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Share Button On Dual Shock 4 Pitched By Sony Santa Monica

Ben-Dutka 11 Comments

That Share button on the new Dual Shock 4 is a nifty feature, isn't it? Do you know who originally suggested it?

It was Sony Santa Monica creative director Nathan Gary. According to a recent Edge interview with Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, the boss explained how the new controller's Share button came into being:

"I think it was [creative director] Nathan Gary in Santa Monica studios who suggested it: how about adding a dedicated button on the controller so that everybody can just press that button to share? He was helping out the external development, heavily involved in helping the development of Journey and Unfinished Swan at Santa Monica Studios."

Yoshida said Gary put together a PowerPoint presentation and pitched the Share button theory, which Sony agreed was a "brilliant idea." So it turned out to be a "pretty quick decision" and lo and behold, the creative director had directly contributed to the Dual Shock 4's fresh layout. Wouldn't it be nice to get this kind of recognition? It's a pretty good idea, after all.

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Sony Santa Monica Not Directly Assisting With The Last Guardian

Ben-Dutka 8 Comments

Last month, we heard that God of War developer Sony Santa Monica was helping out with the long-anticipated exclusive, The Last Guardian .

It was Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida who sort of confirmed that the Santa Monica team was lending a hand, but now it appears that isn't true. The developer's director of technology, Tim Moss, told Eurogamer that Yoshida may have been slightly misquoted.

"I'm never really sure how that got in the press, because as far as I'm aware we're not helping out with The Last Guardian. The only way you can say that is the knowledge that we contribute back to the central tech groups benefits The Last Guardian. So I'm guessing someone was slightly misquoted."

That may have been what Yoshida meant, and the Wired interviewer took a little creative license with his words. Another Sony Santa Monica boss, Christer Ericson, confirmed that while various first-party teams communicate with one another every now and then, they're not really involved in each other's projects. Said Ericson:

"We tend to visit each other several times a year, and doing so we may exchange ideas. They've been here, and we've been there. We do ask each other how are you doing that, and just sometimes go over to provide feedback."

Last month, The Last Guardian head honcho Fumito Ueda told everyone to "keep an eye out" for some sort of impending official announcement. That hasn't happened yet (it didn't show up at the PlayStation Meeting when Sony revealed the PlayStation 4), so we'll just keep being patient. At this point, it really is starting to feel like a PS4 title.

Related Game(s): The Last Guardian

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PlayStation All-Stars Might Spark A Keen Interest In Fighters

Ben-Dutka 12 Comments

In our review for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale , we tried to make two points abundantly clear:

1. It is not a Smash Bros. clone.

2. It is absolutely a legitimate fighting game, not an over-simplified brawler for a younger, more casual audience.

And Sony Santa Monica lead game designer Seth Killian hopes the title will be a gateway to traditional fighting games for those who have never really been interested in the genre. In speaking to Eurogamer , Killian said the title will attract an audience that would be "intimidated" by standard fighting games. However, after playing for a while-

"But then they discover there’s all this stuff under the hood and they get into this game. That will hopefully lead them to fighters. It could be a great injection of new blood into the fighting game scene, which is critical to its continued success.

It opens the door with a simple control scheme. That’s critical to get new people into the door. I would love it if people who played All-Stars played Street Fighter and Marvel. You need a gateway drug. "

I'm going to agree with this. As most of you know, I have never been a fighting fan. I like Dead or Alive and I've enjoyed Soul Calibur in the past as well, but that's about it. PlayStation All-Stars is really very enjoyable and it has generated a fresh appreciation for the fighting mechanic. So that's definitely something to consider.

Related Game(s): PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

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God Of War Developer Hiring For Complex New Shooter?

Ben-Dutka 23 Comments

God of War: Ascension is coming, but developer Sony Santa Monica has something else in the works, too…

According to a Gamasutra job listing , the talented team is seeking a senior combat designer for a currently unannounced new IP.

The successful applicant will have experience working on first- and third-person shooters, and it would also help if they've dealt with vehicle combat as well. This person must also see "boss designs through from concept to execution" and we catch the word "magic" in there, too. So…uh…a combination of God of War , Uncharted , and Twisted Metal ? Or should we expect something like Bioshock – which is part shooter, part RPG – only with the inclusion of vehicles? Whatever it is, color us excited; these guys are plenty capable and the new project sounds awfully ambitious.

Ambition is good . Yes, you can say we already have too many shooters but really, if it's something like Bioshock or The Last Of Us , only even more inventive and creative (if that's humanly possible), would you really be disappointed? We wouldn't.

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God Of War Vet Cory Barlog To Help With Tomb Raider

Ben-Dutka 7 Comments

If you're excited for the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, you'll be happy to know that the developer is still recruiting top-notch talent.

According to IndustryGamers , Square Enix has revealed that God of War II director Cory Barlog has joined the team at Crystal Dynamics to work on Lara's new adventure.

Barlog will also be working on a "yet to be announced new title," which makes sense as the studio has said to expect more than a few fresh games in the coming years. Barlog was writer/director for GoWII and was creative director for Chains of Olympus , as well as head of story creation for Ghost of Sparta . Said Crystal Dynamics boss Darrell Gallagher:

"Crystal has pulled together some of the best teams in the industry to deliver against upcoming projects and future IP. Cory's heritage in building industry defining action adventure titles, together with our focus on delivering quality character driven blockbuster entertainment makes Cory a tremendously exciting addition to the team."

We're definitely looking forward to Tomb Raider and with guys like Barlog, it has every shot at becoming a big-time winner.

Related Game(s): Tomb Raider

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God Of War Devs Enlisted To Help With The Last Guardian

Ben-Dutka 22 Comments

Those following the development saga of The Last Guardian are probably a little – or a lot – concerned.

First, Team ICO boss Fumito Ueda leaves Sony as an employee and continues to work on the project on a contractual basis and second, Sony President of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that progress is slow .

And now, in another update, we learn that God of War developer Sony Santa Monica has been enlisted to help out on the project. In speaking to Wired , Yoshida said the Santa Monica team and other members of the Sony family are trying to assist the core design team of The Last Guardian . Said Yoshida:

"It's not just Santa Monica. We have great tech people in Worldwide Studios. We have a central tech group in the US and the UK so we are giving them whatever help they need. Technically, we have the best engineers in the US and Europe, so these teams are helping them, giving advice."

Thus far, besides an extended teaser trailer and some vague details, we know very little about The Last Guardian . So at this point, with the team accepting help, one might assume the end result might not be one of those ingenious cohesive Ueda visions. But the optimist in you should be glad that Sony is willing to do whatever is necessary to make this game happen.

Related Game(s): The Last Guardian

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