Earlier today, we had the opportunity to sit in on a conference call with the production director of Mafia II. The sequel to the popular PC title Mafia, Mafia II transports gamers into the dark and unforgiving world of the Mafia. The fiction is embellished by a era-evoking atmosphere that replicates the clothing, cars, music and advertising of 1940′s and 1950′s Americana.

In the call:

• Jack Scalici, director of creative production, 2K Games
• Chase from Access Communications, Moderator

Link: http://xbox360digest.com/audio/Mafia_2_Conference_Call.mp3

Look for a full review of Mafia II shortly after the retail release of August 24, 2010.

All past interviews and conference calls are available at Xbox360Digest.com/Interviews or by clicking the interviews tab on the main site.

Hamish Millar, Producer on DeathSpank from studio Hothead, briefly answered a few of our questions regarding their latest title, Deathspank.  Add it to your XBLA queue by clicking here!

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Forest Large, Producer over at Crystal Dynamics, has granted us an interview for their upcoming Summer of Arcade release, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.  Set to release on August 18th, make sure to check the Lara Croft: GoL XBLA Marketplace page as the date nears to add it to your queue.  Expect our very own review up just before it releases.

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John Nielson, president and founder of J. Kenworthy Entertainment, was kind enough to grant us an interview regarding his new title, Ancients of Ooga.

Ancients of Ooga was developed in collaboration with NinjaBee and Wahoo Studios.  It is the spiritual successor of the very popular XBLA title, Cloning Clyde.

Wahoo Studios has extensive experience in various genres on numerous systems, including modern console, handheld, Windows, and Macintosh platforms. Wahoo does traditional contract work (work for hire) for publishers and other groups.

NinjaBee does projects that express our own creative vision – usually self-funded Indie projects, especially internal ideas we’ve always wanted to do but which publishers consider too risky to fund.

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Fresh off the release of Aqua, we were granted an interview opportunity with Juergen Reusswig, Owner and Development Director for Games Distillery.

Games Distillery, founded in 2008, is an independent game development studio based in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Juergen has 14 years experience in the international games industry and was responsible for more than 20 game productions, including the worldwide million-seller ANNO 1602 and ANNO 1503 – Germany’s best selling PC game series.

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Earlier today, we had the opportunity to sit in on a conference call with the Game Director for Split/Second. Split/Second is a new racing game from Disney and Black Rock Studios. Unlike other racing titles, Split/Second focuses on destructible scenery, to the extent of allowing for track variations. Look for the game when it releases at retail on Tuesday, May 18.

In the call:

• Nick Baynes, Game Director – Black Rock Studio
• Chase from Access Communications, Moderator

Link: http://xbox360digest.com/audio/SplitSecond_Conference_Call.mp3

Look for a full review of Split/Second shortly after the retail release.

All past interviews and conference calls are available at Xbox360Digest.com/Interviews or by clicking the interviews tab on the main site.

Earlier today, we had the opportunity to sit in on a conference call with the producer and development developer of Iron Man 2. The newest game in the series puts you in the shoes of Tony Stark and his infamous iron suit (or War Machine), using advanced weaponry and technology to help protect the world. Look for the game when it releases at retail on Tuesday, May 4.

In the call:

• Dean Martinetti, Producer, SEGA
• Mike McHale, Development Director, SEGA
• Chase from Access Communications, Moderator

Link: http://xbox360digest.com/audio/IronMan2_Conference_Call.mp3

Look for a full review of Iron Man 2 shortly after the retail release.

All past interviews and conference calls are available at Xbox360Digest.com/Interviews or by clicking the interviews tab on the main site.

Earlier today, we had the opportunity to sit in on a conference call with the producer and developers of MLB 2K10. The newest game in the series packs several new features and upgrades from last year’s version, including MLB Today and My Player, not to mention a challenge. Look for it on Tuesday at retail for $59.99.

Developers:

• Ben Bishop, Producer, 2K Sports
• Jonathan Rivera, Gameplay designer, 2K Sports
• Sean Bailey, Gameplay designer, 2K Sports
• Chase, Moderator, Access Communications

Link: http://xbox360digest.com/audio/MLB2K10_Conference_Call.mp3

Look for a full review of MLB 2K10 shortly after the retail release.

All past interviews and conference calls are available at Xbox360Digest.com/Interviews or by clicking the interviews tab on the main site.

Just recently we had the privilege of participating in a conference call with 2K Marin and Digital Extremes regarding the upcoming release of Bioshock 2. Be sure to pick up the game when it comes out on February 9th and look for a review here on Xbox 360 Digest soon! Hit the link below for the audio.
Developers:
Jordan Thomas – Creative Director, 2K Marin

Zak McClendon – Lead Designer, 2K Marin

Hogarth De La Plante – Lead Environment Artist, 2K Marin

Mat Tremblay – MP Art Director, Digital Extremes

Jesse Attard – MP Lead Programmer, Digital Extremes
Link:
http://xbox360digest.com/audio/BioShock_2_Conference_Call.mp3

We had the opportunity to take part in the 2K Sports’ NBA 2K10 Conference call yesterday. Spokespeople Erick Boenisch (Lead Feature Designer, 2K Sports) and Rob Jones (Gameplay Director, 2K Sports)  went over new features and changes as they answered questions submitted by participating media members.  Moderating the call is Chase, Media Relations Director for Access Communications.

Expect an in-depth review of NBA 2K10, by yours truly, within the week.  NBA 2K10 drops on October 6th, 2009.

Listen to the Conference Call Below

2K Sports’ NBA 2K10 Conference Call