Archive for the ‘sucker punch’ Category
inFAMOUS 2: User-Created Missions Give Infinite Possibilities, Limited Beta in April
Posted by Chris Zimmerman in gdc11, infamous 2, PlayStation Games, PS3, sucker punch on March 1st, 2011
Here at Sucker Punch, we’ve spent the last couple of years hard at work on inFAMOUS 2. Over the last nine months or so, we’ve talked about a lot of things that make I2 awesome—things like crazy new powers for Cole, super-powered sidekicks, radically improved graphics and special effects, a cool new karma system with branching story lines and multiple endings—but we’ve managed to keep one major feature completely secret.
Until today.
Sandbox games like inFAMOUS 2 are a ton of fun. There’s a whole city to explore, and we provide lots of stuff to do in the city… but no matter how many missions and mini-missions and systemic opportunities and branching story lines we add to the game, eventually the story ends.
We thought inFAMOUS 2 would be better if it didn’t end—if you never ran out of missions and mini-missions to play and things to do. So… we spent the last two years adding a User-Generated Content feature to the game. With User-Generated Content, inFAMOUS 2 players can build new missions, then share them with the world. I think you’ll all quickly discover that while building missions is a lot of fun, seeing people play and enjoy those missions is even better!
There really aren’t a lot of limits to the sorts of missions you can build. Sure, you can build the sort of missions that will ship on the inFAMOUS 2 disk. Mission creators have access to the same set of characters, creatures and props—so if you want to set a pack of Hive Lords rumbling after Cole through the streets of New Marais, you can do it. If you want to have Cole and Zeke face off against Nix and Kuo, you can do it.
If you want to bend the rules of inFAMOUS 2 to create new kinds of missions, you can do that too. Wish I2 had pure stealth missions? No problem, you can create stealth missions. Looking for more of a challenge? Try taking away some of Cole’s powers—see how the player does facing a platoon of Militia wielding only his Amp. Or add an old-school platforming challenge, or a race, or… I could go on all day.
It’s pretty easy to do missions that are more like mini-games, too. Skeet shooting? No problem. Disc golf? Assuming you’re happy tossing around cars instead of Frisbees, sure. How about a mission where Zeke just tells you bad jokes until you shoot him? Um, yeah, you can do that, too.
Building missions is only half the story, of course—we make it super easy to upload your missions to the network, so other players can see your cool new missions.
User-generated missions show up in the world just like regular missions. When you walk up to them, you see the PSN tag of the mission creator, plus extra information like the mission’s current rating. And back at Sucker Punch headquarters, we’ll be watching—missions that get high scores will get promoted to the Sucker Punch Featured Missions list, and those missions will end up just about everyone’s copy of New Marais.
We think this is a neat opportunity for people to become famous for the missions they build. We know there are lots of creative people out there, people who love third-person action games like I2, and have great ideas about what they’d do with the game if they had the chance. Well, now we’re giving you that chance! Let’s see what you can do!
There will be a limited public beta of inFAMOUS 2 UGC starting in early April. We’ll be announcing how to sign up for the beta on March 14… watch infamousthegame.com for more details! And be sure to watch the video above to whet your appetite…
inFAMOUS 2: New KARMA Trailer and GameTrailers TV Invades Sucker Punch
Posted by Chuck Lacson in infamous 2, PlayStation Games, PS3, sucker punch on February 25th, 2011
Greetings Blogosphere and Happy Friday to all!
First we want to thank you for all the positive comments and vibes we got off our June 7th launch date announcement last week.
Today we kick off the weekend with GTTV‘s visit to Sucker Punch and a new trailer where Cole is caught between two women. (That guy has it rough, doesn’t he?)
New KARMA Trailer
So we’ve been talking a lot about the game’s new Karma system the last few weeks. The Western interpretation of Karma (according to my good friend Wikipedia) states that performing positive actions results in a good condition and negative actions results in bad effect and situations. In inFAMOUS 2, Cole will have new powers and will come across many crossroads. Ultimately, it will be up to you to decide the path you want him to walk. Look out for Cole’s good and evil outfits, a sneak peek of a new faction he has to face, and a small taste of Cole’s new ICE POWERS!
GTTV visits Sucker Punch
Our friends at GameTrailers TV gave Sucker Punch a visit to find out more about Cole’s new adventure, especially the choices he has to make, the sides he will take, and how your decisions will dramatically affect the story and the way you play the game. Peep never before seen missions and see how Cole, Kuo and Nix use their powers together.
As always, thanks for the support and be sure to stay tuned here and on inFAMOUSTheGame.com for more updates!
