[Xbox] A Second Game?

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The First Evil

... Evil Incarnate ...
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Well news of a second Buffy The Vampire Slayer title is in the works for the Xbox. This comes close to the release of the first title which has been delayed from it's march 14th release to mid July and even that date is uncertain.

No details of the second outing on the Xbox have been revealed yet but it seems the wheels have been set in motion, lets just hope the first game does the fans good... Pre-Sales must be high for a game to go into production before the release of the first title... but it's taken at least a couple of years for the first game to hit the shelves... so unless they intend to rush the sequal, we may not see it until late 2005
 
Looming from Lindsey's update, here's an interview with a member from the development team of the game courtesy of Dreamcast magazine.

INTERVIEW: BUFFY STAKES OUT XBOX
Friday 7th June 2002

Surely there are a few more stake gags we can get in before the end of the day? Maybe not. 'Stake-ing the pi...
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in one of the most popular TV series on Earth, so it's hardly surprising EA was keen to bring the rather lovely face of the star to console-dom. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is on the way to Xbox and looking blinkin' tasty. Undead action is so obviously the future.

Set to run parallel to the third series of TV shows, the game features the delectable Ms Gellar roaming around murdering dark forces with hot martial arts and pieces of wood, as well as taking the undead legions to task with missile weapons and magic. All the characters from the show are in there, and the TV bods have worked closely on the project to ensure fans of the series don't start crying because Buffy's pants are the wrong colour. Which is nice.

We fired off some questions to the development team in the States to find out what it takes to save the world every week. Fangs a lot for taking the time to read the answers.

Interview by Johnny Minkley.

How does the game's story fit into the Buffy universe?

The story is designed to stand alone so that the game can appeal to people who may never have seen the show before but just want to play a very cool game. However, there are themes, characters, locations and even funny lines that will definitely mean more to those people who are fans of the show as well.

How much license were you given with the franchise - are there strict guidelines you had to observe?

The premise of the game is that it is a lost episode from Season Three, so in keeping with the context of the show we firmly conformed to the "happenings" of that series of episodes. Buffy fans will be able to pick up on this immediately. There were some great things we've had the freedom of exploring because we're making a videogame. One example is Slayer Power. It not only looks cool, but using slayer power is a key to the player's survival! We'll let you figure out the rest on your own.

Why an Xbox exclusive? Are we going to see the game on other formats?

The game will only be available on Xbox. The aspirations of what we wanted to achieve with this game were just bigger than we had originally intended, and it was just a natural fit for Microsoft's Xbox.

Assuming you're speaking to some strange freak of nature who has never watched Buffy, can you describe what kind of experience they should expect from the game?

The great thing about the game is that anyone can pick it up and get caught up in it because, first and foremost, it's a groovy game! Buffy is an amazing action-adventure game with the heart of a fighting title. We have enough excitement to entice the non-Buffy fan while still attracting the fans with a deeper level of storyline and character interactions.

What's your overall opinion of Xbox?

Working on a console before its release always has its challenges but, in general, the experience has been great. We've made a commitment to recreate the look and feel of the show in the game, and Xbox definitely has the power to do this. I hope Xbox will grow and be a big success... as I hope will Gamecube and PS2. The games industry needs a variety of different platforms to keep it fun and interesting.

Has Joss Whedon had much involvement in the development of the project?

Joss and the production staff for the TV series have been very encouraging and supportive.

Can you outline the various Slayer Powers available to Buffy in the game?

Slayer Powers can used to enhance standard attacks, combination attacks or to power unique attacks. Buffy has a number of unique special attacks in the game that she can use to overcome different enemies. If we told you now, where would the fun be of discovering these on your own?

Which members of the cast have lent their vocal talents to the game, and what do they make of their digital incarnations?

We worked closely with the cast to nail down the likenesses for each. What can we say about the dialogue? You will see and hear Xander, Willow, Giles, Cordelia, Spike, and Angel in the game.

It's obviously a really sharp-witted show - how have you captured the humour in the game?

There are themes, characters, locations and even funny lines in the game that capture the style and humour of the show. With the help of Chris Golden and Tom Sniegoski (who have written many of the Buffy novels and comic books in the past) we have great game script that brings an authentic touch to the game dialogue.

How does the fight system work, and what weapons will Buffy have at her disposal?

Setting aside all of the damage that the Buffster can inflict with fists and feet alone, there are a host of different weapons available for both close and long-range attacks. There are stakes, crossbows, holy water, hellfire, shovels, sledgehammers, a water gun, the reaper blade and others. Some of these can be combined with other items to refill ammo or to create more powerful variants: for example, you can combine holy water or hellfire with the water gun to refill it. Alternatively, you can combine holy water or hellfire with crossbow bolts to create different types which can prove more effective against different enemies.

Buffy can also use the environment to her advantage. Say you're fighting a vampire but you have no weapons to hand, what can you do? Well, how about you grab them and throw them at that shard of wood protruding from the wall? Or why not throw them onto that flaming oil barrel? Things like that abound throughout the game and will help you thwart the evil-doers endeavours.

What new features do you feel you're bringing to the genre?

The engine was designed to create a realistic 3D environment-based combat system. Different enemies will attack you with various combat styles, forcing the player to adapt and learn new patterns and combinations to get by increasingly difficult opponents. What we've made is an action-adventure game with more advanced fighting capabilities than you've ever seen in this genre

What steps have you taken to ensure longevity?

Bribery...just kidding. Addictive gameplay engaging story, some hidden secrets and cheats you may not be aware of upon first glance.

Is this a long-term project that we're going to see sequels to? We're sure players would like to control some of their other favourite characters, too...

Stay tuned we have a few tricks up our sleeve in the future beyond the first game. First things first: everyone has to go and get Buffy 'cause it rocks! Patrick Garratt
-------------------------------------------------
Source: Dreamcast Magazine

You can also find a trailer of the game here.

http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2869992,00.html
 
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!! God damn them! They taunt us with descriptions of the game, fine screen shots, video play of it and now say there is going to be a sequel! Just release the first game!!!! Launch title my bum! I'm getting a little peeved with this... the date keeps moving... now it is past my birthday at 26th July. Pick a dtae, stick to it, release the game then! How hard can it be?

OK i'm done with ranting now. It is just that the game looks so mighty fine that I am really getting 'annoyed' (actually slightly stronger words come to mind) about the constant faffing about. OK, I'm sure it is going to be a gem of a game... It sure seems like a lot of thought has gone into it, but spare a thought to us who have waited 3 months after original release date and still no sign of holding it in our grubby little hands 🙁

It is way beyond a joke.😡
 
I'm afraid so. I was all hopeful for the 19th as my birthday is the 21st so the timing would have been perfect, but according to both the Game website and also Amazon the date has been put back yet again.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news hon 🙁
 
I hate it when we get mucked around like this. They need to set a date and stick to it.
 
Yep Amazon are right... Luke from Xpert and Cube Solutions has confirmed that buffy has beens hifted once again ... now the 26th of July which is pay day for me 😀

Although the first code put Luke of the game completely, they've recieved a renewed version of the game and Luke is actually looking forward to writing up the walk through for Xpert magazine in the upcoming months, so keep an eye out... 😀
 
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