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New Prototype video: New York City
To go with our new Prototype screens we hear by present a six minute video of the game, detailing it's environment, New York. A good portion of the video is fluff, but there are some tidbits that give us hope for the game. The team has some good creative ideas, but whether or not there is enough game underneath it all is currently unknown. The video promises a super-dense, constantly changing city, but for the most part we are shown concept art, and the longest snippets of gameplay are from the game's pre-alpha. The guys at Radical swear that they'll deliver on everything they've promised, and the game still does has potential, but in this form it almost seems to be living up to it's name.
TiVo Alert: Prototype gameplay on X-Play
Just a quick reminder for those of you about to settle down on the couch, eager to rest your weary bones from a hard day in the mines. If you're looking for something to watch, and network reruns ain't cutting it, check out tonight's X-Play (it's got a whole new format, remember?) for a look at actual gameplay from Radical Entertainment's mutant-takes-Manhattan sandbox game, Prototype. They've sent along a short teaser, tucked away after the break, or catch the real deal at 8PM ET/PT.Did you see that guy get squished by a helicopter? Yeah, gross ...%Gallery-5779%
Today's Summer hype video: Prototype
The marketing machine is beginning to crank out information advertising advermation about this Summer's Prototype. This heavily produced video pulls off the "casual chat with developers" look well. But underneath that grimy, "don't think of this as advertising, we're just friends here" exterior, the sandbox-action game actually looks good. We feel dirty for liking it, but hopefully that's the game convincing us, not the video production. Watch the video after the break, or obey its full HD glory at Gametrailers.
Sierra's Prototype is first game with Neural-THX 7.1 surround sound
For those with cavernous home theaters (or just really keen ears), Sierra is pleased to announce that Radical Entertainment's Prototype will be the first video game – evar! – to feature Neural-THX Surround technology, capable of driving sound through seven speakers and a subwoofer. While some critics have denounced 7.1 surround as "nonsensical" for home use, there is undoubtedly at least one audiophile out there who has been itching to press his ear to the right side-mounted speaker and proclaim, "Yes! The sound of that gunfire does correlate to the man on the right of the screen unloading his AK-47 into me and not to the other man just behind me firing off that Glock 19 – brilliant!" Sadly, these finer points will be lost on those of with just five speakers or, dare we mention, only two.
Prototype trailer promises 'ultimate destruction'
Ever wondered what happens when somebody smokes a 'bad (ass)' batch of Crackdown? Meet Prototype, Radical Entertainment's first original IP engineered to mutate, decapitate, and eradicate a New York-inspired sandbox. You may tire of government conspiracies, but can you really hate on the spiritual successor to Ultimate Destruction? (Answer: No.)
Sierra unveils Prototype, not the first sandbox adventure
Prototype is not, as the name implies, the birth of a new genre, but rather the next in an indirect line of open-world games from developer Radical Entertainment. Building upon its past releases like The Simpsons Hit & Run, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and Scarface -- and seemingly borrowing "jump 30 stories"-like elements from Realtime World's more recent Crackdown -- Radical has chosen New York City as its sandbox and a shape-shifting mystery man as its hero. There'll be a conspiracy to uncover and, of course, a lot of ass kicking.Publisher Sierra expects Prototype next summer on Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 (where Sierra will have to come up with a marketing strategy to distinguish its game from Sucker Punch's inFamous).[Via press release]%Gallery-5779%
Prototype: Highlander with more mindless violence
Eurogamer reports that Sierra has confirmed that it will be bringing Prototype from Radical Entertainment (Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Scarface) to the Xbox 360 and PS3. The game stars Alex Mercer, the subject of a science experiment that that has given him super powers. Yeah, you might call him an incredible guy (nyuk!). But what's the point of super powers without rampant destruction, right? As an added bonus, Mercer receives the powers and knowledge of those he kills, Highlander style. The game takes place in Manhattan, in a sandbox environment similar to Crackdown, and the game also offers online co-op for two players. Prototype should hit the 360 in 2008. Sierra promises more info in the coming weeks.
