`God' and Diesel power
[Excerpt]
One of the favorites of the show was Sony's "God of War," an extreme
take on Greek mythology that molds the frantic pace of "Devil May Cry"
and "Ninja Gaiden" with intricate puzzle elements and some
phenomenal-looking scenery.
"We're looking to make HUGE levels," said Den Johnson, one of the game's level artists. "We're talking worlds … what you're seeing right now are just closets."
Players are placed in the sandals of Kratos, a Greek soldier given god-like abilities who wants to destroy Aries, Greek god of war.
Kratos has a ton of powerful weapons and attacks, including a systematic way of destroying larger enemies. Players got to beat down and weaken the legendary Medusa and then tear her head off. You could then use her head against the enemy and turn them into stone.
Johnson says "God of War" could possibly give Sony another franchise face.
"We want people to look at Kratos and Sony the same way they look at Mario and Nintendo," he said.
Speaking of changing perceptions, "The Chroncles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay" from Vivendi Universal was one of the hands-down best titles at the show. That's right … a movie game. It looked good enough to challenge "Halo" for playing time and scrap the "movie games = bad" formula.
"We will break the stereotypes with this game," said Pete Wanat, the game's executive producer. "We're trying to say, `Hey, it's OK to like a movie game.'"
"Riddick" featured the most detailed levels ever seen in a first-person shooter. The Starbreeze design team used a method called "normal-mapping" to flesh out the backgrounds.
Wanat said that the game will "fill in the mythology" behind Vin Diesel's Riddick character, as opposed to just rehashing the film. Part of this plan is the game's June 1 release, which is well before the movie comes out.
"We're not going to make you `play the movie,'" Wanat said. "I
mean, why? Why would I want you to do the same thing that you just saw
in the theater? You know what's going to happen. How is that fun?"