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Make enough noise and Free Radical might remake Timesplitters 2
Free Radical Design, the developer behind Haze, has told CVG that if people make enough noise then they will consider remaking Timesplitters 2 in HD with online multiplayer. TS2 was a classic PS2 game and, while it still stands up as a great game today, an HD makeover would not only allow those of us who loved it the first time around, but also people who let it slip them by, to enjoy it all over again. CVG is campaigning for people to contact Free Radical Design and let them know that, yes, we do want it to happen. To do so, simply send an email to CVG so that they can, presumably, collect all the names together and forward it on. Sure, FRD is currently working on Timesplitters 4, which will no doubt be in Hi-Def and feature online multiplayer, but it won't have that sweet tang of nostalgia about it. Not for another five years, at least.
TimeSplitters 4 in the works, hopefully coming to Wii
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo_wii/TimeSplitters_4_Coming_to_Wii'; Free Radical Design has confirmed that TimeSplitters 4 is under development as we speak. And, before you ask, yes we were in the middle of consuming a tasty beverage before reading the news, only to spit it out in a moment of sheer surprise/ecstasy all over our laptop. Good chances are it could very well make its way onto the Wii, as both the folks at Free Radical and us want it to grace the system. If you've got fingers, we suggest you cross them for the next indeterminate amount of time.[Via Cubed3]
Timesplitters 4 officially official
Though Haze is still deep in development, Nottingham-based developers Free Radical have taken a moment out of their busy days to announce Timesplitters 4, the latest in their tongue-in-cheek FPS series of tom-foolery and time-foolery (did you see what I did there?). Not a lot of information about the game is available, except that Free Radical's site promises more crazy characters, weapons, and monkeys. The site also features a few cute pokes at major action franchises, including Halo 3 and Gears of War, but it's unknown if satire will play a role in the game (since we all know how well games parodying other games seems to go over these days). Free Radical also reminds their fans that they are hiring, and considering their recent decision to start paying overtime, it might not be a bad place to get that industry job you've been hoping for.
Free Radical reads our diary
Aside from the pages of hearts and unicorns we have drawn in it, our diary talks about TimeSplitters mostly. Seriously, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect was an amazing game that came so close to perfection it was like kissing an angel. When the only issue a game has is its omission of a jump button, well that's a damn good game.And a damn good franchise. One that Free Radical's David Doak thinks is well-suited for the Wii, as he stated during an interview with Game Informer. Doak explained "I think it's a good thing to do, and I think we want to put it on the Wii. And I'm sure it's possible to do a control scheme that works. Also, if you want to start a petition for remaking Second Sight on the Wii, I'd like to see that as well, because I think that game worked really well, [laughs] because of the manipulation stuff."So, it isn't a definite "yes, the game is coming," but the possibility is good enough for us.
Rumor: New Timesplitters is in development as a PlayStation 3 exclusive
According to OPM UK, a new Timesplitters game is already under development by the guys over at Free Radical. Though the team is currently wrapping up the timed PS3 exclusive Haze, supposedly work has already started on a next-gen version of Timesplitters's unique brand of monkey and fire fueled mayhem. The best part is that the game is suppose to be a PS3 exclusive, and a real PS3 exclusive unlike Haze.While this is fantastic news, it was reported by a user on the EU PlayStation forum who said he had read it in the most recent copy of OPM UK, so this is still firmly planted in Rumorville. There is some circumstantial evidence that lends credence to the theory though. Free Radical has expressed an affinity for Sony hardware in the past and even recently in interviews with their top developers. Also Ubisoft hinted that they were working on a PS3 exclusive a couple months ago, and even though a lot of people thought that Haze was that title there have been a lot of rumblings that it was something we hadn't heard about yet.So who knows, this might be one of those fun rumors that actually turns out to be true! It would make a lot of people happy and would be a nice exclusive feather in the cap of the PS3. There's something that's just so magical about setting a screaming Gingerbread man on fire while running from a pack of rabid Snowmen with machine guns ... [Thanks Joe!]
Haze box art steps out of the ... haze
The final box art for the European release of Haze has just been revealed by Free Radical. Sporting the now iconic image of Shane Carpenter with a smashed helmet, it's nothing overly special but still manages to pull off a certain amount of cool creepiness. Something about the guy's insane stare from behind the shattered front of his helmet is a little unsettling.Interestingly, it appears that the main character getting his face smashed in is a key part of the storyline in Haze. If you download the European PSN Haze video that was released last week, you'll see how it actually happens and the importance of the event in the storyline. This combined with hints dropped in various interviews by Free Radical suggests that the beatdown delivered to your character will massively change his view on the world and the direction of the game.It's great to see the developers putting a lot of attention and care into the storyline, their previous efforts, the Timesplitters series, were fantastic games but had just the lightest fluffiest storylines ever. Meanwhile Haze looks like it's going to rival the Metal Gear Solid series in political and moral complexity. Bring on the Machiavellian plot twists!
Haze becomes a PlayStation 3 exclusive?
In a press conference today in France, it appears that Ubisoft announced Haze will be released exclusively on the PS3, initially at least. This suggests that Haze is most likely the exclusive they mentioned last week. It appears that it will be a timed exclusive, like Virtua Fighter 5, though nothing has been confirmed on that front yet.Little is known about Haze at this point outside of a vague release date of later this year, but considering it's from the developers of Goldeneye and TimeSplitters, there is a lot of excitement building for the game already. The highly unusual move of switching from multi-platform to exclusive will surely bring additional attention to this title as well so expect the hype to increase. We'll have more information as soon as Ubisoft can confirm Haze's exclusiveness. [Via N4G]
Free Radical interview is both free and radical
Edge has an interview up with Free Radical co-founder Karl Hilton (no relation, we hope) where he discusses enemy AI, game design, and what it's like developing games in the marketplace right now. Particularly eye-opening is the fact that when they developed GoldenEye, their team was about as dozen people. These days, they consist of about 100 people, which is quite a step up in manpower. The most interesting quote comes when he's asked about the full time scriptwriter they have working there. 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." We'd have to disagree with that. Sure, you don't need a huge screenplay to make Wario Ware: Smooth Moves fun ... but those explanation screens that show you how to do each new move with the controller are extremely well written and funny. Now, if they could just hire Tom Stoppard to rewrite Cooking Mama. They don't drop any new info about Star Wars Battlefront III, but he does talk about HAZE a bit, and it's worth checking out. They also just celebrated their 8th birthday on Friday, which practically makes them wise adults in the game development world.
LucasArts joining forces with Free Radical
LucasArts, longtime custodians of secrets pertaining to primate islands, have announced their intention to work with the timesplitting folks at Free Radical on a brand new game. Slated for next-generation consoles, the as yet undisclosed title will benefit from the combined efforts of two experienced studios. Peter Hirschmann of LucasArts labels the agreement as a good idea, since Free Radical "has always been about titles with great gameplay and innovative design." [Opposites attract quip here.] With Raven Software spending most of their time reading comic books these days, it might not seem outlandish to suggest that the mystery game here could be a new entry in the Jedi Knight franchise -- to be more precise, Dark Forces 5: Jedi Knight 4: Jedi Outcast 3: Jedi Academy 2: Jedi Colon. Then again, it could be an entirely new IP. Just as well, since the only other idea we can muster is a first-person shooter starring a despondent Bobbin "Are you my mother?" Threadbare.
