Post by Shadow on Dec 23, 2002 21:49:52 GMT -5
From IGN Xbox:
Halo 2 and Project Gotham Racing 2 Announced!
Get the first details and screens of the hottest Xbox sequels on the calendar.
August 08, 2002 - The wait is finally over. This morning at its X02 press event in New York, Microsoft confirmed what gamers had suspected since the release of its killer launch titles, Halo and Project Gotham Racing, last November.
Sequels to each franchise are indeed on the way.
The corporate juggernaut has officially announced that both Halo 2 and Project Gotham Racing 2 are indeed in development and that both will be running online through the company's Xbox Live service. Halo 2 is currently slated for a holiday 2003 release, while Project Gotham Racing 2 will hit the streets sometime afterward in early 2004. And did we mention that they'll both be online? Oh yes, this news makes us quite happy.
Each title will be resurrected by its respective former development studio. Bungie will handle the code to bring the Master Chief back to gamers for more Covenant ass kicking, while Bizarre Creations will do the same for its slick street racer.
Of course, Microsoft promises that Halo 2 will be both bigger and more ferocious than ever before, with intense second-generation visuals and more space marine combat than you can shake a pulse rifle at. Take a look at these first screens from the trailer screened at the X02 event earlier this morning (the same trailer that will eventually be released by Microsoft for online downloading soon). While no official comments were made, the images appear to be taken from real-time in-game cut scenes of the title, which is running on a brand-new, finely tuned engine sporting awesome new lighting effects. Check out the texture design on Master Chief's gun, for example and marvel at how Bungie pulls off that "worn" metal look on his armor.
"Our code squeezes every drop of power out of the Xbox," said one of Halo 2's engineering leads, Chris Butcher. "We're doing dynamic lighting and shadows, per-pixel everything, rendering gigantic, lush environments. The graphical features we're using are so advanced we don't even have buzzwords for them yet."
Although story and gameplay details are still secretive, it was revealed that the Master Chief will return, armed to the teeth with brand new weaponry, and will have even more drivable vehicles to at his disposal throughout his new missions. Brand new Covenant forces will also join the mix, in addition to some new foes that are still under wraps at this point. Fans who experienced the original can already begin to imagine what kind of thrills the future may hold with the sequel.
Perhaps the biggest lure to Halo 2 will again be the multiplayer aspect -- this time both online and split-screen. Lead designer Jaime Griesemer comments, "we still have the multiplayer game-types that people loved in Halo, but we're planning something special for multiplayer in Halo 2. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but imagine the essential Halo single-player experience: pitched battles between the humans and the Covenant, massive vehicle and infantry engagements. Now imagine that every combatant is an actual person playing over Xbox Live!"
Project Gotham Racing 2 also returns with a serious upgrade -- how do you like the sound of fully licensed Ferrari and Porsche autos? We find it quite tasty, indeed. The game will pack over 50 vehicles altogether, allowing racers to continue burning rubber and earning Kudos in all new ways. New racing venues include foreign locales such as Scottland, Edinburgh, and Hong Kong. A new ranking system is also under development, allowing racers to be more accurately rated against each other online beyond a simple Kudos comparison
Microsoft Vice President of Xbox Game Content, Ed Fries, had this to say about the announcement: "There's only one thing better than announcing a sequel to a million-seller, and that's announcing sequels to two 1-million-unit-selling games. Our Halo and Project Gotham Racing franchises have redefined the shooter and racing categories around the world with innovation, great gameplay and pure fun. Halo 2 and Project Gotham Racing 2 will build on these legacies with awesome new features and the thrill of playing anyone anywhere using Xbox Live."
Considering how great the first two titles were, we definitely agree with Mr. Fries -- both titles hold great promise for the Xbox online crowd.
Stay tuned as IGN Xbox continues to update today from the big event in New York.
xbox.ign.com/articles/367/367129p1.html
Halo 2 and Project Gotham Racing 2 Announced!
Get the first details and screens of the hottest Xbox sequels on the calendar.
August 08, 2002 - The wait is finally over. This morning at its X02 press event in New York, Microsoft confirmed what gamers had suspected since the release of its killer launch titles, Halo and Project Gotham Racing, last November.
Sequels to each franchise are indeed on the way.
The corporate juggernaut has officially announced that both Halo 2 and Project Gotham Racing 2 are indeed in development and that both will be running online through the company's Xbox Live service. Halo 2 is currently slated for a holiday 2003 release, while Project Gotham Racing 2 will hit the streets sometime afterward in early 2004. And did we mention that they'll both be online? Oh yes, this news makes us quite happy.
Each title will be resurrected by its respective former development studio. Bungie will handle the code to bring the Master Chief back to gamers for more Covenant ass kicking, while Bizarre Creations will do the same for its slick street racer.
Of course, Microsoft promises that Halo 2 will be both bigger and more ferocious than ever before, with intense second-generation visuals and more space marine combat than you can shake a pulse rifle at. Take a look at these first screens from the trailer screened at the X02 event earlier this morning (the same trailer that will eventually be released by Microsoft for online downloading soon). While no official comments were made, the images appear to be taken from real-time in-game cut scenes of the title, which is running on a brand-new, finely tuned engine sporting awesome new lighting effects. Check out the texture design on Master Chief's gun, for example and marvel at how Bungie pulls off that "worn" metal look on his armor.
"Our code squeezes every drop of power out of the Xbox," said one of Halo 2's engineering leads, Chris Butcher. "We're doing dynamic lighting and shadows, per-pixel everything, rendering gigantic, lush environments. The graphical features we're using are so advanced we don't even have buzzwords for them yet."
Although story and gameplay details are still secretive, it was revealed that the Master Chief will return, armed to the teeth with brand new weaponry, and will have even more drivable vehicles to at his disposal throughout his new missions. Brand new Covenant forces will also join the mix, in addition to some new foes that are still under wraps at this point. Fans who experienced the original can already begin to imagine what kind of thrills the future may hold with the sequel.
Perhaps the biggest lure to Halo 2 will again be the multiplayer aspect -- this time both online and split-screen. Lead designer Jaime Griesemer comments, "we still have the multiplayer game-types that people loved in Halo, but we're planning something special for multiplayer in Halo 2. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but imagine the essential Halo single-player experience: pitched battles between the humans and the Covenant, massive vehicle and infantry engagements. Now imagine that every combatant is an actual person playing over Xbox Live!"
Project Gotham Racing 2 also returns with a serious upgrade -- how do you like the sound of fully licensed Ferrari and Porsche autos? We find it quite tasty, indeed. The game will pack over 50 vehicles altogether, allowing racers to continue burning rubber and earning Kudos in all new ways. New racing venues include foreign locales such as Scottland, Edinburgh, and Hong Kong. A new ranking system is also under development, allowing racers to be more accurately rated against each other online beyond a simple Kudos comparison
Microsoft Vice President of Xbox Game Content, Ed Fries, had this to say about the announcement: "There's only one thing better than announcing a sequel to a million-seller, and that's announcing sequels to two 1-million-unit-selling games. Our Halo and Project Gotham Racing franchises have redefined the shooter and racing categories around the world with innovation, great gameplay and pure fun. Halo 2 and Project Gotham Racing 2 will build on these legacies with awesome new features and the thrill of playing anyone anywhere using Xbox Live."
Considering how great the first two titles were, we definitely agree with Mr. Fries -- both titles hold great promise for the Xbox online crowd.
Stay tuned as IGN Xbox continues to update today from the big event in New York.
xbox.ign.com/articles/367/367129p1.html
