Generals 2 Interview at GameSpot

[Sonic 302]

Just like the IGN interview, we have a second Command & Conquer: Generals 2 interview to mention, but this one is from GameSpot, again with the executive producer Jon Van Caneghem and BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka. Some similar questions, but still worth reading.

 

GameSpot: Unlike other games in the series, the original Generals had little story to speak of. Bioware is known for its attention to story. Will story be a significant part of Generals 2, and if so, will it be as over-the-top as other C&C games?

 

Ray Muzyka: One of the things we’re most excited about in adding strategy to our portfolio is finding a way to incorporate BioWare’s vision of genuine emotional engagement and quality, including the attention to story and narrative, in a way that is fresh, new, and additive to the genre. I think story has always played an important role in the C&C franchise, more overtly in the Tiberium and Red Alert universes with the FMV cutscenes than in Generals, which takes place in a more modern, serious setting. We are definitely keeping to that tone in Generals 2, delivering over-the-top action, but also incorporating a more intense, gritty story. The key is that we’re thinking about story as an additive element, rather than something that replaces what fans loved in the original Generals game.

 

GameSpot: This is the first strategy game using the Frostbite engine. What does the technology allow you to do that you might not have been able to do with another engine?

 

Jon Van Caneghem: Frostbite 2 is an amazing, cutting-edge piece of technology which allows us to produce a level of detail in the units and environments and destruction on a scale that really hasn’t been done in the genre before. We can make incredibly visceral experiences thanks to the robust physics and particle systems in Frostbite 2. Additionally, the engine allows us to create high-detail cinematics that are all in-game, which will keep the level of immersion we want to achieve with Generals.

 

You can read the full interview right here.

[TheBlackOut 7]

Nothing really new over the first interview, tbh. Still, a good, short read.

[Gben 20]

It's the story or SP experience that I will be most nervous about, because of higher expectations with Bioware's influence.

 

The deliberate mystery of the third factions is something I can't resist. I can't help thinking that the EU units look no different from what I expect a US army to look. So maybe US got bought out by the Euro and the third faction is something different. Successful factions should be different play styles - so what could it be? I recall the 'alliances' name - and think it could be a combo faction - but what style will it support?

 

It makes me wonder what lessons the team learned from SCII and will Gen2 arrive before the Heart of the Swarm???