GameSlice: Behind the Scenes of the Computer and Video Game Industry

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PlayStation 2 Screenshot

GameSlice: Having 10 missions that cover different areas of the world should provide gamers with a lot of variety. Scenarios such as being able to ski through the Caucasus Mountains sound great but are there a lot of technical challenges packing all these gameplay options into one game?

Jon: Actually, we’re aiming for more than 10 missions. The final count will most likely vary from platform to platform. As we’ve said in the past, we’re trying to capitalize on the strength of each system understanding that there are varying limitations and parameters on all four platforms. For example, the PC and PlayStation 2 are able to bring the boating scenes to life. The key is to ensure we are bringing experiences that are properly polished and detailed. Accordingly, where we could harness the power and capture the essence of an experience such as boating, we did. For those platforms that couldn’t adequately capture the essence of boating, we focused our energy elsewhere.

PC Screenshot

GameSlice: With four platforms (PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo 64) and three different developers (Electronic Arts, Black Ops Entertainment and Eurocom) there could be a lot of variation within the game on differing platforms. Have the design meetings been a joint effort or is each developer relatively independent?

Jon: Overall, the goal is to deliver a quality Bond game that will appeal to each of the platform audiences. Given the strength of the movie and license, we have an umbrella of features that cover all four systems, i.e. first person perspective, storyline, characters, etc. However, the technology approach is quite unique – each group working on the hardware with unique, customized software. Black Ops has state-of-the-art technology with the PlayStation, and Eurocom has equally advanced technology (via a new screaming fast engine) for the Nintendo 64. Our internal team is utilizing the fantastic Quake III Arena engine for the PlayStation 2 and PC.

Next, is creativity stifled by working with Bond? >>>