The Official Joe Laurino Website
Commercial Games
Here's a list of games I've worked on in the past for clients. This list goes in chronological order, starting with the most recent. In the future, I'll be breaking down the Great Day Games game listing to showcase the games I've enjoyed working on the most for that site. (Added recently: History Channel Warriors: The Game, U.B.Funkeys, GDG Game Number list) Back to Games Menu
History Channel Warriors: The Game (2009) Online [Play!]
Audio Director, Feedback
Fighting Game
This is one of the most audio-heavy games I've ever done. It was a ton of work, but the end result is something I couldn't be happier with. The game boasts six minutes of music and over 160 unique sounds, which is ridiculous for a Flash game. One of the reasons this game sounds so realistic is because there are multiple variations (around six or seven) of almost every sound, resulting in each impact and movement sounding totally different from the last. I actually didn't have a hand in this game from a design standpoint, though I did help the project manager with playtesting (and cursing a lot at the samurai. That dude's X attack needs to be nerfed!)
U.B. Funkeys (2007-Present) Online [Visit Site!]
Assorted Design & Audio work
Toy/PC Game Hybrid
I just want to say right off the bat that I frigging love these things. I have a bunch of them sitting on my desk (Sprocket is my boy). While I can take absolutely zero credit for the concept or art direction, I'll absolutely take some credit for some of the games and audio in it. A great deal of the minigames ones I worked on, so there's a touch o' Joe no matter where you look in the Funkey world. I am also in charge of setting up and mediating brainstorming sessions for this game (that's where we come up with cool new stuff for the game). While Somatone developed most of the audio, there are instances in the game where the audio was designed by me (that rockin' Volcano game? Me. That awesome room where you get to smash things up? All me. Bam!)
National Geographic's Expedition Game (2008) Online [Play!]
Audio Director, Producer, Asst. Designer, Content Designer
Hidden Object Adventure
National Geographic's Expedition Game was developed to be released in tandem with the National Geographic Channel's Expedition Week, which was a week of new shows based solely in exploration and adventure. In this game, you get to customize your very own explorer (male OR female, ooooooh!) and embark on some increasingly difficult hidden object-style adventures. I addition to being part of the conceptual team that pulled the initial idea together, I also helped design both the game and the content located in the files that the game pulls it's data from. In addition to that, I was the audio director for that super epic music you're hearing. The sound robots at Somatone and myself rocked the house. One thing - don't ask me what a stereo is doing in the Tombs, because I don't know. I'm suspecting that the pharaoh that was buried there was a big fan of CCR.
The Pini Society: The Remarkable Truth (2007,2008) PC
Asst. Audio Director, Website Project Manager, Design Assistance
Puzzle Game
The Pini Society is the story about a secretive (and recently reformed) organization, founded in 1854, and responsible for the greatest archaeological finds of the last 200 years. This puzzle game was designed by Arkadium for the Society to raise awareness about the organization - and it was no small task, given the scope and budget of the game! Among the things I did for the title were handle and oversee, along with our company's CEO and chairwoman, the voice-over sessions. I also reworked and tweaked all of the voice overs to match the volume to the background music, and worked on the actual deliveries of the audio with the studios involved. I also gave a little design advice here and there when asked. On top of all that, I was the project manager for the Pini Society website, and oversaw all aspects of the production of the site. I worked closely with our Ukrainian web team and our local .NET developers, as well as Arkadium's Creative Director, to get it done. In comparison, I did nowhere near as much work for this project as some of the other people at our studio did - and I did a lot of work! Click on the picture to go to the website, where you'll be able to download a demo of the game starting May 19th. If you like it, you'll be able to buy the full version for 19.99 - a price that you'll probably be willing to pay considering how much gameplay you'll be getting.
Great Day Games (2007,2008) Online [Play!]
Audio Director, Various Design/Producer/Project Manager roles
Gaming Hub
Arkadium's sister site, Great Day Games, is an awesome gaming hub that has tons of free online games people can play from any PC whenever they want. I help define the game pipeline and manage various aspects of the many games we put out on GDG every year. I do everything from design game concepts to actual game content, as well as manage games from a production and project management standpoint. A lot of my time is invested in this site, and the games are getting better and better. So what are you waiting for? Go play some games there! Now boasting over 120 different games!
Stonehenge Decoded: The Game (2007) Web Game, PC [Play it!]
Asst. Game Designer, Producer, Audio Director
Brain Game Compilation
Another title for Nat-Geo, by the same team that did Fight Science. Once again, this was a team effort, and it couldn't have been done by any one person on the team. Audio was a tag-team effort between the sound gangsters at SounDelux and myself. Click the picture or the 'Play it' link to play the game!
Fight Science: The Game (2007) Web Game, PC [Play it!]
Game Designer/Producer, Audio Director
Training Game
Another Arkadium knock-out (pun?)! The same team that designed the Corn Pops game did this one. Instead of making your typical fighting game to tie in with National Geographic's new Fight Science show, we decided to do something different; our Lead Designer and I designed a kickass game based on conditioning, training and challenging the strongest weapon of all - the human weapon - in a high tech facility built for the show. Through various types of games - from hitting a dummy and balancing on a platform, to performing Kata moves and testing your reflexes by trying to catch a razor sharp katana - your character will rise in strength and status among other online players. Once again, this was a team effort, and it couldn't have been done by any one person on the team. Audio was a tag-team effort between the sound jedis (did I just use a Star Wars reference??) at SounDelux and myself. Click the picture or the 'Play it' link to play the game!
Read an article about the game here.
Corn Pops: Welcome to the Future (2007) Web Game, PC [Play it!]
Game Producer, Audio Director
Rapid-Fire Minigames
Designed by the award-winning design team at Arkadium, Corn Pops: Welcome to the Future is a rapid-fire minigame fest with 24 different minigames. Prizes include awesome pictures and, if you're really, really good, you might get even better prizes that are like pictures, only they move and make noise. I wrote specs, oversaw game production alongside an amazing Project Manager and Director of Game Production, and was in charge of all audio direction. Audio was a tag-team effort between the sound guys at Somatone and myself. Click the picture or the 'Play it' link to play the game!
MiniGolf Revolution : Pirate Park (2006-2007) Mobile Platform
Special Thanks
Mini Golf
This is the first project I worked on at Gameloft NY. I designed alternate courses, brainstormed bosses, and did the achievements for the game. The original art style, unfortunately, was completely bastardized in the game's last stages of development, but thankfully the sprites remain unchanged, since the animation is fantastic. This title is one of the ones I'm proud I was a part of. More design examples from this project can be produced upon request.
Reviews and Awards:
"Highly competent, refreshing and more fun than digital minigolf has any right to be." ~ PocketGamer, 8 out of 10
"Minigolf games have always been well-liked here and Pirate Park is no exception. It embodies many fun attributes, has solid mechanics and just oozes charm." ~ Wireless Gaming World, 4 out of 5
SLICE AND DICE : Championship Cooking (2007) Mobile Platform (Cancelled)
Lead Designer
Cooking Competition
My first solo project at Gameloft, which was unfortunately cancelled. I'd rather not give much away about this project since it was technically made as a work for hire, cancelled or not. It was essentially Iron Chef on crack, but it just didn't work out. I mainly posted it as an example of character design and writing. To see the full poster-size artwork, click on the icon to the left. More design examples from this project can be produced upon request.