Shiny + The Collective = Double Helix

Merger powers activate! The developers formerly known as Shiny and The Collective are taking the shape and form of Double Helix, as the combined studios have joined together to form a singular "large-scale, multi-platform licensed games" developing entity. You may not know them by name, but you've surely played (or derided) some of their games. Shiny was responsible for things like The Matrix: Path of Neo, Earthworm Jim and MDK, with The Collective handling dev work on Mark Ecko's Getting Up and Silent Hill V.

Now, when Silent Hill V ships and you hate it with every fiber of your being, you'll know who to curse! The more you know...

Shiny Name Officially Dead [Next-Gen]

6:40 PM on Thu Mar 27 2008
By Michael McWhertor
1,281 views
22 comments

Comments

Witzbold at 07:07 PM on 03/27/08
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While I have 0 hopes for SH V turning out good, Id be very greatful if they ever decided to bring back EWJ or MDK. ;D
Polywhirl at 07:11 PM on 03/27/08
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I don't get it. Double Helix?
Activision+Blizzard=ActivisionBlizzard
EA+Anyone=EA
Bioshock+Pandemic=EA (Well, after being bought)

Who are they to shake up a given formula?
When you merge, you simply squish the two names together. I don't want any creativity from my game makers.
[/sarcasm off]
Rebelphoenix83 at 07:27 PM on 03/27/08
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Bioshock wasn't the studio you twit. also they really need to bring back Earthworm Jim, the only good idea shiny has ever had.
Michael McWhertor at 07:36 PM on 03/27/08
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@Rebelphoenix83: Woah. Easy!
7ucky at 07:37 PM on 03/27/08
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Ha! What a great PSA. Also can anyone who made Earthworm Jim be all that bad?
超外人 at 07:41 PM on 03/27/08
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Wow earthworm jim. I give them major props for MDK. Other than that, bleh... So basically, they were good in the past, like Rare, and now they are going downhill? >_>
Witzbold at 08:14 PM on 03/27/08
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@超外人: Hell yeah, MDK was awsome for its time. Also though it was so fucking hard. D:

But man like EWJ that game had some serious personality. :D
holy_cow at 08:23 PM on 03/27/08
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@ Polywhirl: You mean Bioware + Pandemic + EA = EA. I get your point, though.
(this is the second post - the 1st got lost)
egghead329 at 08:24 PM on 03/27/08
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@Polywhirl: The Shiny Collective?
egghead329 at 08:34 PM on 03/27/08
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@Polywhirl: The Shiny Collective?
mAaron at 08:46 PM on 03/27/08
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i was playing the Path of Neo game a month or so ago...

it was a painful experience, but mostly because it could have been decent if they'd just developed for the 360 instead...

textures and bumpmaps popping and snapping all over the place...terrible clipping...

sound issues were rampant...

almost enough to make a Native American dramatically shed one solitary tear
mindscienceofthemind at 09:06 PM on 03/27/08
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The Collective has a turnover rate around that of a slaughterhouse.
opt2not at 09:46 PM on 03/27/08
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Don't forget that before the Mark Ecko's Getting Up train wreck and The Da Vinci Code redonkulousness, The Collective made some decent action titles like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, and Star Wars: Episode III. Both games were solid action games IMO. Unfortunately most of the original devs that worked on those games have most likely moved onto other studios. Both of these companies are "has-beens" looking to kindle a collaborative effort to get back into the swing of things. I think it's a great situation for both studios really.

@Witzbold: Another EWJ game that had the charm of the original would be sweet! But I believe Atari still owns the rights to EWJ. Having a new EWJ made by Double Helix would be a waste anyways since pretty much all the original developers have left Shiny for quite some time.

I found an old article on IGN about the rumor of the original creators "might be getting together" to create a new EWJ. It has some interesting info on where they are now, and the status of the EWJ license:
[xbox360.ign.com]
mindscienceofthemind at 11:07 PM on 03/27/08
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@opt2not: I think you got Getting Up and Episode III mixed up, the former was decent (I agree with Gerstmann's 8.6) and the latter was awful.
Witzbold at 11:21 PM on 03/27/08
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@opt2not: EWJ and MDK were 2 games that while they totally kicked my ass I loved every minute of it!

Good characters in both series and its a shame that they still have not been brought back to life by the creators. D:
Americo at 07:42 AM on 03/28/08
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I wouldn't have known until I looked it up on Wikipedia. Anything involving Shiny has to be bad. That's their golden rule or something.
Kikou-Shou at 08:07 AM on 03/28/08
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Isn't Double Helix, and that symbol for that matter, the same as the team who wrote the "decline of video games" on newgrounds?
mrrobsa at 08:17 AM on 03/28/08
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Anything which sees those Shiny guys making new games is good news to me. In my opinion they have created many polished and/or innovative games and I'm a big fan of MDK, Earthworm Jim, Wild 9, Sacrifice, RC Stunt Copter, and Path of Neo (Probably the best multiple character fighting engine I've ever tried).
Two thumbs up. Can't say I remember seeing 'The Collective's name tied to anything I've enjoyed. Anyone?
neojam at 09:13 AM on 03/28/08
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Shiny used to be great back in the days, but i haven't heard anything good about them afterwards...And if i remember it correctly MDK2 was developed by someone else.

The whole games list of The Collective on the other hand pretty much sucks (da Vinci code anyone?), with "Mark Ecko's Getting Up" & "Buffy" being the best games they could come up with (which imho, were both mediocre games)... So i will be really surprised, if SH5 won't suck, but the chances aren't looking good.
elusivectw at 11:42 AM on 03/28/08
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Here's a pretty cool mini-documentary over the history of Shiny Entertainment:

[www.gametap.com]
Kamizzle at 12:12 PM on 03/28/08
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I love Shiny, Dave Perry was my childhood hero (seriously, in all seriousness)
I loved everything they did, from Alladin to MDK and the Collective's Buffy and Indiana Jones games for the Xbox are phenomenal!

I will love Double Helix like a God.
Thorax at 01:18 AM on 03/30/08
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@Witzbold: Werne't they going to make a new one for the PSP? What happened to that?