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Wii Fanboy interviews High Voltage on The Conduit (continued)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/High_Voltage_reveals_gameplay_details_on_The_Conduit'; Stylistically, it's been compared to Half-Life and Perfect Dark. What games have inspired design choices in The Conduit?Rob: One of our goals from the very start was to make a fast-paced accessible FPS. To that end we looked at and stole shamelessly from mega-hits like Halo and Half-Life, recent titles like Resistance: Fall of Man and Metroid Prime Corruption, as well as classics like Goldeneye for the N64. We wanted to pick the best features from these titles, the things that made them fun and memorable and have features like those in The Conduit. Matt: We've done art direction for so many different titles, and we've learned a lot about establishing a strong and cohesive visual style. The Conduit's art direction has come mainly from taking real world styles and locations and combining them with our own alien technology concepts and aesthetic design preferences. I suppose that it looks similar to those other games, but in the end it's The Conduit's own unique premise that has largely driven the artistic vision. When combined with the features that are specific to our engine tech, The Conduit will look stunning by the time it reaches the player's hands.Will there be a calibration option, so we can "aim down the sights?"Rob: One of the things we learned in our development process was that customization of controls is essential to an enjoyable gameplay experience. To that end, we allow players to customize sensitivity, dead zone sizes, as well as control layouts. But, if you mean, can you actually use the iron-sights of your guns, that answer is "not exactly". The reason being that several of our weapons are alien in nature and don't even have iron-sights... but you will have sort of an alien vision mode with some of the weapons.Matt: There'll be on-the-fly, in-game look sensitivity adjustments, as well as a fully map-able control scheme, down to the button, in the game's front end UI. Players will be able to map the game's controls completely to their own liking. There'll even be a couple of alternate control methods for those that don't care as much for the Wii pointer style of directional turning. There'll be lots of options for maximum playability.%Gallery-25003%There hasn't been much word on who the publisher for The Conduit is. Rumor has it, Nintendo is actually going to publish the game. Can you comment on that? Can you announce one at this time?Matt: I can neither confirm nor deny this, senator. ;) All I will say is that thanks to the explosion of interest in this title, we've had a lot of publishers knocking on our door.Control-wise, will there be options for other methods outside of the Wiimote and nunchuk? Will it support the GameCube controller? Classic controller?Dan: There are movement and weapon functions in The Conduit that require the Wii Remote's pointer, accelerometer, depth, and cursor rotation functionality in order to perform. The Conduit isn't your standard ported-over-to-the-Wii style of game. Using the Classic or GC controller kind of defeats the purpose of what we are looking to do.Matt: With The Conduit we want to redefine first person shooter controls. Hard core FPS gamers that have played the game have told me that they are now convinced that Wii is the best system for the genre. When you play it you'll realize very quickly that the Wii Remote is an incredible control device for this type of game. It just feels amazing to play.Rob: I think if you are buying a Wii, you're buying it to make use of its motion sensitive controls, which are tailor made for an FPS game. Aside from the controls, what are the game's strengths that separate it from other existing PC/console FPSes?Rob: I would say that would be the ASE or "All Seeing Eye" device. In game, this piece of hardware allows a player to adjust the "phase state" of things. This makes invisible enemies and hazards not only visible, but able to take damage. It also makes invisible cover and platforms become solid, leading to more gameplay. We also reveal secret puzzle locks that must be solved to get to special weapons.Dan: We've put a solid amount of effort into enemy AI for The Conduit. A pet peeve of mine is single player FPS games where the enemies just stand there getting blasted, and don't seem to be reacting to the world around them. In The Conduit, our bad guys can hear and see, understand the use of cover, have variable levels of aggression, use grenades effectively, advance and retreat, and can determine when the player is susceptible to attack (i.e. reloading, exposed and moving in their firing cone). I think focusing a higher than normal amount of the dev time on AI makes our single player experience better than most other FPS titles out there. Of course, the overall look we're able to achieve with our advanced engine tech is also something the makes The Conduit a superior FPS game IMO.Matt: I think that going back to the Wii Remote, The Conduit has a unique control system that feels more like a VR experience than the typical spring loaded joystick controlled videogame. I also agree that the ASE device offers a unique style of gameplay that hasn't really been seen before in other games. Having the ability to discover and phase useful objects into the environment to assist with combat is a