SiN 2 Preview

[Evil Avatar]

Ripping information from the pages of PC Gamer UK, EuroGamer has posted a "preview" (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=59937) of sorts, summing up PCG UK's article on Ritual's upcoming shooter, SiN 2.

Fans of the original will recall that although Elexis failed to detonate a nuclear bomb, she did manage to slip away - setting up the first chapter of SiN episodes rather nicely. PC Gamer's article states that the action will kick off in Freeport City, a futuristic reimagining of New York, Tokyo and San Francisco. Blade is "slipping in and out of consciousness", and his new sidekick Jessica Cannon drives him "with impressive skill" to a secret location. Cue an on-rails driving/shooting interlude with a difference.

[Draft]

In a rare show of determined creative independence Ritual has repeatedly dismissed the idea of signing future SiN products to a publisher to maintain total creative control. Indeed, getting a product to market unsullied by the demands of marketing departments is a position many fellow developers would happily donate bodily parts to be able to do, and for Ritual the opportunity to work with Valve represents the culmination of a four-year journey - and one that Valve itself was happy to agree to, reportedly being firm fans of the original SiN.Translation:

No publisher in their right mind would give ritual the millions of dollars it would take to hole up for 2 years and make a pc exclusive FPS game, which traditionally don't sell well unless they star spectacle wearing scientists of WW2 soldiers. So, they're going to burn the money they saved from Elite Force 2 and further the adventures of dreadlocked goggle afficiando John Blade, but only for "six" hours (how many 40 hour games have you beaten in 25?) Then, sit back and pray that enough webisodes sell to fund the next installment.

Valve is along for the ride because STEAM is not exactly setting the commercial world on fire, and they need to sell SOMETHING aside from old mods updated with lens flair i mean HDR lighting.

Overly pessimistic? Maybe. But is that any less believable than Ritual holding off on SIN 2 because of artistic integrity?

[theCurse]

Oh, wise master, tell us more.

[thecrazyd]

Isn't everyone a goggle afficiando?

[Chiggs]

Cynical stuff..




:D

Yeah, those are my thoughts, as well.

[Draft]

Also, I hope that future SIN installments introduce more memorable characters with weapon themed last names, like Rex Revolver, the loveable but deadly canine sidekick, and Patty Pepperspray, John's precocious but deadly niece who's visiting from Wisconsin.

[dr_qwandry]

SiN was a good game, with fun multiplayer. But in these days you need something REALLY good to break into the FPS market with any success. And unless this game has something more for the fans then the original character (killing off his loved sidekick) then i'm waiting for bargain bin price.

[Varsity]

BTW, it *isn't* SiN 2. The article makes it clear they are *SiN Episodies* and even sort of implies that SiN 2 will be a seperate product.

[H.Bogard]

Valve is along for the ride because STEAM is not exactly setting the commercial world on fire, and they need to sell SOMETHING aside from old mods updated with lens flair i mean HDR lighting.


and realistic physics.....and better graphics....and normal mapping....and better sound...and lesser bugs....and better modding tools......and .....errr.....can anyone help me out here?

[Draft]

BTW, it *isn't* SiN 2. The article makes it clear they are *SiN Episodies* and even sort of implies that SiN 2 will be a seperate product.
Oh good Lawd, go stick it in your wiki.

[Major Scud]

am I the only HUGE SiN fan on EA? I still play the original online alot. Some of the multiplayer maps (like paradox) are still works of art. I am probably going to get blasted for this, but back in the day, I liked SiN better then Half Life.

[Roc Ingersol]

Um... hate to break this to the enthusiastic previewer, but if the episodes each have 'choice' branches, then either the next episode assumes everyone took the popular branch (making it not much of a choice at all), or the workload explodes dramatically for subsequent episodes (having to support both story branches for every binary choice). Then you mix in contingent branching and maybe, you know, more than one choice - and pretty soon its an untenable mess.

Neat as episodic gaming has the potential to be - the story can't actually diverge. It's economically infeasible. Any divergence would have to be minor, and almost certainly wouldn't persist meaningfully for more than an episode or so.

[Az Syndicate]

Roc,

I think it can be done. KoTR did it pretty well. Also maybe just your "character" is affected. The Character gets attributes applied on how situations were handled.

Just guess's on my part.