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Technology is a player in video game remakes
Zachary Small, New York Times
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Die-hard fans wanted the floating spaceship of their
nightmares, one stocked with mutilated zombies, improvised blowtorches, and
zero-gravity spectacles. Fictional engineer Isaac Clarke navigated this
ramshackle vessel in Dead Space, the popular survival horror video game from
2008 that spawned two sequels.اضافة اعلان
But when developers at Motive Studios, a division of Electronic Arts, based in Montreal, revisited the original for a planned remake nearly 15 years later, something was amiss.
What players remembered as terrifying seemed almost campy by today’s standards because of technological advancements to graphics and artificial intelligence that have made gaming more immersive. The developers realized they would need to start from scratch, dismantling the spaceship, redesigning the zombies — known as necromorphs — and constructing new storylines.
“We don’t necessarily want to re-create the game as it was, but like you remember it,” said the remake’s creative director, Roman Campos-Oriola, who previously worked on the Ghost Recon franchise. “That often means breaking stuff, which has a ripple effect.”
The horror people loveJust as horror movies have been lucrative for theaters, nostalgia for the genre has benefited video game companies. A remake of the influential Resident Evil 4, considered by some to be one of the best video games ever, arrived on Friday, and a remake of System Shock, from 1994, is expected to hit computers in May. The Dead Space remake was the second-best-selling game in the US in January, according to the market research company NPD Group.
“One really big focus in development was to have respect for what people loved,” he said through an interpreter.
“It’s not only about making something prettier with modern standards for game graphics,” he added about a game originally released for consoles like the Nintendo GameCube and Sony’s PlayStation 2, “but to create that same feeling from when people played these games for the first time.”
The tension in the Resident Evil franchise, about a seemingly unstoppable virus that has turned people into monstrous zombies, is amplified by its game mechanics. Enemies crash into the player’s path at unexpected times, and the restrictive inventory system limits the amount of ammunition and healing herbs that can be carried.
Changes in the new version include the removal of quick-time events — which required players to mash specific buttons during cinematic cut scenes — an innovation in the original that has grown stale through the years. More controversially, players have the option to automatically sort their inventory instead of solving a Tetris-like puzzle inside an attaché case, a minigame many found soothing.
Tweaks and adjustmentsEven the tiniest changes, however, are subject to criticism. After Resident Evil fans criticized a new rainfall animation seen in a preview video, Capcom said it was working on a patch to adjust the visual effect.
Sometimes veterans from an original series are brought back to help navigate the challenges of a remake. Mike Yazijian worked as an artist on the 2011 sequel to the original Dead Space; he returned as the remake’s art director in his 40s.
One of the first changes Yazijian made was to the environment of the USG Ishimura, the marooned “Gothic industrial” spaceship that holds horrible revelations.
“We upped the contrast,” he said, explaining that the lights were there not only to illuminate the path but also to “make you feel like you’re in a dentist’s chair”.
One of the game’s most noticeable changes is only possible because of more powerful software: Players can fully immerse themselves in the haunting Ishimura, walking from one end to another without being buffeted by loading screens. The original required players to traverse between sections via a tram system.
Writing new storiesFor game writer Jo Berry, the challenge of creating new storylines for Dead Space — Isaac is notably no longer a silent protagonist — was about elaborating on the original to enhance the game’s immersive horror. She drew inspiration from the space thriller “Gravity” and serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen’s version in the TV series “Hannibal”).
“Narrative and gameplay should work together,” Berry explained. “You don’t want a rom-com when playing your dismemberment game.”
“We scaled it from one to 10,” said Campos-Oriola, the game’s creative director. “At one, maybe a light will blink. At three, maybe there’s a creepy whisper in your ear. Based on what happened next, we might cool down — or lure you into thinking it will be OK.”
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But when developers at Motive Studios, a division of Electronic Arts, based in Montreal, revisited the original for a planned remake nearly 15 years later, something was amiss.
What players remembered as terrifying seemed almost campy by today’s standards because of technological advancements to graphics and artificial intelligence that have made gaming more immersive. The developers realized they would need to start from scratch, dismantling the spaceship, redesigning the zombies — known as necromorphs — and constructing new storylines.
