Max Payne

Max Payne raised the bar for cinematic action in video games, appropriating the style of John Woo’s gun fu movies. Of course, we can’t talk about Max Payne’s innovativeness without referencing its bullet time mechanic – an ability to transform shootouts into slomo bloodshed. Max Payne’s bullet time was clearly indebted to The Matrix, and whilst it wasn’t the first video game to feature bullet time it was the first to do it with such effortless swagger.

System Shock

The ways in which System Shock was ahead of the curve are numerous: it’s exploration of prescient themes centring on artificial intelligence, transhumanism, ascension, and the human soul is still grimly thought-provoking; its physics engine revolutionised how objects act in 3D spaces; its morally grey antagonist grounded its fantastical setting; it’s emphasis on player choice and options to avoid combat via ground-breaking hacking abilities. System Shock is an all-time classic, inspiring Prey, Dishonored, Portal, to name a few.

Outcast

A fully explorable open world appearing two years before Grand Theft Auto III isn’t why Outcast is ahead of its time. No, this 1999 sci-fi cult classic delivered immersion by the bucketload, far above anything that had come before. NPC conversation was integral to the narrative, but each had daily routines to follow, opinions on each other, and opinions on you the player. An early example of a reputation system, NPCs will help or hinder you based on how well you’ve treated them. Enemy soldiers are progressively weakened by lack of food or resources too, the result of activities you complete for the leaders of each region.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Much like Outcast some two decades prior, Red Dead Redemption 2 set new precedents for immersive open world story telling. It’s gorgeous grassland plains, swamps, and misty mountaintops encouraged horseback exploration; fast travel was not the optimal way to get around. Rockstar deliberately culled the pace of Red Dead’s sequel, stuffing the open world with a smorgasbord of side activities and random encounters. Open world games released today are struggling to reach the levels of freedom Red Dead Redemption 2 presented.

Mirror’s Edge

Flowstate is a remarkable thing when it happens in games. The sense of body and mind working in tandem, fluidly, uninterrupted. Games had toyed with parkour before Mirror’s Edge but none elicited the serene flowstate Mirror’s Edge did. This is in large part to its first-person perspective, it’s almost texture-less clean lines and minimal, distraction free colour palette switching between bright white and bold primary colours. Dying Light comes close, but the innovativeness of Mirror’s Edge is tough to beat.

Metal Gear Solid

An absolute genre-defining masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid changed perceptions of what video games could be via its unashamedly cinematic approach to storytelling, it’s ground-breaking stealth gameplay, and ingenious fourth wall breaking shenanigans. Never had a video game toyed with the player as much as Metal Gear Solid; etching Meryl’s codec frequency into the game’s physical CD case, or – most famously – the Psycho Mantis battle requiring players’ switch controller ports to evade his mind-reading ability.

Shadow of the Colossus

Originally released in 2005 at a time when video game contingent was still debating if the medium could be considered art. Contemplative, bleak, beautiful, befuddling Shadow of the Colossus put that contest to rest via minimal storytelling told ostensibly through environmental puzzles masquerading as boss battles. There really was nothing like it at the time. A wholly unique experience with an ending, like some of the world’s greatest art, wide open to interpretation.

Red Faction

Remarkably ground-breaking for its Geo-Mod technology was Red Faction. It’s incredible how much destruction developer Volition managed to build into its gameplay, and whilst there was a multiplayer component to the game the single player campaign was treated to this bar-raising destruction tech too. Players could reshape the world around them with unparalleled freedom. See a locked door? Blast a hole in the surrounding rock. Want to infiltrate a guarded building? Fashion underground tunnels with rocket launchers. Prior games included scripted destruction, but Red Faction was the first to grant players pure unscripted world-altering capabilities.

Shenmue

Sure, Shenmue’s stately slice of Japanese life divides fans and critics to this day, but the developer’s ambition for what they hoped would become a sprawling series was certainly ahead of its time. Introducing the concept of open world game design to mass audiences (well, Dreamcast players at least), Shenmue heightened immersion through its day and night cycles, NPCs with jobs and routines, and dynamic weather. The interactivity inherent in its detailed world cemented Shenmue as a trailblazer too, ranging from mundanely examining the objects of a kitchen drawer to hitting the arcades for some vintage game time.

