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One of Sundays highlights from EGX 2014 (Apart from LEGO Batman 3 of course) was HellBlade, from Ninja Theory, the studio behind DMC (Devil May Cry), Enslaved and Heavenly Sword.
Hellblade, from the look of it, is quickly shaping up as a good looking RPG in the vein of Skyrim or Dragon Age, but from a team of only a handful of dedicated, and fun people at Ninja Theory.
However the Dev session today was more about the MAKING of the game and almost Ninja Theory’s new manifesto for better games development and the future of games development going forward.
Dominic Mathews () took us through a really easy to follow, but informative chat about what they are calling, “Independent AA” Development”, basically producing triple A games but with the ethos and love of an Indie dev studio.
Not only that, but also starting apprenticeships and even training new games devs, whether those people then stay with Ninja Theory or move on to other houses, or even start their own. A very interesting call to arms for the video game industry going forward (and one desperately needed in these times of big companies buying up Indie stars like Mojang)
In their own words:
What is the Independent AAA game? It is about creating, funding and owning IP of AAA quality but with the more focused game design, lower price point and open development process that defines indie games. It’s about taking creative risks and making spectacular, exciting and unique game experiences that can compete with AAA and engages fans directly.
They did show the same teaser they showed at E3, but as the game only started development in march this year, we saw no gameplay this time. You can see the teaser here:
What we DID find out though, is that although HellBlade will start as a Playstation exclusive, we may see the game on XBox and PC later on, which I very much hope is the case.
The game, AND the idea for Independent AAA sound great and I’m looking forward to following HellBlade as it grows, so keep checking back for more news as and when we get it!
You can see the Developer session from EGX2014 below:
Ok, Relic were on hand again for EGX 2014 to talk about Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault.
We’ve talked about this already, namely in EGX Rezzed commentary from earlier this year, but Relic surprised me by making this one of the shortest Dev Sessions so far of EGX2014…
Now in March, at Rezzed, people were expecting Dawn of War, not Company of Heroes, but ho hum and Ardennes Assault is what we’re getting.
The brief game play video they showed off, showed the use of the new True Sight system, which basically means troops have true line of sight, meaning you can tell them to shoot something, but if they can’t SEE it, they won’t shoot it, which, in itself is cool, but honestly, I’m bored of WW2 games… Hell, even the FPS industry has moved away from WW2 finally
Well, the game looks fun, if you’ve played CoH2 or Dawn of War 2, you know whats on offer here, so lets let Relic explain…
Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault will feature three entirely new Companies to choose from within the US Forces, each with their own unique Officers and play-style. Players will see their decisions and actions reflected across the Ardennes landscape in this dynamic new single-player campaign. Player choices are crucial as every decision will not only impact the story but also their Company with upgrades and Veterancy carrying over from mission to mission. With limited soldiers under your command, you must manage their lives and well-being effectively or risk losing that Company for good. Will you lead your Company valiantly and emerge as heroes?
Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault is developed by Relic Entertainment and will be launching on November 18, 2014, for Windows PC and PC digital download platforms and you can see the Developer Session below:
Seems Paradox Interactive have jumped in to catch teh ball Maxis fumbled with SimCity…
The Sky is no limit!
Inhabit a world where you define the rules. Cities: Skylines invites you to create the city of your dreams in a sprawling landscape dominated by cloud hugging structures and jaw dropping architectural marvels.
Developed by Colossal Order, Cities: Skylines offers sprawling landscapes and maps with endless sandbox gameplay and new ways to expand your city. Key to progression is the ability to influence your city’s policy by incorporating taxation into districts. All this including the ability to mod the game to suit your play style makes this the definitive city building simulation.
You’re only limited by your imagination, so take control and reach for the sky!
Main features:
>City policies: Set policies to guide how the city and districts develop over the course of your playthrough.
>City districts: Personalize city districts with names of your choice for variety and personality.
>Road building and zoning
>Unlock buildings and services
>Taxation: Fine-tuning the city budget and services and setting tax rates to different residential, commercial and industrial levels and controlling what kind of areas are more likely to spawn in the zoned areas
>Public transportation: Build transport networks throughout the city with buses and metros
>Outside connections: Make industry and commercial districts flourish with new customers in the neighboring cities
>Wonders: the ultimate end-game content that the players strive towards
>Huge maps: Unlock new map tiles with unique possibilities to expand the city
>Water flow simulation: Add new challenges to water services.
>Polished visual style and core gameplay
>Modding tools: Built in feature designed to encourage creative pursuits.
Fasten your seat belts – Bill and Ted are going on another ride.
In an interview with Yahoo, Alex Winter finally gave an update on the long journey to a third feature film in the Bill & Ted franchise. A 23-year journey, to be exact. Winter played Bill S. Preston Esq. in the original 1989 science fiction comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and the sequel Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey two years later in 1991 opposite Keanu Reeves as Ted “Theodore” Logan. Now, everyone’s favorite time traveling slackers have gotten a little older.
