Japanese games firm to create 50 jobs in Dublin
A Japanese games developer, Gala Inc, is to create 50 extra jobs by 2010 in Dublin. The move will bring the game developer’s workforce at its European headquarters in central Dublin up to 100.
The company, which specialises in non-subscription massively multiplayer online games and is based in the Digital Hub, will create roles in management, engineering, localisation, customer support, and marketing.
Gala says it is to introduce new games and new language versions of existing titles, as well as licensing games from other development companies.
The new jobs are among 150 IDA-supported jobs announced to link with the Taoiseach’s trade mission to Japan. Also revealed today was a new research centre on the Cell, the chip used inside the PlayStation 3. The partners in the Cell project — Sony, Toshiba, and IBM – have linked up with Trinity College Dublin for the centre.
Announcing the new jobs for Gala, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said: “Gala is an integral part of the thriving games industry in Ireland, and particularly in the Digital Hub in Dublin. The industry is a strategic target for IDA Ireland and we are becoming a location of choice for the world’s leading internet and digital content companies.”
Satoru Kikugawa, Gala Group CEO, said “We are delighted with the success of our operation in Ireland to date. This decision to expand our presence in Ireland is the right one to support our market growth objectives. Ireland has a strong internet infrastructure and population of young, educated and creative talent. There is a strong supply of software, localisation and technical expertise there which is essential for our further expansion into the European market-place.”
REVIEW: Resistance 2
Developer: Insomniac | Publisher: Sony | Format: PS3
REVIEWER: Brendan Tinnelly || Resistance 2 is the sequel to PS3 launch title Resistance: The Fall of Man. The original, exclusive to Sony’s console, was a refreshing, inventive shooter that combined impressive visuals, art-direction, and game design. However, in an environment dominated by Halo and Gears of War, Resistance’s quirky weapon set and sleepy English setting didn’t quite find the audience or critical acclaim it deserved.
Resistance 2 then, in true sequel form, aims to address the short-comings of its predecessor, and to do so in a bigger! louder! more! way. No longer under pressure to meet a launch deadline, Insomniac have had the time and resources to fully realise their vision.
Have they succeeded? Resistance 2 is certainly bigger and louder. The story has metamorphosed into a sprawling B-movie homage complete with Russian mad-scientists, genetic experiments, zombies and crack commando squads. Street battles in quaint British market towns have given way to gloriously realised full-scale invasions of 1950s San Francisco, to the backdrop of a ruined Golden Gate bridge. The campaign whisks you from American suburbia to dense forests and beyond in an offering of impressive variety.
The enemy too has received an upgrade, both in variety and size. Taking obvious cues from Gears of War, the player is confronted with giant, lumbering adversaries that require nerves of steel and a steady hand.
Sadly, bigger doesn’t necessarily translate as better. Indeed, too many of the new enemy types are a pale shadow of those of the first instalment. Some are inexplicably designed – who thought a stampeding, invisible monster who kills with a single hit was a good idea? – while others simply lack any ounce of style or charm.
The story too, falters. While the plot itself is enjoyable enough hokum, its presentation leaves one wanting. In-game, things are heavy-handily scripted, and the cut scenes that book-end each chapter offer little in the way of exposition. The story may bring you to myriad locations, but there has been no real impetus to explain why you’re there.
So, colour me disappointed. When Resistance launched alongside the PS3, it showed a lot of personality and a lot of invention. Sadly, the intervening time has seen the humdrum banality of other prominent shooters invade Insomniac, and a lot of that personality and invention has fell by the wayside.
REVIEW: Singstar ABBA & Volume 3
Developer: Sony | Publisher: Sony | Format: PS3
REVIEWER: Brendan Tinnelly || Sony’s first-party karaoke franchise has long been a jewel in the crown for the Playstation brand. It’s universal, pick-up-and-play accessibility has been attracting non-gamers to the Playstation 2 when the Wii was still just a pipe dream.
For those coming late to the party, the core mechanic is as so: the player sings the on-screen lyrics of one of forty-odd songs into the supplied USB microphone, and is awarded a score based on the pitch of their voice, which is also represented on-screen. It’s just like karaoke at your local pub on a Thursday, but with a videogame high-score tacked on.
The PS3 iterations boast one real improvement over the previous generation. By purchasing any PS3 SingStar release, you also gain access to the SingStore, where you may cherry-pick songs to download from an impressively vast selection, at a price of e1.49 a song. The store is frequently updated, and while the selection is a little limited, there is certainly enough quality to fuel a couple of nights of karaoke.
The ability to build your own library via SingStore is an important one, as the on-disc content can be very hit & miss. While Singstar ABBA boasts all the classics you know and love, it also contains some more obscure ones that will likely fall flat for most casual fans. Singstar Volume 3 contains a cocktail of pop that lurches from Michael Jackson to Kate Bush via Dizzie Rascal and Smashing Pumpkins. There’s undoubtedly something for everyone, but it’s unlikely one will enjoy the entire selection.
This leads to a niggling fault: while you can build your library via the SingStore, those unpopular on-disc tracks cannot be removed from rotation, and so infuriatingly pop up during the various random-selection party modes. It’s a tiny design oversight, but there is no understating its impact.
Of greater concern, perhaps, is the awkward attempt to turn karaoke into a videogame. For the tone deaf, myself amongst them, the appeal of karaoke has always been in making a holy show of yourself as you butcher a classic song. However, with a high-score metre and instant feedback on your performance, the gaming mind subconsciously curtails your extrovert shrieks and wails in search of a better score.
There has been dismay too, that in the jump to Playstation 3, we are still encumbered with wired microphones. For some, the lack of wireless microphones is a deal breaker. For this reviewer, there is a certain charm in the wired microphone, adding to the illusion that yes, you are in fact Freddie Mercury on stage at Live Aid as you wrap the wire around yourself.
As stand-alone discs, with their limited track-lists, it is difficult to recommend either title as a must-have. However, If you’re willing to open your wallet for the well-stocked SingStore, you have the ingredients for a great night of social gaming.