lot of fun. Beyond that, it's just rock solid action all throughout the game. There'll be fierce enemies, bad ass weapons, and white knuckle battles. It's going to be a hell of a lot of fun.Does the game run at 60fps? 30fps?Matt: If we can hit closer to 60, then that will be great! But for right now we are shooting for a steady 30fps, with zero drops in framerate. The whole team swears by the fact that a solid 30fps still feels great. Even our studio's most hard core PC FPS gamers think that The Conduit feels just right at 30fps. The quality will be there, and the game will look and run amazing by the time that it ships.Dan: The game will run absolutely solid at 30fps. For HVS, choice is either to have less visual splendor and run at 60fps or achieve the look we want for the game and run at 30fps. 30fps is a frame rate that is plenty responsive for FPS gaming and we are valuing the increased visual detail we can offer over the slightly smoother gameplay we might otherwise get by scaling this back.High Voltage has made an adventure game/minigame collection for the Xbox (Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, also on PS2 and PC), and now they're making an FPS for the Wii. Is this ironic or strategy?Rob: I like to think it's beautiful strategy. At the time Magna Cum Laude came out, the Adventure game market was woefully barren. So we found a title and a publisher willing to take the risk to revitalize that genre. Now we're trying to do the same thing with FPS's on the Wii. We feel that The Conduit will be like rain in the desert, which seems to be the case judging by the online response.Matt: Diversity is key. We don't like to sell ourselves short by sticking with one genre or style of game. High Voltage knows that it's okay to try new things. We've learned a lot after 15 years working with so many different publishers, developers, and licensors. I could go on about how licensed game restrictions, publisher mandates, and drop dead unmovable release dates ultimately affect the quality of your game, but this project is very different. The Conduit is something completely new for our studio. This game will rock! The company seems very (vocally) confident about the ability of The Conduit to revolutionize Wii gaming. Was it always in the plan to build up so much hype, or was the hype a natural product of enthusiasm? Has the hype been more than expected?Rob: The hype has certainly been more than I expected and I am grateful for it. However, it is a two-edged sword. While the hype has helped give us the pick of litter for a publisher, it does mean we have a LOT to live up to. But I think we are up for the challenge. =)Dan: There aren't many large scale multiplayer games for the Wii at this point, nor any that push the Wii graphics HW to the extent we are. So, from these standpoints – The Conduit will be revolutionary for the Wii gaming market. It is HVS's belief that although there are great FPS games on the 360 and PS3 – what they all lack is the kind of unique motion sensing based control schemes that makes The Conduit for the Wii more fun to play. Giving gamers a great looking, great playing, great controlling FPS title is something we feel is worth hyping!Matt: The plan all along was to maximize the potential of the system, and then build a game that showcases the engine tech and the fun of the Wii Remote. Every developer talks big about their own game, but no one at High Voltage could say for sure how well our audience would react to the screenshots and gameplay video release. We've always just been focused on making a great game, and the result is that The Conduit seems to be building its own hype. And we're very appreciative of all the kind words and support we've received from the Wii community.Is The Conduit sharing tech with Animales de la Muerte? Where did the concept for that one come from? Is it still on track? Really, anything we could learn about Animales de la Muerte would be wonderful.Dan: Animales is using the same engine tech as The Conduit, but in a much different way since it's a 'toon shaded game.Matt: I don't want to say too much more about the title until it's closer to completion, but I will say that it's going to be bloody fun. By the way, much respect to our friends in Mexico. However, screw PETA...no animal in this game is safe!Anything about multiplayer? Many of the folks interested in the game are looking to have some kind of online multiplayer, preferably something on-par with Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. Are you trying to implement Wi-Fi compatibility? Local multiplayer?Dan: We are working closely with Nintendo to be able to provide the kind of multiplayer gameplay that we know the market wants.Matt: Nintendo has been really helping us out with technical support but we still have more questions that will need be answered before we can release any specifics about our multiplayer modes. Obviously we want to be competitive with the other online console games, but we'd rather wait until we've got something great to show off before we make any announcements about this very important feature.Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! When not writing about games, we enjoy talking to the people that make them. Be sure to check out our interview with Wii mastermind Johnny Lee, as well as our chat with Didian Malenfant from Ready at Dawn on Okami for Wii. Oh, and don't forget our chat with Hudson's Mike Samachisa on Deca Sports.
