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February 9th, 2007, 01:02 Posted By: wraggster
via flamewaradvance
Game announcements for the DS are made nearly every other day. If it isn't about a new Square Enix game heading to the DS it's about a wild indie title. If it isn't about a wild indie title it's about a crazy, ambitious PC port. And if it isn't about that, it's probably about homebrew hentai games.
Amidst all this news and the speculation that follows it, one often tends to miss or forget some of the announcements that actually go on to have a major effect on the handheld in due time. BioWare's in-the-works game for the DS is one such announcement. Having first heard of this over at Kotaku a few months back, I'd been keeping an eye out for any new info on the game that turned up.
Alas, the gentlemen over at BioWare find it fun playing hard-to-get and no further mention of the title was made again. Feeling the need to extinguish the flames of curiousity that burned deep within my gamer's soul, I got in touch with BioWare's Handheld Game Group Project Director, Dan Tudge to see if he couldn't throw us impatient BioWare fans a bone. While Dan didn't reveal much about the game directly, he did answer some questions a few of you might have on your minds regarding this ambitious project.
So, without further ado:
Q: What drew BioWare’s attention to develop for the DS? Have you put any thought into developing games for the PlayStation Portable?
A: We’ve been looking at getting into the handheld space for quite a while now, but we were waiting for the right time, the right technology, and of course the right ideas to develop into a quality game. Both the DS and the PSP have very compelling capabilities, but ultimately the DS was better suited to our ideas for creativity and innovation. We may decide to develop something for the PSP down the road, but for now we’re quite excited about what we’ve got planned for the DS.
Q: With the success of the DS, major franchises (such as the Dragon Quest series) shifting over to the portable market, and the significantly lower development costs associated with the platform, do you see your company putting a larger focus on handheld titles?
A: We’ve got a long and successful history of making great games on both PC and console, so I don’t see us putting any less of a focus on those platforms. As long as we stay focused on making the best story-driven games we can, we’ll develop for whatever platform allows us to do just that, and of course it may vary from game to game.
Q: Coming to the topic at hand, what setting will the game use? Medieval? Futuristic?
A: I could tell you, but BioWare would kill me. We’re not revealing anything about the game just yet, but stay tuned…!
Q: Would you call this project an action/RPG or a "traditional" RPG?
A: Again, I really can’t talk about that right now. I can tell you that BioWare is committed to delivering the best story-driven games in the world and as such you can expect a rich and enjoyable experience.
Q: Is BioWare planning a format comparable to Neverwinter Nights, KOTOR or neither?
A: Again, I can’t really comment on what the game format will be, however the DS does provide us with the opportunity approach design in ways we previously have not considered.
Q: What can you tell us about the title? How do you plan to utilize the DS's capabilities?
A: We haven’t announced the IP yet so like I say, we can’t reveal very much about the game at this point, but I will say it’ll be a terrific debut for BioWare in the handheld space. As for how we plan to use the DS’s capabilities? In order to provide the experience BioWare fans have come to expect, we are pushing the DS hardware to levels people have never seen. We have an extremely experienced team of BioWare and industry veterans working hard on squeezing everything we can out of the DS.
Q: Do you plan to use both screens?
A: Of course, it wouldn’t be a DS game otherwise, right? Just don’t ask how we plan to use them, because we’re not revealing that just yet.
Q: How do you plan to tell the game's story on the DS? For example; Mass Effect really seems to be pushing interactivity in story-telling and going with a cinematic approach. What can we expect to see on the DS?
A: Obviously the Xbox 360 is a much different system both in design and hardware, and Mass Effect is taking advantage of that in a really big way. BioWare has always looked for ways to innovate and deepen the story-driven experience and we have some fantastic ideas planned for story-telling on the DS.
Q: Will there be a multiplayer component to the game? If so, will it use Wi-fi?
A: We haven’t announced any plans for multiplayer or WiFi, but we’ve talked about it and agree there are some very compelling opportunities there. We’ll see…!
Q: What unique challenges have you encountered working on a portable platform and what specific challenges has the DS presented you with?
A: The DS is a very sweet piece of hardware that continues to provide us with opportunities to be creative. We are obviously working with a much lower system spec than the other projects in development at BioWare, however for a large majority of the team, the system specs are very reminiscent of our early years in the industry.
Q: Finally, what will the game look like in terms of style? And will it be 2D or 3D?
A: The DS provides us with the freedom to choose from a multitude of styles as well as the ability to use either 2D or 3D or even a combination of both! At BioWare, design is the driver and any decision on style (2D, 3D etc.) will be determined by our desire to build the best story-driven games in the world.
There you go. Not much information about the game itself but more than enough to fulfil the needs of any good speculator. Also, note they never mention if it's an RPG or not. Everyone just assumed it was. Many thanks to Dan and BioWare's Public Relations Coordinator, Erik Einsiedel! May the force be with you both.
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