Feature: GamePro talks Gears of War 2 storyline with Epic
http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/features/178290.shtmlGears of War 2 is hitting the Xbox 360 this November, and GamePro's got an exclusive Q&A with Epic president Mike Capps. Read on for new storyline details!
Hop straight to our interview with Epic president Mike Capps! Gears of War 2 storyline details await...
Gaming came to the New York Comic Con in full force this year. Whereas previous years had been the comic convention norm -- rare comics in polybags and overweight men in superhero costumes--some of the industry's biggest developers showed off games for the first time at this three-year-old show. Sega had a double-shot of superhero goodness with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, Konami gave gamers their first chance to test Metal Gear Online's chops, and Ubisoft had the fragdolls on hand to dish out pwnage with Rainbow Six Vegas. But one name was on everyone's mind at NYCC this year--Gears of War 2. With a new comic series coming from DC, an action figure series coming from NECA, and some sort of interactive adventure coming to the Xbox 360, it truly was a game for all geeks this year.
GamePro was at the panel featuring Mike Capps; Epic Games' President, Joshua Ortega; Gears of War 2's writer, and Randy Falk; Director of Product Development at action-figure developer NECA, where the three took questions from all comers about all the upcoming Gears goodness, which we've detailed below. We also got the chance to talk one-on-one with Capps about Gears of War 2, with the full transcription on the next page.
After re-airing the GDC trailer, Capps gave a quick introduction into the development of Gears 2. After finishing the PC version and the 360's downloadable content, the folks at Epic began to break down what worked and what didn't in the original. Capps was surprised at the popularity of a last-minute addition he didn't think much of when it was first concieved--the chainsaw bayonet. Another important aspect that went under the microscope was the popular cover system, which led to the addition of dynamic moving cover in the sequel.
One area the team definitely knew was primed for growth was the story. Joshua Ortega was personally recommended by Microsoft and hit it off with the team almost immediately. Ortega praised the series' room for plot development, especially in areas like Marcus Fenix's father. Capps praised the job done by Ortega, particularly with the gameplay-first feel of Gears. With a stage like House of Sovereigns, which takes 2-3 man-years to develop, only about 15 hours are put towards writing the script. Oftentimes, Capps would have to approach a writer saying "You know the hallway where the characters talk about such-and-such? Well, there's no hallway now." Capps commended Ortega's ability to adapt to those types of situations.
Capps gave the floor to Falk to talk about the upcoming action figure line. Falk was excited by the common mission of both his and Capps' teams; to create fun--his team from clay and Capps' with computers. He detailed the creation of his personal favorite figure, the splatter-head Locust, which was conceived by a sniping-proficient designer at NECA.
After the brief intro, Capps turned the floor to the fans and their questions. Gameplay elements in general and multiplayer in particular were both hot topics at the session, with many folks trying to pry details from Epic's secretive president. Capps deferred many of the questions by noting that a bounty of multiplayer details would be revealed next month, but could not explain further. When one attendee asked about an 8-on-8 multiplayer mode, Capps shot it down, saying "That's so not Gears."
Capps was able to talk about two of the more under-utilized gameplay features of the first when asked about them--vehicle usage and hiding from the Krill. Capps said that he enjoyed the light and dark element and that it "would not be going away," and that the single driving level "was a sorbet between the action stages." Now that there was more game, Capps said, "expect more sorbet."
There were a pair of questions about downloadable content. The first concerned the appearance of any in Gears 2, while the second asked if the additional PC level would see console release. While the game is still in development, Capps noted that Epic has been in the DLC business since 1998, and though he admitted he's a Rock Band content fiend, that he largely prefers to keep things free. On the topic of the PC-only content, Capps was disappointed in the fact that his hands were tied in being able to get it on the Xbox 360.
With the comic announced and gameplay details still sparse many fans had questions about the story. One fan wondered if the game would have a more war-like feel. Capps noted that the close combat in the first "felt more like a spy incursion than a war" and noted the new game would have parts that recalled D-Day.
One fan asked about the role of Dom's wife in the second. Ortega explained it by asking how many audience members preferred him to Marcus Fenix, to which a surprising amount raised their hands. Capps' chimed in by saying "And we could always use another hot chick."
Another fan asked about the Pendulum Wars, which nearly obliterated the human race, and whether it would be addressed in Gears 2. Ortega answered by saying while it is definitely touched upon in the sequel, that past events like that are much better fodder for the expanded universe of comics and novels.
Halo 2's increased focus on the Covenant was the topic of another question, which asked whether the Locust would also be similarly sympathized with. Capps told the audience than the reasons for the Locust's deeds would be further explained, as Stan Lee has proven with his villians, "they can't just be bad guys."