World Premiere Alert: inFAMOUS 2, SOCOM 4 and Killzone 3 DLC reveals on GTTV tonight!
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in guerrilla games, infamous 2, killzone 3, PlayStation Games, PS3, socom 4, sucker punch, zipper on February 24th, 2011
On tonight’s GameTrailers TV episode #404, PlayStation fans *will* find what they’re looking for. (That’s some web coding humor right there; I hope you didn’t do a spit take on your keyboard from that zinger.)
GTTV visited Sucker Punch recently to interview the minds behind inFAMOUS 2, and will exclusively host the brand new Karma Trailer. The inimitable Geoff Keighley also stopped by Zipper to interview one of the lead designers of SOCOM 4 and uncover covert missions, and more.
All that, and a first look at DLC pack 2 of Killzone 3 (you did pick up the Retro Map Pack on Tuesday, right?) Here’s a quick peek at the show, and feel free to ignore everything in between SOCOM 4 and Killzone 3. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED:
So set your DVRs, grab a quick nap now or start shotgunning 5-Hour Energy, the weekend starts tonight!
inFAMOUS 2 Countdown Begins: Release Date, Pre-Orders & HERO Edition Announced!
Posted by Chuck Lacson in infamous 2, PlayStation Games, PS3, sucker punch on February 18th, 2011
Last Friday, an inFAMOUS 2 post broke down the power of choice in inFAMOUS 2 and spawned some very energetic comments on not just the Karma system, but another topic as well -
“Release date please!”- TomHoang
“Please give us a release date already! Geez!”- DeviantBoi
“PLEASE TELLS US THE RELEASE DATE SO I COULD MARK IT ON MY CALENDER AND SAVE MONEY FROM NOW !!”- MilaNumber14
Well to Tom, Deviant, Mila, and the rest of you amazing fans, we are happy to announce that inFAMOUS 2 will be launching in North America exclusively on the PlayStation 3 on June 7th, 2011!
In about 4 months, players will finally begin the next chapter in Cole’s adventures. (Packfront Alert!)
On top of this, we’d love to confirm that on that same day we are also launching the inFAMOUS 2 HERO Edition (aka the Best Kept Secret EVER) for $99.99 (msrp).
Short of actual electrical super powers, the HERO Edition delivers everything an inFamous fan could want including a highly detailed 8.5” Cole MacGrath statue, a sportable sling pack modeled after Cole’s own in-game gear, the inFAMOUS #1 mini comic from DC Comics, the official inFAMOUS 2 HERO Edition Soundtrack and a super voucher code for a collection of in-game content.
Starting today participating retailers kick off official pre-order programs letting you score one of the following bonus items listed below.
24K GOLD AMP
Cole’s nasty new weapon definitely delivers the pain, but when you pre-order at Amazon.com you can get a gold (in-game) version to dish it out in style.
KESSLER SKIN
Experience inFAMOUS 2 as Cole’s super-powered nemesis from the first inFAMOUS story if you pre-order from Best Buy.
LIGHTNING HOOK
GameStop fans can unlock this special power with their pre-order, an electro-kinetic tether that lets you snare and pull enemies and objects towards Cole.
ELECTROCUTION GRENADE
Visit Walmart and pre-order to get powerful grenade that ties enemies down with arcing electricity before going BOOM.
DIGITAL SOUNDTRACK
Blending the funk and jazz of New Orleans’ own Galactic, with the rock sounds of Bryan “Brain” Mantia (Primus & Guns and Roses), we’ve created a soundtrack that is pure inFAMOUS 2. Music lovers can download this special soundtrack if they pre-order from participating retailers.
Hope this is exciting news for everyone. Look out for more great updates to come, both on INFAMOUSTHEGAME.com or right here on the PS blogosphere!
What Goes Around Comes Around: More on the inFAMOUS 2 Karma System
Posted by Brian Fleming in infamous 2, PlayStation Games, PS3, sucker punch on February 11th, 2011
I think most of us at Sucker Punch have noticed the days starting to blur together a bit. So while I had a quiet moment here on Southwest Flight 651, I thought I’d put the time to good use and give you an update on our progress with I2 (inFAMOUS 2) … Ken’s post from last week got the ball rolling, let’s see if I can spill some more beans on the Karma system…
When we took a look at the Karma system in I1 (inFAMOUS, the first game) we wanted to keep the successful stuff, but also make improvements … As a top line, we knew we wanted to continue to offer players the choice and responsibility that comes along with having powers. This is one of the central themes of many archetype super-hero stories, as well as an interesting exploration of the relationship between power, responsibility and the test of character that powers bring. So, that had to stay.