Miyamoto: Ocarina of Time could have been in first-person perspective
There aren't many gamers who don't harbor fond memories associated with the Nintendo 64's classic adventure (and to many, the greatest installment in the Hylian franchise), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In addition to its beloved story and incredible visuals, it was a groundbreaking third-person adventure through an intricately detailed fantasy world -- but would we (and Game Rankings) still hold the triforce-hunting adventure in such high regard if we had experienced Hyrule directly through the point-eared protagonist's eyes?In a recent discussion between Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and revolutionary game developer (and Time's most influential person of 2008) Shigeru Miyamoto, it was outed that Shiggy secretly possesses a penchant for first-person shooters (notably, Rare's seminal N64 shooter Goldeneye), and that he'd considered creating Ocarina of Time using an Oblivion-esque first-person perspective. We're not quite sure how this would have affected the title -- but we're certainly terrified of the prospect of witnessing Darunia's sexy dance of seduction first-hand.
New screens from aborted XBLA GoldenEye 007
First off, GoldenEye 007 is not coming to the XBLA. We repeat, it is not releasing to the XBLA now or ever. Gots it? Goods. Let's get to the fun.Yesterday, British magazine Xbox World 360 released it's "highly anticipated" March issue which was supposed to feature an exclusive look at GoldenEye 007 for the XBLA. Which it technically does, but early reports hinted at GoldenEye still being on track and in development. But that isn't the case. Xbox World 360 does have a four page spread featuring the now-revealed-to-be aborted XBLA GoldenEye port which was being developed by Rare. Their article includes a few exclusive screenshots (like the one above), how the game was improved going from the N64 to the 360 as well as quotes and comments from both Rare AND Microsoft. The same Microsoft who said they never spoke with Xbox World 360. Meh, no matter. If you're interested in torturing yourself and knowing what could have been, pick up a copy of Xbox World 360 and drool over the two new screenshots they posted. So sad ... no prettified GoldenEye for us.
Real or not, CVG has more Goldeneye XBLA pics
We're on the fence as to whether or not the upcoming issue of Xbox World 360 Magazine does indeed have legitimate details about the supposedly-canceled Goldeneye 007 remake for Xbox Live Arcade. On the one hand, CVG claims the issue features four pages of details about the unfinished project, with numerous screenshots and comments from Microsoft.On the other hand, Eurogamer reportedly spoke with Microsoft Game Studios, who claim that Xbox World 360's look at the Goldeneye game is based entirely on rumors and speculation, with no participation from Microsoft in the story.Both these sources seem entirely at odds with each other, and only seem to agree upon the fact that this game definitely isn't coming out. Our shiny optimistic side wants us to believe in the (heavily watermarked) screenshots and details, but the reality is it's probably all speculation masquerading as fact (not unlike GamePro's Gears of War 2 "coverage"). Hopefully once the issue hits stands we'll have a few more answers.Read - GoldenEye XBLA: Go inside the game [CVG]Read - MS rubbishes GoldenEye XBLA talk [Eurogamer]
Microsoft: No plans to release XBLA GoldenEye
We don't have to wait for Wednesday's big Xbox 360 World reveal, because Microsoft is already putting the nail GoldenEye 007's coffin.Last week, we told you about British magazine Xbox 360 World claiming they had some "never-seen shots and hands-on details" on GoldenEye 007 for the XBLA, making it seem like the game was in development. But after digging a little deeper and running a few updates (okay, a LOT of updates), we finally settled on the idea that GoldenEye was still sitting at a "canceled" status. And we were right. Microsoft confirmed with Eurogamer that "the story in Xbox World 360 is based entirely on rumour and speculation" and that they "do not have the necessary rights to release GoldenEye on Xbox Live Arcade." Sadly, no XBLA GoldenEye for us as wipe our hands clean of this disheartening story and call it a day.
