obsidian

Alpha Protocol Aims Ambitiously For RPG, FPS Fans

6:20AM Leigh Alexander | Obsidian Entertainment says it’s found the right mix of action and RPG, balancing subtlety with “over-the-top” visual style, and weighing realism carefully against the “abstraction” of fantasy elements. Alpha Protocol, though billed as an “action-RPG”, sounds a bit weighted more toward the former than the latter, aiming for a happy medium that hopes to make RPG elements accessible to twitch fans, while still adding the depth to please RPG purists. Not only that, but the team’s touted a heavy emphasis on character interaction and player choice. It sounds like a a tall order to fil, but when the developers’ pedigree includes projects like KOTOR 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2 The Obsidian team held a conference call today to answer tons of questions about the game. Is it challenging to do a modern, realistic RPG (especially with Star Wars and NWN in your rearview)? How do the action elements balance with the RPG elements, and just how much influence will the players have? What kind of man is hero Michael Thorton? More »

New Neverwinter Nights 2 Expansion In Development

10:30PM Luke Plunkett | It’s been quietly (very quietly) announced that a new expansion pack for classic PC title Neverwinter Nights 2 is in development at Obsidian. Called Storm of Zehir, it brings some pretty considerable changes to the game, like “full party customisation, dungeon crawling, and free exploration of a non-linear game world via an Overland Map”. No idea on a release date, but seeing as the game’s nearly three years old, I’m sure you can wait it out. NX2 Anunciada: Storm of Zehir [Neverwintos, via IGN] More »