In case you actually spent time working during the week and not, you know, reading Kotaku, hit the jump for a run down of what you may have missed from our Ubiday 07 and Nintendo Media Summit 07 coverage. Brian Crecente

Ubiday
Ubiday: Voice Controlled RTS, Tons of Vids
EndWar to be Voice Command RTS
Ubisoft Working on Beowulf
Dark Messiah Headed to Xbox 360
The Assassin's Creed Speech, Trailer
Tom Clancy's EndWar Impressions
Haze Impressions
Splinter Cell: Conviction Impressions
My Word Coach DS/Wii Impressions
Raymans Raving Rabbids 2
Jam Sessions Rocks My World
My Life Coach
Ubi's Games for Everyone
Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WW II
Justify Your Haze
Digital Beowulf Movie Shares Assets with Game
Settlers: Rise of an Empire
Naruto: Rise of the Ninja Q&A
New Hells Highway Clip
Surf's Up Gallery

Nintendo Media Summit
Reggie Confirms Big 3 for 2007
Nintendo Media Summit Schwag Bag
Boogie
Jam Sessions (Mike's Impressions)
Drawn to Life
Carnival Games
Brain Age 2 Impressions
Planet Puzzle League Impressions
Mario Strikers Charged Impressions
Gallery: Pokemon Battle Revolution
Picross DS Awesome Impressions
Gallery: Mario Party 8
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree Impressions

I had a chance to play around a little bit with the new Blazing Angels set to hit the Xbox 360 and PC this August at Ubiday. The game feels exactly like its predecessor which is both a good thing and a bad one. I really liked they way the last one felt and looked, but for some reason I ended up growing a little bored with it.

This time around the game gives you more than 50 planes to pilot including the Gotha Go 229, DH Vampire F Mk 1, Me-163 "Komet" and Meteor. The game will also feature some WWII experimental weapons, like high velocity cannons and self-guided missiles. All told there will be 18 missions set in places like Cairo, the Himalayas, the Swiss Alps and China. The game also sports free-for-all, co-op and squad-based multiplayer gaming for up to 16. Brian Crecente

Not only did I not give Rob Yescombe any notice before springing this Justify Your Game on him, but the guy had flown to the U.S. from the U.K. the day before and that morning had broken his toe walking around his hotel room. Despite the broken metacarpal and jetlag, Yescombe was in a fantastic mood, hobbling around the Ubisoft day of game bemoaning the fact that the cane in his hand wasn't topped with a giant silver skull. (I did point out that if he got the pimp cane US law requires he also purchase a hat with at least one feather in it.)

Being a screenwriter, Yescombe slammed this Justify home and without more than the time it took him to get a soda to rehearse. You gotta love Free Radical. Brian Crecente

It turns out that Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf will be entirely digital (as in Polar Express digital) meaning that the actual assets for the movie, not just some pictures but the actual digital content will be used to help create the video game.

"'Beowulf' is particularly well-suited for the video game format," adds Robert Zemeckis. "Not only does the film have a compelling story and strong visual style that will translate well into a game, but because the film is entirely digital, we are able to share our assets with Ubisoft. Audiences will be able to make a seamless transition between the film and the game."

Normally, I'd say that's just a bunch of crap coming from one more movie producer who doesn't really care what his film looks like when it hits a console, but I've got hope for this game. High hopes.

The film, and thus the game,will stars Ray Winstone in the title role and Anthony Hopkins as the corrupt King Hrothgar, as well as John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother.

Groundbreaking director Robert Zemeckis offers a vision of the "Beowulf" saga that has never been told before. In a time of heroes, the mighty warrior Beowulf slays the demon Grendel and incurs the wrath of its monstrous, yet seductive, mother in a conflict that transforms a king into a legend.

I hope the game does a better job of digging into the source material then do most high school classes on the subject, which tend to focus entirely on that battle with Grendel and never seem to touch on the before or the after.

Both the movie and the game are expected to hit this November. Brian Crecente

SAN FRANCISCO - May 24, 2007 - Ubisoft, one of the world's leading video game publishers, announced that it will develop and publish the video game based on Paramount Pictures' and Shangri-La Entertainment's "Beowulf," the upcoming feature film from Academy Award®-winning director Robert Zemeckis. Neil Gaiman & Roger Avary adapted the legend for the screen. The film is produced by Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke. The executive producers are Martin Shafer, Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman.

"Ubisoft is excited to be partnering with Paramount Pictures and Shangri-La, and the creative teams at ImageMovers, to leverage the 'Beowulf' movie assets and storylines and extend them into the interactive video game universe," said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft. "Ubisoft has quickly become an industry leader in creating high-quality movie-based video games that deliver a compelling experience to both casual and hardcore gamers alike."

Groundbreaking director Robert Zemeckis offers a vision of the "Beowulf" saga that has never been told before. In a time of heroes, the mighty warrior Beowulf slays the demon Grendel and incurs the wrath of its monstrous, yet seductive, mother in a conflict that transforms a king into a legend. "Beowulf" stars Ray Winstone in the title role and Anthony Hopkins as the corrupt King Hrothgar, as well as John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother. Paramount Pictures, in association with Shangri-La Entertainment, Presents an ImageMovers Production of a Robert Zemeckis film, "Beowulf."