The latest from Crash of the Titans
Everything we've seen from Crash of the Titans makes us want to ride around on the backs of beasties. Think we can sneak into the rhino pen down at the zoo? If you don't hear from us soon, please send medics and painkillers. In honor of the latest Crash title's co-op multiplayer, maybe we'll take a friend to distract the rhinos while we climb on board. Any volunteers?No?Well, just check out the new screens then. And here we thought you liked us ....%Gallery-3294%
Free Radical: Writing in games is unimportant, we check Lost Planet sales data
Not to take a jab at our Xbox 360-loving brethren, but if we are going to point to any game, in recent memory, that sold well and had an absolutely, amazingly-horrible script, it would be that game. Seriously, we know that Capcom isn't the best when it comes to crafting game stories or dialogue (Jill, here's a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you.), but that game's story and dialogue was just absurd. Still though, Free Radical co-founder Karl Hilton thinks the Wii, not the Xbox 360, is the system that will encourage more games that don't need good writing in the market.Hilton says "The success of the Wii has showed how unimportant writing is to a huge chunk of the games market – and that market sector is growing." Of course, taken out of context, the quote can be horribly mistaken for meaning something else, but we're sure Hilton meant to say the success of the Wii console has opened the door for games that focus more on gameplay than, say, delivering a large, epic story to the market to be more successful.So, how do you interpret Hilton's statement?[via Joystiq]
Today's raddest game video: GTA San Andreas bike stunts
It takes a brave man (or woman) to try his hand on the dangerous streets of GTA:SA, and an even braver man (or woman) to try those streets on a motorcycle. Then to go above and beyond that, and drive like a complete and total maniac? Fugeddaboutit.Thankfully, someone else has done all the work for you, slapped a thrashing soundtrack to it, and uploaded it to YouTube. All you have to do now is sit back, hit play, and enjoy. Better yet, watch it, and then go out and try it all yourself. Virtually, that is. Please don't try this at home. Unless you're trying it on your console. We don't mean standing on your console, we mean ... ah, forget it. Just watch the darn thing.
Scarface bound for Wii
Just so you know, it took every ounce of energy to resist the obvious headline, "Say hello to my Wii friend." The implication of such an unfortunately predictable line of text would be that Vivendi's Scarface is being ported to the Nintendo Wii. The latest issue of British magazine, Ngamer, subtly revealed the news by placing Tony Montana on the cover and asking, "Is this the closest thing to Grand Theft Auto on Wii?" As you might expect, the Wii version features point-and-shoot Wiimote controls, along with motion-sensitive (and delightfully limb-severing) chainsaw waving. Coupled with The Godfather's love for violent flailing, it seems the Wii is truly living up to its family console image. It's about time somebody put the "laughter" back into "manslaughter." [Thanks Ross.]
Metareview - Scarface: The World is Yours
It's been over twenty years since Al Pacino, Oliver Stone, and Brian DePalma gave us one of Hollywood's classic crime lords (and set the benchmark for f-bomb usage in a film). Given Rockstar's success with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, it's not surprising that someone decided to cash in on the original coked out vision of 80s Miami. Enter Sierra and Radical Entertainment's Scarface: The World is Yours, an extension of the movie that finds Tony Montana very much alive and out for revenge on the cock-a-roaches who destroyed his drug empire. Reviews suggest that the amount of enjoyment you get out of this game will depend on your patience with its mission structure. Tony doesn't break his balls for anyone, but some of the side missions in Scarface just might break yours. IGN (87/100) thought Tony's rage mode was the balls: "By performing a number of 'ballsy' moves, you'll fill the Balls meter. Targeting certain body parts (kidney, head, arms, groin, etc.) will earn you Balls, and taunting someone after you kill them will earn you even more. It's a great system that works almost flawlessly." Game Informer (85/100) felt immersed in the power struggles of a drug kingpin: "Unlike Grand Theft Auto, in which you're frequently at the mercy of powers much greater than yourself, Scarface allows you to blaze your own path to greatness. The epic scope and the sheer amount of money at stake give Scarface a sense of urgency that few games in this genre have achieved." GameSpot (64/100) was looking for more freedom of movement: "The developers accomplished the task of bringing Tony Montana back to life. But by taking the focus off of the gameplay elements that you'd want in an open-city game and putting it more on the game's bland mission design and all the dull side tasks you'll have to do to earn a reputation, Scarface doesn't play to its potential strengths."
Timesplitters devs think Wii is underpowered?
