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Fallout: New Vegas Dev Had Worked On A Snow White Prequel

Ben-Dutka 2 Comments

Well, this could've been interesting for the young 'uns.

You never hear about most games that end up getting canceled. And you probably couldn't have predicted that Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment spent a full year developing a "Snow White" prequel before Disney gave it the ax.

As Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart told Kotaku in a recent interview, the game was being designed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and was slated to be a third-person action quest featuring the seven dwarves. In fact, it was tentatively titled "Dwarves" and the team even had the climax all set- The player would banish the unnamed antagonist into Snow White's magic mirror. Said Urquhart:

"It was a lot of fun. We feel we turned in a really cool prototype. We worked on it for about a year. It's one of the games here that the team just loved working on. And unfortunately–which, it happens in this industry–you have changes of focus at a publisher."

Obviously, the game was likely targeting a younger audience, but it still could've been cool. I'm wondering how the gameplay mechanics would've worked, and what precisely we would've done with the dwarves. Would each have his own skill set? Like would Sneezy be able to blow away pesky enemies with a few good honks? Who knows?

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How Many Studios Get Bonuses For Hitting Metacritic Goals?

Ben-Dutka 25 Comments

Well, isn't this interesting.

Analysts always say that higher-rated games tend to sell better and of course, that's definitely true. So maybe this news shouldn't come as any big shock…just like we probably shouldn't be surprised that NFL teams often put "bounties" on opposing players.

Anyway, it seems Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment – which recently suffered a round of layoffs and the cancellation of a future project – was in line to receive an unspecified bonus if New Vegas had scored higher on Metacritic. One point higher, to be exact. Obsidian co-founder Chris Avellone Tweeted the following:

"FNV was a straight payment, no royalties, only a bonus if we got an 85+ on Metacritic, which we didn't."

No, but you came close; the game is averaging an 84 on Metacritic. The PlayStation 3 version didn't help their cause, as that iteration scored a couple points lower on average (and we didn't help , either). Money is a hot topic at Obsidian after 30 staffers lost their jobs, and that South Park RPG was ditched.

EA often makes statements citing review scores, in that they keep striving to put out "90+" products, and when gauging the success of a title, the review scores are often the first thing they mention. Other publishers do the same, and there's no doubt that the better reviews you get, the more money you're likely to see. But a bonus for hitting a certain average score? That really is interesting.

Related Game(s): Fallout: New Vegas

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Obsidian: South Park RPG Won’t Pull Any Punches

Ben-Dutka 11 Comments

"South Park" has always pushed the boundaries, so don't expect the upcoming game to pull any punches whatsoever.

In speaking to Game Informer , Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart said the development team understands the primary goal: above all else, this RPG needs to be "South Park" to the core.

That includes having "a lot of swearing" and "a lot of children dying," and Urquhart is actually a bit leery of how the ESRB is going to respond. Still, the team won't restrict themselves during the creation process; they'll deal with controversial content hurdles when they come to them. Said Urquhart:

"I'll be honest, we're not exactly sure how the ESRB is going to react to a lot of these things. The first thing is we're not going to worry about it. The first thing is this needs to be South Park. If we have problems, then we'll deal with them. The goal is, let's not restrict ourselves right now. Let's make it South Park, make it nuts, then, as they say, cross that bridge when we come to it."

The cool part is that creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone came to Obsidian first. Urquhart says this usually isn't how it works; typically, the publisher that holds the licensing rights to a particular franchise comes to a developer and asks them to make a game. In this particular case, it was the "license holders themselves."

"With South Park it's very different because it's Matt and Trey. It is Crispy, who was the art director on the show for ten years. It's talking to the guys that actually do it and still do it every day. I mean, they're still making the show after 15 years. I think it's going to make it really interesting for us making a South Park game – it's not a re-imagining of stuff that already exists… it's like this is yet another extension to everything that is South Park because it's coming directly from Matt and Trey."

Come on, you have to admit…this one has lots of promise. Obsidian can be hit or miss but with all the original "South Park" talent involved, you just have to like the game's chances.

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Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition Hits February 7

Ben-Dutka 22 Comments

If you missed Fallout: New Vegas and you always regretted it, circle a day in February.

Although it has been over a year since the game launched, Bethesda Softworks thinks it's time to get more gamers involved. Therefore, they've announced the Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition , which is scheduled to launch for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on February 7 in North America and three days later in Europe.

It'll come with all the downloadable cotntent released thus far; that's four packs: Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, and Lonesome Road. Furthermore, it'll boast Courier's Stash (four smaller add-ons used as pre-order bonuses) and the Gun Runner's Arsenal, which has a variety of weapons and weapon mods. Bethesda typically creates epic, in-depth experiences and Fallout: New Vegas is no exception.

Of course, you might be spending your money on the team's newest title on November 11…

Related Game(s): Fallout: New Vegas

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Obsidian CEO: “I Would Make Alpha Protocol 2”

Ben-Dutka 14 Comments

If at first you don't succeed…

Despite the mediocre review scores Alpha Protocol received, it seems the team definitely wants to make a sequel. In speaking to Play , Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart first admitted "there were things in the game we could have done better," and then elaborated:

"Perhaps it was not necessarily the job we did but there was something beyond the game – how it was represented or how it was sold or what people felt we promised them. Something went off-kilter there. So there’s another lesson to learn about communication."

He went on to clarify that they are not making a sequel, but he'd still like to do it. As for the previous statement, we have a message for Urquhart: we really don't care about what was promised, and it wasn't a communication issue. …the game's foundation was archaic and really disappointing, from control to visual presentation to the limited stealth mechanic.

So if you do end up making one, just fix a lot of stuff and don't worry about "promises" or "communication." Good games take care of themselves.

Related Game(s): Alpha Protocol

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Dungeon Siege III: Spiritual Successor To Dark Alliance?

Ben-Dutka 17 Comments

Dungeon Siege III will be ready to go on May 31 and if you're not excited yet…well, just a minute…read this.

You need to check out the most recent update at the PlayStation Blog , where Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman talks about how DSIII on the PS3 should be great for anybody who enjoyed Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance . Obsidian's latest is described as a "modern take on the classic overhead-view action/RPG," and PS3 owners needn't worry about control:

"Crucially, developer Obsidian Entertainment has put much work into making Dungeon Siege III play nice with the DualShock 3 controller without diluting the combat and inventory depth that genre fans have long adored. On the PS3, Dungeon Siege III’s interface is a robust approximation of the PC hotkey system, enabling you to swap between two battle stances instantaneously with a tap of L1. Each stance has unique strengths and weaknesses as well as an arsenal of special abilities that can radically alter your attack strategy."

Furthermore, we'll get "robust cooperative play support on the PS3," which includes two-player local co-op and four player co-op over the PSN. You have fair warning, though: as more warriors join the fray, the deadly denizens of the night will increase in number. For my part, I just want something that can be called a spiritual successor to Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath . If this is it, I'm satisfied.

Related Game(s): Dungeon Siege III

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