"'Beowulf' is particularly well-suited for the video game format," adds Robert Zemeckis. "Not only does the film have a compelling story and strong visual style that will translate well into a game, but because the film is entirely digital, we are able to share our assets with Ubisoft. Audiences will be able to make a seamless transition between the film and the game."

"Robert Zemeckis and Ubisoft represent creative leaders in their fields and we're thrilled to be collaborating with exceptional filmmakers and game development talent," said Sandi Isaacs, Senior Vice President, Interactive & Mobile at Paramount Digital Entertainment. "We are confident the epic story of 'Beowulf' will not only translate in to a phenomenal movie, but also a compelling video game experience."

The game is expected to release in conjunction with the movie's planned opening in November 2007. Visit http://www.beowulfmovie.com for more information on the film.

Settlers: Rise of an Empire fits firmly into the category of the games Ubisoft used to make. Games like Rayman and Dogz, games I never liked and never will. For some reason, as much as I like RTS and city building titles, I just can't get behind Sellters. Someone convince me that I'm wrong. Go ahead, I dare ya. Brian Crecente

I still remember years ago when some PR guy called me up pitching a story about a new manga heading to the U.S. called Naruto. He said it was going to be huge here and wanted me to do a story about it. I passed, I thought there was no way it would do well here. Man I hate being that wrong about something.

Ever since that bad call, Naruto has continued to be a blindspot in my grasp on niche pop culture. I'm not sure why. That also holds true for the game. I had to quiz Fahey about the game before writing this. (Fahey informs me you can't swing an axe at an anime con without hitting a Naruto headband.)

I can see this about the game: I really like how they stuck to the cel-shaded look. I also like that it supports online play, though I wish is was co-op rather than this battlefield stuff.

Hit the jump to check out the game's official Q&A with questions asked in French, just to amp up the sexy I suppose. Brian Crecente

NARUTO Q&A UBIDAYS 2007

1. Pouvez-vous nous présenter rapidement Naruto ? l'histoire, l'univers, le personnage ?
Please give us a short overview on Naruto. What is the story behind it....?

Naruto is certainly the most important phenomenon in the manga / anime universe since the early days of Dragon Ball Z. The manga started years ago in Japan and then became an anime, and one of the most popular ever. Naruto is the story of a young Ninja who first gets rejected by the population of his village for having a monster sealed in himself. The whole story is the coming of age journey of this little boy who will - thanks to his tenacity and his big heart - gradually manage to become a great Ninja, accepted and respected by his community.

2. Qu'est ce qui justifie un tel engouement de la part des enfants pour ce dessin animé, Naruto et cette licence de façon générale ?
What is so cool about Anime? Why are kids so fascinated by Naruto and this license?

To me, Naruto is one of the best story and strongest fictional universes out there. Naruto universe is extremely strong and consistent and features also a large cast of well defined and moving characters. But maybe the deep reason for this success is that this story has a universal appeal: Naruto talks about the hardships that comes with childhood and adolescence, this difficulty that we all experience one day in being an imperfect young person and trying to get accepted by others. This little noisy and sometimes ridiculous Ninja manages to touch us because he certainly resembles what we all are - or have been - at times.

3. Comment avez-vous réussi à obtenir le droit de développer pour la 1ere fois un jeu Naruto par des occidentaux?
How did you succeed in obtaining the rights to work on the 1st Naruto game developed by an occidental team?

Part of the reason is certainly that Ubisoft is well-known for the high quality of its 'licensed' games. Games like King Kong for instance show that Ubisoft is aiming for the best possible quality on each of its licenses. Ubisoft Montréal is also known for its expertise on X360 (Splinter Cell, Rainbow 6 to name a few).
But the main reason is certainly that we demonstrated our passion for the manga and anime universe and for Naruto in particular. There is something unique in the anime that we are trying to capture through the gameplay we propose, and this certainly transpires since the early concepts we showed to our licensor.

4. Quel est vos relations avec les créateurs de l'anime ? les deux équipes collaborent-elles ?
What are your relationships with the creators of the anime? Is there any collaboration between the development team and the anime series team?

License holders in Japan do check and provide feedback not only on visual assets we create but also on the experience we are offering to the player; gameplay and storytelling elements. This is very useful for us as their deep knowledge of the franchise guaranties that every detail of the final game will be true to the franchise.

5. Quels sont les avantages de ce jeu par rapport aux jeux déja sortis dans l'univers de Naruto.
What are the qualities/key features of this game when compared to its competitors ?

Some very good games have already been release about Naruto. However, they almost all focus the entire experience on the fight; which is an important aspect of the franchise but is not the only one. We decided to focus our game on Naruto himself and his coming of age journey by offering a large variety of gameplay: fight of course but also RPG elements and platforming. We want to make the player feel he IS in the anime. For this we designed a huge city of Konoha that allows free roaming and supports a lot of interaction with its inhabitants. Fans will be able to recognize each building of this city and really feel as if they were Naruto, a young Ninja of the Village of the Leaves.

6. Comment avez-vous respecté l'univers originel ? Recréer le monde de Konoha a-t-il été difficile ?
How did you manage to respect the original content? How hard was it to recreate Konoha universe?

Yes - we set the bar very high in terms of universe. We wanted a huge Konoha city, completely open for the player. This means hundreds of buildings and tens of streets. We also wanted to propose all the environments you can see in the series outside of Konoha. And this, without loading times that would disrupt the experience.
This is only possible thanks to the X360 capacities. We now have a console powerful enough to get the player immerged in this perfectly recreated world - and a lot of efforts too J

7. Visuellement le jeu est aussi beau que l'anime, comment avez-vous pu mettre au point le cel shading ?
Visually the game is as impressive as the anime: what is the technology / engine behind the cel shading?

