Whenever we catch breath of “news” like this, our somewhat attempts at analyzing it usually draws to the same conclusion. Indian developer announces or shows off game project. Indian developer assures that the game will hold significance when released to the masses. The Angry Pixel pans Indian developer, with the sort of reasoning you get after getting being butt-whipped with a wet towel in the boy’s locker room while changing. Rinse, lather, repeat. And trust me, I don’t like it coming down to that. I want India to grow as a viable platform for game development. But this is just making it too easy, that even Ravi decided not to comment about it. And he wrote the book on Bollywood bashing around these parts.

UPDATE: Apparently, these screens are from an in-house engine test and are nowhere near the current version’s visual representation. Expect to see some real hard facts, and less PR blunder. Thanks to Sanjit for the coolly, collective clarification. Gosh, aren’t I the bumbling douche bucket now. I don’t suppose anyone from the Rocking Pixels team would be interested in dressing up as a ninja, eh?

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Looks like Sony’s partnership with Pyramid Saimira and Aurona Technologies was only just the beginning. Turns out, Sony’s got themselves hooked up with a total of 13 Indian-based development studios… And they’re all going to produce exclusive and budget-priced titles for the Playstation 2, aimed for both the local and international market. Some of which might even have Eye Toy support!

According to Zeno Colaco, vice president (publisher and developer relations), ‘PS2 users will get the best out of their machines with games based on our motion-sensing technology.’

Globally, Sony is expected to launch 150 titles for PS2 alone. The 2008 FICCI report on Indian Media and Entertainment Industry reveals that the local gaming industry garnered Rs 270 crore (Rs 2.7 billion) at the end of 2007 - up 32 per cent from Rs 205 crore (Rs 2.05 billion) in 2006.

With an already estimated userbase of 325,000 units in India (and still growing), Sony’s initiative becomes a bit more clearer. What remains to be seen is if these locally-developed games can rise to the call and meet with international expectations. Doubt it! But hot dog, now I’m curious to see what companies like Indiagames have in store for us. Sitar Hero, anyone? Bring it on.

Thanks to Sam Turismo 5: Prologue for the heads-up. He knows how to get my hood poppin’, if you know what I mean.

(Source: Business Standard)

FXLabs is busy with Dhoom 2.5 and Ghajini, while Trine Studios’ got Streets of Mumbai. So where, oh where, will we be seeing an Indian developed game based on Indian mythology, quality not withstanding (at this point, sucking is only half the problem)? Pyramid Saimira and Aurona Technologies (in collaboration with Sony Entertainment) are up for the task, and they’ll be summoning the Monkey God himself, Lord Hanuman. According to AnimationXpress’ Money Sharma:

Pyramid Saimira with its gaming arm Aurona, will develop game on Lord Hanuman, titled as ‘Hanuman’. Currently in the development stage, the game will portray some part of epic Ramayana and is slated for late 2008 release. The action adventure game is a role playing game and is being worked at Aurona’s Hyderabad studio with close to 60 artists working on it.

… Aurona Technologies Business Development Director Hetal Bhuva shared, ‘Our objective behind having collaboration with Sony is to explore the Indian gaming market and Indian content. The Hanuman game will be targeted at kids of age group of 6 – 16 worldwide, who are familiar with the Indian culture and mythology and can easily relate to it.’

Shucks, would’ve been nice to see Aurona take the source material and go all blitzkrieg like David Jaffe and co. with God of You-Know-What. Although their site doesn’t specifically mention what projects they’ve worked on, Aurona did have a hand in the development with Colin McRae DiRT and… uh, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties? Well, it still beats the pants off Agni. I guess.

(The picture inserted above was taken from here)

FX Labs - how about those guys, huh? After the “unique” attempt made to remodel Riverdale life and the subsequent announcement on Dhoom 2.5 (many months ago announced, with little to no info on it, and still counting), the wizards of WTFery have supposedly turned their attention to creating a third-person action game featuring sassy mama sita, Malaika Arora Khan, called Agni: Queen of Darkness. The real bamboozledness of the whole issue? Not the fact that several random sources erratically post about how great the gameplay is (even going on to the extent to say Oblivion and Prince of Persia can’t compare to it) by mentioning absolutely nothing about said gameplay. Not the fact that the vaunted Mumbai Mirror decides to criticize the game for using a woman to sell it, even though they know just as much about this game as the developers know about the effects of gravity on the above-average female anatomy (read: zilch). Heck, not even the fact that the game is being marketed with a music video that features the most delusional mesh of 3D modeling, live-action dancing and India tunes this side of…well, this side of nothing in the name of sanity.

Just the fact that this game was The Lost that Irrational Games teamed with FXLabs to create, and went by the name of an early vision of Bioshock before less hallucinogen-induced minds prevailed and Irrational took the game into their own hands, makes you twitch and feel nothing is sacred. Everything about the game provokes the same, as mentioned with the propaganda (it’s too biased to be anything else) likening this title to the second coming of Ram and the impossibly demeaning pivotal motion of the heroine Tara’s hips. Seriously, what can we honestly say about a game where nothing honest exists? One of us from TAP could probably pick up this game (and I mean that in the loosest sense) and review it, but I for one like my eyes. And ears. And God. And I’m an Atheist.

Official word on an Agni review: Never-ever-ever and counting, by the infinitely far looks of it. Maybe we should pitch this one over to Yahtzee.