“We don’t necessarily want to re-create the game as it was, but like you remember it,” said the remake’s creative director, Roman Campos-Oriola, who previously worked on the Ghost Recon franchise. “That often means breaking stuff, which has a ripple effect.”
The horror people loveJust as horror movies have been lucrative for theaters, nostalgia for the genre has benefited video game companies. A remake of the influential Resident Evil 4, considered by some to be one of the best video games ever, arrived on Friday, and a remake of System Shock, from 1994, is expected to hit computers in May. The Dead Space remake was the second-best-selling game in the US in January, according to the market research company NPD Group.
Horror remakes need to shock players in unexpected ways so they cannot predict what is around the corner based on previous play-throughsHorror remakes need to shock players in unexpected ways so they cannot predict what is around the corner based on previous play-throughs, said Yasuhiro Ampo, director of the new Resident Evil 4, which reimagines the 2005 release from the Japanese company Capcom.
“One really big focus in development was to have respect for what people loved,” he said through an interpreter.
“It’s not only about making something prettier with modern standards for game graphics,” he added about a game originally released for consoles like the Nintendo GameCube and Sony’s PlayStation 2, “but to create that same feeling from when people played these games for the first time.”
The tension in the Resident Evil franchise, about a seemingly unstoppable virus that has turned people into monstrous zombies, is amplified by its game mechanics. Enemies crash into the player’s path at unexpected times, and the restrictive inventory system limits the amount of ammunition and healing herbs that can be carried.
Changes in the new version include the removal of quick-time events — which required players to mash specific buttons during cinematic cut scenes — an innovation in the original that has grown stale through the years. More controversially, players have the option to automatically sort their inventory instead of solving a Tetris-like puzzle inside an attaché case, a minigame many found soothing.
“It’s not only about making something prettier with modern standards for game graphics, but to create that same feeling from when people played these games for the first time.”The remake now allows Leon, the grizzled protagonist, to place unwanted weapons in storage and customize his case with colors and charms that add minor perks, like increased levels of healing. A durability system returns from previous remakes in the series, meaning Leon’s trusty knife can break in the middle of blocking an enemy’s attack, leaving the player defenseless.
Tweaks and adjustmentsEven the tiniest changes, however, are subject to criticism. After Resident Evil fans criticized a new rainfall animation seen in a preview video, Capcom said it was working on a patch to adjust the visual effect.
Sometimes veterans from an original series are brought back to help navigate the challenges of a remake. Mike Yazijian worked as an artist on the 2011 sequel to the original Dead Space; he returned as the remake’s art director in his 40s.
One of the first changes Yazijian made was to the environment of the USG Ishimura, the marooned “Gothic industrial” spaceship that holds horrible revelations.
“We upped the contrast,” he said, explaining that the lights were there not only to illuminate the path but also to “make you feel like you’re in a dentist’s chair”.
One of the game’s most noticeable changes is only possible because of more powerful software: Players can fully immerse themselves in the haunting Ishimura, walking from one end to another without being buffeted by loading screens. The original required players to traverse between sections via a tram system.
Writing new storiesFor game writer Jo Berry, the challenge of creating new storylines for Dead Space — Isaac is notably no longer a silent protagonist — was about elaborating on the original to enhance the game’s immersive horror. She drew inspiration from the space thriller “Gravity” and serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen’s version in the TV series “Hannibal”).
“Narrative and gameplay should work together,” Berry explained. “You don’t want a rom-com when playing your dismemberment game.”
“Narrative and gameplay should work together,” Berry explained. “You don’t want a rom-com when playing your dismemberment game.”Several developers behind horror games described their task like choreography, requiring precise timing and deft choices to deliver the terrifying experiences that players crave. The Dead Space remake uses an AI program that employees named the Intensity Director, which can inject stress by generating enemies or creating ominous sounds when players’ actions suggest they are feeling comfortable.
“We scaled it from one to 10,” said Campos-Oriola, the game’s creative director. “At one, maybe a light will blink. At three, maybe there’s a creepy whisper in your ear. Based on what happened next, we might cool down — or lure you into thinking it will be OK.”
Read more Gaming
Jordan News
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