Eurogamer Expo Sessions: Sucker Punch presents inFAMOUS 2
Darren Bridges discusses exclusive Expo reveals.
Eurogamer Expo 2010 isn't just for you lot to get your grubby mitts on the best games. It's for high profile game developers to bust out world exclusive reveals on the biggest games. One such developer is Sucker Punch, and one such game is inFamous 2.
Fresh from his developer session at the Expo (we actually chatted to him before hand - don't tell anyone) inFamous 2 game designer Darren Bridges sat down with Eurogamer to go in depth on Sucker Punch's Eurogamer Expo 2010 reveals.
You're getting the first worldwide release of the first cut-scene, Welcome to New Morais. You're getting at least four new melee finishing moves, which completes our close-combat messaging. You're getting all the all-new FX camera and electricity effects for the inFamous 1 and inFamous 2 powers, including parkour in I1.
All these videos were shot in new neighbourhoods, so you're getting first looks at the Slums and Cemetery. All of you guys who want to play the game will be playing a new section of the game that hasn't been played before, and first hands-on with that.
Because you haven't seen them. As far as presentation-wise, it focuses on our closer-combat messaging. In I1 we concentrated on our long range. I think we got it down. I think people are having fun with it. But while they were playing it we noticed a lot of people would go in for close-range combat.
In I1 we basically just had hands and feet doing kicking motions, stuff like that. Now we've got a whole new presentation level. It's all about upgrading the presentation, getting it more physical, more visceral.
If it's not physically presentable, if it's not making you feel super-powered, it's not going in there. For example, there's a jab of the amp into somebody, doing 360 spins in the air and slamming them into the ground, or climbing up on the body, going up ten feet, bringing the amp down on their head. Those are some examples of the finishing moves.
It's just very visceral, very presentation style, cinematic style. The cool factor, basically.
I like to think of it as an additional area of interactivity. You have the powers you can use. But we're going to put certain situations in the game - I'm sure our game designers are good enough to put some stuff where the melee in close section would work out and make you do it.
It's more than just karate chops and kicks now. It's more presentable. It gives you the feeling. It's more experience level rather than just eye candy, if you will.
inFamous 1 was basically Empire City. You had three islands but they were all pretty similar in nature, where you were in a very urban area.
With New Morais we're going down to, I like to say a loosely based version of New Orleans. More so than saying it's New Orleans, it's an environment that allowed us to get variety, to make sure the neighbourhoods didn't all look the same.
Previously we've released a little bit of the historic district, which looks a little bit like inFamous 1. Then we went into the swamps a little bit. Now, the slums are a very distinct look, and they're next to the swamps. So it's more of a transitional neighbourhood state.
When you're in a different neighbourhood this time, you will be in a different neighbourhood. It will feel like a different neighbourhood. It'll act like a different neighbourhood. The graveyard cemetery slash thing is exactly what you're envisioning in your head right now: a bunch of mausoleums, a bunch of crypts on top. It allows for that close combat fighting.