Prequels, Sequels, Reboots, and other crud happens in the gaming industry...but what happens when a game goes off the radar only to become a new game mid-development? Lights..Camera...REQUEL!
It happens to the best of games, these requels. One such example is Dark Sector, a game teased as early as 2000, and it wasn't until late 2004 to early 2005 that the game surfaced again, just to disappear and reappear as altered again.
This game has gone through so much requeling that sites like IGN who have tracked the game since the original tease can only note the fact that the developer had no clue at any point in development of what to make the game about.
The original Dark Sector was gonna be...for lack of more proper explanation; an Unreal style game on an MMOFPS scale...needless to say that concept of the game never solidified. The second concept was a space-faring duo who explored the "Dark Sector", the main character having a kick-butt stealth suit and the pilot being some ritualistic girl. The final concept still features a stealth approach but the suit less stealth (though still bearing the "horn-like" helmet), and no real indication of a second main character of a female pilot. That and the addition of a boomerang-shaped blade that is used to make gore-like melee throws.
The reviews from such as IGN note the fact that, while the final concept is acceptable...That some of the original concepts, even the mid-developing concepts would pose more potential than said final concept. Then again the project was first announced when Digital Extremes(the developers behind Dark Sector) were just merely peeling off being a co-developer of the Unreal series, thus there initial intentions to develop something similar to what they helped co-create. At this point Dark Sector seems to be the ONLY original title developed by this company...and by far with the mixed success of Dark Sector's almost decade-long developed...will they even attempt to make amends while still being a developer who develops for other properties such as Bioshock, The Darkness, and now even a game based on the Star Trek reboot movie series.
I can probably give more examples, but to my knowledge Dark Sector is one of the biggest requel-doing games that was popular enough to track the process.
Needless to say, It would be best for developers to take lessons on such a obscured fate as Dark Sector and keep away from Requeling.
That's about it for now, thanks for reading!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Shooters and Cliches: The Chronicles of Stealth-it
Well, It's been awhile since I made an entry into my long running editorial series called "Shooters and Cliches" since there hasn't been much to comment on with my beloved game genre. Contrary to recent notification, I'm amazed how many overlooked shooters there are in this industry, simply overshadowed by the over-hyped and brand-bashing that bigger titles get. Obviously, one such shooter has made it's way into my gaming collection and has unique qualities that make it a diamond in the rough even though it's not the greatest in other areas.
This game happens to be The Chronicles of Riddick, the second installation being Assault on Dark Athena. Unlike games that take on a third-person approach, this game is one of very few Stealth games that tackle the challenge from a first-person perspective. The stealth is greatly engineered using sensory details, if you hide in the shadows your vision becomes this pale purple and if you are detectable the vision is normal. That and if you are in a unlit area with no light sources you can toggle on Riddick's famous "night-vision" to make stuff see-able. Besides this like any other stealth game, Health generation is limited(but not scarce) and the emphasis on only landing headshots is obvious since headshots are quick instant kills while aiming for the body results in several hits being taking down a target.
This out of the ordinary game wouldn't take chances visually as the game tacks on almost movie-quality graphics using the studio's proprietary engine. This tech is also being used in the studio's latest cover-shooter; Syndicate which looks and plays amazing also.
There is also multiplayer, but do to the game's overlooked potential and being stricken in a few years...the match-making is all but alive. Though it does sport a LAN function for if you have friends or family willing to spar it out.
The story so far, while riddled in drivel-like dialogue (most of it from Riddick), is actually surprisingly well done if you are able to take the drivel as just pieces to an overall branching plot. That and it seems this studio couldn't help the fact to take on some Gravelly voice casting.
If you want to see the game in action I have uploaded a couple of vids of the Athena game, as well as the previous demo based on the first game called Butcher Bay.
That is pretty much it for now, thanks for reading!
