03.13.07
GDC rolled around again, and so did another GR. Last week I had fun both speaking at GDC 07, and with the release of GRAW2. A nice combo, and we had the San Francisco launch party for the game on Thursday.
GRAW2 on the Xbox 360 launched last week, to great reviews, including a 5/5 from Gamespy, and hit #1 on the UK cross-platform charts. Some more Editor's choice awards...
I also had the chance to do a few podcast interviews over the past week. Check 'em out: Frag Dolls UK Podcast; Major Nelson's Podcast. Also, Gamasutra ran a "media consumption" piece a while back, you can read it HERE. There's more, but I don't feel like tracking them down right now.
At GDC, the talk this year went great, I teamed up with Mike Haynes and gave more of a process-driven lecture on map prototyping, had a great turnout of ~120 folks. With the demise of E3, I definetly noted that GDC seemed bigger, with more booths and more announcements. Here are some pics from the conference & the launch party:
12.02.06
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GRAW on the Xbox 360 brought home more awards yesterday, this time at the Billboard DEMMX Awards. GRAW was nominated for Console Game of the Year and Best Use of Sound, and won the Console Game of the Year. |
12.02.06
Ubisoft has announced the BAFTA Game of The Year edition of GRAW will be released Dec. 8th. Check it out HERE. |
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11.27.06
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The Speaker List for Game Developer's Conference 2007 has been published. This year I will be pairing up with Mike Haynes to give a talk on our level prototype process. Check it out HERE! |
11.22.06
The first details have been announced about GRAW2 in this months cover story in Game Informer magazine. |
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10.30.06
I just saw that GRAW has earned the Golden Joystick "Editor's Choice" award! Check out the news HERE!
10.23.06
Wow, it's been a crazy couple of weeks for me. First off I turned 30 a few days ago! I guess I have to start acting all grown up now...nahhh.
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| Of course, the biggest news lately was the British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA's) on October 5th in London. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was nominated for eight of the prestigious awards, and we won two: Technical Achievement and the coveted Best Game. I got the opportunity to go to the awards and accept the GOTY award on behalf of the team, along with Olivier Dubau, Co-Producer. It was quite an event, and I felt a little out of place in my rented monkey suit, but it was all cool when we got to go up on stage! The show was aired on October 17th in the UK, I hope to get a copy soon.
-Read the BBC coverage of the event HERE!
-Watch the BBC video coverage of the event HERE!
-See the list of the winners HERE!
-Read a Gamespot Interview with me right after our win HERE!
-Watch a video of GRAW winning the Best Game award HERE!
Here are a few pics from the event: |
Sonic, Mario, and a Stormtrooper guard the giant BAFTA mask at the entrance to the event.
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A Stormtrooper, Laura Croft, and some famous British dude.
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Colin Salmon, from Resident Evil & James Bond, presented our Best Game award. I think I make him look short.
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Andy Serkis, from LOR and King Kong was another presenter, and a very cool dude.
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Accepting the award for Best Game.
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Olivier and I in front of the "press photo board" after the win.
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Our two BAFTA's at the table after the win. |
Isabel posing with the BAFTA's after I got home. |
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After the BAFTA's, I had the chance to take some vacation, and we headed down to St. Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands. So yeah, I'm 30 now, but I celebrated my birthday on the beach drinking rum, and I got two BAFTA's. So there. Here's me and Isabel on a boat trip out to the British Virgin Islands. |
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08.09.06
G4 TV announced that GRAW has been named "Multiplayer Game of the Year" in their annual Gphoria awards show. Congrats to the GRAW MP team at RSE! |
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06.07.06
One of the reasons I have been so slow in updating the site lately is that I was expecting the birth of my first child. I am happy to say that on May 28th, my wife and I welcomed Isabel Skye Allen into the world. She is a happy baby, and is doing great!
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Today marked the announcement of the first DLC pack for GRAW 360. Check out the details HERE! |
E3 06 was again a blast this year, and the first in a few years that I didn't have to present a game at. It was defintly a different experience taking it all in again, instead of focusing on one game. GRAW 360 did have a presence at the awesome Dodge booth, where a sneak peak was given to two of the new levels in DLC, and a cool GRAW MP tournament, sponsored by Dodge and Best Buy, was run. Over 950 two-person teams competed, and the two winners took home a car and $5k. The highlight of the show for me was being stuck in the Dallas airport with John Carmack for a few hours. Yes, that John Carmack.
The Dodge GRAW 360 Booth at E3.
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The GRAW booth babes.
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Playing the GRAW E3 tournament. |
The winners of the tourney show of their prizes. |
And they said no booth babes this year? At the R6 Vegas booth.
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Ubisoft celebrated it's 20 year anniversary with a bang at E3.
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Séb Dore and Adrian Lacey make me feel tall at the Ubi party.
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Adam Novickas makes me feel short at the Ubi party.