Cole Train's role in the series and his criticism as of late were hot topics. Capps touched on the accusation of Cole Train being a racially stereotyped character by noting that the lines were largely improvised from Lester "Mighty Rasta" Speight. He also pointed out the source of the comments, Crystal Dynamics, were responsible for Lara Croft. Capps confirmed that Cole Train would be back in he sequel, joking that he'll be there "Until at least halfway through"
The mysterious Locust Queen was the topic of one fan's question, who wondered why she spoke with a clear and refined British accent while the army sounded more brutish. While he couldn't go into it, Capps told the fan "You're picking apart exactly what we want you to."
Dave Rudden, GamePro: So does the newly-announced comic tie into Gears of War 2, or is it a bridge between the two games?
Mike Capps, President of Epic: We haven't settled down what we're doing for the first miniseries, but it'll likely be introductory. There's six months between Gears 1 and 2, and the comic seems like the best place to tell the story of what's happening in that timeframe, and kind of lead into Gears 2. It's an exciting media to me, and not just because I'm a comic book nerd and they let me in for free [to NY Comic Con] but also because we can do things you can't do in videogames. You know, I can't have 500 helicopters flying in the air or 30 Berserkers on screen. We're doing a much more epic scale with Gears 2, but I can do even more with the comic book space, and I'm excited about that. We're doing a much more epic scale with Gears 2, but I can do even more with the comic book space, and I'm excited about that.
We're doing a much more epic scale with Gears 2, but I can do even more with the comic book space, and I'm excited about that.
Rudden: Do you know when they'll release the comics?
Capps: I don't think we've put a date on it, but obviously, I'd love to get that done in time to match Gears 2 coming out.
Rudden: It's been said that Gears 2 will be more emotional than Gears 1--how will you accomplish that?
Capps: It's really challenging for us with our audience, which is a mix of people who really wanted more story, and ADD kids who just want to plow through, and keeping them both happy is difficult. It's always been a problem for us in videogames, when we have to lean on our archetype, because if you don't. we don't have enough screen time for characters talking to get across who they are, so we have character archetypes, for better or worse. This time since you know who all the main characters are, you can dig a little bit deeper into them, and we've built a bit more of the story in advance in this one. Gears was a rough idea of a story and a lot of environments we built, and then we went and fit the story in. This time, we had a lot more of the scripts and story plotted out before the levels were locked down. In the end, the levels have to win in Gears because it's 10 man years per level, and rewriting a script to match a level is how many seconds? The spaces will always win, but we've been able to get a lot more accomplished, a lot more subtlety with the story, which we didn't do so much in Gears 1, and it comes from having the time--we started Gears 2 pretty early with a bigger team and a lot more focus on the writing.
Rudden: On the topic of characters, someone from Crystal Dynamics criticized the character of Cole Train, and I was wondering what your toughts were.
Capps: I got a kick out of reading all the comments on the article. They were saying "So Crystal Dynamics is calling people out for stereotyping?" I was a little frustrated that someone would say we were racially stereotyping a character. We have quite a diverse mix of people working on Gears, and maybe 20% of the character's lines was stuff we wrote, and the rest is Rasta. That's what he is like. I don't know if you've ever seen "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker," but that's the way he talks. He's hilarious, he's really into the part, but a lot of the characterization comes directly from him. I don't know. A strong, dependable guy who laughs in the face of danger. If that's a bad stereotype for African-Americans, I don't know...
A strong, dependable guy who laughs in the face of danger. If that's a bad stereotype for African-Americans, I don't know...
Rudden: How will the Pendulum Wars and the Locust race be more defined in Gears 2?
Capps: Well, we'll explain a little more in Gears 2 about why they're doing what they're doing, but that's a space we're going to explore a bit with the first novel, that we want to basically tell the story of the Pendulum Wars and how Marcus Fenix and Dom and all those guys met. We won't talk about that much in Gears 2, we'll try to jump right in to saving humanity.
Rudden: Most action sequels seem to set up the final chapter of a trilogy. Is that what you're trying to do with Gears 2?
Capps: No. That sucks when number two is just a bridge to number 3. We've got a plan of what we might do later in the universe, but no, this is not setting up the second-to-last bad guy for the final bad guy. That would require us to do a lot more planning an preparation. We've just been focused on Gears 2. If Gears 2 isn't great, then people aren't going want a Gears 3 anyway, so it's not a bridge. That's what the comic books and novels do for us. If we want to bridge between story plotlines, we can use external licensed properties for that.
If Gears 2 isn't great, then people aren't going want a Gears 3 anyway, so it's not a bridge.
Rudden: How much of a role will the Locust Queen play in Gears 2?
Capps: Oh, I can't answer that for you, I'm sorry.
Rudden: Will we at least get to see her?
Capps: You will learn a lot more about the Locust Queen in this one.
Rudden: Thanks very much for your time.