Prototype

Prototype’s Alex Mercer is the perfect anti-hero. It’s as simple as that. So many powers and abilities are stuffed into his skillset that there was no more powerful a feeling possible in games than raising utter carnage in downtown Manhattan and barely feeling a scratch from an army desperate to stop you. In blending shapeshifting, superhero-esque aerial acrobatics, offensive and defensive body augmentations, thermal vision, guns, tanks, and helicopters, Radical Entertainment risked Prototype being a sludge of mechanics. Instead, Prototype is a blast; combining so many combat mechanics seamlessly truly was an achievement ahead of its time.

Battlezone

Never had a game merged first-person action, real-time strategy, base building, and tank simulation as cohesively as 1998’s Battlezone. Whilst the similar-in-scope Uprising: Join or Die released a year earlier it didn’t have the same sense of finesse that Activision’s effort exuded. Battlezone dripped in atmosphere, featured dynamic missions inside an engaging dual-perspective campaign, and – crucially given its melding of disparate genres – a sleek interface innovative for its simplicity.

RAGE

You can debate until you’re blue in the face on the memorability of RAGE. It brought legendary developer id Software back from the brink of mediocrity, but it’s shooting, premise, enemies, story – all middle-of-the-road at least. A solid 7/10. RAGE though had an ace up its sleeve: megatexturing. This tech wasn’t new at the time, but thanks to game engine id Tech 5 RAGE’s environment artists were able to build in an endless stream of unique textures. Dynamic scaling based on PC capability kept the game running at 60fps too; another feature prevalent nowadays but none-too-common back in 2011.

Syndicate

1993’s Syndicate put you in command of four trenchcoated, mirror-shaded cyborgs undertaking a corporation’s nefarious dealings via the trigger of a minigun. Gameplaywise, you’d take to the streets – early examples of living cities – to assassinate, coerce, rescue, or destroy, depending on your objective and whims. There was intelligence beneath the bloodshed too, a satirical mirror exposing the tunnel vision of rampant consumerism. Grand Theft Auto took these themes and ran with it, but Syndicate was the first to do it.

Far Cry 2

If Far Cry 2 were released today, it might be criticised for an overly minimalist approach to open world game design that’s become much more commonplace than it was back in 2008 when it originally released. Thing is, it’s Far Cry 2 that arguably started this trend. A true pinnacle of emergent gameplay, zones aren’t acquired like a shopping list and NPCs don’t tend to function as quest givers. Instead, it’s up to you to head into the bush a cause your own trouble, but beware as guns often malfunction, exploded vehicles cause rampant bushfires, healing is strictly limited. Far Cry 2 had the confidence here to blend FPS with survival mechanics, with Metal Gear Solid V, Fallout 4, and The Forest to name a few taking many leaves out of its book.

Silent Hill 2

Dealing with mature, taboo, brushed under the carpet subject matter in such visceral ways; intrinsically linking a character’s innermost desires and torment to gameplay, to monsters encountered; in crafting an atmosphere so noxious it chokes you – these are all reasons why Silent Hill 2 is an ahead of its time masterpiece, and stands the test of time some 22 years later. In a way, Silent Hill 2 is experimental; for one, its story is told extremely subtly. A very hands-off approach which many developers, plus Konami themselves, haven’t learned from.

When BattleZone was first released, the Tank Combat title was a showpiece for VR on PC and PS4. Now a screen version of the game called BattleZone Gold Edition has launched for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, with a Nintendo Switch version to come later.

The Gold Edition includes a great chunk of the DLC originally released for the VR game, including some extra horns, skins and bobbleheads. But while the game did first release as a PS4 console exclusive, Xbox has a clear leg up with this port. Developer Rebellion confirmed to wccftech that the Xbox One X runs the game with very near-4K resolution and support for High Dynamic Range, while the PS4 Pro has no such support for HDR and only hits 1080P.

While this is certainly a blow against the PS4 Pro, the console does enjoy a small victory, with improved dynamic lighting in the cockpit of the tank. It’s the small victories, sometimes.

