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Take some time to watch Quantum Break's world collapse
Remedy released a demo walkthrough video on Friday for its coming Xbox One-exclusive, Quantum Break, featuring lead writer and former Max Payne model Sam Lake. While a good portion of the video is another look at a section of the game first showed off during Gamescom 2014, the new video expands on Quantum Break's story. Lake explains that, in the middle of the chaos of a time experiment gone wrong, a man named Paul Serene is trapped within the machine. Soon he re-emerges, only seventeen years older, ruthless and as the commander of a powerful organization that is willing to stamp out anything in its way – including his former best friend and one of Quantum Break's protagonists, Jack Joyce. The video, embedded above, also gives players a look at how platforming in a world where time is collapsing will work, and how utilizing Jack's special time manipulation powers can save him from being crushed by flying cars and debris. Quantum Break is set to launch on the Xbox One in 2015. [Images: Microsoft]
Quantum Break turning time and television
Remedy Creative Director Sam Lake took a moment at Gamescom 2014 to discuss the manipulation of time in the developer's upcoming adventure, Quantum Break. The studio that created Alan Wake is now tackling what amounts to a "superhero origin story" in the Xbox One exclusive that gives players the ability to stop time, using that unnatural skill to set up tactics during firefights. Lake noted that decisions made in the game will also impact the live action TV series that accompanies Quantum Break, which includes alternate scenes that appear based on how players react within the game. Lake also commented on the heavier concepts that arise in the game as a result of protagonist Jack Joyce's decisions, such as that of destiny versus free will. Quantum Break will launch in 2015, and was first announced during Microsoft's Xbox One reveal event in May 2013. Those looking for more videos ironically to stop and start about Quantum Break should find Remedy's entry in the myriad of trailers from Microsoft's Gamescom press event. [Image: Remedy Entertainment]
Remedy's Quantum Break manipulates time and multimedia
In Remedy's Xbox One-exclusive Quantum Break, time begins to break down after an experiment at Riverport University goes horribly wrong. "The theme of the game is time," Remedy Creative Director Sam Lake tells us. "This is a time travel mystery with a looming threat of time breaking down." This narrative thread, one of many, is the wrapping around the Max Payne and Alan Wake developer's latest: a third-person action shooter, with cover mechanics that Remedy says is built on core strengths learned from the team's past development experiences. Tied to a television series Microsoft will produce and release, Quantum Break is a game that weaves its narrative through multiple forms of media. As players control two playable characters through the game's narrative, stories in the game and live-action series collide to help flesh out the Quantum Break universe. "There are a number of ways in which the game and the show interact. That said, it's worth mentioning that we're not creating a 'choose your own adventure' where, very easily, one tight story gets watered down to many weaker ones. For us, this is much more 'one powerful story told many ways, based on your actions," Lake adds. Quantum Break's episodic-structure is built around character's with the ability to manipulate time. Time breaks manifest in the game where the world begins to stutter, freeze and violently skip forward. Having been exposed to the experiment gone bad, game protagonists Jack Joyce and Beth Wilder, as well as Quantum Break's primary bad guy Paul Serene, are all gifted with time manipulation abilities. How each character decides to utilize their newfound abilities differs greatly, but players can help shape specific decisions and motivations. Though the prime narrative in Quantum Break won't change based on actions, the game allows for some deviation based on player choice by way of a system known as "junctions in time." "Your junction choices in the game are a big part of defining your custom experience in the game, and your personalized 'Director's Cut' of the television series. All of the junction moments are big, memorable moments with big consequences in both the game and the show," Lake says. Remedy, who proudly admits it draws inspiration from a melting pot of pop culture, says that the best enemies in action movies always come close to "stealing the whole show." Quantum Break's baddie, Paul Serene, has the most powerful time power: the ability to see glimpses into other timelines and futures. "In an action movie, you always have these scenes where the bad guy is planning and making his moves. In Quantum Break, you get to play the bad guy during junction moments, determining which future comes to pass." Decisions made during junction moments will reflect throughout the rest of the game, we're told while a live demo of the game showcases one of these moments: a characters stands in the middle of a crime scene and two ghostly copies of himself dart off in opposite directions, giving players an indication of where they can go to shape the way the scene plays out. Though it's not required watching to complete the game, viewing the live-action Quantum Break series will give players information to unlock further content in the