Console Monster writes: "The weekend is upon us and so is new content. Here is the XBOX Live Marketplace Update for Friday 20th June 2008:
Name: Alone in the Dark Making Of Video 3
Price: Free
Availability: Everywhere
Name: Bravado Rock Vault - DRAGON FORCE Theme 2
Price: 200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere
Name: Bravado Rock Vault - Iron Maiden Theme 2
Price: 200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere
Name: Bravado Rock Vault - Slipknot Theme 4
Price: 200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere..."
Alone in the Dark developer Pieces Interactive has been hit with layoffs a month after its release, as per the latest information.
That genuinely, genuinely sucks. The reboot has clear flaws, but it really felt like a solid first step for this team to receive *greater* investment.
That's standard. Teams are together for a Project, after its done some..and sometimes most devs are fired until the next Project is in the works and people are needed again. Only the core members stay in the time between the hot phase of the game development.
What’s annoying is people don’t understand how contractors work, either. All of this is uninformed knee-jerk reactions without any understanding of how employment works in this industry. There are key developers and staff that stay with a studio/publisher, but often times it’s a hire per project and then seeking new employment for a project. That’s how it’s always been…
That's a fair point too. I would say that in light of its tepid critical/commercial response and ongoing mass layoffs across the industry I think it's understandable for fans to worry about the longer-term implications. We'll see how it plays out in the future.
VGChartz's Lee Mehr: "In one sense, it feels strange to even think Pieces Interactive had big shoes to fill with this series' legacy. Given what's come before, did it really? And yet, even when considering the last two flops over a two-decade span, there's still something about Alone in the Dark emblazoned on a title screen that carries a sense of revered history. In that respect, perhaps this reboot's best accomplishment is in honoring that spirit through its inventive world. It's also fair to emphasize knocks against its survival-horror design, some puzzle-solving, and so on; it certainly won't be considered a trendsetter like the 1992 classic. Still, the amount of goodwill wedded to its brighter qualities makes for something that dawdles the line between unfortunately-flawed and impressively-enticing."
The new Alone in the Dark remake doesn't do anything especially noteworthy, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's just... cromulent.
Crappy update.
Tales of Vesperia demo would've been nice
I always hear people spreading the gospel of xbox lives constant updates, but this is what 95% of them amount too. Crap that you have to pay for. It would be cooler if it was free.
Look, I am not being a fanboy, just saying. On my FREE PSN, I have downloaded over 15 free themes and countless free backgrounds. I also have downloaded some free songs. They put music up like the God of War theme and let us download the song to our harddrive for free.
PSN is already free and continues to give out freebies! I pay for Xbox live and they still expect me to give them points for themes?!?! And what about the free music?
Just saying . . .