Rebellion Games are working a PlayStation VR game titled Battlezone. It will be one of the first titles for the upcoming VR headset by Sony. GamingBolt recently caught up with Rebellion Games’ Jason Kingsley and asked him how much did the VR format influenced their decisions for game length and overall gameplay features and whether there were any points where they felt limited by the VR perspective in terms of what the player could do.

“Actually we don’t think of VR as limiting at all, just different. Certainly there are things you can’t and shouldn’t do in VR but the flip side is a deep immersion and presence that you just can’t describe unless you’ve played it…and yes that’s a huge cliché, but an accurate one!”

“Battlezone’s arcade design makes it an ideal early title for PlayStation VR. It’ll be a full-featured game, but suitable for lots of short bursts of play. I think Battlezone, along with some other big names, is going to show gamers that VR has already moved well beyond the reputation of being a collection of cool tech-demos. Personally I’m fascinated to see how people acclimatise over the years, and how that affects game design. Right now it’s hard to imagine people popping on a VR headset to play some huge, sprawling RPG for 10 hours at a time, but in 5 years? Who knows!”

Battlezone is due sometime this year for PlayStation 4.

"The pitch for the new visuals was to honour the 1980 Battlezone but obviously move beyond the 2-colour palette. We wanted something that was clearly divided from reality."

Battlezone is one of the most well-known classics in gaming. What motivated you to bring it back for the current generation of gamers, that too for VR?

Jason Kingsley: My brother Chris (Rebellion’s co-founder and CTO) and I have been completely open about how much of an influence the 1980 Battlezone was on us. That arcade cabinet – the way you peered into the landscape – that was both the first 3D and first VR game. It transported us to another world and inspired us to start making our own games. Without Battlezone there’d be no Rebellion! Of course when we bought the Battlezone IP from Atari, Oculus Rift was already underway and other headsets were rumoured. Chris and I had always wondered what Battlezone would look like if it was made today, and of all the features you’d want to see in a reboot, VR was always top of our list. So there was a method to our madness!

The aesthetic for the new Battlezone is obviously a big departure from the classic game, incorporating a more “Tron” like art-style. How did you decide on this art style for Battlezone and how hard was it to implement?

Jason Kingsley: The Tron comparisons always make us chuckle! I think a lot of people probably don’t realize that Tron was actually influenced by the original Battlezone! You can even see a Battlezone cabinet in Flynn’s Arcade in the film…The pitch for the new visuals was to honour the 1980 Battlezone but obviously move beyond the 2-colour palette. We wanted something that was clearly divided from reality. The conceit is that the player isn’t pretending to be in a tank, they’re pretending to be in a virtual simulation of one – a game within a game, if that makes sense!

Visually it’s all slotting together really well because the retro-futuristic feel is actually perfectly suited to VR. I think some people assume that VR experiences must be photo-realistic to be truly immersive, but actually a more abstract environment can be just as believable in VR  – arguably even more so – when you get the other bits right: the gameplay, the frame rate, the camera, the GUI etc.

In terms of gameplay, what is Battlezone looking to offer in this generation?

Jason Kingsley: Games have changed hugely since 1980, but in other ways they’re the same. There’s been a huge retro revival because when you strip back the visuals, designers have been creating fun gameplay loops for decades.

Just like the visuals, we want Battlezone’s VR reboot to hark back to 1980, so that means arcade vehicle combat that grabs you in seconds but with the kind of tactical depth to make you come back again and again. We don’t want to spoil any surprises but there’s going to be some nice references to the original game for those old enough to remember it, as well as some features today’s younger generation of players will expect.

"I think the hands-on reaction to Battlezone has been so positive so far because it grounds you really well in the tank cockpit; we spent a lot of time getting the “on-boarding” just right – that’s the process of getting you acclimatized to your virtual surroundings."

How much did the VR format influence your decisions for game length and overall gameplay features? Were there any points where you felt limited by the VR perspective in terms of what the player could do?

