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Why Robin Makes Batman Better And by “Top 99″, they don’t mean the most eminent minds in their respective fields. So, with 2008′s list all done, did any games types make it? And by games types, we mean real people.
So what’s Ubisoft’s Jade Raymond been working on since Assassin’s Creed has come and gone? According to Gamekyo (formerly Jeuxfrance) she’s been getting busy on I Am Alive, a survival game for the PC, 360, and PS3 from French developer Darkworks of Cold Fear fame and Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare infamy. Supposedly to be revealed at E3 next week in a lengthy video presentation, I Am Alive is a tale of survival following an earthquake that decimates Chicago. While the game will be a first-person affair, don’t expect to be shouldering a bazooka. The point of view is meant to immerse you in the experience, similar to what EA is doing with Mirror’s Edge.
It’s not quite official confirmation, but Gamekyo has the trademark document for the game over at their site, so there’s a pretty good chance this is a solid rumour. Still, even a solid rumour is still a rumour. The only thing that really strikes me as odd about the whole thing is I known people from Chicago, and no piddling city-destroying earthquake could take them down.
Jade Raymond working on I Am Alive [Gamekyo]
While others focused on Ubisoft producer Jade Raymond before Assassin’s Creed, we were always wonder what the game’s Creative Director Patric Desilets was doing, how his beard was and when he was going to accept our friend requests. In a recent interview with game site Game Daily, Ubisoft honcho Yves Guillemot says this about Patrice:
Ubisoft’s Jade Raymond recently interviewed Metal Gear god Hideo Kojima for a piece in Famitsu—yes, sounds like an interesting setup for an article, doesn’t it? (Aside: please Jade, don’t put us all out of our jobs). In the interview, Kojima had some harsh but fair points about violence in video games, and his perspective on the matter.: I don’t think there are many games that tackle violence head on…When you hit someone or inflict pain, faces get disfigured for example, and I want to make games that show that sort of thing.
He continues:
If you don’t see the pain, you can’t understand what you’ve done, and you’ll pass through battles without taking responsibility for your actions. I don’t want to ignore that. I want players to think, even if it’s just a little, about what violence and war are.
Can misery be a refreshing perspective? Personally, I find MGS4′s attitude toward Snake—a hero who is aging, fallible and constantly in need of mental and physical maintenance—a good technique for reminding us about the atrocity of war. Because when Snake, pretty much badass incarnate (though I guess all “ass” is technically incarnate) is swayed by a situation, our poser selves will be too.
We didn’t understand all the hype, really. While everyone was gibble-gabbling about Jade, we were so into the game’s Creative Director Patrice. We even learned his last name! (It’s Desilets.) Others focused more on Ubisoft producer Jade Raymond. MTV’s Multiplayer blog has an insightful interview up with game journo Jane Pinckard about women in the game interesting. We’ve been big fans of Pinckard’s blog Game Girl Advance for donkey’s yonks. Anyway, here’s what she has to say about the whole Jade Raymond media circus:
Please indulge us as we go all Perez Hilton for a brief moment! On Tuesday night Ubisoft, Maxim and PS3 hosted a party at the LA Nightclub Opera for the launch of Assassin’s Creed. The game’s star Kristen Bell was there, as were other Heroes cast members Greg Grunberg (the voice of Timeshift and Condemned), and Masi Oka. My favourite moment of the party: Seeing Masi passionately talk to an Ubisoft executive for 20 minutes about his vision for the Heroes videogame. Hey, the guy’s smart: He used to work at Industrial Light + Magic before he started bending space and time.
The Rumor: martin85 over at GameTrailers.com Forums writes, “so my friend is working as an intern editor at Maxim and he says that jade will grace the cover of december’s issue which will feature “girls of gaming”! she will also have her own spread showing her in a green an white striped bikini in an exotic local (montreal). it will also feature other hot women in the gaming industry as well as competitive gaming. man i can’t fricken wait! i haven’t jacked to still images since 1999!”
The Smash: Last night at the Assassin’s Creed shindig, producer Jade Raymond personally told Guest Editor Geoff Keighley that those rumours were totally untrue and that she’s never do something like that. She actually seemed somewhat offended people thought she would. Ubisoft PR got so many inquiries about it almost had to issue and official statement. So, while this rumour so SMASHED, please don’t rule out Creative Director Patrice Desilets’ Maxim spread!
As if Jade Raymond doesn’t already add enough sex appeal to Assassin’s Creed, Heroes and Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell will have a featured role in the game. Ubisoft just sent us this exclusive image of what virtual Kristen looks like in the game.
Bell’s involvement was first leaked last December when the blonde starlet started to mouth off about some of the game’s top-secret sci-fi elements. (Let’s just say you’re in for a shock when you start playing Assassin’s next week). But if you’re looking for more details on Bell’s character, you won’t find any in the press release. Jade does say she’s a big fan of Bell’s “professionalism, “dynamic personality,” “emotional range,” and “talent.” Do I sense a little crush? We’ll have to see if Jade follows in Bell’s footsteps and appears on the cover of Maxim like this thread suggests. Knowing Jade I’m guessing not.
You might want Assassin’s Creed on Wii. You probably want a lot of things. And like a lot of those things (a Hindenburg replica, roller-skating helper monkeys), it’s just not going to happen. Jade Raymond: [A Wii version]would be possible, but it would need changes to the gameplay, like the DS version. But that just wouldn’t be the same experience. Unfortunately, the Wii just doesn’t have the same performance as the PS3 and 360.
It’s OK, Jade, we knew that. Altair craves high-quality textures, not super-imposed wiggle controls. You don’t have to let us down so gently. Interview mit Jade Raymond [Gamers Spirit, thanks MDawg!]