game, we're told. What was shown during our meeting was an extended look at the same in-game trailer featured on the Microsoft stage during its E3 press briefing. In the scene, Jack Joyce and Beth Wilder search for a scientist with information about Serene's plot. Perhaps with his ability to see a betrayal in her future, Serene attempts to kill the scientist by crashing a drone into her office, but a time anomaly freezes the scene as the drone's explosion rocks the room. As Jack and Beth enter the scene they spot the scientist, flying backwards and frozen in the air with a terrified look on her face. The scene is gorgeous, with particles suspended in the air. Wood panelling from the scientist's desk are broken into pieces, surrounded by glass and hang like a painting in the middle of the room. Taking control of the scene is Remedy's Head of Franchise Development Oskari Häkkinen, who pushes through the debris, as Jack, toward the scientist. As Jack comes across flying matter, he swipes it out of his way much like Assassin's Creed protagonists push through dense crowds. The fine detail is immense, from splinters and large chunks of wood to minuscule shards and large surviving panes of sharp glass all being whisked away as Jack inches toward his target. With the scientist frozen along with the explosion, Jack uses his ability to rip her out of time. Grabbing her, Jack jerks her body toward his and eventually she wakes from the broken timeline and witnesses the chaos taking place in her office. "I'm not going to hurt you, but I can't let you go!" Jack screams at the terrified woman. "Something went wrong with the experiment. This 'zero state' is just the beginning and Serene is behind all of it." Soon after the exchange begins, the frozen timeline begins to degrade and the explosion continues throughout the room, nearly taking all three characters with it. "We're building on our two core strengths," Lake says, "we've taken what we have learned about interactive storytelling from Alan Wake and we've raised the bar much higher. And we're taking everything that we have learned about cinematic stylized action from Max Payne and, again, we've raised the bar much higher." "We brought these two elements together in one game, creating something that you could call the 'ultimate Remedy experience.'" Quantum Break is coming exclusively to the Xbox One sometime in 2014.
D4 and Quantum Break share 'time travel mystery' genre
Hidetaka "Swery65" Suehiro and Remedy Entertainment seem to be pilfering inspiration from the same muse, though handling what it extracts in very different ways. Swery65's Rainy Woods – which would later be retooled and released as the horror-focused title Deadly Premonition – and Remedy's thriller Alan Wake led fans and critics to compare both games to the landmark David Lynch and Mark Frost cult-hit series Twin Peaks. While Swery65's title ditched many of the similarities to the show when it changed its name, comparisons linger, such as Deadly Premonition's strange characters, mysterious setting, and a protagonist's proclivity for "damn fine coffee." Alan Wake also featured similar elements. Though these similarities are undoubtedly coincidence, it appears the Finnish team at Remedy and the Japanese team at Access Games have once again tapped the same creative vein for the theme of each team's next title. Swery65's D4 and Remedy's Quantum Break are completely different in look and gameplay style, yet they share a startling similarity: both are time travel mysteries structured episodically and coming exclusively to the Xbox One. Though completely separate universes, both games have themes focused on time manipulation. Which timeline would you like to explore?
Demystifying Quantum Break with Remedy's Sam Lake
There are still some unanswered questions about Remedy's Quantum Break, the studio's upcoming Xbox One video game / TV show hybrid. Questions are appropriate though, because we learned from Remedy creative director Sam Lake that Quantum Break is supposed to be a mystery. Specifically, it's a mystery involving the manipulation of time and reality. We used our ability to manipulate our E3 schedule to ask Lake a few questions about Quantum Break, and the resulting interview illuminates at least a few details about the project. Watch the interview to learn how the television show and game are tied together and to hear about Remedy's approach to storytelling in the new generation of games. And, of course, we couldn't resist asking a few questions about Alan Wake. If you'd like to try out time manipulation yourself, you can pause the video at any time. %Gallery-191140%
Quantum Break may cross paths with Alan Wake
Speaking with Joystiq, Remedy creative director Sam Lake hinted that the studio's Xbox One game Quantum Break may have a connection to Alan Wake. We jokingly asked if Quantum Break was really just a story written by Alan. He said no, but added that Quantum Break deals with many timelines and universes. "The way we approach these things is definitely kind of – they're connected in weird ways. And definitely for Remedy fans, there will be a lot of familiar things from a Remedy game." "We are definitely dealing with the idea of multiple timelines – essentially a multiverse – where many things are possible," he said. Our theory is that Quantum Break's season "cliffhanger" will be Alan waking up in the middle of the night, realizing that the entire game was just a dream. Our full interview with Sam Lake will be up soon.