Jason Kingsley: Actually we don’t think of VR as limiting at all, just different. Certainly there are things you can’t and shouldn’t do in VR but the flip side is a deep immersion and presence that you just can’t describe unless you’ve played it…and yes that’s a huge cliché, but an accurate one!

Battlezone’s arcade design makes it an ideal early title for PlayStation VR. It’ll be a full-featured game, but suitable for lots of short bursts of play. I think Battlezone, along with some other big names, is going to show gamers that VR has already moved well beyond the reputation of being a collection of cool tech-demos. Personally I’m fascinated to see how people acclimatise over the years, and how that affects game design. Right now it’s hard to imagine people popping on a VR headset to play some huge, sprawling RPG for 10 hours at a time, but in 5 years? Who knows!

We’ve heard about concerns with motion sickness and whatnot as the primary challenges for developing VR games. What obstacles did you face and how did you go about circumventing them for Battlezone?

Jason Kingsley: Chet Faliszek at Valve put it nicely when he said its software, not VR that’s making people ill, and developers are learning more and more about VR every day. Motion sickness will be a footnote for almost all gamers sooner rather than later. I think our team who went to PSX in December told me that they did about 400 Battlezone demos and only two people felt uncomfortable  – I’d bet that’s not far off the number of people who feel funny playing FPS games, or watching movies like Cloverfield.

I think the hands-on reaction to Battlezone has been so positive so far because it grounds you really well in the tank cockpit; we spent a lot of time getting the “on-boarding” just right – that’s the process of getting you acclimatized to your virtual surroundings.  The visuals, audio and gameplay then work in harmony to give you a really comfortable sense of presence. From a design perspective there are some absolute basics. The frame rate has to be high, has to be smooth. Avoid anything that that makes your brain go “hang on, I thought I was in control here?” Camera shake, or anything that moves your virtual ‘head’ is a perfect example of something very common that is just a no-no in VR.

Will Battlezone support co-op or competitive multiplayer?

Jason Kingsley: We’ve not confirmed anything publicly yet, but there will be news soon!

What are your thoughts on PlayStation VR? What effect will it have on the industry, especially with devices like Oculus Rift and HoloLens on the horizon?

Jason Kingsley: I think the success of PlayStation VR is going to play a crucial part in taking VR to mainstream success. The fact that so many people already have the PS4 is critical for developers. The myth that are no “real” games yet for VR is well and truly being slain – we just need to get these games in players’ hands now!

"We’re remastering the 1998 Battlezone for PC and it’s very much a separate project. Even today it’s still a very unique blend of FPS and RTS, so we’re not going to tinker with gameplay…"

As for Oculus, we announced at Paris Games Week that we’re coming first to PlayStation VR, but Battlezone is confirmed for Oculus too, and this friendly rivalry between the VR platforms is helping drive the market forward. I think a lot of people were glad to hear that names like Sony and Facebook are heavily involved. HoloLens is a different proposition as VR and AR are totally different experiences, and it feels much further out than the major VR headsets.

From a PC gaming perspective, what do you believe Battlezone will offer to players who still want to rely on the keyboard and mouse?

Jason Kingsley: If anyone’s seen our weekly Twitch streams they’ll know I’m terrible on a control pad! I’m a PC man at heart, so the team already have their instructions for looking at keyboard and mouse controls!

Can you tell us a few details about the Battlezone (1998) remaster as well? Will this tie into VR version of Battlezone in any way?

Jason Kingsley: We’re remastering the 1998 Battlezone for PC and it’s very much a separate project. Even today it’s still a very unique blend of FPS and RTS, so we’re not going to tinker with gameplay, but at the same time we want to make it available to younger players who probably missed it 18 years ago!

What are your thoughts on PS4’s Graphics API and the possible changes that Sony’s GPU team may have done to it to support VR?

Jason Kingsley: Well, the PS4 Graphics API is already very close to the hardware, so they were already off to a great start. PlayStation have been very proactive in taking some of the extra grunt work needed to support VR off the developers’ shoulders. They’ve been great at sharing techniques we can all benefit from, but I like to think our in-house engine team has a few tricks of their own up their sleeves!

Is there anything else you want to tell us before we let you go?

