The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Ubisoft working on animated TV series, Guillemot talking big

It was just a year ago that Ubisoft announced it was expanding its Montreal development studio and adding the capability to do CGI animation.

At the time, the plan was to start with a short based on "Assassin's Creed." But CEO Yve Guillemot told GamesIndustry.biz that the studio has started work on an animated TV series. I would assume that's based on a Ubisoft property based on the plans Guillemot has previously discussed, which means "Prince of Persia" or "Assassin's Creed" is probably a safe bet (I don't think any of the Clancy brands would translate well to a cartoon).

Guillemot wasn't very modest about how successful the studio could become, stating "Our goal is to create a studio that will be very high quality, our goal is to try to get to the level of quality of Peter Jackson's Weta studio." Now that's what I like to hear -- some good old-fashioned corporate boasting.

Separately, Guillemot told French newspaper Les Echos (via GameDaily) that Ubisoft has about $1.2 billion (or 780 million Euros) to spend on acquisitions. While that's not enough to buy another mid-sized publisher (only a small one like Midway or Atari if it was interested), it's certainly a good amount to buy some more development studios and/or intellectual properties in order to stay competitive with ever growing behomeths like EA and Activision Blizzard.

(Chart on the right is from Les Echos. It lists total franchise sales in millions of units, in case that's not obvious.)

Haze is a blurry mess

Variety's review of "Haze" is online and it's one of the harshest we have run in a while. Our critic Matt Peckham calls it a "dull, dimwitted experience filled with stale stretches punctuated by underused innovations and utilitarian visuals."

It's a real shame, since based on what I saw at E3 last year, I was really excited. It seemed like a solid shooter hat integrated a cool gameplay mechanic -- the "nectar" that soldiers can inject themselves with for a rush that increases power and blurs out anything unpleasant about battle -- with a story that hits on heavy issues about pharmaceutical and military power.

Turns out, not so much. As Matt wrote: 

"Haze" dunks its half-baked allegory about pharmaceutical/military depravity in a tub of shoot-em-up blandness that doesn't stand a chance against better alternatives in a saturated genre.

Matt did have a few nice things to say about the atmosphere and sounds, but not much. This is the graf that really clinched it for me as a reader and potential player:

Levels are an amateur compilation of mission cliches like "drive through a minefield," "defeat a gunship," "escort a vehicle," and "blow up a bridge." Choice never factors, so whatever moral complexity the game teases at the outset ends up compromised by a fatal inflexibility for the player. When the endgame arrives after less than 10 hours, it's an anticlimactic groaner that feels like the designers just shrugged and threw in the towel.

You can read the whole review here.

Confirmed: Ubisoft's "Avatar" videogame will be 3-D

A few months ago, I heard from a very good source in a position to know that Ubisoft's videogame based on the upcoming James Cameron pic "Avatar" is being made in 3-D. The idea being that the game will ship with 3-D glasses so gamers can experience something akin to the digital 3-D experience that Cameron is presenting on the screen.

However, the source who told me this did so very off the record and I haven't been able to find someone else to confirm it, which is what I would need to actually run with the story.

As CNET News reported today, though, Cameron himself confirmed that Ubisoft already has a stereostopic version of the game running with 3-D glasses.

GameSpot prints this under its "rumor patrol" and says it "remains to be seen" if it's true. And of course Ubisoft hasn't confirmed anything and the game won't come out until Christmas 2009 (along with the film), so lots can change. But based on my source and what Cameron said, I can comfortably report with certainty that the "Avatar" game will indeed be 3-D.

Now how will that work -- the type of glasses used in theaters for digital 3-D are way too expensive to ship with every videogame, I'd presume -- and how good will it look? We'll probably be waiting a long while to find out.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii have a huge month, "Lost: Via Domus" doesn't

Still have to sort through this all, but here's the raw data that NPD just provided for March video game sales in the U.S. First take: "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" had a HUGE month and Wii sales benefitted as well. PS3 finally got back ahead of the 360, but just barely. And both "Rainbow Six Vegas 2" and "Army of Two" had decent debuts.

Missing from the top 10 chart? Meaning they didn't debut too well: "Lost: Via Domus," "Condemned 2: Bloodshot," "Dark Sector."

