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Deadly Creatures may have failed, but its tech lives on
Rainbow Studios' Deadly Creatures apparently didn't work out at retail. For whatever reason, the Wii audience just wasn't excited about a game featuring a scorpion and a tarantula having adventures and getting into fights, despite how awesome that premise is.THQ CEO Brian Farrell, however, isn't dwelling on the sales or declaring no more Wii development. He offered a surprisingly positive outlook on the situation in an interview with G4's Feed. "... we have great Wii technology there now and so we're developing other games -- stay tuned for the announcements," he said, "but we intend to leverage that great technology on the Wii in the future."Having a well-designed Wii engine is good news indeed, especially since Deadly Creatures was a pretty nice-looking game (well, actually it was disgusting, but in a technically impressive way).
How Rainbow Studios thought up Deadly Creatures
We like to think the pitch meeting for Deadly Creatures likely involved tossing spiders and scorpions onto the publisher's desk and watching people squirm until a contract was signed. And while this tactic might have worked, developer Rainbow Studios tells Gamasutra that THQ was "really receptive" to the idea, which interestingly owes its concept to a dream had by lead dev Jordan Itkowitz the night before. Deadly Creatures is something of an odd fit for a console that has earned its reputation for family-friendly diversions and dart-throwing contests. Still, Itkowitz notes that despite developing the game as a Wii-exclusive, the team "didn't want to dumb it down or kiddy it up too much." He admits, however, that avoiding making the game so violent that it turned away parents and youngsters was a "big challenge." After all, we wouldn't want casual players' sanguine Wii experience tainted with bug guts.
Deadly Creatures infest North America February 9
THQ has (finally) announced what we hope is the real North American release date for Rainbow Studios' action-adventure game Deadly Creatures. The game, which stars a scorpion and a tarantula, and features Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper in supporting roles, will be on store shelves February 9. Probably. At this point, no matter when it actually shows up, we'll be surprised to see it in the real world!Strange that THQ picked a release date within just a few weeks (or the same day, in some cases) of Dead Rising, Onechanbara, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, Rygar, House of the Dead: Overkill and basically every other action game ever.%Gallery-16331%
Deadly Creatures attack in new screens
THQ has treated us to another round of screens of Deadly Creatures doing their thing (their thing being: appearing deadly). If we were to evaluate these shots on their ability to make our skin crawl, we can safely say they're a success. Well done, Rainbow Studios!There's also something we haven't seen a lot of in Deadly Creatures media so far: humans. We knew they were always going to be there -- Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper obviously weren't brought in to play the role of a scorpion or something -- but this is the first time we've seen much of them. The role of humans in Deadly Creatures? To be watched. Eek.%Gallery-16331%
Looking at Deadly Creatures with Billy Bob Thornton
We previously heard from Dennis Hopper on his carefully PR-vetted opinions of THQ's Deadly Creatures. Now the company has released a behind-the-scenes interview with that guy from Hearts Afire, Hopper's partner in stunt casting. "Billy Bob Thorton" (as he's introduced in this video) states that he's impressed with how the game looks, proving that yes, it is possible for Wii graphics to be impressive (to Billy Bob Thornton). He likens the interactions between the cree-ee-eepy crawlers in the game to two actors in a Western, which is actually pretty dang cool. In the clip, you can also hear Thornton's character voice for the game, for which he somehow managed to affect a more gravelly tone.After the break, two gameplay videos! After watching them, we totally agree with Mr. Bob Thornton.%Gallery-16331%
Deadly Creatures developer 'back to minigames' if game doesn't sell
It's tough being a developer at Rainbows Studio right now, and not just because your rivals are insinuating things about your game. Jordan Itkowitz, lead designer on the allegedly not-that-original Deadly Creatures, is desperate for his game to sell well. If it flops, as many third-party "core" games have to date, it could mean he goes "back to minigames." Says Itkowitz to MTV's Multiplayer blog: "I hope people vote with their dollars in February so we can make some more."Well, us too, Jordan. Now, let's all take a moment to dwell on what a bleak, bleak statement this makes about the current state of the Wii software market.%Gallery-16331%