-BrioCyrain
This game happens to be The Chronicles of Riddick, the second installation being Assault on Dark Athena. Unlike games that take on a third-person approach, this game is one of very few Stealth games that tackle the challenge from a first-person perspective. The stealth is greatly engineered using sensory details, if you hide in the shadows your vision becomes this pale purple and if you are detectable the vision is normal. That and if you are in a unlit area with no light sources you can toggle on Riddick's famous "night-vision" to make stuff see-able. Besides this like any other stealth game, Health generation is limited(but not scarce) and the emphasis on only landing headshots is obvious since headshots are quick instant kills while aiming for the body results in several hits being taking down a target.
This out of the ordinary game wouldn't take chances visually as the game tacks on almost movie-quality graphics using the studio's proprietary engine. This tech is also being used in the studio's latest cover-shooter; Syndicate which looks and plays amazing also.
There is also multiplayer, but do to the game's overlooked potential and being stricken in a few years...the match-making is all but alive. Though it does sport a LAN function for if you have friends or family willing to spar it out.
The story so far, while riddled in drivel-like dialogue (most of it from Riddick), is actually surprisingly well done if you are able to take the drivel as just pieces to an overall branching plot. That and it seems this studio couldn't help the fact to take on some Gravelly voice casting.
If you want to see the game in action I have uploaded a couple of vids of the Athena game, as well as the previous demo based on the first game called Butcher Bay.
That is pretty much it for now, thanks for reading!
-BrioCyrain
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
DAWN: A game idea by Brian McCain
Dawn is a Sci-fi action/adventure game based on the rather original forms of the genre, heralding back to the usage dating back to the late 60s to early 80s. Instead of science fiction nowadays where it’s all about action, pre-defined spatial warfare, and everything is pretty much known about the universe, Dawn is going back into what made Science Fiction more philosophical in the days of the original Star Trek and Star Wars emphasis on both mystery and mysticism. Instead of everything being “explored”, the player must “explore” almost everything the game has to offer, nothing is known before hand, the player is going where no one has gone before.
Due to this emphasis in both game-play and storylines, the art style should also emphasize this by having an art style that is inspired by late-60s to early 80s science fiction art direction. Combat should be of a more tactical nature, and Exploration should reward massive benefits to player in this unknown universe. The player should feel like a space captain should, have no way to predict what will happen if and when a possible threat occurs. Seeing how the game will obviously have a deep gritty look, the game should bare very little on-screen information that is only displayed when the player accesses said systems.
It is pretty much pre-determined in nowadays games that any game with non-linear game-play should have a consequence system based on their decisions, just like how Sci-fi used to be in the first place. Kirk made some really good decisions, and he made some really bad ones, and all of that got reflected in Star Trek.
I may have stated a game idea similar to this, but this is the most concrete form I have of this kind of idea yet, and I think if done right it would be extremely popular and a good demand on those who find newer Sci-fi material just sacrilegious to what “true” science fiction is to them.
That is pretty much it for now, thanks for reading.
-Brian (BrioCyrain) McCain
Due to this emphasis in both game-play and storylines, the art style should also emphasize this by having an art style that is inspired by late-60s to early 80s science fiction art direction. Combat should be of a more tactical nature, and Exploration should reward massive benefits to player in this unknown universe. The player should feel like a space captain should, have no way to predict what will happen if and when a possible threat occurs. Seeing how the game will obviously have a deep gritty look, the game should bare very little on-screen information that is only displayed when the player accesses said systems.
It is pretty much pre-determined in nowadays games that any game with non-linear game-play should have a consequence system based on their decisions, just like how Sci-fi used to be in the first place. Kirk made some really good decisions, and he made some really bad ones, and all of that got reflected in Star Trek.
I may have stated a game idea similar to this, but this is the most concrete form I have of this kind of idea yet, and I think if done right it would be extremely popular and a good demand on those who find newer Sci-fi material just sacrilegious to what “true” science fiction is to them.
That is pretty much it for now, thanks for reading.
-Brian (BrioCyrain) McCain
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