Megalextoria
Retro computing and gaming, sci-fi books, tv and movies and other geeky stuff.

Home » Digital Archaeology » Electronic Gaming Arcana » Sony » PlayStation 2 (PS2) » Canceled PSP Games: 100 Bullets (darth-azrael (tumblr-PS2))
Show: Today's Messages :: Show Polls :: Message Navigator
E-mail to friend 
Switch to threaded view of this topic Create a new topic Submit Reply
Canceled PSP Games: 100 Bullets [message #317501] Thu, 05 May 2016 18:40
Anonymous
Karma:

breakingarrows:

By Steven Santana

100 Bullets was in its fourth year of publication when Acclaim Entertainment signed a deal with DC Comics and Vertigo to publish and develop a video game adaptation of the series in 2003. The comic first appeared for sale in July of 1999 with Volume 1 by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso for $2.50 US dollars. The press release for the announcement closed out by stating the game would become available a year later in 2004 for what was then, “next-generation systems.” That is, the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube consoles. These systems had all been out for at least two years by summer 2003 however, and the Xbox 360 would not be announced until E3 2005, making the next-generation systems claim outdated.

image

Part hard-boiled crime story, part paranoid espionage thriller, 100 Bullets follows what happens when people from all walks of life meet Agent Graves, a mysterious figure who offers his “clients” the opportunity of a lifetime: an attaché case containing the proof, the gun, and the carte blanche immunity to exact revenge on a person who’s done them an irrevocable wrong. But who is Agent Graves? An emissary from an unknown government bureau? A rich man getting his kicks from granting people a personal justice where the judicial system has failed? Or is there something more sinister at work, a hidden framework that links his clients’ personal dramas in a twisted game of shadowy conspiracies?

The 100 Bullets universe possesses all of the key elements that comprise what consumers are looking for in today’s games – great characters, deep storytelling and edge-of-your-seat action,” said Marc Metis, Senior Vice President of Brand Management for Acclaim. “In keeping with its comic book origin, we will challenge players to ‘think before they shoot’ and allow them to explore the moral implications of their actions.”

We’re exited to bring the first of VERTIGO’s preeminent titles to the video game consoles,” said John Nee, DC Comics, Vice President - Business Development. “This will redefine what a comic book game can be.”

image

The game never released of course, and died its first death at the hands of Acclaim Entertainment’s bankruptcy in September of 2004.

Before Acclaim’s demise, a playable version of 100 Bullets was shown off before, at, and after E3 2004. It was in GameSpot’s January 2004 preview, a mere 7 months after the announcement, that game press got their first look. A new character was introduced alongside the comic’s Cole Burns: Snow Falls. She was a female character and would alternate with Cole over the course of the story.

image

A lock on system featured a timed mechanic in which the player could lock on quickly, or wait and allow the lock on to become more accurate for more damage. The game also allowed you to take human shields and smash their heads into walls when they wore out their use. This was years before Gears of Wars’ meat shields and neck snaps.

IGN also had their own session, comparing the game to Max Payne, Minority Report, and Dead to Rights. They claimed the game was 50-60% completed, and made mention of a gameplay feature teased by developer Acclaim Studios Austin that would be later revealed at E3.

image

At E3 2004 Acclaim lets loose the details on their unique gameplay feature, a rage meter that, when activated, kills everyone in the room with a flashy animation. The ability was later changed from an animation to something the player had an active role in. You would “paint” the targets you wanted dead and would be quickly dispatched once the attack began.

Despite the positive coverage, parent company Acclaim Entertainment went bankrupt and laid off all of their staff in August of 2004. It wasn’t until May of 2006 that we hear of a possible 100 Bullets video game again when Warner Brothers Interactive and D3 Publishing Inc pick up the deal with DC and Vertigo. They give a release window of Q3 2007, just a year from announcement, and list the platforms as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and the PlayStation Portable.

image

100 Bullets has all the elements necessary to translate exceptionally well into video games,” said Careen Yapp, vice president of licensing and business development of D3PA. “We look forward to bringing the unique characters and storyline of 100 Bullets to life with the latest interactive technology and graphics, and will work closely with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics/Vertigo to maintain the authenticity consumers demand.”

However, 2007 comes and goes, the PlayStation 3 and Wii launch, and it is not until April of 2008 that we again hear about 100 Bullets. Following up on a rumor of the game’s release date being pushed to February 2009, Joystiq reaches out to D3 who respond with, “we are working on the game from the ground up but we do not have any more details than that.” A little strange that the game announced in 2006 with an attached release date of 2007 was still being worked on “from the ground up” in early 2008.

image

Again, another year passes and we don’t get any mention of the game until 100 Bullets creator Azzarello gives an interview with Wired in April 2009. He states the game is dead and is generally optimistic about a future deal, “I know we can make the story work as a game. I have an open mind about that.”

However, a few months later when speaking to Digital Spy, Azzarello mentions the game again saying, “100 Bullets is a really seductive name for a video game, but if you try to stay true to the story of 100 Bullets, it’s not a very good video game. [The 100 Bullets game] was nothing I was ever looking for, but when the opportunity arose, we thought, might as well see what happens.”

image

D3 Publisher Inc is still around, mainly working on licensed games. Bandai Namco took over in 2009 after gaining a controlling share of the company, and currently owns about 95% of its stock. Warner Bros Interactive, meanwhile, is far too interested in larger Triple A efforts with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Batman: Arkham Knight, Mad Max, and the various Lego properties to go back for a forgotten IP.

http://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/category/retro-games/


---
http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com
  Switch to threaded view of this topic Create a new topic Submit Reply
Previous Topic: gundamuniverses: Mobile Suit Gundam G-Saviour Playstation 2...
Next Topic: vgprintads: ‘Cars: The Video Game’ [PS2 / XBOX / GCN / DS / GBA...
Goto Forum:
  

-=] Back to Top [=-
[ Syndicate this forum (XML) ] [ RSS ] [ PDF ]

Current Time: Thu Mar 28 16:27:15 EDT 2024

Total time taken to generate the page: 0.14820 seconds