C.O.R.E. Q&A with NoWay Studio
Lukasz Zarnowiecki of NoWay Studio shares his thoughts on the upcoming first-person shooter for the Nintendo DS.
First-person shooters on the Nintendo DS are few and far between, but that doesn't mean that there aren't developers taking the plunge to bring this genre to the dual-screen handheld. NoWay Studio, a division of QubicGames that focuses on DS games, is set to launch its debut game on April 17. We had the opportunity to ask Krzysztof Murzyn of NoWay Studio to share some of his thoughts regarding the development of the DS exclusive.
GameSpot: C.O.R.E. is NoWay Studio's debut DS title. What are your goals for the game?
Lukasz Zarnowiecki: All of us here at NoWay Studios are big fans of the shooter genre, so our goal was to develop an original first-person shooter that was fresh and new, but held true to the roots of a classic FPS. We made sure to follow all the classic FPS rules, including corridors populated with enemies, a variety of weapons, compelling environments, and the many interactive objects that add to the overall shooter experience.
GS: There aren't too many first-person shooters or M-rated games on Nintendo's handheld, and DS owners are of all ages and gaming backgrounds. What was the decision behind making C.O.R.E.?
LZ: There is a huge gap to fill in the DS market! To date, there are very few first-person shooters, and even less M-rated games intended for hardcore gamers. This audience may be a smaller segment of DS owners, but it's clearly a segment that has been overlooked in the past. With that in mind, we decided to bring C.O.R.E. to the DS as an M-rated game in order to deliver a true shooter experience.
GS: There are a small handful of FPS games on the DS. What do you think makes a good FPS? What will make C.O.R.E. stand out over the others?
LZ: What makes a great FPS is the ability to balance all the core FPS elements--gameplay, control scheme and graphics to challenges, environment, and a variety of game modes--in a manner which offers an intense and engaging experience. Of course, it wouldn't be a shooter without some serious weaponry to go along with it.
That said, I think our development team did an excellent job creating an experience that holds true to the classic FPS genre. Gameplay offers an intense shooter experience, the environments are diverse, and the multiplayer mode is outstanding. We also tested a variety of games during development and decided to implement the best control options that give players the ability to modify controls, so as to allow for a custom and precise control scheme. And that's what will make C.O.R.E. stand out among the few other FPS titles available on the DS!
GS: The touch screen provides the most accuracy--comparable to a mouse--when it comes to aiming. Why do you think there aren't more FPS games that use the DS's unique feature?
LZ: To make a good FPS is very challenging and time-consuming. It takes a lot of groundwork for production, testing, and balancing, and with the limited DS market for FPS games, I don't think many studios are ready to take the risk.
GS: How did the storyline and setting come about?
LZ: We are huge science-fiction fans, so the storyline really came from our overall experience with the genre.
GS: Where did you get the inspiration for C.O.R.E.? Were there other FPS games that you looked at to help shape the game?
LZ: We obviously looked at all the best games in this genre, but the inspiration came from classic PC shooters from the late '90s such as Half-Life, Quake, and Doom. We all loved playing those games back in the day and wanted to deliver our own take on this old-school mainstay.
GS: Shooters are always more fun to play with friends. Playing locally with one cartridge is an excellent feature, but why wasn't Wi-Fi included as well?
LZ: Since C.O.R.E. is our first title, we didn't want to go over budget and cross any timelines we implemented when we began production. With that in mind, we decided against Wi-Fi. Although, if we develop a sequel to C.O.R.E., it will most definitely be equipped with this feature, as well, all future games coming from our studio should have it.
GS: We're starting to see a lot of cooperative play in shooters for consoles. Do you think co-op campaigns are in the future for DS shooters?
LZ: Cooperative play has been around for ages, and it's always been a great way to experience gameplay with a friend. However, when we took a look at the European and North America markets, we noticed that most of the players play alone on the DS. Even when players are using Wi-Fi, they would rather challenge themselves, as it allows players to develop a more calculated strategy on how they need to accomplish goals and approach complex situations.
Cooperative modes also have to provide a very good communication solution in order to create the type of high-quality experience players expect when playing with friends, and with the DS this certainly can be an issue.
GS: Did C.O.R.E. turn out the way you had expected? Was there anything you would have liked to have done differently?
LZ: C.O.R.E. was designed with one clear objective: "bring a classic FPS experience to the Nintendo DS platform." We included a unique blend of first-person combat, a fast-paced multiplayer campaign, and all the elements of a classic FPS including power-ups, spawn points, and acquiring weapons. That said, I think it came out exactly as expected, and we're really proud to feature C.O.R.E. as our debut title.
GS: What is next for NoWay Studios?
LZ: I can't give too much information yet, but we are currently working on our next game and we plan to make an announcement in April. We also would love to prepare another shooter game, but we are still looking for a good partner before we make any final decisions.
GS: Thanks for your time!
Wait, you DON'T want to go over budget, but you want people to buy this game with all the other games offering online play? If you want to start off with a BANG, you'd obviously make your first game kick ass!