Yes - our objective is to be as close as possible to the anime. Cel shading really benefits from next gen: we now can use normal maps and complex lights to reproduce dynamic folds and shadows in clothing for instance. This was not possible with the previous generation of consoles. The rest is focused and detail oriented art direction J

8. Ce jeu va être le plus ambitieux des jeux Naruto jamais créé. Quel moyen avez-vous mis en place pour obtenir un tel résultat ?
This game should be the most ambitious Naruto game ever created. What is the key to obtain this kind of quality / result?

Absolutely. We really shot for the sky in conception. Then Ubisoft really gave us the time and the necessary resources to meet our ambitions. We have a large team - up to 90 talents - and an excellent technology. This gave us a lot of freedom to create the gameplay and environments we wanted.

9. Comment fonctionne le mode multi joueur ?
What does the multiplayer feature work?

There will be a VS mode on and off-line. The game will be playable on X-Box live, but I can not give more details right now.

10. Y aura-t-il une suite ?
Will there be a sequel?

The only thing I know is that we are all fans of Naruto, being able to work on this franchise was a dream for most of the team. But right now, we are concentrating on polishing the game for this fall! Bare with us for more info on a possible sequel!

I like how the video shows the effects gunfire has on a picket-fence. I hope the rest of the environment is as interactive. In general, I'm not really caring much about this particular generic World War II shooter. Brian Crecente

I was pretty psyched after I spoke with the team working on the Beowulf game, but I can't say the same for the game based on the Surf's Up movie.

The self-described "arcade surf-racing game" will be coming to the (takes a deep breath) Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, Playstation Portable, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 and PC.

The portable versions will let you play five different challenges (race, last bird surfing, time attack, last chance and bib Z challenge), support for up to eight person multiplay, The console versions will let you play as 10 different characters and supports split-screen multiplay.

The different versions of the game will be hitting starting in July and ending in October. Brian Crecente

I managed to get through about half of the impressions, videos and images I collected during the evening event earlier this month in San Francisco. Expect to see the rest tomorrow.

Here's what we've had so far:

Ubiday: Voice Controlled RTS, Tons of Vids
EndWar to be Voice Command RTS
Ubisoft Working on Beowulf
Dark Messiah Headed to Xbox 360
The Assassin's Creed Speech, Trailer
Tom Clancy's EndWar Impressions
Haze Impressions
Splinter Cell: Conviction Impressions
My Word Coach DS/Wii Impressions
Raymans Raving Rabbids 2
Jam Sessions Rocks My World
My Life Coach
Ubi's Games for Everyone

Expect tons more tomorrow.

I'm sorta kidding, but honestly, I don't have a lot of interest in DS games like Animalz Marine Zoo, Fashion Designer DS, and Horsez 2 DS. To be fair, Cosmic Family does look intriguing. The game, geared toward the kindergartener to first-grader group, it lets kids use the Wii remote to explore an interactive rocketship packed with more than 300 animations and sounds and 20 minigames. Brian Crecente

I've been telling people all week about how cool the concept is behind Ubisoft's upcoming title My Life Coach. Thing is, I'm still not 100 percent sure about how it works.

I do know that the game was created in conjunction with a behaviorist and that it's meant to teach you to make good decisions in life. I also know that you control the stick-figure main character through your own actions, that is to say he is meant to be a hastily drawn version of you.

From what I saw of the game, you create your character and then tell it things about your day, like what you ate and did. The game then has you make promises, like that you will walk the dog or eat a healthy meal, and actually gets you to sign a contract. I'd make an Ace Attorney joke here, but I'm not feeling it.

The same sort of goes for the game. It seems to me that there isn't quite enough there, there, if you know what I mean. Brian Crecente

They had me at Bob Dylan.

There I was sitting on the cusp of Ubisoft's annual pressfest, just feet away from a chocolate fountain, strumming my heart out to Like a Rolling Stone on a DS hooked up to a Marshall amp. Granted, the song isn't part of the guitar simulator for the DS, but it's pretty easy to program in your own songs.

The game does a pretty good job of simulating the sound made by playing chords on an electronic guitar. You use the touch screen and either the stylus or a guitar pick to strum a digital string and then hold the D-pad in one of eight directions to play a chord. It's very easy to pre-program your chords, but once you're into a song, you can't change the chords. You can also drop some effects into your jam session with the shoulder buttons.

The game will come with a setlist which will let you see the words for the song and the timing and notes to be played as you strum. Or you can program your own songs in and sort of wing it. The game also includes a built in metronome for those completely lacking in rhythm.

While jamming on a DS may sound unwieldy, it really wasn't. Granted, you have to sort of sit and prop the DS up on your knees or place it on a table, but at least it sounds cool. I think this could be the next big thing for the DS. Brian Crecente

I was a fan of the first Raving Rabbids, which was a bit of a shock to me because I've never really liked Rayman games, like any of them. This sequel looks like it will be every bit as fun as the first one. I didn't actually get a chance to play the game though, I was too busy talking to the EndWar and Beowulf folks.

Hit the jump for the very short, official press release about the game. Brian Crecente

RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS 2

The Rabbids strike again!