Free Radical Design, which was formed from key members that left Rare after working on Goldeneye 007, has a new title in development for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 known as Haze. In the FAQ at their website, when asked if there will be a Wii version of the game, the company states "There are currently no plans for a Wii version of Haze. Sadly, the cutting-edge technology we're using requires more power than the Wii has available. If we could, we would." This got us to the thinkin' over here at Wii Fanboy.Would this be the case for titles in the future that are being developed on all platforms? Think about Ubisoft's Raving Rabbids, which Michel Ancel has stated during a preview that it is primarily being developed for the Wii, followed by ports to the PS3 and Xbox 360. How would it work the other way? Sure, we know that Call of Duty 3 is another title that will be present on all consoles, but is the game being built on Xbox 360 or PS3 architecture, then ported to the Wii? Is this the wall that Free Radical has hit? The comment brings up some questions, sure, but we doubt that a company who could give us one of the greatest console FPS games ever made could be so disinterested in such an innovative console. Hopefully, the next time we discuss Free Radical, it'll be in regards to their newest project on the platform.
Scarface joins next-gen cancellation list
It's hard out there for a gangsta. After the Sopranos just got the next-gen axe, Scarface follows suit and blows up plans for an Xbox 360 release. According to GameSpot, Vivendi has just announced that any chance for a 360 release is dunzo, but to make up for it, a PSP iteration of the game will come out this fall. While it's true the developers have been very mum on the next-gen version (in fact when we played the game not too long ago, they had told us there wouldn't be one), it was announced back in 2005 that it was considered. Well now it's official, no next-gen version. What's going on here people? Are we really starting to see the effects of large budgets for next-gen games exploding in developer's faces? Somewhere, a Nintendo exec is laughing.
Joystiq hands-on: Scarface not so meh
Going into today's meeting with Vivendi, my expectations on what Scarface -- which ships either in September or October for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC -- would be like were pretty low. I knew the basics of the game and had seen a trailer here and there, but assumed it would be just another paltry Grand Theft Auto clone/crappy movie license game. Lucky for Mr. Tony Montana, I was dead wrong. Still in its pre-beta form, but light years away from what it looked like at E3, the game is actually progressing nicely with solid controls and other elements to make any Scarface fan weep at the sight of its unbridled violence. Since most open-world third-person games claim to be different or improve upon the GTA formula, Scarface actually backs up its similar claim with a mix of what worked for GTA and betters what didn't. Check after the break for the full breakdown on a game that is surprisingly not as awful as you might expect.
Scarface babe roster announced
Say hello to Tony Montana's new friends. Meagan Good, Vida Guerra, Jillian Barberie, Amanda Righetti, and Diora Baird (not pictured) have been added to the voice cast of Vivendi's Scarface: The World is Yours. And while these lovely ladies are easier on the eyes than a coked-out Michelle Pfeiffer, or Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio with an afro, we'll only get to hear their pretty little voices -- no 3D likenesses are mentioned in the VU press release. Each femme fatale will help Tony gain respect as he fights to rebuild his criminal empire in 1980s Miami. Scarface will be released this Fall, bubble bath not included. [via TeamXbox]
Scarface will give you balls
The Vivendi booth in South Hall didn't have anything hands-on for Scarface (or at least, not that I saw) -- just two flat panels playing clips from the movie, and a big, sweeping staircase that led to an upstairs "screening" room, where we got to watch a demo of the ugly game. Oops, did I say "ugly?" I meant fugly. The graphics thing aside though, I can see how someone who liked the movie would like to "say hello to my little friend" in a game. The game picks up where the movie left off, with you, Tony Montana, up at the top of the staircase. Instead of getting shot and killed like in the movie, the first thing you have to do is turn around and kill the guy behind you before he kills you (otherwise, I guess you have to start over). After that, the game is all about building up your cocaine-trafficking empire, basically by using your cajones. You earn Balls points by intimidating others with the use of voice, or by doing balls-y things. Higher speed driving, more destructive shooting, and of course, being more of an a**hole as you cut deals with local shopkeepers to join your cocaine empire.
Crash & Spyro headline Vivendi E3 lineup
Vivendi revealed that new Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon games will be appearing in the publisher's E3 lineup, joined by some popular entertainment licenses. TimeShift, which was just acquired from Atari, will also be on hand. Here's the complete list of titles that will be featured at Vivendi's booth: 50 Cent: Bulletproof (PSP) Caesar IV (PC) Crash Boom Bang! (DS) Eragon (DS, GBA, PC, PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360) Freestyle Street Basketball (PC) Joint Task Force (PC) The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning (DS, GBA, GameCube, PS2, Xbox) Miami Vice (PSP) Scarface: The World Is Yours (PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360) TimeShift (PC, Xbox 360) World in Conflict (PC)