But on the flip side, we got feedback from fans that some of the choices felt too mechanical, and they wanted their choices to have more meaning in the narrative and in the world. So, our challenge with I2 was to make these choices more real, more believable, and yet still keep them visible and clear to the players.
When we spent time thinking and designing the improved Karma system, we ultimately concluded that there was a way to make these choices both clearer and much more believable: to make your Karma decisions more about relationships and less about the specific choice at hand. So instead of a question that really didn’t relate to our primary gameplay (e.g. “should we take this food or give it away?”), in I2 we let the player decide who to ally with on a quest, or choose between Kuo’s surgical strike or Nix’s no-holds barred assault. You aren’t just choosing a mission, you’re choosing an ally and alienating another person. This was both clear for players, and more real.
Here are a couple videos which demonstrate what I’m talking about, but let me set them up a bit … At this point in the game, Kuo has been captured by the local Militia that’s taken over New Marais. We find out that Kuo is being held at a makeshift prison (a converted old mansion on the edge of town). Cole needs to mount a rescue, but the fortified target rules out a frontal assault.
Cole’s buddy Zeke proposes a rescue plan. He has seen a convoy of captured police officers being paraded through the city. He wants to bust up the convoy, free the officers, and then lead the police on an assault of the old mansion/militia stronghold. Turns out other cops are being kept there as prisoners, if Cole helps bust them free he’ll get Kuo out at the same time … of course that also means there’ll be more cops on the street (which is sometimes uncool for vigilantes). Cops love us, Kuo goes free, all is good! Okay, let’s have a look:
Nix’s idea? Well as you know from Ken’s piece, Nix is more of a chaotic personality. Her plan? Load up a streetcar with explosives and run it down the tracks at full speed towards the mansion. It’ll derail, crash through the front gate and explode in a huge fireball … Great diversion, and tons of collateral damage on the Militia, even if a few prisoners might become collateral damage. After the explosion, we team up and slog our way through the remaining resistance and get Kuo back. Nix, of course, has some super powers of her own, and they are particularly useful in combination with Cole’s arsenal. Just another bit part of the plan! Let’s take a quick look:
So in the case of these two choices, you end up rescuing Kuo along either path, but that won’t always be the case. Sometimes the implications of your choices will be clear (like above) and sometimes they will be murky. The choices you make will affect the world itself, the citizens’ reaction to you, and of course the ending of the game in an important way. What we hope is that you all find them entertaining, occasionally thought provoking, and lots of fun.
Before I go, I want to wrap up with a few more answers to questions we received after Ken’s post. #1. YES, a lot of content is backing up the Karma system, not just different cut scenes – in fact the example above is all gameplay, There are NO differences in the cut scenes. And saving Kuo is just the beginning— there are going to be a very sizable number of missions set up in choices like this, and plenty of unique content on either side. #2. YES, the game should be more balanced for those of you who want to play more “Neutral” or switch sides.
So there you go, I’m about to land and the flight attendants are eyeballing me. We’ll have more on the Karma system later this month on Spike’s GTTV which airs on Feb. 24th. Until then, choose your friends carefully!
inFAMOUS 2: Morality Revealed, Meet the Companions
Posted by Ken Schramm in infamous 2, PlayStation Games, PS3, sucker punch on February 1st, 2011
Greetings from the SCEE PlayStation Experience in London! We’re excited to be at the event, and for the first time, reveal how our duality/morality system will work in inFAMOUS 2.
Karma moments from inFAMOUS are now represented by character-driven dialogue and 3D mocap cutscenes. Your conscience comes into play with the introduction of Kuo and Nix, two NPC characters. Kuo is a NSA agent working to help Cole defeat the Beast. Nix is a New Marais native that grew up in the swamps around New Marias, whose hatred for Bertrand stems from witnessing him kill her family. She is your hedonistic guide that coaxes Cole into not thinking about the consequences of his actions.
There will be multiple crossroads where Cole will decide to follow Kuo’s lead or give into Nix’s temptations. Your choices will directly affect the gameplay by permanently remaining in the world. Whatever path you choose, remember that in inFAMOUS 2 you can always change your mind. It’s never too late to look for redemption… or to say “to hell with it” and become selfish.
Attendees of the show will get to go hands on with the Good or Evil version of the “Save Kuo” mission. Two allies. Two plans of attack. A choice to follow Zeke’s plan and get the help of the captured police by taking out the convoy guarded by the Militia, then assaulting the Militia compound with the army of cops to free Kuo. Or, side with Nix and her destructive plan to ram a trolley filled with explosives through the front gate. The choice is yours!