Those mischievous bunnies are back! In a hilarious sequel that is guaranteed to be even crazier and funnier than the first and with even more insane games to play. Let the party begin!

After having invaded the world of Rayman, the insane Rabbids have a new objective: THE INVASION OF PLANET EARTH! They have established their base in a nearby shopping mall and have just begun training for their nastiest scheme yet! As part of their training, the Rabbids must carry out several missions around the globe to prepare themselves for World Domination.

Rayman will now attempt to foil their plans by infiltrating their camp as one of them and hopefully stop this insanity!

Developed by Ubisoft, the game is scheduled for fall 2007.

I think My Word Coach has some serious potential. The collection of mini-games for the DS and the Wii test your vocabulary and spelling by having you use the touch screen or Wii remote to select definitions or finish out the spelling.

The DS version was a blast, I played through a spelling section (and did, well, predictably not so good) and the definition section, faring quite OK. The touch screen worked very well for completing the spelling of words and selecting the correct definitions.

The Wii version was a little harder to deal with. Using the remote to spell out letters isn't so easy because you have to literally draw them in the air. Fortunately, the game supports using the DS as your controller wirelessly, which is damn cool and worked quite well. Brian Crecente

In the latest Splinter Cell, Ubisoft is giving stealth action genre an interesting twist, forcing you to try and hide in public using something they call active stealth.

Essentially this means that instead of hiding behind walls or inside crates, you have to try to blend in with the civilians walking around you. The game, which takes place in North America, will allow you to use force, but the more force you use the greater the risk that you will be caught.

From what I saw of the 360 and PC game, it looks like a pretty neat system. I watched as a developer took Sam through his paces in Washington D.C., taking out a police officer by acting a little suspicious and then drawing the man behind a monument and stunning him.

The key to this new form of gameplay is improvisation, having to think on your feet rather than methodically plan out your approach and retreat.

It was different enough to capture my interest, but not so different that I think it will put off fans of the franchise. Hit the jump to read the official Q&A and see the trailer. Brian Crecente

TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION™

Could you introduce yourself and explain your role in the project?
MF- Mathieu Ferland, I'm senior producer on Conviction. My role is to support the producer and development teams with all high level issues they may encounter. I also closely monitor the Splinter Cell brand evolution, especially since Conviction is based on new core game play innovations and new setup.

On which platforms will Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction be available? MF- Conviction is Xbox 360 console exclusive and will also be available on PC.

When will the game be released?
MF- The game will be available for Christmas 2007.

Who is in charge of the development?
MF- The game is created and developed by previous SC's team in Ubisoft Montreal's studio. Once SCCT was completed, the team started the conception and R&D for Conviction. The benefits of working with a team having such a strong experience in regard to Splinter Cell's philosophy is high. For the first time, all multiplayer and online features are being completely developed in Montreal. Also, this experience is precious as we are changing some core game play mechanics but wanted to keep the true spirit of the franchise.

How is it linked with previous Splinter Cell? Is having played to Splinter Cell Double Agent mandatory to fully understand the storyline?
MF- This is a stand alone game and the surprising storyline is clear and consistent even if you haven't played previous games. However, Splinter Cell fans will recognize some interesting subtleties.

Could you introduce us with the main character?
Sam Fisher has evolved a lot through the first four games of the series. He used to be a soldier, then became a double agent where he had to make choices between opposing orders. Now, facing a new situation where he's a fugitive, he no longer acts upon order but has to trust and follow his own convictions.
In fact Sam is like us, as he got older, his beliefs and questioning are becoming more central. We are somehow in a similar situation, we grew up along Sam and our perception of the medium has changed: We want to mix our game play ambitions with a stronger narrative. Also, we wanted to share the vision we always had for Sam but that we couldn't fully explore while he was in "soldier obey order" setting.

How is the game structured?
MF- Because of the intense pacing of the game, we've changed the classic structure. It used to be based on a "per mission" walkthrough experience, which made sense with the situation of Sam Fisher. With Conviction, because there are many "turn around" and surprising situations, we've decided to develop "episodes." Episodes are shorter but you'll find much more of them in the game campaign. The major benefit to this new structure is to get through game play loop more often, get more feedback and reward from the game, and have more fun. You can play 15 minutes through en episode and get a complete experience, which was not possible in a mission based structure. Since the game is built over systems that change the experience each time you play, this provides a cool opportunity to replay an episode multiple times in different ways.

What are the weapons available? Will there still be very hi-tech weaponry?
MF- Once you've run away from Third Echelon, you need to find new resources on your own. Old friends and new contacts will be the key to get what you want on the black market. This lost of gadgets force Sam to rely more on his instinct, on his ability to detect important things and to focus on them based on his skills and vast experience as an agent. Game play mechanics have changed a lot in Conviction; weapons and gadgets needed to evolve as well and Sam's instinct remains an important influence.

As Sam seems to have dramatically changed, I suppose game play should have evolved the same... Could you tell us more? How this settlement will be different from previous episodes?
MF- Splinter Cell core mechanics used to rely on lights and shadows. This was the major innovation of the original Splinter Cell, supported by a new technology, a techno that was not possibly imaginable on previous consoles. One of the ambitions of SC team for Conviction, was to take the same opportunity of next gen consoles to provide game play that was not possible before. We wanted to keep the particular relationship the player was developing with his environment through his experience. Only, as a fugitive, the relation needed to be faster and player also needs to think faster. We call this new game play: "improvisation". This stealth relation with the environment remains an important factor; but tools and mechanics for the gamer are completely supporting this new fugitive context: you'll need more than just shadows to stay alive!