                                               March 2007                  March 2008             Change

Total Video Games                    $1.1 B                          $1.7 B                     57%

Hardware                                  $377.9M                      $551.3M                  46%

Software                                   $579.1M                      $945.6M                  63%

Accessories                               $139.5M                      $220M                     58%

Hardware                       Units sold in March 2008            Units sold lifetime-to-date

PlayStation 3                          257,000                                    4.1M

PlayStation Portable                297,000                                   11.2M

Xbox 360                                262,000                                    9.9M

DS                                          697,000                                   19.2M

Wii                                         721,000                                   8.8M

PlayStation 2                          216,000                                     n/a

Top 10 video games                    Platform          Publisher                  Units sold in March

Super Smash Bros. Brawl              Wii                 Nintendo                    2.7M

Rainbow Six Vegas 2                    360                 Ubisoft                      752.3K

Army of Two                               360                 Electronic Arts            606.1K

Wii Play w/Remote                      Wii                 Nintendo                   409.8K

God of War: Chains of Olympus   PSP                 Sony                          340.5K

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII       PSP                 Square Enix                301.6K

Guitar Hero III                           Wii                  Activision                   264.1K

MLB 2K8                                     360                 Take 2                       237.1K

Call of Duty 4                             360                  Activision                   237K

Army of Two                              PS3                 Electronic Arts             224.9K

(Note: all figures are U.S. only. The lifetime-to-date figures are calculated by me with a bunch of annoying addition, since NPD doesn't provide it anymore.)

Rainbow 6, Padres 2 -- plus stats, stats, and more stats

My friend Justin astutely pointed out that "Rainbow 6 Vegas 2" is one of the most unfriendly-to-non-gamers titles we've ever seen. What the hell is an average person supposed to make of that? How would the uninitiated understand that the first number refers to the name of the squad, but the second number refers to the game's place in the franchise? It sounds more like the final score of a baseball game than a videogame title.

As I pointed out in my review today, "Rainbow Six Vegas 2" barely even qualifies as a new game. It's basically an expansion pack to the first "Rainbow Six Vegas," with all of the original's many great qualities and its few basic flaws.

According to reports, the game has already shipped over 1 million units, so a solid expansion pack is apparently worth $60 to a lot of gamers. It's also possible that plenty of people who didn't buy the first one will start with the second, since it's essentially the same game anyway.

One change I found interesting is how this franchise went from stats heavy in the first game to stats obsessed in the second. There are literally four different stats: marksman, close quarters, assault and experience points (plus, for those playing on Xbox 360, achievement points). Literally every kill gets you points in at least one category. The screen is constantly popping up "+3" or "+5" messages. And you can't go more than 10 minutes, max, without finding you leveled up or ranked up or something in one of the categories.

It's weird, since of course the basic concept of "scores" in games has pretty much gone out the window (save for "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band"). But now instead of "scores" we have "stats," which is somehow more meaningful, I suppose. I guess it's great for those who like to get constant validation. Every time you play "Rainbow Six Vegas Two," you're sure to get an ego boost for "achieving" something or other.

(The screen above, for instance, shows the player simultaneously getting "kill using explosive" points and "experience points" for taking down an enemy.)

Here's an excerpt from my review:

At its basest formulation, a videogame franchise with annual sequels is a lot like a car with a new model every fall. So it is with “Rainbow Six Vegas 2,” which takes last year’s hit squad-based shooter, makes a few minor improvements, and offers essentially a big expansion pack of what was a tightly designed game with a few notable flaws. As such, it should enjoy solid sales amongst hard core fans of the original eager for more and some new fans who want to start with the souped up version, but won’t turn as many heads as its predecessor.

And you can read the whole thing here.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot on buying the Tom Clancy name forever

My story about Ubisoft buying the Tom Clancy license in perpetuity for videogames, as well as any other media based on those videogame properties, is already online, so I recommend getting all the details by reading it.

However, my interview with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot (right) about the deal produced a lot more interesting information than I could fit in the article. So Cut Scene readers get the extended version, with everything of interest Guillemot had to say (and then some):

-[Explaining the deal] We just acquired the name "Tom Clancy" for videogames movies and books and all ancillary products can be done based on those games. This gives us the opportunity to create, at the same time as the game, linear entertainment for it that can be launched at the same time time as the game.

-[What does this do for Ubisoft?] It allows us to be more of an entertainment companies. We're not just creating games, we're creating stories, books and characters.

-[When asked for more information about the terms of the deal] We used to just have the videogame rights for Tom Clancy for a certain amount of time. Now we have the game rights in perpetuity, royalty free. We bought them outright. [Guillemot then confirmed that Ubisoft paid a lump sum for the rights, though he wouldn't comment on the cost, though he did note that it's a "substantial" deal for his company.]

