Too Human
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Microsoft's Xbox, Xbox 360 backward compatibility list ends here
Now that Microsoft has unveiled its Project Scarlett Xbox gaming ambitions, there's some good news and some bad news about backward compatibility. The good news is that games from four generations of Xbox will be playable on the new hardware. Even better news is that a pretty sweet list of titles are being added to the program today. The bad news is that the program, which launched during E3 in 2015, is coming to an end for original Xbox and Xbox 360 games.
Too Human pulled from Xbox Live Marketplace
Even an electronic god is no match for Xbox Live administrators, apparently. Too Human and all related content has been removed from Xbox Live Marketplace. Though the game's Xbox.com listing is still active, containing screenshots, an overview and a trailer, all downloadable content has been removed. That includes both the full Games on Demand download of the game as well as items like themes and gamer pictures.The action is likely the result of the recent court ruling against developer Silicon Knights, demanding that all copies of its Unreal Engine 3 games be recalled and destroyed. As of this writing, however, another Silicon Knights UE3 game, X-Men: Destiny, remains available via Games on Demand. We've contacted Microsoft for official comment on the matter.
X-Men: Destiny destined for unsure lifespan on Games on Demand
X-Men: Destiny is available from today on Xbox Live Marketplace as part of the Games on Demand program, priced at $39.99. That's despite Silicon Knights being ordered by the US court to recall and destroy all unsold copies of its products using Unreal Engine 3, of which X-Men: Destiny is one. The company was also ordered to cease producing and distributing games using Epic's technology.So what exactly's going on here? Well, the ruling in the Silicon Knights vs. Epic Games case dictates Silicon Knights notifies the US court by December 21 of its compliance with the injunctions ordered. This is presumably to give Silicon Knights adequate time to carry out the required actions; recalling and destroying every unsold copy of X-Men: Destiny and Too Human.So the game newly appearing on XBLM might not contravene the injunctions, at least for now. It should also be noted that Too Human is also currently available on XBLM, while GameStop, Target, and Best Buy all have new copies of X-Men: Destiny listed as available.
Silicon Knights ordered to destroy all unsold games using Unreal Engine 3, award to Epic Games doubled
Silicon Knights is being ordered by the US court to recall and destroy all unsold copies of games using Unreal Engine 3, including Too Human and X-Men: Destiny. The new ruling on post-trial motions for the case between Silicon Knights and Epic Games also saw Epic's jury award upped from $4.5 million to over $9 million.The ruling, dated November 7, also orders Silicon Knights to cease using Epic Games's "Licensed Technology" and remove it from the company's game engine. Furthermore, Silicon Knights has until December 10 to destroy any code built using Epic's technology; the court order includes Too Human, X-Men: Destiny, Siren in the Maelstrom, The Sandman, and The Box/Ritualyst. Silicon Knights must notify the court by December 21 and again on February 21, 2013, concerning all injunctions ordered, and they are to be carried out at the company's expense."Epic Games appreciates the court's careful consideration of the motion and is gratified by the order," Epic Games told us when reached for comment.The Box/Ritualyst represents an open-world horror game initially pitched to Sega but cancelled by the publisher in 2008. As for Siren in the Maelstrom, it was rumored to be upcoming after being outed by a Canadian cultural agency's list of newly funded projects. It's unknown if The Sandman is a project connected to the DC Comics series of the same name.The case began with Silicon Knights suing Epic Games in 2007 for allegedly breaching the companies' agreement over Unreal Engine 3 licensing. Epic in turn filed a counterclaim, alleging Silicon Knights developed its own engine and games other than Too Human illegally by using Unreal Engine 3. In May this year, the court ruled in favor of Epic Games, ordering Silicon Knights to pay Epic $4.45 million in damages.This week's ruling adds a further $4.7 million to be awarded to Epic, with $2.30 million in prejudgment interest, $2.09 million in attorney's fees, and $278,000 in costs.