Jason Kingsley: We just hope players are excited about VR as we are! We can’t stress enough, if you haven’t tried a VR headset yet, make sure to head down to shows like PAX, EGX and Gamescom and try it for yourself. And look out for Battlezone, because we’ll probably be there and we’d be honoured to be your first VR experience!

It’s been said several times already but for all the pre-orders that Oculus Rift sells out, the technology itself will need a number of factors to survive in the long term. Ease of development certainly helps and in that respect, it appears Sony has been making strides with PlayStation VR.

GamingBolt spoke to Rebellion co-founder and Battlezone creative director Jason Kingsley on the PS4’s graphics API and whether Sony has done any changes to better support VR. Kingsley responded that, “Well, the PS4 Graphics API is already very close to the hardware, so they were already off to a great start. PlayStation have been very proactive in taking some of the extra grunt work needed to support VR off the developers’ shoulders. They’ve been great at sharing techniques we can all benefit from, but I like to think our in-house engine team has a few tricks of their own up their sleeves!”

When it comes to concerns like motion sickness and other challenges, Kingsley says that with regards to Battlezone, there’s already plenty of comfort for players. “Chet Faliszek at Valve put it nicely when he said its software, not VR that’s making people ill, and developers are learning more and more about VR every day. Motion sickness will be a footnote for almost all gamers sooner rather than later.

“I think our team who went to PSX in December told me that they did about 400 Battlezone demos and only two people felt uncomfortable  – I’d bet that’s not far off the number of people who feel funny playing FPS games, or watching movies like Cloverfield. I think the hands-on reaction to Battlezone has been so positive so far because it grounds you really well in the tank cockpit; we spent a lot of time getting the ‘on-boarding’ just right – that’s the process of getting you acclimatised to your virtual surroundings. The visuals, audio and gameplay then work in harmony to give you a really comfortable sense of presence.

“From a design perspective there are some absolute basics. The frame rate has to be high, has to be smooth. Avoid anything that that makes your brain go ‘hang on, I thought I was in control here?’ Camera shake, or anything that moves your virtual ‘head’ is a perfect example of something very common that is just a no-no in VR.”

Battlezone and PlayStation VR will be out this year so stay tuned for more information on how both fare in the mainstream.

PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive…the VR market has become plenty crowded. With Oculus Rift releasing in March, how will the technology pan out in the coming months, especially for Sony since it will be the first console VR headset?

GamingBolt spoke to Rebellion co-founder and Battlezone creative director Jason Kingsley about his thoughts on the success of PlayStation VR especially with other devices on the horizon. He stated that, “I think the success of PlayStation VR is going to play a crucial part in taking VR to mainstream success. The fact that so many people already have the PS4 is critical for developers. The myth that are no “real” games yet for VR is well and truly being slain – we just need to get these games in players’ hands now!

“As for Oculus, we announced at Paris Games Week that we’re coming first to PlayStation VR, but Battlezone is confirmed for Oculus too, and this friendly rivalry between the VR platforms is helping drive the market forward. I think a lot of people were glad to hear that names like Sony and Facebook are heavily involved. Holo Lens is a different proposition as VR and AR are totally different experiences, and it feels much further out than the major VR headsets.”

As it stands, the market will be tested when actual triple-A VR titles release. But how will PlayStation VR? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Characters

Development

Chris and Jason Kingsley, who are the founders of Rebellion say they have been fans of the series since it was first launched in 1980. When Atari sold the Battlezone IP in 2013, Chris and Jason bought that IP with the express intent of developing a new Battlezone game at the forefront of the new wave of VR. The developers announced that they will first be developing the game for PS4 and the Playstation VR and will be bringing the game to PC at a time to be determined later. The game is slated for a 2016 release on the Playstation VR though there isn’t an actual release date stated for the PC version. The company has also said the game will be supported on the Oculus Rift as well as the Playstation VR but Rebellion is also looking at possibly bringing the game to other VR platforms.