What are your ambitions behind such a drastic change of one the biggest franchise in the video-game industry?
MF- Our ambition is to propose a never seen before game play experience, supported by new technologies and new game philosophies. While we are very cautious about Splinter Cell universe and continuity in the brand, we wanted to change the core game play and be proactive to new opportunities in the industry. We also wanted to propose more fun, more quickly, and enlarge our fan-base by proposing an experience that is more accessible but not less exciting!

You are changing some core elements, how do you maintain the Splinter Cell Spirit.
MF: The first thing we did when we thought about rejuvenating the game play was making sure the core team would be made of long time veterans of Splinter Cell. We knew the strengths of our game play, as well as things we have always wanted to address. Basically, Splinter Cell has always been strong as it was very environment centric. When we developed the light and shadow game play, we offered the gamers a new approach, a new way to "read" and interact with their environment. I remember playing some FPS after long sessions of SCCT, and becoming really ineffective as my first reflex was to look for shadow in the game not to be seen... not a very efficient tactic when the system was not supporting this feature. ConViction will bring the same benefit, but this time through the dynamic environment. Just like when we were playing SC and looking for shadows in other games, we have realized that now, we are looking to interact and make some of our strategies in other games involving all the elements in the environment. Again, not the best strategy when the environment is not designed this way.
Splinter Cell has also always been on the "smart" side of the action adventure gaming. While we offer a more accessible experience with ConViction, playing with a strategic mind will always bring a richer experience to the gamers, be it through stealth techniques, or more action driven techniques. The player's ability to read effectively his environment in some tense situations will be key, just like it was in previous SC titles. You could have been going through SC pretty straight forward but SC fans experienced something different, trying to find hotspots for reverse break necks or alternate route to increase their experience. We will provide a very similar experience with ConViction, you can play the game in a very compelling way pretty straight forward, however if you want to invest more in the game, the bounty will be even higher.
Basically the main element that we changed is usage of "patience." We really wanted to push the player and provide another sense of Tension. While previous SCs were creating tension in the action (moving for a stealth kill) it was still based on patience and release of tension. We wanted to put pressure on the gamer and provide a more dynamic pace while preserving the strategic and environment driven approach. The fugitive concept, and the way we modified the tempo of the game are strongly and intrinsically tied.

Have you developed a special engine for this version?
MF- Yes and no. Many modules of the engine needed to be redesigned in order to support this new core game play. Since the Engine developed for SCCT was already proposing many next gen features, and because Splinter Cell engine evolved so much through years of experience, we wanted to maintain these knowledge and be more productive.

What are the specific technologies you developed for this episode? Are there any particular achievements you're proud of? On which basis do you consider that this Splinter Cell episode will be truly next-gen?
MF- Since lights and shadows are not the core game play for navigation; we needed to think of how a fugitive behaves. Basically, we've concluded that he needs anything he can use in the environment to survive, so we've developed a full dynamic environment. Being able to pick any object in the environment to use it as a weapon or as a defense tool is not an easy task when comes the time to deal with physics, animation, AI behavior and consistent lighting. Innovation needed to be part of these technical challenges and we made it happen. Changing an environment is a complex topic technically... but making this progression believable through AI and other component is a great achievement we're very proud of (more info about dynamic environment below).

Can you tell us more about the dynamic environment within the game? Are you using a specific engine, such as Ageia or Euphoria?
MF- In terms of middleware.
Havok - work closely for physics, but we developed our own animation & interaction system with physical objects.
We needed a very strong dynamic environment to sustain the fugitive experience we wanted to create. The fugitive's art is improvisation, and using his environment as an inventory is key to translate this art. We decided to create our own system to have maximum flexibility with our game intention, also as we are in a systemic environment (simulation), we needed to be able to have every component closely linked to the environment.

Did this technology bring specific challenges to the team? Which ones?
MF- To develop a dynamic environment that results in a new innovative game play, we needed to develop and merge many concepts.
Physic : the majority of objects are interactive and are part of the physic simulation. It's a huge challenge in term of processing power using one of three core of the Xbox 360 processor only for these computations.

For AI, we had to create a real dynamic navigation mesh for NPCs, so they can react to changes in the environment - triggered by the player or by other NPCs. For example, if you're moving an object, AI needs to detect the size of it and behave appropriately, either to avoid it or to walk over it.

As in previous SC games, all the lighting is dynamic. This time around however, we needed to develop a real time ambient occlusion module in order to maintain a high level of consistency and realism considering unpredictable changes in the dynamic environment.

As previously mentioned, a new animation module needed to be developed in order to appropriately attach our character movements to any moving object in the dynamic environment. In other words, we needed to develop a system to link IK technology and the information about every "picky up" point on objects to make the animations believable in such environment. We call this module the Handle System.

How far do you think you're going to take advantage of the Xbox 360 hardware?
MF- Being the second game of the franchise operating on the Xbox 360, our technical experience and knowledge improves everyday and this makes a difference in the results. Also, since Conviction is exclusive to X360, there is no need to think about specifications of other consoles and to develop common solutions. This freedom allows more flexibility and it surely shows more of what the Xbox 360 can really perform.

