Ever since joining the video game industry, I’ve wanted to attend two events: E3 and the Game Developers Conference. This year, not only am I attending the latter but I’m speaking on a panel there! I’m crazy excited to hang out with some peers, including long-time friend and supersmart guy Ed Lima, and talk shop in front of an audience of industry folks. I think about story in games a lot, especially the areas in which it fails, and I look forward to discussing that at length. The panel, Dialogue: When, Who, and Why, focuses on the the cheapest and easiest way to convey story—and we as an industry can do a lot better. But I won’t stand on my soapbox now; I’ll wait until next month.

You can read about the panel, and my fellow panelists, here. GDC 2013 runs March 27-29th in San Francisco, CA. If you’re able to make it out, swing by the panel or look me up at the convention!

Most of the time since my last update has been spent giving birth to Streets of Bedlam (which is out in PDF this Wednesday!) but some of it was spent pursuing a new job.

You may remember that I had to walk away from the last opportunity that came my way, and I am very happy to report this opportunity has no such hang-ups or hurdles.

Starting in two weeks, I’ll be working at Volition working on their incredible Saints Row franchise.

I am a huge fan of their latest release, Saints Row the Third, and am excited about what they have in store.

So in addition to getting Streets of Bedlam ready for release, I’ve been prepping a house for sale, packing up all my belongings, and getting ready to relocate to Illinois, all so my family and I can start a brand-new chapter of our lives.

I will Madison very much. It’s a great city with a fresh, optimistic spirit that will be hard to match. I don’t know if a long-term return to the area is in my future but I’d like to at least visit again.

I will miss the friends I’ve made in the area, especially Brett, Laronda, Matt, Monica, Other Matt, Bill, John, my new friends in the Alliterates, and extra-especially the very first friends I made in the area, Barb and Caz.

Life scatters us but friendship keeps us connected always. Here’s to seeing you all at conventions and gatherings in the future.

Well, this post turned out far less light-hearted than I intended but goodbyes have a way of doing that.

I don’t do the big move for a few more weeks but I doubt I’ll be able to post much in the mean time. Until then, be good. Here’s to the future.

I recently sat down with Jenn from the Jennisodes to discuss my latest project, Streets of Bedlam, as well as future plans for the Little Fears Nightmare Edition line and a short rant on stories in video games. Jenn is a wonderful host and runs a fantastic podcast. Be sure to check out the latest episode for me, and then dig into her backlist for some amazing guests and insights into all sorts of gaming-related topics.

Huge thanks to Jenn for having me on, and I’d love to drop in again sometime.

I spent a lot of my summer last year down Chicago-way working with the good folks at High Voltage Software on their Wii-exclusive first-person shooter, CONDUIT 2. I had a lot of fun on the project and with the team helping make a really cool game.

I found out today that (insanely-)popular entertainment site IGN.com has announced their Best of 2011 shortlists and have honored CONDUIT 2 with three nominations in the Wii category: Best Graphics, Best Multiplayer Game, and BEST STORY! Wow! I am humbled and honored by the nod and wish the folks at High Voltage the best. They’re up against some pretty heavy competition in all categories but, as cliche as this may sound, the honor really is in the nomination.

So thanks to IGN for the nomination and to High Voltage for the opportunity to work on such a great game!

I’ve been pretty silent on here. Initially, I was busy putting the final touches on Among the Missing for Little Fears Nightmare Edition and then jumping right into the tenth anniversary edition of the original Little Fears (which will be out soon). On top of all that, I had an absolutely fantastic opportunity come my way that has me really excited and reunites me with a great team on an amazing project (and I’m not just spouting hyperbole).

I’m very happy to announce I’ve rejoined Human Head Studios as the Writing Production Coordinator for the upcoming open-world first-person shooter PREY 2. I’m in charge of wrangling the narrative and working with the team to deliver a consistent, engaging experience. I worked at Human Head previously, and I was there for the last eighteen months of their developing the first PREY. Already knowing the studio and fiction, as well as being part of the revision team on the first title’s script, made sliding into this role very smooth.

The job is an absolute blast. I can’t wait for you all to see what this game has in store.

You can check out the PREY 2 portion of the Human Head Studios website here. I posted some official images and the launch trailer below (language and violence warning on the video).

(Linked from GiantBomb.com.)

As you may remember, I spent a good portion of my summer last year working with the fine folks at High Voltage Software on their upcoming Wii-exclusive shooter Conduit 2. After seeing a few delays (very common in the video game biz), I am happy to tell you that Conduit 2 hits store shelves today. If you have a GameStop local to you, you can pick up the Limited Edition of the game (which includes a 44-page art booklet as well as an exclusive suit of multiplayer armor and a fancy version of the game’s All-Seeing Eye) for the same price as the regular edition other stores have.