“[Bill & Ted] will be 40-something and it’s all about Bill and Ted grown up, or not grown up,” Winter said. “It’s really sweet and really f—ing funny. But it’s a Bill & Ted movie, that’s what it is. It’s for the fans of Bill & Ted. It fits very neatly in the [series]. It’s not going to feel like a reboot. The conceit is really funny: What if you’re middle-aged, haven’t really grown up and you’re supposed to have saved the world and maybe, just maybe, you kinda haven’t?” In addition to the two films, the Bill & Ted franchise includes two television adaptations both titled Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures, one animated and one live action. Both Winter and Reeves haven’t reprised their respective roles since proving the voice for their cartoon characters in one season of the series in 1990, right before the first sequel was made.
So, why the delay? “The thing we had going against us is that word got out,” Winter says. “That was kind of a bummer. It just takes a long time to put a movie together. Now we’re having to build this thing in public, which is fine. I just feel bad [the fans] have to get dragged through this long, boring, protracted process.”
Original screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon have written the script for the film based on an idea formed with Reeves and Winter, and the team has secured a director in Galaxy Quest‘s Dean Parisot. “We’ve been working on drafts for the last couple of years,” Winter said. “The script’s been finished for a while, but comedy is so specific. We’re in that world where producers are on, financiers are on and we’re just working and reworking the script.”
Well, don’t work too much on it. Unlike Bill & Ted, we don’t have all the time in the world to wait!
With its simple gameplay and perfectly portable nature, independent studio Roll7 surprised a lot of people when it released the side-scrolling, skateboarding game-cum-reaction test OlliOlli; and the title quickly became one of the handheld’s best sellers. That success earned them a place at this year’s EGX London; where at 3pm today, the small team of indie developers announced what to expect next.
Currently in development, OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood is, as the name suggests, a sequel to the PS Vita hit, with much loftier targets in sight – not least emphasised by the franchise’s move from handhelds to the big screen. With the sequel hitting the Playstation 4, OlliOlli 2 features a complete visual overhaul to make it fresher and more HD-quality in order to be more appealing for TV and emphasise the fact that sequels always aim to be bigger and better. But it’s not just for show – the game now includes 7,000 more frames of animation making tricks look more realistic and fluid than ever.
The reason for the need to add detail to tricks is because, in OlliOlli 2, there’s going to be a lot more of them. In addition to all-new grinds and jumps to complement the existing set of tricks from the first OlliOlli, Roll7 has listened to player feedback and added the ability to perform manuals – lifting the board slightly and riding on two wheels, for the non-skaters – while on solid ground. An enhanced combo system makes it a lot easier to chain tricks together for higher points; plus there’s an extra incentive to the game’s overarching purpose of timing your landings to perfection: perform a perfect grind and you’ll be able to “switch” it, repositioning your board to perform another trick mid-grind and adding one more multiplier to your combo bar. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater fans should be very familiar with this mechanic, though the controls are slightly different.
Levels and Worlds in OlliOlli 2 are also taking on a whole new shape – quite literally. Thanks to a whole new engine for which the sequel is being built from scratch, OlliOlli 2 sheds the straight-line nature of levels in the original game; to bring in curved terrain and even ramps for greater air time. If you wanted to speed all the way downhill and perform a massive jump off a ramp at the bottom, you’ll get to do it in OlliOlli 2. Levels also feature split paths, allowing multiple ways to trick through each location – you might find yourself choosing from a low grind or going up high for massive air time. The “Welcome to Olliwood” part of the title references part of the game’s new theme – levels will be split into “Worlds” based around popular film genres, with decals and obstacles to match; such as an Aztec world with vibes of Indiana Jones.
Roll7 explain that, like the old OlliOlli, the current plan is for the levels in OlliOlli 2 will be procedurally-generated. Obstacles, rails and ramps will be generated based on what you’ve already skated, rather than a fully randomised affair – allowing players who regularly bail at one part of a level to memorise the layout and prepare for it next time, such that players hopefully progress further with every run and ultimately overcome any roadblocks they experience. This plan is regularly debated within the team, with some feeling an infinite-scrolling layout to allow levels to continue randomly for as long as the player can survive would be better; while others like the current method for ensuring that players cannot get completely stuck during a run. It will be interesting to see which camp finally wins out.
Of course, if one tires of taking on the game’s challenges and story or simply trying to beat their best runs, there’s always the fun of competing against others. Roll7 admitted that, on realising that they missed an opportunity in the original PS Vita title to implement online leaderboards comparing your run to other players, “we still wake up in a sweat wondering why we didn’t”. OlliOlli 2, therefore, will be incorporating them from the very beginning, letting you know just how your skating and reaction times compare to other players. But that’s not the only concession to multiplayer being considered. OlliOlli 2 will also feature a local split-screen multiplayer mode called “Combo Rush”, allowing up to four players to compete simultaneously to achieve the highest scoring run in 60 seconds. Roll7 claim the new multiplayer mode is also being used as a basis to look into potential future additions, such as online multiplayer and other types of competition.
OlliOlli 2 is planned to hit the PS4 sometime in 2015.
