Deus Ex Machiwuhuh: Where is Warren Spector?

John Constantine — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:30:00 GMT

Warren Spector is what we here at 61 Frames Per Second call “a mule of epic proportions”. His mulishness can be measured by a number of standards. For example: how many people could make a decent videogame about Mark Hammil dogfighting giant space cats? How many people could make a medieval stealth game and actually have it feel speedy and good? How many people could make Deus Ex? Precisely one person. He rules, but it's been quite a long time since we've seen him 'round these parts.

Now, admittedly, everyone knows precisely where Warren Spector is. He and his assembled crew of visionaries from Junction Point Studios have been at Disney Interactive since 2007. The long-lived rumor, which popped up again just this past December, is that Spector has been working on a Mickey Mouse platformer alongside Disney Feature Animation and Pixar. Sounds like a match made in heaven to be honest. Some of gaming’s brightest designers have worked on Mickey Mouse platformers. That’s just a rumor though. The fact is that Spector hasn’t had a new game on the Markey in half a decade and Junction Point hasn’t published anything at all. What’s the hold up Warren? We miss you!

Spector actually sat in on a roundtable discussion with other famous gaming faces like Will Wright, David Perry, and another of others. Spector touched on subjects all too familiar for him, like creating single-player experiences that require lower time investments from players while still having potent narratives. He didn’t mention his new game though. Maybe this year, the year Eidos will show off their Spector-less Deus Ex 3, will be the year Warren re-emerges. If it isn’t, and you’ve got a hankering for the man, I heartily recommend you go play Thief or Deus Ex again. Or head over to The Escapist and read Spector’s four part essay series, Gaming at the Margins. His theories on the medium are off-base here and there, but are nourishing food for thought all the same.

Related links:

FMV Hell: Star Studded Casts - Do you Give a Crap?
F**k Your Future: Mirror’s Edge, Blade Runner, and the Future City
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A Decade of Gaming Excellence

FMV Hell: Star Studded Casts - Do you Give a Crap?

Cole Stryker — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Boy, I don't.

EA has announced that the new Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 will star the following B-listers:

Gemma Atkinson (the UK's Hollyoaks), Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunt for Red October), Andrew Divoff (LOST), Kelly Hu (X2, The Scorpion King), Jenny McCarthy (Scream 3, former Playboy Playmate of the Year), Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale), Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean), J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, Juno), Autumn Reeser (The OC), Peter Stormare (Prison Break, Armageddon), George Takei (Star Trek, Heroes), and two of the most recognizable names in competitive mixed martial arts Randy "The Natural" Couture (former UFC Heavyweight champion) and Gina "Conviction" Carano (Undefeated Elite XC fighter, American Gladiators).

Jenny McCarthy was just blown away:

"I wasn't sure what to expect when I came in to work on a video game," said Jenny McCarthy from the set of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, while playing Tanya, Allied commando and the most beloved heroine in the history of the Command & Conquer universe. "What I realized is Red Alert 3 is not just a video game, it's absolutely an interactive movie.

Ho ho HO! Absolutely!

Diff'rent Strokes' Dana Plato in Night Trap, Mark Hamill in Wing Commander III, Dennis Hopper in Black Dahlia -- live-action Full Motion Video has historically been populated by washed up Hollywood rejects. In the go-go nineties, development studios could only afford also-rans, which brought middling acting to the medium. Within a few years of FMV's birth, 3D rendering technology evolved to the point where developers could easily create pretty characters at a fraction of the cost of hiring from Hollywood. It was too expensive, not that fun for players to watch, and eclipsed by superior technology. The infamous live-action sequences from Resident Evil could probably be considered the swan song of live-action FMV.

And yet, some folks are still utilizing it. Why? Does a "star-studded" cast really move more units? Would the inclusion of celebrities (even real ones) inspire you to pick up a game?

My personal favorite celebrity FMV: Dennis Hopper in Black Dahlia, which also boasted the talents of Terri Garr.

61 Frames Per Second : wing commander

Deus Ex Machiwuhuh: Where is Warren Spector?

FMV Hell: Star Studded Casts - Do you Give a Crap?