Silicon Knights cutting back after losing countersuit to Epic Games
Silicon Knights has laid off a "a small number of people" following its $4.5 million loss to Epic Games' countersuit claims.Silicon Knights first sued Epic Games in 2007, claiming unsatisfactory support of Epic's Unreal Engine 3, which led to what Silicon Knights said forced it to build its own engine for Too Human. The jury found in favor of Epic Games on all counts, including its counterclaims, and awarded the engine developer $4.5 million in damages; Silicon Knights has since said it will appeal the ruling.Silicon Knights head Denis Dyack told Games Industry the studio is still operational and is even planning for the future: "Silicon Knights has unfortunately had to lay off a small number of people. We are scaling back to a core group and focusing all our efforts on future opportunities."
Silicon Knights entitled to $1 per claim if it wins court case against Epic Games
Silicon Knights will be entitled to $1 in damages, per claim, if it wins a court case against Epic Games over inadequacies in the support of its Unreal Engine. Silicon Knights first sued Epic in 2007, alleging Epic didn't fulfill the promised delivery time or expectations of Unreal Engine 3, forcing Silicon Knights to build its own engine for the production of Too Human.Silicon Knights didn't provide a breakdown of the damages it sought, and the judge assigned his own value of $1 per claim, Polygon reports. If Silicon Knights wins the case, it will be able to appeal how the value was chosen and perhaps raise it to a figure that can't be found on neighborhood lemonade-stand signs.The case is in court this month and is expected to run for another week.
Silicon Knights: we never received any of Canada's money
Last year, Silicon Knights was awarded a grant by the Canadian government, in part to self-publish games, and to hire 80 employees. But it turns out the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade never handed over the funds -- a promised sum of $3 million Canadian."There hasn't been any funding. There were announcements and no money received," Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack told GI.biz. "That's one of the strangest things. So, at one point, there was a loan that we got. That's it." Dyack said he's following up on the money, but to no avail so far.It could be an alarming issue for Silicon Knights, considering the state of affairs at the Ontario-based studio. Late last year the developer had to let 45 go, and it remains embroiled in a long-running legal dispute with Epic over the use of Unreal Engine 3 during the development of Too Human.
Silicon Knights/Epic lawsuit turns in Epic's favor, reveals past SK projects including King's Quest
Silicon Knights' 2007 lawsuit against Epic Games, over 'inadequacies' in performance and support of Unreal Engine 3, continues. Last week, a judge delivered a damaging blow to SK's case when he granted a motion to exclude testimony from financial analyst Terry Lloyd, who was retained by SK to offer an expert opinion about the damages sought. Judge James Dever III concluded that Lloyd delivered "his own subjective conclusions about an industry in which he had no prior knowledge or experience." His choices of competitors to compare sales against was called into question, as games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Gears of War didn't meet his criteria of similar marketing budgets or genre. Court documents also reveal what Silicon Knights was up to elsewhere at the time of filing. The company was pursuing "development opportunities" with Vivendi, THQ, Capcom, and Namco. It had plans for Sandman and King's Quest games, and had gone so far as to make a prototype for King's Quest. Ironically, this would have been taking place right around the time a letter-writing campaign revived the fan-made The Silver Lining project ... which went on to be shut down, and then re-revived. And after all that, the King's Quest franchise is now in the hands of Telltale Games.
Report: Silicon Knights cuts staff by nearly 75 percent, from 97 to just 25 [update]
X-Men Destiny and Too Human developer Silicon Knights may be in dire straits, with a report today stating the company is down from 97 employees to just 25. 1UP cites "two credible independent sources" as telling the news site of the massive layoffs over this past weekend. The report seemingly flies in the face of a $3 million Canadian government grant given to Silicon Knights this past July, intended at the time to "create 80 new jobs and protect 97 existing positions." It was also supposed to make SK into a self-published dev house -- something that company head Denis Dyack has continually pushed for. As of this publishing, representatives from Silicon Knights had yet to respond to request for comment. Update: The company has since confirmed layoffs, although the number is lower than originally reported in this piece.
Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack still wary of game previews, hints at studio's self-publishing goal
During GDC this past March, I met with Silicon Knights head honcho Denis Dyack under the condition that he wouldn't be discussing the studio's upcoming action-RPG, X-Men Destiny (pictured above). The game is slated for release this year, yet we know relatively little about it -– and we've seen even less. Save for OXM UK, no outlet has published a preview (nor been offered one, as far as I know). I asked Dyack about his outspoken views against the preview process. "In my view, the ultimate model requires our industry to not show games until they are ready," he told me, echoing his past sentiments. "I'm not saying get rid of previews, because previews are a good thing," he clarified. "What I am suggesting is that our industry should not do previews until the game's completed."
Silicon Knights' Dyack on Too Human: 'we do plan on finishing the trilogy'
During the Game Developers Conference nearly two months ago, Silicon Knights head Denis Dyack met with me in a hotel overlooking that week's event at the Moscone Center. He wasn't there to show off his studio's next game -- X-Men: Destiny -- to press, but for unspecified "meetings" with unnamed folks. Spooky. And while we touched on the subject of XM:D during the half hour, the first questions I had for Dyack were about his studio's last major release, Too Human. Primary among them: Is the Too Human trilogy dead? "No, not at all," Dyack told me. "It is still on the table and we do plan on finishing the trilogy." When it came to other questions about Too Human, however, Dyack was far more verbose. With the intention of setting the record straight, as it were, Dyack outright denies that Too Human was in development for 10 years. "It is true that an earlier version of the general 'Too Human' concept was first shown on the PlayStation in 1998, but that was a completely different game than what was released on the Xbox 360," he said. "Among other things, the original concept was a single-player, third-person action/adventure game based on a detective called John Franks trying to discover who had killed his partner." It's a far cry from the Norse mythology-based dungeon crawler we played in 2008.
Possible Silicon Knights project title leaked: Siren in the Maelstrom
A Canadian cultural agency known as Telefilm Canada recently posted a list of 56 new media projects it's helping to fund over the next year. One name on this list sticks out more than all the others: St. Catharines, Ontario-based developer Silicon Knights' apparent new project, which is titled "Siren in the Maelstrom." We know the developer is up to something, as hinted at by a few recent help wanted ads -- could this be the something for which it's hiring? We've contacted Silicon Knights to try and find out.We're pretty upset that the leaked title isn't "Eternal Darkness: Siren in the Maelstrom." On the other hand, it's also not "Too Human: Siren in the Maelstrom," so we guess we should count our blessings.[Via VG247]
Silicon Knights hiring, possibly for Too Human 2
Would you like to become a Silicon Knight? If so, you'll be pleased to learn that the Ontario-based developer is hiring game designers for a new project, according to a Gamasutra job listing posted on July 10. We must note that we aren't sure if employment at Silicon Knights entitles you to call yourself a Silicon Knight. Destructoid speculates (to its horror) that the project is a Too Human sequel, which seems likely, given that the job requires "familiarity with the fantasy and science fiction genre and role-playing games." With the current state of the industry, we're delighted to see more job openings, even if they result in more Too Human.
Embattled Midway caught in Epic vs. Silicon Knights suit
As Midway continues to fend off the courts and the government whilst floating in bankruptcy limbo, Edge Online reports that the company is now fighting yet another legal battle, this time over attorney fees in the Epic vs Silicon Knights lawsuit. Yeah, it's been a while since we wrote about that. Quick refresher: Silicon Knights is suing Epic over the "inadequacies" of the Unreal Engine used by licensees, which the developer originally used to craft Too Human before opting to create its own engine instead. As part of the proceedings, subpoenas for Unreal Engine records were issued to licensees, one of which was Midway.Now, Midway is asking the court to defer all costs of the record review process to Silicon Knights. Additionally, the publisher is asking that certain documents be redacted so that Silicon Knights will not be exposed to any trade secrets. Midway cites its bankruptcy proceedings as preventing it from paying any costs associated with the review, including the hire of attorneys and former Midway employees.The request resulted in a tit-for-tat between the companies' attorneys, with Silicon Knights responding that Midway's creditors have already approved a monthly expenditure of $35,000 over three months to pay for the review. Silicon Knights' attorneys also state that the company has "taken extraordinary steps" to prevent any "undue burden" on the beleaguered publisher.This is normally where we would make a Mortal Kombat "Finish Him!" joke but, frankly, our hearts just aren't in it.
