When flOw burst onto the scene, a lot of people appreciated its minimalist and serene design. Creator Jenova Chen eventually released the game's source code for people to learn from, but now it seems as though someone didn't just learn from it but actually just copied it instead.

Kellee Santiago of thatgamecompany sat down with Gamasutra to talk about how well PS3 gamers received their microbial downloadable game flOw (created by thatgamecompany's co-founder Jenova Chen), as well as hint at a new "emotional" game in the works.

While flOw turned out to be a success in terms of critical reception - even considered as the number 1 downloadable game in the PlayStation Network - Santiago said that thatgamecompany didn't feel the huge impact of the game's success, as they are in a 3-game deal with Sony anyway, and had 2 more games lined up for Sony.

She goes on to say that  Sudoku, as well as David Jaffe's Calling All Cars, will probably do better than fl0w. However, she isn't sure how well the 2 games translated for international markets because unlike flOw, the mentioned games weren't released in other territories on its launch.

According to Santiago, thatgamecompany is also currently working on a game which focuses on a new kind of emotion. The still unnamed "emotional game", Santiago said, can't be disclosed as of the moment since it's still under development. The particular emotion players will deal with in the game cannot even be pinpointed at the time of the interview, since they are still well within experimental stages.

On a side note, Xbox 360 and Wii owners may be delighted to know that their exclusivity deal with Sony will soon be over. flOw for all consoles? Why not?

Read the full interview by following the Read link.

 

In time with the Euro launch of the PS3, semi-official PlayStation 3 blog Three Speech, has posted press releases for Go! Sudoku, Go! Puzzle, Blast Factor, Lemmings, flOw, and Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. You might be saying, "Wait, aren't these games we've played already?" Well, if you consider the fact that some of the mentioned games are yet to be available in other territories, then the Three Speech PR blitz seems apt.

Yeah, tag this as PlayStation Network news for Euro folks.

Anyhow, flOw should be available by April 6, Go! Sudoku should be available on April 13th, Go! Puzzle on April 20th. Lemmings, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, and Blast Factor are good to go, it seems.

In the aftermath of GDC, it was revealed that flOw was very close to becoming a Wii release, but in the end, Sony won the battle and the game will be a PS3 exclusive for now.

Ars Technica was able to get comments coming from Kellee Santiago of That Game Company, and Santiago was open to some interesting details. It was revealed that Sony was more supportive of the project than Nintendo, helping the developer set up the studio and get things going.

While talks with Nintendo were generally amicable, the Wii maker did not seem as aggressive as its rival in providing assistance to That Game Company. Santiago described choosing between the two console giants as "the hardest decision" that his company had to make, but expressed happiness in teaming up with Sony to work on the PS3. That Game Company did not rule out possible projects on the Wii platform in the future.

Ars Technica's report went on to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each platform regarding how the game will play, saying that the SIXAXIS may not be as easy to wield as the Wii controller but it does rise to the occasion. They also emphasized that HD graphics should be good for the game, as well as any out there.

Follow the read URL to get the nitty-gritty on the write-up.

According to GDC reports and Joystiq, flOw could have very well been on Wii. During an informative Q&A session at the GDC with Kellee Santiago, That Game Company's president, she noted that the history of the game, just like the its single-celled protagonist, could have evolved in two ways: as a Playstation game, or as a Wii one.

Santiago admits that it "was the hardest decision we ever had to make, choosing between Sony and Nintendo." Later on, she clarifies her statement, saying, "they weren't right for us at the time. Sony kind of came to us with the process of incubation ... They helped us get our studio started."

At the same time, there would always be a chance for them to work with the Wii, it seems. Jenova Chen, one of the game's creators, also noted that they wouldn't mind working with Nintendo at a later date. In essence, collaboration with both companies would not be entirely out of the question, which is definitely a good thing, considering just how far flOw has come from its early beginnings as a flash game and thesis.

More than for North American fans, this flOw gameplay video is for our European friends who will get the opportunity to download the game on April 6. It will be remembered that just before the Game Developers Conference (GDC) began, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCEWW) President Phil Harrison promised to showcase, among other things, a demonstration of PlayStation downloadable titles.

This one-minute long flOw gameplay vid shows how the bootylicious squirmy jelly evolves in-game through shape-shifting. While the game is pretty much straight up, it's amazing how creator Jenova Chen was able to incorporate such features that makes the game a little more interesting.

flOw became available across North America last February 22 for the reasonable price of US$ 7.99. As we've mentioned earlier, the game can be downloaded at the PlayStation Network in Europe starting April 6, but pricing is still yet to be revealed. Expect more announcements from Phil Harrison and the rest of the Sony gang in the days to come.

Not really news, since most of you folks who have a Sony PlayStation 3 are probably playing flOw already. (Unless you're European.) Just in case you aren't yet, here's a preview of some "Spinning Jelly" gameplay featured at GDC 2007, so the GDC attribute at least makes this timely.

Honestly, a lot of us here at QJ love flOw, some though, just find it to be "not their thing." Well, given that appreciation for Jenova Chen's opus is a matter of preference, we're going to ask you folks: what is it about flOw that makes you dig/hate it? Comment away.

Seriously though, what is it about this game that reminds us so much of the opening sequence House MD?

Everything sure seems to be going according to plan for the European release of Sony's PS3. We've heard of quite a bunch of launch titles already for the PlayStation Network, and there's definitely more coming your way.

Confirming the seven downloadable titles to be up and about Europe's PlayStation Network, this sure is a golden sign that there really is no stopping the PS3 from landing in that part of the world now.

Here's the list of titles coming out. Keep your fingers crossed, cos your personal faves just might be on this first wave. If not, well then, there's still no reason to pout, 'cos we're definitely certain this won't be the last of them headed your way.

March
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection - March 23 - £6.99 (US$ 9.20)
Blast Factor - March 23 - £3.49 (US$ 4.60)
Gran Turismo HD - March 23 (free)
Super Rub-A-Dub - March 30 - (price TBA)

April
flOw - April 6 (price TBA)
Go! Sudoku - April 13 (price TBA)
Go! Puzzle - April 20 (price TBA)

There's also word that you may very well expect Lemmings, Gripshift and Calling All Cars to be paying courtesy calls to the Euro PSN in the near future.

Keep your Thursday free, because Sony has got some downloadable goodies for all you guys out there. The bigwig has announced that three new titles will be up and available for your download. The said titles are the following:

• flOw (US$ 7.99)
• Q*Bert (US$ 4.99)
• Ridge Racer 7 demo (free)

Now, there really wasn't any specific time mentioned as to the release of these DLs, so if you'd want to camp out waiting for it, then it's all up to you. For our end, we've already informed you about it. Although it would have been so much better if they were all for free, we're pretty sure you're gonna get your money's worth.

  

To celebrate the grrreat news we brought you just a while ago about the game's release tomorrow, we're gonna share with you this mesmerizing new batch of screens we were able to score just recently.

We know you've seen quite a lot of flOw goodies from us, you have the videos and the trailers, as well as interviews from the folks at TGC (thatgamecompany) and Sony talking about dev processes and whatnot. But perhaps the most striking thing that flOw features (for this writer at least) is the visuals/graphics. I mean, look how tantalizing they are! It's almost like floating amongst electric jellyfish and you're seeing colors for the first time.

Add to that the fact that the game will run on 1080p, man, it doesn't get any psychedelic than this. So as you countdown the hours until the game's release tomorrow, have a fill of these jellytrippy screens why don'cha? *ogles at screens and spaces out*