Oh snap! Mushroom Men dev has Deadly words
In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Dan Borth, lead developer on Red Fly Studio's Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars, offers his thoughts on the market for "core" Wii games, his own game's chances on a system dominated by Wii Fit and such, and designing a game to be accessible to a wide and varied audience.Oh, and he calls out Deadly Creatures. When asked if he's familiar with Rainbow Studios' critter-based brawler, Borth responded with: "I have heard about Deadly Creatures. I have many opinions on that game, especially how it came into being right after THQ received our pitch document for Mushroom Men. I will let you draw your own conclusions."We can't say if there really was any such malevolent behavior behind the conception of Deadly Creatures, but oh snap just the same. And while we may not have seen a parallel before, now that he mentions it, they're both 3D action/fighting games about small creatures adventuring, unseen, in the human world. But we still think Creatures could turn out awesome.%Gallery-18243%
Deadly Creatures devs spent time handling and eating insects
Developers usually go through a lot before a game is completed. Aside from the hell of "crunch time," there's tons of research that goes into crafting this game world they set out to create. Well, the folks at Rainbow Studios, the THQ-owned development house behind Deadly Creatures, went through a bit more in creating their game. They turned to the deadly creatures of the Arizona desert to aid them in their quest.The developers regularly handled scorpions and spiders, bringing them into the office and studying them. One developer was even stung by a scorpion! But, it wasn't all about handling these deadly creatures. In fact, the crew even consumed some."We found a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix that serves Chapulinas, which are fried grasshoppers," said lead designer Jordan Itkowitz. "Chapulinas are kind of nutty, kind of crunchy. Better than giant Thai water beetles but not as good as fried mealworm larvae. Yes, this is speaking from experience... It was so we could really get into our characters' heads." Frankly, if we were going to be asked to eat bugs as part of our job, we'd probably want to get paid a lot more than we imagine these folks make.%Gallery-16331%
Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Hopper join cast of Deadly Creatures on Wii
In news of the weird getting weirder, THQ has announced that actors Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade) and Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet, lots of stuff where he plays a creepy guy) will voice the two lead two human characters in its Wii-exclusive Deadly Creatures."The scorpion and tarantula are like two actors meeting up for a gun fight," Thornton said in a press release. The release makes no mention of whether Mr. Thorton or Mr. Hopper have actually seen the game, but the latter said of it: "Gamers are really going to love Deadly Creatures." We'll love it more if you promise not to huff nitrous and call us "mommy," sir.[Correction: Thornton and Hopper will voice two human antagonists in the game, not the bugs. But they are antagonists.]
Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Hopper are Deadly Creatures
Click image for more screens It looks like THQ is throwing the big bucks at the oft-delayed Deadly Creatures. At least, we assume hiring Dennis Hopper and Billy Bob Thornton for a spot of voice-acting isn't cheap, particularly considering the pair aren't short on acting gongs. Sadly, contrary to our expertly 'shopped post image, they'll be playing human characters, a missed opportunity if ever we saw one.Hopper and Thornton's involvement is old news, but the behind-the-scenes trailer featuring Hopper lending the game some necessary gravitas is new -- head past the break to see it!%Gallery-16331%
Wii's Deadly Creatures delayed until February 2009
We regret to inform you there will be fewer (well, fewer than usual) creepy crawlies under the tree this holiday season as IGN reports that THQ's Wii-exclusive Deadly Creatures has scurried underground until February 2009. The delay marks the second for the eight-legged action title, which was originally scheduled to ship in October and then again in mid-December, though like a radioactive cockroach it simply refuses to die. Hopefully the extra time will give the developers a chance to improve on what we played earlier this year. Until then, we'll be replacing the game on our Christmas lists with some much needed bug spray.
