The Chronicles of Riddick

It came as more [i]or[/i] less surprise for us to discover that a follow-up to Pitch Black, the 2000 sci-fi action flick starring a then-unknown Vin Diesel, is in the works for this summer It was also of recent origins to us recently that Vivendi Universal Games is publishing an Xbox-exclusive first-person title based upon the movie series. These sum of two units discoveries, however, were like a globule in the ocean compared to the collision we had waiting for us when the first media was revealed. Heavens, this game gazes good. Really good. Like, top-of-the-Xbox-heap beneficial And just like that, what should have been just another ho-hum movie license has morphed into individual of the most promising Xbox titles of the summer

How did this happen, exactly? You might be able to glean a ball of thread or two from this interview with Riddick game farmer Lars Johansson, kindly provided to us by dint of VU Games. Johansson works for Starbreeze, a Euro outfit who created worship hit Enclave for consoles a while back. They're a fairly talented hunch and they'll need all the talent they have for Riddick -- not at any time had one game tried to combine a movie theme with like cutting-edge technical wizardry. It's individual to keep an eye upon

1UP: Please describe your game in 100 words.

Lars: Riddick is a first somebody action/stealth/adventure hybrid that serves as a prequel to the couple Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. The game is about the criminal anti-hero Riddick and his escape from Butcher Bay -- where you'll learn by what means he got his eyes shined by dint of the mysterious Pope Joe -- and you'll proper characters that go on to appear one as well as the other in Pitch Black and in The Chronicles of Riddick. At the same time, Riddick will feature a certain number of of the most advanced cheer technology to date, including powerful use of normal mapping and per-pixel shading/dynamic lighting.

1UP: What has the team worked upon before?

Lars: Its bonny much the same team that worked upon Enclave. Some of the team members also worked upon our first game, Outforce, which was for the PC

1UP: What were your influences in the production of the game?

Lars: I'm the farmer on the development side. From the beginning of the shoot forward my priority has been to make certain that Riddick is an amazing game and that it advances out on time! I manage the team here at Starbreeze and deal with all the publisher communications with VU Games. I make assured that Starbreeze and VUG are in the same bight at all times. I also deal with many of the minor tasks that support the team.

1UP: by what mode long has the game been in development?

Lars: Almost sum of two units years.

1UP: What novel gameplay concepts or technology features does the title offer?

Lars: In boundarys of gameplay, Riddick offers a hybrid of several genre We have fast paced action, stealth, adventure/exploration, and we've created a true unique first-person melee fighting mechanic. In confines of technology, Riddick will be using more [i]or[/i] less of the most advanced encourage technology to date. The game will utilize an amazing amount of normal mapping, rag-doll physics, per-pixel shading/dynamic lighting, and many of the other features that are making Doom 3 Halo 2 and Half-Life 2 of the like kind anticipated games.

1UP: by what mode do you plan to recreate the atmosphere of the movie in the game?

Lars: Riddick ties heavily into the growing Pitch Black/Chronicles of Riddick universe. Actors from the pair films are lending their talents for the game, and the game itself is told as a prequel to one as well as the other films -- diving deep into the back story of Riddick himself. We run over the story of Riddick before Pitch Black and before The Chronicles of Riddick. We explore things like in what manner Riddick got his eyes shined and his relationship with the munificence Hunter Johns.

1UP: What's been the greatest in quantity difficult factor in the game's production?

Lars: It's a challenge to make a movie game, because there are thus many people involved in the proces Story, script, likeness, moulds design, and pretty much everything extremitys to go through several channels, and this can be true time consuming. It takes a fate of coordination to keep things upon track. But players will definitely be delighted with the pay-off! From a technical standpoint, we started to disentangle the new technology as production upon the game started. This meant that the contented we produced early in the cast had to be re-built later upon We weren't able to focus upon final content from day single which meant lots of throw-away time. Also, when dealing with R&D there are things upon paper that don't always work on the outside the way you hoped in implementation. Trial and error is something that should always be accounted for.

1UP: Who do you await the game to appeal to?

Lars: Anyone who wants to experience the greatest in quantity innovative game on the Xbox! Riddick is going to tender a lot of interesting gameplay, great production values, and bleeding-edge technology. It'll be sport for anyone. Action and stealth fans, especially, should really derive pleasure from it. At the same time, no individual has to see the movies to play the game -- it's a self-contained story, and a advantageous one too!

1UP: The Chronicles of Riddick is the prequel to Pitch Black. For those that may not be familiar with the series please can you explain a little of the plot?

Lars: The game beings with Riddick's arrival at Butcher Bay, the greatest in quantity notorious prison in the galaxy. Butcher Bay is a triple-max correctional facility, and Riddick is sent there for reasons unexplained. The prison itself is divided into three different security ratings. upon the surface we have the Max facilities, below ground is the Double Max, and finally, the "Tower" has the highest security rating in the whole universe -- the Triple Max classification. Riddick's single goal is to bust without and escape from this hellhole. It's all about getting without and players will find that Riddick is not alone a talented escape artist, on the other hand simply the best at what he does.