Greetings from the New Sucker Punch Headquarters
Posted by Ken Schramm in Developer Corner, Inside PlayStation, sucker punch on December 27th, 2010
It’s no secret that in inFAMOUS 2 Cole has to flee Empire City and head to New Marais after his first encounter with the Beast. Well, Cole’s not the only one changing scenery. Although we didn’t have an ultimate showdown, we did move 24 floors down in the same building but tripled our square footage. Yes, we may have lost our great views, but to rid the sun glare we closed the blinds anyway. Besides, as you’ll see in this little photo tour… the new diggs are really cool.
We start off by coming out of the elevators to our welcoming lobby (see above). Julie, our office manager and Meagan, studio recruiter, will be the first to greet you. Our interview room for new recruits and main conference room featuring a 60″ 3D TV completes our lobby area. Moving in a circular rotation the next open space would be the environments team (environments team) who are all hard at work making New Marais look awesome. Next is our huge kitchen/dining area (see below). It easily handles all of us and Julie ensures that all the snacks and drinks are well stocked. There is even a huge balcony for use during those 30 days of Seattle sun :)
The kitchen flows into the game design, animation (see above), lighting and character areas. The character and animation teams are working hard on the game-opening sequence now. FX and lighting are vastly improving elements from last game. Design and gameplay teams are full tilt at this point — making and balancing missions, powers, and AI.
Upon leaving this area, you’ll walk down our long, long did I say long hallway. If you look closely you’ll see the Cole halo neon sign at the far end and all our Sly Cooper art (above). Looking towards the other end of the hallway shows off more inFAMOUS art from past events and a Sly Cooper Mask neon sign (above). After trekking parts of the hallway you’ll find yourself in the software engineer’s wing (above). Offices are decorated in a variety of ways (below) and we still have plenty of room to grow.
To finish off our tour, we take you to the QA area (above). We went from three QA staffers to over 25 in this group as we continue to ramp up production. Oh, and we also have many conference rooms that are actually named after our beloved characters including our chill conference room appropriately named “Zeke” (below).
Hope you enjoyed the tour of our new offices. We leave you with a little bit of our art that are splashed around the offices.
Enjoy!
Sucker Punch Productions: Our Favorite Superheroes
Posted by Ken Schramm in Developer Corner, Inside PlayStation, sucker punch on December 27th, 2010
The inFAMOUS storyline tells of a classic superhero origin: Boy meets explosion, boy gains superhuman powers, boy must choose between hero or villain. As we’re readying Cole MacGrath for his big encore this year, a collection of us here at Sucker Punch wanted to share with you who our favorite superhero is and why. Feel free to share your favorite superhero below in the comments. Enjoy!
Chris Zimmerman – Director of Development, Co-Founder
When I was growing up, my favorite superhero was the Flash. I was a DC kid, and all the other DC superheroes were pretty boring as far as my ten-year-old self was concerned. Superman? Boring. Batman? This was the 70s, which was about ten years before Frank Miller made Batman cool. For me, Batman was Adam West, and even at ten, I didn’t think Adam West was cool. And don’t even get me started on Aquaman.
The Flash, on the other hand, I loved. I think I loved him because he had to be clever to win. It wasn’t just a matter of using his super breath, or firing up a magic ring that could do just about anything. He actually needed to think his way through things, to figure out ways to use his super-speed to get things done. I liked being surprised by what he came up with.
Bob Mowery – QA Lead
Magneto. I realize that choosing a villainous character may somewhat violate the spirit of the question, but let me explain. As a child, my favorite superheroes were solely based on a suite of powers. Green Lantern would probably top my childhood list as he could do just about anything with that ring. The older I get, the more interested I become in the fallibility of heroes and their more “human” characteristics. Magneto’s history is quite profound, being a holocaust survivor. This tortured past guides his character to great lengths. Magneto constantly wrestles with the question “what does it mean to be a member of a hated minority?” His past informs him that this means captivity, torture, and death. As a powerful member of the mutant minority, Magneto takes it upon himself to use his powers to fight for that minority. Magneto is a heroic character, but not to the greater power-lacking populace. Magneto fights for mutant-kind much like the United States fights for democracy around the world. His assistance and methods are often not welcome, but he fights passionately for his mutant brethren in the way he sees fit. I must also shamefully admit that the influence of my childhood is not completely absent from this equation. I still think it would be awesome to rip a building from its foundations, use its girders to tie up someone, and send bullets back to their source with an unnecessary wave of my hand. Parting the Red Sea that is Seattle gridlock would just be an added bonus.