-[Explaining the benefits for Ubisoft] We're extending the videogame rights forever and getting complete freedom to complete all other projects. We don't have the rights for a "Rainbow 6" movie, however. Those aren't part of this deal. We do have it for any new properties we create... We'll make products within the limit of our know-how and ability to perform. We will also work with partners [to make licensed products]... That will vary depending on the power of any project. The goal each time is to make sure that the experience comes in many formats.

-[What can we expect to see as a result of this deal] At the moment there is nothing in development... What we have to do now in videogames, because next-gen consoles are more powerful, is create games that will be as well defined and expressive as a CGI movie. All this helps us create better characters, backgrounds, and stories and improve the emotions we have in games... Step by step we have to learn how to give more emotions to our consumers. This will help us get closer and closer to creating movies or Internet products that will entertain... A  year ago we started to create Ubisoft Digital Arts in Montreal so we can have  a group capable of creating animations and movies in the future.

-[What about working with Hollywood on live action movies?] We are open to that because we don't have that kind of know how... In the future we plan to work on them at the same time as games... This is a substantial deal when you look at the power of the brand already in games and books and in past movies. The four [Clancy] movies [grossed] more than $1 billion.

-[How important is this to you?] It's a big event for us. Creating the Clancy name in the videogame industry 10 years ago was a major step for us. We think this is the same thing.

Lost Via Domus: Good video, not so good game

My review of "Lost: Via Domus" is up now, and I'd say I'm in agreement with the other reviews out there: it's not very good. Fundamentally, there's just not much good gameplay. Here's the introduction to my take:

Watching the tense faces of actors carefully carrying dynamite made for several minutes of very exciting television in season one of ``Lost.'' Watching the back of an animated character carrying dynamite as you make him walk through the jungle in slow motion? Not so much. That's the fundamental problem of ``Lost: Via Domus,'' Ubisoft's new adaptation of the ABC series that hews so closely to its source material it never gives players anything remotely interesting to do. The only people bored enough to play through this tedious and poorly conceived videogame would have to be stranded on a remote island.

Of course, I recommend reading the full review for all the details, good and bad. But here are a few items that I couldn't fit in there:

-The gun has a re-loading mechanism and you can buy extra clips from Sawyer. That's actually pretty funny, since it holds 15 bullets and I only fired it five times to finish the entire game. And two of those shots were at the same guy.

-If you haven't taken any standardized tests recently, brush up, because there are a bunch of "IQ" tests from the Hanso foundation you have to take on computers. Most are standard logic ("god is to dog as 394 is to..."), though the final one is a trick question that almost drove me insane before I realized how obvious the answer is.

-Beyond the necessary questions you have to ask Locke or Sayid or Kate or whomever to get information, there are a lot of general questions you can ask them. Sometime it's interesting, but a lot of times they have nothing to say. Which makes you wonder why the developers even bothered writing and recording dialogue. It hardly seems worth it for gems like this... Elliott (the player): "I was attacked." Hurley: "You've got problems."

-Sawyer doesn't seem like a very good businessman when there are water bottles you can  trade him worth $5 sitting on the ground about two feet away from him.

-Most of the characters from the show are voiced by sound-alikes, some of whom (Jack, Kate, Sayid the Others) sound good, but some of whom are way off. Locke sounds like one of the Country Bears and Charlie sounds like one of the kids from "Mary Poppins."

-Those who like the gameplay more than I did -- or can at least stand it -- will find a decent story worthy of at least an average "Lost" episode. And there's a really fascinating twist at the end that will make you think twice about what happened in "Via Domus" and even some of what you've seen on the show.

Also of note: There's a story in the most recent weekly Variety about the poor record of serialized dramas turned into videogames (see: "The Sopranos," "24") and how Ubisoft is aiming to change that with "Lost" (and, next year, "Heroes") both creatively and business-wise.

And if you're looking for a blast from the past, here's the story I wrote when Ubisoft first did its licensing deal with ABC almost two years ago.

What Lost: Via Domus "borrows" from Bioshock

I literally just finished writing my review of Ubisoft's "Lost: Via Domus" and will be linking to it, plus providing lots more thoughts and details, when it goes online later today or tomorrow morning.

But one thing I have to get off my chest right away: Remember that hacking mini-game from "Bioshock?" (see left) Some people found it fun, some thought it was tedious, but it was a substantial and somewhat controversial part of the game.

"Lost: Via Domus" rips it off almost entirely. The only difference is that there's no timer and different pieces alter the voltage of the electricity flow in different ways, which is important to the solution. But the basic experience is remarkably similar, right down to some identical sound effects. Coming so soon after "Bioshock," it's downright bizarre.