Do you have first information about the PC version?
MF- No, except there is a PC version. J

What about the multiplayer? Did you keep the spy VS merc game play?
MF- All Multiplayer concepts and functionalities will be revealed later, with detailed information on game modes.

Haze, Ubisoft's upcoming PS3 shooter that offers a more jaded view of future war, was actually playable at Ubiday earlier this month. There it was four consoles running the game in co-op mode, yes four. And all you needed to do was pick up the controller and a dev team member would zoink it right back out of your hands again with a deferential smile and an apology. Apparently, it was only playable if you worked on it, at least so far.

The game does look like a lot of fun, but what's different about it? Well for one, it's being developed by Free Radical and even Free Radical knows what sort of cache that carries with gamers. (A hapless reporter made the mistake of asking which Ubi studio one of the dev's worked at only to be treated to a "You think I work for Ubisoft don't you" and a hardy laugh.)

And the team famous for TimeSlpitters seems to be brining all of their skill and finesse to this latest project. First and foremost, a hopped up, and broken-toed Rob Yescombe tells me that the game is meant to challenge the way war is traditionally presented in video games including the morality of killing other people no matter the situation.

The game has you playing as a Mantel sergeant over a three-day period in a skirmish with guerrilla soldiers in South America. As a Mantel soldier you have high-tech weapons, vehicles and a nutritional supplement called NECTAR. Yescombe wasn't really clear on how Nectar boosts your fighting abilities, but it does. It also, apparently has some major drawbacks, something he also didn't want to quite get into yet.

Yescombe did talk up the game's lack of loading and missions select screens. Instead, he said, it's one long seamless experience. The multiplayer gaming features both drop-in, drop-ou cooperative play in the main campaign and the more traditional multiplayer maps which are tied together with a story of their own.

Free Radical also decided to develop their own engine for the game something that's a bit too early to spot in what assets we've been given so far.

Hit the jump for the official Q&A. Brian Crecente

HAZE Q&A with Rob Yescombe, Script Writer; Derek Littlewood, Team Leader and Steve Ellis, Director of Free Radical

When will the game HAZE be available?

[DL] HAZE will release in fall 2007.

Who is developing the game?
[DL] HAZE is being developed by Free Radical Design - the company behind the critically acclaimed TimeSplitters series. Ubisoft is the publisher of HAZE.

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers, and tell us what your function is involving HAZE?

[DL] My name is Derek Littlewood, and I'm Project Lead of HAZE. Also answering questions are Steve Ellis, who is a Director of Free Radical, and our Screenwriter Rob Yescombe.

What is the storyline?

[RY] In 2048 there is no more NATO, no more UN. In a bid to reduce their national debts, most Western governments outsource their military requirements to Mantel Global Industries - a huge multi-national corporation with their own private army for hire. As a company, Mantel has concerns in everything from plastics to petrol, engines to computers. They are involved in providing the materials or designs for nearly every aspect of modern life. However, in this story, we focus on two of their primary businesses: their armed forces, and their biomedical support systems.

Guerrilla soldiers in a region of South America have overthrown the government. Mantel is called in to deal with the problem - to restore democracy to this war-torn land. To make things easier for their soldiers, Mantel's biomedical department has developed a 'nutritional supplement' called 'Nectar' that enables the troops to fight harder and smarter.

You play as Sergeant Shane Carpenter - a good man, with good intentions. With all the best equipment, tactics and support, Mantel soldiers have it easy.

HAZE is set over a three-day period during the war. These few days will change the life of Shane Carpenter forever.

How did you first come up with the concept of the game, and how has this concept changed as development progressed?

[DL] Free Radical is renowned for innovation in First Person Shooters - and HAZE will continue this trend. We have honed our skills in delivering action-packed gameplay, and with HAZE we will be wielding all our experience and making sure that we bring something particularly exciting to the table.

From the birth of the concept for HAZE, one of our chief priorities has been to deliver a genuinely moving and emotional experience - but never at the expense of the gameplay. The narrative is packed with rounded characters, each suffering or succeeding in their own human journey.

Our Art Team is the envy of the games industry. Our guys are world-class, and HAZE has provided the perfect forum for them to step out from the trademark art style of TimeSplitters and to really show what they can do. The realism of the environments in HAZE is really going to blow you away.

The game is definitely very close to our original intention. So in terms of development, our ongoing task has simply been to find as many intelligent ways to facilitate that action/emotion experience as possible. Ubisoft's input has been invaluable thanks to their own experience in creating tactically rich, narrative-led experiences.

What are your ambitions with this new franchise?

[DL] We want to redefine the intensity and variety of emotions a player can experience in an action FPS. We want HAZE to become the definitive next-gen shooter and maintain Free Radical's reputation for developing some of the best games in the world.

How will it differ from other next gen shooter games within the Ubisoft titles and within the competitors?

[DL] HAZE takes a unique and challenging point of view on the presentation of war in videogames. The themes of the narrative cover dangerous topics - the ethics of war as entertainment; how we absolve ourselves from the responsibility of shooting another human being, just because we're told to. It's edgy stuff.

I can't say too much about it even at this stage, but it asks questions and raises issues that are worth debating long after you've finished the game. Visually, HAZE will certainly set a new benchmark, but we believe it will also set a precedent for the quality of writing that we believe should exist in the next generation of games.

HAZE is jam-packed with fresh gameplay concepts - Mantel provides a top-of-the-line high-tech combat package, including the latest ballistic weaponry, vehicles and explosives. However, the jewel in the crown is NECTAR, "a bio-medically engineered nutritional supplement"which enhances the performance of Mantel's troops.