Slow-acting venom: Deadly Creatures delayed
When it was first announced back in February, Rainbow Studios' Deadly Creatures seemed poised to be one of the most 'hardcore' action titles in 2008's Wii lineup. Now, we're quickly expending our supply of 2008, with nary a Deadly Creature to be found. This Halloween, on one of the game's planned release dates, THQ set their sights on December. Now that's been pushed back to February 2009. As usual, the endless delays only drive our desire to play a game about a scorpion and tarantula who follow criminals around. And maybe the extra development time will mean we're less disappointed with what now looks to be one of the most 'hardcore' action titles in 2009's Wii lineup.%Gallery-16331%
Deadly Creatures' beautifully grotesque trailer
Why does one of the most visually impressive Wii games also have to be one of the most disgusting as well? This trailer for Deadly Creatures demonstrates beyond a doubt that the Wii definitely outpaces its predecessor, the GameCube, in realistic rendering of a spider crawling inside a dead deer's mouth.The setting is unique, and the fighting -- which is the focus of this trailer -- looks like quite a bit of fun, but it's going to be hard to show off the graphical prowess of Rainbow Studios when said prowess is employed in the depiction of a tarantula murdering adorable lizards. Does it even count as video game violence when it's the kind of stuff seen on a nature show? Although we don't remember seeing a scorpion tearing the wings off of a dragonfly in a move that looks like it was inspired by pro wrestling. We'd probably remember something like that.%Gallery-16331%
Deadly Creatures almost ready to strike
Remember Deadly Creatures, the game about a tarantula and scorpion who, uh, fight stuff and go on adventures? It seems like it's been forever since we heard about Rainbow Studios' creepy project. Apparently, THQ was planning on a Halloween release, but then Halloween turned out to be today, which is far too soon.The good news is that Deadly Creatures is finally finished, with a December release planned. Rainbow Studios has used the extra time to refine the camera and the combat systems. Now, the A button is a jab of sorts, with heavier moves assigned to motions."In this way, the gestures act as the exclamation point at the end of the sentence." This sounds like a subtle revision of the No More Heroes-like system we last heard about.The IGN preview also discusses the two human characters, played by Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper, whose paths the animal protagonists happen to follow; their story is basically overheard as we go about our arach-nasty business.
Joystiq hands-on: Deadly Creatures (Wii)
Deadly Creatures has both kinds of critters: creepies and crawlies. In this Wii action/adventure, gamers swap between a scorpion and tarantula, moving through claustrophobic settings. I played an in-development version at a recent THQ event, and the title has an interesting concept, but I wasn't hooked by the limited area I explored. Hopefully the plot and fun-sounding other settings will change my opinion with the game's Fall release.In the beginning of the game, players see the aftermath of a man wildly claiming that a scorpion and tarantula blew up a gas station. Your control flashes back a day before that event, and the game's story leads up to that moment.Developers compared Deadly Creatures to Bad Mojo, but the connection was loose in the area I played. Bad Mojo appealed to me because players controlled a cockroach through human areas, but my scorpion-character demo was completely underground.%Gallery-19882%
IGN goes hands-on with Deadly Creatures, survives
Deadly Creatures seems to be marketed as a kind of nature-survival-horror thing, but it's closer to the "quirky" territory that we love, being an action-platformer about non-cutesy, non-personified insects. IGN's Matt Casamassina playtested Rainbow Studios' bizarre game, taking away some details about the scorpion's controls.The scorpion's pincers are controlled with the Z and B buttons, and are capable of combo attacks. A locks on to enemies, and C puts the scorpion into a blocking stance (do scorpions have blocking stances?) The Z and B buttons also activate finishing moves, which are carried out through Wiimote and Nunchuk motions -- No More Heroes is already exerting influence! The scorpion learns further motion-controlled moves along the way, as well.
Deadly Creatures lives up to its name
Last week, we told you about THQ's plan to release a Wii game called Deadly Creatures. While interested in the idea, we took up a "wait-and-see" policy regarding the title. The game's official site recently launched, however, giving us a glimpse into the unique desert creature adventure.From what little we've seen, Deadly Creatures looks like it can be fun as long as the controls are pulled off correctly. Also, we're a little worried that the fighting might get repetitive. THQ has probably thought of that, though, making us think there will be more to the game than just beating up snakes and lizards. While we enjoyed the trailer, we have to admit -- hearing the poor little screeches of those bugs and reptiles tugged at our heartstrings a bit. Really, we're just big softies.%Gallery-16331%
Help, there are deadly creatures in my Wii!
Forget butterflies -- what we need is a game with manly critters to control.THQ intends to deliver on that desire, sating our need for a testosterone-infused game with Deadly Creatures. In this title, the player will control a scorpion and tarantula -- wait -- an armored scorpion and deadly tarantula, and beat up the likes of other desert creatures. That's right, we're looking at you, Gila monster.We have to subtract a few man-o-meter (not to be confused with manometer) points, though, since the name of the developer is Rainbow Studios. Still, we're sure that the "brutal creature-crushing action" will more than make up for having the word "rainbow" on the box.In all seriousness, the game sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Since it's on the Wii, you'd be correct to assume that it will involve some iteration of motion controls. Randy Shoemaker of THQ claims that the company is "raising the bar for all third party Wii titles." Let's just hope that the content backs up the talk. The last Wii game Rainbow Studios brought us was Cars, so we'll take a "wait-and-see" approach before we get too excited.[Press release via NeoGAF]
