Legacy Games Blog

Hotel Management, Tropical Drinks and More...Jane's Hotel - Family Hero!

A funny thing I've noticed about South Africa – all our hotels are run by Germans! It's a popular vacation spot for German tourists, and because the property costs are relatively cheap when compared with German real estate, you'd be surprised how many German's you meet on the beaches. My husband and I would love to go vacation in one of the real authentic African spots, though, maybe near Kruger park. We've been longing to check out Victoria Falls, but are waiting to see how the elections in Zimbabwe go. Where am I heading with this? Oh yes – HOTELS! The sequel to Jane's Hotel is out, and I was so excited to see it launched.

Jane's Hotel – Family Hero picks up where the first Jane's Hotel left off. Jane gets a call from her Grandma, and learns that her family used to own a chain of hotels across the world. These are being sold, but Jane has a chance to buy them back if she can earn enough profits. Just like the first one, this is a time management and service game. Your job is to serve customers in the hotel by showing them to their rooms, bringing them coffee or drinks and newspapers or the telephone. You need to make sure the maid does her job by cleaning the rooms, along with managing the new porter who helps repair things and can take pictures for guests.

The developers were obviously listening when fans spoke, because all of the changes they made were great improvements. In the sequel, you can water the plants anytime, so you can avoid that pesky brown plant problem. Jane can hold two items in her hands at a time, so you can also chain actions to be more efficient (most of the times – not with tropical drinks for example). More upgrades are available, so all of the employees can take classes to become faster, plus there's always a variety of furniture you can buy. You are given freedom to choose your upgrades in any order, each with their own perks and pitfalls. The amount of money you earn depends both on clients and popularity, both of which increase when you buy certain upgrades, so there's a lot more strategy possible.

The only thing I found odd was the art, which was sometimes inconsistent. It was a mixture of 2D (backgrounds and Jane), and 3D (the customers), with the amount of detail varying. A few of the customers just didn't look right next to each other, with some looking real and others looking like cartoons. It's a small thing, however, and has no effect on game play.

I really enjoy playing Jane's Hotel – Family Hero, especially since I am a big fan of the original. It's a cool spin on time management, and the different hotels are really fun to manage.

Lisa

DOWNLOAD JANE'S HOTEL - FAMILY HERO HERE>>

Producers to the Rescue!!!

I’m back. And I’m mad as hell... (not really but I always have to say that after “I’m back.” It just sounds right.)

So I’m working on this game about Sherlock Holmes- What? I already talked about that? Don’t you want to hear more about it? Come on people, it’s SHERLOCK HOLMES! Oh, alright. Just a quick update: It’s been tough but it’s coming along. There are a lot of graphics to deal with in a hidden object game and for a time I considered changing the name of the game from The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes to The Lost Assets of Sherlock Holmes but the awesome team here has pulled together and everything is under control I assure you.

So, because I had sooo much free time these days (ß written sarcasm yay!), I decided to start designing and producing another game. This one should prove to be something rather new in the Legacy repertoire. A medical simulation~! What? We’ve done those before? Well not while I was in charge Mwaa haa haa! Ahem, excuse me. Seriously though, for this new project we will get you out of the Hospital and into the front lines of the medical field where things are a bit more hectic and time is of the essence. Of course we’ll have the realistic medical content that Legacy fans have come to know and love but we’re going to make it a lot more interactive and for multiple platforms. I think the feel of this game becomes very different than some of our past medical games simply by taking the player out of the hospital or office setting and putting them in the streets rushing around in their ambulance from case to case. (ßI shouldn’t have said that. I’m probably giving away too much info now.) Anyway, the graphics are looking great as well. We have some really nice rendered 3D backgrounds and characters going and are trying a bit of a new animation style. Think Halo 2 meets Mario Kart! No, I’m kidding.  It’s nothing like that. I just like to make fun of marketing ploys like cross-comparisons.

Stay tuned to the blogs and I’m sure you’ll get to hear a lot more about our projects in the future since we producers are supposed to--I mean-- like to blog here at least once a month and since most production schedules go well over 6 to 9 months, we will surely have a chance to show you much more on our projects as they develop.

Until then, peace! Because remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

It's Just So Pretty!...Fashion Solitaire

So, my two and a half year old daughter is in a “pink” stage. All clothing must be pink, or she refuses to wear it. To quote her, “It's just so pretty!” I thought I might be trendy and dress her in a bright yellow top and orange corduroys, much to her dismay. “Mommy, you must listen with ears! Only PINK clothes.” Of course, this comes AFTER I did a full season's shopping, consisting of only a few pink outfits. Her wardrobe outdoes mine. It looks like I'll be hitting the shops again...

