Rambo: The Video Game actually has a chance to be that rare licensed video game adaptation that lives up to the source material, instead of just being a hastily baked product meant as a cash in. The fact that it is being developed nearly three decades after the trilogy of movies it is based on means that there is no pressure on the developer to meet a deadline dictated by the release of a movie or a cartoon.
And sure enough, it seems likt it is turning out pretty well. In an interview with VG247, Will Curley, general manager of the team behind the product, shed some light on the game.
“We felt that controlling the player’s journey through the levels and maximising the visual and set-piece variety we could offer was the best way for us to go,” Curley explained. “We want players to have the feeling of the game being complete-able but also that when they get to the end they have the sense that they have seen, experienced and achieved a lot of things.
“It’s similar to a classic arcade game feel, even something like Outrun that speeds you through five stages quickly so in a small chunk of time you’ve seen a lot of content. We’re fans of that type of gaming. So we appointed our developer Teyon and our initial plans were to make a straight ‘rail’ shooter that moved the player through the set-pieces and environment of the three films.
“We looked around at rail shooters both classic and current to find what people enjoyed and also think of ways to make them feel fresh again. There were a few issues that came to light once we started project planning. First, a pure rail-shooter tends to be about single shot accuracy and very clinical play. If you go down the other route and do more of a ‘spray’ rail-shooter you lose the every-bullet-counts feel and re-load management somewhat.”
So, the solution was a best of both worlds compromise- a bit like the 2011 shooter Kid Icarus: Uprising, the game plays on rains till you reach a specific point, following which it becomes a cover based shooter. You still never have full control of movement, but then again, having full movement control probably wouldn’t be living up to the spirit of the franchise to begin with.
Rambo: The Video Game launches on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC later this year. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage.