Jason Dobson

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat – The Jump To Next-Gen

February 15, 2006

Features / Interviews / by Jason Dobson Make a comment! / Tweet it!

In the summer of 2005, Electronic Arts released Battlefield 2 for the PC to critical acclaim. It was and in many ways remains as the premiere multiplayer military combat game to this day. A few months later in October, the company released Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, a conversion of the game for the console market, and while the fan community was predictably split going into the game, the general consensus was that this was yet another feather in the hat for EA. The game featured a terrific single player campaign wherein an innovative hotswapping feature was used so that a player could literally experience the battle through anyone on on their team in the conflict. While the multiplayer offering was not quite as enthralling as the solo campaign, both worked well together to create a cohesive, and altogether enjoyable experience. Now EA is at it again, as they prepare to release Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for the newly released Xbox 360 platform. But how will this five month old game differ when ported to the first next-generation console? We recently sat down with Jeff Gamon, Executive Producer on the project to get his insights into what we can all expect when the game ships in March.

Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us regarding the upcoming Xbox 360 version for Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. I know a lot of us here really enjoyed the game for the current-gen consoles. Were you involved on that project as well?

Thank you, and yes, I was the Producer for the title, and it was a lot of fun to work on. Most of the team from the original game remains intact, since we wanted to keep the people who were already familiar with the game at an intimate level.

How has the experience of developing the game for the Xbox 360 differed from that of developing for the original Xbox or PS2?

There’s a lot that was different, but we tried to leverage the knowledge that we gained while working on the previous version. This was also more about trying to take something that was already complete, and figure out how to make it better, all the while delivering it on a new platform. So it meant working just to get up to speed on the Xbox 360, but also trying to deliver an even deeper, more immersive experience in a very tight timeframe.

In the previous versions, the single player was great, which was great, but it also outshined the somewhat anemic multiplayer component. What has been done to make multiplayer more robust this time around? More modes? Hot swapping in multiplayer games?

It’s interesting, because depending on who you ask, you may get a different response about the single player vs multiplayer. We think we have a very robust experience, one that’s very true to the franchise’s heritage on PC. We also had about a 75% attach rate on Xbox with respect to owners playing online, which was the highest of any console game EA has ever released. That being said, we did continue to tune and balance the experience based on things we found, and issues that fans brought to our attention. I guess it’s just a question of taste, where some people will prefer SP, and others MP.

I guess the biggest question on everyone’s mind is other than prettier graphics and what you have mentioned so far, what has been changed for this latest version?

The single player campaign was re-tooled mission by mission to make it an even better experience. We overhauled the enemy and team AI, and also changed many enemy spawn points to make them more realistic. We also worked to streamline a few areas, such as the menus, and include the content from the A

Drill Dozer – Climbing The Treehouse

February 10, 2006

Features / Interviews / by Jason Dobson Make a comment! / Tweet it!

It wasn’t until fall of 2004 that I became truly familiar with Nintendo’s localization team, otherwise known as the Treehouse. At an Enthusiast Summit I met and became familiar with many of the individuals who were busy bringing the likes of Samus, Mario and Link to North American audiences, and I found a newfound respect for them, and the whole localization process in general. That’s why when Nintendo approached eToychest and asked if we would like to talk to Erik Peterson, Localization Writer/Editor at the Nintendo of America Treehouse regarding their latest effort, Drill Dozer, I jumped at the opportunity.

First of all, wow, all I can say is Drill Dozer is like a breath of fresh air. It really has a sense of old school platforming that you don’t see a lot of today. What were your feelings regarding this new GBA title?

A lot of people have told me that it reminds them of the classic platformers they played back in the day. For me, it’s really great to see such a quality 2D platformerA

Sword of the Stars Interview

January 31, 2006

Features / Interviews / by Jason Dobson Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Are you ready to take on the galaxy? Publisher Lighthouse Interactive is set to publish the latest 4X space strategy title with Sword of the Stars, currently in development at Vancouver-based developer Kerberos Productions. And if you are not in the know, this is the same team that brought us Homeworld: Cataclysm. They know their stuff. Playing as one of 4 unique races, gamers will explore planets, research new technologies and create empires in a hostile universe where weakness means extinction and only the strongest will survive. Today we took the opportunity to speak with Sword of the Stars lead designer and CEO of Kerberos Productions, Martin Cirulis regarding this exciting strategy title for the PC.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today regarding Sword of the Stars. Developing a space strategy game seems like such a natural fit for the team at Kerberos, given their development past with Barking Dog Studios on titles such as Treasure Planet and Homeworld: Cataclysm. However, Sword of the Stars is taking on the 4X sub-genre, a class of game that doesn’t get much attention these days. Why go this route?

Hi, Jason. We are always happy to answer questions and this first one has an easy answer. Basically, at Kerberos we work on the games we love. Period. Not only what is A

Hellgate: London – Roper’s New Baby

January 10, 2006

Features / Interviews / by Jason Dobson Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Hellgate: London is a first-person action RPG for the PC from the mind of Bill Roper the talented folks at Flagship Studios. The game puts players in the midst of a demon-infested London cityscape where they must take up arms and do battle with the denizens of Hell. Among the many innovative aspects introduced by the game, Hellgate: London will feature a completely randomized world that offers a unique experience every time you play. Recently we had the opportunity to speak with Bill Roper regarding his newest creation.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us regarding Hellgate: London. This is a title that has intrigued us since it was announced, and after going hands on with it at E3 I have to say I was left wanting more. How would you say the game is coming along? Any recent developments you’d like to talk about?

Hellgate: London is coming along great, and the past couple of months have seen a lot of things get into the game. We made a push right before Halloween for a party we were throwing where we let our friends play, so it was important that we have a host of new monsters, items and skills in. Between then and now we’ve added more of everything – monsters, skills, weapons, armor, monster AI, backgrounds – the works. We’re also working on completing the storyline and breaking down the key parts into a quest structure. There are basically a ton of ideas and content flowing into the game right now, so there is literally something new every day.

I know you probably don’t want to set expectations, only to have to disappoint fans, but has the team managed to nail down a delivery date for the game, or perhaps even a window when you expect it to ship?

We have an internal window we are working towards, and while it is looking good at this point, it is still too early to talk about when that is. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned not wanting to disappoint fans. We know that there is a lot of excitement over the game and that expectations are high – and that goes for both our community and us here at Flagship Studios! We’re definitely playing it on the safe side in regards to the release date because we want to do everything we can to meet and exceed the expectations we set. We’re still far enough out where a release date, or even a window, would be educated guesswork. Trust me – as soon as we have a handle on a date we think we can honestly hit, we’ll announce it.

For those not up to speed on what you and your team are doing with Hellgate: London, can you give us some background as far as where the idea came from and what the game will entail?

The official marketing spiel reads, A

Mario Tennis: Power Tour

December 14, 2005

Game Boy Advance / Reviews / by Jason Dobson Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Why is there a RPG in my tennis game? Who put it there, and, perhaps more importantly, why? The Mushroom Kingdom’s latest foray into the wide world of sports takes place on the tennis court, and while it provides a slightly entertaining diversion in multiplayer and Exhibition Modes, it is the game’s excruciatingly dull and cumbersome single player RPG train wreck that truly drags down the experience. The game tries to do too many things rather than focus on perfecting a single facet of the gameplay, and as a result Mario Tennis: Power Tour just misses the mark and ends up serving up a shallow, forgettable game.Which is a shame, considering how much fun the game’s GameCube incarnation proved to be. Granted, the already mentioned multiplayer and Exhibition Modes do bring some of the fun of the console version to the portable screen. You have the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom lobbing balls back and forth in both singles and doubles matches, complete with daring dives and earthshaking special moves. Unfortunately the single player mode is hampered by spotty A.I. that is inconsistent on its best days, and exhibits holes that are too easily exploited after only a short time spent with the game. For example, many times while serving from the right, by pulling your character to the far right before hitting the ball you are almost always guaranteed to send it past your opponent for a free point. Sure, so-called cheats such as these don’t have to be used, but the fact that Camelot even let this slip below the radar is questionable.

Thankfully human opponents are much more difficult to predict, and as such these multiplayer bouts serve up the most fun this game has to offer. Camelot has also included the ability to link up to four players together either via the archaic GBA Link Cable or the Wireless Adapter for some heated action. Here players can pick from a selection of Mushroom Kingdom staples, as well as whatever generic anime kids that have been unlocked in the Story Mode. Without question, the game’s multiplayer component is the soul of Mario Tennis: Power Tour. It’s too bad this couldn’t be extended to the rest of the game.

Sadly, the meat of the experience – an RPG that would bore even the most open minded role-playing enthusiast – excels only at being tepid. The story follows Ace and Clay, two up and coming tennis players at some Tennis Academy. But wait, isn’t this a Mario sports title? Why yes it is, but you’re better off putting a pin in that notion, because here at the Academy you’ll instead be going head to head against a laundry list of generic anime characters, every one as forgettable as the last. Better still, once you defeat these cookie cutter characters at tennis on your road to stardom, they become selectable in Exhibition Mode. Finally, a game where you can pit Yoshi against Meg. The whole experience is the videogame equivalent of Lunesta, and those players looking for a digital sleep aid need look no further.

Playing as either Clay or Ace, you gain points by besting opponents in an array of tennis matches, each one slightly more difficult than the last. When you finish a challenge, these points can then be applied and – in the case of doubles – divvied up between the two characters so they will go up in level and thus become better at their craft. As they progress, both Ace and Clay will gain bonuses to their various stats, including Power, Control, Side Spin, and Speed. They will also get more proficient at the various types of shots in the game, including Serve, Stroke, Volley, Top Spin and Slice.

However, it’s hard to care about this development when you cannot care less about the characters in question. Most players who suffer through the Story Mode will likely do so simply by going through the motions, balancing out points and button mashing their way through the benign dialog just so that they can work their way to yet another tennis match versus unfamiliar characters. The mechanics are sound, but they are wrapped in an experience without any personality. Sure, eventually the story intersects with the Mushroom Kingdom we all know and love, but the game would have benefited by having this familiarity in place from the onset.

Mario Tennis: Power Tour is simply not a very good game. While it’s presentation bears all of the hallmarks of the Mario franchise, the game itself falls far short of expectations. With spotty A.I and a forgettable story serving as the game’s biggest failings, even a robust and entertaining multiplayer component cannot save this title from being best forgotten. The tennis itself is decent, as are the mini-games that crop up now and again, but there just isn’t enough here that is compelling enough to justify a recommended purchase.

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