Marvel and Rockstar developing free digital Max Payne 3 comic
If Max Payne were a superhero, he'd probably be named Shooter, and after a stint in a time paradox where he fights dinosaurs and artificially intelligent robot armies over a period of 15 years, he'd come back from the "dead" with a new superhero name: Balder.Or he'd just be called Max Payne.Rockstar and Marvel are taking that second suggestion with a new three-part digital comic series to "delve into Max's troubled past," covering events in Max Payne and Max Payne 2, leading up to Max Payne 3. Original Max Payne writer Sam Lake is co-authoring the series with Rockstar bossman Dan Houser, who is penning the game itself. The comics will feature pencil and inking by Fernando Blanco and cover art from Greg Horn, among others.The Max Payne 3 digital comics will be available for free on Rockstar Newswire, the official Max Payne 3 site and "additional digital comics channels." The first issue is called "After the Fall" and will launch in the next few weeks, Rockstar says.
Alan Wake's American Nightmare illuminated in latest dev diary
When Alan Wake makes his second appearance on the Xbox 360 this year in Alan Wake's American Nightmare, he's bringing more than just his flair for writing and a new set of clothes to the fight. He'll have ... umm ... a nail gun, too!
Remedy's Sam Lake shows off Remedy's Alan Wake
Remedy writer Sam Lake narrated a video presentation of Alan Wake at gamesCOM, providing the most detailed look we've seen yet at the psychological thriller. We see Wake realize that his wife is missing, and begin the undertaking of piecing together the manuscript that he doesn't remember writing, and whose events are coming true. Lake discusses the role of the game's light sources, which act as shelter and weapons against the shadowy, possessed townspeople. We're delighted to see this much of Alan Wake. By revealing this much footage, Remedy seems to be treating it like a real game that, in fact, "is done." %Gallery-64691%
Lake: 'Remedy is not a factory,' team fortunate to spend time on Alan Wake's debut adventure
Following our extended look of the Alan Wake demo showcased at Microsoft's E3 2009 keynote, Remedy lead writer Sam Lake took a moment to answer our questions regarding the evolution of the title, since it was first announced in 2005."We have been in the fortunate position where we've had time to do research and do prototypes ... keep the quality bar high and explore, until we find the right combination of different elements," Lake said. "Things have evolved along the way. This is an action game, but there is a lot of variety." Lake also explained that Alan Wake will feature segments of gameplay during daytime sequences, which will allow players to explore and interact with the "quirky locals" of Bright Falls. According to Lake, the day and night cycle is governed by the game's linear storyline.Lake also made it clear his team is no stranger to the perception that Remedy Entertainment had been taking their time bringing Alan Wake's debut adventure to players. "Remedy is not a factory," Lake said. "We take our time and try out different things until we feel have found the right combination and a good balance for the game." Alan Wake is scheduled to release in Spring 2010.%Gallery-64691%
Alan Wake 'levels' structured like episodes of a television series
Following our eyes-only demo of Alan Wake, Remedy lead writer Sam Lake explained the game's levels are structured like a television series season. "The story is divided into episodes," Lake told the small group of journalists viewing the extended Microsoft E3 2009 keynote demo. Prior to the beginning of each level the game will showcase a video Lake described as a "Previously On... segment," to remind players of the important story elements from previous episodes and what relates to the next level the player will experience -- which sounds identical to the storytelling mechanic in Atari's Alone in the Dark."It's not a level based game," Lake told the group. "We have a large game world, but the story guides you. So, there is a logical pathway for the player." Lake also explained that, while Alan Wake will tell one linear story, the game will feature "a lot of exploration" for players interested in "digging deeper" into the back story of the universe.%Gallery-64691%