Of course, the big difference is that in "Bioshock," the hacking mini-game is a break from the awesome, exciting action. In "Lost: Via Domus," it's pretty much the most exciting thing players do in the entire game. But the review's not posted and I'm getting ahead of myself...

Haze's long, stronge journey

I was about to start working on a post about the many release dates that Ubisoft's Haze has gone through before gettings its (probable) final release date of May 2008 announced today. But MTV"s Multi-Player beat me to it, so I'll just cheat off them to create this timeline. I know plenty of other game have been delayed longer, but I'm not sure if any others have had this many release dates in such a short time frame?

-At E3 2006, "Haze" is announced for release sometime in 2007

-Release date narrowed down to March '07

-Release pushed back to Ubisoft's fiscal '08, which spans April '07 to March '08

-Date announced as "second half" of 2007

-Game is dated for Dec. 10, 2007

-Pushed back to Q1 2008, meaning by the end of March

-Pushed back to May of this year

Assuming "Haze" is as good as a game dated 6 different times should be (emphasis on should), May and June could be a great time for PS3 owners with "Metal Gear Solid 4" also announced today for late in Q2.

"Lost" video game trailer debuts with season 2

Ubisoft not coincidentally picked the day after the day after the "Lost" season premiere to debut... the new, likely final trailer for its upcoming video game "Lost: Via Domus." And I'm not gonna lie folks. It looks really good. From the setting to the characters to the eerie music to the mystery, it really feels like you're watching "Lost."

Variety game reviewer and PC World blogger Matt Peckham says he's worried because the game is not an official extension of TV show canon. But I say thank goodness. Making a game that can only be enjoyed by those who have religiously followed the TV show doesn't seem like a great idea. And I highly doubt the TV show writers want to be tied down by whatever decisions the folks at Ubisoft Montreal make in service of the best possible game.

All that being said, there's still plenty of reason to worry. The game looks good. But that doesn't mean it's going to play well. And as someone who has tracked TV-based games religiously for the past few years, I can say that "Lost" is entering a landscape littered with disasters. Anyone play "The Sopranos: Road to Respect"? Or "CSI: Hard Evidence?" Or "24: The Game?" Or the recent "Battlestar Galactica" and "The Office" casual games? They were all mediocre to terrible. The only good video game based on a TV show in recent memory is "The Simpsons Game," which had the advantage of not having to actually be about anything in the show at all. It just had to be funny.

If "Lost: Via Domus" is even relatively good, Ubisoft will have pulled off a minor miracle: the first quality video game based on an ongoing dramatic TV show. Or am I forgetting one?

No More Heroes... the first great Wii game?

For the sake of those who read this blog and not Variety.com, and also just for the sake of provoking discussion, I plan to link to and discuss a lot of the reviews and news about videogames from the "actual" paper on here.

So I'm starting with our review of "No More Heroes," by yours truly. I'll be blunt: I think this is the best game yet for the Wii. Period. And I know I'm provoking the fanboys who viciously assaulted me for merely really liking "Super Mario Galaxy" and not loving it. And "No More Heroes" certainly isn't as deep or as slick as that game.

But it's eons more original than anything that has been made for the Wii. A great sense of style, great controls, funky characters. As I wrote in my review, it's "the first great hipster videogame." It's also the first non-shooter to figure out the Wii controls. Swinging the Wii-mote every time you hit an enemy would quickly get annoying and tedious. But saving the motion sensing for kick-ass finishing moves and wrestling throws? That's a sense of satisfaction you can't get on a a 360 or PS3.

The only caveats in noted in the review are the weak soundtrack and the lack of a good physics engine, which makes the fighting imprecise. But there's one other thing too detailed to go into in the review that I wanted to add here. If anyone reading this got to ranking number four in the game, they'll know what I'm talking about: What the hell is up with the magician guy? The basic battle is fine. He has a few good moves and I love how sometimes the camera turns upside down (or are we just on the ceiling).

But towards the end of the fight, "No More Heroes" starts triggering these bizarre little mini-games where Harvey traps Travis in a box and the player has to shake the controller in order to get out. Then it happens again. And again. And again. The last time I fought Harvey, I counted eight times I got stuck in that damn box. I got out every time, but to no purpose. It didn't cause any damage to the boss. And when it's over, you're thrown right back into the fight where you started, which can be very disconcerting.

Whatever it was Grasshopper was trying to do with that particular feature, it totally didn't work.

But still, the game is great. The only question left for me is: Will "No More Heroes" be another under-selling critical darling? Ubisoft's decision to release it in January makes me think that's their appraisal.