so, an interactive movie. because they're so exciting.
isn't one of the most important things about a game that it has replay value (relative to a movie)?
Shadows of the Damned director working on movie-length game
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Massimo Guarini reveals Ovosonico beginning preliminary work on first title, aiming to be "emotionally challenging," and not like traditional iPhone or 40-hour-long games.
What's next for Shadows of the Damned director Massimo Guarini and his new independent studio Ovosonico? The company announced today that it is beginning preliminary work on its first game, a movie-length project that aspires to be "emotionally challenging."
Concrete details on the project--now in a "very early prototype stage"--are not available, but Guarini did offer some insight into what form the game may take.
"All I can say is that I want to craft memorable experiences," he said. "There is so much more to be explored besides throw-away iPhone games and 40-hour-long traditional productions. I think the best way for us to achieve our vision is to provide a rich emotional experience packaged in a movie-length time frame, and possibly sold at a reasonable price."
Following the release of Shadows of the Damned last summer, Guarini left developer Grasshopper Manufacture to head up Ovosonico. Based in Milan, Italy, the studio will not limit itself to creating games alone. Guarini told GameSpot last year that on top of building titles for new platforms, the company will work on music productions and movies, with an aim to eventually blend all elements into a singular entertainment experience.
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
76 comments
So it'll be between and hour and half and three hours?
I'd rather stick to something free.
Yeah, right, and I'm going to pay full price for a game that lasts 118 minutes.
If you're going to make a "movie length" game then release it as a movie on dvd/bluray or download.
3 Like @sonsonsnake Since most of the games this gen are utter tripe, I can't help but agree.
2 Like I deal with bitchy, miserable women on a daily basis. I don't need anymore 'emotional challenges' thanks lol
2 Like "packaged in a movie-length time frame, and [i]possibly[/i] sold at a reasonable price"
nice key word right there.... you know, just incase they feel like charging a silly amount.
"and possibly sold at a reasonable price."
Why does this make me think of a game that will only be two hours because you're supposed to play through it multiple times, but still cost at least $50.....
2 Like @inkyspot Why? You'd pay that much for a ticket to see a movie once. You'd pay 20 dollars or more to own a dvd of that movie. Wouldn't it be worth just as much to own a game of the same length, which has replay value?
2 Like A movie-length game? This was already done before. It was called the "Resident Evil playthrough to unlock the Rocket Launcher", which takes about 2 hours.
@twztid13 I just got that! In all seriousness though, I like the idea of them trying something new, but I really don't think this will work out. The thing that makes the video-game storytelling media so different (read:great) from movies is that not only can you interact with your world, you have a much longer time to do so and connect with the characters. I enjoy movies, and they are a great medium, but I have yet to find a movie that has made me love it's main character as much as Crisis Core did after I spent 20 hours with Zack Fair. So the only way I can see them pulling this off is if they're going for minimal gameplay, great game style and artistic surroundings, and a story that doesn't try to win you over with only it's characters, but rather a clever story arc itself.
2 Like I thought this was going to be another call of duty news post when I saw the words "movie-length game"
3 Like If it's a movie length game he better expect people to only pay movie ticket prices for it
5 Like Movie Length Game?
Goes to show this guy hasn't paid attention to people complaing that Single Player Games are NOT long enough and is taking the f***ing pi*s.
A 2 hour game? No Thanks.
6 Like If it's anything like Journey or Flower, it'll be the one of the best games ever made. Length should be the last thing taken into account while reviewing games. While games like Shadow of the Colossus, ICO, Journey and Flower are short, but endlessly amazing the entire time and some of the greatest games ever, some games are 15-30 hours long and just feel repetitive.
5 Like I love the direction this guy is going. Liberalizing game development is exactly what the industry needs right now... the traditional path isn't going anywhere.
I'm very interested to see how this will work. Can they give me a movie quality story/experience while also putting in actual gameplay all within a 2 hour time frame? It's hard to imagine.
Will this be a movie with gameplay, or just a short game with a story?
2 Like @Carc Play Journey to confirm its possible. I have said it once and I'll continue saying it, it is one of the greatest experiences I've ever experienced in my life and the finest 2 hours of gaming I've ever played.
3 Like One of the biggest problems with games today is how short they are and he wants to make them shorter? Lame. There are already short games sold at reasonable prices on Live and PSN anyway.
@CyhortI82 40+ hour games are overrated...as long as its an entertaining game thats all that matters in my opinion....why have gamers become such cheap bastards?
@System4Ever Hey Heyyy Heyyy I'll be a cheap bastard if I wanna be. Steam, Amazon deals, Green man Gaming, GOG, and man I guess I am a cheap bastard. What can I say really I want a lot of games and I can afford to pay $60 for all of it. Your other option is to pirate. I rather be a cheap ass.
"why have gamers become such cheap bastards?"
Because $60 used to buy you an SNES game that you could play for more than 6 hours and had no online MP. Now I get a 4 hour single player experience that is supposed to be made up for with the online gameplay.
@System4Ever Doesn't matter. If the game is priced at 60$ for a 10 hours of a non-replayable campaign, then it's just worthless, no matter how good those hours may be.Also, the fact that short games tend to end abruptly is just bad, IMO. You find much more variety in long games than in all that 10 hour long crap being put in shelves today. It's not always about the money.
As long as you don't charge me the price of a game with a 40 hour long campaign then I'm cool with it
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Related Game
Shadows of the Damned
- Publisher(s): Electronic Arts
- Developer(s): Grasshopper Manufacture
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: M
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