Tech.Wapline

The road to retail has been anything but smooth for Rockstar Games’ Manhunt 2, but next week fans of the first game and attention-seeking suits alike will be able to get their hands on the game.

Fascinated by both Manhunt 2 and by all of the work that has gone into earning it an M as opposed to its original AO rating, we caught up with producer Jeronimo Barrera and made with the questions.

GameSpot: So before we get started, can you fill us in on who you are and how long you’ve been with the company?

Jeronimo Barrera: Since the beginning. I help oversee game production.

GS: Take us back to when the game was being discussed? Why another Manhunt?

JB: Obviously we’re very proud of the original Manhunt and we didn’t hesitate to start working on another Manhunt when the opportunity presented itself. A big motivation was the fans. We’ve had games that have sold more copies, but Manhunt did well and gained a very loyal following. That, coupled with the fact we love the horror genre, made it a no-brainer for us.

GS: Why did you guys take the all-new character approach? Where did you look to for inspiration?

JB: Manhunt 2 is not a true sequel to the original story. It expands on the theme of the original. The approach was to put the player in a similar situation of having to make very hard choices about survival, but where in the original the overall goal was very clear, in Manhunt 2 we introduce a heavy psychology that makes the choices to the player much more difficult. I don’t want to give out any spoilers, but let’s say that Manhunt 2 offers many twists and turns to keep the player on the edge of their seat.

We didn’t really draw from any one source for inspiration. We’re all very proud of the original game and we were in a unique situation to draw inspiration from our own work. With making sequels to games, sometimes we continue the stories of previous games, but often we feel the story itself is more or less complete and instead we want to expand on the narrative themes and gameplay mechanics and style, which leads to sequels that are related, but not necessarily narrative sequels. We’ve done this with GTA–where the games are related but not but not sequels–and we will continue to use this approach.

GS: Can you give us an idea of how the game came together? Was there a set plan, or was it more organic and collaborative? How long was development?

JB: There’s always a plan and it always ends up getting changed massively as the game takes shape and it’s always a collaborative effort. We had the story in place early, and then it was a matter of fleshing out the game using the story as the core and building upon it. From the start we knew we had to really surpass the first game’s narrative, so there was an emphasis on having the story in place before we started building the game. One thing that isn’t mentioned often is that Manhunt 2 is a very story-driven game. The writers needed to work very closely with the designers to ensure that the game mechanics fit within the world we were creating and that the actions onscreen were being complemented with strong dialogue and audio. Things tend to get more organic once you have all the pieces in place, and then you have to really start critiquing your work, and sometimes that means going back to the drawing board.

GS: There have been a number of survival horror games and quite a few successful stealth action games in the last couple of years. But the original Manhunt really presented something unique in terms of combining the best of both stealth and horror gameplay. What was the motivation to continue in this vein, and what were you looking to improve on with this second installment of Manhunt?

JB: First, the original Manhunt has a very loyal fan base, and when we decided to start working on Manhunt 2 it was immediately decided that we had to stick to certain themes and mechanics to keep the original fans happy–but we also wanted to expand and surpass what the original accomplished so well. That was very difficult, but in the end we created a piece of horror fiction that is not only terrifying at times but incredibly thought-provoking in the themes that we explore.

GS: The first Manhunt went to extraordinary lengths to craft unforgettably creepy–and sometimes very funny–dialogue. The audio experience of Manhunt was quiet memorable. Care to discuss what you have going on this time regarding the audio in Manhunt 2? What have you done to surpass expectations?

It’s not unusual to see PC games get an expansion pack after they’re released, though it’s rare when a game that’s not named The Sims gets a second expansion.
So what does it say about Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War that we’re now up to Soulstorm, the recently announced third expansion to 2004’s real-time strategy game based on the popular sci-fi miniatures franchise from Games Workshop? Relic Studios is responsible for some amazing and innovative games, from Homeworld to Company of Heroes, but the Dawn of War series may very well be its most enduring and popular. However, even Relic and collaborator Iron Lore Entertainment face a daunting task with Soulstorm, as last year’s Dark Crusade expansion raised the bar considerably for what fans expect. The solution? Top Dark Crusade by offering even more.

Let’s get the basics out of the way. The big news in Soulstorm is that there are two new factions. The first is the previously announced Dark Eldar, while the second is the previously unannounced Sisters of Battle. The popular strategic campaign from Dark Crusade that featured an entire planet to conquer has been trumped by Soulstorm’s epic strategic campaign, which features a whopping four planets and three moons. Just like Dark Crusade, this will be a stand-alone expansion, which means you will not have to own any of the previous Dawn of War games to play it. If you only own Soulstorm, you’ll have access to all nine Dawn of War factions in the single-player campaign or in single-player skirmish games, but in multiplayer you’ll only be able to play as the Dark Eldar or the Sisters of Battle. To access the other factions in multiplayer, you’ll need to own the respective Dawn of War games that they appear in. Oh yeah, we should also mention that there are air units in Soulstorm (a first for the series), as well as achievements.

Soulstorm takes its name from the region of space it takes place in. A strange warp storm around a group of planets draws the various factions in to investigate, but the storm also wreaks havoc with their navigation systems, stranding them on the planets where full-fledged chaos then ensues. You can command any of the nine factions in the turn-based strategic game, which lets you plot moves and attacks on planetary maps, sort of like the board game Risk. Battles are then resolved in real-time strategy style. Like in Dark Crusade, territories can confer special bonuses to whichever faction possesses them. One example is the ability to move twice or attack twice in a single turn; normally armies can just move once or attack once per turn. There will also be planetary bonuses if a faction can seize an entire world.

