2009: The Year Of Vin Diesel?
Will Vin Diesel make 2009 the year he surprises everyone again?
by dkpatriarch
© 2009 David Hilton
Vin Diesel, the muscular, bald, gravely voiced actor who started his own video game studio Tigon in 2002, looks ready to make a mark on this year’s video game-scape. His studio is involved in at least two Xbox 360/ PS3/ PC games that will be released this year which feature his likeness.
He has certainly had mixed success in his acting career, but his studio’s game for last gen’s Xbox, The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, based on a prequel back-story to the films Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick, was a surprisingly huge success. Many stated it was the best movie tie-in game since Goldeneye on the N64.
Will the new games match that quality and success, or will they fall short of current-gen standards? And even if they are great titles, with the big-name console exclusive games like Halo 3: ODST and Killzone 2 grabbing most of the attention right now, will they be commercial successes? In short, will Vin Diesel make 2009 the year he surprises everyone again?
Let’s look at the games:
1. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
This title was announced years ago and was dropped after the Activision-Blizzard merger. It is back on the cards again for 2009 thanks to Atari and involves a partnership between Tigon and Starbreeze Studios, who were responsible for the quality game The Darkness on 360 awhile back.
Vin Diesel of course is still the star of the game. What is a bit odd about this game is that it is neither a prequel or sequel but a remake with additional content for this gen consoles and PC. While the first game was a success, will a remake attract virgin Riddick gamers and get the veterans to return?
• Riddick: Dark Athena – Debut Trailer
Why It Will Succeed:
• The game has a great pedigree, both in the fact that the original was so good, and the fact that two quality studios are working on it
• Shooters are all the rage as gamers these days seem more inclined to want quick satisfaction bursts of action
Why It Could Fail:
• It is largely a remake of a game that was popular last generation. Will the title be innovative or different enough and up to scratch this gen?
• It has had a long history trying to get to market…could that have affected the quality as it did with other titles like Haze?
2. The Wheelman
Here is a game that takes its cue from films like Ronin that featured fantastic car chase action and explosive sequences as well as open-world driving games, which are all the rage these days.
What makes this game different from the increasingly ‘tired’ genre of street racers is that it is all about the action: both driving and shooting. It is searching for a balance between cinematic action both in vehicles and on foot. It isn’t Need For Speed: Underground and it isn’t GTA IV.
More like the Driver games of the past, The Wheelman will hopefully avoid the speed-bumps to success that hit that series. Vin Diesel stars as a ‘The Wheelman’, an undercover operative who must infiltrate Barcelona’s criminal underworld to gather information about a covert heist.
• GameVideos.com – The Wheelman ‘E3 2008′ trailer Video
Why It Will Succeed:
• Thank God it doesn’t take place in yet another U.S. city! Barcelona, Spain, is a perfect setting with diverse locations and environments to explore, rather than just streets of square office buildings. It should have an exotic feel which is very much needed in open-world driving games these days.
• It focuses on cinematic action, rather than realism or street-racing. It should focus on fun above all, and that’s a good thing!
Why It Could Fail:
• The earlier environmental graphics needed more polish and the on-foot sections weren’t as strong. Hopefully this has been improved for the final release
• Since it is not GTA IV or a street racer, will gamers give it a go?
There are also a few other titles Tigon has been linked with, including a game called Secret Service, which is a collaboration with director Bryan Singer, Melkor, an RPG game which is inspired by Vin Diesel’s past interest in Dungeons & Dragons and is described as a more mature Zelda, and Barca BC, a strategy title based on Hannibal’s exploits.
There isn’t much news on these titles, but clearly Vin Diesel has taken to gaming with a passion. Let’s hope that passion translates into quality games to enjoy this year and beyond!
© 2009 David Hilton
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Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, New Game Information, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 News Tagged: | Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, The Darkness, The Wheelman, Tigon games, Tigon Studios, Vin Diesel
