Cam Shea gives us a sneak peek at Hyper 156
Sun, 17 September 2006
by: Special K
Email the Author
Kris's intro:
It's that time again - the new Hyper mag has hit the streets!
Hyper 156 - on sale September 6
Another month, another issue of Hyper is let loose into the world.
I mentioned in last month's preview blurb that we were working on one of the biggest sets of features in Hyper history, and in a few days time you'll be able to check out what we came up with. The basic concept was to highlight the individuals, teams and companies that we think are going to be vital to moving videogames forward as a medium.
Leading the charge is Ubisoft Montreal. Ubisoft as a company have gone from being also rans to one of the most trusted developers in the industry in only a few short years, and Ubisoft Montreal are one of the main reasons why. It's now one of the largest development studios in the world, and although that kind of size can be a double-edged sword, with games like Assassin's Creed on the way it seems they're managing such explosive growth well. To find out more about Assassin's Creed and the company's philosophy on the next generation and game development in general, we spoke to some of the most important figures in the company: Patrice Desilets (creative director on Assassin's Creed and former creative director on PoP: Sands of Time), Serge Hascoet (Ubisoft's Chief Creative Officer), Christine Burgess-Quemard (head of Ubisoft development studios worldwide), Chaddi Lebbos (senior producer on Rainbow Six), and Yannis Mallat (CEO of Ubisoft Montreal and hugely important figure in the rebirth of PoP). It's a hell of a chat.
Other important inclusions in the feature set are Nintendo - a company that is reinventing itself through innovative hardware and changing what gaming can be, Valve, SCEE London, Kojima Productions, Quantic Dream, Harmonix, Clover Studio, The Creative Assembly, and many more.
Perhaps coolest of all though, is that we also had the chance to talk with some of the people we respect most in the world of game development. These include: Keita Takahashi - creator of Katamari Damacy; Fumito Ueda - the visionary behind ICO and Shadow of the Colossus; Will Wright - the man behind Sim City, The Sims and now SPORE; Tsutomu Kouno - creator of LocoRoco; and Ken Levine - lead designer at Irrational, who are currently working on the amazing BioShock, Like I said, this thing is huge.
Of course, there's plenty more stuff in the issue. We've taken a detailed look at the Indie development scene, Tim Levy has put together an affectionate piece on the rise and fall of arcade gaming, and we've reviewed some massive titles - Dead Rising, Saint's Row, LEGO Star Wars II, Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, Mother 3 and a whole lot more.
Plus, if you're in the market for an HDTV, we've tested eight of the suckers. They're all 32", they'll all make your Xbox 360/PS3/high def video look incredible, and most importantly, they're all within the realms of affordability.
One more thing. Subscribe this issue and you'll be in the running for a Nintendo Wii at the system's launch, along with all seven of Ubisoft's launch titles (yes, that includes Red Steel and Rayman). Sweet.
Anyway, I've got to jet. Hyper 156 hits on September 6 so check it out - just look for the bad-ass render of Altair from Assassin's Creed on the cover.
I'll catch you all next month, fresh from my trip to Tokyo Game Show! Life's not so bad sometimes ;)
Cam
by: Special K
Email the Author
More articles by Special K
|
Latest Game
Latest DVD
Latest Music
Latest Wrestling
By Australian Ninja