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04.01.06
GDC 2006 has come and gone, and as always, it was a great conference. I had the chance to see great talks, and meet great folks in the industry. I had a good turnout at my lecture, even though it was at 9AM, and up against Richard Garriot! Gamespy did a great writeup on the talk, you can read it in their article HERE.
Here are some pics from the conference:
I am saddened to say that I got word that an old Rogue Spear alumn, Adrian "Shrapnill" Kemmerer, has passed away.
To view his online memorial, click the image:
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03.13.06
A quick note, due to rising costs, I have cancelled my Crosswinds email account. If you have tried to contact me recently through that email address, please try again through my yahoo email, serellan@yahoo.com or christian.allen@yahoo.com.
03.11.06
Just a few more, I promise. Including a perfect 5/5 from Gamespy, earning its Game of the Month.
03.10.06
The reviews of GRAW continue to roll in. Two more Editor's Choice awards, plus, OXM Australia gave the game a 10/10! Click the awards below to read the reviews online:
03.07.06
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GRAW SHIPS! After working on this title for over a year, I am happy to see that GRAW is being well recieved! To celebrate, I took a mini-vacation down to the Floriday Keys to get some sun! |
On the verge of the release of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox 360, the first reviews have hit, and they are phenominal. Click on the Editor's Choice Awards to read the reviews:
| IGN gave GRAW it's highest score of any 360 title yet, with a 9.2/10, earning an editor's choice award. IGN says " You'll be impressed with the stunning single-player game, and when you're done, you'll finally get to play long sessions on Xbox Live with an online game that's fully equipped to deliver a next-gen package. My advice, get this game, or get thee to a nunnery" |
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Team Xbox followed up with an in-depth review giving a 9.3/10, again with an editor's choice award. "Anyone in search of a killer app as far as online multiplayer goes on the Xbox 360 can call off their search and jump in on the intense action in both standard multiplayer modes, as well as some exciting co-op modes that support up to 16 players in some of the best modern combat scenarios you’ll have ever taken part in." |
02.07.06
| As we get closer to the release, there has been
a lot of coverage of GRAW 360 Multiplayer. Last week saw excellent
previews at IGN, Gamespy, Gamespot, and others. This week, GameTrailers.com put up a great MP Interview featuring yours truly. Click on the
image to download the video. |
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I recently got to get some range time when myself
and some of our SWAT consultants took a group of press to a local
range as part of a GRAW event. I love that PDW! |
I'm happy to say that I will again be part of the faculty
of the Game Developers Conference this year. Check out the summary of
my lecture, Tommorrow's
Military Shooter: Challenges in Next-Gen Wargaming.
12.25.05
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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December 1st was my ten year wedding
anniversary. To celebrate, I went to Vegas and renewed my vows
with my wife,
Angie.
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| I recently had a chance to show off GR:AW 360
multiplayer to Kimi from 1UP. You can read her thoughts along
with an interview with me by clicking the image to the left.
Kimi had this to say, "While GRAW is already one of the most
anticipated
shooters
for
the
Xbox
360
in 2006, the time we spent with it at Red Storm has renewed our
faith and increased our anticipation tenfold. " |
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I found some pictures of a trip I had the chance
to go on a few months ago, to the FN proving grounds, shooting
guns like the FN P90. If you haven't dumped a full mag out of
a suppressed P90, you haven't lived! |
10.09.05
I had the opportunity to attend the X05
event in Amsterdam this past week, presenting Ghost Recon Advanced
Warfighter. Here are a few pics from my trip.
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OXM has awarded Ghost Recon 2: Summit
Strike their Editor's Choice Award, following a review of the
game that earned
it a 9.0/10 score. |
08.02.05
Wow. I can't believe it has been
over four months since I had a chance to update the site.
The big news today is the release
of Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike. The game, on which I worked as
a Lead Designer alongside Jeff McGann, has already earned two Editor's
Choice Awards. You can see a trailer HERE. Click on the awards
to read the reviews:
| Gamer.Tv did a feature on Red Storm, which you can check out here (IE
required): |
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E3 was a blast again, this year, where
I presented Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox 360, which
I am working as Lead Multiplayer Designer. You can see some interviews HERE, HERE,
and HERE,
I snagged a few pictures:
03.21.05
The slides from my GDC Lecture are available
for download, for those of you who are interested. Get them HERE.
03.18.05
Well, Game
Developer's Conference 2005 has come and gone. I
really enjoyed it this year, I met and spoke to plenty of
great people from the industry, educators, fans, and
those aspiring to work in game development. There were some great
talks and roundtables, and some great parties too!
My lecture, Navigating
the Minefields: Military Accuracy in Tactical Shooters, went
very well; I had a great turnout and I got some awesome feedback.
If you are interested in
the subject, check back, I will be putting the slides from my presentation
up for download shortly.
Here are some pics from the conference:
Me & Sam hanging out at the booth.
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The sign at my talk.
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During my lecture. |
Taking questions after the speaking session.
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Hanging out at the Argent Bar, the "new Fairmont."