When talking about the reasons the developers wanted to buy this game, the two released a statement saying, “When the original Battlezone came out in 1980 – long before we were developing games – Chris and I were among the many who made up its loyal arcade following,” said Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley. “When we acquired the Battlezone rights two years ago we almost had to pinch ourselves! It really was a dream come true, so it’s our aim to deliver the same revolutionary thrill of the original for a whole new generation. We want to use VR to truly capture the imagination of today’s gamers, just as the original Battlezone captured ours.”

The company has also said it is exploring the ability of putting out the game in a format that won’t be taking advantage of VR, for those people who are not fans of the platform of VR. The company has not put anything into stone about those kinds of plans. The game is going to be developed and powered by Rebellion’s next-generation game engine, Asura.

The video game was first revealed at the 2015 E3 presentation. The game also had a playable demo, though it was limited in just how much of the game was actually available to play through. It wasn’t until September 24, 2015 that Rebellion was entirely sure that it would be able to offer the game on VR for the PC platform. On that day, the company was able to confirm it could actually offer the game on Oculus Rift. They announced support for the platform by saying, “We’ve come a huge way since then, but the development community needs to work together to help make VR a success, and Oculus are definitely playing their part. The technology, the hardware, it’s finally all there – and make no mistake it’s game experiences that are going to take VR headsets to the mainstream, not film or TV.”

On October 27, 2015 the game was announced as a launch title for Playstation VR and that at least at the launch of the game, would be exclusive to Playstation.

Story

The point of this game is to make the player as though they are actually in the middle of a war. Because the game is virtual reality, the gamer is supposed to feel as though they are actually in a tank and fighting a war against some of the most deadly enemies in all the land. Beyond the different battles that are going to be fought inside a tank against other tanks and military vehicles, there isn’t a ton known about the full story of the game, it’s expected to be similar or the same as the original, 1980 game. The user will be fighting against the rather evil Rotberg Corporation.

Gameplay

The developers have said that Battlezone will be able to give players a real feel for battlefield awareness, a monumental sense of scale and breathless combat intensity because the game is actually surrounding the player in Virtual Reality. The player is in the cockpit of a super tank as the player takes on other tanks. A player’s instincts and senses are meant to respond to every threat on the battlefield as enemy swarms move on the tank and fire super-heated projectiles at the player.

The player is going to be piloting a Cobra tank and the users will be able to load the Cobra with a wide range of weapons. While the player is fighting battles against other tanks, there will be an opportunity to earn combat power ups. The point of the game will be to outflank and outwit the enemy. While other tanks are going to be the main enemies there will be other varieties of ground and airborne defenses. Eventually the game will feature a final boss battle with the metal mind of the Rotberg Corp. The developers have said there are going to be a number of different maps to play through during the game, though the company has not actually said how many maps there are going to be when the finished product is actually revealed.

Characters

Battlezone doesn’t have too many official characters in the game, the player takes on the hero of the game, though there isn’t a specific name known for this character. The enemies included in the title are minions of the far future corporation known as Rotberg Corporation. There is also apparently a boss that the player will have to take on after he gets through the waves of other minions that are in this futuristic world. The developers have not details if these other characters in the game have specific names.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game

Rebellion recently announced that it would be creating a new Battlezone game, based on the 1980s Atari classic, for virtual reality headsets. However, as any fan of the franchise would know, that Atari game is not the only form of the game- it is not even the most well loved one. No, the most loved form of Battlezone came from Activision in 1998, when they reimagined the original game as an FPS-RTS hybrid.

Rebellion has announced that in addition to that new Battlezone game that it showed off, it will also be working on a remaster of the 1998 Battlezone game.

“A number of you are fans of the 1998 and 1999 Battlezone games released by Activision that re-imagined the franchise as a groundbreaking hybrid of FPS and RTS gameplay. Naturally when we made our announcement last week some of you asked, ‘But what about the newer Battlezone games? What are you doing with them?'” Rebellion said in their press release.

“Well, we’ve read your comments, articles, emails and posts and we’ve seen your love for these games – so we wanted to make another brief announcement: We’re very pleased to reveal that we’re also working on a remaster of the 1998 Battlezone for PC.”

They confirmed that it was far too early for them to reveal a release date or any more details at this point, but stay tuned, and we will keep you posted.