was showcased for Kinect, I was reasonably impressed, and can certainly imagine fun times to be had with family members. But the lack of a price announcement leaves me suspicious of an RRP that will sour the taste of the market they are so keen to capture. Thumbs up for the new hardware and pulling an ‘Apple’ on us with the shipping date. Don’t forget us real gamers Microsoft!

Nintendo: After a number of years carving up the casual market, Nintendo swing back in the favour of their loyal core fanbase, delivering a slew of titles for all gamer types. Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Kirby & Kid Icarus were all real crowd pleasers & Epic Mickey is shaping up to be an amazing game. The standout star of the event for me though was the 3DS, showing once again that Nintendo can deliver time and again beyond expectations. An impressive line up of developers will assure success of the new console. Bravo Nintendo!

Sony: A definite air of confidence surrounded the delivery of the Sony event, and rightly so. They planted a stake in the ground and committed to 3D in a big way, although it still remains to be seen if there is wide adoption of this tech by the masses.  The Move was well presented and I can see the attach rate being high based on the price point and software quality. PSN+ was no real surprise but was presented and sold with a real value proposition. Consider me sold. Great to see Gabe Newell on stage having eaten a huge slice of humble pie!

Other Thoughts: I’ll be honest I’ve not had much exposure to the rest of what’s on offer as I type. I guess you’ll have to wait until the next podcast to find out!

Who Won E3? Kevin Butler!

Marconi:

Microsoft: As I predicted this was Microsoft’s E3 to lose, trailing up to the stage with the biggest innovation of our age. It was a very solid showing for MS but somewhere they dropped the ball. A press conference reduced to alleged pre-recorded footage, wavy-wavy hand gestures, and release after release of sequels and sappy Kinetic shovelware. It was an unusually shaky and unassured conference for MS that ended in giving everyone in the audience a free XBOX 360 slim, which if that isn’t the biggest “please forgive us for wasting you time” I don’t know what is. Kinetic doesn’t belong on the gamers’ stage, it is a superb innovation but would see better use in hospitals and schools.

Nintendo: Brave, brave Nintendo who against the sharp motion controls of MS and Sony are still showing off with the Motion+ and why not? The Wiimote still is the greatest innovation of the modern console age. It might not have the depth of scope of move, or the accessibility of Kinect but it’s still a great product. One that Zelda, Kirby, and Samus will use in their new releases. Big news though is the re-working of Goldeneye (with Daniel Craig??) and the 3DS which is going to be undoubtedly a market leader, making 3D accessible and affordable.

Sony: On the other hand Sony proved that “move” would be the essential gamers peripheral. Alongside a raft of exclusives which sees nearly every new release containing content only for the PS3, Gabe Newell telling us that Portal 2 will be best on the PS3 and Sony paving the way for 3D technology, this all felt like the truly immersive and visceral gaming “gamers” could get used to from Sony. A far cry from the “family” vision of Kinect. “Move” was demonstrated warts and all and with titles for family and the serious gamer. It is set to lead the way, no doubt. After all “move” promises precision and reaction times that Kinect cannot promise to deliver.

Other Thoughts: What interested me most about this years E3 was Sony’s uncanny ability to prepare for the future. It all seems clear now, their high end console now proving it is worth the price tag. The memory available allowing developers to unleash more content only to Sony. Apparently the capabilities don’t stop there, 3d and “move” capabilities will be able to be turned off and on with future releases allowing one copy of a game be available for use by any one, with the equipment or not. Even though they twisted the knife into MS it was a perfect example of Sony achieving the same longevity that the PS2 still enjoys.

Who won E3? Sony

Antman:

Microsoft: “We can go anywhere!” Well, could you please go somewhere else, somewhere with a big sign that says “meh”? I don’t mean to be defamatory, but does anyone really think that Kinect is the path that gaming should take? I could knock out a thousand words on hardcore vs. casual gaming but lets just say that Kinect isn’t for me. And a new 360 unveiled, with features that should have been in the original, good stuff. Will this one overheat too? I think its an all-round poor showing from Microsoft this year, the casual market may be suitably moist, but for me it ranks somewhere near Findus Crispy Pancakes and white dog turds.

Nintendo: A surprisingly strong showing with an emphasis on old IPs, many welcome. Being a burly man, I am hesitant to mention my highlight being a new Kirby adventure which looks so saccharin I think I may now be diabetic (in a good way). The biggest question mark hangs over the 3DS, can you really generate a 3D effect without any other peripheral? Will it be properly implemented, will it make me go cross-eyed? Only time will tell but I wait with baited-breath nonetheless. And where is my cocking Wii HD?!