Ya, this is ridiculous - a day b4 it's supposed to his the shelves the release date gets pushed off...what are they doing? At first I thought this game was going to be spiritual successor to Quake III Arena, but now - it's looking more and more like Moon, linear and forgettable. Who makes a Multiplayer FPS without Wi-Fi?
Every month for the last 6 months, the release date keeps getting pushed forward. Does the game have that many bugs? Was looking forward to it, but now frustrated with constant false release date announcements.
mmm, the shooter's gameplay is awesome 4 the ds, like metroid; but... the console still has a lot of lacks, so... i dont think is gonna succeed
@ CreatureRising an fps without multiplayer is unheard of. Epescially a fps that pays homage to classic shooters like Doom and Quake which bascally made multiplayer awesome.
Face it.... it's going to suck balls. I can already feel it..
@adventureseeker PRIME example of Multiplayer taking over gameing. I love multiplayer but what happened to Long games like Etneral Darkness or Super Mario Bros. I mean This could be a smash hit because only 3 games outa like 20 have done it right on the DS and 1 of them had Multiplayer and they all scored above 7.5
i heard from gamefqs that this merchandise has been yet again delayed ON MAY I THINK
i hear so many people skipping this one because the lack of WI FI
I'll wait for GS's review first before getting it when it arrives.
and moon was good
i didnt think there would be wifi. i mean the ds can only handle so much...if they port this to wii or ps3...
Well I sounds like they really know what they are doing. Though we will see for sure when we get our hands on the game. Lets hope it holds up to expectations.
Finally, a hardcore fps for the DS.
i like the noway studios vision... im very excited now with c.o.r.e.
No-Wifi no problem :/ At least if single-player is good and fun, it is acceptable.I play Counter-Strike more with bot than online gameplay. Because there are some of them who like to abuse people :(
i heard they delayed this again lol May something i think
No wifi probably means ill have to stick with MPH for all my FPS DS shenanigans. Still, they did include single card local multiplayer, so I'll probably still get this. With my friends, it'll be like a handheld lan party :P
@ lukemularczyk said "A true immersive experience happens with atmosphere and sound and mood, which can be done with low gfx or high gfx. GFX are not everything but unfortantly the current generation don't see that and will destroy the industry as a result." Man, i don't even think u understand what "TRUE" immersive reall means dude,u said atmosphere ,sound and mood....yeah sure it's o.k good for handheld but TRUE immersive can't happen with 3.25" screens and tiny speakers man, u need big screens and big sound 2 appreciate REAL atmosphere ,sound and mood...
This sounds all right, but the exclusion of Wifi could be off-putting to a lot of people. Doesn't mean it'll be bad, though. Most times, I don't even use multiplayer.
No WIFI? haha... unacceptable
This game sound like a epic achievement for a ds, lets see if it will turn out that way
Red_Sovereign = I'm pretty sure Moon doesn't have multiplayer of any kind, and it's not even really a shooter, more of an adventure game. Seriously, that comment was really dumb. You guys need to stop complaining. Lots of good games have no online play.
wtf no wifi. that blows. this game is useless. ill take moon
Looks like we have some viral marketers here, yes? -_-
"But a "true" immersive experience with FPS works best with HD big screen T.V's" A true immersive experience happens with atmosphere and sound and mood, which can be done with low gfx or high gfx. GFX are not everything but unfortantly the current generation don't see that and will destroy the industry as a result.
You know this was going to come out in October '08 and, since then, they've moved it throught February and March. The re-scheduling is doing my head in but I'm sure it will be worth it!
I think Fps's are good on the Ds and on a console it really just depends what u like
@ dubel_07...yes I played Dementium and Moon....it's o.k !! But a "true" immersive experience with FPS works best with HD big screen T.V's and a great surround sound with of course with next-gen consoles to fully appreciate 3D FPS....ds lacks graphical prowess to make FPS games a true success...but don't get me wrong i luv my ds lite and m gettin the DSi but after playing first class FPS like Bioshock, COD 4, and FEAR 2....i just can't go back to water-down FPS for handhelds.....
@hi-buzz Did you ever play an FPS on the DS? They work fantastically! Dementium was great! The controls were pretty much perfect.
Leave "FPS" games for next -gen console and bring more high quality 2D games for the DS handheld....for example another 2D metroid or castlevania game would b freakin' awesome...3D fps won't do it right....on a handheld like ds...the ds is a better 2D system which is pretty good....
i took back what i said it has a single card multi function so its good ill get it lol portable quake if i may say
bad bad NoWay if you want a good game you need to gamble if you dont gamble its bad but does it have a download play function? if so definite a must
Looks pretty cool, but the lack of Wifi just sucks.
Looks very choppy and the sound effects sound like they came from a generic sound bank. No thank you. Pass.
better be than MOON im hoping. not a fan of DS's FPS games. stylus just doesnt cut it for me for aiming. hopefully this is half decent since this console has released some outstanding games lately.
Sounds great. Too bad there's no wi-fi, though. I have a feeling that's going to hurt the review scores.
C.O.R.E.
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- Publisher(s): Graffiti Entertainment
- Developer(s): NoWay Studio
- Genre: Action
- Release: Aug 11, 2009 (US) »
- ESRB: M
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