Nectar provides you with distinctive fighting abilities that are key to your success as a Mantel Trooper. We meticulously developed these 'Nectar Abilities' through carefully analyzing how players approach First Person Combat - you'll see them in the gameplay demo!

As Mantel will tell you, Nectar is great! But between you and me, it has some unnerving drawbacks that the Promise Hand has been known to take advantage of...

It seems that there are still lots of mysteries un-revealed, what are you guys hiding?

[DL] Plenty! There's more to HAZE than meets the eye, and there's certainly more to Mantel too. In fact, every aspect of the game holds a surprise, secret or twist - the storyline, the gameplay, the graphics. Nothing is safe!

I can't say too much about this yet, but there is a dark underbelly to Nectar too. It's influence can get unpleasant if used improperly...

Who do you embody?

[RY] Sergeant Shane Carpenter - a young soldier with his heart set on doing the right thing.

Will the player be able to play different characters?

[DL] The single-player experience is all through Shane's eyes. But in multiplayer, you and up to three buddies can play through the main narrative in co-op.

Who are the main enemies in this game?

[RY] The rebels group, known as 'The Promised Hand', are led by a vicious would-be dictator called Gabriel 'Skin Coat' Merino.

Merino earned his nickname thanks to the coat he is said to wear - made from the flayed skins of his POW camp inmates.

How does the player progress through the game? Is it one seamless world, a series of levels, etc?

[DL] It's a completely seamless experience - no loading screens, no missions select screens. This was a core aim from very early on in the project, because we're trying to create a realistic, immersive game world - and there are no loading screens in real life, my friends! We wanted to give the player a real sense of continuity throughout the game, so rather than simply jumping from one location to another, you'll catch a ride in a Mantel vehicle to get there instead. Think of it as a road movie through a war.

What weapons and devices are available to the player to execute the mission?

[DL] Mantel manufactures a wide range of technologically advanced ordnance, all of which will be available to you as you play through the game. Thanks to their extensive biomedical support you'll also benefit from regular Nectar administrations, making you the strongest and most powerful soldier on the battlefield.

Can you give details on the various online features available?

[DL] First up we've got cooperative play through the main campaign. This has always been a feature we felt added real replay value to the TimeSplitters games so we were really keen to retain it in HAZE. Besides, any gamer and their friends interested in coop will be in for a treat with HAZE - which is why we're offering for the first time in the FPS world a real, entire 4 player coop mode ! It means that the single player campaign is entirely playable with 3 of your online buddies. Cherry on the cake is : you can jump in and out of your friend's game seamlessly.

We've also got a variety of objective-based multiplayer maps that will support a great numbers of players online. The really cool thing about these is that they aren't just standalone experiences - each is objective based, with its own miniature story that ties into the main narrative of the game.

How is it to develop on PS3? What can you do with this console that you couldn't do with previous-gen consoles?

[SE] It's great. Working on PS3 has allowed us to create vastly superior environments that verge on photorealism - full-screen effects, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and obscenely complex shaders. Its more challenging than ever before, but the power is greater than anything else that's out there.

Why did you choose to develop your own engine rather than license something like the Unreal engine?

[SE] Developing a next-gen engine is no easy task, but we wanted to be completely in control of the games that we are making rather than having to put up with limits that were imposed by a third party. After we finished our previous-gen development, we threw away everything, and set about creating the ultimate next-gen engine and toolchain, designed to meet our needs from a technical and artistic point of view, and fit in with our development pipeline. I think the results speak for themselves, and Haze is just the beginning.

How about parallelism? Does the engine support multiple processors?

[SE] Yes, it has to. The architectures of PS3, X360 and high-end PC's are fairly different, but they all have one thing in common - parallel processing. The challenge for us has been in designing a solution that will work well across the platforms.

What is your experience with next-generation development? Is it harder or easier than previous generations?

[SE] It's much more expensive, and much harder on many levels. From a management point of view, trying to get 100+ people to share the same vision and all pull in the same direction is harder. From a development point of view, the quality bar that we are aiming for means that everyone has to produce better work than they ever have before. Of course that is harder.

Have you encountered any significant design or technology hurdles during development, or perhaps have some entertaining anecdotes?

[SE] There are always design and technology hurdles when making a game - some days it seems like that's all there is! Parallel programming is fairly new territory, so that has been a challenge. Other unexpected challenges have been in dealing with the vast quantities of data that is now involved in developing a game. We've had to create several fairly complex distributed systems for things as diverse as lightmap generation, asset conversion, compiling the code, and even our backup system - a bespoke linux-based system that provides instant access to over 50 terabytes of data in over 1 billion files. An entertaining anecdote? Our AI characters used to be able to bounce grenades off 5 different walls to land directly at your feet. The challenge has been in making them fallible.

The single most exciting and surprising thing to come out of Ubiday earlier this month was news that EndWar is going to use voice command to try and deal with the problems that inevitably crop up when bringing a real-time strategy game to the console.

I had a chance to see the official trailer and talked for quite a bit with one of the developers for the game, but unfortunately the game wasn't actually on hand to see in action.

The most important question, of course, is how will the voice command work because if that's flawed you might as well toss the whole game in the trash.