So, kind of on the same topic, we've been playing Fashion Solitaire together. It reminds me of playing with paper dolls. It's heavy on fashion, low on solitaire, at least until the later levels. Cards are arranged in a solitaire layout. The cards are classified as dresses, shirts, skirts, pants, outwear, shoes, accessories, jewelery, hair styles, and hair accessories. You can use the default deck, or design your own clothes to customize the deck and earn extra cash. You use the cards to dress models, with the goal of dressing all the models, and then selecting one model for your fashion show. Each models has her own specifications, wanting clothes of a specific style or pattern or color. There are 8 stages, each with different styles and outfits.

My little girl loves it too, and likes to sit on my lap and tell me which clothes are pretty and who to dress next. To bad dressing her is not as easy! I like that it gives you more opportunities for original creations than JoJo's Fashion Show, and is much more fashion related than the time management fashion titles like Fashion Boutique, Dress Shop Hop, Fashion Star, or Vogue Tales.

Lisa

DOWNLOAD FASHION SOLITAIRE HERE>>

The Art of Games

Hey everyone, Don Marshall again, hoping you all have an excellent Easter weekend.  Seems like it was just Christmas…where’s this year going to?

Things continue to move forward on Igor and I’m proud to say that the game is looking fantastic!  The characters are adorable, the movements are smooth, and the game is going to be incredible.  Yeah, yeah, I know you’ve heard it all before from those OTHER producers at the OTHER companies who will go unnamed, but when I say it I mean it.  It’s interesting, really.  As a producer, graphics have rarely been a very high priority for me, as I prefer to concentrate my efforts on game design.  I always figured that the looks of the game may get you to try it out, but it’s what’s inside that counts, right?

That said, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great artists since I’ve come to Legacy.  The artist we brought in to work on Fever Frenzy was very creative and able to work incredibly quickly.  The Apprentice Los Angeles was gorgeous from day one, and its characters were just unbelievable!  And everyone’s loved the art in Pet Pals: Animal Doctor and Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals, with animals so realistic you’d have to resist the urge to pet them.

So after this embarrassment of riches, how is Igor faring?  Unbelievably well.  We’re actually able to bring in art directly from the movie for the Wii, making the look of the game so close to the movie that I can’t actually show you any screenshots yet until the movie itself starts running its trailers!  And believe me folks…the movie looks GREAT.  The art style for the movie is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and the fact that we get to bring this amazing work directly into our game is incredibly exciting.  I can’t wait to share!  Maybe next time….

Well, that’s it for now – work calls!  Have a great Easter, everyone!

Dress for Success...Supple

When I first came to South Africa, I was expecting a huge difference in clothing styles, but you'd be surprised how “western” many young Africans dress. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw a teenager walk by wearing a NY Yankees tee shirt. But of course, traditional communities do have their own styles. Many women wear head wrappings, and the fabrics are beautifully patterned, in long draping skirts and wrapped “midi” tube tops. For dancing, some groups use grass skirts and little else. There is a lot of controversy over clothing in South Africa, and what should be considered acceptable, especially when it comes to women. It's interesting how “fashion” is such a variable thing in different parts of the world.

But, speaking of fashion, there's a new game out that has a lot of fashion elements to it. I'm talking about Supple, a life simulation game where you guide Arin to becoming chief editor of Supple Magazine. She has a competitive love-hate relationship with her co-worker Hugh, and a somewhat antagonistic relationship with her boss Margot. This game is all about relationships, and the quality of relationships you build influence whether or not you will succeed in the game. There are lots of mature jokes and themes, so its certainly not for kids.

Arin changes her clothes several times a day for impact, and can be fired for dressing inappropriately, so clothing really affects the game play. Some is obvious – lingeire is suitable for the bedroom but not the office – but others are more subtle. For example, I had Arin wearing slacks and a formal tank top, and Margot really ripped into her for looking “trashy” (and used a lot harsher language then I will in this blog).

If you're looking for something different and challenging in a simulation game, I totally recommend you check out Supple, providing you're not a sensitive gamer and don't mind having to replay the game to reach higher levels.

Lisa

DOWNLOAD SUPPLE HERE>>

Caution, Student Driver...Bus Driver!!!

I never thought I'd say it, but I actually miss public transportation in New York! South Africa has its own form of transportation, of course. We do have railroads, but the most common form of transportation are “taxis.” No, these aren't the same yellow cabs you find in America. Here, taxis are vans which pick people up and drop them off along side the road. The real fun occurs because these taxis are generally unregulated, so you can have some interesting experiences. Like, oh, a driver that lost the steering wheel on his van but decides to cleverly use a wrench in its place so he won't lose business. Of course there are good ones around too, so you learn which drivers to trust and look out for their distinctively painted vans.

When my Father-in-law visited America to come to our wedding, his favourite thing to do was ride the NY subway! He was so impressed, that he would wake up at all hours of the morning to go for a quick ride.