XBLA GoldenEye 007 details coming soon [update 2]
Update 2: Updated the title to clear up some of the confusion. We know that the magazine article will have details and impressions about the XBLA version of GoldenEye 007 when it was being developed, but its current development status is very much up in the air. The accepted word on the street is that the game is still at a canceled status, it's just that Xbox World 360 has information regarding the game when it was being worked on. So, this is NOT confirmation that the game will release to the XBLA. We apologize for the confusion.Update: Craptacular ... We're now hearing that the Xbox World 360 article may only feature impressions of the still canceled, not going to be released XBLA version of GoldenEye 007. So, for the time being, don't get your XBLA GoldenEye hopes up. Stupid magazines bull-crapping us, oh bother ...Our whining, groaning and petitioning may have actually paid off for once. as the once rumored, then not rumored Xbox Live Arcade version of GoldenEye 007 is officially going to happen.British magazine Xbox World 360 is teasing that in next month's issue (which hits newsstands next Wednesday the 27th) they'll be revealing "never-seen shots and hands-on details" from "Rare's retooled classic" and all the changes that have been implemented in this re-make. We obviously don't have to hype this news any further as we're pretty sure N64 GoldenEye fanboys will take this, run through the streets and scream joy at every street corner. Bring on the golden gun and bring on the details ... Wednesday just can't come soon enough. W00t![Via Joystiq]
British mag to unveil Xbox Live Goldeneye info. Wednesday
After being endlessly rumored and then sort-of-confirmed, we were pretty sure the currently-in-limbo XBLA version of Goldeneye 007 would remain in hiding for quite a while (questionable videos notwithstanding). Apparently not, as British mag Xbox World 360 announced via its blog today that next Wednesday's issue will include the world's first hands-on impressions of the port.The short announcement, which was slowly leaked via a screenshot jigsaw puzzle throughout the week, promises "never-seen shots and hands-on details" about the game's differences, improvements, and information on how we can "make sure this incredible remake does see the light of day." That last bit is a little worrying to us, as it implies there's still a chance the game won't see the light of day. What can we do to help? Circulate a petition? Protest at Rare headquarters? Sacrifice our pets to Satan? FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY TELL US!
Nintendo dominates list of most annoying game characters
Nintendo might well have created some of the most enduring characters of all time, but it's more than capable of concocting annoying ones. At least, that's the message we drew from Cracked.com's list of video game characters that inspire rage -- of the fifteen personalities listed, around half appear in Nintendo games.While we wouldn't normally post about such lists, there's very little room for complaining about many of these choices. Time and again, Slippy's utter ineptitude has seen us launching spittle-flecked rants at our screens, Waluigi possesses a voice akin to nails on a blackboard (though this blogger will admit to finding him useful in Mario Kart DS), and Tingle is annoying for reasons that should need no explaining whatsoever.The only unfair inclusions we can see? The Dog from Duck Hunt, and Animal Crossing: Wild World's Mr. Resetti, whose bluster we actually find entertaining. Not that we're cheats.[Via Digg]
See (supposed) Goldeneye XBLA footage
We don't know about this one, gang. In fact, we're posting this video that supposedly compares the XBLA version of Goldeneye with its N64 counterpart both so you can enjoy it and also so you can go all Zapruder film on it and let us know your opinions on the validity. Right now we're leaning towards shrugging our shoulders and grunting quizzically.From what we've heard most recently, this is probably a moot point, with the XBLA version currently in limbo. But if this version is real (and assuming they were planning on fixing the sound glitches) we're now even sadder that we won't be getting our hands on it.
Rumor: Video surfaces of XBLA GoldenEye 007
We'd like to direct your attention to the embedded YouTube video above. This video is somewhat special. Special, because it's rumored to have been uploaded by an employee from Rare showing off an in-house build of what GoldenEye 007 would look like as an Xbox Live Arcade game. You know, because there have been numerous rumors of an XBLA version being worked on. But the video is very controversial. Controversial, because nobody can be 100% sure that it's real or fake. The improved textures, framerate and gameplay lends itself to being real, but some say it could be a l33t programmer doing a ROM hack. You'll have to ponder this one and analyze the picture evidence. Real or fake? We dunno, but we thought this video was worth your attention. That is all. Good day.[Via N4G, Thanks Karl]
XBLA Goldeneye confirmed, also canceled
We've got good news and bad news for fans of Rare's groundbreaking first-person shooter, Goldeneye. The good news? Those rumors you've heard about a port of the game for the Xbox Live Arcade are true! The bad news? The release of the title has been delayed indefinitely, due to a licensing disagreement between Microsoft and Nintendo. Sorry to get your hopes up -- we probably should have led with that last part.To further rub salt in your wounds, 1UP has some sweet details about the game-that-wasn't, which was only two short months from completion. Apparently, the game was a faithful recreation of the N64 classic, including all the maps and weapons from the original, with the addition of multiplayer support over Xbox Live.Instead of giving up on what would have been one of the greatest XBLA titles to date, we highly encourage everyone to exercise their civil trolling rights in an attempt to convince Nintendo and Microsoft that there's more than enough of our money to go around. Already, thousands of rabid wannabe 00 Agents have signed petitions to bring the game back to the development table -- have you?