Sony: 3D is also coming to the big screen, for most of us that means stereoscopic glasses. It also means taking the refresh rate of you TV (normally about 60Hz), dividing it by 2 and that’ll be your maximum frames-per-second. Yay? Continuing with my abundant enthusiasm, lets glance at Move. My opinion of this twisted sibling of gaming evolution hasn’t changed in the last two paragraphs, but I can at least see the feasibility of their technology. Hand movements seem to correspond to on-screen actions and the price seems fair. Again, implementation and innovation are the future problems for Sony. Finally, no PSP2 and neither of the PSP adverts contained the PSP: GO, don’t worry digital distribution, one day the world will embrace you.

Other Thoughts: It hasn’t been the best E3 this year, not the worst but just a little creepy. I can’t recall the last time I saw so much hammy acting and forced, awkward fun. Each of the big 3 face very different problems over the next 12 months. Microsoft have the most ambition but need to deliver a product that works in the real world. Sony have a realistic approach but need to show the advantage of their system through innovative and suitably complex games to cater to the “hardcore” market. Nintendo need to convert the casual to hardcore, using old IPs as a familiar base. Strong dedication must be shown to the 3DS.

Who Won E3? Steam

MantisMat:

Microsoft: It seems that Microsoft are really pushing for that casual gamer with Kinect (nee Natal), for me there was only one title which impressed me thanks for Harmonix and their Dance Central, read why here. The 3 big expected games were all shown and expectations were all met with COD: Black Ops, Gears of War 3 and Fable 3.  I was hoping Peter Molyneux would give more details of how he intends to integrate Kinect into the Fable world. Bringing it home with the redesigned Xbox 360.  Looks like a badly designed Alienware case and aimed at pre pubescent head shot seekers.  I’m seeing this as their final iteration of the hardware in this cycle.

Nintendo: Let’s start with what wasn’t on offer, what happened to that heart sensor that was the star of the show last year? Bringing back some old characters is always something Nintendo can fall back on, with Zelda, Golden Eye and Kirby returning, the hardcore Nintendo fans got what they wanted. It was the 3DS though which really peaked my interest.  A shame they could not demo it live, but I accept that and just hope reports come out agreeing with their 3D claims

Sony: With Sony also pushing 3D tech in a big way, much of the wow factor of the demo’s were lost on my.  Saying that though, Killzone 3 looks fantastic even in 2D! Certainly didn’t call the Portal 2 announcement and Gabe himself standing under a giant Sony logo committing to bringing the best console version of Portal 2 to the PS3. The big sell for me was Sony Move, I wasn’t sold before hand until I saw the games in action.  Sorcery for me looks so much fun.  If they turns out to be multiplayer also I’m going to buckle and buy the log

Other Thoughts: Sony as a whole this year really sold themselves to me.  They seem to understand that many games own more than 1 system and have to make a choice when it comes to a multiplatform title.  Showing off exclusive content and Move support being added to existing games via DLC and the Playstation Plus subscription model.  I can see my gaming habits taking a swing towards Sony over the next 12 months.

Who won E3? Sony

Birkett:

Microsoft: Well, we had an expected reveal of the slim Xbox- which looks sweet, slick and stylish. The show was also boasted by presentations of Kinect which I found deeply underwhelming, promising even more shovel-ware to following in the coming months. Milo seems to have turned into his animal kingdom counterpart in Kinectimals whilst schlocky family-friendly titles such as Kinect Adventures look beyond dull. Harmonix’s Dance Central looked to use the device well, in a rhythm action take on the street dance scene. Thanks go to Epic and Lionhead Studios for a slice of restored integrity.

Nintendo: Likely to avoid any previous E3 howlers, Nintendo went all out and delivered some truly inspired announcements, with the likes of Goldeneye and Donkey Kong Country returning. I was particularly impressed with the demo of Disney and Junction Point’s Epic Mickey which has a fantastic and innovative game play mechanic of adding or removing parts of the scene to impact the game. A new Zelda was also promised for a 2011 release, although Miyamoto’s on-stage demo was severely hindered. The 3DS meanwhile looked brilliant, with first word coming from the show extremely positive.

