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Human Head survives fire, no data loss reported
Early Friday morning (late Thursday night for most), a devastating fire feasted on a historical building in Madison, Wisconsin. Local news coverage identified the multi-use building as home to Human Head Studios, developer of last year's long-incubated shooter Prey. Thankfully, the level designers had been released from their shackles for the night. No one was harmed in the fire.But what of the precious MEE data? Had Marc Ecko's rags-to-renders dream gone up in ... smoke? According to today's update from Human Head, no. "[Though] we suffered some equipment and furniture loss due to smoke and water, we suffered no significant data loss," reports the studio. A temporary relocation plan seems to indicate that Human Head is eager to get back to work on the Ecko-endorsed project, shedding any stigma earned from Prey's 5-year development cycle.
Human Head rolls with Marc Ecko game division
The division of MEE has disclosed a partnership with Human Head Studios to develop an original IP for consoles. While both parties share a recent history of novelty acts (see: Ecko's Getting Up; and Human Head's Prey), neither has succeeded in producing a truly exceptional title. So then, perhaps it's a bit early to trumpet the forthcoming project as a game that will "push the boundaries of entertainment," no? But, as Ecko claims, he's now got "Michael Jordan" on his team. So does that make him Pippen -- or Kwame Brown?Last month, former Human Head CEO Timothy Gerritsen revealed that he had left (in November) because he did not agree with the direction the studio was headed. According to MEE president Mike Lynch, that direction is to "change perceptions of what a game can be." Yackety-yack...
MEE launched, Marc Ecko getting (all) up (in the industry)
Meet 'Mr. MEE Too.' Following Getting Up, his respectable, but flawed foray into the games industry, fashion mogul and game adherent Marc Ecko has founded a new game division, dubbed Marc Ecko Entertainment (MEE). Aided by industry vets Marc Fernandez (ex-Rockstar) and Shawn Rosen (of Acclaim, the defunct one), Mr. Ecko and team will join the hunt for that ever-elusive quality: innovation. At stake, as Ecko puts it, is the chance to "leave an impression" on an emerging industry -- a fitting ambition for an ego-inspired brand.Not wasting any time, MEE has reportedly invested in a new project from one of last year's most-celebrated developers. An official announcement is pending. Suspense ensues...
Metareview - Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is the latest urban action game. A mash up of Jet Set Radio, Prince of Persia, and Grand Theft Auto, there is hardly consensus on the controversial title. A look at some notables: Gamespot (87%) - "It's easy to look at a game that has a non-gamemaking fashion designer's name right in the title and assume that it's going to be some sort of flashy, style-over-substance licensed product, but Atari, The Collective, and Ecko have effectively teamed up here and put together a game that has plenty of flashy style, but is a quality game underneath all that flash." 1UP (70%) - "The worst thing a decent action game can suffer from is bad camera control, and this malady afflicts Getting Up... The game strikes a nice balance between fighting and tagging. Although frequent, the fighting winds up being secondary to advancing the story line. In some missions, it even works out better to evade authorities and simply complete your objective." GamePro (50%) - "Focusing the majority of gameplay attention on the actual art of writing, rather than on a hackneyed up-from-the-streets story, would have been a good start. And, regrettably for Ecko, development just couldn't work the kinks out of the shoddy Getting Up game engine. Frame rate consistently dips to horrific lows, and many in-game objects and actions break frequently during gameplay." The reviews criticize the tempermental camera system and technical glitches, while praising the title's quality voice-acting, solid soundtrack, and immersive graffiti culture. See also:Australia knocks down Marck Ecko's Getting UpMore Joystiq coverage of Getting Up