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 Ice sculpture & shot cooler at the Intel party.
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Les Claypool rocks the Intel party.
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Limo ride!
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The Limo.
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01.06.05
More awards for GR2 Xbox! Check
out the reviews by clicking on the award images:
01.01.05
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Happy New Year! I hope you had a great
2004, and I hope 2005 is even better. Thanks to everyone I met,
worked with, and corresponded with over what turned out to be
a pretty busy year for me! I had a great Christmas in the Caribbean,
I recommend a sandy beach over a white Christmas anyday! |
| The USMC Homepage has run coverage
of the December 8th, 2004 event that Ubisoft hosted in Jacksonville,
NC. I had a chance to go down and help with the event, where
Marines played GR2 against celebrities in LA. Copies of GR2 were
given away, and four Xbox's were donated to various units and
the USO. In addition, Ubisoft donated $15,000 to the Armed Forces
Foundation. Read more HERE. |
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Another Editor's Choice for Ghost
Recon 2, this time from GameZone, with a 9.0/10. Read the review HERE. |
I meant to put this up earlier, but here
is a pic of my Halloween costume from October. I went a little overboard,
and got a complete Legionairre outfit. I won first prize in the costume
contest!
11.30.04
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OXM has awarded Ghost Recon 2 their
Editor's Choice Award, following a review of the game that earned
it a 9.0/10 score. |
11.20.04
Ghost Recon 2 has earned another Editor's Choice
award, this time from Gamespy. Check out the review by clicking
the link to the right.
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11.18.04
It's been quite a
wile since my last update, as I have been hard at work on Ghost
Recon 2! The game shipped this week, and I have to say, the
development team did an awesome job. I am really proud to have
my name listed along side the talented people that put this
game together. Feedback is great, and the game has already
been given two Editor's Choice awards, from IGN and TeamXbox.
I am working on updating the site,
so far I have updated the Articles/Press secion (lots of interviews
to list) and the Portfolio section. I should have a mini-bio
up soon in
the
About Me section.
| In addition, I recently found out that I
have been accepted to give a talk at GDC
2005. You can check out the summary of my lecture HERE. |
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Last, but not least, on October 04, 2004, I officially
became a civilian for the first time in 9 1/2 years, as my contract
with the NC Army Guard ended. After so long in the USMC, USAFNG,
and the USARNG, I can finally let my beard grow. ;) Thanks to
everyone I served with for all the good times and bad!
Military Police, H&HS PMO, MCAS El Toro 95-99
Military Police, H&HS PMO, MCAS Tustin 99
176th Security Forces Squadron, Kulis ANGB 99-01
855th MP Company, AZ 01-02
11/32nd MP Company, NC 02-04
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04.18.04
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-The game I am currently working
on, Ghost Recon 2, has officially been announced. Check out the
teaser site at www.ghostrecon-2.com,
and the press release here. |
| -GMR
Magazine has posted the web version of the interview they
published in thier April edition, talking
about the Ghost Recon series. Read the interview HERE. |
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-OXM
UK has published a preview article about GR2. OXM
interviewed several members of the team, including myself, about the
upcoming game. Read more about it at the GR2 UK fansite, www.ghostrecon2.co,uk.
-I recently had the chance to attend the
Game Developer's Conference. It was a great opportunity, and I met
some really talented folks. I'll try to get a pic or two posted soon.
| -On the C&R front, I recently had the opportunity
to pick up a K-31 from AIM Surplus. If you are interested in
Milsurp firearms, you MUST pick up one of these rifles while
they are plentiful. They are beautiful rifles with awesome Swiss
workmanship. Check out more at the K-31
section of www.Surplusrifle.com. |
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-While puttering around on the internet the other
day, I found this old pic. This was taken when I worked for the
Alaska Dept. of Emergency Services back in 2001, on a trip to
rural Alaska regarding flooding issues. I am connecting a laptop
to a satellite phone for data transfer in the picture. More pics
from the trips, including some great shots of the Yukon river,
can be seen HERE. |
04.02.04
-Rainbow
Six: Athena Sword, the expansion pack for Rainbow Six 3: Raven
Shield is out. Check it out here! I had the opportunity to do weapons
consultation on this project, and it should be a great expansion
for Raven Shield fans.
-I was happy to be interviewed in the April edition of GMR
Magazine, in the talent section. Grab it at your local game store.
| -Recently, on a business trip I had the chance
to meet a fellow former Marine, Dan Lauria. Semper Fi! |
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-The Trenches map for the Xbox Ghost
Recon: Island Thunder was released yesterday for Live! If you
are playing GR:IT on Xbox, grab this map, it is great!
-I am working on getting the website set up, including
links to favorite sites and press related items.
01.12.04
Happy 2004! I am slowly getting around to getting the new site built.
I added the portfolio page, and am filling in the rest.
12.05.03
The new site is live! More in the next few weeks as I update serellan.com
from a purely mod based site to a portal for all of my interests.