The developer told me that the voice command will use a series of simple, easy to remember words to let you issue commands on the fly to your units. He called it strategy at the speed of thought. The software the company is using has been thoroughly tested with very few mistakes, I was told, and of course it is still in development.

The team has tested the game with several languages and several accents without running into problems and they hope to ship it in a single SKU, meaning that all of those languages and accents will be packed into one game.

While the biggest news about the game is the voice control, the team is also taking an interesting approach to graphics. They told me they want the game to look more like Madden than Command & Conquer, with a close over the shoulder view. The team said they felt it was very important that the genre be brought into the 3D world much like Knights of the Old Republic and Grand Theft Auto did for their genres.

Finally, the game will have a massive multiplayer persistent online campaign running at all times. The way it was explained to me is that the battles fought online for one side or the other will be constantly tallied and translated into the overall military successes of both sides of the war. This will, in turn, result in real-time shifting of battle lines. The goal, they told me, is to have a single instance, instead of multiple wars running in parallel.

I also asked about the unit types the game would feature. While not all of Tom Clancy's franchises would fit into a World War III game, the developers are trying to make sure the ones that do will make an appearance. So, in other words, you can expect Ghost Recon, but probably not Rainbow Six.

Everything I was told sounded very impressive and I think this game has enormous potential, especially with different franchises they can cherry pick from, but of course, as with all real-time strategy games, it's going to boil down to how it plays, how it feels, whether they strike the right balance, and in this case, whether that voice command actually works.

I'll keep my fingers crossed. Hit the jump for the game's official timeline. Brian Crecente

Global Timeline

2011: SLAMS Treaty Signed
The United States and the European Union sign the historic SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield) Treaty, agreeing to co-develop technologies for comprehensive, interlocking anti-ballistic missile systems comprising dozens of space-based laser satellites, land-based interceptor missiles, and aircraft-mounted lasers. Left out in the cold, Russia accelerates development of its own land-based ABM systems.

2014: "The End of Nuclear War"
SLAMS goes live. The world watches as the US and EU launch test salvos against each other. The results are extraordinary: each nation's missile shield destroys 100% of the "dummy" missiles fired against it. The US and EU governments pronounce the End of Strategic Nuclear War, and on both sides of the Atlantic, crowds celebrate the advent of a new age of peace and security.

2015: Energy Crisis
Like toppling dominos, several major oil companies admit to having "overstated" recoverable oil reserves. For weeks the price of oil spikes to $200 dollars per barrel, and stock markets in New York, London, and Tokyo sink to their lowest values in 30 years. With world-wide energy production slumping, "energy security" becomes the explicit priority of governments around the world. Only Russia, already the number-one supplier of oil and natural gas in the world, benefits from the energy crisis, spending its surging coffers of petrodollars on a revitalized, technologically-sophisticated military.

2016: Birth of the European Federation
Largely in response to the ongoing energy crisis, nearly all of the EU's member states ratify the European Constitution and unite as a single national entity known as The European Federation (EF). The UK declines federation, but retains close economic and diplomatic ties.

2017: Standoff in Ukraine
Seeking to expand its territorial holdings, Moscow succeeds in pressuring Belarus to join the Russian Federation. Ukraine, however, refuses to knuckle under, and in a controversial referendum votes to apply for candidate status with the European Federation. Civil conflict (purportedly fomented by Russian agents) erupts and EF Enforcers rush in to restore order. Russia responds by rolling three tank divisions across the border and shutting down Europe's supply of oil and natural gas via the trans-Belarus and -Ukraine pipelines. After a tense standoff, all sides agree that Ukraine will retain independence for five years and then hold another referendum. Foreign forces withdraw, but an air of mutual distrust remains.

2018: The New Frontier
The United States announces plans to put the "Freedom Star," a massive space station co-administered by NASA and the US Air Force Space Command, into high orbit by 2020. This multi-purpose installation combines civilian projects such as alternative energy laboratories with military capabilities (defensive systems to protect the station against attack from anti-satellite missiles, and barracks capable of housing up to three companies of "space marines" able to deploy anywhere on Earth within 90 minutes). International reaction to this "American Aircraft Carrier in Space" is very negative.

2020: NOW
Three of the Freedom Star's modules have already been assembled in orbit. All that remains to be launched are the barracks and laboratory modules. Despite international protests, the US vows to go forward with the launch of Freedom-IV as scheduled.

Yes, the speech leading up to the new Assassin's Creed video was exceptionally boring, almost as boring in fact, as that remix trailer turned out to be hot. Unfortunately, that was the only taste of the game we got at Ubiday. The one bit of hard news? Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will be playable at this year's E3. Finally! Brian Crecente

Because the game has faired so very well on the computer (yes, that's sarcasm), Ubisoft decided to bring Dark Messiah of Might & Magic over to the Xbox 360.

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Elements will include new content, and hopefully something that deals with the balance issues that, I think, killed off some of the potential of the Might & Magic first-person shooter for the PC. Brian Crecente

Ubisoft quietly announced that they have penned a deal with Paramount to work on a game based on the upcoming Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf movie expected to hit this holiday.

The movie, and thus the game, will be based on the epic poem of the same name and stars Angelina Jole and Anthony Hopkins, both of whom have signed on to appear in the game as well. Better still, much better, is the fact that the adaptation of the adaptation will be developed by the same French team who worked on Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.

Sounds like I'm going to have to dust of my Seamus Heaney copy of the book. I can't wait to play, not listen, to the lays of the victories of warriors. Brian Crecente