I kept chuckling over these differences whenever I played Bus Driver. Bus Driver is a simulation game about driving a bus. The best part of this game is the awesome graphics. They have a lot of detail, down to the cars, the streets, everything. The sounds effects are very realistic too. You can choose the type of bus you drive (I like the school bus), but basically, it doesn't affect game play. You'll enjoy it so much more if you have a joystick, or one of those driving sim footpads, since you get penalized for sharp breaking (which is all you can do with a keyboard and mouse).

If you don't usually like driving games, don't worry. This game is all about realism, not action, so its not a “crashing” game. I think most driving AND sim fans will enjoy it. I found it even better than 18 Wheels of Steel.

Lisa

DOWNLOAD BUS DRIVER HERE>>

Welcome Back, Me!!!

Hello interwebs, its Ryan again.

The astute reader may have noticed my blogging absence after my strong first showing a few weeks ago. Well, I was on producerblog hiatus for a couple weeks while I was nailing down some new projects and taking a little vacation before all the hard work of this year began. I’d like to thank the other producers for picking up the blog-slack for me while I was gone.

Lucky for you all, I’m back now and I have some really great things coming up for you in the next year.

First off, I’m happy to say that we are locking up a deal with a big name crime/drama TV show to do a new adventure game for this holiday season. Not to tip our hand too much, but if things keep going the way we’re expecting, we’re going to put out an excitingly stripped down, fresh new take on the adventure game genre. Think Dream Chronicles meets Phoenix Wright with a strong and gritty comic art style. I’m really excited to be involved in this new project and I’m sure I’ll be talking more about more over the next few months as everything begins to come together.

In the meantime, I’ve also been working on a Nintendo DS version of Zoo Vet Endangered Animals that is shaping up to be something really special. We’ve updated the look and feel of the game for the DS platform, and added lots of new tool use mini-games. No more simple pointing-and-clicking. Now instead of just clicking on an animal to give it a shot, you’ll have to actually inject the syringe and press the plunger down, blood tests require you spin a centrifuge with your stylus to get your results, and more! We have even come up with some new secondary games that make great use of the DS’ unique microphone and touch screen like a fast paced animal feeding game and a funny bird watching simulator.

I’ll leave you with a couple in-progress screenshots. I’m really excited about how it’s shaping up and maybe once the game is released later this year, you can check back and see how much things changed between now and then.

I’m feeling a little inferior after being silent for so long, so just for Jon, my number one guy, I too put a movie quote for you all to find in my blog. Here’s a hint:

And here’s the answer, for those who are mildly interested.

Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals Downloadable...YAY!!!

Hello Everyone,

This is Natascha again with the latest installment in “a day in the life of a Legacy producer”.  Right now, my Legacy life is revolving around two projects, Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals and Pet Pals: Animal Rescue. What I want to talk about today is Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals.

For those of you that have not yet had the opportunity to check out the boxed version Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals, this downloadable version will introduce you to the world of a zoo veterinarian as the title implies. You’ll get to treat zebras, elephants, crocodiles, a bald eagle and much more. When treating the animals, you have the help of both a vet tech and a zoo keeper. I think my favorite case would have to be the one with the baby chimp. It’s pretty amazing that they catch the same diseases that we do. So remember everyone, if you are sick, try not to sneeze or drool on chimps because you can make them just as sick as you are. I know this advice if gold for the average North American because there are chimps literally running the streets everywhere, right? 

Right now, I am working on converting the larger, boxed version of the game to a lighter, more accessible downloadable version.  This means that animal lovers will have the ability to get Zoo Vet without having to languish in the lines at Fry’s or fight for the sales person’s attention at Best Buy. Ah yes, the wonder of downloadable games…I tell you what, I love it. I download whenever I can, believe me. When I am not busy looking like an “important producer”, I am at home downloading game from www.legacygames.com and trying them all out.

I would like to take this time to allay any doubts you may have about the conversion of the tangible to the purely electronic. For one thing, we know that players like our veterinary simulations primarily for the realistic cases. It is for that reason that NO cases will be cut from the original version. That’s right; all 30 cases will be in. We hear your opinions and act on them! Also, the graphics are going to be just as nice as in the boxed version. Just check out this screenshot from the opening movie.

See that? And the movie animations are great too. Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals downloadable will also include extras on the office computer which consequently is one of my favorite parts of the game. Remember my last blurb about the quiz on the computer? Well, that quiz is not going anywhere my friends. Remember to try it out and see how many you get right the first time. I know that I didn’t do so well my first time.

The downloadable version is set to launch near the end of next month. Everything is moving along smoothly so far, so hopefully we’ll have a new Zoo Vet experience on the web for your enjoyment very soon!