Billy Harper – Animation Director
Any one that knows me, and probably those who’ve seen me talk about inFAMOUS 2 on the internet, know that I think Spider-Man is the best superhero ever. I’ve felt that way since I was a little kid and would try to get spiders to bite me so I could climb walls. However, it didn’t stop there. As I grew up, I continued to find reasons that I liked him that fit with my age and life.
Originally, I liked him because he had the coolest toys and was on one of my favorite shows, The Electric Company. As I got older, I liked him because his powers somehow seemed “accessible” and had inherit weaknesses that sometimes tested his REAL courage because he had to deal with things that his powers couldn’t really help with. I also liked the fact that he still remained true to himself after becoming a hero. He was still a geek. He still used his brain to solve problems. Plus, at the end of the day, he had to figure out how to live a real life. He had to make rent. He had to go to class. Now, as an animator he’s great because his motions are so interesting and difficult to flesh out in my head. It really challenges me to think about how he moves through the world and what exactly he would do and how he’d do it.
Plus, he always has the coolest theme songs!
Darren Bridges – Game Designer
Daredevil. If you asked me five years ago, it probably would have been Spider-Man or Batman or Green Lantern or someone cool. Acrobatics, radar-vision, and “willingness to deal with lots of pain” are definitely not the coolest super-powers in the world. So why the ‘Devil? I read a lot of graphic novels, and a few years ago I got hooked on a Daredevil storyline by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. Like lots of Marvel heroes, Daredevil gets dragged through a horrible mess… his identity is exposed, his life starts to crumble, and he and his friends all suffer. He’s pushed so far that he starts to skim the edge of what is acceptable for a hero, defeating the crime lord of his district and declaring himself the “New Kingpin.” Daredevil encompasses my favorite aspect of superheroes – that they are human people with super powers. They are powerful but still vulnerable; they are aspirational but still relatable.
Rebecca Mayfield – QA Lead
Batman will always be my favorite. He is a complex character that I can identify with in some way or another… minus the super-awesome gadgets, of course. The closest I can get to a utility belt packed with Batarangs and Thermite Grenades is my cell phone. But that’s beside the point. Batman is the whole superhero package.
He is human through and through. He bleeds and feels pain. He can experience great happiness one day, and feel the sink hole of loss the next. Yet he is super human, possessing things that allow him to surpass the restraints that we are bound to. This was something I always admired as a kid. Batman is such a powerful figure because of what he has enabled himself to do, but he is also like me in the sense that he can be hurt by a car accident, or a scraped knee. He gave me hope that I could achieve more than I thought was possible by just trying my best. He shows us that even someone who is ordinary can be extraordinary.
inFAMOUS 2 Update and 2010 Recap
Posted by Ken Schramm in Developer Corner, infamous 2, Inside PlayStation, PlayStation Games, PS3, sucker punch on December 27th, 2010
Hey guys, hope you are having a great holiday break. 2010 was a huge year starting with the amazing response to our announcement at E3 to the sharing of Cole’s comic book inspirations at Comic-Con. Whether it’s exciting new powers, gruesome new enemies, or a new comic book, there’s a lot in store for our hero/villain Cole MacGrath.
We’re busy working on making inFAMOUS 2 the best action game experience we possibly can, and we’ll have more to share in the New Year, including some big announcements. What will Cole’s powers be? How will your choices affect the game? What lies unseen in the city of New Marais? Your questions will be answered in 2011.
Until then, check out the holiday issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine where you can get more details on inFAMOUS 2 and soak in some new images from the game.
We’ll have more updates soon — thanks for your support!!
Sucker Punch Productions and DC Comics Announce the Illustrated inFAMOUS Comic Series
Posted by Wilson Cheng in Comics, infamous 2, PlayStation Games, PS3, sucker punch on December 20th, 2010
In celebration of the upcoming release of inFAMOUS 2, Sucker Punch Productions and DC Comics today are announcing all-new chapters in the inFAMOUS storyline. Penned by William Harms and illustrated by artist Eric Nguyen, the series bridges the story between inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2 and chronicles Cole’s struggle to save Empire City before fleeing to the Southern city of New Marais.
Spanning six heart-stopping volumes, the series will reveal sinister motives, dark secrets, and introduce a new threat to Cole and all of mankind. We’re also happy to reveal the cover art, drawn by the famed Doug Mahnke, who has illustrated for legendary DC Comic franchises such as Justice League America, Batman,and most recently Green Lantern.