Malice Q&A

Many were surprised to learn that Argonaut was developing a version of Malice for the PS2. Considering how strongly Microsoft promoted the game, the fact that it would emerge on other platforms was surprising indeed. But Argonaut and Sierra are determined to make Malice's presence as widely-felt as possible, and bringing it to the PS2 is the most logical step.

The Shadow-Caster engine has been reworked to run on the PS2.

From what we've been told, Argonaut has fully converted its internal Shadow-Caster engine to work on the PS2. While we're eager to see it for ourselves, the details that Argonaut has released sound quite impressive on paper. Full details are listed below, but rest assured: environments will feature pretty hefty poly counts, and everything will run at 60fps. You'll have to read on to get the rest of the information. We'd like to give special thanks to the Argonaut team for answering our questions.

GameSpot: Some stages exclusive to the PS2 port have been mentioned. Can you tell us anything about these?

Argonaut: Well, we don't want to give too much away at this stage. There were levels that fit into the game and storyline that were originally designed, and we felt they would work better on the PS2 version. They add a little more depth to the game and provide more challenges and gameplay. We don't need to add that these are incredibly gorgeous to look at and really add to the atmosphere of the game.

GS: How well does the Shadow-Caster engine perform on the PS2 hardware?

A: Obviously there isn't the hardware to support the exact method we use on the Xbox. Our PS2 engine can draw around 260,000 polygons a frame at a constant 60fps! With this technology, we have a system that works differently but will produce the same visuals. It's still being optimized and changed as the algorithm is continually enhanced, but there should be no loss of speed or visual delight.

As you guide Kat through the huge worlds, things will run at 60fps.

GS: Did you have to make any compromises to ensure that Malice would run well on the PS2?

A: The only compromises are with the technology. We have no features such as hardware bump mapping, so we've had to create an equivalent in software without any performance degradation. The PS2 has been out long enough now, whereby our teams are able to produce some astounding quality in their work.

GS: Have any of the game mechanics changed with the PS2?

A: As it stands at the moment (excluding the additional levels), the gameplay mechanics are the same. There may be some tweaks and changes a little later on, but at the moment, it remains the same. This was a conscious decision, as the original gameplay is quite excellent. It has been designed in line with the story and characters and sound and everything--a careful balance to provide the best gameplay experience within the game. Changing it may compromise this balance, and that's not something that we wanted to risk.

GS: Which version do you feel most faithfully represents your vision for the game?

A: Both versions are a strong representation of how the original next-generation version of the game was planned. Obviously with the extra content in the PS2 version, we're a little closer to what we want to get in, but, as always, we have time against us and we want to give the game players the most fulfilling experience within the Malice world.