I can’t wait to tear open a copy and get playing. I really enjoyed the game while it was in pre-alpha development and can only imagine how good it must be now.

I’ve been a fan of point-and-click adventure games since I was a teen. Like a lot of my hobbies, I came to it through my brother who introduced me to games like Prisoner of Ice, Bad Mojo, and Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father. Once I had my own PC, my first game purchase was Sanitarium and I soon moved on to Grim Fandango and Blade Runner, two classics of the genre. I took a break from gaming in the early 2000s but I came back big time in 2005. Quickly upon my return, I rediscovered my love of point-and-click adventure titles. I fell hard for Syberia I & II, Still Life, Puzzle Agent, Trace Memory, Hotel Dusk, and many others. Right now, my computer’s desktop is littered with shortcuts to adventure titles from the new games on retail shelves and Steam to the not-so-new from my personal archive or Good Old Games.

My love of the genre is well-documented, as many online and face-to-face conversations attest. And that love is about to be even more documented as I have recently joined the world’s most popular site dedicated to my favorite genre, AdventureGamers.com, as a Staff Writer. My first article, a preview of the hotly-anticipated A New Beginning is up already, and I’ll be contributing as much as the site’s editor-in-chief Jack Allin and my schedule will allow.

If you dig adventure games, you should already be checking out AdventureGamers.com. My presence there, on the main page and in the forums, is just a bonus, right?

Right?

I’ve been following the development of Joshua Nuernberger’s Gemini Rue for a while. I first heard about the game a couple months ago and, as a fan of point-and-click adventure games of days past, I was pulled in by the retro graphics and the promise of a compelling noir-soaked narrative. Previews and early reports dropped names like Beneath a Steel Sky* and Westwood Studios’ Blade Runner when talking about it. So when Dave Gilbert posted on the Wadjet Eye Games‘ Twitter account he was looking for a fistful of beta testers for the demo, I couldn’t throw my hat into the ring quick enough.

I downloaded the demo and got playing immediately. Over the course of a half-hour, I was pulled into a noir-cyberpunk world of addiction, oppression, interstellar travel, imprisonment, brain wipes, and lots and lots of rain—all centered on Azriel Odin, a cop with a shadowy past, and Delta-Six, the subject of clandestine experiments only hinted at in the demo.

As someone who has played hundreds of games over the past twenty-five years, it takes something special to suck me in. Gemini Rue had me within a few clicks and the demo stopped on a great hook. I knew the end was near but was hoping I’d get to play just a little bit more. When the game comes out on Thursday, I will.

If you’re a fan of old school adventure games—or just like great games—give the Gemini Rue demo a try when it comes out. If you like it, pick up the game when it launches on February 24th. (If you want it on disc, that’s only available through pre-order so hop to it. You’ll get the download copy as well so you won’t have to wait unless you want to. I’ve already ordered my copy.)

As you’re checking out the Wadjet Eye Games website, put your eyes on Erin Robinson‘s Puzzle Bots and Dave Gilbert’s own Emerald City Confidential as well.

If you try out any of those games, I’d love to hear what you think. For more about Gemini Rue, check out the official trailer below.

*Click that Beneath a Steel Sky link. Seriously. You can grab a legal copy for free from the folks at Good Old Games and it’s worth a whole lot more than that. Sadly, Blade Runner is over a decade out of print but if you have a chance to snag a copy, I highly recommend it.

The Wii-exclusive FPS Conduit 2, published by Sega and developed by the great folks at High Voltage Software, is coming at you soon! GamingBits.com reports the shooter has a North American release date of February 15, 2011. That’s 02.15.2011. Nice!

As you may remember, I spent most of my summer developing the story and script for Conduit 2. It’s been a while since I’ve seen what High Voltage has been doing first-hand but I’m excited for its release. I hope you all check it out when it hits the shelves.

For a peek at the game’s intro, check out the trailer Sega released on Thanksgiving weekend:

(Video embedded from my favorite video game website GiantBomb.com)

High Voltage has been nose-down on Conduit 2 for a while now and the stuff I saw over the summer looked great. But now there’s a newly released trailer showing off their hard work and a release date came along with it! Seems Conduit 2 is slated for February 2011 (just in time for Valentine’s Day?) and I can’t wait for you all to check it out.

You can watch the trailer below (embedded from my favorite video game website, Giant Bomb).