Good Game: News from the Game Developers' Conference

Last week's Game Developer's Conference brought video game developers together to share their insight into the industry and provide opportunities for networking. Though Nintendo delivered a keynote speech, there were updates from Sony and Microsoft on projects they are currently working on.

During Nintendo president's Satoru Iwata's speech, he announced a memory solution for the Nintendo Wii. With the latest update (4.0), which became available during his keynote, Wii owners would be able to save channels straight onto their Secure Digital (SD) cards. The current limit in size for the SD cards is 32 gigabytes. Iwata went on to announce Rock and Roll Climber, a game that utilizes the Wii balance board. The Virtual Console was expanding to include arcade games like "Starforce," "Gaplus," and "The Tower of Druaga," while WiiWare games like "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord" and "Final Fantasy IV: The After Years" was announced.

Iwata's biggest announcement was "The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" for the Nintendo DS. The game features gameplay seen most recently in "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass," though there is an increased emphasis on train gameplay. The interface is similar and continues the cel-shaded style from the previous handheld installment and "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker."

Sony and Microsoft's announcements were of a smaller magnitude, though no less important. The PlayStation 3's (PS3) "Resistance 2" and "PixelJunk Eden" will be receiving downloadable content (DLC) in the near future. "Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma" will be available exclusively for the PS3 later this year and will feature online co-op. This follows the release of "Ninja Gaiden 2" released last summer for the Xbox 360. Gameplay footage for "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" and "Gears of War III" were shown, along with a teaser trailer for "Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time." Sony encouraged developers to exclusively release games on the PlayStation Network (PSN) with their "Pub Fund" initiative, in which Sony helps fund development of a project without owning the developer's intellectual property (IP) in return for exclusivity.

Microsoft updated XNA Game Studio software that makes independent game development easier, also adding avatar and Live Party support. Developers also have the ability to release DLC now. This came along with the new development kits they were exhibiting. "Fable II" will have new DLC available in the form of "See the Future," and Peter Molyneux teased that "Fable III" might not be an RPG. Bioware spoke about "Mass Effect 2," encouraging players to keep their save files while speaking about how they are tightening up the shooter mechanics from the first game.

Other noteworthy bits of information included "Modern Warfare 2" will be released on November 10. It is unknown whether it will still carry the "Call of Duty" name. Hideo Kojima's keynote ended hinting at a new "Metal Gear Solid." Nintendo showed more of Nintendo-revival "Punch Out!!"

Interesting sessions at GDC included its rant session, which had game journalists talk about the games they cover, and the annual Game Design Challenge, which this year centered around the idea of "My First Time," tasking developers to tackle the increasingly complicated problems that including sex in games usually causes. For the former session, journalists were being encouraged, by other journalists no less, to avoid using terms like "hardcore" or "casual" when describing gamers. One journalist told developers to stop using immaturity as a fallacy, calling most developers out for being stuck in a state of stunted adolescence. Adam Sessler, a host of "X-Play" on G4TV, had a not-so-subtle title, "F--- Metacritic."

The winners of the Game Design Challenge, Heather Kelley and Erin Robinson, created a game that they envisioned being played on the iPhone or the Wii. The game included mini-games that included choosing the right outfit with an emphasis on choosing something that isn't difficult to disrobe, buying condoms, making the first move, after-dinner music, and calling friends afterwards to talk about it - but being careful not to accidentally dial grandma's number on that speed dial.

With the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) poised to make its return as a media extravaganza in June, the Big Three are most likely holding their biggest announcements until that event. This should be enough of a stopgap of information for now.