Sony: Thank you Sony for finally giving us a release date for Gran Turismo 5- wait, only for the US!? Oh come on! Game that has me most excited? Motorstorm: Apocalypse- its urban environmental deformation looks insane and impressive, alike to the vehicular combat on show in the trailer for the new Twisted Metal which has me extremely psyched. The show was of course mostly dominated by Move which looks refined and usable within top, triple-A games. It’s here where I think it holds a foot ahead of Kinect- the games seem to use the tech capably and positively.

Other Thoughts: I still have my scepticisms regarding the move into three dimensions, as everyone does, but I can’t help but take notice of Sony’s reluctance to back down and propel forward with the massive gamble of their 3D tech. It’s certainly one of the most intriguing aspects coming from the show, never mind which side of the fence you stand on. With games such as Gran Turismo 5, Motorstorm: Apocalypse and Killzone 3 all supporting 3D visuals, it marks the possibility for a strong turning point for videogames.

Who Won E3? Nintendo

Xero:

Microsoft: Talk about a rollercoaster of an opening presentation, we get it Microsoft, you have a camera that can track body movement. The emphasis on Kinect was a little off putting, as were the number of mini game-esque titles that would launch with the motion controlling add-on. The new hardware revision looks really sleek, really desirable, but the Kinect dashboard looks clumsy and unintuitive. If this skew towards copying Nintendo’s casual lead is really where the Xbox is heading, Microsoft may well be in for a bumpy ride this coming year.

Nintendo: Ninty’s showing at E3 left me feeling really quite cynical. The same twenty year old franchises being trotted out once more, a new handheld that looks like a deformed DS with sub-PSP visuals and a handful of Nintendo 64 ports that may or may not eventually see release and a distinct lack of serious third party support. Nintendo needed to focus more on the Epic Mickeys and Street Fighter 4s at their disposal and far less on very early looking Zelda, Donkey Kong and Kid Icarus updates.

Sony: For me Sony had the surprise of the show, with Gabe Newell backing the PS3 outing of Portal 2 as the best console version. Big words from a man who openly criticised the platform in the past. Gran Turismo 5 got a date, but who can tell if they’ll honour it and the new Twisted Metal looks about as uninspired and obvious as the rest of Jaffe’s work to-date. Overall Sony seem to be pushing the system as the gamer’s platform of choice, though in doing so they’ll be leaving the lucrative casual market behind…

Other Thoughts: Project Dust grabbed me visually, I love the design that we’ve seen so far, Child Of Eden is basically just motion control Rez but you won’t see me complaining because that sounds awesome, Bulletstorm looks crazy in a Duke Nukem 3D kind of way, Journey has me juiced, really glad that Valkyria Chronicles is getting a decent looking sequel and Fallout Online could just be the MMO to get me into MMOs.

Who won E3? Sony

FrostieD:

Microsoft: Kinect (the project formerly known as Natal) is not just a new gaming peripheral, it’s a new way of operating your 360, interacting with all your media, its clear Microsoft want the 360 to be the entertainment hub of the home. I am very excited about what they are proposing and I think it is a genuinely innovative product. But if we’re talking purely about the games line-up it was a disappointing showing, sequels galore and most of the Keynote presentation was based on Kinect, only a few of those games looked all that interesting. However as I predicted… Metal Gear Solid: Rising!

Nintendo: Nintendo 3DS, now I’m not a big handheld gamer and this hasn’t done too much to make me invest. The obvious major selling point is the new 3D capable screen, whilst I think that 3D gaming is the future, I’m not sure how well this will work on a small 3.5inch screen. Games-wise it was more of the same really from what we have already core franchises and remakes  none of which really got me excited about dusting off my Wii, I understand that a game like Kid Icarus will get people excited but unfortunately for me it meant nothing.

Sony: I’m really struggling to see how different the Playstation Move is to the Wiimote. Although it’s more advanced than its Nintendo counterpart, it’s not the innovation that Sony is shouting about. I fear it will face the same problems as the Wii in terms of the games it can utilise, I’d like to be proven wrong, but I’m not sure I will be. Now they didn’t blow me away with new IP’s, didn’t wow me with Move titles but the sequels were impressive (the ‘breadth’ of LBP2 & Killzone 3 looked gorgeous) and they had a great selection of exclusive content, so whilst they may not had any new exclusive titles they were grabbing the multi platform games from its rivals.

Who won E3? Microsony

And now we want to hear from you, who do you think won E3? Leave a comment on the post below to let us and the rest of The Community know.