The Dark Eldar and Sisters of Battle will offer up some interesting new approaches to the game. The former are an offshoot of the Eldar faction, though much more evil. The Dark Eldar is basically a pirate race that specializes in quick strikes, using speed and poison abilities to stun the enemy. Their units tend to be fairly mobile, such as the scourge, which are heavy infantry equipped with bat wings that let them jump and hover. On top of that, the Dark Eldar utilize a third resource that’s unique to them: souls. The Dark Eldar consume souls, so when they kill an enemy they can collect the soul essence that is left behind. The Sisters of Battle, on the other hand, are basically heavily armed warrior nuns and the feared enforcers of the Imperium. As described to us, they’re basically the Spanish Inquisition in space. The Sisters are driven by faith, which lets them call on their God-Emperor for “Acts of the Faith,” which are powerful abilities, like a protective hand that shields them from damage or raining brimstone down on the battlefield. These acts are fueled by faith, which can be generated if the Sisters divert resources from unit production and research. That will make you have to choose how much to spend on the economy and how much to spend on generating faith.

This is actually the first Dawn of War game that’s not being developed primarily by Relic. Instead, the studio turned to Iron Lore, of Titan Quest fame, for the expansion. It turns out that having an outside perspective allowed Iron Lore to approach the game in different ways. Perhaps that explains the addition of air units, which adds a whole new dimension to the battlefield that wasn’t there before. Not only will the new factions have air units, but each of the existing factions will also get air units to balance things out.

Finally, Soulstorm will introduce achievements, which will help reward longtime players online, though these are not Games for Windows - Live achievements. Dawn of War is a popular multiplayer game thanks to the fact that it lets you take all those incredibly elaborate, detailed units online to crush other players. Each faction will have its own unique achievements, such as Force Commander, which is rewarded if you win 25 ranked games with the Space Marines. Or there are general achievements, like Hot Streak, which you get if you win 10 online matches in a row. These new achievements should help fuel the competitive fires in terms of multiplayer.

We only got to an early glimpse of Soulstorm, but publisher THQ, Relic, and Iron Lore look like they’re going to deliver the biggest Dawn of War expansion yet. Considering how excellent the gameplay was in Dark Crusade–not to mention how great a value it was–Soulstorm is simply bigger and more improved in every possible way. And if the Dawn of War series continues to sell like it has, Soulstorm may not even be the last expansion. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm will ship sometime in the first half of 2008.

With Empire Earth III shipping next month, Sierra and developer Mad Doc Software are revealing more details about the three key regions in the game.

The geographical regions each contain separate factions. For example, the Western region will have English and French factions. However, the English and French are going to be fairly similar to one another, particularly when it comes to visual identity and gameplay. We previously covered the Middle East region, and now we’ll cover the Far East faction.

In Empire Earth III, you’ll be able to experience all of human history, from the Stone Age to beyond the Space Age. The series, which is sort of like the classic Civilization series but played out in real time, will require you to build an economy and structures to research the scientific advancements that advance you from one historical age to another. As you move into a new age, you have access to more powerful military units and technologies to use in your struggle to survive, as well as expand.

The Far East Region

Factions based on the Far East region have a simple philosophy: Quantity is a quality. Thanks to their huge populations, the Far East factions like to rely on large amounts of relatively cheap units to offset any technological advantage their opponents might have over them. Who needs expensive units when you can swamp them with sheer numbers? As such, though, Far East players must play aggressively to take advantage of their numerical superiority. In general, the Far East must play to these strengths because it lacks the mobility of Middle Eastern armies and the technological edge of Western ones.

 

Introducing the Pyramat Sound Rocker, a chair for gamers, movie connoisseurs and music lovers!

The S2000 Sound Rocker is unlike any other rocker to come before it! The Pyramat incorporates three full range ARX speakers and a huge 5.5” Powersub subwoofer into the structure of the seat that enable users to experience the thrill of their gaming, the suspense of their movies, and the quality of their music in a way they never have before!

The Pyramat literally lets you hear and feel the action from your video games, movies and music! The bass generated by the subwoofer is huge and the sound so clear, that you’ll feel like you are literally in the game or movie. Hear every footstep, and feel every crash, punch or gunshot as the built-in 5.5” Powersub subwoofer sends vibrations right through you. The two full range ARX high performance speakers create a personal surround sound effect to accelerate your games to the next level. The Sound Rocker works with movies and music too. Connect your iPod or MP3 player and the Sound Rocker fills your room with music at the push of a button. The S2000 is ergonomically designed for support during hours of game play and features a soft padded PVC fabric.

Features:
* 3” Full Range ARX Speakers
* 5.5” Powersub Subwoofer
* iPod/MP3/PSP input and holster
* RCA Audio Inputs
* Headphone Jack
* Volume and Bass Controlls
* RCA Multi-player Audio Outputs
* Folding for easy storage

Microsoft has certainly been quick off the blocks, producing this Homer Simpson-themed Xbox 360 Pro. But before you rush out to the local shop, you’ll be far from pleased to know it’s a limited edition - just 100 available. And those 100 are going to be restricted to the US.

They’re set to be competition prizes, given away around the film’s US launch on 27th July. Apart from the film re-design, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between this and any standard 20GB model.