Gnap again!
Shnozz Prototype
Found this footage of an early prototype of Shnozz running on PC. This was actually our second prototype, the first running on a PS2 (I will post some screens of that one some time).
It looks rough (hey it was 2003 and I was part of a 4 man team making everything from scratch!), but it still cracks me up.
The Simp-Sims
Another game that went through lots of hoops before finally tanking was a Sims inspired version of the Simpsons that focused on Homer. You played the role of Jeebus, getting him to do your bidding.
We first developed it in 2D and reached a first playable with Homer in the living room. You could get him to react to things that you interacted with in the room (turn off the TV and he got mad and turned it back on/turn off the lights and he would get scared).
Although it lacked gameplay originality, it was still fun to manipulate Homer and watch him eventaully break down spinning on the floor screaming. After several failed attempts to get greenlit, it eventually was turned into a full 3D demo….guess that the powers that be felt that 3D was the way of the future for a 2D show. Regardless, it was shelved.
Here’s a pic that I was able to dig up…
Firefight!
I don’t how long I have been telling folks about how cool it would be to make a firefighter game. I always wanted to explore what it would be like to have to rescue, avoid/put out fires, crawl below noxious gas, bust open doors with an axe all the while monitoring your gear for oxygen/visibility/heat sensors/etc…
It seems like the perfect action game with cool gadgets that is mostly non-violent, except for the victims that may not make it out alive.
Some folks were thinking the same thing with the Wii game Real Heroes: Firefighter. Looks pretty much bang on except for the graphics…which I think should really be the big draw for a game like this. Fire would have to be character upon itself. Take a peek:
The first game that I am aware of that gave this a decent run was the game The Ignition Factor for the SNES. A buddy of mine, a guru of all things emulated, came across this. It is actually quite fun if you can get into the retro vibe and Jaleco quirkiness.
Controlling Controls
I have always considered myself to be a patient gamer that will put up with difficult controls if the game is fun. But back in 2000 I was playing the Dreamcast version of Hidden and Dangerous. The PC version seemed cool at the time, so I was pumped to give it a whirl. Any game that requires you to press and hold a shoulder button along with D-Pad and face buttons to tell your AI buddy to cover you while you are eating enemy bullets is beyond hardcore!
With what seemed like increasingly complex controls in console games and the imminent reveal of the PS3, I Photoshopped the pic below. I figured that folks needed more buttons…if it’s next gen, then it is going to need more buttons!
Long live the Wii, Project Natal and any other simplified controls!
On a side note, I noticed my original design has been vastly improved upon HERE
On the Other Hand – Part 4
Bam!
Bam! was a game concept that I developed with a team of folks back in 2000 or so. We wanted to create another point and click adventure game where we continued to push the symbiotic relationship between multiple characters with unique abilities…in other words a group of animators/designers wanted to make another game of gags in the vein of U.F.O.’s.
It never got further than the creative brief with an accompanying animated title sequence. Go figure, point and click adventure games were on the way out as 3d action games started to take over the market.
In the end this was a tough one to let go.
Splintered Bonus
Back in 2004 I was working on the PS2 version of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. I was leading the single player level design team on developing exclusive content; which was an awesome opportunity. Unfortunately we had to scrap our work to hit a simul-ship date; a decision that was made later in our dev cycle.
Though, a couple of those levels managed to live on as bonus unlockable missions in the follow up Double Agent on the PS2. Cheers to the folks that helped get them running again.
Norse Noise
At the previous studio I was at, we were broken into teams of 5 or so folks and were given 5 days to create a playable game.
I have always wanted to develop something that uses the pitch and volume of your voice to control an avatar; pitch controls height while volume controls speed. I finally had the chance to give the idea a whirl! We developed the concept into Norse Noise where you control a pissed viking on the run to fight the evil god Scald.
Using XNA, some open source volume/pitch detection code along with a sassy 2d art and scrolling action, we got a decent demo running. It also turned out to be a great way to lose your voice through development.
Scrub to 3:08 or so to see it briefly in action. Be sure to check out the rest of the games as well; definitely some inspired stuff!
Our team was awesome, and it was a great experience. Now if only all games were developed in a week…
I See Dead Games
Back in 2000 sometime after Scary Movie (the movie) came out, I was part of the team that put together the stellar Scary Movie The Game.
Yep. A Scary Movie game.
This was hands-down the quickest game I have ever worked on. From end to end we had it ready to go in 6 weeks or so. It was a collection of trivia and mini-games (like duck hunt with a knife). To be honest, it was fun to make though the quality was debatable.
Just as we were ready to roll it out, the game was shelved. The best part of the deal were the dev shirts the publisher gave us that had the title of this post printed on the front.
Here are some pics of this masterpiece in action.
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