Interview: Teddy Lee (Mutant Blobs Attack!)

Formed in 2008, Drinkbox Studios's first game was the warmly received Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack!!!, a launch title for the Playstation Vita, which also recently appeared on PC. Teddy Lee, a designer on Mutant Blobs Attack, gives us a little bit of his time to talk about how the game came together, how the inputs of the PS Vita affected gameplay, how the puzzles were designed, sets the record straight on the controls, talks a little about their next game, Guacamelee, and the biggest challenge indie developers face with the onset of the next generation of consoles.

The introductions please: Name, the education/career arc that brought you to the game industry, what you do at Drinkbox and your role on Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack.
Hey, my name is Teddy Lee and I was one of the designers on Mutant Blobs Attack.  I have a University degree in Computing, which is more of a participation ribbon than anything else. I actually got into the industry because an interviewer took interest in these small games that I had made using game making software.  Since then I've jumped through several job positions until I landed here at Drinkbox Studios.

Review: Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable (PS Vita)

The original Earth Defense Force 2017 was easily one of my favorite titles for this generation of games – the Xbox copy that I own gets a re-visiting after any especially hard day at work.

The original premise is practically out of B-movie heaven – the Earth is under attack from an alien force comprises of giant ants, spiders and assorted robots then use these hyper-destructive weapons to blow the crap out of EVERYTHING!

Hardware: Skullcandy PLYR2 Wireless Headphones

 

Why didn't I jump on the wireless headset bandwagon before now?

It’s a question I keep coming back to over the last few weeks. Skullcandy sent over a review unit of their wireless PLYR2 stereo headset and after hooking up the transmitter (simple, all necessary cables are included), charging the headset (simple, relatively quick), and sitting down to a play session of Sleeping Dogs and watching an episode of “Murder, She Wrote,” I can’t help but conclude that there’s no turning back from the simplicity wireless offers.

Video Review: Crusader Kings II (PC)

Mr. Nash presents a video review of Crusaders Kings II (PC).

Subscribe! Comment! We love the feedback!

Review: Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (PC)

Many years ago, a friend of mine asked me why I was so much of a slobbering fanboy for
Forgotten Realms.

“It's so commercial,” he said with some bemusement.

I replied to him, “I blame Baldur's Gate.” And it's true.

Review: LEGO Lord of the Rings (360)

 

After playing hours and hours of Traveller's Tales' licensed LEGO games (directly and indirectly, i.e. watching), there's a definite boundary being built between kid friendly/accessible and pre-teen/less accessible. LEGO Lord of the Rings lands on the "difficult" end of the spectrum as evidenced by the fact my kids were initially excited by the game but after about a week returned to the favoured LEGO Batman 2 where they felt like they could mess around more. Plus, the popular consensus was that they'd rather be the Flash than Frodo.

Preview: Dead Space 3 (360, PC, PS3) UPDATE

After speaking with Dead Space 3 executive producer Steve Papoutsis, while he scarfed down some lunch, there are a few additional pieces of information about the game not previously covered in our preview.

I asked if Dead Space 3 rounded off the trilogy in any significant way; if this was the end of Isaac Clarke. Papoutsis noted that the Dead Space universe was filled in long before Clarke arrived on the scene. There were considerable resources put into creating an interesting universe and answering some of the bigger questions – What is Unitology? What’s a necromorph? What is the purpose of the Markers? – before focusing efforts on telling the personal story of the unluckiest engineer in the universe, Isaac Clarke.

Preview: God of War Ascension Multiplayer (PS3)

The world's worst-kept surprise: We're getting another God of War game.

Ascension brings us some more Kratos-style carnage but this time an early view of Kratos's descent. Kratos is in the midst of trying to sever ties with Ares – and plans to do so by defeating three Furies. With the action taking place much earlier in Kratos' life, we will be getting a better glimpse of a more human character instead of the remorseless killer we know so well from the franchise.

Review: Seduce Me (PC)

It shouldn't surprise anyone that a game called "Seduce Me" is rated AO, Adults Only, by the ESRB and is available only through the developer's website, because which retailer is going to offer AO games? The completely digital Steam store doesn't even support it!

Review: Sleeping Dogs (360)

This review is about to spoil Sleeping Dogs and this sentence is your only warning to either turn back now or scroll down to the score, ensuring your eyes remain closed until you reach the bottom of the page.

Even though the Wheels of Logic spin off the Story Bus right at the closing of Sleeping Dogs, the game sets the bar pretty high in terms of what should be expected of all future open world games.

Review: F1 2012 (360)

Having become synonymous with excellent racing games, developer Codemasters has transformed its F1 series into an auto racing Madden-esque franchise, releasing a new F1 title with each new "season" of F1 racing. And based on the top-selling titles list, gamers are clamoring for the latest iteration of F1 when it arrives. It is easy to see why after playing F1 2012, which follows directly in the tracks of its predecessor by providing a solid racing game that has every aspect of F1 racing a gamer could want, including official tracks and drivers of the F1A Formula One World Championship circuit.

News: Indie Dev Tools Getting Kickstarted

Indie tool developer GarageGames recently announced their first Kickstarter campaign for their new development package, the 3 Step Studio.  Those who are familiar with GarageGames have recently benefited from the open source licensing of the company's signature Torque engine, and now the company looks to spread some more love with this newest toolset, which they seemingly intend to release for free.

News: "Gaming Enthusiast Press Awards" Launches

 “Gaming Enthusiast Press Awards”

Seeks to Recognize Exceptional Game Industry Writing

Vancouver, BC – January 1, 2013 –  The Armchair Empire is pleased to announce the official launch of the Gaming Enthusiast Press Awards (http://www.gepressawards.com/), which seeks to draw attention to exceptional writing about video games and the game industry.

“Over the last year it has become readily apparent that the gaming enthusiast press is often viewed as a half-step removed from the game publishers’ PR and Marketing departments, especially when it comes to game reviews,” Aaron Simmer, head writer and co-founder of the Armchair Empire noted. “There are talented writers out there – some of them writing features for major publications and websites, others toiling on their blogs for the pure enjoyment of it – and there’s not nearly enough recognition of those writers.”