#offbaseproductions

Here at Off Base, we work on a lot of fun projects. Our staff’s combined experience in design, editorial, development, and gaming helps bring our projects to life — our passion for what we do shines through.

Our design team gets to work on many digital manuals that appear on Docs for PlayStation — today our spotlight focuses on the recent release of Super Stardust Ultra on PlayStation 4.

There are some constants throughout our digital manuals on Docs for PlayStation, such as the PS4 controller image and a Table of Contents menu, but one of the fun things about working on these digital manuals is shuffling through assets from and for the game. We need to decide which ones will best represent the game in a manual setting and will also look good in the limited space, whether viewed on a desktop or mobile browser. Each game’s manual compliments the style of the actual game as much as possible.

Congratulations to our friends at Nintendo for their newest handheld system release of the New 3DS!

The Nintendo 3DS systems have exponentially taken the lead in handheld gaming and continue to impress us. The New 3DS design has met most expectations and we like how their design team is listening to consumers.

At Off Base, not only do we love working in the video game industry, we’re also consumers. As you may have seen in our previous posts, we definitely enjoy our 3DS systems and a couple of us have already made our upgrades. Here are a few things we like about the New 3DS:

Josh: Using the C-Stick in Super Smash Bros.

Mayene: The stable 3D is awesome. I don’t normally use the 3D functions, but I probably will more with the New 3DS. The speakers are also slightly better and I like that the stylus is fitted a little bit more snug, that way I won’t lose it if I accidentally drop my 3DS (it happens).

Together with the release of the New 3DS, we also worked on infographics and Reviewer's Guide for Capcom’s Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate that released today!

We also created packaging, localizations and the instruction booklet for Bandai Namco's Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+!

In the grand video game industry timeline, the Playstation 2 era isn’t a throwback that goes particularly far into the past, but it does involve a large number of games that the Off Base team has fond memories of. Let’s take a quick glance backward, shall we?

It was an interesting time for gaming. With Rockstar Games’ controversial releases, cross-platform games becoming the norm, online console gaming gaining a foothold, the shift of consoles from gaming machines to all-around entertainment systems, and big-name mergers (Square Enix; Sega Sammy; Namco Bandai/Bandai Namco), the sixth-generation era was full of excitement! Endearing graphics, engrossing stories, and iconic series permeated the market. Developers pushed boundaries and styles and subject matter, and the resulting games continue to inspire and enthrall even now.

Our fearless leader Greg Off is a big fan of PaRappa the Rapper, but keep reading to find out which other PS2 games remain dear to our hearts here at Off Base!

Ariel: Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Channel Edition Brady: Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Chris: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Cyris: Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Jeremy: NBA Street Vol. 2 Joanie: Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Josh: Shadow of the Colossus Mayene: Katamari Damacy

Happy Thursday, Dearest Internet Visitors!

As you might have guessed, we’re pretty much obsessed with video games. Our office houses a display of dozens of classic consoles, each serving as a living reminder of video game history. For the occasional Throwback Thursday treat, we like to play a little game. Are you ready for another installment of OBP’s favorite daytime fun show?

That’s right, it’s time to play: NAME THAT CONSOLE!

The year was 1982: Films like Tron and Blade Runner would warp young minds for generations to come, Pink Floyd’s The Wall dominated the airwaves, and the first video game boom was in full swing. Most consoles required a TV hookup – remember screwing RF prongs onto your TV’s antennae ports? If so, congrats! You’re old – but this was the first console to include a built-in monitor. It wasn’t just a cool feature, it was entirely necessary: this console accurately replicated one of the most unique graphical displays in gaming history.

Don’t go Berzerk or start any Space Wars trying to figure it out. The answer will be revealed after the break!

How do you like your In-N-Out burger? Here's a list of our team's order:

For guests who visit our lovely San Francisco office, the first thing they tend to notice is our impressive display of classic consoles. Rare is a client meeting where we don’t end up discussing some of our favorite gaming memories at one point or another. For the occasional Throwback Thursday treat, we’d love to take a trip down memory lane with you, our dearest Internet visitors. So, without further adieu…

It’s time for OBP’s new favorite daytime fun show: NAME THAT CONSOLE!

The year was 1989: the NES was still in its prime, but playgrounds and shopping mall food courts across the land were abuzz with the arrival of the newest generation of consoles. 16bit was about to be the new hotness, ready to blast our brains out the back of our skulls with richer color palettes, bigger sprites, and premium sound that would rival the arcades. Two contenders to the console throne would debut in August of ‘89: the SEGA Genesis and the mysterious box pictured above. Can you name that console?

Summon your inner Keith Courage and try not to Bonk your head too hard figuring it out. The answer will be revealed after the break!

Here at Off Base, we work on a lot of fun projects. Our staff’s combined experience in design, editorial, development, and gaming helps bring our projects to life — our passion for what we do shines through.

Following Monday’s Project Spotlight on Tales of Xillia 2, our work on Bandai Namco‘s Tales Series doesn’t stop there. We also had the pleasure of working on a digital Reviewer’s Guide for Tales of Hearts R!

To recap, Reviewer’s Guides are a bit like a hybrid between a manual and a strategy guide, and they are primarily for press reviewers to use with review copies of games. Here’s another behind the scenes look at our digital guide work:

While the Tales Series stays pretty consistent in its art style, we do our best to make sure that different titles in a series that get the same extras — like Reviewer’s Guides — are distinct and have their own unique characteristics while still matching the overall aesthetic of the game. So where the Tales of Xillia 2 digital guide was predominantly purple and gear-heavy, the Tales of Hearts R digital guide had a fresher, lighter color palette with more swashes. To tie them together, both guides utilized the same fonts.

Another great advantage of having a digital version of these types of things are the colors!

In the world of design and technology, the colors you can see in a printed book are different than the range of colors you can see on a monitor. Digital designs can more successfully output bright colors than printed designs, which results in a project such as the Tales of Hearts R digital Reviewer’s Guide appearing more lively.

As we noted before, we pride ourselves on making our digital products accessible — these online Reviewer’s Guides look just as good on your phone as they do on your computer.

Here at Off Base, we are big fans of our industry. Action figures, figurines, and toys are happily displayed upon on our desks and we are featuring stories behind our favorite pieces, so you can learn more about the Off Base staff – we make our work our play.

Who: Jeremy C.

What: Sackboy plush

Where: Little Big Planet

Why: "It was a prize for getting first place in the Little Big Planet Karting demo at E3 2012. This was my first E3, so the plush has been a nice reminder for my time in the industry."