Fanboys unite to bring GoldenEye 007 to the XBLA
A few days back we reported on the rumor that an Xbox Live Arcade remake of the N64 GoldenEye 007 was in development by Rare and since then, we've learned the truth. Or what we think to be the truth.1UP reports that the XBLA version of GoldenEye was in development by Rare for two solid months before the project got shelved. Shelved, because Microsoft and Nintendo couldn't agree on financials, profit sharing and all the grown-up business stuff that's involved. As a result of the shelving, the GoldenEye and XBLA communities have united over at GoldenEye XBL in an effort to bring attention to the drama at hand by sending out emails and doing some old fashioned petition signing. Again, we can't be 100% certain that the GoldenEye / Microsoft / Nintendo drama is based on fact, but if you choose to believe and GoldenEye on the XBLA is important to you, then by all means get active. Unite![Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Rumor: GoldenEye, more Rare games coming to XBLA
Since the early days of Xbox Live Arcade, gamers everywhere have been dreaming of the games they'd love to see on the service. While some wishes have come to pass, other remain rumors. This one comes to us from Xbox Evolved and it concerns none other than the Nintendo 64 darling from Rare, GoldenEye. Heralded by many as one of the best FPS games to grace a console -- and certainly one of the first games to prove an FPS could be done well on a console -- GoldenEye could be on its merry way to Xbox Live Arcade sometime soon. Apparently a deal has been reached between Rare, Activision, who owns the game rights to James Bond, and MGM Studios, who owns the film rights to James Bond. Supposedly the game should release shortly before the upcoming Activision published James Bond title rumored to be under development at Bizarre.But wait, there's more! Xbox Evolved is also reporting that Rare is planning on releasing more of its back catalog on XBLA including the original Perfect Dark and Banjo Kazooie. And before you ask, no, Killer Instinct isn't mentioned.[Via Joystiq]
Rumorang: Goldeneye coming to Xbox Live Arcade
Resting their cred on "very reliable sources" and evidence that they claim to have seen, Xbox Evolved is reporting that Nintendo 64 classic Goldeneye will be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade shortly before Activision (the current 007 IP holder) releases their new James Bond title. The news comes (according to the site) after an agreement between Microsoft, Rareware, MGM Studios and Activision. XE says the game will feature new graphics and online multiplayer, and that other Rare games may be in the pipeline like Banjo Kazooie and Perfect Dark.OK, sounds great, but is it true? We have no evidence one way or the other, but we think it would at least make sense for all the parties. Microsoft gets more solid XBLA titles, Rare (which is owned by Microsoft) reminds people of the company's glory days and MGM gets more publicity for James Bond. As for Activision, well, we already know they're not above pimping out a license for cash. We'll keep you updated.[UPDATE: This looks like it was happening, but has been been put on hold.]
Halo DS validity argued
It would appear that some aren't exactly believing Matt at IGN's Alpha of Halo DS, both in the comments of that post and the embedded video above. YouTube user SwiftShock thinks he has the answer to the whole debate and is of the mind that the game is nothing more than a modded version of GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.[Via Go Nintendo]
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.
DS Daily: Movie licenses
It's no secret that most of the time, licensed games may not be ... how shall we say? Any good at all. But that's not a universal truth, as occasionally, a game based on a film shines through as strongly as any more original property. Some people have told us, for instance, that Cars DS is not a complete waste of a cartridge, especially for the younger and more casual gamers in our lives. But looking back, there are very few licensed games or game tie-ins that stand out. Perhaps the best of the lot was a stronghold of the N64, but the link to the movie was a little tenuous at times. Have any other licensed games rocked your socks over the years? What was so horrifically bad it made you want to kick things? We'd love to hear about it.
Today's most recreated video: Goldeneye Live Action N64
This is by no means new stuff, and might be old to some of you, but it's so darned good that we had to share it. Some people with a lot of time on their hands recreated GoldenEye in live-action goodness, complete with the score and sound effects from the game. That garage scene is FTW!While that whining alarm sound brought back too many nightmares, this really makes us want to drag the N64 out of storage and hook it up, just to play GoldenEye again. If Nintendo sticks this on the Virtual Console, it'll go through the roof.[Thanks, uakronkid]
DS Daily: What do you desire?
Pocket Gamer issued some DS demands recently, with their list of titles that should already be on the handheld, but aren't. While they offered up some interesting candidates -- a good place to start the discussion -- we'd love to see you guys start throwing out ideas on all the games that could be. Sure, a GoldenEye or Mario Paint DS could be really excellent, but there are a lot of games out there. What do you think might benefit from the touchscreen, the WiFi, or both? Last time we discussed the what-ifs, we talked only about franchises ... but this time, anything's game.