Target clearance: Too Human, Mercenaries 2, Fracture and others
Everyone's favorite aggressive clearance retailer, Target, is discounting their old video game stock. This means that your local Target has cut the price of Xbox 360 titles including Fracture, Virtua Fighter 5, Too Human, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise and others by as much as 30%. Playstation 3 titles including Mercenaries 2, Web of Shadows, EndWar and others have also seen a price cut. As always, your mileage may vary depending on your local store's selection and price cutting schedule.For those willing to tempt fate by not making a purchase just yet, expect what's left of the clearance selection to be discounted by as much as 50% in the next week or so. It's Target tradition.
Silicon Knights exec departs, looks for 'something different'
"I'm just looking for something different," said Rob DePetris, former Vice-President of Finance for Silicon Knights. The executive, who recently bid adieu to the Too Human developer, has yet to decide where he and his trusty HP-12C will head next. Speaking to The St. Catherines Standard, DePetris did note that he would remain involved in the community and was not "planning on leaving."DePetris will be replaced by one Mike Mays, who will "help usher in a New Year of continual growth for Silicon Knights, the games industry in Ontario and the Niagara Region," according to a company statement. We wish Mays and DePetris the best of luck, even though we had no idea who they were until today. [Via Endsights]
Too Human soundtrack grinds iTunes, CD for phat lootz
Too Human is something of a divisive game. Some people love it, others hate it. From the unusual control scheme to the unique setting, the game has earned a mixed reputation. Still, the game did reasonably well, especially for a new franchise. Well enough, it seems, that Silicon Knights has announced the release of an official soundtrack album. Given that the focus of the game is on grinding endlessly for new gear and abilities, you may not have noticed that the game's soundtrack is pretty good. The folks at Silicon Knights obviously agree and remind us that the soundtrack was recently nominated for "Best Original Video Game Score" by the Hollywood Music Awards. The Too Human soundtrack, composed to complement the game's Norse setting and storyline, is now available from Amazon, Best Buy, iTunes and Sumthing Distribution.[Via Joystiq]
Too Human soundtrack button mashes ears on CD, iTunes
Too Human cleaved a line between those who appreciate the subtle nuances of button mashery and others who simply didn't get it. It's a gap, however, that may be bridged somewhat with the one element of the game that managed to garner significant praise. No, not the hoarding of random loot, but the music.The hour-long Too Human soundtrack, scored by Silicon Knight's composer Steve Henifin and performed by the FILMharmonic Orchestra and Choir Prague, is now available for around $16 from Amazon, Best Buy, iTunes and the CD label Sumthing Distribution's own site. The soundtrack promises an interesting mix, from orchestra to metal, and even "cyber elements" that "are more elegant and organic in style." Whatever, as long as we won't again be forced to watch a Valkyrie descend for the hundredth time to carry Baldur (and our patience) off to Valhalla as the selection goes from track to track.
Dyack and crew playing Too Human online and you're invited
Tonight, from 7-9:00PM eastern, Mr. Denis Dyack and a handful of Silicon Knights developers will be logging onto Xbox Live to play some Too Human as part of Xbox.com's Game with Developers initiative. And, really, we couldn't think of any better way to spend a Friday night. Simply make the leap over to Xbox.com to get a listing of all the Silicon Knights Gamertags and spam their friends list like there's no tomorrow. Have fun and, please, play safe.
Behold the Zero Punctuation Too Human review
Just when we all thought that the lumbering storm cloud that washed Too Human's existence with unrestrained negativity (or "mixed" positivity, depending on how you look at it), we remembered something: Zero Punctuation. As a man who loves to hate, we imagine there was no way Yahtzee would pass up a game like Too Human. It is, in his opinion, universally bad and apparently has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. To anyone who enjoys the game (frankly, we've been a bit addicted), you have been warned. Everyone else, find the review after the break.
