The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Interview Preview
- February 02, 2009 10:54 AM PST
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GP: In your opinion, what's the coolest new addition in this release?
IS: The new game - Assault on Dark Athena. I think it's going to blow people away. It seems like no matter how many times we tell people that this is a new game, the scope of it just doesn't click - they still think this is just a remake. We just put the intro cinematic up online and I can finally see people starting to understand just how big this game is. They can see the production value, the performance captured, the way that we're telling this story - we can already see that it's bringing back a lot of memories for people as well as impressing upon them just how awesome Assault on Dark Athena may be.
This is the best game we (Tigon and Starbreeze) have ever made. Even Starbreeze is telling people that this is the best and most polished game they've ever made. I think we're going to surprise people all over again.
And then there's Multiplayer... OMFG its fun!
GP: Can you talk a bit about the multi-player?
IS: Of course! Because most people consider Riddick a first-person shooter, we of course include obligatory modes like Deathmatch, CTF, etc. But what's got us really excited are the two modes that we feel best represent the Riddick character and the Riddick universe -- Pitch Black and Butcher Bay Riot.
Pitch Black is a mode that pits Riddick against six other players (Mercs). Riddick is faster, has more health, and uses only melee weapons (his Ulaks - the curved razor blades). The other players have a selection of different weapons, each mounted with a flashlight. Meanwhile, the game environment is completely dark - no light at all. So it's a kill-or-be-killed match to see who can kill Riddick before he murders the entire bunch. If you kill Riddick, you get to be Riddick in the next round. If, as Riddick, you kill everyone else, you stay Riddick.
When you're playing as a Merc and you're running around looking for Riddick with the limited visibility your flashlight gives you, and then you hear one of your buddies gurgle in pain from 30 yards away 'cause Riddick is cutting his throat (you can't see it, but you can sure as hell hear it), it just clicks. You feel like a fish in a barrel. The tension is just awesome!
With Butcher Bay Riot, we pit three teams of 4 players against each other. Prisoners, Mercs, and Guards. Each of these factions has an enemy they're playing against. Prisoners hate Guards, Guards hate Mercs, and Mercs hate Prisoners. As a team, you're fighting for control of a central object in each map (a power cell) that you're trying to plant in your enemy's base. Plant it and you score! It's a best out of 3 (or 5) system, so you'll play across multiple rounds, and winning a round scores you plenty of UD Credits (money in the Riddick universe) that you can use to purchase upgrades for the next round - new weapons, armor, ammo, etc.
The way that we've built this mode makes it incredibly fun and varied depending on who you're playing with. You can run-and-gun in this mode and have mindless fun if that's what you enjoy, in which case it's a lot like a heavily armed game of hot potato with lots of big guns in the round. But if you prefer to be more strategic and really plot with your team, this can become a really impressive game of interception and defense/offense. It changes a lot depending on how you play it - there's tons of room for a player driven experience.
GP: Can you share any info on a potential Riddick sequel?
IS: Only that we love working in the Riddick universe!
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